Mario Rivers outlines a 12-step system for pursuing one's passions and creating the life they want. Step 1 involves getting one's financial house in order by creating a budget. Step 2 is to figure out one's true passion. Step 3 is to create a written plan and schedule. Subsequent steps include taking small daily steps towards goals, executing the plan, monitoring results, being patient, being consistent, never quitting, expanding when successful, investing in oneself, taking breaks, and then repeating the process. The overall system provides a framework to structure pursuit of one's dreams.

1. TO FREEDOM
1 2 S T E P S
Creating the Life You Want
Mario Rivers'

2. Have you ever had a passion you
wanted to pursue? Have you ever
felt like you reached a glass ceiling
and you want to break through to
bigger and better things?
Q U E S T I O N S T O A S K
I hear so many folks tell me their dreams, passions and
desires for their lives, but then make excuses why they
can’t achieve their goals or realize their dreams. Though
I understand them, I am amazed at how great their
ideas are, but how limiting their thoughts are towards
reaching those dreams & passions.
ARE YOU
WHERE YOU
WANT TO
BE?

3. Does it feel like your dream has been
sidelined by life (children, work,
husband/wife, or other things)? Well
you’re in the right place.
T H E S Y S T E M
I have developed a 12 step system for those who want to
follow a passion they’ve been sitting on, and don’t know
how to get started. Here is your quick guide. If you want
a more in depth look at how you can attain the
greatness that lives inside you, you can also view my
video about Living the Life You Want on my YouTube
Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEVZXXeyFOg
12 STEPS TO WIN
& FOLLOW YOUR
PASSION

4. STEP 1:
GET YOUR
FINANCIAL ACT
TOGETHER
"Money is the tool used to get the things
you need, and things you want."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

5. What's keeping you from committing
to a budget?
M O S T P E O P L E D O N ' T S I T
D O W N A N D D O O N E .
Set up a written budget, and create a plan for your
money. Once you set a personal budget you can also
create a budget for your passion, business, or hobby.
For a resource, you can get one from someone I
recommend (Dave Ramsey), or create your own. (Dave's
FREE Every Dollar budget tool.)
Dave doesn't know me personally or need me to
endorse him, but he has some really good stuff. I
recommend it because my wife and I tried it and it
works.
www.daveramsey.com
THE BUDGET

6. STEP 2:
FIGURE OUT
YOUR TRUE
PASSION
"Once you figure out your passion,
you can pursue it with purpose."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

7. Ask yourself, "If I could do anything
every day for the rest of my life,
what would that be? Do that.
-Gary Vaynerchuck
T H E M A I N E V E N T
There is nothing like chasing a lot of objectives at once.
You never make any progress on any one ambition
when you are simultaneously pursuing multiple goals,
thoughts & ideas. Find out the mission that gives you a
reason to wake up early and get going. It needs to be
something that excites you.
THE
PASSION

8. STEP 3:
CREATE A
WRITTEN PLAN
AND SCHEDULE
"Bringing the dream to fruition."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

9. Measure your success and failures.
M I N I M I L E S T O N E S
Write it down!! If you don’t organize, plan, and write
down your passion & dreams, they are just wishes.
People with a plan are several times more likely to make
something happen if they put it down on paper. Create
mini-milestones and figure out the direction you need
to go.
THE PLAN

10. STEP 4: MOVE
FORWARD
WITH SMALL
STEPS DAILY
TOWARDS
YOUR GOAL
"Create some structure."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

11. Write the vision and make it
plain.
A man who doesn't work doesn't
eat. -God
T I M E T O R O L L U P T H E
S L E E V E S .
Once you figure out your true passion, and you have it
written down, then it will be time to create some type of
structure to bring your passion to fruition. Small steps
daily will get it done. This is where you roll up your
sleeves and get to work. This is where the magic
happens and you really start to see where you struggle,
and where you need to adjust. This is where you build
your freedom. Get to work. It's not for the faint of heart.
Do at least one thing daily to get you closer to your
goals.
THE WORK

12. STEP 5:
EXECUTE
"To win you must execute."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

13. Execution is key.
D R O P T H E H A M M E R O N
T H E W O R K A N D E X E C U T E
Follow the written plan from the previous step, and
EXECUTE that written plan for your passion day by day.
Execute the daily goals in step 4 to start the ball rolling
on your success. This is what i call "The Drop." Make
sure to keep to your scheduled plan in order. Try
batching also. In the long run it will save you time. This
is the step that a lot of people miss.
Read the 4 hour-work week by Tim Ferris.
THE DROP

14. STEP 6:MONITOR
YOUR RESULTS
THROUGH
ANALYTICS &
ADJUST YOUR
TACTICS
"Study the data."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

15. 25%
Anyone else hate spreadsheets?
G R A P H S , D A T A , I N S I G H T S
& S P R E A D S H E E T S
This is the part some of you can relate to. I don’t like
looking at spreadsheets and graphs, but this is
important to focus on who your customers and
supporters are, and the best way to reach them. If you
don’t want to do it, make sure to find someone who can
with the heart of a teacher to break things down to you
and tell you the direction you should be going in. Then,
adjust your tactics to mirror what you discover.
Google Analytics is free.
Facebook Insights is free. These two should suffice to
start.
THE
DIAGNOSIS

16. STEP 7:
BE PATIENT
"Success doesn't happen overnight."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

17. Remember why you started.
F O R T U N E 5 0 0
C O M P A N I E S H A V E S P E N T
Y E A R S G R I N D I N G
Today is the era of instant gratification. Success doesn’t
happen overnight. Patience is a virtue. Lots of data and
research emphasizes the tortoise and hare scenario.
Slow and steady wins the race.
No fortune 500 company succeeded over night. They
started small, worked their way up, and the were
patient as they were practicing the previous steps
planning, scheduling, and executing over and over.
THE GRIND

18. STEP 8:
BE CONSISTENT
"Push every day, and don't lose focus."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

19. Are you that special breed? Are you
an entrepreneur?
I T T A K E S A S P E C I A L
B R E E D T O K E E P O N
T R U C K I N '
When you engage with your audience, set up content at
a recurring time frame. For instance if you schedule a
blog post, a social media post, a YouTube video, or any
other content, try to keep a consistent schedule
throughout. Your supporters and customers will be
expecting it once you set a specific time and date that
you will release your material.
Consistency over time is what will create that winning
culture. Stay the course.
THE FOCUS

20. STEP 9:
DON'T
EVER QUIT.
"Remember why you started."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

21. Understand the struggle is part of
the process.
G O I N G T H R O U G H
" T H E T O U G H "
Being an entrepreneur and living the life you want is
going to require some perseverance and determination.
You will feel like quitting if you haven’t taken the time
to practice the previous 8 steps. When we see results,
we become more enthusiastic. When we see the needle
move, it gives us motivation to continue. But what about
when we aren’t progressing as quickly as we’d hoped?
Sometimes our success is right around the corner from
Patience Avenue, but many of us don’t take the time to
win, and we want to give up when we feel it doesn’t
work in the time we want it to.
THE
STRUGGLE

22. STEP 10:
WIN AND
EXPAND
"Hit the gas. Exploit your opportunities."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

23. Now is the time to make it happen.
T I M E T O T U R N U P
T H E H E A T
Once you hit your mark, shift into overdrive. This isn’t
the time to quit! Look at expanding, but grow your
business in a calculated way, ensuring that you are
doing the research and vetting potential deals to make
sure they are good for your company and your brand.
Look at all the opportunities that can grow your
business, and don't jump at the first "good deal." This is
the exciting part! Mo' money!
THE
EXPANSION

24. STEP 11:
INVEST IN
YOURSELF"The greatest return on investment."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

25. "They can't take it away from you.
Like- ever."
P E R S O N A L G R O W T H
A N D D E V E L O P M E N T
Take the time to increase your knowledge at every turn.
Read read read! Anything and everything related to
what you want to do, there is a book that tells you how.
And even better than that, there are best practices for
any area of expertise. This investment always pays off!
There is always a return on investment, and it can never
be taken away from you.
You'll have to spend some money on your dream too.
That's why I put money as Step #1.
THE
INVESTMENT

26. STEP 12:
TAKE A BREAK
"Enjoy the fruits of your labor."
W W W . M D R I V E R S B O O K S . C O M

27. "The reason you do it all."
T H E M O S T I M P O R T A N T
T H I N G : Y O U R F A M I L Y
You can experience burnout if you never take the time
out to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Once you’ve
created the culture, the company, the vision, and the
brand you’ve always wanted, take a break. Go on
vacation, spend some time with family, take some time
just for you. Focus on something ELSE other than your
business to open that relief valve. Then you can get back
to work. This is just as important as any of the other 11
steps that we have gone over thus far.
Ditch the phones, leave the laptop, and have some fun.
Then rinse and repeat.
THE WIN

28. 12 STEPS TO
FREEDOM
C O M P A N Y . C O M
T O R E A D T H E E N T I R E A R T I C L E :
C R E A T I N G T H E L I F E Y O U W A N T
https://mariorivers.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/blog‐post‐title‐2/

29. 12 STEPS TO
FREEDOM
C O M P A N Y . C O M
T O L I S T E N T O T H E P O D C A S T
C R E A T I N G T H E L I F E Y O U W A N T
http://mdriversbooks.com/podcasts/s/episode_2__12_steps_to_freedom

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