Michael Caine’s Refusal …

Firstly, a huge congratulations to those who purchased my latest best selling book. Yes, I will personalise each one that I send out, with both a message and a signature.

So, thinking about the key messages that the most successful people of the world can share with us, I sat down to watch an interview with actor Michael Caine on 60 Minutes, last Sunday night.

Although the interview was more interesting than it was earth shattering, there were some real gems of information provided by Michael.

After Michael had explained his history, and the fact that early in his life, he was destined to follow in the foot steps of the others in his town, and work in the local fish market. When asked why he is not doing that now, and what has driven him to become a leading Hollywood actor, he simply said “I refused to be a failure”.

What a great belief, and a great life strategy – refusing to fail.

Then, Michael was asked about his compulsory time in the armed services, and more particularly, whether he feared death. The response was again amazing. When he realised that he could be killed (he was a machine gunner), Michael said that “If I was going to die, my life was going to be expensive”. To paraphrase, he said that he was going to make a difference if he was killed – and the enemy would know about it.

Finally, one of the final questions of the interview, prior to standard click, click, click that signifies the end of a 60 Minutes story, Michael was asked what is important to him, and what has driven him to succeed for so long. To which, he simply replied “It’s all about being there and staying there”.

So, to sum up the “Michael Caine success principles 101”, all you need to do is:

• Refuse to fail
• Make a difference
• Be at the top of your game

Thanks Michael. Great advice.

By the way, to view the full interview, go to: http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8096109