The 10X Rule

The 10X Rule Plot Summary

Introduction

Have you ever wondered why some people achieve extraordinary success while others struggle to make even modest progress? The difference often comes down to one fundamental principle: the level of action they're willing to take. Most people dramatically underestimate what it takes to achieve significant goals. They set targets that are too small and take actions that are too timid, then wonder why success remains elusive. This is where the 10X Rule comes in - a principle that eliminates wishful thinking and replaces it with a concrete formula for achievement. It's about setting targets 10 times bigger than what you believe possible and taking 10 times more action than you think necessary. The 10X Rule isn't just another motivational concept; it's a practical approach that acknowledges the true level of effort required for extraordinary achievement. By embracing this rule, you'll develop the mindset and work ethic that makes success not just possible but inevitable, regardless of your industry, background, or current circumstances.

Chapter 1: Set Targets 10X Bigger Than You Think Possible

The first step in applying the 10X Rule is to dramatically increase the size of your targets. Most people fail not because they aim too high and miss, but because they aim too low and hit. When you set goals that are merely "realistic" or "reasonable," you're actually setting yourself up for disappointment and mediocrity. These average targets don't generate enough excitement or motivation to fuel the massive action required for extraordinary success. Grant Cardone learned this lesson the hard way. For the first 30 years of his business career, he focused on taking massive action but set targets that were far too small. He approached his goals with what he calls "little think" - targets influenced and limited by his upbringing and social conditioning. While he achieved what most would consider success, he realized he had severely underestimated his potential. "The biggest regret of my life," he writes, "is not that I haven't worked my ass off—because I have. It's that I didn't set targets 10 times higher than what I originally thought I could accomplish from the very beginning." This realization transformed his approach to goal setting. Instead of aiming to make $100,000, he began setting targets of $1 million. Rather than trying to help one person with his training programs, he aimed to reach millions. These 10X targets created a completely different energy and approach to his work. They required him to think differently, expand his vision, and take actions that would never have been necessary with smaller goals. The psychology behind 10X targets is powerful. When you set a goal so big that it seems almost unreasonable, you're forced to approach it differently. You can't rely on the same old methods or incremental improvements. You must innovate, leverage resources, and commit at a level that average goals never demand. This is why 10X targets are actually more likely to succeed than modest ones - they command your full attention and creativity. Setting 10X targets also provides a crucial buffer against setbacks. When you aim for 10X results and encounter obstacles, you might only achieve 5X - which is still extraordinary compared to your original standard. But if you aim for just 1X improvement and face the same obstacles, you might end up with nothing or even move backward. To implement this principle, take whatever targets you've currently set for yourself - in your career, finances, health, relationships - and multiply them by ten. Don't worry about how you'll achieve them yet. The "how" becomes apparent only after you've committed to the "what." Write these 10X goals down daily, both morning and night, and phrase them as though they're already accomplished. This practice will begin to reprogram your thinking and open your mind to possibilities you've never considered.

Chapter 2: Take Massive Action Without Hesitation

Once you've set 10X targets, you must follow through with 10X actions. This is where most people fall short - they may briefly entertain big goals but quickly retreat to comfortable, average levels of action. The 10X Rule demands that you take massive, unreasonable action toward your goals, without hesitation or apology. Cardone identifies four degrees of action that people typically take: doing nothing, retreating, taking normal action, and taking massive action. Most people operate in the first three levels, which explains why extraordinary success is so rare. Only the fourth degree - massive action - can produce extraordinary results. Cardone experienced this firsthand when starting his seminar business at age 29. He would start his days at 7 AM and work until 9 PM, cold calling companies and offering presentations to their sales and management teams. In a single day, he would visit as many as 40 organizations. During one particularly intense period in El Paso, Texas - a city where he knew no one and no one knew him - Cardone managed to visit every business in the market within just two weeks. A real estate agent who accompanied him for three days admitted, "There is no way I can do this for another day. I am only riding with you, and I'm exhausted." Cardone approached each day as if his life depended on the actions he took, refusing to leave any city without knowing he'd done everything possible to meet every business owner there. This level of action creates its own momentum. When you consistently take massive action, you begin to build what Cardone calls a "flywheel effect" - once it gets going, it continues going. You'll find yourself operating with less sleep and food because you're literally subsisting on the adrenaline generated by your victories. You'll also start receiving comments and admiration about your level of activity - a clear signal that you're operating at 10X levels. To implement massive action in your own life, start by identifying the actions most likely to advance your goals, then multiply them by ten. If you would normally make three sales calls, make 30. If you would typically spend two hours on a project, commit to 20. This approach might seem extreme, but that's precisely the point. Extraordinary results require extraordinary efforts. Remember that massive action solves two of your biggest problems: obscurity and momentum. When you take massive action, people notice you. And once you start gaining traction, each subsequent action becomes easier and more effective. The key is to start immediately and maintain this level of action until it becomes your new normal.

Chapter 3: Embrace Criticism as a Sign of Success

When you begin operating at 10X levels, something interesting happens: you start attracting criticism. Most people instinctively fear and avoid criticism, which is precisely why they never achieve extraordinary success. The 10X Rule requires you to completely reframe your relationship with criticism - to see it not as something to avoid but as a reliable indicator that you're on the right path. Cardone experienced this phenomenon throughout his career. When his book "If You're Not First, You're Last" hit the New York Times bestseller list, his supposed competitors immediately began criticizing him. One person called the book's title "arrogant." Another asked, "Who does Cardone think he is?" Yet another suggested that he was "getting too big for his own good." Someone even called to tell him to get a new editor because the grammar was supposedly wrong. Did Cardone pay attention to these comments? Not for a second. He had a New York Times bestseller! This pattern repeats itself across all fields and industries. When you start taking enough action, it won't be long before you're judged by people who aren't taking any. If you're generating substantial success, people will start to pay attention. Some will admire you and want to learn from you, but many will envy you. These are the people whose excuses for not doing enough will morph into reasons why what you are doing is wrong. The criticism often starts subtly, disguised as advice from well-meaning friends or colleagues: "Why are you spending so much energy on that one client? He never buys anything" or "You should enjoy life more! It's not all work, you know." These comments aren't really about your well-being; they're about making the speaker feel better about their own lack of action. Your abundance highlights their deficiency. To handle criticism effectively, you must first expect it as an inevitable part of the success journey. When it arrives, recognize it as confirmation that you're making an impact. Never allow criticism to derail your momentum or cause you to question your 10X targets. Instead, use it as fuel to push even harder. The best response to criticism is more success. Remember that criticism precedes admiration. Those who initially judged your actions will later sing your praises - as long as you take the criticism as a sign of your growing success and keep the accelerator on your 10X actions. After all, what better way to retaliate against criticism than to keep succeeding?

Chapter 4: Treat Success as Your Ethical Duty

One of the most powerful mindset shifts in the 10X Rule is viewing success not as an option but as your duty, obligation, and responsibility. Most people approach success casually, as something that would be nice to have but isn't essential. This lukewarm commitment guarantees mediocre results. The 10X Rule demands that you see success as an ethical imperative - something you owe to yourself, your family, your company, and your future. Cardone experienced two major wake-up calls that crystallized this perspective. The first occurred when he was 25, living what he describes as "a pitiful mess" after years of drifting aimlessly with no real purpose. The second came at age 50, during the biggest economic contraction since the Great Depression, when every aspect of his life was at risk. In both cases, he realized that success wasn't just important for having a full life - it was absolutely necessary for survival. This ethical framework transforms how you approach challenges. When Cardone's business faced severe economic headwinds, instead of retreating like his competitors, he increased his promotional spending and activity levels. While others were cutting back, he published three books, introduced four new sales programs, produced over 700 segments of training material, conducted 600 radio interviews, wrote more than 150 articles, and made thousands of personal phone calls. This wasn't just about making money; it was about fulfilling his obligation to succeed. The duty-based approach to success eliminates excuses. If you consider it your ethical responsibility to create success, you can no longer justify inaction or mediocrity. You must do whatever it takes to fulfill your potential and provide for those who depend on you. This perspective is particularly powerful during difficult times when most people use external circumstances to rationalize failure. To implement this principle, identify the specific obligations that your success fulfills. Perhaps it's providing financial security for your family, creating jobs in your community, or delivering valuable products and services to your customers. Write these down and review them daily. When faced with challenges or temptations to retreat, remind yourself that success isn't optional - it's your duty. This mindset also helps overcome the fear of appearing too ambitious or money-focused. When success is your ethical duty, pursuing it becomes an act of responsibility rather than selfishness. You're not just working for your own benefit but for everyone who depends on your success.

Chapter 5: Expand Your Presence to Dominate Markets

The concept of omnipresence - being everywhere, all the time - is a critical component of the 10X Rule. Most people think too small about their market presence, content with having a modest footprint in their industry. The 10X approach demands that you aim to dominate your market completely, making yourself and your offerings so ubiquitous that people automatically think of you first. Cardone implemented this strategy aggressively after facing a personal attack from people who didn't want to see him succeed. Rather than retaliating directly, he followed his wife's advice: "The best revenge is massive success." He committed to expanding his presence so dramatically that every time these detractors woke up, turned on the TV, or made a business move, they would see his face and be reminded of his success. This omnipresence campaign was comprehensive and relentless. Cardone wrote his first book and followed it with another just three months later. He then completed a third book that became a New York Times bestseller. He recorded more than 200 videos, wrote 150 blogs and articles, and conducted 700 radio interviews in just 18 months. He began appearing on national television networks like Fox, CNBC, MSNBC, and CNN. Simultaneously, he personally wrote more than 2,000 posts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The results were transformative. People who had never done business with Cardone started saying, "I see your name everywhere!" His business expanded dramatically, with opportunities flowing in daily from around the world. His books were translated into multiple languages, and inquiries came from countries like France, Mexico, and South Africa. What began as a response to criticism evolved into a dominant market position. To implement omnipresence in your own context, start by identifying all possible channels where your target audience might encounter you: social media, industry publications, speaking engagements, networking events, advertising, content creation, and more. Then commit to being active across all these channels simultaneously, not just occasionally but consistently and persistently. The key to omnipresence is understanding that it's not about being seen once or twice - it's about being inescapable. When someone thinks about your industry or solution, you want your name to be the first (and ideally only) one that comes to mind. This requires both breadth of presence (being in many places) and depth of presence (being in each place frequently). Remember that omnipresence isn't just about marketing; it's about making your value so widely known that it becomes impossible to ignore. The goal isn't self-promotion for its own sake but expanding your ability to deliver value to more people. When you approach omnipresence with this mindset, it becomes not just a business strategy but a mission to maximize your positive impact.

Chapter 6: Convert Fear into Fuel for Achievement

Fear is perhaps the most misunderstood emotion in the pursuit of success. Most people see fear as a warning sign to stop, retreat, or proceed with caution. The 10X Rule offers a radical reframing: fear is actually a compass pointing directly toward what you should do next. Rather than avoiding what scares you, you should actively seek out and embrace those very activities. Cardone discovered this counterintuitive truth through experience. Despite appearing fearless to others, he admits, "The truth is actually quite the contrary; I am scared most of the time." The difference is in how he responds to fear. Instead of feeding his fear with time and allowing it to grow stronger, he acts quickly on whatever frightens him. This approach has transformed fear from an obstacle into a reliable indicator of high-value opportunities. This perspective shift is illustrated by Cardone's approach to sales calls. When most salespeople feel anxiety about calling a potential client, they procrastinate - getting coffee, reviewing notes, or "preparing" further. This delay only strengthens their fear. Cardone instead takes a deep breath, picks up the phone, and makes the call immediately. By removing time from the equation, he starves fear of its favorite food. The 10X Rule recognizes that fear appears whenever you're pushing beyond your comfort zone - which is precisely where growth and success occur. If you're not experiencing fear regularly, it's a sign that you're not taking enough new actions or growing. The absence of fear should actually be more frightening than its presence, as it indicates stagnation. To implement this principle, start keeping a "fear journal" where you document situations that trigger anxiety or discomfort. These might include making sales calls, public speaking, asking for business, confronting underperforming employees, or pursuing high-value clients. Then deliberately seek out these exact situations, using your fear as a guide to your highest-leverage activities. When fear arises, recognize it as a signal that you're on the right track, not a warning to retreat. Remind yourself that what you fear is rarely as dangerous as it feels, and the consequences of inaction are typically far worse than the discomfort of moving forward. As Cardone puts it, "Fear, like fire, is not something from which you should pull away. Rather, it should be used to fuel the actions of your life." By consistently moving toward what scares you, you'll develop a reputation for fearlessness - not because you don't experience fear, but because you refuse to be controlled by it. This quality alone will distinguish you from 99% of your competition and mark you as someone destined for extraordinary success.

Chapter 7: Commit First, Figure It Out Later

One of the most powerful principles of the 10X Rule is the willingness to commit fully to opportunities before having all the details figured out. Most people operate in the reverse order - they want to understand exactly how something will work before they commit their time, energy, and resources. This cautious approach seems reasonable but actually prevents them from accessing their full creative potential and seizing time-sensitive opportunities. Cardone's experience with developing his television show perfectly illustrates this principle. When a casting agent called him about a potential TV show opportunity, Cardone immediately told the producer he would be in New York that weekend for a meeting - despite having no such trip planned. When scheduling conflicts arose, rather than backing out, he negotiated a new meeting time. He flew to New York at his own expense without knowing exactly what would happen, persuaded the company owner to give him just 10 minutes, and turned that brief window into an hour-long meeting that secured the producer's support. Throughout the process, Cardone repeatedly committed to next steps before knowing how they would work out. When the initial interview footage wasn't compelling enough, he arranged an impromptu video shoot with a camera crew he met by chance. When summer delays threatened to stall the project, he kept adding "wood to the fire" by calling potential companies for the show and lining up filming locations - all before having an actual deal. This commitment-first approach ultimately led to multiple production companies competing to work with him. The psychology behind this approach is powerful. When you commit first, your mind becomes focused on finding solutions rather than identifying problems. The very act of commitment stimulates creativity and problem-solving abilities that remain dormant when you're still in evaluation mode. As Cardone explains, "Creativity and problem solving are stimulated only after a person fully commits." To implement this principle, look for opportunities to say "yes" before you have everything figured out. When a client asks if you can handle a challenging project, say "absolutely" - then determine how to deliver. When you see a chance to expand into a new market, commit to the move before having all the details worked out. This doesn't mean being reckless; it means recognizing that your ability to figure things out is far greater than you realize, but only activates fully after commitment. Remember that successful people aren't necessarily smarter or more talented than others - they're simply willing to commit more completely and figure things out as they go. As Cardone puts it, "It is not necessarily the smartest and brightest who win in the game of life but rather those who can commit the most passionately to their cause."

Summary

The 10X Rule provides a revolutionary framework for achieving extraordinary success in any area of life. At its core, this principle demands that you think bigger and act more boldly than conventional wisdom suggests. By setting targets 10 times larger than what seems reasonable and taking 10 times more action than seems necessary, you create a new standard for achievement that transforms not just your results but your entire approach to life. The most powerful insight from this approach is captured in Cardone's statement: "Success is not a choice or an option; it's your duty, obligation, and responsibility." When you embrace this mindset, everything changes. You no longer ask if success is possible; you simply determine what actions are necessary to make it inevitable. The 10X Rule isn't just about working harder—it's about completely redefining what's possible in your life and business. Starting today, choose one area where you'll apply the 10X Rule: set a target that makes you uncomfortable, take immediate massive action toward it, and commit to persisting until you succeed. Remember that extraordinary results require extraordinary efforts, and the only true failure is settling for less than you're capable of achieving.

About Author

Loading...

Grant Cardone

I am a NY Times Best Selling Author, internationally-recognized Sales Training Expert, Business Coach, and the Founder and CEO of 3 businesses: Cardone Training Technologies, Cardone Group, and Twin Capital Management. You may have seen me as the star and co-executive producer of a show, called TurnAround King.In addition to speaking internationally to individuals, companies, and industry leaders on sales effectiveness, negotiating strategies, business development and business expansion, I am a regular contributor to networks including, Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC, Huffington Post, Business Week’s Business Exchange, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Reuters, CNBC, Today Show and over 600 radio shows.I am the author of four published books, with a fifth book slated to release in 2012.• "Sell To Survive" (2008): The definitive sales survival manual on how to SELL your way through any economy.• "The Closers Survival Guide" (2009): The ultimate guide to getting sales done.• "If You're Not First, You're Last" (2010): Sales strategies to dominate your market and beat your competition. • "The 10X Rule": Where to start, what to do, and how to follow up each action you take with more action to 10X your success!I have also authored a number of business and motivational audio and video programs; The Rules of Success Motivational Program, Control Without Confrontation, 21st Century Selling, Maximizing Every Opportunity and a customized program for the auto industry called The One a Day Sales and Management Program.I first became known in the business world with the development of a revolutionary new selling process, known as, Information Assisted Selling (a non-confrontational 21st Century selling approach)

Read more