Ilya Gordon's Blog

Dear Maria,

You've been dreaming of studying and living in London since 2014 and have made great strides toward this incredible goal. Your obsession with this idea has been one of the strongest motivations for me and your mom in achieving financial success—success that would make it possible for you.

But you yourself didn’t and couldn’t know exactly how it would happen, right? You had no idea. You only wanted it badly and took steps toward your goal. The rest seemingly happened "on its own."

And guess what?

The same principle applies to business and making money.💰

But here’s the key:

You cannot achieve financial success if your only dream is to "have a lot of money." Never. ☝

Money 💰 is not the goal.
Money 💰 is an instrument for achieving various goals.

People often fail because:

1. They confuse these two things.
2. They don’t know what they truly want in life.

Let me repeat: "Wanting money" 💰 is the wrong goal!

It’s like dreaming of a luxurious vacation in the Maldives 🌴 but obsessing over the plane ✈️ that will take you there, thinking it's the most important thing. But the real goal is the luxury resort, not the plane!

So first, identify what your real goals are (your "goal list" is not set in stone—it can and should evolve as you change throughout life).

For example, your goals might be:

1. Having power and influence over people.
2. Being (relatively) independent and free.
3. Being able to afford long-term rent for a wonderful apartment in one of London's top locations.
4. Being able to afford clothes 👗, shoes 👠, and accessories from top brands.
5. Being able to dine at fancy restaurants as often as you want.
6. Being able to travel the world, flying business & first class and staying at luxury hotels & resorts.
7. Being able to afford high-class mobility like Uber Lux, no matter how far or how often you ride.
8. Being able to afford buying a house 🏡.
9. Being able to afford buying a private jet (Please, don’t! ✈️).
10. Being able to afford buying a yacht (Please, don’t! ⛵).
11. Being able to make life easier and better for your loved ones.
12. Being able to help your family, school, university, community, and people in need.
13. Being able to contribute to making the world a better place 🌎.

Now, create your own goal list—things that YOU (not society, not us—your parents, not anyone else) truly want. Print it out. Hang it where you can see it every day. Look at it all the time.

Visualize these goals constantly, every free minute. Lying in bed 🛌 in your student accommodation? Imagine yourself lying in bed in a stunning apartment in South Kensington or Knightsbridge. Not "someday"—imagine that you're there right now.

Imagine yourself wearing a diamond set from Tiffany, Cartier, Van Cleef, or whatever you consider cool. Not "one day"—imagine them on your fingers, wrist, and neck right now.

Imagine yourself at a five-star luxury resort in the Maldives—maybe at LUX*, where we spent two incredible weeks in April & May 2018, celebrating mine and Mom’s 20th wedding anniversary. Find these places online and see yourself there as if it’s happening now!

Live your dream.

All the time.

And take steps toward it.
Small steps every day.

Start by reading one article a day—a success story about women in business.

Oprah Winfrey, Tory Burch, the creator of Spanx, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, J.K. Rowling, and many others.

Use sources like Forbes or Inc.

Find something in each story that resonates with you personally.

Stay engaged with the topic.
Invest your time and thoughts in it.

I don’t know exactly how this works, but it works.

Dreams come true only when you are actively working toward them.

It’s just a matter of time, effort, and a lucky break.

But!

Luck is only for those who are prepared.

If you’re not prepared, you won’t even recognize your lucky break when it comes.

Be the one who will. 

Ilya Gordon,
Freiburg, 14.02.2019