***Go Beyond Money

The first sentence in my first book, The Art of the Deal , goes like this: “I don’t do it for the money. I’ve got enough, much more than I’ll ever need. I do it to do it. Deals are my art form. Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals. That’s how I get my kicks.”

That book came out in 1987. It’s almost 20 years later and I’m still making deals and I’m still not doing it for the money. I think time is on my side because I have a lot more money now than I did then.

At the end of that book, I also mention that there are two things I have found myself to be very good at: overcoming obstacles and motivating good people to do their best work. I’ve had some major challenges since then, which I’ve met, and I’ve made a hit television show out of motivating smart people to do and be their best. I certainly didn’t see that one coming, nor did I see Trump University surfacing either. But here we are, with The Apprentice entering yet another season and Trump University expanding in many ways.

I didn’t get involved in either one of these ventures to make money. I had something to offer and the opportunities presented themselves to me. I was simply in the midst of doing my daily deals when these things found their way to me. It’s funny how that can work. Notice that I said I was working, doing my daily deals. I wasn’t sitting around waiting for people to come up with great ideas for me. I was focused on my business and moving forward daily when they were presented to me. There’s something about keeping your momentum going that can work like a generator in producing and attracting good energy and great ideas.

If I was in it just for the money, I would never have ended up doing a lot of the things I’ve done. Take Wollman Rink, for example. My decision to renovate it didn’t come from any profit motive. I did it to save the city time and money. I knew I had the ability to get it done in less time and for less money. I loved doing that job because I love New York City and Central Park, and the citizens of New York deserve the best.

Ask yourself what you love doing first, then think about the money. If you think about the money first, you’ve got it all wrong. That’s a backwards approach to success, and it won't be very rewarding for very long. Sure, money is a scorecard and it is certainly useful, but it shouldn’t be the be all and end all. See it as the means to an end, but not the total reason for your efforts or endeavors. As Benjamin Franklin put it: “He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money. ”

You might be thinking that it’s easy for me to say what I’m saying because I’m already a billionaire. It probably helps, but even when I was a millionaire, I was interested above all in the end product. I had to care about what I was doing, while keeping the big picture in mind. I wanted to transform the Commodore Hotel into a beautiful Hyatt Hotel not just because it would be a great success, but because it would help the surrounding, increasingly dilapidated area of Grand Central on 42nd Street. That’s a major thoroughfare, and it was becoming an eyesore and an undesirable location in midtown Manhattan. My success there began a renewal that has continued to this day. Yes, I made money, but there was more to it than just that.

Give your goals substance. Imbue them with a value that exceeds the monetary. Make them count on as many levels as you can. Give them a subtext that will provide them with a dimension that will not only benefit you but other people as well. In other words, get the big picture. That’s an important aspect of thinking big--and a big step towards greater success.