The 10X Rule
By Grant Cardone
•Reading time: 12 minutes
•Last updated: January 1, 2024
Overview
"The 10X Rule" by Grant Cardone presents a bold framework for achieving extraordinary success. The book's core principle is simple yet powerful: To achieve exceptional results, you must set targets 10 times greater than what you think you need and then take 10 times the action you think is necessary to achieve them.
Cardone argues that most people underestimate both the effort required to succeed and the targets they should be aiming for. By embracing "massive action" and outsized goals, he claims you can break through mediocrity, overcome obstacles, and achieve levels of success far beyond what most people think possible.
Key Principles
The 10X Rule
The foundational principle has two parts:
- 10X Goals: Set targets 10 times greater than what initially seems necessary or reasonable
- 10X Actions: Take 10 times more action than you believe is needed to achieve your goals
- This approach ensures you never undershoot your potential and provides a buffer against unexpected challenges
- When others retreat, 10X thinking keeps you advancing despite obstacles
Massive Action
Cardone identifies four degrees of action that people take, with only the highest level leading to exceptional success:
- Do Nothing: The lowest level, where people take no action toward their goals
- Retreat: Taking action backward, away from goals due to fear or other obstacles
- Normal Action: The average level of effort most people put forth
- Massive Action: Taking extraordinary measures until you achieve your goal, no matter what
Massive action isn't just about working harder—it's about operating at levels far beyond the norm, taking continuous, persistent action until you achieve your target.
Success as Your Duty
Cardone reframes how we should think about success:
- Success is not a choice but an ethical obligation—you owe it to yourself, your family, and society
- Success is not just about money, but about fulfilling your full potential in all areas of life
- People who think of success as optional will never achieve extraordinary results
- When you treat success as mandatory, you approach obstacles very differently
Practical Applications
Setting 10X Goals
Take your current goals and multiply them by 10. If you want to make $100,000, aim for $1 million. If you want to contact 10 potential clients daily, make it 100. These larger targets force you to think differently and develop new strategies beyond your comfort zone.
Taking Massive Action
Identify the actions that will move you toward your goals, then multiply your efforts by 10. Make 10 times more calls, send 10 times more emails, create 10 times more content. Focus on outworking everyone else in your space consistently.
Eliminating Excuses
Challenge every excuse you make. Competition, market conditions, and lack of time are all excuses that 10X performers reject. View every obstacle as an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment and creativity. Focus on solutions rather than reasons why something can't be done.
Building a 10X Mindset
Surround yourself with people operating at 10X levels. Study successful individuals and organizations that exemplify extraordinary effort and achievement. Eliminate average thinking from your vocabulary and consistently reinforce the belief that extraordinary success is your duty, not just a desire.
Conclusion
"The 10X Rule" challenges conventional wisdom about what it takes to succeed. By setting dramatically higher goals and committing to exponentially greater levels of action, Cardone argues that anyone can achieve extraordinary results regardless of their starting point or outside circumstances.
While critics may find Cardone's approach extreme, his core message resonates with many successful entrepreneurs and business leaders: Mediocre goals and ordinary effort produce average results. If you want exceptional success, you need to adopt exceptional thinking and take exceptional action. The 10X Rule provides a framework for doing exactly that—thinking bigger and working harder than you ever thought necessary.