Trump’s Top Ten Comebacks Tips

1. PLAY GOLF

It helped me relax and concentrate. It took my mind off my  problems; I only thought about putting the ball in the hole. And, the  irony is, I made lots of money on the golf course and deals and coming up with ideas.

2. STAY FOCUSED

I am convinced that if I had maintained the same work ethic I had during the 1970s and most of the 1980s, there would have been no recession for me. I wasn't focused and really thought that life success just came hand in hand. I thought I was better than the rest. When I began to relax and take it a little—or perhaps a lot easier--things began to fall apart.

3. BE PARANOID

I have noticed over the years that people who are guarded or, to put it more coldly, slightly paranoid, end up being the most successful. Let some paranoia reign! You've got to realize that you have something other people want. Don't let them take it away.

4. BE PASSIONATE

This is a key ingredient to success and to coming back. If you don't have passion about who you are, about what you are trying to be, about where you are going, you might as well close this book right now and give up. Go get a job and relax, because you have no chance of making it. Passion is the essence of life and certainly the essence of success.

5. GO AGAINST THE TIDE

When decided to keep 40 Wall Street as an office building, everyone in lower Manhattan was converting their buildings to residential space —and with good reason. The apartment market is hot as a pistol. I decided to head in the exact opposite direction, and now I signing up tenants at rents far higher than anything I expected.

6. GO WITH YOUR GUT

Some of the greatest investors I have ever known invest by instinct, rather than research, study, or hard work. If you look back over history, this is the way the greatest fortunes have been built. People had ideas that they truly believed in.

7. WORK WITH PEOPLE YOU LIKE

If you go to the office and don't find the energy in the people you are with, it is highly unlikely that you will be energized toward success.

8. BE LUCKY

I hate to put this in the book because it can't be acquired. People who inherit fortunes are lucky; I call them members of the lucky sperm club. But you can help coax luck into your life by working hard and being at the right place at the right time.

9. GET EVEN

During the bad times, I learned who was loyal and who wasn't. I believe in an eye for an eye. A couple of people who betrayed me need my help now, and I am screwing them against the wall! I number...and I'm having so much fun.

10. ALWAYS HAVE A PRENUPTIAL AGREEMENT

Anyone in a complicated business should be institutionalized if he or she gets married without one. I know firsthand that you can't come back if you're spending all of your time fighting for your financial life with a spouse.

Source: Trump: The Art of the Comeback (1997) by Donald J. Trump.

A peek inside Trump’s mind. Not too bad advice for a personal and a social life. I don’t think you necessarily have to play golf. But do some activity that relaxes you and concentrates your mind. #3 is interesting. He was right about being spied on when he was president. We’ll have to see about #9 if he gets reelected.