The secret to Virgin America's happy customers

The secret to Virgin America's happy customers
By Lucia Davis on October 18, 2011

Virgin America knows that a great marketing campaign won't succeed without a fantastic product behind it. Read on to find out how it is dominating digital in the air and on the ground.

Porter Gale, former vice president of Virgin America, knows that digital translates into profits. Now she's trying to figure out if it can save a man's life.

In an article for AdAge, Gale spelled out the story of Amit Gupta. Gupta is 32 years old, a member of the San Francisco tech community, and has been diagnosed with leukemia. His only chance of survival is through a bone marrow transplant, and as someone of South Asian descent, his chances of a positive match are one in 1,000. Gale's article, which has received more than 14 million page views since it went live on Oct.12, called out to readers that could be a possible match, asking them to get their cheeks swabbed at a Stanford event for Gupta. So far, only 700 people have gotten tested.

"There is a big difference between tweeting and taking action," Gale said. "We need to figure out how to close that gap."



(photo source: http://www.amitguptaneedsyou.com/)

For her opening keynote at iMedia's Breakthrough Summit in Henderson, Nev., Gale emphasized the power digital had in Virgin America's success, and took attendees through the never-before-shared making of the company that transformed the traditionally stressful, stale peanuts hassle of air travel into an experience so pleasant that one consumer said it was akin to "flying in an iPod." Over pictures of airplanes in various stages of construction, Gale said that Virgin was built on the premise that the airline category was broken, and that the Virgin America mission was simply to create an airline that people loved.

Challenging the norms
From the start, Virgin was different. The passion of its team members led to small innovations that made a world of difference to consumers. It was the first airline to do full fleet, in-flight WiFi, an amenity that is just now becoming widely accepted by the industry. Of course, pushing the envelope has its own inherent challenges.

"One of the main things that happened in those first four years," Gale said, "was that everyone we approached said, 'It's never been done that way.' Our response was, 'Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean it can't be done.'"

Baking technology into the brand
Virgin America currently spends 70 percent of its marketing budget on digital, a number that Gale insists will continue to increase over time. Evidence of the company's commitment to digital is visible in everything from the "#nerdbird" hashtags on the airplanes, to its long-standing relationships with Google and Twitter. Social media is extremely important to Virgin America, as a great tool for engagement, service recovery, and promotion.

"We had a first class guest who wrote an angry tweet, in flight, about never getting a sandwich he ordered," Gale said. "When we saw it, we immediately sent a message to the crew, saying 'The man in 3C needs his sandwich.' The result? A customer for life."

Virgin America also uses Facebook and Twitter to keep travelers up-to-date on flight delays and sales. Though it has seen a steady growth of ROI in the last three years, social is still primarily an engagement tool for the company.

"The most important revenue channels for us are still email and online advertising," Gale said. "But social media is growing."

The first mover advantage
By now, it should be clear that Virgin America is not afraid to take risks and try out projects that may not have a huge ROI payoff. One recent example of this was its location-based promotion of the new routes to Mexico, in conjunction with mobile company Loopt. By visiting a taco truck, mobile users in Los Angeles and San Francisco got a two-for-one ticket to Mexico as well as a two-for-one deal on tacos. The promotion not only led to a full-page article in USA Today, but resulted in the fifth largest sales day of Virgin America's history.



(photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/loopt/)

What's next
In addition to improving its WiFi capabilities on board, Virgin America is also trying to integrate its loyalty program into the plane using tagging.

"We want to know what our customers like, so we can service them better," Gale said. "With our new onboard system, if you're watching an action film on one flight, the next time you're flying and you plug in your loyalty number, you'll get a message from us saying, 'We know you love action films. Enjoy a complimentary margarita and check out some of our new action movies.'"

The new system will also have 75 percent less wiring, which will translate into more competitive pricing and less wait time for passengers.

One of the system changes that highlights not only how digitally current the company is but also how focused it is on customer happiness is the ability to plug your iPad or iPhone into the seatback screen and download a movie that you weren't able to finish on the plane. This will make consumers happy, strengthen the brand relationship, and bring the brand off the plane and into the home.

"As marketers and media agencies, the more you can get involved in technology development, the more successful you'll be," Gale said. "A technology-driven business is just going to do better in a digital world."

Lucia Davis is associate editor at iMedia Connection.

On Twitter? Follow iMedia Connection at @iMediaTweet.


http://www.imediaconnection.com/summits/coverage/30307.asp

The DNA of an Entrepreneur

The DNA of an Entrepreneur

The DNA of an Entrepreneur
by Greg Watson

http://www.DNAofAnEntrepreneur.com

Is there an Entrepreneur Gene or an Entrepreneur Chromosome within the DNA of an Entrepreneur?

In humans, there are chromosomes that determine sex and there are genes that determine the color of your eyes. Generically speaking, there are X & Y chromosomes that determine whether you are either male or female suggesting that you either are a female or are not a female. With genes, there are dominant genes and recessive genes, suggesting that while you might carry a gene for blue eyes, you may also have a dominant gene from brown eyes which would win out to determine what your eye color is.

A lot of institutional research is ongoing to map the human genome and identify the functions and role of DNA within the genetic make up of the human being.

If we evaluate the genetic structure of economics and commerce, philosophically we can ask the question – Are Entrepreneurs Born? Or are they made?

Culturally there currently exists a romantic “notion” about the glamour and romance of entrepreneurship. Many popular bands on tour have “groupies” that follow them that are romanced by the emotional feelings that are created by the illusion of what it means to be a “rock and roll star” on tour. Similarly, there are “entrepreneur groupies” that dream of the romance of entrepreneurship and desire to be associated with, close to, or affiliated with entrepreneurs. The reality of what it takes to be an entrepreneur (or a rock and roll star in a popular band) is often quite different than the romantic “notion” that exists in the public perception.

Similarly, what is an entrepreneur? What is the DNA of an Entrepreneur? What is the genetic make up of an entrepreneur? What are the characteristics of an entrepreneur? These questions are best answered not by a popularized romantic notion of the perceived glamour and romance of entrepreneurship, but by a scholarly researched assessment of the characteristics that drive long term sustainable success by identifiable entrepreneurs.

Taxonomy

To begin to define what an entrepreneur is we first need to create conceptual definitions of enterprise and the genetic players within the DNA space that we wish to look at.

The Enterprise is the fundamental economic building block or cellular organizational structure that allows an individual or group of individuals to undertake an economic activity. Typically this activity is sophisticated, requires some level of organization, and includes some inherent risk. The modern enterprise is the fundamental building block of the transfer of goods and services in society today. Virtually any activity that you may want to engage in, whether that is basic human needs such as the consumption of food or shelter or discretionary needs such as entertainment or the purchase of luxury goods, involves your personal interaction with enterprises in one varying form or another.

The traditional enterprise is composed of many individual actors each performing their unique functional responsibilities within the enterprise. Distinctly different, but not entirely separate from the individual actors within the enterprise organizational structure, is the entrepreneur. The entrepreneur is the individual “who organizes, manages, and assumes the risk associated with the enterprise.”

So what makes an Entrepreneur different from all of the other actors upon the enterprise stage? That is what we seek to define.

One characteristic often attributed to an Entrepreneur is that of seeing or identifying an opportunity. In isolation, this is not an adequate definition of a entrepreneurial characteristic. The Entrepreneur may not be the first creator or innovator of an idea. However, we can utilize this function to help draw a distinction between an Entrepreneur and an enterprise actor. An inventor may create a new product or concept but not know what to do with it, lack the skills or drive to develop it, or be willing to take the risk to exploit it. So is an inventor an entrepreneur? Clearly we must evaluate additional characteristics and then evaluate these characteristics cumulatively.

A second characteristic often attributed to an Entrepreneur is that of organizing and managing new solutions to problems. Again, in isolation, this too is not an adequate definition of a characteristic of an entrepreneur. Excellent actors on the enterprise stage perform these functions on a daily basis within the enterprise organizational structure.

A third characteristic often attributed to an Entrepreneur is that of identifying market opportunities, the ability to create and execute a sales and marketing plan that identifies prospective customers, identifies a value proposition for those customers, and a sales process to convert those prospects into customers. Here too, sales and marketing professionals within the enterprise perform these functions on a daily basis throughout the various enterprise organizations that make up the fabric of our world stage every day.

A fourth characteristic often attributed to an Entrepreneur is that of identifying the financial capital resources needed and sourcing those funds from various financial channels, whether that is debt, private equity, public equity, or other financial boot strap facilities. This function is also routinely carried out across a varied spectrum of enterprise organizations including advisors, bankers, attorneys, and accountants. All of which frequently participate in the process of identifying and acquiring the necessary capital resources.

A fifth characteristic often attributed to an Entrepreneur is that of building a management team of both internal people resources as well as external people resources who collectively have the knowledge and skills to participate in the execution of an enterprise activity. Yet this characteristic too is also a core function within the modern enterprise.

As we evaluate the characteristics traditionally identified as being associated with an entrepreneur, we quickly see these same characteristics executed by individual actors within the enterprise stage on a regular basis. So what makes an entrepreneur different from the various actors within the enterprise stage?

The traditional response centers around two distinct themes;
First a creative and passionate ability to combine these various characteristics to identify new solutions to meet unmet consumer needs in a new or different manner that creates lasting value, and
Second, a willingness to assume personal economic risk for undertaking that activity.

To this traditional response, I would add five additional characteristics and one core value.

Characteristic of a Replicable mindset. There are some pursuits that can legitimately last a lifetime. However, such lifetime opportunities are rare. The world is full of what are popularly described as “one-hit-wonders” – thus a critical criteria begs the question, did you just get lucky, or do you truly have the skills, talents, and characteristics that allow you the ability to repeat the entrepreneurial process not just once, but a second, third, and successive times. An entrepreneur has a replicable mindset that allows the enterprise creation process to be replicated time after time.

Characteristic of Sustainability of the resultant enterprise. This new enterprise that is created by an entrepreneur must also be sustainable. That is the enterprise must eventually develop to a point where it can be sustained without the original founder. If the enterprise requires the continued presence of the founder, the founder simply created a “job.” This is a traditional cycle of the various stages of development that a corporate enterprise goes through; and each stage typically needs a different type of management and leadership – thus to grow to the next stage often will require new management and the traditional entrepreneur must have the ability to move on to their next entrepreneurial cycle of new enterprise creation.

Characteristic of Innovative knowledge creation. Finally, the entrepreneur has to have the ability to creatively innovate knowledge. This is exercised in the combination of the various skill sets or characteristics that are commonly attributed to entrepreneurs. While individual actors within the enterprise stage may be better at their individual skill sets, the entrepreneur combines the pieces in unique creative ways to identify new opportunities, organize and select the best available combination of individual talents and skill sets, manage the development and execution of an organizational structure to serve the new opportunity, and manage the risk that the entrepreneur is assuming in the creation of this new enterprise.

Characteristic of Leadership. The entrepreneur must be able to inspire people with a vision of what the new enterprise will be, inspire investors and stakeholders involved in the creation of this enterprise, and provide the leadership to guide and manage the implementation and execution of the business plan to grow the enterprise.

Value of Ethics. This quickly relates back to the ability of the entrepreneur to replicate the new enterprise creation process. An actor may be able to be successful once while conducting themselves in a less than ethical manner; but can they inspire people with a vision, and receive the confidence of investors and customers a second time?

Thus a true entrepreneur has the ability to identify opportunities, provide the leadership to creatively innovate new solutions to serve those opportunities, organize, manage, and execute a plan to serve those opportunities, inspire and motivate stakeholders, investors, managers, and team members, lead the enterprise into the future, and pass the mantle of leadership to others when the organizational needs change. And finally, have the ability to replicate this process when the opportunity presents itself.

Another way to restate that is:

“Entrepreneurs have a need to achieve; and once having done so,
the need to do it all over again.” - Greg Watson

Position Statement: Individual Entrepreneurs are Born, but Enterprise Entrepreneurship Skills can be developed

Individual Entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurs are inherently defined by their ability to identify and execute on combination of a variety of entrepreneurial characteristics and values; however, it is this need to achieve and this subsequent need to do it all over again that truly distinguishes the entrepreneur from the successfully executive, manager, self-employed business person, business founder, or the innovator/inventor.

Enterprise Entrepreneurship: Many people believe that entrepreneurs are born with an innate drive and passion that allows them to accomplish these feats of new enterprise creation. However, that belief does not preclude the concept that within the corporate enterprise, various individual entrepreneurial skills can be taught and developed such that organized teams, provided with support and backing, can also function collectively in an entrepreneurial manner.

In many cases, free from the burden of assuming the risk of the economic activity, collective individuals functioning as part of a team will feel free to pursue new opportunities in an “entrepreneurial like” manner. Thus while they individually may not possesses the characteristics of an entrepreneur, they can collectively function in an entrepreneurial like manner to the “benefit of” and the “risk to” the enterprise.

Collectively, significant academic research is beginning to be developed in areas such as organizational development, new product development, and other functional areas to attempt to foster the development of entrepreneurial skills which will allow individuals as well as the enterprise to benefit. Enterprises that successfully are able to implement cross functional teams and provide the financial and organizational structural support to function in an entrepreneurial like manner stand to benefit significantly. These enterprises will also be able to attract more highly qualified individuals who desire to be part of an entrepreneurial process but are unwilling or unable to take the financial risk or lack some of the necessary entrepreneurial characteristics or skills.

Progress is being made within the academic community to develop and incorporate entrepreneurial skill sets into a broad diversity of academic disciplines. As the fruits of these efforts begin to develop, individuals, enterprises, and the roles that each play within society will all benefit.

The DNA of a Prototypic Entrepreneur

The characteristics of the prototypic entrepreneur or DNA of an Entrepreneur is composed of interwoven strands of:
Identity and Beliefs,
Capabilities, and
Behaviors

Identity and Beliefs: Entrepreneurs have an Identity System and a Beliefs System that at the deepest internal level, know and believe certain things about themselves. These are beliefs, not dreams or aspirations. Entrepreneurs:
Know who they are.
Believe they are an entrepreneur.

Has a strong need to achieve (not simply a desire to achieve).

Know they can create value.
Believe they have what it takes to build a business.
Believe in themselves.
Are comfortable with who they are.
Are optimistic.
Are visionary & pioneering.
Are passionate and energetic.
These characteristics are an inherent part of their self-identity and self-belief system. They are core values that the entrepreneur can not even imagine not being true; and is not happy when any one of them is not being fulfilled. Combined, these characteristics provide the strength for the entrepreneurial “need to achieve.” For the entrepreneur, “Achieve” is an action, not a result. Thus for the entrepreneur, success is not enough. Success once “achieved” must be started all over again – for achieve is an action.

This drive to achieve is a key distinction between an entrepreneur and a successful business founder, the inventor and his invention, or the traditional self-employed individual.

This need to achieve is the highest correlation factor of successful entrepreneurs.

Capabilities: Entrepreneurs have certain capabilities that are a natural functionality in the way they approach tasks and decision making.
Can make decisions in the face of uncertainty.
Can spot high leverage opportunities.
Can hire “A Players” (which often means hiring people who are better at individual tasks than they are).
Can build a thriving small business.
Can lead.
Can solve big problems.
Can see possibilities where others do not.
Can delay gratification.
Stanford University conducted a research project where they gave 4 (four) year old children marsh mellows and told them that if they waited 10 minutes before eating them, that they could have a second one. Some children ate the marsh mellows, some children waited, and some children “pseudo ate” their marsh mellows by licking them. Thirty years, later, they followed up this study to evaluate how these children performed in life. Those children that waited the 10 minutes statistically had happier marriages, higher paying jobs, had progressed further professionally, and also had the highest percentages of entrepreneurial activities. Entrepreneurs typically are not looking for the short-term financial gratification or rewards of material possessions, but rather look forward with a long term view building, growth, and development – and the emotional and psychological rewards that come with their continued and ongoing achievements.

Behaviors: Entrepreneurs demonstrate specific behaviors that differentiate themselves from the expectation that a typical “employee” expects.
Action oriented
Always strive to do things better.
Driven to achieve results with high standards of excellence.
Does not need supervision or accountability to “get tasks done”.
Incredibly persistent.

The entrepreneurial mind thrives in environments of uncertainty, diversity of culture, talent and opportunity. These three areas of characteristics provide broad insights into the mindset of the entrepreneur; perhaps the genetic makeup of the entrepreneur.

Is there an entrepreneur chromosome that defines you either as being an entrepreneur or not? There probably is not such a definitive source. Are there dominant and recessive characteristics that function in a similar manner as genes do within the human genome? It certainly appears that there are; and warrants sound scholarly academic research into the manner in which these inter-relationships between these characteristics function and manifest themselves in entrepreneurship.


http://www.dnaofanentrepreneur.com/

How to Make Piles of Money from Charging Nothing

How to Make Piles of Money from Charging Nothing
By David Rogers | July 20, 2011

Digital Marketing Strategist



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The streaming music service Spotify arrived in the US market to much hoopla and expectations of huge success. A music observer might wonder why, considering the fact that Rdio, MOG, and Rhapsody have been offering pretty much the same product in America for a while now. Yet, I tend to agree with the hype-sters: I think Spotify will be very successful. What’s the difference?

Spotify Offers a Hook

The basic service is free. Sure, you may want to upgrade to a paid subscription in order to skip Spotify’s radio ads, or listen more than 10 hours a month, or use it on your mobile phone. But Spotify will soon be offering millions of Americans the chance to choose any song they want and listen to it immediately over their desktop… at absolutely no charge.

Charging most of your customers nothing for a valuable product might sound like a crazy business proposition. But its value is by now well documented.

A recent study by Flurry Analytics found that mobile phone games that are free to download, are actually making more money than those that charge. Rather than asking $0.99 to download a game you have never tried, these companies let you download the app for free, then entice their most avid players into paying quite a bit more than $0.99 for in-game virtual goodies like farm crops or power boosters. In June 2011, among the top 100 games in the iTunes store, free games generated almost twice as much revenue as games that charged to download.

The “Freemium” Business Model

Offering your product for free, and charging your more committed customers for premium services, is actually a common strategy. This business model is often called “freemium,” a term coined by Jarid Lukin and popularized by venture capitalist Fred Wilson.

A freemium business is not a free ad-supported service like Gmail. Nor it is that hoary come-on, the “free trial period.” The problem with trial periods is that far fewer customers sign up, especially if they have to give a credit card in advance so you can charge them after 30 days. In fact, after 30 days, a customer may still not have gotten around to finding out if they really love your service, so you just lose them as a customer.

The freemium business model works like this: Everyone gets your product or service for free, forever. But those customers who really like it, and find most value in it, will have a strong temptation to upgrade to a “premium” (paid) service which has lots of additional goodies. It is, at heart, a strategy of pricing by customer segmentation. It also requires a lot of insight into your customers and how they use your product.

Here are four examples:

1) Skype. The popular internet calling service is free for those millions of customers who use it just to call or videochat between two computers anywhere in the world. Skype only charges if you want to use it to call a landline phone. And yet, so many of its avid customers ponied up for that extra service, that the company was able to sell itself to Microsoft for $8.5 billion.

2) The New York Times. After building up a huge online readership (the source of lots of online ad revenue), the newspaper has has recently switched to a freemium model. Casual readers can still get up to 20 articles a month for free, and articles spread by social media like Facebook don’t even count towards this limit (so the Times keeps its audience large for advertisers). But loyal readers now have to sign up for paid accounts if they want to read more than 20 articles, or enjoy the Times mobile apps.

3) Evernote. The popular note-taking web service recently topped 10 million users, thanks it to its free service, which allows users to clip articles, images, photos, and voice memos into virtual “notebooks” that they can access from anywhere via the Web. Nearly half a million of those users are paying for Evernote’s premium service, which allows them to store much more data, include more file types (like PDFs), and easily share and collaborate with others.

4) Apple’s iCloud music service. Recently announced, and launching this fall, this service will allow Apple users to store online every song that they have purchased from the iTunes store, and to synch them across phone, mp3 player, or computer, without any need for pesky wires. If you love the wireless experience, you can also store and synch all your non-iTunes songs—for a fee of $25 a year.

Real Customer Insight Required

The freemium model requires that businesses rethink their customer equation. Acquisition (attracting customers) comes first, and monetization (turning them into revenue) is second.

A freemium model adds value to your customer, by demonstrating the benefits of your service before they are expected to pay for it (a powerful incentive in this lean economy). It also adds value to your business in two ways:
Acquiring customers incredibly rapidly, with much less marketing spend
Monetizing your customers based on their price sensitivity, and the value they derive from your business. (Even your free customers may generate revenue via advertising)

Most importantly, a freemium model requires deep customer insight. It hinges on uncovering the key shift in behavior between your casual users, and those customers who truly value your service. What happens when customer love you? Do they use your service more hours each month? Use more data storage? Go on to advanced game levels? Use your product for work and not just personal use?

If you can find that customer insight, and if you can offer at least a basic version of your service at minimal cost to your firm, then you may be able to follow the freemium model, and make much more money by letting your customers in for free.

image courtesy of flickr user, Sorosh

http://www.bnet.com/blog/digital-marketing/how-to-make-piles-of-money-from-charging-nothing/261?promo=713&tag=nl.e713

The Stealth Approach to Achieving Big Goals

The Stealth Approach to Achieving Big Goals
By Jeff Haden | March 28, 2011


Ask anyone who is overweight if one of their goals is to lose weight and most will say yes. But losing weight is hard, so most people look for help, fueling a market for weight loss products and services worth about $120 billion in the U.S. alone.

The CDC estimates 34% of Americans are overweight, and a further 34% are obese, so it’s obvious most people don’t achieve their weight-loss goals, even after spending thousands on products, services, and support.

All of us know how to set goals. We know how to set conceivable, achievable, measurable, aligned, etc., goals. We create checklists and milestones and find ways to reward ourselves after making even the smallest gains. We know achieving goals takes determination and drive and effort and persistence.

We think about our goals a lot, as evidenced by the popularity of this recent BNET post by Kelly and Marshall Goldsmith about achieving goals.

Yet despite our best intentions and efforts, much of the time we still fall short.

If you’re failing to achieve a major goal, don’t resolve to try harder. Don’t apply the same old strategies. Don’t do more of the same while hoping for a different result.

Instead, try achieving a different goal — one that will naturally result in achieving your primary goal. Try the stealth approach to goal achievement.

Here’s how it works. Say you want to lose weight. Look around: Who tends to be thin and fit? Runners, to name one “group.” Not people who run; runners. As the old saying goes, you may see a fat person running, but you’ll never see a fat runner. (I know other “groups” are also thin and fit. I chose runners just to illustrate the point.)

Runners are thin because they can’t help but be thin: They burn tons of calories, eat healthy to try to improve performance, spend idle moments thinking about achieving their running goals… and in the process, without focusing on losing weight, they become or stay thin and fit.

So if you want to lose weight, one stealth approach is to train for and complete, say, a marathon. I guarantee you’ll lose weight in the process. And you’ll feel an incredible sense of pride from having conquered a separate and amazing goal. Achieve two goals for the effort of one? You can’t beat that.

Is training for a marathon an easy way to lose weight? Oh, hell no. But unlike the endless parade of “incredible weight loss breakthroughs,” it works. Achieving a difficult goal isn’t easy; if it was, everyone would be successful, satisfied, and fulfilled.

You can apply the stealth approach to just about any goal, whether personal or business. Here are a few quick examples:
Want to be an entrepreneur? Don’t focus on forming an LLC or developing a business plan or setting up accounting systems, at least not at first. What do entrepreneurs really do? Entrepreneurs make money. Focus on learning to make profits. Turn a hobby into a business, no matter how small. Turn a skill into a sideline. Become an entrepreneur and you’ll learn a lot, start to spot opportunities, and begin thinking like an entrepreneur because you are an entrepreneur. Before long starting a business will seem easy because you’ve already done it once.
Want to get more media opportunities? Developing a better delivery and presence will help, but who gets media opportunities? Experts. Become an expert in your field and have something original or insightful to say. When you’re an expert it’s easier to get booked, and often the media will seek you out.
Want to write a book? Don’t spend hours learning how to find an agent and write killer proposals. Start small and focus on writing things people will read: Newsletters, articles for your local paper, items for local organizations, etc. Writers write. Become a writer and the ideas (and skills) for a book will follow.
Want to be rich? If you’re starting from scratch getting rich isn’t easy. Who tends to become wealthy in a relatively short period of time? Athletes. Entertainers. Business owners. If you want to be rich, don’t focus on money. Become a business owner and focus on building an outstanding business. In time you possibly will be rich, in more ways than one.

Think about what you really want to achieve, no matter how difficult it is to imagine. Then think about a way to sneak up on your primary goal by achieving a different yet complementary goal. It won’t be easy, but nothing worthwhile ever is.


http://www.bnet.com/blog/small-biz-advice/the-stealth-approach-to-achieving-big-goals/606?tag=content;drawer-container

The Hidden Keys to a Life of Mastery

The Hidden Keys to a Life of Mastery

Posted by Robert on Feb 11, 2011 in Book One | 0 comments
Home » Book One » The Hidden Keys to a Life of Mastery
Moving from the incarceration of enculturation to the freedom of a different wisdom

That we’re living in an extremely volatile, uncertain and rapidly changing world is a perception that’s gaining in accuracy. The speed and level of change taking place has no precedence in history. One year, we’re experiencing one of the greatest economic booms of all time and the very next year, we experienced one of the greatest economic collapses of all time; a collapse known as the world financial crisis.

The rich are getting richer more rapidly than ever before, the poor are becoming poorer at an accelerating rate and the dreams of the middle have all but vanished over the past few years. Currently we’re witnessing unexpected and unprecedented developments in many – and often contradictory – political, financial, environmental and personal directions.

Although it is not apparent yet, we’re also witnessing the ‘great cover up’ as political leaders and economic powerhouses of all persuasions attempt to hide the truth of the depth of financial and lifestyle destruction that is still in the pipeline.

However, the extent of this destruction cannot escape people for much longer as many economies and nations wobble at the brink of collapse. The sleight of hand we’ve been witnessing will no longer hold back the floodgates of a financial crisis that promises to be greater than the one triggered in 2007. Mario Raich PhD, Head of the Swiss based Institute for Strategic Innovation, is concerned about the tectonic shifts taking place. He notes that, “World governments are trying to avoid an unnecessary panic; therefore they are not willing to disclose too much insider information. But the first cost cuts, massive lay-offs, abandoned or postponed investments and projects, and closed factories are already a fact. The unemployment in the US and several other countries is rising sharply. Even China is experiencing big problems.”

In their book Beyond: Business and Society in Transformation, both Raich and Nolan observe that, “Strange forces are active in our world. On the surface everything looks normal; nothing seems to be really different. But under the surface many strange things are happening. It may be tomorrow, the day after tomorrow or some other day that the silent, invisible, yet fundamental changes will become suddenly visible, and the result will be a significant impact on our lives. However, if we do not identify the hidden part of the iceberg soon, once it is brought to the surface by its own forces, it will be too late. When this happens, our way of viewing the world will change.”

So too will our way of experiencing the world. The changes we’re about to encounter require an extremely important decision from you, perhaps one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. You have to decide whether you want to continue to deal with the consequences of past problems or focus on the challenges and opportunities that the future is about to dish up. The future will offer two very different realities for people. One involves the financial pain and distress and all the consequences of being ill prepared for what will potentially be termed the second wave of the world financial crisis. The other reality will be experienced by those who position themselves to be financially well informed and nimble on their economic feet.

For the well informed and nimble, the old cliché of ‘Opportunity of a Lifetime’ is actually a reality. In the coming years, opportunities for accessing the rebuilding of value will be unprecedented. But to take advantage of such opportunities, you’ll have to be learned, observant, resourceful, patient and flexible. With a full heart of confidence, my instincts suggest that the next few years will offer some of the most exciting opportunities for economic and personal freedom for those who are able to take advantage of the coming changes.

Transformation Mastery has been in the wings waiting. It’s been waiting for enough people to become knowledge and emotionally prepared, as well as financially and psychologically resourceful and motivated enough to go after their dreams and come out to play.

While the reasons may not seem apparent yet, over the past few years I have consistently made reference to the notion of play. The words I’ve used have been carefully chosen and the operative word is ‘play’. The further we deleve into Transformation Mastery, the more the word ‘play’ takes on its rightful significance but for now, it’s important to understand that enculturation is designed to prevent ‘play’ from taking place.

Transformation is an invitation to awaken from a deep trance like state. It’s an invitation to be free enough to take advantage of the coming changes. Free enough to come out to play.

Transformation is all about change and whenever we talk about change we have to ask ‘from what’ ‘to what’? The ‘from what’ is relatively simple. It’s moving from a position of servitude achieved through the means of enculturation and conditioning. The results of which are best described by Henry David Thoreau, “Most men live lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

The ‘to what’ is also relatively simple. It means living a lifestyle of purpose, on purpose. It means the absence of physical, emotional, financial, psychological and spiritual constraints to that lifestyle. It includes transcending the conditioning of the civilising society, transcending the identification with an unaware ego, transcending the compulsion to conformity and the unconscious adherence to the unwritten rules and agreements of enculturation.

The freedom I speak of is available through the second order change identified by Clare W Graves. It refers to out of the box thinking and big vision stuff. It’s full steam ahead by challenging the givens, the establishment and the status quo. It’s an adventure of make it or bust yourself trying. Its change that tests assumptions in order to challenge assumptions; its push the boundaries and bulldoze the barriers.

Second order change thrives on chaos rather than order and we’re about to enter a worldwide zone of economic and personal chaos. I’m talking about Clare W Graves UP-shift: which describes a fundamental shift in one’s thinking and value system. It’s the shift in critical mass from one vMeme to a more complex and flexible vMeme. This is where real change takes place. By its very nature, UP-shift is evolutionary and transformative.

Transformation itself is a journey only those who are ready can take and as you read the wisdom of the following authors such a journey will either resonate with you or it will scare you. As always, the choice is yours alone. Before we move on, let’s revisit the ‘from what’ for a few moments.

What do you suppose Thoreau meant by his comment above? Does it have something to do with the observation that very few people ever get to achieve the potential they were born with or experience their dreams? We often hear people expressing a feeling as though they’re living in a rat race, running on a tread mill or going round and round in a hamster’s wheel they can’t seem to get off. Life for them is a bit like that of racing greyhounds. No matter how much nutrition or scientific diet you feed them, no matter how hard you train and exercise them, no matter how much bigger, stronger and faster they become, no matter how much racing technology improves or how much money they make for their owners or how many prizes they win, greyhounds keep on chasing rabbits they can seldom catch. They sacrifice their lives to the chase itself and never gain the prize they seek. If, because of mechanical breakdown, they do catch their prize, they quickly discover that it was an illusion all along.

This is exactly the circumstances under which most people are conditioned to experience their lives. If the time for change is not right for you now, then when will it be? When will you be ready for UP-Shift?

In Money Mastery, we learned that human beings have undergone tens of years of enculturation and conditioning: a processed designed to make citizens good servants of their enculturating society. Enculturation is designed to make people more manageable and more governerable. Not one single aspect of such enculturation is directed towards the possibilities of extraordinary success or the achievement of greater potentials.

Most people are unaware that enculturation is designed to ensure they play a game they can never win. It’s a process designed for holding patterns, mortgages, monotonous ruts and ‘lives of quiet desperation’. Servitude to debt is the ‘normal’ state. Sadly, few people ever achieve a fraction of their true potential. They’re numb to the realization that things could be so different for them. Rather than undertake journeys of explorative change, they follow the instructions of unwritten collective agreements while slowly, quietly and obediently ‘going to their graves with the song still in them’. If you’re on this track, it’s time to get off. If you want more out of life, if there is a grain of recognition here for you, if you want to explore the world of true freedom, then the only question you need to answer is when will you finally break free of the illusion you’ve been living under?

And it is an illusion. Lee Cullum, an American public broadcasting commentator, refers to the present time as, “The Age of Limbo” where we’re trapped in a kind of ‘Twilight Zone’, the void that develops between decaying social and technological ways of thinking and doing and the yet to be established new structures of thinking and doing. Much scholarly research and scientific investigation clearly demonstrates that it’s possible to move beyond the social limitations of enculturation, to move beyond the current capacities of body and mind and transcend Thoreau’s ‘lives of quiet desperation’.

Morrie Shechtman, Chairman of Fifth Wave Leadership, observes that the gap between ‘success and mediocrity’ is growing more rapidly than ever before because some people are accessing new information and ways of thinking while many are not. In the search for rich, meaningful experiences, “Our task”, notes Shechtman, “Is to develop skills for succeeding in a new culture that constantly challenges your belief systems and your core values.” The search for more enriching and meaningful experiences now requires greater self-confidence, more flexibility, more resourcefulness and more self-knowledge than at any previous time in history. It’s time to come out to play!

To receive more of the rewards on offer, to obtain the meaningful richness of purposeful experiences, to feel the accolades of personal success, to benefit from the financial changes ahead and to positively experience the momentous leap forward in social and technological change, it’s of critical importance that you change what you believe and change the way you think. Anything less is counterproductive and will only serve to support the further enmeshment of enculturation.

“We live our lives based on what we believe about the world, ourselves, our capacities and our limits”‘ notes Gregg Braden. If you want to change the expression of your life, then you must change the way you view the world and the beliefs of that world that you’ve been conditioned with. John B Arden PhD, author of Rewire Your Brain, notes that ‘if you want to change your life, you need to change your brain’ otherwise change is not possible because all thoughts will still be running along your previously conditioned neuropathways. If thoughts continue to travel along these pathways, they can only ever lead to the same old results. Braden suggests that, “There’s new evidence that the universe works like a consciousness computer… belief is the code that programs reality”, This means that if you change your beliefs, you change your reality.

What happens if the beliefs you currently use to program your reality with are based on inaccuracies? What kind of reality are you programming? In an exciting body of research, Braden discovered that beliefs which limit your full potential do not need to undergo traumatic shifts; they only need subtle changes. With subtle shifts, it’s possible to catapult yourself beyond your current limits and experience a powerful source of intelligence that can trumpet in a new state of being, awareness and fulfilment.

A word of caution; a subtle shift in beliefs is only possible if you have a big enough reason to want to shift them. Without this reason, beliefs do not change and people remain locked in the incarcerated limbo of ‘quiet desperation’.

Howard Martin, one of the original founders of the Institute of HeartMath, discovered that through the power of your heart’s intelligence, “You can move beyond your limitations into a new reality that allows you to become a more conscious co-creator and true custodian of the planet and its culture.” It’s time to tap into this intelligence. It’s time to come out to play.

While researching why people do what they do, visionary psychologist and social scientist, Clare W Graves came to realise that mankind was preparing for a momentous leap in social and technological change. “This leap would be a mega-change in society which would dwarf all previous changes.” We’re now at that time. As the pace of change soon begins to snowball, there will be those who think they can hide from the mass coming down the hill. Some may even think they can out run it. But neither are real possibilities. We’re tinkering on the precipice of a transformation in ways of thinking and consciousness itself. It promises to ignite social and technological change on a scale that dwarfs all previous contemporary and historical revolutions.

Clare W Graves left us with a model that pointed the way forward, a model that helps us understand the many deep forces in human nature which shape our value systems. He left us with a model that not only lays out a pattern for change but also an exciting trajectory for what’s possible.

Joseph Chilton Pearce implores us to undertake this journey by reclaiming our insight and intelligence, by reclaiming our true creativity and the capacity to think and reason without conflict. “Our problems are largely man-made” says Pearce, “Caused by ignoring nature’s plan.” Its time to reach beyond the limitations we’ve accepted for ourselves and explore the human potentials we’ve yet to develop. Human development, notes Pearce, is designed to follow nature’s biological plan which is a genetically inherent design for open-ended creativity and freedom.

However, enculturation promotes neither creativity nor freedom. Instead it demands obedience, sameness and conformity which inhibit our natural spiritual-creative existence. It demands that people buy into collective agreements and ‘lives of quiet desperation’. As with Graves, Chilton Pearce points the way forward. “Full development, for which we are genetically equipped, is pure creativity, which can only take place by thought being developed as an instrument of insight-intelligence, open to and capable of handling the awesome power of consciousness.”

Those who are governable through ‘one right way thinking’ processes produce the chaos, hostility, confusion, danger, fear and competitive conflict which become the primary driving forces of change itself. It’s time to come out to play.

“Beneath awareness”, observes Pearce, “Culture imprints a negative force field blocking the natural rise of your spirit towards its innate nature, sabotaging your natural abilities. You lose the sense of yourself and your connection to everything. Reverse the unconscious loss of your true being by allowing the intelligence of the heart to take hold and flourish.”

If we develop an awareness of how enculturation fights against nature’s plan, we can learn how to preserve and develop this plan in children and recover it in adults. Drawing on the latest research in neuroscience, the evolutionary pathway of our fourfold brain and the new science of neurocardiology, the ‘brain’ of the heart, Pearce maintains that we can move beyond fight or flight thinking and take the Gravesian leap into a new consciousness.

Transformational Mastery is an invitation to transcend the limitations of enculturation and experience the tremendous sense of joy and freedom that comes from reclaiming your full potential. As Pearce and others note, “Ours is an incredible age. Not only will we weather our current global crises both personally and socially, our possibilities for transcending these inherent limitations and constraints, and opening to new evolutionary vistas, make this surely the greatest of all times to be around. You contain a built-in predisposition and ability to rise above—a vital adaptive spirit that you have not yet utilized.”

Releasing your potential requires resourcefulness. Some of you may not yet be ready so your task over the coming year is to commit yourself to study, to development, to the production of financial and personal resources and to readiness. Make this a graceful sense of urgency year. Release yourself from the quicksand of ‘content and structure’, break out of the Plot’s grip, surrender your self-defeating egoic stories, allow yourself to be more effective than right, to listen more than speak, to observe more than judge, and to give more than take. Others of you have achieved the necessary space to take on the next stage – the journey home to your true self. It’s time to reverse the unconscious loss of your true potential, your true state of being and allow the intelligence of heart to take hold and flourish. It’s time to regain your freedom. For those who have the courage, it’s time to come out to play.

Transformational consists of two elements Entrepreneurial Mastery and Mind Mastery.

Entrepreneurial Mastery

Entrepreneurial Mastery is all about the ‘how to’ of various financial instruments. In this part of the journey we’ll essentially focus on three entrepreneurial vehicles including business, real estate and shares. (Garry Davis of Specialist Share Education will be our guest mentor) This means rolling up your sleeves and getting down to work.

Not all people need to partake in everything. I expect that you’ll have your own interests and over the coming twelve months you’ll wish to pursue either of the three, all of the three or a combination of the three vehicles. This does not mean that other opportunities or vehicles are excluded, but we’ll have to adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach as the year unfolds.

Entrepreneurial Mastery requires an ability to spot key issues and develop the necessary creativity and energy to solve them. According to Raich and Nolan, “Humanity has to rise to the challenge or perish. The question is no longer just “Can we?’’, but “How and when can we?’’

By focusing on any of the three vehicles mentioned above, we’ll concentrate on short term strategies of acquisition, value add and disposal. During the coming unstable times, we must be both nimble and resourceful in producing the necessary cash flow for the opportunities that lie ahead.

Mind Mastery

Mind Mastery is a step by step process of changing the configuration of your brain. I’ll walk you through the brain’s various structures, how neuro-rigidity sets in and how thoughts, feelings and emotions become hardwired. Neuroscience is showing us how thoughts shape reality but where do our thoughts come from?

You’ll learn how various media and marketing industries manipulate thoughts and feelings to their advantage. You’ll learn how to recognize the patterns you want to change and how to create new, positive habits that will not only dramatically improve your economic results, but allow you to exercise a greater degree of ‘mind over matter’ and live in expanding economic and personal freedom.

Through concentration and repetition of thoughts, neural circuits become ‘hard wired’ so we’ll concentrate on hard wiring circuits of economic and personal freedom.

In addition, conscious manifestation is possible; it’s what I’ve used to get myself into a position personal freedom since 1978 and financial freedom since 1997. In Mind Mastery, I’ll show you the step by step processes I go through, the very step by step processes you can use to facilitate your journey forward.

The future is born in our imagination! It’s the product of our remembered past, our experienced present and our dreamt future. The future we create lies in our ability to anticipate, to think forward and move beyond our addicted selves. ‘Right way thinking’ is not capable of this so you have to move to a more flexible thinking system. The future is created first in our imagination and then experienced in our holographic reality.

What you’ll be in the future depends very much on your present decisions, actions and experiences. But all this is guided by your vision for yourself. Vision can lead to a new and better future so you need to work on your vision, because whether you have a conscious one, or you operate on the unconscious agreements of enculturation, your future is defined by your vision. All change begins with an attitude and a desire to alter your current way of thinking. In order to succeed, one has first to dream and imagine “big” and “different”. This is what a new mindset is all about; this is what ‘beyond’ is all about.

We’re entering a new cycle on a global scale. The world of our parents is not there anymore. Although we may have grown accustomed to it, it’s important to realise that it is no longer there and it’s not what it used to be. We’re teetering on the precipice of many different possible futures, which are changing more quickly than pictures in a kaleidoscope.

“But since we have a choice, the future depends very much on our actions TODAY – NOW. What we are doing today is defining what the future will be!” (Raich and Nolan)

What will your future be?
Do you have the courage for great change?
Do you have the courage to come out to play?

To discover more i invite you to explore the Fast Track to Wealth program run within the Wealth Trilogies

Paul Counsel

http://thewealthtrilogies.com/hidden-keys-life-mastery/

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind


The 5 Secrets of How to Get Rich

Would you like to have millions of dollars in the bank? Sure, most people would. But achieving it can seem nearly impossible. In this article, you’ll learn that it is simpler than you think and you’ll discover the 5 secrets of the millionaire mind that millionaires use to get rich and achieve what they want out of life.

Millionaires have it nice! They’ve got money in the bank and can focus on other things rather than on where they are going to get enough cash to pay their bills. Sure, money isn’t everything but it tends to help you focus on what is more important (family, friends, fun, spirituality) when you have the money to take care of bills.

For those who have never done so, acquiring millions of dollars doesn’t seem easy. But when you study the millionaires who are out there and learn and master their secrets, it suddenly becomes easier – and very possible – to acquire the wealth you deserve. There are five factors that make millionaires so successful

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind Factor #1: Belief

Millionaires believe firmly in the successful outcome of whatever they put their minds to. They have confidence in their own abilities and in the ultimate success of the situation. Look at Donald Trump, for example. He seems to have the biggest ego in the world, but that is simply because he is so confident! How can you have a millionaire mind? Be confident and fearless.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind Factor #2: Vision

Millionaires have a vision for the success. They dream it. They think it. They breathe it. They KNOW how it will turn out (which is a combination of their vision and the confidence you just read about). Their concept of the achievement of their goal is vivid. How can you have a millionaire mind? Dream what you want as vividly as possible.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind Factor #3: Uniqueness

Millionaires aren’t cookie cutters. They don’t copy, they create. They innovate. They find out what’s broken or not working and they fix it. They solve problems. They push the envelope. Millionaires develop a new way of doing things and that sets them apart from everyone else who simply tries to copy the last successful person. How can you have a millionaire mind? Create something new.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind Factor #4: Action

Millionaires don’t get to be millionaires by sitting around on the couch eating popcorn. They work hard to achieve their vision. They love what they do and are devoted to take constant action to see it achieved. How can you have a millionaire mind? Act now; act often.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind Factor #5: Leverage

Millionaires know that they can’t do it all themselves. They need other people to help them. They ask for, and accept, the help they need and they reward people accordingly. They share their wealth generously, knowing that whatever they give will come back to them. How can you have a millionaire mind? Get help and pay them fairly.

These so-called secrets of the millionaire mind can be adopted by you and employed in your life so that you too can become a millionaire.

http://thewealthtrilogies.com/secrets-millionaire-mind/

Millionaire Minds Set Goals and Reach Them

Millionaire Minds Set Goals and Reach Them
Chunk-Down that Goal and Get Out of Overwhelm

by Jack Canfield

Sometimes our biggest life goals seem so overwhelming.

We rarely see them as a series of small, achievable tasks, but in reality, breaking down a large goal into smaller tasks—and accomplishing them one at a time—is exactly how any big goal gets achieved.

After you have decided what you really want, with specific deadlines, the next step is to determine all of the individual action steps you will need to take to accomplish your goal.

How to Chunk It Down

There are several ways to figure out the action steps you will need to take to accomplish any goal. One is to consult with people who have already done what you want to do and ask what steps they took. From their experience, they can give you all of the necessary steps as well as advice on what pitfalls to avoid.

Another way is to purchase a book or manual that outlines the process.

Yet another way is to start from the end and look backward. You simply close your eyes and imagine that it is now the future and you have already achieved your goal. Then just look back and see what you had to do to get to where you now are. What was the last thing you did? And then the thing before that, and then the thing before that, until you arrive at the first action you had to start with.

Remember that it is okay not to know how to do something.

It’s okay to ask for guidance and advice from those who do know. Sometimes you can get it free, and sometimes you have to pay for it. Get used to asking, “Can you tell me how to go about…?” and “What would I have to do to…?” and “How did you…?”

Keep researching and asking until you can create a realistic action plan that will get you from where you are to where you want to go.

What will you need to do? How much money will you need to save or raise? What new skills will you need to learn? What resources will you need to mobilize? Who will you need to enroll in your vision? Who will you need to ask for assistance? What new disciplines or habits will you need to build into your life?

Another valuable technique for creating an action plan for your goals is called mind mapping.

How to Use Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a simple but powerful process for creating a detailed to‑do list for achieving your goal. It lets you determine what information you’ll need to gather, who you’ll need to talk to, what small steps you’ll need to take, how much money you’ll need to earn or raise, which deadlines you’ll need to meet, and so on—for each and every goal.

When I began creating my first educational audio program—a breakthrough goal that led to extraordinary gains for me and my business—I used mind mapping to help me “chunk down” that very large goal into all the individual tasks I would need to complete to produce a finished product.

To mind‑map your own goals, follow these steps as illustrated in the example:

1.) Center circle: In the center circle, jot down the name of your stated goal—in this case, Create an Audio Educational Program.

2.) Outside circles: Next, divide the goal into the major categories of tasks you’ll need to accomplish to achieve the greater goal—in this case, Title, Studio, Topics, Audience, and so on.

3.) Spokes: Then, draw spokes radiating outward from each mini-circle and label each one (such as Write Copy, Color Picture for Back Cover, and Arrange Lunch.)

On a separate line connected to the minicircle, write every single step you’ll need to take. Break down each one of the more detailed task spokes with action items to help you create your master to‑do list.

Next, Make a Daily To‑Do List

Once you’ve completed a mind map for your goal, convert all of the to‑do items into daily action items by listing each one on your daily to‑do lists and committing to a completion date for each one. Then schedule them in the appropriate order into your calendar and do whatever it takes to stay on schedule.

Do First Things First

The goal is to stay on schedule and complete the most important item first. In his excellent book, Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, Brian Tracy reveals not just how to conquer procrastination but also how to prioritize and complete all of your action items.

In his unique system, Brian advises goal‑setters to identify the one to five things you must accomplish on any given day, and then pick the one you absolutely must do first. This becomes your biggest and ugliest frog.

He then suggests you accomplish that task first—in essence, eat that frog first—and, by so doing; make the rest of your day much, much easier. It’s a great strategy. But unfortunately, most of us leave the biggest and ugliest frog for last, hoping it will go away or somehow become easier. It never does. However, when you accomplish your toughest task early in the day, it sets the tone for the rest of your day.

By chunking down your goals, and then taking daily action on them, you create momentum and build your confidence, both of which move you farther and faster toward the achievement of your goals.

Now go take some action!

http://mymillionairemind.org/author/sandi/

The Greatest Gift
9/11
Just saying, reading or hearing 9/11 triggers a maelstrom of emotion

— unbearable sadness, grief, loss, fierce anger, betrayal, bewilderment, pride, patriotism, and for some, acceptance, forgiveness and peace.

This year as I feel the memory of 9/11 in my body, I have some new insight that is helping me to experience 9/11 differently.

“Ho’oponopono is a profound gift that allows one to develop a working relationship with the Divinity within and learn to ask in each moment, our error in thought, word, deed or action to be cleansed. The process is essentially about freedom, complete freedom from the past.”

— Morrnah Nalamaku Simeon, Ho’oponopono Master Teacher

To find and eventually share the gift of peace, we must train ourselves to look within rather than judge without.

“Wouldn’t it be great if the world would just change?”
“What If people would become more compassionate and generous?”
“Why can’t they stop all this political double speak and conflict?”
“I just don’t know why they can’t just accept each other’s differences without blowing each other to kingdom come.”
The world would be at peace, if they would just work with each other and be more tolerant.”

The truth is we have no control over what “they” do. But we do have total control over how we behave in our world. It is not what happens to us that determines our peace of mind — it’s how we respond to life’s challenges.

We are our own peacemakers. Peacemakers live by the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” We create peace within our families by supporting one another, giving and seeking support, as it is needed. We give and receive unconditional love. We all give and receive these gifts right where we are, in our homes, offices, our neighborhoods and our communities through the way we live our lives and make decisions.

We can make a difference in the world though the gifts we give and receive.
The Gift Of Love

“Peace Begins with You: Creating Peace Within Ourselves and In Our World.”
This gift is the conscious choice to reveal the best in people, other living creatures and any part of nature. By helping us perceive the beauty that surrounds us, it relieves our self-consciousness and helps us uplift others and ourselves.

How to use the gift of love: Look for the good in other people. Watch them closely, and listen to them carefully to discover what will bring out the joy in them. Then remind them of the unique talents, experience or character qualities they already have that ensure they can have what they want. Give them vivid accounts of instances when they used those traits. Watch the light go on in their eyes.
The Gift Of Dreams

This gift enables us to focus on whatever inspires or uplifts us, letting us play a part in the creation of a better world as we form good intentions and carry them out.

Access your dreams: Ask…

What would make me happy?

Why would it make me happy, and why is it important to me?

How will it benefit other people… and how will I act toward others when I have it?

When do I want it to happen?

Where will my dream take me when it comes true?
The Gift Of Courage

This gift involves taking concrete action to help us achieve the object of our love and dreams. Answering the question, “What am I willing to try?” makes change exciting, rather than frightening. It takes an act of courage to completely release an old hurt and forgive and let go. It is a step into the unknown. The reward of courage is freedom.
The Gift Of Unity

This gift joins us with other like-minded spirits to achieve a shared vision. It asks, “Who can I help?” “Who can help me?” “What can we accomplish together.”
The Gift Of Joy

This gift lets us take pleasure in what we have created, showing us that we are not here just to survive but to satisfy our souls and inspire others to do the same. Start a journal in which you can unleash your joy for a few minutes every day. Answer the questions…

What is going right at this moment?

Why does it make me happy?

How can I best respond to it?

Smile, just because it feels good!
The Gift Of Trust

This gift is the internal radar system that aligns our thoughts and actions to help us grow and makes us feel bad whenever we think, say or do anything that could be harmful.

When you feel stressed, call on your sense of trust. Stop whatever you are doing. Close your eyes… ask yourself what you should do now… take several deep breaths … and listen to your intuition before you take action.
The Gift Of Character

This gift understands who we are now and who we want to be. It reminds us of our authentic self and unique role in the universe.

How to become what you want to be: List all the traits you do not want… then, line by line, make a second list with exactly the opposite traits. Destroy the first list, rewrite the second list, and for each good trait think of at least one person you know who possesses it. Ask yourself, “Which trait would serve me best now?” and picture how your role model would act. After a while, your new traits will become natural.
The Gift Of Thanks

This gift lets us bless what we have achieved with our other gifts. By saying “This is good,” we enjoy a feeling of contentment that also lets us pour positive energy into others, helping them to use their own gifts.
The Gift Of Intention

This gift is the ability to choose a new direction or return to an old one, regardless of current circumstances. It asks the questions, “What now?” and “What next?” When we remind ourselves that “It ain’t over until it’s over,” we can decide to leave the past behind or trade something good for something even better.

In the year ahead, until we reach our next 9/11, resolve to be the kind of person you wish the rest of the world would be. It’s the greatest gift you can give yourself, our world and those we remember on this day.

This Blog was inspired by the sermons of Rev. Margee Grounds, Rev. Diane Brandenburg, Dr. Joe Vitale and the work of Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona

Margaret Mead said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Changing our world for the better begins with us, right now, today.

In Love and Gratitude,
Sandi

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007

All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

Millionaire Minds Set Goals and Reach Them

Millionaire Minds Set Goals and Reach Them
by Jack Canfield

Post by H. Sandra Chevalier-Batik
posted in Action Blueprint, Career Management, Decision Making & Problem Solving, Goal Setting, Millionaire Mind MoJo, Mind Mapping, Modeling Success, Money Blueprint |
Chunk-Down that Goal and Get Out of Overwhelm

Sometimes our biggest life goals seem so overwhelming.

We rarely see them as a series of small, achievable tasks, but in reality, breaking down a large goal into smaller tasks—and accomplishing them one at a time—is exactly how any big goal gets achieved.

After you have decided what you really want, with specific deadlines, the next step is to determine all of the individual action steps you will need to take to accomplish your goal.

How to Chunk It Down

There are several ways to figure out the action steps you will need to take to accomplish any goal. One is to consult with people who have already done what you want to do and ask what steps they took. From their experience, they can give you all of the necessary steps as well as advice on what pitfalls to avoid.

Another way is to purchase a book or manual that outlines the process.

Yet another way is to start from the end and look backward. You simply close your eyes and imagine that it is now the future and you have already achieved your goal. Then just look back and see what you had to do to get to where you now are. What was the last thing you did? And then the thing before that, and then the thing before that, until you arrive at the first action you had to start with.

Remember that it is okay not to know how to do something.

It’s okay to ask for guidance and advice from those who do know. Sometimes you can get it free, and sometimes you have to pay for it. Get used to asking, “Can you tell me how to go about…?” and “What would I have to do to…?” and “How did you…?”

Keep researching and asking until you can create a realistic action plan that will get you from where you are to where you want to go.

What will you need to do? How much money will you need to save or raise? What new skills will you need to learn? What resources will you need to mobilize? Who will you need to enroll in your vision? Who will you need to ask for assistance? What new disciplines or habits will you need to build into your life?

Another valuable technique for creating an action plan for your goals is called mind mapping.

How to Use Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a simple but powerful process for creating a detailed to‑do list for achieving your goal. It lets you determine what information you’ll need to gather, who you’ll need to talk to, what small steps you’ll need to take, how much money you’ll need to earn or raise, which deadlines you’ll need to meet, and so on—for each and every goal.

When I began creating my first educational audio program—a breakthrough goal that led to extraordinary gains for me and my business—I used mind mapping to help me “chunk down” that very large goal into all the individual tasks I would need to complete to produce a finished product.

To mind‑map your own goals, follow these steps as illustrated in the example:

1.) Center circle: In the center circle, jot down the name of your stated goal—in this case, Create an Audio Educational Program.

2.) Outside circles: Next, divide the goal into the major categories of tasks you’ll need to accomplish to achieve the greater goal—in this case, Title, Studio, Topics, Audience, and so on.

3.) Spokes: Then, draw spokes radiating outward from each mini-circle and label each one (such as Write Copy, Color Picture for Back Cover, and Arrange Lunch.)

On a separate line connected to the minicircle, write every single step you’ll need to take. Break down each one of the more detailed task spokes with action items to help you create your master to‑do list.

Next, Make a Daily To‑Do List

Once you’ve completed a mind map for your goal, convert all of the to‑do items into daily action items by listing each one on your daily to‑do lists and committing to a completion date for each one. Then schedule them in the appropriate order into your calendar and do whatever it takes to stay on schedule.

Do First Things First

The goal is to stay on schedule and complete the most important item first. In his excellent book, Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, Brian Tracy reveals not just how to conquer procrastination but also how to prioritize and complete all of your action items.

In his unique system, Brian advises goal‑setters to identify the one to five things you must accomplish on any given day, and then pick the one you absolutely must do first. This becomes your biggest and ugliest frog.

He then suggests you accomplish that task first—in essence, eat that frog first—and, by so doing; make the rest of your day much, much easier. It’s a great strategy. But unfortunately, most of us leave the biggest and ugliest frog for last, hoping it will go away or somehow become easier. It never does. However, when you accomplish your toughest task early in the day, it sets the tone for the rest of your day.

By chunking down your goals, and then taking daily action on them, you create momentum and build your confidence, both of which move you farther and faster toward the achievement of your goals.

Now go take some action!

http://mymillionairemind.org/keeping-your-millionaire-mind-mojo/millionaire-minds-set-goals-and-reach-them/

The Cycle of Completion: Making Way for Success

The Cycle of Completion: Making Way for Success
by Jack Canfield

Do you live in a state of mental and physical clutter? Do you have a bunch of unfinished business lurking around every corner?

Incomplete projects, unfinished business, and piles of cluttered messes can weigh you down and take away from the energy you have to move forward toward your goals.

When you don’t complete tasks, you can’t be fully prepared to move into the present, let alone your new future. When your brain is keeping track of all the unfinished business you still have at hand, you simply can’t be effective in embracing new tasks that are in line with your vision.

Old incompletes can show up in your life in lots of different ways… like not having clarity, procrastination, emotional energy blocks and even illness. Blocked energy is wasted, and a build up of that energy can really leave you stymied!

Throw out all the clutter and feel how much easier it is to think! Make a list of areas in your life (both personal and professional) where you have incompletes and messes, then develop a plan to deal with them once and for all. Fix and organize the things that annoy you. Take your final steps in bringing closure to outstanding projects. Make that difficult phone call. Delegate time-wasting tasks that you’ve let build up.

When you free yourself from the mental burden of incompletes and messes, you’ll be AMAZED at how quickly the things you do want in life arrive.

Another area where you’ll find incompletes in your life is in your emotions. Are you holding on to old hurts, resentments, and pain? Just like the physical clutter and incompletes, your energy is being drained by holding on to and reliving past pain and anger.

Remember, you’ll attract whatever feelings you’re experiencing. So, if you’re stuck in revengeful thinking and angered in muck, you can’t possibly be directing energy toward a positive future. You need to let go of the past in order to embrace the future. Letting go involves forgiveness and moving on.

By forgiving you aren’t releasing the other person from their transgression as much as you’re freeing yourself from their transgression. You don’t have to condone their behavior, trust them, or even maintain a relationship with them. However, you DO have to free yourself from the anger, from the pain, and from the resentment once and for all!

When learning to forgive, make sure to complete the cycle. Acknowledge your anger, your pain, and your fear. But also own up to any part you’ve played in allowing it to happen or continue. Make sure to express whatever it was that you wanted from that person, and then see the whole event from the other’s point of view. Allow yourself to wonder what that person was going through and what kind of needs he/she was trying to fulfill at the time.

Finally, let go and move on. Every time you go through this process you’re learning how to avoid letting it happen again!

Post by H. Sandra Chevalier-Batik
posted in Action Blueprint, Gratitude, Law of Attraction, Millionaire Mind MoJo, Modeling Success, Money Blueprint, Motivation & Self-Improvement, Wealth Creation |

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http://mymillionairemind.org/keeping-your-millionaire-mind-mojo/the-cycle-of-completion-making-way-for-success/

Victor Frankl quote

“The last of the human freedoms is to choose one’s
attitude in any given set of circumstances.”

Victor Frankl
— an Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor

The Millionaire Mind

The Millionaire Mind

May 18, 2007 @ 10:00 am - Written by Trent
Categories: Books
Bookmarks: del.icio.us, reddit

The Millionaire Mind is a sequel (basically) to Stanley and Danko’s earlier book The Millionaire Next Door (which I quite liked; see my review of The Millionaire Next Door). This book is basically a continuation of the same premise: an analysis of the results of extensive surveying of people with a net worth of $1 million or more. Is it a rehash or does it actually contribute interesting new information? Let’s find out.

An Odyssey of The Millionaire Mind

Chapter 1: An Introduction to the Millionaire Mind
Instead of an introduction to the book, this chapter actually compresses the entire book down to about twenty five pages. Here’s a hot tip: if you see this book at the bookstore, read the first chapter and you’ve read most of the book – only read further if you want more detail. Seriously, the key points are all outlined right here.

Chapter 2: Success Factors
I discussed the content of this chapter early this week – it focuses on specific traits that millionaires self-identified as being important in their success. For the most part, this was the most useful chapter in the book, because most of the traits that were marked as most important are ones you can learn (being honest with all people, being well-disciplined, getting along with people, having a supportive spouse, working harder than most people, being very well organized, etc.) are ones you can control, while the ones you can’t learn (having a high IQ, etc.) are at the bottom of the list. As I concluded in the article linked to above, personal development works.

Chapter 3: School Days
It turns out here that great grades aren’t necessarily the key to success, but tenacity and leadership skills are. In other words, if you work hard and are involved in extracurricular activities (particularly in leadership roles) but are a B student, you’re in much better shape to succeed than an A student who coasts and isn’t involved in said activities. In fact, the chapter largely indicates that the B student is preferable here. In other words, don’t be ashamed of your grades – only be ashamed if you’re not willing to work for it.

Chapter 4: The Relationship Between Courage and Wealth
It takes courage to be rich, in several different dimensions: courage to not follow the greater spending trends of society, courage to start one’s own business even through the risk, and the courage to not spend the money frivolously once he/she has it. Mostly, the lesson here is to not just follow what everyone else is doing, but follow your heart and you’ll do better – something I believe in in earnest.

Chapter 5: Vocation Vocation Vocation
Here, the book suggests that you should find a vocation that not only you’re passionate about, but one where the competition is comparatively thin. This can often be done through specialization (finding something that you can do that others can’t or don’t) or by finding fields where you can succeed because it’s underexploited. In other words, don’t try to write the Great American Novel if you want to become a millionaire.

Chapter 6: Choice of Spouse
This chapter is all about a fundamental point that should be true for any marriage: never choose a spouse based on superficial reasons. Ever. If your relationship is about physical attraction above all, it won’t be rock solid when you need it to be because the bedrock of a reliable marriage is compatible values. If you have appropriate values for becoming a millionaire, then you’ll just undermine all of it by having a spouse that doesn’t share those values.

Chapter 7: The Economically Productive Household
Frugal living is the key here; in general, the millionaires surveyed by Stanley look at factors such as total cost of ownership before making purchases, using items through their entire lifespan even if they show some wear, and buying late model used cars that are reliable and can be driven for several years. Frugal values pay off whether you’re poor or rich.

Chapter 8: The Home
Another big clue appears here when it’s shown that millionaires on the whole do not buy houses that are ostentatious, but instead are functional for what the needs of the people are. They generally take their time looking for homes, search out bargains, and clearly define their needs before they buy, including factors such as good public schooling and so forth. They also buy modestly – the average millionaire owns a home with a median value only slightly above the median value for all homes; in fact, many of the most ostentatious homes are owned by non-millionaires.

Chapter 9: The Lifestyles of Millionaires: Real vs. Imagined
This short chapter reinforces the notion that most of the surveyed millionaires live typical lives: dining at home, enjoying time with their family, and so on. Most of the trappings of the millionaire lifestyle (“Let’s dine on the yacht with Quincy and Nathaniel”) are much more fiction than fact, or are misrepresentative of how millionaires actually live.

Chapter 10: A Final Note About the Millionaire Mind
The final, brief chapter has a few anecdotes, but mostly it ties up the entire message of the book in two distinct words: think different. Don’t just follow what everyone else is doing.

Buy or Don’t Buy?

Let’s be honest here: this book is mere continuation (and in some places, rehash) of The Millionaire Next Door. It’s a good read, but much of the same material is found in both books.

On the whole, I felt that The Millionaire Next Door was the more complete book of the two and I would recommend it above this one, but there are two big areas where The Millionaire Mind might be the winner. First, this book doesn’t have nearly as strong an age bias as the first book did, which means that if you’re young, you will likely feel more comfortable with. Second, it focuses on what I like to call “life management” skills more than financial planning, which might be of interest to you if you’re looking for behavioral aspects of how millionaires act. In particular, the second chapter stood out to me.

As a personal finance book, The Millionaire Next Door is a better choice. As an all-around read, though, The Millionaire Mind does hold its own and is potentially more palatable to some specific audiences.

The Millionaire Mind is the twenty-eighth of fifty-two books in The Simple Dollar’s series 52 Personal Finance Books in 52 Weeks.

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/05/18/review-the-millionaire-mind/

Great First Jobs for Kids

Great First Jobs for Kids
By Nick Wolff

I have long recommended that no parents give their children an allowance, rather I recommend they provide them commissions for certain household chores to help teach your kids that money comes from effort. At some point, many children begin to look for work outside the home to help augment their earnings and start to earn income that isn't reliant on Mom and Dad. First jobs are also great ways to learn about oneself and begin to learn about business. Here are several ideas for great first jobs for kids under age 16.

Paper Route - Many children cut their teeth waking up before dawn to deliver papers prior to going to school. Young people performing this work learn many of the mechanics and hiccups concerning the flow of goods from the factory to the consumer. One learns to push through challenges such as poor weather and supply problems to get the job done.

Babysitting - One of the most common first jobs for many (but not exclusively) girls is babysitting. Babysitting teaches responsibility, preparation, patience and safety not to mention dealing with the highly emotional expectations of customers (parents). These skills are extremely valuable in all aspects of working life.

Park League Official - My first job was as an official at the park league where I had previously been a player. A year round program I had the opportunity to be a referee and umpire for several sports. As an official I learned to make quick decisions, how to handle authority, peacemaking, and how to deal with difficult people. I found it one of the most challenging jobs I have ever held, because at the time I suffered from a great deal of self-doubt. The confidence that I learned through learning to wield these skills have paid dividends throughout my life.

Camp Counselor - Another great job I had at an early age was that of a camp counselor. Many of the same skills that one gains as a park league official are learned here as well, but often at a greater rate simply because one is learning for more hours in a day. Some opportunities are for day camps while others are for resident camps. I had the opportunity to work at a resident camp, which not only gave my parents a break from me, it gave me opportunities to experiment with independence as well as make stronger friendships, many of which thrive to this day. Two other great aspect of being a camp counselor is working as part of a team and being silly. I have found both skills to be invaluable in working with others and making my workplaces fun.

Tutor - Smart kids blessed with patience and good communication skills could be great tutors. Tutoring challenges young people to find different ways to convey information to students who are often reached in different ways. In addition, like all teachers can relate, dealing with personal frustration involved with turning on the light of understanding can be very challenging. Patience, understanding, and encouragement skills are gained through tutoring.

Entrepreneurship - Finally, more industrious kids can actually try to create the whole endeavor. There are numerous ways kids can find ways to practice entrepreneurship. World famous personal finance author, Robert Kiyosaki writes about how he and his best friend, at a young age, opened a comic book store for neighborhood kids and managed to secure a source of comics for free. Typical new businesses consist of lemonade stands, lawn mowing services and snow shoveling services. There is not better way to learn a wide variety of skills quickly than by starting a business. Children learn sales, managing equipment, customer service, procurement and a host of other concepts. In addition, much like in adulthood, often the rewards of being an young entrepreneur are much greater than a young employee.

There are undoubtedly other ways for children to enter the workforce. Getting children involved in earning money not only allows them to begin the process of financial liberation from Mom and Day, it also allows them to learn valuable skills that will help them throughout their lives.
Nick Wolff is President of LIFE Skills an education company dedicated to providing financial education to young people in a fun and interactive format. Visit our website http://www.YouthFinancialEducation.com and discover how we can help you and young people in your life get on the road to financial success.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Great-First-Jobs-for-Kids&id=5935210

The One Minute Entrepreneur by Blanchard, Hutson and Willis

The One Minute Entrepreneur by Blanchard, Hutson and Willis -

Book Review
By Daniel Murphy

Title and Author: The One Minute Entrepreneur by Ken Blanchard and Don Hutson and Ethan Willis

Synopsis of Content:

This book about starting one's own business is a story format about a young man who soon marries and together they form a company. The story covers their growing pains and problems and the solutions. At the end of each chapter are some One Minute Insights and most of them are below. The book uses both real and imaginary people to create mentorship situations and teach basic lessons.

Readability/Writing Quality:

Well written and very easy to read.

Notes on Author:

Ken Blanchard has made his mark writing on business management with his One Minute Manager series of books. He is well respected and invited to lecture and instruct Fortune 500 corporations around the world.

Three Great Ideas You Can Use:

One Minute Insights (ok, more than three - this is good stuff, what are we going to take out?)--

1. Associate with people you admire and can learn from.

2. Keep a notebook of wisdom you read, hear, and learn, and distill that learning into One Minute Insights.

3. A good life is built on strong, solid values such as integrity, love, honesty, and purposeful work.

4. You never need to cheat to win.

5. What is right is more important than who is right.

6. You will be the same year after year except for the people you meet and the books you read. (Zig Ziglar).

7. You can get what you want in life if you help other people get what they want.

8. Success occurs when opportunity and preparation meet.

9. It is not who you know that counts; it is who knows you and what they think of you.

When you feel moments impacting your destiny, seize the opportunity.

10. Humility helps you to be open to learning and growing in your field of expertise.

11. Take care of your numbers and your numbers will take care of you.

12. To create a successful business, you must first master the basics.

13. For a mentor to be effective, you have to be an enthusiastic and committed protégé.

14. Always visualize your desired outcome ahead of time.

15. In sales and in every other business, you are constantly on stage --- so act like it.

16. Ambition is the fuel that can drive life-changing events.

17. Identify what you are passionate about doing. Look to do more of it.

18. Don't be afraid to dream big.

19. Don't quit your day job until you have got some success under your belt.

20. If nobody will pay you to do what you love, you have a hobby, not a career.

21. On the entrepreneurial path, few people come into your life without a reason.

22. Becoming a successful entrepreneur and having a spouse are not mutually exclusive.

23. When it comes to finding a life partner, character and values trump personality and looks.

24. To build a great marriage, especially if you are an entrepreneur, make sure you commit to spending time together outside of meals and sleeping.

25. You and your spouse are a team. Act like one.

26. Too many people dream too small. You will never achieve more than you think you can. So create a big dream.

27. When opportunity knocks, seize it.

28. Never let your expenses outstrip your revenue.

29. Don't be a banker for your customers. Timely collection of invoices is crucial.

30. Your customers are a company's lifeblood-they pay the bills.

31. Nurture your people. They make it all happen. Without them, you have no company.

32. Unless you want to do all the work, you have to think of ways to come up with new sources of revenue.

33. If you focus only on managing costs, your business will never grow.

34. Don't be afraid to seek advice when your business goes to a new level.

35. Making a profit is always a necessity if you want to stay in business.

36. As an entrepreneur the secret to success is generating CASH, CASH, CASH.

37. Without good cash management, you will never make it as an entrepreneur.

38. Profit is the applause you get for taking care of your customers and creating a motivating environment for your people.

Publication Information:

Copyright: 2008 Blanchard Management Corporation, Don Hutson and Ethan Willis

Published by Doubleday

General Rating:Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent
Daniel R. Murphy writes on success and how you can build wealth. Would you like to learn how others have been successful in business and in life? For a free success ebook and much information which can help make you successful and financially independent visit http://www.bookstowealth.com. Begin your self-education today learning how others have become successful and rich! Do it today!

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-One-Minute-Entrepreneur-by-Blanchard,-Hutson-and-Willis---Book-Review&id=5582271