gathergreatness.com

I guess I have known this for quite some time, but today I became increasingly aware of the fact that people are quite different in the way they think.

Today is my wedding anniversary.

As my wife and I were magically attracted to one another some years ago, we overlooked each others shortcomings and differences. We only focused on similarities and an intense desire to be with one another.

Love has a way of making smooth the path, but we soon discovered that we were not totally in agreement on everything in our lives.
Most apparent, we did not use the same set of factors to determine our decision making strategies. In fact, I was totally logical and she, well she was quite the opposite. Her governing mindset was that of emotion.

To me it seemed as if there was little or no logic in anything she did.

In my mind, I tried to ignore and dismiss her somewhat illogical behavior, to no avail. As life would have it, we worked through our differences in most circumstance, but I must say, words like challenge and compromise are not strong enough to describe some of the difficulties we encountered.

Lucky for us, our core values were totally in alignment and have somehow overshadowed our petty disagreements.

Not to appear as a relationship coach or some kind of expert on dating, I believe that these underlying behaviors are the same in business.

What we need to understand is this. People are people, are people, are people.
We all have our differences, (not all men or women reason with the same set of parameters).
Thus, some of us base most or all our decisions on cold hard reasoning and others are quite the emotional-driven type of individuals.

If we are to become successful in business, we must learn to recognize and allow for both.

Acceptance is the key. We must accept the fact that there are differences among us in order to build strong relationships.

I am sure that you will agree, business is all about people, building trust and developing relationships.
To quote a famous author, John Gray, “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.”
I definitely get the point!

Let me know what you think.
I’d love to hear your stories.

Bill

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PSS.
Still the love of my life; Happy Anniversary to my dearest friend and wife, Janice.
I love you, Bill

Next Stop *10* : Take Action

What’s holding you back from your dreams?

If you’re like most of us, your dreams have been on the launching pad for some time.
Whether it be uncertainty, procrastination, waiting to get your project perfect, or some other limiting behavior, you just haven’t taken the most important step.

You can plan,
you can tweek,
you can examine and re-examine.

You will only see results when you bring your products or ideas to the marketplace.
You have to take the biggest step, the step to ACTION.

Only then will you get the necessary feedback to proceed, improve or abandon your project.

The first real step is always Action.
The entrepreneur will never succeed without this essential key.

I found a different approach to developing your confidence. Instead of trying to “pump up your confidence” by attempting to program your mind with positive affirmations, try looking at new ways to increase predictablility in the area in which your confidence is faltering.

Wow, that sounds kind of confusing.

Let me share with you some ideas from Bobb Biehl, in his book “Stop Setting Goals If You Would Rather Solve Problems.”

“Have you ever struggled with wavering confidence? If you are human, the answer is probably yes. Every individual and team needs a sense of confidence to function properly. But where does confidence come from? What conditions are present when you feel confident? What conditions are present when you don’t?

Consider this statement:

CONFIDENCE IS A BY-PRODUCT OF PREDICTABILITY.

“When I first tell people that confidence is a by-product of pedictability, the most typical response I get is a blank stare. The question in their eyes is, “Huh?”

“The best way I know to explain the principle is with a few what-if’s.

What if:
* you were a marathon runner,
* you have won every race you have run for the past three years, and
* you feel 100% healthy?

Your knees are predictable, so you run with confidence!

What if:

* during the marathon your knee pops out at mile marker eighteen,
* you go sprawling into the cinders, and
* you knee is in a brace for the next three months?

Your knee is not predictable, so you run with less confidence.

What if:

* you train hard, and
* a year later you are running again?

Your running confidence returns to 99% of your confidence level before the accident.

What if:

* during your first marathon after the accident you are feeling great,
* on mile marker ten your knee goes again, and
* you fall into the cinders?

You will never run with the same degree of confidence. You have knees with limited predictability; therefore, you have limited running confidence.”

Now does this phrase make more sense?:
CONFIDENCE IS A BY-PRODUCT OF PREDICTABILITY!

There are several ways to develop predictability in life.

The attached spreadsheet will give you some pretty clear-cut examples:

Just click on the “gg_Predictability” link on the attachment page:
gg_predictability

“In what area is your confidence faltering right now? Do not try to pump-up your confidence.
Look at new ways to increase predictability in that area, and your confidence will return automatically. If it is a new area, develop your predictability and watch your confidence grow!”

Let me know if this has helped you in some way.
I am eager to hear your comments,

Bill

I would like to intoduce you to one of my all-time favorite online entrepreneurs, Steve Pavlina.
Steve hosts a very successful blog and has written an excellent post on how-to develop practical methods to create multiple streams of income.

YOU CAN READ HIS POST BY FOLLOWING THE LINK BELOW:
“How to Earn Your First Love Dollar”

I think Steve did a superb job of explaining the process of developing your entrepreneurial spirit.

Let me know what you think.
I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOUR COMMENTS,
especially whether his ideas make sense to you.

Thank you,

Bill

It has been an exhilarating day, to say the least.

After spending eight hours at my JOB, I did a few chores and picked up a Pizza at the local pizzeria for the family. Then it was time to spend some time with my online business.

I must say, there just doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day. I did however accomplish some important steps, which I am confident will help me move my entrepreneurial business forward.

1. I purchased a new domain name from GoDaddy, http://www.IndustryLeadingExpert.com

2. I learned how to Redirect and Mask my new domain to my Hosting Account.

3. I determined that I like Solving Problems more than Setting Goals.

4. I decided to reactivate my AWeber Account this week.

5. I made a committment to create an e-book or other give-away.

So the evening was fairly productive.

PS.
I am remiss that I have left my list of subscribers to my newsletter dwindle away, by not following through with my monthly publications.

An intense video

“Click Here to Listen”

10 Pieces of advice from Guy Kawasaki, from his book, “The Art of the Start.”

I’ve listened to this video 3 or 4 times and have taken away bits of knowledge each time that have helped me in my entrepreneurial growth.

It is best to listen with a pen and paper to absorb all that Guy has shared here.

Let me know what you think.

“Ask and You Shall Receive.”

I happened upon this video and wanted to share it, as it captures the dreams of so many people who are searching for their true life purpose.

It could change your thoughts.

It could change your actions.

It could “CHANGE YOUR LIFE.”

When I first entered the workforce, I began with the philosophy, ‘in order to really succeed I had to work harder and longer than anyone else.’ I upheld this belief for many years, more than I would like to admit.

I took a job that I could work as many hours as possible, one in which I could work toward aquiring overtime pay on a regular basis. It seemed like the smart thing to do. Earning time and a half pay seemed to be what all the seasoned employees were doing. They were the ones with all the newer and more expensive cars and homes.

They all seemed fairly happy, but a good amount of their time was spent at work. I have nothing against hard work, but it seemed to me that there should be a little easier way to make a living. Somewhat discouraged by the status quo (that’s the way life is) lifestyle, I started to notice the most successful people were actually the ones that seemed to have quality pay and quality time.

They were the ones that had managed to be working smater not harder. They had somehow cracked the code to getting more while appearing to be giving less.

How was that?

They were the ones that had leveraged their education, their talent and/or their leadership abilities to elevate themselves above the masses. They were the doctors, the lawyers, the skilled technicians and craftsmen, the CEO’s and the upper management.

What did they have that others only dared to dream?

In hindsight, they were the individuals that had the vision, the ambition, the mentors, and maybe the most important of all, the knowledge that leverage is the key to real success.

Leverage is the Key to Success.

Whether we choose to leverage time, people or money, we need to understand its power.

In effect, we need to spend less effort trying to do everything by ourselves and instead solicit the help of others to get things done. Isn’t this the way big companies get things done, and how managers accomplish their objectives? The more we can achieve without our direct involvement, the more we can accomplish.

When you go to the doctor, does the doctor greet you when you arrive, verify your appointment, check you insurance coverage, and show you to examining room? I’m sure he could do all these tasks, but how would that affect his practice? Would he be able to treat as many patients? The successful doctor, or other professional, understands that it is in his best interest to do what he does best. He leverages other people and leverages time to accomplish more by actually doing less himself.

The initially planning, the attracting of the right group of individuals and getting everything to mesh together may take some time and a lot of effort, but the future can be much brighter for this type of individual.

The successful entrepreneur will know when he has arrived. He or she will be the one that is able to achieve more and more with less and less.

Number five, in my list of 10 ways to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, is living a purpose driven life.

Perhaps the greatest gift we were given, excluding our gift of life itself, is our individuality. Out of the countless millions or billions of people, each of us have our unique physical and mental genes.

Even identical twins have their differences.

This is what makes us, who we are.

That being said, it stands to reason that we all have something different to contribute.
Logically speaking, we all have a life pupose which can only be fulfilled by us. We have unique life experiences and talents which no one else, no one living, dead or not yet born, has, had or will have.

Pretty profound.

And if this is true, don’t we then have an obligation to share these talents with others?

Do you have a gift or talent that your are really proud of? Maybe there is something that you can do that comes almost effortless for you, while others around you struggle to accomplish even half as well.

These things make up your uniqueness and define who you are.

These are the things that make you different and which make you valuable to others.

The traditional job can provide you with the ability to sustain your physical existence, and possibly provide you with the luxuries of life. The purpose driven career will afford you the satisfaction of making a difference in your life and in the lives of others. This is a key element in choosing an entrepreneurial approach to your life work versus the way of the masses, working a job.

I believe we all have a special purpose.

For some of us, our purpose is revealed to us quite early in life. For others, it seems that realizing our life purpose comes only with a lot of struggle and hard work, if at all. By following your God-given talents and approaching each day with the intent of helping others, I believe we all will discover and fulfill our special purpose in life.

Every business has one main objective, to make money. Simple as that, if you can’t make money, you won’t be in business very long.

Am I right?

So what’s the best way to make money? Another simple question to answer, you sell your customer something they need or want.

Am I right, or really right?

And what do people need and want?

It may be a new car, a place to live, or something as necessary as something to eat. You are basically satisfying their immediate desires. You are solving a problem that they have. You are becoming a problem solver for them.

If you create a product that nobody needs or wants, what do you think the chances are that you will become a success at selling this particular product?

Not very good, I would say.

Now, as an individual (you) venture out from the familiar job into the unknown area of becoming an entrepreneur, what data might you need in order to make your transition a little easier and the results more realistic.

If you are going to become a problem solver, you definitely need to evaluate where you stand with the following:

1. Do I have a clear picture of who my customers will be? (What problem will I solve?)
2. Did I ask (survey) my potential customers what they want, to make sure that the problems that I perceive are actually the things that are important to them?
3. Will my product or sevice be valuable to them? (Will it solve a major problem for them?)
4. Do they have the resources (money) to pay me for the product or service? (No money, no business).
5. Are the number of people looking for my solution, in large enough numbers to sustain my business? (If the people that need my help are only a handfull, better look somewhere else).

These are not only important questions, but vital questions.

Failing to get the answer to just one, will most likely mean failure of your business.

The most important step, the most essential step, is to begin. Find a problem that you can solve and start the process of becoming the problem solver.