gathergreatness.com

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

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.

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.

Everyone has similarities with their fellow man.  You may be good at fixing things, creating things or discovering new ways of doing things. You and thousands of others may enjoy similar likes and similar dislikes.

So what do you have to offer that can really make a difference to anyone else?
What makes you special?
But what makes you different? 

What if Michael Jordan had chosen to become a professional realtor instead of a basketball player?

What if Michelangelo had become a goverment official instead of a painter?

What if Julia Roberts had become a secretary instead of an actress?

Would they all have been as successful? Would we even have heard of any of them? They all had gained noteriety by pursuing their point of difference. Any of them could have chosen a different path. What made them stand out from the crowd was their uniqueness. They all had developed a skill or talent to the point of perfection. They were obsessed with one specific goal, to become the best in their field of interest.

They all had a passion for achieving their greatest self.

These were exceptional individuals, but so are each one of us. We are the best at being us. Think about it, no one else can ever be as great as you are at becoming who you were meant to be.
You and only you, therefore, can bring your unique talents and strengths to the workplace.

So knowing all of this, how will this knowledge help you to advance your career? In what field are you the expert?

Discover and develop your point of difference and become your greatest self.

Have you ever stopped to think just how much you contribute to your company or your boss.
If you really dig deeply into the heart of your company, you will discover that YOU are the one that controls and defines a good part of the customer’s perceived value.

You and every other worker, right down to the least significant employee, shape the overall brand.

So, how much are you worth?

I guess it all depends on how much you actually contribute to strenghtening and promoting the brand, and the positive results you and your department make to increasing the bottom line sales and profits.

It may sound like a lot of effort for the amount of pay you actually receive.

So, how do you achieve maximum benefit for your work?

I like to think about it like this. My boss has given me the resouce to make a living, but I am also given the opportunity to advance myself as well. I saw a short video by the well-known public speaker, Nido Qubein, that really has caused me to think and to set somewhat of a new direction to my activities during my day.  His video entitled Why Immigrants become Millionaires really brings home the point that, it is not the circumstances in which we find ourselves, but ‘the choices we make’  that determines our future.

We must work harder at building our own brand, than that of the company. 

The real bottom line for you will be defined by your success in your own self development. You must learn to “Work harder on yourself, than on your job.”

Work harder on The Brand called YOU.

Bill

“Helping You Achieve Your Greatest Self”

In order to succeed in life or in business, I believe you must stop and step out in front of the crowd. There comes a time when you must establish yourself by becoming the master in your field.

There comes a time when you are prompted to stop following and start leading.

I believe we were born with all the basic information that we need, in order to become the best in our niche.
We all have unique talents that only we possess, and are valuable in some way to others, if only we believe in ourselves and take the time to develop these skills.

The bad news is, most of us loose interest, for one reason or another, long before any serious plans are made to realizing our dreams.

The I can’s and I will’s are all too often replaced by the
If only’s,
and the
Wait till tomorrow’s
of getting things done.

Too many are content to dance to the beat of someone else’s drum, either afraid of failure of content with mediocrity.

The entrepreneur must be willing to rise above both. They must have a strong belief in self and an unsatiable desire to create a business of their own. They know and truly believe that through consisitent effort, they can achieve whatever they set out to accomplish.

By taking small steps each day, they are inevitably moving toward their goals.

They are so strongly driven and focused on their desire, that nothing stops them from realizing their dream.

The die-hard entrepreneur will push through all obstacles and barriers on their way to success.

Most all of us have worked for someone else along our journey. The entrepreneur just reaches a point in their careers where they understood that thier maximum potential can only be achieved by creating their own destiny and building their own business.

They understand that only then will they reach the pinnacle of their greatness.

I used to be stuck in what others have called, ‘The Employee Mindset.’

This is the the mindset of the 2000, 1990, 1980, 1970’s employee.
They traded hours for dollars.
If they wanted to have more,
get ahead,
increase their income,
they had but two choices:
1. Get a raise, or
2. Work more hours.

From my perspective, the only people that lived comfortably were the doctors, lawyers or the business owners.

The regular guy on the street was living from paycheck to paycheck.
Personally, after knocking my head against the wall,
trying to ‘please the boss’ and working two jobs,
I finally resigned myself to the fact that, well,
“that’s just the way life is.”

That is, until now.

Even though I am still working in this outdated mode,
my eyes are focused on something different.
I believe there is ‘a better way.’
I am presently working on re-evaluating my options.
I am developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset, if you will.

An Entrepreneurial Mindset, you ask?
What is that?

Let me explain by pointing to 10 statements that come to mind when I visualize this new mindset:
The way to really succeed in life and business,
will be to:

1. Build you own business instead of someone else’s.
2. Develop your Brand - the brand called ‘You’
3. Pursue your ‘point of difference,’ not similarity.
4. Become a ‘problem solver’
5. Remember that you are here for ‘a special purpose.’
6. Begin to use … less and less, to achieve more.
7. Create multiple streams of income.
8. Action is what matters.
9. Every level of income demands a ‘different you.’
10. The future belongs to the ‘Bold’, not the timid.

Starting today, and continuing for the next several months, I will be examining the process
of achieving my greatness by developing my entrepreneurial mindset.

I thought about sharing how I write my articles, my thought processes, or possibly even how to become a Writer, but maybe that’s not “your cup of tea.”

I toyed with the idea of using a “Writing for Dummies Picture” for my new book cover,………… maybe for a future post?

As I was about to say, usually something happens during the week that I just can’t wait to write about, but not this week, no such luck. So after staring at a blank computer screen for a half hour or so, I resigned to telling you a story of my youth, or maybe “THE STORY OF MY YOUTH.”

So,………… my story goes something like this:
I don’t think he ever truly understood.

He was a sports’ fanatic. He worked a lot of hours, but every free moment was centered around ‘the next game.’ He loved to play baseball, listen to baseball, and was always the first to volunteer to coach the local little league team.

He played to win, and he always brought out the best in his players.

Only one problem………………….. his energy was focused solely on the players who had the natural talent, ‘the gifted’ if you will.

He had little time or patience for the fledgling,
the mediocre,
or the second string.

His ‘words of praise’ were reserved
for the select,
the superstars,
the winners.

“Keep your eye on the ball!
“What are you swinging at?
“Stand closer to the plate!
were all too often spoken,
to the …………. not-so-talented.

He was excited,
he was passionate,
and as I said,
he played to WIN.

And, oh yes, he was my father, a great man.
He was there for many,
but……………..not for all.
When it came to sports,…………. I was the untalented, I was the mediocre, I was the second-string.

I’m sure he never really understood, the power of his words, and how much they shaped my life.

One thing I do know,
I know, first hand…………. Words are extremely powerful !!!

Words can raise you up or they can crush you.

Just as in my personal life,…….. my business life, and yours, are affected by the words spoken to us, and the words we speak to others.

Our restaurant day is filled with opportunities to raise the level excitement,
to uplift the spirits of our guests, and to encourage the people who work for us.
For better or for worse,………. we have the power to determine the outcome, to direct the response, to shape the final product.
Our kind words, our guiding care, and our desire to enhance the lives of others, should be our standard operating procedure.

Positive and uplifting words, spoken to us, or spoken by us, can make ‘all the difference.’

I live my life trying to be a positive example,
trying to speak only in kindness, and
trying to provide value to everyone I meet.

Thanks to all who have contributed to my success, by the praise, encouragement and by “the power of your kind words.”

Be the change that someone desperately needs.
Go ahead, I dare you !

Bill

“There is a phrase I want to share with you, that I think will help you.” These are the words my friend and mentor, Mike Litman, recently shared with me, and now I want to pass on to you.

First, allow me to say this. ‘All of you have had “moments of brilliance” in your life’.

You have.

You may have run the perfect shift. (Your people were working as a team, your food quality was excellent, your service times were right-on). Your boss may have even witnessed the event and lavished you with praise and encouragement.

You may have had a great workout at the gym. (You experienced an unusual degree of energy, you exceeded your best bench press by 20 pounds, you beat your record-time in swimming laps.

You may have been able to squeeze into an old pair of slacks. (You lost 10 pounds, you discovered a new diet, you started listening to a friend who has been trying to get you to change your eating habits.)

Yes, at some point, you have been “on.” You have had “moments of brilliance,” and that’s great!

But something tells me, these “moments of brilliance,” are not enough.

You’re absolutely right. There is something missing.

So here is the missing piece. Here is the answer.

Here is the phrase that was shared with me, and now I am sharing with you.

“In life you are either consistent or you are nonexistent.”

You can do an excellent job at orientating a new employee on Monday, and forget about them the rest of the week
You can go to the gym on Tuesday, and not return until next month.
You can eat healthy on Wednesday, and then be bad for six months.

In business, as in life, you need to be consistent.

Being non-consistent will result in your dreams being washed down the drain. Your chance for career advancement will start to resemble the re-emergence of the dinosaur. Yea, “it ain’t going to happen.”

So you now understand, my friend. The choice is yours.

“IN LIFE,
YOU ARE EITHER CONSISTENT, OR YOU ARE NONEXISTENT”

Choose Consistency !

Until next time,

Bill