Are You Willing to Do Whatever it Takes to Succeed in Business?

Ladies and gentleman, meet Mo, Larry, and Curly Entrepreneur. These fine fellows are here today to help answer the age old question: Why do some entrepreneurs achieve stellar success while others achieve only moderate success while still others fail in business miserably?

To level the playing field let's pretend that each of our wily entrepreneurs all started their businesses on the exact same day, selling the exact same product at the exact same price. Let's also pretend that they started their businesses from identical locations, with the exact same resources and funding, and with the exact same opportunities and odds for success.

Even when starting from the same place at the same point in time with the same resources and same opportunities, the results vary widely; some entrepreneurs succeed in an amazing way and others do not.

Why then does one entrepreneur, in this case Curly because he is my favorite Stooge, reach the stars while most Stooges never make it off the ground? Why does Curly get to "Whoop it up!" while accepting the Chamber's Small Business of the Year Award while Mo and Larry have to work as waiters at the event to help pay their bills?

Great questions, but before we explore the answers let's take it a step further. Let's vary the equation since no two business startups are ever really the same. Could the difference in the level of success achieved be a result of the amount of financial backing each Stooge had? Could it be that one entrepreneur was simply smarter than the others (probably not in Curly's case)? Or perhaps it was just good old dumb luck that made the difference. Or maybe God was just tired of Mo and Larry pushing Curly around and punished them with failing businesses akin to Lot's House of Salt.

Stooges aside, there is a very simple reason some entrepreneurs do amazingly well in business while others do not. It has nothing to do with product or location or backing or education or street smarts or dumb luck.

It's because those who succeed in an amazing way are willing to do whatever it takes - for as long as it takes - to make their dreams come true. Those who are unwilling to do whatever it takes will ultimately fail. That's it, end of story, thank you and drive through.

The bottom line is this: Curly shoots for the moon and hits it while Mo and Larry talk the talk, but fail to walk the walk. Very few people are willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to succeed in business. That's why so many businesses fail; they are started by Stooges (bless their hearts) who have no business being in business. Period!

Before you even think about starting a business ask yourself: are you willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes to succeed in business? Would you be willing to work for a year without a regular paycheck? Would you be willing to perform every task imaginable? Would you clean the toilets, mop the floors, take out the trash, wash the windows, clean out a grease trap, flip burgers, pour drinks, and deal with customers for hours on end? Would you stay up all night writing a proposal that you have a slim chance of winning and spend the entire next day cold calling clients who won't give you the time of day?

Would you sell your car and mortgage your house and live on rice and beans for a year to fund the business? And if that money ran out would you think up creative ways to keep the doors open or would you just shut the doors and crawl home with your tail tucked between your legs? And would you put your last ounce of blood, sweat and tears into a dream that might or might not come true? It doesn’t always come to this but are you willing to do it if needed?

Are you willing to be teachable and learn, read, listen and train as needed?

If the answer to any of these questions is maybe, I don't know, or just no, I want you to hold up your hand and stick out two fingers, then poke yourself in the eyes with them.

Then repeat after me, "Why I ought a--- keep my day job."

The Right Questions Define Your Goals

When I started out in sales, I worked for a manager I’ll call “Jim.” One of my goals at the time was to find a mentor, to learn from someone with experience in the industry. I thought I’d found that mentor in Jim, until I learned his goal was to retire in three years. Nothing wrong with that, except that Jim focused all his time and energy on his impending retirement in a nice house on a golf course, not on his job.

When I asked for advice on approaching clients, he shrugged. “I really don’t have the answers. You figure it out.” At that moment, I knew I had to find another job. Much as I liked Jim, our opposing goals made it impossible for us to work together. Mentally, he’d already clocked out of the working world, so there was no way he could motivate me.

When it comes to inspiring your employees, ask yourself, “What motivates me?” How passionate are you when it comes to achieving your goals? Such passion is infectious: your employees are sure to catch it. Discover your motivation by identifying your own professional and personal goals while helping your employees achieve theirs. If you and your employees aren’t on the same page where goals are concerned, you might soon find you’re not even in the same book.

What's the definition of a goal?

You might think it’s silly to even try to define a goal, and that’s okay. I thought I knew the definition of a goal until I spoke with a motivational coach. He told me that only 2% of the population has goals. With that, a debate began.

I told him, “When I ask salespeople, ‘who here has goals?”, they all raise their hands.”

He shook his head. “No, they don’t have goals. They have dreams.” That puzzled me. “What’s the difference?” I asked; “Dreams are in your head. Goals are written down,” he explained. “In order for something to be a goal, you need to write it down.”

He was right. Many people have dreams about how their lives will end up, but few people take the time to sit down and form detailed plans to make those dreams a reality. For instance, how many people do you know who want to lose weight? The older we get, the more we think about getting healthier, and losing weight is a giant step in that direction for many of us. Now consider how many people have made losing weight one of their life goals. Sure, plenty of us want to lose weight, but how many of us really put that dream into action in the form of a solid goal with specific steps?

How to turn your dream into a goal:

1. A goal must be written down.

The process of writing down our goals forces us to transform our vague desires into concrete objectives.

2. A goal must be specific.

Specific goals help us focus our energy and make the most of how we spend our time. Rather than saying, “I want to make my life better,” set specific goals such as, “I want to purchase a condominium on the beach,” or “I want to have two kids.”

3. A goal must be measurable.

If our goals aren’t measurable, how will we know when we’ve reached them? Examples of measurable goals include “I want to lose 15 pounds” or “I want to sell $2 million worth of products.”

4. A goal must have a time frame.

We must put our goals in terms of time; otherwise we might put them off indefinitely. The time frame for one of your goals could be anywhere from one week to twenty years or more. The important thing is to have a deadline—and stick to it!

Here are examples of personal and professional goals that meet all four requirements:

* My goal is to lose 15 pounds in the next six months.”

* “I have a goal to produce $2 million in the next fiscal year through sales of my new product.”

* “My goal is to own a three-bedroom vacation home at the beach by the summer of 2010.”

* “I have a goal to open up 15 new franchise locations of my business in the next five years.”

* Now that you know the difference between goals and dreams, do a personal inventory.

What are your goals? You need a picture of where you want yourself and others to go. At work, this will help maximize your efforts and determine what you need from your employees.

Questions to help you delineate your goals:

* “What’s my vision of the future?”

* “Where do I picture myself three years from today?”

* “How will others perceive me in the future? My boss, my peers, my family?”

* “What has to happen in the next two years for me to be happy with my progress?”

* “What visual image do I have for my team? What visual image do I have for my company?”

* “How do I want to be perceived by my customers? My employees?”

* “How would my boss define me in one sentence?”

* “What excites me most about my job? What do I want to do more of/less of/stop doing altogether, so I can achieve what’s important to me? To my team? To my company?”

* “Which mountain do I want to climb?”

* “What’s my definition of success?”

* “What benchmarks do I need to achieve in order to feel successful?”

* “What actions do I need to perform on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to achieve my goals?”

* “What areas of my job should I focus on in order to have the most impact on my staff?”

* “Where do I need to prioritize to insure my success? My team’s success?”

Lesson Learned - If your employees’ and team members' goals aren’t aligned with yours, you’ll find yourselves working at cross-purposes. Think about your own personal and professional goals, then write them down and turn your written words into actions. Once you know what you want, you’ll be better prepared to help your employees and team members figure out what they want, putting all of you on the same page and the fast track to your happy ending of choice.

The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class

Check out the book by Keith Cameron Smith’s “The Top 10 Distinctions Between Millionaires and the Middle Class”. It’s a quick read – 112 small pages. The focal point of the book is, as the title implies, ten distinctions he draws between millionaires and the middle class.

Listed below in this post are Keith’s top 10 distinctions, in his descending order of importance. Don’t get too wrapped up in the negative statements about the middle class. He just uses them to contrast with millionaires. See the following as summarized with a key point or two that resonated with me within each distinction.

Distinction 10: Millionaires think long term. The middle class thinks short term.

Long term thinking enables you to get out of the month to month mindset that many middle class people have. Doing so allows you to focus on ways to increase your income through goal setting and long term planning. When thinking long term you ask yourself questions like, “How can I reduce my income tax this year?” or “How can I double my income next year?”

Distinction 9: Millionaires talk about ideas. The middle class talks about things and other people.

Wealthy individuals use positive vocabularies. Whereas the middle class uses words such as “impossible” or “I should”, millionaires say “possible” or “I will.” Millionaires aren’t whiners. On the other hand, middle class people can often be heard complaining about their job, boss, bills, money, or debt.

Distinction 8: Millionaires embrace change. The middle class is threatened by change.

People with a wealthy mindset identify the opportunity that change brings as opposed to fearing or worrying about it. Being fearful will prevent you from seeing opportunities that change brings.

Distinction 7: Millionaires take calculated risks. The middle class is afraid to take risks.

To escape the rat race that the middle class is on you have to take risks – albeit a calculated risks. A bunch of elderly people took a survey in which they were asked what they wish they would have done differently over the course of their lives. They had three common answers: Take more risks, take time to reflect on the good moments in life, and do something that will live on after you die.

Distinction 6: Millionaires continually learn and grow. The middle class thinks learning ended with school.

It’s worth spending money on financial education. A $20 book can teach you things that could result in you making $20,000 by applying what you’ve read. It’s much easier to learn if you focus on what you have a passion for.

Distinction 5: Millionaires work for profits. The middle class works for wages.

Your income will only increase gradually when you work for wages. When you work for profits you are able to significantly increase your income over a short period of time. If you work for wages chances are that you will have enough to support yourself - but not much beyond that.

Distinction 4: Millionaires believe they must be generous. The middle class believes it can’t afford to give.

Giving away money can be both fun and fulfilling. Charitable millionaires tend to be happier ones.

Distinction 3: Millionaires have multiple sources of income. The middle class has only one or two.

Having multiple sources of income increases your chances of becoming a millionaire. The best way to create multiple sources of income is to make passive income. Further, building sources of passive income that feed off one another will yield you even more wealth.

Distinction 2: Millionaires focus on increasing their net worth. The middle class focuses on increasing its paychecks.

Working for a paycheck reinforces your dependence on an employer for your financial well-being. Additionally, as your paycheck goes up, so do your taxes. Using your paycheck to buy assets that produce a passive income can help you transition from being dependent upon that paycheck to creating your own income. As your income increases, don’t upgrade your lifestyle at first. Instead, invest your profits.

Distinction 1: Millionaires ask themselves empowering questions. Middle-class people ask themselves disempowering questions.

Empowering questions make you feel good. Disempowering questions, in addition to making you feel bad, don’t get you anywhere. An example of an empowering question is, “What can my wife and I do to make our lives better?” The disempowering equivalent would be “Why are my wife and I always fighting.” The same applies with money. Instead of asking “How can I get a raise at work?” ask yourself “How can I make enough money to support my family while doing something I love?”

The Two Choices We Face

Here is a great little writing about choices that I received via emailed as provided by Jim Rohn, so give it read, you may like it.

Each of us has two distinct choices to make about what we will do with our lives. The first choice we can make is to be less than we have the capacity to be. To earn less. To have less. To read less and think less. To try less and discipline ourselves less. These are the choices that lead to an empty life. These are the choices that, once made, lead to a life of constant apprehension instead of a life of wondrous anticipation.

And the second choice? To do it all! To become all that we can possibly be. To read every book that we possibly can. To earn as much as we possibly can. To give and share as much as we possibly can. To strive and produce and accomplish as much as we possibly can. All of us have the choice.

To do or not to do. To be or not to be. To be all or to be less or to be nothing at all.

Like the tree, it would be a worthy challenge for us all to stretch upward and outward to the full measure of our capabilities. Why not do all that we can, every moment that we can, the best that we can, for as long as we can?

Our ultimate life objective should be to create as much as our talent and ability and desire will permit. To settle for doing less than we could do is to fail in this worthiest of undertakings.

Results are the best measurement of human progress. Not conversation. Not explanation. Not justification. Results! And if our results are less than our potential suggests that they should be, then we must strive to become more today than we were the day before. The greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the world around them as a result of who and what they have become.

Another Step Forward

It is not very realistic to expect that you'll go from where you are now to where you want to be in one quick leap. The most reliable and lasting progress is made one step at a time.

Therefore, welcome each step as you take it and reach it. Even though you're not all the way there just yet, you're moving steadily forward. Value and appreciate the progress you've made, and then continue moving on. The next step forward awaits you, and with it you'll move even closer.

The reward you seek at the end of the path is given value by every step of the journey. Each moment spent is time well spent when you're moving steadily forward, even if you still have a way to go.

Some steps may be tedious, or complicated, difficult, challenging or uncomfortable. Yet they are all moving you surely toward the place you want to be. Don't wait, get moving one step at a time!

Ten Attitudes of Top-Achievers

This is something I received by email this morning from the great Brian Tracy (a leading Business Authority on Success) and I thought it would be awesome to pass along; so read, enjoy and apply.

If you think the same way as the top achievers think, you can begin to get the same results they do. Here are ten psychological and practical ways to mirror the attitudes of top-achievers.

1. See yourself as a consultant rather than a salesperson. Believe that you are a problem-solver with regard to your product and how the client can best use it.

2. Become a doctor of selling. Act in the best interests of your "patients" and have a high code of ethics.

3. See yourself as the president of your own sales corporation. Accept 100 percent responsibility for your results.

4. Commit yourself to being the best in your field. Dedicate yourself to lifelong learning.

5. Be ambitious, hungry, and determined to use selling as a stepping-stone to the success you want in life.

6. Have integrity. Be honest with yourself and others.

7. Engage in thorough preparation prior to every call.

8. Be an excellent listener; be extremely customer-focused.

9. Have tremendous courage. Be willing to face your fears of rejection and failure, and overcome them.

10. Be highly persistent. Start your workday earlier, work harder, and stay longer.

To make these changes work you must walk, talk, and behave consistently with them every hour of every day. -- Brian Tracy

Follow Up To Be Successful

Relationship building is one of the most important elements of success in business. Giving people a reason to remember you pleasantly helps develop positive rapport with prospective associates, clients, referral sources and employers, and you have a marvelous opportunity to begin the process with a thank-you note and follow-up correspondence.

In this hectic world, taking the time to follow up can make you stand out from the pack. How many people remember to thank you or take the time to keep in touch? I go to numerous networking events and I’m constantly amazing at how many people don’t bother to send an email, let alone a thank-you note to the people they meet! Why did they go even go to the event? It’s mind boggling.

Following up with someone you meet at a networking event with a card or e-mail also gives you an opportunity to recap your meeting and begin building your relationship with them. Remember, people like to do business with people they like and trust. Additionally, maybe that person you met doesn’t have a need for your service… but they may know someone that does. It has been said that everyone knows about 250 people… So, by building that relationship with the person you met at a networking event could potentially gain you access to their connections.

Besides following up to networking events, correspondence showing your appreciation is always a great way to build lasting relationships.

These are a few examples of people to whom you can send thanks:

• Anyone who did you a favor
• Prospects at a sales meetings
• People who sent congratulations or compliments
• Team members who helped make a project a success
• A coworker who has done something especially helpful
• Volunteers

Now what about following up with associates or people you meet at seminars and other events? In addition to being appreciated, people love to be remembered. If you exchanged business cards with someone at a function, scribble something interesting or significant about the conversation on the card’s back.

Later, send notes telling people how much you enjoyed meeting them and mentioning one or two of the points of interest you jotted on the back of the card. You’ll be on your way to building a network of business allies.

Since it can be easy to lose track of advantageous contacts, create a follow-up program. Following up may include arranging lunch appointments or sending associates information that the recipients may appreciate (articles or links to interesting Web resources).

Other opportunities for getting in touch with people include the following:

• Sending congratulations or compliments
• Remembering anniversaries and birthdays
• A simple keep-in-touch card
• Holiday Greetings
• Good luck wishes or messages of encouragement

The more personal the occasion, the more appropriate it is to send a handwritten message. (Experts recommend correspondence cards.) However, if the message contains business information that may be seen by people other than the recipients, or if your handwriting isn’t readable, go ahead and type it. Also, if the recipients work in a tech field, they’ll probably prefer an e-mailed message. You can still include a personal touch through an online site which enables you to select or design your own card; they will print it, stuff it, stamp it and mail it for about $1.00.

It may seem hard to find the time for these follow-up techniques, but stick to them. A well-composed, friendly note has a lasting influence on recipients and marks you as conscientious and courteous–just the type of person people want to associate with them.

If you want to see or get help with a system that can help to follow up conveniently, economically and easily CONTACT ME!

RULES TO LIVE BY

1.	Get and stay out of your comfort zone.
2.	Never give up.
3.	When you are ready to quit, you're closer than you think.
4.	Accept the worst possible outcome.
5.	Focus on what you want to have happen.
6.	Take things a day at a time.
7.	Always be moving forward.
8.	Be quick to decide.
9.	Measure everything of significance.
10.	Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.
11.	Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing.
12.	Never let anybody push you around.
13.	Never expect life to be fair.
14.	Solve your own problems.
15.	Don't take yourself too seriously.
16.	There's always a reason to smile.

Napoleon Hill's 17 Principles of Personal Achievement

There is always something a person can do to improve his/her personal development as it is the key to success and achievement, Napoleon Hill provides us with some great lessons to put into action, so read on and enjoy!

Lesson 1: Definiteness of Purpose
Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. Without a purpose and a plan, people drift aimlessly through life.

Lesson 2: Mastermind Alliance
The Mastermind principle consists of an alliance of two or more minds working in perfect harmony for the attainment of a common definite objective. Success does not come without the cooperation of others.

Lesson 3: Applied Faith
Faith is a state of mind through which your aims, desires, plans and purposes may be translated into their physical or financial equivalent.

Lesson 4: Going the Extra Mile
Going the extra mile is the action of rendering more and better service than that for which you are presently paid. When you go the extra mile, the Law of Compensation comes into play.

Lesson 5: Pleasing Personality
Personality is the sum total of one’s mental, spiritual and physical traits and habits that distinguish one from all others. It is the factor that determines whether one is liked or disliked by others.

Lesson 6: Personal Initiative
Personal initiative is the power that inspires the completion of that which one begins. It is the power that starts all action. No person is free until he learns to do his own thinking and gains the courage to act on his own.

Lesson 7: Positive Mental Attitude
Positive mental attitude is the right mental attitude in all circumstances. Success attracts more success while failure attracts more failure.

Lesson 8: Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is faith in action. It is the intense emotion known as burning desire. It comes from within, although it radiates outwardly in the expression of one’s voice and countenance.

Lesson 9: Self-Discipline
Self-discipline begins with the mastery of thought. If you do not control your thoughts, you cannot control your needs. Self-discipline calls for a balancing of the emotions of your heart with the reasoning faculty of your head.

Lesson 10: Accurate Thinking
The power of thought is the most dangerous or the most beneficial power available to man, depending on how it is used.

Lesson 11: Controlled Attention
Controlled attention leads to mastery in any type of human endeavor, because it enables one to focus the powers of his mind upon the attainment of a definite objective and to keep it so directed at will.

Lesson 12: Teamwork
Teamwork is harmonious cooperation that is willing, voluntary and free. Whenever the spirit of teamwork is the dominating influence in business or industry, success is inevitable. Harmonious cooperation is a priceless asset that you can acquire in proportion to your giving.

Lesson 13: Adversity & Defeat
Individual success usually is in exact proportion of the scope of the defeat the individual has experienced and mastered. Many so-called failures represent only a temporary defeat that may prove to be a blessing in disguise.

Lesson 14: Creative Vision
Creative vision is developed by the free and fearless use of one’s imagination. It is not a miraculous quality with which one is gifted or is not gifted at birth.

Lesson 15: Health
Sound health begins with a sound health consciousness, just as financial success begins with a prosperity consciousness.

Lesson 16: Budgeting Time & Money
Time and money are precious resources, and few people striving for success ever believes they possess either one in excess.

Lesson 17: Habits
Developing and establishing positive habits leads to peace of mind, health and financial security. You are where you are because of your established habits and thoughts and deeds.

What do Successful People DO that others DO Not?

Received this from some Todd Falcone training, figured it would be great to post and let everyone see it as it is real good stuff!

1. They get SERIOUS and make a REAL COMMITMENT. They don't flake. They never ever treat it like a hobby. They never dabble. They roll up their sleeves and GO.
2. They DO what they SAY. In other words, there is TOTAL congruence between what they SAY they want and what they actual DO to GET what they want!
3. They NEVER make EXCUSES. Successful people don't blame their sponsor, their team, their company, comp plan or anything else. Successful people realize that "if it is to be, it is up to me."
4. They work harder and more efficiently than anyone else around them. Anything worthwhile is going to take work. The great news is that we all have to work hard in life, and we can all learn to work more efficiently in what we do. How are you spending the 24 hours a day that God gives you?
5. They are ALWAYS willing to invest in the most important asset in their life...themselves. I hope you really get this point. Oftentimes people will say, "I just can't afford it." If you have ever found yourself saying that phrase, my question to you personally is this: "How else and where else in your business life is that showing up if that is your immediate and general reaction?" I can tell you there have been many times in my personal life where I knew I couldn't really afford something...at least in my rational mind, but because I KNEW that I needed to LEARN, I was willing to take that short-term risk for the long-term gain...and it has ALWAYS paid off. I get it. Trust me...I get it. However, if you KNOW you are not producing the kind of results you want to produce and you find yourself spinning your wheels, it's time to stop. How long do you want to stay in that position? It can change at anytime, but you've got to be willing to commit...which goes right back to the first point I made in this training.
6. They take FULL RESPONSIBILITY for their actions. No blame game. They completely understand that unless they PERSONALLY do something to create change, change never occurs.
7. They never, ever stop....in spite of any challenge, set back, roadblock or obstacle. They simply keep on "chugging away", as Donald Trump so wisely stated when he was nearly $900,000,000 in debt a few years ago! Don't ever stop. Never!
8. They force themselves to do what is uncomfortable. Average producers do what feels comfortable to them. BIG producers constantly force themselves outside of their comfort zones, even if ever so slightly...and they do it daily. If you simply begin to stretch yourself to do things that are a bit uncomfortable, that which WAS uncomfortable now seems easy and quite comfortable.