Pro$perity On A Budget

I realize that I don’t normally write about blogging per se. My mission on this blog is to bring you information about achieving financial freedom from a low cost of entry point of view. However, since I am using a blog to bring you this information, and since I do believe in blogging as a low cost of entry way to create a revenue stream using the Internet, it does make sense for me to share this information with you.

Some of you may have heard of Mark Joyner. He’s not only a marketer extraordinaire, but the author of almost a dozen books, e-commerce pioneer and a U.S. Army veteran, having distinguished himself in military intelligence. His Simple.ology courses have streamlined success coaching methods and given them a web-savvy edge for hundreds of thousands of subscribers and now — hold onto your hats — he’s poised to bring these same tools to the task of educating would-be and intermediate bloggers, such as myself.

I’m evaluating a multi-media course on blogging from the folks at Simpleology. For a while, they’re letting you snag it for free if you post about it on your blog.

It covers:

• The best blogging techniques.
• How to get traffic to your blog.
• How to turn your blog into money.

I’ll let you know what I think once I’ve had a chance to check it out. Meanwhile, go grab yours while it’s still free.

Have you ever come up with a new way of doing something and then shared it with a friend or colleague, only to have them tell you all the reasons why it wouldn’t work? Or worse still, why their way of doing things would work so much better for you if you were just smart enough to use it? Depending on how close this person is to you, it probably stung a bit, didn’t it?

I have come up against my share of this sort of thing and what I have come to realize is that most of us have developed our own ways of doing things that we’re very attached to. If they didn’t work for us, we probably wouldn’t keep doing them that way, right? (Well, not in all cases, but bear with me here.) Nothing wrong with doing what works, I always say.

But what if I got an idea that was my own unique spin on somebody else’s idea and — giving them full credit for the original one — I wanted to use it to assist even more people? You wouldn’t think the original inventor would have a hard time with that, would you? Well, sometimes they do. And when they do, you can either let it stop you or you can continue to follow your inspiration because you know in your heart of hearts that it’s a good idea. You know your heart. You know your intentions. And you know that, whatever the reason is, the inventor doesn’t get it and may never get it.

Some of us are really tempted to just chuck the whole thing out the window at that point. Some of us do. But I’ve noticed that the folks who are successful in every field of endeavor have all come up against those in authority who disagreed with them at some point in their careers, and those that we remember are remembered because they had the courage to work around those who didn’t understand or appreciate their views. I remind myself of Christopher Columbus, the Wright Brothers, Henry Ford and those brave souls like Copernicus and Galileo.

I include Galileo in the mix as well because, even though he eventually recanted his views and submitted to the power of the Church, you have to admire the man for even attempting to express his viewpoint at all in the face of the Inquisition. And not only that, he was creative about it. After all, “He that fights and runs away, may turn and fight another day; but he that is in battle slain, will never rise to fight again.” (Tacitus)

Actually, it occurs to me that when I encounter obstacles — whether they be in the form of technical challenges or in the form of criticism from people I would hope to have support from — it usually means I’m onto something Big. It’s time to hunker down. Time to stick to the trail. Time to really tune in and listen closely to what my own heart is telling me. Opinions are like noses: most everybody has one. Technical challenges mean you’re attempting to go forward into unknown territory.

It’s not grandiose to say that each time one of us chooses to go past the obstacles and opposition — on whatever playing field we’re on — we are creating a new benchmark for humanity. So to those who are told they will never walk again and who walk again, to those who are threatened with death for expressing their viewpoint, as well as for those who are merely criticized, to those who struggle against their own inner demons and those who face outer ones, I say, “Walk on through the Unbelief! You cannot know what ripples your steps may cause.”

Robert F. Kennedy put it this way in a speech he gave at the University of Capetown, South Africa: “Let no one be discouraged by the belief that there is nothing one man or one woman can do against the enormous array of the world’s ills — against misery and ignorance, injustice and violence… Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation…

It is from the numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man or a woman stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he or she sends a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

Walk on.

I really got a chance to see the value of the InVeStworks model system (or TIMS for short) recently when I was experiencing a cash flow crunch. You probably have experienced something like this before: you seem to have more month than money, so you start thinking of expenses that you can eliminate in order to make it through.

So there I was, looking at how I could tighten my belt. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but one of the first “expenses” I thought of eliminating were the investments I’ve been making in my InVeStworks portfolio. After all, I reasoned, it’s an extra expense. It’s not essential to my well being.

Actually, I couldn’t be more wrong. In the top two companies in my portfolio, Music Forte and Abundant Living Legacy, I am averaging a 200% return on each company! This means that these investments are not only paying for themselves but they’re providing me with income. I would venture to say that there probably are other areas of investing where you could make that kind of return or maybe better, but only after investing a much higher amount and at much greater risk. In any case, even if I were interested in those areas of investing (I’m not), I don’t think I’d be able to live with that kind of risk-taking at this point in my life.

Nonetheless, I was ready to cash in my InVeStworks chips (only for a short time, I told myself) because I didn’t properly see it as a source of income — a source of income I can certainly use at this point. How many of us are also blinded by money astigmatism? You know, the kind of short-sightedness that has us overspend for the holidays on gifts the kids just “have to have” but then has us telling them we can’t afford the new school uniform after the first of the year? As a recovering bookaholic, I blush to admit that there have been times in my life when my book budget affected my food budget.

The beauty of TIMS is that it forces us to re-assess our priorities and provides us with multiple streams of income in a way that the average worker doesn’t usually dare to dream about. But TIMS is the perfect way for the average worker to begin investing in their future, the future of their family and also their world, as they begin to be cash-flow positive and distribute some of that extra cash to causes they deem worthy. This is the power and the beauty of InVeStworks.

The only obstacle to success in InVeStworks or any worthy endeavor, financial or otherwise, is our limiting beliefs and skewed perspectives. They are like weeds in the garden of our hearts and minds. They keep us from seeing the opportunities that are right in front of us. They keep us from hanging in there when we don’t see the results we want to see. They even make us think a source of income is really an expense!

Perhaps you’ve heard of the story, Acres of Diamonds, a story that was told in a sermon by Russell Conwell about a man who had a farm that was failing and who lost everything in his search for riches in the form of diamonds. When the poor farmer had lost everything and killed himself, the man who took over the farmer’s property discovered diamonds on the same piece of land the farmer had thought was worthless. In fact, the failing farmstead turned out to be one of the richest diamond mines in the world, the Golconda. Moral of the story? Well, there are lots of them, but for the purposes of this particular blog post, the moral is, “know your territory.” That’s right. Know your territory.

Pay close attention to what’s in your life. There are opportunities in every seeming setback. A broken down farm could just turn out to be a diamond mine. What seems like an expense could really be a source of income that will tide you through a lean time. The only way you’ll know is if you don’t give up. And the only way to stop being an underdog financially is to know your territory. Something to think about…

Have you been hearing the concern about the economy lately? I don’t know about you, but it makes me glad that my money is not too tied up in the stock market. While all of us are certainly affected when our economy suffers, for those who diversify their assets, the pinch is less keen than if, for example, all of your investment dollars are in the real estate markets. This is yet another reason why I love the InVeStworks Model System (or TIMS, as we like to call it).

You see, in InVeStworks, we focus on diversifying by investing in more than one company, just as people do in the stock market. But unlike the stock market, you can get started for FREE. Even with eight companies in my portfolio, I am still paying less than $5 a day and I’m receiving great products and services, in addition to an excellent return on my investment. I pay no brokers fees, no per-transaction charges and (at least at this point) my taxes are still pretty simple and straightforward. I do expect them to be a little more complex as I start making more money, though. That kind of complexity, I can stand!

Another thing I love about TIMS is its focus on economic equity worldwide. You see, so much of what we see happening in the stock markets here in the United States and worldwide is based on fear, greed and competition. When all of us begin to focus on working within systems that serve others as well as ourselves, when we make financial decisions based on love rather than fear, we will see great positive changes happening in the world.

In the stock market crash of 1929 which preceded the Great Depression, people were killing themselves because they had put their faith in a financial system that was crumbling before their very eyes. While InVeStworks is certainly not immune to disaster,  those who participate in this simple system are not only helping themselves but are helping to create a New Paradigm of prosperity for all in the following ways:

1) InVeStworks is based on love, sharing and cooperation. These are not just nice ideas. Those of us who use TIMS share with our team members and strive to put them first in whatever decisions we make.  This not only means we treat each other with respect, but we are thoughtful about how we place people in our networks, in resolving issues and in the way we communicate with each other.

2) We purposely choose low cost of entry companies for our portfolios to make it as easy as possible for everyone to participate.  This includes participants from other parts of the world where the exchanges rates may not be as favorable.

3) At the heart of TIMS is the idea of not only investing for ourselves but doing something good for others with our earnings. It is my vision, for instance, to create programs for caregivers and eventually to create a retreat center where people who are providing long-term care for family members or friends can come and receive wellness treatments, take classes or just relax and renew for short periods so they can receive much needed nurturing.

Of course, none of these ideas are exclusive to TIMS. They are being implemented by individuals using very different models around the world and my hat is off to all of those who share the vision of InVeStworks and are living these concepts in other ways. For myself, though, I have not found a simpler, more satisfying system anywhere that pulls these concepts together more effectively than InVeStworks. The more I work with TIMS, the more convinced of this I am.

The first step to success in InVeStworks or in any venture that you care about is to get a clear vision of what success looks like for you. Spend some time thinking about how you’ll know when you’ve achieved success. Think about what your life will be like when you’ve achieved your goals. Will you spend more time with your friends and family? Will you create a charitable foundation or give more to existing charities?

Create a vision of what you’d like your life to be like when you reach your financial goals in InVeStworks and write it down as though it’s already a reality. Write it as though you’re watching it unfold on a movie screen – a Perfect Day in the Life of You! Make sure it includes all the sounds, textures, tastes and emotions you will have when your success is a physical reality. You might also want to include in your vision some specifics about what kinds of partners you want to attract and how easy it was to find them. Then be sure to read this vision on a regular basis. The Bible says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Doesn’t it make sense to focus your mind on what you want more than on what you don’t want? If you create a clear vision of what success is for you, you stand a much greater chance of achieving it than if you are vague and unclear about what you want. Spend some time and get clear on what you want so you can set clear benchmarks to your success and enjoy the process more.

The second step to success is to educate yourself. There is a learning curve involved in InVeStworks, no matter how much experience you may already have in investing or network marketing or business. The good news is that if you consistently educate yourself, you will be in a better position to succeed than someone who just takes someone else’s word for it that InVeStworks is a good path to financial freedom. Suzanne Kincaid’s book, Financial Freedom On $1 A Day may have been your introduction to InVeStworks Or maybe you were referred to the InVeStworks website. Even if you’ve already read the book, chances are you could benefit from reading it again every once in awhile. Also, the website is updated on a pretty regular basis, so it pays to check it out consistently to make sure you’re on top of new information.

A number of people in InVeStworks host weekly support calls that you can participate in. These calls are a good way to meet others in the network and to learn tips and strategies that will help you meet and exceed your goals. The InVeStworks website has recordings of recent support calls conducted by Suzanne, and Suzanne frequently gives information about other support calls being held. In addition, if you’re not already a member of the InVeStworks Yahoo Group, it is the surest way to stay on top of current developments in the portfolio of companies. There are generally only one or two messages posted per day and so it should be relatively easy to read those and stay current.

Another way to educate yourself is to read the newsletters of the companies in your portfolio. Most of the companies only send out newsletters once or twice a month and it’s a good way to see how the company is doing – whether they have new products coming out, what the company’s financial status is and other items that will give indications as to how your investment is doing and may be doing in the near future. In addition, it’s a good idea to check the back office information of the companies in your portfolio on a regular basis. This way you can see what your commissions are and also how the people in your InVeStworks team are doing. Have they paid their subscription for the month? Are there any new people in your downline that you should know about? Checking this information on a regular basis helps you to be proactive rather than reactive when there’s an issue that needs to be addressed.

The third step to success in InVeStworks is to communicate with your team. Your team not only includes those partners you have directly underneath you. It includes the people in the network who are two levels above you (your sponsor and your sponsor’s sponsor), as well as your direct partners and any people they have signed up underneath them. The reason this is important is that it creates a safety net for you and for those people your direct sponsors bring into InVeStworks. If one of the people you sponsor goes on vacation or has some unforeseen event happen in their lives that makes it challenging for them to support their downline, those people will be able to look to you for support. This means you should be communicating with them on a regular basis. And the same goes for your upline’s direct sponsor. It pays to get to know them and to be in regular communication with them. Chances are they’ve been involved in InVeStworks just a little bit longer and may have wisdom to share that will help you. And if something should happen in your sponsor’s life where they can’t be around to support you for a time, your sponsor’s sponsor would be your “go to” person.

It pays to look at those two levels above and two levels below you as your Team and to stay in regular communication with them so that you can create a support system for yourself and the others in the network. This support system will be there to encourage you when you need it and help you stick to your goals and achieve them faster than you would if you tried to do everything on your own. Remember the acronym for team:

Together
Everyone
Achieves
More

The fourth step to success in InVeStworks is to develop partnerships. As you are actively working the other steps, creating partnerships will be much easier. When you agreed to be part of InVeStworks, you agreed to find only three partners to invest with. Compare this with traditional network marketing, where the idea is to find as many people as you can to build your network. With that kind of thinking, it’s no wonder that there is a high level of attrition! Even if you find the idea of attracting partners challenging, there are a lot of tools we have to help with this. The InVeStworks website offers a lot of ideas, including InVeStworks business cards, having prosperity parties, networking both online and offline and also using the tools and training that are offered by the portfolio companies themselves. For instance, My Power Mall offers a lot of ideas and training that will help you find partners. Abundant Living Legacy gives you a web page that you can send prospective partners to. With a little imagination and your commitment, there are lots of ways to let people know about InVeStworks and to find the partners who are right for you.

It’s also a good idea to pay attention to people in your life who are already leaders and might be open to hearing about InVeStworks. If someone already has leadership qualities in one area of their lives, they might be a fantastic partner for you in InVeStworks, or they might know someone else who would be.

As you build relationships with your fellow team members, it’s also possible that if they already have their three partners, they may be willing to share a potential partner with you. This is definitely part of the InVeStworks spirit of sharing and cooperation. And while none of us should count on spillover from those above us in the network, it certainly does happen and can help you or someone in your team learn how to train new partners and develop their partnership skills.

The last and certainly not the least step to InVeStworks success is consistency. As you consistently read and focus on your vision and goals, educate yourself, communicate with your team and develop partnerships, you will find your way to success will be a lot smoother than if you just put in a lot of effort every once in a while. It’s a good idea to create a schedule for yourself that supports your work in InVeStworks. All of us lead busy lives, but if you can carve out 2-3 hours per week that are dedicated to InVeStworks, you should be able to keep on top of important developments, stay in touch with your team, educate yourself and take advantage of partnership opportunities without too much strain.

Remember the fable of the tortoise and the hare? Even though the tortoise moved at a much slower pace than the hare, he won the race against the hare because the hare was overconfident and inconsistent. Taking the time to do all the other steps on a regular basis, even if you only have a short amount of time to commit to InVeStworks each week, will help you to achieve your goals much sooner than you may think. Remember, slow and steady (as in the tortoise) beats fast but inconsistent (as in the hare) every time.

Together, let’s commit to these five steps and help each other achieve our goals and together, we’ll change the world. That’s my goal and I’m sticking to it. How about you?

I am a great fan of Max Steingart. I first learned about his work in my network marketing days and have been a subscriber of his Daily Motivation and other newsletters for a while now.

Max is what you might call a Relationshipping Expert. Some might even call him the Sultan of Schmooz. He teaches people how to network and create relationships online — relationships that can build trust and even turn into increased business. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s not exactly easy trying to build a business online. People can’t look you in the eye or hear your voice most of the time (although that is changing). Plus, I don’t need to tell you there are some pretty shady characters doing business on the Internet. So how do you build credibility and create networks without having to go to every networking event and Chamber of Commerce cocktail party in town?

Max has made it his business to teach people how to easily network over the Internet, and very successfully, too. Anyway, suffice it to say that I have learned to know, like and trust what he has to say on that subject and on a score of others, including personal development. Here’s an email I got from him recently that I thought would be of interest to all of you who are working to build a successful business, whether it’s in network marketing or some other modality, online or offline. These lessons really are timeless:

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Dear Sandra,

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed as I’ve built my businesses and helped thousands over the years, it’s that some lessons, if learned and lived by, will never get old and will always turn heads and raise eyebrows if implemented correctly and consistently.

Here are my top 5:

1. SELF-DISCIPLINE SEPARATES WINNERS FROM WISHERS

Plato said, “The first and best victory is to conquer self”.

Do you know the story of the poor child from the country-side? She was born prematurely and nearly died. Then she contracted pneumonia as an infant. She survived that and then got Scarlet Fever. Somehow she survived that! And then got Polio!

When she was 12 years old, her mother taught her about self-discipline. She mastered HERSELF. Even though she was in a brace, she stayed disciplined in healing herself.
Her discipline led to complete healing. Combined with her vision, she decided to become a world-class runner.

Everyone laughed.

But she had discipline on her side. At the age of 20, Wilma Rudolph became the fastest woman on the planet. She won three Gold Medals in one Olympics!

The most successful networkers are disciplined. They know their strengths and Sandra-mize them, and they know where they need to do better and set out to improve themselves.

Where do you need discipline? Do you need to work your business every day? Do you need to eat healthy ALL the time? Do you need to exercise every day? Do you need to do more follow-up? Get a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly method of operation and
stick to it!

Your self-discipline determines your results. Really! Just think of Wilma.

2. COURAGE IS CONTAGIOUS

Someone once said, “Courage is fear that has said its prayers”.

I know some of you have a lot of pain and fear in your life. You’re not alone. But these things give you a chance to show your courage and bring out your true character.

It’s easy to be happy and productive when things are going great, but what inspires us are those who do it when things are not so good.

Christopher Columbus set sail for the New World while most people thought he would fall over the edge of the earth. When his men were starving, tired and scared, his courage gave them hope. When they fell apart again and decided to mutiny, he drew from his deepest courage and said, “Kill me now and you will surely die. But sail on with me and I can promise you the hope of finding more gold than you could ever imagine.”

Sometimes you need to say that to yourself. Times do get tough, but that’s your test! Say your prayers and sail on. When you least expect it, land will appear over the horizon.

3. THE BEST TEACHERS ARE THE GREATEST STUDENTS

Confucius, the great Chinese philosopher, once said, “A great master has the eyes of a novice”. Where can you learn?

Do you feel like you’ve learned it all? Do you sometimes find it hard to get out of your own way?

EVERYONE, even the leaders in their companies, had to do the hard things to get ahead. Everyone starts in the same place. But the most successful ones are those who kept their eyes focused on the end result and never wavered.

Be a student first. Listen to advice from the experts. Invest in your prospecting education and you’ll reap the benefits over the long term.

4. PASSION IS THE EXCLUSIVE DOMAIN OF THE EXTRAORDINARY

Have you ever been graced by the presence of a person with complete, undeniable passion for life? They are so magnetic. Their enthusiasm is contagious and they seem to bring forth this amazing positive energy.

People with passion make things happen. It’s in their cells. They don’t have it, make it, create it… they have become it. They have that ‘wow’ factor. They are in the zone all the time and it shows.

Bill Cosby said it well: “Anyone can dabble, but once you’ve made a commitment, your blood has a particular thing in it, and it’s very hard for people to stop you.”

Passion is unstoppable.

Passion was the force behind some of the greatest achievements in the world and it constantly gives us inspiration if we let it.

For example, if Joan of Arc can liberate France, then you can liberate yourself and your downline from old sales and prospecting methods and live to fight another day.

If Andrew Carnegie can build an empire of steel then you can certainly build an empire of like minded entrepreneurs.

How do you get passion? First, you must act passionate. If you’re not passionate, act like you are anyway. That mindset will guide you to find reasons to be passionate,
and then you won’t have to act anymore. It will become part of you.

Second, hang around passionate people. You are a combination of the five people you hang around most. So find some passionate people and just hang around them.

Third, find a purpose in life that inspires you. Nothing will make your life more satisfying than knowing you are on purpose with your life.

When you discover passion, you discover the secret of the rich, and the domain of the extraordinary.

5. SERVICE IS THE ONLY TRUE LEADERSHIP

If you want, you can lead by fear.

Many have done it.

Think about Hitler, Genghis Khan, and Stalin. They were effective in the moment, but their leadership didn’t last.

Or you can lead with love. Think about Gandhi and Mother Teresa. Their leadership lasted well beyond their death. They lived a life of service to others.

The same is true with network marketers. Look at the companies that have stood the test of time. Their true focus was the service of others. They’ve committed themselves to their organization first and their own wealth second. They are true servant leaders. Then look at the money games and the over-hyped get-rich-quick schemes that plague this industry.

You hold the power to improve yourself and a multitude of others. What will you do with that power?

Carpe Diem - Seize the Day!

Warmest Regards,

Max Steingart
“The Master of Online Mining”

Copyright 2007 www.maxsteingart.com

Have you ever had one of those days when everything just seems to be going your way? When all the planets seem to be in alignment for you?

Well so far I’m having one of those days.

I slept in this morning. My husband kissed me goodbye as he went off to work. I got up and made some coffee for myself and my friend who’s visiting from Ohio. We chatted a while. Then she took off to take care of some business.

Then I had some quiet time for meditation and journal writing while I listened to some music.

And then I checked my email. Amid the scores of emails already in my inbox at only 10:30 AM or so was an email from a fellow sound healer. Only her email wasn’t about sound healing. It was about her network marketing opportunity. My delete finger was itching and I almost deleted it, but then it hit me! Why not respond by sharing information about InVeStworks? I knew that I didn’t want to just respond in a tit-for-tat-you-spammed-me-so-I’m-gonna-spam-you sort of way. I truly wanted to share in a way that might make a difference for this person.

So I did. I thanked her for sharing her information and I also told her what I’m doing and why it worked for me. I invited her to take a look at my presentation and get back to me with any questions. And you know what? It felt great!

Then I was so happy with this new way of responding to spam that I emailed a couple of my InVeStworks partners. I heard back from one of them who wanted to know if he could use my letter himself!

Then another inspiration…How about sharing this with all the people I know in InVeStworks so they can be inspired and find new ways of responding, too? So I did that and now I am getting all kinds of responses from the people in our network that I could never have experienced if I hadn’t listened to that still, small voice inside that said, “There’s got to be another way to deal with this unsolicited marketing email.”

As for the colleague I got the original email from, realistically speaking, I’m sure she’s got an itchy delete finger too. But if she doesn’t, if she’s just a little bit open to what I shared with her, who knows?

Many moons ago in a galaxy far, far away I was involved in network marketing. Quite unsuccessfully. Oh, I had everything going for me. I had a wonderful sponsor. I belonged to a wonderful organization. I was part of a fantastic online community of network marketers that gave me all kinds of support, encouragement and coaching. And yet I still couldn’t make it happen for myself.

So I got out. Regrouped. Decided to go to seminary (that’s a whole other story) and pursue my vision of creating a healing practice using sound and healing. But I never gave up on the idea of passive income — an idea that is sold to novice network marketers far more than any other product — and I never gave up on the idea that somehow, somewhere, I would find a way to make the network marketing model work for me.

As I have been building my portfolio of companies in InVeStworks, some of the lessons and techniques that I’d been studying all those many moons ago have been creeping back into my consciousness. And they tie in with some things that Suzanne Kincaid talks about on the InVeStworks website. Ideas that center around building relationships with people in online forums and communities, using a good signature line, posting comments on other people’s blogs (and on your own) , as well as the offline networking techniques that I have never thought I was good at — like handing out my business card and sharing what I do with strangers. And yes, I’ve even been looking into lead generation programs and purchasing leads.

In terms of purchasing leads, I’m not so keen on that. For one thing, InVeStworks is not a business. And I’m clear that I don’t just want anybody. (That throw ‘em up against the wall and see who sticks mentality is a total waste of time in my view.) So what’s a budding marketer to do?

Here’s my new mantra: Start Slow and Work with What You Know. So I’ll begin Relationshipping. I’ll post to forums and e-groups and to other people’s blogs and to my own. I may even try a method I’ve been studying that Max Steingart teaches using instant messaging. I’ll keep you posted on what happens with that. I figure I’ve got nothing to lose but an hour or so a day and — who knows? — at the very least, I may make a new friend or two.

You know the saying: Freedom isn’t free. Every philosophy is eventually tested in the Life School and will either stand or fall based on the work that goes into it. At least, that’s what I’ve been discovering. I’ve found that it’s not easy to motivate people unless you also give them the tools to motivate themselves.

What this means is that if you want to find investment partners, then you need to find a way to let people know you’re looking. In the jungle that is the Internet, it’s not the flashiest website that wins the day. It’s the one that converts the most visitors into prospects and then customers. Yes, the hour of my reckoning has come. It’s time for me to get off the marketing fence and stop hoping that people will just magically appear and want to be my partners. It’s time to find a system that will allow me to sort and sift and market with the best of them. Without that, I’ll just be subscribing to a wonderful philosophy that doesn’t help because it doesn’t get me the returns it’s capable of delivering. And that would be a crying shame.

Here I am on the Internet, trying to find investment partners by handing out a few business cards and making a post every once in a while to this blog. Ain’t gonna happen anytime soon. So the search begins for a permission marketing system that I can use and I can teach others to use. The search begins for a system that isn’t just a virtual machine where everybody’s a number. The search begins for a way to build relationships with people that will, at the very least, have some of them decide to become customers and some of them become partners. Now that’s a concept.

I’ll let you know what happens. It’s likely going to take some time and some dollars and some tweaking, but I’m on my way. Here’s to happy trails!

I received this article the other day and I just had to share it with you. Whatever your financial goals are, you will not achieve them without commitment. That means having a vision that inspires you enough to go through whatever it takes to achieve your goals. Without that, it’s easy to get side-tracked and discouraged. I hope this article inspires you as it has me.

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The Power of Commitment
By Jill Koenig
Author, Coach, Motivational Speaker

The number one reason people don’t reach their goals is because they never fully committed to them in the first place.

Let’s begin by looking at the word commit.

Definition:

Commit: to bind, as by a promise: pledge: entrust, consign, perform

Too often people use the word “committed” rather loosely when they are referring to their goals. For example, a person will use the word committed when the reality is they are merely “interested.” The difference in the meanings between the two words is enormous.

Committed does not mean “interested.”

Committed does not mean to “try.”

To commit means to do and to keep doing, and to keep doing, and to keep improving until completed, until you have succeeded.

The larger your goal is, the longer it is going to take to reach your outcome and the greater the commitment it will require. The longer it is going to take to achieve the goal, the more time and opportunities there are for things to happen that invite you to veer off course from your goal.

To succeed, you must learn to sustain your drive, and focus on your goal without distraction.

Commitment is to your dreams what fuel is to an automobile.

You wouldn’t expect a car to move forward without gasoline, would you?

Of course not.

Then how do you expect your dreams to be realized without your absolute commitment?

You cannot be ambiguous about your dreams.

If you are 99% invested, you’re not truly committed. 99% is not enough.

There is no power in 99%.

Committed is 100% and nothing less.

Nothing magical ever happens without your commitment.

Would you want to be in a marriage with someone who is not 100% committed? What about 99% faithful? 99% loving? 99% honest?

How much fun do you think that would be?

Greatness happens when you are truly committed to something or someone. People around you can feel it. Your burning desire is contagious. Your determination is infectious.

Not only do others become inspired to help you and support you, but they also feel more inspired to go after their own dreams. The collective effect of that type of synergy can move mountains.

The number one reason people don’t reach their goals is because they never really committed to them in the first place.

Committed people don’t quit.

Even the best planning cannot predict every obstacle. Sure, you can foresee the possibility of some bumps in the road when things don’t go as planned, but are you committed to find the ways around them when those pesky problems arise?

People who are not committed are always looking for the exit door, and because of that, they will never find the solution, which is often right in front of their face.

Where focus goes energy flows.

Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time.

Focus on the solution. Focus on the goal.

Become a solution oriented person.

The human will is one of the most powerful forces in the world. And where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you have the will, the commitment, you will have the perseverance, the determination, and you will find the way.

In the times when you are terrified, let your commitment be greater.

Focus on your commitment.

There are millions of ideas and inventions that are sitting on a shelf or in someone’s attic or even worse, in a grave somewhere because someone gave up. Maybe they were one more action, one more day or one person away from success, but they quit instead. The world will be forever deprived of that thing, that gift that was placed in them that only they could bring.

Perhaps it was a song, a book, a movie, a lover, a painting, a company or something that might have changed the world for the better. Some look at the Bill Gates, the Thomas Edisons and the Oprahs of the world and think they had more intelligence or luck. What they were/are is COMMITTED. They had gifts, ideas and talents and persisted. While en route to their vision, they attracted and teamed up with other great minds, people who could help propel that vision forward. When something didn’t go as planned, they never considered quitting, ever.

When the hours were long and the money was short, their passion and drive sustained them through every adversity.

Most people want a guarantee before they will invest themselves. So they wait. They stop giving. They hope. They sit frozen in fear. They want proof in advance that there will be results and then they will commit. (So they never get the results, they sit on the fence and the opportunity passes them by.)

Leaders commit FIRST and make the way. They back it up with their actions. They ensure the results they desire by the depth of their commitment, their promises, their resolve and their deliberate actions.

Your persistence is your measure of faith in yourself.

If you wish to receive more from something, give more of yourself to it.

What goals and dreams can you embark upon or renew with 100% commitment?

Live Your Dreams!

Jill Koenig
http://www.GoalGuru.com

Jill Koenig, the “Goal Guru” is America’s Top Goal Strategist. A best selling Author, Coach and Motivational Speaker, she is an expert on the subjects of Goal Setting, Time Management and Business Success. Her Goal in life is to help you UNLEASH your untapped potential. Learn cutting edge Goal Strategies at http://www.GoalGuru.com

Media Requests: Jill Koenig is a dynamic high energy tv and radio guest available for interviews and corporate speaking engagements.

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