Brick Walls

Brick walls exist! Erroneously people believe those walls are to keep you out. Not so. Brick walls exist to help you determine exactly how badly you desire to achieve something.

Throughout my decades of life, I’ve encountered many brick walls. Some were worth scaling, tunneling under, or parting the brush to go around the wall. Other walls could have been a thin veneer and they just were not that important. Goals and obstacles reveal not only our character but our determination. Even more than the brick wall itself is the way we choose to scale the obstacle. Napoleon Hill once said,” Taking the path of least resistance makes all rivers and some men crooked.”

The stronger my desire and determination, the easier it became to surmount the obstacle. Love and money top the list of motivators. When the object of your affection consumes your thoughts, causes your heart to beat faster and becomes almost an obsession, there is a strong likelihood you are in love. Love causes people to perform feats inconceivable under different circumstances. Strong independent men have been known to get down on their knees. Some have even gone so far as to utter words which defy the “bachelor’s creed” I remember observing my college senior son actually quake at the very thought of allowing the “c” word, “commitment.” E for engagement was about as likely as seeing the Amish drive up in a Hummer. Fast forward ten years and he is married and the proud father of two adorable little rascals, sons of his own. His brick wall of commitment crumbled in the face of the petite, athletic, intelligent Morgan.

Money forms its own brick walls of various thicknesses. One aspiring young rock star was so determined to start his own home based business that he actually listed his couch on e-bay. His passion for his music created such desire that he was compelled to do whatever it took to earn an excellent living and still have the time flexibility for his bass guitar. Happily I report that he now has both a thriving internet business but also performs concerts on stage with his brother and “the boys” on a regular basis. Determination, persistence, and consistency create results.

People constantly ask, “How fast will I make money?” Absolutely no one including a guru with a crystal ball can honestly answer that query. The star gypsy gazes deep into the crystal ball and says whatever thought pops into her head. Intuition, history, statistics and guess work still fail to make a reliable prediction. Be realistic, if some ‘far seeing genie” could really predict then we would not have 97 per cent of all new businesses fail. Notice that statistic flows across the board with home based business, franchise, retail business, service business, and any other conceivable money-making opportunity.

Everything comes back to brick walls. How inspired are you to find a solution to penetrating the brick wall? When your back presses against the wall and you must find a way to succeed in your business, you will. Regardless of whether your wall consists of debt, desire to provide for your family or simply an unquenchable fire within yourself to achieve, you will persist until your objective is obtained.

Brick walls may be erected in our minds or in reality. Either way, the wall is just as formidable. When the motivation is so strong, the why and how become easier. I can remember times when Doug and Dan were one and three; we were so broke we had to look up to see the financial basement floor. Nothing would have stopped me from penetrating that brick wall. All I had to do was peer into Dan's trusting blue eyes or Doug’s loving greenish eyes. Success was the only choice.

In this instance, both love and money played a significant role. No brick wall in history can withstand a mother’s love for her sons and her determination to provide for them.

For more articles and mindset personal training, join me at www.Elaine4Success.com

Mentor and Mentee

Mentor encompasses not only something you do but also who you are. Every successful person has a mentor. Having a mentor does not necessarily mean sitting down with someone face to face, even though such contact proves very valuable. Your mentor may or may not even be aware of your relationship with them. Jim Rohn has served as my mentor for many years. I listen to his audio programs, read his books and attend his live performances. He travels with me in my car, inspires me while I do my daily exercise and even provides my bedtime story. Jim Rohn served as my inspiration and mentor without him even being aware of his impact on my life.

A mentor can be through books or audio as Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins and Dr Wayne Dyer are to me. Mentors can provide live interaction as my Toastmasters speech coaches do for me. Attending live seminars such as those presented by Dan Kennedy ( GKIC NoBS Colorado) or Jeff Combs (More Heart Than Talent) are extremely valuable. Your mentor may have lived in a prior period of time such as Napoleon Hill or Wallace Wattles. They still provide extremely valuable mentoring.

A mentor provides guidance, experience and wisdom. The top three percent of leaders possess three basic strengths.

The strength of leadership
The strength of self mastery
The strength of relationship

The strength of relationship directly relates to mentoring. Just as every successful person has at least one mentor, they also have the responsibility of mentoring their followers. One of the requirements of being accepted into my team is the agreement to assist newer members. Once a team member consistently earns over ten thousand dollars per month they must begin mentoring the newer team members to assist them in reaching that income goal. Passing along wisdom and shortening the learning curve establishes and promotes leadership skills.

Darin Hardy, publisher of Success magazine, visited his father’s mentor Mr. Abe. The elderly gentleman, Mr. Abe, was one of nine children born into abject poverty. He had worked very hard and amassed an incredible fortune; his financial statement served as his success scorecard. On this last day before he passed away, he spoke with Darin and Darin’s father about the many triumphs of his life. As Darin was leaving, Mr. Abe called him back into the room and grasped Darin’s arm. With a stern look on his face, Mr. Abe exclaimed to Darin, “Don’t miss the point like I did. I finally realize the most important thing in life is relationships. The most important things in life can never be recorded on a balance sheet. Don’t miss the point like I did.”
Mentorship and relationship travel hand in hand. The true value in life flows through accumulating wisdom and knowledge and then imparting that wisdom and knowledge to others. None of us are an island and none of us have either the time or the necessity to reinvent the wheel. We each learn for each other.

Select your mentors carefully. They will be shaping not only your life but the lives of those you mentor. The old saying “Birds of a feather flock together” depicts the fact that you will become similar to the people you have chosen to mentor you. We watch carefully the playmates of our children because we know the characteristics of their friends will influence them. How careful are you about the people with whom you choose to associate? Like it or not, they are influencing you and thereby mentoring you.

For more informative and thought provoking information, join me at www.Elaine4Success.com. Leave your contact information and let me assist you.

Soar With the Eagles

Don’t send a duck to eagle school. It will frustrate the duck and puzzle the eagles. Eagle flying school is designed for stretching the wings of the eagles so they can soar higher and faster.

Training a new entrepreneur resembles eagle school. Wealth is always created through being an entrepreneur not through an employee status. The entrepreneur’s mindset resembles the eagle. Eagles stretch their wings and soar high and far. Entrepreneurs develop their creativity and achieve to the height of their desire, ambition and persistence. There are no limits to the vision and achievement of true entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurs are business owners; they take charge of their destiny and find a way to make all of their dreams come true. Business owners do not walk around boo-hooing their circumstances; they find a way over, under, around or through the issue until they reach their goal.

Not one successful business owner has achieved their goals without a few challenges. The challenges make us stronger, more creative and better leaders. How can we possibly expect to lead and guide others to reach their full potential unless we have experienced a few personal challenges?

Abraham Lincoln failed over and over; however he persisted until he emancipated an entire race. This list depicts 12 failures and 3 successes. He succeeded every 5th time.
• 1831 - Lost his job
• 1832 - Defeated in run for Illinois State Legislature
• 1833 - Failed in business
• 1834 - Elected to Illinois State Legislature (success)
• 1835 - Sweetheart died
• 1836 - Had nervous breakdown
• 1838 - Defeated in run for Illinois House Speaker
• 1843 - Defeated in run for nomination for U.S. Congress
• 1846 - Elected to Congress (success)
• 1848 - Lost re-nomination
• 1849 - Rejected for land officer position
• 1854 - Defeated in run for U.S. Senate
• 1856 - Defeated in run for nomination for Vice President
• 1858 - Again defeated in run for U.S. Senate
• 1860 - Elected President (success)
Edison failed 10,000 times before he created the electric light bulb.

Napoleon Hill suffered every possible setback on his way to authoring the most significant business book written on the method of achieving wealth – Think and Grow Rich.

Eagles do not walk around on the ground feeling sorry for themselves or giving up at the first sign of challenge. Neither do entrepreneurs. They find a way to stretch their wings and soar to new heights.

How about you? How determined are you to reach your goals? Are you a duck walking around quacking and flapping your wings but stuck on the ground? Are you an eagle reaching for the clouds?

Have a fabulous day soaring through the clouds on your way to the success you so richly deserve.

Visit me at Elaine4Success.com for more information on business success.

Emporer's New Clothes

Beware of the naked man who offers to sell you the shirt off his back.

Remember the Danish fairy tale depicted by Hans Christian Andersen of the emperor whose delight and ego revolved around wearing the finest wardrobe? This 1837 story relates the tale of ego, vanity and swindlers. The crafty swindlers received the finest silk, most precious gold-cloth and large sums of money to weave the most elegant suit for the emperor. The secret of the con game was that anyone unfit for their office could not see the fabric. Read the full story at http://hca.gilead.org.il/emperor.html.

Ah the perils of ego, vanity and dishonesty. When you truly desire to serve others and improve lives, dishonesty never enters the picture. Ego gets set aside in favor of customer service. Lead with your ego and you may be parading through the streets without your clothes. Now that is a sight to consider. Lead with your ego and you become vulnerable to the swindlers. Like minds do tend to associate. Remember the old “birds of a feather tend to flock together” saying.

Just as the swindlers took the finest cloth and large sums of money and delivered nothing, so the naked man can not sell you something he does not possess. Relying on ego and greed has corrupted many a man. As Napoleon Hill stated in “Think and Grow Rich, “Taking the path of least resistance has made all rivers and some men crooked.”

How do you want your legacy to read? Are you ego driven and perhaps a bit crooked or value oriented? If a man gains the whole world but loses his soul, he has nothing. What is your driving motivation? Sure I know you are not running a business for the practice. I get that. You will either be remembered for the problems you solve or the problems you create. Abraham Lincoln and Adolph Hitler are both remembered - one for the problems he solved and one for the problems he created.

How would you like your legacy to read? Would you like to be remembered as the man with the ego so strong that he walked around naked pretending to be elegantly dressed? Would you like to be remembered as the person who swindled others in order to gain his fortune or the person who provided so much value that he achieved wealth? Personally, my mission in life has always been to deliver value, inspiration and enjoyment. Value must be short term and long term and far exceed the cost involved. Providing information which is essential not only to move one’s personal life forward but also to improve their professional life represents extreme value.

Correlation? Mindset, emotions and values play a significant role in our lives. Even though many do not want to recognize that fact or do anything about it, does not negate the truth. Do an honest personal check. Are you creating problems or solving them? Are you earning by swindling or providing value?

Just like the emperor with no clothes or the naked man, be certain you are practicing solid values. The naked man can not give you something he does not have. The emperor can not even see beyond his ego and vanity. Where is your mindset? Ego, vanity and greed are frequent bed-fellows. How do you want your legacy to read?

Overcoming Obstacles

Every great leader faced challenges. History abounds with stories of success being created out of adversity. How determined are you to reach your goals? What are you willing to do in order to reach that level of success?

“Toscanini was so nearsighted that he could not see the score when conducting; Lord Byron had a club foot; Homer and Milton were blind; Sir Walter Scott was an invalid; Beethoven was deaf; Dostoyevsky and de Maupassant were epileptic; Franklin D. Roosevelt did not have free use of his legs,” as recorded in “The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity” by Catherine Ponder. Abraham Lincoln failed many many times before becoming a great President of the United States and leading the nation to free the slaves. Napoleon Hill suffered threats, death of supporters and financial hardships on the way to writing one of the greatest books on prosperity ever written – “Think and Grow Rich.”
Helen Keller overcame deafness, dumbness, and blindness to make a very significant contribution to society.

Reflect honestly and objectively on the situations in your life. Knowing the power of the mind, victory becomes an absolute certainty for those who persist without exception. Bringing these examples closer to home, I was 62 when I started this industry. To say I had zero marketing experience would be an understatement. Have you ever placed an ad in the newspaper for a garage sale? We were on about the same level. Thanks to the training and step by step instructions, age nor experience presented a handicap. Limitations only exist in your mind. When you consciously decide that anything is possible, then it becomes not only possible but highly probable. If one can achieve a certain goal then others can do it also.

Thanks to this opportunity, I progressed from being in credit card debt to now owning 2 lovely homes – one at the base of a world class ski mountain and another on the 13th tee of an internationally known golf course within less than 3 years.

Jeff purchased a franchise. It failed leaving him over 253,000 dollars in debt. When everything looked bleak financially, he found a network marketing opportunity. He rolled up his sleeves and commenced working on the specific plan we laid out for him. Less than a year later he is out of debt and financially comfortable.

Gregg was living in his mother’s basement in England and he now owns a lovely condominium in the Cayman Islands. The success stories go on and on. Not only famous people have overcome obstacles but real people just like you have turned their lives from dire circumstances to success.

Everything starts with your mindset. If you believe that something presents a stumbling block for you, it will. If you believe you will triumph over whatever crosses your path, you will. The familiar quote is “Regardless of whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.” It all starts in your beliefs.

Set your mind on achievement and prosperity and it will be so. Fill your mind with excuses or obstacles and you have defeated yourself. History abounds with examples of people who chose to overcome obstacles. The operative word is CHOSE. Success is a choice. Success is a decision. When success becomes more important than situations or perception of obstacles, success becomes a reality.

Richest Man

“The Richest Man in Babylon” by George S. Clason reminds us that we each have talents and abilities which can be enhanced to produce wealth. Everyone has a special talent which will produce prosperity when properly implemented. “Beloved by millions, this timeless classic holds the key to all you desire and everything you wish to accomplish. This is the book that reveals the secret to personal wealth” is the quote from the back cover of the book.

Especially in this troubled economy, people are searching for the secrets to acquiring money, keeping that money and making their current money earn more. This book reveals those eagerly sought after secrets. One of those secrets is learning more about how money works. Education remains a timeless asset in every situation. Jim Rohn, noted business philosopher, frequently cautions us that “change does not start with inspiration, it starts with education.” Educate yourself on the business principles involved in obtaining wealth.

As a child growing up in Kansas, I frequently heard the expression “money does not grow on trees.” Well no, not technically. At this point in the American and in fact the entire world economy, we are all on fiat currency. Since fiat currency means that the paper money we carry is not backed by the gold standard or any other precious tangible metal, it is simply paper backed by the good faith and credit of the United States government. Ouch! That is not a comforting thought as I watch Franklin, Grant, Jackson, Hamilton, Lincoln and Washington all cringe as they are squeezed into smaller and smaller value. Sorry guys. Which brings up another point – why are there only pictures of men on our paper currency?

With the shrinking dollar and the pressing need for additional income throughout United States and the world, reading a book like “The Richest Man in Babylon” becomes even more important. In fact Jim Rohn’s mentor Earl Shoaff, recommended Jim start his library immediately. The two books Earl Shoaff recommended for Jim to read were “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and “The Richest Man in Babylon” by George Clason. Look what those books did for Jim Rohn. They started his journey taking him from a seriously in debt 25 year old to a multi millionaire. That kind of progress certainly inspires me. How about you?

Jim Rohn reminds us that going to get those books and read them is an easy thing to do; however, it is also easy not to do. How seriously do you desire to improve your education and financial situation?

I have coached many people from flat line finances or even red line (in accounting terms that is more debt than cash to pay it) to wealth. Reading “The Richest Man in Babylon” is step one. Step two is to contact me and let me assist you in furthering your finances and your education. We will work together to design the plan for your future.

Either you design a plan for your future or by default; someone else will design the plan. Who do you believe knows more about what you truly desire for your life – you or someone else? My belief is that you either know exactly what your goals are now or you will know after we spend some time talking together.

Tips for Success

Dogs don’t bark at parked cars. Even an animal in the forest will stand perfectly still in order to avoid being noticed.

You can have the most beautiful web site every created with fabulous pictures, graphics and compelling text, but until you take action to attract attention to it, it is worthless. The time tested success training tip is to take massive action. The scientific laws decree that nothing happens until something moves. This rule applies even more in business today.

If you say September has always been my slowest month because people are just returning from vacation and getting ready to get the kids back in school, you may not prospect as much. You may make fewer calls. The results probably demonstrated that September was indeed a slow month. You decreed from September 1 that the month would be slow and you took less action; consequently, the month was indeed slow. The problem existed not with the month of September, but your attitude about it and your actions (or lack of action). Our mindset determines our results. Our actions follow our attitudes and beliefs.

Change your attitude and change your results. Yesterday I wrote about “Gold Dust in the Air.” A salesman decreed that there was gold dust in the air and everywhere he turned he found prosperity. He found prosperity because he expected it, believes it and took the action to prospect for the gold.

Napoleon Hill wrote about your power to control your own mind and therefore, your results in “Think and Grow Rich.” The greatest tips for success all find their root in a positive mindset and massive action. When your beliefs are aligned with your actions, success building occurs. Beliefs align with thoughts, words and actions to produce success. Sound simple? Yes, it is. The beauty is that it is also very true.

Dogs don’t bark at parked cars because noting is moving or drawing their attention. Animals have instinct to avoid detection. Customers are searching for information; however, you must take the massive action to be where you can be easily found.

The tips for success remain very simple and specific. Set a target firmly in your mind, design a plan to reach the target and take massive action. Action creates the opportunity for customers to find you. Success training boils down to these few basic steps.

Another of the key tips for success is discipline. Each of these factors plays a significant role in your success. Consistency tops the cone of activities. Success requires daily focused action.

Build your cone of success by constructing a solid foundation of positive mindset for success. Add a layer of laser focused clarity of your target goal. Build another layer above that with a specific targeted audience. Above that add a layer of action plan, roadmap, as to the specific steps to achieve the goal. Second layer from the top resides taking the specific actions to achieve the goal. At the very top sits consistent daily action.

Think of the consistency as hot fudge on the top scoop of ice cream. Yes, it remains at the top but it also flows down through all of the layers of the success cone.

The key tips for success firmly reside in that cone of success. When you build it and immerse it throughout your being and your priorities. Success is guaranteed.

Marketing and Mindset

Marketing can be paradise or a deserted island to your business. Effective marketing generates an abundance of high quality traffic. Poor marketing or insufficient marketing provides either a high cost per lead or very few leads or a combination of both. High cost and low traffic for an extended period of time spells death to a business. How are you doing? How is your lead flow? Have you placed a strangle hold on the throat of your business?
There are numerous web sites on the internet bragging about huge cash flow income. Some of them even display their bank account as proof. If they truly are making a multiple five figure income per month then one of two things is likely to be true: either they are making a nice profit or they are spending big bucks for their marketing. Making a great net profit? Wonderful. More power to you. If the other scenario proves to be true then the marketing budget is pouring out like water from a flood. This huge expense may or may not be displayed in the bank account shown. This is a very important fact to be determined before you invest in a new business.
Whether it is a corporation, franchise, small brick and mortar business or home based business, this fact holds true. The object of business is not only to provide value but also to make a profit. All legitimate businesses strive to provide such high value that customers gladly pay the price requested. The juggling act all businesses constantly face is generating a high volume of highly qualified traffic to their business at a cost feasible price. Missing either one of those ingredients spells disaster for the bottom line.
Marketing is a fluid situation. What worked last month or last year may be an exercise in frustration today. For instance, Google. In the old days, 1994 to 1999, you could say almost anything in your ad and it would generate traffic. Not so in 2009. Google slaps started in October 2008. Web sites with ridiculous income claims were scolded and suspended. As it should be. Google is all about relevance. The keyword must tie to the ad to the web site. This is only fair. The person should see what they expected to see all the way down the line from keyword to web site. That is targeted marketing.
The tricky part is designing a marketing campaign which not only targets but also generates the traffic at a rate and quantity which supports a profitable business. Fortunately I have located a credible marketing education system which does exactly that function. Remember, marketing is fluid; marketing is a moving target. It is important to stay current with the newest techniques and sources.
Once your marketing is dialed in, it is time to concentrate on mindset. Without a mindset for success, all of that wonderful lead traffic will be wasted. Focus so solidly on your goals that you will not be denied. Be crystal clear on exactly what it is that you truly expect to achieve. Notice I said expect to achieve, not hope or wish or think or daydream. Being lukewarm about your goal or wishy-washy about your belief that you can actually achieve that goal spells frustration, expense, disappointment – a business disaster.
Know in your heart exactly what you intend to achieve and by what date. Goals without specific targets and specific deadline dates are just daydreams. “What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve,” said Napoleon Hill.
Combine effective marketing with a mindset for success and success pours out to you in a flood of abundance.