Archive for October, 2006

The Business of You

Jason October 26th, 2006

An associate of mine made an offhanded comment the other day in conversation that I thought was truly profound. (Incidentally, it seems that’s how some of the most profound comments come about… when they’re not planned.)

He said that one of the reasons most people seem to be constantly chasing their tails in life is because they’re operating on the previous generation’s knowledge. They learned “the way things are” from their parents, mentors, and teachers. And, because most people are not on a path of continual learning and discovery, they’re operating on a set of “facts”, rules, and concepts about life, money, relationships, etc. that are at least 20 years old.

Of course, there are major principles in all areas that never change. They are as solid as the laws of gravity. But, then again, Einstein showed us that even that is relative.

Most people know that the idea of, “Get a good job with a big company and stay there forever” is basically dead. We know it intellectually, but how many of us are really acting on that knowledge? Are we doing anything about it, or are we perhaps really just operating on reflex, on programs running in the background that have been placed there at an early age, through influence of our former (or even current) mentors?

We are all in business, even if we’re not “in business.” We are in the business of building our own lives. We are in the business of managing, promoting, and selling our own skills, in the form of a career (or careers). Are we making proper, long-term, business-like decisions about where we are going? Are we remaining flexible? Are we planning for the future, particularly financially, or are we banking on a 401k? You probably know that Social Security isn’t going to cut it for you, but neither is your 401k, by itself. Be brave, and honest, and do the math, remembering that a good rule of thumb is to figure, on average, every 20 years the cost of living just about doubles. Some people say every 10. I cannot say how many times I’ve heard the story of my grandfather buying two Cadillac’s on the same day in 1970 for $7000… together.

Continuing education is not just something that personal development buffs do anymore. It’s a necessity to even maintain status-quo. If you’re not busy growing, you’re busy dying, or so the saying goes. I’m not saying you need to go back to school, I’m saying you should have never left. If your goal is financial independence at any time in your life, let alone early retirement, continuing education in the areas of finance, investment, and personal management are a must. You cannot afford to operate on old assumptions.

Applied, knowledge is power. Whatever your career skills or personal interests are, become an expert. Experts never stop learning… that’s how they stay experts. And, always take an opportunity to learn something new that you know nothing about. Little is more expensive than trying appear knowledgeable in the presence of those who know more, on a given subject, than you do. Ask questions. If they really know what they’re talking about, they’ll respect you for your sincere interest. We’re all ignorant, just on different subjects. If you are an expert in what you do, you will be the one answering the questions soon enough.

People, period.

Jason October 18th, 2006

I am not of the mindset that we shouldn’t care what anyone else thinks. I just don’t care what people who don’t care about me think about me. LOL… what a sentence. Otherwise, I think it’s pretty important that we pay attention to the opinions, thoughts, and feelings of others. They are signals pointing out opportunities for us to serve, and a service-mentality is key to all kinds of success, particularly financial.

We are built to interact with other people, and if we plain don’t care about other’s thoughts, opinions, feelings, etc, our relationships probably aren’t going to work out so well. Remember: Success=Happy. And because we’re built to live in harmony with others, at least at some level, People become a big part of the “Happy.” How many people do you know without at least some strong, nourishing relationships that are very happy?

Now, for the dollars and cents of it: Money is simply an expression of our relationships. Joan Sotkin at ProsperityPlace.com does a great job in her podcast illustrating this principle. The more people we serve and interact with, the more money comes to us as a natural byproduct. Money is simply exchanged because you cared enough about what someone else thought, wanted, or needed, and then provided some kind of service that filled that desire. Want more money? Find a way to fill a gap. Find something that people want, and they will pay you for it. Find a big gap, and fill it in a big way, and they’ll pay you big for it. It’s a pretty simple equation.

I knew there was a reason I like the Peppers!

Jason October 13th, 2006

Check out these lyrics to the old tune, “Fight Like A Brave” by Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’d say they know something about success, on their own terms. Be sure to get a copy of the tune from iTunes or your favorite place that you pay for good music!

"I’m just not that kind of person."

Jason October 9th, 2006

This phrase is entirely too common. Along with it, goes, “I don’t think I could do that,” and “I’ve never been good at (insert attribute or ability here),” and countless others. These tend to appear when most people are presented with an opportunity to do something that they’re not normally accustomed to. Maybe it’s a leadership position in their club or church. Maybe it’s a new job or business opportunity. Maybe it’s said when presented with a way to solve a relationship problem by handling it a different way.

Regardless of the situation, the root source of these statements, I’ve found, are one of two things: Fear or Apathy. We’re either afraid of making the necessary changes, or afraid of the unknown. Or, conversely, we’re just not truly interested enough in producing the results we say we want to put forth the effort required.

As an entrepreneur, I’m a salesman. All entrepreneurs, ultimately, must have sales and promotion skills, as we’re constantly either promoting a thing or idea in order to grow our businesses, and lead our team members, employees, investors, or what have you.

I’m going to let you in on a big secret… when I started, I was not a salesman. I had a very negative view of sales, and was scared to death of rejection. However, I decided to become a salesman because I realized it was a mandatory requirement for me to fulfill my dreams. Let me share another big secret with you… very few people are “natural” salespeople. Some can naturally generate enthusiasm, but fail to close and follow through. Others can close a sale, but they fail to make a friend, and consequently fail to get the referrals essential to success in sales. The good news is, anyone can create in themselves the necessary personality or skills to do anything.

Now, I’m not suggesting that we need to totally go against the grain of our predisposition. But, if there’s something you’d like to have, or have happen, or not have happen anymore, it very well may require you to step out a bit.

Most of the time, the doctrine is to change. Either change your actions, habits, or even aspects of your root personality. But in most “personal development” material (particularly sales books) little is said about how to do it. Here’s a few ideas from my own experiences on how to start.

Let’s face it: We are what we are because that’s what we’re used to being. We’re comfortable operating in the personality and skill circles that we currently operate in. Generally, that’s because we’re gravitating toward characteristics that partially we’re born with, and partially were encouraged, either by someone who was important to us, or by positive results we received when we exercised those characteristics or skills. And, sometimes, we do not show other traits, or participate in certain activities, because of negative reinforcement we received when we did. It’s simply a matter of conditioning. It’s a mode of operation.

Here’s the great news: We all have what it takes within us to switch to another mode, when the need arises. What I mean is, picture yourself as the person who can do what you want to do. How do they talk? What do they look like? How do they interact with others? How do they approach the kind of challenges you may face? Be as detailed as possible in your description. Write it down, if you like, so you can refer to it later and add to the mental photograph of this capable person.

Now… do those things.

I know, it sounds over-simplified. It is. On purpose. Most things in life are just about as complicated or as simple as we expect them to be. I choose simple.

Have you ever seen in interviews with top actors how they describe “getting in to the character?” Or professional sports players talking about “getting in the zone?” It’s exactly the same thing. They are visualizing themselves as being the character, or being the MVP. They do it so much, and with practice, so effectively that they convince their subconscious mind that they are that person. Then, they can more effectively behave as, or produce the results of, the visualization.

Now, I must emphasize that this isn’t about faking yourself out, being a “poser,” or going pseudo-schitzo. All you’re really doing is learning to amplify or attenuate various aspects of your personality in order to shift yourself into a mode of operation that is more effective to a given situation.

Look at it like a personality toolset. You wouldn’t use a hammer to paint a wall.