UPDATE – First Read this – John Reese new focus

Prospering

Online Dictionary: to thrive, succeed, etc., or cause to thrive, succeed, etc. in a healthy way

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913):   . To be successful; to succeed; to be fortunate or prosperous; to thrive; to make gain. They, in their earthly Canaan placed, Long time shall dwell and prosper. –Milton

Doesn’t that sound good ‘Long time shall dwell and prosper“.

To thrive (in a healthy way).

live long and prosper

I like the concept of prospering. Success with a healthy moral component, perhaps.

Everyone wants to succeed, to make it. Who wants to prosper? It sounds more on-going that succeeding doesn’t it. Like its a life thing as opposed to an immediate thing. “Ok so I succeeded in doing that – now what?” But if you have prosperity or are prospering, its ongoing. Makes a journey out of effort.

Everyone wants just enough;

“I just want enough to be (fill in the blank)and  happy, comfortable, taken care of, that all”

And then when we have that- well we want more.Just enough more.

What if the goal was ; “I want to prosper” ?

That suggests something ongoing, and also something interactive. You cant ‘prosper’ and leave your friends and neighbours in the ditch. That creates success perhaps, but not prosperity. Prosperity suggests we raise ourselves and everyone else up at the same time doesn’t it?

America was once known as a prosperous nation, now its..what? The richest? The most powerful?. I would  like to be in a Prosperous nation wouldn’t you. It implies the nation is powerful, successful, of course, but also a nation that lifts up others.

How about a goal of prospering? When asked whats your goal in life – you can say – I wish to prosper.

How do you prosper?

Well prosperity is not necessarily about how much wealth/stuff/gold you can acquire, as much perhaps about how much good will you can build.

Prosperity is not so much about getting to the top. Maybe more about pushing your potential

Prosperity is not so much about being Number 1. It suggest more that you are part of a community that has become enriched through effort and mutual concern for wellbeing

Prospering isn’t working till you drop. But a balance of effort, goodwill and achievement.

To succeed – you win. You overcome. You beat the rest. You destroy the challenges. You kill the opposition.

To prosper – you are in a mode of constant achievement. You are aware you are part of a group, a species perhaps. You realize success only works if somehow your success has enriched others.

Its not that tricky to succeed – you just keep going. Its not complicated. Its just hard dedicated work towards a goal.

To prosper, perhaps, requires ongoing realization that one person making it alone, is one thing, but when you reach down to bring others along, even if it seems it will slow the journey, is something beyond imagining

5 Lucky steps is all you need

1) Be available.

There is the statement ‘success arrives to those who are prepared and available’. Be open to possibilities. If you want to succeed, in a financial fashion, don’t become so tunnel vision oriented that you miss opportunities. You may decide for instance that writing or selling books is the way you are going to make it, and you become so focused you miss an opportunity a friend is offering in say blogging. Or you want to sell real estate, but an acquaintance has an on line clothing store that he needs help with an will even give you equity in it, but you don’t give it a thought. Listen to the opportunities around you, there are always opportunities. Some are good for you, some aren’t. But be open. Here’s another truism when you look back from a successful venture it is never what you were looking for and it is almost always a collection of staggering coincidences that led you to that successful venture. Be open and aware

2) Say yes.

That’s it. Say yes. At least to the possibility. Take a chance to invest some time investigating the opportunity. Say no when it obviously will not work for you at this time. But initially say yes – you cal always say o later. But if you say no, or are fearful of even looking into the possibility. There’s no opportunity to say. There’s no ‘luck” in your life.

4) Be prepared.

Success happens when you are prepared and available. So be open, but also be ready to tun up, when it happens. They say 50% of success is turning up. 90% is turning up ready to play. Be ready for action, and act, immediately. A friend asks, or you see an ad, or there’s a message put out, and you think- that’s interesting, in fact that would work for me, I should get in touch with them. Tomorrow, and then its after the weekend, and then…its gone. Turn up, ready to play when you see an opportunity

3) Accept failure

The world is full of opportunities, not all are for you, and most will not work, because of timing or finances, or market changing or you cant get along with your partners. Success comes from failure – but in the words of Bob Dylan – “failure is no success at all”. Failure is to be expected. If everything worked all the time…well what a mess. And if everything worked the way it was supposed to , everyone would do it, and there would be no money in it. Success is rewarding and lucrative, because most will not get past the first failure. Failure if you will is the fence or guards around success. Its the filter that allows only the prepared an determined win. And thats why winning is so lucrative, because so few get there, not because of luck or talent or skill, but because of lack of determination and foresight to get past the first one or two or twelve failures. The more failures there are, the more profitable and rewarding is is when you get there. You can fail as many timers as necessary – but you only need to success – ONCE. A good number. Once

4) Believe in opportunity

Be available, be prepared, and expect opportunity. Millions were made in the 1920′s depression , not by many, but by the few who were ready prepared and expected to find opportunity. Its party of being available. If you don’t believe it, you wont see it, and opportunity and luck will pass you by. Believe it before its there. Its allows you to be available, and make you want to be prepared, and take away tunnel vision. Sets you up for success. Yes if you believe you can achieve it. Bit if you don’t believe there is an opportunity for you round every corner – you’ll never ever see it. Even when its staring you in the face.

and just for luck – an extra lucky step: -

6) Expect to work

“The harder I work the luckier I get”. Its seems like a golden opportunity then you see the work involved and you think – that’s not what I want that’s not how people become e successful – they’re just ‘luck’ into things. No-one licks into things that produce true success and value in their lives. There is the 10,000 hour theory, to become very good at anything – you have to put in at least 10,000 hours at the thing. Frank Kern in Internet marketing portrays himself as lazy and long haired and a goofball. If you believe that – you should buy my bridge I have -you’ll find it in Brooklyn where I left It for you. If you get a chance take a look at say Mass Control 1 or 2 that Frank Kern created – imagine how many hours of actually creating, and then how many hours of study of all the direct selling gurus he must have done – has done. Its always work. Luck is always work. The harder I work the luckier I get

Why are we here?

Why is there something rather than nothing?

Are we alone?

What is love?

Why does toast land butter side down?

Really the only answer, the only true answer is I don’t know. We don’t actually know.

We can guess, we can have theories. The theory of evolution. The theory of relativity. The theory of Internet dating.But let’s be honest if we didn’t see it, its hard to know.

However in this day and age it is like having a disease to say about some piece of information – i don’t know.

We can find out the answer to lots of facts- the wingspan of the (insert bird here) , the speed of the (insert noun here)

But if someones says – will this absolutely guaranteed work, make me rich, give em freedom, right all wrongs? -

The answer should be – I don’t know. Lets find out

If you ask John Reese will this email pull? Will this Header be noticed? Will this opt-in be the best possible? He will say ” I don’t know – lets try it, and learn”

When we ask “Should I do this or that (presuming neither are illegal or idiotic) – should I move here or stay there, should I commit or should I rest? The really smart answer is: – I don’t know – take the best action thats seems appropriate at the time and learn from the outcome.

The best thing about I don’t know is it enables progress. If the answer was always. Yes. I know. Then who would try new things. Who would take a risk, if supposedly it had already been tried? Why make the effort if the know-it-alls, know it all.

Scientists (except in the media)rarely say ‘this is absolute’ ‘this is true”truths. Scientists like theories,because they know all they can say is: -it worked like this so far, or the facts seem to be justified so far, but who knows things could change,lets keep our opinions open.

So when you or I, we, ask the gurus of our industry or profession: – will this new idea work, will this untried scheme fly? The answer should always hopefully be, ‘I don’t know, try it, let it happen and learn from the outcome’.

The best answer you could ever get. I don’t know.

Try the most sensible action first, and learn from the outcome, keep your options and opinions and outlook -Open.

The fact that you are making mistakes at least indicates the fact that you are in the process, are creating – Activity. As my dear old Dad used to say – you cant steer a parked car. (of course my dear old Dad never said that – some motivational speaker said that, over and over again. My dear old Dad was more likely to say – you are the laziest son I have ever had)

Nevertheless only activity can produce success. taking and thinking about ‘a plan is good. But unless there is activity there will never be an outcome. A result.

By the way this has to be the best (as in most complex ) mindmap I have seen for displaying, everything, I mean everything you need to know about Internet Marketing.

MindMapOfUltimateWoe from Andy Jenkins Blog.

Study it . It is a thing of beauty.

Back to the post at hand.

Only activity in the end will produce results. Only results produce success. And if in doubt do something, any activity will produce some result. Good or bad. Inactivity produces nothing.

Ken Robinson has a great video on creativity being weaned out of us through education

If you are just starting a business, you may fall into the ‘college/school’ trap of only doing things that produce ‘successful’ results, and become frozen by the thought of failure.(the pass fail syndrome) If that is the case – redefine, in your mind, a successful outcome. The New Definition: – all outcomes that come from directed effort are successful outcomes.

No effort,  no outcome, that is not allowable. All outcomes from directed effort count. And are important.

Success is merely a series of wrong steps continuously learned from,that eventually produces your desired result. Success.

John Reese always says you learn from activity. And no matter where your business is right now, as long as your are prepared to put in continued activity – this is the ‘worst’ your business is going to ever be.

If you have a business that’s moving along, you may become frightened to change anything or try anything new in case you disturb the little ‘success your business is producing.

You cannot get different results from the same effort. You cannot get more money from something that gives less money. So you have to change the business to produce a new result. Initially the change may produce less money or no money and you feel this is an unsuccessful step and stop doing anything else.

You cannot get more from the same, and you cannot ever, ever, ever expect to be right the first time or the second time or the third time. Success  is produced from a series of steps, most of which appear to be mistakes but are just learning steps. If you don’t learn the wrong way, you cannot find the right way.

To create a successful business requires effort, constant effort. And being willing to learn from that constant efort.’Mistakes’ are irrelevant,and actually dont exist. Rename your ‘mistakes’- your steps.You do not incur mistakes, you only have steps towards your desired outcome

Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiam.
Winston Churchill

Not to persuade against someones will, but leading a person to a decision that they are happy to make. In selling as in life if you ‘force’ a person into a decision, or rush them into a decision, especially a buying decision, you will lose a customer. And if you rush someone in human relations decisions you lose a friend and possibly make an enemy.

6 Factors:

1)Simplicity – Easy to follow, easy to swallow. Do everything in threes – ‘we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground” – the tricolon. Three is reinforcement, two is not enough and one , who hears one? ( I’m from Canada – and they say you have to tell a Canadian 5 times before we get it, I said you have to tell a Canadian 5 times, it is said you need to tell a Canadian five times – I said 5 times ..anyway – you get the picture)

2) Perceived Self Interest – When a customer is given a loyalty card with six holes to fill that’s one thing. If you give them a loyalty card with 8 holes, 2 already filled in, that is much more compelling. Present things in such a way that it appears not be in your interest but theirs.

If as a waiter you offer your customers two candies, that one way to get a tip,. A better way is to give them one, then hesitate turn back and give them another. Its still two candies, but the effect is more powerful

Here is my free giveaway, and when it is taken add -Oh By the Way here’s another fee unannounced, unforced free gift. Very powerful.

3)Incongruity – Do something unexpected, catch people unawares, don’t do the expected. Your audience will be intrigued. Just be careful you don’t go too far. No-one likes perceived crazy people.

4)Confidence – ‘Click here’ ‘Buy now’. ‘Subscribe today’. A confident call to action. And because you are confident, and you portray that you are in charge and know the way, therefore all should follow. Everyone wants a leader at some point in their journey.

5) Empathy – “I understand how you feel, I felt the same way myself,then I found out that…”. The feel, felt, found method. I am like you, I felt lost too, but then I found… this. Click here.

6) Humor – Humor is human, humor is disarming, humor is likability.Logic is one thing,but humor is unstoppable.”Buy my product now -it will make you wealthy, wise and the envy of all your friends -and have a very large penis, unless you’re female, then of course it will give you large breasts…(see also incongruity above).

(We think)  funny people cannot be evil people.People who have a sense of humor will not hurt us.

1) Reciprocity – we feel obligated to return favors. Thus The Frank Kern idea of ‘stacking the cool”, moving the free line. Give away ‘cool’ value things for free, and the givee will fell (mostly) obligated

2)Liking – we have a tendency to say yes to people we like. Again, the direct marketers portray ‘the likable character’. The story of rags to riches, the humble hero etc. Make your character likable when selling. Or perhaps ACTUALLY make yourself and your life, open and likable and things move in your favor.

3)Scarcity – we place more value on things that are in short supply. And expensive. An e-book that is $19.99 and available to all,is one thing. A Value Report, only 25 available in the world,can be priced at $3000, and jumped at, especially if you have created 1 and 2 above. That is proved you produce value. Now the $19.99 ebook could have the same information, but it will not have the same ‘value’.

4)Social Proof – we always look to see what others are doing, when we are not sure of a decision. A busy restaurant does better than an empty one (Its not about the food). People by more in a busy store than an empty store. Its impossible to stop a run on a bank.

5) Authority – we tend to put more weight on the sayings of those in ‘power’. Power in this case can be ‘in the spotlight’. Frank Kern is notorious for taking up all available oxygen when doing a launch f a product, so his is the most dominat voice in that market at that time.A Movie Star or (just for talkings sake ) a Golf Star have more weight and impact on our water cooler discussions than say – Mabel. (though they may be all doing the same thing).

6) Commitment and Consistency – we like things that are the same, or we perceive to be the same. We like people who follow through. We like people who keep to the same ‘story’.

Of course all six things can be manipulated to produce persuasion. But only for so long. The true ‘supersperson”, ‘super persuader’ actually IS all these things. And uses them only to produce beneficial, that is win-win situations for all involved.

Earl Nightingale wrote:-

If the grass is greener on the other side it’s probably getting better care. Success is a matter of sticking to a set of
common sense principles anyone can master.

Here are twelve ideas to help you lead the field, any field you choose: -

1)William James said, “Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.” Gratitude and expectancy are
the best attitude. It’s up to you. You’re responsible. Don’t take a defensive doubtful attitude toward yourself and
others. A poor attitude is a magnet for unpleasant experiences. We get what we expect and our outlook on life is a
kind of paint brush and with it we paint our world. It can be bright and filled with hope and satisfaction or it can
be dark and gloomy. The world we experience is a reflection of our attitude.

Don’t take the attitude of waiting for people to be nice to you – be nice to them. Don’t sit in front of a cold stove
waiting for the heat. Put in the fuel. Act first. It has to start somewhere. Let it begin with you. Attitude is a
reflection of the person inside.

2) The mind is the richest human resource. It is a gold-mine of ideas. Ask yourself every morning, “how can I
increase my service today?”

3) By setting specific, attainable, worthwhile goals you automatically place yourself in the top 5% of people,
achievers.

4) The most important physical aspect of man is his brain. Only man can fashion his life with his mind. Only man can think, choose and
reason. Only man can reach purposeful goals that were set.

5)Your rewards in life will always match the level of your service

6)Integrity is the seed for achievement

7) Successful people follow independent paths. They break away from the crowd. They join a smaller crowd. They
don’t have the television on all the day long. They use their time constructively. It’s easier to win! There is less
competition up there and the view is better.

8)How much time are you giving to self improvement? How can you sell yourself better; get along with others
more; increase productivity? How can you see more people every day? One extra contact a day is 250 extra a
year. That will certainly increase business. Will you be average or above average? Will you be good or great?

9)Money cannot be sought directly. Like happiness, money is an effect. It is the result of a cause, and the cause is
valuable service. Keep money in its proper place. It’s a servant and nothing more. It’s a tool. Do not emphasize
money or it will master you. Know what you want, and you will become, you must become what you think about.
Now, become the person who is worth the amount of money and reward you have established for yourself. You
will only move ahead when you are worth more than you are receiving. Seek to be worth more and income will
catch up to you

10)Specialize in areas of your own interest. Read for pleasure and you’ll profit. Systematically study your field and
you’ll reach your goals more quickly. You can also use video and audio programs. The English language has over
600,000 words. They enable us to translate our thoughts and ideas into language that can be understood. We
should also understand biblical and historical literature. Study about personal liberty and its price. Always be in
school. The more you learn the more you’ll earn!

11)Success will not be attributable to any one day, week or month but rather to the consistent, persistent, succession
of single days. Just keep your eye on your goal and continue to grow in competence. Just concentrate on each task
and do it as well as you can. One day at a time, one task at a time. One at a time in their proper order

12)The outstanding leader in any field is societies most valued person. Every organization needs leadership. You do
not raise morale, it filters down from the top. People will always reflect the attitude of the leader. Behind every
outstanding success is an outstanding leader. This leader works early and late and when not working is thinking
and planning.

Earl Nightingale – Lead The Field – download the pdf HERE-  right click – save as

You have just bought the course and downloaded all the information. You hurry through a few pages of the manual and scan a few instructional pdfs, glance at the video presentations -but really why bother?

You know, you truly know, for the first time, this is for you. This is your future!

Making money at home.

Making money in your underwear.

No more job, you hear me? No more job!

You know all the ‘pitch’ (case study) headlines. You’ve read through them at least ten times; -

‘four legged blind boy with no hands makes a million on the internet’.
‘Homeless dude creates fortune while living in an abandoned car’.
’16 year old student makes 5 million in fifteen seconds with his first launch, and he got it wrong!’.

You cant wait, cant wait to get your own business going.

So you sort of do some stuff, almost as they told you, well close enough. You buy a domain name, find a web hosting service, copy and paste the landing page, they gave you (they gave everybody), and you publish it. Its up! Its live!. You are on your way…

Nothing.

Now its a week later your credit card is maxed out to Google or Yahoo Pay Per Click advertising, and three people have clicked on your page and bought nothing. Not even opted-in. In fact you’re pretty sure they got to your site by mistake…

You hear overnight success – and you’re a failure

You hear videos going viral – and you’re stagnant.

You hear – $1 million in a week – and you’re into the bank for your mortgage and its been five weeks…

Reality check.

Some facts: -

Opt-in rates for a free item from an unknown are maybe, maybe 3%

Opt-in rates for a cold (that is, first time to website) buy – less than 1%

The chances of you getting it right the first time – less than.05%

The chances you will not quit in disgust?

Well that’s up to you. Totally. Completely. Up to you.

That’s when goals and dreams and reality collide.

A dream is a motivation. A goal is something concrete to work for. But expectations can kill you. Kill -your business, your ambitions, your drive..

Be aware expectations have nothing to do with actual success or failure.

If you dream is lets say to create financial freedom through an internet business, and your goal is to have a business up and running in a week, starting from zero. Its (probably) not going to happen.

All businesses take time. All things of value take – effort and time.

Never mind the four legged blind kid that had overnight success. (how many legs do you have? are you blind?)

And expect it to cost you.

A degree, a basic business degree is going to cost you at least $10,000. An MBA around $40,000. Are you prepared to spend $2-3000 learning? Over time? How much is financial freedom worth to you?

Are you prepared to fail to succeed?

Are you prepared to put in time? A degree is 3 years minimum (yes that does include extensive partying). To learn a trade like plumbing or carpentry takes minimum two years.

Are you prepared to have realistic expectations and give your self, a year at least, learning curve?

Are you prepared to do this while keeping a full time job.( 9 -5 you earning a living, after 5 you create a life)

Expect little except effort.

Accept your dream as a worthwhile lifetime achievement.

And then, whatever takes, make it happen.

Then have always the expectation of success. Understanding work and effort and time are the ultimate necessary ingredients. And the ultimate guarantee for success.

(The homeless guy in the car? – it took him 5 years- and he wasn’t really homeless and his car had WI-Fi)

This is really what sets the USA apart. I live in Canada, and though we share the same landscape and border, the Canadian mentality is more…what shall we say…more compromising. An American (stereotypically) is driven, ambitious, aggressive and believes ‘I can do it,my way god darnit’. A Canadian is more live and let live and lets just all get through this together.

In business that tends to mean that Canada has less per person productivity than the USA. Not because Canada is less smart or less anything in any real way, except one. Risk.

The stereotypical Canadian will minimize risk (see our banking system which didn’t collapse in the economic meltdown, because fat cats and monopolies that they are, they dont like big risk)

Now this is generalizing and going for risk after all has allowed the USA to virtually bring down the entire worlds economy, and allowed China to put itself in a very important position economically and possibly will have irretrievable hurt the US in terms of its number 1 ranking for all time – but, thems the breaks .

Anyway…

Lets get back to the entrepreneur before I ride off in all directions at once

Its a fact, in terms of business, in terms of lifestyle – a successful entrepreneur has everything else beat hands down (except A list Male Hollywood actors perhaps ) (Oh and politicians – a free ride all the way – but -)

But an entrepreneur, the concept of an individual making it without the safety net of a job or big company environment, is risky.

Most people have jobs because jobs are easier. To get.But jobs have no life attached to them.

Most people ‘work’ because they dont like the risk. Most countries dont do as well ,productivity wise, as The US because the population avoids risk.

Be the cowboy/cowgirl. The wild spirited one. Its risky, but its a great life.

Why?

Entrepreneur – The true possibility of financial freedom at best and the reality of financial control of your life, at worst.

If you do not control the engine of your income, you have no control. If you have a job, you can be let go fired at any time for reasons that have nothing to do with your work, or accomplishments.

If you have a position with a financial ceiling – a job, a tenured position etc, then you can only make what is given , not what you can earn.

However -If you create your own business, and you keep at it until it proves successful, and it has scale (that is your earning ceiling is only limited by your ambition) then you have possibilities.Then you can create a lifestyle second to none, because you can have an income stream, independent of you time input. Financial freedom. And an income stream not in the hands of a boss or board.

However it will be in the hands of a marketplace, so: -

Top 3 things to look for in your entrepreneurial search: -

1) Make it something you want to do. Really want to do – this is how you are going to spend most of your waking hours, make it something that drives you .

2) Make sure your business can scale. Up. Examine the marketplace you want to be in, can it sustain you making millions? You might not ever want to make that much. But if you felt like it, could you?And in bad times will that marketplace sustain you?

3) Make sure, I repeat, make sure, you can get you time back out at some point in the future. If it will always take YOU working at the thing to keep it going, and theres no way to back you time out – you have a job, you are the boss and the employee. You have income, but no life.

4) Realize Risk is all. Not money as much as time and emotional commitment. You are going to have throw everything you have got behind the project. And when it fails (It might) be prepared to throw everything you’ve got into the next, and the next, until you make it work (it will)

Risk as in attitude, not as in throwing your family’s saving at something with no safety net. Not risk as in craziness without thought. Risk as in; no-one else believes in it, no-one else sees it, no-one else is prepared to work this hard, no one else can see how it will possibly work -

What do they know?

5) take advice only from those who have what you want. Again I repeat take advice only from those who have what you want. It doesn’t matter if its your parents, your best friend, your rich neighbor, if they do not have what you want – in this case, creating an income stream that is self sufficient unto itself, and that can make them millionaires. They have no say.

After all these days Frank Kern can make 1 million or so in an hour – and GM and top wall street financial institutions are bankrupt.

If you are not American , then absorb their driving spirit enough to make your life financially free.Believe in becoming accountable for your own future. Absorb the risk

When people are financially free they can help others. You have time and money. Its good to send money to Haiti or Chile, its better to go down there and help with your own hands,  put the ‘aid’ directly into the right hands.

Its good to care about your kids. Its better to have a life where you can be with them when they need you because you have created time in your life.

The entrepreneur is a French word – but its  Americas gift to the world.

Take the gift.

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