‘Flash Dance’ the song – will it never go away?
Posted on August 13, 2008
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I awoke this morning with the song from the old movie ‘Flash Dance’ going in my head. It just kept running over and over. I was sure I was still asleep and having a nightmare. But no, I was awake and the song was still going. I considered counting backwards from a million or any of those other things you do when you are trying to distract yourself. But my curiosity was peaked. I couldn’t remember hearing this yesterday. Had I thought about this old movie yesterday? I barely remembered the movie at all. Was this more than just a case of having a song stuck in your head?
Sometimes you hear a catchy song and it stays with you. That wasn’t the case here. I realized that it was a message from my subconscious. In it’s own clumsy manner, it was attempting to signal me. I thought about the song. Why this one? In the movie this song was the one that signified the star had reached a break though in her career. She took an action that made a massive difference in her life. That could be the message. I should learn to dance and move to New York. No, but I do have some actions I’ve been procrastinating on that will affect my life and quest. That’s most likely the message. It’s the ‘do it now’ message.
So, I’m fired up and charged to take action today. I’m starting those projects that I’ve put off. I feel like I’ve gotten the word on their success. It’s going to be a great day.
So what’s the moral of this odd little tale? When you find something happening out of the ordinary, look at it. It could be a message. Your subconscious has limited ways to communicate to you. So listen to the quiet voice. Even when it’s a old song.
Quest On…
Are You Living a Virtual Quest?
Posted on August 4, 2008
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Our dreams are what drive us to excel. Nothing makes us happier than thinking about our dreams and goals. I have spent a lot of time planning my future writing career. While doing this I have seen a lot of information on all the aspects of being a paid writer. I love reading about the art and business of writing. I’ll bet you feel the same about your quest too.
That’s a good thing. You need to learn a lot about your quest. Otherwise how are you going to get there? However I want to warn you about one of the dangers that I run into from time to time. Reading, researching, and learning are fun. Sometimes doing things physically is a little outside your comfort zone. It can be scary to talk to clients, or expose your efforts to outside review. You can be rejected or your work can be laughed at. Those are the hard aspects of following a quest. However, they are important ones to overcome.
If you are ever going to be successful at completing your quest, you are going to have to do the hard things. Challenges are a part of the journey. Overcoming them is what separates you from the pack of mere dreamers. Only reading about your quest makes you just a wanna be. Don’t become an expert on the idea of your quest. The goal is to achieve it. You need to start taking action to really make progress.
So, don’t stop reading, but start taking some actions to get you moving. You don’t have to start off attacking dragons. You can start off facing down some really angry squirrels or fat ground hogs. Chose actions that are challenging but achievable. It’s the cumulative effort that gets you there. You start off small and gradually build up. Persistence is the secret to a successful quest. Go out there and move your quest into the physical world.
Quest On…
Is the wall too high to climb? Is the river too wide?
Posted on August 1, 2008
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We all have our dreams. They are the things that keep us going during the tough times when work seems extra mindless and the to do list extra long. We need that bit of happiness to get us through. Wouldn’t it be great if that vision was your everyday reality. Too bad it can’t be.
Yes, if we had that money to invest, no job to interfere, or the time to go to Paris or wherever. If those or any number of other obstacles weren’t in the way, we would be great. We would be the artist, writer, explorer, or business mastermind of our dreams.
But, have you ever thought about it. Are those obstacles really holding you back. If you really looked at them maybe there are a few work-a- rounds that might at least get you started. Maybe you don’t need a studio in Paris to begin your art career. Perhaps a community college night class might get you started. Maybe just getting started doing something might get you started.
Those obstacles are not so much out there as they are in here. Most of our limitations are of our own making. What we have is a set of beliefs that dictate our efforts. They may be true or they may not be. Unless you look at them you will never know which is which. So next time you think I’d be doing this if only life itself were different, try thinking a little outside of the box. You may not be as limited as you think.
Quest On…
P.S. I am currently working on a series of mini-reports on finding and resolving your limiting beliefs. They will be short explanations and exercises to work on getting past the obstacles that we place in front of ourselves. This should be out shortly. When it is releases I will also start my newsletter series. Quests can be scary at times but you are not alone in this. The rewards are great.
Referrals: Do you know anybody that needs this?
Posted on April 20, 2008
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Many peoples quest involves owning their own business. The life blood of a business is the customers. How successful a business is in getting customers will dictate how successful the business is. One very powerful method of getting customers is referrals.
This is the second article based on a conversation with Steve Willinger. Steve is a business consultant that specializes in marketing and small business start up. Yesterday we discussed finding clients. One way of finding them is using referrals.
A referral is simply someone that you are introduced to by a common friend of both of you. It can be a very powerful method of finding clients for your business. It is basically a two step process. First you define who you are looking for. We discussed this in yesterday’s article. Second you ask people if they know anyone like that. It sounds simple but that does not mean everyone does it. Most people don’t know who they are looking for. If you don’t you are most likely not going to find them. Since we talked about defining you search yesterday, let’s talk about the second step today.
You mainly have three types of people who can help you with this. First, you have the people you haven’t done business with. These are people you just run into. You just ask them. They may know someone. Second, you have the people you do business with. They have seen your services. They were people who fit your customer profile. They very likely know someone like themselves. You may want to include the giving of referrals as part of your contract with them. Third, you have people who you know that are in similar businesses to yours. Business is not really war no matter what you see on TV. You can be friendly with people in your business category. Everyone can benefit by a little cooperation. Most likely you have a little different skill set and orientation than they do. If you send them a few customers along they will feel obligated to do the same.
You may have to prompt people a little to get good information. Rather than ask if they know anyone like you want at all, ask if anyone at their church or gym is like that. That makes it easier and easier makes getting good results more likely.
People in your field may be a good source of customers. You have a unique skill and interest set. People in the same industry have different specialties. If a customer needs something that’s a little stretch for you, but a match for someone you know, send him over. By helping the other person they will be likely to send over someone who matches your requirements more than theirs. But, you have to do your part about referring people back. If someone just sends and never gets anybody back, they will eventually stop sending people over. Be a team player. Be helpful and everyone will benefit.
This is the rest of the discussion with Steve on this topic. In the mean time you should check out Steve’s web site. It shows the areas that Steve is involved in and is a good resource for information on marketing small business.
Quest On….
Steve’s Web Site: http://www.amarketingguy.com
Finding Clients that are looking for you
Posted on March 29, 2008
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Many people’s quest involves running their own businesses. Whether your dream is a single person operation or a string of franchised shops, you are going to need clients. It’s their money that makes your dream a stand alone lifestyle. To be blunt, it’s hard to consider yourself truly successful at your dream occupation if you still have to wait tables in the evenings to survive. It’s just a fact of life. Getting enough clients is the difference between a full and part time dream. It’s the biggest hurdle that most quest seekers face.
I recently had a good conversation with Steve Willinger about locating clients. Steve is a business coach who specializes in marketing and helping people start businesses. One of his focuses is assisting technical professionals move from being employees to being self employed. We were discussing how one finds clients that need your services.
Steve started out by explaining that before you can start getting customers you need to figure out a few facts about your business. A common myth of new business owners is that the entire world is their client base. What happens is by searching for everyone you find no one. Everyone does not want your services. Not everybody can be sold on your product or service. You need to figure out who needs your service and sell to them. That makes it easier because they want what you are selling.
The first step to finding those people is to determine what service you really provide and who would be your perfect customer for that service. This is the self analyst part. You must decide what you are doing for money. Since you are the boss here, you only have to provide the services you like to do. Look at the perfect type of job for you. Decide what facets of your business are your specialty. You can have more than one but you do need to define them.
Once you have the list of things you want to specialize in you can decide who would need that service. Knowing who they are gives you an idea where they are. You can look there and find them. This allows you to maximize your advertising efforts as well.
This discussion with Steve covered several facets of this topic. I will continue it tomorrow. In the mean time you should check out Steve’s web site. It shows the areas that Steve is involved in and is a good resource for information on marketing small business.
See you tomorrow with part two.
Quest On….
Steve’s Web Site: http://www.amarketingguy.com
Evolution: The Quest Expands
Posted on March 17, 2008
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I wanted to let you know about the changes and coming changes in MYQ. First of all I have added Feed Burner to the site. Now you can subscribe to a feed of our postings. It should make it easier for you to keep up with the site. They also offer emailing of the posts. I am going to be setting that up too.
A bigger change is in the works. I am currently writing my first e-book on starting your quest. When I complete it, it will form the basis of an auto responder course to be available to my subscribers. This course will be the bonus for subscribing to my newsletters. I am currently planning week day issues and a weekend wrap up. I look forward to providing this service to keep everyone motivated on their path to achieving their quest.
The other idea in works is to update the template to a more lively energetic one. I am currently searching for one. If you have any suggestions please email me.
Everything evolves and you should too. As you learn more and experience more your views will change. Periodically, review your goals and make sure that you are on the proper path. You shouldn’t waver in your ultimate goal to achieving your dream lifestyle, but as you learn more you may want to fine tune the details. A quest is a growth experience. Expect that you may not end up where you initially thought. Your happiness should be the final result.
Zen DeBrucke makes the point in some of her talks that sometimes our passions are carrots that the universe uses to move us in a particular direction. She gives the example of a client that had a desire to move to another city. Zen helped her clean up all the issues that prevented her from moving. However, when all the issues were resolved the client realized that now with all the headaches gone, her desire to move was gone too. The issues had been too large to attack outright. The focus on moving gave her the energy to fix them. When the problems were fixed the need for moving left too. So the moral of the story is to keep following your passion but stay flexible. As you change your dreams may too.
Quest On….
Questing as a Team Sport
Posted on March 11, 2008
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I belong to a small group of business people that meet once a month and talk about business related issues. Mainly they are business consultants and small businesses owners. The people at this group are all self employed in some capacity. Some are retired and working for themselves. Some have escaped cubicles and are working to build their own businesses. The range of experience varies widely. Some have done this forever. Some have just opened shop. It’s a good mix. We meet at a local restaurant over lunch and discuss various topics for about two hours. Most of the time it’s around a hour and a half. Lots of times people hang out and keep talking. It’s great. Honestly, most of my friends are employed by larger companies. They have the mindset of people employed by large companies. What I like about this group is that they don’t have that mindset. They have a different energy about them. It’s an underlying positive current. I look forward to the meetings. No matter what I feel like when I get there, I leave with a different attitude. I’ve spent two hours with people who are making things happen. Sure they have problems but they are working on the solutions to them. I can’t help but feel more positive when I leave. These people are doing what I want to be doing and they are successful at it. People pay them for their knowledge and creativity. I have direct evidence that it can be done. What could be more empowering than that?
So, great for me hey. I’m sure you’re wondering how that fits into your quest. Not everyone could belong to this group. Well, this isn’t the group for everyone’s quest. The message is that you need to find people that share your passion. Success is a team sport. If you can find one other person that shares your passion, your chances of realizing it are hugely better. Nothing will keep your motivation higher than spending time with people who are successful at what you want to do.
That may not appear easy to do at first. But if you look around you can find people who share your passion. Look for a club or class that deals with your interest. You may need to create one if one doesn’t exist near you. Internet forums and blogs can get you connected to like minded individuals. If your interest has a professional organization then it might pay to belong to it too. Access to people who are doing what you want to do is a powerful boost to your quest.
Why is this? It comes down to two factors. The first is motivation. You see people doing what you want to do. It’s easy to think that no body ever succeeds at achieving your passion when you are the only one you know interested in it. If you know someone doing it then you have evidence that it can be done. If one person is doing it then you could be doing it too. If two or three people you know are doing it then it becomes why aren’t you doing it. Peer pressure is not always a bad thing.
The other factor is the combined knowledge and idea generating power of a group. Napoleon Hill called this a mastermind. I know you’ve all seen it. You get a few people talking about some problem and all of a sudden all these ideas start coming up. If you can find a group of people involved with what you want to do, then you have a powerful resource for making it happen.
If you are actually going to fulfill your quest, you are going to need people around you that share your passion. That support is what’s going to get you through the rough spots. You need some people who are going to listen to your dreams and say ‘yea, I thought about that too and here’s what I did about it’. Your friends at the office, who’s outside life is the latest TV comedies, are not going to really understand. The bad thing is that by doubting your ideas, they are going to feed the doubts that you have. Before long you will be spending your time watching the same TV shows and your dream will be something to be done sometime in the far future.
So, find some people who have similar passions to yours. They can do wonders for you and in return you will help them stay on track. Success is a team effort. Working alone makes for a hard and lonely trip. Don’t worry about not finding them. The law of attraction will work for you. The light of your passion will draw those who share it. Just look for them.
Quest On…
Don’t we all need a little encouragement.
Posted on February 27, 2008
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Just a short note to highlite a very positive entry at Stephen Pierce’s blog : DT Alpha Talk Back. For those of you that don’t know Stephen, he is a very success Internet businessman who attempts help others achieve the same success. He has a very moving success story. At one point he found himself in the hospital with a gunshot wound and realized that unless he made changes he might not make it next time. His blog entry on encouragement is a good one and the audio message a moving message. I recommend that you listen to it.
Quest On…
Blog Url: http://www.dtalpha.com/talkback/?p=46
A contest for those who’s quest is fame in print
Posted on February 20, 2008
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Mark Joyner (famous Internet Marketer) is at it again. He has put together a contest with a prize that many would die for. The three winners will each be given a custom plan on how to market their book into a best seller. Mark has done this multiple times with his own books. There’s no one better to get advice from on this topic. If you have a book to sell don’t miss this opportunity. Even if you don’t win, the runner up prize for all the other contestants is great too. It is a web cast with Mark and Richard Webster discussing speed writing. That will also be a great aid to those of us who write.
To win this contest you have to supply a video with you talking about a moment in your life that was either funny or life changing. Work fast however the deadline is February 26
Enter at: www.simpleology.com/training/bestseller/index_contest.php
Good Luck and Quest On…
Where’s that Path again? - Keeping your Focus
Posted on February 16, 2008
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I thought I would say a little about staying focused. I find it hard to stay focused on a single path. I bet you have the same problem. Every day I get around three to four hundred emails. They all have ideas that they are trying to sell to me.
I get the multi-level marketing offers, the getting more traffic ones, the new marketing systems, and the investment systems. Every one of these people knows how I can make my fortune quickly and easily. They are all sure that if I got their information I would be clued in to the best way to make money. As an aspiring copywriter I enjoy seeing how they attempt to convince me. The problem is that sometimes I believe them and buy their ideas. When I buy their ideas I set aside my plans and try to figure out how to use their system. I wind up switching between different plans and wind up getting confused on what needs to be done.
I spend all my time in analysis and none in actually getting things completed. I’m going to start simplifying my life and stop reading all those emails. I saw Larry Winglet’s new book and I found a profound truth in it. (I’ll review it fully soon) He states that everyone knows what they need to do, they just don’t do it. We all know in our gut what we should be doing. We just keep looking at all the options and getting confused. I think I need to take what I’ve learned and make some of my goals happen. I know the basics well enough to do that. I’m sure there may be better methods than I know, but if I spend my life looking for them, nothing happens.
So, I’m going to slow down on my analysis and take some actions. I suggest that you look at where you are with your quest. Is the reason you aren’t farther along your constant search for the best method? Take some actions today. You will be glad you did.
Quest On….
