Be Brave Not Safe

Jul 05 2015

Success Boiled Down To 13 Steps!

During a recent check-in to Yahoo! Finance I came across a very good, inspiring article titled: “78 years ago, a journalist studied 500 men and boiled down their success into 13 steps.”

In a nutshell, the article summarizes how Andrew Carnegie, who became the richest man in the world after starting with little more than a penny upon arriving in the US from Scotland, took a budding journalist under his wing. This journalist (Napoleon Hill, author of the best seller Think and Grow Rich) was entrusted to document — and share with the world — the strategies that turned him [Carnegie] into one of the wealthiest and most successful businessmen of all time.

While the resulting book Think and Grow Rich is a must read for all, this article boils down the teachings into the following 13 steps:

Desire: You have to want it.
Faith: Believe that you can achieve your goal.
Auto-suggestion: Use affirmations to reach your goal.
Specialized knowledge: Gain experiences and continue learning.
Imagination: Come up with ideas and visualize your success.
Organized planning: Take action.
Decision: Defeat procrastination with decisiveness.
Persistence: Don’t stop until you get what you want.
Power of the Master Mind: Surround yourself with the best.
The Mystery of Sex Transmutation: Choose a compatible partner.
The Subconscious Mind: Master positivity and dismiss negative emotions.
The Brain: Associate with other smart people and learn from them.
The Sixth Sense: Trust your gut.

You’ll note that these steps include NOTHING that could be considered:

A “get rich quick” scheme
Impractical or outdated

Instead, observe that MOST of what is outlined above involves the development, nurturing and effective use of our MIND.

Is there anyone reading this that doesn’t have one? A mind, that is?

The obvious answer is: NO!

Then, if you are not where you want to be, all you need to do is follow the 13 steps outlined above, which are covered in a little more detail in the referenced article, by clicking here. While this is a great way to “get started” you can continue the process by grabbing a copy of the complete document – Think and Grow Rich.

In closing, the 13 steps are NOT hard. It is simply a matter of putting our MIND to it.

What are you waiting for?

All the best!

Jul 04 2015

1 Comment

Inspirational, Successful Kids

The American Dream – What Are We Teaching Our Children?!?

Several months ago I posted this article. I thought it fitting to repost on this 4th of July, celebrating the independence that this GREAT country so deservedly earned!

The same (independence) can be earned for ourselves too, if we decide.

In a recent conversation with my 17-year old son (Evan), he was mentioning that, in one of his classes, a survey was taken asking the students the following questions:

Can most anyone be successful in America?
Are the majority of the unemployed not working by choice?

He was surprised to observe that he was among the very few who answered YES to both questions. I’m so proud of my kids and the way they think 🙂

Let’s explore each question:

Can “Most” Anyone Be Successful in America?

First, we must define what success is. It certainly is not the same for everyone. I’d suggest that the definition of the American Dream (as shared in Wikipedia) pretty much sums it up.

The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work. In the definition of the American Dream by James Truslow Adams in 1931, “life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.

The idea of the American Dream is rooted in the United States Declaration of Independence which proclaims that “all men are created equal” and that they are “endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights” including “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The American Dream is, in my opinion, alive and well: for those willing to go for it!

For anyone doubting this…If someone were to tell their story about why they aren’t successful it is absolutely certain that we can identify a person (or numerous people) with the same story (or worse), who ARE successful (even wildly so).

As such, it would seem that success is a choice: to do what is absolutely necessary to become successful, or not. The good news is that I’m not leaving anyone hanging or simply “wishing them luck.” That is, the purpose of this blog is to share strategies to becoming successful! One simply has to take the necessary action – EVERY SINGLE DAY.

Now, for the 2nd question…

Are The “Majority” Of The Unemployed Not Working By Choice?

There are “some” unemployed who are trying diligently to land a job and having a tough go of it. My heart goes out to these people: those diligently trying – EVERY DAY. And, it is my hope that this blog offers some helpful strategies!

That said, there is no shortage of “jobs.”

After a quick drive through my hometown any casual observer will see a number of “Help Wanted” signs for full and part-time work. In reviewing the local newspaper or an ad on a truck passing by one can find the same. And, we haven’t even gone online yet…

As such, if an able-bodied person doesn’t have a job (and hasn’t for a long period of time) I would agree with those who answered this question, in the affirmative (i.e., many of the unemployed are “choosing” not to work).

Given that we ALL must start somewhere (and, that would be at the bottom), it is critically important to reinforce to our children that:

ANYONE can succeed / live the American Dream
They MUST get a job and not rely on others (including the welfare system) – NO EXCUSES!

In summary, if we want “success” we must define what that means to us (specifically) and GET TO WORK.

DISCLAIMER: It is realized that a “very small” segment of our society cannot work due to moderate-to-severe mental and/or physical challenges. These are the people we MUST take care of. And, I’m happy to do my part! For the rest of us, able-bodied humans, the following quote applies:

If you don’t work, you don’t eat. 2 Thessalonians 3:10

God Bless America!

Tagged American Dream

Jun 27 2015

1 Comment

Business Success, Leadership, Personal Success

Have You Done That Before?

I was recently describing to someone an upcoming project that I’ll be working on.

The project involves evaluating commercial banking options, selecting and then implementing a new treasury management solution for one of my longtime clients. The person to whom I was describing this project asked: “Have you ever done this before?” My response: “Nope!” And, in my head I’m thinking: “And, what does that matter!”

You see, there are a number of factors at play here:

Building on the prior post, there is a lot (of experience) rattling around in my head.
The client engaged me to facilitate the process and project manage (PM) the implementation.
The client is the entity, along with the selected bank, with ALL the subject matter expertise (a.k.a. domain knowledge). They know the scenario: the business, requirements, strengths, weaknesses and risks.

In summary, “all” I need to do is get everyone pointed in the same direction, and marching to the same tune towards completion of this very important / high risk project.

Too often we are afraid to put ourselves out there because we “haven’t done that before” or we are concerned that we “won’t know what to do.”

Set no limits!

Your only limitation is the one you set up in your own mind!

~ Napoleon Hill

A couple of thoughts on this:

At one point we didn’t know how to feed ourselves, walk, talk, ride a bike, swim, use a computer, etc. But – WE LEARNED! Do not stop now!
Anytime you are unsure of what to do, simply ask yourself: “What would I do, if I knew what to do?” We ALL can take things a LOT further along than we give ourselves credit.

In our case study example here, the client “merely” needs a highly capable PM to keep them aligned towards the successful execution of this very important project. Hence, the need for a Powerhouse PM.

In summary, a Powerhouse PM is an invaluable asset that can be thrown at ANY project to ensure its success.

Yes, all things being equal, a (Powerhouse) PM with domain knowledge may have an edge over one without that particular domain knowledge. However, I’d suggest that the skills and capabilities demonstrated by the Powerhouse PM are MUCH HARDER to come by than specific domain knowledge. That said, a business leader (corporate executive) can rely on their own team’s domain knowledge to support the project while engaging a Powerhouse PM to get them across the finish line.

In closing – Want to be extremely valuable to society? Consider developing yourself into a Powerhouse PM, a topic covered in a prior series of posts (the index is available by clicking here).