The Millionaire Mind Support Network™

Chunk-Down that Goal and Get Out of Overwhelm

by Jack Canfield

Sometimes our biggest life goals seem so overwhelming.

We rarely see them as a series of small, achievable tasks, but in reality, breaking down a large goal into smaller tasks—and accomplishing them one at a time—is exactly how any big goal gets achieved.

After you have decided what you really want, with specific deadlines, the next step is to determine all of the individual action steps you will need to take to accomplish your goal.

How to Chunk It Down

There are several ways to figure out the action steps you will need to take to accomplish any goal. One is to consult with people who have already done what you want to do and ask what steps they took. From their experience, they can give you all of the necessary steps as well as advice on what pitfalls to avoid.

Another way is to purchase a book or manual that outlines the process.

Yet another way is to start from the end and look backward. You simply close your eyes and imagine that it is now the future and you have already achieved your goal. Then just look back and see what you had to do to get to where you now are. What was the last thing you did? And then the thing before that, and then the thing before that, until you arrive at the first action you had to start with.

Remember that it is okay not to know how to do something.

It’s okay to ask for guidance and advice from those who do know. Sometimes you can get it free, and sometimes you have to pay for it. Get used to asking, “Can you tell me how to go about…?” and “What would I have to do to…?” and “How did you…?”

Keep researching and asking until you can create a realistic action plan that will get you from where you are to where you want to go.

What will you need to do? How much money will you need to save or raise? What new skills will you need to learn? What resources will you need to mobilize? Who will you need to enroll in your vision? Who will you need to ask for assistance? What new disciplines or habits will you need to build into your life?

Another valuable technique for creating an action plan for your goals is called mind mapping.

How to Use Mind Mapping

Mind mapping is a simple but powerful process for creating a detailed to‑do list for achieving your goal. It lets you determine what information you’ll need to gather, who you’ll need to talk to, what small steps you’ll need to take, how much money you’ll need to earn or raise, which deadlines you’ll need to meet, and so on—for each and every goal.

When I began creating my first educational audio program—a breakthrough goal that led to extraordinary gains for me and my business—I used mind mapping to help me “chunk down” that very large goal into all the individual tasks I would need to complete to produce a finished product.

To mind‑map your own goals, follow these steps as illustrated in the example:

1.) Center circle: In the center circle, jot down the name of your stated goal—in this case, Create an Audio Educational Program.

2.) Outside circles: Next, divide the goal into the major categories of tasks you’ll need to accomplish to achieve the greater goal—in this case, Title, Studio, Topics, Audience, and so on.

3.) Spokes: Then, draw spokes radiating outward from each mini-circle and label each one (such as Write Copy, Color Picture for Back Cover, and Arrange Lunch.)

On a separate line connected to the minicircle, write every single step you’ll need to take. Break down each one of the more detailed task spokes with action items to help you create your master to‑do list.

Next, Make a Daily To‑Do List

Once you’ve completed a mind map for your goal, convert all of the to‑do items into daily action items by listing each one on your daily to‑do lists and committing to a completion date for each one. Then schedule them in the appropriate order into your calendar and do whatever it takes to stay on schedule.

Do First Things First

The goal is to stay on schedule and complete the most important item first. In his excellent book, Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time, Brian Tracy reveals not just how to conquer procrastination but also how to prioritize and complete all of your action items.

In his unique system, Brian advises goal‑setters to identify the one to five things you must accomplish on any given day, and then pick the one you absolutely must do first. This becomes your biggest and ugliest frog.

He then suggests you accomplish that task first—in essence, eat that frog first—and, by so doing; make the rest of your day much, much easier. It’s a great strategy. But unfortunately, most of us leave the biggest and ugliest frog for last, hoping it will go away or somehow become easier. It never does. However, when you accomplish your toughest task early in the day, it sets the tone for the rest of your day.

By chunking down your goals, and then taking daily action on them, you create momentum and build your confidence, both of which move you farther and faster toward the achievement of your goals.

Now go take some action!

© 2008 Jack Canfield

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If you missed previous issues of Success Strategies,
I keep an archive of past issues you can always refer to.

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You can, as long as you include this complete statement with it: Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Millionaire Mind Support Network™ members
— this class is worth the trip to Austin

The first step in taming the cobra of  fear, is taming the tiger of paperwork!

Renegade Organizer, Millionaire Mind Intensive Graduate, and well known MONEY MAGNET, Ragen Chastain, is presenting her Easy Paper Management seminar in central Austin this weekend.

In her Easy Paper Management seminar you’ll learn an astonishingly simple step by step process to get control of paper quickly, easily and permanently. You’ll create a plan tailored to your specific situation. Surprising in its ease and ability to adapt to each individual’s personality and work-style, you can finally get the results you want in a fun and easy way…Seriously!

This is usually a $30.00 seminar. For our Remarkable Women, Ragen is offering a price of $15.00 per person in advance and $20.00 at the door. To register, use the link above.

Make a Stand for Your Brand

The following passage is from Jon Gordon’s Weekly Newsletter that provides positive strategies to fuel your life and career.

Stand for Your Brand

What do you stand for? I was asked this question last week and several words came to mind: service, faith, family, action and positive energy. As I drove in my car I continued to think about what I stand for and what it means to stand for something. I thought of people like Nelson Mandela and Bono and what they stand for and what this says about them. I thought of the company Chick-Fil-A and how closing on Sunday’s speaks volumes about what they stand for. I thought about Starbucks and how providing health insurance to employees reflects what founder and CEO Howard Schultz stands for.

I thought of Honest Tea, a bottled tea that incorporates Honesty into everything they do. Honest Tea is not just a name. It’s a brand that is backed by words, purpose, energy and action. They use organic tea. They use all natural ingredients. They have a company policy against saying anything negative about their competition. They are part of the fair trade campaign. Their CEO, Seth Goldman, is a genuine, humble, nice and honest guy. Honest Tea stands for honesty. I like that.

It occurred to me that each person, organization and team has their own brand and what we stand for reflects and reinforces this brand. More importantly when we take action that is in alignment with what we stand for we strengthen and reinforce our brand and solidify what we stand for. When you stand for something you don’t just talk, you act. You don’t just have whimsical thoughts or weak beliefs about it, you have conviction. You don’t just go through the motions; you get engaged with purpose and passion. The energy of your brand is being projected every moment by what you think, say and do. This energy is then received by your customers, employees, and the world.

One of the most important exercises any person, organization and team can do is to ask the following questions:

1. What Do I Stand For? What Do We Stand For? Make a list of what you truly believe you stand for.

2. Do My/Our Actions Reflect What I/We Stand For? For example if you say you stand for great customer service but you don’t call your customer back in a timely manner or go above and beyond to address their concerns then you really don’t stand for great customer service. Evaluate your actions.

3. Make a Stand for Your Brand. Take action on the things you stand for. Right now, write down 3 actions that you can take that will reinforce what you stand for then take action on them.

4. Re-Evaluate Often. This will help you be aware of whether your actions are in alignment with your beliefs. There will always be discrepancies. No one is perfect. We all fall short. The key is to be aware and have a desire to improve. Tools like this newsletter are meant to help with the process.

Jon Gordon is a speaker, consultant and author of several books including the recently released The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to deal with Negativity at Work and the international best seller The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy which has captured the hearts of readers world-wide. If you’d like to sign up for Jon’s Newsletter, order his books or review his teaching schedule go to http://www.jongordon.com/.

Millionaire Minds can always EARN more,
because we always look for opportunities to LEARN more

Jon Gordon is a speaker, consultant and author of several books including the recently released The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to deal with Negativity at Work and the international best seller The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel your Life, Work and Team with Positive Energy which has captured the hearts of readers world-wide.

Peak Potentials Has Created a Leadership Camp to Hone Millionaire Minds

Peak Potentials Training has just announced the Ultimate Leadership Camp. It focuses on building peoples’ abilities to run a team, make pinch decisions, plan strategies, and many other key leadership skills. This camp very much focused on skills that are particularly useful in business and leadership.

This wilderness event will place attendees in high-pressure situations where they will learn, utilize, and then perfect leadership tactics and strategies. By moving participants out of the boardroom, office or conference center and into an outdoor setting, they are given the opportunity to look at situations from a new perspective and are open to learning with this different frame of mind. Then, when they need to implement those same tactics and strategies back in the workplace, it will come as second nature to use them wisely.

Over five challenging days at Ultimate Leadership Camp, guests will vastly improve their abilities to:

• Make correct “big-picture” decisions under pressure
• Create strategic planning processes
• Implement problem-solving systems
• Delegate fairly and effectively
• Deal with difficult people successfully act accordingly when leadership is ineffective
• Give and receive constructive feedback
• Complete jobs on time and on budget, and remain well-liked

There are two Camps coming up on Sept 28th in California, and September 14th in NYC, plus there’s an added value deal going on right now as well. For a very limited time, participant will receive the five-day camp, full meals, accommodations and six, 30-minute coaching sessions for only $3,595.

The Six-30 minute coaching sessions help ensure you successfully implement everything you learned at camp. They’re a huge benefit, and not typically offered with this course.

If you’d like to hear a bit more about camp details and dates, click here. Or give me a shout if you have any questions.

If you’re ready to register now, call 1-888-868-8883 and when you’re registering be sure to give them my reference number 510814 to make sure you get this special deal.

I really hope you can make it to one of the camps. Who knows, maybe we’ll end up in the same one.

Doug Nelson’s voice is haunting my thoughts and gnawing at the edges of my Comfort Zone. When I look in the mirror I almost expect to see a BIG RED DOT on my forehead from focusing on my 10% of ‘fear-based-what-ifs’ instead of my 90% ‘action-based-why-nots’

Since the Dallas Millionaire Mind Intensive (MMI) last month, I have taken at least one action, every day to move past the perfection paralysis that has defined my comfort zone. Interestingly, even though I have experienced some very anxious moments taking action, doing the very things that make me uncomfortable — I’m still alive. I asked for ‘the sale’ and the sun and moon are still in orbit and being apprehensive or afraid is not fatal. It just feels like that for a moment or two…possibly three.

In the Secrets of the Millionaire Mind Index, T. Harv Eker has noted 38 references to action. Considering the book is only 192 pages long, Millionaire Minds value action. The dictionary defines action as “something done so as to accomplish a purpose.”

One of the first actions T. Harv Eker suggests for Millionaire Minds is ‘Declaring’ our Attitudes of Wealth every morning and every evening while looking in a mirror. On page 16 of Secrets of The Millionaire Mind, T. Harv defines a Declaration as a “statement of official intention to undertake a particular course of action or adopt a particular status.” Everything is made of energy, and all energy travels in frequencies and vibrations. Therefore, each declaration of wealth carries its own vibrational frequency. When stated aloud, the declaration’s energy pulsates throughout the cells of our body expressing its unique resonance in the form of a message to the universe and our subconscious mind.

I found the process of declaring My Attitudes of Wealth, with 100% intention, while looking myself in the eye, intimidating and uncomfortable. To be one of 700 enthusiastic souls shouting our declarations with verve and passion was some how easier than staring myself in the eyes and forcefully declaring my intention. It is a shockingly intimate process to personally pledge the action required of each declaration.

During the Millionaire Mind Intensive, our trainer, Doug Nelson stated that, “our mind always has the questions, but it is our heart that has the answers.” He asked us to be aware of how we were feeling about a statement or course of action and make a practice of sensing how our body resonated as we took action or declined to take action on an issue or opportunity.

During this past month myself, and my belief system, have gotten to know each other.
While declaring my Attitudes of Wealth ‘mano-a-mano’ my has body sensed fear, doubt, and inertia, as well as exhilaration, joy and a complete commitment to taking action.

“When the subconscious mind must choose between deeply rooted emotions and logic, emotions will always win.”

— Wealth Principle, Secretes of the Millionaire Mind, Page 22

Keeping the commitment of looking myself in the mirror and declaring my Attitudes of Wealth, passionately with intense emotion and absolute belief twice a day is an action step I can take. The only risk I face, is banishing a belief system that no longer serves me.

In The Millionaire Mind Support Network™ May 21st Blog we’ll look at how taking or avoiding action is an integral part of our money blueprint and some Millionaire Mind tools we can use to change the beliefs that keep some of us from taking action.

If you have misplaced your Attitudes of Wealth Declarations T. Harv and Peak Potentials has you covered.
Go to http://www.millionairemind.com/graduates/index.html
In the left hand navigation bar click on the Attitudes of Wealth button.
The Attitudes of Wealth are available as a downloadable PDF

MORE Millionaire Mind Intensive Graduate Support!

In the same Navigation bar you will fins the 90-day Wealth Conditioning Program, The VAKS, A Money Jar Streaming Audio “Action” class and other resources.

Live Well, Take Action and Prosper,

Sandi

Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes

by Mark Penn, and E. Kinney Zalesne

I first heard about “Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow’s Big Changes” from Jim Cramer during his ‘Mad Money’ show — CNBC weekdays 6 &11pm EST. Watching Mad Money should be a daily ritual for those of us whose part-time business is managing and investing our money, and creating passive income streams. Crammer touted the book as a great research source for spotting hidden value in the market. Once I read the book, I realized it offered the exact type of business insight and information that Millionaire Minds need to establish or expand successful business ventures.

The Washington Post once referred to MicroTrends’ author, Mark Penn as “the most powerful man in Washington you’ve never heard of.” Mark Penn, the man who identified “Soccer Moms” as a crucial constituency in President Clinton’s 1996 reelection campaign, is known for his ability to detect relatively small patterns of behavior in our culture — microtrends, that are wielding great influence on business, politics, and our personal lives. Bill Clinton recognized Penn’s “keen mind and fascinating sense of what makes America tick.” Penn has become one of the most respected and sought-after analysts in the world because he can define and articulate a clear understanding of social insights and identify related “trends” that could well be turned to profit.

Information Week credited Penn with sifting “the sociological sands to come up with a fine-grained view of where we’re headed.” Millionaire Mind Intensive graduates will find this ‘Microtrends Factoid’ relevant: Only one percent of the public, or three million people, is enough to launch a business or social movement. Entrepreneurs are using the Internet, viral marketing, and social networking to identify and profitably promote their products and services in a ways not possible only a few years ago.

A recent example, with which we are all familiar, is ‘The Secret’. The brilliant use of all the marketing tools the internet has to offer helped producer, Rhonda Byrne take The Secret from a personal, heart-felt intention to multi-million dollar marketing and social phenomenon.

In Microtrends, Penn analyzes significant business opportunities that were enabled by trends involving as little as one-percent of the population. He identifies over seventy such mini-waves, explaining the forces behind them and the implications for entrepreneurs. For instance, there are about 11 million more American women seeking husbands than there are men available to marry. Penn says that means opportunity for industries such as home repair and investment management.

Penn’s interpretation of his research data indicates that America is no longer a melting pot.

We are a collection of communities with many individual tastes and lifestyles. Entrepreneurs and investors who recognize these emerging groups will prosper. Penn shows readers how to identify the Microtrends that can transform a business enterprise, tip an election, spark a movement, or change your life. In today’s world, small groups can have the biggest impact.

Penn identifies tends in religion, leisure, politics, and family life that are changing the way we live. How would the knowledge that women are driving technology changes and that although folks are “retiring”, they are continuing to ‘work’ affect your BIG IDEA for a business or a passive income stream? Whatever businesses you’re in, these mini-trends suggest possibilities for a targeted approach that gives you the edge on your competition.

Penn’s nano-sociology guides his readers through the ever-splintering societal subsets with which Americans are increasingly identifying and offers an analysis of the implications and opportunities of each Microtrend. By the end of the book we start to understand movements that are transforming today’s world are being driven by small trends that started well below the radar of the elite media. The Millionaire Minded entrepreneur is also aware that independent analysis of a market, before investing time, talent and treasure is one way to play the money game to win!

The book is carefully and completely indexed. That may sound like a minor feature —its not. When some wisp of information is flirting just beyond memory, and that one bit of insight will help with your decision making process, searching your business books by their index pages is more efficient than thumbing through the chapters, hoping to find what you need.

Millionaire Mind Resources

Jim Cramer’s Mad Money

Cramer’s Newsletter, The Street

BIG IDEA with Donny Deutsch

Millionaire Minds Are ALWAYS Learning More
So they can MAKE MORE!

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

Brainstorming for the Sole Proprietor

I got a few notes about my last Brainstorming Blog. The consensuses amongst our sole proprietors is, that if it takes a village to brainstorm a problem, I’m can’t use the process.

Osborn’s four guidelines and two really good suggestions are still in play for the “At-Home” version of the Brainstorm game.

1) Don’t allow criticism

Don’t self talk yourself out of any idea in the first quarter of the game — Just play.

2) Encourage wild ideas

Be audacious! Impose NO LIMITS. Million-dollar Big Ideas have often started with stunningly, original approaches to every-day issues.

3) Go for quantity

The “At-Home” version of the Brainstorm game is still a timed activity. It is the perfect opportunity to listen to the expression of your intuition and inner voice. Don’t stop until your ideation time is up, or you just plain run out of ideas.

4) Combine and/or improve on your ideas

Review your ideas, refine them and combine the various aspects to develop a stronger approach to an issue.

And two other suggestions…

One conversation at a time

Unless your personal cross talk is really lively, this should not be an issue.

Stay focused on the topic

Personal brainstorming takes disipline.

Keep your written objective in front of you to help you keep focus.
If divine inspiration on another topic visits, write it down in your notebook, to be explored more fully at your next personal brainstorming session. Don’t loose your momentum or your focus.

Brainstorming Process

Being scathingly brilliant takes some preparation

Before starting a solo brainstorming process, I prime my creative pump with new knowledge and insight. For a week or so before my solo brainstorming session, highlighter in hand, I spend a few hours a day reading business magazines. Business Week, Entrepreneur, Inc and Fast Company are my favorites. I highly recommend that every businessperson read the Wall Street Journal every day. No business is to small, to benefit from the insight of a well researched and written news source. You might refer to specialized trade magazines that apply to the specifics of your business. Cruise the business section of your public library. Think about the basic issue you want to explore. Come up with some key words and Google them. Print out and read any helpful information. Just let the profound knowledge percolate and trust that the information you will need is be available to you when you need it.

You need a plan

• Set your intention for the Brainstorming session, in writing.
• Arrange for a block of uninterrupted time.
• For me this has to be behind closed doors with the phone turned off.
• Set aside a notebook, several pads of large post-in notes and some sharpie pens.
• Clear your desk or table so you can use all of it to organize your information.

Brainstorming a solution to a vexing issue can be exhilarating and gratifying, but you still need to act as your own facilitator and keep yourself on task. In addition to facilitating you are your own scribe.

• Read your intention for the session aloud.
• Keep the intention in front of you as you work
• Set the timer on your PDA or watch.
• Then write down each idea on a separate Post-It sheet.
• Do a brain dump, don’t stop, don’t edit, don’t judge — write!

When the timer indicates the second quarter, it is time for the left brain part of the program. Organize your Post-It note ideas in categories — combining and refining, your ideas into logical groups. It is time to analyze the ideas, looking at the possibilities, as well as the opportunity for unintended consequences.

In the third quarter of your personalized brainstorm, it is time to prioritize and list rank your options. This is where the reality of ‘time, treasure and talent’ comes into consideration. In a start-up or an emerging business, resources are always an issue. This reality often leads to the “perceived” low-hanging-fruit theory of decision-making. I’m not saying it is wrong to use that theory as a basis of a decision. It’s just that in my experience, some low hanging fruit, on occasion, has defied the law of gravity. Sometimes the simplest tools are the best. Using the Ben Franklin Pro/Con matrix often gets you to the most successful course of action.

In the last quarter of your solo Brainstorm session develop an action plan and project schedule. In this solo-player scenario you are the Idea Champion responsible for the implementation of the chosen action plan and time line.

I suggest this book for a number of reasons, but Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles, How to Get from Where You are to Where You Want To Be, is a must study for any business owner who needs guidance on getting done what you need to, in the time you’ve allocated, to the desired effect.

I feel so strongly about The Success Principles, I keep a copy on my desk. I read some passages every day. This book combined with The Power of Focus, by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt are the perfect support to help business owners attain their personal and financial targets. If you want to make sure you bring your “ideas” out of the inner world and into action, these books will help,

Oh yes, I still like the idea of closing the “AT-Home” version of the Brainstorming game with a celebratory lunch or supper, or at least a nice glass of wine.

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

Osborn’s four guidelines and two really good suggestions

1) Don’t allow criticism

The team task is to consider all the possibilities and break-through limiting assumptions about the scope of the problem. Analytic assessment and at this stage will inhibit idea generation.

2) Encourage wild ideas

Facilitators need to support thinking processes that encourage extremely outrageous ideas and thoughts. Creative madness has often been the seed-thought that leads to the next million-dollar Big Idea. The brainstorm process can morph and improve wild-hairs into useful ideas, and stunningly original approaches.

3) Go for quantity

Don’t stop to censor or judge. Record as many ideas as quickly as possible. This is the perfect time to let the intuition and the inner voice express. This part of the meeting is a timed activity. Don’t stop until the clock time is up, or there isn’t another thought to be had. It is like microwave popcorn, set the time and listen to the kernels pop.

4) Combine and/or improve on others’ ideas

An effective brainstorming session not only generated original ideas, it encourages participants to nurture the creativity by developing and refining other team members’ ideas.

And two other suggestions…

One conversation at a time

This is a tough one. When the creativity is popping around the room, it is the facilitator’s job to act as the traffic cop. The scribe has to capture ALL the ideas. To do that, only one person can talk at a time. Encourage participants to write down their inspirations and add-on ideas and share them subsequently.

Stay focused on the topic

This is another facilitator challenge. Sometimes, really, great ideas come up that have NOTHING to do with the stated objective. Ask the team member to make a note of it as a topic for a future session.

The other show stopper is what I call going down the rabbit hole. A team member will shoot of on a tangent that is totally off topic. With out acting like the red queen, suggest the member make a note of their concern and move on. This is a timed-charged, event and no team can afford to loose the forward momentum.

Brainstorming Process

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.” - Thomas Alva Edison

Just because Brainstorming is a creative activity, does not mean its easy work. It is the leader/facilitator’s job to keep the session on course to meet its objectives. Poorly moderated brainstorming sessions can quickly descend into anarchy.

Brain storming sessions need a moderator or facilitator (think ring master with a smile, a pocket watch and a whip) to keep the team on task and on time.

The skill of the scribe (the person who writes the ideas down on the white board or flip chart) can make or break a meeting. I prefer to use an administrative support person with good spelling and penmanship skills. This person usually types up and distributes the meeting product and being the original scribe sometimes makes that easier.

1. Define and agree the objective.

The meeting initiator/facilitator must have a brief, clearly defined, written description of the problem or issue that is to be the focus of this meeting. The leader should open the session by sharing that objective in a hand out, and allowing a brief discussion concerning the stated intention of the meeting. Some team members might have an insight or previous experience concerning defining the problem to be solved. Write the agreed upon objective, noting any criteria that must be met and initiate the timed-ideation segment of the session. It is the facilitator’s job to keep the session on course with out stifling the creativity.

Post the agreed upon description of the problem or issue where it can be easily viewed by the team. If necessary refer to the description to keep everyone’s mind focused on the objective. This helps keep the group focused.

2. Brainstorm ideas and suggestions having agreed a time limit.

Experience has shown that 2-hours is a good time frame to conduct a brainstorming session. Shorter sessions don’t allow the time to develop a good idea pool from which to draw a winning strategy. Unless you are working with very experienced brainstorming teams, longer meetings start to parody reality-TV survival shows.

Facilitators find it helpful to divide the schedule into quarters. They limit the idea generation segment of the meeting to the first quarter of the allotted meeting time. The segment in which members categorize, combine, refine, assess, analyze ideas is also allotted a quarter of the scheduled meeting time. In the third quarter, the team prioritizes and list ranks their options. In the last quarter team members develop an action plan and project schedule. The facilitator assigns idea champions who will oversee implementation of the agreed-upon strategies.

3. Categorize/condense/combine/refine

After the great idea dump, use the white board or stick the flip chart paper up round the room so every one can review, categorize, combine and refine the ideas.

4. Assess/analyze effects or results

This is the left-brainers favorite section of the meeting. It is time to analyze the ideas. This is where we look at the possibilities, as well as the opportunity for unintended consequences. A good model for creative assessment is the fabled company GORETEX. “If this idea, strategy, or product just goes pear-shaped in every way possible, will it hit us below the water line. Will it sink our ship and put us out of business.” If the answer is no, they green light the project. That may sound ridiculously risky, but GORETEX is the most consistently innovate company in their market. And their corporate ship is still water tight and profitable.

5. Prioritize options/rank list as appropriate.

A number of the ideas offer the RIGHT solution, just NOT RIGHT NOW. Budget and time issues are realities. The team must agree to which ideas to implement, in what order and under what conditions.

6. Agree action and timescale

This step can be contentious if some team members are “not feelin’ the love”. It is however one of the most critical aspects of the meeting. For an initiative to be successful we need every member of the team working to “Make It So.”

7. Control and monitor follow-up

This is where the idea champions are critical. They take ownership and nurture the eventual execution of the new product, strategy or process. The facilitator needs to check in frequently to make sure that the Idea Champion has the resources to succeed.

Finally, I like to end the meeting with a catered lunch or supper. It doesn’t mater if it is from Mickey D’s, Subway or Mortons— the tensions and disagreements of the meeting tend to fade away with relaxing chat and food.

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

Where paradigms shift and our heroine and her hero,
master the joy of passive income streams

WOW!

Registration fee, two night stay at a Hobby Airport hotel, two days of “per diem road food”, two intense 10-hour days, seven hours drive time… around $500.
Internet Marketing Center’s “Internet Wealth-Building Bootcamp” — PRICELESS!!

I set my INTENTION before I signed up for the “Internet Wealth-Building Bootcamp”
It was my INTENTION to master the skills needed to be a successful Internet entrepreneur. I wanted the motivation of a dynamic training environment (Millionaire Mind Intensive spoils you for anything less than inspirational) and I intended to come away with a definite step-by-step action plan.

Intention Realized

Lead trainer Jason Bax and my Internet Marketing Center’s on-site mentor, Donna meet and exceeded my expectations for this weekend.

I was given the toolset to correctly identify my niche market and specific skill sets to profitably exploit that market. Jason focused on what we needed to succeed…keyword identification, how to build a list; writing compelling copy; defining the “Free bonus” material and the actual product; how to develop the appropriate “price-point” for product and how to design the most effective order placement/delivery system. The training gave some great advice about how to get a website up quickly and how to simplify/ systematize the process.

Other Big–Big lessons — There is a difference between a developing website and developing an online business. Nick has been designing websites for over 15-years. He and about a dozen other profession web developers had what has been called a Profound Knowledge experience.

One of Deming’s(1) fundamental Quality Management dictums was, “Profound Knowledge always comes from the outside.” What he meant by profound knowledge was, information, once imparted, that would change the paradigm of an organization forever, or when new information comes hurtling in with such force, not to change becomes impossible.

When you are working within a business structure, you can’t quite see the opportunity for change. The prevailing management system cannot see beyond its existing structure, it knows only OUR way. Organizational transformation requires a view and new ideas from outside. Deming called this system of information transfer, Profound Knowledge saying, “”The first step is transformation of the individual; who will then perceive new meaning to his life, to events, to numbers, to interactions between people.”

Very much like the Millionaire Mind Intensive precipitated a profound paradigm shift in our understanding of wealth creation, our “Internet Wealth-Building Bootcamp” provided that outside view—a lens— through which we looked at our web development skills differently.

This weekend gave us an appreciation of the internet marketing system: understanding the overall processes, involving suppliers, producers, and customers (or recipients) of goods and services; and a knowledge of psychology: concepts of human nature and how it all fits together to reach out to our niche market — that group of people who are all searching online for a solution to a specific problem, but not finding many useful results.”

My original inspiration to pursue Internet marketing as a passive and residual income stream opportunity came from listening to The Millionaire File Live Cds. Several of the Millionaires T. Harv Interviewed had started highly profitable Internet-based business. Alex Mandossian’s story was inspiring —he lacked technical knowledge and still developed an innovated a new approach to web sales that has made himself and others millionaires. Another Millionaire Files Live contributor, multi-millionaire Greg Habstritt, started several very profitable Internet ventures.

I would less than candid, if I didn’t admit to being disheartened when I really thought about those Internet based business that generate passive income. I was an early adapter, who used the Internet as a research and communication medium for over 20-years — producing one-off information products. It honestly never occurred to me to look at the Internet as a way to generate a passive income stream by taking the hundreds of business training courses I’d produced over the years and sell them online.
Right about now we all could share a communal DUHHA!

The good news is that I sitting on a million dollar stash of training material.
The bad news is I’ve been sitting on some of it for over twenty years.
The better news, I have the tools to convert an under-utilized resource into massive passive income…You bet I Have a Millionaire Mind!

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!

Monetization — Massive Passive Income

Four months, almost to the day, since we completed the Millionaire Mind Intensive knowing that we would approach every aspect of our business differently, Nick and I are driving to Houston to attend a two-day “Internet Wealth-Building Boot Camp”.

In homage to the Wild, Wild Net, we should slap a banner on the side of our Mountaineer — “Monetize or Bust.”

Before I initiated hundreds of hours of very structured research, I defined one of the requirements as, “find an internet marketing training source that best matches my personal style”

During the Millionaire Mind Intensive, I had a “Personal Money Blueprint AAHAA!”
P->T->F->A = R
Your Programming leads to your thoughts; your Thoughts lead to your Feelings; your feelings lead to your Actions, your actions lead to your Results.

What was my money blueprint flash of insight?

My programming states, “I’m currently uncomfortable with very hard sell, aggressive sales techniques.” To be successful NOW I have honor where I’m at NOW.

1. Acknowledge I don’t react well to heavy, full-throttle, sales pitch.
2. Clearly define the type of sales strategies with which I do resonate — NO SALES NO BUSINESS!
3. As I evolve my money blueprint — adjust my sales tools and market approach.

While studying the various Internet marketing materials and approaches, I learned a great deal about myself, and how much my personal money blue print imposed the requirement “Internet marketing training that best matches my personal style” onto my research results and influenced my final choices

My preference is a measured, information-based marketing approach, sometimes referred to as Counselor selling — relating, discovering, supporting, advocating, and collaborating. Based on my personal financial blueprint, choosing a hard-sell guru wouldn’t work—for me, at this time. However, for another person whose financial blue print is OK with high-energy sales, the vendors I dismissed based on personal preference might be a perfect choice.

During my research, I sought successful Internet entrepreneurs to model and Internet marketing companies to mentor and educate me. I studied thousands of pages of web copy, e-Zines, newsletters, emails and internet marketing training manuals, I’ve read all anyone would ever want to know about Google AdSense, Wordtracker, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I’ve sat in on Teleconferences and Webinares and participated in online training sessions.

I’ve organized all the data, reviewed, recorded conclusions and made my decision, developed an internet-marketing education budget and an internet business startup plan, budget and project timeline.

Based on my search requirements, my research yielded four Internet marketing education and mentoring firms that I considered legitimate businesses — physical locations, employees that answer phones, D&B ratings etc. All their training information was equivalent, but with slightly different emphasis or approach.

After investing months in research and study, the Internet Marketing Center is the source of Internet marketing training that best matches my personal style and business model. The self-paced independent study, live workshop training and individual mentoring approach is the self-education solution I need to be successful.

Decision made, budget committed, time allocated — internet marketing project green lighted.

“Monetize or Bust.” We Have a Millionaire Minds!

Copyright © Millionaire Minds, LLC 2007
All writings here are copyrighted. You may not use them without written permission but you may link to the posts or give out a link to the posts. And remember, You Have a Millionaire Mind!