If you have never failed you have never lived!

Life = risk

The key message of this motivational video which highlights the failure experienced by several successful people including Michael Jordan, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Walt Disney and many more.

- I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.

Michael Jordan

- I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.

Thomas A. Edison

- All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.

Walt Disney

Failure is a part of success! … Watch the full video and draw your inspiration.

- Robert Schuller, American televangelist, pastor, speaker, motivator and author.

“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.”

-Anonymous

These two quotes when read in succession gives an idea that impossible is nothing. By reconditioning your mind to think in a positive manner, you can see impossible in the light of I M Possible.

Let us illustrate this with the help of an example, a real story that happened between the customer of General Motors and its Customer-Care Executive.

General Motors’ Pontiac Division received a customer complaint as follows:

This is the second time I am writing to you, and I don’t blame you for not answering me, because I sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of Ice- Cream for dessert after dinner each night.

But the kind of ice cream varies every night. So, after we are done with our dinner, the family votes on which kind of ice cream to have. I drive down to the store to buy it.

It’s also a fact that I have recently purchased a new Pontiac and since then my trips to the store have created a problem. You see, every time I buy a vanilla ice-cream, when I start back from the store, my car won’t start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want you to know and I’m serious about this!

My question may sound silly but “What is there about a Pontiac that makes it not start when I get a vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?”

After reading the letter, the president at The Pontiac division was understandably skeptical about the complaint. Despite his disbelief, he still sent an engineer to look into the matter.

“In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd.” - Miguel de Cervantes

When the engineer met the customer, he was surprised to see a well-educated man at the outset. He met him after the dinnertime so that he could accompany the customer to the ice cream store. That night was the vanilla ice cream night and as said in the letter, the car wouldn’t start after they bought it.

The engineer came back again for three subsequent nights to understand the issue. The first time they got chocolate ice cream and the car started. The second night it was strawberry and the car started again. The third night was vanilla and the car failed to start.

Being an engineer, the man believed in logic and couldn’t bring himself to believe that the car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. Therefore, he continued his visits with the man to the ice cream parlor as he was determined to solve the problem no matter how long it would take.

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” - Walt Disney

He started to make notes, of all sorts, the time of day, and type of gas used, time to drive back and forth etc. Very shortly, he got his clue. The engineer analyzed that the man took considerably less time to get the vanilla flavor as it was stored in the front of the store, being a popular pick. All other flavors were stored at the back of the store at a different counter and hence it took a relatively longer time to get those flavors.

Now, the engineer was surfaced with the question, why the car wouldn’t start when it took less time. Here it was, now time became the problem and not the vanilla ice cream. Soon enough, the engineer realized that the issue pertains to “vapor lock”.

The problem was happening each night however the extra time to get other flavors let the engine the needed space to cool down sufficiently to start. Since the vanilla ice cream was bought fast, the engine did not get the time to cool and the vapor lock did not dissipate.

See, how crazy looking problems are sometimes real and how all problems seem simple only when we find the solution with a cool thinking.

“To achieve the impossible; it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought.”
– Tom Robbins, an American author

It is easy to say impossible but hard to put sincere efforts and make the task possible. It is your attitude and your perception that really matters.

“It is impossible to win the race unless you venture to run, impossible to win the victory unless you dare to battle.” Richard M. DeVos, co-author of the book Believe!

Let me give you an example.

When I first got into the rental real estate business, I had no knowledge of how it works. But I did have a basic understanding of real estate, having bought and sold properties before.

So I did two things.

First, I bought some “how-to” books and spent, maybe, 40 hours studying them.

I zipped through them pretty quickly, because most of what they taught were fundamentals. And that’s not what I was looking for. I knew I would pick up the basics on my own, just by buying my first few properties.

I was looking for secrets — inside information that could get me into profitability faster. So, more important than studying the books, I talked to knowledgeable people — lots of them — who had made millions in real estate. (I spoke to one guy at a party who had reportedly made billions.)

That’s what I do whenever I am interested in a new business. I search out pros in the field and ask as many questions as they will tolerate. I am always probing for the same things:

• What are the most common mistakes I’m likely to make?
• What is the fastest and safest way to get started?

It took about three months of this sort of research before I felt “ready” to buy.

I bought three small houses in my town. All three seemed good on paper. In reality, they were a mixed bag. I made several big mistakes in assessing their value that I won’t make again. I also quickly learned things I’ll never forget about how to write a contract and how to screen rental applications.

What I gleaned from the books and conversations was enough to get me started. It helped me avoid the worst mistakes. It put me on the right path.

But what I learned from the experience of doing it was the good stuff — the true inside information that helped me eventually establish a decamillion-dollar portfolio.

I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: The most important knowledge about any business is invisible to outsiders. You can pick it up only when you are actively involved in the business on a day-to-day basis. You can’t know it any other way.

That kind of knowledge will determine your ultimate success — whether you keep going and become rich or stop at the starting gate and do no more.

Where are you with your great moneymaking idea? Are you “ready” to take action on it?

If not, take a few months to acquire the knowledge you need. Spend some money to educate yourself. But buy how-to books and programs only from people with proven success in the field, not from those who make money only by selling advice.

Then “fire”! The sooner you get going, the sooner you’ll succeed.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.By Michael Masterson.

These are men and women with very little in the way of a future. They look upon their jobs as a form of drudgery, a penance they have to pay in order to enjoy their free time. And because of this attitude, they have trouble making progress.

They stay pretty much where they are, always wondering why other people seem to be living the good life while they feel like they are living a life of quiet desperation.

At my seminars, people frequently ask me what they can do to be more successful. In almost every case, they are working at a job they don’t like, for a boss they don’t particularly respect, producing or selling products or services for customers they don’t care about. And many of them think that if they just hang in there long enough, the clouds will part and everything will get better for them.

But in order to advance — in order to move up to more difficult, more interesting, and higher-paid positions — you must become extremely good at what you are doing right now. If you don’t have the desire to be very good at your job, that means you are probably in the wrong one.

Too many people do their work in a mediocre way, with the idea that, when the right job comes along, then they will really work hard. But the right job never comes along. They are always passed over for promotions. They are always the last ones hired and the first ones laid off.

What about you? Are you in the right job?

Be honest with yourself. Ask yourself what you would like to do if you only had six months left to live. What would you choose to do if you won a million dollars in the lottery tomorrow? What sort of work would you do if you were absolutely guaranteed of success in your field? If there were no limits on your abilities and opportunities — if you had no debts, no problems, no commitments — what would be your ideal career?

Research shows that the things people liked to do between the ages of 7 and 14 were a very good indicator of what they would be most successful at as adults.

A man at one of my seminars told me that when he was 7 he loved to build model airplanes. As he got older, he built more and more complicated planes. By the time he was 14, he was building them with engines and flying them in contests.

Today, he is 35 years old. He has a degree in aeronautical engineering. He designs small aircraft. In addition, he owns an aircraft maintenance company and an air charter firm. He is a multi-millionaire, and he feels like he has never worked a day in his life. He has always done what he loved to do from the time he was a boy.

If you’re not sure of your true calling, ask the people closest to you. Ask them, “What do you think would be the very best thing for me to do with my life?” It is amazing how the people around you — your spouse, your best friends, your parents — can clearly see what you should be doing when you cannot see it yourself.

Project yourself forward five years, and imagine that your entire life is perfect in every respect. Imagine that you are doing exactly the right job for you, in exactly the right place, with exactly the right people, and earning exactly the amount you want to earn.

What would that look like? Where would you be, and what would you be doing? Who would you be with, and how would you have changed?

When you have that picture in your head, think about the steps you would have to take to get from where you are today to where you want to be in five years. What skills would you have to develop? What information would you have to acquire? What obstacles would you have to overcome?

Success comes from being excellent at what you do. The market pays excellent rewards only for excellent performance. It pays average rewards for average performance, and below-average rewards for below-average performance.

All really successful and happy people know in their hearts that they are very good at what they do. And if you are doing what you really love and enjoy, if you are following your true calling, you will know it too.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.By Brian Tracy.

But that’s not realistic (even if you have the next Big Idea). After all, the universe itself was not born fully formed. It continues to expand and develop, issuing “background noise” — a cosmic message — that scientists receive from every part of the sky.

I believe in breaking the Big Bang down into workable, day-to-day actions to achieve your goals. I call it The Little Bang Success Technique, because it is the small, consistent steps you take toward a goal that bring about results.

And there is no need to wait for everything to be in alignment before you take action. It is better to prepare, get started, moderate, modify, and keep going until you’re where you want to be.

Formulating a goal gives you direction. But once you commit to a goal, the process of doing is paramount.

Early to Rise is a perfect example of The Little Bang Success Technique.

ETR began as a series of e-mail messages sent by Michael Masterson to a few executives 10 years ago. These messages were meant to inspire those executives and spur them into action.

Initially there was no intention to bring ETR to a wider audience or make it a commercial venture. Michael Masterson would wake up each day with “one idea, big or small, that some less-experienced but equally ambitious person might find useful in some way.”

He began spreading his unique “cosmic message” in an ever-expanding, consistent manner. (As I said, that’s the foundation of The Little Bang Success Technique.)

ETR started with a staff of four, and grew to 35. It started with a single writer (Michael Masterson) and grew to include a host of regulars. It started with e-mailed “lessons” to executives and became an information-filled e-newsletter with 450,000+ readers.

Thousands of articles, product sales, membership programs, and many well-attended conferences later… ETR continues to push forward. It is a multimillion-dollar direct-marketing-based publishing business that started with a “Little Bang” (e-mails to a small group of executives encouraging them to take action).

ETR’s cosmic message is now heard around the world.

SUCCESS can be thought of as the ability to:

S – Sense

U – Unlimited
C – Chances
C – Coming
E – Every

S – Single
S – Second

The dim sound of success you may be hearing only in the distance will become stronger as you move toward to it. So in this moment, at this very second, initiate The Little Bang Success Technique. By expanding your personal “universe” consistently, one step at a time, you will achieve your goals.

One kind word or a single thoughtful action keeps your positive energy expanding. One good deed or a single objective reached keeps your productive energy expanding. One idea or one single opportunity seized keeps you expanding your personal “universe” — broadcasting your “cosmic message” for the entire world to hear!

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.By Bob Cox.

Karin and I talked about how best to reply. Of course, we stand behind our programs. But, as with any product, a blanket guarantee of results is impossible. Yes, we can return his money if he’s not satisfied. (ETR has an exceptional money-back guarantee.) But no, we can’t return his time.

Our decision was to politely thank the gentleman for his interest.

Taking Action: the Most Important Key to Success

A good program will provide you with the raw materials for achieving your goal – but no one can guarantee that you will actually achieve it.

For instance, an Internet business-building program will give you instructions for setting up a website, starting an e-mail newsletter, and writing sales copy. But the best Internet business-building program in the world won’t help you build a million-dollar business unless you put what you learn to work in the real world. You’ve got to follow those steps for setting up a website and set up a website. You’ve got to use that copywriting information to write sales copy.

When I started off in insurance sales, I had to invest a lot of time in studying to pass the licensing test. Did having an insurance license automatically guarantee that I would make sales? Of course not. I became a successful insurance salesman because I took action. I marketed myself. I mastered dozens of sales techniques. I learned my product inside and out.

Taking action may be the most important component of success – but it’s not the only one. There are three more:

Know What You Want

It is interesting to me that many people spend precious time thinking and talking about what they don’t want. Like that fellow who said he didn’t want to waste his time on our goal-setting program if we couldn’t guarantee it would work for him. Or the people who say they don’t want to be broke… or don’t want to be overweight… or don’t want to lose their jobs… or don’t want more stress.

What they should be doing is turning those negative thoughts around and taking a positive approach: By telling yourself what you want to do (I want to be fit and trim… I want to create additional income… I want to feel relaxed), not what you don’t want to do, you will inspire yourself to take action to achieve the goal.

It starts with forming a specific and detailed plan. This is where visualization is helpful.

If you want to be fit and trim, visualize a new post-weight-loss achievement outfit you are going to buy… or that favorite pair of jeans you want to get back into. In addition, visualize the favorable responses you will get from people when you reach your ideal weight and fitness goal.

If you want to increase your income, visualize how you will feel when you see your bank account balance increase… and what you will do for your family with that money. Would you buy a bigger house? If so, picture exactly where you’ll live – the neighborhood, the size and color of the house, etc. A new car? Picture the exact car you’ll buy.

Measure Your Results Along the Way Keeping track of how you are doing with your goal-setting plan helps you determine the effectiveness of your actions.

You may find that you no longer want to pursue a goal you assigned yourself. Or perhaps you want to modify that goal. Maybe you want to keep the goal but you’ve discovered a more convenient and efficient way to get to the “finish line.” Let’s say you set a physical fitness and weight-loss goal. And the plan you came up with to achieve that goal was to go to the gym three nights a week. You’ve been doing that for two months, and you’re happy with the results. But now you think there’s a good chance you can stay on track by working out at home.

Okay.

Only YOU can determine the most effective way to use your time. But you won’t be able to do that if YOU don’t measure and monitor your progress along the way. Make Constant Improvements The Japanese principle known as “kaizen” (which means continuous improvement) can be applied to all aspects of life. But it is perhaps best known for the way it’s been applied to business.

Some scholars think kaizen is what enabled Japan to go from defeat in World War II to being one of the world’s strongest economies. What the Japanese did was commit to continuously improving their manufacturing industries to be more efficient, cost-effective, and productive. The idea was that everything could always be done better.

This is exactly what we here at ETR want for you! We want you to believe that you can always find new and better ways to achieve your goals. If an action is working and bringing the desired results – do it more often. If an action is not working or throwing you off track – do it less often. (Or eliminate it altogether.)

The beauty of goal setting is that it is all about YOU and what you want to achieve. You choose… you act… you monitor your actions… you celebrate and continue refining your actions.

Each one of us is very different, yet we are all alike in that we are success-seekers on a life journey that is just that – a journey to success. You want guarantees? I can guarantee that you won’t have success unless you are proactive in using the four simple success components I outlined for you today.

[Ed. Note: You can turn your dreams into reality just by implementing a few simple techniques. Success mentor Bob Cox has dozens of powerful strategies that can help you reach new heights in your business and personal life. In fact, these very same techniques helped four "ordinary Joes" become BILLIONAIRES.]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.By Bob Cox.

Now… how do you keep yourself from slacking off and erasing everything you’ve achieved so far? Here are three ways to maintain your success:

1. Work hard even when no one is watching.

Commit yourself to excellence without the need for someone else’s approval. Yes, it is wonderful to receive a “pat on the back” from friends, family, or coworkers. But it’s much better to develop your own personal sense of pride and accomplishment.

2. Never arrive.

This may sound counter-intuitive. But one of the best ways to sustain success is to think of your goal as a construction project that’s always in progress and yet to be completed.

Never see yourself as having finished your goal journey. Condition yourself to actively keep learning. Learn more about your field when your goal is to advance in your profession… learn more about technique when your goal is to advance in a physical skill… and learn more about what everyone else in your industry is doing when your goal is to advance your business.

3. Be persistent.

If you keep going the extra mile – or even taking one more step after everyone else has given up – you will keep getting results. Over time, this will become a way of life… and you will be unstoppable.

[Ed. Note: If you have dreams you want to achieve and goals you want to accomplish, you CAN do it on your own. But you could reach success so much faster with step-by-step guidance from success mentor Bob Cox. Bob - who has worked one-on-one with four billionaires and monitored the techniques they used to succeed - can help you determine exactly what you want out of life and the exact steps you need to take to get there. ]

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.By Bob Cox.

Yet, according to the best research, less than 3 percent of Americans have written goals, and less than 1 percent review and rewrite their goals on a regular basis.

Why do so few people set goals? I think there are five basic reasons.

1. They are simply not serious.

Whenever I speak with a man or woman who has achieved something remarkable, I learn that the achievement occurred after that person decided to “get serious.” In other words, until you become completely determined about your goals, nothing really happens.

2. They don’t understand the importance of goals.

Young men and women who begin setting goals very early in life invariably come from families in which the importance of goals is emphasized.

3. They don’t know how to do it.

One of the greatest tragedies of our educational system is that you can receive 15 to 18 years of education and never once receive a single hour of instruction on how to set goals.

4. Fear of rejection.

The fear of rejection is caused by destructive criticism in early childhood and is manifested, in adulthood, in the fear of being criticized by others. Many people hold back on setting worthwhile goals because they have found that every time they do set a goal, somebody steps up and tells them that they can’t achieve it, or that they will lose their money or waste their time.

5. Fear of failure — and this may be the most important reason of all.

People don’t set goals because they are afraid they might fail. In fact, the fear of failure is probably the greatest single obstacle to success in adult life. It can hold you back more than any other psychological barrier.

If you can overcome all of these obstacles and set well-defined goals, it will enable you to channel your efforts and focus your energy toward something that’s important to you. Goal setting gives you a target to aim at and enables you to develop the self-discipline to continue working toward your target rather than becoming distracted and going off in other directions.

Let me share with you five keys that will help you do that. Each of these keys starts with one of the letters in the word “goals.” Whenever you find yourself getting off the track, simply repeat the word “goals,” and think about how each letter stands for a key that just might apply to your current situation.

The first letter is G, and it stands for “Get to it.”

Sometimes, the only difference between a successful person and a failure is that the successful person has the courage to get started, to do something, to begin moving toward the accomplishment of a specific goal.

The second letter, O, stands for “Opportunity.”

Successful people do not wait for opportunities to turn their goals into reality. They make their opportunities, because they are perfectly clear about the kind of life they wish to create. Once you have taken the time to decide exactly what you want, you will experience an endless flow of opportunities that will help move you in that direction.

The letter A stands for “Ability.”

Many people hesitate to set high, challenging goals because they lack the ability to turn those goals into reality. But remember that we all lacked knowledge and experience when we started out in our careers or fields of expertise. Since you gain the ability necessary for high achievement through knowledge and experience, if you increase the speed at which you acquire both of those, you increase the speed at which you move ahead.

The letter L stands for “Leadership.”

Leadership is simply the ability to get results. And you begin to get results when you accept full responsibility for yourself, for your job, and for the outputs required in your position. You demonstrate leadership when you refuse to make excuses or blame anyone or anything for the problems you are having. The acceptance of the responsibility of leadership enables you to move ahead and take action.

The final letter, S, stands for “Stay with it.”

This is the resolution to persist in the face of adversity until you succeed. Between you and every goal that you wish to achieve, there is a series of obstacles. The bigger the goal, the bigger the obstacles. Your decision to be, have, and do something out of the ordinary entails facing difficulties and challenges that are out of the ordinary as well. Sometimes, your greatest asset is simply your ability to stay with it longer than anyone else.

When you look around you, you will see that all achievement is the triumph of persistence. You will see men and women everywhere who are struggling with and overcoming adversity in order to accomplish something that is important to them. And so can you.

G-O-A-L-S. That’s what you have to remember. And “G” is the first thing: “Get to it!”

[Ed. Note: Want to know the REAL secret of success? You need a flight plan to succeed. But having a plan isn’t enough. Just like an airplane pilot, you must make course corrections along the way in order to arrive at your destination — your goals. With Brian Tracy’s Flight Plan, you can discover a how to achieve more, faster than you ever dreamed possible. You also receive 2 BONUS CDS.

You can also check out Early to Rise’s own Epiphany Alliance goal setting program. Success mentor Bob Cox has helped thousands of people achieve their most treasured life goals.

————————————Highly Recommended —————————————

Is There a Shortcut to Success?

When it comes to starting your own Internet business, the only REAL shortcut to success is to follow the step-by-step lead of masters who’ve already “been there and done that.” They know where the landmines are. And they know where the buried treasure lies.

When you meet the experts we’ve brought together for our 5 Days in July Internet Business Building Conference, they’ll show you both.

When you walk out the door Saturday afternoon…

• You’ll know more than 99.9% of all the Internet start-up entrepreneurs out there…
• You’ll have a business that’s completely functional — up, running, and ready to churn out a steady side income…
• And you’ll be prepared for a lifetime of financial success in a way that very few businesspeople ever are, online or off.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to creating wealth and success through inspiration and practical, proven advice. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.By Brian Tracy.

None truer than when coaching in groups. The benefits are immense.

• Clients are helped to achieve success in a collective fashion, while this highly interactive process, allows them to reach their goals and they actually get to have personal growth through the dynamics of the group.
• Clients get great coaching at a lower price than they would pay on a one-on-one customary fee. As an added value, they get the support and synergy that comes with a group.
• For companies, it allows them to develop a coaching environment for their employees who will learn from their coach, to move quicker within the organization. Behind every successful company, there is a coach.
• Coaches motivate people to move faster with less effort. Successful business owners understand that employees need to know they are “cared about” as it boosts performance.
• Having a coach shows employees they are highly regarded and valued and the business owners understand that the highest return from their investment in people, come from getting them committed, caring about them, and providing the systems and tools needed for them to do their best work.

Group coaching sessions normally run between 6 to 8 weeks, one day per week, for one to two hours each week. These sessions are held over dedicated telephone lines, normally referred to as “bridge lines.”

Group Coaching Programs are topic specific, goals oriented, and totally focused on providing the client, tangible and sustainable results.

Experience the brilliance of Group Coaching through my action packed strategic planning to boost productivity and increase income and profits.

Start benefiting from “The Group” in our upcoming eight-week group coaching session.

© Copyright Ali Rodriguez – Ali’s multi-cultural and multi-lingual background and unique understanding of diversity and cultural needs is a critical asset to her “Vision for Success” coaching of business owners wanting to improve and expand the quality of their businesses and their lives.
Website:www.visionforsuccess.biz

Throughout my adult life, people have recommended that I should work harder. Some have suggested I work smarter. My choice is the latter, to work smarter. Business is getting more complex, seemingly by the day. Both you and I should continually seek additional solutions to our daily business challenges. Partnering with others to create alliances for various reasons is my answer to the idea of working smarter.

Develop Your Mastermind Alliance

First on my working smarter list is to develop a personal Mastermind Alliance. Mastermind Alliances, also known as strategic alliances for individual development, can assist you in eclipsing your competition. This holds true for both your career and your enterprise. I belong to a geographical mastermind alliance, called Gold Coast Speakers, which consists of other professional speakers and consultants.

We started meeting early in 1989 and continued to get together about once a month or so. This is a confidential environment where each can share their gifts and receive counsel on important business, career and personal issues. I do not believe I would have survived in my speaking career without this relationship. The members of my mastermind alliance are some very special and giving people. The group consists of not more than a dozen members that are geographically close to one another, this allows us to regularly meet. We rotate from home to home, each member having the opportunity to host a meeting. We make it simply for the host by ordering delivered pizza.

Another mastermind alliance success story is the Downtown Palm Springs, CA breakfast club. A couple years ago I interviewed Tim Ellis, general manager at the Riviera Resort & Racquet Club in Palm Springs. The interview was for an article about Palm Springs’ strategic alliance with other California cities to draw tourists to the state. He told me about his downtown Palm Springs mastermind alliance. It consisted of general managers from seven other deluxe hotels, the convention center director and the owner of the aerial tram. They meet every Wednesday and rotate member locations weekly. They discuss issues uniquely important to the hospitality business in downtown Palm Springs.

I recently spoke with Tim. He is no longer at the Riviera. He started his own company, Lathom Hotels. Tim bought one hotel and leased another. The hotels both feature suites with full kitchens. He started his company to serve a neglected niche in town, long-term retired guests. He told me that much of his success comes from the networking relationships in the breakfast club. He said that he could not have picked up and done the same thing in another town. And yes, he still belongs to the alliance.

Mastermind Alliance Core Values

There are five personal core values that I believe are necessary for your Mastermind Alliance members to possess. They are trust, tolerance/ understanding, cooperation/growth, caring/commitment, and synergy/mutuality. Use these values as your guide when making member selections. Too often I’ve heard people talking marriage but really acting one-night stand. This behavior is what I call cotton candy partnering. Like cotton candy, it looks good and tastes great but disappears in seconds. These are definitely not concrete deeds and not the type of members you’ll want in your Mastermind Alliance. In contrast, integrity partnering is what allows synergistic solutions, the concrete deeds.

Use your group as a sounding board for ideas you might have missed, to uncover unnoticed pitfalls in your plans and various other important areas that offer you value. In the group of which I am a member, we spent an entire year dedicating each meeting to individual members for dealing with their specific issues. Wow! It was powerful to have several people focus their energy and attention to a single member’s issues. Giving energy can be as powerful as receiving it. I learn when I am being helped with my issues and when others are helped with theirs.

To make this kind of alliance relationship valuable for all involved the giving or Relationship Bank deposits must be frequent. Additionally, all the members of the alliance must be committed to the alliance itself. When this happens the alliance becomes a living entity and begins to evolve in it’s own direction. While this might seem odd, I have regularly found it to be true.

Benefits and Pitfalls

Inherent while building Mastermind Alliances, you will notice both benefits and pitfalls. The benefits of alliance relationships usually outweigh the pitfalls. Be careful and methodical in the search for Mastermind Alliance partners and in the elements of which the alliance will operate. Remember Caveat Pars (Partners Beware), as the road to successful alliance partnering has roadblocks, land mines and quicksand pits. Knowing how to select the right alliance partners and making good selections is truly a concrete deed, of which Kennedy spoke. Make your relationship Bank Deposits and you will surely develop Outrageously Successful Relationships (OSRs) with your Mastermind Alliance group members.

Copyright © 2010 Ed Rigsbee http://www.rigsbee.com. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to Ed Rigsbee for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of Ed Rigsbee