Newsletter for November 2009: The Power to Get Stuff Done
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You have enormous personal power! You have influence over your own life and over the people around you. Your dreams matter! Your desires are achievable, but only if you take action. Use your power. Start where you are, move slowly if you must, but get moving. Day be day, move in the direction of your heart's greatest desire. And never, never quit.
Every human being has enormous power. Over the past year I've watched a client begin moving from debt-ridden middle-class living to being in a position to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars. He's currently involved in a project that will earn him a multiple six figure personal income over the next year! He's in his mid 30s and he's had the power to do this most of his life, but only in the past year has he learned to use, focus and unleash his power in productive ways. What a difference!
One of the key turning points for me was when a highly successful acquaintance flew across the country to spend time with a colleague who was earning far more than my acquaintance. His reason? My acquaintance told me, "obviously, he uses his time differently than I do." What an insight! We ALL have 24 hours in a day. We ALL have enormous power, but we use our time and our power in different ways, and we get different results.
What keeps you from using your power in more productive ways? That's a critical question!
I've studied highly successful people for nearly 7 years, and I've also studied many "almost successful" people, and here are some of the key differences.
1. FEAR! There's a wonderful quote that is attributed to both Nelson Mendela and Marianne Williamson, that we are not afraid we are powerless, but that we are powerful "beyond measure." I love that! We know we are powerful. Right now, you have the power to change your diet, to change your living situation, to change your habits. We all know this. But we also know that if we make changes, our lives will change (duh!), and so we hold back. We avoid risk. We play it safe, and we give up our power.
The answer is certainly not recklessness! But we can use our power a bit more aggressively than we have in the past. Make a few changes. Talk with family and colleagues to reach agreements, then take charge. Take the risk. See what happens.
2. Do What You Can. Even the President does not have unlimited power! Successful people, however, take the steps they can and they make consistent, daily progress. "Inch by inch, anything's a cinch." "Rome wasn't built in a day," and few of the big things in life will happen over-night, but day by day, move in the direction you want to go.
Even if you could, making massive changes all at once may not be wise! Use your power to make changes day by day, and you'll reach your goal in a more life-affirming way.
Take action. Do what you can every single day.
3. Start Where You Are. How many people have avoided seeking wealth because, "it takes money to make money?" Hogwash! It takes ideas and initiative, creativity, determination and a good business plan to make money! It takes personal power, and you have that! Start where you are and, trust me, investors will flock to help, checkbooks in hand!
4. Get Partners. Very few things in life are achieved by acting alone. We think of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus and the social changes that resulted, but remember - while Rosa acted alone, the great social changes came because thousands of other people were inspired and joined her! You have the power to be a sparkplug! Don't forget that! Start something! And along with way, you'll find partners and colleagues to help.
This is where a good coach is incredibly valuable! Have someone from the "outside" to encourage and guide you, someone who is objective, trusted, and smart. EVERY high achiever has a team of smart people behind them. They may be called advisors or "staff" or something else (I call them; "your personal board of directore") but to get maximum performance from your personal power, get a coach! You'll love the difference!
You have enormous personal power! You have influence over your own life and over the people around you. Your dreams matter! Your desires are achievable, but only if you take action. Use your power. Start where you are, move slowly if you must, but get moving. Day be day, move in the direction of your heart's greatest desire. And never, never quit.
"If you can DREAM it, you can DO it." --Walt Disney
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing." -- Theodore Roosevelt
"I am not a special person. I am a regular person who does special things." -- Sarah Vaughan
"If you are on the road to nowhere, find another road." -- Ashanti proverb
Strictly Business: Tax Strategies for 2009
Now is the time to focus on your taxes for 2009. A huge number of This Months Thought subscribers are paying far too much in taxes while retaining too little of their hard-earned revenue for future growth. It's time to change that.
First, a couple of basics. Never (NEVER!) cheat the Government! Pay every penny of tax you owe and don't cut corners. While everyone wishes taxes were lower, we get a tremendous amount of service for what we pay. Don't cheat.
Second, get good advice. The tax code has thousands of pages of fine print and no one understands all of it, least of all a busy professional or small business owner who would rather spend their time serving customers and doing work they love. A great accountant (and legal advice) doesn't cost, it pays both directly, and indirectly in helping you design better systems. Hire the best professionals you can find and follow their advice.
Third, here are a couple of "general" guidelines. First, everyone should have their own business, whether your primary income is from a salary or not. There are too many opportunities and potential tax advantages from a part-time business to ignore them.
Next, give serious consideration to the type of "entity" you set up. Most businesses are set up as "sole proprietorships" and that's stupid. There's too much liability exposure, and you forfeit too many tax advantages. Why pay for the "privilege" of exposing yourself to extra risk?
Finally, plan now for next tax season. Talk with your CPA or accountant about "retained earnings," an appropriate depreciation schedule, and tax-deferred investing. Don't wait until the end of year. Do it now.
Humor: Idle Thoughts of a Retired Person
A friend and frequent source of chuckles sent these to me. I hadn't seen most of them before and I loved them! Life is just too short and too strange not to laugh at the absurdities all around us! Enjoy!
I planted some birdseed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
I had amnesia once -- or was it twice.
I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?
Protons have mass? -- I didn't even know they were Catholic.
All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy.
If the world were a logical place, men would ride horses sidesaddle.
They told me I was gullible and I believed them.
Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up, he'll never be able to merge his car onto a freeway.
Experience is the thing you have left when every thing else is gone.
What if there were no hypothetical questions?
The shampoo promised me extra body and I gained three pounds.
When the only tool you own is a hammer, everything begins to look like a nail.
I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.
The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity.
How can there be self-help "groups"?
Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all"?
Is it possible to be totally partial?
What's another word for thesaurus?
If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales?
Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off.
It's not an optical illusion. It just looks like one.
Is it my imagination, or do buffalo wings taste like chicken.
Rodger Blaker works with executives, small business owners and professionals who want to grow in their business and create an extraordinary life!
For info on resources for your success, visit: http://www.rodgerblaker.com or call me at214-485-2238
Please forward this copy to your friends and colleagues! That's how I grow!