Newsletter for July 2007: Your Most Profitable Investment
This Months Thought
Your Most Profitable Investment
Quotes of the Month
Strictly Business: Your Rules For Success
Humor: Wisdom for Real Life
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It's important to continue to learn and constantly network. You want to learn from the best. You want to meet the best. You want to be where things are happening, where the leaders in your field are meeting and mingling, planting seeds and harvesting ideas. You want to be in the sandbox when the cool kids are making friends and setting the agenda. As Buckminster Fuller said, "You cannot learn less." Go where the action is, be one of the "cool kids" or, in that quaint old phrase, a "leader of the pack."
I have the privilege of working with a wide variety of clients, and whether they are rich or not-so-rich, one thing they all have in common is the desire to invest wisely.
We all want to maximize our results while minimizing risk. For some, that means investing in mutual funds, while others feel safer in real estate or investing in their own business. Whatever style or preference suits you, I'm always amazed at how often people miss their most profitable long-term investment altogether!
Recently I began working with a group of coaches, working on improving marketing techniques, enhance selling and learning "best practices" because nothing is as profitable as learning new skills! Sure, lots of people have made money in real estate, and over the years our stock investments have done well, but clearly the two most profitable two investments I've ever made are in (1) the people I know and (2) the skills we've developed.
I've written many times in the past about the value of attending conferences, and I usually get at least a few emails from people who complain they can't afford the money, the time, the travel, or "my employer won't pay for it." Amazing!
One of the most important events in my own growth was when I heard about Jim Rohn buying a copy of "Think And Grow Rich" at a garage sale for forty-seven cents. When telling the story, he always raises his voice and yells the phrase, "Forty-seven cents!" Then he lowers his voice to a whisper and adds, "That taught me the difference between cost and value."
I still remember the first time I heard about him telling that story. It moved me and I've never forgotten it. It taught me "the difference between cost and value!"
Whether you up-grade your skills on your own, attend an adult-education program, travel to a conference, or apprentice with an expert, nothing will determine your future more than your eagerness to learn. Learning is easy and few things cost less than education. Libraries are free! Used books are dirt-cheap. New books are a bargain! There are classes on-line, and audio programs by the thousands. There are people to teach you. What's hard is the WILL to learn!
And here's one of the most closely guarded professional secrets of top performers: it's not only WHAT you know and WHO you know, but who knows YOU, that counts. Think about that!
You go to a Conference. It's a bit of a hassle and it costs a couple thousand dollars, but you get some good information. Now, here's the miracle! They let you use that information for the rest of your life at no additional charge!
And, it gets better! While at the Conference, they let you shake hands with whomever you wish. You can walk right up and talk with people in the lobby, in the elevator, over drinks or at dinner. You can share a taxi to the airport with anyone you wish. And this isn't just any group of people. You can walk right up and shake hands with the select few, the bright, the skilled, the leaders who attend Conferences! THAT is the value of workshops and conferences!
Now, obviously, my point is not that you should attend any particular conference. That's up to you. My point is the importance of constant learning and constant networking. You want to learn from the best. You want to meet the best. You want to be where things are happening, where the leaders in your field are meeting and mingling, planting seeds and harvesting ideas. You want to be in the sandbox when the cool kids are making friends and setting the agenda. As Buckminster Fuller once said, "You cannot learn less." Go where the action is, be one of the "cool kids" or, in that quaint old phrase, a "leader of the pack."
"The beginning is always today." -- Mary Wollstonecraft
"To change one's life: 1. Start immediately. 2. Do it flamboyantly. 3. No exceptions." -- "William James
"Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits." -- Thomas A. Edison
"Life is no `brief candle' to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I've got to hold up for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." -- George Bernard Shaw
One of Martha Stewart’s recent books is titled, "Martha's Rules." In it she describes her personal maxims for success in business. It got me to thinking about my own rules.
Every successful business operates from a set of "first principles." They vary from company to company, but just as a ship needs a rudder, every company needs a clear direction and set of principles to keep it on course.
Some years back, Ford Motor Co. turned itself around with the adage that "Quality is Job One." When he was the CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch was famous for his dictum that fifty percent of company revenues should come from products and services that had been created in the past five years. That kept GE on the cutting edge and made it one of the world's great companies. (And, for anyone who owned its stock, it was a great investment!)
Stephen Covey is famous for his comment about focusing on "first things first" and his insistence that business and individuals operate from a fixed set of principles.
What principles guide you and your business? What are the "rules" that guide you (and every employee) every day?
Many companies have adopted rules that (1) "The customer is always right" and (2) "If the customer is ever wrong, see rule #1." An insurance broker friend of mine has a rule that he personally visits one of his clients every single business day, to touch base and say hello. Among others, I have rules that (1) I make a phone call to someone in my network every day, and (2) a financial snap-shot of the business is completed every Friday afternoon.
Obviously, the rules don't have to be fancy or complicated, but they must be clear and they must support you in building the business you truly want. They must keep you "on course" and growing. What are your "rules for success?"
I'm not sure where these came from, so I can't give credit, but I found them in a file and they sure made me chuckle. I hope you enjoy them!
My idea of housework is sweeping the room with a glance.
Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.
If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of checks.
A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself.
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 at 214-485-2238.
Please forward this copy to your friends and colleagues! That's how I grow!