The Key to Getting Results Through People

from Christine Harvey

When I was in Japan, I had the privilege of meeting a woman who had been advisor to five Prime Ministers. Since I was writing ‘In Pursuit of Profit’ at the time, I asked her this question: “What advice would you give people who really want to get results in business?”

The answer she gave me was so simple, but so powerful, that I’ve never forgotten it. In fact, I always go back to it whenever I need to get results through people.

Here’s her answer: “What I’ve discovered in life is this - never write to people if you can speak with them by phone, and never speak by phone, if you can see them in person.”

That’s food for thought, isn’t it. Simple but powerful.

30 Second Results Tip: Stop now and ask yourself what roadblock you seem to have in any particular project or goal. Now ask yourself this? What action can I take through talking to someone personally – either by phone or in person - rather than writing? In today’s world where email has become the rule rather than the exception, person touch has been lost. Let’s take advantage of the advice of the advisor to five Prime Ministers, and go back to the person touch for results. Pick up that phone, or make that appointment, and see the magic that materializes!

If you decide to try this today and you get surprising results, please comment. We would like to quote YOUR success in a future Business Tip to help others in their journey to results.

Until then, best of success in YOUR adventures in life!

PS Our Co-Founder, Liz Uible, has just updated our website. It’s really gorgeous, with easy to find free articles and business tips like these. If you have a friend you would like to encourage in life, business or real estate, send them there for inspiration. And let us know what you like too! (Classy job Liz!!!)

How the Art of Positive Reinforcement Will Pay You 10-Fold

Want magic in your life today? You've heard how giving money will come back to you 10-fold - well what about giving positive feedback to people, and see what comes back?

I'll never forget a networking meeting I attended in London in which the leader asked this question - how can you get rid of stress in 1 minute? Her answer was to give another person a compliment. We then had one minute to compliment the stranger next to us - and presto - it worked like magic. We all felt lighter and happier.

Thereafter in my training courses, I experimented with enlarging this concept.

"Show people the best in themselves, and they will follow you anywhere," was my adage. It became a leadership doctrine that I was brought in to teach the military and corporations around the world.

Here's my question to you today:
How hard is it to hold a mirror up to someone with your words of positive reinforcement, and reflect their potential? Or as my business partner Liz Uible would say - "Show someone a promising future ahead based on their unique strengths."

It's not hard at all - simply listen to people talk about their achievements or challenges, and as you listen, let your heart and mind see a strength in them.

For example, if Judy was Chair of her Trade Association, you probably see leadership skills in her, or maybe organizational skills, or maybe people skills. You simply need to say, "Judy, I see wonderful leadership strengths in you." - How hard is that!!! Really - think about it. Is that something you can do with little or no effort? Can you do that in 10 seconds or less? Of course you can, and the impact on Judy is enormous! But here's the point. Few people do this. Few people know the power of assisting the world in this way.

Imagine being on the receiving end. Wouldn't you like to get this input about your unique talents and strengths? Of course you would. By hearing this, your confidence goes up. You start to see yourself in a new light.

And what about the return to you? That's easy too. People immediately see you as a leader. People have faith in you. When you show people the best in themselves, they will follow you anywhere!

New horizons will open up for you. New opportunities will materialize. Wealth creation can not be achieved alone. You need a team - whether it be supporters, or suppliers. If you want loyalty, start now to develop this ability to show people the best in themselves through Positive Reinforcement. Show them their unique strengths and talents. "Mary, I see great organizational strengths in you." This 10-second sentence will reap you rewards 10 times over. Not just in leadership, but instantly in feeling good about helping another human being. And by boosting another human being, you're boosting the world.

10 Second Focus Tip: Today listen in a new way as people talk. When you hear them talk of an achievement, or how they handled a challenge, look for the unique ability or strength they used. Then tell them. "Bob, when I hear you talk about your challenge with your teenager, I admire the dedication you have in making that relationship the best it can be." Then stand back and watch the positive reaction you get. Start today - develop this art and your life will unfold in magical new ways.

If you're a member of the Prosperity Teams™ starting this week, you'll have plenty of opportunities to practice this. But don't wait - get started now - practice with everyone you meet and everyone you speak to by phone!

Who is Supporting YOUR Success?

from Christine Harvey

Since Liz Uible and I met in 2005 , we've been developing systems, programs and articles for women's success.

If you've read John Grey's book 'Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus,' you know that men and women process differently. Women thrive in special environments of bouncing ideas off others and having a supportive group behind them, achieving together.

In addition, we've researched role-models and training methods that inspire women and lead to true prosperity. In the early days of our product and course development, we were fortunate to have the support of creative people like Juli Butler, Emily Cressey and Cecelia Lance. Word spread quickly about these tools and now our membership network extends from the US to South Africa and beyond.

Today we're announcing our latest powerhouse in achieving together, Prosperity Teams™. While some people lovingly refer to this as 'a mastermind on steroids,' they are actually quite different.

The new Prosperity Teams™ start next week & run for 90 days. There is a start date and an end date. People are clustered by interest area- Business, Personal, or Real Estate Success. Also, the trademarked process of POA, Powerhouse of Your Achievements, creates a bond and platform for utilizing the Professional Women's Network.

Most of all, in Prosperity Team™ members take responsibility for each other's success. This is done through a specialized structure, incorporating the creativity and support of others in 3 areas:

1) Through the POA™, Powerhouse of Your Achievements, highlighted above

2) Through Prosperity Exercises™ on goals, overcoming obstacles, and business skills

3) Through Prosperity Solutions™ - a dynamic team interplay which produces extraordinary possibilities.

Prosperity Teams™ are also different from mastermind groups in that there are component parts of each meeting. One component for example utilizes the 3 C's - contacts, credibility and creativity. As a Team member you are able to draw upon the creativity of the group to solve any obstacle you have in your way. Likewise you are able to utilize the contacts and credibility of others in your team to reach the highest of your goals fast.

You may wonder how you will fit in with a group of people you don't know. That's a viable question. One part of our unique process is the built in methodology which enables you to identify your own key successes in life to date and to let others help you identify your unique talents quickly and easily. In doing so, they quickly bond with you and visa versa so that your team platform is solidly and effectively built from the first phone meeting.

We would love to have you (and the people you care about) join in this adventure to success. The cost for this 90-day program is included in the $14.97 monthly membership- that's only $3.74 per session, less than a Starbuck's coffee, and you get propelled to your financial goal. And it's cancelable any time if satisfaction is not achieved. How's that for a guarantee!!!

To sign up to join a Prosperity Team™, click here.

WANT EVEN MORE SUPPORT? What if you have a group of friends and colleagues who you would like to propel to a whole new level? We can even help you start your own Prosperity Team™!!!.

As Connie Kadansky, member from Phoenix said, "I brought in 3 friends and colleagues because it intensifies the fun and energy of the group. More importantly, we can support each other between sessions by referring to the Prosperity Exercises even if we are on different Prosperity Teams™."

If you want to bring friends and colleagues in to support you, just have them click here or you can Email Liz@WomenForWealth.com for more information.

A Different Kind of Mastermind

from Liz Uible

I am sitting here watching the sunrise in Sedona, Arizona, where my mastermind group is currently having our retreat. (Being the only person from the East Coast, I can wake up at what feels like a perfectly reasonable hour and still beat everyone else up by a couple hours! So I can get a lot of outside work done.)

I am sitting here reflecting on how impressive this group of women really is in my life. I feel incredible gratitude for their influence and love in my life. They love me for who I am today and where I am going tomorrow. They support me in creating the financial life I plan for, and they stretch me to be more of myself than I sometimes dare. I never before had a group of female friends/colleagues who are so totally supportive and loving and helpful in making my dreams a reality. And I never imagined that I would have a group of supporters and friends like this. It is quite a gift and I am very grateful.

What we are doing in person is simply a deeper level of what we do on our weekly calls. We are going over our goals for the year and also for the long-term. We are giving contacts and support for what we are each creating, and we are stretching we each other to think bigger than we have dared before, whether financially, in relationships, in business, or other endeavors, we help each person in the group see herself as we already see her. And in doing so, we are each fed an extraordinary amount.

Christine and I really wanted to bring that bond, that mutual commitment to other successful women around the world. That is why we created Prosperity Teams™. In our weekly Prosperity Team™, which Christine and I participate in, we run a fast-paced, exciting mastermind-on-steroids… or would that be a mastermind-on-estrogen???

New groups form every month and are designed to make your goals a reality faster than you can imagine while creating a team of successful women supporting you in what you are doing. It is extraordinary! Checkout our latest article on Prosperity Teams at womenforwealth.com free articles or by following this link to learn more about our cutting-edge mastermind concept.

A Woman Can Do ANYTHING!

from Christine Harvey

Recently a friend’s daughter asked her, “Mom, can a woman be President of America?” My friend replied, “Of course,” at which point she went to her book case and pulled down a copy of my book, Can a Girl Run for President? “Here,” she said, “this is written for grow-ups, but I’ll read it with you.” And she proceeded to read her daughter the success stories of women around the world.

That woman has the right perspective. Here’s a question for YOU. Who are the women and girls in your life who are important to you? And more importantly, how are you mentoring such that they know a girl can do anything?

A few weeks ago I was in Rwanda and had the privilege of addressing women in Parliament. We were asked how we got started in our career and I told them this story. When I was about seven, my father took me to visit a friend of his at his home. I was amazed when I walked in the front door, because there in the living room was the friend’s wife – she was surrounded with bricks, and she said to me, “I’m building a fireplace!”

Well, that day changed my life forever. I had never seen a woman building anything before. In my seven year old mind, those creations were reserved for men. At that moment I said to myself, “If a woman can build a fireplace, a woman can do anything!”

What messages are you giving YOURSELF, as well as the girls and women in your life? I heard a secretary on an elevator say, “Oh, I wouldn’t have my boss’s job for anything – there’s too much worry and responsibility.” And yet I noticed that she worried and fretted as much as he did, and made half the salary. Are the things you say, and the things you do, compatible with what you want to see in the world?

How seriously do you take yourself? Do you live into your vision? Does your wardrobe reflect the position you aim for? Are your friends moving in the same direction as you seek to move? If you are married, do you allow yourself as much downtime to rejuvenate as you expect for your spouse? Those are just some of the questions you can ask to assess how well you walk your talk in terms of gender equality.

30 Second Focus Tip: Remember that how you project yourself, will affect your progress toward your goals. It will also affect the future generation and the people around you now. Take 30 seconds now and decide what you will do. What can you change, in words or deeds, to bring yourself more in line with your REAL POTENTIAL, remembering that YOU AS A WOMAN CAN DO ANYTHING!

PS…Who do you know with great potential? A colleague, a friend, a daughter or family member? Why not tell them about our membership and these support tools for advancement? They can try out the : www.WomenforWealth.com/wbsc.htm membership today. Tell them that they can get tremendous value through emails and through phone conferences, - all without leaving their home or desk - AND if they aren't absolutely thrilled with the value, we (the Founders - Christine Harvey and Liz Uible) will stop their membership and give them a full refund. We’ll even give them a $50 credit off any of our tele-seminar training packages priced at $100 or more, if they are not fully satisfied.. How’s that for a guarantee? Why not invite them to join us and discover what’s possible for their lives? Remember, success is achieved through the people we surround ourselves with. Let’s work together on the mind set and principles of wealth building!

The Ant and Elephan Day 4: Expecting the Unexpected

from Theresa Trumpelmann, Member

Life is full of opportunities. With every sunset, there will be a new tomorrow, with choices and opportunities for us. What a great way to end each day by asking “What choices would tomorrow offer?”

As expected, and I’m sure you’ve noticed through the last week, that changing ingrained habits is easier said than done!

Let me share with you the technique of Brio, the wise old Owl, to get your elephant (subconscious) to change direction. It is an amazing strategy for building and strengthening your confidence and sense of control. There is one condition for sharing this technique, however: you need to be 100% committed to reaching your goal.

Are you willing to redefine commitment and take it to a level of maturity and action beyond anything you’ve ever known? You see, we can reach a level of commitment and discover there’s still more we can do. You can always dig deeper. Promise yourself – that when you think you’ve done all can possibly do, you’ll dig even deeper into your core. Are you ready to do whatever it takes?

Being committed to a task means, in effect, being committed to the process of commitment. If you’ve said “YES!” (not “yes”) then we can take notes…

We often not only underestimate our elephant, but we also underestimate ourselves as leaders. Take a moment to go over what we’ve learned so far. Take a step back to review, but also to appreciate what you’ve discovered last week.

Make fear your friend, not your master. You don’t know what you don’t know.

- you clarified your vision

- you discovered that your fear can stop you or move you forward

- you learned to use fear to your advantage

- you opened up to the possibility that you don’t know what you don’t know

- you decided what your goal would be and

- you prepared yourself to take the necessary steps to reach your goal

Zero in on a goal that has depth of meaning. The journey has to be worth taking.

- after identifying your goal, you defined your core reasons why it is important to you

- you learned how to reach your core reasons by asking “why” until you have depth of meaning to your answer and you cannot go further and

- you learned that if the journey does not mean anything to you, there would be no reason to pursue it – a clarified vision and an emotional investment is needed to make the commitment to achieve your goal

ACTION STEP 1
You learned that you have to find your “elephant buzz”, the emotion that ignites the vision. Inspire your team through emotion. Never underestimate the power of emotion.

Commit to cultivate positive, dominant thoughts.
Shift beliefs, attitudes and truths to align with your vision. Envision having the goal rather than merely wanting the goal.

- you’ve realised how important your thoughts and actions are to your sub-conscious

- you made a commitment to nurturing positive dominant thoughts and lead & direct your elephant through beliefs, attitudes and truths that are in sync with your goal

- you’ve discovered that there is a big difference between wanting and having something, always envision having something

ACTION STEP 2

Stay the course. Change is gradual. Remember the ‘Drops in the Bucket’ to avoid frustration. Learn to delay gratification.

Experience your future with gratitude as if it were happening right now. Show gratitude consistently.

- not only did you learn to have a visual, constant reminder of your goal, but also to be grateful (the magic ingredient)

- you experienced your vision and thank yourself and your team mate (elephant) for having reached the goal

ACTION STEP 3
Use visual reminders, tied with emotions that will align your goal with that of your elephant’s. You’ll gravitate towards your current dominant thought and you’ll come to believe this to be true.

Strengthen confidence. Frustration will lead to negative thoughts, which will fuel more negativity. This negativity can be a pattern that destroys confidence. No two thoughts can occupy the mind at the same time. Replace negativity with positive, confident thoughts.

- in our most recent lesson, we wrote about how negative patterns can erode your confidence, and without confidence you won’t be able to stay the course and realize your objective

- you learned how to break that negative cycle by reminding yourself that only one thought can occupy your mind at a time and break that thought pattern

ACTION STEP 4
Institute pattern busters. Once you recognise yourself (or your team) playing out the pattern of negativity, interrupt the pattern by saying “Thank you, but that is not part of my vision. My vision is…” Experience the vision in full detail.

With this last action step, you discovered a way to redirect your thinking with a positive twist, stopping negative thoughts in their tracks!

If you look at this list, it is astonishing how much you’ve covered over the last week!

The Ant and Elephant: Experiencing and Expressing Gratitude

THE ANT AND THE ELEPHANT: Day 3
from Theresa Trumpelmann, WomenforWealth.com Member

This is surely for Christine. When I think of her, I think of the word GRATITUDE.

For me, the word Gratitude goes hand in hand with JOY. You cannot have one with out the other.

We need a couple of triggers to assist us on staying focussed on our goals. It can be anything. The ant, Adir, became obsessed with seeing and collecting gold dots of pollen, reminding him of his dream to get to the oasis.

What can you come up with?
It needs to be visual, and constantly in front of your eyes. It needs to remind you strongly of your goal.

I often choose a card with my dreams, goals and affirmations on to read and re-read during the day. Sometimes I choose a visual colourful item and stick it onto my rear-view mirror in the car.
But why then do we still get distracted? We have all our reminders and aids, and see it repeatedly, but why do we still drift?

The answer lies in a pearl of wisdom: Now. Gratitude. Experience.

Experience your dream in the NOW - right now. The present tense gives definite meaning to your subconscious mind.

But you still need the MAGIC ingredient: gratitude.
If you experience and express gratitude, you'll be able to keep your "elephant" (subconscious) on track. Not only repeating a new truth, but also reinforcing it.

Write down you dream and vision, with gratitude, as if you've already achieved is right now. Remember to include your emotions and senses

Sometimes we have to slow down to go faster. Take time to re- enforce your dream. Regularly. Get good at it. We have to work "Heads Up and Heads down." Visualise and then implement.


Lesson 3: Constantly focus on performance
- Experience the goal as though it were happening right now
- how your gratitude consistently

ACTION STEP: Use visual reminders. These triggers should have emotions tied to them. It must align with your subconscious mind.



**********************************************************
About the above:
As many of you know, Theresa Trumpelmann is a member from South Africa who has offered to lead the whole group through a book she found useful in her leadership development and in the building of her own business. The book is The Ant and the Elephant by Vince Poscente.

Over the next 2 weeks, she will walk us through studying the book via email. This will culminate in a call in which we can all share the impact.

That call will take place on Saturday morning, August 18th at 8am Pacific/11am Eastern and 5pm South Africa time.

The Ant and Elephant: Creating Positive Dominant Thoughts

The Ant and the Elephant Day 2
from Theresa Trumpelmann, Member

How often do we start off with a bang, full of enthusiasm and energy, filled with our vision of a goal we set out to achieve… and somehow we slip into old habits, not knowing when we started slipping; except for the fact that we have a nagging feeling of going in the wrong direction and a familiar feeling of frustration.

Implementing new ideas and a new direction takes focus and patience. And, being human, we easily get disillusioned with our dreams and goals. Not connecting with our dreams will make one feel frustrated.

Oh, how many times have I felt like that, and the more I realize that I’m frustrated with myself and not being able to stay focused, the angrier I get! We can get so trapped in our thoughts that we can slip into a depressed state, if not paying attention.

(Tip: use the Ladder of Emotional States that Christine emailed from “Ask and it is given”, to help move up a notch at a time).

A good idea is to learn to recognize and catch the negative thought before it becomes a giant.

We need to firstly appreciate our struggle, for without conflict, there is no growth. And the most challenging conflict is within ourselves. To look at ourselves objectively is nearly impossible without some help from a mentor. (Thank you, Christine and Liz for your Focus Tips and inspiration as mentors!)

Here is a great analogy to understand how to train your habits: The Drops in the Bucket concept from The Ant and the Elephant.

Imagine a bucket full of clear water, and our goal is to turn the clear water blue, but we can only use one blue ink drop a day. We need to remember that the process will take time and consistency. At first it will seem as if there is no change at all. We cannot miss one day, for we cannot catch up lost time.

Leadership does not happen in one day, but one day at a time.

We live in a world of instant gratification (instant food, instant television, instant payments, instant internet access etc.), but we need to fight that pressure and remember that the worthiest goals take time and energy. Sometimes if feels like a drop in the bucket can’t possibly change the color of the whole bucket, but if we stay the course, it actually will.

Stay the course. Change is gradual.
The Truth of my thoughts will rub off on my subconscious mind. To change and keep my thoughts, I have to work daily at visualising my dream, like adding drops of blue to the bucket daily.

As you gain momentum in visualizing your dreams daily and create emotion around them (see yesterday’s focus tip) the ‘bucket’ will gradually become visibly blue- and you will be able to see and difference in your own life.

Our beliefs, attitudes and truths can lift us up or drag us down. If you can create a truth that is in line with your vision you are a great step closer to connecting with your dream. Choose your beliefs, attitudes and truths carefully.

Focus on HAVING (not WANTING) something and you’ll eventually have it.

Lesson 2: Commit to cultivating positive dominant thoughts.

• Shift beliefs, attitudes and truths so they align with your vision
• Envision having the goal, rather than merely wanting the goal. Spend a few minutes on daily focus.
• Your subconscious beliefs, attitudes and truths can be deeply held. You can change it with dedicated, focussed effort.

The Ant and the Elephant Day 1

As many of you know, Theresa Trumpelmann is a WomenforWealth.com member from South Africa who has offered to lead the whole group through a book she found useful in her leadership development and in the building of her own business. The book is The Ant and the Elephant by Vince Poscente.

Over the next two weeks, she will walk us through studying the book via email. This will culminate in a call where we can all share verbally, the impact.

That call will take place on Saturday morning, August 18th at 8am Pacific/11am Eastern and 5pm South Africa time. The following is Lesson #1 and will act as a study guide for the first part of the book. You will get several more of these lessons by Theresa before the call with action guides to implement the lessons into your life and business today. We recommend you order this little book and read it in preparation for the call Saturday the 18th.

The Ant and the Elephant by Vince Poscente

Leadership for the self

from Theresa Trumpelmann

Lesson 1: Why? Zero in on a dream that has depth of meaning. The journey has to be worth taking.

To get to your dreams and goals, you must first learn to guide

your subconscious mind. You need harmony between your conscious and subconscious minds so that they travel in the same direction.

Before you start a journey, you must know why the journey is

worth the effort it will take to get you there. Your CORE – the

answer to your WHY – will remain pretty constant throughout your

life. It is essential to your happiness. It will keep you moving

forward even if your elephant, or subconscious, wants to go the

opposite direction. Your WHY is as important as your Dream/Goal

because it is what is behind the dream.

Start with this simple question: What is most important to you?

So, what’s at the CORE of your being, what’s inside of you?

What is important to you, and what is in your heart… for this is

where you start the journey to your dreams.

To discover this, you simply need to ask yourself the question

“WHY?” When you can’t ask yourself “why” any further, you’ve

reached your CORE. (If you goal is to grow your business to $10

million in revenue per year, then ask “why?” Maybe the answer

is “to provide for my family.” Then ask “why?” again. And so on

until you get to the core of the matter.)

Or, Think about what you love to do most. Then ask yourself why

you love it.

Lesson 2: Clarify your vision.

To dig a little deeper, one must learn to harness the power of

emotions. Find that very deep emotion that will send a shudder

through your whole body, once awakened. That dream or goal that

brings tears to your eyes when you think about it.

Find the emotion that ignites the vision. Inspire yourself and

your team through emotion. Never underestimate the power

of emotion.

Practical tip to find the emotion behind your Dream:

Describe your Dream or Goal.

Be specific, describe details how you would EXPERIENCE your

dream. Make sure you include all 5 your senses in your

description. Create a clear vision – see, taste, smell, hear,

experience the feelings and connect with your Dream, as if you

are there RIGHT NOW!

If your thoughts and Dreams match up with something important to

your Elephant (subconscious) you will have the powerful effect of

teamwork, your conscious and subconscious minds moving in the

same direction. Pay careful attention to what energize your

Elephant, what makes her excited, learn to recognize the feeling

– it is important to practice this harmonious alignment. (See

The Ant and the Elephant for more on this harmonious relationship.)

What to do in the next couple of days…

1. Start paying attention to your sub-conscious mind, what

energize you subconsciously, what drives you, what decreases your

energy and where do you get stuck and frustrated.

2. Stop when you feel stressed and find your fears. What are

you scared of and what stops you from moving forward? Sometimes

it is little things that hold you back from big dreams, but once

you know what you are afraid of, it can be placed into

perspective. You might get mastermind group to work through this

step together.

3. Find your CORE, your WHY.

What is your next goal, your Dream? Why is that important to you?

Why is that so important, etc.

How would that make you feel when you achieve it?

Ask “And then what?” to prod a little deeper.

Write this down and see if you get 2 or 3 CORE experiences.

4. Connect your WHY with your EMOTIONS by writing down your

DREAM, envision it with all your senses. Experience it as if you

are there right now.

Also, don’t miss the Member Call Tuesday, August 7^th at 6 Pacific, 9 Eastern (That’s 3am in South Africa). Overcome Obstacles and Keep Focus on the Solution: Strategies for changing your focus and growing your business.

Convenience Integrity Can Bite You

Have you ever reflected on how ‘convenience integrity’ comes back to bite you?

I woke up this morning with a nagging feeling. I realized that twice this year I’ve hired subcontractors in my different businesses that I knew were not up to the job. In fact whenever I’ve ‘settled’ on a person who seemed to be under qualified, it was because my mind told me that there was no one out there who was perfectly suited for the job. AND this ‘convenience integrity’ doesn’t stop here – it happens in personal life too.

What I realize in reflection, is that the perfect person, meeting all the integrity requirements, was there all the time, and it was only my attitude of scarcity that blocked me from connecting with them.

That’s what I mean by CONVENIENCE INTEGRITY. That’s when you make a decision to do something despite your better judgment. You talk yourself into something by saying “Oh well, it’s probably not going to be a problem.” Maybe someone asks you to do something – like take on a volunteer position - and you agree, knowing in your heart that it’s not a perfect fit for you. Or maybe you have an invitation to do something with a group and there are signs that the group and you have different moral values - but you do it anyway because there seems to be an opportunity in it for you, and you ignore the future downside of those different moral values, and later it comes back to bite you.

I remember a friend of mine who was having horrible problems with an associate. The associate had a volatile personality in the office, but was fun loving at parties. Because she had met him at a party and saw his fun loving side first, she choose to ignore the signs of his volatility, and engaged his services anyway. Ignoring that cost her thousands of dollars and sleepless nights. It also cost her friends grief as she continued to ignore the downside of working with him, spilling her complaints onto her friends, and entangling them in her scenarios with him.

Or maybe, as I’ve done, you hire someone who gives signs of not working out, but your mind tells you that need them desperately. So you talk yourself into the shortcut of hiring them, rather than to look further for the right person. That’s ‘convenience integrity.’ It’s against your personal integrity. That nagging feeling is there but you choose to ignore it. You do it because it’s convenient for you at that moment. You do it saying, “Oh I’m sure there won’t be any problems,” while deep within you, you know differently.

An interesting point was made to me many years ago, and it was this: “When things start out badly with someone, they rarely get better.” Keeping that in mind has helped me numerous times. Everyone has different values and standards of integrity. By listening to our own better judgment and connecting with people of the highest standards of integrity, we can impact the world in the most positive way.

Here’s an example of integrity with ones self and courage you might want to consider. A friend of mine decided some years ago that most of her friends were of a negative mindset. She decided she needed to be surrounded by positive friends, and immediately acquired a new set of friends with a positive mindset. She didn’t block herself with a scarcity mindset by saying things like, “All people have some negativity, so I’d better stick with the friend I have.” No, she opened her mind to the possibility that people existed of her mindset, and immediately they appeared.

THREE-SECOND FOCUS TIP: Think now of any niggling situations with people in your life – things that perhaps make you toss and turn at night. You can’t quite get a handle on it, but it’s there gnawing away at you. Now think of that person in question. Were there signs you ignored about integrity differences? Or signs of incompetence? Or moral value differences?

By settling on these relationships, we compromise our own personal integrity, and we block possibilities for the world. Decide now – as my friend did above in acquiring a whole new set of friends, what you can do to change your situation, then promise yourself to listen to your own personal integrity next time. When you do, you’ll be operating at you highest level. Then you and the world will benefit from collective integrity.

From WomenforWealth.com … For over 80 articles on business, personal and community empowerment, go to www.WomenForWealth.com

Handling Disfunction Can Propel You into the Billionaire Zone

from Christine Harvey

Most of us don't need help when things are going well.

But what do we do when things are going badly? Do we stew over it or do we have a plan in place, a method for handling each type of difficult situation?

Let's look at Billionaires for a moment. Do you think they could have built their empires without being able to confront an employee about a bad behavior? Or confront a supplier about an integrity issue? Or confront a business partner about a niggling disagreement? Of course not.

Here's an example. Recently Warren Buffet gave Bill and Melinda Gates billions of dollars to administer through their foundation at Microsoft. Wouldn't you like knowing that people have enough trust in you to give you billions to invest or control? Billionaires get where they are today by developing skills for handling ALL situations, not just the easy ones.

So if that's where we want to get financially, shouldn't we all be learning about how to handle dysfunction in ourselves and others? Of course we should, but we get so busy with 'everyday pressures' that we don't focus on getting answers to the development of these two critical strengths.

First we need to identify the areas we want to develop. The easiest way to do this is to look at what makes you stressed. Do you stress out over wanting to tell someone that things didn't go well, and you want to see it go differently next time? If so, presto - you've identified an area needing a methodology that works, so you can propel yourself to the Billionaire Zone.

Focus Tip for Today: Pay attention to what seems difficult or niggling in your life today. See what you stew over. If all goes well today, then watch for one tomorrow. By the end of the week, you're sure to find several. Jot them down. Then watch how other people handle those same situations. Some will handle them well. Others will not. It's the good role models that you want to follow. When you see someone handle it well, jot that down too. Then you'll have your own blueprint and methodologies started for moving into the Billionaire Zone.

FOCUS

from Liz Uible

Leigh, a WomenForWealth.com member, was telling me last week about Robert Kiyosaki's "FOCUS- Follow One Course Until Successful." As she pointed out, obstacles are overcome and objections melt away when focus is combined with determination, as in Kiyosaki's formula, above.

And that is where so many entrepreneurial minds get hung up. Instead of "following one course until successful," sometimes we follow-one-course-until-another-looks-better and then keep-on- that-course-until-another-interesting-business-idea-comes-along.

If that doesn't sound familiar to you, Congratulations.

I am continually amazed by how many entrepreneurs, myself included, create confusion, chaos and mediocrity in our lives simply by forgetting the original course and following bunny trails instead.

Follow One Course Until Successful applies to all areas of business.

Investing in Real Estate? A focus helps you learn a niche and talk with agents, sellers and other leads without confusing yourself or feeling overwhelmed.

Running a business? Do it without a Business Plan or 'Focus,' and it is like throwing darts in the dark... no telling what you will hit.

Training Employees? Choosing a course for them and sticking with it will help your employees be stable and effective.

Raising a family? Ditto.

Sometimes people resist creating a plan for fear that it will stifle their creativity or take too much time. I have certainly been guilty of this at different times in my business and investing. In reality, a business plan allows the details of running a business to be covered so that you can release your creativity in totally unexpected ways.

At WomenForWealth.com, a basic business plan has allowed Christine and me to have fewer meetings and to have the flexibility to do off-the-wall-creative adventures and know that our business is on track. FOCUS creates space for creativity.

That's why we are leaving for East Africa on Saturday... Stay tuned, this will be fun!

Opportunity in Disguise

from Liz Uible

"Every trial is an opportunity in disguise; do not let it slip by un-mastered. Boldly take away its mask, and you will be glad that you have this problem to solve. What was before looked upon with fear and trembling, will present brighter aspects to you; and you will be pleased with what you now account a misfortune."
-Our Invisible Supply: How to Obtain by Frances Larimer Warner

This is the kind of wisdom that I like to type up, print out and post near my desk because I know it will be useful often.

Being the kind of people we are- business owners, or investors and people who are committed to growth, this applies to us all- probably several times a day.

Reread the above quote a couple of times. What trial are you going through right now? What area feels like a monster in your business life? By 'taking away its mask' and seeing a trial as an opportunity to master an area, we not only give ourselves permission to grow, but reduce the size and scope of the problem itself and build a better foundation for our business future.

When you are willing to re-frame your 'problem' as an 'opportunity in disguise,' you begin to you begin to make the problem smaller. You collect the resources to master the opportunity and build an asset moving forward. And in doing so, you remove the blame from the situation giving it space to morph into an opportunity.

And we all like opportunity!

***One way I re-frame trials as 'opportunities in disguise' is with my Prosperity Team(TM). WomenforWealth.com Prosperity Teams are forming now. Also, new groups for those investing in commercial real estate and for those focused on building a business are also being created (please email me if you are interested). Join our membership program now and get access to great people and information

THE SURVIVAL OF MARRIAGE

from Christine Harvey

Have you ever wondered why some marriages last and others don’t?

I do, and so I surveyed people married over 27 years with this question:
“What would your advice be to a young couple just getting started in marriage, for how to have a long and happy life together?”

The answers were so good that I wanted to share them with you:

1. Grace – “To receive give and receive forgiveness.”

2. Reciprocal understanding – “When your partner expresses a need or desire, always turn it around in you mind and think of it as your own need. Have tolerance for that need, whether it is a ball game you don’t really want to attend, or a perceived hurt of some kind.”

3. Love – “I always try to remember my love for my partner, even during an argument. It helps to take my mind and feelings back to when we first met.”

What jumps out for you as you read these? What could you apply in your life today? Aren’t these also great answers to dealing with any one in life? In fact, is it not possible that the original question I asked:

“What would your advice be to a young couple just getting started in marriage, for how to have a long and happy life together?”

…could just as easily been:

“What would your advice be to anyone who wants to have a happy life, with regard to their relationship with people?”

Hum, something to ponder.

Focus Tip for Today: Determine that you will have a better life today. Decide which mindset will you implement immediately- grace, reciprocal understanding and/or love?

Overcoming Overwhelm Part II

From Liz Uible Yesterday I wrote about how Christine and I developed our Strategic Plan for WomenforWealth.com. Now let's talk about how to apply those principles to our lives as a whole, business and personal. Beth Walkup told us "the point of strategic planning is to choose the 3-5 areas of business that will make the biggest difference in your business over the next 3-5 years and to focus your time and resources on those few areas." In an institution (or a life) in which the number of projects overshadow the amount of time to complete them, a true strategic plan can be a useful thing to have. It brings clarity to a list of stuff that needs to be done. It's not just about clarifying your vision for the future and creating a framework around it, but it is about seeing where the leverage points create the vision faster and with more joy. And that is something we can all do. Priorities differentiate successful people from those who are consistently 'overwhelmed.' Create a Strategic Plan (or Priorities) I invite you to take this challenge with me this today and over the weekend. This will take 30 minutes or so to create, but will be an invaluable tool in avoiding overwhelm. Remember, priorities allow us a level of sanity we don't get doing everything. Write out all the things you are spending time on (you can do this for our business and for your life in general). Do those activities fall in to a bunch of different categories? I came up with ten for me, including my relationship with my husband and family, growing my businesses and charitable works, and I am sure there are others. Now, what are your goals for each area and what are the leverage points to get there over the next 3-5 years? Do this for each area. (If you already have business and personal goals that are comprehensive, you may be able to use those 10 or so categories.) Take a look at this list you just made. What 3 or 4 specific areas will create the most result over the next 3 years? This is the beginning of your strategic plan. Put a star next to those 3 areas. If instead of trying to do everything, you instead focused your time and money on these 3 areas, your results will be achieved. Now let me be clear. I am not saying to ignore the rest of your life and business. As Beth taught Christine and me, the power of a strategic plan is that if you focus time on the leverage areas you get the greatest result. Then the less peak time, of other fragments of time can be spent on the areas that are not high leverage, but just 'need to be done.'. This allows us a set of clear priorities that we have set up in advance so that we can make choices about what to focus on in the moment- guilt-free. And that is a beautiful thing. On the Member Call Tuesday I am going to walk through this exercise further. We will identify choices you can make in advance to decrease overwhelm and allow you the feeling of freedom in pursuing your goals. The Member Call is Tuesday, June 26th at 6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern.

Overcoming Overwhelm I

from Liz Uible

Last week, Christine and I met for three and a half days focused entirely on strategic planning for WomenforWealth.com. We thought about the community we are creating, the impact we want to have on people’s lives and businesses and how we wanted to feel about the work we do on a daily basis.

We categorized the different areas of our business and became clear about what each of us liked and didn’t like about each one. We looked at where we want to be in one year based on all those goals we set out. And we looked at what we needed to do this quarter in order to have those results we want next year.

It was a great exercise, but we found ourselves still feeling overwhelmed. “How can we keep doing all the things we want to do without ignoring the things we feel we have to do?” we wondered. We were now had an overwhelming plan. Do you ever feel that way?

And then something fortuitous happened- a voice of sanity in the form of Christine’s friend dropping by.

Beth Walkup, whom we had interviewed as part of Motivation Marathon last winter is a fantastic, generous, active business person who has lots of experience with business and non-profit strategic planning. We told her we had created a 9-part strategic plan that is bound for great things.

Then Beth said something that seemed profound:
“But ladies,” she said, “strategic planning is about choosing the areas that you will focus on most, not choosing everything!”

We looked at each other a little stunned, so she went on. “The point of strategic planning is to choose the 3-5 areas of business that will make the biggest difference in your business over the next 3-5 years and to focus your time and resources on those few areas.”

“The way you measure if you are following through on the plan is to look and the time and resources you are putting into the business. If the majority is spent on your strategic areas, then you are in good shape,” she explained.

And something inside me smiled.

The point was that everything does not have to have the same priority. In fact, it shouldn’t. Priorities allow us sanity. Priorities differentiate the successful people from those who are consistently ‘overwhelmed.’

If you have your priorities already set out, you have a track to run on. In other words, instead of having two to-dos on the list and doing both halfway, you can easily see which one is important to your long-term objectives and the other can wait.

**What are the priority areas in your life and business?**

Tomorrow, we I'll talk about creating a priority system that works for you and your priorities. Then you can achieve the results you want and stay out of overwhelm while achieving your goals! We will begin to create your Personal Strategic Plan.

And you can bet we will be talking about this more on the Member Call next Tuesday, June 26^th at
6pm Pacific, 9pm Eastern.