MMV: Silva Method - What is the Silva Method?

MMV: Love the Haters - Barbie Figueroa

MMV: Achieving Your Goals - Dean Lindsay

MMV: Tom Hopkins - Attitude is Everything

MMV: The Power of Goal Setting - Early to Rise

MMV: Tony Robbins - How to Focus

MMV: Morning Ritual - Stefan Pylarinos

MMV: What do you really want - Alan Watts helps you ponder

MMV: Overcoming Adveristy - a mouse's view

Sorry I couldn't resist.

Thought for Thursday - slow down to speed up

You may have noticed a recent lack of posts - there's a reason for this.

I've personally begun to narrow my focus and that narrowing has led to reducing the amount of time I spend on this blog.

Hopefully this will be a temporary change and the regular posts will continue in the near future.

At this point though I need to slow down, reflect and then speed up again.

MMV: Achieving your Dreams - Kimberly Bohannon

Brand Yourself - By Lajuan Stoxstill-Diggs

Now is a good time to brand yourself and online marketing is the way to go. The internet has made it possible for us as motivated entrepreneurs to reach millions of prospective clients with one click. Depending on your line of business, you have the option of local, regional, national and international marketing. With my book The Craigslist Hustle, I have the opportunity to reach customers on an international level thanks to the internet. I use a program called Aweber (www.awber.com) that allows me to collect the email addresses of individuals who visit my site (http://www.mrcraigslisthustle.com). With this information, I am able to keep my customers up to date with the all I have going on as Mr. Craigslist Hustle.  Now the fall season is upon us and Halloween is right around the corner. Use this time to incorporate various themes in your internet marketing. Send email blasts, create blogs, or make YouTube videos, all with fall or Halloween themes and send them out to your customers thanking them for their business. Word of mouth is always the best way to create business and one way you can accomplish this is with a strong internet presence. Take advantage of your free resources such as email, blog sites, YouTube, etc, and as you start to produce income then you can look to spending money towards your internet marketing. With the government shutdown and an unstable economy now is a great time to get motivated and get moving. Be blessed in your upcoming endeavors and I pray this information has motivated you!

Born and raised in Nashville, TN, LaJuan is a father, husband and entrepreneur with the desire to help others succeed. Taking his experiences working in customer service for over 10 years and making a lucrative income from buying and selling online, LaJuan has helped people all around the world with his self help books. Seeing how his family and friends were surprised at how easily he could make money on Craigslist, LaJuan was inspired to sit and write The Craigslist Hustle.

MMV: Jack Canfield - Instead Of Complaining, Do this...

(ToT) Thought on Thursday: Obsession to win

I was never a big sports fan growing up, to be honest I'm not that big of a sports fan right now.

However, I will admit that I am impressed by the dedication and obsession of the world's greatest sports figures.

This recent article about future Football Hall of Famer - Peyton Manning - gives a glimpse into what it takes to become a champion.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--football-thursday--colts-can-tell-you-how-really-meticulous--obsessive-peyton-manning-can-get-034654197.html

But other greats are equally obsessive.

Michael Jordan obsessed over how to improve when he didn't make varsity in High School.

I imagine Pele practiced a little bit longer than his competition dared to dream of.

It takes a little bit more to be the best. It take a bit of obsession to win.

Question are you as obsessed as your competition? 

It's fall time to find your rythm - By Savannah Steinberg

If you connect to nature, it is dynamic , it's alive, it's constantly changing and constantly expanding. The waves of the sea come in and go out.. There is consistency in its constant renewal and expansion. If you look at how many of us live our lives, we have fallen out of touch with the natural rhythm and flow of life. Many of us feel like we are on this perpetual hamster wheel and we are just running and running and in this we seldom take time to press pause and connect with:

Where am I in my life? 

Is this still where I want to be going?

How can I best use the energy of the season I am going into? 

What is it asking of me?

What can I shift to move with the natural flow of life? 

Fall is the time where nature is busy getting ready for the next phase which is still and quiet, where it's about turning inwards and recharging. Look at your life, how can you be in flow with nature right now, what can you shed, what can you let go, clear out? Look at all aspects of your life, physically, mentally, friends, relationships, material objects, anything that is draining you or zapping your energy. Now is the time to shed all the layers that are not necessary anymore, and that won't serve you going forward. When we do this, we provide the space for the new to enter.

Ms. Steinberg began her studies with a year in Ayurveda and Iridology. Se went on to study Brand Communications through Vega, School of Advertising, there after she completed my Degree in Bachelor of Commerce specializing in Strategic Brand Management. She is a qualified as an NLP Master Practitioner through Advanced Human technologies. She is also an Associate of CCI, Creative Consciousness international. savannahsteinberg.com

MMV: Fight for your dreams - Krispy Kreme

Despite the tears - this kid speaks truth

Thought on Thursday - Take a break

I was just listening to an audiobook that reconfirmed what many already know. Americans are some of the most overworked people in the world.

We tend to skip our vacation days or aren't given enough vacation so that we can work harder.

I mention this mainly to say I give you permission if you feel overworked, stressed or even if you don't take a break.

Stare at the sky.

Go into your room and close the door.

Shut off the TV and read a funny book or blog.

Take a Chill pill.

Right after that you can go back to the grind. Don't worry. It's not going anywhere.

#1 tip to get fit - By Jason Yun

I want to talk to you today about progress.

More specifically-- taking it one thing at a time.

To start especially--- just take it one thing at a time. As you get better then you can add things.

But if you find it hard to start something and see it all the way through then the one thing at a time rule is definitely your best bet.

For instance- this is the era known as being busy and being stressed :)

Now both of those things don't equate to being productive. Anybody can be busy.

But let's take it to nutrition for an example:

Jill has two kids in elementary school, she is a single mom who really just focuses on taking care of kids, especially in the morning. She makes sure they have a good breakfast ready to go when they come downstairs before school.
 Unfortunately, she doesn't make enough time for herself to eat the breakfast she just cooked, so she usually just skips it or grabs something unhealthy like a breakfast bar, or a pop tart or something.
 She knows how important it is to get a good breakfast, she used to be a track and field superstar in college. But now it's different, and she feels it in her energy all day long. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

What can she do?

One thing at a time.....

Eat breakfast. Simple enough, but in reality for someone who has been doing something unhealthy for so long it's actually pretty hard to do. It's the habit loop--- Trigger>Routine>Reward.

The trigger in this case is wake up and got to get kids ready for school with a good breakfast in them. Routine is fix breakfast in a rush while they get ready but you don't leave enough time for yourself. Reward is knowing your kids are fed with good wholesome energy and thinking you're a good mom.

But taking care of yourself would make you even better. Make a smoothie the night before, make some portable egg/veggie muffins, make a quick meal replacement shake, get on some online forums and see what other moms pressed for time do for breakfast.

So if she did this, what would happen?

More energy. Better mood. Better performance at work. Better performance at home. Body getting nutrients it needs.

See this is 'One thing at a time' that could lead to a lot more 'THINGS' getting improved upon. Nutrition will do that. So will physical workouts.

Vitamins and minerals are essential. The body can't function properly without them. Do something about it, it will change your life.

So will doing One Thing At A Time.......

I ask you,

What is the biggest thing you want to change about yourself right now?

Figure it out and then figure out the action steps to get there. What is the most important one?

DO THAT!

That is your 'One Thing at a Time'

If you want to share with me let me know, but remember I expect improvement from you :) So get to working!

Jason Yun is the owner of Yun Fitness systems and the Improvement Warrior Fitness . He specializes in helping people “look better naked” Mr. Yun is a graduate of the Ohio State University, with an earned Bachelor’s of Science degree in Sports and Leisure Studies with an emphasis in fitness coaching. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Certified Personal trainer (NSCA-CPT). He also holds the following certifications KBA, CISSN, YFS(1). 

How Actors deal with stage-fright - By Aaron Marcus

 

Aaron Marcus is America's Premier Acting and Modeling Career Coach. He has been making his living as an actor and a commercial model for nearly 3 decades. To date, he has been cast 1,201 times. He is the founder of www.HowToModel.com and the author of How to Become a Successful Commercial Model. Aaron has given over 500 workshops and offers private online coaching sessions 4 days each month.

FEAR - By Corey Poirier

FEAR

By Corey Poirier

With Halloween fast approaching, I thought it an appropriate time to talk about the subject of fear. I was watching the movie Pain and Gain last night and they noted the letters to fear stand for False Evidence Appearing Real. Yet, when people attempt to conquer their fears, more often than not, they The good news is that I have discovered, as a result of over 2500 interviews with high achievers ranging from Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup Co-Creator, Success Principles Author) to T. Harv Eker (Best Selling Author of The Millionaire Mind) to Former World Champion Trish Stratus, one of the surest paths to discovering one’s full potential is through conquering said fears, and as a result, expanding one’s In fact, when organizations hire me to speak at their meetings and conferences, I regularly share that the surest way to reach your true potential is to tackle your fear so that they can begin the process of To give you an example of the impact this has made in my life personally, in 2002, I tackled my greatest fear, public speaking, when I took to the stage to try my hand at stand-up comedy. The experience was far from comfortable. I’m sure the entire set I was covered in sweat, and my heart was racing from the first second until perhaps two hours later.

Yet, after trying, and surviving, my first stand-up performance, I found myself exhilarated. I had in some small way, expanded my comfort zone ever so slightly while also facing a great fear. I hadn’t won the I took the stage again the following week, and the week after that, and, slowly but surely, my fear continued to reduced, even if slightly each time, and my comfort zone expanded slightly until eventually, my comfort zone was perhaps twice the size as it was the first time I took to the stage. The result of this expanded comfort zone was the ability to tackle each additional fear with greater confidence until I was jumping out of a plane despite a fear of heights and surfing in Tofino, BC despite a fear of water, and perhaps most significant, I was crushing my goals in all areas of my personal, and professional, life at a pace I never thought possible.

I can’t promise you that tackling your fears will be easy, few of the great things in life are. It also may require you to take baby steps, but worse than taking baby steps or doing something that may be at first slightly uncomfortable, is regret. After the thousands of interviews mentioned, I can tell you that few things are worse than regret. Perhaps that’s why time and time again, when I have interviewed high achievers who have tackled fear after fear, they reiterate over and over that the only regrets they have are in relation to the risks they didn’t take when they had the chance. That’s why my hope is that you don’t have to live with such regret, and so my challenge to you is that you start taking baby steps in your effort to face your fears.

Whether it be telling someone that you love them, making a sales call to a client you have been fearful of talking to, or making a presentation you have been avoided, I can tell you in each case (because I have personally faced each of those three fears in my own life) that you can face these fears by taking those baby steps, and you will get better as time goes on and it will get much easier…but like me, you won’t Why? Because it’s a step that could lead to you discovering your passion, finding a new career, becoming the biggest and best you possible, meeting the love of your life, launching the business of your dreams…or maybe, just maybe, jumping onto the stage and launching into your very first stand-up set! Whatever baby step you decide to take, here’s to your greater success.



Corey Poirier is an award winning speaker and bestselling author. You can hear his radio show (which has featured everyone from Chalene Johnson of Turbo Jam fame to Dr. David Suzuki to the Iconic Comedian Richard Pryor’s daughter Rain Pryor) at www.conversationswithpassion.com and you can learn more about bringing Corey in to speak at your event at www.coreypoirier.com

N.E.A.T. Ep 6 - Entrepreneur - Mike Renner - What the Rock

Mike Renner is the co-owner (along with his wife) of What The Rock - a unique - Rock & Roll themed store based in Columbus, Ohio. To find out more about his business check out the stores website at: www.whattherock.com/‎ or in person at 1194 N High St Columbus, OH 43201

 http://youtu.be/aHBNjNqbX94

“6 Steps to Give the Impression of Confidence...when you're really afraid." - By Dr. Joyce Knudsen

“Six Steps to how to give the impression of confidence - when you're really afraid." 

Everyone wants to feel confident….under any circumstances, especially when they are fearful to do so. Despite what you may think or feel, nothing will happen to you if you are less than confident!

Believe it or not, even if you “pretend” to be confident, this, in and by itself, will create it!

Here are some pointers about how to give a confident impression.

1) Be funny: People love to laugh. Used appropriately, humor can strengthen your feelings of confidence, authority and control. Actually, being funny can augment your leadership skills. After all, who would you rather work for: Laughing Laura or Boring Brad?

2) Smile: People will usually smile back. Being funny is an acceptable way to talk to people and share a laugh together.

3) Dress with Class: Although clothes don’t make the person, they certainly affect the way they feel about themselves. No one is more conscious of your physical appearance than you are. When you don’t look good, it changes the way you carry yourself and interact with other people. Use this to your advantage by taking care of your personal appearance.

4) Exhibit Good Posture: The way a person carries themselves tells a story. People with slumped shoulders and lethargic movements display a lack of self- confidence. They aren’t enthusiastic about what they’re doing and they don’t consider themselves important. By practicing good posture, you’ll automatically feel more confident. Stand up straight, keep your head up, and make eye contact. You’ll make a positive impression on others and instantly feel more alert and empowered.

5) Compliment other people: In order to break this cycle of low self-confidence,, get in the habit of praising other people. Make an effort to compliment people around you. In the process, you’ll become well liked and build self-confidence. By looking for the best in others, you indirectly bring out the best in yourself.

6) Focus on contribution: People get caught up in what they want and focus too much on “them” and not enough on the needs of other people. If you stop thinking about yourself and concentrate on the contribution you’re making to the rest of the world, you won’t worry as much about you own flaws. This will increase self- confidence and allow you to contribute with maximum efficiency. The more you contribute to the world the more you’ll be rewarded with personal success and recognition.

 Now that you know six ways to improve your confidence in a fearful situation, you will be ready to take the plunge and give that great first impression. By Dr. Joyce M. Knudsen, AICI CIM

ToT - Thought on Thursday - Ozymandias

"IN Egypt's sandy silence, all alone, Stands a gigantic Leg, which far off throws The only shadow that the Desert knows:— "I am great OZYMANDIAS," saith the stone, "The King of Kings; this mighty City shows "The wonders of my hand."— The City's gone,— Nought but the Leg remaining to disclose The site of this forgotten Babylon. We wonder,—and some Hunter may express Wonder like ours, when thro' the wilderness Where London stood, holding the Wolf in chace, He meets some fragment huge, and stops to guess What powerful but unrecorded race Once dwelt in that annihilated place." – By Horace Smith.

 The less famous version of the poem - written by Horace Smith and not Percy Bysshe Shelley.

What does it mean? To me it means, all that we achieve in this life will someday fade away.

All the medals we win will someday become scrap metal.

All the discoveries we find will one day have little association with the founder (who invented fire or the wheel anyway?)

All our great times, adventures and escapades will become first distant memories, then foggy memories and finally when we pass they will be forgotten.

What survives is art. Maybe that's why I've always had a passion for it but, so many years I could have spent perfecting my craft have since turned to dust.

Apparently anything put on the internet will remain forever, but in that far future will anyone find anything interesting to search for on October 3rd, 2013 on the Motivating Minutes blog? Time will only tell - and I won't be holding my breath.

D-E-C-I-D-E, 6 steps to less clutter by Lori Krolik of More Time For You

 D-E-C-I-D-E, Your Path To Less Clutter by Lori Krolik of More Time For You

When it comes to clutter, one of the biggest contributors (be it paper, clothes, or kid’s toys) is your inability to make a decision. Why does the mail keep piling up? Because you are too busy to go through it or you have not made the time to deal with it, so you keep delaying the process. Why are there piles of toys sitting in your living room? Because you have not decided on the proper home for them or you have more than you need and it’s difficult for you to get rid of things. All your “I need to’s” and “I have to’s” are cluttering your mind and stressing you out because you have not decided how to handle them. This is why the clutter is there, because you could not make a decision. Make a decision now and watch those piles disappear!

Don’t Put Off Your Decisions – “Clutter is Postponed Decisions™,” so decide now not later. When you bring something into your home or office, make a decision about where it’s going to live, and put it there. When you’re finished with a project or task, clean up instead of rushing off to the next task. The longer something sits, the less likely you’ll come back to it. And usually what starts as a small clean up job becomes a much bigger one. Make it easier and act now, not later.

Eliminate The Excess – The only way to get rid of your piles is to dive in and sort into keep or toss (which includes recycle, shred, or donate). Get rid of the obvious trash– the broken items, the papers that are no longer relevant, the toys your kids outgrew long ago, etc. Once the excess is eliminated it’s much easier to decide what you are going to do with the items you keep.

Containerize – Keeping like items together makes it easier to find something when you need and it. When you use bins for toys, baskets for school or medical supplies, or dedicated drawers with dividers for tools and household hardware, etc. it’s less like that those items will spread and get out of control. The same goes for paper clutter; in-trays, magazine holders, desktop file holders, and file cabinets are ideal for keeping paper piles from cluttering all the horizontal surfaces in your home or office.

Involve Your Family – In any home, there is usually one person who sets up the systems (I don’t want to generalize here, but it’s usually the woman:-). If you want your home to stay organized, you need to involve your entire family in the process. Show them the bins you set up, label containers so they know where to find things and where to return them, make it easy for them to access the most commonly used items so they can easily return them when not in use. Things won’t always be perfect, but you can quickly recover when everything has a home and everyone knows where things go.

Dedicate a Space – If you truly want to reduce the clutter that surrounds you, everything needs a home. Every item should have a dedicated place to live. The items used more frequently should be easily accessible, while items used less often should be in a garage, attic, or hard to reach cabinet. Look around your home and decide the purpose of every closet, cabinet, drawer, or storage bin. Create a space for the items that belong there, and when they are not in use, that is where those items need to live.

Enjoy Your Success – When the piles are gone and you’re space is lighter from all the trash you took away, you want to celebrate. Treat yourself to an activity you enjoy, invest in a storage piece you’ve always wanted, or relish in the serenity of your newly organized space. You deserve a reward for hard work and a job well done!

©All trademarks and registrations are the property of Barbara Hemphill.

Ms. Krolik, a Certified Productive Environment Specialist and Professional Organizer, is the owner of More Time For You.  She primarily works with residential, SOHO, and small business clients to create systems so that they can find what they need when they need it.  Lori’s 17+ years in the organizing field has resulted in thousands of clients who are more organized and productive as a result of working with her.  She loves helping people to create the space they love so they can live the life they want, whether at home or work.  She lives in Palo Alto, CA running her successful business and managing a busy household that includes her husband and two active kids.

Stop Being So Comfortable - By Bridget Hieronymus

There's this great quote I like - "Life begins outside of your comfort zone." And isn't that so true? It is for me. The moments I feel alive and on fire are moments when I chuck all fear and rational thinking out the window, say good bye to my ho hum routine of life and just blow like the wind .... totally free and fluttering in life life a bird.

And that's not to say that my ho hum life isn't great, but it's just to say that I want MORE because as perfect as this life is ... I know there is way more to be gotten. And I guess the only way to get the more and move on into bigger and better lives is to risk the comfy cozy safety of this one, ya know?

I often say to people ... you'll never get what you want by sitting in your living room or drinking wine in bed at night. Dreams don't come that way. They don't just show up. Ya gotta take some action ... any action ... no matter how little bitty in order to get them.
For me I can only stay in routine for so long. I'll start to itch for change and when that itch comes ... I scratch!!! And scratch hard!

Currently I'm making some BIG moves in my life, investing in things I NEVER thought I would invest in and taking risks with my time, money and energy all to make my dreams come true and scratch my itch and get out of my comfort zone.
I don't want comfort. I want AMAZING!!!

I think joy and happiness know, no bounds except those we place there. I think I can say that I'm the happiest I've ever been and speak of how beautiful and amazing it all is ... and I do. And it is! It SO IS!

But I also always know how much more there is and how abundant life is and that happiness has ZERO limits. It's as far as the eye can see and we can have as much (or as little if we're stupid) of it as we want. And I want A LOT.

Bridget Hieronymus is a Life Coach - you can find out more about her by visiting: thinkthegoodthoughts.com

MMV- Risk and Reward - Matt Hussey

N.E.A.T. - Episode 5 - TECHIE - Mete of Barspot.tv

Mete Ozkazanc is a co-founder of Barspot.tv a website and mobile app that allows users to see what a bar or venues' scene looks like before they enter. Bar owners get the benefit of being listed on their website and allowing potential bar clients to check out their location virtually. 

http://youtu.be/oL1GdTU62ik





N.E.A.T. is a VLOG started by me - D.R. White - in order to focus on my 3 passions - Entrepreneurship, Art and the Tech scene. 

(ToT) Thought on Thursday - "I'm the smartest man in the room"

In the past 48 hours - and maybe it was more recent than that - I've had the good fortune of being in the presence of the smartest man in the room....

First of all - no it wasn't me - but you already knew that.

I was at an event where the gentlemen who happened to be M.C.ing came off with an attitude that since he had achieved a certain level of wealth he had the right to assume that everyone in the room was ignorant. 

He was there to tell the room how we could be happy in both our business and personal lives and then he proceeded to tell the audience things that I had learned through my own personal study either a few months or a few years ago.

This attitude was in stark contrast to that of other verified wealthy individuals I've had the divine pleasure of meeting over the past few weeks. These individuals' material and mental wealth far exceeded this character's claims of personal wealth.

When I was in the room with them they were constantly asking what I thought although they had  wealth of knowledge beyond what I may ever hope to obtain.

When I was in the room with "the smartest man in the room"  he kept spouting orders and asking questions that he [thankfully] had all the answers to.

 I knew I was in the wrong room when he barked at an audience member for the mortal sin of whispering to (what I believed to be) his mother.

"That's how you control a room!" said the smartest man in the room after silencing the whisper. I'm not sure but, for some reason I felt a little dumber for being in the room in the first place.

Shortly after I left.

- If there's any lesson here I guess it would be this - never automatically assume you're smarter, more talented or better than those in the same room as you. Always assume there is someone smarter than you in the room and you'll save yourself the embarrassment of proving it for a fact.

T4T - Flashback - How to start a business - internet or otherwise....

 As I prepare for the switch to columnists next week - I thought I'd revisit a great (T4T) Tips for Tuesday - post that went up a few weeks back on starting a business.Internet or otherwise. I hope you enjoy:


I reached out to several Entrepreneurs - many of them Internet-based  - and asked the following question:



"What’s the best advice you can give to someone looking to get started in business, internet-based or otherwise?"


  This was quite possibly my most successful request. From Start-up founders to Start-up coaches to food topping innovators and a couple millionaires - As usual - I was amazed by the responses. 

1) 

Alex Genadinik 

 Founder 

 Problemio

"You must follow your passion. Starting a business is easy, but spending years of hard work to grow it and turn it into a success is incredibly difficult. So if you follow your passion, that will help immensely in getting through the ups and downs.  And when I say follow your passion, I mean it in a broad sense. Having a business itself can be a passion. The competition of being a business owner and seeing something you make grow can be fascinating enough. 

And once you are following your passion, be very disciplined and hard working. Get mentorship when you can, and don't try to do things alone. And be ready to work harder than you've ever worked before, and then some! " 

To learn more please visit Mr. Genadinik's site: problemio.com

2)

David Jackson 

Host 

School of Podcasting

"My advice would be to pick a date on the calendar to launch. Figure out what you need to do and work backward. Then you can figure out what you need to do each day to follow the path to your launch. In the end you need to START. You can't get better at something until you START doing it. So many people get paralysis by analysis. They want things to be perfect before launching. Unfortunately, they never launch because they just need "one more thing." Realize that if you aim for perfect and you miss, you will more than likely land on "very good." Start. Start. Start!"

To learn more about Mr. Jackson - please check out his site: schoolofpodcasting.com

3) 

Lajuan Stoxstill-Diggs

Author/Founder of
Craigslist Hustle

"My situation is unique in that I never intended to start a business. I was laid off by my employer and had a family to feed, so I was looking for ways to make extra income. I was motivated from the beginning to keep a roof over my family’s head and food on the table and that is what helped me get started in business. I suggest taking time to find a situation that motivates you so that you have the initial push to move forward. It could be you’re tired of the long work hours and not seeing your family or the low pay on your current job. Whatever is needed to motivate you in the beginning use it and remind yourself daily of this situation so you can stay motivated. Once you have decided what business venture you would like to pursue I would suggest finding people in the same or similar field who you can grow to trust and learn from.  This will help eliminate a lot of pitfalls that may come in starting a business. If you do not have anyone personally then I suggest reading books that will accomplish the same purpose.  The internet is full of resources from successful business men and women who have poured out years of wisdom into EBooks and paperback books.
 
When it comes to starting an internet based business and you are low on finances, then I suggest you invest time learning from others and doing it yourself. When I wrote and self published my book The Craigslist Hustle I didn’t have a clue as to what was needed to get it out into the market place. So, I spent a lot of time on Google and YouTube learning from other self published authors, as well as learning how to use Photoshop and other computer programs so I could bring the EBook to the marketplace. Once the EBook became a success, I went back and learned what was needed to bring the book to print. If your business offers a service or product and you are short on time, then I suggest you barter in exchange for someone else doing the things you are not familiar with in the beginning to get your business off the ground. Craigslist is a great place to find talented graphic designers, publishers, lawyers, and others who would be willing to barter their services in exchange for your services or product.  I hope this has motivated you the reader to pursue that business that you’ve always wanted to pursue and I look forward to reading your success story in the near future!"

To learn more please check out his site:  mrcraigslisthustle.com

4) 

Julie Busha

Founder 

Slawsa Gourmet Topping

"1.  Be financially prepared.  Starting a business is a very daunting task as many people find it difficult to take that leap of faith in leaving a secure job with benefits for one that is truly unknown.  While some companies can grow slowly as a "second job," others will require "all-in" efforts.  If you don't have complete control of your financial life before you decide to start your business, you will find that you're not able to throw your whole self into your new business.  Be financially prepared to not take a salary for a few years if needed and know what impact that will have on your life.  Be prepared to not take those vacations or enjoy those weekends with family.  Remember, greatness does not come without sacrifice and while most people will never understand the feeling that sort of sacrifice, it's the entrepreneur that loves their life the most because, regardless of those sacrifices, they wake up every day to make this one better than the last in growing their business. 

2.  Be the jack of all trades.  One thing I've been very proud of is the fact that I can write press releases, balance the books, update our web site, handle logistics of orders, be active on social media and pitch to retailers all in one day.  Many people consider themselves good at a few things but weak in others.  If you're starting out on your own and cannot be reliant on support from others in areas where you are weak, you're at a huge disadvantage.  Even if you can delegate later, you have to know your business inside and out and perform all tasks associated within.  In the beginning, you'll probably have to do everything on your own anyway.  You'll find that as you grow your business, you'll be met at some point with empty promises from people who say they will, but ultimately won't…then it becomes yours to fix.  Never say you "can't" do something because you're not good at it.  Simply learn how to do it and do it.  There is no excuse for you not being able to perform any task associated with growing your business."

To learn more about Ms. Busha's secret sauce - please check out:  slawsa.com
5)

Max Teitelbaum

Co-Founder

What Runs Where

"Just jump in. The biggest thing that holds people back is fear. Fear of
failing, fear of losing something or even just fear of trying. The best
way to get started is to get your hands dirty."

To learn more please check his site:
whatrunswhere.com

6)

Aaron Kahlow

CEO & Founder 

Online Marketing Institute

"Simply stay focused on building a great product first. Then properly marketing that product. Then building the team to grow. In that order exactly, otherwise, failure looms".  

To learn more please visit: onlinemarketinginstitute.org

 
 7)

Amy Schmittauer

Savvy Sexy Social Blog

Vlog Boss Studios 

"Live for the no. Learn why. Move on. If you're going to think about quitting every time you get turned down you're never going to make it. And for every no you get, you're closer to the most fulfilling and wonderful yes yet."

To learn more about Ms. Schmittauer please visit: savvysexysocial.com
8)

COREY POIRIER

“Don’t go into a business you’re not passionate about. Operating a business won’t be easy and you will encounter many challenges along the way. After interviewing over 2500 high achievers and discussing the importance of passion, I’ve rarely encountered a leader / business person who has achieved astounding success in any field or area of business they are not passionate about. If you’re passionate about the business, you’re more likely to stick with it during the lows, and to make the most of the highs. I would also add that you should be willing to fail, and to make mistakes (as there is no better way to learn and grow then in the trenches), to invest time and money in personal and professional development, to select and learn from the right mentors, and to become and remain completed focused on whatever task you’re working on at a specific time.”

Please learn more about Mr. Poirer by checking out one or both of his sites: conversationswithpassion.com or coreypoirier.com

 

9)

Robin Hallett
Intuitive Healer, Rock Star Reader, 
Creator of Sacred Bling

 "Self care is my #1 tip for Entrepreneurs who want to rock their business like they really mean it. You and your needs are the priority - NOT the business, NOT the soon-to-be-clients. YOU are the priority.  Your body is the only container you’ve got for all that creative juice.
We’ve become masters at ignoring what matters most. Important things like feelings, and the physical needs of our very own bodies. We blow ourselves off usually because we feel stressed and pressed. Because there are Really Important Things you need to do and you don’t have time. I know. I hear this a lot from Awkwardpreneurs (read, entrepreneurs who are NOT rocking it like they mean it). 

My philosophy: Taking breaks for meditation, exercise, and proper diet aren’t options, they’re musts.

 These practices make up the fuel that help us rock our work like we really mean it."

Please check out her website: robinhallett.com

10) 

Mitch Joel

 President
Twist Image

"If you're looking to get started in any business, learn that business inside and out. Thankfully, the Internet is here to help. Set-up Google Alerts for everything related to that industry: key terms, key leaders, key clients and more. Subscribe to any and all relevant industry trade publications – this includes the physical magazines as well as e-newsletters and more. Read every book on the subject that you can find. In short: become an info-vore. Love it more than your competitors. Love it more than anyone. Then, once you're eyeballs deep in it, start blogging. Start doing the hard work and critical thinking about what needs to change in the industry and what your perspectives are. Pushing that further, attend all industry events and (better than that) get active in your industry." - 

Please learn more about Mr. Joel's business check out his site:  twistimage.com/en

10)

Jim Palmer

The Newsletter Guru

"Follow the Money

Successful entrepreneurs know the importance of following the money. When their customers ask for something, these entrepreneurs find a way to supply their customers with whatever they want. That’s what following the money is all about—go where the money leads. After all, you’re in business to make a profit.

Successful businesses continue to expand their offerings. They continue to follow the money. Since it’s easiest to sell to your top customers—the hyper-responsive ones—that should be your focus as you follow the money.

Become intimately familiar with his or her customer list. To begin with, you should not only identify your top 20%, you should also segment your list by identifying the top 10%, top 5%, and even your top 2 %.Your top 2 to 5% of customers are not your typical customer. They should receive different marketing messages and even different offers than the typical customer. If your goal is to sell as much as possible and achieve the highest possible profits (and that’s a worthy goal), this can be made much easier by selling to your repeat customers in unique and different ways.

If you’re not exactly sure which products or services can be profitably added to your arsenal, here’s a very easy way to find out: Ask! Go back to your customer list and focus on your top customers. Create a survey to bounce your ideas off them, and measure the responses. It can be as easy as listing your ideas with a one to ten scale, and have them rate how likely (or unlikely) they’d be to buy or use it.Your current customers are the ones most likely to buy from you again. Find ways to sell more to them.

Follow the money: Find out what else your customers want to buy and find ways to provide it for them.

Please check out Mr. Palmers site at: thenewsletterguru.com

11)

Dane Maxwell

Founder

The Foundation.io

"The smartest thing anyone can do is get out of their realm of expertise and knowledge. Don't go with what you know. Get out of that. Go into markets blind and Find The Pain. If you make your business about finding pain, you can then put experts in place to solve that pain and take a cut. The smartest businessmen in the world do just this. MindValley, Appsumo, etc. We don't believe in being experts at subject matter at The Foundation. We believe in being the experts at finding pain, clearly defining it, and then putting experts in place to solve that pain. 

If you do anything, Find The Pain. Don't focus on being an expert. You'll live a much more free life. Who wants to spend years becoming an expert at something, when you can launch a business in weeks using this method? I've launched multi-million dollar companies like PaperlessPipeline using this method. I just Find The Pain in markets, and put experts in place to create products around that pain"

To learn more about Mr. Maxwell please check out: thefoundation.com

12)

Laura Betterly

Founder

Yada Yada Marketing 

"The best advice would be to "START"  I know that sounds a bit simplistic, but I've worked with 100's of entrepreneurs and it's common for each of them to be stuck with fear and uncertainty--What I all the what if syndrome.  What if I get a question that I can't answer--what if my website isn't beautiful enough?  What if I don't have the right business card,  what if I make a mistake?  Truth is we all make mistakes, find questions we can't answer etc. but getting paralyzed and not doing something because of that fear only guarantees failure by proxy.  Go into your new business willing to make mistakes and just start.   Taking that first step is the hardest, but the rewards of having your own business are limitless."

To learn more about Ms. Betterly - yadayadamarketing.com

14)  

Jeremy Frandsen

Co-Founder

Internet Business Mastery Podcast

"After over 8 years of working with freedom business beginners, seeing their struggles and their success, we now know what it takes to successfully get a business started.  First is defining your Single Motivating Purpose, then you need to choose the Audience you would wake up excited to help for at least 10 years.  Finally, you have to very specifically figure out the solution you will give that audience, solving their #1 pain or irrational desire.  It's a simple formula, but it is what it takes to start a highly successful Freedom Business."

Jeremy Frandsen is Co-Founder and Co-Host of the Internet Business Mastery* learn more about the podcast here: internetbusinessmastery.com

15) 

Nick Peall

Internet Marketer 

Public Speaker  

"You must be willing to make mistakes daily and find the lessons in each of them. Some people remain paralysed in the research phase of their business because they're afraid of failing. But failure is something that happens a lot when you're in business so you just gotta expect it and make the most of it. Nobody has success overnight with their first idea, it takes years of trying and failing before the winning formula is found. 

The other piece of advice would be don't confuse activity for action. Some people are spending their time appearing to be working, but not getting an real results from it. You must be able to identify what the core tasks are then delegate the rest. Reading and networking and researching are valuable, but if they are not producing profits each week you have to focus on the main task that will generate cash flow."

To learn more about Mr. Peall please check out his site: nickpeall.com

*on a personal note I've been listening to Jeremy and his partner Jason since shortly after the launch of their podcast and it's an honor to feature them here.

MMV: Risky is the new Safe - Randy Gage

N.E.A.T. Episode 5 - Arlo Moon - Artist

http://youtu.be/PZuk6LVSILA

(TOT) Thought on Thursday - Take that risk

Last week I had some extra free time on my hands and I spent much of it coaxing myself into scary and/or risky situations. Although it's 4:00 AM as I type this I still have a smile on my face because the risk taking has paid dividends.

As a result of some of the risks I took - i.e. Cold calls. - I have:

• Sat down for coffee/water/lunch with 3 wealthy individuals.
• Found what one wealthy individual would pay $100,000 for.
• Gotten advice on where to direct my energy from another wealthy individual. 
• Gotten an offer of possible funding of business ideas from another. 
• Found a possible untapped need in a market - that I'm testing out.

Now granted, one of these individuals is a relative but, with that being said - I have the opportunity to meet with yet another individual I hold in high esteem in the next several days who hangs out in the C-Suite of the company he helped build.

It's so funny how risk adverse we are when what we consider risky would have likely been shrugged off by our ancestors.

I can only imagine what my ancestors - who were slaves - would have thought if I told them that the only thing between me living like a slave and living like a master was talking to a bunch of people I don't know and enduring a difficult conversation or two.

I cannot fathom to deal with what they had to deal with or for that matter what man's prehistoric ancestors had to deal with when their biggest concern was

"Will I get eaten by a Saber Tooth Tiger Today?"

And not

"Will someone use a 4-letter word to describe me because I interrupted their day?"

It's laughable how we describe risk today and for that reason - if I have time today (after I take a nap) I will be making some cold calls.

New Direction for Motivating Minutes

In the next few weeks - you may notice some changes with this blog - Motivating Minutes.

In particular we'll be featuring some new monthly columnists that focus on the areas of improving the MIND, BODY, SOUL & peoples MONEY.

I'm excited about it and I hope you are too!

MMV: Francis Ford Coppola - Why risk taking is good

(TOT) Thought on Thursday - Facing a Quarter Life Crisis - By Keith Dodge

Today we are lucky enough to have a guest post provided by fellow blogger Keith Dodge. Keith writes the movie blog - Oscarology. You may notice he is much more talented writer than I.  If you're in your late 20's or early 30's you may be struggling with a  Quarter life crisis. Keith's post explores exactly why you should NOT panic!

-Dee 

 

Celebrating the “Now What?” feeling

By: Keith Dodge

You are 28 years old. You have:

Learned to walk

You have graduated preschool, kindergarten, grade school, middle school, and high school (with

honors)

You were in lots of sports, plays, clubs, scout troops, and church groups, and you did all that

community service everyone wanted you to do.

You learned to drive a car and didn’t kill anyone.

You did that stuff so you could apply for lots of scholarships and get into a good college.

You were accepted to that good (great) college.

You partied your ass off.

You graduated.

You got a job.

You moved out on your own to a new city.

You met the one.

You got married.

You bought a house.

You’re working on having kids, or already have a few.

NOW WHAT?

 The “Now What” feeling can be scary. You can suddenly feel unsatisfied, unfulfilled. You’ve been grinding it out, day by day, minute by minute, working toward becoming an adult. And suddenly, you are one. You have been coloring, counting, studying, working on group projects, taking tests, applying,

proofreading and planning your wedding since 1989. 24 years. You were promoted from baby to child, appointed to teen and elected as chairman of young adulthood. However, you are now officially retired from growing up. Technically, you have nowhere else you have to be; there are no more boxes to check off. You suddenly realize that you aren’t getting graded anymore. Well, you’re getting performance reviews at work maybe, but not grades. In hindsight, you can see the glittering path of achievement and all the hallmarks of an upper middle class hardworking Midwestern upbringing in your rearview mirror.

You’ve been driving for hours and you’re here. Now what are you supposed to do with the next 60 year of your life? Whatever you want, right? That’s what they say. But, what do you want?

You’re not really sure.

You have everything you think you wanted. Still, you’re not feeling fulfilled. You begin to wonder exactly how this can possibly be; you have done everything you were told to do, and you didn’t smoke crack or end up in prison. You have all of your teeth, and you’re not a hoarder or a crystal meth addict, so you most certainly have a high score in the Game of Life, which, by the way, is nothing like you anticipated as a kid when you spun that multicolored wheel and ended up with a pink and a blue stick baby in a car headed for a hollow white mansion on a broccoli lump of green plastic.

You need a barometer for adult life. Where are the teacher comments? Am I getting a red check mark in “drinks one shot too many and ends up puking at most get-togethers?” Am I getting a plus in “maintains a remarkable level of swag for the low level of their paycheck?” Who is the teacher now anyway?

Wherein, you suddenly turn an unflattering, sickly shade of green envy.  Although you are absolutely unable to go more than five minutes without checking in, liking, or hashtagging, social media turns on you quickly, because suddenly, you develop an acute case of Facebook Fatigue or LinkedIn Leprosy. 

If you have spent 30 minutes or more scrolling through a “People you may know” section and instantaneously developed a crippling sense of panic and failure, you may have LinkedIn Leprosy. Ask your doctor if hysterical crying and a Dairy Queen Blizzard are right for you.

I mean, shut the front door! Am I right? The girl who was that girl almost every single night is now an Account Executive at a big name PR firm in Chicago? The dude that always had slobber dribbling down his chin is now a District Sales Manager? And you, the one who always beamed with self-righteous pride at awards assemblies, the one whose description of their favorite vacation to Myrtle Beach was always put up on the overhead as an example of outstanding descriptive writing, are a lowly customer service representative?

Thus, depression, self-loathing, paranoia and anxiety settle in for a long winter’s nap. You put your past under the microscope and scrutinize your every move, as if Kirk Herbstreit was taking an invisible yellow marker to your formative years and pointing out you zigged on that play where you should have zagged.

I have been there. I have done this. And I’m here to tell you that this is no way to be. You need to take a deep breath and not be so hard on yourself. You need to tell yourself over and over (and probably over and over a few more times) that you have not failed. You haven’t even started. You are finally on your life’s journey, after all of that hard work, and it’s just beginning. You may have 4-5 years of work history under your belt, but guess what? There’s at least 35 more. Here’s some perspective for you: you have more time left to work than you have even been alive. That kind of sucks. Then again, it doesn’t.

You worked for more than 20 years to get here. You trudged through multiplication, bullies, detention, leaving your back pack at home, being dumped at Homecoming, forgetting black socks for band,overdrawing your bank account, hanging up on angry calls from the US Department of Education, and now, it is your time.

Now is when you will decide what you truly want in your life. Now is the time to chase your wuh-wildest and craziest dream, kid. You now have everything you need, and you have arrived. You still have your whole life before you, and unlike when people used to say that to you, you’re actually in the LIFE part now. You don’t have anywhere to be but where you want to go. You are giving yourself your own grade. You are only failing if you’re not really who you want to be. And you hate failing. So go out and be who you always wanted to be. Use that jealousy and do something with it. Lose that weight. Get a new job. Get close to God again. Write that blog. Date that girl or guy. Move.

Celebrate the “Now What” feeling. Realize that you have arrived at your first destination, and start your course towards a new one. Don’t look back. Look forward. The “Now What” feeling is nothing to be afraid of.  It is a realization that you have completed one chapter, one level, and you're ready to start working on the next. People used to ask you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The exciting part is that you don’t have to wait until “when.” When is now. Now you can begin working on the “what do you want to be?” part of life.

 What do you think? Have you faced a 1/4, 1/3 or Mid-Life crisis yet?