Tag Archive for: Entrepreneur

5 Mistakes Most People Make When Setting Goals

Most of us know that setting goals is critical to achieving what we want in life. But what a lot of us don’t understand is how to set goals…and to stick with them!

Here are the top 5 mistakes most of us make when we set goals…and how to avoid them.

1. The goals are too broad or vague – really big goals are more like “dreams.” Actual goals are much smaller and they are baby steps to be taken to achieve something much bigger (the dream). And that’s where most of us go wrong. We know what we want the end result to be (start a business) but we don’t build each step into our daily lives. So, life goes on and months or years go by and we still haven’t started our business. Once we know the desired end result, we should begin to break that down into actionable steps and then take those actions. Next, we can do something every week (or even every day) to take a little step toward the dream. Momentum comes from taking small, frequent actions.

2. Deadlines are unrealistic – we may have big dreams and want to be really aggressive to achieve them. This might work for some people but, for others, it will just overwhelm them and cause the budding entrepreneur to jump ship. It’s important to set realistic deadlines that can be met under almost any circumstance. We must take into account our other commitments and responsibilities when setting deadlines. We’ll see more achievement with steady (or even slow) progression than if we get overwhelmed and don’t take action at all.

3. We don’t change our thinking – When we’re trying to accomplish goals, we must change our mindset to picture what life will be like when we reach the goal and achieve the dream. If we only look at the way things are now, we aren’t inspired to continue. We’ll get dragged down and give up on the end prize. In order to change our thinking, we must find people and things that inspire us. We must surround ourselves with those people and things that offer us encouragement so we can have enough fuel to endure the trip. Keeping a “dream board” where we have our big goals posted in words or pictures is a great way to keep our eyes looking forward. Building a strong network of like-minded people that can provide support is critical to keep us motivated.

4. We listen to “nay-sayers” – Not everyone will be as enthusiastic about our new ventures as we are. Some people will try to sabotage us and get us to stop thinking big. We must stop listening to these negative people and sometimes this means limiting our interaction with them about our new business plans. This doesn’t mean we can’t love them and spend time with them (they might be good friends or even family members) but it does mean that we not let their negativity cloud our vision. It may not be that they want us to fail, they may just fear change. It’s up to us to shut out the negativity and continue on our path. This is another reason why it is crucial that we surround ourselves with a team of positive supporters that want nothing more than to see us succeed on our journey.

5. We don’t have a plan – Without a plan, we will most certainly never reach our goals or our dreams. We will continue to let life happen rather than making life happen. When we have a solid plan of action, we are way more likely to take the steps toward achievement. Many goal-setting gurus will tell you to write your goals down every single day, by hand. This is a great way for you to start the day thinking about the bigger picture. You can then define the actionable steps you can take TODAY to move toward the goal. Some days that step might be to make a couple of phone calls or listen to a CD program…other days it may mean something much bigger.

Set the goal, make the plan, get to work, stick to it, and you will reach the goal.

Peace of Mind – With Fries?

Another great article for our Entrepreneurial Stimulus series…

in-n-out

The other day I was noticing how much more I enjoyed getting a hamburger at In-N-Out Burger than I did at McDonald's. Obviously the simple taste of the food, price and time of delivery were all important.

I noticed another even more important aspect of my visit… the young people who worked there truly enjoyed each other's company even while they were working. The “Supersize” factor just didn't apply. Everyone was simply EMOTIONALLY AWARE of what they needed to do and just did it. More importantly, the staff not only liked their job for the money it produced, they seemed to be in love with the idea of being in the company of each other. They were aware of their friendships as a part of the job and as a part of their own individual identities.

In-N-Out ownership was clearly on the purpose and achieved the single most important goal of the workgroup… producing good food. It was taken for granted those young people would produce good food. The idea that I would return for another meal was not. The one thing I noticed was that no matter how many people were waiting for food (and there is almost ALWAYS a long line) there was the complete absence of fear combined with the absolute awareness of purpose in delivering my meal with a smile.

Peace of Mind becomes the natural state of mind in which a the desired business product flows from a well ordered delivery of purpose. Establishing orderly direction can conquer the emotional state of fear. Alignment of purpose becomes powerfully constructive. Delivery of purpose brings emotional well being. Fear of loss becomes a powerful motivator used by competitors to psychologically control and conquer their foes.

Perhaps we mistaken apply absolute solutions to problems that often require a more non-absolute emotional assessment. Numeric formulas work very well in initiating the basis for regulating financial plans for winning short term zero sum profit games.

Napoleon Hill in his book “Think and Grow Rich” says that as a member of a “Mastermind” group, we become capable of creating a completely separate living human consciousness outside the group. A “being” in the spiritual realm that guides and regulates group interaction, thought evolution and group achievement.

Rapport at the group level is grossly under valued in the daily lives of humankind. Everyone seems to be obsessed with either claiming credit or assigning blame.

Try this: the next time you are competing for a lane on the freeway with someone, just slow down a little and let them in. It's amazing how much nicer all the other drivers seem to become. This type of volunteerism for social order is what I like to call “associative kindness” and naturally leads to the emotional reward of peace of mind.

A by-product result of associative kindness is conflict resolution and harmonious human interaction.

Just ask my wife Itzi…I absolutely know this to be true, Happy Wife… Happy Life. Of course the reverse seems even sweeter, Happy Life… Happy Wife.

This “precessional effect“, as the great thinker Buckminster Fuller defined it, is an unplanned, unexpected and unintended goal attainment. It can be explained as a group level serenity and peace of mind that is produced by one group of participating contributors, actively engaged for their own harmonious human interaction which positively affects a completely divergent group of non-participatory benefactors.

Create for yourself a mental picture like this… a multitude of circular waves on a still lake emanating from a pebble when dropped into the water. All groups whether public or private have unlimited and unintended affects on the social consciousness in a public domain. Never underestimate the power of emotions to influence the product of work groups on a clearly defined purpose.

The reason it is even possible to create peace of mind in a seemingly obvious zero sum game of the burger industry is this: Excellence is its own standard and reward. T

here simply is no competition for those who knowingly produce a superior product through a well ordered, peacefully thought out business model. Without competition, there is no fear and greater cooperation naturally follows thus attracting more of the same results.

Ahhhhhhh Peace of Mind… Sure … I'll have some fries with that!

Kevin-HaumschiltFinest Regards,

Kevin Haumschilt

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Kevin Haumschilt works in American Industry as an Entrepreneur. Kevin is a loyal and dedicated Money and You graduate who lives in San Diego California with his wife Itzi (ageless), and children Sophia age 13 and Trevor age 10. You may reach him on Facebook or by email @ imin@cox.net

7 Powerful Principles Entrepreneurs Live By

entreprenuer principals

7 Powerful Principles Entrepreneurs Live By

by DC Cordova

In my program, Money & You®, we teach entrepreneurs, business professionals, salespeople, doctors, attorneys, alternative health care providers, engineers, scientists, writers, networking professionals, business owners, and many wealth gurus – you name them, we’ve taught them – how to live a principle-filled life based on the teachings of R. Buckminster Fuller, W. Edwards Deming, Georgi Lozanov, and many other pioneers of new thinking.

The creators of Money & You® are Bobbi DePorter and Marshall Thurber who, in the mid-1970’s, pioneered a never-before-seen Business School for Entrepreneurs that lasted six weeks!

The reasons why six weeks was a breakthrough – and continues to be – is because there wasn’t and still isn’t a school anything like it. They called it the Burklyn Business School for Entrepreneurs and it was first offered in Vermont in 1978. Later that year, they created Money & You®, designed to be five days that incorporated left-and-right-brain teaching techniques extensively researched in the post-war era economic expansion. It’s actually quite fun! If you like music, games, color and experiencing rather than sitting in a classroom, you’ll get it.

We’ve took our teaching and learning technology global, and now it is offered in North America, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and throughout China.

So, with that background on what Money & You® is, I’d like to share 7 POWERFUL Principles to live by (every successful entrepreneur I know lives by these principles).

  1. The Universe Will Not Deny You Anything. Only You Can Do That. -G.S.
    This is one of the most powerful principles I have learned and we teach. R. Buckminster Fuller referred to God as the Native Americans did – Great Spirit or G.S. For some of you this is easy – everything you have in your life right now – every relationship, money in the bank, your cars, pets, where you live, your attitude, your free time, your fulfillment – is completely what you’ve chosen! The Universe is abundant and there is only ONE PERSON who can deny you ANYTHING! YOU! Get this one and you’ll create freedom.
  2. Thinking Is the Hardest Thing You Can Do. That’s Why So Few People Engage In It. -Henry Ford
    Think about this one… When have you stopped yourself because it got “hard” to find the solution? Realize that you will be compensated in direct proportion to the size of the solution you solve.
  3. Integrity Is The Essence Of Everything (Successful). -R. Buckminster Fuller
    The human spirit has complete integrity. When you are out of touch with yourself, you may take some actions that are not congruent with what you know to be best. So, basically, integrity is something that “holds it’s own shape.” Take a look around you and see if there are things that are not working for you. And are you in complete integrity with yourself?
  4. 94% Of Problems Are System Based. Look To The System To Correct. -W. Edwards Deming
    W. Edwards Deming is known as the father of Quality Control. He is the reason why Toyota is known for quality. If the results in your business continue to suffer, the systems you have aren’t producing  your desired results. As they say in the computer world, “Garbage in, garbage out!” Well, with a bad system that’s not always true. You can have gold going in and garbage coming out. One of the co-creators of M&Y, Marshall Thurber, was an avid student of W. Edwards Deming. For more information on his work go to http://www.positivedeviants.com
  5. Clarity Leads To Power.
    As they used to say in the G.I. Joe cartoon, “Knowing’s half the battle!” When you are clear on your goals, your values, your mission – everything will begin to fall in place. It’s the decision in knowing what you want that sets you on the path. The “how” of making your goals come true will appear in miraculous moments.
  6. The Most Powerful Force I Have Is What I Say To Myself AND What I Believe.
    Your words create. Buckminster Fuller said, “Words are your most powerful tool.” Other teachers of ours share that we create with our words. And science is now validating that our thoughts are also physically affect the condition of our cells.
  7. There Are No Victims. Only Volunteers.
    Responsibility is removing all blame, shame and justification. When you take responsibility for the results you have, you truly learn the value in the learning experiences throughout your life. What do all those experiences have in common? You.

Creative Commons License photo credit: mborowick

The Homeless Man I “Adopted”

Homeless

I have been living at the beach in San Diego since 1980…  It’s a beautiful area with cliffs, sunclipses, good-looking people, bicycles paths, and just about everything that a nature lover that lives in a city could want.

The area is filled with some pretty colorful characters and things – from million dollar homes overlooking the gorgeous clear (most days) ocean, to bikers, hippies, veterans, tourists, and homeless folks since they are allowed in this beach (can’t find them in La Jolla since they have strong “vagrancy” laws – and God forbid that the mega-rich should look at a reality that millions of people, including whole families, are homeless in America).

In our beachy area, we live with that fact – we feed them in the local churches, we take our leftovers during Thanksgiving – and we are grateful for our jobs, businesses and our good luck that we are not one of them. As we all know, it can happen to any one – and for some that can’t stand the thought, they would rather jump off a bridge than face the fact that they could become homeless.

It’s a tough reality to confront – and it’s something that some have learned to live with…

A couple of years ago, I noticed that there was a homeless man that was sleeping under the covered front door of a nice  “boutique” mortuary in our neighborhood.   Though I travel extensively for business, when I’d be home and driving by in the evenings, I’d notice him. A bundle on the ground with items around him – what looks like the comforts of a “makeshift” bedroom.

My heart would break a little every time I saw him – and instead of feeling sad about him and rationalizing that I contribute so much to different organizations that handle people like this gentle-man that obviously has had a dose of very bad luck, I chose to start including him in my life.

I started to bring him leftovers (I was careful to separate my food before eating so that it would be completely clean for him).  I started to think of little things to bring to him at times – including the wonderful on-flight pajamas that Air China provides for Business Class flyers.  On my last Thanksgiving I spent in the States a couple of years ago – though I knew that the local church would have had a nice turkey dinner for the folks that need it – I brought him a nice plate.

It was interesting at moments when I’d walk towards him – most of the time, he’d sit up and look and see who was heading his way – he had good instincts – I figured that he didn’t sleep that sound – who would sleeping on the streets?

I started to see him sitting there earlier at times – before dark – and I had a chance to see him sitting on the ledge of the front area of this mortuary.  I started to be thankful to this organization that obviously was allowing him to have a little area where he could rest at night.  I even started thinking of adding in my Will that they are the assigned business to turn my body into ashes when it’s time – ways of prospering them for their generosity of Spirit…  It was a daily reminder of the world that many live in – where Scarcity is king – Sufficiency is a dream – and Abundance is enjoyed by those that have an understanding of true abundance (and some greedy) as opposed to the masses.

In our Excellerated programs, we have taken many to this experience of Sufficiency and naturally they move to that experience of Abundance – many go on to contribute to others… it’s a wonderful experience.

Yes, I understand the “Law of Attraction”, karma  and destiny – and I will continue to ask the question:  in relationship to our connection to God, what is really our job here on Earth?

How do we live in peace / joy / abundance / love and allow for 27,000 plus people (mostly children) around the world to die daily of hunger, starvation, lack of clean water and electricity which doesn’t allow for basic medicines to be refrigerated, and this contributes to the spread of horrible diseases, where mothers helplessly watch their children die — some knowing that we have the medicines, knowledge and resources in “civilized” prosperous countries…

By now, I could be “bumming” you out – and thank YOU for reading this far – and this is a question that I live in:

We know that it has to do with political matters, with greed, with an old paradigm that has changed but most of the people in the world have not caught on…

I have this powerful belief that Americans are enraged with the corporate greed because though the likes of Donald Trump try to blame the Chinese for our problems, we are the ones that made the deals with them…  they provided cheap labor because they were hungry – and had a history that is so intense with hunger / starvation / and Imperialist invasions, that when one reads their history, their zealousness for wealth and having more starts to make sense in that paradigm.

In case you didn’t know, they make products to the EXACT specifications given to them, i.e. Apple Computer products vs. Walmart cheap products…  and along with our manufacturing, we have given them our pollution.  Next time you meet (or see) a Chinese national, bow and thank them for taking our toxic waste, our dirty air, and along all the environmental problems that come with the territory.

You don’t believe me?  Do a little research on why most blue jeans are dyed and manufactured in China…and the consequences of that… you may never buy another pair of blue jeans again!

All these thoughts would go around in my head when I’d see the homeless man that “I had adopted”.  And though I have served in homeless shelters, have delivered Thanksgiving boxes to poor families in the past, and have supported organizations committed to ending homelessness,  personalizing a homeless person is a tough thing to do – and I highly recommend it!

I miss the homeless man.  Since my last trip to the Orient, he’s no longer there.  I am hoping that he has found a new home and no longer needs that temporary spot.  I try to avoid the thought that he died in the cold, alone, on a hard-concrete ground with no one to hold his hand…  I am thinking of calling the mortuary to find out if they know what happened to the gentle-man that they so kindly allowed to be in their front door for years… I’ll let you know if I find out anything.

I have decided to share this story with you because I know how tough it is to ask these questions – and how much easier it’s to rationalize…  and I’ve decided to create a “new dream” as Don Miguel Ruiz (The Four Agreements) would say.

I’d like to invite you to come along and create a “new dream” where there’s Sufficiency and all human being in this world have a choice to have a roof over their heads, have the ability to earn a living, have 3 square meals a day, can send their children to school, have health care, and a little left-over to enjoy little vacations and entertainment…  and ultimately, have a little piece of mind, a smile on their face – and live in a safe world with loving peeps!

Thank YOU for reading this far…  every disenfranchised person on the planet THANKS YOU.

Check out http://www.endhomelessness.org/ for more information on the state of Homelessness in America.

Dame DC Cordova,
CEO, Excellerated Business Schools®

Just What Is A Socially Conscious Entrepreneur?

CompassionHappens was formed to establish, strengthen and expand a global community of socially and spiritually conscious people, united around the belief that together we can re-define the role of business in the world . . .

The Conscious Capitalism® movement is gaining momentum as more and more businesses seek ways to stand for a deeper purpose — providing harmonious collaboration among all stakeholders, including investors, employees, team leaders, suppliers, community, environment and humanity. Businesses of all sizes now recognize they can make a profit AND a difference in the world.

It's making a difference in the world today and you can be part of it!

In the following 3 videos Jerry Conti and Ed Rholl explain what it means to be a  Socially Conscious Entrepreneur.

We'd really like to hear your thoughts on being a Socially Conscious Entrepreneur…

How do you see the concepts revealed to you in these videos applying in your business's future?

Also, if you attend Money and You® you will have a community to support  you in your efforts to succeed… click here to register for Money &You®.