The Recipes for Chaos & Achievement

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Thursday June 12 2008

Welcome to this Thursday.

Firstly, my thanks to all who shared notes related to yesterday’s “reader”. It warms me always to acknowledge that we have amazingly thoughtful subscribers.

We’ve been focusing a lot recently on wealth, health, happiness and personal responsibility. Today is no different. We call on a good friend and contributor to share yet another great perspective on the issues.

The Recipes for Chaos & Achievement

by Philip Humbert

We all want lives of achievement, health, happiness and some measure of wealth. We want the "good life!" And yet, the vast majority end up leading relatively average, middle-class lives. How can this be? How can so many of the world's most educated people end up working paycheck to paycheck?

I think the answers are pretty simple.

Most of us were never taught HOW to create and live a great life! We don't study this in school. We admire people who have done great things, but no one coaches us, no one shows us the way. And so we stumble. We struggle. We ARE educated, ambitious, educated people and we do the best we can, but without the basic recipe, too often we get only average results.

So, I want to share with you two of the most important "recipes" I know I teach these formulas to my coaching clients and I want to share them with you. My price? Only this: If you find them helpful, I ask that you pass them on to at least two other people. Forward this reader, or print it out and mail it to two friends. I hope you're willing to do that.

Ok, here we go.

The first recipe is what I call the recipe for chaos. It goes like this:
Impulse + Opportunity = Chaos

Every day, we all have impulses to study or to spend, to do our work or to watch television. Impulses are merely ideas that pop into our brains and momentarily catch our attention. The problem is that they are relatively random and too many are based on casual appetites or unhealthy temptations. There's nothing inherently bad or wrong with our impulses, but there is nothing inherently good or trustworthy about them, either.

And, too often our impulses get matched with opportunity for instant gratification. Here's how it works.

Consider the impulse to spend, combined with a credit card in your wallet. Too often, the result is casual debt, and that can be a problem Or how about the impulse to watch television (just one show), combined with a beautiful new TV in the family room? Too often, the result is wasted time. You see the pattern?

Impulses happen. When we surround ourselves with opportunities for instant gratification, the result can be a life lurching out of control .

Now, consider another recipe, the one for achievement. Here it is:
Desire + Discipline = Achievement

"Desire" comes from Latin words that mean "of the father." Our deepest desires represent our true longings, our mission or purpose or values in life. When we are clear about our real DESIRES and combine them with a disciplined life, the results can be astonishing!

Jonas Salk had the DESIRE to prevent polio and the DISCIPLINE to do the research, study his notes and make the discoveries. The results changed the world. Mary Kay Ash (of Mary Kay Cosmetics) had the DESIRE to help single moms like herself, and the DISCIPLINE to find a way. She had no money (she started with $500) and no business experience, but she pressed forward. She changed an industry and helped millions of women in the process.

Random impulses in a world of undisciplined opportunity can lead to chaos, debt, and disaster. Knowing your deepest DESIRES and matching them with even minimal DISCIPLINE, however, is the recipe for achievement. When Stephen Covey talks about "starting with the end in mind," he's talking about being clear about your desires. When we talk about written goals, we're talking about strong desires. When you know what you truly want, and go after it with discipline and determination, the results are astounding.

That's the recipe for achievement!

From Surviving to Thriving in A World of Change!

A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Wednesday April 30 2008

Say “aloha” to the midweek point.

Well, as of today, 2008 is now officially 1/3rd over, and you know I’m going to ask the questions.

1. Are you on track to fulfill your goals and intentions?
2. If you are, congratulations!
3. If you are not, why not?

There is 2/3rds of this great year left, and now is the time to check in and make the adjustments necessary to bring in all of your intentions on plan.

I’m keenly aware that most of us are inundated with the changes happening all around us, We can, however position ourselves to take advantage of, and prosper from, all that is presented to us.

Today offering from our friend Philip, may be just what you need with your coffee today.

From Surviving to Thriving in A World of Change

by Philip Humbert

Recently I did a training for the local electric utility on the skills and resources for thriving in a world of constant change.

What struck me is that I never thought about a utility having to cope with “too much change!” It’s not like we’re going to stop using electricity or their customers are all going to a competitor! They dam a river that’s been around for a million years, they make electricity, send it through the power grid and bill their customers. How stable is that?!

Yet even the electric utility industry is swamped by change. People come and go. Regulations, standards and new software over-whelm them. And of course, there is competition from other energy sources, so even in the stable world of electric energy, the stress is enormous.

How about in your world?

Constant change both thrills and threatens us. We love the new opportunities, but too often we end up running as fast as we can just to stay even. New competitors, new tools and new skills challenge us every week. I’m typing this on my brand new laptop and I love it! But it’s taken me three days just to configure the stupid thing, and it still doesn’t “look and feel” quite right! Change is the constant in our world.

Here’s the thing: We want to grow and develop! We want new tools, new adventures and new resources. Most of the time, we welcome change with open arms. But, sometimes it’s just too much. We’ve become infatuated with anything “new” whether it enriches our lives or not.

Sometimes the “old” is good enough. Sometimes the familiar is more comfortable and actually more effective. I have a friend who uses an old-fashioned slide-rule partly for the nostalgia, but also because it’s faster than doing calculations on his computer. Sometimes, the old is good.

Here are three suggestions for thriving on change:

1. Maintain lots of “personal bandwidth. That means taking superb care of yourself! People who are happy, healthy and rested simply do better than people who are tired, hungry, stressed or worried. Practice extreme self-care. Maintain your personal bandwidth.

2. Celebrate the Big Picture. Know what’s going on and understand the context of your world. Remember, some people lead, other’s follow, and some just don’t have a clue. Be a leader! And that means seeing the big picture, knowing where your world is going, and being out in front.

3. Invest in Tools. Knowledge and skills matter! The more you know about your industry and what’s happening (and who’s leading), the more options you have. Remember, “leaders are readers.” And I love the quote from Buckminster Fuller: “You can’t learn less.”

Our world is infatuated with anything “new” or “improved” and that’s not going to change. What you can control is your response to change. Master it! Learn skills for evaluating change. Learn to “respond” rather than merely “reacting.” Use change and growth and transformation to your advantage rather than merely trying to hang on and endure! For the rest of 2008, make change (and growth!) your friend.

Use it to your advantage.

The Fickle Science of Network Marketing

peter@thewealthyattitude.com

What a weekend it has been! I decided that, as a home- based business person in the network marketing industry, and it being what appears to be a fairly busy season in our industry, I would spend time returning calls to people who had responded to some online advertisements we are currently running.

Our ads are very clear, we seek to interview people who want to be in a home-based enterprise as a “business”, not a “j.o.b”.

Here was my conundrum: The people I was calling back had responded to ads on the Internet, which means they have access to the technology. They filled in a form that asked for their name, telephone number, e-mail address, and time zone in which they live. When they pressed “submit”, they were given a message that we would be in touch within forty eight hours. All pretty simple so far, yes?

Now something must happen to many people when they complete the process. The cave-dwelling Neanderthal must arise within them. The one that is rude, ignorant, and frankly, stupid.

I’ll not bore you with the gory details of some of these calls, other than to express the following to those folks out there currently pushing buttons on keyboards without a clue about what they are doing.

A. The networking marketing industry is a viable multi-BILLION dollar industry that is almost sixty years old.

B. The network marketing industry is singularly responsible for developing an entire generation of new millionaires.

C. Network marketing opportunities are not pyramid schemes.

D. Pyramid schemes are illegal in any country with paved roads and glass for windows.

E. Network marketing professionals are not “cult” members. In fact, when I think of a huge group of people who get up when it is dark, get into a single file formation to go to the work zone, shop, desk etc. Then after putting out 8 – 10 hours of their labor helping create someone else’s dream, go out in the dark again, get back into single file formation to go back to their home. After eating, they settle into the recliner and watch a whole category of mind numbing programs called “reality television” that are entirely based on “rejection”. Then they go to bed dreaming of winning the lottery, only to awaken the next day to do the exact same thing all over again. I say “that’s a cult”.

F. Home-based entrepreneurs are not folks who can’t get a “real” J.O.B (just over broke).

G. There is not a huge great big bucket of money out there just waiting to pour all over you just because you decide to play on the computer and fill in forms.

H. True network marketing professionals are interviewing you to determine if they want to work with you. They are not out there to save your butt.

I. No, I mean none, nada, zilch, zero, businesses can be started and built without some investment of money, time, energy, and attitude. Anything that can be created without these things is called a “JOB”.

J. True network marketing professionals would much rather you stay off of the Internet and leave it to people who have clearly made a decision to better their lives. Those people who emerged from the cave a long time ago and learned how to learn and study. Study how to plan a life, do the research, investigate the real opportunities, and conduct themselves with dignity.

K. The Network Marketing industry is built and maintained by people with pride and dignity, who serve their networks with care and integrity. And because of the impact they have in the market and economy, deserve to be treated with respect.

Now I have that off of my chest, you probably have an idea of what my day was like. I was inspired to dig back into my files and resurrect an article “Shame On You” that I wrote some time ago.