Two Key Ingredients to Success: Passion and Focus!

Image by revbean via Flickr I've had many conversations around a question similar to this: "How in the world do I succeed in today's volatile economic climate?" So many variables have to be considered when asking this question. For today, however, I will discuss two main ingredients in the overall formula for success. These two seem quite obvious, but are absolutely essential if you are ever going to gain traction in your current employment, or with a business idea you may be considering. These two ingredients are Passion and Focus!

Have you ever tried to do anything without passion? It's like having hair in your tooth paste. It's just not quite right. You go through the motions; go to work, put out fires, answer phone calls and emails, try to identify new business opportunities, try to please the boss, then go home. Rinse and repeat day in and day out. If you don't have some vested interest in the work you are trying to get done, you will NEVER; let me say it one more time...NEVER be truly successful. Let me tell you what I mean when I say "successful." One, you won't be personally fulfilled or satisfied by the work you are doing. Two, boredom will set in and we all know "Idle time is the Devil's playground." Three, you will become easily distracted and won't be able to provide your full, undivided attention to the task at hand!! What happens then? You basically do half-baked work that gets you through to the next paycheck! No recognition, no accolades, no pay increases, no promotion. What kind of life is that??? This brings me to my next point.

Focus. When you are distracted, you do completely lose focus. Imagine a baseball player stepping up to the plate to take a swing when suddenly their vision becomes blurry. The chances of that batter hitting the ball, let along hitting a home run, jut greatly diminished. This is EXACTLY what happens to us when we lose focus in our jobs. We DON'T hit the home run! We DON'T get on base! We DON'T miraculously become successful by missing the ball! We become even more disgruntled with our current situation and desperation sets in to find the next new thing. This is a CRAZY REVOLVING DOOR that just won't stop unless you do something about it!

So, as you continue through this week and into the future, write down these two words on a piece of paper, on a mirror, or at least somewhere where you can see them daily; Passion and Focus. Think about what you are passionate about so you can slowly shift your career to focus on that indulgence. Your life, family, friends and career will all feel the significant positive effects of the two simple words "focused" on today! Cheers to your success!!

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Poker, poker, poker!

Have you ever dreamed of making "easy money?" OF COURSE you have! Haven't we all? I mean, work IS a four-letter word, and most of us find ourselves in less-than-optimal careers (although I have FINALLY found something I enjoy). Well, have you considered poker? Online play now makes poker available 24/7, and is one of the most explosive new "industries" in the world. However, you better have plenty of cash, patience, and support from those around you if you want to even dabble in this adventure.

I started playing at a local home game back in 2004. I started playing serious poker in 2007. When I say serious, I mean I've played over 1 million hands in the last 4 years alone! Most of the hands have been late in the evening after everyone has gone to bed, with the exception of a handful of casino visits as I travel for work. I've watched my online poker ranking grow, and there is no doubt, it takes many, many hands to even get an idea of the vast array of intricacies and details that goes into each and every hand played. This is precisely what makes poker such an interesting game. It's ridiculous how intriguing it becomes as you learn strategies moving forward. More on strategies later.

You must first realize though, playing poker can, and does have addictive attributes. The first time you take $25 cash and turn it into over $800 in less than two hours, you can't help but get a bit excited. Understand though that when you do this, you aren't playing the level of poker that will gain you consistent cash over a long period of time, which

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is the ONLY way you will ever MAKE money playing poker. So, again, if it's recreational only, then have fun. However, if you care to accumulate cash, don't be a fool!

I enjoy poker, and the thrill of learning and getting better over time, and so can you. Just start low and slow, and see how you do. If you care to learn more, feel free to reach out to me. I still have a LONG way to go, but I'm several years into the process and there is no doubt I've seen almost every conceivable bad beat that can be laid. So play wise. Here's to protecting your chips, and gaining more!

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First 100K Cylcing Race COMPLETE!

Image by HeroicLife via Flickr Wow, I'm not sure I ever actually thought this could be done. My wife and I, along with several friends, decided a few months back it would be a fun idea to plan, train for, and complete a 100k race, specifically the Hotter 'N Hell 100 in Wichita Falls, Texas. It just so happens that this particular race is THE LARGEST organized road race in the entire country! What a way to "break the ice!"

It started Saturday morning, bright and early at our hotel 50 miles away from the actual starting line. We stayed in Lawton, Oklahoma because that was the only hotel available three months before the race. It turns out you need to book your hotel stay a year in advance if you want to be close to the action! So, we get up at 4am to start the day. It's breakfast time, and based on everything I've learned about nutrition for training to date, we bust out some carbs. We eat bread and peanut butter, granola cereal, bananas, TONS of water, and some yogurt. Mind you, all of this was piled on top of the ridiculous mound of bread and pasta that we ate (at a GREAT little Italian restaurant named Luigi's in Lawton) at dinner the night before...ugh!

So, my wife and I collect all of our gear, run down the hotel hall to grab our training buddy (and great friend) that's racing too, and off we go. We drive to meet my wife's Uncle at his hotel in Wichita Falls. We throw the bikes together, hit the restroom one more time, dawn our racing numbers (on our jersey's, bikes, and helmets), and proceed to start our cycling adventure, which included a 2-mile short ride over to the starting line at about 6:15am in the dark.

O...M...G! I have NEVER seen so many people on bikes in all of my life! There were well over 14,000 registered riders for this year's event. We make our way through the hoards of people to the starting line, and wait for the start of the race. The National Anthem is played, four F-16 fighter jets fly directly over the long line of thousands of riders, and a canon goes off to signal the start of the race. And when I say canon, I mean an old-fashioned, loud as hell, shake your body and make you think you were in an explosion CANON! It definitely awoke the masses and off we went!

The pace was RIDICULOUS! While during training, we liked to maintain somewhere between 15-18mph, we were hitting over 20mph right from the start! That's a CRAZY pace for novice racers! To race along directly in the middle of a true peleton of cyclists going that fast was an awe-inspiring experience that I don't think any of us will ever forget. What a true joy!

The event was so well supported, and the hundreds of volunteers that gave their time this weekend were absolutely delightful and fun to be around. The camaraderie amongst our friends and the entire racing group was special. To train for and actually complete a race like this creates bonds that can't be explained to those that haven't experienced it themselves. I wish that anyone reading this will give serious consideration to finding a future event they wish to train for, and find a way to do it! It was well worth every pain-staking mile ridden to prepare ahead of time.

Thank you to my friends that participated and enjoyed it with us! A HUGE thank you to my wife as well for not only supporting the idea, but making the decision to take up the sport, start training, and complete her first race too! I'm serious, it was all GREAT!

What types of events have you done in the past? What activities, or sports have you tried that the rest of us may want to do to? My next goal is to run a half-marathon. After that, on to my first triathlon. Good luck to all! Until next time...

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Time to Shape Up Fat Boy!

Image by sinterbear via Flickr So I haven't paid much to the television show Family Guy...ever...until now. With the beauty of DVR, I now how enough episodes to take up approximately 76% of my available space. Do you realize how well written that show actually is? I mean, you can't have any kids around when you watch the show - I'm not even sure you should have young adults under 21 watching that show - But, it is funny!

Well, let's get straight to the point, minus any political correctness (you can thank the most recent episode of Family Guy I just watched for that). This country is getting ridiculously FAT! No, not "phat" as in an adjective describing something cool. I'm talking about freaking over-sized, super-sized, value-sized, plus-sized, huge-sized, uber-sized, nasty freaking FAT! There is something horrifically wrong with the FDA and their Food Pyramid with recommendations of a healthy and balanced lifestyle. What a crock of...well...FAT! And before you get all emotional on me and cry and whine about me discussing this issue, please understand I'm guilty with the majority of the rest of the country. I am in the process of losing 50+ pounds to get back down to my fighting weight, and it is a full-on, mental/physical, emotional war! The focus you have to maintain to lose weight has to be laser. It is sooooo difficult! Did I say it is hard to do? You get my point, and if you've ever had to lose weight, then I know you feel me.

Why do I bring this up? Well, more people in this country of alleged "free speech" need to start utilizing that freedom without restraint to start pulling things back into some semblance of order. Ever read The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire? Have you ever studied that? I know I could easily rattle off over 50 items that need immediate attention, but since I am focusing this blog on self-improvement, self-awareness, and a man's journey through this life, I'm sticking to the "elephant in the room!" Get it? Holy crap, THAT was funny! I'm sticking to the "fats!"

Find a friend, Google healthy eating, join an exercise group, join a gym...for goodness sake, do SOMETHING about the out of control, non-disciplined eating problem for yourself, and teach someone else how to lose weight too. I truly feel for the women in this country that are held to such a ridiculously high standard, but us men, yeah baby, us men get to look like the guys in the picture above and get away with it! Are you freakin' kidding me? I'm saying make a CHANGE, and push yourself to the limits to get in shape! Not only will you feel better, but you will live a longer, and no doubt happier life! I bet your significant others will enjoy the benefits too!

Let me know what you're doing to get in GREAT physical condition. Take a stand in what you believe in, and do SOMETHING/ANYTHING to start improving things; Not just the obesity problem, but focus on doing what you can to improve this great country, and the world our children are going to inherit! Until next time...

Starting the Week!

Image via Wikipedia Good morning!

Why is it that it's so hard for me to go to sleep at a decent time? This is one of the many questions I ask myself in my new quest to optimize my personal performance across all facets of my life.

Well, here's my reasoning. I think, because as a husband, father, employee, employer, soccer coach, volunteer, friend, relative, brother, uncle, pilot, son, etc., I WANT TIME FOR MYSELF TOO! I don't want to diminish ANY of the roles aforementioned, but as men, we are all held to certain societal standards that quite frankly are hard to keep up with at times. Is this an excuse? NO! But it is my reason for staying up so freakin' late! I feel much more productive as the kids finally go off to sleep, my wife settles into her book, and I just let my thoughts pour around my head until something finally comes out. It makes me wonder if I shouldn't open up some 24-hour facility, or a night-only facility. Maybe an after-hours restaurant??

This is another reason I think blogging is great for my psyche. I'm able to "journal" (if you will), and get my thoughts out into the infinite space of the Internet. Who knows who will eventually read this, but does it matter? Today, I don't know.

So, for those of you that are feeling some of the daily pressures of life in general, I would suggest blogging as a new pastime if you haven't ever done so. It's mentally stimulating, and it knocks the dust off the old English skills. Plus, you get the added benefit of dumping some potentially useful, but more than likely useless, information into an arena where like-minded individuals can either commiserate with you, or tell you where to go. Either way, start writing!

How are you trying to improve your life? What are some of the major mental obstacles you face either periodically or daily? I'd love to hear what's going on in your world too! Until next time...

Discomfort in My Daily Job

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So here I go. Once again, I change course just a bit in an attempt to fine-tune exactly what I'm going to blog about on a daily basis. First of all, I guess I better get into a routine in order to come remotely close to daily blogging. Who wants to come to a blog where there are only one or two posts every few months, right?? Exactly! So, here is my promise to write on a much more consistent basis.

Today, I talk about conversations I've had over the last couple of years with GREAT friends of mine that all feel the same way about their daily lives. What do I hear almost daily? "I HATE my job!" If I had a dollar for every time I've heard this phrase...But, is that what's really causing your "pain," or is it a slue of other variables causing grief between your ears? \

I have GREAT news! Your job is NOT the problem! It's YOU!!! In fact, when you really start to dissect what's happening between your ears, you realize there are multiple variables going on in your life at any given time that give the ILLUSION of your job being the root cause of all of your problems. Even if it's not your job you point the finger at, I guarantee you are pointing it in some direction, and in a direction where there is no mirror in front of you! At any given point in time, if you are having these negative feelings, you can put a "stop-loss" on this train of thought, and start thinking positively. You know, I used to think this was a bunch of hogwash, but there is something very real about positive affirmation, and eliminating those negative thoughts that creep up in all of our minds the second they come up. In fact, if you don't stop the negative thoughts when they creep up into your conscience, you will definitively notice your day won't improve much, and by all means, your performance will suffer greatly!

For example, my performance lately has been lackluster, and my numbers are not on my planned trajectory for calendar year success. So, I've had to consider what the cause of this could be. Well, first of all, I've been in contact with other VERY NEGATIVE people in my company over the last few weeks. These people complain if it's raining, then they complain if the sun comes out, then it's too hot, or too cold. You get the picture. While I've always considered myself an optimist, these negative conversations greatly effect not only my mood, by my overall outlook on life. It's POISON!

So, what do we do? First of all, it is absolutely imperative you surround yourself with POSITIVE PEOPLE! Shorten those conversations with the negative people. If they call you on your cell phone, greet them and then politely ask them what they need because you are on a tight time schedule. This prevents them from taking that deep-dive into negative waters. Also, when you do this a few times, most people will get the hint that something bigger is going on, and they will either stop calling you "just to chat," and/or they will start thinking about their own performance. Secondly, be VERY AWARE of your thoughts as you move through the day. The second, and I mean THE SECOND a negative thought comes into your mind, squash it! Immediately tell yourself, "I'm going to perform at MY BEST today, and there is nothing or no one that can stop me!" Remember, you don't have to worry about outperforming someone else, as long as you perform to the best of your abilities.

I know this sounds simplistic, and maybe a bit quacky to some of you, but when you follow these two simple rules, you will notice that you begin to enjoy your job again; or maybe your spouse; or, even your life in general.

Try these things, and give me feedback on your thoughts! Do you use positive affirmation in your life now? What do you tell yourself when things start to go awry? I would love to hear your thoughts! Until next time...

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Pharmaceutical Sales

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Let's face it, today's economy is struggling and the pharmaceutical industry has seen major hits over the last five years. Pharmaceutical companies have down-sized and many in the industry have lost their jobs. But, don't let this get you down. The industry needed to have a market correction. Their were way too many representatives on the streets, and doctors were overwhelmed. As with anything, quality tends to decrease when things get out of control. So, now is the time to seek what is still considered a fantastic career, with great pay and great benefits. How do you prepare for the interview once you have been noticed?
First of all, you have to prepare. At the bare minimum, you better have the basics covered before you ever set foot into the interview. Polish your resume. Pharmaceutical sales is just that, a SALES job. Highlight your past experience. Noone cares that part of your daily routine is pre-call planning, seeking out new opportunities, and closing new business. These are all expected! Instead, what awards have you won? Have you ever been in the President's Club? Have you earned trips, and are you in the top 10% of the sales people in your company? Brag about your rankings in the company, and be ready to verbalize how you achieved your success.
Number two, you better have a "brag book." It's one thing to fluff up your resume, but you need documentation to support your claims. Buy a 3-ring binder. Create tabs for each section you plan to cover. These can include past field ride reports, awards, certificates of sales training, past emails from bosses, and referral letters. The content isn't even as important as just making sure you bring something with you to prove your past success.
For the actual interview, you need to structure your answers very carefully and practice answering questions with a partner before your important day. Most pharmaceutical companies want you to structure your response first by setting up the situation with a specific example. Then, speak about the actions you took to achieve a certain result. Lastly, speak confidently about the results that YOU achieved based on your actions. Remember, you are selling yourself; do NOT fall short on this, and rest assured it is completely acceptable to brag about your achievements.
It is critical for you to set yourself apart from the competition. All sales people are good with people. All sales people can develop relationships. All sales people network, work hard, follow up, and close. Do not rely on these attributes to get you the job. Every single person before and after you will have stated the same things.
At the end of the interview, close like it's your last chance to get a job before you starve. Identify any objections if there are any. Address those objections and make sure the interviewer is confident about your clarification before moving on. Otherwise, you don't get the job. Get their recommendation to move on to the next step in the process. If they are the final decision maker, ask them to give you the job if you have addressed all of their objections and they have told you that you have done well. Undoubtedly you will get a response similar to, "well, you have done a good job, but I still have other people to visit and then we have to discuss all of the candidates before making a decision." Do NOT stop here. Reiterate that they agreed you have the skills and qualifications to meet the job. Let them know you are ready to take on the roll, and you are excited about the position. Ask them to make you the offer today, and you are willing to accept. Believe me, it will feel awkward to some of you to do this, but you are competing in a fierce market. If you can't ask for the job, how can they expect you to excel in the marketplace?
There are many more details to consider when interviewing for a sales position in the medical industry. Just be professional, be on time, be confident, and ask for the job. Think of what you will say to succinctly answer questions prior to the interview, and illustrate truly unique examples that set you apart from the competition. Practice makes perfect, and if you focus on these basics, you have a significantly increased chance of landing your next job. Happy hunting, and good luck!

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Time to Start a New Business with YOUR Help!!

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I have a dream, okay...a vision! I don't want to sound cliche, but I have had these thoughts for way too long not to start discussing it in an open forum where I can utilize the WORLD WIDE WEB as my new network source to generate, incubate, and facilitate new ideas to create a new company; possibly multiple companies with a goal and mission statement to encapsulate some of the ideals I believe businesses today are severely lacking across our world. The great part about this concept is that I want YOU to be a part of, and benefit financially from your great idea!



First of all, I need your help! I want ideas. Not just any old ideas, but REAL ideas that can be massaged and turned into businesses. As it says here on my blog, I am an author for EzineArticles. Until now, I have been blogging, and copying my own blogs to post to EzineArticles. Well, I now plan to utilize my blog site to connect with you! Not only I am going to gather information, but I want to help YOU start a new business and create a joint venture where we ALL BENEFIT. I am "practicing what I preach" here by starting a new network of friends and business contacts made through this blog site to demonstrate what can be created simply by connecting people and ideas to other people.



I have connections from all over the world, and have the ability to get great ideas in front of the proper people to acquire capital for a new venture. As you can imagine, not every idea is business worthy that can generate a profit, but NUMEROUS ideas can!



Please post your comments on this blog, and we can start a dialogue to discuss your new idea. I am more than happy to sign confidentiality agreements, or provide them to you BEFORE we discuss your idea so you are confident it will not be leaked to anyone else. If you have been searching for an outlet, or way to have your idea come to fruition, I have the ability and desire to make that happen!



I look forward to hearing from you! You can email me personally at michael.tergerson@gmail.com .

Lesson #3 - Developing Your Personal Network

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Lesson #2 provided some very basic, yet practical steps in developing your professional network. As discussed, your personal network can also have a significant impact on your goals whether they be personal or professional. Let's take a look at why you need to develop both simultaneously, and how to do that.

Developing both networks at the same time provides exponential opportunity in achieving your goals, whatever they may be. As mentioned previously, I know your personal network is much more powerful than your professional network. Why? Because they people in your personal network have experience with you and can lend significantly to your abilities and credibility. These people can refer you for a new job, or act as references for previous work done. Also, these people can cast a net for you amongst their networks that are FAR further reaching than yours that stands alone. Remember, we are all thought to be connected through only six degrees of separation. In other words, I know someone, that knows someone, that within six people can connect to EVERYONE IN THIS WORLD! Amazing power in networking! So, let's now list a few steps on how to develop your personal network as well.

1. Make a list of everyone you know in your personal network.

2. Highlight those contacts that correlate with the objectives you are trying to achieve.

3. Make contact with those individuals and inform them of your ideas and goals, and let them know unashamed that you NEED THEIR help in achieving those goals.

4. Offer some sort of incentive for their help. Everyone in your personal network will more than likely want to help you achieve your goals, but offering them an incentive like a golf outing, or tickets to the next sporting event will provide a bit more motivation for them to help you out, and will more than likely assure they will help you again in the future. Try NOT to take advantage of any of your relationships.

5. STAY in contact with these people on a frequent basis. Where you only contact some of your professional network possibly once per quarter, you need to maintain consistent, frequent contact with your personal network.

6. Ask your personal network to share their goals with you so you can help them any way you can. "Giving back" not only helps your friends, but will provide personal fulfillment and satisfaction that can only be attained through helping others.

Again, these are very basic networking steps, but if followed, will insure you maintain your network that will always be available to you when needed.

Lesson #4 will discuss the available social and professional networking sites that are at our disposal in today's high tech world. Utilizing these sites properly will again help you achieve your goals much faster than ever before. Until next time...

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Lesson #2 - Developing Your Professional Network

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In lesson #1 we discussed how to identify your goals, and how to set daily action plans to achieve those goals. In this lesson, we get to begin work on a key element in achieving your objectives; developing your professional network. This critical aspect of developing your overall plan will be the single, most important step for propelling you in the right direction and helping you get to your goals exponentially faster than trying to achieve it on your own.

This process will take diligent effort and work, but can be both the most exciting aspect of working towards your goals and the most rewarding. When you come into contact with an individual or company with similar interests that understand what you are trying to achieve, and are willing to contribute activity towards helping you do so, it automatically increases your motivation and drives newfound excitement behind your project, thus intrinsically driving you forward. The question I'm sure you have here is, "How do I contact the right company, people, or person to help me?" The beauty of that answer is very straight-forward. Simply review your goals from lesson #1, and then do the following.

1. Gather a few resources to pull contact information from for you to make your first contact. This can be your local phone book, a newspaper, the internet, established businesses around the corner, church friends, colleagues, etc.

2. Match your goals to potential contacts from those resources that you think may have similar interests, or experience in the field you are trying to operate. Don't concern yourself with whether they are a "perfect fit" at this point. After you make initial contact, you will know if/how that particular contact will fit into your plans.

3. Write those contacts down prioritizing them in order from what you deem to be the most important contacts down to the least important. Remember, you may only have 2 or 3 contacts to begin with, especially if you are new to this process. It is NEVER the quantity as in most cases, but the true QUALITY of the contacts you make.

4. Beside each of those contacts, decide how you will reach out to them, and write down beside each one when you are going to make the first contact, and how you are going to do so. Personally, I have always found easier to meet with someone in person versus having a full meeting on the telephone. This does not mean you cannot call to set up that appointment first. Also, PLEASE make a point of contacting them SOONER rather than LATER as we know procrastination can kick in, and it is quite possible you will NEVER take this critical step in the process.

5. MAKE CONTACT!! Go ahead and set up that first meeting with your prospective new network member. Ask for 15-30 minutes to sit down with them to share your goals. If they are willing to give you more time during that meeting, then enjoy that benefit of extra time and use it wisely.

6. Prepare a quick summary of what you are working on to share at your first meeting. Do NOT write a diatribe here. The people that agree to meet with you have their responsibilities and goals they are trying to accomplish, and they are working on limited time as well.

7. Write a few important questions after your summary of what you want to ask. Be VERY specific. Find out if they have an interest in your project and if they are willing to help you in some capacity. This can mean financial backing, providing advice in certain areas of your project, or even allowing you to utilize some office space once/month to work on your project. Remember, it is your goal to add people to your network that will help you move towards your ultimate goal you defined in Lesson #1. Also, you need to bring some sort of value to them as well. This can mean a shared stake in your company if they are willing to back you financially, or something as small as a progress letter you will give to them as you achieve certain mile markers in your endeavor.

8. Meet with your contact. Evaluate how it went, and make the decision whether or not you will add them to your network.

9. Follow up the meeting with an email thanking them for their time. If the meeting went extremely well, and they are helping you in a big way, send a small gift to the person. Remember to STAY IN CONTACT with this person regardless of the meeting outcome. You never know when you may want to visit with them again in the future, or even better, when they may need you again.

Congratulations! You now understand some very basic steps in developing a professional network that will help you achieve your goals. Once you have started this process, it is important to decide how you will stay in contact with the people you choose to keep in your network. You can do this with computer software or a "little black book." It doesn't really matter as long as you make a point to contact these people on a regular basis. "Regular" does not have to be daily, but can be monthly, quarterly or annually depending on your need. The important thing to do is to perpetually cultivate your network over time. Your network will continue to grow, and the opportunities that arise from these simple steps will astound you.

In my next lesson, I will discuss developing your personal network. I have developed some of the most interesting contacts from this simple strategy. These contacts can be just as important, and in a lot of cases even more important than the contacts you made purposely. I will discuss the reasons why in Lesson #3. Until then...

Networking Lesson #1 - Set Goals Before You Begin Networking

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Goal identification seems to be the largest stumbling block for anyone looking to increase their value in this world. Why? There are so many options to choose from when it comes to how we want to individually impact our own lives. Not to mention, movement towards any goal can take considerable time, and that is a commodity everyone seems to be short on these days.

So, it is imperative you begin your goal setting with the end in mind. Why do we do this? It is actually a very logical process. The idea is if we have our ultimate goal in mind at the beginning of our venture, we can reduce that goal over a specific timeline with daily tasks defined to help us take steps towards that ultimate goal. For example, you want to sell $120,000 worth of product the next calendar year. The next calendar year becomes your timeline. You break that down into $10,000 per month. You reduce that to $2,500 per week. You then translate that to $500 per day in a 5-day work week. Your product price is $100 per unit. You have to sell a minimum of 1 unit per day to reach your annual goal. Then, you simply FOCUS your DAILY tasks around selling that 1 unit per day. If any task you have for that day DOES NOT help you ultimately reach your daily goal, then you let that task fall down on the priority list.

This goal setting task seems very simple, and quite frankly it is. Where people tend to fall short is in the DAILY execution of these goals. You have to take massive action daily to accomplish your ultimate goal. The beauty of this exercise is if you do, in fact, form the correct habits over a few week time period, then reaching your ultimate goal will feel like you have been set on auto pilot, and the tasks you do daily will become second nature. When this happens, success begins to feel automatic. Now that you feel great about being able to accomplish your goal, you still have to identify what goal you want to set. To do so, do the following:

1. Where do your interests lie? Brainstorm and write a list of what motivates you, and what you are personally passionate about. Passion is the KEY to sticking with any plan and doing what is necessary to become successful.
2. What do you want to accomplish with your passion? Are you trying to create a non-profit organization? Are you trying to generate significant wealth with a new idea? Are you trying to generate just a little more income to reach a new purchase goal, an investment goal, or possibly to take a dream vacation?
3. Now, write down the types of people or organizations that can help you reach your goals. Are they charitable organizations? Are they organizations to help you build the skills set necessary to help you promote your new idea? Is it a mentor that will help you achieve your goal quicker or hold you accountable to the necessary actions?
4. Schedule a timeline for completion of that goal. How long will it actually take you? What steps are necessary to achieve it? Break everything down into daily tasks.
5. Write those daily tasks into a calendar so you can see what needs to be accomplished daily.
6. Read your ultimate goal, and the tasks that need to be completed for that day EVERY morning when you wake up, and again before you actually begin your day. This will help reinforce your priorities for that day and will "keep the ball moving forward." Reading your goal and understanding your tasks that need to be completed will propel you forward in reaching your ultimate goal, but most importantly, you will form great habits that help you achieve your goal.

Now that you have identified your goal, and have broken down how to achieve that goal, we can begin to think about the networking piece of your puzzle. Networking will give you exponential power in achieving your objectives. It will do so in NUMEROUS ways. It may provide the capital you need to get a business started, it may provide the brainpower to help you drive one aspect of your business, it might even help you hire the right people to help you achieve success at a quicker pace. Regardless, you will find networking to be the key ingredient in driving tremendous success no matter what you are looking to achieve.

Be looking for Lesson #2 shortly on how to begin developing your network. Network development is obviously a critical step, and one that does not need to be taken lightly. I will show you how you can attract anyone you want to your network, but you MUST be selective and utilize your goal to help you decide who is really important for you, and why it will benefit them to help you. Until next time...

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Understanding How to Employ Powerful Networking

Image via Wikipedia

Networking...a group of things connected together using some form of talking or other communication. That is the definition I just looked up on Wikipedia. I have made the decision to begin blogging about networking because it is absolutely critical in reaching success of any kind, on any level, at any point in anyone's lives for anything they are trying to accomplish. People ask me constantly, "How did you meet that CEO? How did you find that position? How did you get that job? How do you know her?" My pat answer, "Networking."

Networking has become much more accessible in today's time with the internet, social networking sites, civic groups, etc. With that accessibility however comes confusion, frustration, time limits, and "analysys paralysis." Which site do I join? What exactly am I trying to accomplish? How do I find the time to maintain my network? Is this really worth my time?

I am personally going to help you answer these questions over my next few blogs. I will help you identify the goals your are trying to accomplish, a timeline to do it in, and the resources you should consider in putting your entire plan together. Later, I will drill down to specific goals, and how to achieve those goals with a little bit of thought, planning and execution. If we are going to continue to foster entrepreneurship and growth in this country, it is imperative more people learn to utilize the power, or dare I say "synergistic power" of networking. The old adage "two heads are better than one" should be changed to fit today's society. Maybe we should realize, "ten million ideas infused with action creates a brand new economy (add that to my first of many quotes to come even though it is a bit weak)!"

I understand the power behind networking and even more so understand it is my duty to teach people how to become better networkers and the power this one word truly beholds. I look forward to providing more in the coming weeks. I guarantee it will not be a waste of any of our time! Until then...