This year, I have been unshackling myself from mental slavery. I earmarked 2009 as the year of unparalleled professional and personal growth. It has meant getting rid of some beliefs that were royally screwing my life and preventing me from getting ahead.

I decided to start this blog to share my experiences, lessons and thoughts with others…why? To inspire you to be the best you can be. It has not been an easy road exposing my life to people I might never meet. But it is a small prize to pay to make a positive contribution in your life. I might never meet you in person, but it is my hope that your success will inspire others too.

Early this week, I posted a blog post about setting up systems to serve you. If you have a good belief system… a collection of ideas, outlook, habits, and action triggers, you will succeed. The kind of belief system you set up will determine how high you rise and how far you go. To succeed, you have to let go of self limiting beliefs.

Will Smith is one of my favorite actors of all time. You can watch him on a video I posted in January 2009 on the about page of this blog. He said that he believes whole-heartedly that our thoughts, our feelings, our dreams; our ideas are PHYSICAL in the universe. Your belief system WILL manifest itself in your physical life.

I am living testimony that positive thoughts can transform a life. I had reached the depths sheol and did not like it down there. My beliefs and ideas were keeping me down. I tried the positive thinking “nonsense” and it surprisingly made absolute sense to me. I urge you to give it a try my friend. Commit yourself to a complete renewal of your mind through positive thoughts. What you think, you become. What you believe, you get.

Let us look at a few areas of life that a shaky belief system can cost you (and what to do about it).

Finances

• Generosity – What are your thoughts on giving? I have found that the more you give the more it comes back to you. Do not hoard the little you have thinking that you will start giving when you “get there”. Commit a certain percentage of your time and resources for generosity. If you cannot give $10 to your church when you have $100, it is unlikely that you will give them a hundred grand when you make a million.
• Sow and Reap – As a man soweth, so shall he also reap. What kind of seeds are you planting in your life right now? Whether you realize it or not, you are a farmer. You are always planting and harvesting. If you plant an extravagant lifestyle on credit, you will reap massive debt. If you sow an automatic investment strategy, then you will reap compounded returns.
• Don’t work for money – Do you believe that you have to work for money? That is not cool. Let money work for you instead. Don’t rock up to a job you hate every day for the rest of your life just for the paycheck. Find your passion, do what you like to do, not what money makes you do. The irony is that the more you do what you enjoy doing, the more money you will get.
• The quickest path to happiness – I have said previously on this blog that those who say money cannot buy happiness don’t know where to shop. I maintain that view, but let me add something… you can still be happy without spending your money. The quickest path to happiness is contentment.
• Gain Financial Literacy – Do you bury your head in the sand and let your accountant crunch the numbers for you? Do you say that you are not good with numbers or that finance is too complicated? Such a belief system can cost you a fortune. Get busy now and acquire financial literacy. Celebrities who hand over their money to money managers at times end up in the poor house if they do not pay attention to the details of their financial standing.

Career

• Flexible goals – Some people believe that just because their biology teacher said it, they have to become doctors. Just because you were good in math does not mean you should be an accountant. Be flexible and adaptable to changing times and opportunities in your career.
• It may take time to succeed – Career success does not happen overnight. Be prepared to put in the hours, effort and perseverance. Success is normally found just after others give up. Push yourself, don’t give up.
• Formal qualifications are not the “alpha and omega” of career success. You can succeed in a career that you did not earn a degree. I am a graduate in Business (Marketing & Information Systems) but what I do has little to do with what I studied at uni. I know a lot of people who have had career success in what they trained in. I also a lot of others that have succeeded in areas of their passion even though they do not have any formal training.
• Work on your strengths – In school we are taught to focus on our weak areas. To repeat until we get it. But real life is a little different. Work on your strengths instead of wasting your time on what you are not good at. You can always subcontract your weak areas if you find success on what you are good at.
• It is never too late – I recently read a story about a middle aged lady that had gone back to university to study law. She had been running a clothing store for 20 years. She went on to become a successful lawyer. Do not be stuck in a rut for fear of change. As long as you are not six feet underground, you can do whatever you put your mind to.

Relationships

• Treat yourself nice – How you treat and perceive yourself will have a dramatic effect on how others treat you. Think about it, when you meet new people, you treat them according to how they present or express themselves. Put your best foot forward and others will treat you accordingly.
• Relationships are forever – Think of creating win-win situations with others. Whether you are talking with your customers or wife, treat them with respect and set a foundation for an ongoing relationship.
• Birds of a feather – You will be judged by the company you keep. People you surround yourself with can infect you with their enthusiasm for life or their morbid desire for punishment.
• Stereotypes – Do not succumb to stereotyping yourself or others. Take time to listen and learn about others before making sweeping statements.

In Summary

You can do whatever your put your mind to. Your beliefs affect your relationships, your finances, your health and much more. Think positively and constantly re-evaluate your belief system.

Kindly share this article with your friends. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments on this topic. For the readers who have supported this blog in the last eight months, I say a big thank you. I appreciate you.

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Many of us are always looking to climb higher. Unfortunately, the higher you climb the more you realize how far you still to go. Do you spend your life looking for the next promotion, the next relationship, the next success?

I like a quote by Will Smith, he said “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t need, to impress people they don’t like.” Breaking your back to amass a collection of luxuries you don’t need, to impress people you don’t care about sounds silly, but a surprisingly high number of people do that year in year out.

Internal Congruence

To be truly successful, you need to have internal congruence. Your mind and soul needs to be convinced that what you are doing is a worthy pursuit. Wouldn’t it be nice to find the quickest path to happiness instead of perpetually chasing the wind?

If one part of you wants to succeed and the other part says “hey man, is it really worth it?” then you are going to have problems. You are going to sabotage yourself more than Al-Qaeda operatives in Iraq sabotage Americans. You will be your own enemy in your success battles.

Finding Balance

Do you have an insatiable desire for wealth that is detrimental to your values and relationships? Taking business and success too seriously can lead to stress and emotional turmoil that can ruin everything else.

Since launching this blog, I have been writing on a wide array of topics ranging from Personal Branding, to Emotional Mastery to Relationships and Getting Rich. It is all about finding balance instead of chasing success in one aspect of life to the exclusion of all else. How would you like to gain the whole world and lose your soul? How would you feel if you became the richest man in your city and lose you family?

Take a piece of piece of paper and set your goals in all aspects of your life. Re-evaluate your quest for success and decide if you are paying a fair price. Is your job worth your family life? Is your night out worth your school grades? Is your career worth a little grass or more?

And the Bible Says…

Today I will leave you with the  scripture that inspired the title of this post.

Ecclesiastes 1 (New International Version)

1. The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

2        “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

3        What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?

4        Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

5        The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.

6        The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.

7        All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.

8        All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.

9        What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

10    Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

11    There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow.

12    I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13     I devoted myself to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid on men!

14     I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

15     What is twisted cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

16    I thought to myself, “Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.”

17     Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

18    For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.

Parting Shot…

I would love to hear from you regarding your thoughts about chasing the wind of success and finding balance. Your comments are highly appreciated. Kindly share this blog post with your friends on Facebook and other social Media.

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I was inspired by a story told by Robert Kiyosaki and I will share that with you today.

Instead of creating and delivering value in person, you can set up systems to serve you. Package your value and find a way of delivering that value to the people who need it. For example, companies like Coca-cola and Pepsi thrive even if they do not have their own shops. They seek partners in delivering their refreshments. You can do the same in your life; you can work with others to deliver value for you, just like Pepsi does.

Here is that brilliant story by Robert Kiyosaki.

Once upon a time there was this quaint little village. It was a great place to live except for one problem. The village had no water unless it rained. To solve this problem once and for all, the village elders decided to put out to bid the contract to have water delivered to the village on a daily basis.

Two people volunteered to take on the task and the elders awarded the contract to both of them. They felt that a little competition would keep prices low and ensure a back-up supply of water.

The first of the two people who won the contract, Ed, immediately ran out, bought two galvanized steel buckets and began running back and forth along the trail to the lake which was a mile away. He immediately began making money as he labored morning to dusk hauling water from the lake with his two buckets.

He would empty them into the large concrete holding tank the village had built. Each morning he had to get up before the rest of the village awoke to make sure there was enough water for the village when it wanted it. It was hard work, but he was very happy to be making money and for having one of the two exclusive contracts for this business.

Business Owner Thinking

The second winning contractor, Bill, disappeared for a while. He was not seen for months, which made Ed very happy since he had no competition. Ed was making all the money.

Instead of buying two buckets to compete with Ed, Bill had written a business plan, created a corporation, found four investors, employed a president to do the work and returned six months later with a construction crew.

Within a year his team had built a large volume stainless steel pipeline which connected the village to the lake. At the grand opening celebration, Bill announced that his water was cleaner than Ed’s water.

Bill knew that there had been complaints about dirt in Ed’s water. Bill also announced that he could supply the village with water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ed could only deliver water on the weekdays–he did not work on weekends.

Then Bill announced that he would charge 75% less than Ed did for this higher quality and more reliable source of water. The village cheered and ran immediately for the faucet at the end of Bill’s pipeline.

In order to compete, Ed immediately lowered his rates by 75%, bought two more buckets, added covers to his buckets and began hauling four buckets each trip. In order to provide better service, he hired his two sons to give him a hand for the night shift and on weekends. When his boy s went off to college, he said to them, “Hurry back because someday this business will belong to you.” For some reason, after college, his two sons never returned.

Eventually Ed had employees and union problems. The union was demanding higher wages, better benefits and wanted its members to only haul one bucket at a time.

Bill, on the other hand, realized that if this village needed water then other villages must need water too. He rewrote his business plan and went off to sell his high speed, high volume, and low cost and clean water delivery system to villages throughout the world. He only makes a penny per bucket of water delivered, but he delivers billions of buckets of water, and all that money pours into his bank account. Bill had developed a pipeline to deliver money to himself as well as water to the villages. Bill lived happily ever after and Ed worked hard for the rest of his life and had financial problems forever after.

That story about Bill and Ed has guided me for years. It has assisted me in my life’s decision making process. I often ask myself, “Am I building a pipeline or hauling buckets?” “Am I working hard or am I working smart?”

In Summary

Are you capable of creating a “pipeline” to be delivering value for you? What do you need to do before you can deliver value to others 24/7? To get ahead in life, you have to be more like Bill and less like Ed.

Please share this blog post with your friends on Facebook and other social media. I would also love to hear from you about practical areas of life that one can setup a distribution system (pipelines).

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Henry Ford capitalized on the assembly line system to produce cars more efficiently. He designed his manufacturing system to introduce efficiency and help roll out affordable cars faster from his production lines.

What kind of systems can you set up to be working for you 24/7 to introduce efficiency and effectiveness in your life or venture? This blog for example, is a simple system working for me. It is able to deliver value to my readers in 90 countries, 24 hours a day / 7 days a week.

Footballers earn a lot of money, so do musicians, but have you ever spared a thought about the people who own the systems… the football franchises, the recording industry magnates etc. These people working behind the scenes earn a lot more; in fact they are the ones who pay the footballers and the musicians.

Having systems work for you is a major leverage for getting ahead in life. Unfortunately not many people obsess over setting up their own systems. If you do not obsess about setting up systems to serve you, you will be limited on how high you can ascend. Your own flesh and blood can only do so much.

Decide what vehicle you want to use to deliver value to others, and employ smart systems to serve you around the clock. Your system might be a computer program like in the case of this blog, or it may be a monthly arrangement with a professional e.g. a bookkeeper or cleaner.

Aim to have systems around what you do. Free your time for creativity and growing your venture, not getting stuck in a rut. What if you had hundreds of systems working for you 24/7/365 days?

The Internet is a good place to setup systems to serve you. You could setup a simple blog to act as your CV. You could setup a shop on the internet to be selling your goods and services even when you sleep. Please check out a couple of articles I wrote on how you can use the internet to serve you; 1) How to use Social Media for Personal Branding, 2) How to use Blogging for Personal Branding.

Think about your daily activities, especially if you run a business. Are there some of your actions that can be automated, delegated or outsourced? Could you create a system to do what you did yesterday? Aim to create a new system per week to make your work more efficient or effective. Examples of systems working for others include classified advertising, production lines, websites, subcontracting work, personal budgeting, automatic investment plans etc.

In Summary

To get ahead in life you need to release yourself from the mundane and repetitive tasks that can be done by someone else. Think of building systems and processes to serve you and multiply your efforts, ideas, talents and resources.

If you like this blog post, please share with your friends on Facebook, or via email. I would love to hear from you through the comments system with ideas or questions about setting up systems to serve you.

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Someone once said “find that which you love to do and you will never have to work a day in your life”. There is truth in that statement. When you do things you love, though you may physically or mentally get tired, you will enjoy what you do, and it will feel less like work and more like fun.

If you are going to spend equal amounts of energy hating your job (but pretending to like it) and doing your job, think twice my friend. Doing something you hate just for the money is the quickest way to mediocrity. Nobody becomes a class act by hating their job.

Success through authenticity means embracing your uniqueness. It also means investing your time and efforts in ventures that are in alignment with your uniqueness. If you do not find the passion for your job or career – quit. You will hardly get ahead if you do something you loathe anyway. Lack of authenticity produces moderate results at best.

Who are you?

To confidently call yourself authentic, you need to know who you really are. Take time to list your unique characteristics, culture and beliefs, experiences, training etc. Do a SWOT analysis of yourself before embarking on a new venture. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats).

What are you talents? What do you do with ease that others struggle in? What do you aspire to do or what does your heart desire? Combining your unique talents, with a strong desire to succeed in an area of life can propel you to success.

Why are you on this planet? What is your mission in life? Let your actions, career, relationships and ventures be guided by your mission in life. Just like corporations, you should have a mission statement that will guide you and tell you when you are on the right track or not.

Your father being a lawyer does not mean you should become one as well. You don’t have to become a writer just because your English teacher said you should. What you do should come from within. If you are thrust into something by external forces, it will show. People can tell a phony from the real deal.

There is more than one avenue for success. Find the avenue that is the closest match to your uniqueness. Trying to change your core to become like someone else is harder than finding a matching career in the long term. Authenticity breeds happiness.

Are you genuinely interested?

To succeed in a venture or relationship, you must throw yourself into it fully. To succeed in a venture, you have to live your venture full time. Undertaking half measures slows down your success journey or derails you.

Are you genuinely interested in your career, job, business or investment? Without genuine interest in what you do, you would not have internal congruence. Lack of internal congruence can introduce conflicting thoughts that hinder progress. You may not be able to apply yourself fully if you are not genuinely interested. Real growth only happens when your interest level is on a high.

I realized early on in life that I do not like taking orders, and neither do I like seeing blood. That ruled out the military and medicine as career options for me. There are many other unique things about me that have directed my career choices. What are you unique characteristics, like and dislikes? Use your uniqueness to your advantage.

If you find that you are continuously forcing yourself to do your job or run a business, perhaps it is high time to evaluate what you are doing. Not all of us can be doctors, bricklayers, cooks, preachers or mechanics. There is something for everyone. Take your time to find your passion and dedicate yourself to what you are good at.

In Summary

Stop trying to keep up with others or to do what society dictates. If you that which you love, are passionate about, and are genuinely interested in, you will soar to greater heights of success and achievement.

I would love to hear from you through your comments. Do you know someone who can succeed more if they followed their passion and unique gifts in life? Please share this blog post with them, your Facebook friends or other friends via email.

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First, let us see what Google has to say about the word “buy”.

• Obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction; “The family purchased a new car”; “The conglomerate acquired a new company”

• Bribe: make illegal payments to in exchange for favors or influence; “This judge can be bought”
• Acquire by trade or sacrifice or exchange; “She wanted to buy his love with her dedication to him and his work”

While we are at it, let us have a quick look at what “influence” is all about.

• A power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc; “used her parents’ influence to get the job”
• Causing something without any direct or apparent effort
• Determine: shape or give direction to; “mold public opinion”
• Charm: induce into action by using one’s charm; “She charmed him into giving her all his money”

Why Become Influential?

To get ahead in life, you will need to influence others to do things for you. You may need to influence people to buy from you. You may need to influence people to vote for you. There are all sorts of ways to influence people. Once you have influence, you will cause things to happen without any direct or apparent effort.

One of the most influential people in the world is Oprah Winfrey. Bill O’Reilly once said: “I mean this is a woman that came from nothing to rise up to be the most powerful woman, I think, in the world. I think Oprah Winfrey is the most powerful woman in the world, not just in America. That’s — anybody who goes on her program immediately benefits through the roof. I mean, she has a loyal following; she has credibility; she has talent; and she’s done it on her own to become fabulously wealthy and fabulously powerful”

In July 2007 TV Guide reported that Winfrey was the highest paid TV entertainer in the United States during the past year. She earned an estimated $260 million during the year. That amount was more than 5 times what had been earned by the person in second place (Wikipedia). In 2008, Oprah was said to be worth US$2.7 million.

The more influential you are, the richer you will be (in most cases). Wealth makes people influential, but influence can precede great wealth. Gaining influence, by whatever means available to you, can open up doors that are closed to many.

Being influential makes life easier. You can do what you desire, shape the direction of events, be in control, and be happy. At any one moment in time, you are either influencing others or being influenced in some way.

Buying Influence

Going by the definitions of buying above, I choose to focus on buying as being “acquire by trade or sacrifice or exchange”. To get influence, you have to trade something you value or make sacrifices . Influence is a worthy purchase. Now let us a look at 10 ways of buying influence.

1 – Tell a Compelling Story

Unless you are going to brandish a gun and force people to do your bidding, you need to articulate what is in it for them. Inspiring people into action through stories is one of the most powerful ways of gaining influence. The most read book in history, the bible is a collection of stories with lessons galore.

Taking time to develop a compelling story can give you a master key to influencing people. Whether you are a marketer, a politician, a union leader or a preacher, your story is what will create your following. Do people resonate with what you are telling them? Do they believe your story? Do they trust you to guide them?

Your story needs to be told and re-told. Great brands are just a repetition of a compelling story. The story does not have to be a long winded narrative. It can be an association, a memory, a reason to take action. Articulating your vision is the first step to influencing people.

2 – Unite People

Power comes from people. If you can find a way of uniting people towards a common goal, then you will be powerful and influential. Perhaps you could start by bringing together people, people who share a hobby, passion, or profession. You would become the cornerstone of the group and that is how influence begins.

If you take your time and put thought into what people really need or want to unite in, then you can tap on those emotions, needs or circumstances to become influential. A good example that comes to mind is Malcom X. He tapped on the racial tensions between blacks and whites in America to become very influential. (Disclaimer: the following is text is a quote by Malcom X, not my opinion or thoughts).

Malcolm X: Brothers and sisters, I am here to tell you that I charge the white man.

I charge the white man with being the greatest murderer on earth. I charge the white man with being the greatest kidnapper on earth. There is no place in this world that this man can go and say he created peace and harmony.

Everywhere he’s gone he’s created havoc. Everywhere he’s gone he’s created destruction. So I charge him. I charge him with being the greatest kidnapper on this earth! I charge him with being the greatest murderer on this earth! I charge him with being the greatest robber and enslaver on this earth! I charge the white man with being the greatest swine-eater on this earth. The greatest drunkard on this earth!

He can’t deny the charges! You can’t deny the charges! We’re the living proof of those charges! You and I are the proof. You’re not an American, you are the victim of America. You didn’t have a choice coming over here. He didn’t say, “Black man, black woman, come on over and help me build America”. He said, “Nigger, get down in the bottom of that boat and I’m taking you over there to help me build America”. Being born here does not make you an American. I am not an American, you are not an American. You are one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of America.

You and I, we’ve never see any democracy. We didn’t see any democracy on the-the cotton fields of Georgia, wasn’t no democracy down there. We didn’t see any democracy. We didn’t see any democracy on the streets of Harlem or on the streets of Brooklyn or on the streets of Detroit or Chicago. Ain’t no democracy down there. No, we’ve never seem democracy! All we’ve seen is hypocrisy! We don’t see any American Dream. We’ve experienced only the American Nightmare!

Crowd: [shouting] Malcolm! Malcolm! We want Malcolm! We want Malcolm!

The crowd had just been given a reason to unite… and who was there to lead them? Who was there to influence them? Of course, Malcom X! If you can find an angle to unite people (along the lines of something that meets your and their objectives), then my friend, you will have just purchased a truckload of influence.

3 – Meet a Need

Take time to do your homework on what people need. It is easier to influence people who need you than people who can do without you. Make yourself indispensable or highly desirable. Invest some time to get in tune with the needs of others. There are different types of needs and Abraham Maslow summed them up nicely in five levels.

• Physiological needs – These are the basic needs that each person has. Meeting these needs can give you leverage and influence. These needs include the need for food, sleep, sex, shelter, clothing etc. If someone depends on you for shelter for example, you are more likely to influence them than someone who does not. Think of how you can align your offering with the needs of the people you want to influence. They may be basic needs, but they are very powerful needs that many people will go to great lengths to meet.
• Safety needs – Once people have their physiological needs sorted, they start looking for some form of security or protection. Insurance companies pry on these needs. They target people who are just above being driven by physiological needs alone. They urge them to protect what they have. You can position yourself to be the protector and provider of security and gain influence because of that. Some unscrupulous people can gain influence through manipulation, by playing on the fear factor. For example, extortionists can offer to protect a business and if the business owner refuses to pay, they can use scare tactics to influence the owner to comply.There are different types of safety needs including: personal safety, financial security and good health. You can get ahead in life by just focusing on meeting just one need. For example, you could build a business around providing information about healthy living for young families.
• Social needs – When people have a roof over themselves in a safe house/neighborhood, they start paying attention to higher level needs such as intimacy, family and friendship. Think of ways you can gain leverage by being the antidote for loneliness. The need for friendship and acceptance can provide you with a window to influence someone or people.
• Esteem – You can gain influence by providing a sense of belonging to people. This is where starting a professional association, sports team, sub-culture and a membership club can make you influential. You can influence people through the emotion of wanting to belong. People with low self esteem are more easily influenced. Think of ways you can build up others, meet their need to belong, the need to be recognized, accepted and feel important. Blend that with your business or activities to gain influence and get ahead in life.
• Self-Actualization – This need is not for everyone. It is for those who have conquered the above needs. This is a need that only the cream of society can actually call a pressing need. Self actualization is the desire for someone to reach their full potential and be the master of their destiny. You will hit jackpot if you can position yourself as the self-actualization guru. If you can help people meet this need, then my friend, you will be influencing the cream. And now, that is influence.

4 – Become an Authority

People respond to authority. One of the most powerful ways of propelling your influence to the stratosphere is through positioning yourself as an authority. Becoming an authority can eliminate doubts about your abilities and marshal people around your ideas.

You just don’t wake up one day and decide that you are an authority on the diplomatic relations between Australia and China. You gain that authority status through recognition by peers. If you are a doctor, you cannot just say you are the best. Other experts like you have to think you are the best. It is not easy getting authority status.

Authority status is not acquired overnight. Be persistent in your aspiration for authority status in your chosen field. Continuously develop your career. Learn the ropes. Learn the people.

You can gain authority status without starting from the bottom by aligning yourself with experts in your field. A man by the name Rich Schefren took the internet marketing community by storm. He seemingly came from nowhere and became the go to guy in internet marketing coaching by getting strong endorsements from known big names. He stood on the shoulders of giants and became the giant that he is today.

Gaining influence by becoming a known authority on a subject matter is a powerful way especially in a knowledge economy. Find something you love and specialize. Dig deeper than most people dare. Decide to learn, experience, practice, perfect and master your area. Work with others in the area, be helpful and let them be the ones to let the world know who the “big dog” in that subject matter is.

5 – Pre-Plan your Influence

I will let you in on a secret. You can influence anyone if you focus on influencing them, plan it and run over your moves before they even realize it. Teachers meet in the staff room to decide how they are going to influence students. Government economists influence the spending habits of consumers by cutting or increasing the official interest rate. Advertisers influence people into making purchase decisions by pre-planning their moves.

Get smart on this and you will thank me later. Spend time thinking of what kind of power or influence you want to have over someone or a group of people. Then like a chess game, plan your moves prior to making them. Do not just go with the flow. Think about what you want to accomplish and the steps you will take before you can influence people.

6 – Limited Time Offers

Direct marketing experts are good at telling a compelling story about a product or service, and then make you want it NOW. People will tend to procrastinate if they do not have to do something NOW.

Again this calls for prior planning. Think about what you want people to do and create a time limit for a decision. Do you want your child to have dinner now? Creating a limited time offer can modify their behavior. This works not just for children but staff, groups, congregations and partners. Spend time showing people why they need to do something and create a small window of opportunity for them to take action.

7 – Focus on the Long Term

Align yourself with nature. Nature develops slowly. Unless you are Jack and the bean stalk, when you plant some beans, it will take time for them to germinate and grow. You will have to cultivate the land, weed the garden, then wait for nature to take its course, then harvest.

If you look at the greatest rivers, first they start with small tributaries on the mountains. Those tributaries eventually form a river, as the river progresses towards the ocean, it becomes more and more powerful. You can use that analogy to grow your influence in different areas. It is not the one big action that you take that will make you influential… it is the small steady tributaries that make you a force to reckon with.

Your tributaries may come in the form of offering a helping hand to a friend in need. Or it may be that you have solved someone’s need. My influence on this blog will come as a result of each blog post or effort I make over time. Your influence in your business or industry will depend on lots of little steps over a long time. Plan your game plan and with time you will be influential in whatever area you choose.

8 – Friendship

People are more likely to respond to those they like. Whether you are a student doctor or a teacher, cultivate friendships with people in your area and beyond. Those friendships will come in handy. Do not just become a friend to someone when you need something from them. Be genuinely interested in friendship for the sake of friendship and that will come across. It is easy to spot a phony and people do not like fake or opportunistic friends.

A friend in need is a friend indeed. Be there at the hour of need when your friends need you. Invest in your friendships by spending time and resources to cement your bonds. A friend is more likely to do what you want them to than an enemy or stranger. Friendships are developed over time, so start early.

9 – Favors

Make sure you dish out more favors than you take in. In my favorite movie “The Godfather”, Don Coleone was asked for a favor to dispense justice. He said “Someday, and that day may never come, I’ll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day accept this justice as gift on my daughter’s wedding day”. By giving that favor for free, he put himself in a position of influence on the man who needed justice done.

Think of ways you can give people favors according to their needs. Again this calls for prior planning. It may be a tip you give to a club bouncer or your mechanic, or it may be working a few hours extra for free when your boss was really stressed or over worked.

Be constantly on the lookout on how you can make people owe you instead of the other way out. It is easier to influence people who owe you. Your favors do not have to be monetary. You can be there in person for a person when they really needed a friend. You can go an extra mile for them, even if it is part of your job.

Don’t get into the habit of collecting your favors before you need them. Just like the Godfather, be willing to let some favors slide. Be ready to help and forget, but be helping anyway. This theory works whether you are in the most corrupt country in the world or the opposite. People are the same world over. They will bend to do more for those they have accepted favors from. Having said that, make sure you do not run contrary to the laws governing you on your quest for influence through favors.

10 – Listening Skills

Some people have ears but they do not hear. Not because they do not have the ability to hear but because they are too busy waiting for the turn to speak. Listening lets you in on the motivations, needs, strengths and weaknesses of others. God gave you two ears and one mouth. Use them in that proportion.

Developing your listening skill is one of the most powerful ways of influencing people. Whether you are a politician or a husband, you need to learn to listen. You need to know the prevailing mood of the people you want to influence and adapt where required. Listening multiplies your opportunities for influencing others. When people speak, they are telling you how to influence them. Learn to listen deep, get the deeper meaning of what people speak up or decide to censor. Understand people’s body language, posture, written word and actions. Take time to internalize that before taking actions to influence them. Get ahead through developing your listening skills.

In Summary

Getting ahead calls for increasing your influence. The time to start making progress towards gaining influence in now. It takes time and effort to be really influential. Influence open doors that would otherwise be closed. It is a worthy asset to develop or even purchase. You do not have to spend money or be corrupt to gain influence. You gain influence through understanding people and their motivations and needs.

If you like this blog post, please share with your friends. I would love to hear from you through comments or via the contact form on this blog.

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The first million is the hardest to make. Once you make it, you will find a lot more doors opening up for you. World class actors such as Angelina Jolie or Keanu Reeves will not star alongside a nobody. Fellow actors have to first accumulate a few box office hits before they can even be considered. In one of my favorite movies staring Al Pacino, actor Simone suddenly got fellow actors wanting to star alongside her as soon as “she” made a hit.

It takes 10 years of focused effort, steady determination and hard work to achieve world class expert status. It takes at least a few years of running a business for it to pick up. The early years are full of sweat and tears but with time things get easier. Many people give up before they gain momentum. I hope to inspire you to get ahead in life, by gaining and sustaining the momentum for success.

Gaining Momentum

Momentum = Mass x Velocity.

As we have seen above, momentum is a product of mass and velocity. It therefore follows that gaining some mass can increase your momentum. It is easier to stop a cow than it is to stop an elephant if they are running at the same speed. Take your time before speeding. Take some time to gain some mass, otherwise you may be blown by the wind. Accumulate some assets, experiences and resources before you increase your velocity.

Ok Daniel, slow down, let us start at the beginning…

To gain the momentum for success, you have to get off your backside and take some action. Last year I was busy planning this blog, checking out the competition, carrying out endless research before I launched this blog. I contacted fellow Kenyan blogger, based in Melbourne, Australia. He was already running a successful blog called “the Displaced African”.

His blog is focused on providing new and prospective migrants with information about studying or settling in Australia. His name is Mwangi. I asked him for advice on how to launch and run a successful blog. He gave me lots of tips but the advice that has stuck with me and made a big impact on this blog is to take action. It is easy to get into “paralysis analysis”, if you do not have a bias for action.

This blog was bigger than it is but that was only in my mind. I had lofty dreams of the millions upon millions of people who would be coming here to listen to a young man who grew up in a small farm near the Kenyan Capital, Nairobi. I was busy fantasizing about the rave reviews the blog would be getting. All that and more before even having written a single blog post! Mwangi saved me from self delusion by triggering me into action and once again I say thank you Mwangi!

To gain the momentum for success requires one to do proper homework. You might not have liked the term “homework” in school but you have no choice when it comes to success. I advocate having a bias for action, but I am quick to note that it is better to “aim, fire, aim”, rather than “fire fire fire” or “aim aim aim”. You have to strike a balance between research and action.

You would not set out to sea without a compass. Likewise, do not set out to succeed without direction, without clarity and a plan. Take your time to determine where you want to be, do your homework on what is required of you, and then take action in the right direction.

Identify areas of our life that could do with some momentum. Gain some mass in the form of resources, experiences, facts and knowledge. Then take action in the correct direction.

Sustaining Momentum

• We are creatures of habit. Consciously set up the right habits in order to sustain your momentum. If you succeeded because of waking up early and putting in more time when your competition slept, do not slacken when things start moving along nicely. Think of all the habits that led to your initial success and keep doing what works.

• Find leverage. Find something that will push you ahead. There is a limit on how far you can grow your business if you work alone. Leverage the resources, money, time and ideas of others to create win-win situations.

• Automate and Delegate – The human body is faint. To be able to sustain your momentum for success may call upon you to automate or delegate responsibilities to ensure that things keep getting done even when you get big. Plan for automation and delegation when you start a new venture.

• Avoid distraction. Identify people or things that keep you from your chosen path and learn how to manage them. Do not let anyone or anything stand in the way of making progress, if you want to sustain your momentum.

• Put controls in place. You can sustain momentum by knowing when to turn, brake or accelerate. Success is a journey, momentum will keep you moving.

In Conclusion

Proper planning and taking action are the first steps of gaining the momentum for success. The first steps (or years) are the hardest but as you gain more experience and resources, the journey becomes easier. There are various ways that you can sustain the momentum of your success including leverage, delegation and avoiding distractions.

If you like this blog post, please share it with your friends, invite them to have a look. I would love to hear from you through your comments. Have a good day.

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For example, the founder of McDonald’s Restaurants has the exact formula of replicating his success in one restaurant to another. McDonald’s has perfected the art of making a profit with one restaurant, and if you are going to open a McDonald’s restaurant, you will succeed, provided you follow their formula to the letter.

People like Michael Jackson were able to become household names because they did something well, packaged it, duplicated it and sold it to millions. If you can package your success and photo copy it, or duplicate it in some way, then you can get rich.

You may not be able to duplicate your success like a DVD, book, CD or website, but there are other ways of duplicating your success. Let us say you want to become an property investor… you can invest in one property, perhaps get a loan for it, improve the property by adding a fresh coat of paint and do the required repairs to add value to the property. Then get a tenant to rent your property. After you have paid off a portion of the property, you can duplicate the exact steps you made and get a second property. Over time you can have a healthy property portfolio if you stick to your winning formula.

Document Your Success

You will encounter challenges and find unique solutions to problems on your success journey. It is a good idea to keep a diary or some form of documentation for the steps you take to succeed.

Using our earlier example of property investment, you can write down the exact steps you take to acquire the property, the surrounding legal issues, your contacts, your finance options, the obstacles you faced, the length of time each step takes, and your lessons along the way. This information would really serve you well if you were to try and get a second property.

When I started this blog, I did some research on what others were doing in the personal development space. I watched countless videos, read numerous blogs and talked to a number of people who were running blogs successfully. I wanted this blog to be a success and to meet the objectives that I set out.

There were many challenges I faced including looking for a good hosting company, blogging technology, branding and market research. I read a number of books and blogs on how to create a successful blog. I brushed up on my internet marketing skills to be able to drive traffic to the site. I made sure that I wrote down each step that I followed. It is still an ongoing project so I keep a record on what I learn and the choices I make, and the rationale behind them.

Why do I document the steps I make as a blogger? If I was to create a second blog, or provide advice for someone who wants to start one, I would refer to my notes. Writing down the challenges and solutions to problems helps in reflection and gives me an opportunity to come back later and see the problems in new light.

I work in the software development industry where documentation is not one of the favorite things to do, but one of the most important. When someone is writing a software package e.g. a ecommerce store, they have to write down the documentation for future developers and customers to make sense of the system. A computer programmer who goes back to inspect his or her own work after 12 months might not be able to remember why something works the way it is. Without proper documentation, they would find it hard to extend or fix problems with the system.

You might not be a computer programmer or a property investor, but whatever you do, make time to document the steps you take to get to your destination. Without proper documentation, you will always be re-solving the problem afresh. If you document your process, not only will it make it easier for you in the future, but you will be able to teach someone else how to do it on your behalf.

The Art of Delegation

There is a bible story about a man called Moses. He was charged with the task of moving the Israelites to freedom from Egypt. They stayed in the wilderness for 40 years and they multiplied on the way.

One day his father in law, a man called Jethro, observed Moses at work. Moses would wake up early and work till dusk being the judge over the growing population. With over 600,000 people looking up to him, his work was cut out for him.

His father in law was worried that he was going to work himself to the grave. He gave him advice that you can apply in your life too if you want to get ahead. He told him to delegate. Up to that point, Moses had assumed that he was the only one who could do the job. But Jethro advised him to teach other noble men the teachings of God and put them in charge of 50 people, some in charge of 100 and others in charge of 500 people.

All Moses had to do was document his art of judging and taught others under him how to do it too. It substantially reduced his work load and improved his effectiveness. His story reminds me of the story of a young lawyer who was working for 90 hours per week.

When this young lawyer was asked why he worked so hard, he said that others could never do his job as well as he could. One senior partner at the firm where he worked then took him to a cemetery and showed him the graves. He said that it was likely that some of those graves were full of men and women who thought they were irreplaceable, or that the world would not go on without them.

Do not hold on to stuff too close to your heart. Document your process of success and delegate where appropriate. You cannot do everything there is to do. Learn to delegate and empower others to share with the responsibility and the glory of what you do.

Plans are underway to share the responsibility of updating and managing this blog.. I am looking for people who have a passion for inspiring others to join a small team that will be in charge of growing this to the next level. For that reason, I am documenting my ideas, obstacles, requests and comments to be able to empower my team to inspire others.

Leverage Initial Success

A struggling beginning musician would find it really hard to get his or her music played on radio. But as soon as they make a hit, everyone would want to play not just their hit song but their upcoming album.

As an unknown person in your industry, it is rather difficult to get people to open doors for you. You have to kiss a lot of asses to get ahead. You have to work hard and hit the pavement. In Kenya, they call it “tarmacking”. Your shoe has to hit the tarmac for you to get any takers. It is ok, plan for that. It is a necessary part of success. Do not be discouraged.

You should consider creating little successes of your own. Success thrives on success. Every time you succeed, use that success as a stepping stone to your next success. People are more likely to take you seriously if you prove you can do something.

Many people starting or planning to start businesses quickly find that raising funds is not very easy. Lenders want to lend to people who have a proven track record. Many complain and wonder why they are not even being given a chance to create that track record. Unfortunately that is just the way life is. You have to succeed before people have the desire or willingness to invest in you. Many people and banks will lend you an umbrella when it is sunny and ask for it as soon as it starts drizzling.

When you get that one chance to succeed and get ahead, maximize your opportunity. Use that success to create more successes. Play each success card well.

Packaging Your Value

Money is the exchange of value. The more value you provide, the more money you will make. To be able to deliver your value to others, think of ways of encapsulating your value into something “tangible”. If you can package your value into something that people can take with, and share with their friends, then you will get the packaged value working for you 24/7.

If I was to talk to a group of 50 people and tell them the words and ideas that I have shared with you, many would be happy and maybe even pay for me to speak to them. But when I write these words down, you are able to read from your phone, computer or printout even though you might be thousands of miles away from you. Writing my ideas on this blog is way of packaging my value.

Packaging value enables you to present that value to more people and you can duplicate it. We are living in extra ordinary times. You most likely have access to the internet. You can document the steps that lead you to success and share it with others. Musicians, authors, actors, trainers etc get rich through packaging their value in DVDs, audio CDs, books etc. Those books or DVDs are able to work for them even when they sleep.

In Summary

I have gone around in circles and touched on various ways of succeeding. It is my hope that you have gained some insight in how you can duplicate your success to get ahead in life. Document the process of succeeding, and package your value, then deliver it to the people who need it.

Have the mentality of duplicating success even before you start a venture. Ask yourself how you are going to succeed, how you can translate that success into more successes. Do not become a slave to your business. Learn to delegate and make your work easier.

If you like this article, please subscribe to be getting updates via email and share this blog with your friends. I would love to hear from you through your comments.

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To get ahead in life, you have to really understand the difference between good and bad debt. Good debt takes you ahead in the long term while bad debt pulls you back.

The Allure of Bad Debts

As your income increases, credit card companies, car loan companies and other sharks will be baying for your blood. They will give you the most compelling offers. You see those offers all the time, if you cross a certain income bracket. For only a small monthly repayment, you can get to live in your dream house, have your dream accessories and drive your dream car.

Graphic designers do booming business for the bad debt peddlers. They will come up with interesting ways of showcasing the kind of life you can live, the glory, the luxury, the majesty. They will play with emotions that you did not even realize you had.

The fancy pitches of bad debt salesmen can blind you. They can get you to stop thinking about the future. Why wait when you can have it now? Why not get that new fridge on credit? Why not pimp up your brand new ride for a low monthly payment?

Enter Steve …

Steve got caught up in what I like to call the credit mess. He got a phone call from his bank telling him that he had been pre-approved for a car loan. He had not even thought of buying a car! Then they told him he had 2 months to think about it before the “pre-approval” expired. Instead of taking time to go think about whether it was right or wrong for him to get a car on loan, he started hitting the pavement to the dealerships.

He took a friend with him and shopped with the confidence of a man who has the cash in his pocket. His demeanor changed, he walked with a spring. He was on cloud nine. The car sales men made him feel like a king. They were there to serve him. They showed him around the dealership. Was he looking for a used car or a new car? He did not care. He had the pre-approval to buy anything his heart desired.

Even before the 2 months period elapsed, he had signed the dotted line. He had a brand new BMW, metallic paint, alloy wheels, tinted windows, leather seats and a million other add-ons that that the car salesman had suggested. The extras alone had cost a small fortune, but it was a “negligible” addition to the monthly payments over 5 years.

As he drove off the dealership, he realized that he felt different. Same guy, different car – and people were already treating him different. He loved the attention of the ladies. Oh the power of debt. He felt like a rich royal. All he had to do was make the monthly payments and life would always be this good. He wound down his windows and saw all those flashy cars on the streets…he wondered…how many others are driving financed cars just like him?

The good life …

He got invited to more parties. More people wanted to hang out with him. He now felt like he had to upgrade his wardrobe. It was long overdue, he justified himself. What does he do at this point? He whips out his Visa credit card.

After being invited to a few parties, he felt like he had to return the favor. He wanted to hold a birthday bash at his own house. Then it hit him that he lived in a very humble house compared to his friends. It was time to make a move. He moved to bigger house, it needed furnishing, nice furniture for a man with “class” like him. So he whipped out his MasterCard credit card.

The deeper he got into debt, the more he enjoyed life. The more he enjoyed life, the more friends he made. All his new friends were in similar situations. They were all on a high. Debt is like a drug. It is addictive yet alluring, but with deadly consequences.

What Steve did not realize was that one bad debt begets another. One spendthrift friend begets another. The banks love people like Steve. They are their bread and butter. They provide them with the insane profits; profits that make bank shareholders happy. What Steve pays as interest, they call it “income”.

Good Debts to Get Ahead

On the other hand, James preferred to live within his means. He got tempted all the time to take up credit card and car loan debts at very friendly terms, but he would hear none of it.

To a person looking at Steve and James from a distance, Steve would have seemed to have made it. He had all the flashy possessions to prove he was “rich”. But if truth be told, James was content to live within his means. He was proud of his budgeting skills. He was proud that he was playing the financial system in his favor, not the other way round.

James took the bus to work. Sometimes he would take his beat up Toyota to work. It was just a car that took him from A to B, but it was his. Not owned by a bank or a finance company. He made no monthly repayments for it and did not have to change his living conditions to accommodate the image brought by the car.

He had good friends that had known him for years. Their social lives involved interactions based on a lot more than material possessions.

James did have debts also, but his debts were geared towards investments. He borrowed from the banks to buy and build property. He was disciplined in making his repayments and maintaining a good credit history with his lenders. He never borrowed more than he could comfortably service.

He would do his homework well before he signed the dotted line. He understood the time value of money. Sometimes he let some opportunities pass him by if he did not think that he understood fully what the investment would mean for his future cash flow.

In Summary

To get ahead in life, you need to seriously evaluate what kind of debts you get into. Are you buying an asset or a liability? Are you going to be able to service that debt without adversely affecting other areas of your life? Do you have to take that particular debt?

You can leverage debt to get ahead in life, but be careful about car loans, credit card loans and other consumer loans. If you have to take on debt, lean on the side of investment loans and even then, make sure you do your home work well.

Please share this article (and blog) with your friends. I would love to hear your comments. Please share your experience, thoughts and ideas regarding good and bad debts in life.

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What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; There is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9 RSV). Are you breaking your back trying to get ahead using a unique new trick? Did you know that someone already figured out what you are scratching your head over?

No matter how far, or how wide you go, you will always find someone with the exact same idea as you. That dream, that plan, that vision is not exclusively yours. Sorry to burst your bubble. There others just like you, smart like you, ambitious like you.

You do not have to re-invent the wheel to get ahead in life. You can leverage the resources, experience, talents and discoveries of others. Instead of trying to solve the problems of the world, or come up with a unique design to solve problems, why not spend your time advancing what others before you have built?

Stand on the Shoulders of Giants

I work in the software development industry. There are many software “libraries” that make work easier. We use those all the time. If I want to sell a book on my blog, I do not have to worry about the intricacies of credit card processing, I would let a company that specializes in that, such as Paypal or e-junkie deal with that. I would use their systems and software libraries.

Microsoft, Google, Sun Microsystems, Apple and other big companies spend millions in development of software libraries that software developers use to build applications. It would be foolish to build your own word processing software to produce your own newsletter if you run a small business. Why not let a giant like Microsoft or Google handle that for you?

It is amazing how many people try to build things by themselves instead of using what has been created and proven by others. For a software developer, the time savings are obvious. But for some professions, say like teaching, the time savings might not be as clear cut. It is up to you to think of what giants there are in your industry. Then ask yourself how you can leverage them. What would be the benefits of standing on their shoulders? How far can you see from that vantage point?

The giant upon whose shoulders you stand might be a mentor, a bank, a family member or a friend. Before you start your own venture, think of others who are better than you. Is there someone who is a better book keeper than you? Is there someone who is a better lawyer than you? Is there someone who is a better writer than you?

Do not be afraid to harness the creativity and potential of others. Bill Gates realized early on that if he was to become rich by meeting the software needs of his clients, he had to leverage the talents of others. He did that alright. Look around you, upon whose shoulders can you stand on to get ahead?

Research made Easy

Not too long ago, finding information about your competition was rocket science. The Internet has now made it easy to spy on your competition. You do not have to sift through their garbage to find out what they are up to.

Some people might not even realize they are your competition. All you need to do is plan your game plan, plan your angle and get busy on Google. Within a few clicks you can unravel what would have been a mystery a few years ago.

For example, using a site like Google Keywords Suggest, you can find out what search terms people use to search for stuff on the Internet. If I wanted to start a “free SMS”service on the Internet, I would use the Google Keywords Suggest tool to find out that 2.7 million people sought to send out free SMS last month. I could drill down and find what destination they wanted to send the SMS to. For example, 110,000 wanted to send free SMS to India.

I could then use Google or other search engines to research the business model of the competition. How do they make their money? How many free SMS messages do they allow before they tell their free users to upgrade?

Being the first one in the market makes it hard to know what customers want. But if you follow the leader, you can learn a vast amount of information at a fraction of the time, and cost. You do not have to re-invent the wheel. Use research tools tools to find out exactly what your competition is up to.

If you are not as tech savvy, you can still use research to get ahead. You can talk to people who have run that kind of business before. If people do not perceive you to be a direct competitor or threat, they will be more likely to talk to you and reveal little nuggets of wisdom to you.

Success is a Bad Teacher

Talk to people who have attempted to do what you want to do and failed. If you are planning to start a “matatu” business in Kenya for example (private bus transport), it would pay to talk to people who have tried that business and failed. If you talk to the people who have made it, they may not give you all the information you need.

The people who have failed can give you insights on what to avoid. The people who succeed sometimes get arrogant and maybe not pay as much attention to the details.

Build a Better Mouse Trap

Innovation is the key to success. You may not re-invent the wheel, but if you want to get ahead of the competition, you better invent a better way of using that wheel.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with the quote in favor of innovation: “Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”. If you build a better way of serving your customers, word will get around and customers will beat a path to your door. Invent a better way of reaching your objectives using the talents, resources and experience of others.

In Summary

Take time to research your venture. Talk to the people who have been there, tried that, failed or succeeded. Read on your market and use research tools. Do not be content at copying what others have done. Innovate.

If you like this article and others on this blog, kindly invite your friends to have a look too. I would love to hear your comments.

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If you started investing $500 per month at the age of 18 in an investment paying you 10% per annum interest, compounded monthly, by the time you turned 65 you would have $24,871,691. If you waited until you were 30, then by age 65 you would have $2,123,819. If you chose to wait even longer and start at age 45, then you would only have $225,967 at 65. Starting early makes all the difference.

The Power of Compounding

If you work hard and invest wisely when you are young, you will get the power of compounding working in your favor. Nature has a way of adding to those who start early. Albert Einstein is quoted as having said, “The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest.”. In finance, nothing is more powerful than time. If you have time on your side, more power to you. And remember, time is a non-renewable resource. Use it wisely.

The power of compounding does not only apply in finance. It applies in all spheres of life. It works in relationships, career development and networking. If you start building good relationships with your customers early, then continually deposit goodwill into each relationship, word will get out and your business will grow. Do not start building relationships with people just when you need them. Start early my friend.

The Thief of Time

Procrastination is the thief of time. If you postpone saving, developing quality relationships, increasing your skills, starting your own business or any of your dreams, you will be robbing yourself. Decide where you want to be, who you want to become, and start early.

Don’t postpone gaining and applying wisdom. Do you think that you will become more generous the older you become? I have news for you my friend; if you cannot give a tithe (10%) to the church or to the poor when you only have $10, then don’t kid yourself that you will be comfortable shelling out $100,000 when you make your first million.

Teaching an old dog new tricks is not very easy. If you train yourself to live a life of success from an early age, you will always be successful. If you postpone getting rich, or getting good habits and good character, you may lose the opportunity for life.

The Fountain of Youth

There is not much point in waiting for gray hairs to start doing something with your life. Drink from the fountain of your youth. Stretch yourself when you are still young and you will live a beautiful life. Get ahead in life when you are still young and live a more fulfilling life.

Do you waste your time with a bunch of losers? What do you do with your time? What do you do with your money? The fruits of your actions will be reflected in your life sooner than later. How much is “having a good time” costing your future?

I have had my fair share of fun in this world, but sometimes I look back at some of the things I did, and wish I never did them. I do not want to look back in 10 years and find myself struggling with the same issues I am today. Every step you make, will have a bearing on your future. Watch your step!

Success or failure is all in the mind. Change your mentality about the future. Spare a thought on what will happen tomorrow and the years ahead of you. Look around you – people who started succeeding early, where are they now? What are their future prospects? What quality of life are they having?

The Cost of Distractions

The cost of early distractions is really high. Early distractions can change the trajectory of your success in a big way. Stay focused on what will help you get ahead. Quit trying to chew more than you can swallow.

Taking a few hundreds from your small business may not seem like much now, but what if you re-invested that money instead. What if you did not go drinking with your petty cash? What if you did not let the temporary problems ailing your family members distract you from your savings plan?

To get ahead in life, you have to think about the path you want to follow. Everything and anyone who comes in the way is a distraction. People handle distractions differently. But at the very least, be able to identify distractions. An early financial distraction in the life of a small business can bring it to its knees.

Accumulate and Record Successes

Start accumulating successes under your belt before jumping to another venture. The profits and resources you gain from each early success will make you stronger. Each success will give you more confidence, experience and desire to tackle more challenges.

Record your early successes and failures. When starting out in a venture, write down how you feel, what you do, why you do things. When you look back in time, you will either laugh about it or gladly share with others to inspire them to also succeed.

Even in sports, to get ahead and to move into the big league, you have to win a few matches. Progressively accumulate successes and they will in turn open more doors for you. People like associating with winners.

Summary

The earlier you start getting ahead in life the better it will be. You can get much further in life by starting early.

If you like this blog post, please share it with your friends, subscribe to my blog updates via email or share your thoughts with other readers by commenting. I would love to hear from you.

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This series is all about getting ahead. Do you want to get ahead in business? Do you want to get ahead in your career or the dating game? Well my friend, you need to find an angle. Even when starting this blog, I had to seriously think about what angle I was going to position it, write and promote it. Many people start off without really thinking about the angle they are going to pursue.

This blog is dedicated to inspiring my friends to be the best they can be. I neither an expert nor am I trained in psychology, finance, relationships or many of the topics I cover. My angle is to approach issues from a regular guy perspective. I lean on the side of common sense and share what I believe and have experienced.

My message resonates with my readers because many of them have had the same challenges, aspirations and hopes. I choose to inspire people through positive words and share my own personal experiences. The angle and goal is to build this into a community of positive people that can share ideas and positive energy.

The Bread Angle

When I was a university student, I used to work for an Italian Bakery that was run by a very smart family. They realized that Western Australia bread market was dominated by three big bakeries that supplied the big supermarket chains. Instead of despairing or accepting a life of mediocrity in business, they chose to find an angle to get ahead.

They decided to contact offices, hospitals, schools, news agents, supermarkets or anyone that could buy a handful of bread from them. They sent someone around to talk to the small guys and give them personalized service and a listening ear that you would only expect to see with big companies approaching other big companies.

Each small business buying their bread was granted their very own account manager. In addition, they offered to deliver the bread, even if it was just a few loaves. They were also promised fresh bread every morning. What more do bread eaters want?

Then they hired drivers to be delivering fresh bread every morning. The bread cost only a dollar or so more than the big companies’ bread, but it was well worth it to their customers. Eventually they were able to sell tens or hundreds of thousands of bread daily.

Whatever you do, remember that Italian Bakery. They faced insurmountable odds but they found an angle and exploited it. Always ask yourself empowering questions on how you can position yourself, how you can put yourself in a unique position for prosperity. Do not be like everyone else. Do not give up when others do.

The Copy Cat Angle

When growing up in Kenya, I would hear of horror stories of someone who invested their last dollar to start a business, their neighbor would study them for a week, and start the exact same business. Some people would start “doing well” and word would get around that there was money in such and such. Everyone and their dog would then flock to that business opportunity and they would all sink. It reminded me of a bible story where all the possessed pigs jumped off the cliff.

The quickest way of staying behind is trying to blindly copy what others are doing. Give yourself some credit and exercise your creativity. Do not rely on others to pave the way for you. Find new ground. Find a unique way of solving problems. Do not do what everyone is doing.

I have no problem with people who look around and find things that are not being done right and improve upon them. If you come to this blog and decided that I am undeserving the market, and you can improve on a few things, by all means go for it. But do not be a mini-me. Do not copy exactly what am doing. Find an angle, find an edge. Find a way of helping you get ahead.

On the other hand, do not start a business that no one else has ever attempted. Do not start a selling microwaves in the middle of the Sahara just so you be unique. There is probably a very good reason why people are not doing that. You will likely find that an area of business that has competition is also very profitable. Just don’t go in with the same message and angle as everyone else.

The Rich Jerk Angle

A few years ago, I was running up and down the information super highway when I came across a person calling himself the “Rich Jerk”. I read his sales page and I was really pissed off. How dare he speak to me like that? Does he even know me? What a punk! How could he be so rude? Who allowed him to put such profanities on the good world wide web? But I still preceded to buy his book to learn more. Curiosity did me in.

Have a look at some of the stuff he said (and still says! On his website).

Don’t Waste My Time…

Let’s get something straight. I’m a jerk. I’m obnoxious. And I’m lazy.

And I don’t care, because I’m FILTHY RICH.

I’m much too important to even be sitting here writing this right now. So I’ll keep it short.

I make several million dollars every year on the internet, doing almost nothing. You can see some proof here but please keep the drooling to a minimum.

Have you seen proof like that anywhere else? Didn’t think so.

Do you make that much money? Didn’t think so.

So Who the Hell Am I?

I’m the guy you see driving down the street in a Ferrari with the top down, and you think to yourself, “What an ass!” And you know what? You’re right. But so what? Do you really think I value your opinion? I’m a rich jerk, so I couldn’t care less.

I cut through the BS. If you find me too offensive, obnoxious, or whatever….feel free to leave my website at anytime.

Face it….if you want to be rich like me, this is your chance. Think about your current situation. Are you satisfied being a total loser? If so, move on. If not, get my program NOW. It’s as simple as that. The fact is, you need me more than I need you. I’m already rich. You’re not.

Whatever you decide, I’ll be sipping martinis by the pool. And by the way, if you do happen to see me out in the real world, do me a favor and don’t talk to me. I’m far too rich and important to be seen with you.

To Being Obnoxious, Filthy Rich, and Disgustingly Good-Looking Rich Jerk!

Do not be afraid to going beyond what others may consider normal. Find an angle to meet your objectives. The Rich Jerk wanted to sell his program. And I bought it, many others did. Do not be like everyone else. That is the only way of getting ahead my friend. Be wild. Go to the extremes. Just don’t be ordinary.

Final Thoughts.

You do not have to re-invent the wheel. You can find out what others are doing and improve upon it. Break down your value proposition. Understand what it is that you want to offer your customer, prospective partner, employer, friend etc. Then do a SWOT Analysis. Analyze your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Then position yourself appropriately.

Capitalize on your strengths and work on your weaknesses. Have a bias for action, not empty talk or plans. Stick with your angle long enough and you will see the fruits of your labor.

If you like this blog post, please be sure to check back on the blog often, share it with your friends and share your thoughts on the comments section.

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My mind was like I sponge. I was taking in lessons like you would not believe. I was constantly thinking of you, my dear reader. I found myself asking; what can I learn from this situation to share with my readers? How can I inspire my friends through what has just happened to me today? Would my friends like to hear about this? I have good news for you.

I came back with a suitcase of inspiring messages. Lessons with the potential to change lives, re-kindle passions, and fuel the desire to get ahead in life.

The Get Ahead Series

I went to various parts of Kenya and spoke to hundreds of people, many of them my neighbors and family. Even people who do not have much in the way of formal education seem to be getting ahead in life. They seem to have ingenious ways of spotting opportunities and getting ahead, given their limited resources.

It got me asking myself lots of questions. For the last 11 years that I have been in Australia, I have seen people with so much more in the way of resources, talents and opportunities. However, they do not seem to have that fire, that energy, that desire to get ahead. Not in the way people I met in Kenya are anyway.

Australia is a laid back country with lots of opportunities compared to Kenya. Some call it the lucky country although the government prefers us to think of it as the clever country. The traffic lights work, the rules are obeyed, the taps never run dry, the crime rate is really low, there is universal health care… in other words, life is good. This perhaps makes some people relax.

Many are content to go to school, get a job, have a few beers over the weekend, watch footy with some mates and call it a week. There are many in Australia that are getting, and staying ahead of the game, even compared to Kenya, but the common man in Kenya seems more obsessed and in need of getting ahead than a typical Aussie.

I decided to write a “Get Ahead” series for my friends, both in Kenya and in Australia, that want to be inspired to learn how, why and when to make a difference with their lives. In this series, I will be looking at various factors that lead to success.

I will focus mainly on success as defined in money terms. I will look at success as making money, enough money, to do all that your heart desires, and to have more left over.

How many of us would do with more money? What would an extra $15,000 a month do to your lifestyle? What would a few assets to your name do to your confidence? If you are in debt, how would it feel to wake up and find that the debts are gone?

This series will be my candid talk on what money means to me and to our society. I will be drawing lessons from both Kenya and Australia.

A Man named Desire

I went to high school with a friend that I shall name “Desire”, for the purpose of this blog post. He is a regular reader of this website. We sat with him at a Nairobi pub and had a talk about his life since high school, and my life here in Australia.

This man desired to be rich. He purposed to make it in life and in school, he would tell me of all the crazy business ideas that he had for the future. Without realizing it, we used to “bond” on our desire for success. We were young minds more than 10 years ago but with a passion for getting ahead.

Talking to him on that sunny Thursday in Nairobi reminded me of his brilliance and gave me ideas for more than 10 blog posts that will form the backbone of this series I told him “hey man, do you realize am going to be writing about the stuff you are saying?”, he was like “yeah, whatever, do you what you need to do”.

It is with much gratitude that I say thank you man, for the inspiration you gave to me. I will freely share with my readers just as you shared with me.

For your information, this man with a desire to succeed, has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams. He has done well for himself and his family. I hope his lessons will inspire you to be the best you can be.

The Road Ahead

Are you still working for the big man? For many of the people I met who are doing great things in Kenya, and here in Australia, massive financial success mainly comes from working for yourself.

Working for someone else has a way of stifling creativity. Working for someone is a good way to get started, but to really get ahead of the curve financially, you have to become a business owner or an investor. More about that later in the series.

Other areas we shall look at in this series include the desire for freedom, coping with debt, living your dreams and facing your fears. We shall talk of getting ahead as being the master of your own ship, controlling your destiny and being happy.

Nothing in this series is rocket science. In fact, you may find that you already knew 99% of the stuff that we shall look at. But am willing to bet that you are probably only applying a very small portion of the lessons in this series.

Commit to applying the lessons coming to you over the next few weeks and you will make a big difference in your life. Success comes at a price. We shall be exploring the price that needs to be paid to get ahead in careers, finances, relationships and other goals in life.

Your Views

I would love to hear from you regarding getting ahead in life. Are you stuck in a rut? Do you know people who have gotten ahead in life? What lessons can you share? Your comments will help shape the rest of the series. Please share this blog post with your friends on facebook, and other social sites.

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After the move, Jack goes quiet for a couple of months. On the other hand, Alex sends you a thank you card, with a bottle of champagne and calls you for a house warming party. You realize that even Jack had a house warming party, only you were not invited. With all things being equal, who would you feel closer to?

Gratitude connects the giver and the receiver. If God gives you blessings and you show gratitude, you will be more connected to Him. Gratitude allows you to focus on the good of the giver and the good of what you have been given. The mind dwells on what you are grateful for. Whatever your mind dwells on will increase in your life. What are you grateful for?  How do you show gratitude to those that shower you with blessings?

Chapter 6 – Gratitude

THE illustrations given in the last chapter will have conveyed to the reader the fact that the first step toward getting rich is to convey the idea of your wants to the Formless Substance.

This is true, and you will see that in order to do so it becomes necessary to relate yourself to the Formless Intelligence in a harmonious way.

To secure this harmonious relation is a matter of such primary and vital importance that I shall give some space to its discussion here, and give you instructions which, if you will follow them, will be certain to bring you into perfect unity of mind with God.

The whole process of mental adjustment and atonement can be summed up in one word, gratitude.

First, you believe that there is one Intelligent Substance, from which all things proceed; second, you believe that this Substance gives you everything you desire; and third, you relate yourself to it by a feeling of deep and profound gratitude.

Many people who order their lives rightly in all other ways are kept in poverty by their lack of gratitude. Having received one gift from God, they cut the wires which connect them with Him by failing to make acknowledgment.

It is easy to understand that the nearer we live to the source of wealth, the more wealth we shall receive; and it is easy also to understand that the soul that is always grateful lives in closer touch with God than the one which never looks to Him in thankful acknowledgment.

The more gratefully we fix our minds on the Supreme when good things come to us, the more good things we will receive, and the more rapidly they will come; and the reason simply is that the mental attitude of gratitude draws the mind into closer touch with the source from which the blessings come.

If it is a new thought to you that gratitude brings your whole mind into closer harmony with the creative energies of the universe, consider it well, and you will see that it is true. The good things you already have have come to you along the line of obedience to certain laws. Gratitude will lead your mind out along the ways by which things come; and it will keep you in close harmony with creative thought and prevent you from falling into competitive thought.

Gratitude alone can keep you looking toward the All, and prevent you from falling into the error of thinking of the supply as limited; and to do that would be fatal to your hopes.

There is a Law of Gratitude, and it is absolutely necessary that you should observe the law, if you are to get the results you seek.

The law of gratitude is the natural principle that action and reaction are always equal, and in opposite directions.

The grateful outreaching of your mind in thankful praise to the Supreme is a liberation or expenditure of force; it cannot fail to reach that to which it addressed, and the reaction is an instantaneous movement towards you.

“Draw nigh unto God, and He will draw nigh unto you.” That is a statement of psychological truth.

And if your gratitude is strong and constant, the reaction in Formless Substance will be strong and continuous; the movement of the things you want will be always toward you. Notice the grateful attitude that Jesus took; how He always seems to be saying, “I thank Thee, Father, that Thou hearest me.” You cannot exercise much power without gratitude; for it is gratitude that keeps you connected with Power.

But the value of gratitude does not consist solely in getting you more blessings in the future. Without gratitude you cannot long keep from dissatisfied thought regarding things as they are.

The moment you permit your mind to dwell with dissatisfaction upon things as they are, you begin to lose ground. You fix attention upon the common, the ordinary, the poor, and the squalid and mean; and your mind takes the form of these things. Then you will transmit these forms or mental images to the Formless, and the common, the poor, the squalid, and mean will come to you.

To permit your mind to dwell upon the inferior is to become inferior and to surround yourself with inferior things.

On the other hand, to fix your attention on the best is to surround yourself with the best, and to become the best.

The Creative Power within us makes us into the image of that to which we give our attention. We are Thinking Substance, and thinking substance always takes the form of that which it thinks about.

The grateful mind is constantly fixed upon the best; therefore it tends to become the best; it takes the form or character of the best, and will receive the best.

Also, faith is born of gratitude. The grateful mind continually expects good things, and expectation becomes faith. The reaction of gratitude upon one’s own mind produces faith; and every outgoing wave of grateful thanksgiving increases faith. He who has no feeling of gratitude cannot long retain a living faith; and without a living faith you cannot get rich by the creative method, as we shall see in the following chapters.

It is necessary, then, to cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you; and to give thanks continuously.

And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.

Do not waste time thinking or talking about the shortcomings or wrong actions of plutocrats or trust magnates. Their organization of the world has made your opportunity; all you get really comes to you because of them.

Do not rage against corrupt politicians; if it were not for politicians we should fall into anarchy, and your opportunity would be greatly lessened.

God has worked a long time and very patiently to bring us up to where we are in industry and government, and He is going right on with His work. There is not the least doubt that He will do away with plutocrats, trust magnates, captains of industry, and politicians as soon as they can be spared; but in the meantime, behold they are all very good. Remember that they are all helping to arrange the lines of transmission along which your riches will come to you, and be grateful to them all. This will bring you into harmonious relations with the good in everything, and the good in everything will move toward you.

About

The Get Rich Series is based on The Science of Getting Rich. It  is a classic book by Wallace D. Wattles. It is a practical manual intended for the men and women whose most pressing need is for money; who wish to get rich first, and philosophize afterward.

Discussion

I would love to hear you ideas and opinion on gratitude and wealth creation. Your comments are highly appreciated.

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1 – Right Direction

People with effective personal brands decide in advance what direction they want to take. They do not just let things happen. They have well written, clear goals of what they want to achieve.

There is no point investing time, money and energy in personal branding efforts if you are not clear on where you are headed. Setting a clear path enables one to know when they are falling behind or going off track.

2 – Continuous Improvement

Rome was not built in a day and neither are effective personal brands. The best way to build your personal brand is to continuously improve one aspect at a time.

You can focus on improving your wardrobe for example, one shoe or shirt at a time. You can also choose to improve your career, one course or certification at a time. The trick is to start early and stay at it. Get the power of compounding working for your personal brand through continuous improvement.

3 – Emotional Mastery

A little talked about habit of successful people is emotional mastery. Did you know every personal brand disaster can be traced back to an emotion that went unchecked? Many become alcoholics not for the pure love of the taste but because of emotional problems.

Do emotions rule your life? What does the word “delayed gratification” mean to you? How do you deal with the emotions of anger, fear, jealousy, love or betrayal?

4 – Listening and Learning

Personal branding means creating, maintaining, correcting and leveraging perceptions. How do people perceive you? You have to listen to what people tell you and what they do not dare put in words. Listen to both verbal and non verbal communication.

Seek to learn how to improve your personal brand. Listen to your peers, mentors, coaches and people you admire. Learn from them. If you are not natural when it comes to fashion, listen and learn from those that are better than you in that area.

5 – Patterns and Systems

Effective personal brands require good patterns. We all have patterns; good and bad. You need to recognize the patterns in your life. Do you always miss deadlines? Do people keep breaking your heart? Do you find it hard holding on to a goal for more than a day? Those are all patterns. Get rid of bad patterns in your life.

You also need to have a systematic way of doing things. For example, do you get a haircut every Saturday? Schedule that in your diary. Do you have a blog that you post to once a week? Do you give 10% of your pay to charity? Find all the things you do (or should do) and group them in to “systems”. Understand what each system is about, its objectives and how it affects and relates to other systems.

6 – Smart Networking

No man is an island. You need to continuously meet and develop quality contacts to succeed in life. Learn to know who should be in your address book. Group your contacts in a way that is meaningful to you, and develop each relationship, or one group of relationships at a time.

Let us say for a moment that you are a football player. You would need to develop a contacts strategy that brings in contacts from the following areas: other footballers (peers), coachers, sponsors, journalists, trainers etc. Don’t treat your contacts as though they came from the same production line.

People do business with those they trust. Networking is not just a numbers game. You have to develop quality and gain trust. There is no magic pill in gaining trust. It takes time and effort. You can however speed up trust building by becoming more useful, by being more of the giver than the receiver.

7 – Articulate Communication

Effective personal branding calls for articulate communication. The words that come from your mouth or keyboard, your actions, your dressing etc all form the message that you send out.  Are you sending out the right message? Are you sending out a strong message? Are you sending out mixed signals?

Speak confidently, be a good listener and send out a unified message with all forms of communication. Articulate communication is more than mere words. It is the total picture you send out to others through your actions, looks, words, smell, posture, habits and grooming.

Summary

We are creatures of habits. Add the above habits to your life to develop an effective personal brand. I would love to hear your comments and suggestions about other habits that lead to a successful personal brand.

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Freedom from Fear

To stamp your authority in your career you need to eliminate all forms of fear and live courageously. Get rid of the fear of failure, fear of punishment, fear of making mistakes and even the fear of being told “you are fired”.

Fear paralyzes and causes inaction. It modifies behavior and keeps people in their comfort zones. You need to break free from your comfort zone if you are to become an authority in your chosen career. Eliminate the fear of the unknown through constant learning, asking questions and throwing yourself in new and challenging situations.

I like this quote on fear by Marianne Williamson, from her 1992 book, “Return to Love”.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Specialized Knowledge

Enhance your personal brand by becoming highly skilled in your chosen career. You can gain expert status in you field through extensive reading, attending seminars or even apprenticeship. Dig deeper into your field than your peers. Stay in the bleeding edge of innovation in your area of work.

Power of Persuasion

In my favorite movie of all time, The Godfather, Don Corleone made Jack Woltz an offer he could not refuse. I will not get into the details of the offer but sometimes it is necessary to sweeten your offer for you to get ahead in life. People act out of the desire to eliminate pain and desire to gain pleasure. Learn how to use a balance of those two motivations to create an offer that people cannot refuse.

Know who to make the offer to, when and how. You need to practice to become more persuasive if it does not come naturally to you. Listening skills are vital in becoming more persuasive. Learn to listen to both what people say and what they do not say. Learn to read people’s body language and hidden message (like in this section of this blog post).

Unparalleled Value

Don’t just turn up to work. Ask yourself what you can do for your employer, more than you ask yourself what your employer can do for you. Understand and articulate the needs of your customers better than anyone else.

Learn to anticipate their needs and obsess about providing value. Be generous and give until it hurts. Seek feedback from your employer or customers on how your value has impacted them and seek to provide more value based on that feedback.

Remember that money is only a medium of exchange and has no intrinsic value.  The paradox of money is that the sooner you ask for it the less of it you will receive in the long run. Worry about giving value and money will take care of itself. Worry about value creation and delivery more than you worry about pay rises and getting paid.

Power Networking

Meet the key people in your industry. Do not be proud of just accumulating business cards in your rolodex. Make sure your personal brand and first impressions are working to your advantage.

Seek to be friends with your contacts. People love to do business with their friends. It is not corruption, it is human nature. Rarely do people enjoy playing golf with people who have a one track mind – business, more business and yet more business.

Do not pressure people in your networking efforts. Be desirable. Package yourself nicely. Let others seek you for your appeal instead of you pushing yourself to them.

Leadership Skills

Learn, internalize and practice leadership skills. Be good in goal setting, project management and be good with people. Develop your people skills by seeing the good in them, and seeking to bring out the best in others.

Develop your leadership skills through attending leadership seminars, talking with other leaders, reading books, blogs and watching DVDs on leadership skills development. Go out there and learn to lead by doing. Leading even the smallest of teams will develop more of your leadership skills than a seminar would.

Mentoring

Chart your own career path. Decide what is important for you. You do not want to wait for a mentor to tell you what is good for you. They will guide you based on their world view, past experiences and warped ideas of who you are.

Do not have just one mentor. Find many people who you admire and find little things about each that you can implement in your life. Do not become a clone of someone else.

To become an authority in your field and to prosper your personal brand, consider mentoring others. Share your lessons that you have learned over time. Give whoever you are mentoring genuine value. Be genuinely interested in helping the people you mentor.

Outlast Competition

Authority status is not acquired overnight. Be persistent in your aspiration for authority status in your chosen field. Continuously develop your career. Learn the ropes. Learn the people. Ingrain yourself in the culture. Be an insider. Speak the lingo.

Outlasting your competition does not mean staying with the same company or line of business all your life. But it does mean immersing yourself in one general area of business for years on end. Remember that rolling stones gather no moss. You need to stick around for the harvest. Authorities do not plant then leave immediately.

Believe in Yourself

Others may doubt you, do not join them. Conduct a SWOT analysis of yourself. Learn your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. You cannot be everything. Find an angle and stick with it. Become really good at what you do using your own unique angle.

There will always be people who are better than you in something just as there will always be people you are better than. Do not let the success of others make you jealous or diminish your belief in yourself.

Be happy in your own achievements, however humble. Count your blessings everyday. Build your confidence by achieving and celebrating your milestones on your career journey.

Befriend the Rule Book

Each profession operates within confines of the law and standards. Know the limits in your careers. Stretch the limits but do not break them. Ignorance is not a defense. Find advisors to guide you when you get to ETC (end of thinking capacity).

Summary

To become an authority in your chosen career, you must first believe in yourself. Know the rules and network expertly. Gain specialized knowledge and use it to give unparalleled value. Be free from fear and develop your leadership. Authority status does not happen overnight so be prepared to work for it.

I would love to hear your comments on how to achieve authority status and other ways of enhancing your personal brand in a career setting.

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The more successful you want to become in the information age, the more likely you will be exposed to a lot of information. Being able to read, understand and apply information is critical for success. Even being able to apply the messages from this blog calls for being able to read, comprehend in as little time as possible.

Time is a Finite Resource

We now find ourselves in a world with millions of interconnected information sources. At a few clicks of a button, we are able to get hundreds of volumes of knowledge bases. To be able to absorb as much as possible, in as little time as possible, we need to learn how to read faster and comprehend.

I have always struggled with speed reading. I am an average reader. If only I could read faster, I probably would go through more volumes of research material and be able to create successes that I can only now dream of. That is one reason why I have decided to learn to speed read, this year and to inspire you to join me on this journey. Speed reading saves time; a finite resource.

What is Prosperity?

Prosperity means success, good fortune and wealth. A prosperous person is one who is able to tap into opportunities as they arise, without being constrained by lack of capital or resources.

Prosperity can be gained through education amongst other ways. For the purpose of this blog post, we shall look at the kind of prosperity that is a result of a good education.

Doctors, Lawyers, Business men and women have to go through lots of information to be able to master their professions. They become more prosperous the more information they gain and apply. Being able to read and comprehend is directly proportional to the level of prosperity in many professions.

Success Vocabulary

To be able to succeed in any profession, one has to learn to speak the language. The words that come from the mouth of a pilot are different from those of a carpenter. The vocabulary of a doctor is different from that of a mechanic. You need to be able to understand the words that are used and how they are used. It is important to understand complex language constructs as used by the people in that profession.

For example, if you aspire to be a great investor, you need to be attuned to the words that investors use. For example you would need to learn and understand words such as Corporate bonds, investments, profit and loss statement etc.

What is Speed Reading?

Speed reading is a collection of reading methods which attempt to increase rates of reading without greatly reducing comprehension or retention. Methods include chunking and eliminating sub vocalization. It is the ability to read rapidly and with good understanding. It is a skill that can be acquired and employed to harness the power of the mind.

The Benefits of Speed Reading

• Increase memory
• Increase productivity
• Develop your potential
• Process and assimilate lots of information.
• Save time and manage time resources
• Improve writing and communication skills
• Improve concentration and attention span
• Improve visualization and imagination
• Get the power of perspectives, faster.
• Keep up to date with happenings and professional skills
• Help in specialization and intense focus of a subject matter

How to Learn Speed Reading

A host of companies now offer books, training sessions and even computer programs to increase reading speed, sometimes at a cost of hundreds of dollars. But why spend your money on those programs when you can start reading faster today by following these simple steps?

Speed Reading Greats

Howard Stephen Berg claims to be the fastest reader in the world reading at a rate of 25,000 words per minute. The figure was deduced from him reading different texts on over a dozen television shows, and being tested by over a dozen newspapers in various cities around the country. On Cleveland’s Morning Exchange, Howard completed an 1100 page book and scored a perfect score on recall. He was retested three years later on the same book using his recall from the previous show again with perfect recall. Dick Cavett had Berg memorize his autobiography in 90 seconds and he demonstrated perfect recall. On Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, Berg memorized a 200 page book, “Going to the Movies,” by Quentin Crisp, and scored 100% on the extensive test given by the author. (Wikipedia)

Other high profile speed readers are former US presidents Jimmy Carter and JF Kennedy.

Speed Reading Books from Amazon

1. Speed Reading for Dummies

In today’s fast-paced world, everyone wants to read faster–students, workers, and time-pressed people everywhere who want to increase their efficiency and productivity. Speed Reading For Dummies changes the way people read, showing them how to process information more quickly while improving comprehension, retention, and recall. Covering the latest speed-reading techniques and tips, this breakthrough guide will help people read quickly and successfully no matter what they read–books, newspapers, magazines, e-mails, or technical journals.

2. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Speed Reading

Most adults today are working with antiquated skills and ingrained beliefs about their reading abilities, or lack thereof. But with the tips and examples offered in The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Speed Reading, getting through a load of must-do reading doesn’t have to be an arduous or overwhelming chore. The strategies are surprisingly simple once revealed. With practice, readers will not only speed through and understand books, articles, and professional journals but will also build their personal reading confidence and competence.

• Written by a reading specialist

• Useful for students, business people, lawyers, doctors

• Includes how-to strategies as well as practice timed readings

• Tips for reading on paper and onscreen

Summary

Improving your reading speed can help you get more out of life. It is a valuable skill to have and would be well worth your time to aquire it. Imagine if you could double or triple your reading speed? How would that affect your success? Do you need more information or software on this very important success technique? Your answers may only be a few clicks away.

Comments

I’m curious about what others think about this topic. Do you speed read? Do you know anyone who does? What tips or resources can you share with us?

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