Hello,
You may recall my story from last week about Patrick, a young guy I met in Perth at a book signing, whom I have offered an opportunity to make $500 in one minute this weekend?
I can't tell you how many people have asked me about this at various events over this past week, and no doubt all shall be revealed in just 2 days on Saturday morning. However, this story did bring to mind another important aspect about success, that I thought you would 'enjoy'.
I say 'enjoy', because this could in fact be the hardest thing you ever have to do.
What prompted this topic was that last week in the office we had
a power outage. The power was cut.
Now for what reason I don't know but we lost
power to our servers, our computers, our office, our phones, our everything.
There was no contact in or out and the office was isolated for a period of
time.
During this time, and only now after refection do I realise that something interesting happened. While the power was out I was able to get more of my own work done than ever before!
No interruptions every few minutes.
No emails to answer.
No one walking in to ask questions.
No phone calls to handle.
Just clear space to think and work. I turned on my laptop and it turned out to be my most productive time this year. I suddenly remembered... it's for this very reason that many highly successful people choose to work extremely early in the morning or late at night to get stuff done.
And so if it works for them, maybe it can work for us too?
Rather than always striving to get more business, more contacts, more information, more, more, more... maybe what we need to do is cut out all of the things holding us down, holding us back and just plain wasting our time and resources.
Maybe you need your own personal Power Cut.
When growing up I remember a cartoon called Gullivers Travels. In it Gulliver washes up on an island and miniature people throw hundreds of ropes over this 'giant' to hold him down. When he wakes up and realises what's happened, he struggles and struggles and only after much effort is he able to break free from the thousands of ropes holding him down... and rise easily and effortlessly.
I'm suggesting you start to examine all the little invisible 'ropes' you have holding you down or back and start to sever those bonds.
There's three key areas that come to mind that I would suggest entrepreneurs and success-oriented people can take a 'pruning saw', or chain saw if you like, to their life... These three areas are People, Habits and Overheads.
Today we'll discuss people and next week the others.
Power Cut : People
Abraham Lincoln once said, "I must stand with anybody that stands right, stand with them while they are right, and part with them when they go wrong".
Well, some people cling to you like big black rats, sucking
the very life-blood out of you, your business and your dreams. These people
come in many forms and guises.
One person may be always letting you down, another
stifling your initiative, another draining your finances and still others
draining your energy.
Remember my friend Patrick last week? While I was discussing the book Think and Grow Rich with him at a book store signing, his friend came around behind me to make fun to Patrick behind my back.
These people are so subtle they usually go unnoticed for years, until they cause you to suddenly drop dead from fatigue or nervous exhaustion.
You instantly increase your personal power by cutting out of your life the people who mentally and physically exhaust you, as well as those who hold you back in your noble quest for wealth.
ACTION STEP:
A very unsavoury task I face is asking you to examine your nearest and dearest friends and business associates. In this analysis, you may find your best friend is perhaps your greatest enemy. Only you can determine who is helping you and who is hindering you.
Write out a list of the key people in your business and life and those you spend most time with and ask yourself on the whole how you feel about these people and if they help or hinder you.
You may get some surprises and tough decisions. If you're not prepared to cut them out of your life completely, all I can suggest is what a wise man once told me, "Don't go as often and don't stay as long."
You will breathe freer the minute you cut these people out of your life. The Apprentice Millionaire has not got the time for them.To Your Success!
Stuart
