After a block of extensive travel (a way to reach some of my dreams), I am back at my computer which, surprisingly, feels a little foreign to me. In the coming weeks I’ll share bits and pieces of my travel experiences in reflections about staying on course to become a better entrepreneur while fully living one’s passion.
I relish learning about different cultures and their distinctly unique ways of looking at and living life in health and wealth. I’d like to follow that thread as I move forward by starting with some Cherokee wisdom.
As the story was told to me - one evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
“My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all.
One is EVIL. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is GOOD. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson silently pondered this story about a minute before he asked his grandfather “which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “the one you feed.”
What key beliefs do you feel are critical to being or becoming a successful marketer? Here are some of my values. You may have ideas to contribute to this list. You are welcome to add your comments below. Here are some of the things I have strong belief in:
Myself. Belief in myself is empowering. I love to learn new skills, mull over different strategies, share new ideas with others. However, at times I know I have been “my own worst enemy” by over-analyzing a situation. Numerous times I have fallen flat on my face, but I have always picked myself up and gone forward - a little wiser for the encounter.
My customers. The strength of any business is to bring a meaningful product or service to the marketplace. I believe in my customers, first and foremost. I know they will tell me their needs and wants. My job is to listen.
Ultimately, my customers determine whether they can benefit from either my products or services. I am open to a “yes” or a “no.” If they want my products or services, that’s great. If they don’t, it’s still good. There may be a fit later on in their lives. Or, they may give me some honest feedback that will assist me in fine-tuning what I offer and how I market.
As marketers do we sometimes risk “singing to the choir” of other marketers? By tuning into our customers - as opposed to just other marketers, we have a valuable resource to help us fine-tune our strategies. How can we expect to meet our customers’ needs if we don’t truly understand them and their wants?
My mastermind networks. Whenever I go off course even a little, eventually I do check in with reality, self-correct and move forward again. I find that having strong ties to communities of doers facilitates my getting back on track a little more rapidly. Masterminding with people following their purposes assists me in stretching to the next level with them.
My products and services. Promoting products and services I believe in is fun! In fact I am quite passionate about it! I am the proverbial “product of the product.” I know I am offering effective means to change lives for the better. Assisting others to reach their dreams, promote health, create wealth, ….. is a calling that fills me with oomph!
My company. Grounded in integrity and committed to excellence in every facet of its existence - a company that offers a 100% money-back guarantee of its product - this company is one in which I have solid belief! Its sales and production records speak volumes, too.
My readers. I believe in you, the leaders of this industry, who step forward to share your beliefs and ideas contributing to your successes as NetWeb Marketers. I firmly believe that together as a community we can and do assist one another in becoming more savvy.
That our society is fast paced - I doubt many would argue. Are we going too many directions at once? Lacking some focus or, at least, finding we have very short attention spans? Is that why we sometimes expect instant results?
At times, I admit, that I feel frustration at the ever-growing list of what I want to do vs. the list of what I have accomplished. The same pulls we all experience from the many facets of our lives - friends, family, community, work,……
By re-directing my energy from frustration to constructive action, I find I can remain on purpose and clearly focused on my end goal. As entrepreneurs we quickly learn to carry activity to the next level - a targeted end goal or accomplishment. However, because we are in business, our priority for accomplishment had better be profit!
Being in business is not about having a hobby, but a livelihood. “Lively” connotes animation, activity, intensity, vitality …… As entrepreneurs we sometimes lose track of our activities and easily fill our days. Check in with yourself. Regularly ask if your activities are producing profit? Do you have measurable results?
Living balanced lives infuses renewed health in ourselves and in our businesses. Focusing on your end goal while applying your vitality to profit-producing activities boosts that momentum to the next level - another key success strategy to reach your dreams.
What strategies do you apply to keep your end goal in mind?
Reaching your dreams can happen in interesting ways. Set goals, work your plan consistently, envision the outcome - success strategies we have learned to apply. What about coincidences? Or what Ellie Drake refers to as “a series of synchronistic events?”
We are where we are for a reason. Not always knowing what that is at the time. Where am I going with this?
I’m laughing because of one such synchronistic event. Someone I have a lot of respect for in this industry just informed me his childrens’ favorite horse is named Savvy. Does that mean my blog should have a new subtitle: A Savvy Voice - Straight from the Horse’s Mouth? I dare you to comment! At least take some time to laugh with me.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.” - Robert Frost
As entrepreneurs we have freedom to choose which path we follow. By committing to excellence, we empower ourselves with integrity and walking our talk. Hype is swallowed into a deep abyss.
Hype is defined in Webster’s dictionary as “1) deception, put-on 2) to promote or publicize extravagantly.”
Undoubtedly you, like everyone else, have been on the receiving end of hyped up claims for a product or services. Take the current political campaigns as an example of prevalent use of hype. What are the candidates actually saying they believe? Are they making broad-sweeping generalizations or proposing specific and targeted action steps to follow if elected?
We as marketers have choices just like the political candidates. Our brands depend upon good marketing strategies. If we offer value to the marketplace, won’t our products, services and brands stand on their own two feet?
Are we projecting enthusiasm based upon the value of our services or making exaggerated claims that we can provide solutions to our customers, no matter what?
Creating wealth requires consistently applying success strategies. Whether you are new to this industry or a seasoned veteran, undoubtedly you have had occasion to ask your self, “What do I think I’m doing?” Maybe even go so far as to switch companies, or quit altogether and go back to get a job?
If you have read “Think and Grow Rich“by Napoleon Hill, you know the story about the miner who labored for weeks to bring gold to the surface, but found the vein short-lived and quit digging. The significance of his failure was not just in quitting, but that he had stopped a mere 3′ from where the vein of gold continued and, in fact, brought great wealth to the miners who succeeded him!
A video blog I recently visited speaks volumes about the wisdom of staying in the game. In his video David Koons describes playing a game as a child in which the object was to get on the couch strategically guarded by two older brothers. Although frustrated by their defense tactics, David persisted and found his frustration turned into a fierce determination to succeed that became the metaphor for his life.
As children we have innate qualities that are often stifled as we grow older. By the time we graduate from high school, we’ve been told “NO” a zillion times. Small wonder that many quit before they succeed?
I’m here to agree with David Koons and Napoleon Hill - hone your skills and keep at it. This business is tremendously rewarding as we help others apply success strategies for creating wealth.
As a community of doers breaking out of the routine of 9 to 5 jobs, we network openly and share tips that help us on our journeys. Watch David’s video, Buck and Bill. What message do you receive?
“We must become the change
we want to see in the world.“ - Mahatma Gandhi
How very true. When we as entrepreneurs embrace change and lead by example, we do become the change we want to see in the world - one step at a time.
What powerful leverage we have with NetWeb Marketing! It extends our spheres of influence to people from any geographic location with internet access! No boundaries!
Think of the momentum we can create to assist our global community. No matter what their current circumstances, those with vision can be inspired to reach their dreams.
This momentum is like that of a snowball rolling down hill, gathering snow, growing larger and larger until it more closely resembles a boulder than a ball. Synergy from being enmeshed in a community “web” of leaders intent on improving the quality of life will take us to even higher levels of achievement than anyone of us could reach acting alone.
With a greater percentage of healthy and wealthy citizens, we can continue the cycle of positive energy flow into creating abundance and true wealth for all inhabitants of planet Earth.
It is Spring here in northern California - definitely a season of rebirth and renewal AND a favorite time of year for me. Why?
Clean air, blue skies, crazy cloud formations, birds singing, frogs croaking, almond trees blooming, ….. I could go on forever. Most importantly, the smiles on people’s faces are invigorating. Call it Spring Fever or release from Cabin Fever - energy is ALIVE!
Gratitude for this energetic health and sharing it with others sparks life in all we touch.
As this blog rolls out, I intend for it to serve as A Savvy Voice for those who are ready to reach their dreams and help others do likewise. Empowering others to start living their lives by design is but one vision for applying NetWeb Marketing.
