“Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.”

-Henry David Thoreau

 
Have you noticed?  Society likes to make rules and laws.  We like to make rules for everything.  We have:
 

-  Traffic rules

-  Rules of etiquette and behavior

-  Rules for how to wash your hands

-  Rules to train your dogs

-  Rules of fashion

-  Rules at the playground

-  Sports have rules

-  Copywriting rules

-  Internet marketing rules

-  Rules of business

-  Rules of eating

-  Rules for exercising

-  Blogging rules

-  Environmental rules

-  And we certainly have a whole host of rules about wealth and money!

 
Enough said, right?  We have rules for everything and money is certainly no exception. 

 
Step outside and look around and you’ll see rules everywhere you turn.  They often look like this:

 
Do Not Enter

No Not Feed The Animals

No Swimming

No Left Turn

Do Not Pass

 
Notice how most of the rules/laws we have tell us what not to do?  They’re limiting.

That’s not all bad.  I mean if we didn’t have some traffic rules imagine the chaos.  People can’t really seem to manage a roundabout as it is, take away the rules and the *&% would hit the fan.  And if you have children then rules are required to maintain your sanity and teach cause and effect.

Rules provide structure. They help us cope with change.  They teach and they keep us safe.

Rules also limit us.  They prevent us from doing what’s right for us at that moment.  They can also make us feel repressed, stifled and even resentful.

Not all of us handle rules the same way.

Are you a conformist or a rebel?

There are two basic reactions to ‘rules’.  There are those people who conform.  They say please and thank you.  They drive the speed limit.  They get eight hours of sleep each night.  They exercise.  They put subjects in their email subject line and they’re never late for appointments. 

They take their vitamins.  They save their money.  They work hard.  They don’t run at the pool and they always wipe down the exercise equipment after they use it.  In short, they play by the rules.  They conform.

What happens to the conformist? 

Nothing. 

That’s not so bad really.  Unless they’re waiting for some type of reward.  A pat on the back or an acknowledgement for all their patience and good deeds.  If that reward doesn’t come then they can turn.  They can become…

The Rebel.  The rebel shuns rules.  Forget about saving money, we only live once, right?  They take risks, break the rules and laugh at the conformists.  They take vacations too often.  They leave work early.  They start businesses and forget to reply in a timely manner to email messages – in fact they may not reply at all. 

The downside…the rebel, unless they’re incredibly charming, can be seen as an outcast.  They can be shunned because they don’t follow the rules.  They can end up in jail because despite the myth, some rules are not meant to be broken.

Now these are extremes of course but most of us land somewhere closer to one end of the spectrum than the other.  Maybe we disobey traffic laws from time to time or we fudge and tell a lie but for the most part we’re conformists.  Or perhaps you attend a meeting or two and occasionally say please or thank you but for the most part honestly believe that rules are meant to be broken.

Perhaps there’s a third type of person…

The type of person who makes their own rules.  This is particularly interesting when it comes to the rules of wealth.

So what are the rules of wealth?

Depends on who you’re speaking to.  Ask your parents and they may say the rules are:
 
Save 10% of every paycheck

Live within your means

Give 10% to charity annually.

Good rules, right?

Ask your neighbor and they may say:

Money is meant to be spent – you only live once

Money is the root of all evil

You need a scam to get rich

Money doesn’t grow on trees

The rich get richer…

Still others may say:

You need to be lucky to have money

You must save every penny you make and live below your means because you never know…(guess they could then use the present state of the stock market to prove their point)

Money is for the rich

You can attract wealth

 
And so on…
 
Most of these “rules” are myths. 

What are the REAL rules about wealth?
 
If you ask anyone who has real wealth, they’re probably say that wealth, real wealth stems from:

Desire

Specialized knowledge

Imagination

Planning

Persistence

And an element of risk taking or faith
 
Oddly enough, or perhaps not so oddly, these attributes are the foundation for Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich written about 70 years ago. 
 
“Persistence and patience, perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success”

-Napoleon Hill

Funny that in a world of rules the ones that generate true wealth are the rules we make for ourselves.  For Desire, Imagination, Planning, Persistence, and our Risk taking ability are all personal characteristics.  They’re not strategic investment strategies.  They’re not provided by your financial advisor.  They’re not given only to those in the ‘know.’

 
They are however available for anyone and everyone.  You have the capability to make your own rules for wealth.  When you do, you don’t have to conform to the rules others make and in fact you shouldn’t.  You also don’t have to rebel and fear the repercussions.  Instead, you make and live by your own rules as they follow and relate directly to:
 
Your Desire

Your Specialized knowledge

Your Imagination

Your Planning

Your Persistence

Your risk taking and/or faith
 
The rules of wealth you see, are entirely up to you.

To Your Success!
Jeremy Gislason
SureFireWealth INC
SureFireWealth.com
 
What are your rules to wealth and business? What did you think of this article? Post your ‘Rules’ or leave your comments below

The dictionary defines wealth as:

1. [n] – the state of being rich and affluent
2. [n] – an abundance of material possessions and resources
3. [n] – property that has economic utility: a monetary value or an exchange value
4. [n] – the quality of profuse abundance

None of those definitions sound too bad, right?  The quality of profuse abundance -   I like that definition! 

However, wealth as it is defined in the dictionary is only a small aspect of such a grand and often controversial word.

The definition of wealth can be quite divisive.  Ask your family and friends how they define wealth and then sit back and enjoy the conversation!  Ask any political candidate how they define wealth and you’ll get vastly different answers. 

There is of course the capitalist definition of wealth which states that all wealth is earned, not distributed. 

Conversely, socialism states that there is a more equitable distribution of wealth and wealth is better shared. 

That being said, all political theories and ideologies aside, we know deep down at our core that there is more to ‘wealth’ than dollars in the bank.

Consider the following quotes:

“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.”
-Henry David Thoreau

“Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.”
-Oscar Wilde

“Being rich is having money; being wealthy is having time”
-Margaret Bonnano

So wealth is:
- Having time
- Having health
- Having quality of life
- Possessing freedom
- Finding inspiration
- Having peace of mind
- Wealth is having compassion
- Being loved
- Loving
- And of course money in the bank – how much money in the bank is defined by you.

And so on and so on.

I’d argue that wealth, true wealth, may be a combination of all of these things. 

Wealth, when it is defined as more than simply dollars in the bank, when it is defined as quality of life, health, peace of mind and all of those things that do often come with financial security is a fine and wonderful thing.  However, each attribute of wealth i.e. peace of mind, time, passion and dollars in the bank can be at risk if one focuses one attribute to the exclusion of all others. 

For example if you live solely to have more money, you’ll inevitably lose time, quality of life, and quite frequently your health.

It’s a fine tightrope to walk.

Do you focus on earning money to support a better quality of life, to have more time and so on?

Or

Do you focus on quality of life and have faith that the money will follow?

It’s the whole success before meaning or meaning before success question.

Success before meaning.

There’s a well established school of thought which dictates that you work hard, you earn a good living, build a good life and then reap the rewards of your hard work.  There are various scenarios this may entail.

For many it may entail spending 20 years working a 9-5 desk job, living frugally and saving as much money as possible.  The reward is then quitting or retiring and living the life you’ve always wanted to live.  Whether that means traveling, spending your days in your garden or workshop or starting that small business you’ve always wanted to start. 

This is the place that many people come from.  They spend their lives focused on the goal of achieving financial success and freedom.

While setting and achieving goals is a great thing, the problem with this mindset is:

1. One forgets to enjoy life while it’s happening and waits to enjoy it at some future date.
2. That date may never come

Meaning before success.

Another school of thought follows the path of doing what they love and hoping or trusting that wealth will follow. 

Those who follow this school of thought believe that the goal to success starts with finding a business or trade you’re passionate about.  Passion and desire breed wealth.

While it’s true that passion for your business or trade will bring about day to day quality of life, satisfaction and contentment – financial wealth isn’t a given.  In fact there are many people who are barely getting by who absolutely love what they do. 

Another option?

I propose that there is actually a third approach to obtaining wealth without sacrificing quality of life.

Starting an internet based business, yes even in today’s economy, can provide the kind of lifestyle and complete wealth you’re seeking. 

Starting an internet based business, while it takes a bit of time at the outset to get a business up and running, once it’s established and you’ve automated as much as you can humanly automate and delegated the rest – the profits are in your pocket and you’ve as much free time as you can humanly stand.  Time to live the life you’re dreaming of but instead of dreaming it, you’re actually living it. 

Time to pursue your passions.  Yes, this third option means the business you start doesn’t have to be something you’re passionate about.  You can make your business your passion, however it’s not mandatory.  You can in fact sell t-shirts online, make a mint, and not give a hoot about t-shirts.

Timothy Ferriss talks at length on this in his book “The 4-Hour Workweek”.

The concept is defined as the new rich or NR as he calls them.  It’s the idea that it doesn’t have to be success versus meaning or wealth versus poverty or freedom versus being chained to a desk 9-5.  Life, and wealth, can be defined by you. 

Starting an internet based business isn’t as simple as setting up a website and watching the profits roll in.  There’s a process.  There’s a science behind profiting online.  It begins with specialized knowledge.

THERE are two kinds of knowledge. One is general, the other is specialized. General knowledge, no matter how great in quantity or variety it may be, is of but little use in the accumulation of money.
-Napoleon Hill

Mr. Hill also goes on to say in Chapter Five of Think and Grow Rich, KNOWLEDGE will not attract money, unless it is organized, and intelligently directed, through practical PLANS OF ACTION, to the DEFINITE END of accumulation of money.

Now specialized knowledge is something you can possess, like knowing how to take apart and put back together a 1964 Ford Mustang blindfolded.  It is also something you can purchase or acquire. 

You can obtain specialized knowledge by:

- Participating in a mastermind group, hiring a coach, or finding a mentor.
- Going to school or getting specialized training
- Reading everything ever published on the topic including participating in forums and chat rooms on your chosen topic.

As we move through life and make our choices it’s nice to know that there are options.  You can choose to live your life pursuing financial wealth at the expense of the other gems life has to offer, you can choose to pursue health, art and happiness at the expense of financial wealth or you can decide that you deserve both.  You can decide that the world and its abundance are available to you. 

The internet makes it easier than ever before.  It gives you access to specialized knowledge and wonderful tools which enable you to automate almost every process and system required to run a successful and profitable business.  

To Your Success!
Jeremy Gislason
SureFireWealth INC
SureFireWealth.com

What do you think of this article? What is ‘wealth’ to you? Leave your comments below…

Isn’t the internet great?

It’s just about the last place for the little guy, or gal, to get rich. After all, all you need is a web site or blog… something to sell… and it’s “Hello, Huntingdon Beach!” BIG mistake.

You see, it’s precisely because the internet makes it so very easy for anyone to start their own business, that it’s so downright dangerous.

Because, you simply cannot treat your internet business – whether it’s just selling a few items on eBay or running a full blooded on line publishing empire – as merely a hobby.

Like it or not – just because the internet is your sole marketing method – you are still running a business and, as a business owner, you are instantly the target of many people, from big government, through a jealous competitor right down to some oddball customer, determined to make trouble for you.

And don’t think that – just because you’re in the right – you have nothing to fear. Because, by the time you’ve paid your lawyer’s fees, and all the other expenses – like travel expenses and all the lost business and earnings you’ll suffer, whilst you’re fighting this firestorm

- you could end up thousands in debt!

And that’s just the start…

Because if some crazy starts all this and files a complaint for Internet Fraud with the Federal Trade Commission, watch out!

Because – innocent or not – every detail of your business and private life will be put under the official microscope.

What’s more…

…the irony is, it could probably be so easily avoided

Because it could simply be your web site is missing some tiny detail or other… or you might have made a rash claim about a product (even if you’re only an affiliate)… or you might have said something you bitterly regret in an e-mail… the list of slip ups you could so easily make goes on and on…

But it doesn’t have to be like this…

Because there is a simple, inexpensive way you can quickly build your very own missile defence shield to protect you, your business and even your loved ones from the nuclear strike that could so easily destroy your life, as you know it, if you fail to take action

Read more about this and learn how to protect yourself here:

==>>  http://www.protectyouronlineassets.com/

To Your Success !

PS: Click Here to register as an affiliate and earn 50% commissions on sales here:

Have you ever noticed that thought and attitude are contagious? 

For example, let’s say you take a vacation to Jamaica.  The laidback nature of the people, the culture, is more than just a vacation phenomenon.  If you were a fly on the wall, i.e. not on vacation but simply spying on the locals, you’d notice that they’re significantly more laid back than say your average Manhattan inhabitant. 

If you live in an environment which is very religious, chances are that religion even if it has never been on your radar or part of your upbringing, will become part of your life.  Now you may not start going to church regularly but religion and religious theory is going to enter your life – it’s almost guaranteed.

The collective consciousness is defined by Robert Kennedy as A mode of awareness, in which we directly experience, through an intuitive felt-sense, our union with the interconnected wholeness of life, and recognize ourselves in others. Our identity extends beyond our individual boundary and embraces the collective, through a free and conscious act of identification, rather than through definition by convention or external authority.

Simply, if it can actually be simply defined, we’re connected.  You can use the power of the collective conscious to bring more into your life.

You’re familiar, I’m sure, with many rags to riches stories.  The story of Chris Gardner for example, he is the self-made millionaire, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and philanthropist who, during the early 1980s, struggled with homelessness while raising his young son.  He surrounded himself with mentors, people whose goals were the same as his, people who were focused on success in the same industry – stock brokers. 

It’s just one of thousands of success stories.  It goes beyond mentorship thought that is certainly part of it.  Our lives are directly affected on a deep level by the people we surround ourselves with.

You want to be more artistic – go live in an artistic community – Paris for example – and surround yourself with people who inspire you artistically.

You want a laid back lifestyle where money is secondary to the lure of the sun, sand and sea?  Go to Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Fiji.

You want to become a novelist, surround yourself with writers. 

You want to become a wealthy business owner?  Surround yourself with wealthy business owners.

It’s about more than learning from the masters.  It’s about tapping into the collective consciousness of such an environment and utilizing it to create your vision of your future.  To create the success and prosperity you desire.

Step One:  Determine what it is you desire.  If it is wealth and prosperity in the software development industry then write it down.  Create a vision statement so you’re 100% clear on what you’re setting your sights on.  What you’re striving for.  Place that vision statement somewhere accessible, somewhere you can see it every day.

Step Two:  Ask yourself if you’re surrounded by the right people?  Now this isn’t an invitation to leave the life as you know it behind. It’s merely a time to assess your present situation.  Is there anyone in your life who is a negative force?  Someone who is constantly telling you, your dreams are impossible?  You can’t do it?  Now may be the time to ask that person to support you.

Likewise who are the positive forces in your life?  The people who are supporting you and want to see you succeed?  Make a point of telling those who do support you ‘thank you’ and spend more time with them.

Step Three:  Make a list of people who are successful in your industry or relevant industries – meaning they’re not competition.  Try to list at least 20 people you’d like to talk with, have coffee with, and do business with.  Don’t set limits.  If Bill Gates is on your list then great!  If you’re aspiring to get into a sports industry and you’d love to chat with Peyton Manning then put him on your list. 

If you aspire to open a thriving home organization business then by all means put Martha Stewart on the list!

Step Four:  Gather the contact information for the people on your list and create a schedule for connecting with them.  For example, if Bill Gates is on your list then find out how to contact him and set a date to contact him.  Simply let him know you’d like five minutes of his time to learn the secret to his success. 

Step Five:  Surround yourself with people who are on the same path you are.  This means participating, or even forming, mastermind groups.  Finding a mentor or a coach who is dedicated to your success.  Simply put – put yourself on the path to success by engaging the help of others.

Step Six:  Read.  Inspiration comes in many forms.  Reading about the success and the path to success for people both in your industry and outside your industry will not only help you stay focused on your goals, it will also inspire you to reach perhaps beyond your goals.  Reading about the lives, successes and failures of others, will show you perhaps a different way of doing things.  It will give you compassion and understanding, for others and for yourself, and it will move you to pursue your dreams. 

Of course you have to choose the right books to read, you don’t want to read something that brings you down or has the effect of squashing your dreams.  Try the four hour work week by Tim Ferris if you want an enjoyable read and insight from someone who definitely thinks outside the box.

Step Seven:  Stop planning and start acting.  Action speaks louder than words – this is true both with personal relationships and with the universe.  When you start taking active steps to achieve your goals, the collective consciousness helps you remain active.  You can simply by your actions start changing the collective consciousness around you.  That means you can not only change your life – you can influence the lives of others around you.  Pretty powerful stuff!

Still doubting the power of the collective conscious?  Think about the current mood on the state of the economy.  It’s gloom and doom and the mood is spreading faster than dandelions on a summer lawn.  Even people who are relatively unaffected are feeling poorly about the state of the economy.  The collective consciousness is that the economy is bad and we’re all suffering, even if we’re not.

The converse can be true and you can take part in a collective consciousness that has hope, sees opportunity and refuses to participate in that line of thought.

Wealth and prosperity are still very real opportunities.  Take advantage of the people out there who support you, who believe that wealth and prosperity are possible, and who inspire you to realize your dreams.  Find or create your own collective consciousness and let it lead you to your goals.

What do you think about collective consciousness? Leave your ideas and comments here

Is It Possible To Profit In An Economic Downturn?

“You define abundance. You decide whether or not to shrink or expand.  You choose whether or not to participate in this line of thinking. This is wealth.”
Christine Kane

Recession?  Seriously? 

Okay, fine.  The market is having some troubles.  What do you do?  Do you cower in fear, doubt, and uncertainly like the masses or do you…please forgive me for the cliché; do you make lemonade from lemons?

It’s true.  Right now we’re living in some pretty uncertain times financially speaking.  However, there’s always opportunity.  The online world is still thriving.  In fact, it’s growing.  The self help and home based business is booming!  The investment market is actually thriving – people are anxious to learn how to invest their money, protect their money, and still live the same quality of life they’re used to. 

Warren Buffet just invested 5 billion into Goldman Sachs.  Of course he had 5 billion to invest in the first place but this is a guy who isn’t casual with his money.  And he just invested 5 billion in what many would consider the most unstable sector in the world. 

Why?

He sees an opportunity.

It’s what successful entrepreneurs do.

Successful entrepreneurs are typically risk takers.  Not blind risk takers who jump into a pool of hungry sharks without looking first. 

Instead, they spend a bit of time evaluating the risk and then deciding whether it’s worth jumping in.  That doesn’t mean that every single light is green and it’s 100% okay to make the jump, or investment.  But it means they know what they’re getting into.  They understand the risks.

Along with understanding the risks, successful entrepreneurs understand, and look for, opportunity.

Think about Amazon, Paypal, and even the folks over at MySpace.  They saw a potential opportunity and took some very big risks – boy did they pay off. 

Despite what the mainstream media will have you believe – those opportunities are still available.  The only difference between five years ago and today is the collective consciousness – if the media is telling everyone that the economy is good and invest, invest, invest – the collective buys into it and boom – everyone and their brother are taking huge risks with the comfort that the financial guru they saw on CNN the other night said it was a good thing to do – the economy is great.

Now the same financial guru is telling everyone to buckle down.  Save money, don’t spend.  Hold tight to your investments.  Don’t take any risks. 

And the collective conscious believes it.  They hold tight to their money.

The result…missed opportunity.

Assuming you do your homework, analyze the market, and understand the risks – the risks are the same as it was 5 years ago.  The opportunities are the same.

What is required to recognize and take advantage of these opportunities?

A good attitude is a must.

A good attitude means you’ve established the desire to be wealthy.  Now that may sound very simplistic.  Everyone wants to be wealthy, right?  No, not really.  Some people are quite content at their current income level what ever it may be. 

And many of those who do desire great riches let other desires, beliefs and myths about money get in the way.  Napoleon Hill outlined six steps to achieving Desire as it relates to attaining wealth.  They are:

#1  Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire.  (This is very much part of the visualization and goal setting process and is critical to success)  At first you may think, “Oh okay, I want a million dollars.”  Then you’ll think, “No, this is a visualization exercise, right?  How about six million dollars?”  Then the doubts will start to enter your mind and you may drop down to $100,000.  The goal here is to let go of those limiting beliefs.  If you want six million then fix that amount in your mind. 

Perhaps you need to do a little bit of thinking, meditating, or even planning on how much money you want.  That’s fine.  Take your time.  It’s important that you’re comfortable with the number you’re seeking.

#2  Determine exactly what you are willing to give in return for the money you desire.  It’s the old you don’t get something for nothing philosophy.  This is actually a great way to help let go of your limiting beliefs about money particularly if they relate to money being inherently bad.  What would you do if you achieved the monetary goals you’ve set forth?  Will you donate a specific amount to charity each year?  Will you volunteer your time?  Will you employ people and offer a great salary and benefits package?  What are you willing to put out there?

#3  Establish a specific date for receiving or earning the money goal you’ve established.  Tomorrow, right?  You’d like that six million dollars tomorrow, please.  Okay, now step back and consider what may be more reasonable.  Not too reasonable mind you, you probably don’t want to set your goal 20 years in the future however 12 months isn’t unreasonable is it?  Neither is six months, or even three. 

#4  Carry out a plan to begin – Mr. Hill recommends taking action whether you are ready or not.  You can’t spend your life planning, it’ll just pass you by.  So how are you going to make this money?  What’s going to happen or change in your life to make it happen?  Are you going to write the next Harry Potter?  Are you going to develop a software product or game that sells out all over the world?  What skills, talents, and knowledge do you have, or you have access to, to make it happen? 

#5 & #6  Create a written statement for the first four actions described above and then read it aloud twice a day. Once when you’ve just woken up and once before you go to bed.

This process as it was laid out by Napoleon Hill in 1937 and supported by wealth coaches, personal coaches, professional coaches and mentors all around the world, may seem a bit simplistic at first glance.  However, upon implementing it you will see it has a very powerful effect on not only your attitude but your motivation as well. 

Visualization is a technique that successful people in all walks of life utilize to improve and to achieve their desired results.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a stay at home parent who aspires to build a six figure business or an Olympic athlete – visualization and establishing a desire to achieve are a necessary first step to real success and wealth. 

An economic downturn matters.  Of course it does.  However, where there’s the desire to succeed, where there’s openness to success, wealth, and the power of opportunity, there’s a real chance to profit – desire is the first step.

To Your Success!
Jeremy Gislason
SureFireWealth INC
SureFireWealth.com

What do you think about the current economic conditions? Leave your comments here