Ever wonder what’s wrong with the touchy-feely advice that’s so popular now-a-days telling people to stay positive, say affirmations, and just think good thoughts?

Ever wonder why people aren’t seeing much success by doing these things?

Answer: Because they are using positive affirmations incorrectly and using them incorrectly is a detriment.

Three Guidelines for using Positive Affirmations Correctly

1. Stop looking for the one thing that will make the difference. There is no one thing.

Positive affirmations are like the chocolate chips in a delicious chocolate chip cookie. If I asked you what made your chocolate chips cookies taste so good and you said, “Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips are the key,” I would say, “ah-ha” and run right out and purchase those specific chips thinking they would be what I needed to make a delicious chocolate chip cookie.

This is one of the things people do wrong when it comes to saying and using affirmations. They are looking for the one thing that will make the difference to their business success. And by doing so, they focus on the one to the exclusion of the all.

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2. Don’t be so far out with your affirmations.

The mind does not value what it hasn’t invested in. Said another way, the mind does not invest in what it does not know. One of the common mistakes of saying positive affirmations is intending them too far into the future, too far ahead of your current business situation. Repeating, “I own a million-dollar business” isn’t likely to create that business for you when you are barely making ends meet. The difference between what the mind currently sees and the intended affirmation is just too far apart.

Instead, focus your intentions no farther than your mind registers as possible to achieve. Next, align your actions with the fulfillment of your vision and add positive affirmations in support of that direction. Then, your mind will register that as something that is attainable and invest in it.

3. Be on the look out for hidden hope.

Hope is just a nice way of saying that you’re not sure something is going to happen, but you sure wish is would. Affirmations that hold the energy of wish are really negative affirmations in disguise. Hope is not the same as knowing, without a doubt, that what you intend is going to happen. Fervently repeating affirmations that hold the energy of hidden hope will not help bring what you intend any closer, any sooner.

There isn’t much room for hope when planning a business formula for success. Running a business takes a lot of thoughtful, consideration. It involves some very clear, concise, left-brain thinking. It also requires the ability to envision the kind of success you want for your business. That’s where positive affirmations can come in. Done correctly and with care, positive affirmations can be a valuable ingredient for your business success. You’ll soon be on you way to using affirmations correctly and turning them from a business liability into a business asset, by following these guidelines.

Whether you start a traditional business, a home based business or an internet business, Robert Kiyosaki  (Rich Dad, Poor Dad and The Business School) talks about three different types of education that are required for the successful business entrepreneur. If you want to achieve this financial freedom to live your own life, you need scholastic education, professional education and financial education.

Let’s unpack those three first.

Scholastic education basically is what you get at school. In the main part, it’s about basic literacy. You are taught how to read, write and do maths, very important for survival in today’s information age. Throughout our childhood we are taught the importance of getting a good education.  As adults, we are encouraged to become lifelong learners and invest in our personal development. It is pretty much indoctrinated in us that getting good grades at school, even going to university, is the best way to get a high paying job.

Professional education is what teaches you how to work for money. This type of education you can get from apprenticeship and training as well as through to your work experience. This type of education can range from apprenticeships in a trade or service to higher level training to become a doctor, lawyer, accountant, pilot, and so forth.

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Financial education is rarely taught at school or at home or anywhere else for that matter! This is where you learn how to make money work for you (as distinct to you working for money as above). Most people don’t even realise that scholastic and professional education will only get you so far.

Without financial or wealth education, you may not appreciate the ‘different path’ available to you and will end up always working for the rich, not becoming rich. This is how Robert Kiyosaki’s distinguishes the two with his Rich Dad, Poor Dad concept.

However, these days if you are doing business mostly on the internet, there is, in my opinion, a really crucial fourth type of education and that is social education.  So I’ll add this one into the mix.

Social education is important in any business where you are making sales and dealing with customers. But online, it’s even more important since you cannot ‘meet’ in person and much of our social behaviour relies on body language and visual and auditory cues.

Social education is about developing “emotional intelligence” towards others. It is learning to communicate effectively with people with regard to their situation, needs and feelings. It’s about active listening and empathy. It’s about connecting with a person’s highest hopes and worst fears.

Some would say that you develop the ‘sales’ skills to manipulate people. I advocate you develop social skills to match what you can offer to what people are looking for! (In that scenario, there is no need for a hard sell.)

On the internet, social education is critical to every part of your marketing, sales and support. This is because buying decisions depend so much more heavily on people’s sense of trust. Being seen as an authority and a leader builds your online credibility.

This is evident in the growing trend towards social networking and personal branding – what is termed “attraction marketing”, which is nowadays the business model of all successful internet marketers. People need to know you, like you and trust you before they will do business with you, become a customer or partner with you.

Social education is therefore one of the cornerstones of effective marketing. It teaches you aspects the psychology behind different personality types, how people make decisions, how to attract others to you, how to reach win-win outcomes, and so on.

If you spend time learning how to translate that knowledge and understanding into your personal branding, your copy writing, your presentations and your conversations, it will skyrocket your business success.

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If you are familiar with Napoleon Hill’s classic, “Think and Grow Rich”, in the chapter entitled ‘Organized Planning’, he discusses thirty one major reasons for failing.

Hill’s checklist is a quite useful one to study. You can easily discover if any of the thirty one reasons discussed applies to you. If you really want to be successful not only in business, but in other areas of your life, try to figure out what is standing between you and achieving your dreams. Here are the top reasons for failing not only in MLM but life:

Reason #1: Lack of a well-defined purpose in life. If you have no definite goals, not only for your network marketing business, but life in general, you will not be successful. Hill reports that 98 out of every 100 people he talked to had no well-defined purpose. Don’t be one of the 98 who are wandering aimlessly in life. Spend some quiet time brainstorming what you want out of life and your business, write down your goals and aspirations, and then read them out loud every day to keep them fresh in your mind.

Reason #2: Lack of ambition to aim above mediocrity. If you are the type of person who is totally indifferent to your lot in life, have no desire to get ahead, and are not willing to work for it, you will not succeed at anything.

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Reason #3: Lack of self-discipline. A lack of self-control can wreak havoc in your life. You must learn to control all negative qualities, including the ones that are in you. This, of course, isn’t always easy to do. If you don’t have self-control and discipline, your self will conquer you!

Reason #4: Procrastination. This is one of the most common causes of failure. Every human being on the planet faces this demon which can spoil your chance of success. Many of us float through life waiting for just the right opportunity to come. You must learn to take action. Why? This is important because many times things won’t be “just right”. The key is take action with whatever tools and resources you have. If you do this, you will be amazed at what a difference this can make in your home business and life.

Reason #5: Lack of persistence. Many people become professional quitters. Most of us are very good at starting, but the “quitter” category usually claims the majority. Plus, many people give up at their first defeat. You must learn to be persistent no matter what obstacles you are facing. If you are persistent, you will find that “failure” will not able to keep up!

Reason #6: Negative personality. To put it bluntly, if people avoid you because you are the king or queen of negativity, there is no hope for success. Success comes by applying power and this is obtained through cooperation of others. Negativity does not glue people together, but tears them apart.

Reason #7: Desire for “something for nothing.” Any type of “get rich quick” attitude, an unwillingness to actually work at your network marketing business, or wanting others to do tall the work for you will doom you to failure.

Reason #8: Lack of concentration of efforts. If you are one who jumps from opportunity to opportunity because things seem to be going too slow, or to generate as many streams of income as possible,things will not be good for you. If you constantly chase the next this will “get you rich quick” opportunity, you are in grave trouble. Everyone will view you as a highly unfocused person who clearly has no idea what you want. Learn to concentrate all your efforts on one definitive aim.

Reason #9: Lack of enthusiasm. People will view you as someone who is not convincing if you seem ho-hum about your opportunity. If you are not excited about what you are doing, why should others be? Remember, enthusiasm is contagious and people will want to be around you if you have this spirit.

Reason #10: Egotism and vanity. If you are one who likes to control, don’t want to listen to what others have to say, have an attitude of “my way or the highway”, etc., people will see this as a red light and will keep away. These attitudes are fatal to success in your network marketing business, as well as other areas in life.

So, there you have it. The top ten reason that could be influencing why you are having difficulty finding success not only in your MLM home business, but in other areas of life. Work on eliminating these fatal attitudes from your life and you will be well on your road to achieving your hopes and dreams.

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If you wish to be an effective entrepreneur or have a profitable home based business, you do not want to get your business training from academics. You’ll want to learn from people with real life business experience to become a profitable small business owner.

I’ve assembled a small list of my personal favorite business books. Reading through these excellent business books will definitely help you develop into a well rounded and successful entrepreneur as well as help you to run a flourishing home based business.

How to Win Friends & Influence People By Dale Carnegie
The author discusses means of growing professional relationships, a crucial first step to any successful home based business. He starts the book with “If You Want to Gather Honey, Don’t Kick Over the Beehive”. I always like to reread this book every five or ten years.

Rich Dad Poor Dad By Robert Kiyosaki
This is an educational storyline of a boy growing up with two dads; his father and his friend’s father who treated him as his own child. His Poor Dad encouraged him to perform well in school and to get a good job later in life. His Rich Dad encouraged him to master the power and practical knowledge of investing.

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In general, this book is an excellent read. It will help you to build a solid foundational base for a long and profitable entrepreneurial career. I would recommend this book as a primer to your business understanding plus a must read for anybody who wishes to create wealth and financial self-sufficiency.

Think and Grow Rich By Napoleon Hill
The writer worked very closely with Dale Carnegie to develop this as well as other business books. Napoleon Hill shares with us the fifteen laws of success and thirteen principles of person achievement.

The One Minute Millionaire – The Enlightened Way to Wealth. By Mark Victor Hansen and Robert Allen
This misnomer titled book features a formula for creating wealth; it literally possesses a flow chart of “the one minute millionaire system”. The book lists a set of epiphanies that lead toward economic wealth.

The Millionaire Next Door By Thomas Stanley and William Danko
The authors compare and contrast “Under Accumulators of Wealth” to “Prodigious Accumulators of Wealth” to illustrate the main difference in habits and activities of rich individuals and everybody else. This is among the business books that will help you to get an introspective look at oneself.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People By Steven Covey
Steven Covey’s title truly does indeed say it all. He writes in regards to the specific characteristics and habits essential to be effective; this applies directly to owning a profitable home based business.

How Come That Idiot’s Rich and I’m Not? By Robert Shemin
This book may well just top my list of Business Books as my favorite. Although the writer isn’t particularly eloquent , he really did strike the nail on the head for me personally. The question is, if you happen to be doing all of the correct things, why are you not a lot more financially successful? He does a great job of summarizing all the other books on the list.

So that’s my listing of business books that I personally suggest to help you become a profitable business owner and to operate a lucrative home based business. Knowledge is power.

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As a coach, trainer or therapist, you probably have some excellent and valuable niche-specific knowledge which can be packaged up in the form of passive income-creating products (written, audio, video or all three). By researching the needs of your niche carefully (ask prospects what they want) and then producing products which satisfy these needs, you will add value to the marketplace. It’s worth repeating that we get paid in proportion to the value we add to the marketplace. If you want to earn money while you sleep and achieve financial freedom, it’s important to unlearn some of the old habits and replace them with shiny new ones like these:

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1. Start each day by “eating a frog” (Brian Tracey has written a great book with this intriguing title). This is the task that will create most value for your clients, rather than the easiest to do or seemingly most urgent at that moment. In my case right now, it’s writing an article and producing a video. If you’re taking your first steps to financial freedom, it might be writing 4 pages of your free report, eBook or home-study course every day.

2. Segment your working time into 45 minute chunks with a 5 minute break between the first 2 segments and a 30 minute break between the next 2. This new habit has added massively to my productivity and is something gleaned from Tim Ferris’ “The 4 Hour Work Week”. When working in front of a computer, it’s even more important to segment your time properly in order to avoid fatigue and burnout. I use a simple kitchen timer set for 45 minute task segments to stay productive throughout the day.

3. At the end of every day, formulate your “success six” for the following day – the 6 tasks that if you achieve them will compound to produce a massive difference over time. Charles Schwab is reported to have paid Ivy Lee ,000 for this one simple business idea back in the 1920s because it proved such a powerful productivity booster and earned him millions of dollars.

The first thing on the list is to pick a location. It may be any location, but it is important to choose a good one. This can be applied to different fields.

If you are looking to start your very own retail store, choosing a store becomes pivotal. It is logical to pick a spot where there is very high traffic, to increase your chances of getting more customers, such as  having your store beside a metro station or inside a busy mall; as opposed to a secluded corner in a housing estate. High people traffic could determine your business as, if no one purchases your service or product, there would be no point in having your business set up in the first place. This could apply to all physical retail stores, even franchising.

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As for digital stores, such as those on the net, it would then be a different case when it comes to selecting a location. This comes in the form of purchasing a domain name and such related articles can be found almost anywhere on the net. It is important, however, to educate yourself in the art of purchasing a domain name, before you go ahead and buy it.

The second thing that you must do is to select your Target Audience. This may seem very basic, but it is nonetheless essential to every business.

For physical stores, your target audience must be related to the product that you are trying to sell to the public. It is impossible to have a clothing store that is directed at all age groups, as there will be a lot more competition. It is always wise to select just a small niche, with a small target audience and use the other factors in considering how to better service this small group of the public. For example, you could have a women’s accessory store and try to make your store more natural and more appealing to this group of women.

As for digital stores, it would mean choosing your niche and selecting the people you want to target in your niche. To target them best, do the same thing that you would do for any physical store – relate to them. By relating to them, you understand their needs and you can provide the solutions. If you provide solutions, people will be happy to pay for them, but only if they have a pressing problem, which justifies why people should pinpoint their target audience.  For more information go to http://www.kenbrowninternational.com

Wishing you much success,

Ken Brown

Your Success Coach

The first way to successfully overcome challenges is to try and forecast the problems that one might face.  It is always wise to brainstorm the possible obstacles that could get in the way of your growing business; and to have the ability of forecasting these problems would be a huge advantage when it comes to getting the problem solved. If there is a prescribed set of solutions to possible problems, when these problems actually do arise, it is much easier for us to deal with and frees up more time for more constructive things – such as advertising the business.

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The second is to have a business plan. Having a plan would allow businesses to have an overall aim, and would allow the head of the company to have a form of guidance. It also allows the company to fall back on a blueprint and allows the smooth sailing of the company. A good business plan should be very detailed and must put in place the order of things in the company. The plan must also list the possible problems that the company may encounter and the solutions to the problems.

The third is to have competent leadership. Leadership is an important factor on which the company relies. The leader is always the first to be notified of a problem or an obstacle and will be there to steady the ship when there are challenges that the company faces.  They must have the ability to create a solution for a problem and to have good marketing strategies for your products or services, such that in the case where there is a very strong competitor, your company is still able to hold the ground that you have in the market. A competent leader must also be innovative, must be able not just to go with the times, but to improve with the times, so as to keep pushing the company forward and be a forerunner in the field that your company is in. More often than not, the leader of the company is often the problem solver when it comes to meeting the challenges that the company faces. It is normally a long and tiring process to look for a good leader, but most small companies are unable to do so, so it is necessary to just nurture yourself into a leader who is able to sail through the tough times and to be the forerunner in your industry. For more information go to http://www.kenbrowninternational.com

Wishing you much success,

Ken Brown

Your Success Coach

My favorite Chapter in “The Business of the 21st Century”

My preferred chapter in the bestseller is called “What it takes”. In this chapter Robert goes over what it takes to make it big in multi level marketing.
He states that you do not require an MBA or high powered business back round. You do not need to be egregious at sales. In fact, in my business Numis Network, when I am conversing to business partners I dwell on that if they have a back round in sales that I will need to retrain them.
The notion for this is because sales people talk and talk about their opportunity and their prospects feel like they will have to do the same amount of “selling”. Once they come to decision that they can not sell like the “sales guy” then they have already quit.
Instead, in my opportunity we educate people to connect with their lead then direct them to the presentation (whether that is a sizzle call or online webinar). Then you just ask them to make a decision. It’s easy as that. No selling necessary.

Can “The Business of the 21st Century” help you sign leads?

After reading this book I have to make declaration that it will NOT help you to acquire information about prospecting or making money in MLM. This is not what this book is about. kiyosaki actually ties in a lot of the principals from his other books, such as Rich Dad Poor Dad and the Cash Flow Quadrant.
Instead of focusing on Network Marketing ideas he really focuses on why Network Marketing is a great avenue for family to make money. He also focuses on the mind set necessary be successful in any commercialism, not just Network Marketing. This book was an easy read and offers great credibility to any MLM business for the disbelieving people out there.

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FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITIES

With plans to expand all across Canada, there are plenty of opportunities for hard-working and driven business people to enjoy the security and support provided by TacoTime®.

Our mission is to make money with our franchisees rather than off our franchisees. Maybe that’s why the average tenure of a TacoTime® franchisee is more than 15 years.

Blogs started out as the modern-day versions of personal diaries but have evolved into a business tool that can make money for their owners. Such is the power of blogs in internet marketing that many, if not most, online businesses now host blogs to complement their existing websites. But it is not necessary to have an existing business website to earn money from blogs either.

In this article, these two ways to earn money through blogs will be discussed. It is worthy to note that although a blog is easy to start, it is not as easy to maintain as an online marketing tool since you must continuously perform activities to invite more readers, convert them into loyal buyers and then strengthen your business expanding your customers list. The payoff, fortunately, more than outpaces the demands so go for it!

First: A Blog as the Main Source of Income

If you already have a personal blog with a relatively specialized topic and a set of loyal readers, you may want to cash in on these two aspects. Doing so is relatively easy considering the pervasive presence of Google AdSense, affiliate marketing programs and other ways to make money on the Internet. Often, you just need to enroll in the program to start on the blog-as-business scheme.

You also don’t have to spend money to start a blog, thanks to the free blog hosting platforms that only requires a few minutes of your time to start using. Your worries about learning the technical jargon like HTML and navigating the complex world of computers are unfounded either as you can skip on these things. But if you can learn these things, then better for your Internet marketing efforts.

So, how exactly can you make money from blogs alone? The simple answer is advertising from other online businesses and other brick-and-mortar businesses that maintain an online presence. In most cases, you will be paid a certain amount of dollars in cents for every reader who clicks on the link, who visits the site or who buys something from the advertiser.

Second: A Blog as a Complement to an Existing Website

The second way to earn money from a blog is to use it as an online marketing tool for your existing websites. Again, take note that you don’t need a blog to push your website in the same way that you don’t need a website to make money from a blog.

When these two types of online presence are combined, the whole is more than the sum of these two parts, as strange that may sound.

So, how can you make money from the blog-website combo? The blog will be used to drive online traffic to your site, provide an easy means for your customers to get in touch with your business and to strengthen your inline presence. Take note that search engines such as Google and Yahoo love blogs, so to speak, which means greater levels of exposure for your existing websites. There’s no need to sell your products and services on the blog per se since you are using it as an internet marketing tool.

It is easy to make money from blogs. The trick is in knowing which of these two ways suit your business goals best and the focusing on making its stronger and stronger, which means that money comes into your bank accounts faster, too.

Goal Setting

Every year millions of people set their resolutions to be a Millionaire. But many of this ‘resolutions’ don’t stick.

The ability to set goals and achieving it is the most important skills you need to learn if you want to be a Self-Made-Millionaires.

All successful millionaires set goals, the clearer your goals the more likely you will achieve it.

You must develop your strategies and set a deadline to achieve your goal if not it isn’t a goal, it’s a dream.

Plan what you should do to achieve your goals and start your journeys don’t delay. Your success in your future is determined by what you do today.

Make sure you can visualize your goals and belief you can achieve them. Keep your focused and your goals will come true.

Time Management

Time Is Money. To success in your online home business, good time management is vital.

Time management is one of the most-desired skills you need to acquire in today competitive business environment. Many online entrepreneurs find it a big challenge, as there are many distractions. Distractions will happen and your must know how to control them.

Time management is important in all areas of life, good time management allow you to reap the reward in both your business and personal life.

Good time management skills are developed over time. You can’t control the amount of time you have but you can change how to fully utilize it.

Conclusion

Successful people work hard to achieve their wealth by setting goals and develop strategies to achieve them. They also set discipline to manage their time. They don’t attribute their success to luck.

Without clear Goal and proper Time Management your chances to be a Self-made-Millionaire is limited.

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