Ninja Success

Misanthropy Today writes a humorous and informative response to Jason Calcanis and Mark Cuban’s posts about rules for startups. Not only is this a funny look at startups… there is a lot of wisdom here!

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Goals That Deliver Results - Set And Pursue Four Types Of Goals To Achieve Champion Results
By Jon L Iveson

When I interact with corporate and individual clients, I find that the vast majority of people understand and truly believe in the power of goal setting. However, most people do not effectively implement goal setting in their life and business to create champion results and build champion relationships. The gap is in the application of the goal setting process, not the knowledge and understanding of it.

Thus, I want to provide you with a recipe for applying the goal setting process to create greater results, fulfillment, and reward in your life and organization. Proper implementation requires a certain amount of your time, energy, and focus, but the results are worth it. This required time, energy, and focus is just a small fraction of the time, energy, and focus available to us all any given day, week, month, or year.

The Four Types of Goals that Deliver Results

1. Set Life goals - Mark Victor Hansen suggests that we should all have many goals, not just a few. I resisted this idea at first but have come to realize the power of having many life goals. Mark Victor Hansen specifically recommends 101 life goals. As Former College Football Coach Lou Holtz says “If you’re bored with life - you don’t get up every morning with a burning desire to do things - you don’t have enough goals.” These long-range life goals are the Magnetic Force in your life.

Your life goals define the mountain summit for your life. Jim Collins’ concept of the Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) provides the same for organizations. These goals represent the achievements and contributions you and your company wish to make in this world. You life goals should be grand and inspiring! They have the capability of magnetically pulling you out of a rut or challenge and help you find a way forward. I often recommend that people start the process of setting life goals by completing my Lifetime Contribution Award exercise.

2. Use 3 to 7 year goals as targets in the right areas of your life and business. These are your targets or intermediate goals that act as rubber bands in pulling you forward. They must be set correctly in order to create the right tension, but not break you. These intermediate goals are the Physical Pull in your life.

These 3 to 7 year goals function as base camps on your journey to reach your mountain’s summit. These goals are not simply extensions of your current reality. Yet, they are inspiring challenges within your sight that pull you forward. They help guide you and your organization as you seek new knowledge and implement new ways of being. These goals help you to expand your boundaries of acceptable risk on your journey.

3. Set short-term SMART goals to extend your current reality. SMART goals are Specific, Motivating, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These drivers are extensions and improvements of the current reality and create believe in and momentum for growth. These SMART goals are the Physical Push or Drive in your life.

Too often, I find people and organizations just focus on short-term goals. Short-term goals alone are only so effective. Thus, many people get frustrated with their goal setting process. When short-term goals are SMARTly set and used in conjunction with the other three types of goals, people gain renewed excitement about the power of goals and the goal setting process.

4. Leverage the Breakthrough Goal to generate new energy, thinking, ideas, and improvements. The breakthrough goal is neither a linear extension of the past nor is it a linear projection to the future long-term goals or future vision. It is the opportunity to tap potential or build capacity to create Magic for the organization or individual. The breakthrough goal is about creating POWER that amplifies the force of the other goals.

Periodic breakthrough goals create magic through the Power of Compound Interest and the Power of Exponential Growth. It is the consistent setting and pursuing of periodic Right ENERGY Breakthrough Goals that we appropriately focus time, energy, and effort to deliver interest beyond the principal of our SMART goals. Over time, this compounding effect will lead us to find our X-factor that results in exponential growth.

Summary

The true power of goal setting comes when you set four types of goals. These four types of goals should be aligned to create right results for you and your organization. Make the commitment now to create enough margin in your life during the next several weeks to set these four types of goals. Then, be steadfast in spending a small fraction of your time, energy, and focus in working those goals to create Champion Results and build Champion Relationships!

About the Author:
The Champion’s Coach, Jon L. Iveson, Ph.D. has spent much of the last twenty years learning, applying and teaching the components, strategies, and tactics of champions. Jon’s coaching programs help people create Champion Results and build Champion Relationships using his ENERGIZING goal setting process http://www.learningtobeachampion.com/coaching-main.htm To receive a FREE copy of 36 Powerful Leadership Questions that Champions use to fuel their BREAKTHROUGHS, visit http://www.ChampionQuestions.com

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

I joined Entrecard a few weeks ago, and thanks to dropping my cards and being dropped on, I’ve been seeing many more blogs than usual. The blogs I am reading regularly now cover a wide range of topics, from parenting, to books, to funny videos. But of all these new blogs I am discovering, A large percentage of them are “Make Money Blogging” Blogs. Another popular category is “Watch Me Make a Million Dollars In One Year Blogging”.

ProBlogger Reality Check

I would like to suggest, that if you are a blogger hoping to make a living from blogging, and especially if you have one of the above mentioned type of blog, that you take a look Darren Rowse’s article A Reality Check about Blogging for Money over at ProBlogger.net. If you are not familiar with Darren Rowse and his ProBlogger site, you probably haven’t been blogging for very long. Darren is THE ProBlogger, the one who made the whole idea of blogging for a living a reality. His site is full of information that every blogger should read. In short, he knows what he is talking about.

In his Reality Check post, Darren Rowse points out that he didn’t get to be a ProBlogger overnight. It took YEARS! Years of multiple part time jobs and blogging into the wee hours of the night. Years of studying SEO and figuring out the best way to monetize his blogs (at one point he was posting over 20 times a day!) Even now he blogs 40 to 60 hours per week. And is he making a million dollars a year? Well Darren isn’t saying, but according to the Wall Street Journal he earns over $250,000 per year. Not a bad income, but not even half way to a million dollars.

Now does this mean you should quit blogging and give it all up? Certainly not. It just means that, while there are some bloggers who rocket to success in a very short time, for most bloggers it is a long hard haul until you are making enough to cover your hosting costs!

A Blog Business is Just Like Any Other Business

The trick to being successful and profitable in a reasonable amount of time, is to look at your blogging business just like any other business. Especially at first, you shouldn’t be worrying about how to fit another widget onto your website, or how to trick people into clicking on your adsense ads. Your first concern should be to deliver a quality product that people will want to buy, (or in this case, read). Pick a topic that people are interested in, and learn how to write well. Spend some time on your posts and deliver information that people will find useful. Find some way to differentiate your blog from all the rest. Is it your writing style, your point of view?

Market Your Blog

Once you have a quality product, work hard on marketing and finding readers. This is when you worry about keyword optimization and SEO. Become active in some social sites, post in forums, comment on blogs you like. But don’t ever, ever spam.

Learn From Other Bloggers

I know that when I see someone in my niche who is doing really well, my first feeling is jealousy and I want to find fault in their blog. But I know the smart thing to do is to study what they are doing well, and see how I can use that knowledge to improve my writing or the look of my site.

Don’t Quit Your Day Job

Know that your blog is like a baby. At first it is going to need your time, attention and money to grow and thrive. Then gradually, it will become self supporting, it will still need lots of time and attention, but hopefully it will be paying its own way. And then the day will come, when your blog is making you money. For most of the off line businesses I have consulted with, this process, from totally dependent baby to profitable business is about 3 years. It is interesting to note, that Darren says “the average age of blogs in the Technorati Top 100 was over 3 years.”

You Can Be the Exception to the Rule

Create a quality product, market it well, and then hope for more than a little luck. Just maybe, your blog will be the next big thing, the exception to the rule, and you will become the millionaire blogger!

Here is something I found today at KatalinaMau.com. I thought it was a great idea for Valentine’s Day. So if you would like some free backlinks, comment on this post! Here is the original. Everything is just the same here.

I have been trying to think of a way to thank all my readers this Valentine’s Day, and to let you know how much I appreciate you. It just wouldn’t be practical to send chocolates, or flowers, or cards. I could send e-cards but that might be a little spammy. So I thought and thought and then I thought some more. I wanted to make sure whatever it was went to my readers, and not those who were just passing through. That’s why this paragraph is a little long and wordy!

So I finally came up with an idea, it’s not much, but it fits my budget! I am giving away links, to everyone who wants one. Here is how it will work. This blog is a do-follow blog and I have Comment Luv installed. That means if you comment on a post you get a link back to your blog plus, comment luv adds a link back to your last post. And of course they are all do-follow links.

Now usually I just delete comments that I feel are blatant self-promotion, but on this post I am welcoming it! I’d like it if you would tell me a little bit about who you are, but if you are in a hurry go ahead and make a one word comment, or no comment. You could even include another link to your blog. (Only one please)

Now only a few restrictions. This is a PG-13 blog so if your site is adult, gambling, or adult pharms, than I’m going to have to say sorry, this offer doesn’t apply to you. And if you like my idea, feel free to copy it. Just please be nice and provide a link back to this post.

A big Thank You to Angela Baden for bringing us a story of encouragement and not giving up!

A Lesson In Prosperity From The Little Parrot For Business Professionals and Entrepreneurs
By Angela Baden

I first heard the story of the Little Parrot a few years ago. It comes out of Buddhist tradition and is a striking example of the power of determination and the power of the mind to move the universe. As a marketing professional you can harness this same power to build your business and enjoy prosperity. Here it is:

A small and beautiful parrot lived in a great forest with many animals. One day the forest caught fire and went out of control and threatening to engulf the entire forest. The little parrot circled helplessly above the fire until she remembered the river not so far away.

She flew to the river and dipped her wings into it. And then she flew to the forest and shook little drops of water on the flames. They sizzled away to nothing. She flew back to the river and returned again and again and again and again. Just the little drops of water that she could shake from her wings fell and disappeared in the flames. The great deities saw her from above and laughed at the absurdity of what she was doing.

But one of the gods, moved by the compassion and dedication of this little bird, changed himself into a golden eagle and began to weep. And while the little bird alone could not put out the fire, the tears of the eagle fell drowning the fire saving the forest, the animals and the little parrot herself.

This is a cute little story for children, however, it illustrates a lesson for all of us marketing professionals. Whether it is internet marketing, MLM, real estate, insurance, mortgage, or any business you’re operating from home, this lesson could ultimately influence your financial prosperity.

Let us say, for example, that things are not going as well as you hoped. You have made such efforts. You have spent money on advertising and products. You called friends and family and people you do not know to join your enterprise. You harassed co-workers to buy your products. You bought leads that led to only a few sales. You had rejection after rejection.

You listened to your upline, your trainers, and the gurus. You went to conventions watching them parade across the stage. You attended seminars and workshops. You invested lots in books, DVDs, tapes, e-books, all kinds of tools. What have you got to show for it?

You have all but given up. Your family and friends doubt you. They say you can not make any money. You are silly to to do this. It takes too much time and effort. You start to panic! You agree with them. It is impossible! You can not do it!!

What happened to your dream? You promised to make it, no matter what. However, the fire got too hot. The flames scorched your wings. The smoke was too thick. You could not see those who could be helped by you. It is so much easier to fly away. Everyone is laughing at you.The universe must be telling you it is hopeless.

Okay, Little Parrot, you have two choices. Which one will you make? Will you give up and run to safety, never knowing whether you could make it? Or, will you keep going, learning, seeking until you manifest the power within to find the right person, the right direction you need to help you make your dream come true?

I work with people everyday who want to quit after one or two or three rejections, so I relay my own story of taking the bar examination ten times before I passed and became a lawyer. What if I had quit because my circumstances stopped me? I would never have known the thrill of victory. When I left the practice of law, it was on my own terms, not because I allowed myself to be defeated.

You are an entrepreneur. If something is important to you, do not give up, no matter what it looks like. You do not know what the outcome might be, or who might be inspired by your action. Do not make any more excuses. Unleash Your Power!

Angela Baden is a former practicing attorney, teacher, real estate investor and personal chef, turned internet marketer. She is the founder of DivaBiz Enterprises and Millionaire Health Secrets. She is a student of the Master Key System and a member of The Prosperity Cast Network. She is enthusiastic about having been in the Marketing/Networking Industry for over 4 years. She shares her considerable knowledge with others to help them succeed in life and in business from home. For more information call 206-305-2120 or go to http://www.divabiz.com

Article Source: Angela Baden
A Lesson In Prosperity From The Little Parrot