Ask yourself the black and white question –

I have to ask you a tough question.  Can you look at frustration as a good thing?  Can you revel in it?  Can you get a place in your head where you recognize that when you are frustrated you tell yourself, “I know when I feel like this I am about to make great change in my life for the better.”  If you can, you are amongst the 2% that runs the world.

The speed in which you can make the transition from frustration to solution or positive action really is a ratio that will control the success you have in your life.

It is easy to pile on the drama that is holding us back from getting where we want to go.  We all know this right—bad things happen in threes. I am waiting for the other foot to drop or whatever the limiting belief you have that may be controlling your life.

I want to give you a simple solution.  Revel in the frustration, trust the 900 billion bits of processing power in your brain to deliver you “a better way” to get by your frustration.  Believe that an answer is merely at the tip of your tongue or at the end of a long sleep.

It is there.  You are meant to triumph now.  Go revel in your frustration!  Be thankful for it.  Know that God is just giving a you a sign for welcome change.

Wanted to share with you a television segment I just did for ABC’s new half-hour national travel show ( that also airs in 20 countries) that features Malawi and the beautiful children of Mtendere. The segment is on learning vacations and I talked about AFC and my trip so you’ll see some faces you might recognize!

Feel free to share and post this link on your websites, facebook, etc.

The links will also be on ABCNews.com under TRAVEL tab “best of” later today.

Karen Schaler
TV Travel Correspondent/Writer/Author

http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/video/destination-learning-vacations-11172229&tab=9482931&section=8865284

I felt 10 years younger. I was more energetic. Consequently, I got an enormous amount of work done. I was able to deal with a couple of outstanding issues I hadn’t before. I had a great training session and a great day in sales.

What did I learn from that? Do it again. Make it a habit. This started me down a path of rereading the books in my life that really pushed me down this type of transformational path.

Gratitude is a great way for you motivate yourself. A great way for you to accomplish more and fuel the fire that drives you. There is something inherently inspiring about recognizing the people that have helped you become who you are. There is something powerfully uplifting in forgiving somebody for the smallest wrongs.

What is amazing about coupling these two things is that you get the effect of lightening your load and putting more coal in the engine. This allows you to move with more energy and speed.

The business relationship that developed has changed the small business culture of central Indiana. She was a dynamic and driven leader that really put Rainmakers on the map.

I met her at a networking event. We had a simple conversation that went something like this, “hey, lets get together and see how we can help each other?” A few months later we were referring each other clients and a few years later she was helping me shape what our company is today. She is a board member, a stock holder and a great mentor.

She introduced me to my first business coach who gave the me the confidence to start my own business, she has personally referred over a 100 members. She was a game changing relationship for our business and she is a great friend.

My point to this story is it all started with a handshake, a simple handshake when attending a networking event. It all started because we believe in people. We believe in the possibilities that happen when people they come together.

It is the reward for a strategy in life and an openness to want to find out the greater good that come if we work together. Lorraine and I had it enough to create something great. She is a savvy marketer, she has a brilliant creative mind, she is a pragmatic and shrewd business but her greatest strength is far greater than that.

She moves and pushes herself to stay abundant in her mindset even when it is uncomfortable. This is her greatest asset. If you are considering hiring a pr, web development or social media firm, hire her now and ask her how much later. Thank her for her bill and know that value she brings your company will be so far beyond the ROI. It will be in the generous and dynamic way she helps you grow as a person.

Yes folks this all started with a networking event. It all started from a one on one and a few e-mails to help each other. It all started with mindset.

It is just that easy, you can change the world if you change your mind and realize that you can’t do it alone.

Be More, Serve More
Tony

My friend is doing a survey for entrepeneurs. Take 5 mins and help me help her! the link is here below.

http://www.mbentrc.com/

You lose a great employee, what a low.  You have a record month, what a high!  You make a bad hire, what a low!

If you own a small business you know what I am talking about.  A small business owner in today’s economic climate is like a matador staring down the bull.

The rewards are great!  The risk is great!  The game is epic.

I salute you, Entrepreneur!  Your spirit and your ability to risk almost everything is what will save this country.

Hail the Small Business Owner!

1.  Write out your “why?”  Write, Rewrite then write again the “real” reason you want to start this business.  It better go beyond freedom, money, or because you don’t like your boss.  I think I can do it better and start getting into how you think you can really live your purpose and how you can change the world.  Use the book “The Answer” for this.

2.  Write out an unfair advantage:  Design, design, design an unfair advantage from your sales incubation all the way through your delivery mechanism.  Make sure you deliver your service or product in an unfair way compared to your competition.  It doesn’t take much but it better not be price oriented because you will not make it in the long haul. Use the book “The Answer” for this as well.

3.  Write out a description of who will buy it:  Niche, Niche, Niche, know your target market inside and out.  Where do they sleep?  How do they like their coffee?  Where are they congregating and what are they reading?  Use the book “The Answer” as well.

4.  Name it:  Orchestrate a name and a tagline that does this in two simple, concise elements.  “Follow the “SUCCESS” discipline of the book “Made to Stick”.

5.  Write out a very simple, less than 5 steps, process of delivery.  No more than 5 steps, no more than 100 words, it will change 25 times anyways so don’t over think this.  See “Blue Ocean Strategy” for inspiration.

6.  Get the Blocking and Tackling Done:  Get your logo, business cards, letterhead and website done.  Get it done from a great branding resource that is local and understands your pain, if you are really in a jam for money use “crowdspring.com or logobee.com“.  I advise against this though because your marketing firm should be a great strategic relationship for growing your new business.

7.  Dream 100:  Identify your 100 dream clients and figure out who you know there,  if you are new to sales, call on 30 clients off your dream hundred get trained by Sandler Selling Systems, create your simple sales process then get at the dream 100.  Assault them with all your marketing efforts like you were at war.  Go, go and go again.  See the book ”The Ultimate Sales Machine”.

8.  Diet; Mentally and Socially.  Design, Design, and design again your calendar, diet and exercise regimen.  Your business will never care when you are tired.  It just knows input and output.  So make sure your Time, Energy, and Money are spent very well. Eat Well, Exercise regularly, and commit to your social calendar only to supportive family and friends or networking that has a business development potential.  Remember your business does not care about your mortgage it only knows growth or decline.  See the book “Awaken the Giant within”

9.  Measure, Measure, Measure.  Here are three critical things to measure.  Measure the amount of meetings, measure the amount of contacts, and measure the amount of potential proposed business.  Then drive all those numbers.  Simple ratio here.  Networking Schedule = Contacts = Apts = Opportunities = Proposals = Sales.  See the book “The Ultimate Sales Machine”.

10.  Do all this in 1 / 10 the time you imagined.  Sprint, Sprint, Sprint.  No really work in Sprints,  Run as hard as you can for 3 to 4 hrs then schedule a break and do it again.  Work in 3 day increments of 3 three hour blocks of time then take a day off or a light day to plan and reflect and integrate vacation time.  See the book “Training the Corporate Athlete”.

11.  Read, Read and then Read.  Commit all your automobile time, non-work or family free time to reading books or listening to materials on entrepreneurship, sales, personal development or marketing every chance you get.

Do this over and over for your whole career.  Names you should know, Godin, Maxwell, Gladwell, Gerber, Vanderjack.

Ok, this is a lot I know but here is why you should start a business.  Entrepreneurs by the purest definition, take a resource and relocate it to get greater results.  They “create” value where there wasn’t any before.  This means they improve the overall well being of the people they serve.

Pretty damn noble isn’t it.  Hail Entrepreneurs!

Now go get it!