TURN YOUR LIFE UPSIDE DOWN

So what do you do for a living?  What is it that fills your hours between 9 to 5?  And here's the kicker - does it make your heart sing? or does it just safely pay the bills?

Designing a life for yourself is not about, throwing in the job and striking out on your own.  Although I must confess that there are always people who will jump right on in with both feet and do just that.

Perhaps the question that would be a better one to change your thinking, change your midset, change the route of your life would be;

"What do you do between 5 and 9?" Yes you read that right - turn that sucker on its head.

Most new enterprises start in the twillight hours - a few hours here,a few hours there and few hours at the weekend.  As my Nona used to say "you don't have to throw the Baby out with the bathwater"

Lose an hour of TV per night, 7 per week, 364 hours per year.  Most of us work a 22 day month - so thats the equivalent of two an a half months of working time added onto your year right there.

What could you achieve if you had two and a half months to dedicate to it - learn an instrument, write a book, apply for a new job, find a great relationship?

Makes you kinda think doesn't it?

So what do you do in your 5 - 9?

Mr Big

SO I AM ON MY WAY

This has been written in advance – so I sure hope you guys have had a productive day together.  I can’t wait till I log in and find out what y’all up to.

A quotation from the great Benjamin Franklin to ponder:

“If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it away from him.  An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest”

In times of recession “what” you know is as important as “who” you know.  Now getting y’all working together to form the Memorygirl Matrix is an exciting and powerful way of maximising “who” you know.

My question for you tonight – is do you know what your future “investments in knowledge” need to be? Have you identified the “what” that you need to know but are missing?

Set it down on paper, set a goal, set an intention that the universe will send you the right teacher at the right time for you to effortlessly acquire that knowledge gap.

Knowledge is power – even better, knowledge is empowering.

So “what” do you need to know?

Mr Big

And you all thought it was a fortuitous that I chose to work with an expert in the “learning how to learn” field?  That was the intention I set x

DREAM TO REALITY WISH

Hope you are having a fabulous Friday

I am packed and ready to head over to your side of the pond for a couple of days in London and then onward to Scotland. 

I intend to meet Memorygirl on Monday afternoon – what she doesn’t know is that I have arranged an “audition” before we have tea.  Before we go too much further I want to see her “onstage and in the flesh” – so some of the business exec’s I will be talking to on Monday night will arrive early to see her in action for a 40 minute presentation.

Hope you are ready to grab this opportunity with both hands Memorygirl?

Now tonight, I had a nice chunky piece of homework for you to get your teeth into over the weekend – but after reading Memorygirl’s post this morning on the forum I decided to throw out my plans and go with the flow.

I love the idea of you all working together to create massive shifts in your individual lives – whether that is getting off benefits, changing job, creating a business, downshifting or just creating a peaceful more tranquil life.  I’ve also been toying with Memorygirl’s 15 minute exercise – where you set a timer and go off and do something for fifteen minutes.

My suggestion is that an email list of everyone who wants to play “join the dots” is compiled and then one by one you can ask the collective for the bit of help that will really help you make the next massive leap.  The action should take no more than 15 minutes so that it is easy and fast for everyone to contribute to.

So – our virtual PA wants to be in contact with Accountants that have clients who may use her services.  Your task would not be to sell her services, but instead to hit the phone, your contacts – your accountant next door and in 15 minutes find as many accountants who would “put their hand up” and be interested in hearing more about her services. Then to simply feed her back their details.

15 minutes is not a lot – but when you multiply that by say 100 people in the Memorygirl Matrix – then you have the equivalent of 100 x 15  which is 25 hours worth of value instantly added to everyone’s goals.

Incidentally, this is not something I would be suggesting here in the States – you guys have a remarkable “what can I do for you?” attitude, here it’s more a “what’s in it for me” kinda thing.

So your homework until Sunday evening is:

If you could ask 100 people to do something for 15 minutes to catapult you forward – what would that thing be?

Then make sure that Memorygirl gets your email details and she will send you a quick form to fill out for you to write your “dream to reality wish” on.

And I will sit here and watch the magic unfold.

Mr Big

PAMPER PARTY FOR ONE?

So have had a good think about planning ahead with your children?  But what about you?

When was the last time you had some really good time with yourself? - I know we played a little at the weekend - and your stories made me smile, cringe in recognition and laugh out loud, but where are the strategies that make it easy to carve out some "Me time"

Let me share what Mrs Big does - she has a pretty basket on a shelf outside our bathroom.  Over the week she lays a freshly laundered towel there, selects a beautifully scented candle, a book that she would like to read, various lotions and potions in sachets (she saves them from magazines too) and of course I am charged with returning home with any half-used hotel toiletries that she can pamper herself with.

At some point in her crazy week, she pours herself a glass of sparkling mineral water into one of the crystal goblets we got as a wedding gift - and takes herself into the bathroom for a pamper party for one.  Although if I've been good I am sometimes invited to join her for a visit.

Everyone knows - when the shelf is empty, Momma's having herself a spa session - do not disturb!. More importantly she feels that she can prepare through the week for some special time and take it just for her, its a system that works to help remind her that "When Mum's happy - most everybody's happy!"

So what systems can you put in place that allow you to take your rightful place at the center of the universe that is  your family?

Remember its all about balance.

Mr Big

HANDS UP WHOS GOT KIDS THEN?

I have – have you?

Do you remember the day they were born – when you looked into those perfect newborn eyes and swore you would protect and cherish them forever?  And they looked at you – and you fell in love, and life would never ever be the same again.

When was the last time you and your child shared that look – the one that says, “you are the centre of my universe and I made a promise to always cherish you”?

Somehow, in the busy-ness  of life we forget to create those moments for our children, we get caught up in the school runs, clean laundry, soccer practice, homework, music recitals, dance class, horse riding mayhem – and simply forget to BE with our children.

Memorygirl has a son that’s 10.  She told me today that she wants to make sure that time with his is scheduled and honoured, because she feels that realistically she’s got about 4 years of weekends before he spreads his wings and needs to “hang out with the guys” in his transition to manhood. 

One great thing she does is have a family adventure day every weekend – where they hang out together and do stuff at the beach, in the mountains, by the lochs (is that right??  Memorygirl told me today that Scotland doesn’t have any lakes, it’s got these instead?)

She wants a simple strategy to remind herself through the week to create “adventures” for her boy in advance rather than hit the weekend with no surprises.  So here’s what we did;

She popped out to a thrift store and bought a large clear glass vase – and in that vase she places 208 marbles ( 4 years x 52 weekends). That vase now sits on top of her desk next to her computer – a daily reminder of why she is doing this work with me and where her priorities lie. Every time they have an adventure day she will remove one marble to keep her goal in her consciousness.

So what simple reminder can you create to prompt you to remember that:

“The people you are working for are waiting for you at home”

Mr Big

If she is quiet tonight then be kind.  I think realising how few special days she has left with her boy really hit home how transient childhood is for him.  In fact we both shed a few tears.

THE GOLDEN ROLODEX CHALLENGE

READY TO START BUILDING YOUR BRAND?

Yup!! That’s right, before you even start building a business (or manifesting your dream life) you need to get real about who you are as a brand.

You have unique talents, quirks and strengths – and part of this process is to let you have some magical Aha! moments about yourself.

But lets not kid ourselves here dudes.  Sometimes the birthing process of a new business or a new life is down to pen to paper, start at the beginning and work through to the end stuff.  Foundations that have to be there before you can start building something spectacular.

One of the most important pieces of advice I was ever given as a business builder was that it’s more about farming than it is about hunting.  Tonight you start the ongoing process of building a rolodex of relationships that your are going to nurture and support and that will eventually blossom into fabulous business generating fruit – and you will do it all, by doing what we do best – building and maintaining personal relationships, not by rushing in for the sale.

Grab a notepad and a pen and start creating a list of at least 250 people that you know well enough to pick up the phone and tell them that you have decided to start doing business in a different way.

Think of the people you already do business with?

Think of the people you would like to do business with?

Who makes money when you make money?

Who can you pass business to you?

Who can pass you business?

Who do you just plain like?

Who motivates and stimulates you?

Who is already working in a field you want to get into?

Who is your biggest competitor?

Get creative as to who is on your list.  The coffee dude at our local café was on mine, as was the copier guy, the water cooler guy and the parking attendant for our covered car park.

Between them they have currently referred me over $750,000 of business in the last 10 years – and although they have all moved on in their lives, we are still in touch and we still generate business together

And if you think that 250 people is too much – can I just point out that you already have a golden Rolodex of 100 people on this very blog.  Here are motivated positive people who are going to want o help you build your business if they only knew the most useful way to do so.

So here is another challenge that is going to take you a few days to complete – 250 names in a list in, well shall we say 3 days?

Trust me, I will be back

Mr Big

YOUR SUCCESS HABIT 1 - PLAY

Hello my British friends

A short challenge this evening to let you enjoy the last of your fun-filled weekend.

So did you play?  Did you discover that it doesn’t take hours of preparation and lots of money to create moments of joy in your life?

To be truly creative in your life – you need to reconnect with that child-like part of yourself that still sees the “infinite possibilities” – so the first part of tailoring a truly exceptional life made to fit the real you is to take time to play.

So grab your diary and schedule some play-dates with yourself – I need you to make at least 7 to start creating a new habit – and here’s the important thing.  When the busy stuff of life shows up, I need you to honour these dates with yourself as a priority. 

Your kids need you to ferry them to the mall- sorry I have a appointment.  Your boss springs a last minute project on you – sorry I have commitments.  Your partner calls late to ask you to pack in another errand – sorry I won’t have time I have somewhere to be.

YOU – and the life you are slowly gestating are the priority for these small chunks of time.  I’m not saying neglect your family – what I am saying is don’t neglect yourself.

Get that pen and do it now.

I will be back

Mr Big