General: Long boring, rambling post, nothing of value for you to read here...
 

This one's for me.

I'm tired, because I've been working hard, and I want to take a break and put it all down in black and white so I can see what I'm doing.

This post contains no story, no anecdote, not even a metaphor. It may actually contain complete sentences, you know, the kind with a noun and a verb.

Amazing.

There is lot going on in my life, and this forum has become a break from the daily mundane.

Read this if you want, comment if you choose, but honestly, it really is for my own eyes to see.

I made a commitment to Dien about having work for him to publish. By this time next year there should be 10 Gord-e-books available. That is the goal I put into my own pyramid of accomplishment.

Ten e-books in a year is a heavy writing schedule for me, considering I want to offer the best quality for the lowest prices.

Besides sowpub, I have other things going on. My plate is full as some might say. Why?

That is the question I'm asking myself? Why are you doing this?

See I could open up my MemberGate site and attract 1000 paying customers, maybe at 195 each. This is not assumption, or pure speculation, because some people are on their way to doing this with a member’s only site.

That would be a lot less work and produce an income that would allow me to continue to run around all day in a pair of shorts and a tee shirt.

It would be great for ME.

When my father passed away in '94, my brothers and I took off our ties and threw them away. I don't own a tie or a suit or even a sports jacket anymore, because I avoid the activities where they are required, either business or social.

It has to do with my attitude, and my freedom, and independence, and, well, just the way I live my own life. But that has changed and I have to think long and hard about it. This is why I'm writing this "stream of consciousness" (thanks Richard) post; to get some of those reasons for my behavior down in black and white, and to analyze and examine the motivation.

Why not just do a member’s only site, make a nice chunk of change, sell some chattel, play a lot of golf, goof off, do my own thing and be happy?

I think because I know I wouldn’t be happy. There would be this little voice ringing in my ears, saying something like, “of all the sad words from the tongues of men, the saddest to hear? It could have been”

So I can make a choice about ME, but that leaves an empty spot, a vacancy in my soul about the WE.

And I keep asking myself, and arguing with myself, yea, but why ME? There are others to take care of the WE. There are many people with quality information, useful knowledge that people can learn from and create happy and prosperous lives from. Why ME?

Why do I have to bring Square One out? Is the world going to be a better place because of it? Do I really care? What about ME?

The internal dialogue continues, and I argue that I’ve made my contribution, I’ve paid my dues.

I spent 9 years of my life living in group homes with mentally retarded people, and another 5 years working directly with persons labeled mentally ill, or the homeless veteran, or the physically challenged.

I ask my inner voice, isn’t that enough? Doesn’t that count? That’s more than most people give!

I continue the argument with my inner voice, I volunteer at the soup kitchen, I visit the nursing homes, isn’t that enough, I’m doing all I can for other people.

Sometimes I yell that. Sometimes I scream it. Sometimes I sit at Mary Campbell’s cave and say I’m quitting, I’m going to focus on ME for a while, for a change.

“Isn’t that enough?” And the inner voice always responds with the same answer: “NO”.

No it is not enough because you can do more, and you know it.

Damn inner voice. Why can’t I just tape his big mouth shut?

I live a pretty nice life. Low-key. Freedom. Do my own thing. But, as the inner voice may say, a pretty selfish life too, never mind the so-called “contributions” to society. The inner voice would say they are for my benefit, so I can feel good about myself, so I can rationalize why I haven’t done even more…

And maybe the inner voice is right. But I’m still arguing at this point.

The only “done deal” is the one I’ve made with Dien Rice. I’ve made that commitment and I’ll stick to it.

But the Square One Workshops? Not a done deal. The member’s only site? NOT a done deal.

So I sit here and look around the mountains of books and papers cramping my small office and ask why?

Why am I doing this? Why not just let Dien sell your e-books, continue to play, and be happy?

Why the big plan? Oh, you who are not me don’t know about the big plan do you? Here it is:

I’m looking for 12 people for my ‘board of directors’ of the Square One Workshops. These 12 would be annually chosen from the 144 Master Square One Workshops Teachers. These 144 would be the members of my member’s only site, which would serve as a training and product development center for the 144.

Each of the 144 would have 12 licenses to lease on a yearly basis to the SQ1 presenters. These would be people that present the workshops and work “in the field” so to speak. Each would be an Entrepreneur, operating their own business under the SQ1 banner.

But every Presenter would be part of a team, under the guidance and “control” of one of 144 people with Master Certificates.

That is the Big Plan. The one that gives me headaches to think about.

It takes about 3 hours to cover the 12 Master Pictogrigms. Then, maybe another 3 to tie it all together with the Binary Matrix and the Map of Possibility. A 6-7 hour workshop, easily done in one day.

A person would leave the workshop with PRACTICAL and applicable knowledge, without all the mumbo jumbo or pop psychology so many use today. I love Anthony Robbins, but there are several guys who were his presenters, who worked for Anthony, and now have started their own things. They all claim that the reason they struck out on their own was because of the high failure rate.
In other words, they KNEW that most of the participants DID NOT make the changes in their life they wanted. And these ex-AR Gurus blame the material, the information. They are only ½ right.

Well Duh, any marketer selling a HOW TO book or course KNOWS that maybe 1 in 10 people will apply the information. Most of us know it is more like 1 in 100.

One reason for all the failure is that these courses are too complicated. They get too involved in psychology, or in techniques and methods like NLP and all that. These kinds of courses make it difficult for the average person to make progress.

We live in a culture, like it or not, that is in a hurry. Rush, hurry, speed to here and there, and take information in the smallest possible sound bite or visual means possible. Some say the MTV generation, or the Internet generation. But it has always been like that. Really.

It only appears to have sped up.

Ben Suarez used to say “Tell me quick and tell me true, or my love the hell with you.” This was a reference to display advertising and the opening sentences of direct mail pieces. Also applies to TV infomercials and INTERNET web-sites too.

It is my belief, based upon my experiences, that a person can spend ONE day of their life and be armed with the knowledge and the TOOLS to create whatever changes they want to take place. And with the support of a mentor, or coach if you prefer, they can activate the process to make those changes as fast as they want. As fast as they BELIEVE they can.

I don’t know of any other program that can do this. Do you? If so, PLEASE tell me, maybe I’ll refer people to it, and I’ll get back to the golf course. I’m dying to let someone else do this. I’d love to find someone else with this kind of information, so I can tell that inner voice to bug off.

So, don’t be shy. Do you know of a program that people can learn in ONE day (a few hours of one day actually) and have what they need to make the changes and manifest the life they really want? Or a program that helps them to FIND out what that is? If so, PLEEEEEEEASSE tell me.

Have you ever seen anything as simple as the Pyramid of Accomplishment that was able to explain so much, to SHOW what happens in the pursuit of a goal?

Is there another single piece of paper anywhere that tells as much as the Pictogrigm of Life? If so, bring it forward. I’m trying to weasel out of this Big Plan. I can be easily persuaded, if I can only find a way to keep that inner voice quiet.

But if I can’t, then I’m going to HAVE to commit to SQ1 like I have to sowpub. Because I have it, and to keep it to myself, to horde the knowledge would cause that inner voice to become an inner choir.

A voice I can hardly handle. A host of voices? I’ll become the madman some might think I already am.

I’m recording some audio programs. I’m dusting off the old work. I’m working on new stuff. I’m keeping busy, maybe in the hope that I can drown out that inner voice, maybe I’m hoping it will go away.

Just some off the top of the head thinking for myself.

A few comments... more to come in email
 

Hi Gordon,

I might be one of the few here who has gone through the Square One Workshops....

The Square One Workshops are extremely valuable. I don't know very much about Tony Robbins' stuff, so it's hard for me to make a comment there.

But I can honestly say I have NEVER seen ANYTHING like the Square One Workshops.

You have a very clear and easy-to-understand way of teaching, through your "pictogrigms" ("picture" + "paradigm").

The closest thing I can think of to it, offhand, is the semi-diagrammatic method which Robert Kiyosaki uses to teach accounting principles, in his "Rich Dad Poor Dad" books. However, that is limited to finance. Your approach is all-encompassing.

There is NOTHING like it I have ever seen.

I know you have a deep social conscience, Gordon -- all your years of social work proves that, and I realize that is your primary motivation for wanting to put out the Square One Workshops.

I'll write some more in private email.

Thanks,

Dien

Bad voice! Bad voice!
 

Gordon,

If that was MY voice, the next time it so much as peeped at me, I'd grab it by the neck and slap it silly.

Maybe I've spent too much time reading Bill Myers. But Bill has drilled it into my head, time after time after time, (my old guru called it an "implant") that the more complicated a project gets, the more people it involves, the more time it takes to put together, the less likely it is to EVER get done.

And mostly, that's been my experience.

I'm sure you've probably already thought through all the ways you might streamline the process.

But it looks like such a long runway. You risk losing momentum and never getting off the ground.

Especially when some of those people started disappointing you, as you know they will.

Can't we simplify this thing somehow?

Richard

Re: General: Long boring, rambling post, nothing of value for you to read here...
 

Gordon -

Here's my reaction, based on interacting with you for several years via the 'net and spending time with you recently.

First, you're an extremely talented and insightful person who's created an exceptional system in the Square One Workshops - as so well stated by Dien in this thread.

Second, you've been trying to get Square One off the ground for a couple of years in one form or another, as in your posts of the basic concepts in your last forum prior to your "flying low" for a while.

Third, it is a daunting task to create the course, train 144 master distributors, guide them in training, etc. as described in this post. Enough to get anyone down, echoing Richard's post.

Fourth, "chunking it down" (as they say in NLP ;-) and I personally hate the term!) is the way to get it done. Draw up a simple rollout plan, break it up into small bites, and let us within sowpub help you if it makes sense. Again echoing Richard, arduous tasks create drag, reduce momentum and lead to the Why bother? response.

Follow your voice, but pace it out. There is no rush or deadline. Complete each section of the Workshops as you can - working steadily, but not so much as to impair your quality of life and leisure. Enough so that your "voice" can see progress and your soul feel peace and progress.

Just my own ramblings to add to yours!

Take care, Bob

Re: General: Not boring, of value for you to read here...
 

> I’m looking for 12 people for my ‘board of
> directors’ of the Square One Workshops.
> These 12 would be annually chosen from the
> 144 Master Square One Workshops Teachers.
> These 144 would be the members of my
> member’s only site, which would serve as a
> training and product development center for
> the 144.

> Each of the 144 would have 12 licenses to
> lease on a yearly basis to the SQ1
> presenters. These would be people that
> present the workshops and work “in the
> field” so to speak. Each would be an
> Entrepreneur, operating their own business
> under the SQ1 banner.

> But every Presenter would be part of a team,
> under the guidance and “control” of one of
> 144 people with Master Certificates.

> That is the Big Plan. The one that gives me
> headaches to think about.

Okay. I'm thinking Donald Trump here... take care of the downside and the upside takes care of itself.

I'm also thinking of something I wrote a while back. It was part of a bigger something but I feel it's appropriate here...


CARPET:

It was once said... "The longest journey begins with a single step."

This is true in all areas of life. Everything begins with a single step. A first step.

But as with walking... before you can take that first step, you have to learn to crawl.

What we'll be doing in this section is laying the carpet for you to crawl on...


I'm wondering, does your plan require a "Fed Ex" type setup - EVERYTHING fully in place before a single package can be delivered - or can it be modified and implemented one small step at a time? Is there a rule that says all 144 have to be "trained" at the same time?

I'm thinking, if you started with say 12 only, couldn't those 12 then be assistants in the training of the other 132? And wouldn't that be good training they could use when they train those who they allow to use the licenses?

Michael Ross.

That is exactly what I had in in mind...VIRAL mkting, sort of
 

> Okay. I'm thinking Donald Trump here...

OK then, call me THE Gordon...HA!

EVERYTHING
> fully in place before a single package can
> be delivered -

NO, it is in place, for ONE person, all they have to do is have the PICTOGRIGMS and know what they mean. The idea is to deliver a single package, and let VIRAL marketing take over...

> I'm thinking, if you started with say 12
> only, couldn't those 12 then be assistants
> in the training of the other 132?

EXACTLY MICHAEL...

And
> wouldn't that be good training they could
> use when they train those who they allow to
> use the licenses?

ABSOLUTELY, I now see how great minds think alike...

Sometime in the next year, the 12 will emege from this "dirge" you are reading...

These will be sent forth into the world, with practical, workable and useful knowledge to share with others, and in the giving (training) they will also prosper...

What I painted in the above picture is the FINISHED SQ1 program, making the goal in as much experintial detail as possible.

So, in reality, my ONE year goal is to find and train the first 12...

The 132 will more than likely be trained by these people. And we talk of training...but it takes a day to be able to do and understand the pictogrigm, and then probably 3 days of depth training, to be able to answer questions and all, and then CONTINUOUS and On-going training behind closed doors, at a member's only site...

The FOG is lifting....

Gordon Alexander