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pOleVAypE 2 33.33%
wSYvYSegBDhE 4 66.67%
Voters: 6. This poll is closed

 
 
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  #11  
Old September 28, 2002, 10:31 PM
Linda
 
Posts: n/a
Default It is not courage, nor self confidence, nor motivation. It's....

Hi all!

What an interesting thread.

So many are looking for the secret to success. Seeking that special "something" that a select few have, and that drives people to success.

Is it self confidence? No.
Is it motivation? No.
Is it courage? Knowledge? No.

Folks... the difference... is tenacity.

The late Irving Stone spent a lifetime writing novelized biographies of men such as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin. Stone was once asked if he had found a thread that runs through the lives of exceptional people. He said;

"They are beaten over the head, knocked down, vilified, and for years they get nowhere. But every time they're knocked down they stand up. You cannot destroy these people. And at the end of their lives they've accomplished some modest part of what they set out to do."

And this one, by Calvin Coolidge;

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
(Calvin Coolidge)

As Michael notes.... motivation wears off when the motivator isn't around.

Knowledge isn't enough. Plenty of people have knowledge and fail to apply it.

Self confidence isn't the solution. Plenty of people with self confidence don't have the persistance and tenacity to stick with a project long enough to make it a success.

Courage isn't enough. Courage can be short term, or long term. Tenacity and persistence will be the determining factor.

But the entrepreneur that just WILL NOT QUIT, and that will greet each failure with that approach of "Okay... that's one way that doesn't work. I'll try another" instead of throwing in the towel... that's the one that will eventually make it.

Do you know why WD40 is named that? Because the first 39 combinations of ingredients didn't work. How many entrepreneurs do YOU know that will still be trying after they have failed 39 times?

Much like a successful business owner that's a client of mine. He'd had 12 businesses go down the tubes. Failed. Bankrupt. His 13th was the winner. The one he excelled at.

Tenacity. Do you have it?

Just my two cents...

Linda




Shocking Truths about Business Online!
  #12  
Old September 29, 2002, 01:34 AM
Michael Ross
 
Posts: n/a
Default Close... but no cigar.

Hi Linda!

This certainly is an interesting thread.

What is particularly interesting is how close some people are to the REAL, underlying driving force, but not quite close enough.

Tenacity. Determination. Persistence. Are all fine things to have. There is no denying that. And those attributes have been touted by the "gurus" for ages.

But even they miss the real driving force. They fail to look one level deeper.

What makes someone tenacious? What makes someone determined? What makes someone persist?

Fine to say to persist, or to be determined, or to be tenacious. But these aren't things that can be switched on like a light. - Not unless you know the force which drives those things.

It's not written about in "Unlimited Power" or "Think And Grow Rich" or "Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude" or "The Greatest Salesman In The World" or "The Richest Man In Babylon" or "The Magic of Thinking Big" or "The Success System That Never Fails" or "Riches Within Your Reach" or "The Lazy Man's Way To Riches" or whatever other book on success you can name.

There is no chapter, or book, by these gurus that deals with the underlying driving force explicitly.

It may be in their books... buried deep somewhere and only someone who knows what it is will actually spot it. For instance, it is on page 83 of The Lazy Man's Way To Riches but it is never stated. It is hidden. And I don't think hidden on purpose. Hidden only because it happened to be part of what Karbo was writing about. Because if he knew what it was, he would surely have mentioned it. In fact, if any of the gurus knew it, they would mention it in their books.

They would cease telling everyone to have a positive mental attitude, and belief, and affirmations and so on, because those things aren't necessary when you know the real driving force.

You have even used it. It's in your story posted on the front page of Sowpub (http://www.sowpub.com/story-startingwithlittle.shtml) but you never explicitly mention it.

I use it. Dien uses it. The results are here to see. What it is exactly, though, is not mentioned, and has not yet been mentioned in this thread. And as I said earlier, I am not going to mention it either because it's in The Success Report and if you want to know the underlying force that actually powers it all... the thing that makes you persist, be determined and be tenacious, then invest a few bucks and get it.

Michael Ross


Get "The Success Report" here
  #13  
Old September 29, 2002, 04:00 PM
Pete Godfrey
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Close... but no cigar.

> Hi Michael,

I bought the success report yesterday and what you reveal is absolutely true. It' the main reason that drives me to finish my offline newsletter on time, even though friends and family beckon me on a Sunday afternoon. It gets me up early in the morning when my family is still alseep ... making sure I have returned all the answers to questions from my subscribers. It's the force that keeps me going when I start a new project, keeps me focused until it is complete.

Michael, I buy a lot of info products. Some a good, some fall short of the advertising copy. Your success report lived up to it's promises and more.

Now I've always known about what you reveal ... but I've never articulated it ... never been able to leverage this concept in my business.

That has now changed. So thanks to you Michael, I will now rectify the situation.

Pete Godfrey

Hi Linda!

> This certainly is an interesting thread.

> What is particularly interesting is how
> close some people are to the REAL,
> underlying driving force, but not quite
> close enough.

> Tenacity. Determination. Persistence. Are
> all fine things to have. There is no denying
> that. And those attributes have been touted
> by the "gurus" for ages.

> But even they miss the real driving force.
> They fail to look one level deeper.

> What makes someone tenacious? What makes
> someone determined? What makes someone
> persist?

> Fine to say to persist, or to be determined,
> or to be tenacious. But these aren't things
> that can be switched on like a light. - Not
> unless you know the force which drives those
> things.

> It's not written about in "Unlimited
> Power" or "Think And Grow
> Rich" or "Success Through A
> Positive Mental Attitude" or "The
> Greatest Salesman In The World" or
> "The Richest Man In Babylon" or
> "The Magic of Thinking Big" or
> "The Success System That Never
> Fails" or "Riches Within Your
> Reach" or "The Lazy Man's Way To
> Riches" or whatever other book on
> success you can name.

> There is no chapter, or book, by these gurus
> that deals with the underlying driving force
> explicitly.

> It may be in their books... buried deep
> somewhere and only someone who knows what it
> is will actually spot it. For instance, it
> is on page 83 of The Lazy Man's Way To
> Riches but it is never stated. It is hidden.
> And I don't think hidden on purpose. Hidden
> only because it happened to be part of what
> Karbo was writing about. Because if he knew
> what it was, he would surely have mentioned
> it. In fact, if any of the gurus knew it,
> they would mention it in their books.

> They would cease telling everyone to have a
> positive mental attitude, and belief, and
> affirmations and so on, because those things
> aren't necessary when you know the real
> driving force.

> You have even used it. It's in your story
> posted on the front page of Sowpub
> (http://www.sowpub.com/story-startingwithlittle.shtml)
> but you never explicitly mention it.

> I use it. Dien uses it. The results are here
> to see. What it is exactly, though, is not
> mentioned, and has not yet been mentioned in
> this thread. And as I said earlier, I am not
> going to mention it either because it's in
> The Success Report and if you want to know
> the underlying force that actually powers it
> all... the thing that makes you persist, be
> determined and be tenacious, then invest a
> few bucks and get it.

> Michael Ross
  #14  
Old September 30, 2002, 06:58 AM
Phil Gomez
 
Posts: n/a
Default Combine Ross & Fritz ...

Boy, this has been an interesting thread.

I'm glad to see that Robert Fritz was brought up. He has some important things to say. I particularly enjoyed Creating, but The Path of Least Resistance had some important points, too.

However, I've read the Success Report too and there's no denying that Michael has hit on a very important point (and, you know, it is strange that I've never read about it explicitly anywhere else before).

In my opinion, use Fritz to get you thinking about and started in a direction. Use Ross to carry you there faster and more surely than you could otherwise.

Best,
Phil
  #15  
Old September 30, 2002, 11:51 AM
sandy
 
Posts: n/a
Default Another question re "fear of failure"

> One of the areas I'm interested in
in Fritz's work involves that of becoming
"seperated from what you do"....

Before reading Michael's report and Fritz's
works did you grapple with this issue and
if so how did you become objective enough to
seperate yourself from "what you do" so the
"feeling of failure"(if you will, for lack
of a better definition) is reduced...

Thanks in advance for any contributors on this
subject

Here is a summation of Fritz's theory; scroll
to the bottom of the article if you don't want
to read the whole thing(although the whole article
helps put everything into perspective)

So that others who are reading this thread
can track the discussion I've pasted an
article from Fritz's site. Near the end of
the article is a summation of his theory
on creating. It's the "lesson on seperation"
I'm referring to.

http://www.robertfritz.com/writingspaint.htm
  #16  
Old September 30, 2002, 01:53 PM
Phil Gomez
 
Posts: n/a
Default Separation, resistance, and writing...

> in Fritz's work involves that of becoming
> "seperated from what you do"....

> Before reading Michael's report and Fritz's
> works did you grapple with this issue and
> if so how did you become objective enough to
> seperate yourself from "what you
> do" so the
> "feeling of failure"(if you will,
> for lack
> of a better definition) is reduced...

I did at one point although I didn't realize it at the time. You see, I work as a writer and a few years ago I suffered from a great, well, "resistance" to writing. It wasn't that I didn't want to write, nor that I wasn't comfortable with it. My M.A. is in writing and I felt that it couldn't be because I didn't know enough.

Well, long story short, it was due to two things: 1) I wasn't effectively getting the information I needed from my colleagues, and 2) I wasn't comfortable putting anything down on paper that wasn't "perfect."

Actually, I think my training in writing worked against me psychologically: when you have a degree in writing from a semi-presitgious school, I think there's more pressure to live up to expectations. Unfortunately, that kind of thinking is disasterous for a writer. You often have to write down some lousy material before your best work will appear.

The biggest help to me in overcoming my "resistance" was a book by Peter Elbow, called Writing with Power. I was drawn to the book because the author also went through a period of about two years where he "couldn't write." I could relate to that, so I picked up the book. It's an excellent read. The one exercise in chapter two, if practiced regularly, will do wonders for overcoming any "resistance" you may have about writing.

It was after I'd cleared that up that I realized I needed to work on my information-gathering skills. I have and am still improving that area as well.

Years later, I read Fritz's Path of Least Resistance and his discussion of separation struck a major chord with me. (By the way, I think it was a post by Michael Winiki that first sparked my interest in Robert Fritz.) He's so right: you are not your work.

I didn't realize how much of an issue this idea of separation was for many people until I'd read that book. So many people take their work and, particularly any criticism of their work, personally.

Listen, just because someone has a criticism or a comment about something you've done doesn't mean that his/her comment is worth anything. By seeing yourself as separate from your work, you can be objective (at least, much more so) about it and you can better evaluate other's responses.

Look at some of the successfully independent business-people who post on this board. Notice how opinionated they are. I don't mean that in any perjorative sense -- rather, its a reflection about how they are separate from their work. They know what they like and don't like and they don't let other's views control their perceptions of themselves or their work. You'll see the same kind of opinionated-ness in artists of all kinds.

Contrast that frame of mind with the culture of, say, academia. It's a night-and-day difference.

Best,
-Phil




Learn an investment strategy that has made millionaires...
  #17  
Old September 30, 2002, 03:10 PM
sandy
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Separation, resistance, and writing...

Thanks Phil..your comments were enlightening;
for some reason I tend to my best work when
I don't look at what anyone else is doing...
for some reason this "comparison" attitude
sets in and blocks progress....

Many people either consciously or unconsciously
think they can inspire or motivate people by
berating others or trying to compare what you've
done by what they've done. That doesn't work
for me....

I tend to do more when I focus on "what I want"
...it's been a process; because my training
has been to seek the approval of others(that's
another story)

I did at one point although I didn't realize
> it at the time. You see, I work as a writer
> and a few years ago I suffered from a great,
> well, "resistance" to writing. It
> wasn't that I didn't want to write, nor that
> I wasn't comfortable with it. My M.A. is in
> writing and I felt that it couldn't be
> because I didn't know enough.

> Well, long story short, it was due to two
> things: 1) I wasn't effectively getting the
> information I needed from my colleagues, and
> 2) I wasn't comfortable putting anything
> down on paper that wasn't
> "perfect."

> Actually, I think my training in writing
> worked against me psychologically: when you
> have a degree in writing from a
> semi-presitgious school, I think there's
> more pressure to live up to expectations.
> Unfortunately, that kind of thinking is
> disasterous for a writer. You often have to
> write down some lousy material before your
> best work will appear.

> The biggest help to me in overcoming my
> "resistance" was a book by Peter
> Elbow, called Writing with Power . I was
> drawn to the book because the author also
> went through a period of about two years
> where he "couldn't write." I could
> relate to that, so I picked up the book.
> It's an excellent read. The one exercise in
> chapter two, if practiced regularly, will do
> wonders for overcoming any
> "resistance" you may have about
> writing.

> It was after I'd cleared that up that I
> realized I needed to work on my
> information-gathering skills. I have and am
> still improving that area as well.

> Years later, I read Fritz's Path of Least
> Resistance and his discussion of separation
> struck a major chord with me. (By the way, I
> think it was a post by Michael Winiki that
> first sparked my interest in Robert Fritz.)
> He's so right: you are not your work.

> I didn't realize how much of an issue this
> idea of separation was for many people until
> I'd read that book. So many people take
> their work and, particularly any criticism
> of their work, personally.

> Listen, just because someone has a criticism
> or a comment about something you've done
> doesn't mean that his/her comment is worth
> anything. By seeing yourself as separate
> from your work, you can be objective (at
> least, much more so) about it and you can
> better evaluate other's responses.

> Look at some of the successfully independent
> business-people who post on this board.
> Notice how opinionated they are. I don't
> mean that in any perjorative sense --
> rather, its a reflection about how they are
> separate from their work. They know what
> they like and don't like and they don't let
> other's views control their perceptions of
> themselves or their work. You'll see the
> same kind of opinionated-ness in artists of
> all kinds.

> Contrast that frame of mind with the culture
> of, say, academia. It's a night-and-day
> difference.

> Best,
> -Phil
  #18  
Old September 30, 2002, 08:33 PM
Thomas Rice
 
Posts: n/a
Default How you view Failure could determine your Success....

I think that motivation, self-confidence, intelligence, and a whole range of other factors all play a part in the ultimate success of the entrepreneur. I would guess that some of these factors are related, also. For example, if somebody is self-confident (and therefore believes in their ability), they will probably be more motivated to try to achieve what they want. In some cases, someone lacking self-confidence may also lack motivation due to the belief they can't do something in particular.

Another factor I think is very important is how the entrepreneur view of failure. This isn't necessarily in business endeavours, but in general. I think there a really two main ways different people view failure, being:

Type A. Failure means they're not good at something.. It's bad.. They should try and forget the failure as soon as possible and get on with something else.

Type B. Failure's a normal part of life, and indicates an action they took was wrong. So they don't get upset over it, but analyse the situation, work out what's wrong, and become better at that particular task.

I think most people are either Type A or Type B, or somewhere inbetween depending on the circumstances.

To be a successful entrepeneur, I really think it helps to be a Type B person, because it really helps facilitate pushing forward and learning as you go.

Unfortunately, I think many people are really Type A people. Why is this? I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, it's probably a product of the school environment most people go through.

In my prior classroom experience, I tend to find that when teachers ask questions, students rarely raise their hands to answer unless they know they are right. There's a very big reluctance to answer and get things wrong, and I think many people come away from this experience "learning" that to fail is a bad, shameful, embarrassing thing.

When in reality, it's probably the best way to really learn something. :)

- Thomas.
  #19  
Old September 30, 2002, 11:18 PM
Dien Rice
 
Posts: n/a
Default Praise versus criticism for motivation....

Hi Sandy,

> Many people either consciously or
> unconsciously
> think they can inspire or motivate people by
> berating others or trying to compare what you've
> done by what they've done. That doesn't work
> for me....

Sandy, thanks for your insightful comments.... :)

By the way, on what you said above, I've read an interview with Richard Branson where he says he practically never criticizes his employees....

"I will praise, praise, praise," [Richard Branson] says, "and only criticize if they are going to kill themselves crossing the road. People know when they've done things wrong; they don't need to be told. When I write my letters to employees, you'll never see a line of criticism."

(I've linked to the article this is from below - it's from the second-last page of the article....)

I think Richard Branson is known as someone who can really inspire his employees - in general, from what I hear, people love to work for Virgin.... I think constant criticism often doesn't really help much, it's much better to praise when people do things right.... I think it can make a big difference....

Just my opinion. :)

- Dien Rice


How Richard Branson Works Magic
  #20  
Old September 30, 2002, 11:57 PM
sandy
 
Posts: n/a
Default Thanks--I'll share it with the boss ;-)dno (DNO)

 


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