Apply These 3 Simple Rules to a New Undertaking and Ward Off Failure and Heartbreak

You're starting something new and interesting but have you painstakingly thought it through? If you haven't, I strongly suggest that you continue reading.

Free Advice: Apply the following 3 points of introspection to your new venture or your new situation now, before you move it forward, in order to provide clarity and transparency for you and anyone else going along for the ride.

This exercise is valid for a new personal relationship as well as a new business venture, a new partnership or a new corporate position. The degree of research and the pursuit of the facts may not be as intense as it would be for a new business venture or a new career move but the objective is the same.

The Objective: This exercise is about giving you the opportunity to see what's possibly coming at you and giving you the time and ability to modify or change your course of action in order to protect yourself or better position yourself:

1- "Accept the fact that your life will change"

"You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you can take charge of." Jim Rohn

Any time you're going to make modifications or adjustments in your life, the change process kicks in. That's guaranteed.

You must also accept the fact that you're never the only one affected by these changes.

There exists a phenomenon that I've dubbed the "Ripple Effect Conundrum."

The Simple Definition: Whatever actions you take on a particular day will not only affect you, it will affect many more people on that day, the next day and possibly for years to come. There are no mechanisms or resources to determine the impact or influence of your actions on the future.

The Caveat: Shortcuts are forbidden. Do your homework. Proceed with great caution.

Change is inevitable. Change comes of its own volition or change occurs when prompted by your actions. Either way change is coming no matter what happens. Change begets change.

Change is a state of potentiality. You owe it to yourself to at least try to maintain some authority over it by determining the following:

• What is going to change?
• How's it going to change?
• At what point could it change?
• Who's it going to affect besides me?
• Can these changes hurt me or the people close to me?
• Am I willing to accept and live with these changes?
• What kind of ripple effect could this change initiate?

I suggest you become a "googlearian" immediately and start your research. The fact remains that you need to rustle up some answers for these questions. Do anything you need to do to generate this information even if you have to use your imagination to create scenarios. Yes, make them up. Apply the time-worn saying "expect the worst; hope for the best" to your imaginary exercise. All information counts. You never know when your imaginary scenarios will rear their ugly heads and come alive.

2- "Accept the fact that you're not so smart"

Your chances of success are much more powerful if you ignore everything you know and become a beginner.

Start all over, dumb it down, play "make believe" and assume you know nothing. Feel blessed if you're really not up on all the information that you need. Feel blessed if you're truly a beginner and have to dig deep for the information. This is a great time for you.

"If your mind is empty, it is ready for anything. In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few." Shunryu Suzuki (Author of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind)

The number one stumbling block to success in life or business, the absolute number one obstacle, is "Not Knowing What You Don't Know."

Only diligent research and extreme scrutiny can help get many of the answers you need to "know what you don't know."

Thinking you're very smart and have all the answers has a way of hindering and distorting opportunities for sound decisions and judgements. Intelligence or "I know everything I need to know" is a dangerous attitude to have and life's highway is littered with people with self-inflicted, sometimes fatal, "smart" wounds.

Do not assume anything. Take nothing for granted.

Thinking you're the smartest and the greatest will bring many detrimental distractions to your new venture, including but not limited to, over-thinking, over-analyzing and over-estimating. The combination of all or any of these could lead to significant setbacks or worse, total failure.

A few words of advice: Be a Beginner + Be Humble = You'll Be OK. To be successful and stay successful in life and business, being a "beginner" should be a daily exercise for you, your team, your family and your friends. A simple way to achieve this is to, even if you know the answer, always ask: Who, What, When, Why, Where and How.

3- "Accept the fact that you cannot fail if you refuse to give up."

This is a given! This should have a calming effect on you. You could be like the rest of us and look foolish, make mistakes, have hissy fits, be afraid, be engulfed with anxiety on a daily basis and still go on to be wildly happy, healthy and successful. You can start fresh every morning and adjust your methods and approach.

"There is no failure except in no longer trying." - Chris Bradford

Whatever journey you're embarking on cannot and will not fail if you absolutely refuse to give in to obstacles and setbacks.

"Never give up." What does it really mean? It means your desire to succeed is much greater than the discomfort that you're experiencing and that there's nothing you want in the world more than making your dream come true.

Obstacles? Go around them... go through them... go over them, but never let them stop you.

Ask for help, be creative, be assertive and just do whatever is necessary to overcome and move forward.

You will never ever fail if you relentlessly refuse to give up. You're not alone. We're all out there trying to do what you're doing. Ask for help.

Good Luck. Stay safe out there. Never give up on your dreams. Never.

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Logic Gets You From A to B, Imagination Gets You Everywhere

You can ask anybody, friends, family, or acquaintances, everyone wants to experience all the good things life has to offer. You want to achieve your greatest dreams, and live the lifestyle of the rich and famous. There is one little challenge however, most people have no idea how to achieve all these beautiful things. The transition, to take you from your current situation, to the one that you yearn for, can be mapped out as going from point A to point B, right? So what is so difficult? Point A... your present situation... point B... the hoped for dream lifestyle. Most people rely on logic to take them from one point to another. What they do not know, is the secret ingredient, to bridge the gap from point A to point B, which is right in their own mind.

What is that secret ingredient? It is your imagination! Your logical mind is like a vehicle, but it is your imagination that steers the ship. It is your imagination that creates the vision for your whole life. Your logical mind is the action plan, but your imagination sets the path to follow. It is important to be disciplined, and to commit yourself to the path, in order to be successful. As you move down the road, sooner or later you are bound to hit a wall. A roadblock, that was not part of the plan. Your logical mind is stuck, this was not supposed to happen. This is where most people give up. Now is time to fire up your imagination again. The imagination gives you the freedom to look beyond any challenge, and use your inborn creativity, to find a way around, over, or even right through that obstacle that is blocking your path.You are free to use your mind, your imagination to gain the freedom you desire. You, my friend, are destined for greatness! What is the one word you can think of, that calms you right down? How do you feel, when you are in that frame of mind? Do you feel like hugging people? Do you feel like hugging yourself? Do you feel a joy inside of you?

For some strange reason, some people get joy out of being rough and arrogant to others, perhaps they are trying to cover their own weaknesses. Real joy and satisfaction in life come from being calm and gentle. However angry you might be, or the challenges you face in life, be calm and feel the joy in your heart, thinking of that one word.

Never fight fire with fire. Two wrongs do not make a right. Don't even think of revenge, or being insensitive to others. The only personal satisfaction you will get is by handling people and situations by being calm and gentle, even when you are dealing with people that don't like you.

Some days you may be angry with yourself, or upset because you were betrayed by someone you hold close to your heart, keep calm, and be gentle with yourself, instead of having thoughts of revenge. If the situation is too much to handle by yourself, talk to a close friend or family member to help you calm down. And remembering that one word, will certainly help as well.

Appreciate the effort of other people, no matter how small their contribution may have been. Treat every person with respect, because everybody is unique in his or her own way. Using words like "excuse me", "please", or "thank you", will show your gentle side, and give you that quiet joy.

Promise yourself that you will always be gentle with yourself and others, regardless of the reaction that you may get. Some people will appreciate it, while others will take advantage of it, perhaps just to provoke you, to see how you will react. Your life journey may not be easy, but with dedication and commitment, and remembering that one word, you will have a life of joy and satisfaction. Oh... do you remember what that one word was? Love! Carrying love in your heart, for yourself and others, will give you the deepest joy, and satisfaction in life!

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