subject: The Road To Economic Independence And True Wealth [print this page] The road to economic independence and true wealth is not for the faint of heart. Recently, while teaching my daughter to drive I noticed she was concentrating on her speed not her accuracy. It was an "Ah Ha" moment for me and I decided to share it with you.
Driving north along River Road you'll find a wall of dirt and rocks on one side and a drop off of at least 30 feet on the other side. The speed limit is 40 miles per hour. My daughter was trying to go the speed limit. The road winds and turns a bit. There is not a lot of room for error on the well trafficked road. Since this is not my first rodeo (she is the sixth I have instructed) I knew what she was thinking. It was, however, imperative that we stay in our lane. That she focus. That is when the "Ah Ha" moment happened. The paradigm shift.
Let's take this from the point of view of being an entrepreneur. You are on a road trip. You have a vehicle or you looking for a vehicle (ie home business opportunity). If you have a vehicle then you should have a map (all the training and support team necessary for success) and a coach riding shotgun. If you are new driver you may feel compelled to keep up with the experienced drivers and forget to stay in your lane; loose track of where you are and how you're suppose to get there. Become, out of focus. All the walls and cliffs (distractions and offers) become overwhelming. The traffic daunting. I mean, look how fast they're going while staying in their lane.
So what did I tell her? The same thing you need to hear from time to time. "Focus on where you're going, _____. Stay on track. Speed will come with experience." [Fill your name in the blank]. Even experienced, focused driven entrepreneurs will get out of their lane occasionally and become overwhelmed by the never ending traffic (competition).
To strive to have economic independence and obtain true wealth requires:
*A Vision. You must know where you want to go.
*A "Why". You must have a reason you want to go there. It must be big enough to see through potholes and around roadblocks.
*A Plan. You must have a plan. Work backwards from your big goal until you have small easily attainable goals (with a little stretch built in). Ready, fire, and aim. (Stephen Covey talks about this and the Paradigm Shift in his book: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.)
*A Determined Focus. Now that you know what you desire, have planned how to get it, you have begun working toward it. Recalculated. You must now see it through. Remember why you set out on this journey. Don't let anything or anyone stop you. You can not have true balanced wealth without failing. You can not succeed as an entrepreneur without work. 90% of the fuel used to launch a rocket is used in the launch.
*Balance of Business, Relationships, Health (including Mind, Body, Spirit). My mother used to say, "All work and no play makes Johnny a very dull boy." It should be a given that you plan to reward your successes. Plan breaks.
*Community. Our income is representative of our 5 closest friends incomes. The facts are, well, facts. We tend to be like the people we hang out with. Are your friends and relatives negative naysayers. Are you buying it? I am not suggesting you disown your family or tell your friends to take a hike because they are losers. One of my coaches, after reading The Twelve Pillars by Jim Rohn worked to spend more time with others in our community. Now he is on leader board and is quickly becoming a sought out leader. More than just the dollar community brings you a true wealth of knowledge, friendships, consistent enrichment and encouragement.
