26 Weeks to Freedom: Creating an Internet Business

Bob Mann

One of my all-time favorite “motivational” authors and speakers is the amazing Barbara Sher.  More than thirty years ago she wrote a terrific book called Wishcraft: How to Get What You Really Want, and has written several others since.  What people love about Barbara is that she is very down-to-earth, funny, and doesn’t even believe in the ”positive thinking” approach to personal change.  Rather, she motivates people to get in touch with what they already love doing, and then guides them toward turning that passion into either a new career or a very strong avocation.

As you’ll see, this video (one of many she’s done for PBS) captures her “irreverant” style  and packs an important lesson for all of us—the importance (she would call it the absolute necessity) of discovering and doing what you love to do in order to be fully alive.  Each of us has a special kind of genius which, unfortunately, most of us seem to ignore as we move through life, assuming that our true passions are impractical, unrealistic, frivolous, or whatever.  But if you listen to Barbara, you’ll start taking those dormant gifts and dreams more seriously—I promise!

Whenever I take a moment to think about it, I am reminded again just how lucky we are to have so many people—like Barbara and the other “motivators” I’ve been  highlighting in earlier posts—sharing their own gifts with us, reminding us in different ways that we do not have to keep settling for what we may have always settled for in the past.  Which means that no matter how unaware or unsupportive the people around us in our daily lives may be, there are always these other sources of inspiration available whenever we want them via their websites, books, CDs, DVDs, and live events.  Even without spending a dime, just perusing the websites of people like Barbara (she’s at www.BarbaraSher.com) can give you tons of motivation and practical ideas for turning your dreams into reality.

Besides finding  this video from Barbara, today I’ve been continuing the exercises from Bob Proctor’s “Six Minutes to Success” program as well as reading more of Frank McKinney’s book called The Tap.  Frank’s book is even more powerful than I thought it was going to be.  If you’d like some inspiration and practical ideas on how to incorporate “doing good” for others into your daily life, I can’t think of a better guide.  You can find it at www.Frank-McKinney.com.

Copyright © 2010 by Bob Mann

Bob Mann

This particular video from Bob Proctor—one of many you can find on YouTube—is one of my favorites because it “packs a punch” and gets people to start thinking in a whole new way about what’s possible for them.  If you’re not used to thinking the way Bob suggests, all of it may sound ridiculous at first, but the more you start to absorb the ideas that he and many other very successful people are teaching, the more you’ll get excited about the possibilities. 

I’m glad that in this video (and in another of his that I watched today) Bob acknowledges an important criticism that was aimed at the movie The Secret, in which he played a major role.  Unfortunately, The Secret focused so heavily on the abstract, mental aspects of achieving success that it pretty much left out the equally-important requirement of  taking action in order to actually get what you want.  For that reason, many people who watched The Secret rejected the message because it seemed, on the surface, so unrealistic.  Fortunately, there has been a follow-up DVD made more recently called Beyond the Secret (featuring Bob, along with several other successful people who were not in the original) which really emphasizes the need for taking action (and includes some inspiring examples of “ordinary” people who did it) if we are serious about achieving our goals and dreams.

By the way, if you send an e-mail to Bob’s company or click the links in the video, I have no affiliate connection involved, and therefore I’m not urging you to watch it so I can make money!  My goal instead is to encourage others to think about themselves (and this so-called “terrible” economy) in a different way by being exposed to exceptional teachers like Bob Proctor. I’m currently doing Bob’s “Six Minutes to Success” program (described in an earlier post) in which he uses bite-sized daily lessons and exercises to teach the principles of success that’s he’s been studying and mastering for almost 50 years.  And I have a feeling it’s going to play more than just a minor role as I seek to achieve my goals over the next several months!

Bob Mann

Yesterday and today I’ve been gaining some new insights into success, change, pursuing goals, and all that sort of thing from three different sources–one of which was unexpected and more on the order of what NOT to do in pursuit of your dreams! (I’ll save that one for last.)

First, Bob Proctor (whom I’ve written about recently) has a great online program called “Six Minutes to Success” which I’ve just re-subscribed to for daily inspiration and staying on track while trying to achieve my goals. Each weekday, Bob sends out a brief 1- or 2-minute video in which he’s talking about a particular principle or concept of success (he’s been mastering all of them for the past 40 or 50 years!).  Then, my (our) task is to use the subsequent 4 or 5 minutes to do a short written exercise related to whatever he talked about in the video–as well as consciously putting it into practice throughout the day. This is an effective way to learn and stay aware each day of these time-tested steps to personal change. If you’re curious, you can check it out along with Bob’s other programs at www.BobProctor.com.

Next, Frank McKinney (whom I’ve also highlighted recently in these posts) has a great new book (one of several he’s written about his philosophy of work and life) called The Tap.  It’s all about recognizing and acting upon the “higher calling” each of us receives to use our blessings, talents, and success to benefit others less fortunate. I’ve read part of it so far, and am very impressed with Frank’s passion in this regard. (As I’ve mentioned before, Frank creates ultra-luxurious oceanfront homes for billionaires, but then takes the profits and builds entire villages for the poorest of the poor in Haiti and elsewhere.) I also received a copy of Frank’s new DVD featuring his 2009 experience running the brutal Death Valley “Badwater” race, entitled Life Lessons Learned While Chasing the White Line from Hell to Heaven. Pretty amazing stuff. You can find his books and DVD at www.Frank-McKinney.com.

Finally, the unexpected source I found as a reminder of what NOT to do in pursuit of success is the autobiography recently written by Andy Williams. (If you’re too young to remember, Andy was an extremely popular singer and television personality back in the 1960s, as well as being a close friend of Robert F. Kennedy.) In the book, he tells the story of his rise to great success in show business, while sprinkling in lots of stories about other very famous entertainers he knew along the way. The book is both fascinating and depressing, because it demonstrates (yet again) the tremendous price famous people often pay in exchange for their success. Broken marriages, ignored children, alcoholism and other drug abuse, association with underworld power-brokers….behind the wealthy, glamourous facade of show biz success, there is often a staggering price to be paid. I doubt if it’s any different today, and may well be worse than it was back then. (If you’re curious, Andy Williams’ book is called Moon River and Me.)

So, how is that relevant to the rest of us who are NOT in show business, and never will be? Because it demonstrates what can easily happen when people (no matter what kind of success they are trying to pursue) don’t have their priorities straight. They’re likely to be seduced by the all-consuming pursuit of money (and power, fame, material possessions, or whatever) while not realizing how unbalanced their lives have become until they’ve alienated the people around them and it’s too late. And that’s just the kind of thing that Frank McKinney and Bob Proctor are addressing in their message on how achieve success the right way. If we take the time to think—in advance and as we go along—about what is really important in life and how we can best use our talents for the benefit of others (using the time-tested principles of business and spiritual success), we’ll be much better off and have far more satisfying lives than many of those “rich and famous” we’re supposed to idolize. 

Copyright © 2010 by Bob Mann

Bob Mann on the beautiful Greek island of Corfu, Sept. 2007. Photo by www.EuropeJourneys.com

If you’re a person who, like me, is trying to make some major changes in your life, you may have noticed that it’s a lot easier to focus on all the things you haven’t yet done rather than what you have accomplished so far! I especially notice this after I’ve taken a particular action that, for whatever reason, I had anticipated with a lot of fear and thought I wouldn’t be able to get through without something terrible happening.  Then, once it’s over and I have successfully broken through the “fear barrier” and proven that I could do it, I barely pay any attention to my triumph—choosing instead to start focusing immediately on the next fearful thing waiting to be dealt with!

Obviously there is something wrong with that picture.  If I’m ignoring these “little” victories over fear and dismissing them in hindsight as “no big deal,” I am really shortchanging myself and keeping myself perpetually seeing the “glass” as half-empty rather than half-full.  Which then serves to further convince me that I am not capable of making significant changes (you know, those big, dramatic ones that really count—unlike that “insignificant” stuff I’ve been doing:-) 

I think any new “proactive” victory over fear—no matter how big or small it may seem—should be paid attention to and celebrated!  Wouldn’t it be great if we all kept a daily journal of every positive step we’ve taken to advance in the direction of our goals?  Even if I never show it to anyone else (because they might think it’s silly or stupid, right?), just my paying attention to every “major” or “minor” proactive thing I’ve done would help energize and accelerate my journey on the road to those changes I’m trying to make.

And, along this same line, it’s important not to underestimate the positive impact that a simple action of yours (that has nothing to do with achieving goals) might have on another person.  It could be something as ”ordinary” as making a phone call to an elderly friend or relative—which may not seem like a big deal to you, but may have tremendous significance for them.   Or it could be that little “insignificant” courtesy you show somebody else in a public place—for all you know, they could be feeling terrible for one reason or another, and your simple act of kindness becomes the one bright spot in their entire day.  Or maybe it’s that “small” financial contribution you make to a worthy charity—which probably doesn’t seem so small to its grateful recipients.   It’s easy to dismiss all of these as being relatively unimportant in the larger scheme of things, but we shouldn’t—because they do matter!

So one of my goals is to start paying more attention to the positive, proactive “little things” I do every day—whether they serve as ”building blocks” for the goals I want to achieve, or whether they are “random acts of kindness”  that just make the world a tiny bit better place to live. Either way, the more of these I choose to do (and then give myself credit for overcoming fear,  low self-esteem, apathy, or whatever in order to do them), the more everybody wins–now and in the future!

Bob Mann

In previous posts I’ve mentioned Frank McKinney, the “daredevil” real estate developer who builds over-the-top ultra-luxurious mansions for billionaires along Florida’s Palm Beach coast.  He also is a passionate humanitarian who builds entire villages for the “poorest of the poor” in Haiti (and was doing so for several years before the earthquake).  Oh, and just for fun, he spends several months each year training for the ultra-brutal Death Valley “Badwater” run, a 135-mile summer affair where temperatures can reach 120 degrees F (he’s already completed it four times and will go for number five this July).

This video shows off Frank’s latest masterpiece (which is currently on the market if you’d like to make an offer.  But, as the old saying goes, “if you have to ask what the price is, you probably can’t afford it”:-)  Not only is Acqua Liana the pinnacle of luxurious oceanfront living, but it’s also the largest “green” home ever built.  I’d be a little nervous about those 24-foot-high windows in a hurricane, but I’m sure Frank has figured all that out and has exceeded whatever is required by code.

Frank’s own personal story is a classic example of how one can turn one’s life around—in a big, big way—despite having all the odds stacked against you.  As a teenager in Indiana he was a real loser, a very below-average student who got into all kinds of trouble and made life miserable for his parents and everyone around him.  Then Frank  moved to Florida and as he gradually began to realize what he was capable of doing, he took action and did it!  He started in the real estate development business by renovating small older homes and eventually (as a result of making very smart business decisions) progressed to building coastal mansions worth tens of millions of dollars—and, incredibly, building them “on spec” without having a buyer in advance!

Frank has been one of the major sources of  ”success” inspiration for me ever since I saw him speak at a seminar in 2003.  He’s written several books about his philosophy of business—and life—from which the profits all go toward funding his home-building foundation in Haiti and other charitable causes. He has a very comprehensive website detailing all his activities (including the “Badwater” race) at www.Frank-McKinney.com.  Check it out—and prepare to be inspired!

Copyright © 2010 by Bob Mann

Bob Mann

Of  the many living persons who have made a name for themselves as “self-help” or “motivational” experts, Bob Proctor is probably the “dean” of them all.  At 75, Bob (a Canadian from Toronto)  has spent the past 40 years intensely studying why we think and act the way we do—and why relatively few of us achieve great success while the vast majority never live up to their true potential.

If you’re not familiar with Bob, this video gives you a good example of his passion for “spreading the word” and inspiring others.  He made a major contribution to ”The Secret” movie, as well as a more recent one (on DVD) called “Beyond the Secret.”  Some people think that such things as the “Law of Attraction” and the “Law of Vibration” are a bunch of baloney, but I think it’s fair to say that those folks all have something in common—they’ve never really believed they can be (or even deserve to be) truly successful in life.  So their disbelief has become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I’ve also become very aware of how our beliefs determine our destiny through my 25-year interest in the “Option Process” as taught at the Option Institute in Sheffield, Mass.  Co-founders Barry and Samahria Kaufman have developed a very specific process that anyone can use to examine their own beliefs about whatever issues they want to explore.  (See www.Option.org.) And the fascinating thing about beliefs is that the more you explore your own, the more underlying beliefs you discover to explore even further!  It is truly astonishing to realize that a belief you always assumed was ”the truth”  may not be so true after all.  It may be nothing more than somebody else’s opinion that you adopted as fact so long ago that you can’t even remember how it happened!  Certainly this is very often the case when it comes to our individual beliefs about money, jobs, success, etc.  As Bob Proctor likes to ask, “Why do you think it’s true that only 1% of the population earns 96% of the money?” It just might have something to do with the beliefs held by that 1%—and the very different beliefs shared by the other 99%!

But the great thing is that no matter what beliefs we may currently hold, if they are not serving us in a positive way we can change them!  That’s what Bob Proctor’s work, and that of the Kaufmans, is all about—not to mention the many others out there who also are very gifted at inspiring and motivating people.  But bringing about such change doesn’t happen by accident—as I myself have learned all too often, just hearing or reading something profound and inspiring isn’t enough. We have to make a conscious and continuous effort to think and act in a way that reflects whatever new beliefs we want to adopt. 

I think this largely explains the paradox of why a lot of people who are less educated and who’ve had many more obstacles to overcome than you and I, turn out to be far more successful in life than us!   The key factor seems to be their attitude, beliefs, and desire to succeed rather than how “smart” they are or what socio-economic “advantages” they had.  Bob Proctor talks about his own very limited education and the fact that he was working at a low-paying job when he made a decision to change his life.  And I love the story that Jack Canfield (co-author of the incredibly successful Chicken Soup series of books) tells about being repeatedly turned down by one publisher after another while trying to get the original Chicken Soup for the Soul published.  Nobody thought it would sell.  Jack and his co-author Mark Victor Hansen could have easily given up, but they kept going until, after dozens of rejections, they finally got it into print.  The only reason that happened (and how Jack subsequently became a multi-millionaire) is because he and Mark believed in the book they had written, and refused to take “no” for an answer.  (The same was true for Barry Kaufman’s best-seller called Happiness is a Choice.  Literally dozens and dozens of publishers’ rejections until somebody finally said “yes.” )  I think the lesson here couldn’t be clearer—when you have something you passionately believe in, never give up!

Copyright © 2010 by Bob Mann

Bob Mann

In this 4th and final part of Stephen Pierce‘s “Clean Bill of Wealth” video series, he talks about how bringing about change and achieving a goal can be compared to the structure of an iceberg.  It’s easy to focus our attention on the visible part (i.e., the results) while forgetting that those results are entirely dependent on all the other factors that lie “below the surface”—the attitudes and actions (or inactions) that will either lead to success or sabotage our efforts.

Today I have made some headway in preparing to set up my new website (designed for real estate agents, buyers, and sellers here in the Portland area). After continuing to explore one agent’s very high-ranking real estate (blog) site in particular (which I spotlighted in an earlier post), I am more convinced than ever that links, links, and more links are the key to success in this arena!   Not only links to (and subsequently from) the top “social media” sites (he’s got at least 14 of those following every post), but also links to a whole bunch of other blog sites that are specifically about Portland in one way or another.

You might wonder, at first, if it’s a good idea to put in so many links to other people’s blog sites.  After all, if your visitors click away from your site and over to somebody else’s (where there may be content that’s as good or even better than yours!), aren’t you taking a chance that your visitors might not come back?  I don’t think so.  The trick is to link to sites that complement yours rather than compete with it.  So, for example, if my site is primarily about Portland real estate, it might be smart to link to other sites where the writers talk about Portland’s culture, neighborhoods, entertainment, political issues, etc.  And of course, then ask those blog owners, in exchange, to include links back to your own site.  When you start looking into the variety of blogs that exist in your own area, you’ll be amazed at how many there are—and I think your readers will be impressed with all the information ”portals” you are giving them that they wouldn’t otherwise know about!

Another nifty thing I discovered today is the “Google Calendar” that you can embed right into your website.  You can customize it to show, in monthly calendar format, all the events coming up in your area that might be of interest to your readers.  Check it out for yourself at www.Google.com/Calendar.

Finally, in case you weren’t aware of it, you can get lots of extremely low-cost article content to use on your site by looking for “PLR” (private label rights) material in your subject area.  These are pre-written articles that give you the right to edit and use them any way you wish (as long as you are not re-selling them).  Just go to Google and enter “your subject area + plr” or something similar.

Copyright © 2010 by Bob Mann

(Compensation Disclosure:  in today’s post there is a clickable link to the website of Stephen Pierce. If you click through and subsequently purchase his products (which I use and enthusiastically endorse), I would receive a commission. Questions? E-mail me at Bob@BobMannOnline.com.)

Bob Mann

In Part 3 of his “Clean Bill of Wealth” video series, Stephen Pierce goes deeper into what he calls “Selfware”—the kind of self-talk each of us engages in that will determine how we feel about ourselves (and ultimately whether or not we will be successful at whatever goals we are trying to achieve). 

I don’t think there’s anything more relevant to our success or failure than these self-talk thoughts we carry around in our heads every day.  (Ask me how I know this:-)  And as Stephen points out, we can’t just depend on other people to pay us compliments in order for us to feel good about ourselves—because if I really don’t like myself and my internal thought process reflects that, then I’m not going to believe your compliments anyway!  Oh, sure, I might feel flattered  for a few minutes, but it won’t take me very long to revert to my “default” way of negative thinking.

And that’s why being successful has far less to do with learning the particular skills you need than with your beliefs about whether you can do it or not. And much of that depends on whether or not you believe you deserve to be successful!  In fact, I’d go so far as to say that particular belief—how deserving or undeserving you think you are—is the main thing that will determine success or failure.  This is something I wrestle with on a regular basis, and I’m aware that no matter how much information I take in and how many skills I learn, all of that can easily be sabotaged if I don’t think I deserve to be successful.  (The irony is that I always think everybody else deserves to be successful—no matter what their past actions or current faults may be—but for some mysterious reason, I don’t!)

And that kind of ties in with what I wrote in  yesterday’s post about people who participate in forums but don’t want anyone to know who or where they are, or what they look like.  I’m sure each of them would have their own logical reasons why they prefer anonymity, but I suspect it boils down to one common denominator: a lack of self-esteem, self-worth, or whatever you want to call it.  I think that’s particularly true of those who refuse to put their photo online.  So many people think they’re “too old,” “too fat,” “too unattractive,” “too whatever”—so they don’t dare (in their own mind) embarrass themselves by including a photo.  That’s unfortunate for two reasons:  first, they are letting their self-esteem be determined by the artificial standards of our “media culture,”  and second, nobody cares anyway!   Here’s a great quote to keep in mind (and I don’t know who said it first)—”You’d be amazed at what other people are thinking about you, if you realized how little they do!“  In other words, other people are too busy worrying about their own shortcomings and dealing with their own personal problems to spend much time thinking about yours. 

Anyway, I think that’s more than  enough psychology for today!  Spring is officially here, and now it’s on to Week 8 of this 26 week project of mine.  Tomorrow I will actually begin putting together the real estate-related website that I’m determined to get ranked on the first page of Google’s results for a popular real estate search term. I’ve got some good ideas for that and I’m anxious to see what I can do.  (Assuming, of course, that I feel I deserve to have that happen….. )

Copyright © 2010 by Bob Mann

(Compensation Disclosure:  in today’s post there is a clickable link to the website of Stephen Pierce. If you click through and subsequently purchase his products (which I use and enthusiastically endorse), I would receive a commission. Questions? E-mail me at Bob@BobMannOnline.com.)