leading to ... your acres of diamonds

Leading to ... your acres of diamonds

 Would you agree the entrepreneur at heart leads you to your acres of diamonds? If you said yes, all I can say is, me too! You don’t have to be a business owner.

You don’t have to be an official entrepreneur. You can just feel like an entrepreneur at heart.

Growing into your acres of diamonds can feel a little intimidating. I felt calling myself an entrepreneur was too big a stretch so I always called myself an entrepreneur at heart.

It felt safe. No demands. No doing things uncomfortable. No doing what you don’t know. Just love what you do and … keep it to yourself. Oh my gosh! That’s what I’ve done.

Yes, I believe it’s important to be an entrepreneur at heart first. But as I’m learning, I can’t stay there forever. Not if I want to share my art.

My art is the thing I developed, the strategy I created, for delivering my passion.

And, what I’ve learned is as you’re developing your art, your passion, and your contribution as an entrepreneur at heart you’re standing on the shoulders of your role models.

Full circle, as an entrepreneur, is when you’ve actually helped someone else create a change in their life, however that may be, with your knowledge, experience, and skills.

This is the beginning of how I see the heart of being an entrepreneur.

I have a few books I would like to share with you, marked with highlights of what I loved when first reading it, as an entrepreneur at heart …

The Greatest Networker in the World by John Milton Fogg

The Greatest Networker in the World by John Milton Fogg

Chapter Eleven | Page 102 | Excerpt ...

“Play with your belief habits first.” “Tell me why you say that?” I asked.

“No,” she said flatly, though gently. “You tell me.”

I was beginning to see what a powerful pair these two were -- and, where the Greatest Networker got some of his Greatest Networker-ness. “Okay,” I said, slowly. “I suspect that my habits of disbelief…” and I paused for their reaction to my use of the phrase.

I love this book is a network marketing fable. It’s one of my favourite stories. I don’t want to spoil the surprise so I won’t talk about it anymore. Just know whether you’re in networking marketing or not, you can apply the lessons you learn to any goal.

 

The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

The One Minute Manager by Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

I don’t know Ken Blanchard or Spencer Johnson but if I did they would put a smile on my face every time I saw them. I’ve owned The One Minute Manager for well over twenty years and am still looking for the kind of environment Ken Blanchard writes about in this book.

One Minute Goals: Summary | Page 34 | Excerpt ...

One Minute Goal Setting is simply: 1) Agree on your goals 2) See what good behavior looks like 3) Write out each of your goals on a single sheet of paper using less than 250 words 4) Read and reread each goal, which requires only a minute or so each time you do it. 5) Take a minute every once in a while out of your day to look at your performance, and 6) See whether or not your behavior matches your goal.

It’s a story! An aspiring young manager discovers the One Minute Manager who lives in a nearby town. He calls him up, sets an appointment, meets up with him to learn about effective management.

The great thing about reading books like this is that it gives you comparison. It also gives you options. Plus new beliefs. And, when are we not looking to empower our beliefs?

 

The Art of Closing the Sale by Brian Tracy

 

Brian Tracy The Art of Closing the Sale by Brian Tracy

Can I brag a little, Brian Tracy autographed my book, “Becky, You can do it! Brian Tracy”. Yes, but that’s not the only reason this book is special to me.

I am always, subconsciously, looking for ways to communicate better. And, I have this belief that the more I read books like this, the better I’ll be able to meet people’s needs coming from a caring place and not a demanding place.

And, what I mean to say here is unless you ask the right way, no matter who you’re talking to, it could end up sounding nothing like what your true intentions are. Make sense?

So, why not learn how to handle objections and close the sale from the best? Brian Tracy teaches The Ben Franklin Close | The Summary Close | The Assumption Close | The Alternative Close | The Puppy Dog Close and so much more.

Do you own The Art of Closing the Sale already? Have you ever practiced any one of the techniques in day to day life? Wouldn't it be fun to practice in conversation? If I could, would you, give it a try?  :)) 

Actually, it’s fun to see the puppy dog close in action. Ever notice any of the closing techniques used in day to day life? Sales isn’t a bad word. We sell our ideas all the time.

Sales is persuasion. I see persuasion at heart offering choices, given the choices are beneficial for everyone. Otherwise, why would you offer? Right?

 

APE How to Publish a Book by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch

APE How to Publish a Book by Guy Kawasaki / Shawn Welch

I bought this book, read it, and applied it to writing Personal Growth and You … a diamond in the rough.

And, there it sits. I can offer excuses but I know you’re too smart for those. All I can say at this point is, first things first.

There are some things I need to get done right now. Plus, there has always been the dream of when and where I would write my first book. I’m not at either place, yet.

Having said this I want to share …

Chapter One | Should You Write a Book? | Excerpt ...

The purpose of this chapter is to help you decide whether you should write a book. Over the years, dozens of people have asked me what I think of their idea for a book.

My response is always the same … Imagine you’re in a Barnes & Noble bookstore (let’s hope there are still bookstores when you read this) or you’re on the homepage of Amazon.

You see novels by Isabel Allende, Jonathan Franzen, Daniel Silva, Anne Lamontt, and Lee Chile.

Over in the nonfiction there are books by Stephen Jay Gould, Malcolm Gladwell, and Clayton Christensen.

And maybe there are a few variety tomes by the CEOs of large, well-known companies.

In this sea of choices, why should anyone give a shiitake about your book?

Many would-be (and some published) authors cannot answer this question because they’re focused on a different one.

How will I benefit from writing a book?

 

 The Sticking Point by Jay Abraham

 

 The Sticking Point Solution by Jay Abraham

Introduction | Page 15 | Excerpt ...

This book was written to unstick your business. So to make my message more clear and digestible, I’ve broken it down into what I call the “sticking points.”

I have identified for you the nine major areas in which businesses get stuck, in good times and bad, and to each of these subjects I’ve devoted a chapter in this book.

Every chapter will show you what the common pitfalls, traps, and mis-steps are at that particular sticking point.

More important, I’ll offer you specific solutions that you can implement today in your business so that you can achieve the enjoyable and even enviable growth that you deserve.

I’ll then show you how to have a field day capitalizing on the negative environment in the business world that exists right now. I’ll show you how to implement everything you’ve learned.

So let’s take a look at the nine sticking points. This is just an overview -- you’ll get specific solutions and ideas in subsequent chapters.

I thought I had lent this book to someone. I didn’t realize it’s been sitting in a back closet.

I have some cassette tapes and no cassette player anymore, I have Jay Abraham’s 37 Million-Dollar Headlines which I refer to constantly.

I have Your Marketing Genius at Work and Money-Making Secrets of Marketing Genius Jay Abraham and Other Marketing Wizards.

I have this stuff because I love the idea behind marketing. I love the idea of sharing something wonderful which makes empowering differences. And, if there’s ways I can communicate it then I want to know.

So why not learn from the best? :)) so excited I have my book, it’s high time I reference all my resources … feels like Christmas!

Tell to Win by Peter Guber

Tell to Win by Peter Guber

Truth be told, I had to take sticky notes from the pages of Tell to Win before I could take a picture of it for you. It was bad. In a good way.

I love this book. I love the rainbow outside my window right now. I love Tell to Win because it summarizes everything I need to know to say everything I’ve learned from being a diamond in the rough … to creating a strategy and reaching what I feel in my heart is diamond status to discovering my acres of diamonds.

Peter Guber helps me tell my story with Tell to Win. How did I get so lucky?!

You’ve Got It! | Chapter Three | Excerpt ...

Before class one day I found myself eavesdropping on one such student, a young woman who had her heart and mind set on a career in the business of filmmaking. She was telling a friend that she’d chosen this profession because her father couldn’t read.

The friend looked at her incredulously. “Why not?”

My student’s voice got very tender. She didn’t exactly answer the question. Instead she said that her father, a farmer, was visually literate -- he could make out stop signs because of the shape of the sign. “In restaurants when I was a kid, I’d watch my dad hold the menu, and it would shake a little when the waitress came over.” He never told us what was going on.

He never asked for help. Instead he would run his finger down the column that had the picture of a hamburger at the top, and midway down he’d stop at another visual symbol and point to show the waitress.

My mom said he was too proud to go back to school, and maybe he was afraid. But he was not dumb, and he was ferocious when it came to my education.

The story isn’t over yet and is continued on page 48 of Tell to Win. What do you think happens?

 

The Underdog Advantage by Dean Graziosi

The Underdog Advantage by Dean Graziosi

I’m in the midst of reading this book right now. And hey, who doesn’t cheer on the underdog?

So looking forward to reading The Underdog Advantage and transforming disadvantages into superpowers. Have you read this book yet?

Contents | Excerpt ...

Introduction:The Underdog Advantage / Underdogs Have Nothing to Lose / Underdogs Can Use “The Power of You Can’t” / Underdogs Act Fast and Improve Quickly / Underdogs Are Relentlessly Resourceful / Underdogs Self-Educate / Underdogs Don’t Have to Care What Other People Think / Underdogs Turn Desperation into Persuasion / Conclusion … Using the underdog advantages is the key to letting your superhero out. I can’t wait to see what you do next.

 

I read these books as an entrepreneur at heart. And, I believe being an entrepreneur at heart is the first step towards what would be … my acres of diamonds.

Loving the progress.

What does your picture look like? What books have you collected that represent your journey from a diamond in the rough … to diamond status … and finally, your acres of diamonds?