Issue 3 - October 19, 2010
Hey Genc,
Today I've got a thought-provoking article I'm sure will hit home with you.
Getting what you want. Creating your ideal life.
Since you're one of my readers, I bet you're not satisfied being a part of the masses. You're not content with having a job (that you may not be thrilled with), one after another, for the rest of your life.
That's why you're trying to do better. By building a successful online business. Right?
Well take note of the 4 Steps I'm giving you today. And take them to heart. Because these steps are the key to creating your ideal life. And loving every step of the journey.
If you've been with me for a while, you know I respect processes. And teach my clients to use processes in their businesses.
Well, you're about to uncover a 4-Step process you can't do without.
Embrace this process and use it in your business today.
After my article, check out Today's Q&A Session below. And submit one of your most pressing questions while you're there. You could see my answer to your specific question in an upcoming issue of "One Step Ahead."
To higher profits,
Rich
 Four Steps to Creating Your Ideal Life
I've said it before: You need to focus on your customers.
The business that focuses on its customers' wants and needs is one with long-term money-making potential. Concentrate on how to make your customers' lives better, and your business will grow much bigger - and much more quickly - and will enjoy longer-term success than if you are in business just to make a buck.
You may be thinking, "Well, Rich, that's all well and good... But what do I get out of this whole thing?"
Listen: I know that starting a business is not a purely altruistic venture.
In fact, owning a business is entirely selfish. And it should be. After all, most entrepreneurs risk everything they've got trying to make their businesses successful. There has to be a payoff.
Your reason for owning a business should be to get more out of life than you would by not owning the business.
In other words, a business is the means to an end, not an end in itself. It's a means to getting more out of life.
Many entrepreneurs forget this simple fact. To them the business becomes the end in itself... And when that happens, the business often swallows the entrepreneur who birthed it.
To prevent your business from consuming you, you must be clear, right up front, and know what you want out of life.
Living Life Intentionally - Not Haphazardly
Many of the successful entrepreneurs I've coached did not figure out what they wanted out of life until hitting rock bottom. Either their business failed, they went bankrupt, or they sacrificed their health or their family. It was only then - being sick and tired of living a life they didn't want - that the lights finally turned on.
Experiencing what they did NOT want prompted all them to finally figure out what they really DID want. Finally, they could see exactly what they wanted... And that clarity gave them the motivation to go after it.
What does "getting more out of life" mean to you?
When you know the answer, you can live your life intentionally rather than haphazardly. You'll have the ability to consciously surround yourself with the things that are most important to you.
Today, I'm going to show you how to define your ideal life. Then you can make sure your business conforms to your ideal life - rather than your life conforming to your business.
Defining your ideal life requires thinking through your innermost desires and setting real priorities. It's about living a life that's meaningful to you. One that feels right every day. One that gives you a deeper sense of satisfaction, fulfillment, and meaning with each passing week, month, and year.
Your ideal life is unique to you. To define it fully, you need to forget about any and all obligations and responsibilities you have to others. Think only about yourself and what you want your life to be like. (Trust me - this WILL end up benefiting your loved ones!)
Knowing What You Want
Do you know what your ideal life looks like?
I mean, really know, in complete detail?
I'm not talking about hollow statements like "I want to be rich," "I want financial freedom," "I want to have a successful business," or "I want to be happy."
Statements like these don't have the power to create the motivation, perseverance, and plain old resilience you need to overcome the resistance (both internal and external) you'll face in growing a business.
Lots of entrepreneurs have a vague picture of what it means to be successful. They envision: The wealth of Warren Buffet, the physique of Christian Bale (or Angelina Jolie), the intelligence of Albert Einstein, the athletic ability of Michael Jordan, the business prowess of Bill Gates, or the imagination of Walt Disney.
Don't get me wrong... Those qualities would be nice to have... But that kind of "ideal life" is not based in reality. And because of that, it lacks the power you get when you clarify what you want for yourself. I mean, really, how do you prioritize a list like that? It's impossible!
You need to get really specific about what you want. What you really want, not what would be nice to have. (Your list doesn't need to be long... It just needs to be specific, personal, and realistic.)
Once you define exactly what your ideal life looks like, you will be able to create a business that helps you make it a reality. Plus, you will be able to erect boundaries to safeguard yourself from getting totally consumed by your business.
Defining your ideal life is a four-step process.
Step 1: Identify What You DON'T Want
First, think about all the things you DON'T want in your life.
By recognizing the things that you DON'T want in your life, it becomes easier to clearly identify what you DO want. Plus, you can make sure that the life you design is free of all the negative things you're about to list.
Take 15 minutes to make a list of everything you DON'T want in your life. Write whatever comes to mind. You might start by thinking about the things you currently deal with that leave you stressed, frustrated, worried, embarrassed, and unfulfilled.
For example, maybe you don't want responsibilities that keep you away from your family. Maybe you don't want to pretend you're something you're not. Maybe you don't want to be forced to sacrifice quality in order to meet deadlines. Maybe you don't want a business that relies too heavily on you and your efforts. (By the way, these are all examples from the original "don't want" list I made before I started Strategic Profits.)
Step 2: Identify What You DO Want
Now that you know what you DON'T want in your life, it's time to shift 180 degrees and focus on what you DO want.
For right now, steer clear of money and material things. There will be time for those things later.
Take 15 minutes to make a list of everything you DO want in your life. Again, write whatever comes to mind. Start by thinking about the things you've experienced that have made you happy, proud, excited, blessed, and fulfilled. Use the list of "don't wants" to spark ideas.
For instance, maybe you want to live near the ocean.... A workday that ends at noon... To be able to eat one meal (at least!) with your family each day... Products and programs you're immensely proud of... To be recognized as a world-renowned authority on your niche... (These are a few examples from the "want" list I made before starting Strategic Profits.)
Step 3: Visualize Your Ideal Day
Your ideal life is made up of many ideal days. So - now that you've identified what you DO and DON'T want - it's time to use this information to construct a perfect day in your dream life.
Refer to your lists of "wants" and "don't wants" frequently when constructing your ideal day.
To begin, ask yourself, "What would my perfect normal day look like if there were no limitations on what it could be?"
Let's break down this question by explaining what I mean by certain words:
- Perfect - A day that delivers as many as possible of those things you've identified in what you DO want while avoiding as many as possible (if not all) of those things that you DON'T want.
- Normal - A day that isn't a one-time event, but a routine day in your ideal life. So, no meeting with the President or partying in Vegas or anything other than what's routine.
- No Limitations - Forget about your current responsibilities, obligations, and any and all physical constraints (money, business, job, etc...).
When you think of this ideal day, be very specific. Be extremely detailed and clear. Write out a complete description of your ideal day. Once you're finished, you can review the picture you want for your life each morning - to remind yourself WHY you are doing everything you are doing. You'll want to identify all of the following:
Overall Lifestyle - Where do you live? (city, on the water, in the mountains, etc...)
- What do you live in? (an apartment, a condo, a house, a mansion, a penthouse, etc...)
- Who are your friends? (what are they like, what do you do together, and what do you talk about?)
- What hobbies do you have & how often do you do them?
- What do you do for personal fulfillment?
- Describe your relationship with your spouse (and children if you've got them). What do you do together? How much time do you spend together?
Your Business
- How many hours a day do you work?
- What are your primary responsibilities? What do you do while working?
- What hours do you work? When do you start and finish?
- What are your clients like?
- Describe your work environment (home, office, etc.)
- Talk about your team - who are they? What are they like? How do they make you feel?
- What about your work makes you most proud?
Your Day
- What time do you wake up?
- How, where, what, and with whom do you spend the first ¼ of your day?
- How, where, what, and with whom do you spend the second ¼ of your day?
- How, where, what, and with whom do you spend the third ¼ of your day?
- How, where, what, and with whom do you spend the final ¼ of your day?
Step 4: Determine the Cost of Your Ideal Life
For every entrepreneur, a primary business goal is to bring in money. But when most of my clients talk about their financial goals, they have picked arbitrary, meaningless numbers. This is a big mistake.
You see, money is not the end. It's the means to an end. A heap of money by itself is just paper and ink. Using money to obtain the lifestyle you desire is what you're really after.
When you think in terms of how you would spend the money, it's much easier to come up with realistic and meaningful financial goals. Plus, knowing what you plan on doing with your earnings makes your goal more concrete, more fun, more exciting, and much more motivating.
Now that you've figured out what you want from your ideal life, determine how much it will cost to obtain and maintain.
Figure out how much you need to make and what you'll need to save to turn your newly-identified dream life a reality. This way you'll know exactly what you need to accomplish to live the life of your dreams.
Getting Clear On the Life You Want
After going through this four-step process, you'll have a clear picture of your ideal life.
Defining your ideal life gives you the ability to live intentionally rather than haphazardly. You'll be living a life of design, rather than whatever the universe throws your way.
Make no mistake: Most entrepreneurs never take the time to figure out what they want out of life. And because of it, the business takes over. Do not think you can skip this and everything will end up ok.
The best way to have the business of your dreams... a business that gives you the lifestyle of your dreams... is to figure out what you really want.
Once you define your ideal life, you'll become more aware of your priorities. You'll gain a new perspective on your business and your goals. You'll know exactly what you're reaching for... And you'll find that it's much easier to decide how to achieve it.
In a future essay, I'll show you how to systematically design your business to give you the ideal life you've just laid out.
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Today's Question and Answer with Rich
Question: I've heard you read 3 to 5 books a week. How do you absorb all that material? Is there a special process that you follow?
Answer from Rich:
Great question - and yes, I do follow a process I've developed for myself. I do most of my reading in the morning on my stair machine. I speed-read and read roughly 1,500 words per minute (WPM). While reading I highlight the important information. Because I'm reading at a rapid rate - I'm not doing much thinking about the content at that point - I'm simply trying to highlight everything I believe is important. In fact, I actually don't really remember much of what I read after I'm done.
When I'm finished highlighting the book, I bring it to the office. Janine, my assistant cuts the binder off the book and then scans it. She then sends the scanned PDF to an outsourcer in the Philippines who creates a Word document of just the material I highlighted. The Word doc is sent back to Janine and she turns it into an eBook. The eBook then gets loaded to my iPad. I keep a copy in iBooks and I also load it into a speed-reading app named QuickReader.
Every morning, I practice speed-reading for a half hour. I use these eBooks of highlighted material to practice. The routine right now is I'll first read the eBook at my normal speed of 1,500 wpm then read it again at 2,000 wpm, 3,000 wpm, and 4,000 wpm. After that I'll read the eBook one last time at 1,750 wpm, since that's my wpm goal right now. Usually I can review 2-3 books during the half hour session.
I am consistently repeating and revisiting the notes from the books that I have read. That's how I absorb the material. It's through the constant repetition of the highlighted material that makes absorbing it all a breeze.
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