Stories of courage and inspiration.

Most people live ordinary lives.

Just occasionally you meet someone who lives beyond the average - people who dare to not just dream but actually DO.

Despite difficulties and challenges that would cause most to give up these individuals and their families have decided to think and live outside the box.

These are true champions.

Watch the videos and be inspired.

12 differences between those who want to go somewhere and those who actually get there.

Twelve differences between those who dream and those who act:


1-Wanna-be's obsess about ideas. Entrepreneurs obsess about
implementation.

2-Wanna-be's want more web traffic. Enrepreneurs focus on sales
conversion.

3-Wanna-be's focus on positive thinking. Entrepreneurs plan for
multiple contingencies.

4-Wanna-be's want to get on TV and get "famous." Entrepreneurs build
their list.

5-Wanna-be's seek a perfect plan. Entrepreneurs execute and adjust the
plan later.

6-Wanna-be's wait for their lucky break. Entrepreneurs engineer four,
five, six plans and execute them in tandem, wagering that at least one
plan will get traction.

7-Wanna-be's fear looking stupid in front of their friends.
Entrepreneurs willingly risk making fools of themselves, knowing that long-term
success is a good trade for short-term loss of dignity.

8-Wanna-be's shield their precious ideas from harsh reality, postponing
the verdict of success or failure until 'someday.' Entrepreneurs
expose their ideas to cold reality as soon as reasonably possible.

9-Wanna-be's put off practicing basketball until they've got Air
Jordans. Entrepreneurs practice barefoot behind the garage.

10-Wanna-be's believe what they're told, believe their own assumptions.
Entrepreneurs do original research and determine what paths have been
already trod.

11-Wanna-be's believe they can do anything. Entrepreneurs do what
they're gifted for and delegate the rest.

12-Wanna-be's think about the world in terms of COULD and SHOULD.
Entrepreneurs think in terms of IS and CAN BE.

ANZAC day - Today's event reflections.

This morning was an early wakeup for a 6 AM start (setting up PA equipment for the ANZAC day ceremony).
Working with my friend who operates a live sound production business (he has been doing this more than 11 years now) we noticed a full turn out of people (including a growing number of the next generation) which demonstrated to us how important this was to many Australians, and even more so in view of many of the events that have taken place overseas such as September 11, the Iraq war and recent terrorist threats.
Contrary to creating fear (which is the intent of warring extremists) it has created a resolve in many Australians to stand and if necessary, fight for our freedom.

One aspect of this morning's ceremony that was made clear by both the speeches and prayers given, was that Australia is essentially a Christian based nation (our constitution is founded on biblical values) and when push comes to shove, desires to stay so.

To me, one of the essential ingredients of a successful life is having the freedom and safety afforded by truth and justice.
It's a challenge to all of us.

I'll be posting more business tips and articles later, but for the present I'd like to take some time to reflect on today's lessons.

Living well. The story of Mrs Green.

How do you measure living well?
I wanted to share with you this true example from personal experience to illustrate one aspect of living well.

As a kid I remember Mrs Green who was everyone's favorite "grandma".
Mrs "G" was on old fashioned lady who lost her husband some years before and as a widow lived alone in the house on top of the hill overlooking my home town.

With a big orchard around the back, she was always giving away fruit and had a warm welcome with a cup of tea for visitors, both young and old.
Sometimes her steady flow of people dropping by would be so busy I wondered if she ever really was alone - you see she was a very much loved lady and everyone would look forward to chatting with her over a cup of tea by the old wood stove that made some of the best scones you have ever tasted.

She was sprightly and alert right up until the week she passed away.
I remember her telling us that hearing everyone's news and watching the kids grow kept her young and in retrospect I believe it did.
I think of the many great lessons I learnt by example and from the past stories of Mrs Green.

Living a life of sharing and community I believe is one aspect of success that cannot be purchased.
It is acted out in character and heart.

What are some of the key ingredients for success in business and questions you should be asking yourself.

We live in a time where there are more opportunities available than there ever has been.
With a new business comes a lot of excitement, energy and buzz.
Also on the other hand starting a new business and actually making it work requires more than just declaring you are open for trade.
It requires time, money and commitment.
Below are a few tips to help you in your journey.

Identify a market.
What will you sell? Is it in demand or going to be?
Is the product or service original? Who will use it?
Is it consumable (ie like gasoline or electricity or paper or a regular service like lawn mowing? or just a one off purchase like a refrigerator?)
Are you going to develop your own product or service or perhaps identify one that is currently growing and become a part of it - this can be an excellent choice if you do your research.

Secondly, decide how much of your resources you can devote to your new business before you start (all businesses require time and money and you'll need to devote some to both get started and continue to build your business).
How much money are you willing to invest in your business?
Set clear boundaries on how much cash you are going to spend on getting started.
You have a couple of alternatives here - either have a buffer of cash saved to keep you going though the slower times when not a lot of income is flowing or operate your business part - time while you work a job to keep the bills paid.

I personally use the part - time model because it allows me to get well established first before launching everything.

Are you willing to give up some things now (like some TV for example) in order to build your "income generating machine"?
We all have the same amount of hours per day - the choice is how we use them.
(Do a quick calculation of how many hours of TV you watch per week - you may be amazed to find how many spare hours you can free up just by reducing this to direct to your business instead).

Do you have a vision of where you want to be in say 5 years time?
Goal setting is essential.
Set some goals and write them down and work out the steps you need to take in order to get there.
Having your vision in front of you will help you keep going when it's tough (there are moments when you may feel like giving in).
Determine to succeed and invest in yourself by developing good habits and reading quality books on marketing and good business practices.

I trust these tips will help you in your success.
More posts coming soon.
Mark.

Keeping a positive attitude and what can you learn today?

The last couple of weeks has been incredibly busy hence the absence of posts, however things are back on track.
One thing I must make mention of is the value of surrounding yourself with people who can assist you in difficult times and help you to maintain a positive attitude.
I'm grateful to have joined a company with excellent support and team leaders who are willing to take the time to help their team members (even if it means them making a phonecall from the other side of the world).
Not quitting is the first ingredient of success.
In my previous post I mentioned I had lost a customer, however unknown to me they renewed their account and were once again active (I had not lost out as I had previously thought).
A good lesson in sticking with it.
Today I also wanted to mention the value of seeing a successful business run.
In my current day job I work in the electronics industry for a small company that has won business awards and is continuing to grow.
(In fact where I live the economic growth rate is higher than any other state in Australia and higher than China which is booming).
I make it a point to observe successful people and companies as a whole to glean as much information as possible that I know will help me and others in the future.
It's well worth keeping your eyes and ears open so you can pick up gems of helpful information.