August 29th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
Can you really increase your income by simply reading self-help books and listening to audio programs or is it just a bunch of hype designed by the people who write and record those books and programs?
Do these principles really work or is it just a lot of feel good, touchy feely rubbish?
Well, my friend, I can honestly tell you yes, you can! It does work and, in a moment, I will explain how and why. I can hear some of you more skeptical readers saying, sure, prove it. I will, I promise.
Napoleon Hill in his classic book, Think and Grow Rich, James Allen in As A Man Thinketh and Florence Scovel Shinn in The Game of Life all written in the 1920s, taught us we could use the power of our minds to become more successful.
Most of you, especially if you’ve been in business for a while, have probably been to a seminar on personal development. Seminars are great. I love going to them and I really love giving them since it gives me a way to share ideas with a live audience and meet new people, something I really enjoy doing.
The problem is, as I’m sure you’ve experienced, that a week or two after the seminar you are right back into your less-than-productive habits. You left the seminar all charged up and once the excitement wore off, you slipped back into your pre-seminar behavior. Reading books and listening to self-help programs is also a great practice but, like seminars, if it is not done on a regular basis it is not nearly as powerful. The operative word here is regular.
On-going Personal Development
The key is On-going Personal Development (OPD). The Japanese have a word, Kaizen, which means making small daily improvements in every area of your life. It is a principle taught to them by the late W. Edwards Demming who was sent by General Douglas MacArthur to help them rebuild their country after World War II. Since we have no word for this in English, I have chosen OPD, On-going Personal Development as a reminder to follow this formula for success.
It is not so much what you do sometimes that makes the difference, it is what you do daily. If you want to succeed, make a daily habit of reading and listening to self-help and inspirational books and audios. As little as 15-20 minutes a day can make a major difference. For one thing, you will begin your day (assuming you do this first thing in the morning) on a more positive note and secondly, you will, over time, have assimilated a lot of powerful, positive and thought provoking material.
Proof Positive
A number of years ago, my friend John came to visit me in my home office. It had been a while since I had seen him so, of course, I asked how he had been. “Great!” he replied, “My income went up over 15% in the last six months.”
Considering that John is in automobile sales and we were in the middle of the worst recession in decades, I had to learn more. I asked John how he did it and was a bit taken aback when he replied, “I went to a seminar.”
He went on to explain that the seminar leader suggested reading a self-help book for fifteen to thirty minutes a day. John, who had not read a book since school, bought the persons book and began reading every morning before going into the dealership where he worked. He would leave for work a half an hour early each day, sit outside in his car and read the book. That was the only change he made in his daily habits and his income went up by, in his case, $1,000 a month. By the way, that works out to $100 an hour for reading!
Why this works
It took me a while to fully understand what had taken place but it finally clicked one day. Imagine John, having just finished his daily ritual of reading an inspirational book, going into the showroom. He is in a positive, uplifted state and is cheerful.
The other salespeople are in the corner, whining about the recession. You’ve seen the scene, everyone stands around complaining about the situation instead of taking action to change it.
You, the buyer, enter the showroom. One one side is the group, kicking the coffee pot and looking grumpy. Across the room is John, bouncing around happy as can be. Now, let me ask you the critical question. Who do you want to buy your car from? Who are you most likely to gravitate toward? John, of course. Positive energy attracts people to it.
As a direct result of investing a little time each day on personal development (OPD), John increased his income and felt better in the process. The bonus is that this activity is cumulative. The more you do it, the better you feel.
Success leaves clues
One hundred percent of the self made millionaires (excluding people in the entertainment field) are committed to reading and listening to self help books and audios. The most successful direct sales companies have instituted a book/audio of the month program and encourage their people to participate.
How many books have you read this month? How many audios are in your car? Do you think it is a coincidence that top companies have a formal program of books and audios for their employees success?
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August 15th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
In case you missed it, here’s the replay from the July 22nd interview call I did with host, Larry Steinhouse, organizer of the “Get Rich and Happy” event in Philadelphia, November 5, 6, 7th.
Larry Steinhouse interviews Jim Donovan on Allowing Abundance
You can see the speaker line-up and learn more about this great event here:
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August 10th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
Most people, especially online and in Social Media circles, know me as an author. This makes sense since I’ve written seven books, several of which have been translated into eight languages and are sold in 22 countries.
I’ve been very fortunate and have had the thrill of touching the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in a positive way. I still get goosebumps every time I receive an email someone who’s life has been changed by what they read in one of my books.
However, what a lot of people may not know is that I also deliver seminars and workshops. As a matter of fact, I started doing seminars before I published my first book.
I’ve delivered programs to businesses, associations, schools, and government agencies. And I’ve held a number of public seminars like the one I’m part of in Philadelphia in November (see below).
My talks have been for a variety of gatherings including motivational seminars for college students and at-risk youth, performance enhancement programs for corporate employees, and productivity workshops for senior management and sales forces.
I’ve delivered half and full day training sessions for association meetings to help members in their personal and business lives as well as people in mid-life who want to reinvent themselves and create a more rewarding future.
Speaking and training is something I’d like to do more of so, if you or your company, association, school or agency have an upcoming event or would like an inspiring, affordable speaker, contact me.
Incidentally, if you can refer me to someone who engages me for a paid event you will be compensated.
You can learn more about my programs here.
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July 29th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
The other day I posted a question on the social media sites about going through a period of big shifts and change, since I’ve noticed over the years that whenever I’m personally going through something, chances are many others are too. This reinforces the idea, referred to in all spiritual teachings, that we are all connected.
For me, this has meant taking a close look at my business and life’s work and refocusing on the core of who I am and what I do.
It resulted in my taking down a Web site or two and redesigning my main, www.JimDonovan.com, Web site.
I’m also eliminating one of my Facebook pages since it was a distraction. My official “Fan” page is here at Jim Donovan and it will remain so.
So, what’s been happening with you? I’d love to hear your comments and recent experiences. You can post them here.
If you are, like me and so many others, going through a business “reinvention,” you may want to ask yourself what I consider to be one of the most powerful questions you can ask.
This was asked of me back in 1997 when I was just starting out as an author and speaker by my, then, coach Beth Meininger, one of the best coaches I know.
I was going through a rough spot and trying to offer whatever services I thought would produce income for me. I’ve always been good at figuring out what service people want and finding a way to provide it, however, at this point in my business, this was not the best route for me to take.
Beth looked at me and asked, in her best coach tone, “Jim, what are you willing to let go of to make room for what you want?”
Let go? You must be kidding. As I wrote in a story in my first book, Handbook to a Happier Life, “The last thing I let go of had claw marks on it.”
My nature as an Entrepreneur is not to let go but rather, to hang on to as many things as possible. The problem is this will not get me, or you, where we want to go.
Over the years I’ve noticed a lot of solo business owners, particularly people in network marketing, trying to do several businesses at once. All this does is dilute your efforts and scatter your energies.
For me this means going back to those actions and activities that are what I consider to be my life’s purpose.
Back in 1992 I wrote that my purpose is,
“To create and communicate information which will have a positive effect on people’s lives, empowering and helping them reach their full potential as human beings.”
The essence of this has not changed. At this point in my life, it’s writing books and delivering seminars and trainings. Of course, this includes audio and video programs, tele-classes and whatever new media comes along to facilitate this mission in the future.
Are all your activities in alignment with who you are and what your mission is?
If so, great. If not, what will you change in order to live your true purpose at the highest level?
Please comment and post below.
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July 13th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions Albert Einstein
I recently posted this quotation from Einstein on Facebook. In thinking about it afterward I realized that, though Mr. Einstein was one of the smartest people in recent history, he neglected to caution people that it works both ways.
While imagining your ideal life is not only a good idea but a major component in creating the life you want, too many people spend their time doing the opposite. They imagine all sorts of horrible things that could happen.
“What if I lose my job,” so many are asking right now. “What if I get sick?” we worry. “What if I go for my goals but don’t succeed,” “What if I start my own business and fail?” And on and on.
The people I just described are using their imaginations but they’re using them against themselves. They’re using their imagination backwards. If you stop and think about this, I think that you’ll agree that it’s crazy to imagine what we don’t want. Isn’t it?
Consider that what you’re imagining (something that is not yet real) is pure fantasy. This being the case, why would anyone want to fantasize what they do not want?
If, when we imagine things, we’re making it all up anyway, why not make up great things? Why not see our most amazing life? Why not see (imagine) everything working out perfectly?
Doesn’t this make more sense? Of course it does, yet much of the time we do the opposite. We imagine everything that can go wrong. “For better or for worse” the wedding vows caution us. Why not rewrite them to be “For better and for better”
Our imagination, as Einstein was trying to teach us, is the most powerful tool we have for creating our life. therefore, it is important to use it wisely.
The next time you’re worried, which is just another word for imagining what you don’t want, do something to interrupt your thoughts long enough to replace them with something you do want.
As the late Lynn Grabhorn wrote in her wonderful book, Excuse Me, You’re Life is Waiting, learn to “flip switch” your attention to something you desire.
When you catch yourself imagining the worst, say to yourself “Cancel and clear” and then shift your attention to your ideal life.
Live Seminar in Philadelphia
I’m pleased to be part of an amazing lineup of speakers at the Get Rich and Happy event in Philadelphia, November 5th, 6th and 7th. You can see a partial listing of the speakers and reserve your seat here. This is sure to be a filled event so please reserve your seat now.
More resources to help you make 2010 your best year ever
Are you ready to start living the life you’ve always wanted?
This is Your Life, Not a Dress Rehearsal Workshop
Create your own economic recovery plan
Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck book and ebook — Learn how you can create immediate income now. Click here to learn more
A lot of our readers have used the 20 Ways to Make $100 per Day Online ebook to help them get new ideas and add income. If you missed the earlier information about this simple, yet powerful product, Click here to learn more
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May 19th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
“Most men die with their music still in them”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Whose life are you living? Are you living your dream or someone else’s?
How much of your life is being decided by someone else? Are you in a profession you dislike because it is expected of you? Do you engage in activities you would rather skip, simply because it is part of your “role” as a spouse or mother?
What about you?
Doesn’t your opinion count? It is not only reasonable but mentally healthy for you to direct your own life.
If you find yourself in a profession you do not especially like, try asking yourself the following question: If I were starting over in my career, what would I chose to do?
Some people retire and, because they can do whatever they want, begin a second career. This time, they do what they love and, many times, become highly successful.
Famous the second time around
You may not remember that Caroll O’Connor, the actor who created the role of Archie Bunker in “All In The Family” and later played the burly police chief in “In The Heat of the Night,” was a high school teacher until he was in his forties. While teaching is surely a noble profession, his greatest gifts to humanity were clearly to come from his acting talents. Fortunately, for those of us entertained by his talents, he followed his bliss and became an actor.
Another example of the second career is the comedian Phyliss Diller. She was a cleaning lady until she was 37. Incidentally, she was inspired by reading and acting on a self-help book, “The Magic of Believing,” by Claude Bristol. Interestingly enough, Liberace, the great pianist, attributed the strategies in this same book to his huge success and enormous wealth.
Take charge of your life
You owe it to yourself to run your own life. I am not suggesting that you go out and change everything overnight, however, you can begin to direct your life where you would like it to go.
For example, if you have always wanted to be an actress or actor, but have financial responsibilities which require you to work a “real job,” you could satisfy your need to act by joining a local theater group. Many a community theater performer works happily at a nine to five job Monday through Friday, knowing they have an outlet for their creative selves on the weekend.
If most of your time is being taken up in the role of wife and mother, you could begin to set aside time for yourself. Time to pursue your other dreams. You could arrange for your spouse or another person to care for your children while you take care of your own needs.
Taking care of yourself is not selfish. The Bible say we should love our neighbor as ourselves. It does not say instead of or more than. Begin to set aside time doing some of the things you want.
If you are in a job you strongly dislike, start devising a plan which will allow you to make a change. Perhaps you need to go for re-training in another profession. I know of several nurses who, when they realized they were spending more time filling out paperwork than caring for patients, began new careers as massage therapists. There, they were able to have the satisfaction of working directly with the people they wanted to help.
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March 19th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
Have you ever noticed that there is no shortage of people willing to give you advice, whether or not you asked for it? I’ve developed some simple rules about from whom I will accept advice and suggestions.
I do not ask for heath advice from people who are sick, I do not ask for financial advice from people who are broke and I do not ask for business advice from people who are not in their own business.
Over the years I’ve watched hundreds of people go into a business venture and excitedly tell their family and friends about their new enterprise. Big mistake! How many of your friends and relatives own their own business? Probably few or none.
While they may be well intentioned and have your best interests at heart, their lack of knowledge and their own fears can sabotage your new venture.
If you want advice or input about a business, find someone who is successfully running their own business and ask them. Ask several people so you can obtain an objective view. When your choosing mentors or role models, be sure to seek out those people who have been there. Chose people who have “walked the walk” and have succeeded in doing what you want to do.
This applies as much to health, finance, education, relationships and pretty much any area of your life. If you want to be fit and healthy, do not seek advice from someone who is overweight, a smoker, and sick all the time.
Find a fit and healthy person and model them. I know this sounds overly simple and obvious, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people are listening to and even following the advice of people who do not know what they are talking about.
They are sadly listening to the person who is stuck in a dead-end job telling them why a business idea will not work.
They are listening to an overweight, sick person who is telling them that taking vitamins is a waste of money and they are listening to the person who is living paycheck to paycheck telling them how to become wealthy.
To ensure your success, make sure your role models are demonstrating in their own lives, the qualities you seek to develop.
If you want to learn the exact process that I used to change my life and create the life I now enjoy, take a look
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February 25th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
It has been said that a person will not reach their full potential unless coached. While this may or may not be entirely true, it does hit on a key benefit to coaching, especially for small and solo business owners.
Typically, a small business owner, particularly a solo practitioner, works in a vacuum. They rarely have someone to share ideas with, much less talk about their fears or concerns. Aside from the few who belong to a mastermind group, most have no objective help to expand their ideas or as a way to gain a different perceptive on their business.
Small business people who are not working with someone in the capacity of a coach are missing out on one of their greatest opportunities for growth. Those savvy people who do engage the services of a coach who specializes in working with small businesses have a distinctive advantage over their competition.
Choosing Your Coach
With some many people entering the field choosing your ideal coach can be a daunting task. The single most important characteristic, in my opinion, is that you and the coach have rapport first as people, then as client and coach. I don’t care how many certifications someone has, if you don’t feel good about working with them, it will never work.
Next, I would suggest that if it’s your business that you want help with you choose a coach who specializes in working with small businesses.
I was once hired to coach a high-level sales executive and when I asked why he chose me out of the several people he interviewed; his reply was “because you’re the only one who actually has had sales experience.”
Personally, I feel that a coach who has business experience will bring more value to the relationship then one who has not.
Conversely, I would not choose a business coach to help me with a fitness or a relationship challenge.
The field of personal coaching has evolved over the years from the “life” coaches who worked with a variety of clients, to more specialized ones who choose to work in a specific niche, typically chosen because of the coaches experience in that niche.
Over the years, coach training schools have focused their programs on niches and offer additional training, beyond the basics, in business, health, and relationship coaching.
A really top coach, however, will get involved in several areas of your business and life. If for example, all your time is spent at work and you’re neglecting your health and family relationships, your coach, hopefully, will work with you to bring that back into balance. There is little point in having a successful business if the rest of your life is falling apart.
It is my heart felt suggestion, based on a decade of coaching small business owners and two decades of being in my own business, that if you really want to reach your full potential, you need a coach who can help you step out of your comfort zone and grow your business or professional practice.
How coaching works
Typically, a coach works one-on-one with clients or in a small group setting. For the most part, coaching is conducted by telephone although some of us like in-person meetings when the situation lends itself and, with the advent of video conferencing services like Skype, it’s possible to combine the two.
Coaching relationships last an average of six months although many continue much longer. If the reason for the relationship is a specific task, like publishing a book for example, the relationship may only last until the project is completed.
What does it cost?
While coaching fees vary widely most coaches are open to creating a program that will fit the needs and budget of the client. If finances are what’s preventing someone from hiring a coach, exploring group programs may be the answer, however, the experience of group coaching, while valuable, is not the same as having your own coach. It’s less personal, your time is shared with others, and it lacks the confidentiality of individual sessions.
Group coaching programs are well suited if everyone in the group is working on a similar task or project. A group geared toward people starting their own business, for example, would be quite valuable since group members can share ideas and knowledge.
Whatever method best suits your present circumstances, hiring your own coach is one of the best investments you can make in the future success of your business and will go a long way toward your realizing your full potential.
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February 4th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
Last night, I had the pleasure of sharing my “Best Life Seminar” with the Huntingdon Valley Rotary group. As always, I had a great time, met some terrific people, had a nice meal (always a good thing) and got to share ideas with the group. Here’s what the group had to say:
“Tonight our guest speaker was Jim Donovan who lives in Upper Bucks County and is a best-selling author and inspiring motivational speaker.
Jim spoke about his recent book titled, “Don’t let an Old Person move into Your Body” which shares the recipe for living a long purpose filled life. Jim shared numerous real life people who started new careers while in their 80’s, 90’s and even at 106 years young.
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February 4th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
With the current economic challenges we’re all facing, too many small business owners are finding their business moving in the wrong direction.
In many cases, what were once growing, thriving businesses are now heading into a downward spiral of cutbacks, layoffs, and, in too many cases, bankruptcies. Owners are watching as their customers dwindle and revenues drop.
So, what can a small business owner who is trying to prosper in today’s climate do to turn things around?
While you may not be able to do much about the nation’s economy as a whole, there are proactive steps you can take, regardless of outside circumstances.
Following are three steps you can use to get started turning your business around and moving, once again, in the direction of growth and prosperity:
1. Change Your Focus
Beginning immediately, stop talking about anything that is not working. Stop defending and justifying why you’re not doing better. Stop blaming the economy or whatever else you deem to be the cause of your troubles. If something is not working, continuing to talk about it will cause you to start seeing more things going wrong and continue the downward spiral.
Ask only, “What’s working?” and continue asking every day. Make a list of what is working and have your team do the same, individually and as a group. Change the tone of your meetings. If you understand that you get more of whatever you focus upon, it’s obvious why you’ll want to do this.
2. Mine the Gold That’s Already in Your Business
Every business has “hidden” opportunities which can be mined, usually by either developing new markets for your products, creating new products, leveraging the relationships you’ve built, and joint venturing with colleagues, suppliers, customers and, yes, even competitors.
Ask yourself what new opportunities you could tap into if you expanded your e-commerce offerings and maximized the technology that’s available today. Does your Web site give visitors a compelling reason to subscribe to your mailing list? Are you utilizing email marketing and auto responders to their fullest? What about social media, social bookmarking, video, podcasting, blogging, and other “Web 2.0″ tools?
Your greatest opportunity for business growth, regardless of the economy, are the assets you already have in your business. From personnel, customers – past and present – relationships with colleagues and suppliers, and other “people” assets, to your investment in equipment and technology, the assets you’ve already built represent your greatest opportunity.
And the really good news is they will require the least in either time or money.
Of these “hidden” assets, your customers are the easiest and most obvious place to begin. Do you know who they are and why they do business with you?
This may seem like an obvious question, however, many businesses do not know who is buying from them or why. Once you’ve ascertained this, you’re in a position to explore how else you might serve them.
One of my favorite questions has always been, “is there anything else I can help you with?” This simple question can increase your business tenfold.
A friend of mine is a graphic designer and print broker. One day she asked her client this question to which the client replied, “Yes there is. Can you help us get some of those imprinted jackets with our logo on them?” She happily replied that she could and took the order. (hint: if you own a small business, the answer, within reason, is always, “Yes.” You can figure out later how to deliver.)
Don’t fall into the trap if thinking just because you’ve been around a while that people know everything you do. Often we “ass-u-me” that our customers know what we do.
Leverage
You can grow your business by leveraging your relationships with colleagues, suppliers, distributors and yes, even your competitors.
Several years ago I attended a demonstration at a local copier supplier. It was a huge success as a herd of people roamed throughout the building seeing live demos of the latest in office copiers.
While the local business hosted the event, their supplier provided the factory trained experts on hand to answer people’s questions.
Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Saks have regular “trunk shows” and make-up events to attract customers, again with the expertise provided by the manufacturers.
Faith Popcorn pointed out in her landmark book “The Popcorn Report” that people like entertainment while they shop.
What about your colleagues? Could a carpet or home cleaning company team up with a caterer and offer a holiday special?
Might a lawyer, accountant and banker put together a free event for their business customers? What could you do to leverage your business?
Do you have underused equipment sitting around? Many local newspapers whose presses are only used for a few hours a day, will take on outside printing jobs. Your typical weekly paper is most likely being printed on a daily newspaper’s presses.
Opportunities on the internet.
I’ve saved the best for last. If there is one area that is underutilized by small businesses, it’s your website. Ninety percent or more of local business websites that I’ve visited are nothing more than online brochures. I call them “Tombstones in Cyberspace.”
Contrast this against the sites used by internet marketers. Internet marketers, people whose business profits entirely or in part online, engage the customer with an array of techniques designed to keep them coming back, refer them to friends and leave them wanting more.
The typical offline business gets little if any internet traffic, mainly because their sites have not been setup properly or not even optimized for search engines.
What is even sadder is that if someone does manage to stubble upon their site, they have no way to connect with the visitor and develop an ongoing relationship.
Other than SEO, the easiest thing that you can do is set up some sort of “capture mechanism.” A simple subscription box connected to an auto responder will enable you to begin building a database of your customers and potential customers.
As my friend Vic Johnson, a highly successful Internet marketer who sells personal development information, said, “He who has the biggest list, wins! Or, as every online marketer knows, “the money is in the list.”
The really good part
Once you have put in place your strategy for developing your customer database, you can communicate with them at virtually no cost.
Compare this to the costs of direct mail, display advertising, radio, or TV and the advantages to email and other types of online communication are obvious.
A heating oil company, with a database of 600 prior customers, can blast an offer for a spring special to jump-start sales during their slow season, at practically no cost.
The restaurant owner who’s experiencing a slow Wednesday lunch business, can test offers for specials early that morning by sending to their database. Chances are, they’ll see an increase in business almost immediately. All at little or out of pocket expense.
If you can’t go into your business tomorrow morning at 7:30, create a special offer to jump start sales, and have it out to a list of several hundred or thousand customers by 9:00, you’re missing out on a great opportunity. Go here if you want to learn how you can grow your offline business with online strategies.
3. Develop Systems and Follow Through
Hire a business coach or appoint someone in your organization to be your team’s “accountability partner” to ensure your renewed vision is being carried out and that you are steadily moving in the right direction.
A business coach provides a fresh viewpoint and can often help by not being bogged down in the day-to-day running of the business. They are objective and not invested in the politics if your company. The best business coaches contribute knowledge acquired from a variety of situations in any number of industries and employs specific strategies to help you make quantum leaps beyond what you may have thought possible.
Regardless of the specific actions you take, it is important that you do something proactive. Don’t just sit there complaining about the economy with the rest of the crowd. Above all, don’t wait for it to turn around by itself or, worse yet, expect the government to fix it. You have within you the power to change your life and your business, so go and do it.
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A number of years ago, my friend John came to visit me in my home office. It had been a while since I had seen him so, of course, I asked how he had been. “Great!” he replied, “My income went up over 15% in the last six months.”
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