Jimmy Dimas Wahyu (JDW)

JDW: Weekly Market Update (13 - 17 Februari 2012)

2012-02-13T02:46:00.001+07:00

Brief Introduction

Pergerakan IHSG selama sepekan terakhir pada minggu kedua bulan Februari 2012 mengalami penurunan sebesar 103.56 point (2.58%) dan ditutup di level 3,912.39 dibandingkan penutupan minggu lalu pada level 4,015.95. Beberapa hal yang terjadi selama sepekan baik faktor internal maupun eksternal, yaitu:

Berikut adalah link pergerakan IHSG selama sepekan bila dibandingkan dengan sektor-sektor yang terdapat pada IHSG: (dalam bentuk gambar)

http://www.wmaindo.com/assets/upload/ihsg-vs-sektoral--5-days-.jpg

Hal-hal yang terjadi selama sepekan, yaitu:

Eksternal

· Data Jobless Claims AS turun 15,000 menjadi 358,000 sampai dengan 4 Februari 2012 berdasarkan Departemen Tenaga Kerja AS. (Positif)

· Defisit Perdagangan AS naik 3.7% menjadi $ 48.8 Billion pada bulan Desember yang merupakan kenaikan tertinggi selama 6 (enam) bulan terakhir berdasarkan laporan Departemen Perdagangan AS. (Negatif)

· Selama sepekan, terdapat beberapa laporan keuangan perusahaan di AS yang telah dipublikasikan diantaranya:

o Keuntungan Walt Disney pada Kuartal IV 2011 naik menjadi $ 1.46 Billion dibandingkan tahun lalu sebesar $ 1.3 Billion. (Positif)

o Kerugian Credit Suisse pada Kuartal IV 2011 naik menjadi $ 698 Million dibandingkan keuntungan tahun lalu sebesar $ 771 Million Billion. (Negatif)

· Bank of England mempertahankan suku bunga rendah pada level 0.5%. (Positif)

· Media melaporkan adanya kesepakatan antara pemimpin politik Yunani tentang rencana penyelamatan krisis hutang yang direkomendasikan oleh ECB dan IMF salah satunya pembayaran obligasi yang akan jatuh pada bulan Maret ini. (Positif)

· Indeks Harga Konsumen China naik 4.5% selama bulan Januari dibandingkan bulan lalu sebesar 4.1%. Sedangkan Indeks Harga Produsen naik 0.7% pada bulan Januari dibandingkan bulan lalu sebesar 1.7%. (Positif)

for complete analysis, click this link below

http://www.wmaindo.com/index.php?stock=jdw-weekly-market-update-13--17--februari-2012

JDW: Weekly Market Update (6 - 10 Februari 2012)

2012-02-13T00:03:00.000+07:00

Brief Introduction

PergerakanIHSG selama sepekan terakhir pada mingguterakhir bulan Januari 2012 mengalami kenaikansebesar 29.54 point (0.74%) danditutup di level 4,015.94dibandingkan penutupan minggu lalu pada level 3,986.41. Beberapa hal yang terjadi selama sepekan baik faktorinternal maupun eksternal, yaitu:

Berikutadalah link pergerakan IHSG selama sepekan bila dibandingkan dengansektor-sektor yang terdapat pada IHSG: (dalambentuk gambar)

http://www.wmaindo.com/assets/upload/ihsg-vs-sektoral--5-days-.jpg

Hal-hal yang terjadi selama sepekan,yaitu:

Eksternal

· Indeks Keyakinan Konsumen AS turun menjadi61.1 selama bulan Januari, berdasarkan laporan Conference Board. (Negatif)

· Data privatesectors payroll naik 170.000 selama bulan Januari dipimpin oleh sektor jasadan ukm berdasarkan laporan ADP. (Positif)

· Data joblessclaims turun menunjukkan adanya penurunan 12,000 menjadi 367,000 hingga 28Januari 2012 menurut Departemen Tenaga Kerja AS. (Positif)

· Perusahaan di AS telah mempekerjakan243,000 tenaga kerja bulan lalu dan merupakan perekrutan terbesar selama 9(sembilan) bulan terakhir. Hal ini menyebabkan pula adanya penurunan padatingkat pengangguran sebesar 8.3% berdasarkan laporan Departemen Tenaga KerjaAS. (Positif)

· Data FactoryOrders meningkat 1.1% selama bulan Desember berdasarkan laporan DepartemenPerdagangan. (Positif)

· TheInstitute of Supply Management menyatakan bahwa data ISMselama bulan Januari sebsar 56.8% yang merupakan kenaikan tertinggi sejak bulanFebruari 2011 dan 53.0% pada bulan Desember lalu. (Positif)

· Selama sepekan, terdapat beberapa laporankeuangan perusahaan di AS yang telah dipublikasikan diantaranya:

o Keuntungan Amazon pada Kuartal IV 2011 turun menjadi $ 177 Million dibandingkantahun lalu sebesar $ 416 Million. (Negatif)

· 25 dari 27 pemimpin Eropa menandatanganiperjanjian bersama untuk penggabungan fiskal dan hal tersebut sangatlah pentinguntuk tetap mempertahankan mata uang tunggal. (Positif)

for complete analysis, click this link below

http://www.wmaindo.com/index.php?stock=jdw-weekly-market-update-4--10-februari-2012

JDW: Weekly Market Update (30 Januari - 3 Februari 2012)

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000+07:00

Jimmy Dimas Wahyu (JDW)

Brief Introduction

Pergerakan IHSG selama sepekan terakhir pada minggu keempat bulan Januari 2012mengalami penurunan sebesar 0.11 point (0.00%) dan ditutup di level 3,986.41 dibandingkan penutupan minggu lalu pada level 3,986.51. Beberapa hal yang terjadi selama sepekan baik faktor internal maupun eksternal, yaitu:

Berikut adalah link pergerakan IHSG selama sepekan bila dibandingkan dengan sektor-sektor yang terdapat pada IHSG: (dalam bentuk gambar)

http://www.wmaindo.com/assets/upload/ihsg-vs-sektoral--5-days-.jpg

Hal-hal yang terjadi selama sepekan, yaitu:

Eksternal

International Monetary Fund (IMF) memproyeksikan penurunan pertumbuhan ekonomi dunia pada tahun 2012 sebesar 3.3% turun dibandingkan tahun 2011 sebesar 3.8%. (Negatif)terkait masalah ekonomi dunia dan Krisis Hutang Eropa yang diyakini masuk ke dalam babak baru.
Bank Sentral Amerika (The Fed) akan tetap mempertahankan kebijakannya terhadap suku bunga rendah hingga akhir 2014 dengan inflasi jangka panjang sebesar 2%
Pertumbuhan Ekonomi AS (GDP) pada Kuartal IV 2011 tumbuh sebesar 2.8% yang disebabkan kenaikan consumer spending dan business inventories namun lebih rendah dari ekspektasi 3.0%. (Positif)
Data Leading Economic Indicators naik 0.4% pada bulan Desember berdasarkan laporanThe conference Board
Selama sepekan, terdapat beberapa laporan keuangan perusahaan di AS yang telah dipublikasikan diantaranya:
- Keuntungan Boeing pada Kuartal IV 2011 naik menjadi $1.39 Billion dibandingkan tahun lalu sebesar $1.16 Billion. (Positif)
- Keuntungan Yahoo pada Kuartal IV 2011 turun menjadi $ 296 Million dibandingkan tahun lalu sebesar $312 Million. (Negatif)
- Keuntungan Apple pada Kuartal IV 2011 naik menjadi $ 13.1 Billion dibandingkan tahun lalu sebesar $6 Billion. (Positif)
- Keuntungan 3M pada Kuartal IV 2011 naik menjadi $ 954 Million dibandingkan tahun lalu sebesar $ 928 Million. (Positif)
Uni Eropa sepakat untuk melakukan embargo atas ekspor minyak Iran, selain sanksi finansial dan perdagangan atas pengembangan nuklir Iran.
Fitch melakukan downgrade terhadap negara di Kawasan Eropa yaitu Italia dari A+ menjadi A-, Spanyol dari AA- menjadi A, Belgia dari AA+ menjadi AA, Slovenia dari AA- menjadi A, Siprus dari BBB menjadi BBB- dengan outlook negatif. (Negatif)
Jepang mengalami defisit perdagangan untuk pertama kalinya sejak 1980 berdasarkan laporan Menteri Keuangan sebesar 205.1 Billion Yen ($ 2.63 Billion) pada bulan Desember.(Negatif)

for complete analysis, click this link below

http://www.wmaindo.com/index.php?stock=jdw-weekly-market-update-30-januari--3-februari-2012

Disclaimer ON

Jimmy Dimas Wahyu (JDW)

Wealth Motivator dan Pengamat Pasar Modal

Email : jimmy.dimas@wmaindo.com

Web : www.wmaindo.com

Follow my twitter @jimmydimaswahyu

JDW: Weekly Market Update 4th Week Of January (23 - 27 January 2012)

2012-01-25T03:11:00.004+07:00

Brief Introduction

PergerakanIHSG selama sepekan terakhir pada mingguketiga bulan Januari 2012 mengalami kenaikansebesar 51.19 point (1.30%) danditutup di level 3,986.51dibandingkan penutupan minggu lalu pada level 3,935.32. Beberapa hal yang terjadi selama sepekan baik faktorinternal maupun eksternal, yaitu:

Berikutadalah pergerakan IHSG selama sepekan bila dibandingkan dengan sektor-sektoryang terdapat pada IHSG: (dalam bentukgambar)

Hal-hal yang terjadi selama sepekan,yaitu:

Eksternal

· Data HomeBuilders dari The NationalAssociation of Home Builders/Wells Fargo naik ke level tertinggi selama 4.5tahun terakhir sejak Juni 2007 dan merupakan kenaikan keempat kalinya secaraberturut-turut. Data tersebut naik 4 point menjadi 25 lebih baik dariperkiraan. (Positif)

· Data JoblessClaims selama dua minggu terakhir turun 50,000 menjadi 352.000, levelterendah sejak April 2008 menurut Departemen Tenaga Kerja AS. (Positif)

· Data ExistingHome Sales selama bulan Desember naik 5% menjadi $4.61 Million berdasarkandata The Natinal Association of Realtors.(Positif)

· Selama sepekan, terdapat beberapa laporankeuangan perusahaan di AS yang telah dipublikasikan diantaranya:

o Keuntungan Goldman Sachs pada Kuartal IV2011 turun menjadi $1.01 Billiondibandingkan tahun lalu sebesar $2.39 Billion. (Negatif)

o Keuntungan Citigroup Inc. pada Kuartal IV2011 turun menjadi $1.17 Billiondibandingkan tahun lalu sebesar $1.3 Billion. (Negatif)

o Kerugian Morgan Stanley pada Kuartal IV2011 naik menjadi $227 Milliondibandingkan keuntungan tahun lalu sebesar $871 Million. (Negatif)

o Keuntungan Ebay Inc. pada Kuartal IV 2011 naik menjadi $1.98 Billion dibandingkantahun lalu sebesar $559 Million. (Positif)

o Keuntungan Google pada Kuartal IV 2011 naik menjadi $2.71 Billion dibandingkantahun lalu sebesar $2.54 Billion. (Positif)

o Keuntungan Intel Corp. pada Kuartal IV 2011naik menjadi $3.4 Billiondibandingkan tahun lalu sebesar $3.2 Billion. (Positif)

o Keuntungan IBM pada Kuartal IV 2011 naik menjadi $5.49 Billion dibandingkantahun lalu sebesar $5.26 Billion. (Positif)

o Keuntungan General Electric (GE) padaKuartal IV 2011 turun menjadi $3.8Billion dibandingkan tahun lalu sebesar $4.8 Billion. (Negatif)

· Pertumbuhan Ekonomi China (atau GDP) pada Kuartal IV 2011 naikmenjadi 8.9% dan melebihi ekspektasi. (Positif)

for complete analysis, click this link below

JDW: Weekly Market Update 4th Week Of January (23 - 27 January 2012)

Disclaimer ON

Jimmy Dimas Wahyu (JDW)

Wealth Motivator dan Pengamat Pasar Modal

Email : jimmy.dimas@wmaindo.com

Web : www.wmaindo.com

Follow my twitter @jimmydimaswahyu

JDW: Weekly Market Update 3rd Week of January (16 - 20 January 2012)

2012-01-16T02:26:00.004+07:00

Jimmy Dimas Wahyu (JDW)

Brief Introduction

Pergerakan IHSG selama sepekan terakhir pada minggu kedua bulan Januari 2012 mengalamikenaikan sebesar 65.91 point (1.70%) dan ditutup di level 3,935.32 dibandingkan penutupan minggu lalu pada level 3,869.41. Beberapa hal yang terjadi selama sepekan baik faktor internal maupun eksternal, yaitu:

Berikut adalah pergerakan IHSG selama sepekan bila dibandingkan dengan sektor-sektor yang terdapat pada IHSG: (dalam bentuk gambar diatas)

Hal-hal yang terjadi selama sepekan, yaitu:

Eksternal

The Federal Reserve telah melakukan pemindahan dana (transfer) sebesar $76.9 Billionselama tahun 2011 kepada UA Treasury lebih sedikit dibandingkan $79.3 Billion selama tahun 2010. Hal ini sebagai bentuk bagian dari quantitative easing program The Fed yaitu kebijakan moneter yang didesain tidak secara konvensional dengan tujuan menurunkan tingkat suku bunga jangka panjang dan meningkatkan pertumbuhan ekonomi dengan cara melakukan pembelian secara besar-besaran terhadap Treasury debt dan Mortgage securities.
Kredit Konsumen AS pada bulan November 2011 menunjukkan kenaikan sebesar $20.4 Billionyang merupakan kenaikan tertinggi sejak November 2001 berdasarkan laporan Federal Reserve.
Departemen Treasury AS menjual $21 Billion pada surat hutang dengan periode 10 tahun pada tingkat suku bunga 1.90% yang merupakan tingkat terendah yang pernah dilakukan selama pelelangan. (Positif)
Data penjualan ritel AS mengalami kenaikan 0.1% pada bulan Desember yang disetahunkan sebesar $400.6 Billions berdasarkan laporan Departemen Perdagangan AS. (Positif)
Laporan Keuangan JP Morgan Chase & Co pada kuartal keempat mengalami penurunan laba bersih menjadi $3.7 Billion atau 90 cents per saham dibandingkan periode yang sama tahun sebelumnya $4.8 Billion atau $1.12 per saham. Sedangkan pendapatan turun dari $26.72Billion menjadi $22.19 Billion, hal ini lebih buruk dibandingkan estimasi. (Negatif)
Indeks Sentimen Konsumen pada pembacaan awal bulan Januari 2012 menyentuh level 74 dari sebelumnya 69 pada bulan Desember 2011 berdasarkan laporan Universitas Michigan dan Thomson Reuters. (Positif)
European Central Bank (ECB) tetap mempertahankan kebijakan suku bunga rendah dengan mempertahankan suku bunganya pada level 1% sesuai yang diharapkan oleh pasar.(Positif)
Lembaga pemeringkat Standard & Poor’s melakukan downgrade terhadap beberapa negara di kawasan Eropa terkait Krisis Hutang yang ada di Eropa, yaitu Prancis dan Austria satu level menjadi AA+, Spanyol satu level menjadi A dan Italia satu level menjadi BBB+. Adapun Jerman tidak mengalami perubahan dan berada pada posisi AAA. Portugal dan Siprus mengalami pengurangan dua level ke dalam junk grade di level BB. (Negatif)
Data perdagangan internasional China mengalami surplus dan diatas ekspektasi dengan ekspor meningkat 13.4% dibandingkan tahun sebelumnya berdasarkan laporan Bea Cukai China. (Positif)

for complete analysis, click this link below

JDW: Weekly Market Update 3rd Week Of January (16 - 20 January 2012)

Disclaimer ON

Jimmy Dimas Wahyu (JDW)

Wealth Motivator dan Pengamat Pasar Modal

Email jimmy.dimas@wmaindo.com

Follow my twitter @jimmydimaswahyu

JDW: Weekly Market Update 2nd Week Of January (9 - 13 January 2012)

2012-01-08T23:32:00.000+07:00

Jimmy Dimas Wahyu (JDW)

Brief Introduction

PergerakanIHSG selama sepekan terakhir pada minggupertama bulan Januari 2012 mengalami kenaikansebesar 47.42 point (1.24%) danditutup di level 3,869.41dibandingkan penutupan minggu lalu pada level 3,821.99. Beberapa hal yang terjadi selama sepekan baik faktorinternal maupun eksternal, yaitu:

Eksternal

TheInstitute of Supply Management (ISM) mengeluarkanlaporan bahwa indeks service naik pada bulan Desember menjadi 52.6% dari bulanNovember 52.0%. (Positif)
TheInstitute of Supply Management (ISM) mengeluarkanlaporan bahwa indeks manufaktur naik pada bulan Desember menjadi 53.9% daribulan November 52.7%. (Positif)
Jumlah penduduk Amerika yang melayangkanpermintaan untuk jobless benefitsturun 15,000 menjadi 372,000 dari 2 (dua) minggu sebelumnya 381,000 berdasarkanlaporan Departemen Tenaga Kerja AS. (Positif)
Tingkat pengangguran AS turun menjadi 8.5%selama bulan Desember dan menyamai kondisi serupa pada tahun 2009 lalu berdasarkanBiro Statistik Tenaga Kerja. (Positif)

for complete analysis, click this link below

JDW: Weekly Market Update 2nd Week Of January (9 - 13 January 2012)

Disclaimer ON

Jimmy Dimas Wahyu (JDW)

Wealth Motivator dan Pengamat Pasar Modal

Email : jimmy.dimas@wmaindo.com

Web : www.wmaindo.com

Follow my twitter @jimmydimaswahyu

JDW: Weekly Market Update 1st Week of January (2 - 6 January 2012)

2012-01-02T13:44:00.000+07:00

Brief Introduction

Pergerakan IHSG selama sepekan terakhir pada minggu kelima bulan Desember 2011mengalami kenaikan sebesar 24.84 point (0.65%) dan ditutup di level 3,821.99 dibandingkan penutupan minggu lalu pada level 3,797.15.

Beberapa hal yang terjadi selama sepekan baik faktor internal maupun eksternal, yaitu:

Eksternal

US Home Price turun 1.2% pada bulan Oktober dan merupakan penurunan 3.4% selama 12 bulan terakhir dan 32.1% dari level tertingginya pada tahun 2006 berdasarkan laporan S&P/Case-Shiller. (Negatif)
Indeks Kepercayaan Konsumen AS naik menjadi 65.4 pada bulan Desember yang merupakan level tertinggi selama 8 bulan terakhir dibandingkan bulan November lalu sebesar 55.2 berdasarkan laporan The Conference Board. (Positif)
Data mingguan jobless claims naik 15,000 menjadi 381,000 (dari estimasi para ekonom 374.000) berdasarkan laporan Departemen Tenaga Kerja AS. (Negatif)
Pending home sales naik 7.3% pada bulan November yang merupakan kenaikan tertinggi selama 19 bulan terakhir berdaasarkan laporan The National Association of Realtors.(Positif)

Internal

Menurut Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS), pertumbuhan ekonomi Indonesia atau produk domestik bruto (PDB) atau biasa dikenal pula dengan Gross Domestic Product (GDP) pada Triwulan III 2011 menunjukkan pertumbuhan sebesar 6.5% (year on year) (Positif)
Inflasi Indonesia bulan Desember 0.57% . Inflasi ini dipicu oleh kenaikan harga yang ditunjukkan oleh naiknya seluruh indeks kelompok pengeluaran, misalnya bahan makanan 1.62%, kelompok makanan jadi, minuman, rokok, dan tembakau 0.50%, dan lain-lain. Dengan demikian, inflasi Indonesia sejak Januari sampai dengan Desember 2011 sebesar 3.79% sedangkan laju inflasi year on year (Desember 2010-Desember 2011) sebesar 3.79%(Positif)
Cadangan Devisa Indonesia pada bulan November 2011 menunjukkan penurunan menjadi $ 111.316 Miliar dari sebelumnya $ 113,962.00 Miliar pada bulan Oktober lalu (Negatif)
Indeks Keyakinan Konsumen (IKK) Indonesia selama bulan November turun 1.9 poin yang dilakukan oleh Bank Indonesia (BI) sebesar 114.3 dari sebelumnya bulan Oktober 112.4 yang menandakan optimisme konsumen Indonesia (Negatif)
Indeks Keyakinan Konsumen (IKK) Indonesia selama bulan November turun 2.1 poin yang dilakukan oleh Roy Morgan bersama Kantor Dagang Indonesia (KADIN) sebesar 145.2 dari sebelumnya bulan Oktober 147.03 yang menandakan optimisme konsumen Indonesia(Negatif)
Bank Indonesia (BI) mempertahankan suku bunga acuan menjadi 6% pada bulan Desember yang (Positif)
Kepemilikan Asing dalam Surat Berharga Negara (SBN) per 28 Desember 2011 naik menjadi $ 222.85 Miliar dari sebelumnya $ 214.79 Miliar selama bulan November (Positif)

Sektor yang mengalami kenaikan selama sepekan ini Perdagangan (Trade) 17.16 poin (3.04%) yang membukukan kenaikan terbesar, diikuti dengan:

Industri Dasar (Basic Industry) 8.26 (2.07%)
Properti (Property) 3.07 (1.36%)
Pertambangan (Mining) 28.32 poin (1.13%)
Manufaktur (Manufacture) 9.83 (1.00%)
Konsumen (Consumer) 8.98 (0.69%)
Aneka Industri (Miscelaneous) 7.70 poin (0.59%)
Infrastuktur (Infrastructure) 2.66 (0.38%)
LQ45 (Blue Chips) 2.12 (0.32%)
Pertanian (Agriculture) 3.10 poin (0.14%)

Sektor yang mengalami penurunan selama sepekan ini Keuangan (Finance) -4.40 poin (0.89%) yang membukukan penurunan terbesar

Pergerakan IHSG pada minggu pertama bulan Januari 2012 masih dalam mode trading dan mencoba bertahan diatas level 3,800 nya dengan target terdekat level 3,830 – 3,880. Adapun koreksi pada IHSG akan berada pada level 3,720 – 3,750.

Disclaimer ON

Jimmy Dimas Wahyu (JDW)

Wealth Motivator dan Pengamat Pasar Modal

Email : jimmy.dimas@wmaindo.com

Web : www.wmaindo.com

Follow my twitter @jimmydimaswahyu

2012-01-02T03:57:00.001+07:00

Leaders Are Made, Not Born
by Brian Tracy

The Key Leadership Abilities

Your ability to negotiate, communicate, influence, and persuade others to do things is absolutely indispensable to everything you accomplish in life. The most effective men and women in every area are those who can quite competently organize the cooperation and assistance of other people toward the accomplishment of important goals and objectives.

Everyone is Different

Of course, everyone you meet has different values, opinions, attitudes, beliefs, cultural values, work habits, goals, ambitions, and dreams. Because of this incredible diversity of human resources, it has never been more difficult and yet more necessary for diplomatic leaders to emerge and form these people into high-performing teams.

Do What Other Leaders Do

Fortunately, leaders are made, not born. You learn to become a leader by doing what other excellent leaders have done before you. You become proficient in your job or skill, and then you become proficient at understanding the motivations and behaviors of other people. As a leader, you combine your personal competencies with the competencies of a variety of others into a smoothly functioning team that can out-play and out-perform all its competitors. When you become a team leader, even if your team only consists of one other person, you must immediately develop a whole new set of leadership skills.

Focus On What's Right vs. Who's Right

Whenever you have problems, misunderstandings, or difficulties within the team, you reexamine your values, your goals, your activities, your assignments, and your responsibilities. You are more concerned with what’s right than with who’s right. Leaders are more concerned with winning than with not losing. High-Performing teams run by excellent leaders, are determined to perform in an excellent fashion. All members know that their ability to work together in harmony and cooperation is the key to the success of every one of them.

Aim at a Common Goal

The wonderful thing about becoming a leader in your work and personal life is that you can practice the skills of influencing and persuading others toward a common objective. You can promote the principles of excellent teamwork by establishing your values and goals, determining your activities, and then leading the action. And you can improve yourself by continually evaluating your performance against your standards.

Only Compare Yourself With Yourself

One of the marks of excellent people is that they never compare themselves with others. They only compare themselves with themselves and with their past accomplishments and future potential. You can become an even more excellent person by constantly setting higher and higher standards for yourself and then by doing everything possible to live up to those standards.

The more proficient you become at getting the results for which you were hired, the more opportunities you will have to get results through others. And your ability to put together a team and then to lead that team to high performance will enable you to accelerate your career and fulfill your goals faster than ever before.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to put these ideas into into action:

First, think about specific things you can do to work more effectively with the different people on your team.

Second, set high standards for yourself and for each person and then dedicate yourself to achieving those standards.

JDW: Weekly Market Update 5th Week of December (26 - 30 December 2011)

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000+07:00

Brief Introduction

Pergerakan IHSGselama sepekan terakhir pada minggukeempat bulan Desember mengalami kenaikansebesar 28.80 point (0.76%) danditutup di level 3,797.15dibandingkan penutupan minggu lalu pada level 3,768.35. Beberapa hal yang terjadi selama sepekan baik faktorinternal maupun eksternal, yaitu:

Eksternal

Data pembangunan rumah baru di AS pada bulanNovember menunjukkan kenaikan 9.3% menjadi 685.000 (yoy) yang merupakan kenaikan tertinggi sejak April 2010 berdasarkanDepartemen Perdagangan. (Positif)
Data JoblessClaims AS mingguan (per 17 Desember) menunjukkan penurunan 4,000 menjadi364.000 (yoy) yang menyentuh level terendah sejak April2008 berdasarkan Departemen Tenaga Kerja. Survei yang dilakukan para ekonommemberikan estimasi hingga 375.000. (Positif)
Data Sentimen Konsumen menunjukkan kenaikanhingga 69.9 pada bulan Desember dibandingkan 64.1 pada bulan Novemberberdasarkan Universitas Michigan dan Thomson Reuters. (Positif)
Data penjualan rumah baru di AS naik menjadi315.000 (yoy) pada bulan Novemberyang menunjukkan kenaikan tertinggi sejak bulan April berdasarkan DepartemenPerdagangan.

Internal

Menurut Badan Pusat Statistik (BPS), pertumbuhanekonomi Indonesia atau produk domestik bruto (PDB) atau biasa dikenal puladengan Gross Domestic Product (GDP)pada Triwulan III 2011 menunjukkan pertumbuhan sebesar 6.5% (year on year) (Positif)
Inflasi Indonesia bulan November 2011 sebesar 0.34%.Inflasi ini dipicu oleh kenaikan harga yang ditunjukkan oleh naiknya seluruhindeks kelompok pengeluaran, misalnya bahan makanan 0.59%, kelompok makananjadi, minuman, rokok, dan tembakau 0.20%, dan lain-lain. Dengan demikian,inflasi Indonesia sejak Januari sampai dengan November 2011 sebesar 3.20%sedangkan laju inflasi year on year(November 2010-November 2011) sebesar 4.15% (Positif)
Cadangan Devisa Indonesia pada bulan November2011 menunjukkan penurunan menjadi $ 111.316 Miliar dari sebelumnya $ 113,962.00Miliar pada bulan Oktober lalu (Negatif)
Indeks Keyakinan Konsumen (IKK) Indonesia selamabulan November turun 1.9 poin yang dilakukan oleh Bank Indonesia (BI) sebesar114.3 dari sebelumnya bulan Oktober 112.4 yang menandakan optimisme konsumenIndonesia (Negatif)
Indeks Keyakinan Konsumen (IKK) Indonesia selamabulan November turun 2.1 poin yang dilakukan oleh Roy Morgan bersama KantorDagang Indonesia (KADIN) sebesar 145.2 dari sebelumnya bulan Oktober 147.03yang menandakan optimisme konsumen Indonesia (Negatif)
Bank Indonesia (BI) mempertahankan suku bungaacuan menjadi 6% pada bulan Desember yang (Positif)
Kepemilikan Asing dalam Surat Berharga Negara(SBN) per 20 Desember 2011 naik menjadi $ 221.79 Miliar dari sebelumnya $ 214.79Miliar selama bulan November (Negatif)

Sektor yangmengalami kenaikan selama sepekanini Aneka Industri (Miscelaneous) 36.13poin (2.85%) yang membukukan kenaikan terbesar, diikuti dengan:

Konsumen (Consumer) 33.64 (2.64%)
Manufaktur (Manufacture) 21.05 (2.19%)
Pertanian (Agriculture) 28.04 poin (1.33%)
LQ45 (Blue Chips) 8.08 (1.22%)
Infrastuktur (Infrastructure) 7.43 (1.08%)
Industri Dasar (Basic Industry) 2.38 (0.60%)
Keuangan (Finance) 2.75 poin (0.56%)

Sektor yangmengalami penurunan selama sepekanini Properti (Property) -2.80 (1.22%)yang membukukan penurunan terbesar, diikuti dengan:

Perdagangan (Trade) -5.74 poin (1.01%)
Pertambangan (Mining) -17.18 poin (0.68%)

Pergerakan IHSG padaminggu kelima bulan Desember 2011 akan mencoba kembali menembus level 3,800 dan bertahan diatasnya dengantarget terdekat level 3,830 – 3,880.Adapun koreksi pada IHSG akan berada pada level3,720 – 3,750.

Disclaimer ON

Source: JDW: Weekly Market Update 5th Week of December (26 - 30 December 2011)

Jimmy Dimas Wahyu (JDW)

Pengamat Pasar Modal dan Wealth Motivator

PIN BB : 27.00.9F.2F

Email : jimmy.dimas@wmaindo.com

Follow my twitter @jimmydimaswahyu

Invest Young Retire Rich

2009-06-17T08:00:00.000+07:00

INVEST YOUNG RETIRE RICH

Tema diatas merupakan presentasi yang saya lakukan ketika menjadi salah satu pembicara dalam seminar yang diselenggarakan oleh Certified Wealth Managers’ Association (CWMA) dengan salah satu sekuritas terkemuka di Surabaya awal September tahun lalu.

Salah satu sesi dalam acara yang dihadiri oleh investor, bankers, pengusaha dan masyarakat yang haus informasi mengenai peluang dan keuntungan investasi di pasar modal Indonesia adalah sesi yang ditujukan khusus untuk mahasiswa.

Sebagai pengantar dalam sesi tersebut, saya menjelaskan kepada peserta bahwa kunci keberhasilan orang-orang terkaya di dunia seperti Bill Gates, Warren Buffet dan sebagainya terletak pada aplikasi mereka akan suatu formula matematika dasar yang sebesarnya sudah kita ketahui sejak kita masih duduk di bangku sekolah menengah. Untuk mengingat kembali, maka formula yang saya maksud adalah sebagai berikut:

PV = FV (1+i)^n

dimana:

FV adalah nilai uang di masa yang akan datang
PV adalah nilai uang saat ini
i adalah tingkat suku bunga
n adalah periode waktu yang (tahun)

Time Value of Money

Formula tersebut di dunia matematika sering disebut sebagai bunga majemuk. Sedangkan di dunia keuangan, kita lebih mengenalnya dengan sebutan Time Value of Money. Sebagai contoh, A melakukan investasi sejumlah satu juta rupiah dengan bunga 10% setiap tahunnya selama lima tahun. Sebaliknya, B melakukan investasi dengan jumlah dan bunga yang sama namun periode yang berbeda misalnya lima puluh tahun. Manakah yang lebih besar? Hal yang sama terjadi pula jika A menggunakan interest 10% sedangkan B menggunakan interest 20% dengan nominal dan periode yang sama. Manakah yang lebih besar? Hasil yang didapat pada ilustrasi pertama menunjukkan, maka nilai yang dicapai A pada ilustrasi pertama lima tahun mendatang sebesar Rp 1.610.510,- Sedangkan B mendapatkan hasil sebesar Rp 117.390.850,-. Jumlah yang fantastis bukan?

Dari ilustrasi diatas, maka dapat ditarik kesimpulan sebagai berikut, yaitu:

Semakin besar dana yang kita siapkan untuk investasi sekarang (PV) maka semakin besar pula hasil yang kita peroleh di masa yang akan datang (FV).

Semakin besar tingkat suku bunga (i) dalam suatu investasi maka hasil yang kita peroleh di masa yang akan datang juga semakin besar. Hal tersebut terbukti ketika Obligasi Ritel Indonesia (ORI) 003 diluncurkan Pemerintah mendapatkan sambutan yang hangat dari masyarakat. Karena bunga yang ditawarkan pada ORI 003 adalah sebesar 9.4% lebih tinggi dari bunga deposito yang berada pada kisaran 7-8%. Di sisi lain, peluncuran ORI003 menjadi bukti bahwa adanya pergeseran masyarakat tradisional yang banking minded menuju masyarakat modern yang semakin teredukasi dengan alternatif investasi yang memberikan suku bunga lebih tinggi.

Semakin panjang periode investasi kita, maka semakin besar pula hasil yang kita peroleh. Contoh yang paling mudah dalam menjelaskan periode investasi adalah Asuransi. Mengapa premi yang kita bayarkan ketika memutuskan membeli polis pada usia 20 tahun jauh lebih murah jika dibandingkan dengan membeli polis pada usia 40-50 tahun? Karena pada usia 20 tahun kita dianggap lebih produktif dibandingkan dengan usia 40-50 tahun. Belum termasuk faktor kesehatan yang biasanya menjadi perhatian penting ketika membeli suatu polis asuransi.

Formula diatas juga dapat dimodifikasi dengan menggunakan sistem pembayaran cicilan untuk menentukan instrument investasi apa yang dapat kita gunakan untuk memenuhi tujuan kita. Misalnya, X membutuhkan dana sebesar 200 juta rupiah lima tahun mendatang dan dana yang yang disiapkan setiap awal bulannya sebesar 1 juta rupiah. Dengan bantuan electronic financial calculator, maka dana 200 juta rupiah tersebut dapat dicapai 5 tahun mendatang dengan bunga 41.5%. Sehingga kita dapat menyarankan kepada klien kita untuk berinvestasi misalnya pada reksadana. Contoh lainnya, Y membutuhkan dana sebesar 100 juta rupiah lima tahun mendatang dengan dana yang dialokasikan setiap awal bulannya adalah 1.25 juta rupiah. Dengan menggunakan bantuan financial calculator sekali lagi kita dapat menentukan suku bunganya sebesar 10%. Sehingga, kita dapat menyarankan klien kita untuk berinvestasi pada obligasi atau reksadana pendapatan tetap.

Penggunaan formula tersebut dapat disesuaikan dengan kebutuhan kita mengenai dana yang ingin kita peroleh di suatu periode tertentu.

Peran orang tua terhadap pendidikan investasi bagi anak-anak sejak dini sangatlah penting. Sebuah riset di Amerika menunjukkan bahwa anak-anak diajarkan investasi sejak 22 tahun. Dan suatu pekerjaan besar bagaimana merubah pola pikir masyarakat konsumtif menjadi produktif. Namun tidak ada kata terlambat untuk melakukan investasi. Yang penting adalah memiliki keinginan yang sangat kuat untuk menyisihkan sebagian uang kita untuk melakukan investasi demi mencapai Invest Young Retire Rich. Act Now!!!

Jimmy Dimas Wahyu
Wealth Motivator

Eight Steps to Problem Solving

2009-01-26T08:00:00.000+07:00

There is a simple eight step method for systematic problem solving. By solving problems in an orderly way, you can dramatically increase the power of your thinking.

Proceed With A Positive Attitude

First, approach the problem with the expectant attitude that there is a logical practical solution just waiting to be found. Be relaxed, calm, confident and clear in your mind.

Second, change your language from negative to positive. Instead of the word "problem," use the word "situation." Problem is a negative word while situation is a neutral word. "We have an interesting situation", is better than, "We have a problem."

Define the Situation Clearly

The third step in systematic problem-solving is to define the situation clearly, in writing. "Exactly what is the situation?" Then ask, "What else is the situation?" Sometimes stating the problem in different words makes it much easier to solve.

Fully 50% of situations can be resolved by accurate definition.

Identify Causes and Solutions

Step number four is to, ask "What are all the possible causes of this situation?" Failure to identify the causes or reasons for the situation often causes you to have to solve it again and again. Fully 25% or more of situations can be effectively dealt with by discovering the correct causes.

Step number five is to ask, "What are all the possible solutions?" Write out as many solutions or answers to the situation as possible before moving on. The quantity of possible solutions usually determines the quality of the solution chosen.

Clear Decisions Are Key

Step number six is to "Make a clear decision." Usually any decision is better than none.

Step number seven is to "Assign clear responsibility for carrying out the decision and then set a deadline for completion and review.” Remember, a decision without a deadline is just a fruitless discussion.

Finally, step number eight is to follow-up, monitor the decision, compare actual results with expected results and then generate new solutions and new courses of action.

Action Exercises

Now, here are two ways you can apply this technique to think more creatively.

First, state the problem clearly, in writing, so that you know exactly what it is that you are trying to solve. Ask, “What else is the problem?”

Second, develop as many solutions as you possibly can, including doing nothing, before you make a decision. Quality of ideas is in direct proportion to the quantity that you generate.

Brian Tracy

Four Ways to Test Your Idea

2009-01-19T08:00:00.000+07:00

How to be sure that you have a great business idea before you put time and money into it.

There are four great ways for you to test any product or service idea before you start a business built upon it.

The Best Source of Advice

Number one, seek out people who are already in the same business and ask their opinions of the product or service. Many people have saved themselves an enormous amount of time and money by finding that people who are already in the business wish they weren't in the business and who wish they hadn't invested the time or money to get in the business in the first place. So go and talk to them. Ask them what they think about the business. Ask them if they would recommend that someone else get into the business. Don't be shy or secretive.

Ask for Feedback On Your Idea

Every so often, at seminars, I have people come up to me and ask me if I would give them some advice on their business, and I say, “Well, what is your idea?” And they won't tell me what their idea is because they're afraid somebody will steal their idea. The fact is that ideas are a dime a dozen. So be perfectly open. Tell people what you're thinking of doing. And get feedback from people who are already in the business. That alone has saved me hundreds of thousands of dollars. It may even have saved my financial life on a couple of occasions.

Ask Your Bank Manager for Advice

Number two is to ask your bank manager for his opinion or advice. A bank manager, who deals with commercial accounts, very often has a tremendously accurate sense for what kind of businesses will succeed and what kind won't. One 5-minute interview with my bank manager a few years ago saved me $200,000 dollars in an investment. He pointed out to me the weaknesses in the particular business I was looking at getting into, and I had no answer for him. So I didn't go into the business and the people who did lost everything that they put into it. Ask your bank manager. Your bank manager can be one of the very best sources of business advice.

Check With Family and Friends

Number three, ask your friends, ask your family, ask your acquaintances for information. Family members are very good targets for market research. Ask your family and friends if they would buy the product or service that you're thinking of offering. How much would they pay for it? Listen to their questions. Listen to their criticisms. Listen to their concerns. Because if you can't answer their questions and concerns in a logical and believable way, it could be that there's something wrong with your idea.

Talk to a Potential Customer

The fourth way to do market research is to visit prospective customers for the product or service and ask if they would buy it. If you're thinking of selling something to a company, go to the type of company that you would sell it to and ask if they would buy it if you produced it. If you're thinking of selling something through retail, go to the retailer and ask them if they would buy it or sell it. Ask the customer. Customers are very open and very candid and sometimes they'll give you insights that will be worth their weight in gold. If you're going to sell through a retailer, ask the retailer if he or she could sell the product if they were carrying it. Why or why not?

Action Exercises

Now, here are two things you can do immediately to test your ideas more thoroughly before you invest in them:

First, visit people who are in the same business and ask for their opinions. Call them on the telephone. A person already doing the business is the best source of advice in that business.

Second, ask your bank manager for advice. Lay out your business plan or idea to him or her and ask for his or her candid feedback. This could save you an enormous amount of time and money.

Brian Tracy

The Four P's of Persuasion

2009-01-12T10:15:00.001+07:00

Perception Is Everything

There are four “Ps” that will enhance your ability to persuade others in both your work and personal life. They are power, positioning, performance, and politeness. And they are all based on perception.

Develop Personal Power

The first “P” is power. The more power and influence that a person perceives that you have, whether real or not, the more likely it is that that person will be persuaded by you to do the things you want them to do. For example, if you appear to be a senior executive, or a wealthy person, people will be much more likely to help you and serve you than they would be if you were perceived to be a lower level employee.

Shape Their Thinking About You

The second “P” is positioning. This refers to the way that other people think about you and talk about you when you are not there. Your positioning in the mind and heart of other people largely determines how open they are to being influenced by you.

In everything you do involving other people, you are shaping and influencing their perceptions of you and your positioning in their minds. Think about how you could change the things you say and do so that people think about you in such a way that they are more open to your requests and to helping you achieve your goals.

Be Good At What You Do

The third “P” is performance. This refers to your level of competence and expertise in your area. A person who is highly respected for his or her ability to get results is far more persuasive and influential than a person who only does an average job.

Commit to Excellence

The perception that people have of your performance capabilities exerts an inordinate influence on how they think and feel about you. You should commit yourself to being the very best in your field. Sometimes, a reputation for being excellent at what you do can be so powerful that it alone can make you an extremely persuasive individual in all of your interactions with the people around you. They will accept your advice, be open to your influence and agree with your requests.

Treat People Politely

The fourth “P” of persuasion power is politeness. People do things for two reasons, because they want to and because they have to. When you treat people with kindness, courtesy and respect, you make them want to do things for you. They are motivated to go out of their way to help you solve your problems and accomplish your goals.

Being nice to other people satisfies one of the deepest of all subconscious needs, the need to feel important and respected. Whenever you convey this to another person in your conversation, your attitude and your treatment of that person, he or she will be wide open to being persuaded and influenced by you in almost anything you need.

Perception Is Reality

Again, perception is everything. The perception of an individual is his or her reality.People act on the basis of their perceptions of you. If you change their perceptions, you change the way they think and feel about you, and you change the things that they will do for you.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, think continually about the impression you want to make on others and then make sure that everything you do or say is consistent with that perception.

Second, be nice to people. Practice the Golden Rule in your interactions with others. Always be polite and make others feel important. The more people like you, the more open they are to being influenced by you.

Brian Tracy

Everyone is Important

2008-12-22T08:00:00.000+07:00

Everyone has critical skills and knowledge that are important to many other people in the company.

Use Better Titles for Each Person

Some years ago, when I started in business, the job of the receptionist was to answer the telephone and direct the callers to the appropriate people. Today, however, her job is far more complicated and, therefore, more important. Since she is the first contact that most customers have with our business, her personality and temperament are extremely important.

Think About Your Customers

The prospective client who telephones begins forming an impression of us the instant that the telephone is answered. Then, because our companies are doing so many things, she must tactfully ascertain exactly how the caller may be best served and who is the best person in the company to direct the telephone call to.

One Person Can Make the Difference

In many cases, there are requests for further information, and follow-up telephone calls go through our front-office manager. Her ability to handle these calls effectively, to direct calls to the right people, to take accurate messages, and to act as the core person in a network of communications makes her job so important that it is essential that she sit in on all staff meetings and be aware of everything that is going on.

Keep Yourself Informed

Your job in your company also requires that you know a lot about what is going on everywhere else, as well as being thoroughly conversant with what you do. And the fastest and most accurate way of keeping current with what is going on is to develop and maintain a network of contacts, an informal team of people within your workplace who keep you informed and who you keep informed in turn.

Encourage Participation and Involvement

The old methods of command and control now exist only at the old-line companies, many of which are fighting for their very survival. Today, men and women want a high degree of participation and involvement in their work. They want an opportunity to discuss and thoroughly understand what they are doing and why they are doing it. People are no longer satisfied to be cogs in a big machine. They want to have an integral role in achieving goals that they participated in setting in the first place.

Build a Top Team

Being a team player is no longer something that is optional. Today, it is mandatory. If you want to achieve anything of consequence, you will need the help and cooperation of lots of people. Your main objective is to structure everything you do in such a way that, because you are constantly cooperating and working well with others, they are continually open to helping you achieve your goals.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, recognize that every person in the company is essential to the smooth functioning of the organization. Take time regularly to discuss their jobs with them and understand what they do.

Second, identify the things that you do that can really affect the work of others. Then, look for ways to do your job so that you help others in every way possible.

Brian Tracy

Think Like a Millionaire

2008-12-09T08:00:00.000+07:00

Attitude is Everything

The most important attitude for financial success is long-term thinking. Successful people think a long way into the future and they adjust their daily behaviors to assure they achieve their long-term goals. In a longitudinal study done at Harvard University in the 50s and 60s, they studied the reasons for upward socio-economic mobility. They were looking for factors that would predict whether or not an individual or family was going to move upward and be wealthier in the future than in the present.

They studied factors like education, intelligence, being born into the right family, or having the right connections. In every case, they found individuals who had been born with every blessing in life who did poorly. They also found individuals who had been born or come to this country with no advantages at all who had been extremely successful. What was the distinguishing factor?

They finally determined that there was only one key attitude that mattered. They called it "Time Perspective." Time perspective refers to the amount of time that you take into consideration when planning your day to day activities and when making important decisions in your life.

Time Perspective

People with long-time perspective invariably move up economically in the course of their lifetimes. When you spend weeks, months and years developing your skills and ability and expanding your experience in order to be successful, you have long-time perspective. The average professional person has a time perspective of 10, 15 and 20 years.

Begin to see that everything that you are doing today is part of a long-time continuum, at the end of which you are going to be financially independent or financially unfortunate. People with short-time perspective think only about fun and pleasure in the short term. They have what economists call "The inability to delay gratification." They have an irresistible tendency to spend every single penny they earn and everything that they can borrow.

When you develop long-time perspective, you develop the discipline to delay gratification and to save your money rather than spending it. The combination of long-time perspective and delayed gratification puts you onto the high road to financial independence.

Action Exercises

Now, here are two things you can do to develop the attitudes of financially successful people:

First, think long-term about your financial life. Decide exactly how much you want to be worth five years, ten years and twenty years from today. Write it down. Make a plan. Take action on your plan every single day.

Second, develop the ability to delay gratification. Instead of buying something on impulse, put off buying decisions for a day, a week or even a month. Decide in advance to "think it over" before you buy anything. This can change the way you spend money almost immediately.

Brian Tracy

Five Ways to Become Wealthy

2008-11-29T08:00:00.000+07:00

The Five Roads to Financial Success in America and How to Choose Your Own

There are basically five ways that you can become wealthy starting with nothing in America based on over 25 years of research into American millionaires. Number one, you can inherit it. Less than 10 percent of wealthy Americans inherited any of their money, and it's less and less every single year.

The Second Way

The second way that you can become wealthy is you can achieve it professionally. You can become a doctor or a lawyer or an architect or an accountant. You can become extremely good at what you do, be paid very well, and hold on to the money.

The Third Way

The third way you can achieve it is you can become a senior executive of a large corporation. You can be highly paid; you can have stock options and bonuses. And if you stay with the company long enough, for enough years, you can be paid enough to become wealthy.

The Fourth Way

You can win it. But only a tiny fraction of one percent of wealthy Americans got that way by winning their money some way or another. As a matter of fact, the odds against you winning the lottery are the equivalent of lightning striking twice in the same place. They're millions and millions to one.

The Best Way

The fifth way that you can become wealthy is you can start your own business and earn it all by yourself. Starting your own business has been and will always be the high road to becoming wealthy for most self-made millionaires. Entrepreneurship in America offers more opportunities and opens more doors than all other possibilities put together. This is why it has been said that if you have the ability to start your own business and you don't do it, you are a fool. I'll repeat that. If you have the ability to start your own business and you don't do it, you're a fool.

Where do you start?

You start by getting your finances under control. The very first thing you do is you make a decision to get your finances under control. Some years ago, a man named George Classon wrote a book called The Richest Man In Babylon. It's a classic on financial success and what Classon said in that book was that the key to becoming wealthy is to pay yourself first. Take ten percent off your earnings, off your gross income every month and put it aside. Learn to live on ninety percent or less of your gross income. So the very first thing that you do is you begin to save your money.

Action Exercises

Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put yourself onto the high road to personal wealth:

First, resolve today to begin saving your money a little bit at a time. Set a goal to save 10% of your earnings, to put it away and to never touch it. This will change your life.

Second, immediately register your own business or sole proprietorship. Open a bank account, get business cards and letterhead and create the corporate entity under which you can do business. Your business opportunities will appear far sooner than you think. If you build it, they will come.

Brian Tracy

Three Skills to Improve Conversation

2008-11-22T08:00:00.000+07:00

One key to becoming a great conversationalist is to pause before replying. A short pause, of three to five seconds, is a very classy thing to do in a conversation. When you pause, you accomplish three goals simultaneously.

The Benefits of Pausing

First, you avoid running the risk of interrupting if the other person is just catching his or her breath before continuing.

Second, you show the other person that you are giving careful consideration to his or her words by not jumping in with your own comments at the earliest opportunity.

The third benefit of pausing is that you will actually hear the other person better. His or her words will soak into a deeper level of your mind and you will understand what he or she is saying with greater clarity. By pausing, you mark yourself as a brilliant conversationalist.

Ask Questions

Another way to become a great conversationalist is to question for clarification. Never assume that you understand what the person is saying or trying to say. Instead, ask, “How do you mean, exactly?”

This is the most powerful question I’ve ever learned for controlling a conversation. It is almost impossible not to answer. When you ask, “How do you mean?” the other person cannot stop himself or herself from answering more extensively. You can then follow up with other open-ended questions and keep the conversation rolling along.

Paraphrase the Speaker's Words

The third way to become a great conversationalist is to paraphrase the speaker’s words in your own words. After you’ve nodded and smiled, you can then say, “Let me see if I’ve got this right. What you’re saying is . . .”

Demonstrate Attentiveness

By paraphrasing the speaker’s words, you demonstrate in no uncertain terms that you are genuinely paying attention and making every effort to understand his or her thoughts or feelings. And the wonderful thing is, when you practice effective listening, other people will begin to find you fascinating. They will want to be around you. They will feel relaxed and happy in your presence.

Listening Builds Trust

The reason why listening is such a powerful tool in developing the art and skill of conversation is because listening builds trust. The more you listen to another person, the more he or she trusts you and believes in you.

Listening also builds self-esteem. When you listen attentively to another person, his or her self-esteem will naturally increase.

Listening Develops Discipline

Finally, listening builds self-discipline in the listener. Because your mind can process words at 500-600 words per minute, and we can only talk at about 150 words per minute, it takes a real effort to keep your attention focused on another person’s words. If you do not practice self-discipline in conversation, your mind will wander in a hundred different directions.

The more you work at paying close attention to what the other person is saying, the more self-disciplined you will become. In other words, by learning to listen well, you actually develop your own character and your own personality.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make a habit of pausing before replying in any conversation or discussion. You will be amazed at how powerful this technique really is.

Second, continually ask, “How do you mean?” in response to anything that is not perfectly clear. This gives you even more time to listen well.

Brian Tracy

You Deserve to Be Happy

2008-10-30T08:00:00.000+07:00

Achieving your own happiness is the best measure of how well you are living your life and enjoying your relationships. You can learn how to be happier and more fulfilled in everything you do.

Everyone is Different

Happiness in life is like a smorgasbord. If 100 people went to a smorgasbord and each put food on their plate in the quantity and mix that each felt would be most pleasing to him, every plate would be different. Even a husband and wife would go up to the smorgasbord and come back with plates that looked completely different. Happiness is the same way. Each person requires a particular combination of those ingredients to feel the very best about himself or herself.

Listen to Your Heart

And your mix is changing continually. If you went to the same smorgasbord every day for a year, you probably would come back with a different plateful of food each time. Each day-sometimes each hour-only you can tell what it takes to make you happy. Therefore, the only way to judge whether a job, a relationship, an investment, or any decision, is right for you is to get in touch with your feelings and listen to your heart.

Be True to Yourself

You're true to yourself only when you follow your inner light, when you listen to what Ralph Waldo Emerson called the "still, small voice within." You're being the very best person you can be only when you have the courage and the fortitude to allow your definition of happiness, whatever it may be, to be the guiding light of every part of your life.

There Are No Limits

A very important point on the subject of happiness is whether or not you feel that you "deserve" to be happy.

Accept the notion that you deserve all the happiness you can honestly attain through the application of your talents and abilities. The more you like and respect yourself, the more deserving you will feel of the good things in life. And the more deserving you feel, the more likely you will attain and hold on to the happiness you are working toward.

Make Happiness Your Key Measure

You should make happiness the organizing principle of your life. Compare every possible action and decision you make against your standard of happiness to see whether that action would make you happier or unhappier. Soon, you will discover that almost all of the problems in your life come from choices that you have made - or are currently making - that do not contribute to your happiness.

Pay the Price

Of course, there are countless times when you will have to do little things that don't make you happy along the way toward those larger things that make you very happy indeed. We call this paying the price of success in advance. You must pay your dues. Sometimes these interim steps don't make you happy directly, but the happiness you achieve from attaining your goal will be so great that it totally overwhelms the temporary inconveniences and dissatisfactions you have to endure in order to get there.

Action Exercises

Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, accept that you deserve all the joy and happiness you can possibly achieve through your own efforts.

Second, make your own happiness the chief organizing principle of your life and judge everything against that standard.

Third, be willing to work hard and pay the price for the satisfaction and rewards you desire. Always go the extra mile and your success will be assured.

Brian Tracy

Too Much to Do, Too Little Time

2008-10-20T08:00:00.001+07:00

The most common form of stress that we experience is the feeling of being overwhelmed with far too much to do and having too little time to do it in. In fact, "time poverty" is the biggest single problem facing most managers in America today. We simply do not have enough time to fulfill all our responsibilities. Because of budget limitations, staff cutbacks, downsizing, and competitive pressures, individual managers are forced to take on more and more work, all of which appears to be indispensable to the smooth functioning of our company or department.

Become an Expert

The solution to this problem of work overload is for you to become an expert on time management. There is probably no other skill that you can learn that will give you a "bigger bang for the buck" than to become extremely knowledgeable and experienced in using time management practices.

Be Open to New Ideas

The most foolish manager of all is either the manager who feels that he has no time to learn about time management or, even worse, the manager who, while being overwhelmed with work, feels that he already knows all that he needs to know about the subject.

Never Stop Learning

The fact is that you can study time management and take time management courses for your entire business life and you will still never learn everything you need to know to get the most out of yourself while doing your job in the most efficient way.

The Keys to Time Management

The two indispensable keys to time management are:
1) the ability to set priorities; and
2) the ability to concentrate single-mindedly on one thing at a time.
Since there is never enough time to do everything that needs to be done, you must be continually setting priorities on your activities. Perhaps the very best question that you can memorize and repeat, over and over, is, "what is the most valuable use of my time right now?"

The Best Question of All

This question, "what is the most valuable use of my time right now?" will do more to keep you on track, hour by hour, than any other single question in the list of time management strategies.

The natural tendency for all of us is to major in minors and to give in to the temptation to clear up small things first. After all, small things are easier and they are often more fun than the big, important things that represent the most valuable use of your time.

Start With Your Top Tasks

However, the self-discipline of organizing your work and focusing on your highest value tasks is the starting point of getting your time under control and lowering your stress levels.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to get your time under control.

First, make a decision today to become an expert on time management. Read the books, listen to the audio programs, and take a time management course. Then, practice, practice, practice every day until you master time management skills.

Second, set clear priorities on your work each day, before you begin. Then, discipline yourself to start on your most important task and stay at that until it is complete. This will relieve much of your stress immediately.

Brian Tracy

The Power of Personal Charisma

2008-10-10T19:00:00.002+07:00

Become An Irresistible Person

Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines charisma as "a personal magic of leadership arousing special popular loyalty or enthusiasm for a public figure."

Develop Personal Magnetism

Charisma is also that special quality of magnetism that each person has and that each person uses to a certain degree. You have a special charisma to the people who look up to you, who respect and admire you, the members of your family and your friends and coworkers. Whenever and wherever a person feels a positive emotion toward another, he imbues that person with charisma, or attractiveness.

Project Yourself Positively

In trying to explain charisma, some people speak of an "aura." This aura is a light that is invisible to most people, but not to everyone, and that radiates out from a person and affects the people around that person in a positive or negative way. The halo around the heads of saints and mystics in many religious paintings was the artist's attempt to depict the light that people reported seeing around the heads of these men and women when they were speaking or praying, or in an intense emotional state.

Control the Impression You Make

You also have an aura around you that most people cannot see but that is there, nevertheless. This aura affects the way people react and respond to you, either positively or negatively. There is a lot that you can do, and a lot of good reasons for you to do it, to control this aura and make it work in your best interests.

Sell Your Way to the Top

If you're in sales, this aura, reflecting your level of charisma, can have a major impact on the way your prospects and customers treat you and deal with you. Top salespeople seem to be far more successful than the average salespeople in getting along with their customers. They're always more welcome, more positively received and more trusted than the others. They sell more, and they sell more easily. They make a better living, and they build better lives. Salespeople with charisma get far more pleasure out of their work and suffer far less from stress and rejection. The charismatic salesperson is almost invariably a top performer in his field and enjoys all the rewards that go with superior sales.

Influence People Around You

If you're in business, developing greater charisma can help you tremendously in working with your staff, your suppliers, your bankers, your customers and everyone else upon whom you depend for your success. People seem naturally drawn to those who possess charisma.

They want to help them and support them. When you have charisma, people will open doors for you and bring you opportunities that otherwise would not have been available to you.

Enhance Your Personal Relationships

In your personal relationships, the quality of charisma can make your life more joyous, happier. People will naturally want to be around you. Members of your family and your friends will be far happier in your company, and you will have a greater influence on them, causing them to feel better about themselves and to do better at the important things in their lives.

Action Exercises

First, identify the people with whom you seem to have a lot of charisma - the people who know you, like you, respect you the most. How could you increase your charisma with these people?

Second, identify the people who have charisma to you, the people you most like and respect and admire. What is there about them that you could copy or emulate? If you think charisma, you'll have more of it.

Brian Tracy

Select Your Company Carefully

2008-08-30T08:00:00.000+07:00

Only the truly competent individual can be free of politics in an organization. When you're really good at what you do, you can rise above politics. It's the mediocrities at work who have to play games and every study shows that although they sometimes succeed in the short-term, they invariably fail when everyone figures them out.

Do What You Have To Do

Select your work carefully and if you don't love what you're doing enough to want to be the best at it, get out! Flee from the boring or unsatisfying job as you would from a burning building. Working at something you don't care about is the very best way to waste your life. Remember, this life is not a rehearsal for something else.

Look for Pay for Performance

One key to getting onto the fast-track is for you to work for the right company and the right boss. The right company is one that respects its people and practices pay for performance. The right company is dynamic, growing, open to new ideas, and full of opportunities for people with ambition and initiative.

How to Make Progress

A woman spoke to me at a seminar recently and reminded me that she had asked me a question at a seminar about two years ago. She had told me that she was very ambitious and hard-working but that she wasn't making any progress in the large company where she worked. She felt it was because most of the senior executives were men in their fifties and sixties and that women had a hard time getting into positions of responsibility. What could she do?

Change Jobs When Necessary

I told her quite frankly that there was nothing she could do. The senior executives and the company were not going to change. If she was really as capable as she said, I told her to find a job with a young, growing company that wouldn't care whether she was a woman as long as she could do the job.

A Success Story

She told me that she had followed my advice, quit her job, much to the disapproval of her co-workers, and found a job with a small growing company - and it was exactly as I had said. She had been promoted twice in the last 14 months and was already earning 40% more than her best year with her previous company.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to assure that you are in the right position.

First, make sure that you really enjoy your work and that you do it well. You will never be successful at a job that you don't like.

Second, be sure that there are lots of opportunities for you to grow, develop and advance in your company. Your future is too valuable to waste where there is no future.

Brian Tracy

Dealing With Overwhelm

2008-08-20T08:00:00.000+07:00

Too Much to Do, Too Little Time

The most common form of stress that managers experience is the feeling of being overwhelmed with far too much to do and having too little time to do it in. In fact, "time poverty" is the biggest single problem facing most managers in America today. We simply do not have enough time to fulfill all our responsibilities. Because of budget limitations, staff cutbacks, downsizing, and competitive pressures, individual managers are forced to take on more and more work, all of which appears to be indispensable to the smooth functioning of our company or department.

Become An Expert

The solution to this problem of work overload is for you to become an expert on time management. There is probably no other skill that you can learn that will give you a "bigger bang for the buck" than to become extremely knowledgeable and experienced in using time management practices.

Be Open to New Ideas

The most foolish manager of all is either the manager who feels that he has no time to learn about time management or, even worse, the manager who, while being overwhelmed with work, feels that he already knows all that he needs to know about the subject

Never Stop Learning

The fact is that you can study time management and take time management courses for your entire business life and you will still never learn everything you need to know to get the most out of yourself while doing your job in the most efficient way.

The Keys to Time Management

The two indispensable keys to time management are: 1) the ability to set priorities; and 2) the ability to concentrate single-mindedly on one thing at a time.

Since there is never enough time to do everything that needs to be done, you must be continually setting priorities on your activities. Perhaps the very best question that you can memorize and repeat, over and over, is, "what is the most valuable use of my time right now?"

The Best Question of All

This question, "what is the most valuable use of my time right now?" will do more to keep you on track, hour by hour, than any other single question in the list of time management strategies.

Start With Your Top Tasks

The natural tendency for all of us is to major in minors and to give in to the temptation to clear up small things first. After all, small things are easier and they are often more fun than the big, important things that represent the most valuable use of your time.

However, the self-discipline of organizing your work and focusing on your highest value tasks is the starting point of getting your time under control and lowering your stress levels.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to get your time under control.

First, make a decision today to become an expert on time management. Read the books, listen to the audio programs, and take a time management course. Then, practice, practice, practice every day until you master time management skills.

Second, set clear priorities on your work each day, before you begin. Then, discipline yourself to start on your most important task and stay at that until it is complete. This will relieve much of your stress immediately.

Brian Tracy

Starting Small

2008-08-10T08:00:00.000+07:00

How and why you can start your own business with little or no money by using sweat equity.

Everyone Starts Off Broke

I used to feel sorry for myself because I came from a limited background and I had no money. Then I found that nobody has any money. Everyone starts off broke. In fact, most successful people go broke or nearly broke several times during their lives. Don't let this hold you back.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Transformational leaders empower others by keeping them "in the know," by keeping them fully informed on everything that effects their jobs. People want and need to feel that they are "insiders," that they are aware of everything that is going on. There is nothing so demoralizing to a staff member than to be kept in the dark about their work and what is going on in the company.

But if you are willing to put in the time to learn, remember about 95 percent of the working population in America have the ability to start and build their own businesses if they would only do it. Multi-level marketing is an excellent second income opportunity where you can learn vital business skills at low cost. Especially selling, organizing, making presentations, accounting, team building, negotiating, persuading, and communicating. 85 percent of what you need to learn to be successful in business you can learn from running a successful multi-level marketing business.

Roll Up Your Sleeves

Remember this, though. Leaders are always willing to do what is called dog work. They're willing to render humble service. They're willing to roll up their sleeves and plunge in. They never think of themselves as being too good for a job. There are an enormous number of people who are presented with second income opportunities who turn them down because they think that they're too good to do something like that. But the people who are thinking that they are too good are the people who retire poor. You'll find that leaders of all organizations are always willing to roll up their sleeves and to get in there.

Action Exercises

Now, here are two things you can do to put these ideas into action immediately:

First, remember that buying and selling things is the essence of all business. Look for opportunities to buy and sell things on your own account. Visit garage sales or hold a garage sale of your own. Visit swap meets and negotiate with people with things for sale. Make it a game to learn these skills.

Second, start in a small business of some kind. Look for a second income or multi level marketing opportunity where you can buy and sell on a small scale. Many people become wealthy starting off with virtually nothing in this way.

Brian Tracy

The Law of Saving

2008-07-30T08:00:00.000+07:00

Financial freedom comes to the person who saves ten percent or more of his income throughout his lifetime.

One of the smartest things that you can ever do for yourself is to develop the habit of saving part of your salary, every single paycheck. Individuals, families and even societies are stable and prosperous to the degree to which they have high savings rates. Savings today are what guarantee the security and the possibilities of tomorrow.

Start With Yourself

The first corollary of the Law of Saving comes from the book The Richest Man in Babylon by George Classon. It is to "Pay yourself first."

Begin today to save ten percent of your earnings, off the top, and never touch it. This is your fund for long-term financial accumulation and you never use it for any other reason except to assure your financial future.

Develop New Habits Regarding Money

The remarkable thing is that when you pay yourself first, and force yourself to live on the other ninety percent, you will soon become accustomed to it. You are a creature of habit. When you regularly put away ten percent of your earnings, you soon become comfortable living on the other ninety percent. Many people start by saving ten percent of their income and then graduate to saving fifteen percent, twenty percent, and even more. And their financial lives change dramatically as a result. So will yours.

Take Every Advantage

The second corollary of the Law of Saving says, "Take advantage of tax deferred savings and investment plans." Because of high and even multiple tax rates, money that is saved or invested without being taxed accumulates at a rate of 30% to 40% faster than money that is subject to taxation. Self-made millionaires, according to Dr Thomas Stanley's book The Millionaire Next Door, are almost obsessive about accumulating their funds in assets such as real estate, self owned businesses and equities that increase in value without triggering tax liabilities.

Invest in company pension and retirement plans, 401(k) plans, IRA's, Keough Plans, Roth IRA's, Education Investment Accounts, stock option programs and whatever else has been approved by the IRS for long term financial accumulation. Make every dollar count!

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to apply this law immediately:

First, begin today to put away ten percent of your earnings. Set up a special account for this purpose and treat your contributions to this account with the same respect that you do your rent or mortgage payments each month.

Second, become a lifelong student of money. Read the best books, take courses and subscribe to the most helpful magazines. Know what you are doing so you can always make intelligent decisions when you invest your funds.

Brian Tracy

Increase Your Three Types of Energy

2008-07-20T08:00:00.000+07:00

Most successful people can be characterized as having very high levels of energy. Since energy is the fuel with which everything is achieved, there seems to be a direct relationship between energy levels and levels of accomplishment. It is hard to imagine a tired, burned-out person achieving much in life. On the other hand, energetic, positive, forward-moving individuals seem to get and enjoy far more of the things life has to offer than does the average person.

Physical Energy is Basic

We have been led to believe that there is basically one kind of energy. We supposedly replenish this energy by sleeping at night, and during the day, we use it up again. It is as though we are machines powered by batteries, and each night we recharge our batteries for seven or eight hours. However, there are some problems with this view of energy. The biggest problem is that it does not deal with the fact that there are actually three different kinds of energy, each of which is necessary for maximum performance.

The three main forms are physical energy, emotional energy, and mental energy. Each of these energies is different, but they are interrelated, and they depend on each other.

The Sweat of Your Brow

Physical energy is raw energy, coarse energy, bulk energy, what we call "meat-and-potatoes" energy. Your physical energy is what you use to do physical labor. It is the primary energy applied by men and women who earn their livings by the sweat of their brow.

The Source of Enthusiasm

The second form of energy is emotional energy. This is the energy of enthusiasm and excitement. This is the energy that lends sparkle to the life of an individual. This is the energy that is necessary for feeling love, happiness, and joy. Largely, it is your emotional energy that makes life enjoyable for you. In fact, almost everything you say and do is determined in some way by an emotion, either positive or negative.

The Requirement for Creativity

Mental energy is the energy of creativity, of problem solving and decision making. You use mental energy to make sales, write reports and proposals, plan your day and your week, and learn new subjects. Your level of mental energy is a major determinant of the quality of your life.

Conserve Your Best Energies

The reason why most people fail to realize their potential in life and work is because they burn up their energy at the emotional level, or the physical level; therefore, they have very little energy left over for mental activities. Most people burn up their emotional energy through the expression of negative emotions. Negative emotions are like a fire that burns up their energy so quickly that they have very little left with which to think positively and constructively. In fact, one five-minute uncontrolled outburst of anger can burn up as much energy as an average person would use in eight hours of work.

Your job is to think continually about how you can stay calm and positive, and work smoothly and efficient, so you can have more mental energy to do the things that are most important to you in life.

Action Exercises

Here are three things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, take time to identify the different ways that you either use up or deplete your levels of physical, emotional and mental energy. How could you improve in each area?

Second, be sure to get plenty of healthful, nutritious food so you can keep your physical energy at high levels. This is the key to all other energies.

Third, look for ways to conserve your emotional energies by being more relaxed and optimistic in the face of daily problems and disappointments.The more energy you have, the happier and more productive you will be

Brian Tracy

Seminar Invest Now Retire Rich

2008-07-14T18:55:00.002+07:00

Situasi dan Kondisi Perekonomian tahun 2008 diawali dengan krisis subprime mortgage di Amerika Serikat. Indonesia sebagai salah satu negara sedang berkembang, tempat para investor global menanamkan investasi nya juga terkena imbas krisis tersebut. Krisis yang diperkirakan menelan kerugian hampir mencapai US$ 1 Triliun masih belum dapat dipastikan kapan akan mereda dampaknya. Belum selesai krisis subprime mortgage di Amerika Serikat, dunia kembali dihantam oleh krisis minyak yang disebabkan tingginya permintaan dari China dan India (Cindia) yang menyebabkan harga minyak cenderung meningkat drastis dan didukung oleh aksi spekulan menyebabkan harga minyak menjadi terkendali.

Kenaikan harga minyak tersebut menyebabkan inflasi Indonesia pada tahun 2007 hanya sebesar 6.59%, pada Semester I 2008 inflasi telah mencapai kisaran 7-8%. Harga barang-barang menjadi meningkat terutama kebijakan Pemerintah mengatasi defisit APBN dan krisis minyak tersebut dengan menaikkan BBM pada tanggal 23 Mei 2008. Inflasi tahun 2008 diprediksi berkisar antara 11-13%. Selain krisis minyak, perekonomian global juga masih dihantui akan adanya krisis pangan.

Kondisi tersebut menyebabkan perekonomian dunia khususnya masyarakat Indonesia semakin tidak jelas bagaimana arah perekonomian Indonesia. Sebagai bentuk kontribusi kepada masyarakat, maka saya dengan kerendahan hati ingin mengundang rekan-rekan AMA dan rekan-rekan yang membutuhkan solusi dari masalah tersebut dalam suatu Seminar Motivasi dan Investasi (undangan terlampir).

Seminar "Invest Now Retire Rich"
Sabtu, 19 Juli 2008
Pukul 08.30 - 11.00 pagi
Gedung Balai Pertiwi Universitas Ma Chung
Villa Puncak Tidar N-01 Malang 65151

Seminar ini diberikan secara free untuk masyarakat khususnya kota Malang. Bagi rekan-rekan yang ingin mengikuti acara tersebut dan berinteraksi dengan saya secara langsung dapat melakukan reservasi di Ibu Titiek/Ibu Ita/Ibu Nina/Bapak Denny/Bapak Rudy di (0341) 550 171 Ext 1602.

Semoga informasi tersebut dapat membantu.
Atas perhatiannya, saya ucapkan terima kasih. Sukses selalu untuk kita semua.

INDONESIA !!! BISA !!!

Strategic Thinking

2008-07-10T08:00:00.001+07:00

The Quality of Thoughtfulness

The ability to think and plan strategically is perhaps the most important single skill of the effective executive. In a longitudinal study of leaders who, in retrospect, made the best and most effective decisions, the single quality that stood out from all others was the quality of "thoughtfulness."

Thoughtfulness may be defined as a careful concern for the secondary consequences of each decision and each action. This is the essence of strategic thinking.

Your Most Powerful Tool

The most powerful tool that you as an executive have to bring to bear on your work is your mind - your thinking ability. Everything you do that sharpens and hones your ability to think with greater clarity before acting, will benefit you and help you to move upward and onward more rapidly in your career.

Use a Two Pronged Approach

The best way to approach strategic thinking is two pronged. This means to work simultaneously on the personal and the corporate.

Increase Your "Return On Energy"

In personal terms, strategic planning is an exercise in increasing "return on energy." Your greatest single asset is your earning ability. And your earning ability is nothing more than the total of the mental, emotional and physical energies that you can apply toward getting valuable results for yourself and your company.

Anything that you can do to increase your return on energy invested will increase your overall levels of effectiveness and contribution in every area of your life, especially, and most importantly in your work.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to increase your return on equity and your return on energy.

First, think about everything that you are doing in terms of its financial return to your organization. What are the things that you do that yield the highest return on equity? Whatever they are, do more of them.

Second, think in personal terms about the things you do that give you the highest return on energy. Where do you contribute the greatest value and achieve the greatest satisfaction? Whatever they are, do more of these things.

Brian Tracy

Clarify Your Values

2008-06-20T08:00:00.001+07:00

Decide What You Stand For

What are your values? What do you stand for? What are the organizing principles of your life? What are your core beliefs? What virtues do you aspire to, and hold in high regard when you see them demonstrated by others? What will you not stand for? What would you sacrifice for, suffer for, and even die for? These are extremely important questions that are only asked by about three percent of the population, and that small minority tends to be the movers and shakers in every society.What are your values? What do you stand for? What are the organizing principles of your life? What are your core beliefs? What virtues do you aspire to, and hold in high regard when you see them demonstrated by others? What will you not stand for? What would you sacrifice for, suffer for, and even die for? These are extremely important questions that are only asked by about three percent of the population, and that small minority tends to be the movers and shakers in every society.

Write Out Your Key Values

When I first began this values clarification exercise some years ago, I wrote out a list of 163 qualities that I aspired to. I think I eventually came up with every virtue, value or positive descriptive adjective that referred to personality and character in the dictionary. And I agreed with all of them. I felt that they were all important and I wanted to incorporate every single one of them into my character.

Focus on Very Few Core Beliefs

But then reality sets in. I realized that it is very hard to learn even one new quality, or to change even one thing about myself, let alone dozens of things. So I scaled down my ambitions and began narrowing the values down to a small number that I could manage and work with. Once I had settled on about five core beliefs, I was then able to get to work on myself and start making some progress in character development.

Select Your Five Key Values

You should do the same. You should write down the five values that you feel are the most important for you to live by. Once you have those five values, you then organize them in order of priority. Which is the most important value in your hierarchy of values? Which would be second? Which would be third, and so on?

Learn to Make Better Decisions

Every choice or decision you make is based on your values. Whenever you decide between alternatives, you invariably choose the alternative that you value the most. Because you can only do one thing at a time, everything you do is a demonstration of what you consider to be the most important at that moment. Therefore, organizing your values in an order of priority is the starting point of personal strategic planning. It is only when you are clear about what you value, and in what order, that you are capable of planning and organizing the other activities of your life.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, clarify your core beliefs and your unifying principles. Write them down and compare your life today with the values that are really important to you. How are you doing?

Second, organize your values in order of their importance to you. Which of your values is most important? Which is second? And so on. Do your current choices reflect this order of values?

Brian Tracy

Becoming a Motivational Leader

2008-06-10T08:00:00.001+07:00

Create a Big Vision

To become a motivational leader, you start with motivating yourself. You motivate yourself with a big vision, and as you move progressively toward its realization, you motivate and enthuse others to work with you to fulfill that vision.

Set High Standards

You exhibit absolute honesty and integrity with everyone in everything you do. You are the kind of person others admire and respect and want to be like. You set a standard that others aspire to. You live in truth with yourself and others so that they feel confident giving you their support and their commitment.

Face Your Fears

You demonstrate courage in everything you do by facing doubts and uncertainties and moving forward regardless. You put up a good front even when you feel anxious about the outcome. You don't burden others with your fears and misgivings. You keep them to yourself. You constantly push yourself out of your comfort zone and in the direction of your goals. And no matter how bleak the situation might appear, you keep on keeping on with a smile.

Be Realistic About Your Situation

You are intensely realistic. You refuse to engage in mental games or self-delusion. You encourage others to be realistic and objective about their situations as well. You encourage them to realize and appreciate that there is a price to pay for everything they want. They have weaknesses that they will have to overcome, and they have standards that they will have to meet, if they want to survive and thrive in a competitive market.

Accept Responsibility

You accept complete responsibility for results. You refuse to make excuses or blame others or hold grudges against people who you feel may have wronged you. You say, "If it's to be, it's up to me." You repeat over and over the words, "I am responsible. I am responsible. I am responsible."

Take Vigorous Action

Finally, you take action. You know that all mental preparation and character building is merely a prelude to action. It's not what you say but what you do that counts. The mark of the true leader is that he or she leads the action. He or she is willing to go first. He or she sets the example and acts as the role model. He or she does what he or she expects others to do.

Strive For Excellence

You become a motivational leader by motivating yourself. And you motivate yourself by striving toward excellence, by committing yourself to becoming everything you are capable of becoming. You motivate yourself by throwing your whole heart into doing your job in an excellent fashion. You motivate yourself and others by continually looking for ways to help others to improve their lives and achieve their goals. You become a motivational leader by becoming the kind of person others want to get behind and support in every way.Your main job is to take complete control of your personal evolution and become a leader in every area of your life. You could ask for nothing more, and you should settle for nothing less.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, see yourself as an outstanding person, parent, coworker and leader in everything you do. Pattern your behavior after the very best people you know. Set high standards and refuse to compromise them.

Second, be clear about your goals and priorities and then take action continually forward. Develop a sense of urgency. Keep moving forward and you'll automatically keep yourself and others motivated.

Brian Tracy

Seminar Invest Now Retire Rich

2008-05-21T20:00:00.000+07:00

Seminar
"Invest Now Retire Rich"

Saturday, May 24th 2008 Pukul 16.00 WIB-selesai

Gedung Wanita Jl. Kalibokor Selatan Surabaya

Pembicara:
Jimmy Dimas Wahyu Indraseno, S.E., M.M., CWM, RFP-I

Wealth Motivator

Tiket:
Umum : Rp 50.000

Mahasiswa: Rp 25.000 (harap menunjukkan KTM)

Dapatkan Doorprize Menarik yaitu HP, Flash Disk, MP3 Player.

Contact Person:

1. Veronika (031) 7130 7376

2. Christian (081) 7033 11138

3. Stanis (031) 6014 3752

Opportunities Are Unlimited

2008-05-20T08:00:00.001+07:00

There have never been so many opportunities to start and build a successful business than there are today.

One Million Every Year

Ambitious individuals like you, with dreams and hopes, are starting new businesses today at a faster rate than ever before. Over one million new enterprises are being launched each year, and the rate is accelerating. The opportunities for finding or developing a new business idea are all around you, and with proper preparation, the possibilities for your success are enormous.

No Better Time Than Today

As many as 80 percent of all the products and services in common use today at home, in business and in organizations large and small, will be obsolete in five years. They'll be replaced by new and better products and services. The rapid development of new technology and the desire of people for new or better or cheaper products or services means that you can start your fortune easier today than at any other time in history.

Avoiding Failure, Assuring Success

However, we know that 80 to 90 percent of new businesses fail in the first three years due to a variety of factors. One of those factors is managerial incompetence. It is an inability to sell the product or an inability to control costs or both. Another major reason for failure is offering the wrong product at the wrong price to the wrong market at the wrong time, or a combination of these. In which case, even the best marketing efforts and cost controls won't help you.

Determine the Need

The first principle with regard to selecting any new product or service is to determine that it fills a genuine, existing need, that it solves a problem of some kind for the customer, or that it makes the life or work of the customer better in some way. You must be very clear about this.

Sell a Quality Product or Service

The second principle for success with a new product or service is that it must be of good quality at a fair price. And if it is in competition with other similar products or services, it must have what is called a unique selling proposition. It must have some beneficial feature or attraction that makes it different from and superior to its competitors.

Your Area of Uniqueness

We call this its area of uniqueness. And it is central to success in business. No product or service can succeed unless it is somehow unique and superior to any other product or service like it. There is seldom any real opportunity in what is called a "me too" product - one that is just the same as all the others. At the same time, the safest business strategy is to start off with an accepted product that you can improve. In other words, instead of trying to invent a whole new business or industry, start off with something that people are already doing, people are already buying and using, and find some way to improve it.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, determine exactly what is different and special about your product or service that will cause people to buy it in competition with similar products or services. Build your entire sales and marketing around this unique selling proposition.

Second, investigate before you invest. Be prepared to look at a variety of different business opportunities until you find one that really excites you before you make a decision to get started.
Brian Tracy

Your Belief Becomes Your Reality

2008-05-10T08:00:00.001+07:00

The Determinant of Your Success

Perhaps the most powerful single factor in your financial success is your beliefs about yourself and money. We call this the Law of Belief. It says simply this: Whatever you believe, with feeling, becomes your reality. Whatever you intensely believe becomes your reality. That we have a tendency to block out any information coming in to us that is inconsistent with our reality.
What Successful People Believe

What we've discovered is that successful people absolutely believe that they have the ability to succeed. And they will not entertain, think about, or talk about the possibilities that they'll fail. They do not even consider the possibility of failure.

Positive Thinking Versus Positive Knowing

You always act in a matter consistent with your beliefs. The most important belief system you can build is a prosperity consciousness where you absolutely believe that you are going achieve your financial goals. We call this positive knowing versus positive thinking. Positive thinking can sometimes be wishing or hoping. But positive knowing is when you absolutely know that no matter what, you will be successful.

The Foundation of Willpower

Another principle related to your beliefs is willpower. We know that willpower is essential to any success. Willpower is based on confidence. It's based on conviction. It's based on faith. It's based on your belief in your ability to triumph over all obstacles. And you can develop willpower by persistence, by working on your goals, by reading the biographies of successful people, by listening to audio programs, by reading books about people who've achieved success. The more information you take into your mind consistent with success, the more likely it is that you will develop the willpower to push you through the obstacles and difficulties you will experience.

Beat the Odds on Success

Remember that success is rare. Only one person in one hundred becomes wealthy in the course of a lifetime. Only five percent achieve financial independence. That means that the odds against you are 19-to-1. The only way that you're going to achieve your financial goals is if you get really serious. To succeed, you must get serious. You must get busy. You must get active. You must get going. Remember, everything counts.

Resolve to Achieve Greatly

Self-mastery, self-control, self-discipline are essential for anyone who wants to achieve greatly. And control over your thoughts is the hardest exercise in self-mastery that you will ever engage in. See if you can talk and think about only what you desire and not talk or think about anything that you don't want for 24 hours. Then you'll see what you're really made of. It's a hard thing to do but with practice, you can reach the point where you are thinking about your goals and desires most of the time. Then, your whole life will change for the better.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to build a belief system consistent with the financial success you desire:

First, continually repeat to yourself the words, pictures and thoughts consistent with your dreams and goals. Whatever you repeat often enough, over and over, becomes a new belief.

Second, set a goal for yourself to think and talk only about the things that you want for the next 24 hours. This will be one of the hardest things you ever do. But if you can keep your mind on what you want and off of what you don't want for 24 hours, you can begin to change your entire future.

Brian Tracy

The Foundation of Leadership

2008-04-29T19:00:00.000+07:00

The most important quality of leadership, the one quality for which you want to be known, is extraordinary performance, with the goal of achieving extraordinary results. These results then serve as an inspiration to others to perform at equally exceptional levels. People ascribe leadership to those men and women who they feel can most enable them to achieve important goals or objectives.

Why People Respect You

We develop great perceptions of those men and women we can count on to help us achieve what is important to us. Men and women who make great sales, or who establish admirable sales records, develop influence in the minds and hearts of their coworkers and superiors. They are spoken about in the most positive way.

The Halo Effect

Men and women who are responsible for companies or departments that achieve high levels of profitability also develop charisma. They develop what is called the "halo effect." They are perceived by others to be extraordinary men and women who are capable of great things. Their shortcomings are often overlooked, while their strong points are overemphasized. They become charismatic.

The Source of Charisma

Charisma actually comes from working on yourself. It comes from liking and accepting yourself unconditionally as you do and say the specific things that develop within you a powerful, charismatic personality.

Be Determined and Purposeful

When you set clear goals and become determined and purposeful, backing those goals with unshakable self-confidence, you develop charisma. When you are enthusiastic and excited about what you are doing, when you are totally committed to achieving something worthwhile, you radiate charisma. When you take the time to study and become an expert at what you do, and then prepare thoroughly for any opportunity to use your knowledge, skill or experience, the perception that others have of you goes straight up.

Accept Complete Responsibility

When you take complete responsibility and accept ownership, without making excuses or blaming others, you experience a sense of control that leads to the personal power that is the foundation of charisma. When you look like a winner in every respect, when you have the kind of external image that others admire, you build your charisma. When you develop your character by setting high standards and then disciplining yourself to live consistent with the highest principles you know, you become the kind of person who is admired and respected everywhere. You become the kind of person who radiates charisma to others.

Focus on Results

Finally, when you concentrate your energies on achieving the results that you have been hired to accomplish, the results that others expect of you, you develop the reputation for performance and achievement that inevitably leads to the perception of charisma.You can develop the kind of charisma that opens doors for you by going to work on yourself, consistently and persistently, and becoming the kind of person everyone can admire and look up to. That's what charisma is all about.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, ask yourself every day, "What is the one thing that I and only I can do, that if done well, will make a real difference to my company?" Whatever your answer, go to work on that.

Second, decide upon the most important results you can get for your company and make sure that you and everyone else is working on those results every hour of every day.

Brian Tracy

Neutralizing Your Two Major Fears

2008-04-29T18:45:00.000+07:00

The Greatest Obstacle to Success

The fear of failure is the single greatest obstacle to success in adult life. Taken to its extreme, we become totally pre-occupied with not making a mistake, with seeking approval for security above all other considerations. The experience of the fear of failure is in the words of "I can't", "I can't." We feel it in the front of the body, starting at the solar plexus and moving up to the rapid beating of the heart, rapid breathing and a tight throat. We also experience this fear in the bladder and in the irresistible need to run to the bathroom.

The Fear of Rejection Holds You Back

The second major fear that interferes with performance and inhibits expression, is the fear of rejection. We learn this when our parents make their love conditional upon our behavior. If we do what pleases them, they give us love and approval. If we do something they don't like, they withdraw their love and approval-which we interpret as rejection.

The Roots of Type A Behavior

As adults, people raised with conditional love become preoccupied with the opinions of others. Many men develop Type A behavior which is characterized by hostility, suspicion and an obsession with performance to some undetermined high standard. This is expressed in the attitude of "I have to, I have to," and is associated with the feeling that "I have to work harder and accomplish more in order to please the boss" who has become a surrogate parent.

The Most Common Trap

More than 99 percent of adults experience both these fears of failure and rejection. They are caught in the trap of feeling, "I can't, but "I have to," "I have to," but "I can't."

The Key to Peak Performance

The antidote to these fears is the development of courage, character and self-esteem. The opposite of fear is actually love, self-love and self-respect. Acting with courage in a fearful situation is simply a technique that boosts our regard for ourselves to such a degree that our fears subside and lose their ability to effect our behavior and our decisions.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to increase your self-esteem and self-confidence and overcome your fears.

First, realize and accept that you can do anything you put your mind to. Repeat the words, "I can do it! I can do it!" whenever you feel afraid for any reason.

Second, continually think of yourself as a valuable and important person and remember that temporary failure is the way you learn how to succeed.

Brian Tracy

Multilevel Marketing Millions

2008-02-25T19:40:00.002+07:00

Eight Keys to MLM Success

If you're looking at a multi-level marketing opportunity, here are eight key considerations. Look for a multi-level business that has, number one, quality products with a good reputation. Never waste your time trying to sell anything that is not of excellent quality. Quality products are the starting point of your success in business. No successful business can ever be built on an average or mediocre product.

Look for Competitive Prices

Number two, look for a company that has prices that compare favorable with the competition. Remember, nobody's going to pay more for your product or service if they can get the same or equivalent somewhere else at a lower price. So check the price comparisons.

Demand a Money Back Guarantee

The third thing you look for is a 100 percent unconditional money-back guarantee. In other words, the product must be so good and the company must stand behind it so strongly that they're willing to give a 100 percent refund guarantee on anything that they sell. That's a very good rule for starting and building any business.

Carry a Small Inventory

The fourth key in finding a multi-level marketing opportunity is that there should be a small or zero inventory requirement. You should be able to get into a multi-level marketing business with very little money. Not more than a hundred dollars.

Keep Good Records

The fifth requirement is that the company provides prompt delivery and efficient internal bookkeeping. A multi-level marketing business that's well organized will be able to deliver your products within 24 or 48 hours for you to sell, or deliver to your customers. They'll also take very good care of the books and give you accurate financial statements each month.

Seek a Strong Support Organization

A sixth thing to look for is a strong support organization. This is perhaps as important, if not more important, than anything else. Look for a support organization that will offer you training, that will give you seminars on product knowledge, that will give you motivation, and give you opportunities for personal and business development. Many people who have started with multi-level marketing companies have gone on to be very successful in their own businesses because of the training they got from the multi-level company. If the company doesn't have a training system, try to find a company that does.

Honesty is the Best Policy

The seventh factor that you require is honesty and integrity. Make sure that the parent company has an impeccable reputation in the marketplace. Remember it has to be a company that you can be proud of. You should never have to make excuses for the company you're working for.

Product Should be Consumable

Products should be consumable, leading to reorders and repeat business. You should try to sell a product that people use up on a regular basis, so that if they're happy with it, they'll continue to reorder and reorder and reorder. And once you get a customer, sometimes you can have a customer for years.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to put these ideas into action:

First, look for a product that you really like, use and enjoy yourself personally. You can only sell something to someone else if your heart is in it. And if your heart is in it you will enjoy using the product yourself.

Second, look for a product that has something new or special that makes it different and better than any other similar product in the market today. The number one reason that any product fails is because it is not superior to and different from the competition.

Brian Tracy

Two Quick Techniques for Market Research

2008-02-25T19:40:00.001+07:00

Do Your Homework

How do you do fast, cheap market research? How do you find out whether or not the product will sell before you get into it? Before embarking on any new business venture, considerable time must be spent in research. Your payoff will be in excess of ten to one in time and money saved or earned. For every dollar, for every hour that you put into research, you're going to save ten or twenty or thirty dollars or hours later on. So here's what you do.

Check Every Detail

Number one is find out every detail of the product or business. Study it carefully. There is a very famous story about Walter Chrysler, who formed Chrysler Corporation. What he did is he went out and bought several of the most popular selling cars in America. He then took them home to his garage and took them apart down to the very last nut and bolt. He then put them back together again. By the time he had done that with several automobiles, he had some very, very good ideas on how to create a car that was superior to any other car in America. He went out, formed Chrysler Motors and the rest is history.

Research Your Product

CarefullyNumber two, before you embark on a new business venture, read trade magazines, articles and stories on the business, industry or occupation. Here is a piece of advice that is worth its weight in gold. At every major library, there is what is called the periodicals index. The periodicals index lists every article that has been written on every subject in every publication in America. The librarian can guide you to the periodicals index. There's one for every year, and as publications expand, sometimes there's one for every three months. This index is now available on the Internet as well.

Take Advantage of the Information Available

You can go back and you can retrieve, usually from microfiche or from the library files, all the articles that have been written on a particular product or service in the last week, last month, last year, last five years, and you can make yourself an expert on a particular subject area by using the periodicals index. I know many consultants, when their clients ask them about a particular subject, go down to the library, or onto the Internet, and they go through the periodicals index. They become extremely well-informed on what is going on in that area, and then they sell that advice, sometimes for hundreds of dollars an hour, to their client. So check the periodicals index. Check the Internet. Become intimately familiar with the business before you begin.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do before you start any business:

First, find out every detail of the product or business before you invest any serious money in it. All of this information is available if you will just seek it out.

Second, do your research in depth. Sometimes, superficial research indicates that it is a good business but in-depth research can show you that it is not a good business at all. Be careful.

Brian Tracy

The First Economics Seminar 2008

2008-02-07T18:50:00.000+07:00

The First Economics Seminar 2008
“Stairway to The Future”
Friday-Monday, 15-17 February 2008
Villa Puncak Tidar N-01
Balai Pertiwi Building, Ma Chung University, Malang, Indonesia

Friday, February 15th 2008

Session I
Seminar “Membangun Mindset Entrepreneur di Kalangan Anak Muda”
Sandiaga S. Uno
Chairman of Himpunan Pengusaha Muda Indonesia (HIPMI)

Session II
Seminar “Competing in the Region (Attracting Trade, Tourism & Investment)”
Y.W. Junardy
Managing Director & Chief Corporate Officer Rajawali Corporation

Session III
Talkshow “Capital Market Outlook 2008”
Erry Firmansyah (President Director of Indonesian Stock Exchange)
Michael Steven, CWM (Owner of Kresna Securities)
Moderator : Primus Dorimulu, CWM (Director Investor Group

Saturday, February 16th 2008

Session I
Seminar “Menjawab Tantangan Jaman“
Agung Adiprasetyo
CEO Kompas Gramedia

Session II
Seminar “Leadership in 21st Century”
Leenawaty Limantara, Ph.D
Rector of Ma Chung University

Session III
Talkshow “Insurance as a Wealth Protection”
Willy S. Dharma (President Director Adira Insurance)
Januar Hadihardjo, B.Sc (Vice President PT. Asuransi Jiwa Sequis Life)
Moderator : Jimmy Dimas Wahyu I., S.E., M.M., CWM
(Head of Management & Accounting Ma Chung University)

Session IV
Seminar “Economic & Political Outlook 2008 Menyongsong Pemilu 2009”
Faisal Basri
Indonesian Economist

Sunday, February 17th 2008

Session I
Seminar “The Power of Change to Success”
Andrie Wongso
No. 1 Indonesian Motivator

Session II
Seminar “My Greatest Life”
Jakoep Ezra, MBA, CBA
Indonesian Character Specialist

Umum : Rp 200.000/hari
Anggota AMA: Rp 150.000/hari

Contact Person:
Jimmy Dimas Wahyu Indraseno, S.E., M.M., CWM

Head of Management & Accounting Department Ma Chung University
Wealth Management Consultant, Motivator, Trainer and Speaker
Vila Puncak Tidar Blok N No. 1 Malang 65151
Phone 62 (341) 550 171 Ext. 2401 Fax 62 (341) 550 175
Handphone 62 (81) 737 9898 / 62 (341) 765 9898
Email jimmy.dimas@yahoo.com

The Complex Sale Today

2008-01-28T18:45:00.000+07:00

The Sale is More Complex Today

The entire process of selling today is more complex than it has ever been before. It used to be that we would make a single call on a single buyer who would make a single decision on our product or offering. In this simple form of selling, we used the attention/interest/ desire/action (AIDA) model of sales presentation and focused intensely on numerous different ways of closing the sale. Then, once we had made the sale, in many cases we never saw the customer again.

Everything Has Changed

Today, however, everything is different. Today we must make multiple calls, an average of five or six, in order to make the sale. We deal with multiple decision makers in an organization, each of whom can influence the purchase. Much of the sale takes place when we are not present. Sometimes we never even meet the final decision maker who signs the check. And it is not unusual for a sale to be derailed at the last minute by something completely unexpected.

The Competition is Fierce

If that weren’t enough, there is more competition than ever before and it is more determined and resolute than it has ever been in the past. Not only must we compete on the basis of price, quality, services, capabilities, financing and warranties with many other vendors of our product or service, but we must also compete with every other vendor of every other product or service who is striving to get the same customer dollar that we are after. Our competitors are extremely determined, driven the same as we are by tight markets and careful customers. They are committed to starting earlier, working harder, and staying up later thinking of ways to take our customers away from us.

Customers Are Overwhelmed

Our prospective customers are beset on all sides by every conceivable sales offering. Because they are drowning in details, options and choices, they are in no hurry to make up their minds. With markets changing and contracting, the amount of discretionary funds they have available has shrunken and they are more careful today than they have ever had to be in the past.

The Key to Profitability

The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer. If a business does this in sufficient quantity and with proper cost controls, it will make a profit. The profit is the result of creating and keeping customers efficiently.

Create and Keep Customers

As the president of your own professional sales corporation, your job is to create and keep customers as well. And just as a company must continually restructure and redesign its product and service offerings to satisfy the changing tastes of a demanding and competitive customer marketplace, you as a salesperson must constantly upgrade the quality and sophistication of your sales procedures and approaches if you are going to create customers in sufficient quantity.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, be prepared to make multiple calls on a customer to close a large or complex sale. Plan your sales work systematically so you always have a new reason for calling back.

Second, think continually about how you have to change and improve your selling and your offering if you want to succeed in a tough market. Work on yourself every day and never stop getting better.

Brian Tracy

Using Your Inner Guidance System

2008-01-28T18:40:00.000+07:00

You have incredible powers of mind and emotions that give you timely and accurate feedback in every area of your life. In this newsletter, you learn how to “tune in” to yourself so you can make the right decision in every situation.

Using Your Inner Guidance System

We know that the body has a natural bias toward health and energy. It’s designed to last for 100 years with proper care and maintenance. When something goes wrong with any part of our body, we experience it in the form of pain or discomfort of some kind.We know that when our body is not functioning smoothly and painlessly, something is wrong, and we take action to correct it. We go to a doctor; we take pills; we undergo physical therapy, massage or chiropractic. We know that if we ignore pain or discomfort for any period of time, it could lead to something more serious.

How to Tell Right From Wrong

In the same sense, nature also gives us a way to tell emotionally what’s right for us and what’s wrong for us in life. Just as nature gives us physical pain to guide us to doing or not doing things in the physical realm, nature gives us emotional pain to guide us toward doing or not doing things in the emotional or mental realm. The wonderful thing is that you’re constructed so that if you simply listen carefully to yourself—to your mind, your body and your emotions—and follow the guidance you’re given, you can dramatically enhance the quality of your life.

Just as the natural physical state of your body is health and vitality, your natural emotional state is peace and happiness. Whenever you experience a deviation from peace and happiness, it’s an indication that something is amiss. Something is wrong with what you’re thinking, doing or saying. Your feeling of inner happiness is the best indicator you could ever have to tell you what you should be doing more of and what you should be doing less of.

The Messenger

Unhappiness is to your life as pain is to your body. It is sent as a messenger to tell you that what you’re doing is wrong for you.Very often, you’ll suffer from what has been called “divine discontent.” You’ll feel fidgety and uneasy for a reason or reasons that are unclear to you. You’ll be dissatisfied with the status quo. Sometimes, you’ll be unable to sleep. Sometimes, you’ll be angry or irritable. Very often, you’ll get upset with things that have nothing to do with the real issue. You’ll have a deep inner sense that something isn’t as it should be, and you’ll often feel like a fish on a hook, wriggling and squirming emotionally to get free.

Divine Discontent

And that is a good thing. Divine discontent always comes before a positive life change. If you were perfectly satisfied, you would never take any action to improve or change your circumstances. Only when you’re dissatisfied for some reason do you have the inner motivation to engage in the outer behaviors that lead you onward and upward.

Listen to yourself. Trust your inner voice. Go with the flow of your own personality. Do the things that make you feel happy inside and you’ll probably never make another mistake.

Action Exercises

Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, listen to yourself and trust your own feelings. If there is a part of your life that causes you stress and unhappiness, resolve to deal with it.

Second, identify those areas of your life where you are dissatisfied or frustrated for any reason. What changes should you, could you make?

Third, remember that nature wants you to be happy, healthy, popular and prosperous. Any deviation from those conditions is a signal to you that action is necessary.

Brian Tracy

The Power of Pausing

2007-12-29T19:00:00.000+07:00

All the top salespeople ask good questions and listen carefully to the answers. One of the most important skills of listening is simply to pause before replying. When the prospect finishes talking, rather than jumping in with the first thing that you can think of, take three to five seconds to pause quietly and wait.

Becoming a Master of the Pause

All excellent listeners are masters of the pause. They are comfortable with silences. When the other person finishes speaking, they take a breath, relax and smile before saying anything. They know that the pause is a key part of good communications.

Three Benefits of Pausing

Pausing before you speak has three specific benefits. The first is that you avoid the risk of interrupting the prospect if he or she has just stopped to gather his or her thoughts. Remember, your primary job in the sales conversation is to build and maintain a high level of trust, and listening builds trust. When you pause for a few seconds, you often find the prospect will continue speaking. He will give you more information and further opportunity to listen, enabling you to gather more of the information you need to make the sale.

Carefully Consider What You Just Heard

The second benefit of pausing is that your silence tells the prospect that you are giving careful consideration to what he or she has just said. By carefully considering the other person's words, you are paying him or her a compliment. You are implicitly saying that you consider what he or she has said to be important and worthy of quiet reflection. You make the prospect feel more valuable with your silence. You raise his self-esteem and make him feel better about himself.

Understanding With Greater Efficiency

The third benefit of pausing before replying is that you will actually hear and understand the prospect better if you give his or her words a few seconds to soak into your mind. The more time you take to reflect upon what has just been said, the more conscious you will be of the their real meaning. You will be more alert to how his words can connect with other things you know about the prospect in relation to your product or service.

The Message You Send

When you pause, not only do you become a more thoughtful person, but you convey this to the customer. By extension, you become a more valuable person to do business with. And you achieve this by simply pausing for a few seconds before you reply after your prospect or customer has spoken.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, take time to carefully consider what the customer just said and what he might mean by it. Pausing allows you to read between the lines.

Second, show the customer that you really value what he has said by reflecting for a few moments before you reply.

Brian Tracy

Transformational Leadership

2007-12-29T07:00:00.000+07:00

Advancing Your Career

As your career advances, you move along the scale from employee, to supervisor to manager and finally, to leader. Managers, and some leaders, engage in what is called transactional leadership, the deployment and management of people and resources to get results.

Arouse Emotion In Others

However, at the highest end of the leadership scale, we come to what is called “transformational leadership.” Transformational leadership is defined as leadership that arouses emotion, that taps into the emotional and spiritual resources of an organization. Transformational leadership empowers people to greatly exceed their previous levels of accomplishment.

Make People Feel Terrific

Empowerment is the key. Transformational leaders are those who can elicit extraordinary performance from ordinary men and women. The superior leader is like a catalyst in a chemical process that causes the other ingredients to work together in a superior fashion.

A Key Function of Leadership

Empowerment as a key function of leadership becomes even more important as the work force becomes dominated by members of the Generation X. These highly individualistic men and women are increasingly seeking higher meaning and purpose in their careers. They are not impressed by authority or hierarchy. If they don't get the satisfaction they are seeking from their work, they will go somewhere else. And the better they are at what they do, the more readily they will leave one job for another.

Provide the Emotional Glue

Transactional leadership is essential to getting the job done but transformational leadership is what provides the emotional glue that causes organizations and the people in them to excel.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to become a transformational leader and empower your people.

First, get excited about your work. The more excited and committed you are to your work, the more excited and committed will be the people around you. The leader always sets the tone for the department or organization.

Second, continually encourage and praise the people who work for you. The better you make people feel about themselves and their work, the more empowered they will feel and the more committed they will be to your company.

Brian Tracy

Developing A Great Character

2007-11-05T18:20:00.000+07:00

Being the Best In Every Area

What is character? Your character is the degree to which you live your life consistent with high, life-enhancing values. A person who lacks character is one who compromises on higher order values in favor of lower order expedience, or who has no values at all. Your adherence to what you believe to be right and true is the real measure of the person you have become to this moment.

Define What "Excellence" Means to You

Let us say that one of your values is "excellence." Your definition of excellence could be, "Excellence means that I set the highest standards for myself in everything I do. I do my very best in every situation and under all circumstances. I constantly strive to be better in my work, and as a person in my relationships. I recognize that excellence is a life-long journey and I work every day to become better and better in everything I do."

Organize Your Actions

With a definition like this, you have a clear organizing principle for your actions. You have set a standard by which you can evaluate your behavior. You have created a framework within which you can make decisions. You have a measuring rod against which you can compare yourself in everything you do. You can continually grade your activities in terms of "more" or "less." You have a clear target to aim at and organize your work around.

Decide What You Want for Your Family

It's the same with each of your other values. If your value is your family, you could define this as, "The needs of my family take precedence over all other concerns. Whenever I have to choose between the happiness, health and well being of a member of my family, and any other interest, my family will always come first."

Keep Focused

From that moment onward, it becomes easier for you to choose. Your family comes first. Until you have fully satisfied the needs of your family, no other time requirement will side track you into a lower value activity.

Shape Your Own Character

The wonderful thing about values clarification is that it enables you to take charge of developing and shaping your own character. When your values and goals, your inner life and your outer life, are in complete alignment, you feel terrific about yourself. You enjoy high self-esteem. Your self-confidence soars.

When you achieve complete congruence between your values and your goals, like a hand in a glove, you feel strong, happy, healthy and fully integrated as a person. You develop a kind of courage that makes you completely unafraid to make decisions and take action. Your whole life improves when you begin living your life by the values that you most admire.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to put this ideas into action immediately.

First, create a clear, written description of your values and what they mean to you. From that point on, resolve to live consistent with your own definition.

Second, discipline yourself to live in complete alignment with the values, virtues and qualities that are most important to you. This is the key to character.

by Brian Tracy

9 Things You Simply Must Do

2007-11-05T17:30:00.000+07:00

Oprah Winfrey and Anderson Cooper are two of the most popular media personalities in America. Yet, their backgrounds hardly could be more dissimilar. Oprah was born to unmarried teenage parents in rural Mississippi. Anderson’s mother was fashionable railroad heiress, Gloria Vanderbilt, and his father was a successful writer/editor in Manhattan. Oprah grew up in poverty, spending her childhood in the inner-city ghettoes of Milwaukee. Anderson was born into wealth. He appeared with his mom on The Tonight Show when he was three, and he modeled for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Macy’s as a child.

Yet, for all of their differences (background, race, and gender), Oprah Winfrey and Anderson Cooper have unmistakable similarities. At some level, they resemble each other. They have an aura of success that identifies one with the other.
For example, both Oprah and Anderson Cooper consistently deliver. Whether it’s a talk show, a book club, or a cause she has adopted, we can rely on Oprah’s candor, inspiring energy, and excellence. The same consistency can be attributed to Anderson Cooper. One night he’s reporting from New York, the next night from Cairo, and he’s in London the day after that. Yet, when we turn on CNN, we can count on him to be poised, polished, and deliver the news with excellence.

What is it about successful people, like Oprah and Anderson Cooper, who, although completely different in background and style, are almost identical in their approach to work and life? In his book, 9 Things You Simply Must Do to Succeed in Love and Life, Dr. Henry Cloud passes along his observations of nine principles commonly practiced by the successful people he knows. The book drips with leadership application, and I would like to take this lesson to summarize Dr. Cloud’s insights.

Principle #1: Dig It Up

Each person has a treasure trove of ability inside of them. Everyone has dreams and desires lodged within their soul. Why do some people dig deep and take hold of their dreams while others let them drift away?
According to Dr. Cloud, successful people give sustained attention to what stirs within them. They find outlets for their passions. Exercising their strengths is non-negotiable.

Principle #2: Pull the Tooth

Many people I know have an irrational fear of the dentist’s office. The idea of someone poking and prodding in their mouth fills them with dread. Amazingly, some people are afraid to the point where they would rather suffer discomfort day after day rather than undergo the temporary pain of a visit to the dentist.
As Dr. Cloud has observed, successful people go to the dentist. They face their fears and make the appointment. They pull the tooth that is causing the nagging ache and, by enduring the pain, they come out better on the other side.
Successful people refuse to carry their baggage through life. They confront their hurt, disappointment, and anger early, and they seek emotional freedom from life’s injuries. Likewise, successful people quickly recover when they fail. Rather than succumbing to a downward spiral of disappointment (or even depression) they come to terms with the failure, make course adjustments to their lives, and move on.

Principle #3: Play the Movie

Dr. Cloud recommends the exercise of playing a movie of your life in which you are the hero or heroine. What traits does your character have? What happens during the plot of the movie? Who do you starring alongside you? How does your movie inspire the people in the theater?
Most people live their life and then look at it. Do the opposite. Look at your life and then live it. Envision and step toward the future you want to experience. Don’t wake up one day to realize that your life is like a B-grade movie—you don’t want to leave in the middle, but you would never want to watch it again!

Principle #4: Do Something

Dr. Cloud’s fourth principle is short and to the point: successful people do something. They initiate, create, and generate. Successful leaders are proactive as opposed to reactive. “They do not see themselves as victims of circumstances,” Cloud writes, “But as active participants who take steps to influence outcomes.” Their days and their lives are controlled by internal motivations rather than external currents.
In a similar vein, successful people take ownership for their destinations in life. They don’t assign blame; they welcome responsibility. They refuse to cede their freedom to others and live dependently. The successful person has done leadership’s toughest task—mastered the art of self-leadership. The benefit of leading yourself well is that you don’t have to rely on others to provide direction for your life. You get to plan the course.

Principle #5: Act Like An Ant

“Go to the ant, you sluggard;Consider its ways and be wise!It has no commander,No over seer or ruler,Yet it stores its provisions in summerAnd gathers its food at the harvest.” -Proverbs 6:6-8
Dr. Cloud points to the ant to develop another principle of success. Three lessons stand out from the metaphor of the ant. First, they appreciate the ethic of hard work. Their lives are a flurry of constant activity as they tirelessly search for food. Second, ants refuse to give up. They never abandon the hunt, crawling through cracks and crevices in their pursuit of a morsel. Third, ants understand the value of compounding. Grain by grain an ant builds the hill that becomes its home, and crumb by crumb they accumulate storehouses of food.

Principle #6: Hate Well

In his writing, Dr. Cloud talks about focusing feelings of anger constructively to solve problems or end injustice. As he develops his idea of “hating well,” he distinguishes between subjective hate and objective hate.
Subjective hate is toxic. Dr. Cloud describes it as, “a pool of feelings and attitudes that resides in our soul, waiting for expression. It is not directed at anything specific or caused on any given day by any specific object. It is already there, sort of like an infection of the soul.” Subjective hate poisons and corrupts the person who houses it.
On the contrary, objective hate can be described as anger with a purpose. Objective hate protects by standing in opposition to dishonesty, exploitation, or deceit. Objective hate may spark entrepreneurship. In fact, many successful businesses have begun as a result of the founder’s hatred of poor service or shoddy quality.

Principle #7: Don’t Play Fair

Fairness says “an eye for an eye,” or “a tooth for a tooth.” Fairness weighs all actions in a balance and continuously moves to equilibrium. The rule of fairness means good actions deserve kind responses, and bad behavior deserves punishment.
In Dr. Cloud’s opinion, living in accordance with fairness will destroy every relationship in life. With everyone keeping score of favors bestowed and received, eventually someone will feel victimized when a good deed goes unreturned. As a leader, I’ve learned the high road is the only road to travel on. Don’t treat others according to what they deserve; treat them even better than you would prefer to be treated. By doing so, you’ll keep integrity and avoid sticky accusations or petty arguments.

Principle #8: Be Humble

“Pride is concerned with who is right.Humility is concerned with what is right.” -Ezra Taft Benson
In Dr. Cloud’s estimation, successful people have a healthy dose of humility. Humility has an internal and external component. Internally, humility comes when we admit our errors, and open ourselves to instruction. Externally, humility is gained when we show patience for the faults of others, and when we are quick to shine the spotlight on the successes of others.

Principle #9: Upset the Right People

A person’s success will always be inhibited if he or she tries to please all of the people all of the time. I like how Dr. Cloud explains the principle of upsetting the right people:
Do not try to avoid upsetting people; just make sure that you are upsetting the right ones. If the kind, loving, responsible, and honest people are upset with you, then you had better look at the choices you are making. But if the controlling, hot and cold, irresponsible or manipulative people are upset with you, then take courage!
Be likeable and be gracious, but don’t sacrifice your identity or values for the sake of harmony.

Review: 9 Things You Simply Must Do for Success
Principle

#1 – Dig It UpPrinciple

#2 – Pull the ToothPrinciple

#3 – Play the MoviePrinciple

#4 – Do SomethingPrinciple

#5 – Act Like an AntPrinciple

#6 – Hate Well Principle

#7 – Don’t Play Fair Principle

#8 – Be HumblePrinciple

#9 – Upset the Right People

By Dr. John C. Maxwell

Be A Doctor of Selling

2007-10-08T11:00:00.000+07:00

Top sales professionals see themselves as "Doctors of Selling." They see themselves as professionals, well educated, acting in their "patient's" best interest, and bound by a high code of ethics.

The medical process is the same everywhere. Whenever you go to any doctor, of any kind, for any condition, he will follow the three part sequence of examination, diagnosis and prescription. Just as a medical professional would never think of treating you without following these three steps in order, you as a doctor of selling, would never allow a customer to force you to sell without your going through your three stages as well.

This is as applicable to selling magazines door-to-door as it is to selling oil tankers to Exxon. In the examination phase, you ask excellent questions, carefully prepared, in sequence, which are geared to give you a thorough knowledge of the patient's condition, or the customer's situation.

The second phase is that of diagnosis. In the diagnosis with a customer, you would repeat back the results of your examination and double check to be sure that the symptoms that you had detected were the real symptoms being experienced by the patient.

You would ask additional questions to confirm and corroborate. You and the patient would mutually agree that this diagnosis seems to be an accurate description of the condition or problem. Once this mutual agreement has been reached, that a treatable condition exists and that you have identified it accurately, you can move on to phase three.

This is the prescription phase, where you show the patient (customer) that your product or service is the best available treatment, taking all the factors of the patient's situation into consideration for the ailment that you have diagnosed. You show that, on balance, what you are suggesting is the best of all possible solutions.

Professionals who sell in the way that doctors treat patients find that their sales activities proceed far more smoothly and result in better sales in less time. Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, take the time to do a thorough examination by asking excellent questions and by listening carefully to the answers. Second, repeat back and check your diagnosis with the customer so that you both agree on the need or problem — before you recommend a solution.

Brian Tracy

The Key to Long-Term Success

2007-10-08T10:00:00.000+07:00

Successful people have been studied in depth for more than 100 years. They have been interviewed extensively to determine what it is they do and how they think that enables them to accomplish so much more than the average person. In this Newsletter, you learn the most important single factor of long-term success and how you can build it into your personality and your attitude. You learn how to virtually guarantee yourself a great future.

The Harvard Discovery on Success

In 1970, sociologist Dr. Edward Banfield of Harvard University wrote a book entitled The Unheavenly City. He described one of the most profound studies on success and priority setting ever conducted. Banfield’s goal was to find out how and why some people became financially independent during the course of their working lifetimes. He started off convinced that the answer to this question would be found in factors such as family background, education, intelligence, influential contacts, or some other concrete factor. What he finally discovered was that the major reason for success in life was a particular attitude of mind.

Develop Long Time Perspective

Banfield called this attitude “long time perspective.” He said that men and women who were the most successful in life and the most likely to move up economically were those who took the future into consideration with every decision they made in the present. He found that the longer the period of time a person took into consideration while planning and acting, the more likely it was that he would achieve greatly during his career. For example, one of the reasons your family doctor is among the most respected people in America is because he or she has invested many years of hard work and study to finally earn the right to practice medicine. After university courses, internship, residency and practical training, a doctor may be more than 30 years old before he or she is capable of earning a good living. But from that point onward, these men and women are some of the most respected and most successful professional people in any society. They had long time perspectives.

Measure the Potential Future Impact

The key to success in setting priorities is having a long time perspective. You can tell how important something is today by measuring its potential future impact on your life. For example, if you come home from work at night and choose to play with your children or spend time with your spouse, rather than watch TV or read the paper, you have a long time perspective. You know that investing time in the health and happiness of your children and your spouse is a very valuable, high-priority use of time. The potential future impact of quality time with your family is very high. If you take additional courses in the evening to upgrade your skills and make yourself more valuable to your employer, you’re acting with a long time perspective. Learning something practical and useful can have a long-term effect on your career.

Practice Delayed Gratification

Economists say that the inability to delay gratification-that is, the natural tendency of individuals to spend everything they earn plus a little bit more, and the mind-set of doing what is fun, easy and enjoyable-is the primary cause of economic and personal failure in life. On the other hand, disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction. The long term comes soon enough, and every sacrifice that you make today will be rewarded with compound interest in the great future that lies ahead for you.

Action Exercises

Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, think long-term. Sit down today and write out a description of your ideal life ten and twenty years into the future. This automatically develops longer-time perspective.

Second, look at everything you do in terms of its long-term potential impact on your life. Do more things that have greater long-term value to you.

Third, develop the habit of delaying gratification in small things, small expenditures, small pleasures, so that you can enjoy greater rewards and greater satisfaction in the future.

Brian Tracy

Increase Your Earnings 1000%

2007-09-11T20:30:00.001+07:00

Here's an exercise for you; imagine that it's possible for you to earn ten times your current annual wage. If you're earning $25,000, imagine for a moment that it's possible for you to earn $250,000, a 1000% increase.

Believe in Yourself

The first reaction of most people to that exercise is to smile briefly and then to begin thinking about why it isn't possible. One man said to me, "If you knew how many years it's taken for me to get to what I'm earning today you wouldn't be suggesting that I could earn ten times as much."

There Are No Excuses

Mark Twain once wrote that there are a thousand excuses for every failure but never a good reason. The tragedy of the average American is that whereas his or her main preoccupation seems to be money, or the lack thereof, the average person has the inherent potential to earn far more than he or she is doing currently.

Can Someone Be 10x Better?

Is the manager earning $250,000 per year ten times as smart as the manager earning $25,000? 10 times as experienced? Does he or she work 10 times harder? Of course not. None of these are physically or mentally possible, but there are people in every business earning many times more than others with the same average age, experience and intelligence.

I.Q. Doesn't Really Matter

In fact, a few years ago in New York, a thousand men and women were selected at random and tested for I.Q. Between the one having the highest I.Q. in this sample and the one with the lowest, there was a difference of only 2 1/2 times. But between the person earning the most, who by the way, was not the one with the highest I.Q. and the one earning the least, who was not the one with the lowest I.Q., there was a difference of 100X in income.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to start increasing your earnings:

First, identify the highest earning, most successful people in your field and find out what it is that they are doing differently from others who aren’t doing as well. Copy them every day.

Second, set a goal to double your earnings over the next two or three years and then figure out what you’ll have to do to achieve it. Get started!

Brian Tracy

Don't Lose Money!

2007-09-11T20:30:00.000+07:00

Throughout the history of American enterprise, you've heard the words, "work hard and save your money." Work hard and save your money. It is the oldest rule for success in America. It's so important, as a matter of fact, that W. Clement Stone once said, “if you cannot save money, then the seeds of greatness are not in you.”

Saving Is a Discipline

Why is it that saving money is so important? Because saving money is a discipline and any discipline affects all other disciplines in your life. If you do not have the discipline to refrain from spending all the money that you earn, then you are not qualified to become wealthy and if you do become wealthy, you'll not be capable of holding on to it.

The Law of Attraction

A principle with regard to saving your money is the law of attraction. The law of attraction is activated by saved money. Even one dollar saved will start to attract more money. Here's what I suggest that you do. If you're really serious about your future, go down and open a savings account. Put as much money as you can into it, even if it's only ten dollars. And then begin to collect little bits of money, and every week go down and put something into that account.

Attract More Money Into Your Life

You will find that the more you put in that account, the more you will attract from sources that you cannot now predict. But if you do not begin the savings process, if you don't begin putting something away towards your financial independence, then nothing will happen to you. The law of attraction just simply won't work.

Invest Your Money Conservatively

Once you begin to accumulate money, here's another rule. Invest the money conservatively. Marvin Davis, self-made billionaire, was asked by Forbes Magazine, “How do you account for your financial success?” And he said, “Well, I have two rules for financial investing.” He said, “Rule number one is, don't lose money.” He said, whenever I'm tempted, whenever I see an opportunity to invest where there's a possibility I could lose it all, I just simply refrain from putting the money in. Rule number two is, whenever I get tempted, I refer back to rule number one. Don't lose money.

Get Rich Slowly

George Classon says, in The Richest Man In Babylon, that the key is to accumulate your funds and then invest them very conservatively. One of the characteristics of self-made millionaires, one of the characteristics of old money in America is that it's very cautiously, conservatively and prudently invested. Don't try to get rich quickly. Concentrate rather on getting rich slowly. If all you do is save ten percent of your earnings, put it away, and let it accumulate at compound interest, that alone will make you wealthy.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to apply these lessons to your financial life:

First, open a separate savings and investing account today. From this day forward, put every single dollar you can spare into this account and resolve to never touch it or spend it for any reason.

Second, whenever you consider any investment of your savings, remember the rule, “Don’t lose money!” It is better to keep the money working at a low rate of interest than to take the chance of losing it. Be careful. A fool and his money are soon parted.

Brian Tracy

Earn Ten Times as Much

2007-08-21T17:09:00.001+07:00

Don't Sell Yourself Short

Here's an exercise for you: Imagine that it's possible for you to earn 10 times your current annual wage. If you're earning $25,000, imagine for a moment that it's possible for you to earn $250,000, a 1000 percent increase.

Never a Good Excuse

The first reaction of most people to that exercise is to smile briefly and then to begin thinking about why it isn't possible. One man said to me, "If you knew how many years it's taken for me to get to what I'm earning today you wouldn't be suggesting that I could earn 10 times as much."

Mark Twain once wrote that there are a thousand excuses for every failure but never a good reason. The tragedy of the average American is that whereas his or her main preoccupation seems to be money, or the lack thereof, the average person has the inherent potential to earn far more than he or she is doing currently.

Is the manager earning $250,000 per year 10 times as smart as the manager earning $25,000? Ten times as experienced? Does he or she work 10 times harder? Of course not. None of these are physically or mentally possible, but there are people in every business earning many times more than others with the same average age, experience and intelligence.

The Results Are In

In fact, a few years ago in New York, 1,000 men and women were selected at random and tested for I.Q. Between the one having the highest I.Q. in this sample and the one with the lowest, there was a difference of only 2 1/2 times. But between the person earning the most, who, by the way, was not the one with the highest I.Q., and the one earning the least, who was not the one with the lowest I.Q., there was a difference of 100 times in income.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to start increasing your earnings.

First, identify the highest earning, most successful people in your field and find out what it is that they are doing differently from others who aren’t doing as well. Copy them every day.

Second, set a goal to double your earnings over the next two or three years and then figure out what you’ll have to do to achieve it. Get started!

Brian Tracy

Oprah Winfrey

2007-08-13T17:30:00.000+07:00

Bermodal keberanian "Menjadi Diri Sendiri", Oprah menjadi presenter paling populer di Amerika dan menjadi wanita selebritis terkaya versi majalah Forbes, dengan kekayaan lebih dari US $ 1 Milyar. Copy acara "The Oprah Winfrey Show" telah diputar di hampir seluruh penjuru bumi ini.

TAHUKAH ANDA?

Lahir di Mississisipi dari pasangan Afro-Amerika dengan nama Oprah Gail Winfrey. Ayahnya mantan serdadu yang kemudian menjadi tukang cukur, sedang ibunya seorang pembantu rumahtangga. Karena keduanya berpisah maka Oprah kecil pun diasuh oleh neneknya di dilingkungan yang kumuh dan sangat miskin. Luarbiasanya, di usia 3 tahun Oprah telah dapat membaca Injil dengan keras. "Membaca adalah gerai untuk mengenal dunia" katanya dalam suatu wawancaranya.

Pada usia 9 tahun, Oprah mengalami pelecehan sexual, dia diperkosa oleh saudara sepupu ibunya beserta teman-temannya dan terjadi berulang kali. Di usia 13 tahun Oprah harus menerima kenyataan hamil dan melahirkan, namun bayinya meninggal dua minggu setelah dilahirkan.

Setelah kejadian itu, Oprah lari ke rumah ayahnya di Nashville . Ayahnya mendidik dengan sangat keras dan disiplin tinggi. Dia diwajibkan membaca buku dan membuat ringkasannya setiap pekan. Walaupun tertekan berat, namun kelak disadari bahwa didikan keras inilah yang menjadikannya sebagai wanita yang tegar, percaya diri dan berdisiplin tinggi.

Prestasinya sebagai siswi teladan di SMA membawanya terpilih menjadi wakil siswi yang diundang ke Gedung Putih. Beasiswa pun di dapat saat memasuki jenjang perguruan tinggi.

Oprah pernah memenangkan kontes kecantikan, dan saat itulah pertama kali dia menjadi sorotan publik..

Karirnya dimulai sebagai penyiar radio lokal saat di bangku SMA. Karir di dunia TV di bangun diusia 19 tahun. Dia menjadi wanita negro pertama dan termuda sebagai pembaca berita stasiun TV lokal tersebut. Oprah memulai debut talkshow TVnya dalam acara People Are Talking. Dan keputusannya untuk pindah ke Chicago lah yang akhirnya membawa Oprah ke puncak karirnya. The Oprah Winfrey Show menjadi acara talkshow dengan rating tertinggi berskala nasional yang pernah ada dalam sejarah pertelevisian di Amerika. Sungguh luar biasa!

Latar belakang kehidupannya yang miskin, rawan kejahatan dan diskriminatif mengusik hatinya untuk berupaya membantu sesama. Tayangan acaranya di telivisi selalu sarat dengan nilai kemanusiaan, moralitas dan pendidikan. Oprah sadar, bila dia bisa mengajak seluruh pemirsa telivisi, maka bersama, akan mudah mewujudkan segala impiannya demi membantu mereka yang tertindas.

Oprah juga dikenal dengan kedermawanannya. Berbagai yayasan telah disantuni, antara lain, rumah sakit dan lembaga riset penderita AIDS, berbagai sekolah, penderita ketergantungan, penderita cacat dan banyak lagi.

Dan yang terakhir, pada 2 januari 2007 lalu, Oprah menghadiri peresmian sekolah khusus anak-anak perempuan di kota Henley-on-Klip, di luar Johannesburg, Afrika selatan, yang didirikannya bersama dengan pemirsa acara televisinya. Oprah menyisihkan 20 juta pounsterling ( 1 pons kira2 rp. 17.000,- )atau 340 milyiar rupiah dari kekayaannya. "Dengan memberi pendidikan yang baik bagi anak2 perempuan ini, kita akan memulai mengubah bangsa ini" ujarnya berharap.

Kisah Oprah Winfrey ialah kisah seorang anak manusia yang tidak mau meratapi nasib. Dia berjuang keras untuk keberhasilan hidupnya, dan dia berhasil. Dia punya mental baja dan mampu mengubah nasib, dari kehidupan nestapa menjadi manusia sukses yang punya karakter. Semangat perjuangannya pantas kita teladani!

Sumber : Anonymous
Salam Sukses,
M. Rian Rahardi

The Story of Colin Powell

2007-07-20T00:00:00.000+07:00

Colin Luther Powell was born in Harlem in 1937. His parents were Jamaican immigrants who stressed the importance of education and personal achievement. Powell grew up in the South Bronx, where he graduated from high school without having formed any definite ambition or direction in life. He entered the City College of New York to study geology and it was there, by his own account, that he found his calling when he joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). He became commander of his unit's precision drill team and graduated in 1958 at the top of his ROTC class, with the rank of cadet colonel, the highest rank in the corps.

Powell was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army, and was one of the 16,000 military advisors dispatched to South Vietnam by President Kennedy in 1962. In 1963, Lieutenant Powell was wounded by a punji-stick booby trap while patrolling the Vietnamese border with Laos. He was awarded the Purple Heart, and later that year, the Bronze Star.

Powell served a second tour of duty in Vietnam in 1968-69. During this second tour he was injured in a helicopter crash. Despite his own injuries, he managed to rescue his comrades from the burning helicopter and was awarded the Soldier's Medal. In all, he has received 11 decorations, including the Legion of Merit.

Powell earned an MBA at George Washington University in Washington, DC, and after being promoted to major, won a White House fellowship. Powell was assigned to the Office of Management and Budget during the administration of President Nixon, and here he made a lasting impression on the Director and Deputy Director of the Office: Casper Weinberger and Frank Carlucci. Both of these men were to call on Powell when they served as Secretary of Defense and National Security Advisor, respectively, under President Reagan.

Powell, now a Colonel, followed his term as White House Fellow with service as a battalion commander in Korea and with a staff job at the Pentagon. After study at the Army War College, he was promoted to Brigadier General and commanded a Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division.

In the administration of President Carter, Powell was an assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, and to the Secretary of Energy. He was promoted to Major General. He again assisted Frank Carlucci at the Defense Department during the transition from the Carter to Reagan administrations.

Powell served as assistant commander and deputy commander of infantry divisions in Colorado and Kansas before returning to Washington to become senior military assistant to Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger, whom he assisted during the invasion of Grenada and the raid on Libya.

Powell was called upon to testify before Congress in private session about the covert shipment of American arms to Iran; he was one of only five persons in the Pentagon who knew about the operation. Powell was not implicated in any wrongdoing in the matter.

In 1986, Powell left Washington to serve as commander of the Fifth Corps in Frankfurt, Germany, but was recalled to Washington to serve as deputy to Frank Carlucci, after Carlucci was appointed national security adviser in the wake of the Iranian arms scandal. A year later, Carlucci was appointed Secretary of Defense and Powell, now a Lieutenant General, became the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. In this capacity, he coordinated technical and policy advisers during President Reagan's summit meetings with Soviet President Gorbachev. He was the first African -American to serve in this position, as he has been in every office he has held since.

In 1991, as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President Bush, Powell became a national figure during the successful Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations which expelled the Iraqi army from Kuwait.

General Powell continued as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs during the first months of the Clinton administration, publicly disagreeing with the President's plan to permit gay men and women to serve in the military, although he eventually accepted a compromise on the issue. Powell retired from the military shortly thereafter and returned to private life.
In 1994, Powell joined former President Carter and Senator Sam Nunn on a last-minute peace-making expedition to Haiti, which resulted in the end of military rule and the peaceful return to power of the elected government of that country.

The General's great popularity has led many people to urge him to run for President, but thus far he has declined to seek elective office. In 1995 he announced that he had registered as a Republican, and did not forswear future political efforts. He concentrated for the next few years on his work with young people as Chairman of America's Promise: the Alliance for Youth. In 2001, newly elected President George W. Bush appointed Colin L. Powell to be Secretary of State. Powell was the first African-American to hold this office. As Secretary of State, he took a leading role in rallying America's allies and the United Nations to the war against terrorism, and to the enforcement of UN resolutions regarding the disarmament of Iraq. Shortly after President Bush's re-election in 2004, Colin Powell announced his intention to step down as Secretary of State.

Evaluating a Business

2007-07-17T20:45:00.000+07:00

Do Your Homework

The best time to do your market research is in advance. Here are some key ideas to help you make the right choice before you invest in a product, a service or a business.

Bootstrap Your Way to Success

One of the best ways to build a business is to start off on a bootstrap. This means that you start off with very little money and you grow your business with the money that you earn in the business, rather than outside financing, borrowing, loans from friends and so on.

Ask the Right Questions

The first thing to do is to research all competitors for the product or service and ask this: "Why would someone switch to buy from me?" If there's already a similar product or service in the market, why would someone leave a product or service that they're comfortable with for your product or service that they don't know anything about? Is your product or service better, or is your idea cheaper or of higher quality? And can you convince enough customers of this to stay in business?

Look For the Fatal Flaw

The second way to do fast, cheap market research is to be suspicious. Be wary. Develop a cynical, pessimistic attitude and accept nothing on faith. Look for the fatal flaw. Whenever I've done consulting for a corporation, especially when they've asked me to research an investment, I always look for the fatal flaw. I always look for the one thing that's wrong with this investment that could cost my client a lot of money. And do you know something? In 99 out of 100 cases, I find the fatal flaw. I find something in a contract or a mortgage agreement or something in the way the land is laid out or the way the distribution arrangements are designed.

Find Out Why It's For Sale

I often find something that is fatal, something that if it were not caught, would lead to the failure of the business. When you're thinking of getting into somebody else's business or if somebody else is trying to sell you an existing business, look for the reason. There's always a fatal flaw when someone is trying to sell you a successful money-making opportunity. If you can't find the fatal flaw, only then should you go ahead with it.

Don't Lose Money

The third thing that you can do when considering a business that is for sale is find out why it's being sold. Very few people will try to sell you a successful business. Usually people who are selling a business are selling it because they're losing money on it. Many people say they're selling a business because they want to concentrate on something else. No. The reason they're selling the business is that they're losing money on it. And you must find out why a person would sell a successful business.

Think Long Term

Finally, number four, look at the business before you go into it as though you were going to be in it for 20 years. The long-term perspective sharpens short-term decision-making. If you look at any business venture, any product or service, as though you were going to be doing this 20 years from now, you'll find that you'll make much better decisions.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, look for the fatal flaw in any investment that someone tells you is a good idea. Look for a critical weakness that could cause the business to fail.

Second, think about being in this business, or selling this product or service, for the next 20 years. When you think long-term about business decisions, you make much better decisions in the short-term.

Brian Tracy

The Four D's of Financial Success

2007-06-26T09:32:00.000+07:00

Start From Nothing and Become Financially Independent

More than eighty percent of self-made millionaires in America began with nothing or in many cases, less than nothing. I can certainly relate to that because when I was growing up and right into my early 30s, I never had any extra money with which to start a fortune. It seemed to me that there was always enough, if not more than enough bills, to absorb every penny I earned. I was always in debt.

Be Ready for Your Opportunity

And even if a great business opportunity did come along, I wouldn't have been able to do anything with it. As I began studying financial success and self-made millionaires, I noticed that almost everyone around me was in pretty much the same boat. The idea of becoming really wealthy was a distant dream with very little possibility of coming true. You may be in the same situation, with more bills than money or assets.

Look at the Numbers

The statistics are a little scary. Of 100 people who reach retirement age, according to insurance industry statistics, only one will be wealthy. Four out of the hundred will be financially independent; fifteen will have some savings put aside. And the other 80 will be dependent on pensions, still working or broke - this after a lifetime of well-paid work in the most affluent society in human history. Now why does this happen?

Why People Retire Poor

There are two main reasons why people retire poor. First, they never decide to retire rich. They wish and hope and pray, but they never make a firm, unequivocal decision that they're going to do it. Second, even if they do decide to retire rich, they procrastinate until it's too late. They always have some good reason for putting it off.

Start With Desire and Decision

If you sincerely want to beat the odds, to achieve financial independence and retire wealthy, there are four critical steps that you must take, all starting with the letter D.

The first step is desire. You must want it badly enough to make an unshakable commitment and to be willing to make sacrifices. The second D is decision. You must make a decision right now to do whatever is necessary, to be willing to pay any price, go any distance, to achieve your goal.

Practice Determination and Discipline

The third D is determination, which is to keep at it until you succeed in spite of all the problems and obstacles you will experience. And the fourth D is discipline - the discipline to master yourself to develop the habits necessary for achieving financial independence.

Those are the four Ds. Desire, Decision, Determination and Discipline. And you can measure how successful you're going to be in the future by measuring how well you're doing in each of those on a scale of one to ten.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make a decision, right now, that you are going to be financially independent, no matter what obstacles you face in the short term. Then write it down, make a plan and start to work on it every single day.

Second, resolve in advance that you will persist in the face of every setback or obstacle you face. You will never give up. You will keep on moving forward until you finally achieve your goal.

Brian Tracy

Impian Walt Disney

2007-06-07T13:40:00.000+07:00

Walter Elias Disney dilahirkan di Chicago pada tanggal 5 Desember 1901. Ibunya Flora Call, adalah seorang wanita Jerman. Sedangkan ayahnya Elias Disney, adalah seorang keturunan Irlandia. Kehidupan keluarga Disney berpindah dari satu kota ke kota lain, karena Elias Disney, yang sebenarnya terpesona oleh dunia bisnis, tidak mempunyai kesesuaian diri dengan dunia
itu dan seringkali mengalami kegagalan finansial.

Pada tahun 1906, keluarga Disney pindah ke daerah Marceline , Missouri , di tanah pertanian yang baru dibelinya. Walt Disney kecil menyukai kehidupan di daerah barunya tersebut. Selain itu, kehidupan di desa tersebut juga menghidupkan rasa sayangnya kepada binatang-2 yang hidup di sekitarnya, seperti bebek, tikus, dan anjing. Kelak, ternyata hewan-2 itulah yang membuat namanya menjulang. Dari sini, Walt Disney menarik pelajaran berharga yang dia terapkan sepanjang hidupnya, yaitu bahwa KEBAHAGIAAN AKAN TIMBUL DALAM DIRI KITA APABILA KITA MELAKUKAN SESUATU YANG BENAR-BENAR KITA SUKAI.

Kehidupan Walt Disney yang bahagia itu teryata hanya bisa dinikmati sesaat saja. Kegagalan panen yang berturut-turut membuat Elias Disney, ayahnya harus menjual ladang pertaniannya dan membeli sebuah perusahaan koran setempat yang kecil. Untuk menghemat biaya pegawai, Elias Disney mempekerjakan Walt Disney dan kakaknya Ray tanpa biaya. Setiap pagi pukul 3.30 dinihari Walt dan Ray sudah harus bangun untuk menunggu kedatangan truk pengangkut. Sesudah itu mereka harus menjalankan tugas harian mengantarkan koran kepada para pelanggan di kota . Kadang-kadang orang menjumpai Walt berjalan dengan kelelahan dan gemetar kedinginan dengan bawaan hampir
seberat dua kali berat tubuhnya. Adakalanya cuaca begitu dingin, sehingga Walt harus berjongkok di sudut jalan sekedar untuk menghangatkan diri.

Seringkali Walt berpikir, apakah untuk hidup di dunia ini orang harus bekerja mati-matian sebagai budak dengan upah yang hanya bisa sekedar untuk survive ? Tidak adakah jalan lain untuk hidup ? Bila Walt mengantarkan koran untuk para pelanggannya yang kebanyakan adalah orang kaya di kota , maka Walt juga mulai berpikir mengapa mereka bisa hidup mewah, sementara dirinya hidup
serba kekurangan. Hal ini akhirnya melahirkan pelajaran kedua di dalamhidupnya, yaitu bahwa KEHIDUPAN ITU ADALAH SUATU PILIHAN. APAKAH KITA MAU HIDUP KAYA ATAU MISKIN, TERGANTUNG ATAS KEPUTUSAN DAN TINDAKAN KITA SEPENUHNYA SAAT INI.

Atas dasar pemikiran itulah maka setelah beranjak dewasa Walt bersikeras memutuskan untuk masuk ke dinas tentara, karena menurutnya pekerjaan tentara bisa lebih memberi kekayaan dibanding sebagai pengantar koran yang bekerja tidak dibayar. Di sela-2 dinas ketentaraannya, Walt menggunakan waktu luangnya untuk menggambar.

Rupanya, bakat Walt dalam menggambar memang luar biasa, sehingga ! dalam waktu yang singkat banyak teman-2nya di ketentaraan yang minta dibuatkan gambar dirinya.

Setelah perang dunia I usai, Walt keluar dari dinas tentara. Saat itu, sangatlah sulit mencari pekerjaan. Ini merupakan masa-masa paling suram dalam kehidupan Walt Disney. Untuk kembali ke orang tuanya dia malu, karena waktu itu dia sering menyombongkan pada orang tuanya bahwa pekerjaan tentara itu adalah `pekerjaan orang kaya'.

Walt tidak mempunyai uang barang sedikitpun, dan terpaksa menumpang di belakang sebuah bengkel kecil, dengan sebuah bangku usang, satu-satunya perabotan yang dimilikinya, untuk makan dan tidur. Lebih parah lagi, seminggu sekali dia harus pergi mengendap-endap ke stasiun kota di malam hari hanya sekedar untuk `mencuri' mandi.

Walt menyadari, bahwa hal ini tidak mungkin dibiarkan terus menerus. Dia kembali ingat impiannya di masa lalu, bahwa dia ingin menjadi kaya, bukan gelandangan seperti sekarang. Tapi, apa yang bisa dilakukan dengan keadaannya yang sekarang, tanpa modal, tanpa kenalan, tanpa pekerjaan. Dalam keadaan paling parah dalam hidupnya, Walt akhirnya bisa merumuskan prinsip
hidupnya yang ketiga, yaitu TIDAK PEDULI SEBERAPA PARAH KEADAAN KITA SAAT INI, NAMUN KEADAAN PASTI AKAN BERUBAH LEBIH BAIK APABILA KITA MASIH MEMILIKI SATU HAL : HARAPAN

Harapan itu pula yang terus memacu pikiran Walt. Akhirnya Walt menyadari, bahwa satu-satunya yang masih dimilikinya adalah bakat menggambarnya. Tapi, bagaimana caranya agar bakat tersebut bisa menghasilkan uang untuk dirinya ? Setelah sekian lama mencari-cari, Walt memutuskan bahwa Hollywood adalah tempat yang cocok dengan dirinya, dengan bakat yang dimilikinya. Untuk kesana, terpaksa Walt menahan malu dan meminjam uang dari kakaknya Ray. Setibanya disana, ternyata Walt hanyalah satu dari sekian ribu orang yang berharap bisa menjadi bintang di Hollywood .

Mulailah Walt masuk satu persatu ke studio yang ada disana, dan mencoba menawarkan diri untuk bekerja apa saja, asal ada hubungannya dengan dunia perfilman. Bukan hal yang mudah ternyata, karena tidak ada satupun studio yang mau menerimanya, bahkan untuk pekerjaan yang paling rendah sekalipun.

Walt menyadari, bahwa para studio itu menolaknya karena dirinya tidak menunjukkan satu keahlian khusus, yang membuat mereka tertarik kepadanya. Belajar dari situ, Walt membeli beberapa kertas kosong dan mulai menggambar. Kemudian Walt kembali lagi ke studio-2 itu lagi, kini dengan menonjolkan `bakat' yang dimilikinya. Ternyata ada satu studio yang tertarik dengan
bakat Walt yang luar biasa.

Mereka bahkan langsung memesan satu cerita " Alice in The Wonderland" dalam bentuk film kartun bergerak, dengan harga awal US$ 1.500.

Jumlah itu justru membuat Walt kaget, karena pada awalnya Walt hanya berharap mendapatkan upah US$ 50 sebulan, hanya sekedar untuk bertahan hidup. Rangkaian film " Alice in The Wonderland" sukses luar biasa di bioskop Amerika, dan bertahan sampai tiga tahun berturut-turut. Dengan hasil dari film ini, Walt mulai bisa memperbaiki hidupnya, membeli rumah, membuat studio sendiri dan menikah dengan Lilian Bounds.

Suatu hari, Walt teringat masa kecilnya yang bahagia di pedesaan. Hal ini menginspirasi dirinya untuk menggambar tiga sahabat binatangnya waktu itu, yaitu bebek, tikus, dan anjing. Dari sinilah kemudian lahir Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse dan Pluto. Ketiga binatang inilah yang membawa Walt Disney menuju ke kejayaannya sebagai seorang bintang di Hollywood . Selain itu, Walt juga rajin menciptakan film-film animasi lain yang terus mencetak uang bagi dirinya, seperti Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan dan Bambi. Dari sinilah Walt kemudian mendedikasikan diri seutuhnya untuk kebahagiaan anak-2 sedunia.

Pada tahun 1950, Walt mempunyai impian untuk membangun taman impian bagi anak-anak. Impian Walt ini dianggap gila oleh rekan-2nya sesama pengusaha, namun Walt tetap dengan pendiriannya. Taman bermain ini akhirnya bisa diwujudkan pada tahun 1955 di Anaheim , California .

Pada waktu pembukaan, Walt mengatakan dalam pidatonya "KESUKSESAN DIMULAI KETIKA KITA MULAI MENCIPTAKAN IMPIAN JAUH KEDEPAN. DAN SAAT KITA BERKOMITMEN UNTUK MENCAPAI IMPIAN ITU, MAKA SELANJUTNYA IMPIAN ITU YANG AKAN MENJADI MAGNET DAN MENARIK KITA KESANA????..".

Walt Disney meninggal pada tahun 1966. Namun visi dan impiannya untuk kebahagiaan anak-anak akan terus dikenang oleh dunia sepanjang masa.

http://www.beranigagal.blogspot.com

Nenek Berusia 95 Tahun Raih Sarjana!

2007-05-16T14:00:00.001+07:00

WASHINGTON, SELASA - Tak ada istilah tua dalam sekolah. Nola Ochs, perempuan tua asal Paman Sam itu, bisa menjadi contoh. Betapa umur bukan alasan untuk kuliah. Di usianya yang kini berumur 95 tahun, ia berhasil meraih gelar sarjananya di Universitas Negeri Fort Hays, Amerika Serikat.

Pada awalnya, perempuan asal Kansas kelahiran 1911 itu, berniat belajar sejarah, namun akhirnya, justru ia membuat sejarah dengan menjadi orang tertua meraih gelar sarjana.

Pada Sabtu, Ochs, mendapat sambutan tepuk tangan dari rekan kuliahnya saat menerima ijazah sarjana bidang sejarah dari Gubernur Kansas. "Menyenangkan sekali. Semua orang berdiri dan bersorak-sorai," katanya kepada AFP.

Ketika menjawab pertanyaan tentang alasan dia belajar sejarah, Ochs menjawab, "Saya menyaksikan banyak sejarah dan saya jadi tertarik."

Ochs menjalani hidup sebagai ibu rumah tangga di peternakan di Jetmore, Kansas, dan mulai kuliah di universitas terbuka pada usia 67 setelah suaminya meninggal. "Saya istri peternak. Suami saya sudah meninggal dan anak-anak sudah dewasa. Saya hanya mencari kegiatan dengan mengerjakan yang saya sukai, sebagai pengisi waktu senggang," katanya.

Setelah beberapa lama, belajar lewat surat ternyata dia anggap tidak memuaskan. Dia kemudian kuliah di kampus berisi 4.500 mahasiswa, tinggal berdampingan bersama mahasiswa seumur cicit-cicitnya.

"Saya sangat senang. Para mahasiswa menganggap saya seperti mahasiswa lain. Mereka memanggil saya dengan nama kecil," kata Ochs, yang masih menyetir sendiri mobilnya.

Dia tidak hanya belajar sejarah, tapi juga belajar ilmu berbicara di depan umum, komposisi, dan komputer.

Setelah mendapat gelar sarjana, ia pun berencana mengambil kuliah lagi, misalnya, tentang Internet dan cerita bertutur. Menurut dia, sebutan pemegang rekor dunia sebagai orang tertua lulus sarjana semakin menambah manis suasana.

"Saya senang sekali. Itu benar-benar tidak saya sangka dan saya berterima kasih atas tanggapan umum kepada saya," katanya.

Saya berharap itu menjadi ilham agar orang belajar lebih jauh lagi. Teruslah belajar. Kita tidak akan pernah selesai belajar," serunya. Luar Biasa...

Kompas Cyber Media

Rabu, 16 Mei 2007-09.45 wib

Business Idea & Opportunity Evaluation

2007-05-15T09:45:00.000+07:00

In analyzing your business ideas you must be able to pass them through a test to determine if they truly are valid opportunities. All of your ideas must have a demonstrated need, ready market, and ability to provide a solid return on investment.

Is the idea feasible in the marketplace? Is there demand? Can it be done? Are you able to pull together the persons and resources to pull it off before the window of opportunity closes? These questions must be considered and answered.

Opportunity-focused entrepreneurs start with the customer and the market in mind. They analyze the market to determine industry issues, market structure, market size, growth rate, market capacity, attainable market share, cost structure, the core economics, exit strategy issues, time to breakeven, opportunity costs, and barriers to entry. Below are two models that entrepreneurs use to evaluate their business ideas and plans.

Fourteen Questions to Ask Every Time
To evaluate opportunities, entrepreneurs ask the following questions:
1. What is the need you fill or problem you solve? (Value Proposition)
2. Who are you selling to? (Target Market)
3. How would you make money? (Revenue Model)
4. How will you differentiate your company from what is already out there? (Unique selling proposition)
5. What are the barriers to entry?
6. How many competitors do you have and of what quality are they? (Competitive Analysis)
7. How big is your market in dollars? (Market Size)
8. How fast is the market growing or shrinking? (Market Growth)
9. What percent of the market do you believe you could gain? (Market Share)
10.What type of company would this be? (Lifestyle or High Potential, Sole Proprietorship or Corporation)
11.How much would it cost to get started? (Start-up Costs)
12.Do you plan to use debt capital or raise investment? If so, how much and what type?(Investment needs)
13.Do you plan to sell your company or go public (list the company on the stock markets) one day? (Exit Strategy)
14. If you take on investment, how much money do you think your investors will get back in return? (Return on Investment)

Let’s take the above fourteen questions and term them into an easy model that you can use to evaluate your business ideas you come up with. This is called the RAMP model.

The RAMP Model

Let’s start with the first letter, R, which stands for Return. Return really is return on investment. R Discuss Exit Strategy (acquisition or IPO)
R Is it profitable? Will your revenues be higher than your expenses?
R Time to breakeven (how long before cash flow positive? How long until the company begins to have an aggregate net income)
R Investment Needed. How much money will it take to start-up this venture. Will it be $20,000, $200,000, or $2,000,000?

Now let’s look at A.
A stands for advantages.
A Look at cost structure (suppliers, what each element will cost to source or manufacture)
A Barriers to entry (large competitors, regulations, patents, large capital requirements. If there are many barriers to entry, it will be difficult to enter a market. The higher the barriers to entry, the more disadvantaged you will be.
A Intellectual Property. Do you have a proprietary advantage such as a patents or exclusive licenses on what you will be selling. A Distribution Channel. How will you be selling your product? Will you sell it direct to the consumer via the Internet, sell it to wholesales, sell it to businesses, or sell it to retail stores. If can develop a unique distribution channel this can surely be an advantage.

Now let’s look at M.
M stands for Market.
M The Need. Is there a big need for this product or service. Try to avoid ideas that sound cool but there is no real need for. Make sure your product or service fills and need or solves a problem.
M Target market (who are you selling to? businesses? consumers? what demographics?)
M Analyze target market (who are you selling to? businesses? consumers? what demographics?)
M Pricing (what you they charge, what will be the price, will there be a high enough markup).
M Analyze market size

Finally let’s look at P.
P stands for potential.
P Risk vs. Reward. How risky is the opportunity? If it is very risky, it there a chance for the business to do very well. Will there be a high reward for the founders and investors if the company succeeds?
P The Team. Is the team right for the business. Do you have knowledge in this area.
P Timing. Is the market ready for your product. You may have a great idea for flying cars, but if consumers are not ready for your product you may not be able to turn your idea into a successful business.
P Goal Fit. Does the business concept fit the goals of the team to create a high potential or lifestyle business?

By using the RAMP model and the fourteen questions above you should be able to do a thorough job analyzing your business ideas and opportunities presented to you.

The Friendship Factor

2007-04-30T09:00:00.000+07:00

The Communication Process

The ancient Greeks taught that all conversation involved three ingredients: Ethos, or the character of the speaker; Pathos, connecting with the emotions; and Logos. The logos discussed by the Greeks refers to the factual content of a message, the words used. It refers to the argument that you present on behalf of your point of view. (However, we know that the facts themselves, although they are important, are not as powerful or as influential as the emotions are.)

The Selling Process

In selling, we know that there are three parts to the process. These are, first, establishing rapport with the prospective customer, second, identifying the problem or need that the prospective customer has and, third, presenting the solution. These are the ethos, the pathos and the logos of selling to someone.

Build Good Relationships

Your success in every area of life will be based largely on the quality and quantity of relationships that you can initiate and develop over time. In the world of business and sales today, relationships are everything. We often call this the “friendship factor.” We have discovered that a person will not do business with you until he or she is convinced that you are his or her friend and are acting in his or her best interest. In other words, you cannot influence someone unless he or she likes you in some way. Of course, it’s often possible for you to influence a person if he fears you, but that type of influence lasts only until the person can rearrange his situation and escape from the circumstances that enable you to have control over him.

How to Influence and Persuade Others

The way to influence people, then, is to earn their liking and respect, to appeal to the friendship factor. This requires spending time with him, caring for him and respecting him. The more time that you are willing to spend with the person, the greater will be his tendency to trust you and to feel that you are acting in his best interest. The more obvious it is that you care about the person, about what he really needs, the more likely it is that he will be open to your influence. This is even more important in your personal relationships, with your family and friends. The more that people feel you care about them, the more open they will be to your influence.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, slow down when you first meet a person in a business or sales situation. Take some time to build a relationship with him or her before you proceed to business matters.

Second, appeal to the friendship factor that underlies all good business and personal relationships. Ask questions about the person and his or her life and concerns. Listen attentively to the answers. Focus on the relationship first.

Brian Tracy

10 Reasons Why People Fail

2007-04-11T14:15:00.000+07:00

Here are some of the top reasons why people fail.

Sometimes we have to look at that ugly side of ourselves before we can grow past it. You need to take an honest inventory of yourself. Why are you not successful? It does not take much to change any of these negatives into a positive. You just need to reach inside and take the necessary steps.

1. No Definition
There is little hope for the person with no idea of where they're going. That's like getting into a car and starting to drive with no destination. You need a destination so you can know what map to use. If you take nothing else from this article, I want you to take out 10 minutes right now and think about your life's purpose. Seriously, get out a pad and pen and get to scribblin'. If you don't know where you're going, then you ain't getting there.

2. No Drive
If the person is not wanting or willing, there is little can be done about that. You have to want it, more than anything. This usually relates to number one. If you have no aim, no reason for your existence, then you'll probably have no ambition to get anywhere. So, if you're stuck in neutral, you need to fire yourself up about something. Decide on your life purpose and set off that spark.

3. No Discipline
You have to be strong enough to truly 'know thyself' and still strong enough to forge ahead even when the obstacles are plenty. You have to get that fire burning inside so that it can generate enough power to make you disciplined. It takes discipline to not ignore my asking you for the third time to sit there and contemplate your life's purpose. Be disciplined with yourself. Make yourself do it, now.

4. Procrastination
Hardest part is getting started. You have to listen to Nike when they say "Just Do It". NOW! Strongly related to the previous reason. It takes discipline to not put things off. It's the easiest thing in the world to say "I'll do it tomorrow." We all do it, for all kinds of reasons. We have to stop, though, if we want to be successful. Successful people get the job done, quickly and efficiently.

5. No Follow through
While some have a hard time getting started, others just can't seem to keep it going. They have a hard time keeping the fire burning. A lot of us have drawerfuls of marketable ideas that we just didn't follow through on. The best things you can do to counteract are; a) keep your eyes on the prize and b) surround yourself with supportive people who will encourage you when things get tough. There is strength in numbers.

6. Negative Mindset
Should be closer to the top of the list. Some people are just stuck in a rut. Walking around with a dark cloud over their head. This is a tough one. They really have to focus on developing a reason to go forth. These folk, more than any, need to have a support group to help them if they're ever going to break free of the quicksand they trudge around in.

7. Indecisiveness
Can't make up their minds which way to go on anything. Or they might jump at one idea or another for fear of appearing indecisive. Thus not really making any real decisions. To be truly successful, you have to be able to make decisions, right or wrong. When you're right, great, keep on trucking. But when you're wrong, you have to be able to decide to change course.

8. Cautiousness
This could actually count as two, but they're two sides of the same coin. One is over-cautious, afraid to take any risks and thus missing out on opportunities. The other is the crazy risk taker who takes too many chances and thus winds up falling too often. You have to be able to walk the fine line between the two. When scary opportunities come up, do your homework and check it out. Don't be afraid to look into the lion's den before you walk in.

9. Entourage
You surround yourself with people who bring out the worst in you. You marry the wrong person. You take on shady business partners. You won't let go of relationships that need to be out of your life. Let them go. You can't help them unless you break free. You have to be able to get somewhere before you can give your in-laws all that attention that they're wanting.

10. Shadiness
You yourself are a shady, dishonest person. True, some people make money being shady, but they're not really successful. They are failures of the worst kind. For you, all I can say is, repent. You've got to change your evil ways, baby. It's the only way you'll get the real blessings you crave for. Be a better person.

Kano Ayala
Author of "Stop Now and Succeed!"

Why you are unable to achieve your goals

2007-03-30T12:00:00.000+07:00

Every body on the planet earth have some goal to achieve. They commit themselves and take every precaution to set their targets and make the appropriate action plan as per their knowledge, but yet they are unable to achieve their Goal.

This sounds bad? Isn’t it? But believe me its quite true. You dream of achieving something, define your goal, make the milestones, prepare the things to do and manage your time and efforts effectively, but still you fail. This may not be true for each and every goal you set, but at least with some of the goal you wanted to achieve.

Do you know why you fail? May be you know, or may be you don’t know, even though there is very little chance of you knowing the reasons and still failing. If you know the reasons of not succeeding and still failing, then I can assure you, there is something wrong with your determination, or the goal, or the action plan, or time management protocol you have in place. There could be so many factors.

But let me deal with the case where you don’t know the reasons of not succeeding.

The first and the foremost reason is make sure the Goal Setting protocol you have in place is quite clear to you. This can be checked if you answer following questions;

1. You know what you want to achieve, Your goal should be very much clear to you. Do you think your goal is clear to you?
2. Before going further, you must ask yourself what will be the benefits of achieving this goal in your personal and professional life. Is it going to give you happiness and feelings of fulfillments?
3. Do you have the correct and appropriate goal setting practice in place?
4. Can you see your goals with open eyes? Is it written on a paper ? can you see your goals everyday, eve though you are busy?
5. Have you divided your goals into mini-goals or the milestones?
6. Have you prepared the action plan and an effective time management practice in place?
7. Are you feeling motivated enough to go ahead and succeed?

If your answers to the above questions are yes, then you should go ahead and there are high chances of you succeeding and achieving your goals.

Now, during the course of the execution of the tasks and the milestone if you feel things are not going in favor of you, then this could lead you to a state of mind where you will need enough motivation to boost-up your mental and physical energy level. If everything mentioned above are right in place then only reason could be the lack of motivation during the execution of your goal. You will need a lot of motivation in such state. Read the following section to know about how to keep yourself motivated.

How to Motivate Yourself?

Motivation is derived from the word motive, that means the cause of doing something. Have a solid cause and it will be very easy for you to get motivated to act for the cause. I believe that if you want to keep yourself motivated, you have to have to do something for it everyday. Motivation is like the breakfast, you have to take it everyday, else it may cost your health, same way you have to take some motivational dose for a good mental health. Different people gets motivation from different sources, though I find following are the best and the common to do to keep yourself motivated.

1. Don’t think of the pain you are getting today, rather think of the joy of achieving.
2. Read good articles, motivational quotes, motivational stories so that your mind can consume required motivation out of it.
3. Keep a list of appreciations, complements and awards and check them when you feel you need motivation. These complements and awards will motivate you to go ahead.
4. At times, remembering the bad times or a negative complements can also be motivating, if you are a positive thinker. You can get inspiration and motivation to go ahead and get a better feedback and complements from the one who gave you a bad feedback. Try this some time and you will find it’s a great way to keep yourself motivated.
5. Spare time to enjoy your personal life with family and friends

By Pradeep Chaudhary
Founder and Director
Simplified Success

Hebat! Tuna Netra Jalankan Bengkel Otomotif

2007-03-25T14:07:00.000+07:00

COTTAGE GROVE, Larry Woody (46) adalah penyandang tunanetra yang hebat. Betapa tidak, dia dapat menjalankan bengkel otomotifnya secara mandiri. Dia sendiri yang menangani perbaikan kendaraan pelanggannya, seperti mengganti saluran bahan bakar, mengganti filter, dan menderek kendaraan. Bahkan, dia juga yang menangani rekening pembayaran.
"Semua itu saya kerjakan dengan menggunakan perasaan. Saya manfaatkan tangan untuk melihat apa yang saya lakukan," katanya kepada Eugene Register-Guard dan dikutip AP, Selasa (20/3).
Tidak hanya hebat, Woody juga memiliki empati tinggi kepada sesama penyandang cacat. Baru-baru ini dia mempekerjakan Otto Shima (17), seorang penyandang tunarungu sejak lahir, untuk menjadi asistennya. Jadilah Woody sebagai orang buta yang mempekerjakan orang tuli.
Shima ditemani seorang penerjemah setiap kali dia datang ke bengkel itu. Dia akan menerjemahkan dengan bahasa isyarat kepada Shima apa saja yang diinstruksikan Woody. "Dia hanyalah seorang murid, dan saya orang biasa yang mencoba membantunya," kata Woody mengenai Shima. Shima sendiri mengaku mendapat banyak inspirasi dari Woody. "Dia tidak pernah menyerah," kata Shima. (AP/REUTERS/BSW)

Sumber : Surat Kabar Kompas, Rabu, 21 Maret 2007 - 09:19 wib
http://www.kompas.co.id/ver1/Hiburan/0703/21/091947.htm

Chow Yun Fat

2007-02-19T22:00:00.000+07:00

Chow Yun Fat, bintang film Hong Kong terkenal, nama yang tidak asing lagi dalam dunia perfilman Indonesia, Asia bahkan dunia. Film-film yang dibintanginya selalu sukses dan diterima antusias oleh penggemarnya. Termasuk film terakhir Curse of the Golden Flower, yang beredar di Indonesia akhir Desember 2006 lalu.

TAHUKAH ANDA?

Chow Yun Fat sebelum terkenal seperti sekarang ini, pernah bekerja sebagai house keeping di hotel Miramar Hongkong. Pekerjaannya meliputi membantu membawakan koper-koper para tamu, mencuci mobil dan membantu kebutuhan service lainnya.

Suatu hari, sebuah mobil mewah Rolls-Royce berhenti di depan pintu gerbang hotel. Pengendara mobil keluar sambil memberitahu dia agar mencuci mobilnya. Chow yang saat itu belum lama lulus dari sekolah menengah, belum mengerti benar tentang lika-liku kehidupan bermasyarakat dan selama ini dia belum pernah melihat mobil mewah seperti itu. Saking terpesona dengan kemewahan dan keindahan Rolls-Royce, selesai mencuci dan membersihkan mobil, tanpa berpikir panjang lagi, Chow Yun Fat pun masuk dan duduk menikmati kenyamanan di dalam mobil tersebut.Tanpa terduga, saat itu atasannya melintas dan melihat Chow yang sedang duduk di mobil Rolls-Royce, spontan dihampiri dan langsung dimarahi habis-habisan. "Kamu ini sedang apa haaa? Kamu ini siapa? Nggak tau derajat dan posisimu ya? Orang seperti kamu, seumur hidup tak pantas duduk di mobil Rolls-Royce tau?!!"

Bentakan ini sedemikian menyengat dan membekas dalam diri Chow. Walau dengan kepala tertunduk karena menyadari telah melanggar peraturan, tetapi saat itu sebuah tekad kuat menggelora di dada. Dia bersumpah dalam hati, "Suatu hari nanti, aku tidak hanya duduk di mobil Rolls-Royce, tetapi aku harus memiliki mobil Rolls-Royce itu!"

Dengan kekuatan semangat dan target hidup yang jelas, Chow Yun Fat menapaki era baru kehidupannya. Jalan terang muncul setelah dia menemukan kelebihannya dan mampu mengembangkan bakatnya sebagai seorang aktor film. Karismanya sangat luar biasa dalam memerani akting film. Film-film yang dibintanginya laku keras, seperti: A Better Tomorrow, the Bund, God of Gamblers, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. Dia pun begitu laris dan terkenal sebagai aktor hebat. Sampai di undang main untuk film di Amerika, dan tentu impiannya pun terwujud yakni tidak sekedar duduk tetapi membeli mobil idamannya, Rolls-Royce! Dan sekaligus membeli mobil-mobil mewah lainnya sebagai koleksi pribadi.

Apa yang dialami oleh Chow Yun Fat merupakan sebuah contoh nyata bagi kita. Bahwa, tak peduli siapa pun anda, asalkan punya impian, focus mengembangkan talenta yang dimiliki, berusaha dan berjuang sekuat tenaga menggapai impian tersebut, aktualisasikan diri Anda secara konsisten maka jalan sukses pasti akan terbuka bagi Anda.
Temukan talenta anda, aktualisasikan diri, dan raih kesuksesan!Itu semua bisa terjadi! Ingat!

SUCCESS IS YOUR RIGHT !

SUKSES ADALAH HAK ANDA JUGA !
Andrie Wongso

4 Steps to Set Your Mind for Success

2007-01-25T10:25:00.000+07:00

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
"Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." (Marianne Williamson)

How long have you waited to be happy at work, to write a book, or bring home the income you deserve? Are you your own best support system or biggest diversion? Consider the cheetah which has no problem using its gift of speed. The bald eagle easily leverages its keen eye sight and ability to soar. Dolphins joyfully exert their playfulness. Imagine what is possible for humans with our unique gift of the mind if we focus on what serves us versus what holds us back. Discover four steps to set your mind for success.

1. Know what is limiting you
Let's investigate a mystery. What beliefs are at your core? Pay attention for one week to the self-limiting beliefs that show up. As a detective, be consciously aware. Keep a journal handy for notes.

Beliefs can show up as a label you place upon yourself attached to an assumption such as Parent- there is only so much I can do or Owner- I can't count on anyone but myself. They can reveal themselves in negative statements such as "I can’t be…", "I can’t do…", "I'm not good enough"," I'm not smart enough," "I never complete anything," etc. Beliefs may be uncovered in an assumption such as "there's not enough time", "that's too hard", or "he'll say 'no' ". Write down the beliefs you notice that restrain you from what you want.

2. Get to the source of the diversion
A good detective digs deeper. Whose voice is attached to the belief? How did this belief become attached to your life? Is it legitimate? Is it serving you? Or limiting you? Jot your notes. I have to warn you. We hesitate to go within because we subconsciously know what may be lurking at the source. Fear! Write down any fears you discover that are holding you back.

3. Rewrite your limiting beliefs and fears with an unlimited confident statement
Turn "I can't" into "I am", "that's too hard" into "I know I can do this part", "I don't have enough time" into "I know what's important and I do that first", and "Parent- there's only so much I can do" to "Parent- the world is my resource. I can do what I put my mind to." Reread your new attitude daily. Picture it as true. Feel it as real until it becomes part of who you are.

4. Stand strong and respond
Do not slack when it comes to eliminating self-limiting beliefs! When they show up, mount up. When you hear "you will never be…" respond with "says who? I determine my value." When you think "you are going to make a fool of yourself" respond by saying "I will love myself for having the guts to try." And when you believe there is no time left for your dreams, drop what is not as important and stand up for who you are.

Are you willing to do what it takes to set your mind for success with unstoppable determination? Will you do the detective work to gain access to your unlimited capabilities? What I want for you is to break out of the bounds of limits and become your own best Success Coach… Starting Now!

Beth Tabak
Small Business Coaching & Personal Life Coaching.
Speaker and Columnist.

Improving the Quality of Your Thinking

2006-12-12T15:27:00.000+07:00

Anyone, Starting From Wherever They Are, Can Become Wealthy in America

In one series of I.Q. tests given to children ages 2 - 4 years, 95% of the children were found to be highly creative with curious, questioning minds and an ability for abstract thinking.

When the same children were tested again at age 7, only 5% still demonstrated high levels of creativity. In the ensuing years, they had learned to conform; "If you want to get along, you had better go along," is what they had discovered.

The Dangers of Conformity

They had learned to color between the lines, to sit in neat little rows, to do and say what the other kids did and said, and to do as they were told. Over time, they lost the wonderful fearless spontaneity of youth and learned to suppress ideas and insights that were unusual or different.

Aggressively Seek New Ideas

Most of us have had similar experiences. The "Not invented-here" syndrome in many large companies is simply the adult version of "not rocking the boat." But fortunately, since creativity is your birthright, a fundamental part of your nature, you can tap into it at any time, no matter how long it has been since you really used it.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to start thinking outside of your mental box.

First, imagine that there was a vastly better, cheaper, faster way to do your job — and somebody else had already discovered it and was going to put you out of business.

Second, imagine doing exactly the opposite of what you are doing today. Allow your mind to float freely and consider how current trends will change your business.

Brian Tracy

Setting Self Improvement Goals (Easier Said, Easily Done)

2006-12-06T15:07:00.000+07:00

Do you feel like you know just enough about Self-improvement to be dangerous?This article explains a few things about Self-improvement, and if you're interested, then this is worth reading, because you can never tell what you don't know.

The only way to keep up with the latest about self improvement is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about Self-improvement, it won't take long for you to become an influential authority.

The basics of setting a goal is an open secret known by top-caliber athletes, successful businessmen and businesswomen and all types of achievers in all the different fields. The basics of setting goals give you short-term and long-term motivation and focus. They help you set focus on the acquisition of required knowledge and help you to plan and organize your resources and your time so that you can get the best out of your life.

Setting clearly defined short term and long term goals will enable you to measure your progress and achieve personal satisfaction once you have successfully met your goals. Charting your progress will also enable you to actually see the stages of completion leading to the actual realization of your goals. This eliminates the feeling of a long and pointless grind towards achieving your goal. Your self-confidence and level of competence will also improve as you will be more aware of your capabilities as you complete or achieve your goals. The basics of goal settings will involve deciding what you really want to do with your personal life and what short term and long term goals you need to achieve it. Then you have to break down goals into the smaller and manageable targets that you must complete in your way to achieving your lifetime targets. Once you have your list waste no time in tackling your goals.

A good way to have a manageable list is to have a daily and weekly set of goals. By doing this you will be always in the position of going towards you life plan goals. Everyday will give you the opportunity to fulfill a certain goal giving you the feeling of accomplishment.

Here are some pointers that should be taken into consideration in setting goals and achieving them.

Attitude plays a very big role in setting and achieving your goals. You must ask yourself if any part of you or your mind holding you back towards completing your simplest goals? If there are any part of your behavior that is being a hindrance or puts your plans into disarray? If you do have problems in these areas then the immediate thing to do is to address this problem. Solutions may include a visit to a doctor or psychiatrist to control your emotions. Careers are made by good time management practice. Failing in a career is often attributed to bad time management. Careers require a lot from an individual which often makes the career the life of the individual. Plan how far do you want to go into your career.

Education is key in achieving your goals. If your goals require you to have a certain kind of degree or require a certain specialization or demand a certain skill to be developed, make plans in getting the appropriate education.

Your family should never be left out of your plans. If you are just starting out then you have to decide if you want to be a parent or when you want to be a parent. You also have to know if you really would be a good parent and how well would you relate to extended family members

It's really a good idea to probe a little deeper into the subject of Self-improvement. What you learn may give you the confidence you need to venture into new areas.

You can see that there's practical value in learning more about Self-improvement . Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far?

See how much you can learn about Self-improvement when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don't miss out on the rest of this great information.

Sometimes the most important aspects of a subject are not immediately obvious. Keep reading to get the complete picture.

Personal financial situations also play a major role in achieving your goals. Have a realistic goal on how much you really want to earn. You also must be able to create plans or stages by which you will be able to reach your earning potential.

Physically gifted individuals may be able to achieve sports related goals like being in the National Basketball association or National Football League. Determining your physical capabilities should be one of your priorities. Physical limitations could however be conquered with proper planning.

As the saying goes -'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy', or something to that effect, is by all means true down to the last the letter. Giving yourself a little pleasure: should be included into your plans.

To start achieving your lifetime goals, set a quarter of a century plan, then break it down to 5 year plans then break it down again to 1 year plans, then 6 month plans then monthly plans, then weekly, then daily.

Then create a things-to-do list for the day.

Always review your plans and prepare for contingencies.

The basics of goal settings should not be so difficult once you get to be familiar with them.

As your knowledge about self improvement continues to grow, you will begin to see how Self-improvement fits into the overall scheme of things. Knowing how something relates to the rest of the world is important too.

There's a lot to understand about Self-improvement. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

Is there really any information about Self-improvement that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

Joe L.Golson - Internet Marketer

The ABCDE Method for Setting Priorities

2006-11-29T10:21:00.000+07:00

Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things. Your ability to plan and organize your work, in advance, so you are always working on your highest value tasks determines your success as much as any other factor.

The ABCDE Method for Priorities

The process of setting short-term priorities begins with a pad of paper and a pen. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by too many things to do and too little time in which to do them, sit down, take a deep breath, and list all those tasks you need to accomplish. Although there is never enough time to do everything, there is always enough time to do the most important things, and to stay with them until they are done right.

Setting Better Priorities

The best method for setting priorities on your list, once you have determined your major goals or objectives, is the A-B-C-D-E method. You place one of those letters in the margin before each of the tasks on your list before you begin.

“A” stands for “very important;” something you must do. There can be serious negative consequences if you don't do it.

“B” stands for “important;” something you should do. This is not as important as your ‘A’ tasks. There are only minor negative consequences if it is not completed.

“C” stands for things that are “nice to do;” but which are not as important as ‘A’ or ‘B,’ tasks. There are no negative consequences for not completing it.

“D” stands for “delegate.” You can assign this task to someone else who can do the job instead of you.

“E” stands for “eliminate, whenever possible.” You should eliminate every single activity you possibly can, to free up your time.

When you use the A-B-C-D-E method, you can very easily sort out what is important and unimportant. This then will focus your time and attention on those items on your list that are most essential for you to do.

Just Say No

Once you can clearly determine the one or two things that you should be doing, above all others, just say no to all diversions and distractions and focus single-mindedly on accomplishing those priorities. Much stress that you experience in your work life comes from working on low-priority tasks. The amazing discovery is that as soon as you start working on your highest-value activity, all your stress disappears. You feel a continuous stream of energy and enthusiasm. As you work toward the completion of something that is really important, you feel an increased sense of personal value and inner satisfaction. You experience a sensation of self-mastery and self-control. You feel calm, confident and capable.

Action Exercises

Here are three ideas that you can use, every day, to help you set priorities and to keep you working at your best:

First, take the time to be clear about your goals and objectives so that the priorities you set are moving you in the direction of something that is of real value to you.

Second, remember that what counts is not the amount of time that you put in overall; rather, it’s the amount of time that you spend working on high-priority tasks.

Third, understand that the most important factor in setting priorities is your ability to make wise choices. You are always free to choose to engage in one activity or another.

Resolve today to set clear priorities in every area of your life, and always choose the activities that will assure you the greatest health, happiness and prosperity in the long term.

Brian Tracy

Selesaikan Apa yang Anda Mulai

2006-11-23T11:37:00.000+07:00

Tahun 1986 di New York diadakan lomba marathon internasional yang diikuti oleh ribuan pelari dari seluruh dunia. Lomba ini mengambil jarak 42 kilometer mengelilingi kota New York. Jutaan orang dari seluruh dunia ikut menonton acara tersebut melalui puluhan televisi yang merelainya secara langsung. Ada satu orang yang menjadi pusat perhatian di lomba tersebut, yaitu Bob Willen.

Bob adalah seorang veteran perang Amerika, dan dia kehilangan kedua kakinya karena terkena ranjau saat perang di Vietnam. Untuk berlari, Bob menggunakan kedua tangannya untuk melemparkan badannya kedepan.Dan lombapun dimulailah. Ribuan orang mulai berlari secepat mungkin ke garis finish. Wajah-wajah mereka menunjukkan semangat yang kuat. Para penonton tak henti-hentinya bertepuk tangan untuk terus mendukung para pelari tersebut. 5 kilometer telah berlalu. Beberapa peserta nampak mulai kelelahan dan mulai berjalan kaki. 10 kilometer telah berlalu. Disini mulai nampak siapa yang mempersiapkan diri dengan baik, dan siapa yang hanya sekedar ikut untuk iseng-2. Beberapa peserta yang nampak kelelahan memutuskan untuk berhenti dan naik ke bis panitia.

Sementara hampir seluruh peserta telah berada di kilometer ke-5 hingga ke-10, Bob Willen yang berada di urutan paling belakang baru saja menyelesaikan kilometernya yang pertama. Bob berhenti sejenak, membuka kedua sarung tangannya yang sudah koyak, menggantinya dengan yang baru, dan kemudian kembali berlari dengan melempar-lemparkan tubuhnya kedepan dengan kedua tangannya. Ayah Bob yang berada bersama ribuan penonton lainnya tak henti-hentinya berseru "Ayo Bob !.. Ayo Bob ! berlarilah terus". Karena keterbatasan fisiknya, Bob hanya mampu berlari sejauh 10 kilometer selama satu hari. Dimalam hari, Bob tidur di dalam sleeping bag yang telah disiapkan oleh panitia yang mengikutinya.Akhirnya empat hari telah berlalu, dan kini adalah hari kelima bagi Bob Willen. Tinggal dua kilometer lagi yang harus ditempuh. Hingga suatu saat, hanya tinggal 100 meter lagi dari garis finish, Bob jatuh terguling.

Fisik Bob benar-2 telah habis saat itu. Bob perlahan-2 bangkit dan membuka kedua sarung tangannya. Nampak disana tangan Bob sudah berdarah-darah. Dokter yang mendampinginya sejenak memeriksanya, dan mengatakan bahwa kondisi Bob sudah parah, bukan karena luka di tangannya saja, namun lebih ke arah kondisi jantung dan pernafasannya. Sejenak Bob memejamkan mata. Dan di tengah-2 gemuruh suara penonton yang mendukungnya, samar-samar Bob dapat mendengar suara ayahnya yang berteriak "Ayo Bob, bangkit ! Selesaikan apa yang telah kamu mulai. Buka matamu, dan tegakkan badanmu. Lihatlah ke depan, garis finish telah di depan mata. Cepat bangun ! Tunjukkan ke semua orang siapa dirimu, jangan menyerah ! Cepat bangkit !!!"Pelan-pelan Bob mulai membuka matanya kembali. Saat itulah matanya melihat garis finish yang sudah dekat. Semangat mulai membara kembali di dalam dirinya, dan tanpa sarung tangan, Bob melompat-lompat kedepan. "Ya, ayo Bob? satu lompatan lagi, Bob. Capailah apa yang kamu inginkan, Bob ! teriak ayahnya yang terus berlari mendampinginya. Dan satu lompatan terakhir dari Bob membuat tubuhnya melampaui garis finish. Saat itu meledaklah gemuruh dari para penonton yang berada di tempat itu. Bob bukan saja telah menyelesaikan perlombaan itu, Bob bahkan tercatat di Guiness Book of Record sebagai satu-satunya orang cacat yang berhasil menyelesaikan lari marathon.

Beberapa saat kemudian, ketika ada puluhan wartawan yang menemuinya, Bob berkata " Saya bukan orang hebat. Anda tahu saya tidak punya kaki lagi. Saya hanya menyelesaikan apa yang telah saya mulai. Saya hanya mencapai apa yang telah saya inginkan. Dan kebahagiaan saya dapatkan bukan dari apa yang saya dapatkan, tapi dari proses mendapatkannya. Selama lomba, fisik saya menurun drastis. Tangan saya sudah hancur berdarah-darah. Tapi rasa sakit saya terjadi bukan diluka itu, tapi ketika saya memalingkan wajah dari garis finish. Jadi saya kembali untuk menatap goal saya. Saya rasa tidak ada orang yang gagal dalam lari marathon ini. Tidak masalah anda akan mencapainya berapa lama, asal anda terus berlari. anda akan disebut gagal jika anda berhenti. Jadi janganlah berhenti sebelum tujuan anda tercapai!"

(Diadaptasi dari acara Guiness Book of World Records)

Setting Your Goals

2006-11-14T09:53:00.000+07:00

In my conversations with hundreds of top salespeople over the years, I have found that they all have one thing in common. They have taken the time to sit down and create a clear blueprint for themselves and their future lives. Even if they started the process of goal setting and personal strategic planning with a little skepticism, every one of them has become a true believer.

Becoming a True Believer

Every one of them has been amazed at the incredible power of goal setting and strategic planning. Every one of them has accomplished far more than they ever believed possible in selling and they ascribe their success to the deliberate process of thinking through every aspect of their work and their lives, and then developing a detailed, written road map to get them to where they wanted to go.

The Definition of Happiness

Happiness has been defined as, "The progressive achievement of a worthy ideal, or goal." When you are working progressively, step-by-step toward something that is important to you, you generate within yourself a continuous feeling of success and achievement.

You feel more positive and motivated. You feel more in control of your own life. You feel happier and more fulfilled. You feel like a winner, and you soon develop the psychological momentum that enables you to overcome obstacles and plough through adversity as you move toward achieving the goals that are most important to you.

Determine Your Values

Personal strategic planning begins with your determining what it is you believe in and stand for—your values. Your values lie at the very core of everything you are as a human being. Your values are the unifying principles and core beliefs of your personality and your character. The virtues and qualities that you stand for are what constitute the person you have become from the beginning of your life to this moment.

Your values, virtues and inner beliefs are the axle around which the wheel of your life turns. All improvement in your life begins with you clarifying your true values and then committing yourself to live consistent with them.

Fuzzy or Clear?

Successful people are successful because they are very clear about their values. Unsuccessful people are fuzzy or unsure. Complete failures have no real values at all.

Build Self-Confidence and Self-Esteem

Values clarification is the beginning exercise in building self-confidence, self-esteem and personal character. When you take the time to think through your fundamental values, and then commit yourself to living your life consistent with them, you feel a surge of mental strength and well-being. You feel stronger and more capable. You feel more centered in the universe and more competent of accomplishing the goals you set for yourself.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, decide for yourself what makes you truly happy and then organize your life around it. Write down your goals and make plans to achieve them.

Second, begin with your values by deciding what it is you stand for and believe in. Commit yourself to live consistent with your inner most convictions — and you’ll never make another mistake.

Brian Tracy

Achieving Success

2006-11-14T09:42:00.000+07:00

What is Success? The state of happiness? Having lots of money in your savings account? Having a number of servants serving you? Success itself has a very flexible meaning and it cannot be defined precisely.

The definition of success varies from person to person. In my personal opinion “success is to define a goal, make an action plan and work to accomplish the goal. When I achieve the goal, I should feel excited and should not have a feeling of regret”.

What is success to one may not be same for somebody else. What is a major achievement for one may not be a major achievement to somebody else. Confused? What I am trying to point out is everybody have their own definition of success. When you think about the success, you think about the achievements of your own. So your success has nothing to with the success of somebody else, as because the meaning of success varies from people to people. What you feel is a success for you, may not be a success for other; it may be a feeling of accomplishment of a task. So when you compare your success next time with the success of somebody else remember this.

How to Achieve Success?

There is an excellent quote I saw somewhere “Motivation is what gets you started, Habit is what keeps you going”. Believe me! The moment I saw this quote I wrote it on a paper and from that day onwards, these lines are in front of my eye, on my table. If you can understand and follow this quote, it could be a life changing mantra.

Motivation is what gets you started

I am not sure what keeps you motivated, but you must be agree with me as far as the above quote is concerned. We cannot expect to get success instantly. Achieving success takes a lot of mental and physical efforts, and a very strong determination. During the journey to success a situation may come where you feel discouraged, helpless and here comes the vital and important role of motivation. If you are a motivated person you will not give up, your mind will not allow you to give up and you will succeed. Motivation is what gets you started. Motivation is a very important factor when you wish to achieve success.

How to stay motivated always? It’s a very big question asked by one of my friend when I was discussing with him about the motivation and its role in achieving what you want to achieve.

A Single word answer to this question could be the “Positive Thinking”. Feeding your mind with all the positive thoughts. Positive thinking to lead a motivated and healthy life can change your perspective. It can act as a booster towards achieving your personal and professional growth.

Positive thinking can be done using good thoughts, eliminating negative thoughts, reading good books, articles, quotes by famous authors.
Positive thinking enables you to develop the ability to make better decisions to achieve better results in your personal and professional life. Positive thinking enables you to visualize and see a healthy life ahead of you and it help you to keep yourself motivated to achieve these things in your life. Almost every successful people on the planet earth have passed through this phase sometime or the other. When they were about to succeed, they felt like they are lost, there is no other way. What do you think they gave up and returned back with a feeling of failure? You are right! They never gave up and they struggled and succeeded in life. How do you think they kept themselves fighting, with the help of self motivation.

Habit is what keeps you going

Habit is doing same thing for a long time. In other words you can say doing something regularly and frequently is something we called as a habit. When you start doing something regularly, it becomes your habit. E.g. Morning tea, reading newspaper etc. When you develop good habits, it plays a very important and vital role in pushing you towards achieving the success. If you want to achieve success, you have to develop a habit of positive thinking, you have to develop a habit of completing your day to day tasks that you define for yourself.

Often people try to change many things at the same time and this result in a part accomplishment and finally it becomes overwhelming. But if you want to achieve success, develop a habit of working on one thing at a time. Define tasks for yourself and complete the task unless you begin another task. This will be a very good experience for you and you will not feel stressed and bored. You will feel excited to commence the next task and it help in keeping your self motivated.

By Pradeep Chaudhary
Founder and Director
Simplified Success

Seven Formulas for Business Success

2006-11-14T09:38:00.000+07:00

Visualize Your Goals

There are seven formulas for business success. Number one, set a specific goal and visualize it as a reality. Play the picture of your goal as already realized on the screen of your mind over and over again. Number two, look for a problem you can solve with a product or service that is high quality and good value. All successful businesses are based on products or services that are high quality and good value. Number three, start small and learn your business thoroughly. Be patient. Invest time rather than a lot of money.

Bootstrap Your Way to Success

One of the best ways to build a business is to start off on a bootstrap. This means that you start off with very little money and you grow your business with the money that you earn in the business, rather than outside financing, borrowing, loans from friends and so on. Test, Test, TestNumber four, test every major move before you invest in it.

Test, test, test.

Don't plunge into a business. Move ahead carefully, one step at a time. Number five, expand on the basis of your successes, out of your profits, as you move along. In other words, only expand your business on money that you've earned in the business, not on borrowed capital.

Pick Your People Carefully

Number six, carefully select the people to help you expand and grow. The biggest mistakes you'll ever make will be in picking the wrong people to work with, so be very, very careful in picking the people you're going to work with in your business.

Use Financial Leverage

And number seven, use financial leverage. Financial leverage is business borrowing, lines of credit from the bank, which are based on the cash flow from your successful business. The whole aim of starting a business is to develop a consistent, predictable source of cash flow in excess of cost and expenses and then to hold to the money. Banks will lend you all the money that you can service as debt with your cash flow.

Start Off Part Time

One final thing that you can do, and I've recommended that many people do this over the years, is if you're starting off with no money, go to work part-time for a business in a field that interests you. It's a valuable form of on-the-job training. Work evenings or work weekends. Or work on your holidays if you like.

Sometimes a business that looks tremendous from the outside will look terrible once you start working for it. But sometimes when you start working for a business, you start to get an intimate understanding of how it works and you get insights on how you can improve it.

Learn What You Need to Learn

Remember this, though, most businesses fail because of managerial incompetence. So take the time to learn what you need to know to succeed. Be patient. The time you invest before you start will pay off over and over again in the months and years ahead.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to implement these formulas for business success:

First, be prepared. The number one reason that people succeed in starting their own businesses is that they have the knowledge and experience, in advance that they need to succeed. Do your homework.

Second, start small. Some people think that they can be successful faster by putting all their savings at risk at the very beginning. The opposite is true. Start small and grow out of your cash flow from successful operations.

Brian Tracy

Kisah Sang Maestro Matsushita

2006-11-14T09:37:00.000+07:00

Sekarang ini, kita semua tahu "krisis ekonomi". Walau sudah berlalu, gemanya masih terasa sampai saat ini. Pengaruhnya terhadap cara hidup, luar biasa besarnya. Kalangan atas berguguran, kalangan menengah ke bawah pontang-panting. Kerusakan yang ditimbulkan tidak Kita ragukan lagi.

Tapi ... Kebayang gak sih, situasi yang lebih gawat daripada krisis?

Di tahun 1929, pernah terjadi 'depresi ekonomi global'. Wall Street menukik tajam tak terkendali. Surat saham tak lebih nilainya seperti kertas biasa. Saat itu, General Motor terpaksa mem-PHK separo dari 92.829 karyawannya. Perusahaan besar maupun kecil bangkrut. Jutaan orang menjadi pengangguran dan kelaparan. Daya beli turun bersama harga dan lowongan pekerjaan. Malam menjadi gelap gulita. Kepanikan terjadi di mana-mana. Toko yang masih bertahan, menghentikan pembelian dari Pabrik karena gudang sudah penuh dengan barang yang tidak terjual.

Saat itu, Konosuke Matsushita yang memproduksi peralatan Listrik bermerek National dan Panasonic baru saja merampungkan Pabrik dan kantor dengan pinjaman dari Bank Sumitomo. Kondisi badannya sering sakit-sakitan akibat gizi yang kurang dimasa kanak-kanak, ditambah lagi dengan kerja 18 jam sehari, 7 hari seminggu selama 12 tahun merintis usahanya. Hanya semangat hiduplah yang membuatnya masih bernapas. Dengan punggung bersandar ke tembok rumah, Matsushita mendengarkan laporan tentang kondisi perekonomian yang terus memburuk ketika manajemennya datang menjenguk. Lalu bagaimana tanggapannya? "Kurangi produksi separonya, tetapi JANGAN mem-PHK Karyawan. Kita akan mengurangi produksi bukan dengan merumahkan Pekerja, tetapi dengan meminta mereka untuk bekerja di pabrik hanya setengah hari. Kita akan terus membayar upah seperti yang mereka terima sekarang, tetapi Kita akan menghapus semua Hari libur. Kita akan meminta semua pekerja untuk bekerja sebaik mungkin dan berusaha menjual semua barang yang Ada di gudang.

Perintah ini bagi anak buahnya sama anehnya dengan depresi ekonomi itu sendiri. Koq bisa terjadi, yah? Dalam situasi begitu, sangatlah masuk akal jika perusahaan mem-PHK karyawan demi efisiensi.

Namun Matsushita karena keyakinannya pada sang kebajikan sudah mantap, demi kelangsungan hidup anak-istri karyawannya, akhirnya mampu menghasilkan terobosan yang Manusiawi pada masa depresi ekonomi tersebut. Kebajikan Matsushita terhadap karyawannya mendapatkan hasil yang manis 16 tahun kemudian dari karyawan yang pernah ditolongnya.Ia menuai buah kebajikannya sendiri.

Ketika Perang Dunia II berakhir, Jenderal Douglas McArthur yang mengendalikan Jepang, menangkapi semua pengusaha Jepang untuk diadili karena keterlibatan mereka selama perang. Pada kurun 1930-an, para pengusaha Jepang, termasuk Matsushita, mendapat tekanan rezim militer Jepang saat itu untuk memproduksi senjata dan logistik militer lainnya. Maka Matsushita pun ikut ditangkap. Sekitar 15.000 pekerja bersama keluarganya membubuhkan tanda tangan petisi pembelaan untuk Matsushita!!!

Jenderal McArthur pun tercengang oleh petisi tersebut dan akhirnya membebaskan Matsushita. Tidak ada pemilik usaha dan pimpinan industri sebelum perang dunia kedua yang diizinkan McArthur kembali ke pekerjaannya kecuali Matsushita. Demikianlah Matsushita dapat terus memimpin perusahaannya sampai menjadi raksasa elektronik dunia, dan baru pensiun pada tahun 1989 pada usia 94 tahun.

Ketika Matsushita meninggal tahun 1990, bukan cuma para Pebisnis yang berduka cita. Presiden Amerika saat itu, George Bush (Senior ), pun turut berduka.

Matsushita berhasil membangun dirinya melewati ambang batas pengusaha yang umumnya selalu lapar duit dan haus fulus serta menjadi pribadi yang humanis dan filsuf yang sangat peduli terhadap Kemanusiaan. Bagi Matsushita, uang bukanlah tujuan. Meskipun butuh uang tetapi uang bukanlah segala-galanya. Baginya, uang adalah sarana untuk melakukan kebajikan. Itu sebabnya, beliau tidak pernah menggigit orang, main curang, atau merebut jatah orang lain. Matsushita yakin bahwa kalau Kita tidak jahat dan terus berbuat baik maka kejahatan akan menjauhi Kita dan kebaikan akan melindungi Kita.

Bagaimana dengan Kita? Sudah cukup baikkah Kita Hari ini ?

As long as we have memories, yesterday remains.
As long as we have hope, tomorrow awaits.
As long as we have friendship, each day is never a waste.

7 Key Qualities of a Successful Entrepreneur

2006-11-14T09:34:00.000+07:00

Being an entrepreneur is about more than just starting a business or two, it is about having attitude and the drive to succeed in business. All successful Entrepreneurs have a similar way of thinking and posses several key personal qualities that make them so successful in business. Successful entrepreneurs like the ambitious Richard Branson have an inner drive to succeed and grow their business, rather than having a Harvard Business degree or technical knowledge in a particular field.

All successful entrepreneurs have the following qualities:

1. Inner Drive to Succeed

Entrepreneurs are driven to succeed and expand their business. They see the bigger picture and are often very ambitious. Entrepreneurs set massive goals for themselves and stay committed to achieving them regardless of the obstacles that get in the way.

2. Strong Belief in themselves

Successful entrepreneurs have a healthy opinion of themselves and often have a strong and assertive personality. They are focused and determined to achieve their goals and believe completely in their ability to achieve them. Their self optimism can often been seen by others as flamboyance or arrogance but entrepreneurs are just too focused to spend too much time thinking about un-constructive criticism.

3. Search for New Ideas and Innovation

All entrepreneurs have a passionate desire to do things better and to improve their products or service. They are constantly looking for ways to improve. They're creative, innovative and resourceful.

4. Openness to Change

If something is not working for them they simply change. Entrepreneurs know the importance of keeping on top of their industry and the only way to being number one is to evolve and change with the times. They're up to date with the latest technology or service techniques and are always ready to change if they see a new opportunity arise.

5. Competitive by Nature

Successful entrepreneurs thrive on competition. The only way to reach their goals and live up to their self imposed high standards is to compete with other successful businesses.

6. Highly Motivated and Energetic

Entrepreneurs are always on the move, full of energy and highly motivated. They are driven to succeed and have an abundance of self motivation. The high standards and ambition of many entrepreneurs demand that they have to be motivated!

7. Accepting of Constructive Criticism and Rejection

Innovative entrepreneurs are often at the forefront of their industry so they hear the words "it can't be done" quite a bit. They readjust their path if the criticism is constructive and useful to their overall plan, otherwise they will simply disregard the comments as pessimism. Also, the best entrepreneurs know that rejection and obstacles are a part of any leading business and they deal with them appropriately.

True entrepreneurs are resourceful, passionate and driven to succeed and improve. They're pioneers and are comfortable fighting on the frontline The great ones are ready to be laughed at and criticized in the beginning because they can see their path ahead and are too busy working towards their dream.

Kristine Geimure

7 STEPS TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP

2006-11-14T09:33:00.000+07:00

1. Start with a DREAM.

To make a great dream come true, You must first have a great dream..
We have to have a dream about something, be it a TRADING, a MANUFACTURING, a SERVICE business, or JUST ANYTHING we want to start with. Be it tiny, small, Big, GIANT, simple, complex,… whatever… START FROM there. Something you love, something you are obsessed with. PASSION is everything.

2. LEARN EVERYTHING about it.

Perfection is in the detail.
Your products, competitors, specifications, FINANCIAL NEEDS, how to sell, whom to sell to, what pricing is the best, how better are you from your competitor, your location, plus millions of the detail that you SHOULD KNOW ABOUT.

3. CONSULT.

Seeks ADVICE, but FOLLOW your OWN BELIEF.
Consult your PARENTS, ex-boss, consultants, ASK the experts, the trusted friends, your NETWORK, but in the end you must FOLLOW YOUR OWN HEART.The final war is on your own, ask and seek advice but YOU are the ONE THAT REALLY COUNTS, the final decision is yours. Very often the advice from the experts are true and helpful, MODIFY your dream if necessary, but finally IT IS YOUR LIFE, YOUR WAR and you are the one that can makes the DIFFERENCE.

4. PREPARE your WAR.

Time for the final preparation.
Look for the funding, MONEY is everywhere ;), you can ask it, borrow it, make partnership, etc. Make plans, conatct your supplier to be, your customers to be, and most important call your FRIENDS. Do a PLAN A, PLAN B, escape plan, etc. Start HIRING the best your money can do, look for location that suits you, your company name, legal matters etc etc… just prepare EVERYTHING in detail

5. GUTs, taking the CALCULATED Risk.

No GUTs, No Glory!
Every business is about RISK TAKING, it can be small, it can be big, there is always risk in our lifes, and the very essence about Entrepreneurship is RISK TAKING. We have to estimately know that there is big chance of success, then we start off.

6. JUST GO DO IT!

The time is NOW!
Unperfection in a life is common, we set our deadline, and when it comes, we just have to GO DO IT. There will be changes, bending directions, firing, new partners etc, but the things JUST HAVE TO BE DONE, and it is better to do it wrong the first time than NOT DOING IT AT ALL.

7. ADAPT, CHANGE, and DO IT AGAIN.

When the TITANIC sank. You just have to be able to deal with FAILURES.
There is always risk of failures and it did happen, so be prepare for the WORST and keep HOPING for the best. When failures hits us, it is time to think again bout our ventures. Bent our operation, compromise something, dream again, plan again, do again, failures again, AD INVINITUM. Accept FAILURES but do not surrender. Go back to No.1, DREAM again, LEARN again, ASK around, PLAN, DO IT AGAIN!

Tanadi Santoso
Founder of Sam-Design

Jimmy

2006-05-14T14:03:00.000+07:00