entrepreneur | David M Masters

How Much Do I Charge?

Inevitably, as I am working with business people the question comes up, “How much do I charge?” and remarkably the truth is, most businesses do not operate at an effective enough margin to achieve much more than a working wage, when entrepreneurialism should reward the savvy businessperson with an abundant lifestyle, not just a job.

In fact, if you’re an entrepreneur and your working for a living (basically trading hours for cash) you’re not doing it right. Although, if that is the lifestyle you want to live, then Bravo, more power to you. No judgment, here. Everyone gets to choose their own path and if that’s what you want, then, “Good for you.”

I attract business people to my practice who are intent on inviting more abundance into their life while offering products or services at a reasonable price. More often than not, what they think is reasonable is well below their potential. Much of this is due to fear. Fear of being competitive, fear of charging too much, fear of pricing yourself out of business, fear of loss, fear of change, fear of failure and most of all fear of yourself, your own worthiness to achieve your highest and best and reaching high levels of excellence.

When someone asks me for input on how much they should charge, just the asking of the question, “how much do I charge?” is a clear indication that they are charging too little. I’m serious. If someone asks me about their price point, I can guarantee that they’re probably generating half of the revenue they should be bringing in – minimum – and should be considering a plan to increase their business ten-fold.

Of course, making the leap to ten times your business revenue is likely going to take a more strategic approach than simply charging ten-times more for the same product or service that you’re offering today. No, you’re going to have to raise the value of your product of service ten times (or more) to reasonably achieve that feat.

The first fallacy in business is to assume that you can sell your product for a lower price and this will create competition for others in a similar business. If you choose this path, you are assuming that you can achieve higher volume sales while operating on a lower margin than your competitors.

In most cases (though not all) businesses who compete strictly in the low-pricing space are unable to compete long-term, and are less likely to break-through to the massive success they envisioned at the outset. When you’re operating on a tight margin, one wrong step could put you out of business. Without deep pockets, you may not be able to manage a misstep. On the other hand, if you are extremely well-funded, you may be able to weather the storm and achieve market domination (though this is very rare).

The Excellence Marketplace

You are far better off positioning yourself in the excellence marketplace, where high end products and services are offered to an exclusive clientele. Operating in the excellence marketplace, you are able to weather the storms that you may encounter along the way, and you are grateful for the lesser-priced providers of similar products or services for offering something of value to those who cannot afford your services.

If you encounter a potential client who is looking for a bargain price for you, your products and/or services, you can refer them to another provider who is better suited for their price point and expectations. You, your product or service is not for everyone (and if you tell me it is, we have a long way to go).

Let’s say you need to buy a new car, so you go shopping for the car you want and saunter into your local Mercedes dealership and select a C-300, an affordable entry level Benz. You love it and challenge the sales manager with your ability to get a Chevy Spark for a much lower price. (I will allow your common sense to follow this scenario to its logical conclusion.)

In any marketplace it is up to you to decide where you will position yourself in your industry. You can take the hard road and play in the excellence marketplace, or you can take the low-priced road in hopes that you might be able to survive in the long-run.

This is a decision that only you can make, and if it’s not too late, there is time for you to make adjustments and find the right marketplace for you to enjoy your future and all the best things this life has waiting for you; your reward for answering the call, whatever it may be.

Overcoming Entrepreneurial Burnout

You’ve dreamed, been given the gift of an idea from beyond, a special skill or service or any of the myriad reasons people get inspired to take the leap of faith and start your own business. You’ve been bit by the entrepreneurial bug.

Maybe you’ve been feeling life is taking you nowhere, that it’s time to do your own thing, live life on your own terms and be your own boss. You’ve decided that it’s time to take action and do what you love and allow others to compensate you for following your passionate dreams.

You love the freedom of being able to set your own hours, share your gifts, talents and special abilities while letting your inner light shine as you exercise your creativity, reach your lifestyle and financial goals, enjoy more happiness and make the world a better place.

You’ve taken action and made the commitment to take a risk to embrace your dream, and you find out that entrepreneurialism (starting and running your own business) may be more than you bargained for. When you started out, you were enthusiastic and empowered with self confidence and love. Then, after a while, of dealing with the day to day operations of running a business, your confidence and determination begins to wane. Even though you’re doing what you love, you may feel your energy draining, begin questioning yourself, and possibly find yourself entertaining a personal bout with depression.

In my work with entrepreneurs, it is not uncommon for these otherwise potentially hugely successful business people to waver, when this is the critical moment for them to push through this thicket we refer to as burnout.

15 Signs of Entrepreneurial Burnout

Lack of energy
Increased anxiety
Work too much (long hours)
Not eating right
Denying your own self-care (exercise, meditation, reading, journaling etc.)
Feeling as though the weight of the world (your business) is on your shoulders
Not interacting socially
Noticing your personal relationships are deteriorating
Holding yourself to unrealistic high standards
Doing everything yourself
Feeling guilty for taking time for yourself
Endlessly pushing yourself to do more than expected (or even possible)
Beat yourself up for not managing your business better
Being disappointed in the level of success you have attained
Not taking the time to celebrate your wins along the way

If any of that sounds like you, it might be time to re-evaluate and get a grip on your life. Don’t sacrifice your quality of life for your business. It’s easy to get in over your head, it’s not only expected in business, but it is also a primary element to moving your business to the next level and allows you to increase your opportunity for massive success.

You have forgotten about yourself – the most valuable component – of our business. It’s time to focus more on caring for you and nurturing the most valuable asset you have: You.

You can do this by considering

It Is What It Is

Simply accept that things are the way they are. Sometimes stuff happens that you have no control over. Get a grip, it’s not all about you. Sometimes you make a mistake, accept responsibility for that, get over it and move on. Don’t beat yourself up. And when you have a win (look for them – even small ones), celebrate it!

Being bold enough to make your own way invites challenges. It’s up to you to make sure you have the strength to deal with them when they arise. And if you need a hand, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Not everything is your fault and don’t let anything get in the way of your attention to yourself comes first.

Make and Take Time

Make time to rest, relax and take care of yourself. We all have the same 24 hours a day, and you’ve been denying yourself a portion of the available hours. It’s time to reallocate and prioritize. Consider some time management and scheduling to maximize the time you have.

Look Out for You

Make priorities of making opportunities to do the things you love to do and take better care of yourself. Start paying more attention to the way you eat, exercise and sleep, make adjustments to enhance these basic primal needs for your mind and body. Also find ways to make room for activities that promote better health and joy. Rebuild neglected relationships (or make new ones) and manage the more important, meaningful areas of your life.

Do It

Think about it, if your son or daughter were conducting their affairs, like you, you would be all over them to make changes, to take better care of him/her self. Take your own advice. Make a commitment to you and your own self care and love. Learn (and practice) to say, “No,” when your business or others demand expectations of compromising your attention to you, without feeling guilty.

While it may sound counter-intuitive at the outset, your renewed mind, body and spirit will be better equipped to do more with less if you’ve put yourself first.

Cut Yourself Some Slack

When you’re frazzled, feeling like your world is crumbling around you and it’s all your fault, stop. Take a break. Try to look at it from a different perspective. In every tragedy there is treasure, you need only to take the time to find it. Then it all makes sense.

And if you fail, forgive yourself and get back on track as quickly as possible. Failures are necessary components of success empowering you with invaluable education as you push forward. Don’t beat yourself up and keep going. You have everything you need to get you from where you are to where you want to be. If you keep going, the things that you don’t have will appear when the time is right.

You got this

Look for the good in everything and you will find the success you’re looking for. It might not turn out like you thought it would, but the results will be better than you imagined because every adversity will lead you to a far better place if you persevere.

Fear of Loss

In life, personal and professional, business and in investments, being afraid to take risk will more often than not hinder your rate of return.

I’ve participated in businesses partnerships and organizations that adhered to specific cues, circumstances and cues in their investments so as to reduce the risk of potential loss. This I refer to as the

IF, THEN, ELSE subroutine

It goes something, like this:

We agree to participate in this particular venture with minimal investment and effort. IF there are particular signs that a reasonable profit may be earned, THEN we will have a meeting to see if the signs warrant a further investment of attention and/or cash. ELSE we cut continue to monitor looking for other clues.

There can be many checks and balances running in separate IF, THEN, ELSE subroutines, endlessly cascading to prevent potential loss.

Under these conditions acceptable gains may be realized and losses can be minimized. The people who participate in arrangements, like this, are quite satisfied with mediocre returns on their investments and may be comfort to falling back on settling for a few points of return in a bank savings account, while they wait for their next safe investment opportunity.

While I have joined others in IF, THEN, ELSE agreements, “safe investing” is not my preference (off camera, I might refer to this as, “chicken shit investing”).

In my endeavors, I prefer an ALL IN approach, where I love the project with all my heart, am passionate, proactive, have a high degree of responsibility of success or failure and go full-steam ahead to create an excellent result. This is why entrepreneurship suites me well.
This requires a high degree of self-confidence and does not appeal much to the safe investor. The idea of risking everything for a potential unknown outcome is fraught with fear of danger.

Of course, courageous investing without proper due diligence is folly. That is why I prefer a more conscious approach before going ALL IN on any potential project. For instance, I must love the endeavor, be passionate about it and the project at hand must be in-line with the theme of my life’s journey. So these are some of the questions I might ask before going ALL IN:

Is there an opportunity to achieve long-term success?
Are there associated activities that will bring me a sense of fulfillment and joy?
Can I perform necessary tasks while maintaining a vibratory state of love?
While engaged, can I help others achieve their highest and best?
Can this project help to make the world a better place?

Of course everyone would have their own independent set of questions to review prior to engaging in a potential project, so yours would more adequately represent your specific life-theme and/or goals.

CONSCIOUS INVESTING takes a great many things into account before making the leap but does take self-confidence and the ability to overcome fear.

The powers managing the United States and our world promote a state of fear because fearful people are easy to manage (“protect”).

Unlike, Jesus, I’m not saying conscious investing is better than safe investing. In His parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) the investors who returned with a 100% rate of return were rewarded, while the safe investor was punished. I’m saying, “It is what it is,” and, “everyone’s doing the best they can with what they have,” without any judgment.

There’s no right way or wrong way, just different strokes for different folks.

Q: Can a safe investor become a conscious investor?

A: Yes, but the work starts within, like all meaningful work. Start with the heart, build self-confidence and overcome fear, while learning, remaining mindful and moving steadily toward your goal.

Q: Is it necessary to become a conscious investor, if I’m not?

A: No. You are not broken. Nothing is wrong with you. You are perfect just the way you are, and you are loved.

Be Your Own Boss

It’s a good idea to start thinking of ways to expand your regular cash-flow, especially if you desire to increase your quality of life. We are blessed to be living in a country that allows individuals with no particular expertise, training or royal bloodline to innovate and create something from scratch, intent to either develop an income stream alternative to working a job or even to become vastly successful.

Fire Your Boss

How many times have you considered telling your boss to “take this job and shove it,” walk out and prove that you could show him (or her) how to run a real business and be your own boss?

Basically, there are two ways to go about starting a venture to create independent cash-flow. Reduced to their simplest form, the first (and most thought of when considering a business start-up) is the highly financed operation.

The highly financed business requires a lot of cash up-front to keep the money machine operating. Using this method, it is hopeful that if the business can stay in operation for a period of time (generally three years) it will begin to create a cash-flow that exceeds the expenses and can even begin to repay the initial debt, or investment outlay to start the operation.

The other way to begin an independent venture is referred to as a bootstrap start-up.

In a bootstrap business, the owner or founder self-finances the startup with little or no cash. The operation continues to grow based on its own merit and revenues are reinvested to grow the operation. In this scenario the business owner often sacrifices all in hopes to create an income stream equivalent to having a decent paying job without having to work for someone else, essentially “being your own boss.”

Occasionally, the creative, forward-thinking business orchestrator (entrepreneur) will out of sheer determination and hard work, risk all in an attempt to push beyond the barriers of other businesspeople to create a successful venture leading to true financial independence. This is to say his or her venture is so successful that it operates without his or her attention and pays them handsomely for their efforts in launching the business.

They no longer enjoy a self-signed paycheck, now they enjoy regular passive income from work they completed previously as their self-sufficient venture continues to perpetuate with little or no effort from the original founder.

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, I grew up around start-up stories of loggers and fishermen with a dream building wildly successful canneries and lumber mills that started with chopping firewood or a fishing pole and building their enterprises from scratch.

More recent stories include those who have started service-related or Internet-based businesses with little or no start up overhead or investment. Low overhead is a key component in a bootstrap startup. You may be able to self-finance the opening of your operation and the hanging of your shingle (business signage) with the ability to pay the rent for the space to conduct your business, the utilities and a pittance for advertising… but for how long? Three months? A year? Three years?

That’s the beauty of being able to turn to the Internet as a place to create, build and expand upon your venture idea, because the cost of starting up a virtual (Internet-based) operation and a brick-and-mortar retail location are separated by ongoing maintenance costs. The monthly cost of operations is far less for the Internet-based operation and is much easier to manage on a shoe-string budget.

While my clients are evenly divided between Internet-based and physical locations, the Internet-based operations that are successful tend to have the ability to create a positive cash-flow in less time than the brick and mortars.

What are your chances of creating a successful business? Chances are you will fail.

That’s just the truth of the matter, we all know the statistics. No matter what type of business you set out to create, the likelihood that you will fail is prevalent.

Interestingly, as I work with individuals in all phases of their business, whether you succeed or fail in business does not depend as much on the business as you might think.

It has to do solely with the individual at the wheel running the business. It appears they have the Midas touch, everything they touch turns to gold. Truth be told, indeed, they have what it takes, but what it takes may not be what you think it is.

What do you think makes some businesspeople succeed while others seem to be unable to survive?

Integrity Intuition Imagination

Key components that Holistic Entrepreneurs share (among other attributes) are integrity, intuition and imagination. Emerging amidst this evolution in the business world are entrepreneurs and business professionals who see their professions as so much more than just cash flow, or as a source of revenue.

Integrity

First off, these businesspeople have integrity – a sense of doing the right thing even if no one’s watching, keeping their word and seeking to do no harm – while engaged in either their private or business practices. They always seek to arrive at win/win solutions and are more likely to negotiate and compromise for the greater good.

Their professional interested stem from the base resonance of their heart, giving them a sense of fulfilling their life’s purpose while contributing to the community at large in an effort to make the world a better place for this and future generations.

They feel as though their business activities are a result of accepting their life’s mission, embracing their “calling” and finding ways to deliver their personal “message” (also a part of their life’s mission). This congruency of vibration among the areas of living their intended purpose (or reason for coming to our planet) while striving to find ways to stay on-track with their mission while delivering their unique “message,” offers them a great deal of satisfaction.

Staying on the high road of an integrous lifestyle increases efficiency tremendously, while increasing energy, joy and a better life (‘ere it is unlikely you will find an authentic, integrous Holistic Entrepreneur suffering from depression or burnout from their professional endeavors).

Intuition

Intuition is the Holy Grail of the Holistic Entrepreneur, as they operate from a more heart-centered position (as opposed to purely logical focused on the analytical/money hungry position). Instead of making professional or business decisions placed purely on statistics or science, the Holistic Entrepreneur might be inclined to turn his or her attention inward, checking with his/her heart, while asking themselves

How does this make me feel?

Feelings are their inner guidance system, assisting their navigation, helping them chart the course of their life’s mission, while attempting to avoid distractions or being thrown off-course. For some, intuition coherence comes naturally, for others it must be birthed and exercised for their ability to intuitively discern or identify and communicate with their inner guidance system.

The downside is that unless you’ve surrounded yourself with like-minded Holistic Entrepreneurs who appreciate such things, “Intuition” may be perceived by support staff as being unfounded, unrealistic falderal, dismissing it as nonsensical.

Imagination

A high-functioning imagination is the Holistic Entrepreneur’s secret superpower, enabling them to see outside the box, have an increased ability to problem-solve or see most anything from other perspectives.

Imagination circumvents years of research and development, great costs and loss of valuable time in our fast-paced get-it-now world.

Visualizing a particular outcome fueled by the power of an empowered imagination increases the potential of a positive outcome exponentially.

Many see imagination as a child-like tool, wielded by immature fools who fantasize for no good reason; for how could you trust someone who lives in a fantasy world? They persist in this perspective of complete denial, even though many of our greatest advancements on this planet are the result of exercising the skillful use of one’s imagination (which is discounted as “luck,” because “even a broken clock is right twice a day,” or some other common dismissal).

Holistic Entrepreneurs

There is a growing trend among entrepreneurs, business people, leader and corporate management in approaching a holistic approach to their busy lifestyles.

Years in the making, the aggressive climb-the-corporate-ladder professionals are finding their achievement of the summit of their driving goals and fervent determination less satisfying than they had expected.

You can have everything… the home, the family, the cars, the boat(s), luxury vacations and lifestyle, yet it leaves one wanting more… Not more in the sense of material things, but more in terms of what might be more meaningful from within.

It’s as if the definition of success is in the process of being redefined. Accumulation of wealth is still the most common measurement of success, but within the ranks of the most successful people in the world there is a yearning to find greater meaning and satisfaction in what this life’s journey has to offer.

In an effort to offer socially relevant expressions of gratitude, philanthropy became more popular among the most affluent business people. Exercising the philanthropic good deed of giving back, or helping others less fortunate, by creating not-for-profit entities in an effort to help make the world a better place.

While this has been noteworthy and has helped the world in many ways, with each entrepreneur expressing their concerns, beliefs and promoting their personal points of view, backed by their own financing… still, inside there is a longing for something more.

THE SHIFT

The shift in modern business and corporate circles is less a devil-may-care guerilla approach to dominating one’s field of influence with every ounce of effort possible, and moving more toward a personal, spiritual and planetary balanced approach to success.

This is promoting a more holistic approach to business and corporate lifestyles, demonstrated by skilled professionals seeking more personal quality of life while they pursue their passions and dreams simultaneously. They are expanding their minds, bodies and souls as they continue to build their professional careers… And the results are astounding.

Having a sense of inner wellness and feeling as though one is a part of a greater whole and embracing the we’re-all-in-this-together approach to business, instead of the us-against-them approach of business warfare is paying off – not only in the lives of the business people approaching their careers in this manner – but it is having a positive impact of the entire capitalistic environment.

Business culture is in a stage of metamorphosis, from strict micromanagement to a culture of mutual benefit and increased workplace satisfaction, and as a surprise to the old-school management – who projected certain failure for “going soft” – the levels of productivity is on the increase.

This approach is counter-intuitive to our parent’s generation that demanded selfless submission to the business. And if your selfless commitment and dedication wavered, in any way, there was someone on the rung of the ladder just beneath you, willing and able to take your place.

As professionals are embracing a heart centered approach to business practices, feeling better within, able to freely express themselves, and encouraged to seek their own personal satisfaction (with support of the corporation) both the ability and desire to better serve the (business) community increases, resulting in higher production numbers due to heightened levels of integrity, intuition and imagination.

The top entrepreneurs and leaders are seeking greater meaning, and as they do so, this care and compassion for themselves and others is spreading like a virus, infecting the entire organization in this phase of business evolution taking place before our very eyes.

Instead of

What Can I Get?

The trend is

How Can I Serve?

From a place of inner peace and a desire to make the world a better place, we are able to witness – what could very well be – the greatest advancement in a capitalistic society.

Enter the Benevolent Entrepreneur

Stranger in a Strange Land Syndrome

The people I attract who become my clients are clearly not a part of the rest of the pack. They don’t fit-in with the majority of the folks who accept performing little more than their allotted function within our societal structure.

Individuals that I work with want something more… and they know (though they may not be able to put their finger on what it is) that something’s just not right with the widely accepted cover story.

They suffer from what I call the Stranger-in-a-strange-land-syndrome (SIASLS). Something inside them intrinsically recognizes that there is so much more to this life than we are led to believe. These people are attracted to me because I, too, suffer from SIASLS, and to say the very least, we all feel like we just don’t fit in with the status quo.

People who have SIASLS feel as though they are “Strangers” called to a higher purpose and function in this life. Fortunately, I possess a wide variety of skills and abilities that I offer my clients in their quest to achieve their highest and best, a small (but growing) percentage of these individuals fit somewhere among the SIASLS spectrum.

Strangers suffer from

Not fitting in: Though some Strangers can blend-in quite well, it takes a considerable amount of energy and effort to do so.

Rebellious: Knowing that there is something more, makes one resistant from being told what to do, what to believe or accept as, “normal.”

Burning and yearning: A message burning within them and a yearning to share this message with the world.

Service: Strangers have a desire to help others less fortunate, or struggling to get along amidst their life’s journey and may be more inclined to put themselves at risk for the greater good.

Problem-solvers: Since strangers often can see things from a broader perspective, they have the unique ability to make connections that are not obvious to others, allowing them to come to conclusions and solve problems with creative solutions.

A Better World: Belief in the possibility to experience a better world imbues them with the desire to do their part to help create a better world.

Fulfillment: They seek to do what they feel is “the right thing” to do for them. Doing so gives them a more satisfying sense of fulfillment by being true to their purpose, calling and message.

Freedom: They find it difficult to accept the socially accepted definition of freedom and believe that more freedom is available.

Happiness: Strangers are intrinsically aware that feeling good exponentially can lead to higher levels of joy and believe it is within our grasp.

Quality of life: They seek something more out of life than a good job and some retirement.

Who Are the Strangers in a Strange Land?

You find them excelling in professions that are congruent with the lives that they live, like Artists, Authors, Clergy, Entrepreneurs, Inventors, Motivators, Social workers, Speakers, Thought leaders, Visionaries… and a host of other occupations where they can feel free to exercise their unique skills and abilities.

Hidden Strangers

There are far more Strangers among us than we know. Their presence has been subdued by a life of social programming in an effort to help “make them normal” or encourage them to blend in with others.

The process starts at a very young age and continues through life and is sometimes accompanied by therapy and prescription drug intervention… anything to squelch the Stranger within.

I am so blessed in my work, when I am found by the hidden Stranger and able to help them to embrace their Stranger in a Strange Land and empower them to find peace and help encouraging them to sing their song.

You don’t need to hide

You are not alone

Spiritual Growth and Business

I love that spiritual growth is – and has always been – a part of everything that I do.

I am so blessed to have started out in the spiritual growth business effectively coaching, consulting and counseling right out of the gate, following high school.

As my life’s journey has taken me here and there, along a winding road including uncharted territory no matter what life circumstance prevailed, I have always been fortunate to exercise my life’s work: To help people achieve their highest and best.

As my focus is favoring entrepreneurs, I find that the professional who are attracted to me have a similar vibration. While they all have very different areas of concentration, they are all individuals who are also on their own spiritual journeys.

There appears to be a growing trend for entrepreneurs engaging in life from a spiritual perspective, conducting business, communicating and connecting with their audience heart-to-heart. It has been a long time coming, and I am pleased to see this transformation taking place.

I am so grateful to have a wide variety of skills and modalities that help me to instantly address any challenges that arise in-the-moment so as not to cause much delay in the success paths in full swing in the lives of my clients.

It’s as if those who have chosen to answer the call and pursue their life’s mission with passion and fortitude are more likely to encounter challenges and obstacles that other folks do not have to deal with (which could be part of The Greatest Conspiracy). These interruptions could be roadblocks, detours or bridges, depending on how you deal with them. They can cover all areas of life, including business, branding, marketing, health, wellness, and relationships that are professional, familial, personal and romantic.

An individual on a path of spiritual growth has access to the power of the universe to overcome anything this life throws at you along one’s life journey. Which is one reason why spiritual entrepreneurs may experience more success than other business people.

Those whose businesses include sharing their personal message of spiritual growth and commitment to impact the world share a common vibration with me as we work and grow together.

I enthusiastically encourage my clients to sing their song and share their message with the world via printed word.

And as I help them my clients achieve their business goals, we also continue to grow spiritually and independently, with common goal of desiring to have a positive impact on the earth, making our planet a better place and leaving a better world for future generations.

As my ministry continues to grow, as well as those of my clients, I am seeing a metamorphosis take place as I see my opportunities to help more people continue to increase. I am seeing a trend of moving toward more group environments and less one-on-one clientele.

In the last few years, I have been somewhat concerned that by limiting my ministry to serving individuals one-at-a-time, I have limited my impact. Encouraged by the growth of my clients, I am open to the opportunity to serve on an increased capacity.

I have no preconceived ideas about what the future will hold, only that I am open to the growth and change, willing to take action as the door open and the opportunities unfold, revealing the new paths that lay ahead.

Stay tuned (as I am attuned) and see what comes next…

Any ideas?

I’m forever growing and open, open, open…

When Lightning Strikes, Will You Be Ready?

Lightning strikes the earth 100 times every second. In the same way, potential moments of mass impact strike our lives; like lightning, we never know when or where it will strike.

Will you be ready when lightning strikes?

I have been coaching about lightning preparedness ~~since (edited)~~ for a long time. Not the electrical discharges from above so much as the sudden impact of life-changing opportunity that we as planetary participants are infrequently but abruptly struck by without notice.

These lightning strikes come, generally, in two varieties; tragedy and potential good fortune. My life has been struck by both, and I’ll bet yours has, too. And chances are we will be struck again. Will we be ready?

Andy Warhol was not far off by asserting that everyone would have their 15 minutes of fame, exactly what happens when one is struck by the media lightning strike.

In terms of good fortune, if your desire is to use the lightning strike to your advantage, you must be prepared to jump and bounce the exposure to a higher level, thereby increasing the sudden impact. This enables you to convert the strike into a wave that can be ridden for a longer duration.

If you have your ducks in a row (or stacked correctly) when lightning strikes… you will have your duck feathers everywhere!

(Oh, that was bad, Masters: Bad Masters!)

Whatever your ducks represent, they are different for every person.

I work with a lot of authors, so let’s use them as an example. At the very least, an author – or potential author – must have a written book proposal for their latest book idea(s). It is not enough to have it all in your head; you must have your book proposal in written (printed and electronic) form and have the ability to access it within minutes (if not seconds).

So, when lightning strikes…

BREAKING NEWS

“I’m Rikki Number with KNOW News, live on the scene where the Space Needle was struck by lightning and has collapsed into its footprint…”

The reporter, with book proposal in hand continues, “Author, Jane Dough, whose upcoming book ‘My Last Romance in Seattle’ is soon to be released, witnessed the tragedy. Miss Dough, please tell us what you saw…”

“Well, I was on my way to meet with the artist who is working on the cover art for my latest book and I saw this bright flash of light that lit up the whole sky, and the earth shook, like a bomb went off…”

No one can know when or where lightning will strike, but if you are always in a state of preparedness, you can bounce the impact of the briefest moment to your benefit.

Without, the book proposal in hand, Jane Dough would have just been another generic passerby. Being an author increases her credibility in front of the news cameras, and because she was my client, she already had her-name-dot-com (Masters’ Branding 101) heated up and ready for the impact (potentially crashing the server from all the instantaneous heavy traffic).

This little piece of prose fiction is just to inspire your imagination. You know, beyond the shadow of doubt, that it happens every day – especially if you watch the news with any regularity – and this is just one idea.

You can probably think of examples (likely not as exaggerated as my example) that have happened to you, or someone you know.

These kinds of lightning strikes happen far more often than the electrical discharges from our atmosphere.

Ask yourself: Am I Ready?

If not, you best begin preparation today. Isn’t NOW the best time to get ‘er done? Do it now.

Going With the Flow

I work with a wide variety of clients with just as varied philosophies and levels of personal and professional acumen. In my attempts to reach out to them – to help make their lives more efficient and/or effective – invariably we encounter obstacles along the way.

In every case, there are at least two options involving making a decision to attempt to deal with the problem or circumstance. It is my preference to evaluate the situation from as many perspectives as possible before taking action (if time and circumstance allows), weighing the available data and deciding to take the action that offers the least resistance.

If life was a raft, you’d make it so much farther downstream in less time, by letting the current do most of the work.

If one approaches his or her life as a river rafting trip and thinks of the raft as representing one’s life or business, then you are more able to disassociated yourself from the circumstance enough to more successfully navigate the journey and allowing the flow of the water carry you to your destination.

In the same way that we use conservation to protect valuable resources and reduce waste, we need to approach problem-solving, navigating our business and lives by expending the least amount of effort to gain the greatest reward or impact. You want to conserve your strength for what might lay ahead, only using the necessary resources to get you from here to there.

Yet, the river’s flow and the terrain surprises you with what may be lying around the next bend (especially if you haven’t navigated a river trip, like the one you are currently taking).

Some, if not most, of your river rafting trip will not be torrential and you will be able to drift along enjoying your scenic oneness with all that is.

I am blessed to be invited to join others on their river rafting journey and it is my life’s ministry to offer my perspective to others to help maximize their efforts along the way.

Whether the trip is a personal, professional or spiritual one, my calling is to help others achieve their highest and best. This journey – whatever shape or form it takes – requires effort and resources to get from here to there; thoughtful conservation of energy and resources involved the management of your cache to increase the effectiveness of your time spent in the flow.

Find ways to go with the flow. Ask yourself, “Is this the best use of my efforts and resources at this time?”

You may find (if you’re able to remove yourself from the anxiety of the current perceived situation or crisis) that in some cases, little or no action may be necessary, because even though it looks like you’re hurdling straight for that rock… the flow of the river’s current will guide you around it.

Sometimes your choice to go to the left of the rock – or the right of the rock – can directly impact what lies ahead. The rock may represent anything, a life challenge, business opportunity, marketing approach or financial decision. Using a T Chart or having a co-pilot can be extremely effective.

A wise person uses the technological resources available to best navigate the journey. Although this approach may be offensive to the purist, I would embrace having lookouts with binoculars connected to me via a wireless headset to assist in navigation, if possible. (Just sayin’.)

In any case, be open and willing to take no action, if necessary and enjoy the thrill of the ride.