Survive, Strive, Thrive

Life comes in phases – baby to young adult to senior citizen. Business displays the same phases.

Survivors are people whose attitude of minimum effort allows them to just survive; they choose to do as little as possible to get through life. You will find these people on the welfare roles. An upscale version of this appears in the cute kid who expects life to hand them everything they want with zero effort on their part. You know the female who seeks a sugar daddy or plays the “I’m cute so give to me” attitude. Guys are not exempt either even though there are less in the “I am handsome and full of muscles so give me’ category. America has unfortunately encouraged an entitlement society.

Survivors take from society rather than contributing to its growth.

Our ancestors were hard working industrious people. They were strivers. Prospectors who mined for gold endured extreme weather, shortages of food, and rudimentary shelter. Early settlers in the West endured dust storms, insect devastation of crops, Indian attacks, as well as the most basic of living conditions. Our ancestors who crossed the ocean in steerage compartments were directed past the machinery, down deep stairways into the enclosed cramped quarters of the lower decks; they lived or died in the absolute minimal accommodations. Today these pioneers are the single mothers who scrape by to care for their children by working two jobs. The strivers are the people, young and middle age, who attend night school or study at the library to advance their knowledge and value in the workplace. The strivers are the ones who sacrifice the weekend party to learn and grow and provide a better future for themselves and their families.

The strivers are the ambitious determined citizens who will not settle for just getting through life; they are committed to improving themselves. Strivers contribute to society. Our nation was founded by strivers. If we are to emerge from our current economic dilemma, it will be due to the strivers. Entrepreneurs are strivers. Entrepreneurs contribute to the improvement of conditions for the entire society.

As an entrepreneur’s mentor, there is a responsibility to encourage strivers. Entrepreneurs work closely with coaches and their entrepreneur’s mentors to constantly tweak and improve their performance. Entrepreneurs constantly strive for improvement. Our nation was founded by and for entrepreneurs. Our forefathers did not risk their lives and all of their worldly possessions to beget a nation of survivors and folks who expected a hand out.

The quarrel is not with those who genuinely need and deserve assistance; the verbal “kick in the pants” is directed at the capable but lazy. Entitlement mentality people frequently have the ability but not the motivation to get off the couch and earn their way forward. America doffs its hat in respect to the strivers, the entrepreneurs. Being an entrepreneur’s mentor becomes an honor and a valuable use of time in extending wisdom to assist others in moving forward.

Thrivers have arrived. Thrivers epitomize the result of striving and accomplishing. Thrivers earned their success through concentrated focused goal oriented efforts. Look throughout history at the successful leaders in every aspect of society. Every one of them endured challenges, setbacks, and adversity; each one of them persevered through the speed bumps of life. The thrivers are the strivers who remained steadfast to their goals until they arrived. Thrivers earned their reward. Most thrivers were entrepreneurs. Whether they chose a career in business, one of the performing arts, education or science, they dedicated themselves to their future.

Question yourself if you have chosen to be a survivor and draw from society rather than contribute to it.

Be proud of yourself for being an entrepreneur and a striver. Celebrate your success as a thriver. America grew to be the greatest nation through the efforts of the strivers, the entrepreneurs. Be proud to be a striver and a thriver.

For more inspiration and guidance on how you can be a striver and thriver, an entrepreneur, join me at http://www.Elaine4Success.com.

28 years experience as a successful entrepreneur, post-graduate degrees in Communication and Alternate Dispute Resolution, and a proven track record as a teacher, coach and mentor, revealed the success formula. Network marketing achievements for the last 4 years. Executive Committee, Ethics Committee, Certified Consultant Seminar Program, Leadership Support Team, Leadership Award Synergy Saturday, Empower Magazine, Millionaire Mastermind Group and selected as Consultant of the Month by Network Marketing Magazine in July 2007.

Elaine Love, Owner
Results For Life LLC
Certified Master M3 Consultant
303-284-0514
resultsforlife@gmail.com

http://www.Elaine4Success.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elaine_Love

Good Time To Get Started online

If you were born in the fifties or early sixties, if you went to school in the sixties and seventies then you belong to a forgotten people. We were brought up to believe that loyalty to a company was a virtue that would be rewarded. We paid our taxes willingly believing that the government would take care of us in our old age. We trusted the government. Today we know we have been fooled. The government uses us as tax cows to finance one social experiment after another. The companies we gave our lives to cast us aside with no respect for what we have done for them. We are in effect on our own. The values we were brought up to believe in are our main handicap to success.

The government relies on us for taxes, they tax our wages, our pensions and our savings, yet they give us nothing back and listen to nothing we say, our views are ignored and the only people who can look forward to a comfortable retirement are taxpayer funded MPs, civil servants and the super rich. For the rest of us it’s a retirement of struggling to make ends meet, our small company pensions will be held against us when it comes to trying to claim any support, the autumn of our lives will be spent in rising poverty while the people who put us there live in luxury.

There is however a new phenomenon occurring. The rise of the middleaged entrepreneur. People who have spent their lives working for companies that have then cast them off, are refusing to lay down and die. Refusing to hold their heads in their hands and whinge. No a growing number of middleaged people are starting their own businesses to secure for themselves a comfortable retirement. I’m glad to say that I’m one of that growing band.

At fifty I’ve decided to take positive action to prevent myself from walking into a retirement of poverty. We can’t trust the government. We have to look after ourselves. So welcome to my blog. This is a blog that will follow me as I set up a new business and work with total commitment to make it work. I refuse to fail. I have fifty years of experience on this planet and I intend to use that experience to ensure the success of mu business.

My business is an arts and crafts supply business. I have chosen this because I have an interest in art being a novice painter and enjoy reading about and using art products. My fifty years on the planet has furnished me with many social skills which I will use to offer a total quality customer service. Every customer will be welcomed as a friend and provided with the best possible service.

I started my business on the first of January2008. I will sell on EBay and via my own website. The objective is to make enough money to retire at sixty something that can’t possibly be done working for someone else. I’m not a member of parliament so I don’t have the luxury of claiming expenses to the tune of £100,000 per year. I will, as I have always done, earn every penny I make. I’ll post progress reports at least once a week possibly twice a week. I Hope to build a community of like minded people, a community of 50 pluses in business where we can come to offer advice and support to each other. So let’s go.

Things I’ve Learned Running An Online Business

Over the past year I’m pleased with the growth my business has achieved. A few week from January 2009 my business is way beyond where it was in January 2008, and I am, I have to say, pleased. I’m not however complacent and I have plans in place to grow the business over the next twelve months. The last twelve months have been a journey where I have learned a lot. When I’ve hit a problem I’ve been forced to find answers to that problem from all the resources we have available today. I’ve become a fast reader.

So what have I learned? Well here’s a few things I’ve learned:

Focus;

Focus is important. Before I started my business I used to do a lot of surfing. When I came home from work I’d spend an hour or two surfing different sites and reading the posts. No More! Time is crucial and scarce. I have so many tasks to perform every day to keep the business going that I no longer waste any time. I focus my time on all the essential things I need to do to move the business forward. Time, I’ve discovered is the most important commodity we have and we can’t afford to waste it on mindless surfing. If it’s not helpful to my business I don’t do it. Don’t get me wrong I have my free time where I’ll pick up a good book and relax. During business time however I squeeze every last second out of the time I have available to add value to my business.

Reinvest

I have not, so far taken anything out of the business. Every penny I make I reinvest into new stock. This has meant I have increased my stock from the first few items I started with to hundreds of products. I also have plenty of money sloshing around my business account. Everythimg I make is reinvested in adding value to the business. I’m looking to invest in a good stock control system to make the process of running the business faster. Money is the driving engine of business so keeping it in the business is important in my opinion. The profit will come later.

Get Out Of The Comfort Zone

I’ve discovered it’s so easy to reach a level and get comfortable. To move forward you have to increase you goals. Think big and go for it. Set your goals high and you will stretch yourself to achieve them. Set them too low and you will get stuck in a rut and never progress. Keep driving forward. If you’ve got a monthly turnover of £3000 re-evaluate and set it to £6000 then push for it.

Get Some Business Systems In Place

What do I mean by business systems? Anything that makes it easier to sell your products, take payment and deliver them. My business is simple. I sell art products. When a customer buys something from me I want to process the order fast and efficient. So I invest in a good software package that keeps track of everything. I have an account with royal mail so I can print address labels off direct and pay for them online. This means that I don’t have to waste time in the post office. I keep databases to make record keeping easier. As my business grows I need to come up with better and more efficient systems. I’m always on the look out for anything that will make the business run more efficiently.

Constant Learning Is Essential

Everything in life is moving so fast we need to keep abreast of developments if we are to survive and grow. Close your mind and your business may soon follow. We need to read, read and read about new marketing techniques, website optimization new products the list is endless. I’ve always been a big reader but I’ve learned to speed-read to assimilate fast all the information I need to function in the business world. Mt pleasure reading is different ffrom my business reading. I’ve started to use a software program to help me speed-read books or articles I consider essential to grow my business.

Well these are just a few of the things I’ve learned over the last year. My biggest lesson though is to use time productively. Make use of every second of your business time. The hours just fly past, but I get a great sense of satisfaction when I know I have used my business time productively.

5 Things I’ve Learned About Running An Online Business

Over the past year I’m pleased with the growth my business has achieved. A few week from January 2009 my business is way beyond where it was in January 2008, and I am, I have to say, pleased. I’m not however complacent and I have plans in place to grow the business over the next twelve months. The last twelve months have been a journey where I have learned a lot. When I’ve hit a problem I’ve been forced to find answers to that problem from all the resources we have available today. I’ve become a fast reader.

So what have I learned? Well here’s a few things I’ve learned:

Focus;

Focus is important. Before I started my business I used to do a lot of surfing. When I came home from work I’d spend an hour or two surfing different sites and reading the posts. No More! Time is crucial and scarce. I have so many tasks to perform every day to keep the business going that I no longer waste any time. I focus my time on all the essential things I need to do to move the business forward. Time, I’ve discovered is the most important commodity we have and we can’t afford to waste it on mindless surfing. If it’s not helpful to my business I don’t do it. Don’t get me wrong I have my free time where I’ll pick up a good book and relax. During business time however I squeeze every last second out of the time I have available to add value to my business.

Reinvest

I have not, so far taken anything out of the business. Every penny I make I reinvest into new stock. This has meant I have increased my stock from the first few items I started with to hundreds of products. I also have plenty of money sloshing around my business account. Everythimg I make is reinvested in adding value to the business. I’m looking to invest in a good stock control system to make the process of running the business faster. Money is the driving engine of business so keeping it in the business is important in my opinion. The profit will come later.

Get Out Of The Comfort Zone

I’ve discovered it’s so easy to reach a level and get comfortable. To move forward you have to increase you goals. Think big and go for it. Set your goals high and you will stretch yourself to achieve them. Set them too low and you will get stuck in a rut and never progress. Keep driving forward. If you’ve got a monthly turnover of £3000 re-evaluate and set it to £6000 then push for it.

Get Some Business Systems In Place

What do I mean by business systems? Anything that makes it easier to sell your products, take payment and deliver them. My business is simple. I sell art products. When a customer buys something from me I want to process the order fast and efficient. So I invest in a good software package that keeps track of everything. I have an account with royal mail so I can print address labels off direct and pay for them online. This means that I don’t have to waste time in the post office. I keep databases to make record keeping easier. As my business grows I need to come up with better and more efficient systems. I’m always on the look out for anything that will make the business run more efficiently.

Constant Learning Is Essential

Everything in life is moving so fast we need to keep abreast of developments if we are to survive and grow. Close your mind and your business may soon follow. We need to read, read and read about new marketing techniques, website optimization new products the list is endless. I’ve always been a big reader but I’ve learned to speed-read to assimilate fast all the information I need to function in the business world. Mt pleasure reading is different ffrom my business reading. I’ve started to use a software program to help me speed-read books or articles I consider essential to grow my business.

Well these are just a few of the things I’ve learned over the last year. My biggest lesson though is to use time productively. Make use of every second of your business time. The hours just fly past, but I get a great sense of satisfaction when I know I have used my business time productively.

Starting an Online Business – 5 Reasons You Will Fail

<p>With the way the economy has been these days, people are losing their jobs or have to deal with pay cuts. These unfortunate situations have caused a flood of people seeking to supplement or replace their lost income by starting home based online businesses.

With tons of opportunities available, most jump at the first one that seems promising. Usually, these are overly hyped programs that promise the world only to cause frustration and disappointment.

People need to realize that starting an Internet business is not like winning the lottery, there is actual work involved. You most likely will not become a millionaire in a month by promoting weight-loss pills. Online business success requires a lot of research and learning the ropes of what kind of business to start and how to operate it.

Here are five things that will ensure your failure with starting a business online:

- Not Taking Action

Having a great business idea and never putting it into action is the most common cause of failure. If you want something happen, you need to make it happen.

- Unrealistic Expectations

Expecting results that are not realistic can disappoint you and can cause you to give up. Keep your goals reachable and when you reach them you will be proud of the progress.

- Lack of Commitment

Not committing to your business venture will cause you to not finish what you started. You need to stay committed to your plan and stick with it until the end.

- Not Properly Prepared

Being ill prepared will have you going in all directions without really knowing what you are doing. Be prepared, make sure you research everything you need to know before jumping into an online business.

- Lack of Passion and Excitement

Not being interested in or passionate about what you are doing can kill your motivation. Make sure the business you decide on is something that you are passionate about, this will keep you excited and motivated with what you are involved with.

The possibility of running a successful home based online business is very possible. You need to keep your eye on the prize and never give up. Like with any business, success takes time and effort. Do not give up if you do not see results right away. Make realistic goals and follow through with everything you need to do to make your online business successful.

There are thousands of legitimate online business opportunities available. You just need to choose one that best fits your interests. Once you find one, you will be more likely to succeed with the online business opportunity you choose.

Visit machMEDIA.com to find the right online business for you.

- Christopher Parker

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