What Does Your Dream Really Look Like?

One of the wealth mindset principles that many a self-help guru holds in high esteem is this:

Get super clear about your dreams and goals. 

It seems simple, but not everyone has the kind of clarity the gurus speak of. If you want your goals to become a reality, allow yourself to dream a fully formed vision of what you deem "success."

Note: Your version of success is most likely not what the mainstream deems success. Mainstream success involves 50-plus hours a week toiling away in corporate America, two fancy cars and an expensive mortgage. This does not have to be your version of success.

If you aren't crystal clear about your dreams and goals, try this:

1. Allow yourself to dream, without judgement. Dream about things you've never allowed yourself to, because you were being too practical, people told you it was a bad idea or you simply didn't think you were capable of accomplishing it.
2. Even if you don't know how you will accomplish it, continue to shape your dream. This part of the process is supposed to be fun. Do not allow negative possibilities. There is room for that, but not just yet.
3. After your dream is fully formed, find the holes. Where are you likely to run into road blocks? If your dream is bigger than your problem -- and it should be if it's a true calling -- then you will find solutions to every obstacle ... eventually.
4. You can't think of all possible scenarios. Don't let not having everything figured out stop you from moving forward with your dream. You will figure it out along the way. You were not born knowing how to feed yourself. Neither were any of the great men and women who have risen to acclaimed heights.

Dream Coaching Day One

Dream Coaching on day one was far more beneficial than I imagined it would be. What is Dream Coaching? It's a 10-phase program for personal growth. Each session, lasting one hour, is given face-to-face or over the phone. The program comes with a workbook for jotting notes on your internal explorations, and a homework section for journaling.

I'll record notes here at The Wealthy Mindset for the next 10 weeks, sharing what I'm learning during my personal Dream Coaching sessions.

Dream Coaching Day One Lessons

• Success is not a linear path. It has twists and turns, peaks and valleys. Often, when people get off track from the path to fulfilling their dreams, they become discouraged. This is when most people give up on their dream, when all they needed was to course correct and wait out the storm.
• If success was a simple linear path, most people would be wildly successful. The road to achieving a dream is often chaotic, and is paved with challenges and fears. It's those who can feel the fear and do it anyway who succeed. 
• We must set intentions and become clear about what we want. An intention is different than a simple want. When you "intend," you set out to do or accomplish something -- no matter what. After setting an intention, chart a course of action.
• Before setting your intention, take 15 seconds. Breathe deeply, clear your mind and then ask yourself what you want. 

As well as the insight I gained from the Dream Coaching curriculum, I also learned a lot from my coach's perspective.

Lessons My Coach Taught Me

• When you have a goal, focus on accomplishing tasks you have control over. My goal was first to close one sale next week, but my coach helped me reframe. I can't control whether or not someone purchases from me, but I can focus on having sales conversations with five people. Continually having these conversations will lead me to my goal of getting another client.
• Start a business journaling habit. At the end of each business day, write what worked and what didn't. This will help you to quickly course correct when you get off the path.
• Break long-term goals into smaller segments of time. I have a major three year goal. My coach recommends breaking this down into yearly goals, and breaking each year into overarching quarterly goals. However, she says to never plan immediate business goals more than 60 days in advance. 
• Add new revenue streams to serve your existing customers. Poll your customers to learn what their challenges are, and how you might better serve them. Meet those needs with a new product or service.
• A mantra: Money comes easily, quickly and abundantly. Say it to yourself every morning.

How to Sell Without Being Salesy

Today I went to a meetup hosted by the smart and funny Tonya Hofmann, of Stand Out in Your Business and YourLocalCity.com. Hofmann is involved in several ventures, and has been a business owner for over a decade. She talked about how to sell products and/or services without being salesy.

How to Sell Without Being Salesy

1. Get the other person talking. When your potential client opens up about himself first, you can listen for key indicators of what his predominant personality traits are.
2. Four key personality types include the caregiver, analytic, go-getter and social butterfly. Most people fall into at least two of these categories.The following are cues to listen for. People who talk about their pets, children or grandchildren are caregivers. They might also have a job or run a business with the intention of helping people. Those who use words like "statistics, analytics, systems" are analytic, and people who talk about goals, awards they won or "winning" are go-getters. Finally, people who talk about having fun and meeting people are social butterflies.
3. Determine your potential customer's personality type, and tailor your sales pitch accordingly. For example, if your client is an analytic caregiver, you might say your reusable plastic water bottle product has been tested in a lab and was proven safe for children. Of course, you don't want to lie. Tell the truth, but find the benefits of your product/service that will interest your potential customer.
4. Ask for the sale. Hofmann says most people don't get around to this part, a crucial step not to be forgotten.

Another valuable tip Hofmann dropped was to always look for opportunities to meet people. "Don't go to the drive through; go inside. You can't meet people in the drive through. Don't go to the express checkout lane at the grocery store. Stand in the longest line," she said.

And maybe the funniest jewel of wisdom she gave, while wearing a charming smile, was to thank people for being rude or mean to you. "Thank you for being mean to me! Now I know not to refer people to you." "Thank you for being mean to me today! I have a 'no mean people' policy in my business, and now I know I don't want to work with you."

Notes on 'Super Rich,' by Russell Simmons

I'll admit the title of Russell Simmons' "Super Rich: A Guide to Having it All" enticed me to crack the cover. Yet I learned in the introduction, it's not about gaining material riches. Instead, this book is about being rich in spirit. Sounds pretty cheesy at first, but Simmons explains that being rich in spirit leads to material wealth.

In this book, Simmons extols the benefits of yoga, veganism and Transcendental meditation (TM), the latter of which he gives an introductory course.

Key wealth mindset points I took from this book are as follows:

• No matter what your job, do it with joyful, eager and service-centered mindset. How well you do your current job often determines your success later in life. 
• Wealth does not bring happiness. Those hold too tightly to the trappings of their riches are often seduced by excesses, be it drugs, alcohol, women or flamboyant spending. The result is not happiness, but disillusionment and emptiness. 
• Take time to clear your mind through meditation, prayer, yoga, jogging, creating art or simply becoming engrossed in your work. Simmons writes that of all of these practices, meditation has had a most profound effect on him and his business life. Clearing the mind brings us closer to our higher self. In other words, it brings us closer to god. This is where our inspired ideas come from. It's a wellspring of brilliance that we cannot tap on our own with mind chatter. 
• Don't chase money. The more you chase it, the more it eludes you. You must do what you love for the sheer enjoyment of it -- not for the outcome. 
• Give your talents to the world for free. When people sense you want nothing more than to serve the world through your remarkable offerings, they will be moths to your flame. Give your products, services, talents and art without expecting compensation.