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Most people want to
know, "What should I do to make
more money fast?" This is a good
question, but
the interesting thing is that doing is the slow way to
make more money. Huh? Let me explain.
We
usually
think that this is how we proceed to success:
1.
Think of an idea
2.
Do what it takes
[action]
3.
Have [rewards, money]
4.
BE [happy, successful,
wealthy].
This
formula can work, but it can require a lot of effort and time and
struggle. The faster method for prosperity is:
(1)
BE [a happy person,
with a successful outlook, and wealthy expectation]
(2)
Think positive and
creative
thoughts
(3)
Do what comes naturally
as a
result of those thoughts
(4)
Then
you'll have rewards as an
automatic result of steps 1, 2 & 3.
The
reason
this way is more effortless is because all of the having is
the natural, automatic result of the first 3 steps.
But
am I
off my rocker? How can you BE
wealthy if you aren't yet!?! Start off with the understanding that your
experience of wealth is relative to something else.
In other
words, making $1,000 a month is "just scraping by" compared to
(relative to) a millionaire that makes $1,000,000 a month. However,
your $1,000 a month is HUGE compared (relative) to a starving person
who can barely afford a used bike (retail value... $10.00). You can't be
confident about who you are if you are caught up in feeling less
than the
millionaires around you. Comparison causes much
unhappiness. If you stay stuck in thinking "I don't have enough." you
will stay there longer.
When
you
unlock your comparative thinking you begin to structure a new
experience of wealth. Why? Like attracts like. Being confident
attracts people who are confident, and they usually have more money
that they can confidently spend. When you have a determined energy, you
will attract more determined people who themselves attract opportunity.
This attraction works together and positive results occur faster.
So
let's
figure out how to get to this place of
being...
Step (1) Simply get out a
piece of paper and write down a list... write out how you would be
if you were, in fact, wealthy... in the way that you want to be
wealthy. How would you be? Happy? Relaxed? Excited? Healthy? Peaceful?
Creative? Passionate? Generous? Giving? Loving? Supportive?
Appreciative? Good lookin?!
Now,
start being that way. Erk!?! How
can I just pop out there
and be happy if I don't have the money I want? Easy. Wanna be more
excited? GET more excited about what you're already doing. Just stop
being blahhh anymore about stuff. Wanna be more giving? Start finding
ways to give... it doesn't have to be money... just help your neighbor
trim their tree, or lift an extra PA cabinet at the gig. Send a card to
someone. Give a homeless person a quarter... Wanna be more appreciative
and supportive? Go for it. Just do it.
BIG KEY: If you want more
wealth, be supportive of the
wealth of others. You don't have
to give away your money. You don't have to work for free. Just find
ways to support others. Turn someone on to a new nightclub where they
can play. Share information on self-promotion. If you dig the info on
this web site, don't keep it from your
competition.... share
it with your competition.
It
is the
most shocking thing when someone who thinks you're their
competitor gets support from you! Think about how that changes their
mind about you...
and
that's the whole point... you can
effortlessly improve the regard people hold for you with a new way of
being, and that will start to turn the tables instantly. This is one
way that successful studio players succeed. They help other studio
players connect with high-paying gigs when they (themselves) are out on
tour or can't schedule a session. This is one of the reasons the
Internet is so powerful. People are linking together, supporting each
other in a team-oriented way, and it's stimulating the movement of
money in a very positive way.
Step (2) Think in a balanced
way. Well, that's much of what my tape series is all about,
and here are some of the principles from it that can help you:
•
Balance
your money circulation. Money circulates in and out.... watch
for the out... My issue for a long time was about spending and being in
debt. Being
in debt is just spending, over a longer time.
Our
culture encourages us to spend and go into debt. We are shown the
ease and convenience of credit cards and quick loans, and no payments
till June. We're told that credit is a measure of our success, a symbol
of being financially established. But if we get out of balance, we'll
have a feeling of desperation and stress instead of confidence. The
less confident we are, the less attractive we become to highly
successful people who find it effortless to pay you the kind of money
you want.
•
Associate with people who are wealthier than you are. Study how they
think. Be around them. Listen to them. Ask them how they do it. Ask
them if they'll help you with some ideas or contacts. Be around the
energy of successful people - it will rub off onto you.
One
of the
disadvantages of having a home studio is that you are not
forced to record in big-time places... where you just might bump into a
star who just might listen to one of your songs...
•
Ask to
be paid, and paid back regularly, and on time! Don't be so
"nice" that you let everyone slide on giving you what you deserve.
(That isn't being balanced.) Getting your money regularly and on time
respects the law of circulation. Remember, "The squeaky wheel gets the
grease!" The other side of respecting financial circulation is making
our own payments regularly, and on time! Paying our bills promptly
moves money back to us faster!
• Clean
up all unfinished business. Another set-up for failure is
something that is dangerous to creativity and friendship, and is
dangerous to maintaining healthy financial circulation. It's called
"Unfinished business." Unfinished business is the loan payment that's
late. It's the phone call that hasn't been returned yet. It's the bar
tab from last week, the unreturned video cassette, the unpaid traffic
ticket, the four-month old broken tail light, the five bucks we forgot
to pay back, the speaker that's still buzzing, the unwritten thank you
card, and the apology left unsaid. Be responsible. It just
works in your favor.
•
Maximize
your gain, instead of minimizing your loss. This doesn't
mean take advantage of someone. It means staying out of being
fearful.
If
we ever
have a choice to go one way or another in any situation, we
can simply ask ourselves, am I maximizing my gain, or am I minimizing
my loss? Am I looking at what I want, or what I want to avoid? Am I
acting out of my determination to have abundance, or am I acting out of
my fear of scarcity?
Instead
of
going into the recording studio fearing flat notes, be
determined to produce lyric, and melody, and emotion like you're in
there to make recorded history! Are we resolved to make a CD that
expresses our passion and will get Grammys, or are we calculating our
riffs because we're afraid that other musicians will think we're lame?
Are we working to maximize the gain of our customers, or are we
minimizing the amount of effort we must put into the job? Thinking how
can we maximize our gain is an easy way to shift a decision toward a
better outcome.
•
When
something isn't working, do something different! Mistakes,
issues, or situations that we feel pain or depressed about, are all
warning lights going off telling us something. These warnings tell us
that one or more of our needs are not being met. We need to do
something different so our needs do get met, in order to change those
feelings. If you are starting into a new business venture, and it's not
making money after the third or fourth year, let go of it, and move on
to something else. Be aware of when
things work, and when
things don't work.
The
third and forth steps in this
process will just
come naturally. Your method of doing things will shift and improve as
your way of being does. What you have will effortlessly increase as
your "doing" shifts.
The other thing that will change within
you, once you come from "being," is that you will internally know the
difference between goals and intentions. Here's how I put
it into words, but just to let ya know, really knowing this is a
distinct feeling that boosts your confidence 150%. Here goes: Goals are
targets you shoot for - you may hit them, you may not. They can be very
specific and timed. They can feel great to achieve, but they can also
limit things down to a specific, rather than being unlimited in
potential. Intention is when you have decided to make something
happen (with a knowingness of your unlimited power of creation) and nothing
in the world will stop you in it's actualization. It can be specific or
it can be an umbrella covering an overall result that encompasses many
goals, and the process of the intention (with no regard for time) is as
fulfilling and motivating as the achievement of the outcomes.
Here's
a
layout of being-directed thinking: Let's say you want a new
mixing console. It's gonna cost you $10,000:
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Old method
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New method
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1
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You're thinking "How can I
afford that? What if I can't make the payments? What if I don't have
enough customers? This is the most expensive thing I've done yet!"
You're nervous and afraid, but really feeling like this is your next
step.
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1
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BE
confident. Be
determined. Be unstoppable. Know that you will succeed with this new
console. Be the kind of person who people love to work with. Be
accessible. Be committed to excellence. Acknowledge how much you have
and how far you've come. You feel good about who you are.
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2
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You're doing what it takes
to make it happen. You're calling banks to get a loan. You're talking
to people who might loan you money, or customers who might advance you
some cash. You're also stressed and nervous... what if it doesn't work
out... but you keep sweating and working at it...
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2
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You are spending your time thinking
about the new things you can do with the console. You're thinking how
more clients will benefit from your services, and you think of ways to
promote yourself and your new capabilities. You ask for assistance with
ease and opportunities find you. You feel a sense of growth.
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3
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Now you have the console
and indeed there are new clients, things are getting better... but
kinda slowly... you're still nervous...what if I have a slow month,
what if someone doesn't want to pay more even though I've just scraped
every nickel to get this puppy... what if... what if...
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3
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You're doing things
confidently. When you ask for money, people sense your growth,
confidence and capability. The look in your eye is solid and people are
happy to help you. You have more energy to work things out and make
things happen. More opportunities show up that are easy for you to take
advantage of. Things fall into place.
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4
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You're happy on one level
because you've got the console, but on other levels, you're still nervous. It still feels
like you
have to do even more, because the money comes and goes. You're happier
working on better gear, but you're stressed at bill time. People around
you like your new level of service, but they themselves pick up on your
stress a little bit...
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4
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You have the console and
the new clients to go with it. People refer you and send you business
because of the excitement and positive energy you give off. People know
you'll make great recordings for them and so you automatically have more business. You also need
another
engineer to work for you, because when you have time off, more sessions
can be going on at the studio, thereby earning you passive income.
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Keep coming back to
try
the writing exercise I've described
here
and
discover your own new approaches in your music career and in your life.
As Nelson Mandela said, "The biggest job of all is changing yourself."
...and
consider what we do have to be grateful for, even in some temporary
tough times... we
have it good...
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