Description Mid-code Crisis http://www.onebusiness.com/blog Sat, 20 October 2012 15:07:00 Sat, 20 October 2012 15:07:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/october/if-you-work-1bc-it-will-work!/ One thing you never want to be is an expert.  For when you believe you are an expert in any field…you quit learning.             In networking, in working by referral, in creating new connections and relationships…keep an acute mind on the nuances, the creative parts, the ways to amplify your success.  You can always learn more, get better and do better in this field of referral marketing.             1BC is an exceptional networking opportunity for your business.  Get the facts.  Get the lowdown on how to do better, to get more, to achieve more, to realize your goals through such an incredible network of dedicated people who are willing to help.             How do you work 1BC?  First take it as a serious business and business opportunity.  As soon as you make 1BC a real business, the connections will be begin and become fruitful.             Set an intention of what you want to get out of 1BC, then get busy doing your own due diligence: Show up. Follow up. Set goals for income. Do member meetings, referral meeting. Set a goal for the number of referrals you will give.  Go meet new people. Find creative ways to help them.  Cross promote.  Meet the same people again and again, as they have grown, changed and now may have many new connections they did not have but a week ago.             Take time to read 1BC emails.  Go to trainings and special events.  Go to the website and check out links that you do not know about, like the new member link: You can go backwards in time to call new members who have joined and then meet them outside normal meetings.              Take time to schedule one-on-one, member meetings, right at one of our inspiring referral groups…better called "personal introduction groups."  Meet with them.  Don't miss or reschedule appointments.  Confirm all your appointments ahead of time.             Realize everyone you meet is an opened book. You can learn from them. You can grow from them.  You can and will develop lifelong friendships that are more valuable than just the income.             Feel good.  Have fun.  Why?  When you feel good…you are more excited to meet new people. You are able to see and create connections that a tired or obtuse and blunted mind cannot see.               Become loyal to 1BC.  Introduce excited business people you know to the 1BC opportunity.  Bring them to a meeting near you.  1BC has sold and created franchises, built new buildings, generated millions a year in new business for our members, our state and our country. Many, many members themselves have generated 50K, 100K and more in a single year.  Believe it will work and it will work!          The grass is not greener over there, at the next event, at the next meet up group.  Dig deep not wide.  Dave Westfall once said, "Dig an inch wide and a mile deep." One of the most important things you can do is to strengthen the relationships you already have, nourish those connections.  Believe in the people you already know or have met recently.          Get and give referrals by deepening these very meaningful relationships you already have in 1BC, in who is new in 1BC.  You will discover many people who are excited and wanting to create a relationship with you.             Read good books and listen to inspiring audio programs.  Have more to say. Find new ways to think-that you always get from a dedication to continual learning.  Live in an inspired state of mind and you will attract what you want and need and desire.             1BC has been around since 1997.  Most businesses fail in the first five years.  There is a success track record here. There are ideas, people and connections that can and will definitely help you grow your business-and you will grow as a person too!             Believe opportunities are everywhere, and you will begin to see them.  Get extremely excited with what is possible.  Create new ways to connect, to help and to generate income for yourself by never limiting what you think.  Take small steps at first: "Momentum is earned."             Once you believe, take action, begin to see the results you desire, you will see clearly the answer to this seemingly simple question: What is, and can be, the value of-One Business Connection?               Copyright 2012 http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/october/if-you-work-1bc-it-will-work!/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/october/if-you-work-1bc-it-will-work!/ Sat, 20 October 2012 15:07:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/thank-you-so-much!/ Today is your day to be polite, to use pleasantries, to be so cordial, so friendly, so conscientious, it amazes even you . This world is filled with gyrating attitudes, lost chivalry, bent hopes and lost moments where Machiavellian action takes over on a subterfuge level. But not you.  Today be a force of kind, of caring, of listening, of seeing how you can add more value to all whom you meet…and pleasantries, being polite, being genteel it the key to creating a wonder-filled day…a meaningful life. Make your highest calling…to be nice and kind.  Do the things that foster human communication: Attentive listening, attentively look with your eyes affixed to the person you are speaking with? Why not open doors for women and older people…hold the hand of a child?  Care and use unmatched sincerity to enjoy other people in this adventure so commonly referred to… as your life . Feeling good, being a caring human, adding good energy to everything you do, creates a masterpiece in living.  Do this today.  It is easy to do.  It is fun.  It will sprinkle goodwill on everything you wish to accomplish.  What else do you have to do anyway? Care and be friendly and to do this not because it is taught, but because it feels right, it seems like the right thing to do…then you will get noticed, you will feel in harmony with all things. You will have more fun.  Other people with appreciate you, the way you show up…the way you talk, listen, be and become and do everything in a polite and caring manner.  Smile with your mouth and your eyes, and watch your entire being smile, skip, rejoice in the play of life. Make a special effort today to use a higher etiquette, a soothing personality, instead of rubbing someone the wrong way.  Be extra careful…not only with the words you use, but (more importantly) the energy you use behind those words. A well-placed, kind word can go a long way.  A pleasantry, a friendly remark, a smile and a little humor are all part of being the extraordinary person, not the "know it all" and judgmental and curt person who is so desperately trying to get their own way, to wring an extra quarter out of a dog-eared dollar. Be this kind and caring person, and watch the reactions that you get along the way.  All you have to do is play your way to success. "If you have forgotten how to play, you have lost your way." " Be the light and you will feel the light. " http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/thank-you-so-much!/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/thank-you-so-much!/ Tue, 25 September 2012 07:56:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/your-philosophy-of-networking/ What guides your life, what you do, how you show up, even who you are…is your philosophy. And what is the right, the correct, the higher philosophy of networking? Give, care, and be there for people.  Continually scan your mind of who you know, how you can help them, how you can add value to everyone you meet with the right inner attitude, and the inner passion that you express. Everyone you meet is an opened book.  Give them your full attention. Listen attentively, with your whole being without outer or inner chatter and distractions of your own mind. For when you listen because you want to, because you are aware how powerful listening is, and when you put your complete attention on listening, then you will see and experience amazing results in networking and in all your communications with family, children, grandchildren and friends.  Try this and you will amaze yourself. Your philosophy of being excited about expanding who you know, creating deeper and more intriguing contacts is a philosophy that should be forever in the forefront of your mind.  Simply ask, "Who can I help?"  "Who can I get to know better?"  "Who is a fun person to be around?"  Who do I really want to get to know better?"  Now go about doing it. Yesterday, I had one of the members, a client of my networking organization, just call me…for no other reason than to check in, to see how I was doing…how cool was that?  That was and will remain to be a memorable call, a nice call, an act of pure kindness and help.  That is a higher philosophy of networking: Check in with your clients, the people you care about, the people you barely know but would like to get to know better. Ask yourself, "What is my philosophy of getting to know people, of expanding who I know, of networking in places I seldom go?  How can I deepen the relationships with those I see often."  What is your philosophy, your main goal, the reason you do what you do?  If it is to add value, to give, to enhance, to use humor, to have fun, to raise your energies, to connect, to generate more personal introductions, and to help others get more clients and the connections that will help them…then, you are on the right track. Your philosophy of life is what guides you to enjoy, to create, to care about, to never give up, to (more than anything)believeyou can and will create a lifeand a lifestylethat you have always dreamed about.  Right thinking, right feeling, right actions…all play an incredible part in your gathering of contacts and business cards, then creating those initial meetings into new relationships that can grow into friendships.  Be referable and do what you say you are going to do. And find the people who you like and want to create relationships with: "Run with the race horses; don't continually try to pull mules up a hill."   Continually monitor and check in with your ever growing and expanding and scintillating philosophy, and you willvery quickly succeedin remarkable ways.  You will find the golden thread that runs through the hearts of those who, care and who are masters in this incredible field of knowledge, networking, and you will grow in wisdom and the enjoyment of your life. http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/your-philosophy-of-networking/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/your-philosophy-of-networking/ Sun, 16 September 2012 07:58:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/track-and-measure-your-networking/ Let's say you have joined a professional networking organization.  If not, join one.  Now what?  Set a goal and get busy attending meetings, events and tracking what you do. Too often I ask people what are they getting out of their networking, their chambers, their referral groups, and usually I get a blank stare…or an almost confused look.  Why?  Maybe because most don't even realize that if you want to actualize what you want in your networking, it is vital to know how many new contacts you want, how many new clients you want, how much income, how many new contacts you will generate for others. It is real simple, and reminded in the book, the Slight Edge over and over again: "It is easy to do, and easy not to do."  So do it now.  Put pencil to paper and write down your networking goals for this week, this month, this quarter, this year and the next five years.  It is really easy to do, just take a little time to figure out a plan of action and watch that plan start working for you. You have surely heard this before. "Plan your work and work your plan." Track and measure your business. Numbers don't lie.  Mathematics is the key to tracking what you are doing, accomplishing and creating in the world of getting more productive.  Write down what you want, what you are willing to do to make your world grow, your company grow, and you'll grow too through personal introductions, referrals and higher revenues for your company. Make sure that everyone who works for you has numbers to hit, an accountability report, a target to shoot for, and this tracking and measuring (reports, graphs, charts on the wall) will catapult you and your team to strive for more, to achieve more. You are the one to create a thriving company; it will grow no matter what as long as you use no excuses about economy, competition or any other speed bumps you have self-created on the road to massive success. Track and measure and commit yourself to unbridled success and you cannot and will not fail. http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/track-and-measure-your-networking/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/track-and-measure-your-networking/ Mon, 10 September 2012 08:02:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/in-networking-it-isn’t-who-you-know-it’s…/ …what you think!!!  Mindset is what creates new business, creates lifestyles, realities and the exciting journey up ahead. Quite worrying about how to meet people, how to accomplish your dreams, and find out, discover, get to be an expert athow you think. How you think about adversity. How you think about opportunity. How you think about work, play, fun and creative living. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can stop someone with the right mindset.  Success is mindset.  Mindset is success. You are only a moment's notice away from untold wealth, unbelievable treasures, new found opportunities on this road to find out.  Create a rock solid mindset of thoughts that uplift (that encourage) as these thoughts will part the Red Sea and you will flee from the difficulties, the harassment of a lost life that has been following you in a black cloud of doubt.  You can and will achieve anything you will let your mindset dwell consistently upon.  You can and will rise above any obstacle.  You will find and discover and uncover all the tools you need to proceed, to succeed, to catapult yourself to refined magnificence. Quit worrying about who you need to meet.  Instead, meet every day with the thrill of the chase, the magic of wonder, and the awe of not knowing; for with a determined attitude, with a higher mindset, all is possible and all will rush up to you as fast to you as you are rushing toward it. It is not who you know, it is who you invite into and touch with your blissful mindset, your happy world, your inspiring, spiraling up of pure and undulating success who will be attracted to you.  For the world will accommodate and accentuate and lift up the person who has a clarity of vision, who is willing to take massive action and have massive fun along the speed bumps and twists and turns of a life filled with potholes below the magical double rainbows.  Look up, always! Become a thought quality expert.  Think about better opportunities, better ways to devise a plan, better ways to up-level your consciousness.  Do this and the world rushing toward you, your dreams and desires…will become "results in reality" created by your passionate pursuits. Worry less, if not at all.   "Worrying is a treadmill."  Get off that self-prescribed treadmill and on the fast track to ultimate fun, happiness, joy and enjoyment…then the success you have but dared to believe in will appear.  Believe it.  Keep those wondrous ideas alive in your head and the realities you wish will form on the edges of your fearless imagination. Networking, business, life, relationships all flourish with the right mindset.  You already have the right mindset. You always have.  All you have to do is let your conscious mind catch up to it.  How easy is that?   And it isn't who you know, or what you know, but rather the intrigue of "not-knowing" and the glee of living the exciting journey that will (forever) fuel your self-fulfilling life-referred to "as the adventure." http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/in-networking-it-isn’t-who-you-know-it’s…/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/in-networking-it-isn’t-who-you-know-it’s…/ Sat, 08 September 2012 09:33:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/the-isolation-factor/ One main reason to network more, besides having fun, besides showing up, besides meeting new people, besides reminding the people you know that you are consistent, reliable, that you are there, is to get out of our myopic tasks in your business and expand who and what you know. In most businesses, there is an isolation factor, where you are so busy working in your business, that you forget that there is so much going on outside of your business: New ideas, new products, new conversations, new people to meet who are doing the most extraordinary things. When you consistently venture out you meet opportunities and people and circumstances that expand what you know. When you network you are becoming more than a carpet cleaner, a web designer, a lawyer, or any other profession.  You become the sum of who you know and who you can refer and help.  Networking is the most inexpensive and effective way to grow your business, but more than that…it is the absolute best way to grow you; and as you grow who you are, what you know, your level of excited inspiration, you grow your business. Make a plan today to network more tomorrow.  Do this and you will generate more sales, more welcomed clients and more ideas and information and education that will catapult you to higher levels. When you get away from your day-to-day operations, it expands who and what you know, but more than that…it expands your energy and vibrations and this is what creates the dreams and desires and realities you want. According to Zig Ziglar, the average person thinks 160,000 thoughts a day.  The problem is that most of those are the same recurring thoughts.  Get out and network more…it helps you to think new thoughts, be exposed to new ideas and (more than all of this)…you have fun, and don't we all need more fun? http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/the-isolation-factor/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/the-isolation-factor/ Fri, 07 September 2012 08:54:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/how-can-you-massively-succeed/ First and foremost, you get to do everything, and you have to do nothing.  For it is an opportunity for you to go meet new people. It is a fun affair to go and network to have fun and collect business cards and watch your connections grow. Believe in massive success and the rest is watching that belief grow, become a sum, become a result that was first visualized in your head. Who are you to play is small, or play it safe, or hide in the shadows of a success that may have too often eluded you. Today, take that step into the sunlight.  Become the success you read about in Entrepreneur's magazines.  Take focused and completed actions toward what can only be possible if you first believe it is possible in your head-in your own heart. Vision is the beginning point.  Action is that vision in motion.  Get into motion.  Momentum is contagious, but momentum is earned.  Take those action steps not because you are told to, not because you have to, take those action steps toward acquiring a dream, a new product or service, a new idea, because you get to, you get the huge opportunity to watch your vision become a reality. No one stops anyone.  No economy will make or break you.  "Clean up your vision." "Stretch your vision." Realize you can have an impact on people, on this world and it may change an entire culture, change the course of your world, positively influence generations to come…but first you need your belief to catch up with your vision, and your actions to catch up to your…fun. For if you do not have the right attitude, the right mindset, then it is really more about changing "within" to affect your world "without." http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/how-can-you-massively-succeed/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/september/how-can-you-massively-succeed/ Wed, 05 September 2012 11:22:00 http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/august/higher-consciousness-networking/ Why do you, did you, would you join a networking organization, a chamber of commerce, a Rotary club, a leads or a referral group?  There are many answers:  To expand your sphere of influence.  To get new clients.  To build long-term business relationships.  To get better at communication and interpersonal skills.  To meet new people.  Most of these reasons are focused at making more income and revenue for your company. But, what are the higher reasons, the more subtle ideas that are even more powerful? When you join a networking organization, one of your main goals should be to meet new people who you can trust and create a long-term relationship with so you become an asset to your clients when they need other products and services you don't provide.  For example, let's say you sell life insurance.  You are at your client's office just to see how they are doing and they're in frenzy because their computer just crashed and they need someone right now.  You have the perfect connection to help them.  You get on the phone and call Vince, your computer tech person you always use.  He is there in less than an hour and solves the problem.  You just helped your client and helped Vince also to probably get a new client. You have now become, the go- to person, for other things they need.  You have increased your value to your client.  You not only sell life insurance, but are now a resource.  Next, networking is creating a much needed social outlet for you, especially in your start up years, or when extremely busy, in overwhelm and in need of some fun.  It is refreshing to go to your group, meeting, or after-hours, to touch base with associates and friends, to have fun, to share stories, to have an outlet that every person in business needs…to calm the nerves, to relax.  And guess what?  Yes, meet new people and potentially get new clients the easy way.  So you are working and playing all at the same time.  Networking is a multifaceted diamond that has many uses, many reflections of benefits, all creating a beautiful unity that helps a multitude of people involved. Your most esoteric, though it may seem obvious, reason to join a networking organization is to see how and how fast and how often you can truly help the people you form solid relationships with.  How can you refer business to them?  How can you be of some kind of service to them?  How can you use their services?  How can you do all of this in a very altruistic way, no-strings attached, without a thought of getting something back. When you perfect and embrace this idea, create this as your highest mission in life and in business, when you begin to do the small things for other people, then networking is not a job, not a Machiavellian means to an end, instead, this is where you will find true meaning, purpose and the absolute best results.  Create a higher awareness and people feel, sense and get your dedication to a higher purpose, which is to give, to care, to help, to be of service, to live your truth and to walk in integrity.  This perspective can do nothing but produce a foundation of trust, respect and friendships that will last (quite often) a lifetime and is the pinnacle of success, and did I mention  you'll will have fun,  you will learn, you will be reward in ways you can't even image; nothing wrong with these fringe benefits. Cursorily, many people think they do this, think they understand this, but have a hidden agenda and get frustrated when they do not get what they want.  Giving without expectation is difficult, or at least hard to do purely, but it is the purest form of networking and the purest form of living which will attract the right types of people, the right events and circumstances, the right opportunities you want in your business and in your life. Actively thinking and acting on how you can help others is even a higher form of this. Not just waiting till maybe an opportunity arises to help a person.  Instead, dig in.  Find out what they need and taking an active role in finding better, more creative and effective ways to add to their world.  Help their business directly grow, listen and be there for them.  Have solutions and ideas to share that help make their way a little easier, more fun and result-based.  This truly is a higher state of networking to engage in.  People who deeply and clearly understand this are also the key people you want in your inner circle to grow your business and to establish a foundation of friendships.  This is the ultimate reward in joining a networking organization. Take a out a sheet a paper right now and write down the key people in your inner circle, then write down five things you can do for each of these people that would be fun, helpful, ways to appreciate them or ways to get them new clients. This simple exercise, if created as an ongoing habit, will create true meaning to networking in its highest form. It will also produce results in a magical way, in ways you may not even understand. http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/august/higher-consciousness-networking/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/august/higher-consciousness-networking/ Sun, 12 August 2012 13:31:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/august/who-should-network-(e)/ First I think a good definition of networking might be the first step to this book: "Networking is expanding the people who know you in a positive light."-Brian Tracy.  My definition is networking is creating friendships that create opportunities in business and in life.             So who should network?  Do you want to have more friends?  Do you want to meet new people?  Do you want to join subcultures?  Do you want to discover more fun and more opportunities in all that you do?  The industries in business that do well in networking: CEO's; business owners; entrepreneurs; sale professionals for small and large companies; people who understand that if you treat people well, usually they will treat you well, will think of you, will want to help you.             So here are a few secrets to becoming a master networker.             In life everyone should network.  It is really simply.  If you take time with your children, you will have a better relationship with them; they will value this more than a new bike or some gift.  In networking, find ways to create more networking opportunities.  Throw a party.  Create new and fun activities at work.  Do a family reunion.  Help other organizations, even talk to the manager at your health club to do an event.  At your church do a potluck.   There are so many places where people meet, gather, create an event so they can meet new people, create relationships, find ways to deepen their ties with each other, help each other-all of this is networking.  Get to know people.  Create team spirit.  Get people together who have a common goal, or just to have fun, to have a party, all of this can be more beneficial to a person, to any company or any organization.  Get creative there are opportunities everywhere to celebrate and to bring people together.  If you do not like organization things like this, partner up with someone who loves doing this to make it a real success.             Think of networking as getting more and more friendships, creating deeper and more meaningful relationships.  Take the belief that everyone is good, is an open book, has something to offer, has their own set of skills and knowledge you can tap into and get to know.  With this broad stroke of inclusion, you will expand your results.  With this open mindedness that sees in nuances and synchronicity and small steps, you will get huge strides. Remember what Guy Finely said, "Humans were not made to be mediocre creatures." Treat everyone as if they are great and they will find ways you cannot even image to help you accomplish your dreams. http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/august/who-should-network-(e)/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/august/who-should-network-(e)/ Tue, 07 August 2012 08:36:00 http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/august/inspired-momentum/ How can you get activated, enthralled, with pure and undiluted inspiration, enthusiasm to live above the waterlines, to high jump, and leap and race and chase and run the gamut and go the extra mile? That is the question for yesterday, for today it is already happening.  Just get a small result, a little momentum in the direction of your dreams, and that momentum will create a wake of activity, of possibilities that are happening right now. Don't wait, for there is nothing to wait for.  The live-on-air button has been pushed; this is not a test, it is not a dress rehearsal. Everything to this point is a go, and the rocket is launched and you are zooming into your self-prescribed destiny. Hold on to your seats. Take off. Get inspired and ecstatic and filled with action.  Put on your favorite shoes so you can jump higher, run faster, engage in the dreams that were simmering in your head but 24 hours ago. What else is there? Momentum in your life started about two hours before sunrise, before you even got out of bed.  Do not wait to make that call, to send that email, to live the lifestyle of the amazed.  It has begun simply because you chose to get a slight bit of momentum, to create that result and made the call and collected the fees and are now pulling into the fast lane of your most prized speeding adventure. Become the momentum and let nothing stop or detour or limit how heavy your foot will be on the gas pedal of today's results and success. You have nothing to lose but fear and doubt and stalling in the middle of some ordinary moment you somehow forgot was divine, sublime, and filled with rabid opportunities that have gone wild.  Momentum is earned and learned and is so much more fun that rolling a boulder up a hill.  Hint: Roll it downhill.  Let it gain the speed and the momentum of gravity and determination and inclination so that you will roll right over any moments of doubt with shear will. "Will is more important that skill."  Personal power is more vital that innate intelligence.  Believing is truer than sitting around and selling yourself short on some long day in midsummer. Find that you can accomplish the world, change your attitude and altitude with a little self-discovered momentum in the direction of the right and good and wholesome truths that are pushing you up that hill, helping you scale any mountain and pointing you headlong toward what you want, are willing to get, with realized passion, renew vigor, as you finally understand that everything is in the palm of your hand. Go for it today. Do it today. Become who you know you can and the world will accommodate this momentous, scintillating state of mind. http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/august/inspired-momentum/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/august/inspired-momentum/ Fri, 03 August 2012 12:32:00 http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/february/believe-in-the-good/ If you will acknowledge the good, you will see the good, the good in all people, in all situations, in all circumstance.  Train yourself to find the good, to be the good, to be an example of what a human being can become, for it's our potential as an enlightening species.         Why are their movies made of older people, who get cantankerous, who grow cynical and crotchety?  Why is it that life can make a person more harsh and cold and critical of what is going, as (in their minds) the government, relatives, the state of the union, and their perceived world gets worse and worse the older you get, the more you know, the more you realize the disconnect between what people say and do…and you are the one, the person with opened eyes who can see everyone's faults.   Yes you, can clearly see how screwed up people, governments, countries, ideologies really are, because now, you, are so wise and filled with horse sense, and you can see clearly now and know what really is going on and you can point out a flaw from a mile away. Is this really the way to live, to become the critic, to raise the ire of all whom you meet?  Norman Vincent Peal, was quoted as saying, "Look for the good."  And if you do this in all your relationships, in your dealings with others, if you use that critical and examining mind, not for out there, but for in here, for where you are, for seeing your own faults, and problems, and then take relentless personal responsibility to make the changes you need, then you will light upon a truth that can set you free. "No one ever erected a statue to a critic."  "A critic is legless man teaching running."  Train your mind to see the magical parts of life, the options and opportunities to open up yourself to the pervading mystery, to see beauty in all things and all places  Today, be a person of love and caring and realize and become and instigate change for the good.  Add your peace, your higher consciousness, your most acute and crystal clear truths that uplift you, and make you the superior person, the greatness that has had a chance to walk upon this earth. The only person you have control over is yourself, so become the best you can be.  You be the light, the encouragement, the inspiration that many have forgotten, fallen away from, and take a single idea, a defined moment and turn it into grandeur.  The other day I organized a trip to climb one of Colorado's fourteeners.  A woman said to me, so I have to get up at 3:15a in the morning, drive two hours, climb a mountain and drive back home…I am not too excited to do this. She missed the point.  It was incredibly magical to wake up hours before dawn, then to drive through the fading dark, watch the new sunrise, and to hit the trailhead by 6:15a.  Then to walk up and up through the beautiful forests, to see deer, to come across wild mountain goats so close you could nearly touch them, to go up and up and test your endurance, push your legs and stamina to persist, to keep pushing on, and to finally ascend and be over 14,000 feet by 9:30a, and be able to see hundreds and hundreds of miles in every directions you could turn.  I could see Pike's Peak which had to be at least 200 miles in the south. Enjoy, relish, take a step into your greatness, encourage others that all is possible, why?  Why not?  Do not be the cynical and critical and cantankerous old people who have convinced themselves how messed up everything is.  Be the light, the smile, the sunshine in the rain, the portent moments in an ensuing storm.  Do this, strive for this and you will embrace and discover and capture a spiritual nature of life that most miss as they are complaining their way through. Life is an adventure.   Be open to the highways up ahead, the twists and turns and new discoveries and serendipity moments that magically appear to a mind that is unfettered and free to see all the way to eternity. http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/february/believe-in-the-good/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/february/believe-in-the-good/ Thu, 09 February 2012 14:32:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/january/3-secrets-to-networking-success/   3 Secrets to Networking Success Secret #1 Be likable. Be friendly. Be polite. Be kind. Go out of your way to help and serve. Do more than people expect. Genuinely care about other people. If you can do this with sincerity, with heart, then you will be on your way to being a powerful networking expert. At the same time, be mindful not to let people who are going nowhere, who have no motivation or sense of urgency take up a lot of your time. This is a very fine line to walk and a tactful balancing act which you need to perfect. Secret # 2 Improve your communication. How you communicate with others is vital. Are you articulate? Are you interesting? Do you take a sincere interest in others? Do you stand tall, lean forward and listen intently when someone is talking to you? Do you give them your absolute, complete and undivided attention? Do you treat everyone as if they are a million dollar client? Do you have good eye contact? Your most vital networking skill is to listen intently. Body language also communicates―your smile, your posture, how you stand, how you move. Be aware of your vocal intonation as well, voice fluctuation, enunciation. Concentrate on communicating that you are interesting and interested with your body language and your energy. Secret # 3 Invest time with others. The goal of networking is to form long-term affiliations. You want to create relationships that last, that are first based on getting to know the person, who they are is so much more than what they do. Find out their dreams, their interests, what is important to them. Dig in. Really know who people are and find their brand of uniqueness, and you will create more than business connections, you will create friendships. Friends help each other and refer business to each other. A connection based on trust, respect and friendship will last. http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/january/3-secrets-to-networking-success/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/january/3-secrets-to-networking-success/ Thu, 05 January 2012 11:15:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/january/first-step-to-networking/ First Step to Networking Before you venture out to meet new people, "press some flesh" and generate new business, take some time to get to know yourself, what you want, what you're committed to, and your values.  Get clear about what you love to do. Identify your big dreams, the ones that stir your soul, and make a commitment to seeing them come true. Clarity of purpose elevates you beyond the ordinary into the extraordinary. It's the coal in your engine that fuels your passion, the magic carpet to your dreams to get you from where you are now to the vision you see in your mind's eye. How to do this? The very first step is to find out your bottom line, your ―why, why you want to accomplish your dreams. What are you committed to creating in your life? How does reaching your goals allow you to fulfill that commitment? Once you are clear about your commitment, identify and clarify your values. Sometimes the idea of values confuses people, as it seems a nebulous, hard to access, indefinable set of vague internal rules. Values are the intangibles that all the tangibles are built upon―ideals only you can identify,  like integrity, peace, love, compassion, passion, truth, honesty, action, creativity to name a few. One of the easiest ways to discover your values is to ask yourself: what is valuable to me? Determination and persistence are valuable to me. Doing what I say I will do is valuable to me. If you're still not sure, notice the traits you admire in others, and you will begin to discover, uncover and clearly understand. Values motivate you toward your goals and also give you a reference point to ensure you stay true to who you are on the road to your dreams. Once you've identified your own values, blazon and burn them into your conscious mind, so you know 100% what makes you move, what makes you take action, what is the source of your purpose and passion. One value may encompass three or four similar sub-values, so take your time. Identify not only what a value means but what it means to you. For example, integrity, this is usually one of everyone's top values. Everyonesaysthey have integrity. Now, how can this be? If your definition of integrity changes depending on the circumstances of each moment, "Sorry I'm late, but…" you may get tosayyou have integrity, but will peopleexperienceyou as having integrity? Depending on your understanding and definition, integrity can include honesty, peace and even persistence. Only when you define with total clarify what integrity means to you and commit that definition to your mind, so you will live by it most of the time can you be said to hold integrity as a value. And remember, values like integrity may be easier to live by in some areas of your life than others, but you'll feel better if you strive to live by your values in every area. Values are not static. They will change. You can redefine and refine your values in the months or years ahead. Make your values, goals, dreams and worthy ideals clear, and you will not only be successful in networking, but these skill sets will help you accomplish what you want in life, in all areas. To clarify the values that propel your dreams will help keep you going when the going gets tough and create the reality you want. While it's easy to rattle off a list of 20 values, or traits you admire, I think it is better to have three values (up to, but no more than four or five if they are extremely meaningful to you) that form the rock-solid foundation to build your dreams upon. Start here. This will give you the energy, the passion, the enthusiasm that will fuel all your networking efforts. According to motivational speaker Chris Widener, "People are either moving toward or away from you." The reason for this is your passion, your commitment to excellence, your level of fun and excitement, your passionate way of living. Everyone wants a piece of the visionary, the excited and charismatic individual. You will be charismatic proportional to the clarification of your values, the commitment to your goals and the vision that is behind it all. Attract people. Get clear on what you want. Link your desires to something that has a huge impact on the world, and you will discover a key ingredient to get you to your goals a lot faster. Once you clarify your goals and values, write them down. Read them every day. Create daily action steps. This will attract people to you. In the words of Zig Ziglar, you "move from being a wandering generality, into becoming a meaningful specific." http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/january/first-step-to-networking/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/january/first-step-to-networking/ Thu, 05 January 2012 11:13:00 Greg Petri http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/january/what-is-networking/ What is Networking?: In the standard definition, networking is a subset of marketing that gets the word out about your business and helps you get clients. In practice, networking is you advertising you with personality, a three dimensional way to grow your company. It isn't a one-dimensional ad in the yellow pages that a person calls not knowing who or what they will get. In networking the prospect gets you, your energy, your enthusiasm and passion. They connect your business with a face, a real person, someone they know, a friend. This is what makes networking magical, deeper than just dealing with a nameless, faceless corporation. Even if you work for a large corporation, a client still wants a connection with a face, a person they know, a connection they can trust and depend on. Networking is for everyone. With this in mind, I recommend you adopt a few basic philosophies in your approach to networking to get the best results. Be future-oriented. Talk about it, plan for it; think about what you want and how to get it. Optimistic people tend to have a future orientation. They talk about what can be, and are excited about the opportunities and possibilities. A past-oriented focus is generally reserved for pessimistic people who mostly complain about what happened before and how hard and difficult life is. They talk about what they don't want, and don't like about their lives and, by focusing on this, they create more of it. In networking people are attracted to your enthusiasm, your love of what you do. So be optimistic. Have fun creating the vision and life you want, and others will help you. Be genuine. If you are sincerely interested and fully attentive to what others really want, guess what? They'll be interested in what you want, who you are, and what your dreams are too. People see right through anyone who has the ability to influence people with their oratory excellence but really don't care about others. Be genuine or be refused. "Kindness is my true religion." ~ 14 th The Dali Lama Be kind. All of the best networking is done in the spirit of kindness, so be friendly and willing to help others. Encourage them and believe in their dreams. Find creative ways to keep in touch. Treat people like friends. Erase the dollar signs in your eyes, and see the person standing before you. Give first. Plant an apple tree and be willing to let it grow, no matter how long it takes before you get to pick off a nice, ripe apple. Help others achieve their dreams and your selfless acts of kindness will come back to you a thousand fold. http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/january/what-is-networking/ http://www.onebusiness.com/blog/blog/latest/2012/january/what-is-networking/ Thu, 05 January 2012 11:08:00