Dependent, Independent, Interdependent

I have a quick observation today. Though this will be short and quick, it was profound to us.

If you have ever read 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' by Steven Covey, you are somewhat familiar with the concept of moving from Dependence to Interdependence.

The group here at Financial Life Consulting (Harper and Associates and Reliable Property Assistance) is a profoundly opulent group. They not only read materials like Covey's book; they try daily to live it.

As a result, we have a group of highly powerful interdependent people. (Interdependence is the ability to be self-driven and contribute as an independent party, but knows how to interact with a team. This causes exponential growth for the group as a whole because each party is advancing quickly toward a common and helping the others advance quickly. It is amazing to watch.)

We have observed lately that we were moving slower than we were capable of and getting results below what we were attempting. It stumped several of us individually. How can a group of such advanced minds be bogging down?

Well, through a series of serendipitous events, the group dispersed somewhat to take on separate projects. (We were still working toward the same goal. We just needed to specialize for a season.)

What this led to was an explosion of personal power. Each individual began shining in new ways. Each individual began producing at a whole new level.

Chad, a true strategist, observed just recently:

It was necessary that for us to achieve goals Interdependently, we had to spend a season achieving goals Independently. How funny that we shot straight for Interdependence, but skipped right over the Independence step.

Now the group is merging back together more cohesively. We are all moving at a pace that is virtually breathtaking. From the acquisition of properties and the placement of tenants, to creating seminars and presentation material, to putting together an IRA investment program, now that the group has taken the time to be an independent mind, we can better understand how to be an interdependent master-mind!

Today's Episode is Sponsored by the Word...

Vocabulary.

How important is this word?

Initially I would think that after 4th grade the need for an extensive vocabulary would be a whopping ZERO.

Then, thinking further, I realized that the more specialized someone gets in school the MORE their vocabulary increases.

(Imagine a med student skipping the whole vocab section! "Nurse, could you please hand me the thing-a-ma-jig?" Scary.)

Recently meeting with a home owner, I realized how our vocabulary is in direct correlation to how much or little we prosper. The gentleman proposing the deal started saying things like "a 2-year may work" and "lease option" and "what's the secondary."

Now, many people may know what these things mean...but do they, really? They have a 'feeling' about what terms like these mean, but the gentleman proposing them KNOWS what they mean. He can see the deal in his mind simply because he has words to describe it. These words will be used to communicate with a mortgage broker, a title company, an insurance company and the bank, just to mention a few!

In business, your vocabulary can give you a significant advantage in structuring deals and creating wealth.

Terms like "partnering" take on a whole new meaning in the context of a "manager investor." How can YOU benefit from that situation?

"I don't know, guys. How can I?"

You can benefit by starting to increase your vocabulary by one powerful, financial word each day. Go to www.businessdictionary.com to look up words you don't know.

Use the terms in conversations with your friends (even IF they look at you weird when you ask "would you like to put your holding into my trust?")

Add Personality Plus

"Do NOT put me in a box!"

This was my first reaction to my friend, Chad, who unwittingly opened up Pandora's Box with me. He presented the concepts of Personality Insights and the D.I.S.C. system with Dr. Robert Rohm.

It all sounded like the standard psychiatrist mumbo-gumbo presented for years and years. Simply put, my experience with profiling was a) bad and b) badder!

However, I must honestly say that today was different and a revelation unfolded for me. The unique community here in Lakeland, created by the genius of Jeremy Harper and drive of Eddy Allen, provided me with an honor I had never experienced nor expected. It was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hear it from the man himself, Dr. Robert Rohm.

Mr. Harper and Mr. Allen brought Dr. Rohm himself to come and speak to our community. And what an honor it was!!

Being a converted closed-minded-anti-profiling person, I gladly joined in. And how Dr. Rohm delivered! He filled many gaps in the teaching that previously caused me to quickly shut down personality profiling.

I thoroughly recommend anything by Dr. Rohm and his illustrious team of people who are seeking to sincerely help organizational management of every side.

Here are the 2 things I want you to take away from this:

1. First, review the personality information! It can only help you improve in your business, in your job, in your relationships, and every nook and cranny in your life where you interact with people.
2. Second, if you have not been able to visit with or be a part of this amazingly opulent community here in Lakeland with us, please try! If you are in the area, come and visit us. Make a call or contact us by e-mail. If you are not in the area, contact us regardless! Let us see how we can help make each other's lives better.

Thank you for stopping by, and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Character Doesn't Only Count; It's Required!

How many people have tried all of the latest tricks and tips from the hottest gurus on who-knows-what, only to be no further ahead than when they first started?

Oh, wait, that includes me and you!

We have both been sucked into a moment of emotional purchasing when we heard how this method or that system could take us to a new level financially.

And how often has it worked? Rarely.

(Disclaimer: fads and get-rich-quick systems CAN work! Disappointed to hear that? Well, they can. But the odds are against you that it will be you who benefits. In fact, get-rich-quick products work as follows: A) it ALWAYS works...for the guy who came up with the system, whether or not he made money that way and B) for the guy who fell into the "lucky" part of the gene pool. Then there's, once again, you and me.)

Don't bet on these things. The major priority for you and me, and most everyone else, is Character.

Character, and the results of living a life of Character, are what makes a system work long-term or not.

Character will lead one to seek complete understanding about a given investment, proposal or system. Like we say around the office here, "Risk is only what you don't know about an investment. Eliminate risk by eliminating any unknowns."

Character will seek partnerships with others who possess Character as well. That will eliminate most risk because people of Character know how to pre-eminently eliminate the risk and unknowns for the partners.

Character is the missing element in many get-rich-quick systems.

So, where do you start?

Start by seeking first to understand.
Start by expanding your internal Character.

Ask questions like:

• "What are the unknowns?"
• "How can I fill in the gaps of knowledge about this system or investment?"
• "What is the character of those presenting this opportunity? Are they trustworthy? Are they interested in my success?"

Make several rules for yourself.
I know a millionaire who won't go into a deal unless he can "see right through it." He has to know what is involved from beginning, middle, to the end, even down to how he will exit this investment. I know of another gentleman who won't go into a major deal unless he has prayed for 3 days.

• Set your own parameters.
• Consult your advisers or professionals on that topic.
• Allow enough time to let the emotions fade a little bit so that you have an element of rationalism in the deal.

Keep in mind that there will always be another deal if you are working on your Character.
Read books that promote an abundant, or opulent, mindset.

• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
• The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
• How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• and more!

Check back in the next few weeks for more on developing your Character.

--Grant Nieddu