Master Your Future

This is the story of you. Actually no, this is the story of the potential you. Wait . . . what? You read that correctly. You have not achieved your fullest potential, yet. Because you have not achieved your fullest potential, yet, you have work to do.?

Not all of the work will be done today. This is only the next step.

When people hear the “mastermind principle”, they immediately think of financial success. If you are old enough to remember the EF Hutton commercials, you know what I mean. “When EF Hutton talks, people listen.” So, give a listen . . .???

By following the principles of Napoleon Hill, and specifically the Mastermind Principle, you will immediately make a Mind-shift and become rich. Well, not quite. There is work to do. And you must be diligent and plan accordingly.?

And this article is not about getting rich. It’s about how to be successful at anything.??

Are you still with me? Since most people are focused on just getting rich, I may have lost your interest. If you are still with me, this is about the rest of you . . .?the whole you. You see, you’re not going to get rich until you master the whole of your life. Let’s get started.?

This is your story.??

The key to success is community. I read this across social media all the time. Every leader has a following. However, before they gained a following, each of these ‘leaders’ built relationships with the people around them. These relationships matured through consistency, intentionality, and purpose. Even more so, these relationships were created through the very acts of being kind, considerate, and helpful. This is true throughout life, both personally and professionally.?

When I connect people, I always say one thing: ‘Have a conversation. You never know where that conversation will take you.’

Hashtags.

#conversationsmatter #conversationsthatmatter #conversationsforchange?

Now imagine someone connecting you with a person that had significant expertise in building and maintaining relationships. And this person was going to help you do the same because of the innate value relationships have. I will call this person Tom. And Tom said to you, “Where do you want to be in a year from now?” You may not understand the question. You may have some vague ideas of what you might want to achieve. Many people may not have thought about the answer to such a question. That is, how can one person forecast their own future?

Tom helps clarify the parameters of the question. “Have you ever considered planning what you wanted to do or what you wanted to achieve?” Now you might be thinking, ‘Do I really have a choice in the matter?” From Tom’s perspective, you do. The thing is, no one other than Tom has ever given you this perspective. The perspective that you might have some control over your own destiny. Now you’re intrigued and want to know more.

More.

“Do you want to live a certain lifestyle?” Tom askes. “Or more to the point,” Tom continues, “What do you want to achieve?” Tom pauses for effect. “Think about it. If you could go after one major goal in the next year, what would that goal be?” Without realizing it, Tom took you from thinking vaguely about your entire future to thinking about one thing – a purpose, goal, or outcome – that you would want to achieve with a specified time frame. In this case, one year.

“It does not matter what that goal is,” Tom said, almost arrogantly, “I want you to think about it, be clear on it, and write it down. And don’t just write down something vague like ‘I want to make more money’ or ‘I want to write a book’. These types of goals will get you nowhere. Your goal needs to be clear, specific, and real.” Again, Tom stops for effect. He would like for you to respond with more clarity, but still you hesitate.

“Say something like this,” Tom says. “I want to write a book about healing from the loss of a sibling.” Tom then begins to tell you that he lost a sibling, a younger brother, from an automobile accident. His brother was a young man of 36. Tom was close to his brother growing up because they were raised by a single mom (their dad died as a result of cancer). The loss threw Tom into great depression. But he did not want to live that way, and he found his voice – and recovery – by writing.?

You Begin To Understand.

You begin to understand what Tom is talking about when he tells you to be “clear, specific, and real” as it relates to a goal or purpose.

Then Tom tells you that he needed the help of others to overcome his grief and recover from the death of his brother. He tells you to find people close to you to talk with and support you in your mission. “For me, I asked my pastor and a close friend to help me make sense of my world once again.” Tom said. “Whatever your goal is, you will need the support of people that you know and trust to help you achieve it. The goal can be anything as long as it’s clear, specific, and real.”???

Finally, you muster the nerve to ask ‘why’. “Why is the help of others so important?” you ask. Tom does not hesitate a second to tell you the one very real, very powerful reason why you need others to help you achieve your goal. But Tom breaks this down into three parts.

The Steps.

First, your understanding of reality – your reality and the reality of the world you live in – is limited. You only know what YOU know. And you do not know what someone else knows. Even though we all live in this world together, our perception of it is our own.

Second, you don’t know everyone. In fact, you know only a small group of people. And that small group of people has a limited understanding of the world and the resources therein. When you start connecting with people, you need to learn how they perceive the world. Plus, as you learn to exchange help and insight with others, they share in-kind. That’s how humanity works.

Third, problem-solving. As I said before, you only know so much. And even what you think you know is skewed by your own filters of beliefs, culture, and education. Can you image how limiting that is? What if you had the insights of 5 people? Or 10 people? And those people bring their interactions with others with them to the problem-solving arena. By working with just 5 people directly, you may be getting the impact of 100 people or more.

This, my friend, is the mastermind.?

Thanks for reading.?

Credit for images: www.pixabay.com

About the Author

Dr. Keith McNally is host of the Question Guy Podcast! He is also the author of Walking the Path – A Leader’s Journey. Dr. Keith McNally is on a mission to reach the world with the power of Walking the Path! A book that inspires, transforms, and empowers lives through story and real-life applications that cause you to stop and think. Pick up a copy of your book today!??