Tactical Execution

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I have not used this website since 2010. Please visit my new website for current information.

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The following post was published in 2008 …

Last weekend, I attended a 3-day workshop in San Francisco.  It was called the Millionaire Mind Intensive and it was facilitated by T. Harv Eker from Peak Potentials Training.  Wow!  1400 people were in attendance and they had the Mascone Center hopping from morning ’til night.  On Friday, I was there from 8:15 AM to 10:00 PM.  On Saturday, I arrived at 8:30 AM and left at 10:30 PM.  And on Sunday, the sessions started at 8:00 AM and finished up at 8:00 PM.

I’ve been told about this workshop for quite some time and this was the first time they had held the event here in San Francisco.  In years past, they always held it down in LA.  Anyway, I had 4 different people suggest I attend so I blocked those days off on my calendar and committed to the process.

I was absolutely 100% impressed.  They did a spectacular job.  Not only was the content very strong but the choreography and sequencing of the event were flawless.  These guys have been doing this for years and it’s obvious they have held events like this all over the world.  Every detail was well planned and executed.  For me as someone who offers workshops and seminars myself, the whole thing was actually quite inspiring.

So what was it about?  Well, the workshop was about adjusting your “financial blueprint” to mentally pave the way for your own success.  It was about thinking like a rich person.  It was about clearing your mind of all the limiting beliefs and negative stigmas associated with being financially successful.  And I have to admit that I feel at least 10 times better than I did before.

At one point on Saturday afternoon, I thought to myself that if someone had walked into the room at that moment without knowing anything about the content and exercises shared before, they would’ve looked at this huge crowd and thought we were all a bunch of loonies who were part of some crazy cult.  We were in the middle of an exercise where we were purging our minds of fears.  You wouldn’t have believed it!

Looking back now, I can see that they spent Friday priming us and tickling our brains with some clever self-discovery exercises.  On Saturday, they warmed us up and got us all to look at ourselves a bit.  Everything was done in a very deliberate order.  And on Sunday, they took the gloves off and spent most of the day pushing buttons and forcing us to go deep within ourselves to unearth some of the issues we’ve been carrying around our whole lives.

One of the most fascinating things for me was that everybody who was there had something.  Everybody had some old legacy issues still lodged in their minds from years earlier or even their childhood.  We all have challenges.  We all have belief systems that sometimes hold us back.  We all have to battle ourselves as we move up through the ranks and accumulate more and more success.

On Sunday afternoon, I even broke a wooden arrow with my hands behind my back.  The point was sticking into my throat and the other end held stationary by a perfect stranger.  In order to break the shaft, I had to walk into the arrow, pushing the point further and further into my throat, until eventually the wooden rod bent over to the side and snapped.

Was this a crazy wierd clut-like exercise?  Yes.  Absolutely.  But it was very effective.  It was scary and became completely intertwined with the idea of shedding fears on a psychological level.  And let me tell you, when the arrow finally snapped in two, there was a sense of relief that is difficult to describe.

If you’ve never been to this event, I’m quite sure you’re reading my account and thanking the Lord you weren’t there.  That’s the wrong conclusion.  Rather, just say that you couldn’t quite imagine the environment unless you too attended the event and were led down a path for 3 days where each exercise led seamlessly to the next and that each one could not have been successful unless the previous exercises happened first.

It was an amazing event and I’m thrilled I went.  I never expected to get so much out of it.  I fully expected the benefit for me would be in the choreography and delivery, but I got much more.  I took a good close look at myself and accepted their guidance to help me better understand myself.  They succeeded and so did I, and I would recommend this event to anyone.

UPDATE (10/29/2008) – I just found out the seminar is coming back to San Francisco at the Hyatt Regency SFO Airport (1333 Bayshore Highway, Burlingame) on November 21-23, just before Thanksgiving. Register for the Millionaire Mind Intensive San Francisco here.

Last night, I spoke at the May PATCA dinner in Santa Clara.  There I was, demonstrating my expertise to a group of self-employed consultants, ranging from independent software developers to human resources specialists to factory layout engineers.  All of these people spend their days adding value to their various customers and getting paid on a 1099 basis.  Refreshing.  That’s exactly what I do!

But there’s more to it then that.  All of these people can use my expertise to build their respective businesses but they can also resell my expertise to their clients.  So that means my presentation last night could lead to some immediate business but it might also lead to some partnership arrangements down the road.  In fact, a few of them already spoke to me about projects they’re working on that would benefit from some of the strategies I laid out.  Point is; my presentation helped me build credibility, gain exposure and grow my business.

Public speaking is one of the best ways to demonstrate your expertise.  It’s a highly leveraged activity.  You speak once but are heard by multiple people.  In the case of last night, I was probably heard by more people than were actually at the event!  And you always get some automatic credibility for being the person at front of the room.  All in all, it’s an ideal way to build your business quickly.

So let’s talk about how to get some of these speaking engagements.  Well, as it turns out, there are plenty of organizations that are looking for speakers all the time.  Think about community organizations like Rotary, Kiwanis and Lions.  And then there are all the associations like the one I spoke at last night.  You can also look at the tradeshows and conventions in your industry.  All of them have education days where speakers have an opportunity to share their expertise.

It all begins with a workshop proposal and you can browse a number of mine right here on this website.  You can follow the same basic format.  Think about a catchy title.  Think about a topic everyone’s talking about in your area of expertise.  Answer the top 10 questions or address the top 10 myths.  People love lists.  So think about a topic you could present and then develop a proposal around that topic.  Once you have that complete, it’s only a matter of contacting the organizations you’re interested in and emailing your proposal through.  You might be surprised how quickly you can start booking engagements.

Before I sign off, I’d like to address the common issue of being afraid of public speaking.  Some studies have found that public speaking is one of the most-feared activities most people have.  It’s true.  You have to get used to it.  But it all boils down to practice and I joined a Toastmasters club back in October 2006 and it was one of the best things I’ve done in years.  We have a great club and it’s a wonderful and supportive place to hone your speaking skills without risking a business project.