Effective Networking and Success Tips by Scott Bradley

Scott Bradley's New Blog

2010-07-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Hi there.

I want to let you know that I have launched an entirely new site where I will be blogging from now on.

You can find my new site located at..

http://www.ScottBradley.name

Enjoy!

-Scott

I have moved my blog to Wordpress! Last post for this feed and blog!!

2007-12-03T07:14:00.001-08:00

Hello Friend,

Thank you for subscribing to my blog.

To keep updated with new content that I post please subscribe to my newly redesigned blog on Wordpress.

You can view and subscribe to the blog at http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com

Your comments about the new design would be greatly appreciated! I look forward to continually providing you with worthwhile content!

Have a great day!

On-Blog/Off-Blog Networking

2007-12-03T06:33:00.000-08:00

I was just featured on one of Dan Schawbel's episodes of personal branding TV. We spoke about networking, and how you can take online relationships that you have developed and move it to an off-blog or off-line relationship as well!

This movie is packed with awesome content and will be very valuable to helping you reach your networking goals, whatever they may be!

Enjoy the video, and feel free to leaver your comments!

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I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Networking Tip: Remember Your Contacts Birthday! (Yes...Today is my 22nd Birthday!)

2007-11-23T17:10:00.001-08:00

One important thing to networking and building know like and trust relationships with people is remembering their birthdays.

Out of all the days in the year, a persons birthday is the day that each individual likes to BE REMEMBERED for being on this planet one more year.

Think about it, how awesome do you feel when a close friend or contact calls you up and wishes you a happy birthday, or in this web 2.0 world writes on your wall wishing you a wonderful day. I feel so blessed to have contacts like that who take the effort to make it happen!

Today, November 23rd 2007 it is my 22nd birthday, and the birthday wishes that I have gotten from people in my network have been a joy to receive. The simple messages of "Happy Birthday Scott" to full blown "Happy Birthday Scott, you are going to have one kick a** year" are some of the many wishes I have received from my circle of contacts in all industries!

Other exciting news that I have to share is that this week I also accepted a job to work at the Macy's home store in NY upon my graduation from Boston College! I will be starting on June 23rd and am so pumped. I am looking forward to being on their "buying track" for the home store in the future.

Ok...back on topic, sending people cards, giving people phone calls, and writing on peoples walls are things that I do to keep up to date with everyones birthdays. What is it that you do?

With todays technology keeping up with peoples birthdays is as simple as creating reminders in a google/yahoo calendar, setting alerts on your cell phone, and using facebooks feature to let you know when your friends birthdays are approaching.

Just remember...The more rapport you build with your contacts as time passes, the more likely they will be willing to do you a favor in the future...recognizing their birthday is just one of the many things you can do to keep that relationship strong!

Have a great day and I hope you didn't eat too much turkey yesterday!

Best,
Scott Bradley

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I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Networking On An Airplane...Good Story

2007-11-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a networking story with you that happened to me on Friday night.

I was coming home from a second round interview that took place in MN. The plane ride home to Boston was going to be somewhere around the line of 2 hours...and I was looking forward to getting home after the long day that started at 6AM.

As I boarded the plane, I was the first one to sit on the aisle seat of my row. I was there for about 5 minutes when another person came and sat in the window seat of the same row and side I was on.

He seemed like a cool guy so I said something around the lines of, "Long week this week?" He said, "Yes...aren't they all?"

I then went on to say "Yeah I had a pretty busy week myself," then asked him what he did. He mentioned he was in sales with a company that helps high school students find their path after graduation. He is one of the salespeople that facilitates in implementing the curriculum to the various schools around the country.

I was intrigued with his answer and asked more about it, and how and why the CEO started the company. I learned that the CEO started the company because he realized how there are very few resources for high school students to figure out what they want to do after graduation...beyond the normal college path everyone is bombarded with in school.

After explaining more, he mentioned that they are always looking for college kids to contribute to make their program better.

After learning all of this I was thinking "How can we somehow work together to create a win/win situation between us and the company?"

This is what went through my mind...
1) I would love to contribute any way that I could to help the program be better
2) I would love to bring the CEO of the company to speak to the Boston College Entrepreneur Society, and give them the opportunity to have an article in our student newspaper
3) With the book that I wrote, we could possibly figure out a way to somehow integrate that content into the program somehow, so they benefit just as much as I do.

So after that went through my head I simply laid it out for him.

I first mentioned that I would love to contribute to helping make the program better, and then went on to say that as the President of the Boston College Entrepreneur Society that we would love to have him and the CEO come and tell their story to the members.

After some discussion regarding that I then dropped the bomb about the book I wrote regarding my athletic recruiting experience from high school to Boston College. The way I did it was by first asking if they have anything for "student athletes" in regards to helping them get recruited, and then when he said they didn't I simply said..."Oh well I wrote a book about my experience, but haven't done anything with it yet...I have always had the intention of getting it out there to help people with their process, but just haven't gotten around to it with all of the busy activities I take part in."

I then went on to say "I don't know if your CEO would have any interest, but I would be willing to talk about it further if you feel he would want to speak about it possibly."

After saying that, with wide eyes he said, "Yeah I am sure he would love to talk with you about it! Let me have your information and you can have mine...and then we will go from there."

As the plane took off I handed him my card, and he handed me his card. When the plane landed we parted ways with the intention on connecting this week regarding working together somehow. I sent him an e-mail yesterday and am looking forward to hearing back from him!

I wanted to share this story with you to show you that you never know who you are going to meet...and when it comes to networking...when putting yourself out there in the "randomness of the world" only good things can happen...if you are willing to take the small risk and put yourself out there.

I live by a quote, "The greatest risk in life is not taking one." As a matter of fact it is the same quote I have for my high school senior yearbook.

I mean...Not everyone you are going to meet will work out this perfectly...but even though that is the case, that does not mean that you should not take any action at all.

A good way to explain that is from a quote I learned from my mentor, "I cannot lose what I do not have...I operate only in gain."

What this means is...I could have easily not said anything to this gentlemen and then never would have had the opportunity to help their company and help myself. But...since I was willing to put myself out there I was putting myself in the position to gain something, it turned out to work out well...but at the same time even if I put myself out there and it didn't amount to anything...I still see that as a positive because I didn't lose anything...because I never had anything with him and their company in the first place...Simply...No matter what I did...I had NOTHING TO LOSE and all to gain!

I hope you enjoyed this story, and hope that it inspires you to keep putting yourself out there when it comes to networking, building your business, and further building life-long friendships.

Have an awesome week!

Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Personal Branding Magazine Issue #2 Released!

2007-11-01T14:35:00.000-07:00

I just thought I let you know about issue #2 of Personal Branding Magazine.

I have written an article for the magazine and will be working with the sponsorship team coming up for the next issue! If you would like to advertise in the magazine just let me know.

Be sure to check this new issue out! It has a plethera of awesome information!

Here is Dan explaining the details of what you will get when you buy the issue!

Have an awesome day and get your copy of Personal Branding Magazine at http://www.PersonalBrandingMag.com

New Networking Interview with Mari Smith

2007-10-30T21:15:00.000-07:00

My internet marketing friend, Mari Smith, just recently did an interview with me about networking on facebook.

Let me know how you like it!

Your feedback is appreciated! Feel free to leave a comment!

Have a fabulous day!

Link To Interview

Best,
Scott

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

David Mullings Article for Entrepreneur Society

2007-10-26T11:03:00.001-07:00

Here is the Article that was written about David Mullings and his brother's speaking engagement at the Boston College Entrepreneur Society!
Enjoy!

David Mullings Article

Best,
Scott

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Networking Case Study - David Mullings

2007-10-25T06:45:00.003-07:00

Last night David Mullings and his brother Robert Mullings, who are the co-owners of the company Real Vibez, spoke last night at my Boston College Entrepreneur Society Meeting.

David and Robert's company has a unique business model. Their business simply creates content around the Caribbean music scene, and distributes it freely over the internet through music videos and the like. They make their money through advertising, but also are looking to implement other income streams in the future with their Real Vibez brand.

Initially, I met David Mullings through facebook. In the video below I am going to show you what I did, and how I did it, to find a co-CEO of a company that is only 6 years old. After meeting him, like I did in the movie, we stayed in touch through the facebook messaging feature, and also shared content through our blogs.

We built up a great rapport between us, so when he came to visit, it was just like old time friends meeting up again. The relationship with David began around last May, so I have been building a relationship with him for awhile before I decided to invite him to speak to my members!

David Mullings and his Brother have relationships with Sean Paul, and other powerful Raggae artists! Who knows where that relationship can go. No matter where it does go, we will always look to create win/win situations between us every time.

I can't stress enough how important it is to take the time to network on facebook...It is far more than a place to connect with friends...But rather...A place to find future partners, investors, and life long friends.

Just be willing to put yourself out there into the "Randomness of the world"...You never know what will come from it!

Here is the video I recorded on Jing to show you how I met David Mullings! Feel free to leave your comments!

Link To Movie

Have an awesome day!

Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Using Facebook Applications To Help Your Networking Endeavors in the Web 2.0 World!

2007-10-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

I would like to apologize for not writing at all last week as everything has been super busy.

The reason why I was not able to put any new beneficial content up for you is because the Network Marketing company I am partnered with is in the process of pre-launching a brand new energy drink into the marketplace.

The energy drink is going to be launched into the 10 Billion dollar energy drink market and is innovative in its design and ingredients.

Simply stated the energy drink is in a simple pocket packet that you dump into water then shake up. It is going to be cheaper than other energy drink brands on the market today ($1.50/drink) and gives you longer lasting energy with no headaches, jitters or crash.

If you want some more info about this drink either send me an e-mail to let me know that you want to be an energy drink tester (my e-mail is in my profile), or go to http://www.CraveBuilder.com to get a free website to get yourself a position to take advantage of this opportunity. After downloading the website I will give you a call and give you the next steps to go from here.

Ok...Enough of the shameless plug...

Here is what I wanted to share with you today...

I ended up doing an interview with one of my Internet Marketing friends again, Lasse Rouhiainen, and we spoke about how you can use some of the facebook applications to help you build your business, and/or help you make those connections stronger through this powerful medium.

Here is a direct link to the interview I did with him: Link To Interview

Enjoy the interview and have a great week!

Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Great "Ice-Breakers" When Networking

2007-10-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

Great "Ice-Breakers" When Networking
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Knowing how to start a conversation is just as important as knowing how to carry on one.

Out of all the things to do when networking, starting the conversation is one of the most important things, because it is the very first action you take towards communicating with an individual. Typically, this initial exposure either warms the other person up to you, or turns them away...Depending on how you come off...

There are many things you can do when meeting people at networking events or public places.

Here are some things that have worked for me when meeting people for the first time.

At Networking Events...
1) Walk up to a person and introduce yourself by extending your hand out for a handshake and say, "Hi my name is Scott Bradley and I __________________ (fill in the blank)...what business are you in?

When you fill in the blank you can say something like...and I am the President of the Boston College Entrepreneur Society....or and I am in the Marketing Research field....or an I am an Entrepreneur...or and I graduated from Boston College. Be sure that whatever you say (in the blank) matches the surroundings you are in at the time.

Make your brief introduction something that is unique and memorable for the other person, so when they go back home they are able to look at your business card and say..."I remember him/her, he/she is __________."

After the short introduction then you can start working with the Three Key Questions that I typically ask next.

In Public...
1) Ask someone what time it is, and then after that comment on the weather.
2) Ask someone about the weather and talk about how good or bad it is.
3) Give someone a compliment about something they are carrying or they are wearing, and then ask a question about it (I learned this one from one of my mentors and it works VERY well)
4) Ask someone a question about something they are carrying...EG...A new iPhone, A new iPod, Headphones...You can ask, "How do you like ______________."
5) Ask someone about the store they went to if they are carrying a department store bag...EG..."How busy was the apple store today?...What did you end up buying?"
6) You can use this..."I really like your ____________, where did you get them?"

These Ice-Breakers should help you get the conversations started, and once you get them rolling just weave in those "3 Key Questions" and you will be all set!

Have a fabulous day!
Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Great Questions To Ask When Networking

2007-10-02T06:05:00.000-07:00

Networking has always been a joy of mine.

Meeting and getting to know new and interesting people is always a lot of fun, because it is like a box of chocolates...when you walk into the room "You never know what you are going to get."

When talking and communicating with someone I have found that there are some questions and language techniques that foster good conversation and others that stunt it and make it feel like it is a chore when talking to the other person.

As far as making the conversation a chore, I have found from my experience that when you ask people Yes, or No questions it turns into a very one-sided interrogating exchange. It is almost like you are questioning them about each and every little thing about their life, without giving them the opportunity to share how they feel about something, or understand why they think about things the way they do.

Questions to avoid...

Do you like__________ (Fill in blank)?
How old are you ______?
Have you ever__________?

When conversations flow, I have found through my experience that when you ask open-ended questions, giving the other person the opportunity to share the way they feel about something, or further help them out with a problem they may be having...it helps you build more rapport with them, which will lead to a better relationship down the road. Knowing that "You never get a second chance to make a first Impression" -Cuban...It is essential that we really make the other person feel like we want to genuinely get to know them more...and from what I have found asking open questions do the job extremely well.

Here are some good open ended questions that I typically use when networking. I always remembered my father saying..."Remember Scott, Who, What, Where, When, Why and How"

Good questions...
What projects are currently working on?
Why do you think _____________ (fill in blank)?
What books do you like to read?
Why do you like __________ (fill in the blank)?
Why did you choose ____________?
Tell me a about yourself...

I can go on and on with these questions but I think you get the point. The key is that when you ask these questions, let the person answer and then give them the opportunity to ask you the same question...Naturally due to the nature of these open ended questions they will give you more than a yes or no answer.

You can use this technique when networking with other people...Ask the other person the questions you want them to ask you...naturally if the other person doesn't know what to ask next during your exchange, they will naturally revert back to the initial question you asked them.

Like I have mentioned before when speaking with someone...imagine it like a tennis match...You bounce the ball over, and they bounce it back...If they don't bounce it back they are either not interested in getting to know you more, or they are not worth your time.

Another tip that you can use during conversation are phrases and different language that will help the other person articulate what it is they are thinking.

Phrases like...
Tell me more about ____________ (fill in the blank)
Could you elaborate more on ______________...I found that interesting.
You mentioned earlier that _________________ tell me more about that.
I am having trouble understanding ____________...what did you mean by that?
What do you mean when you say ___________?

I hope you find these questions and tips beneficial to your networking endeavors. Again let me know if there is anyway I can help you and feel free to subscribe to my personal mailing list on the side panel to stay up to date with cool content and info I come across.

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I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Networking With Forums Part 2

2007-09-25T07:16:00.000-07:00

I hope you all enjoyed the interview I did with my internet marketing friend Lasse. If you didn't get a chance to listen to the interview we did about facebook and networking Click Here to listen in.

As far as networking with forums I wanted to give you some of the forums I like to participate in. I have found these great places to network with people and participate in the many discussions.

Link to Rich Dad Forums
Link to WAHM Forums
Link to Young Entrepreneur Forums
Link to The Warrior Forum for Internet Marketers
A Favorite Blogging Forum

As far as networking goes. The first thing that I have learned is to go in there and participate in the discussions. After setting up your account, take some time to look at all of the threads that are there.

Open the thread and then start posting.

After you build up some credibility in the forum then try reaching out to those in the forum who you want to get to know better. You can do this through a PM (Personal Message) or by sending them an e-mail.

After that it is all up to you to see where you would like to take that relationship!

I hope you enjoy using forums to network.

Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Blogging: Affect Your Career One Post At A Time

2007-09-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I share an article with you all that I just recently wrote for my school newspaper here at Boston College.

The title of the article is Blogging: Affect Your Career One Post At A Time.

Here is the link to the article

Enjoy!

Have a great day!

Best,
Scott

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Tap Your Inherent Relationship Building Skills by Guest Blogger Jason Jacobshon

2007-09-20T05:41:00.001-07:00

Jason Jacobsohn of Networking Insight is the latest blogger who has just written a guest article.

Tap Your Inherent Relationship Building Skills

Whether you know it or not, you were born with the natural ability to meet people and build relationships. Even if you don’t spend much time proactively building relationships, you should be able to point to numerous examples of relationship buildings such as with friends, co-workers, doctors, etc. We are all born with the ability to connect; just some of us utilize this skill more than others.

Don’t Be a Hermit

As long as you are not a hermit, you interact with people every day such as a bus
driver, person at the dry cleaners, and clerk at the local convenience store. However, you may not have a solid business network to draw upon. This is okay because it is never too late to start and chances are that you probably have more people in your network than you think you do.

Take a trip down memory lane and think about the relationships you have built with friends, co-workers, etc. What did you do to develop these relationships? I bet much of it had to do with commonalities such as living in the same neighborhood, going to the same school, working at the same company, or playing the same sports. For many people, building relationships starts by identifying these common elements and building upon them. Having something in common with another person provides a great foundation to build. Relationships are built with people who make us feel comfortable.

Focus on Commonalities

So, if you struggle to get yourself out there and build relationships, then find people to interact with that have something in common. Attend networking events that are focused in your industry, hang out with friends of friends, or interact with fellow alumni. Whatever you decide to do, keep an open mind and try to develop some of these encounters into new relationships that you can integrate into your network.

At the same time, have the confidence that you can meet people and build some solid relationships. You have done it before and continue to do it with new friends. Seek to be friends first with any new contact and then talk business later. You want to build comfort and trust so when business comes up you it is a smooth transition.

Practice Talking to Strangers

If you are still not comfortable carrying on a conversation with new people in a business environment, then practice talking to people when you go to the store, work out at the gym, take a taxi, or stay at a hotel. This activity will get you more comfortable talking to complete strangers in all situations. You have a voice so you need to exercise it. Professional athletes and musicians need to constantly practice before they can perform at the big game or performance.

Keep in mind that people attend networking events to meet other people. So, don’t ever feel embarrassed to go up to someone and start a conversation. Chances are this person feels uncomfortable so he/she will be thankful that you started the dialogue.

So, tap into your inherent relationship building skills and have the confidence that you can continue to meet new people and grow your network.

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I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Effective Networking Using Forums Part 1

2007-09-15T09:48:00.001-07:00

Effective Networking Using Forums Part 1
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Have you ever been on an internet forum? How did you use it? Did you have much fun participating in the many topics and discussions at hand?

Utilizing the various internet forums to network is something I really enjoy doing. Not only is it a place to share ideas and talk about the industry you are in, but also it is a great place to meet targeted people in your particular niche.

I first heard about internet forums my sophomore year in high school, and used it initially to seek other people out to talk to. The forums that I first participated in were the Rich Dad Forums. Sure enough my first post was something around the lines of "Have A Screen Name?"

In the post I mentioned that I was looking to talk with other people who read Rich Dad Poor Dad. At the time I really had no idea I was "Networking" so to speak, but I really just wanted to talk with other people I could relate to.

I ended up finding someone, and met for coffee with him where we played Cashflow (The game created by Robert Kiyosaki) with all of his buddies from work. It was a great time. I still keep in touch with him today!

So fast forwarding these forums a couple years forward to today, I have a really cool story to share with you...

About 5 or so months ago I was in the Rich Dad Network Marketing Forums and saw a post from a person who was promoting some "Secret Program," going along with "The Secret" movie. We went back and forth in the discussion and ended up connecting on Skype. He lived out of the country so we would intermittently connect with each other every so often due to the 6 hour time change.

After talking and getting to know each other a little more, I learned that my friend was an internet marketer, and had built other network marketing business's in the past. We really had a great time speaking, and he shared with me some of the things he was doing to help him build his business.

Well...Just recently he started doing internet marketing courses to help other small business people grow their business using the internet. When he mentioned that, I said to him...check out facebook...It is a networking paradise! Initially, he didn't listen to me, but after he started hearing from other internet marketers how powerful a networking tool it was, he came to me and asked me...

"Scott, you have been networking on facebook building great relationships with others, and also have been using it to help grow your business. I would like to do an internet podcast interview with you about Facebook, to help other small business owners experience the same benefits you are...using facebook."

When he asked me, I was floored and excited all at the same time. Here was my friend who I met through a forum, got to know him over a 6 month period, and now he was going interview me about something I love using! It was great.

My friend who I met is named Lasse Rouhiainen. On his blog you can get some great FREE information on internet marketing as well as hear the audio interview that he did with me!

Because of meeting him through the forum, and with the relationship we have built, he is also looking to do more nitty gritty things for facebook with me, which will only help more and more people with their business.

Creating these win/win/win situations is awesome and can be achieved through the use of forums.

In tomorrow's post I will share with you the steps you can take to start building relationships in forums on the internet!

Enjoy the audio and have an awesome day!

Best,
Scott Bradley

P.S. Go Boston College! Beat GA Tech!

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I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

How To Effectively Stay Consistent

2007-09-05T05:36:00.000-07:00

How To Effectively Stay Consistent
Copyright © Scott Bradley

The other day, someone left a comment on my "Growing or Dying" post about how she has a hard time staying consistent. I myself have been in that position before and know how discouraging it can feel. One minute you are doing one thing, and the next minute you are on to something else with no intended plan on where you are going and why you want to get there.

Because of this...I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you what I am doing to help me stay consistent with my self- growth activites as well as my business building activities. I will then provide a solution for you to help you be more consistent in your lives with any activities you want to do on a weekly and monthly basis.

In the book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" Stephen Covey talks about the importance of managing your time in one of the chapters. He even gives you an entire time managment sheet to use to help you be more consistent with all of your daily, weekly and monthly events.

After reading this book I created the same exact spreadsheet on an excell document and would be willing to share it with you if you asked. Just e-mail me...My e-mail is in my profile on the right.

Anyway...When I first created this spreadsheet I thought it was awesome because I could break down my life into daily, weekly and monthly chunks. I could put things in there during the week I could set in stone and carry around the schedule with me wherever I went, reminding me when things were, and giving me the flexibility to schedule appointments at whim for meetings and what not.

So going forward...like one of the women who commented about being consistent...I ran into a problem...I was getting overwhelmed, and unintended things would come up etc etc...

So this year, before my school year started, I took about 30 minutes one day and asked myself. What consistent things do I want to do during the week, and how many times do I want to do them?

I wrote down all of the intended activities I wanted to do for myself to not only grow my business, but also myself in the process.

After that I then took my organizer...I call it the "Covey Organizer" and did 2 things.

I first put in the things that were set in stone and would never change...For me it was my class schedule and other Resident Assistant Meetings that were mandatory...for you it may be your work schedule, the required times you have to bring your children somewhere, or something else that I am not addressing right now.

After that I then put the activities that I wanted to do around the things that were set in stone and made sure I had enough "breathing room" so I was still able to be flexible. Since I initially told myself how many times I wanted to do it a week...I just worked it into the weekly schedule.

For instance...Say that I wanted to make sure I read 3 times a week. What I did was I looked at the schedule I had, analyzed the other "Set in Stone" priorities I had...and put throughout the week, 3 blocks of time where I was going to stay committed and get my 30 minutes to 1 hour of reading in. When you see the sheet you will understand the bigger picture.

Here are the steps broken down for you.

1) Figure out what you want to do during the month on a consistent basis to help you reach your yearly goals and objections...just make a list

2) Then look at each one of those activities and decide how many times a week you would like to do that particular activity

3) Take the "Covey Organizer" that you requested from me by e-mailing me with the subject like "Covey Organizer"...and put in the "Things that are set in stone"

4) Take the activities that you want to do on a weekly basis and plug them into the schedule...giving you enough flexibility for some "breathing room" between the activities and your "Set in Stone" priorities

5) Print out this document from your computer either once...or every single week and carry it around with you...keeping you right on track with everything you would like to accomplish during that week, and the particular day

6) Stay consistent with it and continually take focused action, and if you like…track your progress with your daily, weekly and monthly activities...so you can see how many times you did things throughout the year

This is one of the easiest things to put together, and the best part is that it keeps you focused. It is almost like this sheet is your "Plan" for the week...and more so your life…By doing the small things each and every day, it can build into something you never thought possible, which will in the end help you reach your goals.

I hope you find this post useful in managing your time and please don't hesitate to contact me by sending me an e-mail requesting the "Covey Organizer."

Have an awesome day!
Best,
Scott Bradley

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I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Are You GROWING or DYING?

2007-09-04T06:00:00.001-07:00

Are You GROWING or DYING?
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Do you ever think about the activities that you do on a daily basis? What do they include? Are they activities that are benefiting you and bringing you closer to your goals, or are they taking you farther and farther away from your intended path? If the latter is true, what are you doing to get back on the right track to achieve what it is that you want?

I learned a long time ago that no matter where we are in our life, or what age we are, we are either growing as a person or dying as a person. Now we know we are all going to die, but when I talk about "dying" in regards to this post, I mean "Doing things that are not advancing us forward as an individual, and for that matter keeping us in the same place day in and day out emotionally, physically mentally and spiritually."

When it comes to this principle of "Growing or Dying" there is no inbetween...or gray area for that matter. The things you are doing are either growing you from the inside out as a person, or are keeping you sedentary making you piss your life away with your feet in cement.

We all are going to die sooner or later, but from what I found, those that live the most fulfilling lives were the ones that made a conscious effort to grow themselves each and every day. They stayed consistent at it, and before they knew it they became and still are someone that they never thought they would become. By growing themselves from the inside out, they were able to not only accomplish what it is they were seeking, but for that matter feel like a million bucks each and every day.

You may be sitting there wondering? How do I grow myself? What activities can I do to help me grow from the inside out as a person? Is there something that I don't know about that I should be doing?

Well I am going to say that you should only do something if you really want to do it. There are no "shoulds" in life because we have an unlimited amount of choices to choose from. There is no pigeonholed "One Size Fits All" box you can put someone into marked with the phrase "Things you should do in life." Instead it would be best to first focus on what it is that you truly want by first educating yourself to what is out there, and then finding the people that have what you want, learn everything you can from them, and then take action.

When it comes to taking action on helping yourself grow to something you never thought you could become you can do a myriad of things.

1) Make a dreamboard of the goals that you want to achieve in life. Look at it each day and think about how awesome it is going to feel when you have achieved what is on the board.

2) Write out a vision for yourself. What does your life look like? How does it feel to have achieved what it is that you want? How are you making a difference in this world and in your communities?

3) Read self-growth books. This is by far one of the most important steps to growing yourself. I would highly recommend the following books: "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey, "Rich Dad Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki, "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie, "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill...That should get you started

4) Hang around people that have what you want, and who you share the same interests with. As they say, your net worth is the average of your 5 closest friends? Who are your 5 closest friends and do they have what you want? Do you need to make new friends?

5) Realize that your income and value to others is limited by how much you have grown yourself as a person, because if you have grown a lot, you can help and benefit more people realize their dreams and their aspirations.

6) Do some sort of physical activity each and every day. The better shape you keep yourself in, the longer and healthier life you will live.

7) Always keep learning, and going over the stuff you have already learned...Try to learn something new each and every day! By continuing to engage your mind it allows it to stretch beyond the monotonous day to day activities we are all used to. If you stop using your brain, and stop thinking…it will shut down on you. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that 90 year old people who stay active physically as well as mentally are still very well capable to keep up with their 40 and 50 year old counterparts. I love meeting these people because it gives me the reassurance that if I stay on the path that I am...the chances that I will end up in a nursing home will be very slim.

Personally, after reading the book Rich Dad Poor Dad my sophomore year in high school, my life has been one awesome ride thus far, and I look forward to my ever blossoming future. Currently, right now to help grow myself, I am reading Richard Branson's Autobiography "Losing My Virginity," and it is really sucking me in. I am 54 pages in and am having trouble putting the book down. His story is so inspiring and has the little bits and pieces that I can relate to my own life.

By reading books like these it continues to reaffirm to me that I am on the right track to where I want to go. Do you feel you are on the right track?

Whatever you do...do something each day to grow yourself! You won't regret it!

I want to hear from you...If you actively take the steps needed to grow yourself what is it that you do on a consistent basis? What changes have you seen in your life since you made the decision to start growing yourself?

I am looking forward to your comments!

Have an awesome day!

Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Effective Networking Management System

2007-08-28T12:16:00.000-07:00

Effective Networking Management System
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Do you feel overwhelmed when it comes to keeping up with your network?
Between your Facebook, Myspace, and YouTube profiles...is it just too overwhelming keeping track of everyone you know?
Are you still using an old address book...finding that you have to change it every year because people keep changing their info on you?

If you answered yes to any of these questions you are probably not alone!

Keeping in touch with your network as it continues to grow is crucial to your long-term success as you move through life. If you make a contact, hit it off great in the beginning but don't contact them ever again, it may be difficult to pick up where you left off.

Most of the old methods of keeping in touch with your network are just not as efficient these days due to the massive inflow of information we all have to deal with on a day to day basis.

With the web 2.0 boom, networking with someone has become automatic and commonplace...and because of it...the network you build can grow at a rapid pace.

Moreover, due to the web 2.0 nature of the social networking sites like facebook, myspace and youtube...although there are many more...keeping in touch with your friends that you make on there is getting more and more difficult as they grow their networks as well.

So you are probably thinking...Ok Scott...What is the solution?

Well before I share with you what things I am doing to change the way I manage my network, I would like to make clear that when networking, it is always important to continue building that relationship with your network of contacts.

Whether you decide to call your entire network one day every month, send each individual person an e-mail, or send them funny jokes now and then...you are building that relationship.

Although this theory is one that can definitely work...What is going to happen when you have a network of 100 people who you are really close to but you don't have time to call each one of them, or send each one of them a personal e-mail? What are you going to do then?

Well...I started facing this dilemma about 2 months ago. I felt like my mind was racing...trying to keep track of who I knew...how I knew them...and what they did. Me being one who enjoys the relationship building aspect of networking, was starting to feel overwhelmed with all of the information I had to manage in my head, through my social networking profiles and other communities.

With this being the case, I began to creatively think of a way I could manage my network where it all could be in one place...and where it would give me the freedom to send personal e-mails to them and keep them up to date with what was going on with my life.

To solve the problem I decided to create my own personal mailing list using the autoresponder service Get Response as well as using the website builder service Website Wizard. If you haven’t created a personal mailing list for your network…I would highly encourage you to start! It is never too late, and you have so much to gain!

What the autoresponder allows you to do is put a form on the bottom of a website and collect a persons information and then when you do, you can e-mail that person whenever you want in a broadcast fashion...With all the e-mails customized to the person’s name. As a customer of the service you are able to have your own back office and can see anyone of your contacts all at once. With this being the case you never have to input another e-mail or person in your list again! They do it themselves!

The page I have built to start building my Exclusive Mailing List can be seen by going here... http://www.ScottsMailingList.com

What I am planning on using the list for is to keep in touch with everyone who wants to hear from me. I am planning on sending 2 e-mails out a week to everyone on the list so they are continually building that relationship with me, and contacting me to let me know how they are doing. These e-mails will be beneficial to my network, and hopefully will add some variety amid their day to day activities!

The type of content I am planning to send out is on the website, so check it out and subscribe if you feel moved to.

The power in creating a website and list like this is that it gives everyone on the list a personal connection with me, and also gives them the freedom to remove themselves from the list if they never want to hear from me any longer.

Also, the power in creating a list like this is having the freedom to be able to send an e-mail out to the list asking something around the lines of...Would you happen to know anyone who ___________(fill in the blank)...I am looking for someone in _________(that field) because I am working on a project...and within minutes you can be creating new relationships with anyone in your desired field just through your personal networked contacts! If you have been doing a good job keeping in touch with them by sending beneficial content their way I can almost guarantee you that they will be willing to help you out...like any networking scenario.

If you didn’t have this system…You would have to call each person up one by one...which would take a lot of time...so this list will also leverage your time as well!

I don't know about you but I am super excited to see where this goes. I am going to start sending content out to my exclusive list during the first week of September so definitely get on the list so you don’t miss out on any content!

If you would like to learn how to build your list like I am doing I would be happy to put something together to help you, but the only way for me to know if you want to do it would be for you to contact me! So let me know! If I get a lot of responses I will make a post about the steps you need to take to build the system I have set up. I am looking forward to your replies!

I hope you found this post beneficial, and will be building your mailing lists as soon as you can! You’ve got nothing to lose and all to gain!

Have a great day and an awesome week!

Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Got a Business Card?

2007-08-06T17:30:00.001-07:00

Got a Business Card?
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Have you ever been at an event...someone asks for your business card...and you have to say..."I don't have one?"...How did that make you feel? Unprofessional? Un-prepared? Frustrated?

For me I would personally feel a combination of all of those feelings because that is just the way I am.

When you think about it...your personal business card is the "Cherry On Top" to your personal brand. Why not take full advantage of the opportunity to leave your mark on the new person you just spoke with?

You now may be thinking three things...
1) Where can I get personal business cards for myself, and what should I put on them?
2) How can I effectively use these business cards to build my brand in the marketplace?
3) How do you effectively give out your business cards?

The Answers...
1) You can either get business cards professionally designed...OR...you can get them FOR FREE by going to http://www.VistaPrint.com
If you get your business cards professionally done be sure that it sticks out by being on nice cardstock paper with a flashy background. On the front of the business card be sure to have the usual information on the card...Name, Number, Blog Address, Website, E-mail...and then on the back of the card make the text "raised" so when you hand the card to someone they will feel the raised text and naturally turn it over. When they turn it over have the back split up with the things you do by saying..."Specializing in...______ _______ _______" This will be a great branding tool not only helping yourself build your brand, but your business as well.

If you want to get the FREE business cards by Vista Print...just pick the background that works best for you, and then do the best you can to put all of the information that you feel is important to go on the card...remember less is more.

2) You can use your business cards a myriad of ways!
-At networking events
-Career Fairs
-Parties
-Organizational Meetings in your local area
-Trade Shows
-As marketing tools if you create a "sizzle card" directing traffic to a phone number or website
-Professional seminars on real estate, stocks, network marketing, entrepreneurship

3) Now you may be thinking...Ok I have the card set up, I have the places to hand them out...but what is the most effective way to hand them out?

Most would think that at networking events you just go up to people and give them your card and walk away...

If you think about it...how effective is that? Why would you just go up to someone and give them a card without building some sort of rapport with them?...I don't know about you but if I was on the receiving end of that...I would feel like I am being treated like a number...and people don't like being treated as a number.

To effectively use your business card to help you and not hurt you here is what I would recommend.

1) Introduce yourself to the person you want to speak with. "Hello my name is Scott...What brought you to the event today?"
2) Ask them the questions that I have spoken about in other posts on "Networking Effectively"
3) Make some other conversation around the answers that you receive and share a little bit about yourself....BUT...don't "barf" over your new friend with an overload of information.
4) Before ending the conversation politely ask. "Do you by chance have a card?" If they do say, "Great, here is mine! It has been nice talking with you."

Until next time!
Have a fabulous day!

Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Personal Branding Magazine LAUNCHED!

2007-08-01T06:49:00.000-07:00

My friend Dan Schawbel just launched a magazine about personal branding. He is a great friend of mine, and met me by coming across my blog! He himself has his own blog on personal branding which I truly enjoy reading.

He created this magazine not only to educate others about the importance of their brand, but to also raise money for the American Cancer Society. He is giving 100% of the subscription money to the society to furthe help the organization in the future.

Here is a video of him briefly talking about the magazine.

Also, one other cool thing about the magazine is that he asked me to be one of the authors! It is great to be a part of something that is so positive!

I hope you all get yourself a copy not only to educate yourself about the importance of building your personal brand, but to also help out the American Cancer Society. Get your copy today by going to http://www.PersonalBrandingMag.com

Have a great day and enjoy the Magazine!

Best,
Scott Bradley

Short Term Pain...Long Term Gain

2007-07-22T10:56:00.000-07:00

Short Term Pain...Long Term Gain
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Has there ever been a time in your life where you took the easy route in the beginning but regretted it later?
How did it make you feel knowing that you could have prevented the disaster just by starting and doing things right to begin with? Why weren't you committed to doing the little things right up front?...was it because they were too "painful?"

On the flipside...

Has there ever been a time in your life where you put your nose to the grindstone in the beginning of a project, doing all of the difficult and time consuming things correctly...which then led to enjoying the fruits of your labor when all was said and done? How awesome did it feel?

During my sophomore year in college, I was introduced to this concept of "Short Term Pain...Long Term Gain" and on the flipside "Short Term Gain...Long Term Pain" in a class I took. As you notice...the words can be switched to read either positively or negatively. Peter Bell, the used to be CEO/Founder of Storage Networks, Entrepreneur, and now Venture Capitalist for Highland Capital Partners taught the class and shared this concept with us.

At the time, the concept came up in class when we were analyzing the WorldCom Scandal.

The way the class ran was we would have 2.5 hour class with the first half being a review of the case we had to go over that week, and then the second half of the class featured speakers in their network that they had awesome relationships with. They would give presentations about their experience and provide us with lots of guidance. If you are able to take this class at Boston College I would Highly Recommend it, the experience was awesome!

So back to WorldCom...Keeping this as simple as possible...Peter spoke about how by WorldCom touching up their books initially, which at the time was not a good thing to be doing with the state of the industry they were in...helped them and their stock price and earnings in the "short term"...but by starting that snowball rolling down the hill, the initial "gain" in the "short term" wasn't worth the effects in the "long term"...which we all know the result of.

The bottom line...The initial gain of fudging the numbers in the beginning wasn't worth the end result...even though initially the "short term gain" seemed worth it at the time...but the "long term pain" was the worst possible thing that could happen for the company.

This concept can also be applied to Enron...Which we all know what happened there...If you don't I would recommend watching the movie The Smartest Guys In The Room

So on the positive side of the phrase "Short Term Pain...Long Term Gain..."
It has taught me, and hopefully has shown you the importance of doing things right from the start, so you don't have to feel the brunt of the negative situation on the backend. Keeping this principle in mind as you go out to do anything you set your mind to is crucial.

Here are a few examples I can think of regarding this issue:
1) If you are looking to build a website...don't just go with the first designer who raises their hands...Take time to search out someone that is right for the job...because initially if you just choose someone up front, without checking out all of your other options...you may end up dissatisfied with your finished product.

2) If you are a business and are looking to promote your product...don't spam people, forums, Myspace, Facebook with your messages because...while on the front end you may get a few sales...your reputation on that backend can be severely tainted...To fix that...instead of spamming people up front, research ways to effectively market your product to your targeted audience, which will open up an never-ending stream of new customers and business…and then take action to implement it.

3) Always be ethical no matter what you are doing, or what you are participating in. You only have one reputation to protect, and while you may scam a person once...and get the short term gain from it...all that person has to do is tell everyone in that industry and your reputation is done, never being able to recover from it ever again. The reason that is, is due to people not being able to trust you…in business this is one of the most crucial elements to creating win/win situations.

You have to consistently think about how the actions and things you participate in today, will later effect you and your reputation in the future. Is what you are doing today giving people in your network an asset to go to for help, or pushing them further and further away from you, making them look elsewhere for help and resources?

In closing here are a couple quotes that embody this ideology that I came across:
"Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly before it can be done well"
"Rome wasn't built in a day"

What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you have situations in your life that you would like to share regarding this topic?

Have a fantastic day!
Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Be A Resource To Your Network

2007-07-07T18:22:00.001-07:00

Be A Resource To Your Network
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Have you ever networked with someone only to later discover that they were networking you just to use you for their means to an end and couldn't care less about your personal situation? How did it make you feel? Did it encourage you to want to help that person in the future?

In the world that we live in networking is essential to get to where we all want to go...but when networking we must keep the other persons best interests in mind.

What do I mean by this?

I mean that when networking...aside from utilizing the other person for their personal network or their services, don't forget to let them know how you can be a resource to them as well...to further create a synergistic bond between you and them.

You can be a resource to your networked contacts many ways...Here are a few:
1) Freely sending referrals to people in your network
2) Talking about them on your blog...about the services they provide or their business...and how it helped you
3) Giving them a way to advertise their services in a personal newsletter of yours
4) Doing a joint venture with each of your mailing lists
5) Throwing an event that gives yourself as well as your networked contacts the ability to grow each others business's
6) Letting everyone know that you can help them by directing them to other people in your network who specialize in other fields
7) Letting them know how you can personally help them with your personal services you offer

As you get good at this, and the more of a resource you are to your network...the more you began to serve them and be a resource to them...more likely than not...if you did a good job making connections...they will return the favor to you...

As your network grows not only is it beneficial to you, but rather just as beneficial to your entire network. Because one of your contacts can come to you and ask… “John do you know someone who…(fill in the blank)?”

As we all have heard before...you must give before you recieve and in networking this universal law is illustrated as well. The more you give the more you get.

Here is one of the many stories that have happened to me on my networking journey.

1) Ben Casnocha who I wrote about on an early post...the 19 year old CEO who started his company at the age of 14...is someone who I initially met on facebook. After meeting him we began chatting and really hit it off. To do him a favor I invited him to come to the Boston College Entrepreneur Society to speak and promote his book that just launched recently. After his return home...to return the favor he sent me a FREE copy of his book as a token of his gratitude for having me invite him to come and speak. I have just started to read it and it is awesome. It details how a 14 year old like him built his business from the ground up...sharing all of what he did on the way!

So remember when networking...aside from thinking how you can utilize the other person as a contact...don't forget to think...How can I create a win/win situation to help this person get to where they want to go...and further be a great resource to them for their future?

Have a great day!
Best,

Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Are You On Linked-In Yet?

2007-06-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted to keep this post short and sweet.

As you know I love networking and I was thinking the other day...to keep this blog rolling and to change things up a bit...I should share a website with you that will help you with your networking efforts. That website is called Linked-In.

With this website you can connect to other professionals in your line and field of work, as well as with personal friends you met in high school and college.

The power in this website is that when you connect to your friends...you can see your friends contacts and see what professional positions they hold and what industries they are in.

Imagine being able to check out all of your friends professional contacts to see if they can help you before you have to ask your friends and business people for help.

If you saw someone that you needed for your business in one of your friends contact lists...you could simply ask your friend to introduce you to them. I think I have about 27 contacts frontline to me...and just with those 27 contacts have over 300K people that I can have access to...3 levels deep...Pretty powerful stuff.

Here is how my network is currently structured as I write this
Me---frontline (27)---2nd level (1800)---3rd level (390,000)

Anyway...I would HIGHLY RECCOMEND that you get on this site and link yourself with all of your friends and their professional contacts so they are all in one place and easy to manage.

Feel free to send me a "friend request as well" I would be happy to connect. When you connect with me you will be able to have access to my professional networked contacts which I would be happy to introduce you to if you would like to speak to any of them to help you with your future business or networking endeavors!

You can easily find me on Linked In by searching for "Scott Bradley Boston College". I am the only one that comes up when you search that!

Here is the link to get started! I am looking forward to all of your linked in requests.

http://www.linkedin.com

Have a great day!
Best,
Scott

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

How To Network Effectively Using Instant Messaging

2007-06-22T18:45:00.001-07:00

How To Network Effectively Using Instant Messaging
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Aside from using social networking sites to meet people, I also like to use Instant Messaging to meet and network with like-minded individuals as well.

I learned this craft from a man who built his network marketing business using instant messaging. After going through his course, it made me feel like I had the world at my fingertips...and to be frank...the contacts and friendships I have built using instant messaging have been life-changing.

The man who taught me how to do this is named Max Steingart. He is a veteran network marketer and is teaching people how to meet people online, and further teaching people how to build those know like and trust relationships with people using the power of instant messaging.

Initially when I heard about this I was skeptical...but when I started applying these techniques to meet other like minded individuals...a whole new world opened up for me.

So you are probably sitting there thinking...Ok Scott...Spill the beans already!

Here are the steps I was taken through for this to work.

1) Figure out a chatting service you want to use...be it...AOL, MSN, or Yahoo.

2) When you decide on a Instant Messaging Platform...then your next step is to figure out a screen name you would like to use.

3) Design your profile

4) Figure out the people you would like to chat with

5) Take action and start putting yourself out there

So to elaborate....

1) When you decide on a chatting service to use...I initially began working on AOL...but soon switched to yahoo due to the member directory being all screwed up...What was happening was when I was searching for people "online" it was giving me people “offline” at the time I was searching. I would recommend that you choose Yahoo to get started. All you have to do is go to yahoo and get an account set up...its pretty easy.

2) The next fun step is to figure out a screen name for yourself. Remember...you never get a second chance to make a first impression...so make it unique to you and one that will not only attract other people to you, but also give people a good feeling about you when you initially send them an instant message. Mine for AOL is CaliforniaEagle and for Yahoo is CaliforniaEagle23. The reason I chose this screen name is because I am from California, and my school mascot is an eagle. I will always be able to take this screen name with me wherever I go and will always be able to say "I am from California and went to Boston College...the mascot was an Eagle."

3) After creating a screen name...then you get to design your profile. Make your profile genuine and full of content about you. You want your profile to be a direct reflection of who you are so when people you initially IM look at it...they get a good feeling about you. I am not saying to be a liar...but rather be honest, genuine and up-front. Be sure to include a positive quote.

4) Know what audience you want to talk to...Do you want to target lawyers, accountants, entrepreneurs, network marketers, sales people, business owners....do you want them to share an interest with you....how old....what state.....what age....and so on...Know who you want to be speaking with. This is crucial...because while there are a lot of junky people to talk to online, there are also the awesome ones....you just have to know how to sort them out and how to find them.

5) Once you have all of that set up...then TAKE ACTION. Go to the member directory, and go to the "advanced search". In yahoo just utilize the boxes from the keywords down....Set your demographic, and target....make sure to check the "I only want to see people online" and then let the search run. If you did it right....you will find between 5-20 quality people ready and waiting to hear from you...

Now....before contacting these people...you want to open up their profile to take a look at who they are.....THE BEAUTY OF THIS is that you get to get a good feeling about a person before ever initiating any sort of communication with them. The first thing I was taught to look at in a person's profile is if they HAVE A POSITIVE QUOTE.....If they don't…move onto the next one.

When you find a good one...then it is time to initiate the conversation....

Say for instance you were searching for people with the word "exotic cars" in their profile. This is an intro I would use...

"Hello John my name is Scott. I was searching the member directory for people who are interested in exotic cars and noticed your profile. What is your favorite exotic?"

After sending that message they will most likely go to your profile...check you out....and then respond....This is why your profile and screen name are so crucial to your success in people responding to you.

After this...he would probably say something back....and once this happens....focus the conversation on him and only him...ask him the three questions....What do you do? How long have you done it? and What did you do before?

At one point in the conversation he will feel like he has shared too much and wants to learn more about you....and then he will reciprocate....

Imagine this like a tennis match back and forth....you put the ball over...and then they put it over to you...

One thing to make sure that you do, to keep the conversation flowing is to always always always after you say something ask an open ended question....for instance....say that he says..."I like ferrari's...." Then I would respond with..."You do? I love ferrari's as well. When did you last drive one?"

This will keep the conversation going, and keep you going down the road of building rapport and a relationship....

Now obviously what I have shared is the perfect world...and as we all know...nothing is perfect....
You will get people who ignore you....
You will get people who won't give you the time of day....
You will get people who just drop off...

BUT (notice the bigness)...the ones who you continue to build relationships with over time...can lead to some really cool things.

For me I want to share some of the awesome stories I have had building networks and relationships on the net

1) I was on AOL and was searching for people with the word Robert Kiyosaki in their profile because I love his books....Turns out I meet this guy who is a business owner. I will keep his name anonymous...but after building a relationship with him for over a year he has turned into an awesome mentor...he is also a real estate investor and has contacts to billionaires....aside from continuing to build a friendship with him...I use him as a bounce board for what I am doing and such. He has also expressed interesting in investing in business’s I start in the future.

2) For my second story I was looking to meet people down in San Diego for a conference with one of the MLM's I was building at the time. I came across this profile after searching for people with an interest in "numerology". I sent a message to this lady and really hit it off with her...We started talking about numerology and such...learned what she did...and so on...find out she is a Real Estate Investor....and has turned out to be an amazing awesome friend....and another mentor....Both of us can talk to each other for hours about anything... What is really awesome about this friend is that she referred me to a company who was thinking about implementing one of my products I was promoting through and MLM at the time....with over 15K people in the entire company....I would have made more than enough from the deal....but turned out the lady never got back to me...but that being said....huge things can happen when you least expect them.

3) When I was utilizing this method to build my business I came across a profile from a person who was in network marketing. I later found out she was a master distributor in a company at the time. She taught me so much and really helped me hone my network marketing skills. She then started talking to me about how she was going to be a master distributor in another company that was going to be launching....and she wanted me to be on her frontline to help build the company...I decided not to do it for personal reasons, but the fact that I had that opportunity from building a relationship with someone through instant messaging is just amazing.

4) This last story is inspiring and touching all at the same time. At a time I was in a "spiritual" chatroom....and as I was just about to leave the chatroom...all of a sudden I received an IM that said..."Why do you have question marks in your profile?" Little did I know there were question marks in my profile. I went to change them and started chatting with this woman. We hit it off right from the start. We then over time moved our conversation to the phone and further shared with eachother and how to make our lives better. We talked all about the Art of Allowing, Law of Attraction...life, nutrition, motivational material and the like. I learned from this woman that she was one who battled cancer and beat it her first time with no drugs and all with the power of her own mind....At the time I met her she was doing therapy and was in remission....We always talked at every opportunity we were online....To make a long story short her cancer came back and she passed away last year right before I came home from school.

This story makes me realize how powerful building relationships with people online can be...and further how awesome it is when you do find worthwhile people to connect with and stay in touch with.

As time goes forward I will continue to meet people online using web 2.0 as well as through Instant Messaging because it has truly opened up so many more doors for me than I ever thought possible.

While I only had space for these 4 stories there are many others I could share with you.
If you would like to reach out to me feel free to either IM me or Call me. Don’t worry I don’t bite…LOL

Yahoo: CaliforniaEagle23
AOL: CaliforniaEagle

Have an awesome day!
Best,
Scott

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

What's Your Desired End Result?

2007-06-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

What's Your Desired End Result?
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Steven Covey states, in his book the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People..."Begin with the end in mind." If you haven't already done so I would highly recommend that you get this book.

This is the very first habit he talks about, and truly puts it in a way that hits you where it hurts. He says...Imagine you are on your deathbed...How does it feel? Have you accomplished everything that you wanted to? Have you traveled to where you want to go? Have you seen and met the people you had wanted to see and meet?

He further goes to hit you harder with...What do you think the people will say at your funeral and wake? How would it make you feel? Is it what you would want them to say?

Now this habit of beginning with the end in mind, can further be applied to your business, or further anything that you want to get done in your life.

For example...If one of your desired end results is writing a book and distributing it in a book store...then your only job is to figure out how to make that possible, and since there are people that have done it, and information out there to educate you about doing it...all you have to do is simply formulate your plan starting from the end result, by planning it out step by step...working backwards from the end result...to where you are today. Once that plan is laid...obviously taking action is the next essential step.
*******
For those that like equations
End Result=(step 5 + step 4 + step 3 + step 2 + step 1 * TODAY) / (Action)

Graphically speaking you work from left to right instead of right to left in this equation. The reason the equation is divided by action is because after figuring out all of the steps that you need to take to reach your end result, you must take Action on each step to go down the desired path.
*******
Obviously this is easier said than done, but it is what it takes to achieve any end result you are looking to achieve.

Adding to this concept of beginning with the end in mind...in one of his book, Robert Kiyosaki states..."Start from your dreams and work backwards."

When examining this phrase...think about it...how many people do you know that knew what they wanted, did what they had to do, and eventually achieved their dreams?

On the flipside...how many people do you know that are scattered, with a lack of focus, and who really don't know where they want to go and do?

This concept seems to be more broad and expansive, but still has the same undertones of Covey's Habit of "Beginning with the end in mind."

This concept of beginning with the end in mind, and starting from my dreams and working backwards hit me right between the eyes after I lost my father to a silent heart attack right in front of my eyes my freshmen year at Boston College. His wake was on my 19th birthday and his funeral was the day before Thanksgiving.

Not only did these concepts come clear to me after the experience, but further helped reiterate the point to me that you truly never know when your number is up...and because of that...working towards your goals each day is essential not only to your future success but also to your everyday happiness. I am sure we have all heard the quote "Work is love made visible" - Anonymous.

Now while some of you may be thinking after reading this that you need to have everything planned out to a T with a perfect timeline of when things should be done...I would like to remind you that it is not what I am getting at here. All I am saying is...Have your end result, and the plan laid out with the actions you must take to achieve the end result...then take action at your own pace...Remember...Getting to your end result is a journey not a destination.

If you just began to start taking action on something, but are not able to see it to the end before starting it...you will feel like you are going in circles wondering why you are not getting anything productive done, and further frustrate yourself because it will take you longer to get to where you want to go. Your personal exit strategy with whatever you choose to do keeps you focused and on track to achieve what it is that you want to achieve...and when you begin your journey to your desired result, since you already know what you have to do to get there...the only thing that you have to do is take action...

So to sum it up...

1) Know your end result before taking action...see it all the way to the end and don't lose focus...take each task step by step

2) Be sure to have people there to support you on your journey

3) Take ACTION!...It is the hardest part.

4) Be Committed to seeing your desired result to the end (Have a burning "Why" for achieving the desired result)

Personally for me I know that I want to be a very Rich Man...this is my end result...

The plan that I am taking action on...which is always subject to change is this...
1) Build a Network Marketing Organization that pays me a good 5 figure monthly residual income (Takes between 3-5 years to build that income)...where my money is working for me

2) Take the residual income from my Network Marketing Business and invest it into Real Estate using various types of methods depending on the market...to further build up another residual income stream

3) Take the money from the real estate and invest it into the stock market using various methods depending on the direction of the market at the time...to again leverage myself more where my money is working for me

4) Publish my book about the athletic recruiting process, and structure a business around that helping high school athletes play their sport in college...and weave my network marketing business's into it some way....to further gain more leverage

As you can see it is a very broad focus, but right now I am just focusing on building my Network Marketing Business...doing the activities necessary to build it once and build it big... and then once it is built I will move onto real estate while still managing and growing my NWM Biz…but more passively.

If you are not entirely sure what a Network Marketing Business is, or how it can benefit you feel free to visit this movie, which illustrates how network marketing works. Click Here To Learn What Network Marketing Is And How It Can Benefit You. After watching the movie feel free to contact me with any questions you may have.

If you would like to read a FREE E-Book that my friend wrote, who went from failure to success in network marketing Click Here. As a New York City Police officer, this business allowed him to move his family down to their dream home in Florida. He wrote this book to help those who are struggling in the industry, and for those who want to learn how they can make income from home to further live a life of time and financial freedom.

So…Stay focused, figure out what you need to do to get your desired result, take action on what you need to do, and enjoy the fruits of your labor after you have completed your goal!

Make it a great day!
Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Selling...We All Are Doing It...We Just Don't Know It

2007-06-09T10:40:00.000-07:00

Selling...We All Are Doing It...We Just Don't Know It
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Whether you know it or not, everything in life is selling.
Let me explain...

When you are taking time looking for a job...talking with recruiters from companies...handing out your resume and business cards...you are selling YOURSELF...whether they take you or not...is out of your control.

When you are taking time looking for a date, or are dating for that matter...You are selling yourself to the other person to show them who you are, so hopefully it will lead to a relationship down the road...whether they take you or not...is out of your control.

When you are selling a particular good/service, showing others why it fills the need or want they have...you are selling that good/service...whether they take it or not...is out of your control.

When parenting...you are selling to your children the beliefs and values you feel they should live by as they get older...whether they adopt them or not...is out of your control.

If you are a baseball player, or any athlete for that matter...out on the athletic field, you are selling to the recruiters looking to recruit you to their team, as well as to the parents and fans in the stands that you are the best thing since sliced bread while having fun doing it...whether they (recruit you/like you) or not...is out of your control.

Ok...So you get the idea…Everything in life is SELLING!

What I find so comical about the word "Selling" is that most people connect negative words and emotions with the word and craft...but what is funny is that we are all "selling" in one way or another.

The only difference between selling "something" and selling in the "Other context” is one thing...YOU...You are the good/product/service/person that is being sold…and you have 100% control over it…based on your BRAND that you PORTRAY.

With the business I am in...I approach selling just like the scenarios above...I attract the prospects to me...show them the information...let them digest the information and form the thoughts about it...whatever they may be...and then I collect a decision...I don't look to convince them that it is for them or not...Because in the end...whether they take it or not...is truly out of my control.

I only want to be dealing with people who want to buy or work with me...why should I waste my time with those I have to continually convince?...I would drive myself crazy!

Most people believe that selling is a high-pressure, unethical, sleazy profession, when in reality it is nothing more than a relationship with a product involved. That product can either be YOU...or something that you are distributing. Since the most important part to the selling equation is the relationship...having a positive BRAND...is essential. Your brand is your credibility worn on your shoulder. If you haven't already done so, I would highly recommend that you read my post, "What's Your Brand Say?"

For me...when looking at forming relationships with people...I always tell people..."I like networking with other like minded individuals who love entrepreneurship, and who love to have a good time." By saying that it is attracting those types of people to me...and those that aren't I don't worry about.

I like to live by a quote that puts this idea into words. "You can take me or leave me...either way I am going to continually do what I do and be who I am...If you want to spend time with me great, and if not...no problem at all...in any event I am still going to be who I am."

I can't tell you the countless number of people who are trying to convince other people to like them. This is seen in friendships, relationships, and business everywhere! People think that they can convince someone to like them, and further convince someone to buy something from them.

If you have to convince someone that you are worth spending time with, or further try to convince someone they need what you are selling...get this...YOU ARE DEALING WITH THE WRONG PEOPLE!!! That’s It! Let those people go, and find people who are worth spending time with.

If you are in business find those who want what you are selling...or further find those individuals that you can relate with to further build lifelong relationships with...When you have that synergy going...it makes it more fun!

Imagine yourself as a "Professional Sorter" rather than a "Professional Convincer." We are always sorting no matter where we are going. In selling yourself, or a good/service...it is no different.

When talking about being a professional sorter…I like to give this analogy...When talking with girls at a party I can tell within the first 5 minutes if they are worth my time or not, just by the way they speak and carry themselves...the same can be said for people that I come across in business. Be a professional sorter, not a professional convincer!

Before I close this up I have a story I would like to share.
My freshmen year in college I really liked this girl...for the sake of confidentiality I will keep her name anonymous. I was introduced to this girl by a friend that I met during the first semester. Man...I fell for this girl hard and fast. I did everything I could to make her like me...Gifts...Cards...Poems...the whole nine yards...No matter what I did I just kept beating myself up over and over again wondering why she would not like me...
What I never realized was I was not "Attracting" her to me, but rather pushing her away because I had the words "DESPERATE" plastered on my forehead.
When I came to this realization I am like..."No wonder Scott...you were hitting the desperate button, trying to convince her to like you...when in the end you had no control over her liking you or not...you should have stopped way before the poem."

So the moral of that story is...Don't be DESPERATE if you are selling yourself or a product/service...It is not worth beating your head against the wall trying to convince people to like you or buy from you...When you get a “No”...regroup and find others who are worth your time...

Most of this stuff I learned from my mentors but two more things I would like to share before wrapping this up is…
1)You can’t make everyone love you…eg Look at any major politician, or revolutionary for that matter.

2) You have to act like you don’t need them, even though you really want them…Portray a non-desperate approach, looking to attract them to you…it is truly an art and takes practice. Look to attract people to you using what my mentor calls “Rejection Free Methods”.

So to sum it up…some words of advice to help you in your "Selling Adventures"
1) Only deal with people who want to deal with you.

2) Be true to yourself, don't feel like you have to convince people to like you...put yourself in the place to attract them to you by BEING YOU

3) When it comes to relationships and dating find someone that wants to spend time with you. If you have to keep convincing them they are worth your time, you will go crazy...

4) Don't be DESPERATE!!! The more desperate you are, the more you will push people away from you.

5) Believe that you are worth spending time with. Feel it, see it, know it…Believe that you don’t have to convince people to like you and that you will naturally attract people to you who have the same interests…trust me…it is more fun that way.

6) You can’t make everyone love you.

7) You have to act like you don’t need them, even though you really want them.

Have an awesome day!
Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

What's Your Brand Say?

2007-06-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

What's Your Brand Say?
Copyright © Scott Bradley

When you think about these companies what comes to mind? Apple...Wal Mart...Facebook...Myspace...Google...Target...Yahoo

When you think about these people what comes to mind? Bill Gates...Steve Jobs...Donald Trump...Robert Kiyosaki...Jim Rohn...Tony Robbins...Dale Carnegie

I don't know about you...but when I immediately think about these people and companies, an image, thought, and feeling comes over me...A feeling that is either positive, fun, interesting, amazing, or just plain inspiring. The images of, big, powerful, successful and innovative hit my consciousness one by one...The thoughts of "Amazing Guy", "Awesome Company", "Innovative Environment", or "Value Added Content" also come to mind as my eyes scan across the brand.

When thinking about this concept...Think about this...When someone reads your name what are they thinking?
Take 10 seconds to think about YOUR BRAND...Ask yourself these questions.....What am I portraying to those that know me? What kind of words come to my contacts mind as they think of MY NAME?...Is it what I want them to think and feel? Am I being misrepresented?....Am I comfortable with the brand I am portraying or do I want to change how the world defines me for who I am?

Bottom line...Your brand is just as important as your reputation...Just like a company....Think about it...Would you buy a product or use a service from a company that had a bad reputation or bad message that you didn't agree with? Would you recommend that company to a friend even though you knew you didn't like it?....I Think not!

Think about it from a people's perspective...Would you introduce a good friend to someone who portrayed a brand that you didn't like?...Again I Think not!

We all only get one brand and one reuptation, and because of that it is OUR job to protect that and continue to share our brand with all of those who we interact and communicate with.

Because of this fact...BRANDING YOURSELF is essential to your future success, because not only will it help people realize who you are and what you stand for, but will attract people to you from all walks of life to be a friend, be a network contact, be a new client for your business, or be someone who wants to introduce you to others of the same type of brand.

So you are probably thinking right now...Ok Scott...How do I build my brand?

Before talking about how to build your brand, you must understand what mediums you can use to build your brand.
Here are a couple to think about....
Someone can be exposed to your brand by....

Reading something that you wrote
Seeing or hearing your name
Seeing you on TV
Seeing your profile on a social networking site
Meeting you for the first time
Talking to you on the phone
Having a business meeting
Meeting in a public place
Watching a movie you personally created of yourself

When people are exposed to these mediums of communication they will be seeing, how you present yourself, what message you are portraying, working to figure out if it is worth their time to pay any attention to, or even think if its worth it to reach out to you.

When looking at these mediums you have to keep in mind...As Mark Cuban Says...."You never get a second chance to make a first impression." When someone is exposed to your brand you will either attract them or push them away from you.

For example...On the social networking sites...Like you...I get bucket loads of formed spam messages. When I get spam from someone I immediately discount them...and their credibility in my book has gone to ZERO. Now...even so, when I do get spam I give them a break and send them a message back letting them know that what they are doing isn't helping them, but rather hurting them...while most people are just deleting them...what kind of brand am I portraying doing that?

Here is another example. Aside from the formed spam messages, I also get many positive messages from those who found my profile and want to network with me. I love these messages and immediately go to the person's profile to learn more about them. Since they came off as genuine and sincere I want to get to know them more. Their brand that they portrayed was one that was honest, sincere, up front, and willing to take a risk contacting me!

So having said that...How can YOU start to build your brand to help you help yourself in whatever it is that you are doing?

1) Clean up your social networking profiles. Don't have anything on there that you don't want others to see that can cause a misunderstanding of your brand. When you hear about how employeers are looking on facebook at college kids profiles and discounting them because of some drunk party picture....that tells you something. Use your social networking profiles to your advantage to not only portray an awesome brand, but to also show who you are...tried and true...to attract awesome people to you...and to further leverage it to use it to your advantages for opportunities.

2) Start a blog. If you haven't already done so...go to www.blogger.com and get yourself an account. Having a blog is huge because not only does it allow you to build a relationship with a huge audience, but also portrays your brand to your audience through the written word. You would be amazed at how people think about those that can write well...On your blog write about whatever you want...stories, thoughts, tips...or share things that you want your audience to view...It will build your brand and people will keep coming back...

3) Share beneficial info with friends through e-mail or messages on social networking sites...utilizing the "Share" feature on facebook is one of my favorites.

4) Start like minded groups of whatever your interests are on social networking sites...people will be attracted to them, and then want to know more about you because you started the group. I have to say that each and every week...I get between 5-10 requests to join my groups that I started on facebook...When they request to join, I send them a personal welcome message to the group and share one of my branded pieces of materials to help them get to know ME better to build a better relationship with me.

5) Have a personal branding site. If you go into my blogger profile by clicking on the top right where it says “View My Complete Profile”, right above the picture of my family, and in there click on “My Website” on the left column, it will take you to my personal branding page which shares more about me, my business, and who I am. This also works to build rapport with my audience and further explain who I am, and what MY BRAND is. If you want to learn how to make a page like this…let me know I would be happy to help.

6) Make a video blog of yourself utilizing a web cam or normal video camera...This takes your brand to a whole new level…and with the internet anything is possible...It is one step above your blog and your social networking profile...It is the closest thing to actually meeting someone face to face because you can SEE and HEAR the person....listening to their tone, voice, and how they speak. You can tell if they are genuine or not, and if they truly care. People love hearing stories, and as we all know...youtube has blown up like crazy...

There are many more ways to build your brand! Be creative! If you would like to talk more about how you can build your brand contact me. I would love to talk with you to help you.

Because I have realized that BRANDING YOURSELF is so important I have just recorded a video using the BRAND NEW Facebook Video application.

I can now send real video messages to people using the message feature...as well as record videos to share with my audience of readers. I am also going to be making a group..."When Scott Bradley Makes A Video...I Want To Know." Feel free to request to join when it is up…I will be making it today and inviting my contacts to it.

My thinking with this is...like my blog...I want to share beneficial information with all of those who watch my videos, and attract those to me that feel the same. If you would like to see my initial video on facebook to see and hear me Click Here

If you haven't already done so...Feel free to friend me on either facebook or myspace. You can find me by searching "Scott Bradley Boston College"

I am really looking forward to seeing where this goes, and want to wish you the most success in branding yourself!
As always feel free to reach out to me, I love hearing from those who share the same interests and want to make their life better!

Have a fabulous day!
Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

More About "C Students"

2007-05-28T08:41:00.001-07:00

More About "C Students"
Copyright © Scott Bradley

I just finished talking to my friend on facebook...one who I met using the tips and techniques that I talk about in Using Social Networking Sites Effectively.......he was talking to me about my previous post about how "The World Is Ruled by "C Students."

He shared these two quotes with me from the book he is reading called "Talent is Never Enough" by John Maxwell. I felt they were really interesting and wanted to share them with you all...

The quotes from the book were...

"More than 50 percent of all CEO's of Fortune 500 companies had C or C- averages in college."

"More than 50 percent of millionaire entrepreneurs never finished college!"

My friend also mentioned that..."This isn't to say, 'forget about education', but as John Maxwell says talent is really never enough. But for every mile of road, there are two miles of ditches. One of his counter examples to where talent is necessary, is an olympic level high-jumper that can jump 7 feet...in this situation you need 1 person that can high-jump 7 feet, not 7 people that can high-jump-1 foot!"

No matter what level student you are...A B C D or F....the essential lesson to this post...and the previous post...is to realize that you must have leverage...leverage where you are utilizing the talents of others who are smarter than you to synergistically create something that goes beyond what you could ever create yourself.

For me...I can work my butt off to get "A's" but really would rather be spending my time learning how I can leverage myself the best way in whatever I am doing, thinking of ideas to solve the world problems, and further spending time networking with awesome like minded people who share the same vision. As we all know...on your college diploma they don't put your GPA...So who really cares...its just a stupid number people put so much value on...when in reality it really doesn't matter...

What is so funny about the GPA argument is that I have gone to career fairs and talked with these "Executives" that know nothing better than the company they work at and I straight up ask them..."How Important is a GPA?"...They say...."It really doesn't matter what your GPA is or what you study....We look for people who can work well with people, who can communicate effectively, who can THINK, and who can learn quickly what we want them to know...

Even though you may have gotten A's in all of your classes....the corporation that you choose to work in...if you go down that route...is going to teach you how to "DO IT THEIR WAY" so all you really have to focus on is graduating and getting a degree if you choose to go to college...Even though it is not necessary to succeed in life...it just helps with the networking...from my experience.

Bottom Line...It's about knowing how to communicate effectively, build relationships and a network of like minded people in all industries, and truly understanding that you can't do everything on your own and because of that must know how to leverage the capital of people who are smarter than you to help you achieve your goal.

I would love your comments on this!

Best,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

The World Is Ruled By "C" Students

2007-05-24T10:17:00.001-07:00

The World Is Ruled by "C" Students
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Have you ever heard the phrase..."The World Is Ruled by 'C' Students"?

I think the first time I heard this statement, it came from Robert Kiyosaki in one of his first Rich Dad Poor Dad books.

After thinking about it, and looking at the stories of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Cuban and many others who never graduated college, or didn't do too well in school, you have to wonder...how did they make it? How did these sub-par individuals, based on societies standards at the time, build these massive companies if they didn't do too well in school, or never even finished?

Well after thinking about the phrase "The World Is Ruled by "C Students"...I have come to this conclusion...

*The C students are smart enough to realize that they don't have to be an expert in everything, and are smart enough to leverage the efforts of the A students who can do whatever task better than them. The C students realize that they physically can't do everything that all of the A student people can do, and because of that the C students hire and manage people that are smarter than them and pay them for their efforts. The C students realize that if they are the smartest person on their business team, it will not only hinder the companies growth and future innovation, but further make it difficult to ever get anything done to the best of its ability. You have probably heard the phrase, "Hire better than yourself."

The difference between the A student and the C student is that the A student feels like they need to know everything they can about one subject...eg accounting, law, finance...etc....while the C student thinks...I need to know a little about a lot of those subjects so I can sit down with the A students in those fields and have a general understanding about each one of those topics, so it will further help me get things done and build my business. The C student has a know a little bit about what each A student is talking about, so then the A student can fill in the gaps for them...rather than only knowing a lot about a little.

Really when it comes down to it, the C student is one who is a professional manager of A student talent. They know how to leverage the efforts of many, by building a company that needs all of the skills the A students learned in school.

You don't have to be a smart CEO to make it big...you just need to know how to...communicate effectively, know how to motivate individuals, know how to build relationships, know how to adopt to change quickly, and know how to manage your professional people to perform at their highest capacity...aka "People Skills" which can be learned by reading "How To Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie.

There is no way a person can build a multimillion dollar business alone...those that know how to leverage the efforts of many, to create synergy which builds the business is a concept one must adopt if they truly want to go down that route.

Now the smarter the C student is...the better, but it is not so much how well they do in school that directory correlates to their success, but rather the degree to which they use their knowledge about a lot of subjects to create a powerful business team to propel them forward in whatever they do.

So are you an "A student thinker" or a "C student thinker?"

Feel free to leave your comments!

Best,
Scott Bradley

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I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

How Are You Spending Your Dash?

2007-05-04T16:46:00.000-07:00

How Are You Spending Your Dash?
Copyright © Scott Bradley

So there I was the other day. I sat down at my computer and opened up my e-mail. As I was going through some of the daily things I get in my inbox I came across an e-mail that was intriguing. The e-mail instructed me to go to this website to watch a movie. The movie was titled, “The Dash Movie." Upon clicking the link to the movie I was thinking, “What the hell is my dash, and what does it mean to me"

As I was watching “The Dash Movie" it was not what I expected. In the beginning of the film when they were referring to “dash"…they were talking about the "little line" in-between the dates on your tombstone. As I was watching this movie, the reality that we all only get one "dash" in life, but have so many ways to live it was resonating with me.

This realization of time, and how precious it truly is to each one of us, never really occurred to me until I saw this movie. What this movie reiterated to me was how we all have the choice to spend our dash in any way we want to.

In the movie it was asking questions, as calm music was playing in the background, with beautiful photographs put together in a slideshow… “What are you doing with your dash? How are you spending that time? Are you happy with your dash, or do you want to change it? How important is that dash to you? How important is that dash to someone you love?

After watching the movie I realized that I am spending my dash the way I want to, and am truly touching each person I come in contact with in a positive way. I am doing what is making me happy, am helping others find their true potential, being there for them when they need me most, I am inspiring others to go change the world, solving peoples financial and health problems. I am networking with other people who share the same goals and aspirations I do and am working to continually grow myself on a daily basis.

How are you spending your dash, and are you happy with what you are doing?

In closing I would like to share this dash movie with you. I hope you find it inspiring, and hope that it helps you realize how special life is. I wish you all the best in your journey to success and greatness!
Here is the link to the movie…Enjoy! http://www.thedashmovie.com/ http://www.thedashmovie.com

Best,
Scott

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Mentors...You Can't Succeed Without Them!

2007-05-02T05:40:00.001-07:00

Mentors...You Can't Succeed Without Them!
Copyright © Scott Bradley

Having a mentor is essential to your success.

The reason for this is because a mentor who has done what you want to do, and has the lifestyle that you want to have, has been right where you are before.

Mentors have learned, what works, what doesn't work, and knows the fastest and most efficient path to where they are today...They have made the mistakes...and learned what not to do...Since you want to be where they are, learning from them is like reading 1000 books on the same topic.

The reason mentors are important to have in your life is because they have the experience to guide you to your destination. They are a person to fall back on...to pick you up when you are down or are there to support you when faced with some type of adversity working to achieve your goal.

I have many mentors of my own in all different industries. They have helped me so much in showing me what books to read, how to do certain things that most people don't know about, and really have told me, "Scott if you need anything don't hesitate to ask."

Knowing I have these mentors to always go to gives me peace of mind as I head into graduating next year. While most people are worried where they are going, and how they are going to get there...I personally feel like with all the mentors that I do have...I have nothing to worry about...

Now...I know nothing is going to be handed to me on a silver platter...nothing is ever that easy...but what I do know is this...If I ever need any advice, or guidance, I have the confidence in the mentors that I have to help me along the way.

So you are probably sitting there thinking....Ok Scott...You have all these mentors, but HOW DO I start building my network of mentors.

I would like to share with you what I did, starting the summer after my freshmen year.

1. The first thing that I did was write down all of the business people, and influential people that had some sort of influence over a particular industry that I knew I wanted to be involved in. I chose the industries of Real Estate, Entrepreneurship, Network Marketing, and Creative Ways Of Investing. These were contacts that my father and mother knew.

2. The second thing I did was either call them or send them an e-mail that sounded something like this. "Hi Mr. _____ I hope you are having a great day. I wanted to contact you because I know you are in ___________ industry. I think I may have an interest in being a part in that industry down the road and wanted to talk to you about your past experience in it. I know you are a very busy person, but would appreciate any time you could give me to talk about how you got to where you are today.
I am also in the process of creating a group of mentors to help and guide me along my life path and was wondering if you would have any interest in helping me in my journey.

I look forward to hearing back from you.
Regards,
Scott

3. After sending that e-mail I let the powers at be take control. Now you don't have to use this e-mail word for word...even though you have my permission...but really speak from the heart when writing e-mails to those who you plan to contact.

4. The reason an e-mail like this is so key is because 1) You are being REAL with them...2)By you going to THEM and asking THEM you are stroking their ego...3)More likely than not they will want to help you because THEY KNOW exactly where you are because they have been there BEFORE.

5. When you schedule a time to get together be sure to be presentable, but comfortable at the same time. A mentor in my opinion is just a real specialized friend...you don't have to show up in a suit...just a collared shirt or something dressy casual. I know it sounds kind of corny but thats just how I see it. When talking with them, remember my post about how people LOVE to talk about themselves. I believe it was the post about Essential Keys To Networking Effectively

Ask them everything about them...How long they have been in the industry they are in, how long they have done it, what did they do before? Etc Etc.

You will find as the conversation progresses you will be starting to ask questions like...
How did you overcome this obstacle.
What do you attribute your past success to? Do you have any guidance for me as an up and coming _____________.
What books would you reccommend that I read to help me along my journey.

Trust me they will want to help you! You just have to have enough guts to ask them.

Think about it...If you were in their position wouldn't you want to help someone who reached out to you?

If any of you need any help whatsoever in contacting potential mentors I would be happy to help you. Just contact me by one of the ways on the right panel so we can chat!

As always I feel it is my duty to help you out in whatever you are doing. If I can be of any assistance whatsoever please don't hesitate to contact me. I don't bite, and am very friendly! :) LOL

I hope you have a fabulous day and find this post helpful to your future and well being.

To Your Success,
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

The Greatest Things In Life Aren't Things...

2007-04-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

The Greatest Things In Life Aren't Things...
Copyright © Scott Bradley

"The greatest things in life aren't things, they are the relationships you have with each other, because in the end, those relationships are the only things that we take with us on into the future."

In the book, "7 Habits of Highly Effective People," Stephen Covey states that one of the 7 habits is to "Begin with the End in mind". When you think about it, when we are on our death bed, the only "things" we will want around us...are those people who we build know, like and trust relationships with.

We are not going to care how much money is in the bank, or how many trophies are in our shadow box, or how many signed jerseys or cards that we have in our collection, or how many awards we won, or how many homes, cars or toys we have...because in the end it does not matter...you won't be able to take those things with you.

The only thing we are going to care about is how many people will be able to come and say goodbye to us...how many people who are going to take the time out of their day to wish us the best in the next life.

Keep this in mind as you go through your life, and always look to grow those know like and trust relationships wherever you go!

Have a great day everyone!
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

How To Use Social Networking Sites Effectively

2007-04-25T08:07:00.001-07:00

How To Use Social Networking Sites Effectively
Copyright © Scott Bradley

With the creation of Facebook and Myspace, it has completely revolutionized the online world. Everywhere you see web 2.0 companies are springing up everywhere.

With these new companies, it has provided a place where you virtually have the entire network at your fingertips.

Marketers abroad are starting to use these social networking sites to help grow their business, and build their network of like minded people.

Unfortunately, even though these sites are very powerful places of influence, it is a shame that we all have to battle SPAM. I have to say that I get about 2-3 spam messages a week having someone pitching a product or trying to get me into their network marketing deal. I am sure we have all been there and done that.

With that being said, that is not what this post is about. What I want to reflect on today is..."How can you leverage sites like these to truly build your network one quality person at a time?"

From my personal experience I have met some amazing people on facebook. Actually, Our last 3 speakers for the Boston College Entrepreneur Society, that I am president of, came from networking on facebook.

The first speaker we had, that I met on facebook, was Benoit Brookens. Benoit is a 20 year old CEO that started his web server hosting company at the age of 14. We had him come and speak to share his story. It was truly inspiring and it was great to finally meet such an amazing man! His company is called Dataracks. If you want to learn more about his business, to see how he can help you, you can visit his website at http://www.Dataracks.net. Aside from web server hosting he provides help to internet marketers with campaigns and such. I am planning to use his services down the road to help me grow my business.

The second speaker we had that I met on facebook was Johnathan Soares. Jonathan is a 22 year old CEO of his own Barbecue Sauce company called "Q Products." His slogan is, "You can't have the BB without the Q" He came and spoke a couple weeks ago and it was truly inspiring. His stories he had to share were so beneficial for all who attended the meeting. He talked about the importance of networking, and how staying committed, and putting it in Gods hands is what led him to his success. He stressed that when networking you have to "always keep in mind that you want to create win/win situations between you and the other person." He started this business out of his dorm room senior year in college, and has grown it to a HUGE company. If you would like to see his website please visit http://www.QProductsInc.com

Our third speaker that I also met on facebook was Ben Casnocha. Ben is a 19 year old CEO that started his company at the age of 14. Ben's company specializes in providing local governments with Customer Relationship Management software to help them manage their organizational needs. He is just about to launch his new book "My Startup Life" on May 18th. When he came to speak he shared how there are two paths in life...Either the "Think Different" path or the "Users Guide To Life" path. He elaborated that the path of the entrepreneur or "Think Different" path was one in which you were the creator of your own life, having a blank canvas only to create something that is so you, that no one else could relate to it. He further went on to say that "Entrepreneurship doesn't just mean that you own a business, but rather is a way of thinking and living your life." He stated that Entrepreneur's, aside from some being business owners, are truly the CEO's of their own life...regardless whatever path they CHOOSE to go down. He is one awesome guy and is worth getting to know. If you would like to learn more about Ben feel free to visit his website http://www.BenCasnocha.com

When I step back to examine the last three speakers we brought to the Entrepreneur Society, I had to pinch myself to think that I met these individuals on the internet through a social networking site. It blows my mind the kind of people that are in this world, and how they are virtually all at our fingertips using the social networking sites that Myspace and Facebook have created.

So you are probably thinking...Ok Scott...How did you meet these amazing individuals?

Well I am going to do my best to share with you what I have found to be most effective in networking on facebook.

Before I tell you I would like to let you know that it takes a lot of time, but if you decide to commit to the daily activities, you will be thanking me later! :)

Ok...Here it is...

1. The first thing I typically do is search out the groups that are in the field of whatever demographic I am after...They could be "Entrepreneurship, Network Marketing, Business, Money, Stocks, Investing, or Real Estate." There are many more but for the sake of space I just want to give you the idea about how I do it.

2. I then go into the group, check it out, see if the mission statement and read the content on the group page. If I like what I see I join.

3. The next thing I do is open up the place where you can search the "members in the group" and start sending friend requests...

4. Now the key here is...most people just send a friend request, and more likely than not it is deleted because people know that people just add people to get them on their "friends" list so they can bombard them with mini-feed advertisements...I would like to make clear that, this is not the goal..and would like to HIGHLY discourage anyone who is attempting to do that. The KEY is when sending a friend request, you know how you can send a personalized message with the request on facebook, USE THAT! I can't stress enough about how powerful that is.

5. When sending the friend request put a message in there saying, "Hi _____(their name) I saw you in the _____________(name of the group) and wanted to add you as a friend. I am a (_______) (entrepreneur/business person...etc) who likes networking with other like minded individuals. If you would like to talk feel free to IM me on my screen name (CaliforniaEagle). I hope you have a great day!

This is so powerful you don't even know. The reason it is powerful is because
1. You are just sending this message personally to the person saying their NAME...not just some huge message that you generally send out.
2. You are edifying them that they are someone that is worth getting to know.
3. Are showing them that you have an interest in networking
4. Give them the freedom to contact you if they are interested in talking more.

I have to tell you...I have been at my computer at times and have received IM's like this "Hi Scott, my name is (John) I got your friend request and wanted to contact you...whats up?"

From there the conversation can morph into anything. It is an awesome thing when that happens and is so well worth it in the long run.

Now one thing that you have to be aware of...is that it takes a lot of requests for this to happen...but...those that do come to the surface are awesome people.

After sending a message like that to Benoit Brookens, he immediately called me and introduced himself. We had an awesome conversation and said we will stay in touch...Well funny story...He ended up SAVING me right before the Christmas break...What happened was my entire windows operating system went down and I could only log into safe mode...I called up Benoit and said..."Um Benoit, I have a problem...can you help me..." He is like whats up? "I said..I am going to have to wipe my computer and need a place to store my files...he said "Scott that is what friends are for...this is what you need to do..."

He helped me upload my files on his servers...and then I bought a MAC...LOL Everything was safe and sound...

So to sum up this post...
The quality people are out there...You just have to find them, and take the time to do the little activities each and every day...before you know it you will have a massive network, like I have built up, and be able to synergistically create things with your network that you never thought were possible...that gets into creating win/win situations but that is a whole other post.

More to come!

Have an AWESOME day!
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Essential Keys to Networking Effectively

2007-04-25T07:24:00.000-07:00

Essential Keys To Networking Effectively
Copyright © Scott Bradley

One thing to keep in mind as you build your network, and build those trusting relationships with people that may be a friend for life, or a business partner down the road, is to know and realize that..."People LOVE to talk about themselves."

Have you ever gone to a career fair, or party and started a conversation with someone and only really focused on you and what YOU were about? How did the other person react? Were they receptive to listening to what you had to say? Did the conversation last a long time or short period of time?

Think about it. Think about the last time you had a conversation with someone you didn't initially know. How did it go? Did you get their contact information wanting to contact them again, to build the relationship further, or did it just fizzle out?

You see...if you are one of those people who loves to ONLY talk about themselves when meeting new people, from my own personal experience, and learning how to interact with people and build new relationships, I have learned that it is seen as conceited and arrogant.

You may be sitting there reading this wondering...Ok Scott...How do I become a better conversationalist and a better person to build a relationship with?

Well here is what I have found to be the most effective in any situation where you are in a room full of people that you don't know.

After introducing yourself you want to make sure you get the answers to these questions before going further. Whether you meet people online, face to face, or over the phone you want to ask these questions...

1. What do you do?
2. How long have you done it?
3. What did you do before?

These three questions are so powerful because the answers to these questions can lead to other questions. In any and every situation everyone has an answer to these three questions. They are far more effective than asking Yes Or No questions because it gets the other person talking more...thus sharing more about them. Since people like to talk about themselves, make sure you listen intently. Lean in as they are speaking and make sure that after they are done answering your questions you can link connecting questions to what they previously said.

Once you get good at this, the conversation becomes like a tennis match...You bounce one ball over, they bounce another one over...Pretty soon after asking these three initial questions to the both of each other, the conversation can turn to any subject or topic. Its really a lot of fun.

Now as a current college student I change up the questions a little bit when talking with my peers.
Here is what I tend to ask when interacting with college students.

1. What School do you go to?
2. What year in school are you?
3. What is your major?
4. What made you choose that major to study?

Again you can see that these questions are focusing on them. Naturally, they will ask the same questions to you.

A really good strategy is, ask people the questions that you want them to ask you. They will naturally say, "And you?'

I have found using these three and four initial key questions is highly effective at networking functions, and career fairs. At the last career fair I went to I saw all of these kids go up to these "executives" and think they could just go to them and say something like this..."Hello my name is John. I am really interested in working at your company...here is my resume...thanks a lot..." I either see that scenario, or one in which it is just an awkward silence between them because they don't really know what to say...

Remember...recruiters and anyone for that matter LOVE to talk about themselves.

At the last career fair that I went to I went up to some tables and asked those three questions. The three initial questions were great ice breakers and the conversation moved to other interesting topics they wanted to talk about. At almost every table I went to they asked for my resume....Need I say more?

The reason I believe they wanted my resume was because by me showing them I could effectively communicate and carry on a conversation with a personality, further showing a genuine interest in them and what they were about, they naturally wanted to get to know ME more. The way I presented myself was different than everyone else who was just willing to take take take…give the resume move onto another table.

My philosophy in life is that I must give before I receive. It is a universal law, just like the law of attraction.

So Just remember...
1. People LOVE to talk about themselves
2. Show a definite interest in what the other person is saying
3. Look to build a relationship with them and create a win/win situation

Have a wonderful day!
Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

There are 2 Games In Life

2007-04-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

The other day I was thinking...as I always do...about life.
I was thinking how can I boil life down to what it really is.
I know it sounds really philosophical...but after thinking about it I have boiled life down to two things.

1. The first game you play in life is the "Money Game"
2. The second game you play in life is the "Relationship Game"

Let me explain...

In this lifetime we have to figure out a way for us to not have to rely on someone else to help us continue to live. We as human individuals need to figure out a way to support ourselves on our own by having some sort of revenue coming in month after month. Due to the undeniable fact that we all can't work forever, we need to try and figure out how we can win this "Money Game." Winning the game is simple, but not easy. Figure out a way you can make more money work for you to help you produce enough income on a monthly basis to support your lifestyle

I know, I know...sounds simple right? As we go through life we think that people who live lifestyles like this just have a huge pile of money somewhere that they take from over and over again to maintain their lifestyle. The problem with that thinking is that it couldn't be farther from the truth. Yes, there are exceptions to the rule with the billionaires, but they are few and far between. For most of us we need to figure out a way to have our money work for us.

It is not so much of an easy task. From what I have learned, the best way to do this is build or buy assets that will pay you over and over again. I learned this concept from Robert Kiyosaki, after reading his book Rich Dad Poor Dad. The problem with the average thinking of "Go to school, get good grades, find a safe secure job with benefits," is something that may have worked in the past, but now cannot hold ground in the uneasy economic times, because of the variability in the markets.

If you haven't already, I would highly recommend that you get yourself a copy of Rich Dad Poor Dad. I read it my sophomore year in high school and after doing that it completely changed my life for the better. Not only did it show me a way to win the "Money Game" but it helped me embark on the financial journey that I have been going through since the initial reading of that book.

So we can all agree that one of the games that life encompasses is the "Money Game."

Now for the "Relationship Game."

Aside from there being a money game, we as human beings have to play the "Relationship Game" as well. Thing is, with this "Money Game" and "Relationship Game" you can't succeed in one, if you can't succeed in another.

Let me explain...

Knowing how to build, grow and maintain new relationships with people is essential not only to a wonderful life with many friends, but is really something that is imperative that you must know how to do if you want to win the money game.

When looking at the successful entrepreneurs, and people who are incredibly happy...they typically have a network of people they can rely on, and in conjunction those people can rely on them. It is a win/win situation. By working together they synergistically achieve more, thus creating more than anyone ever could by themselves.

You see...Take an entrepreneur for instance. Entrepreneurs need people to work with them and for them. Entrepreneurs can't build a company by themselves...They can't manage the accounting, law work, operations work, and all of the other intricacies of running their own business. They need to know how to build relationships with people who specialize in those fields so they can all synergistically take whatever company the entrepreneur is building to the top.

I know we have all heard that the acronym TEAM...spells out...Together Everyone Achieves More...In the case of the entrepreneur and building a company, it couldn't be more true.

Now this "Relationship Game" doesn't only apply to business, but also applies to everyday life. If you as a person burn bridges, hold grudges, negatively criticize people, slander people, or even lose the trust of people who you interact with, do you think people will want to work with you or be friends with you anymore? I think not...

You see...If you were a person that everyone saw as a ball of negative energy, a pain in the butt, and someone who couldn't be trusted, the chances of you achieving anything in life is slim to none. Yeah you could work at a job, but for you to win the "Money Game" it would be much more of a challenge...It is a possibility you may never win the money game and end up dying broke on food stamps and social security.

The bottom line is that these two games in life can be seen in any facet of life. If you build trusting relationship with people, and truly genuinely care for their well being, they in return will most likely do the same for you. If you would like to learn how to do this more effectively I would HIGHLY recommend that you pick up Dale Carnegies book "How To Win Friends and Influence People." I am just finishing it up now and absolutely love it. It is not only helping me with my personal relationships, but is also helping me with my business.

As the law of attraction states, "You get what you send out," and "You attract what you think and feel about most." If you positively portray yourself as a positive person who wants to continue to grow, and build the trust between you, your friends and family, and those you do business with...the chances of you winning the "Money Game" are very likely.

I would love to hear your comments about this.

Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Do You Think Different?

2007-04-24T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as Ben Casnocha came to speak to the Boston College Entrepreneur Society, he opened up his presentation with this poem. It really touched me and really set the tone for his presentation.

Sure enough today I had the time to take a look at this ad.

As I was watching it, it sent chills down my back, because it hit me that the only way to continually grow in society we must continually strive to think outside of the box.

Enjoy!

Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************

Failure Is Part Of The Success Equation

2007-04-24T04:59:00.000-07:00

Failure Is Part Of The Success Equation
Copyright © Scott Bradley

I was sitting there thinking the other day about how the majority of successful people have more often than not failed the most. One may think that only those that are successful never have failed...the problem with that thinking is that it is not true.

From my research, those who have achieved the success most people seek, are those who have learned that Failure is truly part of the Success Equation.

I also believe there are other things that are part of the success equation...
The other things I personally believe are...
Failure
Adversity
Commitment
Determination
Hard Work
Network
Resources
Vision
Passion
Enthusiasm

Out of all of those factors, the two factors on the list that most people wouldn't even think about being there are Failure and Adversity.

As my law professor has said, "Adversity is what introduces us to ourselves."

It is only after you have failed, and struggled through a time in your life that you truly get to know who you are as a person, and how you are going to react to any given situation.

Being the baseball player that I was, since the age of 5...I can remember the countless number of times that I failed. Despite the strikeout the last inning, the homerun I gave up on the mound, the bonehead move I made on the bases, or the fielding error I made on the field, I learned that failure and adversity is just part of the game...and knowing that I learned from my mistakes and worked to never let them happen again.

When you look at baseball for instance...If someone fails 7 out of 10 times they are considered "Awesome".

When looking at the business world...Most millionairs have gone bankrupt before they actually achieved the millionaire status they were looking for...Why is that do you think?

Well my belief is that after failing, they learned how not to do "whatever it is they were trying to do", so when they went to do it again, they executed their plan in the way that would best serve them.

I find this way of thought so interesting...Most believe that you have to be perfect the first time you do something...when in reality...that is too "ideal"...

So anyway, know that the only way you learn is by failing, and rather than seeing failure as a negative experience, embrace it...embrace the fact that after you failed, you learned something.

Most people make the mistake of not learning how to correct the mistake they made, and then continue to wonder why they are getting the same results over and over again...Learn to adapt and apply, learn from your mistakes, and then achieve the success you are seeking!

One fast way to do this is to find mentors...but that is a whole other post...

More to come!

Have a great day!

Scott Bradley

******************************************************************************
I Have Moved My Blog To Wordpress.
I will no longer be posting to this blog.
Click http://www.NetworkingEffectively.com to visit the new blog
******************************************************************************