Sneaking Millions Past US Customs

Posted on 2010-04-05 by

Confession time.

In February I didn’t declare millions of dollars I gained upon returning from Dan Miller’s No More Mondays Cruise. Lock me up and throw away the key…

Actually, the title is true, but it wasn’t illegal. When we returned to the Port of Miami, I had to fill out a customs declaration form based on the value of the items I was bringing back into the US. I put about $180 down to cover the gifts I purchased in Jamaica and aboard the ship.

But I didn’t, I couldn’t and I wouldn’t declare what I really had of value. It was hidden out of site…in my cranial cavity!

The past year has been a period of personal growth and discovery. Instead of staying where I was (stuck), I bit the bullet and started spending money to achieve my dreams of self-employment. It began with a visit to Dan Miller’s (of 48Days.com) Sanctuary in Franklin, TN (sounds cult-ish when I put it that way…it’s not, but never mind) for 48 Days Certification training. Just spending time with Dan, his family and the others in attendance convinced me to do more.

So I joined what is now known as the Free Agent Academy. FAA is run by Dan’s son Kevin Miller and uber coach Chuck Bowen. FAA is all about helping entrepreneurs/solopreneurs and wannabe’s grow their businesses in order to live life and work on their own terms. It is the single best self-employment resource on the planet (I’m biased…more on that at the end).

That led to attending FAA events in June and September, and again in January of this year. Each time I made new friends and further refined my business ideas. But I left the January event empty. Something wasn’t right and I couldn’t figure out what it was.

No More Mondays Cruise 2010

Attendees - No More Mondays Cruise 2010

Then came the cruise. Oh, it wasn’t an ordinary vacation. It was work with fun thrown in. Dan Miller hosted the event, along with a stellar lineup of coaches and speakers including Chuck Bowen (he’s everywhere!), Kent Julian and Justin Lukasavige. The other attendees were brilliant as well.

It was during a presentation by Chuck that I had an epiphany. In an instant, I was able to connect all that I had been learning over the last year, and actually the entirety of my life. In one moment, everything was crystal clear. I am a strategist, gifted by God, and my purpose is to help others achieve their goals and dreams by making their paths clear and productive. A late night discussion with Chuck on the last night of the cruise nailed it down.

I didn’t get a single million dollar idea on the No More Mondays Cruise. I got a bunch of them. I just didn’t tell customs!

FAA ProfessorMy head was spinning during the 12 hour drive home from Miami the next day. Since then, I’ve continued to refine my business approach and started getting new clients and leads. I’ve even become a part of the leadership team at Free Agent Academy as the new Professor for Strategy and Planning (our Roadmap group).

So if I disappear in the weeks following this post, you’ll know the men in black came and deleted me (and this post probably…you better print it for evidence!).

If I don’t disappear, you’ll probably find me on the next No More Mondays Cruise in February 2011. Perhaps I’ll even be invited to present…

Dan? ;-)


Can’t wait for next February to advance on your business?

Join me in Colorado for the next Free Agent Academy event!

May 2010 FAA Event

May 21-23, 2010 -- Hosted by Kevin Miller & Chuck Bowen

Watch the preview from Kevin:

Click Here for Details & Registration Info

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A New Strategy

Posted on 2010-04-02 by

There are two extremes people fall into when making plans: not doing it and overdoing it!

For those who don’t plan, I’m not talking about the apathetic but the action oriented. These are people who are so eager to execute their ideas that they simply go, go go! This approach can be great for small tasks and surge efforts, but typically results in a lot of errors and backtracking.

Those who overdo it don’t have that problem. They simply plan and plan and plan, never getting around to execution. Eventually the planning effort kills their idea before it even gets started.

I have to admit I lean toward the overdoing it crowd. I want things to be perfect, and that can be paralyzing. So I force myself to plan and execute, even when I’m not quite ready.

Welcome to my new site and my new strategy regarding strategy. It’s a work in process and probably always will be.

This journey is too complicated to explain in a short post. It involves hours of study, prayer, anger and frustration…birthing pains for something new. It involves visits to Dan Miller’s home in Tennessee, intensive retreats in Colorado and even a brief stop in Jamaica and Key West (more on that later)! And involves the investment of great friends, mentors and coaches who saw the diamonds in me that I had overlooked as simple rocks.

In Seth Godin’s incredible new book Linchpin, he describes superheroes explaining their powers. And in an instant, I discovered my superpower: seeing order in chaos and helping people make realistic plans to achieve incredible things.

I’ll skip the tights and cape for now.

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Change and Frequency

Posted on 2010-03-18 by

My readers deserve an update. Here goes: change is coming!

But don’t be scared! It’s good change.

The process of building and growing a business is not easy or instantaneous. It’s an arduous journey that requires frequent backtracking and rework.

Now, I’m about to set off in a new and exciting direction.

A direction that matches my passions and my strengths more specifically than I’ve been doing so far. I’ve been close. I’ve learned. And soon I’ll be in my sweet spot.

There may not be very frequent posts for the next few weeks. And I expect a site redesign is about to begin. A new strategy and approach for everything I do.

But the results…for me and for you…will be powerful!

Stay tuned…

James

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Your Idea is Worthless

Posted on 2010-03-04 by

It doesn’t matter how wonderful or brilliant or perfect your idea is. It’s worthless. Absolutely positively worthless…until you take action.

Back in the 70’s my father invented those diapers that can show when they’ve been, uh, “used”. He also invented a portable version of Kool-Aid that could be dropped into a glass of water instead of someone having to make an entire pitcher.

The trouble is, the ideas stayed in his head. He only talked about them AFTER they came to market and someone else made their millions. My dad’s an above average kind of guy. But in this respect, he’s normal like everyone else.

It’s happened to me too. I saw the dawn of internet video before most people could say “dot-com” (my degree is in computer science). Why didn’t I invent YouTube? I could have. But I didn’t. And I didn’t get millions of dollars when they sold to Google because the idea was only in my head.

So what do you do with those fabulous ideas?

1) Write Them Down – It isn’t real at all until you can see it. Put it on paper or in a computer file. Now it’s tangible.

2) Tell Someone About It – This is scary for most people. What if they laugh? Worse, what if they steal my idea? The truth is most people don’t have the energy to follow through on your idea. And if they do, it won’t be the same or as good as what you will do with it. You must find people who can shoot it down before you waste too much time and money, or who can help you refine the idea and make it happen. You’ll need accountability or you’ll give up when things get tough.

3) Get to Work – If the idea is going to survive and become a reality, it’s going to be a lot of hard work. Most people aren’t willing to do what it takes to be successful. Are you?

Don’t be most people and don’t look back years later with regret. Go make something happen!

Note: This article originally appeared in February 2010 issue of the Tri-City Review.

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Cruise Control

Posted on 2010-02-19 by

I heard a story once about a guy who put his Winnebago on cruise control and then went to the back to take a nap. Seems he confused it with automatic pilot! The story ended as expected…

Read about the legend here.

How are you managing your life or business? It’s great to be “up on the wheel”, speeding forward through the obstacles and racing to the finish line. But you can’t sprint forever. Life and business are more like endurance races, and there are times to step back and establish a more realistic rhythm.

Cruise control lets you pause some tasks, but you’re still in control and better pay attention.

Auto pilot lets you really step back and have things automated. You can relax, but you also have to be ready to put your hands on the wheel at a moment’s notice.

And sometimes, the best thing to do is go to the back and take a nap…while someone else does the driving!

Guess which I’m doing for the next few days? Lots of stories to come…

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