| To develop your personal clarity or purpose you | | | | the majority of our trainers and consultants were |
| need to do three things. First, define what success | | | | independent contractors. These people worked for |
| means to you. Second, create a vivid mental image | | | | themselves, contracting their services. I liked this |
| of you as a success. Third, clarify your personal | | | | career model. I decided that my vision for my career |
| values. Once you define what success means to you | | | | was to run my own one person consulting business. |
| personally, I suggest that you develop a clear mental | | | | At the time, I was 24 with a BA and little work |
| picture of you as a success. This image should be as | | | | experience. I wasn't ready to create a profitable |
| vivid as you can you make it. | | | | business. But I made plans with my end in mind. I |
| I'm on a plane from Boise to Denver as I write this. I | | | | furthered my education, getting a Master's in |
| spent the past three days at a workshop on internet | | | | Communication and a Doctorate in Adult Education |
| marketing hosted by Russell Brunson. It was three | | | | and Organization Behavior. My second job was as a |
| days well spent. I learned a lot that can help me | | | | trainer for an oil company, my third was as a |
| make my common sense success message available | | | | Manager of Training and Organization Development |
| to more people, helping them achieve the successful | | | | for a chemical company. My fourth job was as a |
| life and careers that they want and deserve. | | | | Director of Organization Development for a very |
| Russell and I agree on a lot of things. In this case, I'd | | | | large pharmaceutical company. All of these jobs took |
| like to focus on one of those points of agreement... | | | | me one step closer to opening my own consulting |
| "If you want to succeed in your life and career, you | | | | business. |
| need to have a clearly defined sense of purpose and | | | | I finally did so in 1988. It took me 14 years, but I |
| direction." | | | | stayed on the road to achieving my clarity of |
| In the opening session, Russell urged all of us to think | | | | purpose. 21 years later I'm still at it. My purpose |
| beyond our internet product or products and to think | | | | hasn't changed. I'm still in business for myself, helping |
| about creating an internet business. In order to do | | | | others succeed. My direction has changed a little over |
| this, Russell says that you need to develop an entire | | | | the years. I do very little training these days, a little |
| sales system. This system should be a long range | | | | consulting, a lot of speaking and a whole lot of |
| plan of your offerings, as people who purchase one | | | | coaching. |
| information product from you, will be likely to | | | | The common sense point here is simple. Successful |
| purchase more - if these products are made available | | | | people are clear about the purpose and direction of |
| to them. | | | | their lives and careers. They begin with the end in |
| As I sat and listened to Russell and his associates | | | | mind. They know where they are going in the long |
| speak, I was reminded of one of Stephen Covey's 7 | | | | run. I figured out what I wanted in my life when I |
| Habits - begin with the end in mind. | | | | was 24 years old. I consciously took steps to keep |
| In other words, develop a clarity of purpose for your | | | | me moving in that direction. I didn't follow a |
| career and life. Your clarity of purpose and direction is | | | | completed, straight path - I had a few detours and |
| where it all begins. As Russell Brunson points out, | | | | missteps along the way, but I kept heading in the |
| don't think in terms of a product, think in terms of a | | | | same direction until I achieved what I set out to do. |
| business. I suggest that you don't think in terms of a | | | | It helps to get clear about what you want out of |
| job, think in terms of a career. | | | | your life and career early on. However, it's never too |
| I was a young guy in 1974. I had just completed a | | | | late to start. If you haven't already done so, I urge |
| year of service as a VISTA Volunteer and was in my | | | | you to figure out what you want out of your life and |
| first job with a training and organization development | | | | career, chart a path for getting there, and follow that |
| consulting company. We had a few employees, but | | | | path. |