Race to 2010- Building an Idea

Race to 2010 – Building An Idea, Part 1.

For those of you who haven’t heard, I’m launching a race to prosperity for anyone in Canada or the US who wants to join in- this will be the evolution of the biggest number of new millionaires in either country, all from normal, honest, responsible, and profitably managed revenues.

No MLMs, scams, Ponzi-schemes or other things that avoid reality – we’re going to make money the old fashioned way. By earning it.

Now everyone I know is happy enough to hear that, but the ultimate question is *how*? If it was so easy, everyone would be rich, right?

Actually it is reasonably easy, but it does take a few things to accomplish, and we’re going to deal with those over the next few blogs, but we’re starting today with the first thing that makes or breaks the whole deal – and that’s matching the right opportunity with the right person.

Think of it this way: you’ve seen American Idol, right? How many perfectly good singers have been ousted from that competition because they picked the wrong song for their voice and talent level? I mean you like their singing and all, but seriously, the wrong song can make almost any singer sound like William Hung on a bad day.

The same identical thing applies to revenues and business opportunities. If it isn’t the right market, or the right timing, or the right thing for you then it would be a lousy match destined for failure. So Key #1 is to select your condiments wisely.

Some people have an absolute knack for picking the right things for them. Others just stumble into the right opportunity at the right time. But for those of us involved in this project we need to get it right the first time so we can get the best head-start we can.

So how do we do it? How do we figure out which opportunity is right for each of us? How do we find opportunities to select from at all?

Good questions. Here are some of the answers…

First off you need to decide a few things like are you comfortable being your own boss? Do you work better alone or in groups/teams? What are your most marketable skills or talents? And most importantly, what are you NOT good at or most want to NOT want to do yourself.

If looking after taxes is not your forte, for example, and you are petrified of doing them and can’t look a solid number in the punctuation marks then you need to recruit some talent that can help. These can be paid staffers, they can be companies you hire to look after the details, they can be involved via a variety of other arrangements too but at the end of the day you do need to keep an eye on whatever they produce to make sure you’re neither being ripped off nor paying for inferior quality work. The quality of the work and its’ value to you are the things you need to weigh in determining which talents and expertise you need to support you on this journey.

Now obviously we’re not yet at the point of picking out employees or companies or partners to help us as we haven’t figured out the products or projects involved yet either, but you do need to start thinking about it because this kind of thing will help you to focus on the kind of project that best suits your work/lifestyle by helping you find compatibilities between what you want to do, and what’s available in your pool of opportunities.

So let’s say you’re doing this seriously and you get out a sheet of paper, a pen, and maybe a few hi-lighters or coloured pens to underline things as we get to them. I’ll suggest some skills and you see if they are things you think you’re reasonably good at. Go ahead and give yourself a rating from 1-100 for each one. If you think you’re particularly good, swing that number closer to the 100 range. If you think that this is something that only with divine assistance could you master at all, then you might aim closer to the 1 range. If you know nothing about it at all, feel free to give yourself a ‘0’ or a N/A (Not Applicable) if you have a skin sensitivity to low numbers. (It also wouldn’t hurt to have 3 or more of your friends rate what they believe your abilities or skill levels are at these things to give yourself an idea of whether your perception of your abilities is justified or how well your friends know about your talents):

Writing:
Researching:
Math:
Science:
Acrobatics:
Mechanics:
Carpentry:
Plumbing:
Electrical Work:
Carving:
Drawing:
Drafting:
Painting:
Landscaping:
Gardening:
Cooking:
Mixology:
Sewing:
Shopping:
Cleaning:
Organizing:
Typing:
Graphic Design:
Interior Decorating:
Comedy:
Poetry:
Sports:
Philosophy:
History:
Acting:
Video Editing:
Animation:
Accounting:
Tax Planning
Photography:
Economics:
Audio Editing/Recording:
DJ-ing:
Computer Programming:
Electronics Assembly/Repair:
Training/Education (of others):
Public Speaking:
Motivating Others:
Event/Party Planning:
Crafting:
Identifying and Coordinating Colours:
Performing Music:
Writing Music:
Journalism:
Politics:
Media Analysis:
Foreign Languages:
Engineering:
Physical Therapy:
Nutrition:
Travel:
Animal Training:
Animal Riding:
Juggling:
Escapology:
Magic Tricks:
Massage:
Group Coordination:
Project Management:
Money Management:
Sales:
Psychology:
Trivia:
Security:
Locksmithing:
Martial Arts:
Yoga:
Coaching:
Game Design:
Animal Training:
Industrial Design:
Architecture:
Masonry:
Chemistry:
Astronomy:
Brewing (Wine, beer, sodas, spirits, etc.):
Transcription:
Travel Planning:
Marketing:
Physics:
Personal Beautification (cosmetics/hair care, etc.):
Product Development:
Professional Networking:
Negotiation:
Law:
Charm:
Wisdom:
Common Sense:



Take a few minutes to review the results and see how those skills and talents you have the highest scores in fit together. Think about it over the next few days and let your mind wander about how to combine each of your skills to do different things. Any surprising results? Can you see any patterns? See anything that jumps out at you as a potential idea? Anything come to mind from one of your friends’ suggestions? Are there any skills you think you can improve on quickly that would combine well with other skills you already score highly at?

This is your first Baseline, your Skills Baseline. Keep this page handy for the next year or so – I assure you that you’ll want to see how this changes over the next year. In fact, if you stick with us over the coming year, I pretty much guarantee you’ll see big changes on that sheet when you take it again next year.

We’re going to do a few other Baselines over the next few weeks or so to round out the picture of total resources you have at your disposal to start this Race to financial independence. We’re going to look at your Resources Baseline, your Professional Network Baseline, your Personal Network Baseline, your Financial Liabilities Baseline, your Personal Liabilities Baseline, your Risk Tolerance Baseline, your Health Baseline, your Time Management Baseline, your Creativity Baseline, your Problem Solving Baseline, and anything else that occurs to me that might help you to get a solid foundation for making this the most successful year of your life…so far.

And if you want to, feel free to send me a copy of your results at theciguy@ymail.com. Whatever insights I have at this point I’ll be happy to share, and that’s true for all registered participants going forward. Again, this thing doesn’t officially start until September 1st, but you, my wonderful devoted readers, are getting a head start, so sign up, send in, and get cracking.

But for now I leave you tonight to finish working on your Skills Baseline. We both have some homework to do and some dreams to fulfill.