Those important, turbulent, emotional, exciting, scary, formative years between twelve and twenty – so much changes in those years, and yet it can be easier if you maintain perspective.

This eight-year portion of your life is small in comparison with the rest of your adult life – about 60 years – and here are a few things that will help you cope with the hard times.

Things Will Matter Differently In the Future

In the years from age twelve to twenty, things seem to be magnified, and much more important than they really are. Relatively small things that a mature adult would hardly notice are attributed major significance. A bully or a jock, a rejection or a victory or failure seem mountainous, even though they will be forgotten very soon.

Coping with Bullies

The fact is that 97% of the people you know will never amount to much.

Most of the school bullies will end up in jail, on drugs, working in dead-end jobs, and dead. The reason why they are bullies is that they have emotional and mental problems – it really has nothing to do with you, except that you are a threat to them – they are jealous of something about you, so they attack you. Most bullies have low intelligence and problems at home, and you can use your mind to outwit them.

Things Will be Forgotten… And What to Do in the Mean Time

The key is to try and remain rational and objective about the things in your life.

This is very hard, I know – our emotions are pretty extreme in those years – but it helps a lot to be able to sit down with a wise adult, preferably not a teacher – and discuss your issues, fears, concerns, and dreams with them. They have a mature perspective.

In a few short years, hard as this is to believe, those incidents and people will be forgotten. Most of the things that seem huge right now are in fact insignificant compared to the bright future waiting for you.

Glean the Benefit & Leave the Rest Behind

The trials and tribulations of these years come with great benefits – youth, energy, strength, opportunities, optimism, and an open mind.

By focusing on building an exciting future and realizing that most of the things that upset you are really just barking dogs, life gets easier.

• That teacher that gives to you a hard time – a man amongst boys, but a boy amongst men – will be a joke to you in a few short years. You can easily earn more money than him and put him in his place quite soon.
• That pretty girl that rejected and shamed you in public will soon be fat, pregnant, and married to an unemployed jock.
• And your mistakes will be forgotten.

Do you think Bill Gates was teased at school? Probably. Where are the people who teased him now?

It’s YOUR Life

The only person whose opinion is important is YOU. It’s YOUR life.

Success in life is a choice. We choose how to interpret the circumstances presented to us. We choose how to react. And our choices will determine where we end up.

Your Philosophy is Your Compass

The most important factor in your life is your PHILOSOPHY. With the right philosophy, or world view, life gets a lot easier.

Look at successful people whom you admire, and ask yourself what their philosophy is.

The most powerful philosophy I have found, the one that gives you the most freedom, opportunity, and fun, is that of Objectivism. You can find out more about it here and here, but in a nutshell, it says that you own your life, and you are not answerable to others or responsible for others.

• Read “The Fountainhead” and the “The Virtue of Selfishness” by Ayn Rand.
• Get yourself some good role models.
• Stay away from people who want to manipulate and control the way you think.
• Don’t be a victim, don’t blame others or make excuses.  Take responsibility for your choices now, and life will be good.

Understand Money & Create Value to Make It

Finally, by now you know that 97% of your problems in life will be solved or diminished by money. The good life costs money.

If you understand money and value and how to create wealth, you have control and you can choose any life you want. Your age and circumstances won’t prevent you from making money. You can get rich fast, no matter how old you are, when you know how. Money doesn’t care how old you are!

Learn about how you can do that, starting right away, at www.JVWisdom.com.

• How many times have you heard employees complain that they don’t get paid enough, while their bosses drive smart cars and get perks?
• Haven’t we all heard the complaints about company CEO’s receiving large bonuses?
• How about salespeople who complain they don’t get enough commission, or people who whine that they’re not paid what they are worth?

Why do you earn what you earn?

It’s All Relative

A relative of mine complained that she was paid a lousy salary and worked too hard while her bosses drove beamers and worked shorter hours. I asked her,

• “Were you forced to take the job, or did you apply for it and sell yourself at the interview?”
• “And did you agree to the salary you accepted, or were you forced?”
• “Can you resign any time you wish?”
• “If you were capable of doing your boss’s job, and qualified to do it, would you accept the higher salary and perks?
• “Do you think you are paid what you are worth TO the company, instead of what you WANT FROM the company?”
• “Who determines what you are paid, what qualifications you have, and what you are worth to a business? Isn’t it YOU?”
• “Are you free to work wherever you can get a job? Can you choose to start your own business?”
• “If you owned the business, would you pay people more than you had to?”
• “Is the purpose of business to pay employees whatever they want, or to make a profit?
• “What or who limits the amount of money you can earn in a free, capitalist society? Isn’t that YOU?”

The Destruction of Socialism

Karl Marx said:

“From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.”

That’s called socialism, redistribution of wealth, collectivism, and communism.

In Cuba, people all earn an average of thirty American dollars a month. Education is free. So doctors choose to work as waiters in hotel restaurants in order to earn more money, and the black market and the underground economy is huge.

Are You Taking Advantage of Your Opportunity as a Capitalist?

Two people join the same Network Marketing business, or the same life insurance company, or start the same kind of business in the same town. One goes bankrupt and blames everybody else. The other one gets rich and take credit for his success.

97% of people fail or achieve mediocre success. 3% soar like eagle, because they have a different philosophy of life.

Why Most People Aren’t Brave Enough to Be JV Brokers

You can start your own Joint Venture Brokerage business with no cost or risk, with no earning limitations, regardless of your qualifications, background, education, age, or circumstances. No more excuses.

Why don’t people jump at the opportunity to do this?

Because suddenly, they would be responsible for the amount of money they earn, and they would be exposed for what they really are.

Business is like a nudist colony; you will be exposed.

And that’s why, when people fail as JV Brokers, they blame me. They conveniently forget that other people with the same opportunities, tools, support, training, and access, are making a lot of money. They can’t deliver on their promises, to they cast blame instead of accepting responsibility. Then they get a job and whine that they’re not being paid enough.

Create More value to make More Money

You get paid in direct proportion to the value you create.

Money is simply a scoreboard. That’s the way it works.

If you’re not making enough money, take responsibility, grow up, and make the necessary changes like an adult.

You have created what you have today, whether you want to accept that or not, and your future will be whatever you choose to create. If you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, perhaps it’s time to join the winners who get rich, because they refuse to compromise, quit, or curl up under their beds and whine.

Why Winners Win… and You Can Too!

Winners win because they insist on success, they believe in themselves and their goals, and they take responsibility for their lives. You only get one life, so decide what you want your future to look like. Then take decisive action and persist until you get what you want.

Many years ago, a relative of mine made an appointment to confront an evil church pastor about a serious issue of hypocrisy and double-dealing in her church. She prepared her case very well, and there was no doubt about the fact that the “pastor” was, in fact, a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I’ll never forget what she told me when she got home from that meeting.

She said she felt as though she had imagined the whole thing; he made her feel foolish, he actually laughed at the facts she presented, and she left feeling convinced that she was wrong, that he was right, that she was guilty of being disloyal and negative, and that she actually owed him an apology for wasting his precious time.

The Deceptive Art of Distraction

Politicians and psychopaths are good at diverting one’s attention from the important things and questions they would rather not answer. They know that attack is the best form of defense. Salespeople are singularly adept at sleight of hand or legerdemain:

• Answer a question with a question.
• Baffle with unimportant facts.
• Use complicated explanations and trickery to throw your pursuers off track.
• Make light of exigent issues.
• Brush off serious accusations with a condescending smirk.
• Hug them while you knife then in the back.

Magicians use distraction all the time.

Even Good People Do This to Avoid Responsibility

My point? I used to attend regular, weekly sales meeting with a group of other SMI Distributors. At every meeting, we Distributors would tell our amazing stories to the meeting leader.

We would talk about all the leads we had “in the pipeline”, all the sales we had narrowly missed, all the things we were “working on”, and all the promises we had heard from our prospective buyers. We also spent a good deal of time making excuses, blaming the weather, the competition, holidays, pricing, traffic, the products we sold, the packaging, the economy, and of course our leader.

At one meeting our leader got up before anyone could start mouthing off, and his words have stayed with me to this day. He said,

“Today, I don’t want to hear any stories, promises, excuses, or lies. Don’t you dare say a word, any of you. This is a silent meeting.

Walk up to the board, take the sharpie, and write down the amount of sales you made last week. That means PAID sales. I will check your figures. Then get out of here, and don’t contact me until the next meeting.

I am only interested in results. Next week, I will fire the Distributor with the lowest sales. Now get out!”

We doubled our sales as a result of that valuable lesson.

Shape Up or Ship Out

Losers and underachievers specialize in the deceptive art of distraction. They will:

• ask you irrelevant questions
• create rumors
• seem very busy
• make excuses for everything

If you allow this kind of behavior, you reinforce their failure to take responsibility and you encourage them to become parasites and posers.

When you focus on results and refuse to be distracted, you’ll get them to shape up or ship out. And you’ll save loads of time.

Talk is cheap, and money buys the whiskey.

I just returned from England, where the bite marks of the omnipresent recession are more evident than in Super, Natural British Columbia. Flying home, I was once again reminded of the upside of this recession; the benefits, as it were, of the half-full glass.

For example, the interest in DollarMakers services and products is growing steadily as people suddenly become aware of the value of the information and links we provide.

The flight was only two-thirds full, so I was able to select another seat and escape some precocious, seat-kicking French kids who should have been chained in the cargo hold with a selection of vicious, rabid wolves.

“Will Everything Be All Right?”

Smart people have a good perspective on how to benefit from these recessionary times, while frightened people frighten other people and the enlightened ones get rich.

When interviewed on CNBC, Monday, March 9, 2009, here is Warren Buffet’s response when Terry in San Antonio, Texas, asks, “Will everything be all right?”:

“Fear is very contagious. You can get fearful in 5 minutes, but you don’t get confident in 5 minutes.

Everything will be all right.

We do have the greatest economic machine that man has ever created. We started with 4 million people back in 1790 and look where we’ve come. And it wasn’t because we were smarter than other people. It wasn’t because our land was more fertile or we had more minerals or our climate was more favorable. We had a system that worked. It unleashed the human potential.

It didn’t work every year. We had 6 ‘panics’ in the 19th century. In the 20th century we had the Great Depression, World Wars, all kinds of things. But we have a system – largely free market, rule of law, equality of opportunity – all of those things that cause the potential of humans to get unleashed. And we’re far from done.

Your kids will live better than mine. Your grandchildren will live better than your kids. There’s no question about that.

But the machine gets gummed up from time to time. If you take the bulk of those centuries, probably 15 years were bad years. But we go forward.”

Don’t Let Fear Drive You

Fear drives logic and rational thinking out of the house, and welcomes its friends, apathy, scarcity, depression, and the blind acceptance of socialism – anything to hide from personal responsibility and reality.

While the producers are proactively embracing the situation and finding solutions, scheming collectivists sell filthy, overpriced, flea-ridden, wet  blankets to the huddled morons who convince themselves and others that the end is nigh.

Opportunity is Waiting at Your Disposal

Your concerned competition is so busy cutting costs and reducing value that any thinking entrepreneur can easily scoop away their customers. Instead of fleecing the timid, now is the time to provide real solutions and build lasting and profitable relationships with them, as DollarMakers does.

Look at Wal-Mart and IKEA – they’re thriving! The money in the world has not disappeared or dried up – it’s all still there for the taking.

• Are the five star holiday resorts empty? No.
• Are the expensive restaurants closed? No.
• Did all the money get burnt up in a raging fire?
• Are the resources, equipment, and distribution methods suddenly missing, as in a mythical Rapture? No.

It’s all waiting for you – at your disposal.

The Upside of the Recession

The upside of the Recession is that intelligent entrepreneurs are having a field day, and the scammers and posers are being revealed and removed.

It’s time to learn about Joint Ventures, and use them to have fun and get richer.

If you wanted to learn how to succeed in battle, would you ask a rookie soldier or a seasoned, decorated veteran? Would you trust battle scars or certificates on a wall?

If you wanted a good lawyer, would you find some apathetic academic, or a newly qualified lawyer, or an experienced, successful lawyer who had battled with giants over the years and won?

How to Succeed Against All Odds

I once had the privilege of spending time with a real business warrior, who was also the Sheriff of Pretoria, the city I lived in. He was a fellow Director in our Rotary Club.

When we had ordered our lunch, I asked him the burning question:

“You have succeeded against all odds, in varying business climates, you have a sterling reputation, and you have become wealthy. What is the secret to your success?”

His answer has always stayed with me. Here is the gist of it, as I remember it:

“Robin, there are two responses everyone must choose to ANY challenge or circumstances – fight or flight.

I deem it my responsibility to succeed, to react positively, and to take the fight to my enemy, whether that enemy is money problems, a business opponent, or any other challenge.

Many people see hardship as an excuse to retreat and fail. They welcome any circumstance that will offer them a way to hide and defect. I don’t believe I have an option – I INSIST upon success, whatever the cost. I believe that saying, ‘For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.’

To me, my friends and family rely on my success, and I don’t make or accept excuses for failure. I’m like a boxer that keeps getting up off the mat UNTIL I win.”

His favorite quote was by Friedrich Nietzsche:

“Courageous, untroubled, mocking and violent-that is what Wisdom wants us to be. Wisdom is a woman, and loves only a warrior.”

Difficult Times Call for Action

That little pep talk before a delicious peppercorn steak was worth a hundred hours of anemic blather from academics.

Difficult times are a reason to take deliberate, brave action, not an excuse to stay at home and play video games while your wife supports you. Financial challenges are not solved by hiding and wallowing in self-pity, but by rising like a phoenix and going on the offensive. Instead of crying and cringing, get creative and courageous. Excuses are for losers. Carlos Castaneda said:

“To be a warrior is not a simple matter of wishing to be one. It is rather an endless struggle that will go on to the very last moment of our lives. Nobody is born a warrior, in exactly the same way that nobody is born an average man. We make ourselves into one or the other.”

The key to being a successful Joint Venture negotiator is to have the ability to walk away at any time during the negotiations, and if you threaten to walk away, you have to do it.

There is also a spirit to negotiating – if one party is continually taking and not giving, unreasonably inflexible, arrogant, or “talking down” to the other party, the JV will never work.

Changing the Agreement is Dishonest

Also, remember that changing the rules or moving the goalposts, in other words not honoring what you previously agreed to, is not negotiating, it’s simply being dishonest. Anyone who promises and doesn’t deliver isn’t negotiating; they’re stealing and lying. And if they can steal a few hundred dollars, they will steal millions, too – it’s who they are.

Watch out for cheap, tightfisted people.

Only Talk to the One in Charge

Negotiating with a middleman – especially one who hides behind the authority which they represent, seldom works; try to work with the person who actually has the authority to make decisions, instead of a puppet.

Look for Clues

During negotiations, you can get an insight into the character and values of the person you’re dealing with. Look for patterns, clues, honestly, small lies, and passive aggression. Con artists use greed (the big carrot), threats, bullying, and lots of details to confuse honest people.

Watch Your Emotions

Remain objective and emotionally detached during negotiations. Maintain a healthy dose of skepticism. Business, after all, is a game. You can remove the two emotional issues – risk and cost – with good negotiating skills. Watch your own “Greed Meter” carefully.

Walk Away When Your Gut Says

When you get a negative gut feeling about the other party, don’t bother to continue with the negotiations.

I recently made that mistake by getting involved with religious fundamentalists – they proved that they were totally irrational, and could justify the most ridiculous assumptions and blatant dishonesty by hiding behind their religious delusions. I will be more selective next time. One’s philosophy will drive ones choices and actions. We continue to learn. You can learn from my mistakes.

ALWAYS IN WRITING!

Finally, JV’s should be comfortable, fun, profitable, and very clearly communicated, which means IN WRITING. After a meetings, send the agreements in writing and make sure everyone understands the terms and conditions.

Months down the line, people get selective memory and amnesia. Each party is solely responsible for themselves, and the “blame game” can be avoided if these responsibilities are clearly defined – in writing.

You have millions of options in the world of Joint Ventures – be selective, because you can afford to be. An ounce of discipline is better than tons of pain down the line.

If you’re unsure about how to do this, read this page about how to write a Memorandum of Understanding, otherwise known as MOU, which is a basic Joint Venture agreement.

Why It Pays to be Generous

If someone is comfortable with 10%, don’t try to negotiate 15% – they will be uncomfortable and sabotage the deal or undermine it. And if they’re happy with 10%, offer them 12% – the pay-off to generosity can be massive when dealing with the right people. Test your deals in a small way before launching them in a big way – “Take time to know her”, as the old song goes.

You Can Make More Money Walking Away Sometimes

Remember: You make more money by walking away from money when it’s “dirty” money. By that, I mean you can only earn dirty money by compromising your values and overriding your better instincts. If you’re not comfortable, don’t walk away – RUN – towards better deals!

Two people decide to start a rubble removal business together as a Joint Venture.

They agree that they will each pay half the monthly lease and maintenance on the truck, which they will share, by using it  on alternate days. For example, John will use the truck on Mondays, work hard, and make as much money as he can. Jim will use the truck on Tuesdays, for his own benefit. Each will be responsible for finding his own business and paying for the gas he uses. Each will earn as much as he can.

Sounds Good.  Here’s the Reality.

John works hard, promotes his work, delivers excellent service, goes the extra mile, and makes good money. Jim is lazy, does shoddy work, has a bad attitude, and doesn’t make enough money to even cover his portion of the lease and maintenance on the truck, so he blames John and claims that this is a “Win / Lose” situation. After all, he is paying for half of John’s expenses, and John is making money, but Jim is losing money. This might sound ridiculous, but I encounter this loser mentality regularly.

Earn According to Production

John is not responsible for Jim’s choices, work ethic, or abilities. He is paying what he agreed to pay, and earning money according to his own personal production, so he deserves what he earns.

Jim deserves what he earns, too.

This is a win/win situation.

Losers Always Expect to Be Carried

Losers always find a scapegoat and claim to have been ripped off by successful people – that is as old as time itself. The leeches and parasites want the producers and creators to carry them on their backs, like Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders. Sooner or later, Atlas Shrugs,  and the losers fall off his back. And then the losers blame the producer for their own bad choices.

What a Win/Win Really Means

A win/win Joint Venture should always reward production and punish slothfulness and failure, and as long as both parties do what they promised and agreed to do, and each takes responsibility for the results he produces or fails to produce, we have a win/win.

Another Example

Adam decides to become a carpenter, so he pays to attend carpentry school. He learns everything, the classes deliver as promised, and Bob is certified as a qualified carpenter. But he makes bad choices, does bad work, smokes pot and sleeps half the day, so he fails as  carpenter. Then he blames the carpentry school and calls the situation win / lose.

Silly, right?  Silly, and sad.

Winners are accountable, and they honor their commitments. Only set up Joint Venture with winners who have a proven track record, and when they start to play these word games, break away from them fast.

My Criteria – I Only Work with DollarMakers.

I received an e-mail from a character who wanted to Joint Venture with me. I told him my criteria to enter any Joint Venture: “You have to be a Member of DollarMakers, we have to build a relationship, and then I will decide whether or not I want to JV with you.”

He was upset, and said this was win / lose. He has the choice – accept my criteria or don’t accept them – this has nothing to do with win / lose.

Win /win requires that you only work with winners. Look at peoples’ track records and do your due diligence, and test them in small ways, before setting up JV’s with them.

• Do you have trouble convincing people to buy / accept your idea, product, service, Joint Venture, or suggestions?
• Do you find your offers and proposals being rejected too often?
• Is it hard for you to get appointments and time with successful people?
• Is your closing ratio / conversion ratio too low?
• Do you want more access, acceptance, sales, acknowledgment, and buy-in?

You Can Do Something About It

First, recognize that if someone else in the same area, industry, and environment, with similar products, services, and offers, is doing better than you are, then there is definitely something you can do about it. That’s good news. So here are some pointers that will work for you:

Tip #1 – Up Your Enthusiasm

Your level of enthusiasm and belief will open many doors. Enthusiasm is contagious, and if you don’t believe in yourself and your offer, nobody else will. The higher your confidence level, the more impact you will have.

How can you increase this?

The word “Enthusiasm” ends with the letters IASM – I Am Sold Myself. You have to believe in, buy, and use your own product or service. You have to be “a product of the product.”

You increase your confidence and self-esteem by knowing everything there is to know about what you’re selling, the benefits, and the details, so training and learning about what you’re selling is essential. The more you learn, the more you will earn. Disciplined learning will increase your self-esteem and expectations.

Tip #2 – You have to look (and act) like a million dollars before you earn it.

Your personal presentation is important. If you’re badly dressed with bed head, sleep creases on your face, cat hair on your coat, and unshaven, no winner will want to talk with you. BO, halitosis, showing up late, not delivering on your promises, and a bad haircut will simply destroy any credibility you might have had.

You have to look successful and act successful in order to BE successful. Look like a million dollars before you can earn it. BE – DO – HAVE. Remember that. People DO judge a book by its cover, and first impressions are lasting impressions.

Tip #3 – Keep It about the Other Person

Talk in the interests of the other person, get your ego out of the way, and don’t waste your prospect’s time. Be very well prepared with a specific sales strategy.

Tip #4 – Look Good On Paper Too

If you have anything in writing, keep it concise, to the point, professional, bottom-line oriented, and on good paper. You will be judged by your written material, hand-outs, and spelling mistakes. Your prospect is looking for clues, so make sure the clues he finds are good ones.

Tip #5 – Set the Bar High and Be Ready to Walk Away

Self-respect, selectivity, and setting the bar high will label you as a professional to be taken seriously. If you’re desperate, needy, broke, and tense, you will frighten any winners away fast.

Be relaxed, well prepared, and ready to walk away from any deal. The more prospects you have, the easier this is, so use Joint Ventures to procure on-going streams of qualified prospects.

See yourself as your prospect’s equal. Be strong and focused.

Tip #6 – Carefully Choose Your “Field of Battle”

Choose the environment in which you present yourself carefully – the Four Seasons is better than a Mac Donald’s.

Tip #7 – Craft a Win/Win Offer…

Make sure your offer is genuinely win/win – think about what’s in it for the prospect, his return on investment, and his goals.

Try to remove the risk and cost from both parties as much as possible.

Tip #8 – …And Craft an Offer that’s Too Good to Be Refused.

Sweeten the pot through the use of Joint Ventures, by adding massive value – “an offer too good to be refused” – this takes preparation and thought, but you can differentiate yourself from your competition by adding four times the value, at no cost top yourself, through Joint Ventures.

Tip #9 – Stop Blaming Outside Circumstances

Stop blaming others and the economy for your poor ales – take personal responsibility – that is the mark of a winner.

Tip #10 – Remember to “Yahoo”

Finally, be sensitive – when someone makes it clear they’re not interested, walk away fast.  There are many fish in the sea, you have many options, and walking away from uncooperative prospects will increase your self-esteem and therefore your income.

Remember “Yahoo”.  You Always Have Other Options!

DollarMakers provides on-going, ever-improving training and support, access and information on how to be a successful and professional Joint Venture Broker, based on our own experience and the changing marketplace. JV’s will help you to increase sales, whether you have a business or not, and we’re here to help.