how to accelerate your business and personal growth

8/14/2019 How to Accelerate Your Business and Personal Growth

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Paul Sutherland

The most successful men in the end are those whose success is the resultof steady accretion... It is the man, who carefully advances step by step,with his mind becoming wider and wider - and progressively better able to

grasp any theme or situation - persevering in what he knows to bepractical, and concentrating his thought upon it, who is bound to succeedin the greatest degree.

- Alexander Graham Bell

If youre (like me) wondering what accretion is it means accumulation,increase or growth. But since this is a quote, I couldnt change thewording of it. Save you time looking it up!

Copyright 2007 Daniel Thomas International

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,

or otherwise, without written permission from the author.


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Sometimes even death can cause a major re-birth!

Let me start by telling you a very personal true story. (Short Version)

In April 2003, my wife, Joanne, was diagnosed with cancer. A serious battleensued lasting about 8 months with endless visits to the hospital for checksand chemotherapy. There were many highs and lows throughout but it was abattle we believed we could win. Then in November 2003, a few months afterher 36th birthday, Joanne passed away. Wed lost a battle with life but I wasdetermined not to lose the war.

We were together almost 7 years and had 2boys, Daniel and Christopher, who were then 3and 5 years old. This was a real blow for thewhole family. But in a way you could say it was

a blessing that it happened when it did. Theboys were too young to really understand whatwas happening. Whilst it was very difficulttrying to explain to them that their mum haddied, I think it would have been much moredifficult had they been older. Its amazing how resilient children are andsometimes I believe we could all learn valuable lessons from them.

As working full time was becoming more and more difficult I had to give upmy job. It was at that time I started to look for opportunities that would give

me the flexibility to work the hours that suited me and enable me to lookafter my children. Im sure most parents will tell you this can be a full time

job on its own.

This also caused me to take stock of my own life, both from a personal andcareer point of view. You could say I was much like any other averageperson. I was getting by with a house, a car, a reasonable job and thestandard 2.4 children. I never have fathomed where the .4 comes from but ifgovernment statistics say so it must be right! I was in a nice little comfortzone, the place where most people live out their lives.

So, what would seem to have been a calamity or disaster for most peoplecould really be seen as a wake up call. Sometimes it takes adversity to kickyou into gear. It certainly did that for me. Was this another blessing perhaps?

You may be reading this and wondering, is this for real? I know sometimespeople will make up stories or embellish them to create effect but I canassure you this is not the case.

It was quite some time after Joanne died that Daniel Thomas International

was born. This is the company I started and namedafter my eldest son. DTIis an Accelerated Business Growth coaching company dedicated to helpingothers develop their business. Its something I love doing and this is animportant factor as you will see when you read on.


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You have probably spotted the motivation and driving force behind me bynow. The important thing for you is that you dont have to wait for this kindof motivation. Just make the decision and get started.

My personal view is that you can start a business even under the most

adverse conditions if you really want to.

If you are a business owner, looking to start a business or see yourself as abudding entrepreneur you are living in the most exciting time inentrepreneurial history. The number of millionaires around the world isgrowing faster right now than in any other time in the past.

However, there are certain fundamental things you shouldknow and be aware of. These are things that are rarelytaught or mentioned unless you are lucky enough to find a

good business coach or mentor. I know this from my ownexperience and the people I have learned from along theway. I have learned from one of the best business coachesyou can find, Peter Thomson, who has his own businesscoaching company Peter Thomson International.

What I aim to do here is give you some of those fundamental and essentialpointers to help you either get started on the right track with a business orgrow an existing business.

I also want to share with you a mixture of both personal and businessstrategies.

So lets get underway


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Simple But Critical Things You Must Know

1. Invest In Yourself.

You don't realize it yet, but in the next few minutes you're going to learn oneof the critical steps that most people miss out. This applies not just tobusiness but in most areas of your life.

That critical step is investing in you. This is what I didwhen I trained with Peter Thomson in the businessgrowth coaching field. Sure, it does take a bit of time andmoney but investing in yourself is one of the bestinvestments you will ever make.

Why is it that one person seems to have all the things that they want andanother never seems to quite make it? How do they manage to sail throughlife seemingly unaffected by events while others toil morning, noon andnight? What is it that they have, that most of us seem to miss?

STOP and ask yourself these key questions...

Is it luck?

Is it some divine guardian angel watching over them?

Is it hard work and never ending hours of sweat and tears?

The answer is. none of the above.

The truth is you don't have to work hard to be happy and successful as somewould have you believe. All you need to do is take a little time out and investin yourself.

But what does all this mean to you?

It can be something as simple as reading a good informative book, attendinga seminar or investing in a recorded seminar to find out the things you reallyneed to know about the business you want to get into. Learn to use yourimagination. As the late, great Albert Einstein once said, imagination is moreimportant than knowledge.

You dont have to reinvent the wheel to be successful, nor do you have to doit all by yourself. There are 4 books I highly recommend as a must read foranyone who truly wants tostart heading in the right direction - the directiontowards success. They are in no particular order but you will gain a vast array

of insights that will be invaluable on your journey.


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4. The Attractor Factor Dr JoeVitale. http://www.mrfire.com

Do you work hard, do everything right and yet rarelyachieve the results you had hoped for? As youstruggle to make ends meet, do you sometimes wishyou could be one of those lucky people who seem to smile their way throughlife and have success handed to them? Actually you can.

In The Attractor Factor, renowned author, Internet marketing pioneer andspiritual guide Joe Vitale reveals that success of any kind doesnt depend onwhat you are doing it depends on what you are being!

You can pick up a copy of any of these books or any one of the Top 10 booksI recommend as a must read from the Recommended Books page at mywebsite. http://www.dti.eu.com

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3. Find something you love doing.

Most people would like to do what they love all day long. But its anothercritical mistake a lot of people make as they

think about starting a business. The worst thingyou could do is start a business based purely onhow much profit you can make in the shortesttime. This is especially true when it comes to afranchise or Internet type of opportunity.Imagine spending your savings or hard earnedcash on abusiness that you found you hated 6months later.

Ill let you into a secret. Some of the wealthiest, most successful people onthe planet got that way because they absolutely love doing what they do. Ifthey didnt they simply wouldnt do it.

Just take a look at someone like Gordon Ramsay, the famous chef who wasthe star of The F Word and Hells Kitchen. You can see the passion for whathe does oozing out of every pore of his being.

It really isnt difficult to see that he absolutely 110% loves what he does. Hehas become the joint most Michelin-starred chef in the world with 12esteemed Michelin stars for his restaurants worldwide. Do you think thiswould have happened if he hated what he did? I very much doubt it.

If you spend your working life doing something that motivates and inspiresyou, the money and possible accolades aspect will almost take care of itself.This may seem a little strange or alien to you right now but it will speed youtowards your dream business much faster than you ever thought possible.

This was one of the main considerations I focused on. Sure, I needed to dosomething that I could predict with near certainty the hours I would work.But, it was just as important to me to find something that wouldnt feel likework simply because I absolutely loved doing it.

It may take some thinking about and some effort on your part but it will beworth the time you spend on this. Leave this step out and youll probablyhave just another job. I think it was Zig Ziglar, the renowned motivator,who said, A job means Just Over Broke.

You might need a few days or even a few weeks to settle on the rightbusiness for you. However, I cant stress enough the importance of this factorand it is probably the one that is most overlooked by the majority of peoplewho want to work for themselves.

So take your time and think about this very carefully.

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4. Focus and Attention.

This may seem like an obvious point and one which we shouldnt really haveto cover but I felt I had to mention it briefly. You would be astounded by the

number of people who get side tracked and diverted in all directions whentheir focus and attention is needed.

There was a time when I would have included myself in making this error andoccasionally I still do. But hey, I dont claim to be perfect!

A good example of this would be deciding on what you actually want to do.You may see what you think is a good business opportunity and buy into it.

Suddenly, and without warning you see something else that looks a bit betterand buy into that. Then when you least expected it something else turns up.

Before you know it you are trying to do a hundred different things andbecome overwhelmed. Its usually a downward spiral from there into failureand discouragement. Yes I have been there too and its a painful lesson.

What should you do? Find something that you really want to do and put allyour effort, focus and attention into it. Dont get distracted by thinking whatif theres something better than this?

Time for a fabulous failure! Yes, I did get distracted on my journey. When Ishould have been focusing on my coaching business I got embroiled in the

world of Internet Marketing. It pains me to think of the months I lost throughthis distraction.

It looked like a great idea at the time. People seemed to be making tons ofmoney just by sitting at their computers and setting up websites. However, allis not as it may seem. Some of the flashy sales letters even promise youovernight success and thousands pouring into your bank account. True, thereare people making good money but personally I think you need to choosevery carefully and work with someone who has already been successful in thisarea. In other words a good coach or mentor. Internet Marketing is a

minefield and you definitely will need guidance if you decide its for you.

You see, I was focused on the money aspect of things and not what I wantedto do or would love doing. A big mistake that would inevitably lead to poor ormediocre results. Another lesson learned the hard way! I still have 2 websitesbut they are not the main focus of my attention.

Be patient. Rome wasnt built in a day. Building your business and your futurewont happen overnight, even though some might lead you to believeotherwise. Impatience will, more often than not, lead to failure. Just build

momentum and keep going. Dont make the mistake I made by focusing onmoney.

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5. Reasons and Goals.

Have a reason for wanting to start your own business. I dont mean that yousay I want lots of money and leave it at that.

Think of the real reasons. Spend more time withthe family. Spend more time doing leisureactivities. Get the new car or new house you havealways wanted. Just think about all the things youwould want to have, do or be. Have you donethat?

Great. Now write them down as goals you want to achieve.

Goal setting is something that different people have lots of different ideasabout. There is way too much information for me to give you here and wholebooks have been written on the subject. However, there are a number ofbooks and programs on setting goals. One that I do recommend is ChrisPaynes Effort Free Life System. This covers much more than goal setting.

Take a look for yourself and decide whether or not its right for you.

http://www.lifetools.com

Is it really necessary to set goals and go through all the work of writing themdown? Is it worth the effort?

STOP and listen to your own thoughts. Then read the following story. Somesay its a legend or urban myth but many of the worlds top achievers havebeen known to quote it in their books and seminars.

In 1953, researchers studying goal setting surveyed the graduating seniorsfrom Yale University on their goals and aspirations for the future. Theydiscovered only 3% of the graduating class had specific, written goals andobjectives.

Twenty years later, when they tracked down the same graduates, theresearchers were astounded by the results. They discovered that the same3% who engaged in goal setting activity and had clearly written goals whenthey graduated in 1953 were more successful, and worth more in terms ofwealth than the other 97% put together. The same 3% also tended to havebetter health and relationships than the other 97%.

What are your thoughts saying now?

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6. Effort and Taking Action.

Im wondering if youre like me, if this is the part when you groan and saygod do I have to do something? For a long time I thought that it was going

to be easy starting a business.

I guess this was partly due to all the hype and get rich quick opportunities Ihad read about. Some of them I even tried out and as you already know Ihad some fabulous failures. But as Tom Peters one of the great motivationalspeakers says Test fast, fail fast, adjust fast. A valuable lesson which Ieventually learned! Ill give you another example later.

I am sure you have heard the tale of the man who sat in his log cabin sayingto the wood burning stove give me heat. The stove replied first give mewood.

How can you possibly get heat unless you first supply the fuel? Its the samein any business. Dont expect to receive any income without first supplying aquality product or service.

It would be nice to sit back and just have a ton of money fall into your lapwith little or no effort. However, thats just not the way it works. In a waythat is a good thing! Why? Have you noticed how many lottery winners orpeople who have come into a lot of money quickly find themselves brokeagain in a very short period of time. But thats another story.

The point is you will be required to take some action. Im not suggesting thatyou work 16 18 hour days and run yourself into the ground in the process.But even the smallest actions can take you a long way towards achieving yourgoals.

Here is a question you can ask yourself.

What can I do today that will move me towards the life and/or business Iwant?

Act on the answers you get. No matter how small it may seem at the time. Itcould be something as simple as registering a trading name. Maybe register adomain name for a web based business. It could even be sitting down quietlyfor a few hours and writing down the goals you want to achieve.

Maybe youll research a product or service you find interesting. Talk to peoplewho have done, or are doing, something you want to do. The list is practicallyendless and I could go on, but Im sure you get the idea.

Just trust whatever comes to you and take action on it!

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7. Research. Always do it right.

This is especially important if you are going to go for an off the shelf type ofbusiness opportunity or a franchise. Get as much information as you can.

Where possible get any reviews and use internet search engines.

There are a number of places, especially on the internet, where you can findout more information before you make a commitment. One good place to lookin the UK is Business Opportunity Review. Here you can find information onbusiness opportunities and reviews by people who have bought into them.There is a membership fee of 57.00 but it does last for a year and you canavoid wasting a lot of time and money. There is also a similar site in the UScalled the Better Business Bureau.

There is another invaluable tool you can use in your research on the internet.

Clearly a great place for any research. It comes from the highly respectedinternet security provider, McAfee. They offer a smart unobtrusive tool called

SiteAdvisor.

Its a small icon that sits in the toolbar of your IE web browser.

A great benefit of this is that even when you do a Google search you can getinstant information regarding the site before you even enter it.

In the example above, it shows this particular site as having a misleadingoffer and likely to send you, on average 3.1 unwanted e-mails per week. Italso gives you the advice to use caution. Clicking on more info will giveyou full details of why this site has been given the use caution rating and

reviews from people who have visited the site. If you dont have this on yourpc already, I strongly recommend that you get it. Simply go tohttp://www.siteadvisor.com and download it FREE.


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Ok, thats the basics and a few good places to start. Now we need to answera few questions.

4 key Questions relevant to your research efforts.

Have you thoroughly researched the product or service you havesourced, produced or invented?

Is there a market or niche you can fill with the product or service andhow will your end user benefit from it?

Is the idea going to be profitable and have you done the numbers? Is this something you will love doing and put your heart and soul into?

There are way too many people who have taken months, maybe even yearsto produce a product or service only to find nobody wants it except maybe afew of their family and friends who will wax lyrical about how great it is.

If you have ever seen the television program DragonsDen Im sure you willbe familiar with what I am saying here. If youre not, let me give you a verybrief overview.

The entire program evolves around individuals and small companies lookingfor investment for their business ideas. They make a presentation to The

Dragons made up of 5 multi millionaires and try to convince them to backtheir business idea. For their investment, The Dragons require a percentageof the company shares.

I cringe sometimes when I see how unprepared some of these would-beentrepreneurs are when making their presentation. Its understandable thatsome might be a little nervous asking for upwards of 100,000.00 but somedont even have the basics in place. For that reason alone most walk awayempty handed.

You have to know if there is a hungry market for the product or service youare promoting and that can only be done with good research and sometesting.

You also have to know if it is viable and profitable. At least have an idea ofwhat the projected turnover is likely to be and more importantly for you whatthe bottom line profit will be.

Its vitally important that you get this part right. Use whatever means andtools you can to help you. With the advent of the Internet this is actually a loteasier now than it used to be. You can get more information than you willprobably ever need from this one source alone.

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8. Did You Know Most Business Advertising Does NotWork?

This point is important for both brand new businesses and established

businesses alike. Almost every business, large and small, will use advertisingin some form or other.

It really does amaze me the number of businesses who advertise purely forthe sake of advertising. If you were to randomly ask ten business owners whythey advertise, nine out of the ten will most likely say, because everyone elsedoes or something similar.

This may seem like a strange thing to do but it is a serious challenge that israrely addressed, especially by the smaller business owners. The realquestion that needs to be answered is; are you potentially tipping vastamounts of your hard earned profits down the drain because of ineffectiveadvertising campaigns?

The best kept secret in the world of advertising is that most businessadvertising does not work. However, dont expect anyone who sells ad spaceto tell you that. Because most businesses dont monitor how well or badly anyparticular advertising campaign is doing, very few are aware of this fact.

Just because you have advertising budget doesnt mean you have to spend itwithout knowing what return you are getting. There are a multitude of sins

committed when it comes to publicity but here are three key elements thatyou absolutely must get right every time if you are to avoid profit depletion.

Always Test and Measure.It is paramount that you test and measure any advertising. This applies to allforms of promotion, TV, radio, newspaper, magazine and any other mediumyou use. It would seem like an obvious thing to do but very few businessesactually do it. Always test small at first and measure the results.

A focused plan has to be in place so that you know, with absolute certaintythat the ad you are running is worthwhile and producing a return oninvestment. If it is not, stop it!

Again this would seem obvious and logical but it doesnt always happen.Some companies will run ads for weeks and months, spending thousands ofpounds or dollars with absolutely no idea if the ad is producing a profitableoutcome.

The Headline.Your headline is the most important part of any ad. If the headline does notcatch the readers attention, your ad will not get read, period. I see ads all


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the time, where the headline is the company name and logo. The truth isnobody cares about your company name or if youve been established for 125years. The headline must always appeal to your targeted audience and wherepossible include a benefit. Which headline is more likely to attract yourattention?

Jim Jarvis Brakes & Tyres - Established 1989Quality Always Assured.

Is your familyssafety on the road worth the time to get aFREE brake check?

The moral of the story is, take care with headlines. They can make or breakyour return on investment. Getting your headline right can increase yourresponse rate by as much as 50 100%.

Of course the body copy of the ad has to be up to scratch as well but theheadline will always be the catalyst.

Printed Ads. Rule #1 Never advertise on a left hand page.Now, some say that this little gem is all psychobabble and nonsense. But, askany of the worlds best marketers and most will agree on this point. Test it foryourself! Next time you see someone flicking through a newspaper ormagazine, watch their eye movement. It will almost always be orientated

towards the right hand page. It really can make a huge difference in creatinga successful campaign and has been proven time and time again.

Its not always easy but you have to be strong on this point. Somepublications might say they cant guarantee this. Just tell them that you mayadvertise with them when they can and more often than not they will oblige.

If you can get these 3 elements in place then your advertising campaigns willbe more successful than the majority of your competition. Obviously there areother ground rules that make up a successful campaign and a little more

research will go a long way. But having read this and honestly implementingthese points, you will already be streets ahead of the pack.

As Chris Cardell of Cardell Media says Marketing is 50% of your businesssuccess, get good at it. For more fabulous ideas on advertising andmarketing I suggest you visit the Cardell Media website. Chris is one of thebest in the business and you willgather priceless information that you canuse right now. http://www.cardellmedia.co.uk

In conclusion, before you do any advertising or rerun a current ad, think

about this. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and overand expecting different results Albert Einstein.

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9. Dont Fear Making Decisions or Mistakes.

In her book Rules For Renegades Christine Comaford-Lynch says So whatsstopping you? Well if youre like most of us, fear raises its ugly head just

when the fun starts. But heres the good news: your fears are only illusions.

She goes on to say So how can you banish them? Since fear is mostly aboutignorance, the best part is that its as temporary as you choose. I used tomake fear lists and tackle one a month, reviewing the lists at least twice ayear to see if Id successfully banished the demons. Now I just tackle myfears in real time, as they come up.

I can certainly relate to this and Im sure if youre honest with yourself, youcan too. Fear amongst other things played a big part in one of my ownfabulous failures!

About 8 years ago,I decided, after leaving a job as a car salesman for one ofthe big car manufacturers, to write a book on the best way for the averageperson to buy a car. I spent a good few months pouring out my experiencefrom a buyers point of view and putting it down on paper. Even while I waswriting it, fear kept rearing its ugly head.

What if nobody wants this? You cant write a book! What if I fail, people willlaugh at me! What will my friends and family think? These were just a few ofthe thoughts that kept coming up. I didnt realise it at the time, but these

were the very thoughts that would doom the whole project to failure. A kindof self sabotage operation I had mounted on myself that the SAS would havebeen proud of.

Anyway, I kept at it and with major encouragement from my wife, Joanne, Ieventually completed the book. So what now? Ineeded an outlet for the book to get it into thehands of the public. I decided to advertise it inone of the UKs main car buying and sellingguides. This seemed fine at first but then I got a

phone call. Sorry we cant run your advertbecause we feel it may upset the car dealers whoadvertise with us. Great I thought another 2weeks gone and not a single copy sold.

After some soul searching and more fear ridden thoughts, I finally took out anAd in a more general magazine for buying and selling. Not the best medium Iadmit and a big mistake. This was borne out when after several weeks ofadvertising and over 900 funnelling out of the bank account; still not a singlecopy had been sold. If only I knew then what I know now, is a well used

phrase that comes to mind.

Ever feel like you've crashed?


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Eventually, I stopped running the Ad and cut my losses. I felt like cutting mythroat too for being so stupid! You see, I got nearly all the basics wrong. Ididnt do the research properly to test the market. I had no idea how to writea good order pulling ad. I let the ad run for far too long without changing itand testing a new one. I probably sabotaged myself and the book from the

start with fear and worry about why it wouldnt work. I was overcome withindecision and procrastination.

You get the picture.

Then I had an idea. Why not sell the copyright to a marketing company? Afew weeks later I successfully negotiated a deal for the copyright. What arelief. I had made some money on the project.

Yes, I made a grand total of 500.00. So, with the ad cost at 900.00 and not

counting the time spent on the project, overall I made a loss of at least400.00.

Ok, I was lucky. It wasnt a huge amount of money. But the lessons learnedwere invaluable.

Whatever you do, dont let fear or making mistakes get in the way. If youlearn from them and move on it can only serve you.

Another one of my misguided adventures came to a close. But I never

stopped learning and moving ahead. Im still learning now. As one of mymentors Bob Proctor said You are either learning and growing or you aredying. Wouldnt you rather learn and grow?

Finding a good coach or mentor is probably one of the best things you cando. Learning from people who have been there and done it can help youavoid most of the potholes on your road to success. This is obviouslysomething I wish I had done earlier but better late than never!

MmmmIsnt hindsight a wonderful thing?

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DTI Recommended Top Ten Read It Now (In no particular order)

Instant Income Janet Switzer

The Success Principles Jack Canfield & Janet Switzer

The Pinnacle Principle Peter Thomson

The Power of Your SubconsciousMind

Joseph Murphy Ph D., D.D

The Science of Getting Rich Wallace D. Wattles

The Attractor Factor Dr Joe Vitale

Rules For Renegades Christine Comaford-Lynch

Create The Business BreakthroughYou Want

Mark Victor Hansen, Robert GAllen & Bob Proctor

Think and Grow Rich Napoleon Hill

I Can Make You Rich Paul McKenna

DTI sites: www.dti.eu.com www.perfected-products.com


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Resources.

Business Growth Coaching

Daniel Thomas International www.dti.eu.comPeter Thomson International www.peterthomson.comJohn Assaraf One Coach (US) www.onecoach.com

Marketing

Janet Switzer www.instantincomecoaching.comChris Cardell www.cardellmedia.comDr. Joe Vitale (Hypnotic Marketing) www.mrfire.comTed Nicholas (Copywriting) www.tednicholas.com

Personal Growth

Chris Payne (Effort Free Life System) www.lifetools.comBob Proctor www.bobproctor.comJack Canfield (Success Principles) www.jackcanfield.comMike Dooley www.tut.comJames Arthur Ray www.jamesray.comBill Harris www.centerpointe.comJohn Harricharan www.enterprisingspirit.comBob Doyle www.wealthbeyondreason.com

My heartfelt gratitude goes out to: Peter Thomson; Chris Payne; BobProctor; Jack Canfield; Janet Switzer; Bob Doyle; John Assaraf; BillHarris; Mike Dooley; Dr Joe Vitale; James Arthur Ray; Chris Cardell;

Ted Nicholas and John Harricharan.

Without these wonderful people you would not be reading this now!

Special thanks to Rhona McWalter, B Ed (Hons), for her proof reading skills.

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