Money And The Actualisation of Your Dream

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Good morning welcome to another week at NeverTheless, your get better page.  As you know on this page we are all about dreaming and getting it done.   So how has it been living your dream and what challenge have you had to deal with lately?

Last week I was in a Coaching session with someone, who wants to start her dream business so she can transition over time from paid employment to becoming her own boss.  As we sat together to figure out what might be the first step to take, she mentioned to dreaded word, MONEY! Knowing from experience that once we begin to think about money, the tendency is to freeze and thereby not move to pursue the dream, I told her that we were going to continue our coaching sessions, but we will not be dealing with the subject of money in a very long time.

Now someone may think that maybe like an ostrich I am asking her to bury her head in the sand and not think through the financial implications of living her dream, but I can assure you that is not the case. I was just saying that at the stage we were in, if she started to think about how to raise the finances to fund her dream, she may be tempted to give up before she had even begun.

I am sure you are now wondering what you should be doing at the initial stage if you are not meant to think about money.  Well for a start, what are the things that you can do that do not require money?  Thinking through your vision, writing it down, defining your target audience and the vehicle for your dream all don’t require money.

Sometimes, even picking a board, if your dream must be lived at that stage from the beginning, does not require money!  Now that you have done this, what else can you do?  What about settling with yourself what you are willing to sacrifice?  What will you give up for a while to begin to build a nest of funds that will serve as your seed capital to take off?

What services can you barter on?  For example, if you require the services of a lawyer to draft some legal documents and agreement for you, who is a lawyer within your circle of influence and what services can you offer him/her in return for his own services?

Remember that no one owes your dream anything, by way of ensuring that you succeed; that is entirely up to you.  The first funding that you will most likely find for your business, will be first from you, and then from those who are in your immediate circle of influence. When I started, my husband helped out, my family did what they could, and I had a few friends who were willing to loan me some funds.

For my friends I made sure that I didn’t ask for sums of money indefinitely, instead I set a time frame for repayment and I did my best to stick to it. The truth is that if you are a first timer, no established organization will be willing to take the chance with you; that happens only after you have a track record of success.  It is therefore, (my personal opinion) a waste of time chasing after the banks, do a little more of self and creative financing.

Another step you may want to consider is to start very small.  I have heard people say that their dream isn’t the kind that you start small, and I beg to differ. You can start every dream small, and commit to growing it to whatever size you want. 

Remember, that a dream isn’t worth the sleep except you are wide awake when dreaming it.  Put action to your dreams, be willing to make your own sacrifice (put your money where your mouth is) and with time, you will begin to gain the recognition that brings about funding.

Till next week, remember that one step at a time, no matter how small those steps are, if you stick to the plan, you will make it NeverTheLess, you will.

See you next week.

Hugs

Sistar B

 

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Define Your Target

 

Hello People, a happy Easter in arrears!  So sorry this post is late, along with the Easter wishes; I had a weekend where my body just gave up on me!  Apparently I had been running this vehicle without the appropriate maintenance and it just refused to get up one more time at the weekend.

Anyhow, to today’s post.  I wanted to share an experience with you all and hopefully, we will all find something useful within it.  I remember when we started Effectual Magazine, we wanted to become the magazine for every woman.  We were looking for a product that will win with every body that picks it up and so we did our best in marketing to every single person that we came across.

While the courage to walk up to just about anyone and tell them that their lives depended on our product was a great feat, we also found out with time that we were dissipating energy in every direction and therefore we were not making much of a head way.  I found that we spent more time convincing people to take the magazine, but more disheartening was the fact that when we returned for feedback, we found out that these people, after we had badgered them, usually took the magazines but never got round to reading them.  This for me was unacceptable!

The reason this was unacceptable was simple; as much as we wanted to be able to sell the magazines, we wanted more for our buyers to read them.  This got me thinking, and what I found out was that except the product is air, it is not meant for everyone!  Which meant that we had to go back to the drawing board to ascertain which women were our target audiences?  We quickly realized that the woman, who will make it a point to purchase Effectual and actually read it to add value to her life, isn’t necessarily the church attending woman; it goes beyond that.  Our product is fashioned for the highly intelligent, spiritual, not religious and upwardly mobile woman. This woman had to have both brain power, focus and a craving for the best life, to be able to read us.

smart-retailer.com

Once we defined our target, our work became easier! Rather than just pursue everyone we came across, we saved our breath and time for the woman who I have just defined above!

Should you be starting a dream right now, it is therefore imperative that you define not just your dream but also your target audience before you even begin.  This will save you time and energy!  For those who have been working and running with their dreams but still find it not as effective as they will like, maybe you also need time to define who you are called to!

The Easter weekend had me thinking, and I am pretty sure it is the fact that Jesus was very clear on who he was called to, that has made his brand the strongest and longest standing one in all history.  It was simple “I am called to the lost …” He says.  Any wonder His brand is still waxing strong?

Remember, it is not about the dream; it is about what you do after you dream.  You will make it NeverTheLess.

Hugs

Sistar B

A triple Filter Test

 

" All men dream but not equally.  Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it possible" T.E. Lawrence

Welcome! How time flies!  We are in April already!  There is a lot to be grateful for if not anything for the life that we have.  I came across this story on line and thought it will be useful if we also filter test our dreams.

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to be held in high esteem because of his knowledge. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, 'Do you know what I just heard about your friend?'

'Hold on a minute,' Socrates replied. 'Before telling me anything I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test.

'Triple filter?'

'That's right,' Socrates continued.

'Before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is Truth.
Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?'

'No,' the man said, 'actually I just heard about it and...'

'All right,' said Socrates.

'So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something good?'

'No, on the contrary...'

'So,' Socrates continued, 'you want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not certain it's true. You may still pass the test though, because there's one filter left: the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend going to be useful to me?'

'No, not really.'

'Well', concluded Socrates, 'if what you want to tell me is neither true nor good nor even useful, why tell it to me at all?'

This is why Socrates was a great philosopher & held in such high esteem.

Let us see how we can apply the triple filter test to living our dreams. 

1.  IS THIS DREAM AUTHENTICALLY ME? 
In applying this filter, we are saying to ourselves, what is my reason for picking this particular expression of the dream in my heart?  Can it be because I possess the gifting, talent and passion to keep at it? Or is it because it is what seems to be lucrative right now in society?  This question is expedient because, any dream that is not lived from the inside out cannot stand the test of time.

2.  WHY THIS DREAM? 
Every dreamer must be able to say why they pick a specific dream, is it going to in any way affect anyone negatively, remotely or directly?  Our dreams are meant to be about enhancing, and if we cannot point out the potential good within any dream, it might be wise to reconsider running with it.  Socrates asked his self appointed informant, 'will it portray the other party in a good light?’  We need to think through how our actions will affect others especially those closest to us.  As a married individual, how does your dream affect your partner for instance?  How does it affect your children?  If you found the cure for ailment A, does it potentially trigger off ailments B, C and D as side effects?  This is also the balance filter.

3.  WHAT VALUE DOES MY DREAM HOLD FOR SOCIETY?
Every dream God puts in our heart is meant to benefit mankind, this is why we say for the glory of God and the service of mankind.  So every dreamer needs to be sure that his or her dream has this value question answered.  Why spend time, energy and resources on something that has no value?  Even if it is a semblance of what already exists, it is important that it carries value far and beyond what already exists.

Remember that a dream is only alive if you are awake.  As you take another step towards achieving your dream, don't forget that no matter how dark it becomes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  You will make it NeverTheLess, you will.

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Hugs

Sistar B

MENTEES DRIVE THE PROCESS

mentorset.org.uk

Hello and welcome to another great week, another opportunity to move our dreams closer to the mark.  We are still on the series of Mentoring and today I want to take time out to answer some of the questions that have come back from the last two posts.  All these questions are from Mentees or prospective Mentees.

1. I am in a mentoring program run by an organisation, how do I set a framework seeing one already exists?  First of all recognise that even though the organization running the Mentoring programme is committed to ensuring that you get the best out of it, it is your responsibility to drive the process.  They would have done their best to pair both the Mentor and the Mentee and have given guidelines on how to proceed.  The reason why this is important is because of the peculiarity of your personalities and difference in the schedules of all involved.  It is impossible for the organization to be able to envisage how your mentoring relationship will work out.  So my answer is even within their framework, once you get to know your Mentor, there is need for you to set up a framework that is peculiar to you both. 
2. My Mentor did not ask for a framework, what do I do?  Again, because you are the Mentee and the one who needs to get something out of the relationship, you drive the process. What this means is even when your Mentor is fluid and did not insist on a framework, you need to set up one.  Your needs will determine the framework you should put together and though you cannot impose said frame work, you can do a list of your expectations based on what you want to achieve.  Also, you need to ask about the frequency of meeting times, and preferred meeting places.  Let your needs determine the framework.
3. Can I have more than one Mentor?  Definitely, you can have more than one Mentor.  Those who have only one Mentor, have what is called a Primary Mentor.  And usually this one person tends to give them guidance and counsel in practically every facet of their lives.  The more rampart kind of mentoring however, is when people pick Mentors for their different needs.  These specified mentors are known as Secondary Mentors.  They are in your life to help you achieve a particular thing and do not cross beyond the limits of that particular objective.  No matter how many Mentors you end up having please ensure that you are clear on what each of them is offering and how you will relate to them within the confines of their respective frameworks.
4. What if I don’t have any skills, what do I give back?  First and foremost, everyone has something to offer.  It is because you have something that you even qualify for a Mentor.  The issue is not the size of what you give back but the recognition that you should and therefore try to give back.  If for instance you are an Accountant by training, and your Mentor runs a business, you can suggest that you come in once in a while to ensure that the books are in order.  If you love children and your Mentor has young children, you can also volunteer to babysit once in a while to free her to do other things she may need to do.  This doesn’t make you less the person you are, it just shows you appreciate your Mentor’s efforts and contributions to your success.  When you get to know your Mentor it will become easy to discern what you can give back to the relationship.
5. Is my Mentor my friend, Boss or Supervisor?  No!  Your Mentor is not any of the above things to you.  He is not your Boss simply because you are not in a relationship so he can yell at you and issue commands for you to follow.  What you have is a mutually beneficial relationship and so he should treat you as such.  He is not your Supervisor either; he cannot be there every minute breathing down your neck to see what you are doing.  His job is to make suggestions and give counsel.  You even have a choice to follow them or not.  What I will ask is that you are responsible enough to explain to them why you may not be able to follow through on their suggestions at the time.  Your Mentor is not your friend; even though some of those relationships evolve into the friendship status.  However, please always remember to be respectful even when you become friends.
6. What if my Mentor doesn’t let me make any contributions?  Yes, it is possible to have a Mentor who has a dominant personality and therefore, may not give you the chance of day.  But that is why you are an individual, there is a need for you to ensure that your voice is heard; be respectful about it, but make your contributions nevertheless.  What you require in a situation like this is to ensure that the contributions you make when the relationship takes off are valuable enough for your Mentor to look forward to.

Remember, dreaming is not enough, there is a need for action. A dream is not one until it is alive.  Today, I encourage you to live wide awake!  One step today and you are closer to the mark than you were yesterday.  You will make it NeverTheless, I promise you will.

Hugs

Sistar B

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