Note from Glen: Sorry for the lack of posting this week. I am now finally settled into my life in Amsterdam and absolutely loving it here. The people are so friendly, the nightlife is awesome and travelling itself is just an exciting experience. The only downside about this place is the price – I honestly don’t think I could save money on a $3,000 per month budget. But hey, I’m here to enjoy it, and I thank you all for joining me on the journey!
Some of you will know that I take part in a weekly mastermind group. We don’t actually think of it as a mastermind group (we call it a Fantastic Four) but it is still an excellent resource to communicate with like-minded people. Our ‘Fantastic Four’ consists of four people who are venturing into their own businesses, and we give each other advice from our own experiences in both life and wealth.
My own mastermind group involves a writer, a life coach, and a musician. Not necessarily people who are directly relevant to my own business insights, but people with a lot of knowledge to share and whom I have met in person. Each week, we will take it in turns to have our own projects and business ideas discussed.
The person who is going to have their business discussed makes it easier for both themselves and the group by filling in a little sheet before we start. This sheet tells us things like:
- What weaknesses this person has
- What strengths they think they have
- What opportunities are available to them business-wise
- What is a threat to their success
- And any other specific questions they might have
This sheet tells us a lot about each person and gives us insights into their current situation. It’s also beneficial for the person who is filling out the sheet to see an overview of their drawbacks, benefits, and what opportunities they have to grow.
Taking Your Own Advice
Around two weeks ago it was my turn to have my business discussed. At the time, I had quite a few ‘issues’ that were bothering me. The first was that I was completely overloaded with work and only had a couple of days to get a lot of things done before leaving the UK.
The second was that I had a lot of work to do whilst on my travels and I thought this would ruin my own journey around the world. Finally, I needed to improve my time management as, despite having a lot of work to do, I wasn’t getting much done each day (although I felt very productive).
The feedback from the group was amazing. (Although I’ve shared links to these guys, you can’t steal them). I completely changed my belief about the work I had to do while travelling at the same time. I received some great time management tips and I also took down pages of notes from the call.
Something that surprised me, however, was how much of the advice I received is something that I have said myself. Now, don’t think I’m disrespecting the advice I received, but it was very similar to what I have blogged about before or I would have said to someone in the same situation.
I realised then that it’s very easy to get wrapped up in looking for answers on other blogs, Twitter, Google, Yahoo Answers or in even less-geeky sources such as you family or friends. If you have the capability of getting great advice from others, take it.
What I’m saying is that first of all: don’t forget to look within. Assume that whatever problem you have now is a friend coming to you with advice for that same issue. What would you tell them? What should be their next step? How can they get over it?
I’m finding that time and time again that if I just start taking my own advice and putting it into action, things begin to happen. Things work themselves out. I get the results that I want.
I’m not saying you should go and ignore all of the other sources (such as blogs like this) out there but make yourself your first port of call. Don’t disregard the millions of things you have learned throughout your many years on earth.
P.S. Here are 1, 2, 3 and 4 pics from Amsterdam so far, if you’re interested.
