Archive for the ‘A Fresh Start’ Category

Thanks for revisiting my Blog. Please feel free to comment. In fact, I insist you take the time to leave me a positive comment, or even a constructive comment. -- Your Friend Dave Perry

I received this email from a friend of mine this morning. I would like to share my response to them with you.

“Hi:

When [leaders name] was interviewed on the charge call this morning, he said that he was told that successful entrepreneurs spend more time working on themselves than on their business. What do you think?

Also what are some of the ways that you work on yourself in order to grow your business? I’ve been reading several business books. I’ve also started rereading “The Science of Getting Rich” and I’m working on the personal growth program. I’ve read several books by Robert Kiyosaki and some of Donald Trump’s books as well.

What other ways would you recommend?

Thanks for your help.”

Hello Name,

I agree completely. I don’t know if you read my story, but I burned myself out not paying attention to this principle.

I would also add, you should focus on being balanced -Body, Soul and Spirit. I spend an hour each day on physical fitness, and hour on reading scripture and at least and hour on personal development. This morning I ran 7 km (body). I listened to Mike Dillard’s Black Belt Recruiting while on the run (soul/mind), I read the book of Esther after my run (spirit), the remainder of the morning was spent distributing food to the needy (spirit). NOW I am sitting down to do my business. I try to incorporate all of these components into my day – each and every day.

I am do not always achieve balance each and every day, but if I have a choice, and ultimately, we all have the freedom of choice, I exercise each of these disciplines every day. I believe practicing balance is what ultimately brings success into our lives.

Stephen Covey, in his book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” calls the final habit, habit 7 “Sharpening the Saw”. Habit 7 is “the habit that makes all the others possible”. Stephen tells the following parable that pretty much sums up the principle.

Suppose you were to come upon someone in the woods working feverishly to saw down a tree.

“What are you doing?” you ask.

“Can’t you see?” comes the impatient reply. “I’m sawing down this tree.”

“You look exhausted!” you exclaim. “How long have you been at it?”

“Over five hours,” he returns, “and I’m beat! This is hard work.”

“Well, why don’t you take a break for a few minutes and sharpen the saw?” you inquire. “I’m sure it would go a lot faster.”

“I don’t have time to sharpen the saw,” the man says emphatically. “I’m too busy sawing!”

A word to the wise!!!

-Dave

As I am writing this I am looking out my hotel window at beautiful Lake Tahoe in Nevada.

This week I am at the Wealth Masters M2 conference in Lake Tahoe. If you have been following my email, you will know that Wealth Master’s International is the product we sell though Carbon Copy Pro.

Here is a picture of Lake Tahoe from my hotel window. I apologize for the darkness of the photograph but I took this early in the morning. We have been at seminars all day. In spite of the beautiful surrounding we are in, I have had no desire to go exploring outside of the hotel, since the speakers WMI have presented to us have a been excellent.

I will profit from this event in many ways.

We are only half way through the conference and we already have had 3 investment opportunities presented to us that are targeted to take advantage of the recession we are in. But that is not all, we have also had presentations on health and wellness and personal development.

Wealth Masters approach to wealth is a holistic one… body, soul and spirit.

The main topic of discussion as you can imagine is the recession. Everyone is frightened and confused. I was not aware that the last great transfer of wealth happened during the great depression of the 1930’s. We remember this time because of the hardships our parents, grandparents and great grandparents suffered, however, many of today’s millionaires were made during this time.

We are now in a perfect storm that will produce the next depression. We have a choice, we let this recession/depression wash over us and we cower in fear while we lose all that we have worked hard for OR we get ready for change, learn all we can and adapt.

The information presented this week has prepared me for this change. Wealth Masters International has the right training for this time in history.

I hope I sound excited about WMI because I am. You may be reading this and say Dave has really got caught up in the hype. NO, Dave is excited because he has learned some valuable investment strategies that will make him money over the next months and years…Even if we do go into a depression.

If I had known this information even two years ago it would have saved me over $60,000 in losses I have experienced at the hands of the investment industry “experts”.

But life is not only about money. It is about family and friends.

We heard from a nutritionist about whole foods and proper nutrition. Deana Latson shared how she got her father off 12 prescription medications through proper nutrition. I was able to speak to her after the meeting about helping a member of my family. If this information can help me get my wife off the 7 medications she is on… it would be worth the $7000 I paid for this conference. If this information can keep my kids from not following in their parents nutritional footsteps… It is worth more than the $7000 I paid for the conference.

This event has also been about meeting my online business associates. I have spent time with my sponsor Ann McLaren, the top female producer in this company. I have met Mike Dillard of Magnetic Sponsoring fame. It was Mike’s books that finally turned on the lights for me and allowed me to see the possibilities for a burned out former executive.

I have also met numerous other people who are just like me and just like you. I am looking forward to building strong friendships with these likeminded people.

My friends, if you want a life changing experience you must come to the next WMI M2 conference with me. What is holding you back? I am so glad that on October 5, 2008 I took the risk and joined this company. It is paying back in so many more ways than money.

You only have one life to live. You can spend it stuck in the same old rut, or you can take a calculated risk and live life to the fullest.

What will it take to get you off the fence? What are you afraid of?

(By the way, that is not a rhetorical question; if you want to email me or call me I would like to hear your answer. What I would really like to do is help you get over the fear.)

Oh, by the way here is a picture looking the other way from my room.

After my experience here, this has become more than a business for me; it is now about transforming people. It is about turning former burned out executives like me into successful, happy and free entrepreneurs… like me.

-DP

I just finished shovelling 10 inches of snow from the laneway. We had a huge dump of snow last night. We are in the third day of winter and I am tired of winter already. We have had 4 snow storms in the last 10 days. In a normal winter in this part of Ontario, we would get only 4 or 5 major snow storms in an entire winter. I thought those of you in warm climates, would appreciate this picture of 5 foot snow banks. Today marks a mile stone for me personally. It was one year ago today that I quit my job and became a work at home entrepreneur.  I can honestly say that I have not missed the corporate world. I have been completely enjoying internet marketing with the Carbon Copy Pro system. Life is now fulfilling, balanced and exciting. I would like to wish all of you all the best of the holidays and a happy and prosperous new year.

David Perry

The Balancequester

PS.

Become my friend on FaceBook

http://www.facebook.com/people/David-Perry/1496895328

January 1, 2008

- this is a date that I will remember forever. This is the day I became a free man. This is the date I quit my job and went to work for myself.

I will remember the feeling when I drove out of the parking lot of my place of employment on December 24 for the Christmas break. I knew I would never darken the door of that place again. I didn’t even look back. I was surprised to find that I felt no fear of the future. Only great anticipation for what the future would bring.

I had been in the electronics manufacturing industry for over 28 years. The most recent position was the VP of Operations at a midsized plant in Toronto Ontario earning a respectable 6 figure income.

At first the job was very stimulating. But over time, the problems increased, the stress grew. In addition to the many stresses involved with running a manufacturing plant we had many outside factors such as huge completion from China and the rapidly changing value of the Canadian dollar. As a result, I was spending 60 to 70 hours a day, 7 days a week at the plant. I had a one and a half hour drive back and forth to my home.

I became burned out and the stress was affecting all aspects of my life. I became physically sick, I was over weight, my joints ached and I had frequent head aches. I got to the point that even if I had a day off, I would spend it in bed. I stopped seeing my friends. I stopped going to public events.

I stopped living!!

These things have a way of creeping up on you slowly. Before I knew it I had been in the operations position 6 years. My dream job had become a life sucking experience. My only goal each day was to make it through the day, get 4 or 5 hours sleep, pull myself together enough to do it again tomorrow.

Looking back I realize that I am very fortunate that the stress didn’t do any serious damage to my health or I didn’t fall into substance abuse or worse. I am also very fortunate to have a very loving and understanding wife and family.

Now that I look back, I realize that my transition from employee to the master of my own destiny, started about two years prior to my last day.

Two years before I quit, I started a personal fitness program. I decided to lose weight and take charge of my own fitness. I became obsessed with running. I had never run in my life, but I started. My first few months could not be described as running - mostly walking … and worrying. I became so hooked to running I ran outside until the snow flew in late November. I would do this at 5:00am … in the dark before I set out to work.

This passion for fitness planted the seed that grew into a vision of taking charge of my entire life.

Viktor E Frankl, in his book “Man’s Search for Meaning”, describes the horrific treatment he and his fellow prisoners received at the hands of the Nazis in the death camps during the second world war. He chronicles the declining mental state of the prisoners as they were dehumanized and put through unimaginable torment.

The difference between the death camps and your job are huge, but the psychology of the human mind when it is under stress is the same. Frankl observed,

“The prisoner who had lost faith in the future - his future-was doomed. With his loss of belief in the future, he also lost his spiritual hold; he let himself decline and became subject to mental and physical decay.”

We must dream. We must formulate a plan. We must see a future for ourselves. Stephen Covey in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” calls it “seeing the end from the beginning”.

As we start to dream, we start to plan. As we plan, we start to take action. As we start to take action we start feel in control again - we start to live again.

Now the first objection I hear is “But I don’t have a choice. I have bills to pay and responsibilities to my job …”

Think about it. If a prisoner in a Nazis death camp can retain his hold on his faith in the future. We, every single one of us, have the ability to choose the life we will lead.

The first step on our journey to freedom is to dream again.

What is your dream?

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