Opportunity Knocks. Will You Answer?
Presenting the Opportunity Knocks EZine

Produced by

Tim Johnson
and
No Time Lost Enterprises

Volume 1, Issue 8
April 16, 2001

Welcome to the OK-EZine! Presented here are ideas, concepts, strategies and tactics for those ready to embrace the New, the Daring and the Possibilities.

Feedback is always welcome. Please send all comments to timj@notimelost.com. Positive and Negative are welcome.

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CONTENTS:

1.) Power Thought - How Important is Integrity?

2.) Recommended Resource - Mentors

3.) Featured Website - Science of Getting Rich

4.) Main Article - Don't Gum Up the Works

5.) Subscribe/Unsubscribe Info

1.) Power Thought - How Important is Integrity?

How important is it that you, personally, say what you mean and mean what you say? Have you really thought about that before?

Let's look at it from the other side. How much time or trust would you give a person that sometimes told you things they didn't mean or didn't do things they said they would? There's not really a high level of trust, is there?

Guess what? That works both ways. It only takes a very few times (often 1) to lose trust and faith in your word. If you want trust and the esteem of others, you MUST have integrity. It is a foundation of having good relationships and being a leader. You can't lead if people won't follow. That includes business associates family and friends.

So, how important is YOUR integrity?

2.) Recommended Resource - Mentors

This is something many people overlook. One of the absolute best, bar none, works like crazy methods to reach success. If you want to be successful, do what successful people have done.

Duh!

But none of my current friends are successful! What should I do?

Once you know what you want, figure out who has done or is doing what you want. Send them emails, letters, phone calls. Ask to talk. Ask to meet with them. You would be amazed at how many successful people are willing to sit down and help you. I count as my mentor a person who has had phenomenal success in the business I am working in. He lives in my town, and I sent him an email, asking him to meet. We did and it changed my life. Truly. I have learned more than I thought possible in the last year.

If you don't have a local person to do this, go where the successful people are. Go to Chamber of Commerce meetings, business seminars, etc. You will meet people that have built success in their lives. It doesn't matter if it's in your area. Success Principles are applicable to anything. Learn the mindset and the attitudes. Learn the habits and the methods they used.

And don't forget to thank them. Profusely if needed.

3.) Featured Website - Science of Getting Rich

This site is named after a little gem of a book written almost 90 years ago. It even predates Think and Grow Rich by almost 25 years. SOGR was written by Wallace D. Wattles, and it's purpose is to teach you that there are no limits to what you can do. In a way it is reminiscent of Think and Grow Rich in that it's point is that you can have the riches you desire if you have the thought first. God gives us the ability to have whatever we can desire. We just have to figure out how to access that ability at times.

The site has a good bit of material and a really nice EZine called The Certain Way. You can download the book from the site and order an audio copy. Do both.

http://www.scienceofgettingrich.net

4.) Main Article - Don't Gum Up the Works

Last week, we went over the basics of creating a vision. I was going to go over the next step of setting some real goals, but I realized that the vision exercises probably need more time to finish and some clarification.

When I did my first draft of my vision, it was 5 typed pages single-spaced. The day was absolutely crammed with things I thought I wanted to do. I still do, just not in the typical day a vision describes. :) I realized I had "gummed up the works" as it were. It was partially because my life and my view of the future were still too cluttered. They needed to be simplified.

Have you ever had the feeling you are overwhelmed? Too much to do? Not enough time? We all get that. It's not fun either, is it? In the last few years I realized the huge difference it can make in your life when you simplify your life and activities.

I used to have a LOT of goals. They were things that I wanted to do, burned to do and thought would be fun to do. I lacked focus and tried to do too much. My life, or rather my attempt at my life, was way too complex.

I finally learned to put into perspective my life and priorities. When I did that, I finally let go of the goals I had been carrying on my goal list for years.

When I did, my list was about a third smaller. It was easier to prioritize and execute.

Then we started simplifying our home life. Got rid of a lot of stuff we had been carting around from home to home. Stopped playing with so many hobbies. Stopped playing so many computer games and surfing aimlessly on the web.

When I did all these things, stuff happened. I knew where I was going and why. I knew how I was going to get there. Or I soon figured it out. There were less distractions in my life, and I became so much more confident than I had ever been before.

All because I had simplified my life.

Recap.

1. Do the vision exercises from previous EZines.

2. Do a new set of goals that fit your vision. You will see a goal-setting EZine next week. In the meantime, do the basics. Make them specific in description and set a specific date. Make sure they fit the vision you have created or at least support it.

3. Get rid of the clutter in your house.

4. Get rid of the clutter in your life. Stop doing things that don't further your new goals & vision. This IS going to take time. It's not something you will be able to do in a weekend. But you'll never do it if you don't start now. Do part of it each week. Do part each weekend. Do whatever it tales.

Successful people know that success comes from focus.

Focus is possible when you eliminate the distractions.

Eliminating the distractions comes from having vision and concrete goals. When you have these, you don't need and don't want anything in your life that doesn't get you closer to your goals.

Ungum the works.

Thanks and God Bless.

Tim Johnson
timj@notimelost.com