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

Produced by

Tim Johnson
and
No Time Lost Enterprises

Volume 1, Issue 14
June 15, 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.

Who are three people who would like to read this EZine? Please pass this EZine along to them. If you have received it from a friend, formal subscribe and unsubscribe information is at the end of the message.

CONTENTS:

1.) Power Thought - Fear or Hope?

2.) Recommended Resource - Most Successful Person You Know

3.) Featured Website - Top Achievement

4.) Main Article - Do Your Friends and Family Support You?

5.) Subscribe/Unsubscribe Info

1.) Power Thought - Fear or Hope?

Do you go about your life fearing the outcome of your actions and the actions of others? Or do you do so expecting and hoping for the best possible results? I have observed so many friends and family members going about life afraid of the future. Afraid to make changes in awful situations because the changes, in their minds, could just possibly be worse than their current awful situation.

How would their lives change if they expected and hoped for results that are positive? So many people avoid risks and opportunities because they fear loss. The people who are the most successful in life do NOT focus on fear and loss. They focus on gains and possibilities.

Leaders and successful people rarely look back or give in to their fears and doubts. It does happen, but they generally don't let it control their lives.

So, what controls your life? Fear or Hope?

2.) Recommended Resource - Most Successful Person You Know

One of the best things you can do to help yourself become successful and to take advantage of opportunities is to find the most successful person or people you know and interview them. Success leaves clues. By interviewing those who are successful you can discover what things, thoughts and actions helped them become successful. And don't just interview those who are doing the same thing you are or want to do. These clues can apply to everyone and anything. Once you discover them, you can apply them to your own life.

3.) Featured Website - Top Achievement

This is one of the best Positive Mental Attitude websites available today. There is a wealth of material including articles, exercises and a message board. There is so much that can be helpful in your pursuit of your success and opportunities.

http://www.topachievement.com

4.) Main Article - Do Your Friends and Family Support You?

As an entrepreneur who has attempted to build several businesses over the years, I have encountered various forms and degrees of support from friends and family.

Some (not very many) have been very enthusiastic and supportive of my efforts. Most have been superficially supportive. By that I mean they say nice and polite things, but that is about it. They don't really ask about the details or if there's anything they can do to help. Or if what I offer may be of interest to them. They are being polite. They either don't really want to know or don't want to offend you by telling you how crazy they think you are.

Some aren't quite so good at being polite. They try but fail miserably. They can't really hide their disdain and true opinions that you will fail and waste your time. Finally, there are the ones that don't try and hide it. They will take every chance they get to tell you how dumb you are. Or they remind you of past failures and all the potential problems you will encounter. They want to rain on your party and keep you at their level.

Does any of this sound familiar? Do you have people around you that encourage you or discourage you?

One of the things that has always amazed and frustrated me is the tendency of those we know to try and keep us from expanding our horizons and creating new successes. Many will tell you that it is their way of keeping you from leaving them behind or confirming their fears that they can't do it.

And if they can't, they don't want anyone else to expose their own deficiencies.

Boy, that's really cockeyed, isn't it?

Imagine spending a good portion of one's life being afraid to see others create new successes. Successes that are out of the ordinary. Non-traditional. Different. These things make us uncomfortable. Some give in to the discomfort and begin to operate from fear. Then they try to spread it  around.

A lot of people will grin and bear it. They will take the abuse. And that is exactly what it amounts to. Essentially, they are saying that you are not good enough, don't know what you are doing, how stupid can you be? etc. etc.

How many have heard those things? Far too many of us I would bet.

It's a hard thing to do, but you absolutely must to one of two things. You either have to tell these people in your life to shut up! They have to support you openly, quietly or just never mention their small-minded opinions again. If they don't, you MUST remove them from your life. You have to minimize your contact with them at all costs. People that try to sabotage your efforts, intentionally or not, must not be allowed to have that influence over you. If you let them they will control the direction your life takes. Do you really want that? Can you afford to let people who have not achieved any kind of success have that kind of influence on you?

Negative influences in your environment will work to keep you from success. These influences are not additive either. They multiply. 10 and 10 do not add up to 20. They multiply into 100. Each time you remove or minimize negative factors, you greatly reduce the stresses on you.

Thanks,

Tim Johnson
timj@notimelost.com