Showing posts with label Personal Development. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal Development. Show all posts
Friday, August 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
About 3 weeks ago I wrote in "The Great 401K experiment and 16 Ways to Create Wealth, that gaining new skills was essential. Today, The Simple Dollar posted this article about gaining transferrable skills.
Enjoy!
The Power of Transferrable Skills - And Six Areas to Work On
Posted: 19 May 2009 01:00 PM PDT
When I was in college, the vast majority of my classes were effectively training for a career in research and scientific data management. Seven years after graduation, though, I find myself drawing instead on the transferrable skills I picked up in other classes: public speaking, writing, leadership, information management, and so on. To put it simply, transferrable skills are those things that you can utilize no matter what specific career path you find yourself on.
Transferrable skills are often left by the wayside in competitive college majors. In order for a computer science major to get a leg up in the post-graduation workplace, for example, it’s often preferable to jam in another programming or algorithms class than it is to insert another public speaking class. Even if the program does require classes on transferrable skills, those classes are often looked down upon as “blow off” classes - ones that have to be finished in order to get down to the real classes within the major.
I believe this is a mistake. As change in this world accelerates, people are spending less and less of their life strapped to one particular career. They have the freedom to choose other avenues - starting a new career, starting their own businesses, and so on. In that environment, transferrable skills become more and more valuable. In fact, a well-polished transferrable skill makes for brilliant resume fodder no matter what your job - communication skills and leadership experience are a plus for almost any post-college job you might apply for.
Obviously, course loads often aren’t very flexible in a college environment, so my recommendation would be for college students to seek out other sources for picking up and mastering transferrable skills - extracurricular activities, internships, and other sources. Beyond college, transferrable skills are useful for everyone to work on at any stage in one’s career
Here are six significant areas of transferrable skill well worth working on, both to improve yourself and to prepare for your future.
Leadership Can you actually lead a team? Can you herd a group of people towards a greater purpose? Are you self-motivated enough to do this? Can you set goals and actually achieve them? Can you plan large projects and push them forward?
How can I get it? Join a community or student organization and take charge of a large project. Later, run for a leadership position within that group. The best way to learn leadership skills is to learn them in the laboratory of life, and organizations provide the perfect opportunity.
Administrative skills Are you able to prioritize the tasks in front of you? Can you analyze information and then describe it in layman’s terms for others to understand? Can you interpret rules and use them effectively?
How can I get it? Get involved in the planning of as many large projects as you can. Project planning teaches you many of the administrative skills you’ll need in life. If there is a large project, volunteer to help with the planning - if there’s already a planner in place, learn everything you can from that planner.
Information management Can you actually research a topic? Can you take a pile of research and use it to answer worthwhile questions? Can you communicate those facts to others? Can you manage a budget and handle financial records? Can you use a wide variety of computer programs?
How can I get it? If there are opportunities to present anywhere around you, take them, even if you aren’t familiar with the topic. Of particular use are topic areas where you’ll have to do some research in order to get the presentation right. Another great avenue is to volunteer to be the secretary or (particularly) the treasurer for a group. Such activities will require you to carefully manage a large amount of information on behalf of a large group.
Creativity Can you come up with interesting ideas of all kinds? Are you good at coming up with marketing ideas? Are you good at formulating the next step in a process? Are you good at creating visually appealing layouts?
How can I get it? Create some websites for groups - and learn how to do it along the way. Whenever there’s an opportunity for brainstorming, get involved and throw out ideas. Creativity is something that is best learned by practice - so practice it.
Interpersonal communications Are you willing to speak in public? Can you communicate your ideas well in writing? Can you lead a conversation? When you communicate with others, do they understand your ideas?
How can I get it? Participate in conversations and meetings instead of just sitting there. Volunteer for any and all public speaking opportunities that come your way. Volunteer for difficult and arduous tasks of documentation - that’s the best way possible to practice writing to communicate information.
Personal development Can you use the experiences in your life as a source for growth and personal change? Do you have a personal moral code that you actually follow? Can you effectively and honestly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of others (both people and things)? Can you deal with stress?
How can I get it? Don’t shy away from challenges - step up to big projects. Keep a journal and use it to explore what you really think about things, particularly the people around you.
Every moment you spend learning the above skills is a valuable moment. You’ll find yourself returning to these skills time and time again throughout your life - and they’ll provide a surprisingly strong backbone for your career and personal success.
Enjoy!
The Power of Transferrable Skills - And Six Areas to Work On
Posted: 19 May 2009 01:00 PM PDT
When I was in college, the vast majority of my classes were effectively training for a career in research and scientific data management. Seven years after graduation, though, I find myself drawing instead on the transferrable skills I picked up in other classes: public speaking, writing, leadership, information management, and so on. To put it simply, transferrable skills are those things that you can utilize no matter what specific career path you find yourself on.
Transferrable skills are often left by the wayside in competitive college majors. In order for a computer science major to get a leg up in the post-graduation workplace, for example, it’s often preferable to jam in another programming or algorithms class than it is to insert another public speaking class. Even if the program does require classes on transferrable skills, those classes are often looked down upon as “blow off” classes - ones that have to be finished in order to get down to the real classes within the major.
I believe this is a mistake. As change in this world accelerates, people are spending less and less of their life strapped to one particular career. They have the freedom to choose other avenues - starting a new career, starting their own businesses, and so on. In that environment, transferrable skills become more and more valuable. In fact, a well-polished transferrable skill makes for brilliant resume fodder no matter what your job - communication skills and leadership experience are a plus for almost any post-college job you might apply for.
Obviously, course loads often aren’t very flexible in a college environment, so my recommendation would be for college students to seek out other sources for picking up and mastering transferrable skills - extracurricular activities, internships, and other sources. Beyond college, transferrable skills are useful for everyone to work on at any stage in one’s career
Here are six significant areas of transferrable skill well worth working on, both to improve yourself and to prepare for your future.
Leadership Can you actually lead a team? Can you herd a group of people towards a greater purpose? Are you self-motivated enough to do this? Can you set goals and actually achieve them? Can you plan large projects and push them forward?
How can I get it? Join a community or student organization and take charge of a large project. Later, run for a leadership position within that group. The best way to learn leadership skills is to learn them in the laboratory of life, and organizations provide the perfect opportunity.
Administrative skills Are you able to prioritize the tasks in front of you? Can you analyze information and then describe it in layman’s terms for others to understand? Can you interpret rules and use them effectively?
How can I get it? Get involved in the planning of as many large projects as you can. Project planning teaches you many of the administrative skills you’ll need in life. If there is a large project, volunteer to help with the planning - if there’s already a planner in place, learn everything you can from that planner.
Information management Can you actually research a topic? Can you take a pile of research and use it to answer worthwhile questions? Can you communicate those facts to others? Can you manage a budget and handle financial records? Can you use a wide variety of computer programs?
How can I get it? If there are opportunities to present anywhere around you, take them, even if you aren’t familiar with the topic. Of particular use are topic areas where you’ll have to do some research in order to get the presentation right. Another great avenue is to volunteer to be the secretary or (particularly) the treasurer for a group. Such activities will require you to carefully manage a large amount of information on behalf of a large group.
Creativity Can you come up with interesting ideas of all kinds? Are you good at coming up with marketing ideas? Are you good at formulating the next step in a process? Are you good at creating visually appealing layouts?
How can I get it? Create some websites for groups - and learn how to do it along the way. Whenever there’s an opportunity for brainstorming, get involved and throw out ideas. Creativity is something that is best learned by practice - so practice it.
Interpersonal communications Are you willing to speak in public? Can you communicate your ideas well in writing? Can you lead a conversation? When you communicate with others, do they understand your ideas?
How can I get it? Participate in conversations and meetings instead of just sitting there. Volunteer for any and all public speaking opportunities that come your way. Volunteer for difficult and arduous tasks of documentation - that’s the best way possible to practice writing to communicate information.
Personal development Can you use the experiences in your life as a source for growth and personal change? Do you have a personal moral code that you actually follow? Can you effectively and honestly evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of others (both people and things)? Can you deal with stress?
How can I get it? Don’t shy away from challenges - step up to big projects. Keep a journal and use it to explore what you really think about things, particularly the people around you.
Every moment you spend learning the above skills is a valuable moment. You’ll find yourself returning to these skills time and time again throughout your life - and they’ll provide a surprisingly strong backbone for your career and personal success.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Setting Goals and Failing
Goal Setting may be oversimplified, overrated and downright dangerous. Business school professors from the University of Arizona, Northwestern, Harvard and the Wharton School examine the downside to goal setting. This article has unleashed a storm of controversy.
Read it at http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6114.html
Read it at http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6114.html
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Zack, Miri, the P-Word and the Laws of Success
The “p-word” is Porno and Zack and Miri, life long friends decided to make one. Busted and broke, Zack thinks it would be an easy to make a porno and make money. Miri thinks that if it were easy, everyone would do it. Zack raises the money, finds a studio, writes the script and together they select the cast. They are on a roll and ending their financial problems does seem easy, but before they shoot a scene, they lose their studio, props and investment. Miri was right…not so easy. This movie was not a tale of persistence or success, they never do make their porno and the best we can figure out is that they never do change their financial situation. Friends, Zack and Miri, do fall in love, but nothing else changes.
Their experience is true for so many who seek positive financial change in their lives, assume the change will be easy and rush, headlong, into disappointment.
Not everyone that I talk to about getting started in a home-based business gets started. In fact most don’t. I have learned over the years, that when a prospective business partner says no to me, what they are really saying is that there must be an easier way to make money. There must be an easier way to make money than sales, there must be an easier way to make money than marketing, there must be an easier way to make money than saving and investing, there must be an easier way to make money than taking classes at night to improve skills. There must be an easier way. Period.
As Zack and Miri found and most wealth seekers find: There isn’t. Faced with the harsh reality that there isn’t an easier way, wealth seekers either quit seeking wealth or they vow to acquire the necessary skill sets to gain and retain wealth. Few people choose the latter. The majority, never quite letting go of the misplaced belief that there must be an easier way, drift aimlessly from project to project, opportunity to opportunity becoming increasingly disillusioned with each failure.
Unfortunately few people ever make and complete the journey of wealth creation. According to the Tax Foundation’s July report of individual income tax data, ten percent of American households make over $100,000 per year. In their book, The Millionaire Next Door, Stanley and Danko indicate that the average household income of millionaires is $247,000.
When Stanley and Danko wrote their book, they focused on millionaires because they thought that many American households could attain that level of wealth within a single lifetime. “About 95 percent of millionaires in America have a net worth of between $1million and $10 million. Much of the discussion in this book centers on this segment of the population. Why focus on this group? Because this level of wealth can be attained in one generation. It can be attained by many Americans.”
Why do some succeed while others ultimately fail?
People who seek and ultimately gain wealth gain different skill sets from those who don’t. Napoleon Hill places Specialized Knowledge among the 15 required assets to create wealth in his book, Think and Grow Rich. How long does it take to acquire Specialized Knowledge or a new, useable, skill set? 1000 hours, according to Michael Masterson in his book, Automatic Wealth. That is roughly 2 years at 10 hours a week for the person who has a full-time job and is seeking to change his or her financial picture. So one must either gain Specialized Knowledge or align himself with one who has it. Every other success strategy or characteristic outlined in Napoleon Hill’s Books requires work to attain or practice. Desire, Self-Control, Autosuggestion, Faith and a Definite Aim, require daily practice. Forming a Mastermind group does not require daily practice, but it does require a commitment to that group, and it often does require rearrangements within social networks. That is changing the people you hang out with.
The Success Strategies are also known as Laws of Success. They are so called because they cannot be negotiated with, they simply are.
The irony is that without any knowledge of the Laws of Success, Zack and Miri employed them. They had a Definite Aim: to change their financial picture. Their living situation reinforced that aim daily. Their group of actors and camera-men became their Mastermind Group and their group became self-reinforcing facilitating Faith, Autosuggestion and Specialized Knowledge. Zack initially had Persistence and Imagination to overcome the setback of losing their equipment, set and props. But lost Self-Control and Persistence when he realized he loved Miri. Without knowing the Laws of Success, he used the Laws of Success. Without knowing the Laws of Success, he broke them. Breaking the Laws of Success will undo the plans of success as Zack discovered, because he never did achieve his Definite Aim: to change his financial picture.
The truth is that whether we acknowledge them or not, we live in a world governed by Laws, Rules and Regulations. Many of which we use without acknowledgement and many of which we break in ignorance. We take for granted that we can leave our home without floating away because gravity allows us to walk down the street. We understand that what goes up, must come down and that our best hope is to control the nature of the landing.
Such are the Laws of Success. They exist and they work no matter our state of awareness.
Their experience is true for so many who seek positive financial change in their lives, assume the change will be easy and rush, headlong, into disappointment.
Not everyone that I talk to about getting started in a home-based business gets started. In fact most don’t. I have learned over the years, that when a prospective business partner says no to me, what they are really saying is that there must be an easier way to make money. There must be an easier way to make money than sales, there must be an easier way to make money than marketing, there must be an easier way to make money than saving and investing, there must be an easier way to make money than taking classes at night to improve skills. There must be an easier way. Period.
As Zack and Miri found and most wealth seekers find: There isn’t. Faced with the harsh reality that there isn’t an easier way, wealth seekers either quit seeking wealth or they vow to acquire the necessary skill sets to gain and retain wealth. Few people choose the latter. The majority, never quite letting go of the misplaced belief that there must be an easier way, drift aimlessly from project to project, opportunity to opportunity becoming increasingly disillusioned with each failure.
Unfortunately few people ever make and complete the journey of wealth creation. According to the Tax Foundation’s July report of individual income tax data, ten percent of American households make over $100,000 per year. In their book, The Millionaire Next Door, Stanley and Danko indicate that the average household income of millionaires is $247,000.
When Stanley and Danko wrote their book, they focused on millionaires because they thought that many American households could attain that level of wealth within a single lifetime. “About 95 percent of millionaires in America have a net worth of between $1million and $10 million. Much of the discussion in this book centers on this segment of the population. Why focus on this group? Because this level of wealth can be attained in one generation. It can be attained by many Americans.”
Why do some succeed while others ultimately fail?
People who seek and ultimately gain wealth gain different skill sets from those who don’t. Napoleon Hill places Specialized Knowledge among the 15 required assets to create wealth in his book, Think and Grow Rich. How long does it take to acquire Specialized Knowledge or a new, useable, skill set? 1000 hours, according to Michael Masterson in his book, Automatic Wealth. That is roughly 2 years at 10 hours a week for the person who has a full-time job and is seeking to change his or her financial picture. So one must either gain Specialized Knowledge or align himself with one who has it. Every other success strategy or characteristic outlined in Napoleon Hill’s Books requires work to attain or practice. Desire, Self-Control, Autosuggestion, Faith and a Definite Aim, require daily practice. Forming a Mastermind group does not require daily practice, but it does require a commitment to that group, and it often does require rearrangements within social networks. That is changing the people you hang out with.
The Success Strategies are also known as Laws of Success. They are so called because they cannot be negotiated with, they simply are.
The irony is that without any knowledge of the Laws of Success, Zack and Miri employed them. They had a Definite Aim: to change their financial picture. Their living situation reinforced that aim daily. Their group of actors and camera-men became their Mastermind Group and their group became self-reinforcing facilitating Faith, Autosuggestion and Specialized Knowledge. Zack initially had Persistence and Imagination to overcome the setback of losing their equipment, set and props. But lost Self-Control and Persistence when he realized he loved Miri. Without knowing the Laws of Success, he used the Laws of Success. Without knowing the Laws of Success, he broke them. Breaking the Laws of Success will undo the plans of success as Zack discovered, because he never did achieve his Definite Aim: to change his financial picture.
The truth is that whether we acknowledge them or not, we live in a world governed by Laws, Rules and Regulations. Many of which we use without acknowledgement and many of which we break in ignorance. We take for granted that we can leave our home without floating away because gravity allows us to walk down the street. We understand that what goes up, must come down and that our best hope is to control the nature of the landing.
Such are the Laws of Success. They exist and they work no matter our state of awareness.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Inconvenient Truth of Success
I was having a conversation with a new member of my organization the other day. He is in management training and hates it. He got started in my business because he wants out and saw an opportunity for himself. I wanted him to work on his vision statement so that we could meet and map out a business plan to turn that vision into reality.
He asked, "Can I make a million dollars in 2 years with this business." I, frankly, told him no, but he could replace his present income in 2 years or less, get out of the job he hates, and free up enough time to go on to make a million dollars.
Monday was his "day off" so he didn't want to meet on his day off. The first stumbling block. He was treating a potentially wealth-generating business like a job with benefits complete with time off.
To quote Jim Rohn on jobs and business: "I work fulltime on my job and part time on my fortune!" He then goes on to say "profits are better than wages. With wages you can make a living, with profits you can make a fortune!"
It only stands to reason: If your daily work does not place you on the path to success, however you define it, then your time away from work must be devoted to the task of success if you are ever going to achieve it.
We all have goals and dreams, but if we peak under the covers of many of those goals and dreams, we have attached so many conditions to achieving them, that we make our goals and dreams little more than wishes.
I will be a millionaire (as long as it doesn't interfere with nights out with the friends or the new episodes of Survivor and as long as I don't have to change my financial habits). I'll get that advanced degree (as long as I don't have to change my schedule or take out student loans.) I'll set up that savings account (when I have money left over). I'll get in shape (as soon as I can find the time.)
All of these conditions underscore the truth of life…so few people achieve high levels of success because success is simply inconvenient. Earl Nightingale defined success as "the progressive realization of a worthy ideal" and therein lies the rub.
Progressive means to consistently move forward. What of life's circumstances does not have the power to halt forward progress? The illness of a family member or pet, an unexpected life event, like job loss, death disability, fire or flood. A school play, the superbowl, doing the dishes, the plumber, the TV repair man, final exams…the list goes on.
Any circumstance that has the power to halt forward progress can also become the impetus for forward progress. A dear friend of mine continued to build her organization while her child was in the hospital with a cancer diagnosis. My friend moved to the town where her child lay in specialty care and continued to build her organization. Her child is in remission and my friend has created a six-figure residual income.
Harry Chapin embodied the fear I often hear expressed in his song… "Cats in the Cradle" The story of the man who loses the thing most precocious to him, time with his family, in the pursuit of his work. What I hear most often is…I won't do this if this takes me away from my family…I spend so little time with them as it is. But that is often the point. We spend so little time with those we love no matter what we do. More often than not, we are living the "Cat's in the Cradle" without ever doing a thing to change our circumstances.
Which brings us back to the Inconvenient Truth about Success. In order to achieve it, progress toward it must be continuous. In order to achieve it that progress must continue through those "precious moments" away from work.
The successful person has the following characteristics
1) A vision that is rooted in the future. Understanding that success is inconvenient, the successful person is always attached to a vision that pulls him or her forward.
2) A desire to find the shortest path forward. The successful person is more likely to partner with other like-minded people. People who may have needed skill sets to keep progress forward.
3) A sense of justice and fair play. The successful person always knows that success demands her price of admission and is eager to pay it.
4) A hunger for new skills. The successful person understands that new knowledge and new skills lay on the path forward.
5) A love of the game. The successful person understands that they are playing a game and as such he or she seeks to define the rules, learn the strategies and develop a team.
The desire for success is a seductive force in our society. More air and media time is devoted to information about success than perhaps any other subject, yet, the inconvenience of it is never discussed. Leaving people to look instead for the elusive new formula for success whenever they hit a stumbling block. There are signposts along the path for those who understand success's Inconvenient Truth. The trick is to walk the path and keep your toes pointed forward.
He asked, "Can I make a million dollars in 2 years with this business." I, frankly, told him no, but he could replace his present income in 2 years or less, get out of the job he hates, and free up enough time to go on to make a million dollars.
Monday was his "day off" so he didn't want to meet on his day off. The first stumbling block. He was treating a potentially wealth-generating business like a job with benefits complete with time off.
To quote Jim Rohn on jobs and business: "I work fulltime on my job and part time on my fortune!" He then goes on to say "profits are better than wages. With wages you can make a living, with profits you can make a fortune!"
It only stands to reason: If your daily work does not place you on the path to success, however you define it, then your time away from work must be devoted to the task of success if you are ever going to achieve it.
We all have goals and dreams, but if we peak under the covers of many of those goals and dreams, we have attached so many conditions to achieving them, that we make our goals and dreams little more than wishes.
I will be a millionaire (as long as it doesn't interfere with nights out with the friends or the new episodes of Survivor and as long as I don't have to change my financial habits). I'll get that advanced degree (as long as I don't have to change my schedule or take out student loans.) I'll set up that savings account (when I have money left over). I'll get in shape (as soon as I can find the time.)
All of these conditions underscore the truth of life…so few people achieve high levels of success because success is simply inconvenient. Earl Nightingale defined success as "the progressive realization of a worthy ideal" and therein lies the rub.
Progressive means to consistently move forward. What of life's circumstances does not have the power to halt forward progress? The illness of a family member or pet, an unexpected life event, like job loss, death disability, fire or flood. A school play, the superbowl, doing the dishes, the plumber, the TV repair man, final exams…the list goes on.
Any circumstance that has the power to halt forward progress can also become the impetus for forward progress. A dear friend of mine continued to build her organization while her child was in the hospital with a cancer diagnosis. My friend moved to the town where her child lay in specialty care and continued to build her organization. Her child is in remission and my friend has created a six-figure residual income.
Harry Chapin embodied the fear I often hear expressed in his song… "Cats in the Cradle" The story of the man who loses the thing most precocious to him, time with his family, in the pursuit of his work. What I hear most often is…I won't do this if this takes me away from my family…I spend so little time with them as it is. But that is often the point. We spend so little time with those we love no matter what we do. More often than not, we are living the "Cat's in the Cradle" without ever doing a thing to change our circumstances.
Which brings us back to the Inconvenient Truth about Success. In order to achieve it, progress toward it must be continuous. In order to achieve it that progress must continue through those "precious moments" away from work.
The successful person has the following characteristics
1) A vision that is rooted in the future. Understanding that success is inconvenient, the successful person is always attached to a vision that pulls him or her forward.
2) A desire to find the shortest path forward. The successful person is more likely to partner with other like-minded people. People who may have needed skill sets to keep progress forward.
3) A sense of justice and fair play. The successful person always knows that success demands her price of admission and is eager to pay it.
4) A hunger for new skills. The successful person understands that new knowledge and new skills lay on the path forward.
5) A love of the game. The successful person understands that they are playing a game and as such he or she seeks to define the rules, learn the strategies and develop a team.
The desire for success is a seductive force in our society. More air and media time is devoted to information about success than perhaps any other subject, yet, the inconvenience of it is never discussed. Leaving people to look instead for the elusive new formula for success whenever they hit a stumbling block. There are signposts along the path for those who understand success's Inconvenient Truth. The trick is to walk the path and keep your toes pointed forward.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Moses, Death and the Entrepreneur's Journey
Well it finally happened…you have gone into business for yourself. Did you get tired of losing a third or more of your employment wages to the IRS? Did you wake up to the reality that you could do "it" better than your boss? Did you develop a better product that will change people's lives? Did you decide you wanted the freedom of making and profiting from your own decisions? Did you decide you simply wanted to leave your mark upon the world?
Whatever motivated you to do it, you set foot on the first brick of the road that will become a lifelong journey. Many people equate the entrepreneurial journey as a journey from slavery to freedom.
What will happen to you on that journey?
Just as "Moses, Business and the 80/20 Rule" discussed how the Book of Numbers illustrates the Prieto Principle; The book of Numbers 13 and 14 also illustrates the entrepreneur's journey. Yes, the story is over 5000 years old; yet, in speaking with entrepreneurs today its principles apply and are as fresh as if the story was written yesterday.
Let's look at the summary of events that brings us to the book of Numbers. The Nation of Israel, laboring under the burden of slavery in Egypt cried out for freedom. They were freed in the most miraculous of ways: 10 plagues were visited upon the Nation of Egypt and when the Israelites were freed they were led, on dry ground, through the Red Sea. A pillar of cloud accompanied them by day and a pillar of fire by night. Their sandals never wore out and they ate manna from heaven.
Yet, when it came time to secure their freedom and take the land promised to them, they were not ready.
After an arduous journey through the desert, the Israelites arrived at the borders of the Promised Land. Finding it already occupied, Moses sent an exploration party, a representative from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, to explore the land and bring back a report. Two brought a positive report and recommended taking possession of the land. Ten of the party members brought a negative report: the land flowed with milk and honey but the current occupants were powerful and their cities were large. They recommended retreat.
Here is what happened next from Numbers 14 NIV: "'That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" 4 And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt." 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." 10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.
20 The LORD replied…21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times- 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25 Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea. [a]" 26 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 27 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall-every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.
30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But you-your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years-one year for each of the forty days you explored the land 36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it- 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.'"
What lessons can we learn from this?
1) Many people want freedom but few attain it. The reason for this can be summed up into one word: Uncertainty. The road to freedom requires that one learn to live with uncertainty. From our story, the 40-day journey across the desert from Egypt to the Promised Land was fraught with uncertainty. Uncertainty about the proper direction, the existence of God, the source of food; The inability of the Israelites to deal with that uncertainty led to needless delays and strife. When they finally did reach the promised land, their uncertainty of success caused them to retreat. Uncertainty, that bugaboo of progress. Will stop men in their tracks.
2) The person who makes the decision to journey forward is not the person who will complete the journey. The passage clearly says that Caleb had a different spirit than the majority of the congregation. He and Joshua were the only 2 of their generation who would enter the Promised Land. Developing that different spirit is the subject of the third and final article in this series: The Path to Developing A Different Spirit.
3) There is a certain death required to enter the Promised Land. That death may not be a physical death, but it is a death of old ideas, behaviors and beliefs. The message is quite clear here that unless that death occurs, there will be no entry into the Promised Land.
4) The road to freedom may be paved but it is not trouble free. The Israelites found the Promised Land occupied and realized that they would have to fight to attain what they had cried out for. The road to freedom demands that one be prepared to fight. Without that preparation slavery may appear preferable to freedom.
5) Following and remembering the signs are key. Every entrepreneur will remember moments of synchronicity when it seemed as though all was right with the world. The right contacts were made at the right time business boomed and then something happened. The savvy entrepreneur will remember what lay before as an indicator of what lies ahead. But most will not.
The journey of the entrepreneur is a journey of the spirit and the journey is exacting and uncompromising; yet it need not be a surprise. History as now as always provides clear signposts for the adventurer willing to set foot on the path to freedom.
Like most people I went to school to get an education and learn a profession. When I graduated and began working, I realized something was very wrong. The path that I thought would lead me to freedom was instead leading me into quicksand. I got out of the quicksand when I joined the Free Agent Nation.
Whatever motivated you to do it, you set foot on the first brick of the road that will become a lifelong journey. Many people equate the entrepreneurial journey as a journey from slavery to freedom.
What will happen to you on that journey?
Just as "Moses, Business and the 80/20 Rule" discussed how the Book of Numbers illustrates the Prieto Principle; The book of Numbers 13 and 14 also illustrates the entrepreneur's journey. Yes, the story is over 5000 years old; yet, in speaking with entrepreneurs today its principles apply and are as fresh as if the story was written yesterday.
Let's look at the summary of events that brings us to the book of Numbers. The Nation of Israel, laboring under the burden of slavery in Egypt cried out for freedom. They were freed in the most miraculous of ways: 10 plagues were visited upon the Nation of Egypt and when the Israelites were freed they were led, on dry ground, through the Red Sea. A pillar of cloud accompanied them by day and a pillar of fire by night. Their sandals never wore out and they ate manna from heaven.
Yet, when it came time to secure their freedom and take the land promised to them, they were not ready.
After an arduous journey through the desert, the Israelites arrived at the borders of the Promised Land. Finding it already occupied, Moses sent an exploration party, a representative from each of the 12 tribes of Israel, to explore the land and bring back a report. Two brought a positive report and recommended taking possession of the land. Ten of the party members brought a negative report: the land flowed with milk and honey but the current occupants were powerful and their cities were large. They recommended retreat.
Here is what happened next from Numbers 14 NIV: "'That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. 2 All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! 3 Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" 4 And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt." 6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." 10 But the whole assembly talked about stoning them.
20 The LORD replied…21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, 22 not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times- 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it. 25 Since the Amalekites and Canaanites are living in the valleys, turn back tomorrow and set out toward the desert along the route to the Red Sea. [a]" 26 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: 27 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall-every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me.
30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun. 31 As for your children that you said would be taken as plunder, I will bring them in to enjoy the land you have rejected. 32 But you-your bodies will fall in this wilderness. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for forty years, suffering for your unfaithfulness, until the last of your bodies lies in the wilderness. 34 For forty years-one year for each of the forty days you explored the land 36 So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it- 37 these men who were responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. 38 Of the men who went to explore the land, only Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh survived.'"
What lessons can we learn from this?
1) Many people want freedom but few attain it. The reason for this can be summed up into one word: Uncertainty. The road to freedom requires that one learn to live with uncertainty. From our story, the 40-day journey across the desert from Egypt to the Promised Land was fraught with uncertainty. Uncertainty about the proper direction, the existence of God, the source of food; The inability of the Israelites to deal with that uncertainty led to needless delays and strife. When they finally did reach the promised land, their uncertainty of success caused them to retreat. Uncertainty, that bugaboo of progress. Will stop men in their tracks.
2) The person who makes the decision to journey forward is not the person who will complete the journey. The passage clearly says that Caleb had a different spirit than the majority of the congregation. He and Joshua were the only 2 of their generation who would enter the Promised Land. Developing that different spirit is the subject of the third and final article in this series: The Path to Developing A Different Spirit.
3) There is a certain death required to enter the Promised Land. That death may not be a physical death, but it is a death of old ideas, behaviors and beliefs. The message is quite clear here that unless that death occurs, there will be no entry into the Promised Land.
4) The road to freedom may be paved but it is not trouble free. The Israelites found the Promised Land occupied and realized that they would have to fight to attain what they had cried out for. The road to freedom demands that one be prepared to fight. Without that preparation slavery may appear preferable to freedom.
5) Following and remembering the signs are key. Every entrepreneur will remember moments of synchronicity when it seemed as though all was right with the world. The right contacts were made at the right time business boomed and then something happened. The savvy entrepreneur will remember what lay before as an indicator of what lies ahead. But most will not.
The journey of the entrepreneur is a journey of the spirit and the journey is exacting and uncompromising; yet it need not be a surprise. History as now as always provides clear signposts for the adventurer willing to set foot on the path to freedom.
Like most people I went to school to get an education and learn a profession. When I graduated and began working, I realized something was very wrong. The path that I thought would lead me to freedom was instead leading me into quicksand. I got out of the quicksand when I joined the Free Agent Nation.
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