Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Think & Grow Rich Chapter 5 Specialized Knowledge

You too may get training and become a leader like Margi Starr. All free, not pitching, no credit cards.

Get your first lesson here: http://BobShoaf.SuccessIn10Steps.com

It’s always helpful to have a map when we are traveling to an unfamiliar destination. Our family had a large atlas that traveled with us from state to state; favorite highways are still highlighted in yellow.  Now we rely more on our GPS, but there are times when I prefer a state map or atlas to see the big picture.

It takes some special skills to read a map.  You have to first know where you are, and secondly, where you are going.

This week we are studying Specialized Knowledge.  We often think of this as the skills that will enable us to become successful. That is certainly true, but what if you don’t really know where you are?

Here’s an illustration...

Patricia is in her early forties.  Her job is low paying and unpredictable so she is attending college to get a better job with better income. With her work schedule and family responsibilities, she attends school on a part-time basis. She’s hoping to get her bachelor's degree within the next 4-5 years and then begin a brand new career. Her time is spent juggling homework, raising kids, going to soccer games, working her job, doing laundry and fixing dinner.

Patricia has bought into the belief that to be successful you must have a college degree and work for a company that provides benefits. What she isn’t considering is that when she eventually graduates, she will be competing with bright 20-and-30-year olds for the limited job openings. She will have to pay back the student loans that made it possible for her to attend college. If she does land a job, she will be on the lowest rung of the seniority ladder.  Guess who will be the first one to get a pink slip if there is downsizing?

Patricia’s lack of Specialized Knowledge as to her current situation and where her current path will take her, will probably result in some unexpected detours. Some may call it Denial.  I call it Fog.

It’s easy to be in a Fog.  You allow yourself to get pulled into this hazy, I’ll-think-about-it-tomorrow zone to avoid painful reality.

While it’s commendable to be a life learner, it’s easy to get sidetracked when you are in a college environment that’s all about homework and tests. Paying lots of tuition for those college classes will come with a price tag that’s greater than the loan itself. But you do it because you are in a fog.

Several years ago I was working as a pre-school consultant. It was a position giving me a national voice to advocate for young children. When I was hired, I was told that I really needed to complete my master’s degree to be on a similar educational level with the other regional consultants.  I accepted that without question and entered the FOG. When the opportunity came for me to take some grad classes online, I paid thousands of dollars and spent lots of time reading and writing papers.

After those four classes, I did some math calculations and discovered it would take at least $10,000 for me to complete my master’s degree. However, when I found out that there would be NO salary increase, I stopped dead in my tracks.  Getting some Specialized Knowledge as to where I was currently, and what I would need to even remain there, was a reality check.

The fog had lifted and I had clarity as to what I needed to do. Staying there was not going to get me to my destination.

Many of us have Fog somewhere in our life.

Perhaps it’s in our finances.  It’s easy to avoid knowing the amount we pay on credit card interest.  Fog.

Perhaps it’s in our marriage or other relationships.  We think everything is going on fine until one day things get rocky.  Clues were there all the time but we did not see them because we were in a fog.

Maybe our Fog is our health.  We eat whatever we want without thinking of long term consequences.  We decide to go to the gym “tomorrow.”  Fog.

Specialized Knowledge lifts the Fog.  The map becomes easier to read.  You become confident that you are on the right path to your destination instead of roaming around in the wilderness for 40 years.

Taking the time and energy to find out where you are and where you are going may take effort and it may be painful, but it’s worth it.

And it just might save your life.

Margi Starr
Springfield, Ohio

P.S. Learning and practicing the Specialized Knowledge required for success in network marketing may take a year or two…maybe more. Who cares??? Your destination is FREEDOM.

Get your first lesson here: http://BobShoaf.SuccessIn10Steps.com

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