As bad as things may seem…

The only way to take control of your life, raise your standard of living and move beyond merely surviving is to create your own unique product or service that you offer to increasing numbers of people in exchange for the things of value that you desire. This simple formula applies to countries as well as people. A self-sufficient economy has its own products or services of value to export to the world. Similarly, a self-sufficient individual has something of value to exchange in the global marketplace. That thing of value is based on your natural talent, skill, or interest—in other words, your passion!

As I make my way through life, I am always intrigued by how ideas for businesses or ideas for marketing strategies are generated.

I am a firm believer in the supportive nature of the universe and that once a goal is firmly fixed in your mind, the means for its realization are mobilized to come to you. Those means can come in many forms, and the key to your success may lie in simply being open to the many, seemingly random and coincidental ways the tools and techniques for success are communicated to you.

In my own experience, I get ideas for my column, for new websites, for businesses, and for marketing strategies from the books I read, the movies I see, the people I meet, the conversations I engage in, the dreams I have, the events I attend, the headlines I hear, and the questions I am asked, as well as any number of seemingly unrelated occurrences. I’ve come to expect and enjoy that life is a puzzle to be solved; business is a code to be cracked. Marketing is a maze to be mastered, and every point of contact with the world offers me the pieces to the puzzle.

This week’s puzzle pieces are brought to you by the movie Star Trek, the documentary Zeitgeist, the books The Five Faces of Genius by Annette Moser-Wellman, and Think Like Chinese by Zhang Haihua and Geoff Baker, The Kybalion, the students at Hopwood Elementary’s Career Day, swine flu and General Motors.

Star Trek reminded me to question the nature of time and reality. Zeitgeist reminded me to question authority. The Five Faces of Genius reminded me that of the five faces (Alchemist, Seer, Sage, Observer and Fool), my own dominant faces—those that serve me well in creating new ideas—are Observer and Alchemist. Think Like Chinese reminded me of differences in culture, language and worldviews that exist between East and West as well as pointing to where new business opportunities may exist. The Kybalion (which I’ve summarized in a previous article) reminded me among other things of the Principle of Rhythm, which states “Everything flows out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the pendulum swing manifests in everything.”

The students and teachers at Hopwood Elementary’s recent Career Day asked the question that set the ball in motion: What’s the best business to start right now?

In my efforts to impart some information of value to you, I’ll share with you what I’ve learned for myself over the past week. These are the insights I’ve arrived at through the unique messengers that appeared in my own life. The messages they imparted were unique to my goals and aspirations. Your messengers will be different, or they may present different messages. In other words, were you to see the same movies, read the same books or meet the same people, the discussions and perspectives that ensue—and thus their importance and relevance in your own life—would be different. Your goals are different.

Is your goal to make a specific amount of money? Is it to start a business? Is it simply to survive? Even though our messengers may differ, I suggest to you today that the pieces of whatever puzzle you are presently attempting to solve are already in front of you. There are always pieces of the puzzle swirling around. There are answers staring you in the face. There are options and assets lying at or under your feet. Let’s see how we can take the first step to finding them.

As bad as things seem right now, it’s the perfect opportunity to…

The first step, which grew from the questions asked at Hopwood, is to approach all the seemingly negative situations in life with a new line of thought. Instead of wallowing in “woe is me,” launch your thoughts with “as bad as things may seem right now, it’s actually the perfect opportunity to…”

That line of thought, and the perspectives, observations, and solutions which derive from it are ultimately what will save you, and help you prosper in business as well as life in this critical time of change.

With that line of thought as your starting point, your next step is to step outside the spirit of the age—the literal meaning of the word “zeitgeist”—and ask new questions.

Question reality and (those who claim to be) authority. Develop new worldviews. Observe and combine (as the Alchemist does) seemingly unrelated and disparate pieces of the puzzle. Prepare and position yourself (as the Kybalion extols) for the collapse or inevitable pendulum swing in the opposite direction. Seek and explore strange new alternatives (boldly go where no one has….you get the idea). For example:

As bad as the economy appears…

…it’s the perfect opportunity to question the viability of capitalism the way it has been practiced. Prepare for the demise of what exists. Take existing scenarios to their foolish extremes in the effort to prepare for the future. Seek out “strange” new alternatives. Build your livelihood around these new alternatives.

As bad as swine flu pandemic appears…

…it’s the perfect opportunity to question the nature of immunity, the nature of true health, the presumed inevitability of sickness and how it is addressed by Western medicine. It is time to seek out strange new alternatives. Prepare for the demise of what exists. (There are people who live without fear of germs and viruses because of what they know, and which those in power keep suppressed.)

As bad as the layoffs and dealer closures in auto industry appear…

…it’s the perfect opportunity to streamline a bloated industry. (There are those on both sides—those who remain, and those who are let go—who welcome the opportunity to prosper in a more profitable marketplace, or to find new markets in which to prosper.)

As bad as the sales in your business might be…

…it’s the perfect opportunity to reconsider your existing business model. Question what you are selling. Question how it is being sold. Question where you are selling it. (There are those who recognize and accept the ever-moving nature of opportunity, and the migratory nature of societies and simply prepare for the inevitable.)

Entire books can and have been written on each of the above scenarios, so it’s simply the gist of the thought process that’s important for our discussion.

A matter of survival

As we’ve discussed in previous episodes, the third most important question to each and every one of us is How shall I survive? (The other two are 1. Who am I? 2. Why am I here?)

The changes that we are all witness to—global warming, pandemics, economic upheaval, layoffs, etc.—all seem to threaten survival in some way or other. The changes themselves are, in many ways, beyond our ability to avoid or avert. They are the culmination of and have been precipitated by a way of thought and a spirit that existed for many years, perhaps even centuries prior. They only seem insurmountable because we are viewing them, and any potential solutions from within the box from which they emanated.

We must realize that the answer to the inevitable question: What should I do now? will never be adequately answered by those people, institutions, worldviews and priorities (the same box) which got us into the predicament. For instance, people are applying capitalistic solutions to fix and avert the demise of capitalism. People are using Western germ theory to fix what may be easily remedied with a focus on building true bodily immunity. These solutions are likely to simply exacerbate the dilemma.

There are people on the fringe whose ideas seem controversial, or who might be ridiculed by the establishment, not because their ideas are not viable, but for the simple reason that they hasten the pendulum swing, and remove power from the hands of those who currently wield it and put it in the hands of those who do not.

The truth is, as bad as things may seem, there are workable solutions, but they don’t resemble the solutions of old, and they are not coming from the mouths and minds of those we have been told hold the answers. Will you dare to listen?

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Note: Fans and followers of Chicken Feathers and Garlic Skin: Diary of a Chinese Garment Factory Girl on Saipan may now find copies at Bookseller Bookstore in the Joe-Ten Plaza in Susupe or on Amazon.com. Hurry, there’s a limited supply!

Note: For more tips on overcoming your fears, acting on your ideas, changing the game, and creating a passion-centered lifestyle, visit www.passionprofit.com!

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Until next week, remember, success is a journey, not a destination!

[I]Walt F.J. Goodridge is author of 12 books including Turn Your Passion Into Profit. Walt offers coaching and workshops to help people pursue and profit from their passions. Originally from the island of Jamaica, Walt has grown several successful businesses in the US, and now makes his home here in Saipan. To learn more about the Saipanpreneur Project and Walt’s philosophy and formula visit www.saipanpreneur.com and www.passionprofit.com.[/I] [I]Send article suggestions, entrepreneur nominations and feedback about this article to walt@passionprofit.com.[/I]