In my special report, What I Know For Sure: Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Business, I list 75 topic areas that I have bumped into over ten years. And every day in October, I will randomly choose one of the 75 and expound on it. So here’s today’s:

Set out to answer the question,
“What can I be the BEST in the
world at?” It may take years to
find the answer, but seek it, and
know that it must be answered
one day, so watch yourself and
ask your clients often, “What do
I do best in the world?” The
question is not, “Of all of my
skills, what am I best at doing?”
It’s what are you the best in the
world at. Period.

I was on a telecall a couple of years ago led by an older business man whom I respected–
though I’m embarrassed to say I don’t remember who it was. But he said that on his desk
he had a question: “What can I be the BEST in the world at?” And he admitted that he was
still valiantly trying to answer it. So, I adopted the idea and put the question on my desk,
believing that I *would* answer it. It, like all things that our physical senses experience
routinely, disappeared into the woodwork most days–but every so often, my Reticular
Activating System would have me catch sight of it again and I’d ponder the possibility:
What can I be the BEST in the world at?

Be assured that it’s a game-changer to know you can go toe-to-toe with the best in your
field and give either as good a performance or, more likely, a better one. Suddenly,
with this realization, your stock just took a quantum leap. You know you deserve, can,
and must command top-dollar for what you do–assuming, of course, that it is wanted.
As the best leaf-presser in the world, you may have a tough time with that. But if what
you’re “the best at” is valuable to the marketplace, you’ve just written your golden ticket.

Steve Jobs knew he was the best in the world at
innovation and made no qualms about boasting
so publicly. Writers Lev Grossman and Harry
McCracken wrote in Time Magazine’s October 17,
2001 issue: “Jobs dubbed the $2,495 Mac ‘insanely
great,’ a bit of self-praise that became forever
associated with him and Apple.” He didn’t listen
to his customers or his employees: he knew the
brilliance of his own mind and knew that to succeed,
he and everyone at Apple would do best listening to
it without reservation. They did–and the world was
changed.

On the one hand, you don’t have to broadcast to the world that you’re the best; one can
be more humble about it. But there’s also something very compelling about an expert
who asserts with conviction that he can do something no one else can. Humans aspire
to self-actualization, after all; we are fascinated by the evidence before us of one who
has reached it–at least on one  level.

Just the other day at my public speaking training, I said, for the first time, with clear
eyes and cellular certainty that I am the best in the world at extracting the message
an entrepreneur has been born to share–and that will change the world and
build a business empire. I would never compare myself to Steve Jobs, but I said it
with the same kind of knowing he had that no one can do what I do better. It was true.
It was simple. It was real. And so I said it. And I went on to let them know that come
2012, my stock price would be very different. It wasn’t a ploy or a manipulation. It
was just the truth–take it or leave it. It had impact.

Knowing what you’re the best in the world at is a game-changer. As I said
above, the question is not, “Of all that I do, which skill am I the best at?” It’s What am
I the best in the world at?

I suggest you write the question out and look at it every day–as that business man has
done, and as I did (and still do). Your subconscious will work on it, and one day, if you
want it enough, if you believe in yourself enough, the answer will come. And it will be
a brand new day.

Get all 75 tips PLUS an invitation to join me in celebrating 10 years on a free
call October 17th, PLUS much more! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/report/

Hate to sell? In celebration of my 10th anniversary, I am reprising one of my most beloved programs. A 4-part/2-week course, Grillin’ the Gremlin: Freedom for the Sales Phobic. Learn the 7 reasons you do not sell EAGERLY or WELL. This is the LAST time you’ll ever get his program, and the ONLY time you get to work with me for peanuts. Jump on this. It’s good only until Tuesday Oct 18th! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/gg/

In some circles, I say that I am in the business of communication–
but the bigger truth is that I’m in the business of developing leaders
of change, who, of course, must communicate with extraordinary
skill. Throughout most of history, leaders of change were confined
to the political, academic, religious and corporate stages. In fact, for
thousands of years, all power resided in these arenas, and the “little
person” had virtually no voice.

But as we see these industries crumbling, we are witnessing an historic
“changing of the guard,” as power moves back to the people. Daily,
leaders of change are leaping onto their own make-shift stages,
right there in the middle of a crowd. We have seen this phenomenon
spike dramatically in just three or four years, as YouTube, Amazon,
Facebook and iTunes stage new leaders every day. It doesn’t matter
their age, race, education or economic standing, new voices are rising
to the fore almost by the minute—confident, compelling and effective.
We can expect this sensation to reach a tipping point very soon, as
more and more people claim their power, their “internal authority,”
and lead us all in planetary change.

If you are such a visionary, congratulations. You’ve cleared the highest
hurdle of all: the concern that you are too insignificant to lead, too small
to effect change. Something became more important than your fear and
allowed you to sail over those obstacles.

If you have been hanging back, now is the time to do the same. Now is
the time to recognize that you came here to take the innate, hard-earned
wisdom and knowledge within you and heal others. You are a leader of
change.

But listen: that role carries on its shoulders nothing less than our
collective future. The responsibility is great. But you were born for
the job, so that won’t trip you up. But here’s what might: your need
for approval is greater than your intent for change. When you
could push the envelope, ruffle feathers, rock the boat, risk criticism
by doing things differently and leading “out of the box”—you will
instead stay safe within it. But unchanged  …and changing nothing.

You do not have time or the luxury any more to ask yourself, am I
a leader? You are! The question is, do I dare to lead? Or is it more
important for me to follow…the tastes, preferences and safety zones
of others so they admire me? Not for my brilliance, but for keeping
them comfortable?

For the “New Paradigm,” Inspired Leader, the profound, inner
passion to effect change, to impact the future, is greater than the
need for approval. Indeed, the New Paradigm, Inspired Leader turns
away from all external authority and acts from his inner authority,
a power-center of certainty, self-trust and conviction that by its very
definition pulls him to think what others fear to think, do what others
fear to do and go where others fear to go.

The New Paradigm, Inspired Leader follows nothing but her
own truth, no matter how unpopular it may be–because she knows
that’s what engenders change. And change is what matters. She is in
service to others; that’s what matters. She will do what must be done
to serve effectively, with power, impact and integrity.

The world is waiting for you; the stage is lit and ready. It’s time for
you to step up and raise your voice. The question is not anymore, am I
a leader? The question is, do I dare to lead, and make some uncomfortable?
Is my intent for change greater than my need for approval?

If so, the mic is on. Go give ‘em your best shot.

If you dare move into the New Paradigm of Inspired Leadership…
one step may be the free Virtual Visionaries call Wednesday May 18.
You may sign up for that here. Another will most definitely be
Secrets of Impact & Influence: The 2-Day Event, coming
to New Jersey, Sept. 23 and 24^th. Watch for details!

I’m in love. Like, really. My guy has competition.
Garret John LoPorto is cute as hell—but even
more important, he’s my long-lost soul brother.
He’s created the video (and possibly the book, though
I haven’t read it yet) that I should have made—given
my propensities, teachings, programs, blog-name,
and daily ranting to anyone who’ll listen. But alas,
Garret did it in a way I never would have, and it is
just brilliant. Here is just a small taste of what he
“raps/rhapsodizes/sings/proselytizes” in his video,
“The Wayseer Manifesto”:

ATTENTION: All you rule-breakers, you misfits and
troublemakers- all you free spirits and pioneers- all
you visionaries and non-conformists… Everything
that the establishment has told you is wrong with you
–is actually what’s right with you. You see things
others don’t. You are hardwired to change the world.
Unlike 9 out of 10 people–your mind is irrepressible
–and this threatens authority. You were born to be a
revolutionary. You can’t stand rules because in your
heart you know there’s a better way. You have strengths
dangerous to the establishment — and it wants them
eliminated, So your whole life you’ve been told your
strengths were weaknesses.  Now I’m telling you
otherwise.

Yes! Yes! Yes! You were born to be a revolutionary,
so GET ON YOUR FEET! Everything the establishment
told you is wrong with you—is actually what’s right!
Oh, I’ll leave my swooning for the privacy of my own
home—but I do want to talk about something really
interesting with this video: its extreme success as a
marketing strategy—namely, the marketing strategy
I teach my clients and students.

No, I don’t teach them how to create videos—I leave
that to my friend, Lou Bortone—but I do teach them
how to market themselves with an “inspirational
message of universal truth.” I call it the Meta-
Message.

And I tell my clients that this is the wave of the future
–to inspire prospects…because they will feel instant
affinity with you.

I felt such instant, magnetic affinity to Garret John
LoPorto’s ”inspirational message of universal truth”
that within 4.5 seconds of finishing the movie, I had
signed up to 1) be on his mailing list; 2) read a chapter
of his book; and 3—something I NEVER do without
consideration—I signed up for his membership program
…free for one month, but after that, I’ll be paying some
fee.

Do you think I care? Are you kidding? Depending, of
course, on what I get out of the free month, I would
pay more and I will follow him now to the ends of the
earth. Go wherever he goes (am I sounding all stalker-y?).
But it’s true: if he does a live event…I—am—there. Tele-
class (though I’m not sure that’s the appropriate venue
for him), I’m there. How can this be from a 9:50
minute video? I don’t know what he’d be teaching.
I don’t even know if he’s a good teacher—(and we all
know what a crazy woman I am about experts who
can’t teach); I know nothing about his content what-
soever—and yet, I’ll do just what he doesn’t want any
of us to do: go blindly to anything he does.

Why?

He has touched “me.” The deep essence of me,
what matters most to me. His Meta-Message has
met mine, and–voila! Instant friendship. Like when
you meet someone and find out they go to the same
obscure hole-in-the-wall on 14^th Street that you do,
that no one in the world knows, and they started going
the same month you did, and eat the same dish you do
when they’re there, and OMG, they drive a Volkswagen,
too, and listen to James Brown every day…just like
you!  BFF.

We are drawn magnetically to those who are just like
us, and we never want to let go when we find them. And
that’s why you put your inspirational message out
there…it’s a beacon to those in your tribe, calling them
to you in a way that is far more superior (results-wise)
than calling them in with your products and services.
Because no tribe is all that big—we hang on when we
find someone in ours and we don’t let go. What Garret
did, that makes this campaign brilliant, is that he put
his message out there before any product. You see
this video—passionate, aspirational, rogue–and if
you’re a kindred spirit, your soul (not just your heart,
but your soul) jumps to attention—and hangs on
because, OMG, he gets me…on the very deepest level.
And after that, you’re ready to buy just about anything.

Not everyone has the budget to produce a video of this
quality, but every single entrepreneur can uncover his
“inspirational message of universal truth”—and
lead with it. This is what I teach my clients every day,
and nothing makes me happier than helping them
reveal their deepest message of hope.

What’s my “inspirational message of universal truth?”
Well, in a nutshell, ”Escape the wannabees.” The
longer version, created years ago as I spoke on stage
at my first live event, and spoken hundreds and hundreds
of times since; embedded in every program I teach, and
woven into all of my marketing materials is:

We are here to contribute profoundly to the evolution
of humanity–but to do that, to make the mark we are
here to make and succeed in raising the consciousness
of this planet–we must “leave the pack”; go our own
way; dare to think and act as others won’t—no matter
how unpopular we may be.

Anyone out there saying, “She’s just like me?”  Garret
John LoPorto for sure…

Mediocrity is a form of madness, a dream embraced by the
masses because it makes just getting by an acceptable –
sometimes applauded — social art form.” ~Guy Finley

So, I love this quote. Love, love, love it.  This is what we are
escaping, when we’re escaping the wannabees: mediocrity.
The madness of accepting “just getting by” because so many
around us do. We’re all guilty of it, to greater and lesser degrees.
I think we shake ourselves out of banality only when 1) doing
so is somewhat easy for us; it’s an area we don’t resist too
strongly (like giving up chocolate for Lent), or 2) when it has
finally pushed us to a pain we can’t bear any longer. However,
that leaves us wallowing in (and comfortable in) mediocrity
if we’re somewhere in-between: not willing to leap into foreign
territory (giving up sex for Lent), but not yet burning in the fire
of our desperation. For most of us, this is in-between is our every
day.

And the consequence? Here’s another quote I love, shared by
David Hepburn, Jr. today on Facebook, “The place you want is
currently occupied by what you have settled for.” Virtually every
day, we’re giving up what we want, to allow what we’ve settled
for. That is insanity!

In business, this means that we’re willing to “leave the hive,”
Escape the Wannabees, only when doing so isn’t too risky—the
price of outsourcing is reasonable—or when we’re on the cusp
of bankruptcy. If something costs a bit too much for our comfort,
or failures aren’t too painful, we deepen the grooves of the hole
we’ve burrowed in and slip deeper into “mediocrity madness.”

I regularly plant explosives beneath the burrow of my clients,
catapulting them into new realms that terrify them. And I take
great pleasure in doing so! Some blame me, at the start, for
the immediate dishevelment of their burrow; it truly is a work
of art for them, no matter how undistinguished. Others applaud
the freedom! I’ve noticed, over the years, that the former type
slink back to their old ways when we’re done; the latter keeps
climbing to higher ground.

I am currently teaching a new course, Creating a Transform-
ational Signature Program, and on the call yesterday, one of
the participants said, “Wow, I just don’t think this way,” when
I was teaching them my proprietary “Transformational Arc”—
how to provide a paradigm shift for every audience they engage
with. It was totally new territory for her—and for all of them;
this is revolutionary stuff—but for her, “leaving the hive” this
way, where she has to get her audiences to feel, in order to
transform, thus breaking her away from the majority of
speakers and teachers who don’t know how to do this (and
are afraid to)—this was momentarily unsettling for her.

I also have them going out on a limb in this class, excavating
and crafting their “Meta Message”—an inspirational message
with a universal truth, that will inform the content of their
signature program; will be woven into the personal story they
tell when they deliver their program or a keynote speech; and
that they will infuse into their marketing. This is exhilarating
for all of my clients—they see that they are creating their
business to align with their deepest inspirational belief—and
they’re going to attract like-minded clients with this extremely
powerful message. But it’s not being done out there, so they
have to move out of their comfort zones to dare to lead with
this bold kind of message, vs. the typical marketing messages.
They have to leave what they’ve settled for in order to lead
others with this message of change.

I’m inviting them to step into their role as an “inspired leader,”
and there is nothing mediocre about going there, so–just as with
all of us who have pushed off what we’re called to do and want
to do because “settling” is so much easier—my clients hover
around the hive for a while before finally escaping it. But then,
they transform and end the madness. At least in that area.

I suppose as long as we live, there will be some “acceptance of
mediocrity” to uncover within ourselves…yes? Or no! What do you think?

So, if you read my post from last Monday, it will put the results below in context. Suffice it to say that I got a “knock on the head” about the phoniness of the internet information marketing gurus and asked my list to chime in with their opinions. It is a small sample–with a BIG message!

#1 How “fed up” with the Internet Information Gurus are you? (OPTIONS)

1. I used to admire them, but have stopped because they feel superficial to me. –60%

2. I’ve never followed them because they have always seemed “slick” to me.-–25%

3. I have no problem with them–and very much aspire to their levels of success and how they got there! –0%

(Interesting…NOT one said they had “no problem” with them!)

Comments from This Section

Our marketing internet industry has become a place of greed and flat out lies.

The conclusion you have drawn is the one I’ve been drawing for a while. At first it was so new to me that I really tried to learn as much as I could, then I noticed how the formula played out in all the various ‘guru’s’ out there. I don’t even read their stuff anymore! AND as one of them said…this is tested, it works. And there is a sucker born every minute. I want to offer something important that isn’t a hype or a come on.

Most of them are “slick” to me as well. I try to undig the information and resist the ‘continous education is an investmet, train with me’

I observe more as a way of knowing what “not to do.” Kinda like a bad boss.

I take only LIVE coaching when I FEEL it is exactly what I NEED at this very moment

They are all the same and i too am sick of the unending litany of emails that i get from some of them. They all seem to think that more emails are better – NOT TRUE!

There are gold nuggets in each offering but some folks are just too pushy and their programs are too expensive. Even the person I have known a long time has gone to the darker side of $$$$$.

I haven’t stopped following all of them because I can still learn while ignoring the hype and hypno-sales techniques

I know that the ‘free’ seminars will almost always include a 10-20 minute pitch. I tend to tune them out or leave the call. As for the ‘how you can leverage yourself into a six-figure income’ types, enough already! If all it requires is a formula than we would all be rich. Obviously there is more to building a business than that — our own emotional disposition being one of the biggest factors.

#2: Do you think the lack of trust in Internet Information Gurus is growing?

65% –yes

35%–haven’t asked, so can’t say

5%–no

Comments from This Section:

Seems many are modeling the identical model.. very boring

So much car salesman tactics that are not attractive or part of conscious business practices. Underneath the testimonial is the mantle of $$$ for the guru Manipulation is the name of the game.

#3 : Here is a list of typical marketing strategies used in information marketing. Please RANK them by number, from those that “turn you off” the most to least.

1. interviews with guest gurus

2. email marketing FOR their guru friends

3. email marketing of their own newsletters

4. email marketing of their own *promotion*

5. live events with many speakers selling

6. free teleseminars

7. free live seminars

8. free video trainings

9. social media

Worst Offenders:

1. Live events with many speakers selling
2. Email marketing FOR their guru friends
3. Email marketing of their own *promotion*
4. Social media

RESULTS:

4, 2, 9, 3, 5, 1, 6, 7, 8

5, 8, 4, 2, 7, 6, 9, 1, 3

9. 4. 3. 5. 6. 2. 7. 1. 8.

2, 1 ,4 ,3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

5, 9

5, 2, 4, 3, 1, 6 5, 7 , 8, 9

5, 7, 8, 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 3

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 8, 7, 6

5  2, 7, 1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 8

2, 5–the rest are necessary

4, 3, 2, 5, 8,7

2, 5, 9, 1, 3, 7, 6, 8, 4,

9, 8, 2, 5, 4, 3, 6, 1, 7

2, 3, 5

5, 4, 2, 3, 1, …

Comment from This Section:

None of these things bother me, per se; it’s HOW they are used. An interview with a guest guru would be fine if it were not a hype fest/ ego booster. Same for email marketing of promotions. If they are relevant and not full of bull, that’s fine. The problem is they are so full of shit. I’m currently a part of a group venture and the hype is embarrassing me. Another lesson learned.

#4 And here is a list of typical *business* strategies used in information marketing. Please RANK them by number, from those that “turn you off” the most to least.

1. Big-ticket year-long “mastermind” programs, from $20-$100K
2. Monthly memberships ($19-$250) with online membership site + 1 CD + newsletter +  one group call with Guru
3. Seminars with multiple speakers, all selling packages.
4. VIP days–go to the home of the guru for a day
5. Big-ticket home-study programs (lots of videos/dvds/cds + manuals) for $1500+

Worst offenders:

1. Seminars with multiple speakers, all selling packages.
2. Big-ticket year-long “mastermind” programs, from $20-$100K
3. Monthly memberships
   
4. Big-ticket home-study programs

RESULTS:
3, 5, 2, 4, 1

1, 2, 5, 4, 3

4. 5. 1. 3. 2

1, 2, 4, 3, 5

1, 2, 5

3, 4, 1, 5, 2

5, 4, 2, 3, 1

1, 3, 4, 2, 5

5, 4, 3, 1, 2

2, 1, 3, 4, 5

1 ,2 ,5, 3 ,4

3, 4, 1, 5, 2

5, 4, 1, 3, 2

3, 5, 1

3, 4, 5, 1, 2

1, 5, 4, 3, 2

3, 2

2

Comments from This Section:

No one is inherently bad, it’s more the method of self-promotion and the lack of valuable content that bothers me.

Lots of folks think they walk on water when they sure do not! The use of “incredible” “amazing” and other superlatives surrounding price of a special offer. “Do it now or it will cost more later.”

3 is by far the worst because you end up in one without realizing it.
2 because you can end up in these without realizing it.

3 & 4 could be okay. If there is really value to the seminar or access to the guru (bad term; good for big egos), and the upsell portion is really minimal, I don’t mind so much. Usually, though, I a not-too-thinly veiled upsell is the major thrust of the presentations.

Group calls with ‘Guru’ are only good if you have reasonable access, so the membership has to be limited, somehow. Again, the major thrust behind membership sites seems to be, “How can I make more money and work less?” This sickens me.

#6: How would a TRUSTWORTHY “Information Leader” do business? How would s/he market?

• Be themselves … be real, but still PLAY BIG.

• honestly, authentically, and with integrity

• I want more practicality, and honesty “it won’t”, “you need to improve here and there”. Less exclamation of admiration as if the truth was just discovered. If something is good, yes, acknowledge it but I want less high-pitch “awesome’. Down to earth.

• I like: Jeffry Gitomer, Frank Rumbauskas, Paul at Talkbiz, Paul Castain and the Sales Lion.

• Some discreet disclosure; Substantial information for reasonable cost in time, energy and money; CD and group settings seem fruitful.

• Teach first, then make services available.

• The ONLY way I have seen transformation taking place in me has been through LIVE communication where ONE on ONE coaching is offered. So the information leader MUST offer me this in order for me to even consider giving him any money.

• Email people when you truly have something to say or something new to offer, not every week or every day because you think you have to

• If you can still learn from them without spending a cent…that’s good thing!

• UP front honesty on what is offered at what price. NO HYPE on supposed value of products offered.. It is only valuable if I agree to pay the $$. Honesty about affiliate income from my purchases.
• NO buy it now or loose out on the special price. Immediate decisions are pressure. A good product will sell itself w/o this car salesman tactic.
  
• Membership community at very low cost with many free offerings.
• NO GAMES! I am so tired of the manipulation
  
  
• A sales/opt in page that is not a 30 min read through testimonial land.
  

• Lead with actual leadership qualities. Yes, we all have information and products we would like to disseminate to the public, but it seems that over-inflating the price which puts a perceived value on the item engenders people to want to buy to see what the hidden gold is only to find out there isn’t any hidden gold, it’s just the same old stuff rehashed into a different format. I think we need to get back to an actual value based system. Why not let the buyers put their perceived value first – a few dollars to one person when it’s all they have is a far greater fortune than the $1500 to the person who has it to spend. When an individual values something they will use it.

• Tell the fricking truth and stop the bullshit hype. It’s not the tools or the channels, it’s the message you deliver

• I don’t think all of the above strategies are bogus or inflated depending on who the person is that you are going to spend time with. Consultants in lots of industries charge high fees for their expertise. We might pay to save us time and money by taking the long way. Bait and switch is my most hated ploy.

• Content-rich mailings and seminars/workshops, with a mention of what is available next, and being available after an event to speak one to one about people’s concerns. Building trust and rapport work with me. It may take longer to enroll a new client (or not), but it sure feels better.

Well, there you have it! Know any Internet Information Marketing Guru? Send ‘em over
here so they can get some sense knocked into them!

I’m still happy to take your thoughts over at Survey Monkey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NJ7XSR6

So, I fainted in Target on Sunday. Out of the blue.
And no, it wasn’t because of the great sales. In fact,
they say it was dehydration, but whatever it was, it
was scary. I had the oddest symptoms for about an
hour before I crumpled in a heap somewhere between
kitchenware and bedding. I found out it was due to
loss of oxygen to my brain; apparently we traverse
weird territory without our requisite O2—and for
sure, I thought I was going crazy. Then, without
warning, boom, a man’s kneeling over me,
asking if I know why I fell. “I didn’t even know
I DID fall,” I answer, groggily looking from left to
right. Soon, I was surrounded by paramedics, police
officers and Target managers bracing themselves for
a lawsuit. Because I hit my head very hard on (something;
no one knows because there were no witnesses—but,
man, does that bump still hurt!) I was escorted onto
a hard, orange plastic gurney and fit cozily with a
neck brace. Off we went, sirens wailing, to the hospital
for tests.

It turned out that every blasted test came back normal
—which is what one typically strives for, I know—but
when you’ve interrupted your family members’ lives,
not to  mention your own all-important shopping
spree, you want something to explain the hours in
the ER. But, alas, I was diagnosed with “syncope”—
otherwise known as fainting—and released to my
own recognizance. Such as it is.

As I was reclining back at home, my ex and signifi-
cant other took my VW to the dealership to have
them resolve an odd sluggishness I’d been experi-
encing. After sleeping eleven hours that night, (and
not one of them on my left-hand side because of
the massive bulb on the side of my head), I headed
over to the dealership to await my car’s release. And
that’s when I got the female treatment. I’ll spare
you the details, but suffice it to say there was some
unmistakable shady activity going on. Ten minutes
after I declined a $400 additional service, I was told
that the issue had, remarkably, “disappeared.” All was
fine. Then, a moment later, they came back to say
that they had a used part in stock from another car
and could slip that in to replace my faulty one. Had
I gone ahead and accepted the $400 job, do you
think I would have been told of the free used
part? Or that the issue had miraculously disappeared?

I’ve been feeling increasing disgust over the corruption
and secrets so prevalent in our world today—not
just on Wall Street, and in government; Big Business,
“corporate media,” our religious institutions, etc.—
but also in “small business”: the shallow and greed-
based antics playing out in internet marketing
every day. Having my own mechanics try to shaft
me was a tipping point for me and I decided to make
some changes in my own business. I have always
been honest and trustworthy as a business owner,
but I was following many of the Internet Information
Gurus—and this week, I unsubscribed from a vast
majority of them. I decided they’re too slick and
phony for me; they’re the “Internet Hollywood Scene.”
The few hours in the ER, not knowing what was wrong
with me, plus the massive knock to my head, brought
me to my senses: I’m “leaving the pack,” “escaping
the wannabees” once again, no longer aspiring to
rub elbows with them, proverbially “sleep with them”
to get to the next level, attend their parties or adapt
their business-building strategies. (Which are, on
another note, entirely cookie-cutter, have you noticed?)

I don’t want to make money by gouging other people
of their hard-earned money. (And I never have.) Isn’t
that what the banks do? I don’t want to make money
by hosting a seminar that’s really a pitch-fest. I believe
that’s called bait-and-switch. I don’t want to make
money from obscenely inflated home-study products
or memberships. And I don’t want to tell my daughter
I made money following. Inspired Leaders don’t
follow, they lead through inspiration. I got seduced
by the glitter and glam—but now know that all that
glitters is not gold.

I have created a questionnaire over at Survey
Monkey, to see if my own experience reflects the
“zeitgeist,” the energy in the culture right now, about
slick, internet information marketing. You know
–the guys and women making millions of dollars on
$20,000 – $100,000 yearly memberships, claiming
they can “teach” (ha!) and “coach” (ha!). Have
you had it, too? Do they feel like shallow, slick, plastic
Hollywood types? Do you want to learn from a different
type of leader? If so, what type?

I promise to share the comments from your
peers in an upcoming blog.

By the way, in case you’re wondering: I’m doing fine…
except for the nasty bump and the bruises on my
leg and knee. I’ll be going to a cardiologist for a
“table test,” just to ensure that I don’t have a
propensity for losing oxygen to the brain. But I expect
everything to come out normal. After all, I’m still
young! In fact, the best part of the whole experience
was my daughter grumbling to me as we sat in my
ER room: “Everyone’s asking me if you’re my
sister.”

It was all worth it for that!

Please click here to take my “Have You Had It With
The Internet Hollywood Scene?” survey.