Below is a shot of my condo where I live in downtown Miami, FL. It's an amazing spot right on the Biscayne Bay, less than ten minutes from South Beach, and only a few hours by car from Key West. I can't think of a better place to live in ALL of America than in deep South Florida, pretty much at the bottom eastern corner of the United States. You can't go too much lower or you'll, literally, be in the Caribbean. In fact, my son Nicolas and I, just last night, saw three dolphins swimming right in the bay outside our complex, only a few feet from the edge. Not sure you'd see that "in a city" anywhere else in the continental US. Insanely cool.

Anyway...

The complex is 44 floors high and once or twice a week, I do the stairs first thing in the morning. Meaning, I walk up them, at a brisk pace. Twice. That's 88 flights of stairs. Oh, and I do every other step for more intensity. Double steps. Then, I jump in the pool and swim a few laps. It's a pretty tough regimen, but it's quick.

The little red arrow is where my condo is on the 20th floor.

That's me holding a warm, soft $100 bill at me recent Glazer-Kennedy Insider's Circle Chapter Event here in Miami, FL last week....

(Ever notice how most people call it cold, hard cash. Not me! That stuff is warm and soft. Keep calling it cold and hard and you'll be lucky if you ever get much of it. FYI).

Anyway... That's a topic for another time...

So every month I give away one $100 bill to the "Marketer of the Month." Three people each month get to compete. They need to show the audience the exact marketing campaign(s) they are running and the audience, usually close to 100 people, votes. The winner takes the cash. But the winner gets more than that. He or she also greatly improves their game just by competing. Competition has a funny way of making us step up and perform at a much higher level.

But....

Very few have the stuff necessary to step up and compete, in anything, in the first place. That stuff contains "three things" actually. And if you don't have them yet, today I'll show you what they are and how to get them in this Blog post. Most don't so don't worry.

Read on!

"Mastering Your Inner Game"

Ok, so this is gonna be one of those uncomfortable self-evaluation discussions that NONE of us like to have. However, top performers in business, in sports, and in life... self-evaluate. That's why they are winners. Losers look the other way. They never want to hear it. They never want to face the music. Too scared what they may find...

This article is from my mentor, Dan Kennedy. As one of Dan's Certified Business Advisors for four years now, running the Miami Chapter of Glazer-Kennedy Insider's Circle, I am furnished with a few of these each year from Dan's private "Why People Fail" series. This is content that is NOT available to the general public, only to us Business Advisors.

And that's good news for you because  I share these ONLY with my subscribers (you) periodically throughout the year. Enjoy.

Here we go...

Why People Fail
A Series Of Private No B.S. Articles From Dan Kennedy

Mastering Your Inner Game...

We’re going to talk about the inner game of building your business.  I believe that the inner game is simply all-important.  “The inner game” is a new term for a classic idea explained many different times, many different ways by virtually every success educator, and even philosophers...

In the book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill reveals the secret using the words, “thoughts are things.” Dennis Waitley has worked with U.S. astronauts and Olympic athletes on their inner games.  Author Tim Galloway explores the ideas of his books, The Inner Game of Golf, The Inner Game of Tennis and The Inner Game of Selling.

Interestingly, there is a never-ending connection between the inner game in sport and the inner game in business, allowing experts like Waitley, Galloway, ex-quarterback Fran Tarkenton and golfer Arnold Palmer, among others, to step back and forth between expounding on success techniques in the athletic and business worlds.

In all cases, these people speak much more about attitudes than aptitudes for a good reason.  Surveys, studies and research consistently reaffirm that 85% of your success will depend on attitudinal factors, 15% on aptitude. Yet in your formal education and in most continuing education, the emphasis is on the opposite - 15% on attitude, 85% on aptitude.

Certainly technical knowledge and skills are important. In your profession, you must deliver excellence based on your staying up to date in techniques, products, materials and ideas. However, such excellence alone will never build a successful, growing, profitable business. The excellence that will, is an excellence created and sustained in your own mind.  This is the most difficult, least tangible aspect of building your business that we’ll ever talk about, but it's also one of the most important...

Yeah, but what is it?

So what is the Inner Game? 

The way I see it, the inner game can be broken down into three major components:

•    Self esteem
•    Self image 
•    Self discipline

Quality in these four areas is a necessary foundation to personal and professional success.

Self Esteem:

Self Esteem is essentially your feelings of worth.  How much success do you deserve?  How much money should you make?  How much is your time worth?

Here, briefly, are seven ideas for strengthening self-esteem:

1.    Establish worthwhile, meaningful goals and values.

2.    Take massive action to get your own financial house in order if it isn’t now. Reduce debt, bring expenses under income, and invest every single month.

3.    Give yourself recognition for each and every accomplishment.

4.    Manage your time productively.  Procrastination and disorganization rob many people of their self-esteem.

5.    Associate with positive-minded, happy people who encourage and motivate you.  Don’t hang out with folks who are negative, unhappy, critical or jealous.

6.    Continually acquire new know-how in you profession and in the areas of business, sales and communication.

7.    Regularly invest in improving your office and home environments, tools and equipment, wardrobe and other external things that impact on your attitudes.

Self Image:

Self image is how you see yourself. It’s who you think you are. Your self image is controlled mostly by self-imposed limits. Very few people ever perform beyond those self-imposed limits. A salesman whose father never earned more than $25,000 a year in his life may well see himself as a $25,000 a year guy.  And he will subconsciously screw up the opportunities to earn more that come his way.

In the financial area, the controversial Reverend Ike calls this a money rejection syndrome, and I am convinced that such a thing definitely exists.  One man I know, who made over $100 million in his business in its first three years from scratch, had gone broke in business several times before. After the three years of remarkable success, he said, “Making $100 million is about the easiest thing I’ve ever done.  Believing it could happen to me was the hard part that took 20 years.”

Your self image was created and is sustained through self talk, the use of affirmations - and that is also the method you can use to alter and modify your self image, literally as you wish. I call the process self image goal setting, because most people who set goals set only “to get” and “to have” goals; they fail to set “to be” goals.  I encourage you to balance your approach to goal setting by including some self image modification.

Self Discipline:

Self Disciple, the 3rd component of the inner game, is quite possibly the most important. Success lecturer Jim Rohn says that most people do not associate lack of discipline with lack of success.

Most people think of failure as one earth-shattering event, such as a company going out of business or a home being foreclosed on. This, however, Jim Rohn says, is how failure happens.

Failure is rarely the result of some isolated event; rather, it is a consequence of a long list of accumulated little failures, which happen as a result of too little discipline. I agree. I find that most people understandably tend to look everywhere but in the mirror for the sources of their failures as well as the victories.

I’m here to tell you it’s not the town you’re in, not your location, not the economy, not the weather, not your competitors - it’s your own discipline that makes the difference between excellence or mediocrity, between getting by or getting rich.

It’s interesting to observe professionals.  I often say to my associates, “Let me watch the professional’s behavior before, during and after the seminar, and I’ll guess his annual income within a few thousand dollars.”  It’s actually pretty easy to do.

Jim Rohn says that: "discipline is the bridge between thought and accomplishment."

I’d encourage you to take the self discipline challenge very seriously...

Select those areas that you know are your weakest links - timely paperwork, punctuality, daily self-improvement study, being happy and enthusiastic first thing in the morning, whatever your personal stumbling blocks are - and apply new, tough, demanding disciplines to yourself in those areas. You’ll find that success in these particular areas of your day-to-day life will roll over into greater success in all parts of you life.

For example, let’s look at the ultimate athletes - professional football players.  A pro ball player knows that every single moment of his on-the-job performance is recorded on film, to be replayed and reviewed later in stop-action slow motion, for critique by his superiors and co-workers.

If your day was filmed and reviewed, how would you feel during the replay?

Of course, the professional football players who have to put up with this sort of thing are highly paid....

Yes, the inner game stuff is tough.  If being a big success were easy, everybody would be one. You’ve got to decide what you really want to be, do, have, accomplish - and decide whether or not you’re willing to adhere to the disciplines necessary to get it.

In order to have the opportunity to accomplish virtually any goals you honestly desire, you must accept the related responsibility for everything you get...

- Dan Kennedy

The Why People Fail articles are provided by Dan S. Kennedy, serial entrepreneur, 'from scratch' multi-millionaire, speaker, consultant, coach, author of over 13 books including the No B.S. series (www.NoBSBooks.com), and editor of the most read direct marketing newsletter in the world, The No B.S. Marketing Letter.

Every month, Dan Kennedy and the Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle Team bring forward a new collection of radically different, “what works” advertising, marketing, sales and business improvement strategies along with current examples, news, opinion and motivation.

We've arranged a SPECIAL FREE GIFT FROM DAN FOR YOU including a 2-Month FREE Membership in Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle, newsletters, audio CD’s and more. This is “The Place For Prosperity.” For information and to register, visit:

www.GKICFreeGift.com

Articles © 2010/Glazer-Kennedy Insider’s Circle LLC. All rights reserved.

Don't take this stuff lightly. It IS the difference maker. VERY few are held back by lack of talent....

- Andrew

If you're a football fan here in the US, you know that last night the 2012 NFL Draft kicked off in prime time (college players being drafted to play Pro Football and become instant Millionaires, for those of you who may not know, and for some perspective).

The talent this year was big. These guys are bigger, faster, and more agile then ever. Many are physical freaks of nature, blessed to play the game. But many are not. Many got there through brutally hard work and fierce commitment. Growing up playing football all the way up to the NCAA Division 1-AA level, I know what goes on. I also know there is "one commonality" among all these high-level athletes that, also, seems to be a commonality among all high-level entrepreneurs....

They all put a major emphasis on "coaching." There's always some sort of coach(s) or trainer(s) or advisor(s) surrounding ALL of them. Many, since they were young, and some, simply in the form of their parent(s) as mentors, which we should all be as parents. I know I am, and strive to be always for my son (who turned 16 months old today).

So this week, a super article I have for you on what to look for in a coach or mentor. Read it closely. Often times, its only one or two people in our lives in the form of "coach" or "mentor" that changes everything for us. It has been for me, and countless others. I can point back to less than three people who served me as "coach" or "mentor" and opened doors for me that, otherwise, would NOT have been opened, and who knows where I'd be had it not been for them...

"10 Things To Look For In A Coach"

In my last Blog post,I wrote about "Fakers" in business, and it got a LOT of attention and ended up being published on a few major syndication networks. With good reason... because so many agree. And because so few are "Real" anymore these days.

That said, a friend of mine and a member of my Glazer-Kennedy Insider's Circle chapter here in South Florida, sent me the following article from Forbes on what to look for in coach or mentor. It's a great piece and a perfect follow up to my piece on "Fakers" in business. I think you'll enjoy this...

Peyton Manning signs a new deal for nearly $100 million to play football. Some guy named CC Sabathia signs last fall for $122 million to throw a fastball over a white piece of rubber. Both guys at the top of their game. Skill off the charts. Champions. Leaders.<p >And they still have 3 coaches… each. 

You would think it crazy if Peyton suddenly declared he didn’t need a coach anymore. Can you hear him now? “Listen. I am the best. I know how to play and have it all figured out. What more can anyone teach me? What more do I need to learn? Nope. I am just going out there on my own now. No coaching needed. Just get out of my way.”

Yeah, right.

If these guys still need 3 coaches each, maybe you and I need at least 10...

Even the all-time greatest entrepreneur of our time, Steve Jobs, had a team of coaches. Sure, he called them “advisors” and “board members”, but it’s the same thing. The purpose is the same. To get counsel. To get advice.

One of the worst mistakes you can make as an entrepreneur is trying to go it alone. Like a lone-wolf. Out there on your own. Maybe starving to death.

Mistake.

When I spoke with one successful entrepreneur coach and mentor, she said this: “One of the big reasons entrepreneurs fail is they do not listen to the wisdom of others. They just refuse to get counsel.”

But it doesn't have to be this way. You and I can learn from others. We can get guidance. We can get coaching.

Don’t currently have a mentor or coach? Don’t know where to start?

Lucky for you I've got… "10 Traits To Look For In a Coach and Mentor."

1) Previous Entrepreneurial Experience -- Yes, this may seem obvious, but do you know how many mentors, consultants and coaches out there have never actually had their own business before? And no, their consulting business to help you doesn’t count.

Think of it this way: It would be like seeking marriage counseling from a person who has never been married. Um, yeah. Moving on please…

2) Variety of Experience as an Entrepreneur (Including the “F” Word) -- And one step further? Why not go for a mentor who has started or owned multiple businesses? Yes, the more variety the better. Remember, you’re looking for a mentor and coach who can help you see a different perspective on things. No better match than a serial entrepreneur -- especially one who has experienced success and yes: failure.

3) High Level of Integrity, Honesty and Respect -- Bruce Nordstrom of, well, Nordstrom used to say this: “We can hire nice people and teach them to sell, but we can’t hire salespeople and teach them to be nice.

In other words, you have to look at the core of the person whom you wish to be your coach and mentor. Their core character. If it’s somehow whacked -- better turn and run. Fast.

4) No “Yes-Man” Please -- It’s important you find someone who will give it to you straight. You don’t need a “yes-man” around, and you sure don’t need things sugar coated. You need real input. Real perspective. And real guidance. And yes, you get to make the final decision, but at least you’re getting some tangible input to go on. Oh, and a promise to make you rich in 30 days? See #3 above.

5) Big Picture Thinker -- You want a mentor who helps you think about the big picture, and then drills down to the details from there. One of the biggest hurdles entrepreneurs have is getting too close to their own ideas. You’ve got to have someone who can back you up a bit. Help you see the big vision. And then yes, help you build detailed strategies to get there.

6) Genuinely Cares About You -- You want someone who is genuinely concerned about helping you realize your dreams as an entrepreneur. Having a coach who only cares about themselves and cashing your check at the end of the week is a dead end road. No, they don’t need to bring you milk and cookies every day, but you get the point, right?

7) Encouraging & Empathetic -- This may seem counter to #4, but we’re not talking about the same thing here. You will need someone there to pick you up after you’ve gotten knocked to the ground. And believe me, as an entrepreneur, you will get knocked down.

So, it’s good to have a coach and mentor who will encourage you and cheer you on. And yes, be there to stick a bandage on your knee and tell you it’s going to be okay.

8) Results Oriented -- Ever been to a counselor who just wants to sit on the couch and talk about your feelings all the time? Day after day, week after week, month after month? Never really making any breakthrough and getting results on the problem? Believe me, you don’t want to go there. You want results and you want a mentor who will help you get them. Period.

9) Body of Work -- Try to find a coach and mentor who has created their own content and body of work. Meaning? Someone who is a thought leader and maybe written articles, books, or speeches on the entrepreneurial life. Again, this goes to #1 above — ‘tis better to have someone who has lived the life vs. just reading you a bedtime story about it.

10) Trusted Authority -- Lastly, you want a person who has credibility and is seen as an authority by others for their entrepreneurial wisdom. Quoted or found in major publications like Forbes, Entrepreneur or Inc. Magazine. A person who is well-thought of and knows what they’re doing. Basically, a trusted source and leader.

Do whatever it takes to find yourself a guy or gal who fits all the above. And yes, you could take shortcuts and disregard some of these traits. But why would you? We’re talking about your life here my friend...

And although you probably haven’t bagged that $100 million dollar deal yet, look to Peyton Manning and say “yes” to coaching. It may just change your business life... forever.

I agree with all 10. Hard not to. My recent Blog post on "Fakers" in business was mainly focused on #1, #9, and #10. In case you missed it, you can read it RIGHT HERE.

- Andrew J. Cass