I’ve been taught many critical lessons by the mentors on this page.
Some were family and some were friends.
Some were business partners, and some were joint venture partners.
There were authors whose work impacted me and mentors I’ve paid to move me forward.
And some of the most enriching lessons came from business owners I’ve assisted in one way or another who taught me through osmosis and friendly counseling.
Each mentor taught me something that eventually applied to my online marketing efforts and the design of my dream.
Even though your vision may be different from mine, you’ll be able to see how these lessons will help you the same way they helped me.
Much of this information was accumulated during positive events that were a joy to experience.
Much was also gained through harsh trial and error periods that tested my resolve
And a smaller grouping was attained by taking hard and heavy hits to the chin while studying at the School of Life.
But I shaped it all in a positive light for two reasons:
Life is a dual-sided coin. There is no such thing as all good of anything. Without the bad, good would be meaningless.
But even bad can be positively put to use. I wanted to prove that point here, in how I worded the list.
Put a positive spin on it all to keep you from feeling negative as you read and to show it can be done.
Also, I lead by example. Some of the lessons below were incredibly painful to learn.
I lost friends, got ripped off, got conned a few times, and had my good nature abused more than once.
And I sometimes made choices that were not the purest in nature, which I heavily paid for later.
If I had chosen to remain bitter when those things happened to me, or feel guilty and ashamed for the things I clearly did wrong, never using them to learn and grow, then the lesson would have been wasted. I have to look at it all in a positive light because even the bad has good hiding within it.
And that’s one of the biggest takeaways I’d like you to become aware of as you finish reading.
Life sometimes sucks. It frequently sucks actually. So what?
If your dream is important enough to you, then you must keep getting back on that horse and trying again. There’s a fine line between knowing when to quit, change tactics, or rework your entire vision and unknowingly being just one step away from a success you can’t quite see.
But your mule-like tendency to never quit must always remain firmly in place if you ever wish to see your dream become a reality.
If you’re already an entrepreneur or something close to it, then I’m preaching to the choir and kudos to you for even finding me as you press on. You guys feed that faith whatever it needs to stay alive and well.
If you’re new to the whole process of learning what’s in you that’s great (and we all have something) and trying to monetize it or fund its birth (if you have non-profit motives) then know that even with the best of help, some suffering will take place.
But also be aware that I’m going to do everything in my power to assist you in making that list of dings as short of one as possible. I shot myself in the foot more times than I can count.
I can save you those troubles
And I can lead you to people further along in the game than I, who can help you avoid even bigger trauma, some of which I am still learning as well.
Just know that, in order for me to sleep soundly at night, I have to be able to stand by my word. I have to know I did everything in my power to give you what you need to grow your dream into a concrete entity.
If I don’t know the answer to your question, I’ll go get it. If it’s beyond my experience level, I have friends who can most definitely pick up where I left off to bring you the knowledge that you need and I will point you their way.
OK. Let’s do this. Just click on any item below to be taken to the expanded post of that entity’s gift to me:

My Dad: Do The Job Right Or Don’t Do It At All

My Mom: The Power Of Leading With Your Heart

My Wife And Kids: Married: with Children

My Grandpa: Wherever you go, there you are

The Marines

Arnold Schwarzenegger – “I already called my mother and told her I won!”

“Say it again! I DARE you!” Samuel L Jackson

The Farmer: Watch out for your own best interests

The Teacher: Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water

The Tradesman: You WILL get what you want in this life – choose wisely

Bill Harris: Reality’s not what you think it is

Jay Abraham: Preeminence: Be compared to others or be the one others are compared to

Dr. Marc Rabinowitz: Your Pain Is Not What You Think It Is

Will Brink: BE strong to THINK strong

Rich Schefren: You can’t do it all yourself

Glenn Dietzel: Act! Now! Big!

Robert Kiyosaki – A profitable messenger is a heard messenger

Garret LoPorto: Some of us don’t herd well

Jeremy Ellenbogen: It pays to be authentic, transparent, and to operate with integrity

Jason Leister: Incomparable Expert
All of these folks’ info swims around in my head constantly, with the perfect piece coming to the surface when I need it most. That’s another skill you can learn but it takes time, FOCUS, and practice.
(Hint: You’re going to find focus to be your greatest asset and probably the hardest to develop, but develop it you must.)
I’ve just handed you a simplified version of the owner’s manual to my head. On my site, you’ll find an ever growing article base that discusses these same items in depth, as well as tools and resources to take what I’ve learned ever farther.
Compare your lessons to mine. Find particular topics on my site that resonate with you or move you in some way and leave your thoughts.
Comment! Share! Let us have a peek inside your head too!
I only know what I know. You know something I don’t. Guaranteed. I’d like to hear about it. So would others in the group.
The more you share, the more exposure you’ll get for your brand, idea, or product and the higher the chance that you’ll find a joint venture partner of one sort or another within the site. We all have to pull together in order for each of us to win.