© Copyright 2013 Max Bolka
Reproduction In Any Form By Written Permission Only

“The Main Thing Is To Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing”
- Dr. Stephen Covey (1932-2012)

Anytime of the year is a good time to define and achieve your highest goals. But if you’re like most Financial Advisors, the day-to-day running of your business may have you running all over the place. If business is good, you may work hard to make hay while the sun shines. And if business is bad, you may feel you have to work extra hard to make up for it.

As a result, your life can turn into a constant 25/8 work cycle, and longer term goals can get pushed into the background in favor of short term crises. You may never seem to be able to find the time to move your business ahead and take it to the next level. If this describes your situation, fear not. There’s still hope…

Rather than becoming overwhelmed by focusing on all the goals you aren’t even close to accomplishing, consider the following questions and exercise, designed to help you break free of old thinking patterns and inspire you to take meaningful action towards transforming your practice.

The One Thing

What’s the one thing, you KNOW if you did it, would make the biggest impact on your business?

Make sure your goals are measurable. This helps to track your progress and focus on how far you’ve come, not how far you have to go, providing a much needed long term perspective.

What will it take for you to commit to it?  What excites you? How can you make it fun?

By making your “one thing” as enjoyable as possible and creating rewards along the way, you help ensure the process of positive reinforcement, as well as set up a system for accountability.

What obstacles are in your way?

Simply turn them around 180 degrees and create new goals. Again, make it measurable. For example, don’t just say time and money are holding you back. Instead, be specific as to where your time and money are going now, and what you’d rather be doing with them. Like magic, you’ll end up with a longer list of goals, but no obstacles!

Taking Action

When detailing Action Steps to take, drill down to a deeper level. How many prospects are you trying to reach? The most overlooked criteria when constructing a Business Plan is time. Anyone can double their revenue if they’re willing to work twice as many hours, but that is usually not the goal. In fact, many might argue that “The Main Thing” is to see how few phone calls you can make, and how few clients you can serve, and still hit your target gross revenue and net income.

#1 Time Management Tip

Plan each day the night before you leave the office. Create an Ideal Daily Schedule by putting the specific Action Steps necessary to achieve your goals in the appropriate time slot. This eliminates illegitimate distractions, procrastination or any sense of hurry.

When the phone rings, the emails start flying or someone walks into your office unannounced, you only have one decision to make: Is this interruption more important than what you previously planned on accomplishing during this time slot? If not, just tell them, “I’d love to help, but I can’t right now. Can we schedule a time later when we can talk?”

Without this type of Daily To Do List broken down into specific time slots, and the discipline to graciously deflect requests from others who may not be so focused, every interruption will have to be evaluated against the thousand other items on your Master To Do List. Remember, if you don’t manage your time, others will be happy to do so for you.

Chunk It Down

If your “one thing” is too big to take on, break it down into smaller, more manageable parts. See if you can break it down into 15-minute segments leading to your overall project or goal. Make a specific time each day you will work on your “one thing,” even if it’s just for 15 minutes. For example, just 15 minutes of phone calling, perhaps making just two calls per day, will amount to 10 per week, 40 a month or 400 calls per year. I guarantee this activity will generate more business for you.

Can’t find the time to work out?  Start with just 15 minutes daily. It doesn’t have to be strenuous. A quick walk or some pushups, sit ups, stretching or dancing will do. Want to get more rest? Go to bed just 15 minutes earlier starting tonight. You’ll begin to notice a difference almost immediately.

Think Quality, Not Quantity

The secret to finding more time is to think quality not quantity. It’s not how much you accomplish in any given day. It’s a matter of whether the activity you’re engaged in is getting you closer to your longer term goals. If not, why are you doing it?

To quote Dr. Covey again, “Many people spend their entire lives climbing the ladder of success; Only to find out when they reach the top, that it was leaning against the wrong wall.” Working backwards from your goals makes all your activity purposeful and meaningful to you.

Without any judgment, simply replace an old habit with a more useful one. Continue to make small improvements in your business, health, relationships and every other area of your life.

Your “Not To Do” List

Finally, make a list of all the things you’re going to stop doing from now on. Start delegating or eliminating even (and especially) all those activities you think will only take you 15 minutes to do, so you might as well do it yourself.

The truth is, even if you have to ask your assistant to do (or redo) something three times, chances are your time is worth far more than three times what you’re paying your assistant to get it done.

It pays to delegate, delay or eliminate these activities from your schedule. Start a “To Delegate” list today. You may also find that eliminating just 15 minutes a day of gossip, complaining or criticizing will give you both the time and energy you’re looking for.

An Unstoppable Cycle of Success

When you keep the main thing the main thing, you’ll very quickly notice that success starts to reinforce itself naturally, without any more effort on your part.  It’s like building a muscle; Each day you do it you get stronger, which makes it easier to keep doing it, which of course, breeds more success.  Pretty soon you’ll be actively looking for ways to sneak in more and more “Success Time.”

If you want, email me your “one thing.” We’ll compile all the answers and send you a copy of the results. Your name will be kept confidential. It’s always interesting to note overall trends, as well as the number one thing Advisors report that would make the biggest difference in their business. Also let me know your level of interest, and we can set up an appointment to talk, to explore ways to make your “one thing” happen for you.

 I look forward to hearing from you and helping you, “Take It To THE MAX!”

 Max Bolka is a 30-year veteran of the financial services industry
who developed and served a nationwide financial planning and investment clientele.
Today he “Builds First-Class Financial Advisors” of all kinds through his professional speaking,
writing and one-on-one mentoring program for the past 17 years.
You can visit his web site at www.maxbolka.com,
or contact him directly at (800) 472-3288
or via email: max@maxbolka.com.

© Copyright 2012 By Max Bolka
Reproduction In Any Form By Written Permission Only

One of the qualities of successful Financial Advisors is that they seem completely comfortable with their success. This comfort is due to a high level of healthy self esteem. Raise your self esteem and you’ll raise your income.

Most of the existing literature on the psychology of success focuses on the subconscious, negative core beliefs which hold us back from greater achievement. But I would maintain that most of these core beliefs would naturally change and become more positive as a result of increasing one’s self esteem, ultimately leading to greater success and income.

Self Esteem Defined

Self esteem is the combination of self confidence and self worth. First, you must generally feel confident enough with whom you are as a person. You must know that you belong in the world and are up to the challenges of everyday life. Second, and more specifically, you must feel confident enough as an Advisor to solve your client’s greatest financial challenges. After all, that’s the primary reason they hire you. And third, increasing your self esteem requires that you feel worthy, that you deserve a greater level of financial and business success than you currently enjoy.

So how can you, as a Financial Advisor, gain more confidence and a greater sense of self worth, leading to greater success and income?

Competence Leads To Confidence

There are many ways to increase genuine self confidence. Certainly, success breeds success, and simply accomplishing a particular monetary goal or bringing on a significant client who now entrusts you with their financial future can give you the confidence necessary to take your business to the next level.

Increasing your technical skills or areas of expertise can also increase confidence and self esteem. Obtaining a new designation, license or other certification can empower and motivate you to expand your marketing efforts in new directions, approaching larger clients than you currently serve.

But for those marketing efforts to be effective and sustainable, you cannot simply mask poor self esteem with your newly acquired skills. You must genuinely embody your new knowledge, owning it and using it as a way to better serve clients. It involves taking on greater levels of responsibility for your client’s financial well being, and establishing specific, well defined standards for activity and accountability.

Do You Deserve More Success?

Increasing your self confidence is relatively easy compared to increasing feelings of self worth. There are many reasons why Advisors might not feel  they deserve more success.

One common reason is that the Advisor’s financial house is not yet in order. Perhaps you are in debt. This may be associated with feelings of guilt, shame or inadequacy, making it difficult to approach a higher level of clientele to whom you can offer your services. There can be a feeling of uneasiness at a very subtle, even subconscious level that your prospective client picks up on, even if they can’t put words to it.

But which came first, the debt or the bad feelings?

Many people believe that being in debt causes shame. However, debt can often be a socially acceptable way of punishing oneself for pre-existing feelings of unworthiness. This explains why people can clean up the debt and temporarily feel good, but the debt keeps reappearing. If you don’t heal the cause (underlying feelings of unworthiness and poor self esteem), the pattern will repeat itself and the symptoms (debt) will reappear.

By increasing your self esteem you will get rid of the need to punish yourself, permanently eliminate your debt, genuinely increase your sense of self worth, generate feelings of deservingness,  and pave the way for accepting greater income.

Integrity & Self Worth

Integrity is the consistency among your beliefs, values, standards and actions. Each time we act in a way that violates our beliefs, values or standards we have set for ourselves, we lose a little self respect. Do it enough times and you begin to doubt yourself and your ability to make good decisions. Your self confidence decreases and self esteem goes out the window.

Conversely, each time we act according to our beliefs, values and standards, our self esteem remains intact. We know we acted from a place of integrity even if the results are not what we had hoped for. In other words, while success can breed success, failure does not have to define us or destroy us, as long as we act with integrity.

In fact, Advisors with good self esteem view failure as just one more way not to succeed. They learn, grow and carry on, adjusting their business and marketing plans the same way they adjust their clients’ financial and investment plans, viewing results as part of an ongoing process as opposed to a static event.

Self Esteem: A Key Component Of Getting Referrals

Everyone knows the number one way top Advisors obtain new clients is through referrals. It’s generally regarded as the fastest, easiest and least expensive way to build your business. More than just having access to some magical phrases, however, Advisors with good self esteem tend to ask for and receive referrals more than those with poor self esteem. Again, it’s a combination of self confidence and self worth.

For example, when you act as a Fiduciary, placing your client’s interest above all other considerations, it shows. Clients tend to find out sooner or later whether or not you have their best interest in mind. And they usually find out at the most inopportune time, if you have not advised them with the highest degree of professionalism possible.

Just as important, when you put their interests first, you know it. When you can honestly look your client in the eye, knowing you’ve provided the best solution and service at a fair price, you have then set the stage for successfully requesting and gaining referrals. You know in both your head and your heart that you have done right by your client. You gain the feeling of satisfaction for a job well done. Your self esteem increases as you feel a higher sense of self worth and deservingness.

Often your client will reinforce this feeling by saying something to the effect of, “Thank you so much, we couldn’t have done this without you.” Obviously your client feels confident in your abilities and can see the value you bring to the table. It’s time to ask for that referral.

Summary: Success Is A State Of Mind

Once you get the connection between self esteem and success, it becomes easier to make a plan to attract higher net worth clients who more closely fit your ideal client profile. Your increased self confidence will allow you to approach these clients without straining. And your increased sense of self worth and deservingness will enable you to charge them accordingly, enabling you to build your business more effortlessly. Raise your self esteem and you’ll raise your income.

Pretty soon you’ll be asking yourself, “How much success can I stand?”

© Copyright 2013 By Max Bolka
Reproduction In Any Form By Written Permission Only

Every year, an entire month can slip by without any meaningful activity on your part. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Below are step-by-step instructions for creating a killer Marketing Plan, along with some tips for “Max-imizing” your success.

The Market

“Just get me in front of more qualified prospects” is the battle cry I hear from Advisors almost daily, and my response is always the same: Who are you trying to reach? It will be a lot easier to reach qualified prospects (qualified means ready, willing and able to hire you) once you’ve identified them.

So who is your target market?  You can have as many target markets as you like..You just have to be specific. If you don’t target market, you’ll end up appealing to nobody instead of everybody.

Create an Ideal Client Profile for each of your target markets. Your Ideal Client Profile can consist of anywhere from a couple of paragraphs to a full page, describing your ideal clients using as many non-financial criteria as possible. Examples might include common values, lifestyle, stage in life, hobbies, major financial concerns (for which you of course provide solutions), level of financial sophistication and hand holding required, etc.

Your Ideal Client Profile gets printed out and goes in your introductory kit, appears on your web site, and comes out of your mouth during the initial client interview. The goal is to give your potential clients something to hang his/her hat on, to screen themselves in, and to have them say to themselves, “Hey, this Advisor serves clients just like me!”

The Message

Once you’ve identified whom you wish to reach, you’ll need to create a compelling message. Your mission statement may be great, but here’s what your prospect is thinking: “What makes you different, what makes you unique, and why should I hire YOU?” There are many Advisors out there claiming they “really, really care” and that they help clients “formulate their most important goals.”

You may want to do business with someone because she’s a doctor with a Net Worth of $5 million, but that’s not a reason why they want to do business with you. Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) describes any combination of your technical expertise, market niche specialty and deliverables which, when combined, make you relatively unique.

Again, your USP goes in your introductory kit, on your web site, and comes out of your mouth during the initial client interview when your prospect innocently asks, “Have you ever heard of xyz competition?” Your reply, “Why yes I have, but here are the six reasons clients hire us/enjoy doing business with us/why we feel we’re different.”

The Medium

Once you know what you want to say and to whom you wish to say it, the medium/method becomes much easier. This is why it’s so important to accurately define your target market(s) first. There are dozens of effective ways to market your services. The methods your choose should fit both you and your target market.

First, what is your preferred method of communication? Do you communicate better one-on-one or in a group? Speaking or writing? On the phone or in person? One-way communication or two-way conversations? You get the idea.

BTW: If you are not comfortable communicating at all, you either need to become comfortable or find someone who is, and put them in charge of your marketing and sales operations. Because Financial Advising is 50% about Finance, but it’s also 50% about Advising, and that takes real communication and relationship management skills, including marketing and selling.

Next, how do your target markets obtain and process the type of financial information you’re looking to convey? For example, a life-in-the-fast lane, 45-year old surgeon working hospital shifts likes to receive and process financial information in an entirely different manner than seniors and retirees. Therefore, the marketing methods you choose will differ. Select at least 3-4 marketing methods to implement. A multi-pronged approach will be more effective.

Be creative…For example, did you know you can take a free cruise in exchange for conducting on board finance lectures?  I have a coaching client, an Advisor from Phoenix, who is cruising through Alaska as I write this article. I built a nationwide clientele using this method among others. It’s fun, it’s easy, it’s inexpensive and it’s effective. It’s also a wonderful way to meet HNW people from all over the world, many of whom will be sufficiently impressed with you to become clients.

Creating Your Marketing Plan

Many Financial Advisors have superficially defined markets (no real Ideal Client Profiles), no compelling reasons why potential clients should choose them over their competition, and stop marketing selecting and perhaps dabbling in a few unrelated marketing strategies.

In contrast, a killer Marketing Plan puts together your Market, Message & Methods above into a coherent campaign with specific action steps and time frames. Any marketing effort needs to be consistent. You don’t go to the gym, workout one time and say, “Well, that’s it, I’m in shape for the year!” It’s pretty much the same with marketing. You need a year-round marketing plan.

Like any other investment, you’ll want to track your returns, your ROI. How much does it cost?  What is the potential for new business, and how much competition and credibility will you have?

For example: A free cruise will cost less than an advertisement in most big city newspapers, or even the cost of a one-time cold mail piece. You avoid the 99.5% ad reader or mail recipients who do not qualify, because  poor people are not taking these high end cruises, and you have no competition, because there are no other Financial Advisors doing lectures during your trip.  

Estimate your cost, potential, competition and credibility before you invest your marketing money. There is an abundance of no cost/low cost ways to market your financial services.

Summary -Don’t Waste Time

Now is the perfect time to put together a Marketing Plan…Don’t Wait! Combine your Market, Message & Methods into a coherent plan, and then delegate the execution starting now.

Admittedly, putting together and implementing an effective marketing plan takes time and attention, but is definitely worth it.Over half my Financial Advisor mentoring clients are having another record breaking year, as they did last year. The others are not far behind.

If you would like help creating your Killer Marketing Plan (or any other area of practice management), please call me immediately to set up a 10-Minute “Get Acquainted Call” to discuss your situation and see how I might best be of service to you.

Becoming An Enlightened Financial Advisor Of The Future

© Copyright 2012 Max Bolka
Reproduction In Any Form By Written Permission Only

Sometimes inspiration comes from the strangest places. As I sat at the computer,
ready to come up with a topic for this month’s article, I noticed Tina Turner’s
What’s Love Got To Do With It playing on Pandora. And then it hit me…

More Than Just A Four Letter Word

Love is more than just a four letter word. Rather than being narrowly defined
in a romantic, emotional or marital context, a broader definition of Love might
also include altruistic qualities such as care, compassion, trust, authenticity,
appreciation and giving. Do these traits have any place in today’s fast paced,
left brained, high tech world of entrepreneurship and financial advising?

The concept of Love, in this broader context, is rapidly changing from an idea
whose use has previously been viewed as inappropriate in a business setting,
to becoming a key competitive advantage in today’s business world. Within
a few short years, the implementation of many qualities often associated
with Love may very well evolve to become a minimum standard requirement
for achieving success.

Using the model of The Big Ten Questions Every Client Is Thinking,
Even If They Don’t Ask, (for a complete list of The Big Ten Questions,
email info@maxbolka.com), we find many parallels between each question
and the concept of Love as a way to develop a viable, meaningful mission,
including many industry best practices.

Can we blend the hard core, practical business applications of the head
with the more subtle yet profound, evolutionary qualities of the heart,
to form a new paradigm for serving Clients as an Enlightened Financial Advisor
of the future? Let’s look at the first of The Big Ten Questions:

#1 What Do You Do For A Living? = Love What You Do

When I graduated from college, I signed on with AT&T in their management
program. I was on the fast track, making excellent money for such a young
person. But it took less than a year for me to figure out that I was unhappy.
I was an entrepreneur at heart. I subsequently quit and went to work for
a small Investment Banker, and within three years, left again to start
my own nationwide financial planning and investment advising firm.
Today, 30 years later, I still serve as a consultant to the industry.

While there’s no scientific evidence for the old adage, “Love what you do
and the money will follow,” it sure sounds like a lot more fun to me.
Working eight hours a day (or more) at a job you hate weighs you down
and can lead to poor physical and emotional health.

Jordan & Jobs

While there are lots of people who have made a fortune doing what they hate,
many of the most successful people I know, including Michael Jordan and
Steve Jobs, will tell you that their secret is, “I love what I do.  I’d do it for free
if they didn’t pay me.”

Money was never their issue. In Jordan’s case, it was a matter of becoming
the best, and taking the game to a new level. For Steve Jobs, it was a vision
for changing how the entire world worked, played and communicated.
Both of them danced to a different drummer. They endured distractions,
sometimes even hardships, while facing tremendous pressures, but stayed
true to themselves each step along the way. (Listen to Steve Jobs 15 minute
commencement address on the internet to Stanford University). While we
may never reach the heights of these two great entrepreneurs, every one of us
can apply their wisdom to our own business.

Combining Your Passion & Paycheck

One of the biggest advantages of being an Entrepreneur, and specifically,
Financial Advisor, is that you have complete freedom to combine your
passion with your paycheck. You can offer almost any product or service,
to any type of clientele, live anywhere in the country and structure your
business to fit your lifestyle. You can upgrade your clientele and literally
earn as much money as you like, while enjoying the personal satisfaction
of making a positive, significant impact in your clients’ lives.

One of the first clients I mentored was a woman whom we’ll call Janet.
Janet had gone to school 30 years ago at the urging of her mother to become
a lawyer. She was bright, articulate and ambitious. Over the years, she ended
up narrowing her practice to Family Law, which included many cases on
domestic violence. She would go to court day after day, and fight for the rights
of women who were being taken advantage of. It was a noble cause. The problem
was she hated it.

By the time she got to me, 15 years ago, she was burned out. She began to resent
her clients because many of them were poor and she often had to wrestle with them
just to collect her fees.  She was putting on weight and her health began to fail.
It was obvious she had changed and had outgrown her career. The entire legal
system no longer resonated with who she had become.

However, she had invested a lot of time, effort and money into her career.
How could she call it quits now? What would she do? Where would she go?
How could she reinvent herself? Doubt paralyzed her.

What Would You Love To Do?

A common stumbling block to loving what you do when it requires big changes
is the lifestyle one has already carved out. We would rather be certain and
miserable than face the uncertainty of being open to all possibilities, trusting
in our abilities and having faith that everything will work out. The truth is,
things are desperately trying to work themselves out, but we keep getting in
the way by resisting. How much more misery would Janet choose to endure
before she would make a change? To add to her dilemma, Janet and her husband
were now getting a divorce.

Because there is no one right career, a good question to ask in cases like these is,
“What would you do if you had all the time, money, contacts, energy and resources
in the world? In other words, if you had all the freedom in the world, what would you
love to do?

Janet indicated that her passion was money and finance. In fact, during her divorce,
her father suggested she see a financial planner, who proceeded to help organize
and simplify her finances, plan for her future, and invest the proceeds from her
divorce appropriately. Janet loved the process so much, she started thinking
about changing careers. I reminded her of the above quote by Michael Jordan
and Steve Jobs. The light was starting to go on.

Examine The Facts To Remove The Fear

The much harder part was convincing her it was OK to make such a dramatic
change after having invested so many years in the legal profession. Janet’s case
wasn’t difficult or lengthy. The material lifestyle she had carved out wasn’t
particularly extravagant. In fact, as an independent attorney, she was barely
breaking even. We both agreed she was better off taking an entry level position
with a Financial Planner, and eventually start her own company when she
had saved enough money. She would immediately earn more money than
she was currently making as an attorney, and she would receive benefits,
something she had previously denied herself.

Today, Janet takes home over $300,000 a year as a Certified Divorce Planner ™,
helping couples resolve their differences in an equitable manner, preserving their
capital in the process. She loves sharing her own experience to help alleviate
her clients’ fears and show them how they can keep their personal relationship,
as well as their money, intact despite their divorce. (Disclosure: n some cases,
Janet still must go to court on a limited basis.)

Love It Or Leave It

Life’s too short. Make room for someone else who will do a better job and appreciate
the opportunity. Celebrate the fact that you found out who you are and what
you love to do. Then go out and do it. As Steve Jobs said, follow your heart.
We all like to do business with people who are happy. Why not be that happy
person to whom others are attracted? If you do what you love and you are
successful, you’ll be rich and happy. If not, you’ll just be happy.

Here are some questions to ask yourself to begin bringing you closer
to doing what you love:

• If you had all the time, money, contacts, energy and resources at your disposal,
  (in other words, all the freedom and no excuses) what would you do?
• Would you do it for free if you could?
• What are you most passionate about?
• What are the primary financial benefits you provide to clients?
• What are the primary non-financial benefits you provide to clients?
• What personal qualities are missing from your business?
• How might you structure your business to express more of 
  your passion, these benefits and qualities?

What’s Love Got To Do With It? Just about everything. God bless Tina Turner.
I’m just grateful that on this particular day, Pandora wasn’t playing B.B. King’s
classic, The Thrill Is Gone.

Max Bolka is a 30-year veteran of the financial services industry,
who developed a nationwide planning and investment clientele.
Today he builds first-class financial advisors and enlightened
entrepreneurs of all kinds through his professional speaking, writing
and mentoring. You can visit his website at www.maxbolka.com
or contact him directly at (800) 472-3288.

By Max Bolka

© Copyright 2013 Max Bolka
Reproduction In Any Form By Written Permission Only

Stress management is on everyone’s mind today, and scientists are starting to verify the advantages of the regular practice of stress reducing techniques, such as meditation. Meditation releases stress, providing physical, mental and emotional benefits which can help entrepreneurs not only feel better, but feel better about themselves as well, increasing their creativity, intelligence, organization and relationships. All of which can lead to a bigger bottom line.

Admit it…business can be stressful. If those six calls you received this morning from others who were stressed out didn’t get you down, the client complaint you’re about to receive this afternoon might do it. Add to that your financial pressures and personal responsibilities, and it can be difficult for entrepreneurs to adhere to Kipling’s quote, “If you can keep your wits about you while all others are losing theirs…The world will be yours.”

The Goal Of Meditation

Forget sitting cross legged in a cave and fasting for weeks on end. Meditation has gone mainstream. (See Time Magazine Cover Story, August 4, 2003.) 15-20 minutes twice a day and you feel like you just got eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Feeling blissful is not the end result, however, but rather a by-product of the many psycho physiological (mind-body) changes which take place while engaged in the practice. The real goal is to release the stresses and strain from the physiology, so when you come back into activity you are more dynamic and focused, and therefore, more productive.

Any system starts to break down when exposed to prolonged periods of stress without sufficient relief. In many cases, this shows up in physical decay, mental sluggishness and emotional aberrations. We start relying on caffeine and drugs to get through the day and go to sleep at night. We make poor judgments regarding our business, personal and clients’ challenges. And we can notice an increase in negative emotions such as irritability or depression.

The Mind-Body Connection

Ever had one of those days where everything goes right? You know, clients may still be calling you 100 times a day, but it doesn’t seem to bother you? This is called being in The Zone. Meditation not only relaxes you, but enlivens you as well. It enables you to naturally stay in the zone more often, for longer periods of time. You start to side step the arrows that are coming at you all day long. You look better and feel better, and your produce more, more effortlessly. Here’s why:

For every thought and feeling we experience, there is a corresponding physical component. Scientists can now measure the biochemical changes in the body and the feelings associated with them. When you’re relaxed, happy, working in The Zone, you literally produce “feel good chemicals”, such as natural pain killers, called endorphins. The body also automatically balances its natural energizers, such as norepinephrine, with the biochemical serotonin, which creates a sense of calmness and well being. In addition, the body also manufactures arginine vasopressin, which the medical profession now knows is associated with mental alertness. In other words, when you meditate your mind and body come back to a calm, but alert state.

Similarly, we could stop and take a snapshot of the body’s biochemical structure when you feel stressed out and tired, perhaps feeling irritable. In this case, we would likely find too much adrenaline from your reaction to the fight or flight response. We might also see a decrease in the electrical conductivity of your skin, as measured by your galvanic skin response (GSR). And of course, your muscles may tighten up, leading to a headache or pain in another part of the body.

Meditation allows the mind to naturally settle down to progressively deeper levels of rest…and the body follows. Breath rates are routinely measured at eight times deeper during meditation than that of the deepest sleep, even though you are fully alert and aware of your surroundings. At this deep level of rest, the body’s own healing mechanisms have a chance to kick in, repairing damaged cells and rejuvenating the system. This is why, whenever you’re sick, the doctor always tells you to get plenty of rest. It’s like medicine for the body.

The result it that you have more energy, let’s say at three in the afternoon, with which to finish those projects or call those clients that normally would be put off until another day. You also find that clients are more attracted to your renewed energy and sense of enthusiasm. While no one can prove it scientifically, everyone understands the principal that the healthier we are, the more money we can make from the increase in both the quantity and quality of our activity.

Expanding Your Container

Psychologists and neurologists tell us that most people probably use only between 10-15% of their brain’s capacity. I would suggest that this means most of us are operating at about 10-15% effectiveness or productivity. The challenge of earning more money is not one of methodology, but of capability. Your income can only grow to the extent that you do.

Acquiring specific business skills, such as knowing how your clients think, learning more great sales and marketing techniques, and having access to better time management tools, will only go so far if your ability to implement them is limited by your own brain power. As I coach, I often hear, “I know what I should be doing, but there are all these obstacles. How do I gain the ability to implement?”

The key is to unlock that other 85% of your brain, and meditation helps.

Meditation relieves the physical stresses that are currently using up valuable mental and emotional resources, freeing up your mind and nervous system for more productive activities. It’s like food for the brain. You make better decisions, seeing possibilities of solutions to problems where none seemed to previously exist. You feel more relaxed and genuinely confident in your dealings with people, and others can tell the difference.

In effect, you access more of the previously untapped 85% of your brain. With practice over time, your mind and body get used to operating from that expanded level of consciousness (awareness), enabling you to create better results, including better clients, more income and more job and personal satisfaction.

Does It Work In The Real World?

Many studies document the benefits of meditation in the workplace. Some go back further than you might expect. For example, at the start of 1988, Nationwide Mutual Funds offered meditation to its entire sales staff of 350 people. After one year, 55% had taken part. Before year end, sales in the company as a whole had increased 250% over the previous year, with meditators accounting for the bulk of the increase.

Participants also reported decreased insomnia, increased energy and motivation, along with improved relationships, both personal and professional. Meditators said they subjectively felt an increase in their ability to communicate, with a greater sensitivity to the needs of others, both at home with their family, and at work with clients and co-workers.

In business today, distinguishing yourself as trustworthy remains one of the main challenges. If meditation really can produce the side benefits of increased awareness and sensitivity, leading to improved relationships, it might just be a key factor in creating more credibility.

In other words, entrepreneurs who meditate don’t just act more trustworthy, they actually become more trustworthy, genuinely placing their clients’ interests first, while simultaneously earning more money. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Meditation is distinguished from Concentration (forced focusing on an object, such as a candle), Contemplation (verbally asking yourself how to get more clients), Visualization (seeing the outcome of lots of clients ahead of time), or Affirmation (repeatedly stating that you will get more clients, or that you already have more clients). These can all be useful techniques in certain circumstances, they’re just not meditation.

It’s best to practice your meditation twice a day, for 15-20 minutes each session. It takes a few minutes for the mind to settle down, so less time per session won’t be nearly as effective. By meditating in the morning, you calibrate your mind and body, tuning it up and getting it ready for your day’s activities. Less stress comes in throughout the day. You stay more centered in The Zone. Do another session in the early evening, preferably before dinner. Food tends to crank up the body’s metabolism while digesting, and it’s usually difficult to settle the mind down when the body is fueling its fire. Instead of having a drink before dinner when you come home after work, try meditating. Think of it as “Happy Hour.”

You can meditate anytime, anywhere (except during activities such as driving, where you need your full attention on what you’re doing). Noise is not an obstacle. Many businesspeople do their meditation on airplanes or trains while commuting.

Summary:

Science is now starting to verify what people who meditate have subjectively reported for years; That regular meditation increases creativity, intelligence, organizing power, health, personal relationships and yes, even business. Try it, you’ll like it. What have you got to lose, except a little bit of stress?

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