December 13, 2005

The Three P's to Profits

As I do every year, I spent some time today thinking about the year that's passed. Recalling the pleasant successes and painful failures. Feeling grateful for what I've been lucky to have, to get, to achieve. Thinking about the reasons for it all.

There are lessons to learn from such analysis - and I'll share a few of them with you. To put it into a simple formula ...

Passion + Purpose + Persistence = Profits

The year that just passed reinforced this formula for me. It is the first year my business has achieved a growth in net profit of less than 350%. This year, we grew by ONLY 75% !

Believe me, it's easier to go from $500 to $1,700 than it is to go from $50,000 to $170,000 - but I'm determined to do it this coming year... using this formula.

Recently, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates visited India. I watched an interview with him on TV. Bill was asked what he thought the keys of success. He said: "Passion. Intelligence. Integrity."

I agree. And have a slightly different twist. They're the 3 P's - Passion. Purpose. Persistence.

Passion is the fire. Purpose is the fuel. Persistence is the catalyst.

Together, the mix is explosively profitable.

Of all, I would put purpose highest. It's the WHY of your life, your work, your hobby. It is what pulls together everything else, synergizes and synthesises your actions with your thoughts, keeps you going.

If you haven't found it, keep looking.

For me, personally, it is my work with children born with heart defects. It gives a solid, meaningful reason for doing the things I do.

Let me share a strange - but true - story with you. Last month I had some vacation time due, and took 2 weeks off from work. Set to clearing up some backlogged tasks. And managed to create and launch 2 new products and roll out a couple of big affiliate promotions.

They didn't do well.

One morning, mid-way through my break, I woke up, looked at my checklist, saw we had some funds in the Heart Kids Foundation account waiting, and made a phone call to the head of the charitable wing at our partner hospital. I wanted to check if any children were on the waiting list.

There were two. I asked for details. A couple of hours later, they came via email. That evening, I couriered a check for their operation costs to the hospital.

Then I wrote an email to my list - for the same affilate promotion. Went to bed. Next morning, I woke up to find NINE sales. Plus 3 of my own products had sold. That afternoon, another promotion email to my list brought in a $1,350 profit. In all, the 48 hour period earned me just under $2,000

Coincidence? Consequence? You decide.

Repeated experience has convinced me that this is no accident. It's an experience shared by others too - just see the Positive Promise report and you'll learn more about it.

What's this got to do with purpose?

Everything.

A time may come when making an extra $1,000 or $10,000 or even more may NOT seem exiting or interesting. But the day I stop being excited about helping a child live is the day I would wish to die.

Your purpose may be different. It could be to give yourself a special treat or luxury. Or provide for your family so they don't lack anything. Or even to make sure you get 3 meals a day and put a roof over your head.

Whatever your purpose, it is neither greater or lesser than mine. To you, it is special. Make it the center, the core of your success.

Which leads nicely in to the next P on my list - Passion.

If you have a purpose, it's easy to be passionate. As long as everything you do is aligned with your purpose, passion comes naturally. And it is a powerful force, constantly driving you towards your goals, relentlessly guiding you forward despite every obstacle and hurdle - until you succeed.

But forget about overnight success!

Sadly, this is where most hopeful beginners at the online game get disappointed and quit. They expect success to be instant. Easy. Effortless.

Quit dreaming.

Persistence is the last piece in the puzzle. The glue that holds the bits together. The critical ingredient in the recipe of success.

Never give up. Ever.

That's something my little patients teach me every day. They struggle to breathe, to live, but they keep fighting. Because to give up is to die. For them - and for you -


Failure is simply not an option!


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