Leveraging Other People’s Resources

I went to a couple of introductory talks this weekend on property investment and both made the point about leveraging OPM – Other People’s Money – to raise the finance for property investment. It led me to thinking about how through the medium of the mastermind group, we can also leverage OPR – Other People’s Resources to develop our enterprises. 

The idea of using other people can seem a little exploitative and unethical to some people. However consider this in the context of a group of people who mutually exist to help each other become success and are willing to commit their time, energy and available resources to doing so. 

Then its much more a win-win situation for all concerned to exploit the collective talent, mindfulness, contacts and other resources available within the group. In this way the individuals within the group gain far more than they could just using their own resources. 

Of course its been done since time immemorial in a number of different ways. Consider the Co-operatives, the Masons, Boys Own clubs, and so on to name but a very few. And then, there is the Mastermind Group. 

In a financial sense, when you leverage OPM, you are borrowing someone else’s money that you can invest in a way that you intend to bring a far higher rate of return than you could do from the cost of paying the interest. 

Within the context of the mastermind group, its connecting with others who want to share their ideas and information to help you solve the problems of your business and to grow. So everybody gets to accomplish more with less energy than they would if they were trying to move that boulder all by themselves

 There are some groups you wouldn’t want to or couldn’t become involved in but the mastermind group is within the capacity of everyone to share in. If we look at a classic often held-up model of success such as Henry Ford, we have here someone who exceeded his personal capacity from impoverished beginnings, to become one of the richest Americans of his time. 

Here’s the thing though, he achieved most outstandingly during the time when he formed a mastermind alliance with other like minded business acquaintances, enabling him to leverage the combined knowledge, experience, intelligence and resourcefulness of the group to grow his business. And for ordinary people like you and me, wanting to raise the levels of success in our lives, the same principles can apply.

To quote Napoleon Hill in Think and Grow Rich “No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third intangible force which may be likened to a third mind.” 

“A group of brains coordinated (or connected) in a spirit of harmony will provide more thought-energy than a single brain, just as a group of electric batteries will provide more energy than a single battery." 

There are of course lots of other ways to leverage Other People’s Resources. The power of the Mastermind group is but one. However, almost all successful people use leverage and a good mastermind group can make that happen. There is simply not enough of our own time, energy and other resources to achieve the success we require in the time we need it. And success isn’t about extracting every last ounce of your own energy and resources to get there, for that carries a huge personal cost which may not sustain your success.

Blessings for today

1 When I dropped my son off for his football training and matches and I see all the kids running around doing their thing I am so very grateful to the dedication of all the coaches, youth leaders, scouts and others who freely give up their time for my and other people’s children. The amount of time and commitment required from them is enormous and we are blessed to have such people with us. 

2.My sister died this week. Its been a tough time for her family. I am grateful for the time I have had to go visit and spend with her recently and deeply moved by what I have learnt about her, of the lives she has touched.

 3. Spring is struggling to bust out, the days are definitely getting longer and there is more sunshine around. I am so pleased to be experiencing the renewal that comes at this time of the year with the promise and hope of good things ahead in the coming months. I appreciate that hugely. Its a time for looking forward and the growth that's to come.

Personal Development and Success

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Believe it or not

Its possible to either have your skepticism confirmed or to get really excited at new possibilities for living if you've seen the film The Secret. After all, its a little absurd you'd think to believe in such a thing as the Law of Attraction that states that what you think about and believe, you can bring about in your life. It can't be that easy and nor would you want it to be otherwise we'd live in fear that every wicked or disturbing thought we had would somehow be manifested. How could we live with that?

Well, I figured I'd want to know more. Well, you would, wouldn't you. After all, there's a lot at stake here. What if ... you really could conceive of an idea, believe it could happen and then manage to achieve it? What is the human mind capable of that we cannot even begin to understand?

But, here's something interesting. This idea is as old as the hills. Yes, even long before Jesus was on the scene. It was there all along and crossing many cultures, and I never knew it existed until recently! How can that be?

Well, if there's one book you must read on the subject, its Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich. This guy was saying something in the 1930s that a few people cottoned onto and used for their enrichment. But where did he get his ideas from? I've been discovering that quite a few people since then have been sharing the same message that there is a power within and around us that if we use it right, cannot fail us in our endeavour to live more successful lives.

Has it ever happened to you that you were able to think about something and make it happen? What was going on? It sort of shakes you up, doesn't it? But here's the thing. It makes you want to try again to see what else might be possible. My own first experience of deliberate manifestation was shocking to me. I wanted my named called to receive a raffle prize and I 'worked' on it, and when it was I could hardly believe it. Here are some of the steps I took.

• Finding a place to quietly mediatate and to check out if this was something I really wanted. Actually I was in a beautiful park with many people around me but still able to enter my own world in peace
• Creating a mental picture of having the thing I desired and building that picture with all the most vivid images I could.
• Being in the moment and using all my senses to enhance the feelings of my present state
• Going through all the steps of achieving my desire right to the end where I knew I had got it and the accompanying feeling that went with having it
• Declaring to 'the universe' my desire and then my thanks for the achievement of my desire

Is that it? I hear you ask. Mere coincidence! And that would be a reasonable reaction.

The point is, that from what I'd learnt from other people, from reading and watching, I decided to give the Law of Attraction a try. There are now many people world wide who are using this capacity, whatever its called, for healing, personal and comunity peace, enrichment of many kinds and many more, with great success. It could work for me too if I could create the right vibrations that would tap into the universal energy.

Stuff happens. Funny stuff. And we don't know why it works, but it still does. Why I don't know why I can hold a piece of plastic with a few bit of metal wires to my ears and be able to listen and talk to someone on the other side of the world. No, I really can't explain the science though I believe there is a scientific explanation. I can't explain the science of the Law of Attraction either but I believe quantum physics is working on it.

Believe it? I wouldn't try to persuade anyone but I'd say, find out more and see for yourself if you can create the life of your dreams in this manner. Intriguing, isn't it? I'd really recommend Catherine Ponder's book The Dynamic Laws of Prosperity and if you're not a religious person, to look at her biblical and spiritual references as simply another expression of a mighty energy outside ourselves which quantum physics is only beginning to unravel.

Blessing for today
1. I give thanks for what I now know about increasing proseprity in my life

2 I give thanks that the £35 in my purse is but a symbol of the inexhaustible substance of the universe and that 10 times this much is now on its way to me and quickly manifests in perfect ways (thanks Catherine).

3. I am grateful that my winter cold is passed and that perfect health is restored to me.

Personal Development and Success
http://yvonnem.successuniversity.com


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Thoughts of a Reluctant Millionaire

Opps! I can't believe I said this. I was talking to someone just recently and I mentioned that I was on a wealth creation journey. That created a raised eyebrow or two and a frowning look. The implication was that there was something wrong with wanting to acquire wealth. I heard myself qualifying what I had said by adding that my intention was not to have a ferrari in the front drive or a jacuzzi in the back garden. Phew! Relief! So...you're not one of those people!! For who did I think I was, buying into that get rich stuff??

Like I said, I can't believe I said that for I know by now that thats a sure way of creating a huge chasm between me and prosperity. Doh! I still don't want the ferrari but the jacizzi would be nice....

The point is the ferrari isn't my dream but there is nothing wrong with it as someone else's. We have to look to our thoughts about us and money/prosperity or we stand a good chance of repelling it away from us if what's going on in our heads doesn't match up with what we say we want.

This was a learning moment and I now give myself permission to think and act differently. This is about learning how not to be ashamed and rather to celebrate my success and the success of others. The language I use to myself and also to others is crucial. I now choose to use language of abundance and wealth.

A few other helpful pointers are:
1. To create a dreamboard of the things you want in your life both on a material and non material level. That would include rich people I admire - the ones who can have the money and yet act with full concern and appropriateness for others. Whatever images the mind sees, it is more likely to be drawn to. It increases our prosperity thinking to review our images daily.

2. To recognise that all the spiritual leaders of the world's greatest riligions have promoted abundance and wealth and that it is our right to share in the wealth of the universe. Only so often have we misread or misinterpreted the message and thought that there was something inherently pious about being impoverished. It will help at the level of belief to review what the great spiritual leaders were actually encouraging in us in desiring prosperity. As in Deuteronomy 8:18 "But thou shalt remember Jehovah thy God, for it is he that giveth power to get wealth."

3. In my purse I carry a million dollar 'note'. Why not have two, or three. Again, its about where I put my focus. I understand that there is a feng shui approach that suggests having jars of coins around the house for exactly the same reason, that there is an automatic association with the mind about attracting abundance.

So to reinforce a new way of thinking to create not just wealth but many other areas of abundance and success in our lives, we need to look at what we're saying to ourselves and to others, whether our thinking really matches up to what we say we want, and finally to work at our levels of belief and practically take steps to keep our success and prosperity focussed in our minds daily.

To all our success. To abundance and opportunities galore. I now choose to congratulate all the ferrari owners out there and to celebrate their success.


“When you wish someone joy, you wish them peace,love, prosperity, happiness... all the good things.” Maya Angelou

Blessings for today
1. I am blessed by the opportunities for reflections and developing insight and for the teachings and wisdom of many who have gone before me.

2. I have so enjoyed the autumn sunshine of the last few days in contrast to the dull greyness that we sometimes endure at this time. Its brought out the startling beauty of the autumnal colours outside which have been a joy to behold.

3. I am blessed by the energy and committment of my son. He is an inspiration to me.

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Using the Energy Field of the Masterminding Group

I had the rather pleasant experience recently of being lifted high into the air by the combined energy of four people using just 2 fingers each. This technique required the lifters to try to lift me, having failed to do so on the first occasion, after some mental preparation and creating a combined field of energy which they transmitted through me. My part was to think about being light to lift – and to enjoy the ride. How was this apparently impossible feat achieved? On their third attempt, I was so high in the air it was amazing.

It brought to mind the immense power and energy that can be contained in a mastermind group. After all, this is about harnessing the collective energy and brainpower of a group of individuals to create the lift that will provide each individual in the group with an additional opportunity to grow and develop themselves and their business.

“No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third, invisible intangible force, which may be likened to a third mind.”
— Napoleon Hill, Think And Grow Rich


Clearly one of the criteria for the development of such a group is to have the right mix of people and by that I mean people who can create synergy. The success of the mastermind group requires people are committed, participative, open minded and positive. They also need to be focussed around their own goals and yet also able to give positive attention to the person whose circumstances are being discussed at the time.

I have been in a mastermind group where there appeared to be several individuals not able to give this quality of attention to others and nice people that they were, it nevertheless diffused the level of energy of the group. This meant that the individuals who wanted to develop their visions and focus within the group were left with an empty dissatisfied feeling.

It’s a young group that is growing and there is some learning taking place but it is important in any mastermind group to establish a clear structure and focus, and also for people to be trusting and confident enough to challenge each other when one or more members go off at a tangent into their story when they needed to be giving quality attention to another individual. I suspect I could only have been lifted off the ground when my helpers were able to use their combined focus and energy to give their attention to me at that moment

I love the fact that we’ve got the group going. That is a success in itself. We have some learning to do as the masterminding concept is new to some of us. We have the capacity to leverage each other’s collective brain power and to rise to new heights within it.

Blessings for Today
1. I am grateful for all the popel from whom I have learn many and wonderous things today and yesterday. They have opened my eyes and filled my mind with new insights.

2. I am grateful to the author of the book on coping with stress that I have been reading, for its clear, humourous and practical approach that I can use in my own presentations.

3. For getting back home to a prepared meal in the oven. That was worth coming home for! I am thankful to my husband for all his efforts in our home today.

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The Joy of Money

When I was a child I used to have a recurrent dream of discovering a hoard of coins as I walked in the streets, and about how I would gather them up in my frock. Sometimes I would find them in a stream like pebbles on the bottom of the water. The feeling was always one of joy and delight. It was a disappointment to awake to find it was all a dream.

At some point in my adulthood many years ago now, I was walking along the riverbank nearby when I happened to notice some coins laying on the riverbed. With delight I went in and fished them out - a few pennies, sixpences etc. I took also a small rock and painted it, a picture of myself as a child with a whole pile of coins in my lap. I have it still and I must fetch it out of hiding as a reminder that its more than OK to have a pile of money in my world.

For many years I gave no thought to financial prosperity and indeed if you asked me, I would probably have given you very negative associations with being rich - money the root of all evil and all that. It never crossed my mind to consider that there is nothing good, spiritual or becoming of a mind of lack and poverty, or that I could in any way share the some of the bounty of this earth. That seemed to belong to other people. It's just taken the last few years to begin to change my mindset. What good can you do if you have much more of it?

I am a supporter of The Smile Train a charity that provides surgery for children with hare lips and cleft paletes. Today a letter came asking for a contribution to continue their work The amount seems small for the amazing gift of life that it offers these children and it is one of my dreams to be able to directly help to transform the lives of 20,200, 2000 children as I go. So what good can I do with more money? Need you ask?

I do meet people now whose lips curl at the idea of making or talking about money. I do know where they are coming from but I also now choose to think differently. "Money can't buy you happiness." we've been told. Well, it can. Used well and rightly, it can open doors and create joy. And lack of money can bring complete misery.

Catherine Ponder in Dynamic Laws of Prosperity puts it like this:
"Lets get the record straight. There's nothing wrong with money, or in our wanting money. It is a god-given medium of exchange, and there's nothing evil about that. The moment we let go of those false ideas that someone ignorantly taught us years ago - that money is evil- we will find that money circulates much more easily and more satisfyingly."


“It's good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven't lost the things that money can't buy.” - George Lorrimer

Blessings for today

1. All the learning I have had over the last couple of days at the workshops I have attended. I especially appreciate the opportunity to reflect on where I stand in the TA model and how I might like to consider the changes I can make in my life to create good change - like remembering to release more of my inner 'positive child' that brings fun and spontaneity to life.

2.I am grateful to the friends who have rung me tonight to keep in touch.

3. I had a great lunch today at the conference I attended. I really enjoyed indulging for a change.

Personal Development and Success
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