Business Basics 101

by Ellen Rohr

We are just a few heartbeats away from 1999. I love a brand-new year. Anything is possible. The slate is clean. Before next year barrels through like this year É can you believe how fast it went? take a moment to define what you really want from 1999.

Time to do Ellen Rohr's absolutely painless-fast-n-easy-why-not-make-your-dreams-come-true program. You can make this coming year your best ever. Follow these steps:

What is your purpose? Each of us is given unique talents, genetics and desires. I think it is our responsibility to discover how to use those gifts to be of service to others.

When you were a kid you probably had a very clear idea of what you wanted to be when you grew up. What was that? Is that your purpose? Write it down.

By the way, no fair just thinking through these steps. You must write it down. Committing the thoughts to paper is essential to the program. That's the rule.

Create the perfect day. Write down, in great detail, what your perfect day is like. This is a lot of fun and won't take you but a few minutes. Close your eyes É imagine your perfect day.

Take stock of your current situation. Using your perfect day as a guide, write down where you are now compared to where you want to be. What time must you wake up now? Where? With whom? How is your average right-now day different from the perfect day?

In some areas, you will be pleased to discover, you are living the perfect day. Maybe your relationships with your kids are exactly what you want them to be. Maybe you absolutely love your home, your job É at least what you have for dinner? In a few areas you might be within spittin' distance of your perfect day. Perhaps you love the work that you do, but your office needs some remodeling.

You might find an area where you are way off track. You've discovered that your real purpose is teaching children, but you spend 12 hours a day selling insurance. Just write down the current situation and compare each point to the perfect day.

Pick the area that has the largest variance between what you want and where you are right now. You don't have to change everything. Just focus in on the one point that is furthest from where it should be. That's it. Your energy in 1999 needs to be focused on narrowing the gap in that one area.

For instance, your soul longs for the farming life and you live in an apartment. NowÉhow to make the changes?

Track your progress with statistics. Once you've figured out the goal for instance, a farm in the country how could you make that happen? How much money would you need? Do you have it? Where could you get it? Do you know which farm or what country? How could you learn about farming?

From these questions create a to do list. Wherever possible, assign a number that will keep track of how you are doing. Make yourself talk to three Realtors about farm tracts. Statistics keep you honest you either talked to three Realtors, or you didn't. Start a savings account with a specific goal of X number of dollars. (That is why I love money. It's so easy to keep score with it!) Get the idea?

Hold yourself accountable. You are the only one keeping you from the perfect day. Yep. Just you. You are your only obstacle. This is America. The universe is abundant. Get going, and make your dreams come true. I saw a cartoon once that had the caption "Self-help books we'd like to see" and there was a book titled "Bootstraps! Ever heard of 'em?" Pull yours up and get going.

Have the best year ever.

(Ellen Rohr's mission is to help folks make a living doing what they love. Her new book is called "Where Did the Money Go?" -- a Beginner's Guide to Basic Business Scorekeeping. Despite the topic, this easy to understand book is completely entertaining! To order the book or visit with Ellen e-mail

maxrohr@earthlink.net

or call 753-3998.)

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