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Guest post by: Riley Cardwell Become an Author

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We’re already more than halfway through the first decade of a new millennium.

Things are moving fast and change is coming even faster.

Everyday it seems we hear that old rules just don’t apply anymore.

So if the old rules don’t apply, what does, and how can we discover and apply them in business?

Shortly before old rules are swept away, we see unorthodox thinking and ways of being.

Most importantly, people’s willingness to simply break the old rules and try something new shows up practically everywhere from staid corporations suddenly willing to experiment to individuals who leave a paycheck and start up their own enterprise.

In times of uncertainty and at the beginning of new eras, suddenly people are willing to try things on the fly and modify and correct along the way. Simply put, this is called “ready – fire – aim.”

In other words, today’s competitive business climate calls for a minimum of tinkering before a product or idea is brought to market and a swiftness in actually getting it out in people’s hands so the market can give the critical feedback needed that takes a product or idea from good to great.

We often hear people complaining they are held back from implementing their future or dreams due to lack of money. What is really true a lot of the time is simply a lack of drive and imagination.

One old rule really does still apply – where there’s a will, there’s a way. The truth is, lack of money is just an excuse. Find a need and fill it. Creating something from nothing has only one real rule. Get out there and try something!

Another old rule that no longer applies is you need a college degree to be successful. If you want to see what kind of success a college degree will buy you these days, simply walk into any fast food restaurant and you’ll find most of the people behind the counter will have one.

Yet, some of the most successful business people out there today never finished or even went to college because they we’re too busy succeeding in business and finding out how to do it as they went.

While securing knowledge you need is important, there are many ways to do it and many don’t call for sitting in a classroom for a minimum of four years.

Resumes are another area that artificially holds people back. While a good resume can be a valuable employment tool, an individual with drive will win out almost every time over a resume.

Employers today are hiring and looking first and foremost for people with a need to succeed. It really is true that a foot in the door created by a drive to succeed will often trump a good resume.

All of us have some kind of expertise, but most of us don’t think of it that way. We think that just because we know a lot about something, so does everyone else.

Wrong.

Don’t undervalue your knowledge. What is common knowledge to you may not be to a lot of other people. Don’t undersell yourself. Charge what you’re worth.

What do you know you could be the best at doing? What do you know you could make money doing right now? Don’t let yesterday’s rules hold you back.

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