There's something almost magical about being a part of a mastermind group where everyone in attendance is in sync with each other. You might see individuals leaning forward in their seats, listening intently to whoever is speaking. You might see furrowed brows or big smiles, others taking notes as fast as they can write. There is a passion and an intensity stirring in the group.
The outcome from a powerful mastermind meeting are ideas and interpersonal connections that may have never come to be outside the context of the mastermind.
It has been my observation that this intense level of energy and stream of ideas comes easier when there is regular mental conditioning, individually, within the group. For example a short term dose of mental conditioning within the group might be to bring in a special speaker that is particularly inspiring, or to study a book that speaks to the areas of growth and change that the group is seeking.
There are also mindsets that must be unwelcome at the mastermind. One such mindset that should never be welcome at a mastermind group is Fear & Worry.
You may think that this is quite obvious, but I can tell you that I've attended mastermind groups where it was obvious that some of those in attendance had been in a state of Fear & Worry before they came to the group.
When you come to your group it's as if you must "step into character." Yes, of course you should be yourself, but the self you should be at the group is the fearless, and powerful, ready to influence and be creatively influenced towards achieving your goals.
David Hawkins, in his book Power vs. Force, has rated the vibration levels of different emotional states of mind. Fear is in that lower level of vibration that doesn't attract prosperity.
If, through out your day you spend your mental energy in worry or fear or even anger, you can not come into the group with your mind in that lower vibration level and expect to add to the productivity of the group.
It's important to condition your mind to be activated with maximum thinking energy each time you join your mastermind group. If everyone in the group comes to the meeting just after taking some time to not only check out the condition of their mind as they enter their meeting, but also spend time listening to inspirational cd or speaker, bringing their individual mental energy into a higher vibration of thought it will most definitely affect the creativity of the group.
Let me challenge you to invest some time conditioning your mental energy prior to entering your meeting next time. You may find that it's quite a different meeting.
I've been writing about being in two, very different Mastermind groups - one is very well structured - so I'll write about the other.
We have all connected on a very spiritual level. We love talking to one another. But we are feeling a need for structure.
A major difference between the groups is that one has 7 members and the other has 4. With 7 members, there is no alternative; we have to have a structure or the group would be incoherent - And if we didn't have established time constraints, one or more people would always be shut out. But with only 4 people, we can ramble.
I never thought of myself as time-disciplined, so two of us got together and proposed this: We would have a strict, time managed agenda for 1/2 hour, then we'd schmooze for the next 20 to 25 minutes. Then we would close with expressions of gratitude and appreciation and a completion prayer or quote.
The structured 1/2 hour would start with something to create the space (up to whoever is this week's facilitator - we would rotate facilitator and time keeper.) Every segment after is well-timed. Each person would have a turn, first completing their promised commitment from the last session, then bringing forth what they want coaching on. Then each of the other three will give their coaching without any interaction. And finally, the requestor says what his commitment will be, though he can take as much of the coaching as he wants.
We've just proposed this though we suspect the other two will agree to it - perhaps with some quibbling about the duration of the time slots. I'll let you know as we learn and proceed.
After the holidays, especially that first partial week of January, I surely did not feel like getting up early to attend a Master Mind breakfast meeting.So I didn't.Actually I did get up just a little later than usual after considering how I'd feel not starting out the day like I should.
So off I went, thinking I'd be missing all the news and plans being shared and there'd be very little time for me to talk, which was fine because my head was still in "holiday mode" anyway.Maybe there wouldn't even be that many people there.I continued to go back and forth on showing or not showing until I got very close.Then I was pretty sure I'd done the right thing as I noticed the familiar cars, more even than I expected.Now, slightly embarrassed for showing up so late, I found my way through the restaurant, a new location, and was surprised to see a full table of 10 people!
As soon as I sat down and received a warm welcome, I knew I'd done the right thing. There were only about 30 minutes left, but even so, that was the best 30 minutes I'd spent on a chilly Thursday morning in early January.After I was welcomed, the facilitator asked, "Debbie, what do you need from us this year to be successful in your business?"The thought of "a louder alarm clock" entered my mind, but what I said was, "holding me accountable for following through on my plans".Everyone nodded in understanding and agreed to help me stay on task and focused this year.What a way to start the year - no questions asked, no concern about my not fully participating in the first meeting, just complete support and willingness to help me reach my goals.
The closing question in our meetings is always, "What did you learn today?"My answer that particular day was "just showing up made all the difference." The power of a Master Mind at work once again.
When groups fall apart, it is commonly due to lack of clarity, wobbly leadership, or insufficient commitment on the part of the members.
The objectives and the format of the group both need to be very clear to everyone in it. Is the group's purpose just for sharing ideas? Brainstorming? Is it for support? Critique? Accountability? A mixture of all of these? If you need to go back to the drawing board to figure it all out, or re-invent it, do so. Otherwise, it is destined for disintegration.
The two people at each meeting who need to be the most stalwart are the facilitator and the timer.
The facilitator needs to be crystal-clear on both the overall objectives of the group, the objectives of the particular meeting, and the agenda for the meeting (which may change from meeting to meeting). He needs to be the person who pulls someone off a tangent and back on track. She needs to be the person who confronts someone who is ignoring or breaking the rules of the group, purposely or not. He is the person who stops someone from 'firehosing' an idea during a brainstorming session (where there are no wrong ideas), and she may even need to notify a member that they have been "ousted" for inadequate participation, or not meeting group criteria. She may also be in charge of setting dates and/or sending out reminders of the meeting.
I recommend the timer be a different person than the facilitator. It is too hard for the facilitator to have laser-like focus and keep the meeting on track if he has to watch the time as well. You could say it like this: the facilitator drives and the timer navigates. Make sure the timer has an agenda to keep the meeting on time-track, and a stop-watch.
Discipline is the name of the game. Remember: the chain is only as strong as it's weakest link. If your meetings become loose and sloppy, people ramble, talk about non-pertinent topics, repeatedly take more than their share of time, or don't have their work done (if there is homework) you will lose your most committed members. Now is the time for tough love. You may choose to focus a whole meeting on one person, that's fine, but do it by design, not by default. If you just sit back and let stuff happen you are in rocky territory.
Who should facilitate the group? You've heard me say it before, and you'll hear me say it again: There is no right or wrong. You can just designate a leader/facilitator of the group and have them do it indefinitely. Sometimes, however, one person may not be willing to take that responsibility for the long haul. I facilitate one group for the long haul. I started another group and set it up from the beginning to switch facilitators every 90 days (we meet twice a month), so each person facilitates 6 meetings and it's another 18-24 months before that person has to facilitate again. I like the difference in style of different people leading. Just remember that strength, discipline, and commitment are necessary for that role. If things start to get wishy-washy, and the facilitator doesn't tighten things up, as a committed member of the group, that will be your responsibility to step up and say something.
Remember that your group has the potential to spawn the next great collaborative marketing idea: such as Starbucks selling books and music, the marriage of the I-Phone and AT&T, the wireless module that fits into the sole of Nike+ running shoes and a receiver that plugs into the base of an I-Pod nano (450,000 in the first three months of availability), and so on. Your group has endless possibilities. The next joint venture that makes history could originate in your Mastermind. Your group could contain the next Rachel Ray or Oprah, and it's only one comment or idea away from happening right now. That ONE good idea from the group.The group saying "You can do it!" and holding you accountable to taking the next step.
It all hinges on the group staying disciplined and focused, and that takes good leadership on everyone's part, especially the facilitator.
So A new year is upon us. Many people are making their New Year's resolutions. Some are about getting healthy, losing weight , improving financial situations, moving careers forward and so on. Unfortunately many resolutions will fall by the wayside before the year even gets going. A resolution is just an idea without a plan.
You can replace "resolution" with "goal" but again without a plan of action it's still just an idea. Start broad and then narrow your focus to accomplish your end goal. Whatever your goal is what result do you ultimately want one year from now? Nine months from now, six months, three months?
Break down your one year goal into manageable short term goals. Starting with your three month goal what daily actions do you need to do? Take the time and sit down with paper and pen-write it all out. Remember the plan you start out with is rarely the plan you finish with. At the end of the week review your plan. What worked well? What didn't?
Sometimes even the best laid plans could use some input from other sources. That's where your mastermind comes in. When someone else reviews your plan they often see things that you don't. Ways of improving your plan that you may not have thought of. A mastermind is a group of like minded people with similar goals. You are all individuals but in support everyone in your group.
Support, encouragement and sometimes a gentle reminder of the commitment you made to yourself can help you when things get tough. And yes it's about the core commitment to yourself to do the work that is necessary to reach your goals. If you don't have that commitment no mastermind will be able to help you reach your goals.
When you're part of a mastermind you are never alone. You are also in a mastermind to remind other people that they are not alone either. Take advantage of that community. Participate, see how you can help and others will be there for you when you need them. Whatever your goals for the future, here's to your success.
Well, its a week into the New Year and I wonder how we're all holding up with our resolutions if we made any? How long does it take before our best intentions for ourselves begin to totter and then to bite the dust or before we are able to punch the air in triumph with a real sense of having made it? The usual targets for our resolutions tend to be around taking better care of our bodies especially after the excess of the season, dealing with financial, career or business problems and a desire to be a 'better person' in some way (which by the way is not a terribly well formed goal).
We know that statistically the numbers of people able to maintain their resolves fade significantly with each passing day, often with very few getting beyond the end of the month.
Now, that doesn't mean resolutions are not worth making. People like to feel there's a chance for them to start afresh. Even if they have failed many times before. It fills them with hope and optimism. And even a month of dieting or exercising has got to be better than nothing. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. However in the long run, our level of satisfaction at our achievements will be higher, if we can maintain our resolve for longer. If you've said 'This is the year I'm going to do such and such' then just three weeks at it doesn't quite give you the same satisfying feeling.
Apparently there is a difference of approach between men and women, with women leaning more on their social circles to help keep their motivations going. They are much more inclined to tell someone about their intentions or buddy up and maybe to seek support from them to keep at it.
There is a lesson here that may well make all the difference between how far we succeed and not. Now I know there are some people who are proud spirited or self disciplined enough to be able to make a real success of their well laid out intentions all by themselves. Great. But this is not true for too many of us. We need help. And if you haven't got a friend or family member who can do the right sort of supporting, challenging and holding you accountable, then one of the ways this can be achieved is to get involved in a mastermind group.
Of course a mastermind group is not simply about new year's resolutions as such, more about helping you to achieve your goals whenever you set them. Those familiar with the mastermind principle, and they include some of the more successful people in all spheres of life, recognise it as a most valuable resource in their success. They can achieve more with the combined insights and experience of the group than they could alone.
The mastermind group consists of a small group of people who work together with each other to inspire, stretch, develop new opportunities and perspectives, and most importantly, to keep people focused and on track with what they say they will do.
Typically a group may meet once a month or even weekly with perhaps teleconferencing or telephoning or emailing between times. How would you like to have your own angel voice saying 'How are you doing with that goal you set last week? What would you find most helpful now to do? How realistic is that for you to achieve within that time?' And other questions designed to support and get you to think through you best way forward. Do you think you could have stuck through with goals for longer that you set yourself if you had this?
The mastermind group could be just 2 people but I would suggest for greater impact it should be more, but no more that 6-8. You may find these people from among your acquaintances, on courses or at conferences, from social or professional networks, or through advertising your desire to be in a group through a variety of forums. A word of caution though is to choose your group carefully. There is much trust at stake and you need to feel comfortable with the people you have chosen.
Alone or together with others, its up to your style. But as a matter of recommendation and acknowledging how mastermind groups have sky rocketed others' success, its a serious matter for consideration to start the year connected with a group of like-minded people who can give you the impetus to go up and much further than you could do alone. Can you imagine how good that would feel by the end of the year? Does it cost? You bet! It costs your time and your commitment and your energy, and you have to be prepared to give something of yourself to other people's development, as well as take from them for your own growth.
But quite simply,there is much to gain to make your outcomes a matter of greater triumph. Don't take my word for it. Try it out and then tell me what your experience has been. Here's to your success.
A new year has begun and it's time to reach for new goals. After tallying my finances for 2007, I'm encouraged. As a full time freelance writer, I made as much money as I had earned during a year at my previous job.
Of course, I'm not content to stay in that position. My earnings goal is double for 2008 from 2007. With several projects in process, I think reaching that goal is a possibility.
My Master Mind friends encourage me at each meeting to dream big. A year ago, I would not have considered writing a book. They taught me to look at the project as several magazine articles on the same subject. As I've published 1,500 magazine articles, that made the idea sound more appealing.
Now I'm in the process of writing a biography of a contemporary country music artist with a deadline from the publisher of January 31, 2008. The challenges of such a big assignment no longer seem daunting because my Master Mind friends have taught me to see a big picture can be broken down into chunks. These I can achieve just as I do in my regular duties as a magazine article writer.
Another goal I've had is to become a public speaker. My fear of public speaking has persisted for 30 years. In 2006 I decided enough was enough! I was tired of being afraid. And figured at my age I should be overcoming my fears, not still giving in to them.
A friend encouraged me to join Toastmasters with her so I did. Today, I have completed my first book, giving 10 speeches to our group during the last year. My last speech, encouraging people to join Toastmasters, was so good our president wants to record me for a commercial! My goal is to use this new skill during opportunities to speak confidently about my writing or other subjects as they arise.
This opportunity occurred recently when a local TV station interviewed me about my story in a recent Chicken Soup for the Coffee Lover's Soul book (I also had a story in Chicken Soup for the Soul - Christmas 2007). My poise and ability to speak without voice shaking was due to my skills learned at Toastmasters and also my determination to show my Master Mind group I was on my way up!
I encourage you to think BIG too! The only thing stopping you from achieving your BIG goals is you.
EvanCarmichael.com is the world's #1 website for small business motivation and strategies. Evan also runs a series of successful Mastermind Groups in Toronto for entrepreneurs.
Guest Contributor: Melody Campbell
