Is Your Mastermind a Good Fit?

Guest Contributor: Janet Napora
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Mastermind groups are away to learn and grow, a positive like minded group of people with similar goals. A support system built on helping each other. Many people are willing to do what is necessary to move forward in their personal and business lives. A mastermind group teaches the skills to achieve whatever goals you put in place.

Often times we need to come out of our comfort zones to do this. Some people may be shy or do not have complete faith in their abilities. Part of the responsibility of the mastermind is developing personal growth. We all need to realize we are in complete control of our lives and where we end up is up to us.

Ultimately we are responsible for our day. We craft a plan to achieve both our short term and long term goals. However the plan we start out with is rarely the plan we end up with. Temporary failure, refining our plan is an ongoing process when working towards the end result. The goal of a mastermind should be to support you and give you positive feedback.

Finding a mastermind that's a good fit for you is important. Although coming out of our comfort may be necessary it should not compromise your core values. Feeling nervous or uncomfortable with something new is not unusual. As you keep performing the new task it does become more comfortable just by the sheer repetition of doing it.

If a task feels uncomfortable is it because you're not used to doing it or does it conflict with your values and standard of ethics? This is something only you can decide. Examine your mastermind and ask yourself if they have your best interest in mind. Can you see yourself developing long term relationships with the other members of the group? Are they truly a group of positive like minded people?

Mastermind Your Way to Playing a Bigger Game

Guest Contributor: Melanie Benson Strick
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What sets your mastermind apart from every other friend, advisor and support system? The fact that it is a group of individuals who come together to create a special bond that challenges each person to play their biggest game ever. I just got back from facilitating a mastermind retreat for my platinum level members (all of who are over six figures) and realized that one of the greatest a-ha's each member walked away with was where they were playing small. We get used to seeing our world through our own filters. But in a safe spaced designed to encourage breakthroughs and new possibilities, you can tap into a whole new world by seeing who you are through other people's possibilities for you.

For example, one member had become quite focused on a business offering they just knew was perfect. As the mastermind held this person to their goals, values and priorities, the member found that they were giving away a lot of value without being compensated for it. Taking that program to the marketplace the way it was would have spelled burn out and overwhelm. The mastermind was able to brainstorm a powerful program that aligned with the member's value, priorities and goals.

So how does a mastermind help you play bigger?

Here are four of the ways that a mastermind can help.

1. Spotting being busy versus being productive. It's an insidious habit to just be busy. It's hard to recognize when you have fallen into the habit. Your mastermind can help you identify if you've fallen back into the busy trap and get you back on track.

2. Recognizing if you are playing small or getting in your own way. After a while, the group gets to know you and your patterns. They can quickly and easily spot an attempt to play it safe.

3. Role modeling what's possible. Inevitably, some of the members will be focusing on different or more advanced opportunities. By doing so, they are providing a bigger game to shoot for. For instance, two of the members of my Platinum group are now focused on working less and building more "lifestyle" into their life. The rest of the group lit up and became so energized that they began to reorient their own game so that lifestyle was a part of the vision.

4. Holding you accountable. You really want to have a group who does more than just show up and brainstorm with you. You want them to want your success for you just as much as you do. Having a group buddy or a way to track accountability helps.

Tapping into the power of a mastermind is life-changing. I personally have benefited for over 15 years and see how others lives are changed through the mastermind process. Most importantly, if a mastermind is leveraged properly, you can find yourself light years ahead by simply showing up with other's who are committed to playing a big game.

A Mastermind Group Creates a Community

Guest Contributor: Kelly Smith
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One of the aspects I have noticed by being part of a Mastermind Group is the sense of community. Let's face it, people don't quite connect with others like they used to. Neighbors don't bring over a home baked pie when you move into the neighborhood and people are often paranoid in the "big city" to even say "Hi" when passing you on the sidewalk. The world has changed, but that's not to say it isn't for the better. We are now on a bigger playing field and can meet people from all over the world like never before.

We are adjusting to that change. The possibilities are incredible. We now connect through telephone lines and with people across the world through our laptops. We are still human beings and possess that sense of belonging that a Mastermind group can give us. Yes, there are still local business groups that can operate like Mastermind groups but connecting from the comfort of home is what many of us have become accustomed to.

Communities often give us consistency that we crave in our lives. A Mastermind Group can do that for you while some ventures may come and go but a Mastermind Group community can create a commitment from everyone knowing we are accountable to others. This kind of community of like-minded people works together in harmony to help each other discover the most within ourselves and reach beyond what we once thought were our limitations.

An industry like Internet marketing is changing faster than we can keep up. It's good to have some passengers to travel with on that wild ride, people whom you have developed a sense of trust with.

As human beings, we crave that interaction, especially meaningful ones with people who are also committed to each other. It's critical to success to be with others who are also bringing energy, excitement and a fresh perspective to the Group.

Mastermind Group community advantages include:

Support system
Energy
Motivation
Balance
Sense of belonging

We join parenting communities to have a support system and help us be better parents so wouldn't it be only logical to join and entrepreneurial community to be better business owners? It only makes sense.

When we envelop ourselves in a community it becomes a daily ritual, part of a successful habit instead of a chore. It gives us a sense of who we are and becoming successful means developing successful habits and surrounding yourself in a community of positive, energetic, motivated and successful people. Brad and I look forward to our Mastermind group classes and would feel lost without our community.

Do You Have A Board Of Advisers?

I met with a new potential member for one of my Mastermind Groups earlier this morning and we were discussing how the groups are really an informal board of advisers for the members. Who do you turn to for advice when you need help? Most entrepreneurs cannot ask their employees and their families are supportive but do not have the business background to provide suggestions.

This is where a Mastermind Group comes into play. Having a group of other business owners who are going through or have already gone through the challenges you are facing is the best way to solve your problem. Learn from the experiences of your peers to help you reach your goals much more quickly.

This concept was recently explored in the Millionaire Secrets Inner Circle Blog:

How often do you feel alone? How often do you have exciting news to share, and yet feel you have no one to share it with-either because the people around you wouldn't understand, or you're afraid they may burst your bubble?

I can't stress enough that it is key to find a MasterMind group. Find one or create your own.

You not only need others who are on the same path, on the 'same page' if you will, to share your successes (and struggles) with, but you also need to surround yourself with people who have been there and whom you can follow in their footsteps.

Just as you are what you eat, you also are what you surround yourself with. Surround yourself with disgruntled employees, and soon you'll be disgruntled. Surround yourself with depressed people, and soon you'll feel depressed. Surround yourself with overeaters, and soon you'll find yourself eating too much and gaining weight.

But surround yourself with successful, rich, happy, creative, and abundant people, and, well... you get the idea!

Master Minding - Something for Everyone!

Guest Contributor: Debbie Lousberg
Debbie's Posts - Debbie's Blog

I recently joined another Master Mind group, this one more structured and professionally facilitated by a wonderful small business expert here in my area of Southern California. It is so different from my other 2 groups, yet similar in all the important ways, that I could not pass up the chance to participate. It is specifically geared toward small business owners who need a support system of like minds to help brainstorm any kind of business issues.

Here how it works: We meet once a week at an appointed time and location and go around the table sharing what accomplishments or big events have taken place over the last week. Then we break into small groups of 3 or 4 and have 10 minutes each to bring up a specific challenge we need help with and have others brainstorm solutions and ideas. At the end of the 10 minutes, we have to commit to an Action Step that we will take by next meeting. Better yet, we have to write that down on paper and turn it in to the facilitator! Powerful stuff. So not only are we like minds exchanging ideas and learning from each other, we're holding one another accountable for making progress in our businesses.

Back in 1937, Napoleon Hill was well aware of this power of Master Mind groups. In his book, Think and Grow Rich, he talked about the richest industrialists of the day who knew about the power of this type of group. Andrew Carnegie, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone were all Master Minders. What power they harnessed with each other and what success they achieved!

Today, we have this very same tool available. One of my groups is comprised of entrepreneurs like me in the Career Coaching business, all of us in different parts of the US and Puerto Rico - we talk specifically about our practices and client matters. The other is a group of 3 women locally, who have different career paths, yet similar spiritual philosophies and ways to support each other in whatever life issues we need help with. Now my third group provides even more emphasis on goal setting for my overall business success.

It's simply a matter of finding people who have similar goals as you, are willing to meet regularly to support each other, and build trust through confidentiality. Then creating goals and action steps (preferably writing them down) holding each other to the task of completing them, and then proceeding along the path toward progress. The sky's the limit on what you can achieve personally and in business when you put your head together with others!