That’s the thing! Most of us see pies in the sky and jump from one opportunity to the next. Each time we hope against hope that the tide will turn and the guru or software or the Heavenly Father in the flesh will save us from our struggling selves.

Everyone has an inkling that their must be a key to the abundant-time-and-money kingdom, yet we don’t seem to sense it can’t be found in NeverNeverLand.

There are so many smooth talkers, aka gurus, who will have you gawking and orgasming at their newest widget or training program, yet if you have been struggling for years to rub two nickels together then you should know instinctively that that bait is fool’ gold.

What’s missing is you. You put the money first, and the interest or passion on the back burner. Not too smart, Bunky.

In the video that follows, noted motivational speaker, businessman, philanthropist and life coach, Bob Proctor, says that when the bill collector called when he was poor and asked where the money was, his humorous response came down to this: “If I knew where the money was, you wouldn’t be calling me.”

The gut-feeling truth is that most people either have time or have money, but few have ample of both. Is this a sign of the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? I think not. A samurai warrior does not go to battle with a dull sword or inadequate training. You don’t fight battles you can’t win. Most people are fighting their challenges on an empty tank and that can only lead to disaster.

It all comes down to learning how to be fully present. It’s a process which may require retooling, rethinking and a break from chasing money just because it seems to be there. It’s always been there and people like Mr. Proctor put in his spiritual mileage to discover it.

Where that is for each one of us is only available when we are patient enough to prepare for battle. Preparing means knowing yourself rather than running away from yourself in an effort to make a killing or to please others.

This life game is all about you – and that ain’t all bad nor selfish.

Another inspiration in my life is Les Brown. In recent months he has made the transition from audio motivation to marketing his coaching on the Internet with another high-valued person, Paul Martinelli.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Les’ work.

Once again, I found a video recording of Les – who rose from ghetto poverty to optimum success – about sticking around when surrender would be easy. He also addressed the unequivocal advice to get rid of toxic people in your life.

Les – Like Tony Robbins -was also an avid fan of the late Jim Rohn (see previous entry). Les Brown has a photographic memory, capable of remembering thousands’ of quotes and stories in an instant. Moreover, his laugh and his humor are infectious. Enjoy…

The late Jim Rohn’s philosophy and style profoundly affected me when first introduced to Nightingale-Conant audio tape series in the mid 1990s.  He not only had a great impact on my thoughts and actions, but was also one of the first mentors of many great motivators, trainers and coaches including Tony Robbins.

On cassette I heard him tell the story of the sower and just today I discovered the same recording in video form.  I highly recommend you listen to one of the wisest men I have ever come across in the video below.  Enjoy and benefit:

I recently read a sales page where a person flashed a big-dollar possibility followed by a disarming lure: “If I were you, I’d think this is bunk. But I’m not you!”

Let’s get seriously real. The reason why so many sales letters use the same hooks and lures in their copy is that those words – sometimes moronic ones – are hypnotic.

Good copywriters/marketers pay close attention to the objections and complaints of subscribers, purchasers and even naysayers who don’t fall into the previous two categories. They chisel their copy to bullet-point by bullet-point each reason a person wouldn’t buy and why they should throw caution to the wind on each point this time round.

On the other end of the shtick is the gullible, vulnerable purchaser. He or she doesn’t want to build a website, spend hours working on a business, and, most importantly, shell out hundreds’ or even thousands’ of dollars which the marketer is softening them up to invest.

Let’s put this pure and simple. If Warren Buffet gave away a billion-dollar strategy with a big-dollar promise in the headline, a fool and his/her money would soon be parted. In the same way, if Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers taught his 20-point-a-game strategy with a headline, “Who would like to score 20.8 points per game in the NBA consecutively for the next decade?”, some gullible, delusional and easily brainwashed wannabe players would buy his magic system for $2499.00(or more!!) without a first thought.

Pissing into the wind is far too common among slothful, serial netrepreneur failures. They want the quick fix to make them rich in a blink while sipping daiquiris and smoking joints in Maui.

Cutting to the John Hancock, making money and creating lasting wealth takes a much different mindset than what has put you behind the economic eight ball. If you are living on the financial edge or in the abyss, no system is going to extricate you from your thinking swamp.

Undoubtedly, if you can’t – without being inebriated – close your eyes and see yourself in the house, the car, the company of people which indicate exponential success for you, no system nor coach can save you from flopping.

You are where you are life because of who you truly believe you are. Nice words, chants, affirmations have their place in the success column, but there is no substitution for having a picture in your mind of the resounding success you are writing and voicing daily.

Next time a guru offers you the world, understand that in his or her world a vision of what is possible is always there. It matters not whether, Lebron, Oprah Winfrey or even Michelle Obama endorse Guru X. Systems can only work when you consistently see yourself in the fast lane to success.

You have an inside job unrelated to “As seen on TV” nonsense, list building, SEO research, social bookmarking, dollar flashing or a host of other gimmicks meant to separate a fool from his/her money.

I’m not you, but I can spot delusional, self-sabotaging behavior from Uranus. Don’t look for quick fixes or chase pie-in-the-sky dreams without first mastering your own mind.

There is a fine line between being a good student and being a blind follower.

There is a defense mechanism within me that goes into a state of high alert when a guru or smooth talker states his/her case in such a manner that the gate to my heart opens and surrenders.

The riffraff that is pervasive online makes the most innocent and curious of souls an instant cynic. Everyone is everyone’s friend and everyone is different than the other “frauds” who are selling us a bill of goods.

Yet if your guard is always up and you refuse to surrender because it – whatever promotion or concept – is too good to be true, then no doubt you will lose the game of life. Intimacy in personal and business relationships has risks. The benefits, however, far outweigh the risks.

To fail or be taken to the cleaners is not a sin. The sin is to stand on the sidelines and become the perpetual critic who never takes action or risks him- or herself.

Worse still, is to become the perfectionist who takes a good idea and dissects it, restores it, analyzes it, second-guesses it, and then back-burners it because of fear of failure and ridicule by the “I told you so” crowd smirking from the do-nothing stands.

What sets apart most of the gurus – mostly spiritually evolved and likable souls – is the ability to believe in themselves and instill that trait in those who work with them.

Our distaste or cynicism of these individuals is often truly derived from our inability to mirror the guru’s character and action traits that set him/her above the rabble. In other words, we can see the mountaintop, but we feel frustrated because our legs and arms are missing when we need them most.

God can only calculate how many success wannabes want someone to give them a secret, instant-success formula. The gurus often have the well-meaning intention to fill that gap and catapult their fans to great achievement, but that is seldom possible and very seldom happens.

Why is that? It is because you must plant seeds before the flower will blossom or the crop can be harvested. Years of bad habits (programming) cannot be overcome with a magic wand or the charismatic machinations of a guru.

You must be determined to re-think and re-program your brain in a manner which turbo-charges your success. Your success is not in the system others preach, but in controlling your thoughts and subsequent actions.

Once your mind is fully intact and fully engaged, nifty ideas of successful people you know can bring to you unimaginable wealth. Until that point, you will only mentally masturbate with the stars in your given field rather than be a star yourself.

Below is an interview between three stars who can help you once you learn to help yourself: