Personal Success

The 21st Century will see major political, environmental and economic changes for us all. Some will be challenged and find it confusing to know how they fit in. For others who are prepared and who have positioned themselves correctly it could be the most rewarding time of their lives.

Many things which are familiar to us now, will change as we enter this new age. Our thinking, our business strategies and our investment plans will need to change to deal with these new circumstances and challenges.

Politically we can see governments and large corporations dancing to the tune of globalisation and the tax burden being redirected from the corporation to the individual. The GST is just one example of this trend. The rights and freedoms of the individual are being eroded through more legislative ‘reforms’ and are being replaced by restrictions which are supposedly for the greater good.

Environmentally we are slowly becoming more aware that the continual exploitation of our natural resources and the pollution of our environment without consideration for sustainable development strategies are a recipe for self-destruction.

Economically, we find ourselves at the dawning of a technological revolution which is changing the way we do business, the way we work, play, make money, make friends and particularly how we think. The speed of our life is more hurried and the pressure for instant results is increasing all the time. The tools and opportunities available to us as individuals and as business entrepreneurs are unprecedented in their affordability, their reach, their potential for profit and their speed. Whereas traditionally a business required premises, equipment and usually a large workforce to generate wealth, the businesses of the new millennium can start from a simple two bedroom apartment with a website and generate millions, even billions of dollars of wealth within a year.

These new businesses require new skills, new ideas and access to information rather than manufacturing facilities and stock. The major difference between this new style of doing business and the old is that it is largely based on different ideas. Success in this new idea economy comes through versatility, flexibility and portability. It comes from having access to information, understanding how others would benefit by having access to this information and then providing the means for customers to pay and access this information.

No longer is your business confined by geographic boundaries, by the speed of transport vehicles or by access to expensive facilities. In this new idea economy, your business is largely confined by the boundaries you place around yourself – “the iron curtain that you have erected around your mind” as I call it in my book, How To Be Rich & Happy On Your Income.

The book, Health, Wealth & Wisdom In The New Millennium discusses these issues in more detail than I am able to in this short article.

Several years ago, my family and I moved out of Sydney where we had previously spent almost all of our lives, to a country property several hours west of Sydney. When people hear what we have done, they often tell us that they would love to do that too. That would be their dream as well. However, shortly after expressing their dream, they also raise their biggest concerns around such a move. Two of the most frequently asked questions we receive are:

1. How will you survive financially? and
   

2. How will you know what to do on a farm when you have lived all your life in the city?

Needless to say, these are very valid questions and ones which deserve quite some consideration. Most people raise these questions in their own minds and then quickly conclude that they cannot achieve their dream because:

1. they probably won’t be able to find a job or conduct a business out in the country
   

2. there’s too much they don’t know, so what if it all fails?

The choice we all have when considering how to deal with challenges and opportunities is to understand the situation and then to proceed boldly forward with the intention of dealing with the obstacles as they arise. People with such a progressive mindset have the greatest possibility of succeeding in the 21st Century. Those who want to retreat into their comfort zone and play it safe will be less likely to prosper and succeed in a rapidly changing world.

For our part, we looked at ways of restructuring our business so that our location was irrelevant. We also looked at new business opportunities which allowed us to capitalise on our new and more ‘remote’ location. (I think it’s only a state of mind!) Then we looked at extra business ideas we could implement to complement our existing business and which are in line with the changing face of business in the twenty first century. Now, after several years, we are delighted by our move and secure in the knowledge that we can operate our business activities from wherever we choose to live.

We boldly embraced the challenge of a steep learning curve and avidly researched areas where our lack of knowledge and experience in rural activities was lacking. We listened to others, attended seminars and field days and experimented with our new found knowledge. Often we learned through our mistakes. Although we continue to learn through others and through our mistakes, we have been rewarded with more successes than failures.

We continue to face challenges as all of us do with whatever we undertake. The important thing for you to understand however, is that you enjoy the power of choice. You can choose to move forward with a sense of adventure and expectation or retreat into your comfort zone. You can embrace the opportunities calling you into a new environment or you can stick to what you know in the hope that you will survive. The choice is yours. Which path will you choose?

About Hans Jakobi

Hans Jakobi is an educator, author and investor. He is the author of six best-selling books including, How To Be Rich & Happy On Your Income which is available at: www.supersecrets.com Join Hans Jakobi’s FREE Super Secrets Online Newsletter

© 2002 Hans Jakobi. All rights reserved worldwide

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