| Levels:
The Unspoken Secret to Achieving Big Goals
by Joe Vitale
www.MrFire.com
Years ago I attended networking meetings. These were usually breakfast
or lunch business meetings
where people exchanged business cards and tried to help each other
get new clients.
I spoke at many of these events. What I quickly noticed is that
the same people seemed to be at the
same meetings. One observant friend said, "It's the same people
-- and they're all starving!"
That's when I first learned about the concept of levels. That is,
people tend to stay on the same level
of business or social status. When they meet friends, it's usually
in their circle of activity, whether
church, work, school, or some club. As a result, they rarely get
out of the level they are on.
That's not bad. You can stay on the level you are at and do well.
But if you want more, or if you find
yourself starving on the level you're at, you'll need to go up a
level or two.
When I was speaking at these networking events, I was a notch above
everyone in the room. This is not an ego thing. It's a social perception.
I was seen as being at a slightly higher level than the audience
simply by nature of being the speaker. I was the authority figure.
As the higher teacher, I was elevated
a slight degree on their level.
But that's not good enough. If you want to achieve big dreams in
business, you need to step out of your
circle or network of peers and associates. You need to go to a group
with wider, stronger, richer connections. You need to go up a level.
How do you do that?
In my case, my books brought me to the attention of other circles
of people, and higher levels of networks.
For example, when I wrote "The AMA Complete Guide to Small
Business Advertising" for the American
Marketing Association back in 1995, I was immediately put in a new
level. I was now the author of an
important book for a prestigious organization. This caused new people
to contact me. Each of these people had their own network of people.
More often than not, these networks were at a higher level than
anything I had ever touched before.
Here's another example: When I wrote my book on P.T. Barnum, called
"There's A Customer Born Every
Minute," for the American Management Association back in 1997,
I managed to get the attention of famous
tycoons Donald Trump and Kenneth Feldman. Clearly I had been introduced
to a new level.
If you want to succeed in phenomenal ways today, you need to go
up a level or two on the status scale of
networks. The good news is email makes this a snap to begin. Anyone
alive can be reached through email with some persistence and cleverness.
That's how I first reached marketing superstar Jay Conrad Levinson,
direct mail legend Joe Sugarman, and even gonzo daredevil Evel Knievel.
I did it all by email.
People write me all the time for favors. I'm now perceived as an
expert, an authority, and an Internet
marketing pioneer. They want to associate their name or product
with me. I love to help people, so I usually at least give people
a chance. But I never endorse anything without seeing, using and
loving what they have. This is important for me to maintain my level.
And now people write me from higher levels, too.
For example, Dr. Robert Anthony is a man I studied twenty years
ago. Last year he wrote me after reading
my "Spiritual Marketing" book. Today we're coauthors.
I just produced and recorded his legendary audioprogram, "Beyond
Positive Thinking." Two decades ago I was way below his level.
Today we're partners!
Keep in mind that going up a level is different than thinking out
of the box. You can be creative and
still stay on your current level. Brainstorming with your neighbor
is most likely different than brainstorming with, say, Richard Branson,
the flamboyant owner of Virgin Records.
The point is this: To achieve goals you've never achieved before,
you may need to rise in levels and
participate with new people on a new playing field. So the lesson
today is to consider your current
level, consider your goals, and consider what people outside of
your network can help you achieve them. You may have to step out
of your level (and comfort zone) to do it, but the step is well
worth taking.
It would take an entire book to fully explain the concept of levels.
I don't have that space here. But
before I end this short article, let me offer a handful of tips
for going to a new level:
1. Write something of value new levels will admire. This doesn't
have to be a book. This very article may
introduce me to new levels. One of the main reasons my name is known
to a vast majority of people online is due to the hundreds of articles
I've written and distributed (like this one you're reading) over
the
last ten years. You can write articles, too.
2. Apply for membership in a prestigious organization. When I joined
the Society for American Magicians, a
very old club for professional magicians, I elevated my position
among magicians. Joining the right country
club or business group can do the same thing.
3. Create or join a master mind group. Napoleon Hill strongly urged
people to form master minds. The trick
to making them work is to be among people who are already successful
in the areas you want to succeed in. Their presence will help elevate
you.
4. Write to people in higher networks. When I was first starting
out as a writer, people way above me, such as famed copywriter Bob
Bly, helped me. In later years, marketing gurus such as Murray Raphel
and later Paul Hartunian, all helped me. I simply wrote to them.
They sensed my sincerity and offered guidance. Today I do the same
for others.
5. Speak at associations or gatherings of people in higher levels.
You'll need to have something unique to
offer, but if you can deliver what these levels want, you'll be
welcomed into their fold.
Again, there is nothing wrong with the level you're on. You don't
want to forget your friends or burn your
bridges. I'm simply suggesting that if you have giant goals and
big dreams, it may be time to take the
elevator up a floor or two.
********
Dr. Joe Vitale is author of way too many books to list here, including
the #1 best-selling book "Spiritual
Marketing," the best-selling e-book "Hypnotic Writing,"
and the best-selling Nightingale-Conant audioprogram, "The
Power of Outrageous Marketing." His latest books are the best-selling
"The Greatest Money-Making Secret in History" and "Adventures
Within." He's being called "The Buddha of the Internet."
Sign up for his monthly ezine and see many articles by him at
http://www.MrFire.com
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