Over the past few weeks, we’ve been reviewing the content of our new book, Cash in a Flash, while following a Powerpoint which will eventually be available to those of you who buy the book.  As of today, we have 35 days to go before the book is released.  The newly-printed book in my hands will feel kind of like a birth.  We’ve been in “labor” for two years now - Mark and I - having made this our top project.  The story line and even the title went through many changes.  As the sequel to the original One Minute Millionaire, Cash in a Flash has a similar division of right and left side pages, providing inspiration via fiction and nonfiction.  In recent months, we’ve had to do whatever it took to get the writing just right.  This book became my #1 project this year, partly because it was my “low hanging fruit”.  This means that money was available for convenient picking (in the form of significant advance royalties), as long as I worked hard to finalize the book to the publisher’s (therefore your) standards.  

Ideally, you want to have three major projects that you devote 80% of your time to.  These are the projects you expect the fastest results to be generated from. Then you’ll also want another three projects as secondary, which you’ll devote 20% of your time to.  Sometimes, the economic seasons change, and you’ll have to shift your projects around.  You may have project seeds which you’re excited to plant, but it may be ‘wintertime’ in the economy.  So the timing could be wrong for that kind of seed.  Prioritize the projects that fit the times.  Or focus on your “low-hanging fruit” opportunities — those that will give you a quick yield from a skill and passion you already have.  Regardless, your projects often take not only time and effort, but may also be discouraging at times.  This has happened to me on many occasions.  The results don’t come out as you expected, so you have to go back to the drawing board and implement a new strategy.  But this is a valuable learning experience to steer you closer to the more effective set of tasks.  Stay driven toward your desired result, no matter how hard it gets. Don’t stop until that project is done.

As Cash in a Flash is released and the marketing has its momentum, I will then move my #2 project to the top: Building my team in network marketing.  This will be my next low-hanging fruit, since it’s easy to grow for me.  Every week I’m working on it anyway with challenges, training and enrolling.  I’m always focused on the next level of achievement.  My current #3 project is international speaking.  I’m working intensely on a plan to speak in various worldwide locations.  My #4 project is a book on network marketing, its product launch process, and all the related online efforts.  The Internet is incredibly diverse with marketing opportunities these days.  Social marketing is an arena that many people are now using.  With some guidance, I’ve been recently increasing my own exposure on Twitter and Facebook, for example.

We’re in what seems to be the middle of winter in our economy, but we are seeing signs of spring.  A slow growth is beginning to happen.  There is a movie I have mentioned before which has a great season analogy I’d like to remind you of.  It’s called “Being There”, based on the book by Kosinsky.  A simple-minded gardener named Chance (played by Peter Sellers) is left out on the street by his deceased employers who did not leave him in their will.  He is then accidentally hit by the limo of a rich industrialist family, who insist Chance come to their home for private care to recovery.  Dressed in his finest clothing, Chance is initially perceived as potentially rich enough to sue them, and as he begins to talk of garden care within the seasons, they translate that he is indeed a wise sort of economist speaking in metaphors.  Even the President of the United States visits this home and meets who they are now calling Chauncey Gardner.   Although he is a simple-minded gardener, Chauncey’s words are translated as very wise analogies.  These high society people understand who he is by the way they need to understand it.  They begin to think he can almost prophesize the future.  From his simple language, the message is made more flowery.  Even the President refers to Chauncey’s wisdom during speeches: “According to Chauncey Gardner, as long as the roots of industry remain firmly planted in the national soil, the economic prospects are undoubtedly sound.  Gentlemen, let us not fear the inevitable chills and storms of autumn and winter.  Instead, let us anticipate the rapid growth of springtime.  Let us await the rewards of summer.  As in a garden of the earth, let us learn to accept and appreciate the times when the trees are bare, as well as the times when we pick the fruit.“  With increased fame, on a talk show, Chauncey says, “It is possible for everything to grow strong, and there is plenty of room for new trees, and new flowers of both kinds.  A garden needs a lot of care and a lot of love, in order for things to grow.  But first, some things must wither.  Some trees die, and fresh young saplings take their place.” 

Our life has many types of seasons.  I might be in the “fall” of my life span.  And each day has season-like phases, yielding fruits late afternoon from what you planted in the morning.  If this was the last day of your life, what would you want to harvest today?  Every project also has its four seasons.  In the spring you have that idea you define, and you begin to plant seeds.  In the summer, you focus on implementing your plans for custom crop care.  Fruits become ripe.  In the fall, you get to harvest your idea.  You will harvest either your profits or the resulting wisdom equity.  A failure is also fruit.  How will you use that lesson to become more organized and determined for next time? You’ve gained the fruits of experience.  If your project was successful, you come away with the medals, excitement, profits, accolades, and the ability to be a giver.  No matter what happens, there are so many fruits to be harvested from your projects.

Even if you never quite understand or even expect how you influence people, you can be the Chauncey Gardner.  You are already influencing people by just being who you are today.  And sometimes people will twist your influence to apply to their own problems.  Their reaction may have nothing to do with you and your intentions.  Just be purely you, and be your own gardener in the gardens you really like the most.  Determine what you most like to nurture, and then share your favorite fruits, vegetables and herbs with people around you.  You’ll influence some people you’re not even aware of, and they will take how you affected them to their own circles of influence.  Our Heavenly Father often chooses unlikely people to start those ripples of influence.  You may consider yourself one of those unlikely people, but who may unexpectedly engulf the world with enlightenment, just like Chauncey Gardner.  Just make sure you share your ”produce” with others.  You’ll create more influence, which can eventually become fame and wealth.

I’ve been stunned by some of the influences I, myself, have had, starting years ago when I began growing my “garden” in real estate.  I decided to teach others how to grow their own real estate gardens, and risked everything to write a book about it.  I could not have imagined how I influenced people to succeed the way they did, and how my expanded teachings inspired people in other business arenas.  It’s unfathomable to me that so many people have read my books.  Hopefully my new book, Cash in a Flash, will have a positive influence that will be handed down from generation to generation.  One day, you could be amazed at how your own influence affects the world.  Beneath your awareness, it is happening now.  Whether you make money from people or not, leave a trail of positive influence.  As simple-minded as you and I are, if we grow our little gardens right, the world gets to be a better place. 

We each have a garden we’ve been given to grow.  How we nurture, prune, fertilize and water it determines its yield.  You must love your own garden, no matter how meager it seems to be compared with others.  You can’t be looking over the fence at other people’s gardens longingly.  Preoccupied with envy, you can ruin your own garden.  It starts to wither with neglect because you don’t love it like you used to.  Your fruits and vegetables don’t reach their full potential.  If your attention is elsewhere, you won’t notice the unique seeds waiting in your garden for only you to grow.  So love the garden you’ve got because you may be heaven-sent to grow that particular garden.  You’ll find the seeds within your greatest passions and talents.  Become a world-class expert in your own garden.  Being There is just being who you are, and being happy with who you are.