be their benchmark on life? Bad, and today's not that. Your brain is an amazing tool and it'll find whatever you ask it to find, so you'd better ask for very positive things. Remember to ask for the things you want, not to push away what you don't want. Every day your business meets your true expectations. In other words, if you believe you've got to work hard to make money, then that will always be your reality. If you believe you can never get good people, then that'll be your reality. Remember, you generally make true whatever you believe to be so. Taps on the Shoulder Traveling down the road of life, it's easy to be distracted, to get off track, and to lose sight of the big picture. What's the old saying? Can't see the forest for the trees. However, every day you're getting little taps on the shoulder: an idea that you should change what you're doing, a suggestion from someone, a hint. You either learn to take the taps, or eventually they become signposts you run into. And the signposts are a whole lot bigger and they hurt a whole lot more. Then if you're still too blind, too stubborn, or just too stupid to read the signs, you'll stray into the path of oncoming traffic and get run over by the proverbial Mack truck. Why do you think that most successful people are great networkers? It's because they've perfected the craft of surrounding themselves with other people and then listening-really listening-to what they have to say. They can in one night absorb more taps on the shoulder than many take on board in a whole year. Just remember to get the facts, listen for the taps, and look for the signs. Sticking your head in the sand never helped anyone. Building a Business versus Buying a Job Why would you want to go into business for yourself? Just look at the statistics. Around 80 percent of businesses started this year will be gone in five years. 7