First, it’s not a fit for where I am right now.  Several times over the course, Mike Filsaime mentioned that what you do for a 7 figure business is very different from what you do for a 6 or 5 figure business.  The strategies he’s teaching are focused on taking your business to a high level of structure and forward momentum.

My goals are different seeing as I am a work at home mom of a preschooler and I’m preparing for homeschooling. I’m not ready to have employees and a rented office space. My office is in a black tote bag and goes with me to the wifi enable coffee shop. (OK, not really work-at-home, but did I mention I have a preschooler)

Everything I learned from the course so far has been wonderful and they have colored my decisions and how they affect my future. I really had to weigh whether it was best for me to finish or to put it on hold until later.  I decided to put it on hold.

One complaint I have about the 7 Figure Code is that it is only on DVD. I once heard Mike Filsaime say that he does video because that’s what the people want. That may be true, but I’m going to get a lot less out of a program if the only access I have to it is sitting passively in front of a tv or computer screen.

It would be fine if there was something to see, but these guys are standing on stage talking using PowerPoint presentations. It’s good to see the slides, but I need something more portable.  If he had offered the audios in addition to the DVDs I could listen and re-listen as I am doing other things.

I walk around with my MP3 player as I’m running errands, etc. It’s a great way to get an education without having to carve out more time. If I had audios, I could listen over and over again to reinforce what I’m learning on the DVDs.

That being said, I think the content I’ve watched so far has been top notch and has taught me a lot. It will definitely be revisited when the time is right. 

Deborah

If you aren’t aware of it, it looks like this…

Poor and middle class people work on the left hand side as an “E” (employee) or an “S” (self-employed).  All of these people sell their time for money.  Because we only have fixed allotment of time our income is also limited.

Rich people live on the right hand side of the quadrant.  ”B” is for business and refers to business owners who leverage their time by utilizing the resources around them including having employees.  

The difference between the ”B” and the “S” is that the self-employed person puts more energy into running things themselves and taking care of the operations part of the business.  A “B” quadrant person sets up systems and hires people to run his businesses.  This frees them up to build more assets.

What if Sam Walton had to be at the store every night closing out the registers?  If so, there would be one small store in Bentonville, AR instead of the mega business it is today.

The last is “I”. This stands for investment.  Rich people are looking for assets – things that bring them money rather than costing them money. Investments are a way to do that. This can include real estate, the stock market, and more. 

Part of rethinking wealth is looking at life in a different way.  If you think opening your own business is the way to freedom, you are right – as long as you run it the right way. 

It all goes back to the old adage “Work smart, not hard” 

 Here’s to your journey,
Deborah

If you are saying “What ebook? I didn’t get an ebook!” Don’t fret, you can download it right here -www.rethinkingwealth.com/goldbook2008.html.

Tools: Genograms

Genograms are a great tool to look at family patterns and find a deeper understanding of yourself. I was first introduced to them in my marriage and family class in seminary. We did the Fonda family (Henry, Jane, Peter, Bridget, etc.) as an example. It was very interesting to see the patterns that repeated within the family. Of course, we also did one for our own families.

In these examples, we were looking at emotional and relationship patterns that carried down from each generation. Genograms are useful for all types of analysis. They are used in the medical field to determine family medical history and by social service agencies to look at patterns of family behavior.

In the area of business, you can use a genogram to look at your family’s career and work patterns, learning and work styles, patterns of wealth and poverty, and entrepreneurial spirit.

When I did my family genogram, I saw that I had several ancestors who were very successful businessmen owning a sawmill, an ice house, a general store, even illegal moonshine stills. Of course, there were other categories such as farmers, ministers and laborers.

I could also see work styles especially a strong pattern of creative starters who would start a new project build on it, pass it on, and start something new. It really helped me validate my creative ways of living life. Interestingly, I saw a lot of linear thinking types like engineers and accountants which helped explain why I value logic and am so analytical.

What can you see in your family tree? You don’t have to go back too far, but try to get at least to your great grandparents. Ask questions about each family member. You can ask anything you want, but a few good ideas are…

• What did they do for a living?
• How did they spend their time?
• What were their interests and passions?
• Which descendents followed in their footsteps?
• Which ancestors did they take after?
• What kind of work style did they have? [entrepreneur, laborer, migrant, etc]
• How did they view money?
• How did they handle money?
• Were they spenders or savers?
• How did money color their marriage and other relationships?
• How did the economic situation of their time affect them and the decisions they made?

You can use the genogram to get a visual picture. There are a lot of symbols you can use to show relationships and some of the links below will guide you. If you don’t want to go to all of the trouble to learn them, simply draw the family tree diagram and make notes around it. If you are more right brained, you can come up with your own symbols to help make the connections clearer to you.

Below are a few links to help you get it done. They are not directed at career or business issues. You will need to modify things to make those connections clear to you.

Here’s to the Journey,

Deborah

“Basic Genogram Components” from Northwestern University
http://faculty-web.at.northwestern.edu/commstud/galvin/genograms/Basic%20Genogram%20Components.htm

A page from a site selling a genealogy software program.
http://www.genopro.com/genogram/

“Creating a Genogram” from the University of Florida
http://www.cop.ufl.edu/SAFEZONE/DOTY/kfh/Genogram.pdf

“Constructing a Genogram on Word or Excel” from California State University Northridge
http://hhd.csun.edu/williams/340/Genogram Construction on Excel or Word.doc