Hope for Humanity...

While there is a raging pandemic, division, and uncertainty taking place at what seems unprecedented levels, there are also game-changing organizations that are making HUGE advances in solving many of the issues that have plagued mankind for millennia.

We are talking really, really big stuff here. Things like unlimited energy at super low-cost, an end to world hunger, eradication of many medical issues, and effective ways to clean the sea and sky of the horrible pollutants that are resulting in ever more serious problems to our planet. You won’t usually find this type of information in the mainstream press, but I’m very happy to expose it here.

One of the organizations at the forefront of this movement is “X-Prize.” X-Prize is a revolutionary concept headed by Peter Diamandis that provides Millions of dollars in prize money as incentives for individuals and groups from all over the world to tackle the problems currently facing humanity- many of them have been previously labeled as impossible. With this dynamic, an unrestricted well-spring of creative and innovative output has already solved hundreds of major issues and many more are on the docket. One of the many benefits of this program is the amount of research that results from each X-prize. One X-prize might offer a $10 Million prize to whichever team comes up with the best method to provide clean drinking water in polluted areas. Up to 80 teams may take on the challenge and they each raise their own funds, conduct their own research, and make their best effort to win the prize.

The result isn’t just several great solutions (including one winner) but also close to $40 million of cumulative research that is now available for any future innovators. Way too much to describe in this column, but for more information on this wonderful organization go to http://www.xprize.org . Keep the Good Times’ Going!

Are You a Northbound Train?

Northbound train is a great concept usually used in the sales world. It states that there are four types of potential customers (trains):

4 Types of Trains:

Southbound Train: Doesn’t have any money or any interest in what you are selling

Eastbound Train: Has the money to purchase your product but doesn’t have any interest in doing so.

Westbound Train: Has the interest in purchasing your product but lacks the money to buy it.

Northbound Train: Has both the money and the interest to purchase your product.

The suggestion regarding this is for the salesperson to focus almost all their attention on the Northbound trains and not waste time or resources on the other three.

I have tweaked this concept to apply to the individual seeking to achieve certain goals or outcomes. In other words, do you have all the qualities that are necessary of someone who is going to realize success in whatever areas or endeavors you decide to engage in? Answer these questions:

Do you have or can you get healthy self-esteem so you fully believe you deserve to succeed?

Do you have a strong desire to succeed and live the life of your dreams?

Are you ready to commit to long-term, consistent effort?

Are you willing to learn, grow and change in areas that may be necessary?

Are you prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals?

If you can answer yes to all those questions, you are a Northbound train and with proper planning, consistent effort and continued focus on your objectives it will be difficult for you NOT to reach your goals. If on the other hand you cannot answer yes to all of those questions, it may be best for you to put some effort into adjusting your mindset to where you can honestly answer yes-or just try to make yourself as comfortable as possible where you currently are. Without all cylinders firing at the same time, there may be great frustration as success will remain elusive despite effort.