The Unspoken Secret to Achieving Big Goals

&copy 2004 Joe Vitale. All rights reserved.

Years ago I attended networking meetings. Thesewere usually breakfast or lunch business meetingswhere people exchanged business cards and tried to helpeach other get new clients.

I spoke at many of these events. What I quicklynoticed is that the same people seemed to be at thesame meetings. One observant friend said, "It's thesame people -- and they're all starving!"

That's when I first learned about the concept oflevels. That is, people tend to stay on the same levelof business or social status. When they meet friends,it's usually in their circle of activity, whetherchurch, work, school, or some club. As a result, theyrarely get out of the level they are on.

That's not bad. You can stay on the level you areat and do well. But if you want more, or if you findyourself starving on the level you're at, you'll needto go up a level or two.

When I was speaking at these networking events, Iwas a notch above everyone in the room. This is not anego thing. It's a social perception. I was seen asbeing at a slightly higher level than the audiencesimply by nature of being the speaker. I was theauthority figure. As the higher teacher, I was elevateda slight degree on their level.

But that's not good enough. If you want to achievebig dreams in business, you need to step out of yourcircle or network of peers and associates. You need togo 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 attentionof other circles of people, and higher levels ofnetworks.

For example, when I wrote "The AMA CompleteGuide to Small Business Advertising" for the AmericanMarketing Association back in 1995, I was immediatelyput in a new level. I was now the author of animportant book for a prestigious organization.

This caused new people to contact me. Each ofthese people had their own network of people. Moreoften than not, these networks were at a higher levelthan anything I had ever touched before.

Here's another example: When I wrote my book onP.T. Barnum, called "There's A Customer Born EveryMinute," for the American Management Association backin 1997, I managed to get the attention of famoustycoons Donald Trump and Kenneth Feldman. Clearly I hadbeen 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 ofnetworks. The good news is email makes this a snap tobegin. Anyone alive can be reached through email withsome persistence and cleverness. That's how I firstreached marketing superstar Jay Conrad Levinson,direct mail legend Joe Sugarman, and even gonzodaredevil Evel Knievel. I did it all by email.

People write me all the time for favors. I'm nowperceived as an expert, an authority, and an Internetmarketing pioneer. They want to associate their name orproduct with me. I love to help people, so I usually atleast give people a chance. But I never endorseanything without seeing, using and loving what theyhave. 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 studiedtwenty years ago. Last year he wrote me after readingmy "Spiritual Marketing" book. Today we're coauthors. Ijust produced and recorded his legendary audioprogram,"Beyond Positive Thinking." Two decades ago I was waybelow his level. Today we're partners!

Keep in mind that going up a level is differentthan thinking out of the box. You can be creative andstill stay on your current level. Brainstorming withyour neighbor is most likely different thanbrainstorming with, say, Richard Branson, theflamboyant owner of Virgin Records.

The point is this: To achieve goals you've neverachieved before, you may need to rise in levels andparticipate with new people on a new playing field.

So the lesson today is to consider your currentlevel, consider your goals, and consider what peopleoutside of your network can help you achieve them. Youmay 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 theconcept of levels. I don't have that space here. Butbefore I end this short article, let me offer a handfulof 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 mayintroduce me to new levels. One of the main reasons myname is known to a vast majority of people online isdue to the hundreds of articles I've written anddistributed (like this one you're reading) over thelast ten years. You can write articles, too.

2. Apply for membership in a prestigious organization.When I joined the Society for American Magicians, avery old club for professional magicians, I elevated myposition among magicians. Joining the right countryclub or business group can do the same thing.

3. Create or join a master mind group. Napoleon Hillstrongly urged people to form master minds. The trickto making them work is to be among people who arealready 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 firststarting out as a writer, people way above me, such asfamed copywriter Bob Bly, helped me. In later years,marketing gurus such as Murray Raphel and later PaulHartunian, all helped me. I simply wrote to them. Theysensed my sincerity and offered guidance. Today I dothe same for others.

5. Speak at associations or gatherings of people inhigher levels. You'll need to have something unique tooffer, 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'reon. You don't want to forget your friends or burn yourbridges. I'm simply suggesting that if you have giantgoals and big dreams, it may be time to take theelevator up a floor or two.

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