Mindset Mastery 119 – Why Bother?

by Sean Rasmussen on June 22, 2009

Why bother with effort? That was the question we were left with at the end of the last post in Mindset Mastery 118. If you recall this was the story of the woman who had prepared a complete biographical portfolio for her son to help him land a job after college—a task that seems like overkill.

Why Go To Extra Lengths?

The answer is this—”Doing something well is never trouble! The plan prepared by this woman to benefit her son helped him get the job he was applying for, at the first interview, at the salary he named.”

Moreover—and this is important, too—the position did not require the young man to start at the bottom. He began as a junior executive, at an executive’s salary.

Do you still ask “Why go to all this trouble?”

Planning In Presentation

Well, for one thing, the planned presentation of this young man’s application for a position took off at least ten years of time he would otherwise have spent just to get to where he began if he had “started at the bottom and worked his way up.”

This idea of starting at the bottom and working your way up may appear to be sound, but the major objection to it is this–too many of those who begin at the bottom never manage to lift their heads high enough to be seen by opportunity, so they remain at the bottom. You should also know that the outlook from the bottom is not so very bright or encouraging. It has a tendency to kill ambition. It’s called “getting into a rut,” which means that we accept our fate because we form the habit of daily routine, a habit that finally becomes so strong we stop trying to throw it off. And that is another reason why it pays to start one or two steps above the bottom. By doing so a person forms the habit of looking around, of observing how others get ahead, of seeing opportunity, and of embracing it without hesitation.

Pave Your Own Way

This lesson is so applicable to so many aspects of life; it even applies to wealth creation. Why start at the bottom rung and fight to find your way to wealth—and more likely to get discouraged and never achieve personal prosperity? With all the excellent wealth creation resources, books, seminars, courses, blogs, websites, social media and more that is out there, why go the route of the unproven struggle, why not pave your way with the success of others who have gone before you? By doing just that you can cut at least ten years off your learning curve, too.

Sean Rasmussen
Success Communicator
SeanRasmussen.com © 2004 – 2009

{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

lisa wood June 22, 2009 at 10:02 am

what a great question “why bother”…with out a plan and an idea of where you want to go, then you are drifting into no mans land!!
Great post Sean:)

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Nathan @ Web Money Blog June 23, 2009 at 10:37 am

I love reading your posts about mindset mastery, I was inspired to begin #MindsetMonday on my own blog and am a massive believer in the power of our mind to steer the journey of our lives.

Keep em coming Sean!

Have a great day – Nath

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Jill Brown March 11, 2010 at 9:57 pm

Hi Sean,

Well! Sounds pretty good to me. Who wants to start at the bottom if you have a good idea that will take 10 years off the time it takes to rise to success?

You’re also a good example of this lesson. As someone who has put the time in to IM and now you make it easier to pave the way for students in the YOTA forum who want to learn IM.

Thanks Sean.

Jill.

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Lina Nguyen March 15, 2010 at 3:40 am

Sometimes the bottom is the only starting point. Then there are people who start at the top in privileged situations, who don’t quite get as far.
Lina Nguyen´s last blog ..What life is about My ComLuv Profile

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Jazz Salinger March 15, 2010 at 3:11 pm

Hi Sean,

I think this is excellent advice. It’s really important to find a mentor that can teach you how to be successful and avoid some of the pitfalls along the way.

This is one reason I love the YOTA forum. You and your team are our mentors. All of you are successful in your own right and you’ve done the hard yards and yet you’re willing to make the journey easier for us. I really appreciate this.

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Renee March 17, 2010 at 11:47 am

I guess it always depends what you want to achieve. But most of the time the once that stay at the bottom have lots of reasons outside of themselves why they are still there.

Depending on what you do it can make sense to “start at the bottom”, to really understand the whole process of what is happening. But only as long as you see it as a way to learn, not a way to live for the rest of your life.
Renee´s last blog ..Motivational Music My ComLuv Profile

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Sarah Butland March 27, 2010 at 11:44 pm

I don’t completely agree with this concept as I’ve been “lead” by managers who started at the position they were at and didn’t do the grunt work needed to get there. Every time I asked for help or was told I was doing something wrong this manager couldn’t do a thing because she really didn’t know the basis of the job. She would evaluate me on something she knew nothing about.

Starting at the bottom, with nothing and little support has made me starve for the success I’m living today. If I didn’t start with nothing I don’t know how good it would feel to accomplish what I have. The journey may be more important than the destination and I am taking everything in on the journey I travel while this person seems to have been t
Sarah Butland´s last blog ..You Are the Reason I Know It Will Happen My ComLuv Profile

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Sarah Butland March 27, 2010 at 11:45 pm

transported to the destination.

(I apologize for the second comment, the first one sent before I completed my thought and sentence.
Sarah Butland´s last blog ..You Are the Reason I Know It Will Happen My ComLuv Profile

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Elly July 12, 2010 at 8:52 pm

Hi Sean

Sometimes people start at the bottom and learn valuable lessons along the way. For instance a CEO of a large department store who started at the checkout and worked his way up would have an empathy for his subordinates and a greater understanding of the machinations of that industry that perhaps someone coming in at middle management level wouldn’t.

You had to do the hard yards and basically teach yourself. You know how to avoid the pitfalls and fast track things now and we bet the benefit of all that thanks to you funneling all that knowledge into a forum and mentoring and a home study course. Why bother? Because you have a lot of people very grateful for how you have made yourself successful and now we have the blueprint that you have written for us to follow. (similar to the boys mum)

AS you pass on this information to others through your training programs, they can have the lifestyle and wealth they desire and be blessed with more choices.

That’s a good reason to bother!

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Jazz Salinger July 31, 2010 at 2:58 pm

Hi Elly,

There are advantages to working your way up from the bottom. But the bottom and I are well acquainted. Too well. Now I want to work with a mentor and get on the fast track to success.
Jazz Salinger´s last blog ..Sean Rasmussen – Aussie Internet Marketer Making a Difference My ComLuv Profile

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