Mary Schmidt Marketing Troubleshooter

I just got another email telling me how to grow rich. Whoopee! Gosh, woulda never thought of – WOW! – talking to my clients on a regular basis. Snark…snark…Well, it’s Friday so time to move along to this week’s martini post.

One of my biggest pet peeves is the thousands of happy talk gurus, consultants and coaches promising magic and easy money. Lots of secrets, sure-fire formulas, and such. All for only $29.95! (or $995 or $19,999 or whatever). Reminds me of the old story: Fellow sees an ad, “Send in $1.00 to learn how to make millions.” He promptly mails the dollar and receives a letter that begins, “Place the following ad…”

So, [drum roll] here are the only four success “secrets” you ever need to know! (And, they’re free, absolutely free!)

1. Focus. When you completely break it down, this is the real secret of retread, repackaged stuff such as The Secret.(1) Ain’t no magic, except what we’ve got in our own little brains (which is phenomenal when we choose to use it.) Curmudgeon that I am, I actually do believe in writing down affirminations. Not because they – poof, sha-zam! – make things appear but because they help me focus on what I really want to achieve, so I can then get to…

2. Work. As Thomas Jefferson said, “I find the harder I work, the better my luck.” (Of course, Jefferson, Founding Father Poobah that he was, was also up to his eyeballs in debt most of his life. But, he did make a difference here and there, didn’t he?)

3. Courage. You’re gonna screw up. You’re going to do bone-headed stupid things. People may well point and laugh. It won’t (usually) kill you. As Scarlett O’Hara so famously declared, “Tomorahh is another day!”

4. Learn. No matter how old you are, how much experience you have, or how much you read, you will never, ever know everything about anything. And, the older you get, the less you’ll know. But, to stop learning is to stop thinking.

Oh yeah – and here’s a bonus: Success is more than money. “Try not to become a man of success but a man of value.” – Albert Einstein

…And, if you think this is worth a dollar, drop one in the next Salvation Army bucket you see…

(1) If you truly get value from “The Secret,” great! But, don’t try to tell me it’s world-shaking different, or – um – magic. And, note to “The Secret” marketers: Throwing around big names, such as Einstein, only works well if the people to whom you’re throwing know little to nothing about history.

If I really thought that “secret” attraction “law” worked, Daniel Craig would be on my doorstep right now, wearing an Armani tux and holding a shaker of martinis. And, you wouldn’t be seeing any blog posts from me for – oh – about a week…make that two. And, sorry SOBCon bloggers, I’d not be showing up this evening!

Read More: My “I Hate Consultants” article. (The editor softened the headline. Go figure.)
Maureen Rogers (and Charlie Green) – Listen (ooo-aah-ooo) , do you want to know The Secret?
Oprah’s ‘Secret’ May Be Your Downfall From AlterNet. Yes, they can be a tad too grim, even for Big L, progressive me, but the columnist makes some great points.
Related Posts:
Why I Have Trouble with “Expert.”
All my Friday Martini Time posts.

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Tags: business development, success, Mary Schmidt