There is an old rule of marketing: If you try to be everything to everybody you will reach nobody…

The “truth” of yourself will always turn some people off.

Those funny “Apple Vrs. PC” commercials make a lot of “PC people” angry…But it has tripled Apple’s market share in the last three or four years.

Have you noticed that the people who “get ahead” in life usually have strong opinions and are confident about the reasons for what they believe? They are not afraid of the reaction “their truth” is going to bring. What they find instead is that other like-minded individuals seek them out because of what they believe.

Imagine what you could accomplish with a network of like-minded individuals who are sympathetic and supportive? How do you expect to find those people if you keep your truth hidden away?

Your truth is a foundation upon which you take a “stand”.

Your “stand” determines the direction of your life. If you fail to take a stand, your life has no direction. Living becomes a process of putting in time, not making waves, showing no initiative and getting by. You never find out who else may be “on the same wavelength” as you, because your true self is never revealed.

In time you forget who you really are.

If you are not reaching and connecting with anybody, stop trying to please everybody. In fact, stop being so concerned about what other people think about you…and become concerned about what you think about yourself and your “truth”.

There was a time when we as a society took pride in our individual freedom to make an informed judgement and voice an opinion. Have we become so afraid we are gong to “turn someone off” that we have turned ourselves off… to who we really are and what we believe?

Another rule of marketing:

Either you control the perception of the marketplace or it will create it’s own perception of you.

How many people that could be a source of new opportunities, really know who you are? How much of what people think about you is the result of coming to conclusions, without the benefit of knowing your truth?

Taking a stand on the foundation of what you believe, (saying what you mean and meaning what you say) is the first step you must take in your journey into a lifestyle of prosperity and abundance.

You have to start from “where” you are…you have to stand before you can walk!

-Bob Baran