I made a comment in another thread regarding the price of the MasterMIND program. I have obviously offended a few people and that was never my intention. I will never tell anyone what they need or don’t need, want or don’t want, or have or don’t have.

My comments were specifically meant to challenge the people, who really want to be a part of MasterMIND, to find the funding they need to participate. If you are paying for a wedding, or college, or both as Jenn is, then it is totally understandable that the money is just not available right now. Emmi, I know where you are at right now. I have been there myself ... several times. Regardless how you crunch the numbers, you just can’t add in something you really want. It is about priorities. If you are in a position to give something up, great. If not, and you simply don’t have the cash ... well, that just stinks. Understand that it doesn’t have to remain this way.

Some folks got left out and most certainly there are a few ruffled feathers ...... That’s good!!! This is where the greatest potential for personal growth exists.

Be passionate. Listen to your emotions, they will tell you what’s really important to you. Make it personal. Be angry, be disappointed ... be emotional. Just keep it under control. Use your emotions to drive yourself to achieving your goal. I’m not saying to force yourself to be happy when you aren’t. That’s totally ridiculous. Just be honest with yourself. Use the energy from your emotions in a constructive manner. When you focus that energy at overcoming your obstacle, you can’t lose. You might not succeed right away and will probably stumble once or twice, but this is where persistence will pay off.

Here’s where Scott’s goal setting daily boosts will pay dividends for you. Re-listen to them. Make notes and follow through. Write your goals down!!! The key here is action. All the planning in the world means nothing without the execution. Take a step and repeat, right? Maybe this will be the click for some folks in this area. This is literally the skill-set of success. Master this and you can have anything you want. You just need to know what it is that you really want ... remember, your emotions will help tell you that.

Seriously, think about what you would like to be, have, and do. Ask yourself why you want these things. Ask yourself why you don’t have them. Now ask yourself how to get them. Get emotional about it and ruffle your feathers. Get outside your comfort zone. Just remember that you’re not alone in this. This community will not let you fall.

Perhaps we could even start a small mastermind group that will help everyone eventually make it to the MTM MasterMIND program ...

Hey Derek,

Thank you for your post, it’s very thoughtful and thought provoking.  As one with ruffled feathers, your words are reaching me and I’m taking them to heart.  In a lot of ways you are 100% right and I intend to take you up on your challenge with the hopes that one day $1013.70 will feel like a doable investment - I really do want to be in that place in my life.

My feathers are ruffled in another place as well though that your post doesn’t speak to.  As a charter member of this podcast, I’ve been investing in Scott for quite some time and feel very, very committed to him and what he, Carlyn, and now Joi have created.  With the advent of the MasterMIND program, however, I’ve been delegated to the realm of the not-so-committed.  Those middle-class masses who may have overcome their problems with weight loss, but still struggle with $4.00/gallon gas and doubled grocery bills.  I would have loved to participated in the program - I didn’t really need access to the library or the signed book or the other perks, but I want personal growth as much as the next guy.  But suddenly, I’m just not THAT committed.

I’m sure I’ll get over this, and I’m going to work really hard to resist the urge to quit my charter membership.  I have to say, though Derek, I like the idea of starting our own MasterMIND group.  You may have hit on a brilliant idea!

Jill

Hi Jill,

Thanks for your reply. While I can actually afford the program, I am currently working through an injury and hope to be able to join the next mastermind group.  I am in the same boat you are, just for a different reason.

As far as thinking of quitting your charter or premium memberships goes ... this is where you need to keep your emotions under control. Goal set with emotion. That’s how I determine what’s really important to me. Plan with logic. My roadmap needs to be solid and direct.  Act with passion.  This is really the drive behind Scott’s Free Will. Emotionally driven actions are usually the ones we end up regretting. Please don’t cancel your membership over anger or feelings of resentment. 

Life has just given you a shove. Are you gonna take it? Or are you gonna shove back?

If you leave now, you miss a perfect opportunity to rise to the challenge and grow. This is where some of the biggest growth happens, right now at the start. Congratulating someone for completing 100 days of activity is great, but the real congratulations should be for simply starting and sticking it out through the tough times. That’s where the real effort is. That’s where many folks are at right now with MasterMIND. 

Let’s compare two people in this coming January’s group. One is a new member and then there is you. The new member needs a name, so let’s call him Fred (yes I know, I’m very imaginative). Anyways, Fred is young, single, has a decent income, and can afford to join the MasterMIND group right away. Fred gets congratulated for taking the step and everybody will be impressed with his level of commitment. He sets his goals and, with the help of the MasterMIND program, achieves all of them and has some fun doing it. OK, sometimes it will be a struggle, and sometimes it won’t be so fun ... but for the most part, he enjoys his experience.

But you, you wanted to join back in July of 08 and couldn’t afford it, what with a mortgage, rising costs of gas and food, your 401k (RRSP) contributions, car payment, etc, etc, etc. You have to find money to pay for MasterMIND. This is not money that you already had .... it is new money. You have to look into yourself to find this cash. It’s not something that you can work overtime for, there is no overtime to be had. You can’t afford the time to get another job ... when will you have time to workout? Spend time with the family? Enjoy life? If you start a small online business, perhaps, you could spend a few hours setting it up, and then a couple hours a week maintaining it. We’re not talking about big business here, just something that can earn you a couple thousand dollars profit over 6 months. It doesn’t need to be a the next great thing. It just needs to be your vehicle for getting into the MasterMIND program. If you can do that, join the program, set your goals, achieve them, and for the most part have a really good time with it, where will you be? Who will you have become? How much will you have grown?

OK, back to the comparison (this is my crystal ball)… look at Fred’s experience, and now look at yours.  Which experience would you rather have? Yours has an element of challenge that his doesn’t. You have the opportunity to grow your financial knowledge. You will always keep that. The next time you want something you can’t afford, you will have the tool to achieve it. I would strongly suggest that you don’t wait for things to want, but actively seek them out. I always leave myself wanting. That’s my drive to financial independence. There are no garantees here. Maybe 6 months will be enough time to get it together, maybe it will take a year. The end result is, though, when you have it ... it’s yours to keep.

I don’t know how much time I have to organizing a formal mastermind group, but I do have a couple hours a week where I can devote to a group of friends and help them to find a way. Understand my idea here is small in comparison to the MTM MasterMIND program, but if it helps you get there, all the better. Hey it’s all about the journey right?

Cheers!

BTW ... don’t be too hard on Scott, please.  You see, the little online business I mentioned earlier ... well ... MTM is his.  He has a passion for helping people.  His business isn’t so little anymore.  In fact, it’s quite impressive.  He is just simply taking it to the next level.  Consider how successful he already is, how many people did he have to help to get here?  How many people would lose out if he didn’t offer MasterMIND in the fear that not everyone can afford it?  How fair would that be?  I hope everyone sticks around and grows from this.

I don’t quite get this. On a recent podcast, someone wrote in asking about specific muscle training and Scott’s answer was (I’m broadly paraphrasing), don’t overcomplicate things, just keep doing it and stick with it and it’ll pay off.  It seems that starting a group to brainstorm how to raise the money to join the group which is supposed to be a support tool to help you define and achieve your goals is getting a little overcomplicated. I don’t mean any offense; it’s just that personal growth is all about personal choice.

Jill, don’t give up on what you have, just because you are responsible with your money and have your priorities that don’t include paying for the mastermind program.  That doesn’t mean that you are any less committed or any less willing to do the work to get to where you want to be in life.  Scott challenged us on the first call to be active in these forums and to “pay it forward” by sharing ideas with the rest of the community.  Any investment that Scott makes in improving MTM will help everyone, simply by elevating the level of the conversations we have on the forum, and by the influx of new ideas for the podcasts. 

I think everyone is going to benefit from the Mastermind program.  I can guarantee that Scott will take everything he learns and develops through the mastermind program and apply it to the premium members, so if anything the value of your memberships should go up.  Keep it simple, hang in there and sit back and enjoy the results of all the time and effort that Scott and the Mastermind group are putting out. I guarantee that it will be huge. 

Derek - it wouldn’t take much work to start a mastermind group.  Each topic on the forum is essentially a mini Mastermind group where people share ideas and learn from each other.  I encourage you to start your own mastermind topics and invite everyone including those who are participating in the mastermind program to join you.  We are still all a part of the same community, and the level of commitment to personal growth isn’t based on how much you pay for your membership.

Thank you Paula!!!  That’s a great point.

Ann - No offense taken.  Everybody has a choice in everything they do.  I am merely suggesting to help the folks, who can’t afford MasterMIND, to be able to afford it.  Perhaps a financial forum would be a better place to hold this exercise.  I just mean to show people that if they want it, they can afford it.

Hi guys - good discussion here!  Rest assured, I’m not intending to give up on my membership, but rather to bring up the very real fact that it has crossed my mind and I know it’s crossed the minds of many other people as well, and that’s sad.  My hope was that by admitting what’s really on my mind we could actually start the conversation we are having so that others who might be in a similar line of thinking might actually decide to hang on and hang in. 

This morning as I worked out (yea!) I was listening to the last MTM show and two words hit me like a thunder bolt.  Limiting thinking.  That’s what has been a quiet undercurrent in my thoughts most of my life - especially in the area of finances.  I think that’s why the MM program hit me so hard emotionally.  I’m invested in limited thinking - born, raised, and programmed in the middle class struggle that includes a battle between wealthy and limited - abundance and deficiency.

As far as forums and mastermind groups, nothing is stopping us from starting them in these forums - and I don’t think the topic has to focus on finances or even having next January’s MM as a goal.  There are tons of goals people are working on and I’m not sure what the best answer is, but it sure feels like we’re getting close.  I’ve already realized my need to start changing the way I think about money - gosh - what could be next?? 

Hang in there all,

Jill

Jill, those are champion thoughts.  Bravo! 

Thanks Derek, I’m glad you like my thoughts.  Go easy on the koolaid though, dude, it could stunt your growth! 

That’s it. I’m gonna request to Carlyn that they make a koolaid smiley.  I had to read your post a couple times before the bulb fizzled on.

LOL!  Yeah, I think she has a long list of smiley requests - but that’s a great one!

Well, let’s get started on this thing!!

Monday ... I know, I know. I don’t wait for Monday’s, but I have a whack of company over until Sunday afternoon.