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Kirsty's Blog

Launceston, Tasmania

Select articles from Kirsty Dunphey's blog - www.kirstydunphey.com/blog

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Kirsty's Blog

Best in the world or the best you can be?

May. 29, 2008

I’m about half way through reading a great book at the moment: The Masters of Success. It’s a compilation of works from heaps of amazing people like Mark Victor Hansen, Lou Holtz and Brian Tracy. I always say when I read a book, attend a conference or go to a networking event – all I need is that one spark, one gem, one nugget of gold to have made the entire thing worthwhile. I didn’t have to look far in this book - I got my first nugget on page 20 (of 260 odd!).

The nugget was in Erin Brokovitch’s section. She talked about a janitor not striving to be the best janitor in the world – but the best janitor he could be.

I must admit, I’m a pretty competitive person, some would say diabolically so (but usually only when they see me play a board game). I’ve always thought that the aim to be the “best in the world” was a fabulous one! Until I read and then re-read this passage and realised that striving to be the best I could be at whatever I do was a far more practical and important aim for the following reasons:

  1. Practically speaking, most people can’t be the best in the world. So why have an aim that will, in the most part, lead to disappointment?
  2. Let’s say you can be the best in the world! Striving to be the best you can be will still get you there, and won’t allow you to stop once you’ve achieved it.
  3. Even if you substitute “best in my company”, “best in my office” or “best in my circle of friends” for “best in the world” – aiming to be the “best you can be” will still eclipse that if you push yourself and focus.
  4. You can still use the accomplishments of others as motivation, as milestones – but we all know when we’ve given an endeavour our all. Celebrate that.

Now that I’ve read this passage by Erin and changed my mindset a little I’m noticing examples everywhere of people striving to be the best they can be – rather than the best there ever was.

On that note, let me take the opportunity to wish my friend Candice all the best in her first marathon, coming up next month! I know the elation she’ll feel when she triumphantly crosses that finish line won’t be shadowed by the fact that it doesn’t come with a first place – because she’ll have rocked that marathon and been the best that she could be.

Kirsty Dunphey is one of Australia’s most publicised young entrepreneurs and is the founder of http://www.reallysold.com - the ultimate tool to help real estate agents write amazing advertisements. The youngest ever winner of the Australian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year award, Kirsty started her first business at 15, her own real estate agency at 21, was a self-made millionaire at 23 and a self-made multi-millionaire at 25. For more information on Kirsty or either of her books – Advance to Go, Collect $1 Million and Retired at 27, If I can do it anyone can, or to sign up to her weekly newsletter head to: http://www.kirstydunphey.com

The A-Z Guide For The Future Entrepreneurial Superstar

May. 5, 2008

Want to be an entrepreneur? So do a lot of people! And a lot of people go to their grave saying “I wish I’d…” and “If only I’d…”. If you’re determined not to be one of them, run through the A-Z and see if you’re on track.

Action – nothing starts without it. What are you doing today, right now (not tomorrow) to get you closer to your goals?

Bare yourself… (to yourself). Ask what it is you really want, what are you passionate about and what are you prepared to do to get there. More importantly, what are you not prepared to do to get there.

Care – Any entrepreneurial endeavour that has clients who care about the company has one leg up. Who are your raving fans? Who cares about what you do? What can you do to further cultivate that?

Dare – Risk doesn’t necessarily have to mean risky, but any entrepreneur dares where others don’t. Are you ready to be daring?

Eat up knowledge – anywhere you can and do it daily.

Friends – know who your real ones are and keep them close to you as you rise to the top.

Get up and go. No-one can train this into you. If you get up in the morning and want to go back to bed rather than off to pursue your entrepreneurial visions – get new visions that inspire you to get up and going.

Hug it out. Thank often and sincerely. Clients, staff, mentors, friends, parents and even your garbage person if they’ve helped you.

Individuality – what makes you special, unique and individual? How can you harness your special talents

Joke – keep laughing and smiling, you’ll need it for those less than perfect days.

Kill them with kindness. There is only one type of revenge you should ever enact on people who’ve slighted you in the business world, or said you couldn’t make it. Become amazingly successful! Nothing else you can do would make their stomachs turn even half as much.

Leverage – get the most talented people you can around you (people who are a heck of a lot smarter than you in their field). If you want to be all and do all yourself you’ll never have a saleable scaleable business.

Motion. Stay active in your mind and in your body. You’re no good to anyone if you’re not fit and healthy.

No. Learn how to say it. You can’t get to the top being everything to everyone.

Off switch. Find yours. Whether it’s yoga, gazing into your partner’s eyes or a marathon xbox-ing session, learn how to turn it off when you need to.

Passion! Even if your business is cleaning toilets, find something you can be passionate about within it. Whether it’s the systems, the service, the clients or even the relaxing sound of toilets flushing!

Questions – ask heaps! Find people who have done what you want to do, who drive the car you want to drive, whose staff think of them the way you want to be thought of and ask them questions.

Rough, tough and ready for critics. Got your tough outer shell on? The ride won’t always be easy and the comments about you won’t always be pretty.

Systems. Put them in place early and assess often. If your business can’t work without you – it’s not a business, it’s just a job for you.

Toxic people – get them out of your life! If you work with them, are friends with them or even have them in your family – stop hanging around them all the time. Strive for associations with positive, fabulous people who make you a better person.

Ubercool. Can you and your business be übercool? Are you setting in place the things that will make people one day say “I want my business to be just like

Voice. Find yours and make it heard. Publicity, press releases, media schmoozing – it’s all out there for free if you can make your voice heard.

Want a lot of stuff (success, things, travel, lifestyle, to be able to be philanthropic). Want it badly. And then get out there and get it.

X-ray like vision – use yours to stay on top of the latest trends, movements and shifts in your industry and in others. Challenge the status quo at every opportunity!

You are the CEO of your own life. What are you going to do with it?

Zorbing – do it or something you think is as much fun (skydiving, ride a roller coaster, travel to the pyramids, join the mile high club) as often as you can – why do you want to be an entrepreneur if not to do amazing things with your personal life as well.

Kirsty Dunphey is one of Australia’s most publicised young entrepreneurs and is the founder of http://www.reallysold.com - the ultimate tool to help real estate agents write amazing advertisements. The youngest ever winner of the Australian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year award, Kirsty started her first business at 15, her own real estate agency at 21, was a self-made millionaire at 23 and a self-made multi-millionaire at 25. For more information on Kirsty or either of her books – Advance to Go, Collect $1 Million and Retired at 27, If I can do it anyone can, or to sign up to her weekly newsletter head to: http://www.kirstydunphey.com

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