Super Rich, by Russell Simmons
Yesterday, I stumbled across the book Super Rich, by Russell Simmons, and I just couldn`t put it down!
It's full of good stories and inspirational advice on how to become rich by... evolving spiritually.
Yup, that's right. Simmons offers little or no "practical" advice on business or marketing or wealth or finance.
Yet, his wisdom really resonated with me (maybe it's because I've embarked on a spiritual journey myself).
He wrote, "Give it until they can't live without it," explaining that one should give away one's gifts freely, and the money will come.
This is not a fancy, impractical or farfetched idea, by the way, Many recording artists have become quite rich and famous doing precisely that: they're giving away their free music online, via Facebook etc.
That's how they build a following. Come to think of it, that's how I built the subscriber list for this blog! :)
Another pearl of wisdom from Simmons: "If you ain't giving away your gifts, you ain't playing the game. And if you ain't playing the game, you're not going to win."
The above piece of advice was offered after he tells the story of how some people will wait till they have a job before they start working. He drives the point home by stating: "If you're a comedian, you're funny ALL THE TIME. Not just when you have a gig!"
I totally resonate with him because since August 2005, I've been giving workshops and consulting to help people find their "ideal" career. The two-hour workshop can actually be summarized like this: "Find out what you love to do. Then, do THAT till you're rich!"
At this point, you're wondering, "What does Simmons' book have to do with Linkedin or how to use Linkedin?"
Well, the BEST way to use Linkedin is to USE UP your talents and gifts by SHARING them with all your Linkedin connections.
It's funny that so many people connect to so many other people on Linkedin (now, there's 90 million users!), yet few people make the first step of STATING what their talent or gift is.
They won't state it in their Linkedin profile, and they certainly won't share that information with their Linkedin connections.
Why not? Why don't Linkedin users clearly state what their talent or gift is?
I have over 1,200 connections on Linkedin, and I know the talent of only ONE of them. Oh, and he happens to be very good at what he does -- he's also a millionaire.
Do you see my point?
People who are not afraid to do what they love to do and excel at, usually become very rich.
So what can YOU do to use Linkedin better?
One simple thing you can do, is write a personal email (not a mass email) to 5 or 10 Linkedin connections, and explain to them what your passion or talent or gift is, then invite them to contact you if they need help in those areas.
It doesn't matter how they respond, or if they respond at all.
What's important is that you clearly and confidently state what your passion or talent is. In so doing, you will have changed EVERYTHING in your life.
In other words, you will have become the kind of person who is confident enough about his/her talent, and can offer this talent to the world freely.
Remember, your email is NOT a pitch to hire you. It is simply an email expressing your desire to help your Linkedin connections in any way you can, by stating your talent and seeking to be of service.
This simple email (which should take you no more than 15 minutes to write -- keep it simple), will impress them. They WILL remember you because they have, most likely, never received this kind of email from their Linkedin connections.
In so doing, you will have begun the process of turning a "connection" into a potential "relationship" since you took the first step of "opening up."
It's full of good stories and inspirational advice on how to become rich by... evolving spiritually.
Yup, that's right. Simmons offers little or no "practical" advice on business or marketing or wealth or finance.
Yet, his wisdom really resonated with me (maybe it's because I've embarked on a spiritual journey myself).
He wrote, "Give it until they can't live without it," explaining that one should give away one's gifts freely, and the money will come.
This is not a fancy, impractical or farfetched idea, by the way, Many recording artists have become quite rich and famous doing precisely that: they're giving away their free music online, via Facebook etc.
That's how they build a following. Come to think of it, that's how I built the subscriber list for this blog! :)
Another pearl of wisdom from Simmons: "If you ain't giving away your gifts, you ain't playing the game. And if you ain't playing the game, you're not going to win."
The above piece of advice was offered after he tells the story of how some people will wait till they have a job before they start working. He drives the point home by stating: "If you're a comedian, you're funny ALL THE TIME. Not just when you have a gig!"
I totally resonate with him because since August 2005, I've been giving workshops and consulting to help people find their "ideal" career. The two-hour workshop can actually be summarized like this: "Find out what you love to do. Then, do THAT till you're rich!"
At this point, you're wondering, "What does Simmons' book have to do with Linkedin or how to use Linkedin?"
Well, the BEST way to use Linkedin is to USE UP your talents and gifts by SHARING them with all your Linkedin connections.
It's funny that so many people connect to so many other people on Linkedin (now, there's 90 million users!), yet few people make the first step of STATING what their talent or gift is.
They won't state it in their Linkedin profile, and they certainly won't share that information with their Linkedin connections.
Why not? Why don't Linkedin users clearly state what their talent or gift is?
I have over 1,200 connections on Linkedin, and I know the talent of only ONE of them. Oh, and he happens to be very good at what he does -- he's also a millionaire.
Do you see my point?
People who are not afraid to do what they love to do and excel at, usually become very rich.
So what can YOU do to use Linkedin better?
One simple thing you can do, is write a personal email (not a mass email) to 5 or 10 Linkedin connections, and explain to them what your passion or talent or gift is, then invite them to contact you if they need help in those areas.
It doesn't matter how they respond, or if they respond at all.
What's important is that you clearly and confidently state what your passion or talent is. In so doing, you will have changed EVERYTHING in your life.
In other words, you will have become the kind of person who is confident enough about his/her talent, and can offer this talent to the world freely.
Remember, your email is NOT a pitch to hire you. It is simply an email expressing your desire to help your Linkedin connections in any way you can, by stating your talent and seeking to be of service.
This simple email (which should take you no more than 15 minutes to write -- keep it simple), will impress them. They WILL remember you because they have, most likely, never received this kind of email from their Linkedin connections.
In so doing, you will have begun the process of turning a "connection" into a potential "relationship" since you took the first step of "opening up."
posted by Super Peter at 6:11 PM
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