Looking For The Positives

I tend to see an awful lot of negative in my life.

In my fund raising business I see teachers and coaches and sponsors that all they can talk about is how lazy their kids are.  And how my product is a great concept but their kids are too lazy to follow through with it.  And that--GET THIS--they would rather stay with what is comfortable for them and make less money than to change and raise twice the amount of money they can with what they currently do.

I just don't get this way of thinking.

In my home-based travel club business I tend to see and talk to a lot of people that are just plain unhappy with the way their lives are going.  How they hate their boss.  How they hate being around their co-workers.  How they would love to make more money because they just can't seem to pay all the bills every month.

But will they take a chance and invest in the one thing they have control over - themselves?  Nope.  Too scared.  It won't work.  They don't want to sell anything to their friends.  They don't want to get involved in a company that could provide them financial freedom.  Even if I show them the $20,000 plus that I have earned in the past three months.

I just don't get this way of thinking.

Why do people live their lives so negative?  Why is the glass always half empty instead of half full?

Not me.  Not anymore.  I am tired of fueling the negative train.

I am running on a different track now.  Are you a negative person?  Please stay on your side of the street.  I don't want to talk to you anymore.  I want to be connected with people that want to win.  Half my life I have tried to change people into thinking my way. 

It's not working.  And I am tired of worrying about you negative people.  I have enough on my plate.

So from now on, my prayer would be to be a positive influence on people.  And to keep the negativity out of my life. 

The road less traveled.  Hopefully I will meet you along the way.

Meetings

I have to tell you...there is nothing worse than meeting just for the sake of having a meeting. In my mind, it is without a doubt the biggest waste of time and money EVER.

It happened to me this weekend.

I had to go to Atlanta for a NCAA baseball umpires meeting.

It is always nice to get to see some of the guys you work with outside of the season. And it isn't that I didn't want to see them. It is just that the meeting was a complete and utter waste of a day. Not to mention the money that it takes to go.

Every year, the NCAA Umpire Improvement Program organizes meetings around the country. This year the meetings are being held in Dallas, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

You go and sit in a room and listen to the so-called leaders of the group talk about how to do your job.

What it boiled down to was sitting in a big room with about 400 other ego-driven personalities and listening to what amounted to 5 minutes of good information, a 45 minute talk about how the NCAA was going to fleece the group out of an extra $100 per man, watching videos of plays and how we need to get along better with coaches.

For all of this amazing excitement, I had to spend $178 for a round trip air ticket to Atlanta, a $4 round trip MARTA train ride from the airport to the meeting place and back, and spend a day away from Brenda--waking up at 4:15 am to catch a 6 am flight and catching the return flight at 10pm...arriving back home around midnight--and what did I get for all that???

NOTHING.

I am sure the NCAA guys mean well. They want to feel like they keep us in the loop on things and they want to make us feel a part of the process.

Fact of the matter is--we didn't need to have the meeting.

You know how many rules changes were this year that we needed to discuss? None.

I know some guys that went and spent two night in a hotel for around $250 PLUS their travel and food to get the same NOTHING.

I guess I should feel fortunate that I didn't spend so much money huh?

Meetings should be productive. Meetings should come to some sort of a resolution on how you are going to go about doing things. Hell I didn't even SEE an agenda. Although I am sure there was one--somewhere.

I am coming to a point with all of this. Ready? Here it is.

I owe the NCAA a big debt of gratitude. Because what I know NOW will help me in the future in my business.

DON'T SCHEDULE MEETINGS JUST FOR THE SAKE OF A MEETING.

It isn't worth the effort of time and money.

I realize more and more as I go along that my time IS money. If I go somewhere and lose a day of work, or even a day I could have just relaxed around the house to recharge my battery to get ready for another day---It costs me. Either money or time.

And those two things are something that just don't grow on trees.

Welcome

2010. The final frontier.

These are the voyages of Scott Taylor. My mission...to figure out how to be a success in business. To figure out all of the pitfalls and the headaches of being self employed.

Some of the posts will be funny--as things just sometimes tend to be funny around me. Some will be serious and some will be me just venting about my day--whether it is good or crappy.

You as the reader get a front row seat at your computer. I hope you are able to avoid mistakes by learning from mine.

My businesses?? Well, there are a few to talk about and I will touch on them all.

***** From my main business as President and CEO of TSP Funding LLC--Where I have a fund raising product that I market to extra-curricular activity programs such as music programs and athletic teams.

***** To my home-based business of TVI Express Travel Club--Where I surprised even myself by earning $11,500 in my first 38 days.

***** To my part-time job as a baseball umpire--Where I deal with all sorts of different personalities and take those lessons and incorporate them into my business world.

Welcome to my personal roller coaster. Hope you enjoy the ride.