Lesson 5: Commitment
Normally, I provide a wrap-up of the week in lesson 5. Not this time.
Today, the list-cutting process is on the table. Cut the list to no more than five items on the calling. Do the same with the job.
When you have five on each list, write down your reasons for each. What are the best reasons for selecting each one? Ignore the negatives. Accentuate the positive. The great songwriter/singer Johnny Mercer said it best back in 1945.
In week three, I will show you what is coming fast: robotics. If you do not stay ahead of this, you will find it difficult to earn a living. Your skills must be those that a computer program cannot imitate.
In week four, I will return to goal-setting. So, this crucial topic is only just beginning. I am giving you a heads-up. You had better keep this topic in the back of your mind for the next two weeks. Think, “job.”
You must now take five steps.
1. MODELS OF SUCCESS
These people are or were (Steve Jobs) highly successful. There are many ways to fail. All of them found ways to fail.
Success mandates that you stick to your overall lifetime mission — your calling — but be willing to fail in preliminary projects.
Overcoming fear is basic. But you must take steps to be prepared. Setbacks are basic to success. They teach you how to deal with failure. This is basic to dealing with success.
Move forward, one project at a time. Pay your dues. Don’t resent having to pay your dues.
There is one thing you must get, but two would be better. Sadly, it may not be available any longer where you live. It used to be everywhere.
You must get the latest printed Yellow Pages directory from your local phone company. Get the small one that covers your part of town. You don’t need the huge one for the whole city if you live in a city. You may have to call the phone company to get one. It would help if you could get a copy of any competing Yellow Pages directory.
Google has wiped out the Yellow Pages. The Yellow Pages used to be a local monopoly. Not any longer.
If you cannot get the latest edition, try to get last year’s. Maybe the local library will have an old copy. Ask. More than any other tool, you can put the Yellow Pages to work in this course. I am not going to tell you how or why here. But do what I ask.
Be sure you also get the local White Pages directory, which has a smaller version of the Yellow Pages in the rear. Again, you may have to call the phone company.
I am going to teach you how to make money with a Yellow Pages directory. It may be enough money to pay for your college education.
3. BOOKS TO ORDER
This is a how-to course. It is comparable to the course on personal finance, which I hope you have taken.
I have designed this course to lead you to take action: start a business. There will be a follow-up course taught by another instructor after you finish this one. But you need the information in this course to succeed with the other one.
I assign books to buy in this course, unlike all the academic courses in the Ron Paul Curriculum. That is because these books are protected by copyright law, and some publisher is trying to make money. I do not steal books that are still in print. But I recommend that you buy them used: cheap.
Click the titles to go to Amazon. Order all of them at one time. But you will use them in this order.
The Secret of Selling Anything, by Harry Browne. This is available as a Kindle book. Order it here. It is also available for $5 more as a PDF. Order it here.The Pledge, by Michael Masterson
The Breakthrough Principle of 16x, by Richard Koch
Living the 20/80 Way, by Richard Koch
How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.
The $100 StartUp, by Chris Guillebeau
The Irresistible Offer, by Mark Joyner
How to Write a Good Advertisement, by V. O. Schwab
Reality in Advertising, by Rosser Reeves
Ultimate Guide to Local Business Marketing, by Marshall and Zamir.
The Dip, by Seth Godin.
4. YOUR OWN WORDPRESS.COM BLOG SITE
You must have this. It is free. You should already have one for posting your weekly essays.
Maybe you have put it off. Maybe your parents did not nag you until you set it up. Now, you must have one.
If you have refuse to set up a WordPress.com site, drop this course today. Have your parents get their refund. This is non-negotiable. You cannot implement this course if you do not know how to use WordPress.com. It will help you get started. Before this course is over, you will have your own website, with its own domain name and URL, with free WordPress.org software running it. But WordPress.com are your training wheels.
5. CULLING YOUR CALLINGS LIST
At the end of my course, please produce a final page on your blog for the entire course. Put a link to each of the weekly essays.
Here is a model: https://jadaalc.wordpress.com/economics/
This way, your parents can prove that you have done the work. This will persuade any local school officials who inquire. Students enrolled in the public schools have done nothing like this.
Note: if you supply final links for each course, college entrance committees will see what you can do. Few applicants will be able to match this.