So, Do You Twitter? Are You Wondering if you Should?

Twitter

I have a limited number of hours in the day and some people tell me I spend way too much time on-line anyway. I’m quite active on LinkedIn over 4,000 connections, I have a Facebook profile, and I also spend some time on a few other social networking sites. I usually consider myself a pretty early adopter when it comes to embracing cool new things that help improve your life, although I must admit I don’t own an iPod. I know, I know, but my wife has one so I do use hers occasionally. I must admit though, when people started asking me if I was on Twitter, I half rolled my eyes thinking that I just didn’t have time for another social networking diversion to waste time. One here, one there, people kept tweeting me, “Rich, are you on Twitter?”. Two people I speak to regularly (@philanthropic and @inspiremetoday) kept saying; “Rich, you gotta get on there”.  With both of these people, we regularly brainstorm business ideas together so when both of them kept pushing me to get on, I finally gave in and promised to check Twitter out after one of them said it was perfect for ADD folks because communication is limited to 160 characters. Wow, great for ADD folks, they had me…Two days ago, I set up my profile.

So, Twitter huh? Custom profile picture, check, custom background, check, bio….160 CHARACTERS???? How the heck can you do that? BTW, if you can’t explain what you do to someone in a conversation in 160 characters, you’ve lost them, FYI…Short Bio, check. Zero friends, zero followers. Once you set up your profile (shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes), there’s only one question that remains; “What Are You Doing”?

“What are you doing?”, is the question that’s behind Twitter. That seemed like a good question. Why spend the time to even answer it I thought? Who cares? Ask yourself the question, who SHOULD care about what you are doing? Friends? Family? How about your business colleagues? Seems the more I considered the question, the more I realized that the closer you get to people, whether it be friends, business associates, or prospective clients you don’t even know about, the better. Having spent a good deal of time in the advertising business, we know that eyeballs mean money for advertisers. It’s not just about quantity though, it’s also about reaching the right audience, right? Twitter lets you send out your personalized message (limited to 160 characters) to whoever is a follower of your network. But I have no followers remember? Here was my strategy. First, found the friends who have been bugging me to get on. I followed them, they followed me. This means that they now receive my updates whenever I answer “What are you doing”. Yesterday during the Super Bowl, I was making chili, joking that I started it way too late and how it wouldn’t be ready until the post game show. Today, I’m discussing my business issues (the same issues BTW, as the friends who invited me). Who cares though right? With only two followers, not many people care, except for the fact that between those two friends, they have almost 6,000 people following them. Whenever they post things to me, their network sees it. Guess what…The people in THEIR network are interested in the same kinds of things as I am. I spent some time looking at the folks following my friends and started following them. Just because I follow someone’s  “What are you doing?” updates , doesn’t mean that they have to follow mine. Following this so far? Usually people reciprocate but not always. For example, I subscribed to @andersoncooper from CNN because I like to follow what he has to say. I receive his links and quick updates, but don’t expect that he would become a follower of mine (however Anderson, feel free to invite me). Still following me? Why does all of this matter? Good question.

We are all bombarded with spam email, too much to do, and not enough time to do it. I’m finding that Twitter allows me to instantly touch and stay in front of people who want to know “What is RICHARD doing”?  In fact, many of the people I have discovered are people I have been meaning to stay in touch with but just didn’t have the time to do it. I’ve also been trying to find a way to provide relevant info to my 4000 LinkedIn contacts without filling their email inboxes with clutter. I could write an entire article on how difficult it has become to manage my list of contacts and keep people informed with the right kind and the right amount of info, but that’s another story. For now, let’s just say that Twitter SEEMS to be filling an essential void that has been missing with my connections. I’m still trying to feel my way to find the right balance of blogging, tweeting (the official Twitter word), and other more traditional things. Time management will continue to be a balancing act however, I can tell you that in two days on Twitter, I connected with more non-profit, social entrepreneurs, philanthropy, business people, and other people right down the center of my business niche than I have in the last 3 months on LinkedIn, and the last two years using traditional meet and greet tactics. I think Twitter is here to stay for me. I’ll let you know how it’s going. Do you follow me?

Tune In To Hear Me Interviewed On The “E-Factor”- Tuesday, March 18th, Noon Eastern Time

I’m about to be interviewed on the E-Factor. I invite you to listen in and be part of it! The date will be next Tuesday, March 18th, at noon, Eastern Time (11:00 AM Central, 10:00 AM Mountain, 9:00 AM Pacific). Read below to find out more.

E-Factor is the popular bi-weekly, 60-minute conference call show, which explores the mindset of success, and the people who make success a reality. These are ordinary people from all walks of life, who do extraordinary things. They have become masters at who they are, what they do, and on this show, these remarkable people share their inspirational stories and secrets to help you create success in your own life.

E is for energy – the Energy of Success.

NEXT ON THE E-FACTOR: TUESDAY, MARCH 18TH

Personal Wealth: (an interview with Personal Chief Financial Officer and Coach, Rich Krasney)

For some, insight comes from overcoming a tragedy, or some other monumental life event that causes them to see life differently than they had before. For Rich Krasney, it came from reading a book.

About a year ago, this Personal Chief Financial Officer and Coach for a select group of business owners and entrepreneurs read Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich”, and experienced an “Aha” moment, seeing his life purpose clearly for the first time. 

He realized that money is simply a means to an end, and as a result he now delivers his message of “How Money Can Buy Happiness: Balancing Life and Wealth” to audiences (including the Napoleon Hill Foundation, itself). Additionally, Rich is currently in the midst of developing “A Work in Progress”, a documentary exploring how one person can make a difference, and the creation of a new charity.

Dial in to the E-Factor on Tuesday, March 18th to hear why Rich now sees inspirational messages everywhere, and how in being of earnest service to others, you best serve yourself. 

Go to http://www.the-efactor.com/ to register for the call!

The New Law of Attraction in Financial Planning

Have you ever had an “Ah Ha” moment when things seemed to become crystal clear to you and everything just made sense? This happened to me recently after an acquaintance recommended a book called “Think and Grow Rich”, written by Napoleon Hill in 1937. As a Certified Financial Planner™ practitioner, I have read many books on personal finance and financial planning over the years, however nothing prepared me for what I read in “Think and Grow Rich”.

My Coach
I utilize a coach to help me learn things about my industry, stay ahead of the curve, manage my time more efficiently, and learn about the things that I don’t know that I don’t know. While going through my coaching program, I was given a book list that would help me to gain insight from other experts in my industry. Among the books, was a book on “values-based” financial planning. Now I already knew that values were important in financial planning, however after reading Napoleon Hill’s book, I had my “Ah Ha” moment. The values conversation became crystallized in my mind. Picture the following:

On a routine visit to your doctor, you are told that you have a rare medical condition and you only have 6 months to live.

Would you be doing what you are doing right now in your life and your business? If you aren’t, why not?

What would you be doing differently? If you had only 6 months, would you be tempted to want to make a difference? How about reconcile with your family and relationships? What will people remember you for? “What will be written on your tombstone?”

Over the years, I have encountered many different kinds of people who each have their own ideas about what they want from their money. In many cases, I have found that people don’t know what they want from their money, or their life for that matter. Early on, I realized that it was important to help people to focus on their goals, rather than the return in their portfolio. When I read “Think and Grow Rich”, my mind saw something that had I had not seen before. Goals are not values. A big portfolio, buying a vacation home or a fancy new car does not bring happiness. If you answer why those things are important and how achieving those make you feel, you will have a better understanding of your values. The value could be, “Buying the home makes me feel like I have accomplished something”. Why is that important? “Accomplishment makes me feel fully fulfilled”, you might answer. Take the time to understand the values behind your goals.

Your ”Wake Up” Moment 
We have all heard stories about people who survived horrible diseases, had near death experiences, or had some other life “wake-up” event that stirred them to change their life. Perhaps you remember the scene in the WWII movie “Saving Private Ryan” when just before Tom Hanks dies, he tells Private Ryan to “Earn This”, (his life was saved by men who died saving him). Were continually reminded about the deeds of “The Greatest Generation” and are often amazed at how purposefully that generation lived their life. Perhaps it was because this generation faced the definite reality that every day in battle could be their last. Perhaps that they told themselves that if they lived, they would live a purposeful life. Perhaps if the doctor told you that you only had 6 months to live, your priorities might be different than they are today.

Ultimately, using your money to achieve what’s really important to you is the law of attraction in financial planning. People have strong emotional connections to their money and what it means to them. When you successfully make the mental connection between your true underlying values and your financial goals, it will serve as a personal compass and a discernible foundation for an inspiring plan for your money and your life.