How can you become good partner?

Dear Readers,

I found this blog on Copyblogger (also one of the useful Productivity blog). Reason I have Copy and Post this blog is, it has wonderful practically successful step-by-step theory to become a Good partner. Writer of this article Mary is successful Blogger and her ‘wish’ partner is also successful Blogger. Please go through the article. I bet it will give you so much light on your partnership related problems. Enjoy and Best lcuk

Well, actually Leo Babauta of Zen Habits fame didn’t give me a whole blog, he gave me half of his blog Write to Done in July 2008. At that time I was still a rookie blogger.

Only nine months earlier my son Sebastian said to me:

“Mum, I’ll make you a website for your birthday. But you’ll have to write a blog.”

“A what?”

I had no idea what he was talking about. Shortly after I started Goodlife Zen, the steepest learning curve of my life.

So, why did Leo Babauta give half his blog to an accidental blogger?

In a moment I’ll tell you how it happened. And I’ll outline five steps for you to follow. Because my story is an illustration about how one can build partnerships on the Net. Not that I’m an expert, you understand. I’m still learning. In fact, I’ve enrolled in Partnering Profits in order to learn the secrets of what I stumbled upon by accident.

So, here’s what happened:

When I first started blogging in November 2007, I checked out other blogs in the personal growth field and came across Zen Habits. I liked Leo Babauta’s style and thought, “Yep. That’s someone I could work with.”

It was great to come across someone who is incredibly talented, as well as modest and friendly. But to contact him seemed an impossible dream.

At that time Zen Habits already had over 50,000 subscribers and Goodlife Zen had just 2: my best friend, and my son. I was contemplating getting my cat to subscribe – just to get up to 3!

Nevertheless, I resolved to connect with Leo when the time was right.

Point #1 Earmark possible partners
When you feel an affinity for a colleague on the Net, listen to your intuition and add them to a list of possible partners, no matter how remote the chances appear at the moment. I have big bloggers, such as Leo Babauta, as well as writers who are still quite inexperienced on my list.

There’s even one guy who hasn’t even launched his first blog yet! I don’t care how much or how little experience someone has. All I care about is that they are nice people, and that they have talent.

It’s important to earmark possible partners, because if you don’t, you won’t spot the opportunities to connect with them. And that’s the crucial step: making a personal connection.

Point #2 Wait for the right time
A couple of days ago I visited a friend who lives in a remote settlement by the sea. I wanted to use her dinghy and tried to drag it down to the water. I shoved, pulled, and grunted – the darn thing just wouldn’t move! A neighbor was watching with hands on hips, amused by the antics of a landlubber.

“Hey!” I called out, “Lend me a hand, please!”

He nodded slowly, grinning. “Yeah,” he said , “I’ll help you – but only after we’ve had a cup of tea.” (I live in New Zealand where having a cup of tea is a serious occupation).

By the time we’d finished a cup of tea and he’d told me all about his liver problems and his love-life, a couple of hours had passed. When we got back to the dinghy, the tide had come in and the boat was already half afloat. I was able to launch it with one hand. Easy!

When is the time right?

Try to approach someone you want to connect with when they launch a new venture. Everyone’s anxious when launching something new and appreciates support.

The right time came for me in January 2008 when Leo launched his second blog Write to Done. I’m passionate about writing, so I was delighted to find a blog that would help me grow as a writer. I immediately started commenting. And then I crafted one of my sure-fire pitches and asked Leo whether he would let me write a guest post.

The pitch worked and Leo ran my first article on Write to Done, Juicy Writing: How to Glue Readers to the Page.

So, imagine that’s you. You’ve made contact. Now what?

Point #3 Be helpful – Take responsibility
If you want to partner up with someone, you need to be helpful. Not as a strategic move, but because you truly care. Here is an email I sent to Leo in February of this year:

“Hi Leo, it must be hard work running two blogs AND writing a book. I just wanted to mention a guy who writes excellent articles. I think he’d write a good guest post for Write to Done.”

A couple of months later I wrote:

“Hi Leo, I’m wondering whether you are on overload with your Ebook? I notice that “Write to Done” hasn’t had a new post for a while. Would you like me to write a guest post or two for you?”

You can see how I started taking responsibility for Write to Done, even though there was really nothing in it for me. And I made sure that I delivered on every promise. That’s important. Because this is the stage when trust is built.

Some people imagine that a joint venture starts with a pitch, or with a contract. Wrong!

A joint venture starts when you take responsibility.

So, let’s imagine that you’ve made a connection with a possible partner and have started lending a hand. This is a point in the sequence where many people get unstuck. Because your potential partner may now offer you money for your work. Don’t take it!

Point #4: Work for free
“But, I’m trying to make a living!” you may protest. Even if you are hard up, say ‘no’ to the money. Why?

Because if you accept a fee, your potential partner will regard you as an employee and not as an equal partner. You need to forgo short-term gain in order to reap real rewards later on.

Point #5: Put forward a win-win proposal
At some stage you will get a sense that the time is right for a partnership proposal. Before you start writing a proposal, consider the principles you are going to apply.

Here are the two principles I came up with:

Have one’s cake AND eat it.
This principle avoids ‘either-or’ thinking and allows you to find win-win solutions.

Harness the power of synergy.
This principle highlights the fact that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

When you start crafting a proposal, focus on your partner. What does he or she enjoy doing? What’s a hassle for him or her? What benefits could your partnership bring?

Here are the benefits I listed for Leo:

You retain an interest – both creative and financial – in WritetoDone
You don’t have to kill off a beautiful brainchild
You get ongoing income from WTD
You can delegate all the drudgery of running a blog, whilst still retaining some enjoyable creative work
I sent off the proposal and sat around, biting my nails. Then the answer came:

What a great solution! I’ve been giving it a little thought and I really like this idea. I’d like to go ahead with it if you’re still interested. Leo

This is how Leo gave half his blog to an unknown and accidental blogger.

But wait…
You see, when I put that particular proposal to Leo, I already had another plan for a joint venture in mind. So, what did I do? Yes, you got it! I started at point #2 and bided my time. I wanted Leo to get to know my style before putting another project before him.

The new project?

Ah – I’m very, very excited about that! It’s still under wraps, but I’ll lift a corner for you to take a peek.

Next year we’re going to launch A-List Blogging Bootcamp, an interactive training program for people who want to become top bloggers. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be personally guided to success by Leo Babauta.

But wait…

Yes Leo, I have another plan for a partnership with you (that’s why I joined Partnering Profits).

But I won’t mention it to you just yet…

About the Author: Mary Jaksch is an author and Zen master who loves dancing tango in skimpy dresses. She is Editor of Write to Done and writes her blog Goodlife Zen.

I am running my own blog with my own Thoughts, it is sort and might be very useful in your busy life. Please visit www.DaliyLifeTip.com and enjoy Small but very Big useful thoughts.

What are the Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

There are many aspects to success; material wealth is only one component. Moreover, success is a journey, not a destination. Material abundance, in all its expressions, happens to be one of those things that makes the journey more enjoyable. But success also includes good health, energy and enthusiasm for life, fulfilling relationships, creative freedom, emotional and psychological stability, a sense of well-being and peace of mind. Even with the experience of all these things, we will remain unfulfilled unless we nurture the seeds of divinity inside us. In reality, we are divinity in disguise, and the gods and goddesses in embryo that are contained within us seek to be fully materialized. Although I call the laws I’m about to discuss The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, they could easily be called The Seven Spiritual Laws of Life. This is because they are the same principles that nature uses to create everything in material existence–everything we can see, hear, smell, taste or touch.

Success in life could be defined as the continued expansion of happiness and the progressive realization of worthy goals. Success is the ability to fulfill your desires with effortless ease. And yet success, including the creation of wealth, has always been considered a process that requires hard work, and it is often considered to be at the expense of others. We need a more spiritual approach to success and to affluence, which is the abundant flow of all good things to you. With the knowledge and practice of spiritual law, we put ourselves in harmony with nature and create with carefreeness, joy and love. True success is the experience of the miraculous. It is the unfolding of the divinity within us. It is the perception of divinity wherever we go, in whatever we perceive–in the eyes of a child, in the beauty of a flower, in the flight of a bird. When we begin to experience our life as the miraculous expression of divinity–not occasionally, but all the time–then we will know the true meaning of success.

Now let’s go over The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and see how we can apply them in our lives.

1) The Law of Pure Potentiality
This law is based on the fact that we are, in our essential state, pure consciousness. Pure consciousness is pure potentiality; it is the field of all possibilities and infinite creativity. When you discover your essential nature and know who you really are, in that knowing itself is the ability to fulfill any dream you have, because you are the eternal possibility, the immeasurable potential of all that was, is and will be. This law could also be called the Law of Unity, because underlying the infinite diversity of life is the unity of one all-pervasive spirit. There is no separation between you and this field of energy. One way to access the field is through the daily practice of silence, meditation and non-judgment. Spending time in nature will also give you access to the qualities inherent in the field: infinite creativity, freedom and bliss.

2) The Law of Giving
This law could also be called the Law of Giving and Receiving, because the universe operates through dynamic exchange. The flow of life is nothing other than the harmonious interaction of all the elements and forces that structure the field of existence. Because your body and your mind and the universe are in constant and dynamic change, stopping the circulation of energy is like stopping the flow of blood. Whenever blood stops flowing, it begins to clot, to stagnate. That is why you must give and receive in order to keep wealth and affluence–or anything you want–circulating in your life. If our only intention is to hold on to our money and hoard it–since it’s life energy, we will stop its circulation back into our lives as well. In order to keep that energy coming to us, we have to keep the energy circulating. Thus, the more you give, the more you will receive. The best way to put The Law of Giving into operation is to make a decision that any time you come into contact with anyone, you will give them something. It doesn’t have to be in the form of material things; it could be a flower, a compliment or a prayer. In fact, the most powerful forms of giving are non-material. The gifts of caring, attention, affection, appreciation and love are some of the most precious gifts you can give, and they don’t cost you anything.

3) The Law of Karma (or Cause and Effect)
“Karma” is both action and the consequence of that action; it is cause and effect simultaneously, because every action generates a force of energy that returns to us in kind. There is nothing unfamiliar about the Law of Karma. Everyone had heard the expression, “What you sow is what you reap.” Obviously, if we want to create happiness in our lives, we must learn to sow the seeds of happiness. Therefore, karma implies the action of conscious choice-making. Whether you like it or not, everything that is happening at this moment is a result of the choices you’ve made in the past. Unfortunately, a lot of us make choices unconsciously, and therefore we don’t think they are choices–and yet, they are. If you step back for a moment and witness the choices you are making as you make those choices, then in just this act of witnessing, you take the whole process from the unconscious realm into the conscious realm. This procedure of conscious choice-making and witnessing is very empowering.You can use the Law of Karma to create money and affluence, and the flow of all good things to you, any time you want. But first, you must become consciously aware that your future is generated by the choices you are making in every moment of your life. If you do this on a regular basis, then you are making full use of this law. The more you bring your choices into the level of your conscious awareness, the more you will make those choices which are spontaneously correct–both for you and those around you.

4) The Law of Least Effort
This law is based on the fact that nature’s intelligence functions with effortless ease and abandoned carefreeness. This is the principle of least action, of no resistance. This is, therefore, the principle of harmony and love. When we learn this lesson from nature, we easily fulfill our desires. In Vedic Science, the age-old philosophy of India, this principle is known as the principle of economy of effort, or “do less and accomplish more.” Ultimately, you come to the state where you do nothing and accomplish everything. This means that there is just a faint idea, and then the manifestation of the idea comes about effortlessly. What is commonly called a “miracle” is actually an expression of the Law of Least Effort. Least effort is expended when your actions are motivated by love, because nature is held together by the energy of love. When you seek power and control over other people, you waste energy. When you seek money or power for the sake of the ego, you spend energy chasing the illusion of happiness instead of enjoying happiness in the moment. When your actions are motivated by love, your energy multiplies and accumulates–and the surplus energy you gather and enjoy can be channeled to create anything that you want, including unlimited wealth.

There are three components to the Law of Least Effort–three things you can do to put this principle of “do less and accomplish more” into action:

The first component is acceptance-
Acceptance simply means that you make a commitment: “Today I will accept people, situations, circumstances and events as they occur.” This means I will know that this moment is as it should be, because the whole universe is as it should be.
The second component is responsibility-
This means not blaming anyone or anything for your situation, including yourself. This allows you the ability to have a creative response to the situation as it is now. All problems contain the seeds of opportunity, and this awareness allows you to take the moment and transform it to a better situation or thing.
The third component to the Law of Least Effort is defenselessness-
This means that you have relinquished the need to convince or persuade others of your point of view. If you relinquish this need you will in that relinquishment gain access to enormous amounts of energy that have been previously wasted.

5) The Law of Intention and Desire
This law is based on the fact that energy and information exist everywhere in nature. A flower, a rainbow, a tree, a human body, when broken down to their essential components are energy and information. The whole universe, in its essential nature, is the movement of energy and information. The only difference between you and a tree is the informational and energy content of your respective bodies. You can consciously change the energy and informational content of your own quantum mechanical body, and therefore influence the energy and informational content of your extended body–your environment, your world–and cause things to manifest in it. The quality of intention on the object of attention will orchestrate an infinity of space-time events to bring about the outcome intended, provided one follows the other spiritual laws of success. Intention lays the groundwork for the effortless, spontaneous, frictionless flow of pure potentiality. The only caution is that you use your intent for the benefit of mankind.

6) The Law of Detachment
This law says that in order to acquire anything in the physical universe, you have to relinquish your attachment to it. This doesn’t mean you give up the intention to create your desire. You give up your attachment to the result. This is a very powerful thing to do. The moment you relinquish your attachment to the result, combining one-pointed intention with detachment at the same time, you will have that which you desire. Anything you want can be acquired through detachment, because detachment is based on the unquestioning belief in the power of your true Self. Attachment comes from poverty consciousness, because attachment is always to symbols. Detachment is synonymous with wealth consciousness, because with detachment there is freedom to create. True wealth consciousness is the ability to have anything you want, anytime you want, and with least effort. To be grounded in this experience you have to be grounded in the wisdom of uncertainty. In this uncertainty you will find the freedom to create anything you want.

7) The Law of “Dharma” or Purpose in Life
The seventh spiritual law of success is the Law of Dharma. (Dharma is a Sanskrit word that means “purpose in life.”) This law says that we have taken manifestation in physical form to fulfill a purpose. You have a unique talent and a unique way of expressing it. There is something that you can do better than anyone else in the whole world–and for every unique talent and unique expression of that talent, there are also unique needs. When these needs are matched with the creative expression of your talent, that is the spark that creates affluence. Expressing your talents to fulfill needs creates unlimited wealth and abundance.

There are three components to the Law of Dharma:
The first says that each of us is here to discover our true Self.
The second component is to express our unique talents; the expression of that talent takes you into timeless awareness.
The third component is service to humanity. When you combine the ability to express your unique talent with service to humanity, then you make full use of the Law of Dharma. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success are powerful principles that will enable you to attain self-mastery. If you put your attention on these laws and practice the steps outlined above, you will see that you can manifest anything you want–all the affluence, money and success you desire. You will also see that your life becomes more joyful and abundant in every way, for these laws are also the spiritual laws of life that make living worthwhile.

By Deepak Chopra, M.D.
Deepak Chopra is a bestselling author, educator, and holistic health pioneer who shares his insights in this inspiring article on personal growth.