Basics of Using a MasterMind Group for Your Success

'No two minds ever come together without,
thereby, creating a third, invisible, intangible
force which may be likened to a third mind.'

This is the basis of MasterMind, a concept created by author Napoleon Hill, who studied the success stories of several wealthy people, among them Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Charles M. Schwab, and numerous other well-known names.

A MasterMind group is a collection of people putting their heads together, much like an ongoing brainstorming session or a think tank geared toward a specific purpose.

The thoughts, energies, and passions of the individuals unite into one larger organism, which comes alive as the individual members of the group bounce ideas off each other.

Gradually the ideas collect into one large, moving mass, much like a small snowball rolling down a mountain and becoming larger and larger the further it rolls.

So what can MasterMind do for you and your business? Not only will you end up with a network of peers you can rely on, but you will likely find many key ideas that will turn your business into the success you always knew it could be.

MasterMind groups help you see things from other points of view. Don't block yourself in by thinking in only three dimensions. Add a fourth dimension by bouncing your ideas off your MasterMind group.

Also, who doesn't like a challenge? As you see your peers succeeding in their business endeavors, you'll be even more driven to go out and make your ideas an even bigger success.

Additionally, your confidence will go up as you enjoy these brainstorming sessions with other people who think like you. As your confidence level increases, so will your positive results.

Before you embark on your MasterMind journey, it's a good idea to mentally condition yourself. Much of society is governed by messages of negativity, from the bad news that dominates the media, to movies full of murder and awful things happening to the characters.

Spend some time flushing these negative messages from your mind and focus on more positive things, like your family, or anything else that takes you to that special place in your mind where everything is golden.

Now that the thought of joining a MasterMind group is percolating in your mind, you may be wondering how to go about finding a group that meets your needs.

The first question you must ask yourself is: What are my personal goals? Once you've answered that, you'll have an idea what sort of group you should seek out. The individual members of the group should have similar goals, although hey likely will not be facing the exact same challenges to their individual goals.

Keep in mind that the some of the other members of your prospective MasterMind group may have already overcome some of the specific challenges you are facing now. By the same token, you may have already overcome the very barriers the members of your group are facing at this present moment.

Now that you've established your goals, you're ready to find a MasterMind group, but many such groups aren't actually called by this name. Study groups in college, Parent Teacher Associations (PTA), Bible study groups, boards of directors can all be considered MasterMind groups.

Another great mastermind example is Toastmasters. If you're not familiar with this group, its members meet on a regular basis to work on their speechmaking skills. There are Toastmaster groups in many cities and are a great place for you to gain experience with masterminding.

Actually, any group with a 'meeting of the minds' focus to it would be considered a MasterMind group. Look around, ask questions, watch the 'coming events' sections in your local media and you will find some excellent opportunities for you to start with.

The next question to ask yourself is whether a group fitting to your needs already exists, or if you should form your own. It's relatively easy to do that yourself. There are also a number of agencies that will set up a MasterMind group for a fee. The internet is also an important resource to use when searching for a group suited to your needs.

If you wish to form your own group, you need to consider a number of things before you get started. It's a good idea to start by setting up some guidelines for members of your group. A great starting point for those guidelines is your personal goal.

Think about what you want to gain from the group. Then decide if you know anyone else who would benefit from your group. You may already have a close circle of associates who would be a perfect fit for your MasterMind group.

If you've felt more like a lone wolf in your field, and you don't know others with similar business goals, then you'll need to market your group. There are many ways to do that. The easiest is to begin with who you know, associations you have a connection to and your local media.

You should decide ahead of time how many people to allow into your group. A good number is between five and eight people. As few as two and as many as twelve are good guidelines for the minimums and maximums.

Before anyone is allowed into the group, you should screen the applicants, making sure their goals are similar to yours. Diversity of occupation, culture, education, etc. is good. Choose people that have a positive attitude and have a desire to be good contributors.

The most important part of the process of setting up a group is making sure you have the right people. But once those people have been selected, how do you go about making the most of your time?

Start with the basics, like location, meeting length, and frequency. From there you can establish the ground rules, including things like attendance and a general format for your meetings. Many successful groups start each meeting with gratitude and praise.

Most meetings will start with a set amount of time for each group member to give an update on their business, and then another set amount of time for each member to set goals, an important part of the MasterMind process.

Accountability is very important to your success. Your group members will help keep you accountable to yourself and your goals as you reach for the stars together, giving each other a boost along the way.

Our suggestion to you is to get started today! You can have a mini-mastermind with a friend to get the beginnings in motion and grow from there. Mastermind is a proven success principle and can be a marvelous way to help you realize your dreams and reach your goals!