10 Lessons from the "Red Paper Clip Guy"‏

Faznasha, have you ever felt like you couldn't
do something that you really wanted to do because you 
lacked the resources? If so, you are about to learn 10 
vital lessons about resourcefulness form "Red paper clip 
Guy." 
 
   This is a guy who had a red paper clip, which he traded 
for a fish shaped pen on July 14 2005. He then traded the 
pen for a hand sculpted doorknob, which he traded for a 
fully fueled Coleman camp stove. Then on September 24th 
2005, he traded the stove for a Honda generator, which 
he traded for an "instant party" (commitment to fill an 
empty keg). 
 
   He then traded the "instant party" to a comedian in 
exchange for a snowmobile. He then traded the snowmobile 
for a two person trip to British Columbia, and he traded 
the trip for a cube van. 
 
   On February 22nd 2006, he traded the cube van for a 
recording contract in Tokyo. He traded the recording 
contract to Jody Gnant for a year's rent in Arizona, which 
he traded for an afternoon with Alice Cooper which he traded 
for a KISS motorized snowglobe. He then traded this to 
Corbin Bernsen for a role in Donna on Demand, and he traded 
that role for a two-story farmhouse in Kilpling Saskatchewan.
 
   All of this was done in less than two years...
 
Ten Things You Can Learn From This Story
 
   1. Don't Despise Small Beginnings
 
   No matter how small and insignificant something may seem 
at first, never underestimate the fact that it could grow 
into something much greater...and really fast. Think about how
this guy started out with one red paperclip and ended up 
with the house...simply by a series of well crafted trades. 
 
   Most likely, you have a lot more resources than a simple 
paper clip to get started doing what you want to do.
 
   2. Persistence Pays
 
   While reading the list of exchanges which led to the 
house, it might be easy to assume that this was pretty 
simple. But remember that this is a process which took 
nearly 3 years. He probably also heard the word "no 
thanks" hundreds of times...but he didn't give up until 
he met his objective.
 
   3. You Don't Need Money to Acquire Stuff
 
   No matter what you want in life or how expensive it seems, 
this story proves that you don't always have to have money 
to get what you want. Think about it, exchanging materials 
or services was the way in which the American economy (one 
of the largest in the world) was established. In fact, it 
wasn't until a few hundred years ago that the US started 
using paper money. 
 
   4. Creativity Pays
 
   Creativity is probably your most valuable asset when it 
comes to getting anything you want: more money, the perfect 
partner, a better body, the better career etc.
 
   5. Ask and You Shall Receive
 
   Again, look at the list of exchanges and you'll realize 
that some of them the red paperclip guy got a MUCH better 
deal than the other person. But these are all deals that 
he would not have gotten if he had thought: "Ah, that's 
not an even trade...they'll never go for that." If there's 
something that you want, you'll never get it if you don't 
ask for it. But if you just get into the habit of asking 
for what you want, you might be amazed at how easily people 
say yes. 
 
   6. Value is Relative
 
   This is probably one of the most vital lessons you can 
learn about success: value is relative. After all, who 
decided that a red paper clip was worth a pen...or that a 
KISS snowglobe was worth a part in a TV show? 
 
   7. Resourcefulness is More Important Than Resources
 
   Again, considering the series of exchanges which led up to 
the acquiring of the house, obviously the red paperclip guy 
was a resourceful person. It was this resourcefulness that 
made up for a tremendous lack of material resources. 
 
   8. One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure
 
   If you have something that you don't want...don't just 
assume that no one else wants it either. What you have that 
you don't value could end up being the tool which you can 
use to get you what you really want...without 
really giving anything up. 
 
   9. It Doesn't Take 30 Years to Own a House
 
   Most people try to realize the dream of home ownership by 
taking out a 30 year mortgage, this guy did it in less than 
three years. This should also prove that when time is 
lacking, creativity can do more than make up for it.
 
   10. You Can Make Your Own Luck
 
   Is this guy just "lucky" or is this the result of strategic
persistence and creativity? Surely, luck can cause isolated 
incidents to occur, but not a strategic series of trades which 
led from a dinky red paper clip to a house in less than three 
years. If this man "made his own luck" this way, certainly you 
can too if you put these ten lessons to work for you and do the
same.  
 
   For more great tips on how to build success from the ground
up, check out "Amazing Self":
 
   http://www.the-secret-dvd.net/go/amazingself2.html
 
Mike David  
Editor 

:)sayangi diri anda...salam sayang..sayang selalu....Shikin berkongsi bukan untuk dinilai atau dikeji...ikhlas luahan hati Sayang Shikin