BE THE RULER

I have always been a very active girl.  As a kid I used to do different sports in addition to going to drama and music school after my ordinary day at school. So I was always busy.

Sometimes I forgot to eat because I was so eager and passionate about what I was doing. A lot of my friends used to think that I suffered from ADHD, which I don’t blame them for at all.  Some of my friends still think that I do.

Good thing is I have calmed down the last two years, but I can still get very hyper and extremely intense when there is something I am very interested in.  I’m a natural born seller, so you can imagine how I can get; pretty ANNOYING at times. But don’t worry; on the inside I’m actually very calm. This calmness comes with something I thank God for everyday and that is a great amount of energy. I don’t know where it is coming from, but inside me there is a great light that lives which fills me up everyday. I mean, I do work out a lot so I get energy from that, but I’m not talking about that kind of energy. I’m talking about the energy of feeling invincible everyday.  If you knew my history I think you would be having problems believing me.  I lived a pretty crazy life for years. A real Rolling Stone with an extreme amount of luck every time it could go seriously wrong.

I’ve made some mistakes…clearly, but I regret few because my past seems to help me with my future more and more, but its only recently I’ve discovered how life can be just as invincible as I feel.  I get up at 6am everyday  (which I did NOT do a year ago) and trust me; I have become one of those whistling people you just cant stand on your way to work. This all started when I started to ask myself the question ¨why¨.  Why do I want to take part in this project, or why won’t I take part? Why will I go out tonight, or why won’t I go out? What is it that I really want and what is it that I really NEED? Now, that’s a BIG difference. Here are some examples:

-       -I want to go out and have fun tonight, but I need to get up and be a hundred 100% tomorrow to be able to perform as efficient as possible.

-      -  I want this relationship to work, but I need to be happy which I am not with this girl/boy, therefore I need to get out of this relationship.

-       - I want to go shopping and eat all day long, but I need money to be able to finance my business and I need to stay healthy to be able to be 100% focused in my job so that I can bring in great results that again will finance my life.

-       - I am bored today so I want to hang out with my crazy friend who takes a lot of drugs, and who drinks and drive and makes me crack up for nothing, but I need a true friend I can trust, who is healthy, who inspires me, supports me, and influences me to become a better person so that I can be the best I can be towards myself and others.

See the difference? When you start asking yourself ¨why¨ first instead of letting it all run automatic you suddenly start to see clearer. I have never been so much in control over my life as after I started to ask myself these questions and I have never had so much fun with being the ruler of my own life. It sounds weird to finally be the ruler of my own life. Who would have thought that you weren’t? But in fact a lot of people are slaves instead of rulers of their lives. Its creepy, but its true, and until you realize how to take control back you will be wasting your time and energy on stuff you wouldn’t have if you had just asked yourself why first, and honestly…how many times haven’t you done what you wanted because your ego won and then you just felt it was a waste to go out, spend all your money on shopping or staying in that crappy relationship? BORING. I’m sure if you think about it you probably enjoy your own company more than the company of a lot of other people you know. 

Plus you have to be aware of the fact that being your own boss means that you are the one who are setting the rules. If you cant discipline yourself to recognize what is good for you and your business and what is not you will slowly end up in the grave you prepared for yourself. 

So think twice and listen to yourself before you throw yourself into delay and financial death. 

Work Visas in the US

After reading a bunch of different websites up and down with information on the different work visas I found a website that pretty much covers it all and reads easily. Go here; http://www.h1base.com/

PS! I’m not saying that you should buy the packages that they are offering, but it’s a very informative website which also tells you what you can except in terms of a reject.

I recommend you to carefully study these work visas in addition to the different rules for registering a company in whatever state you are planning to set up a company. If you are setting up your own company and not working for someone else be prepared to show your entire business plan including the financial plan (of course).

Please read more about registering a company here: http://yassminejohansen.blogspot.com/2010/08/smart-us-state-to-corporate-your.html.

Remember; just because you cannot obtain a work Visa does NOT mean that you cant set up a company in the US. It also does not mean that you cannot set up a business account in the US, although it might be a little tricky.

A lot of people thinks that if you cant get a work visa then you cant put up a company and therefore you cannot register a business account. Wrong. If you are having problems getting a work visa at first I suggest you get a company set up in the state that allows you to do so, then do some business from abroad.

The Internet has pretty much revolutionized the whole way of doing business today.

The Internet is breaking rules, making it easier for entrepreneurs establishing and operating internationally.

It depends what industry you are in, but lets say I was selling T-shirts. I wouldn’t have to put up a company in each country to sell it, would I? But I probably would have to put up a website. It is getting harder and harder to refuse people doing business across borders because of the Internet. In my case there are only a few states I can set up a company without going into a partnership with a person with the certificate required. Still even when I have set up my company in one of those states I might not get a work visa, however I can still operate from my company in Europe and through my US company, which in my case is not really Europe, but the INTERNET; it’s a no-mans land. When I go to the US I always bring my laptop (I bring my laptop almost everywhere), and I always work even if I’m on vacation. I don’t care if I’m on Mars or Jupiter as long as I can get online. Is the US government going to put me in jail because I’m on the Internet ¨working¨ in the US WITH a legally registered company IN the US creating more work for the US people? Its always good to be on the safe side, so therefore I am getting that work visa, but in theory it is obviously both legal and illegal to do business in the US without a work visa because of the different rules from state to state and the fact that the Internet is a global platform.

Knowledge is power. 

Get out of your comfort zones!

Today I am really walking my talk. Instead of going to bed early because I’m a wreck from yesterdays dinner party I’m writing this blog and getting other practical stuff done. Yes, it hurts intensely.  I’m forcing my eyes to stay open and my brain cells to work in team. I could have post-pone some of the stuff until tomorrow as Sunday is not really a workday, it wouldn’t matter that much, but the problem is telling yourself that every time you are feeling like shit or you want to sleep in, will definitely slow you down. I believe it is important to be consistent to be able to reach goals as efficiently as possible. I think it is extra important in the start-up process to push yourself a little extra; therefore it is crucial to understand that getting out of your comfort zone is very often what it takes to stay 5 steps ahead of your competitor.

You might not like to get up at 6am in the morning or work long and inhuman hours, and you might not like to be skinned all the time because you are dividing the hours of the day between part time jobs and building the company; but I’m pretty certain getting used to not having it too comfortable will increase the chances of reaching your goal faster and better. If your work-day is too comfortable you are probably not working hard enough. Makes sense to me. 
I’m not saying that you should get an uncomfortable work-chair because its good for you to feel pain, I’m just highlighting the fact that you must be willing to work hard(er) hence pushing yourself further, and dealing with not-so-cool phone calls, meetings, presentations or even arguments to be able to deal with whatever comes in your way…remember; problems...or obstacles as I like to call it very often come unexpectedly. Above all you have to be focused and you have to be persistent; self discipline is also very important, but sometimes its harder for young people, as discipline is often something you learn when you grow older and become more mature. Focus and persistent are two of the most important elements to be able to move forward. Without persistence focus doesn’t matter and the other way around. Take focus and persistence away and all you are is Peter Pans shadow on a fantasy island. You have to be strict with yourself and tell yourself everyday that you will deal with whatever comes in the way and you will deal with it correct and fast with a positive spirit. Sometimes this means staying up the whole night to correct documents before sending in for the deadline approaching the next day. Be aware that complaining or making the extra task an issue will only drain you for more energy than necessary. You must deal with it to move forward either you like it or not, so why waste time and energy complaining about something you have to do anyway? Being negative wont get you anywhere.

I have to admit that I sometimes struggle with staying focused. I have so many things going on in my head, that I sometimes cant hear myself think. It really stresses me out when I can’t focus, however that is not a good enough excuse if I want to be the best in my field. No excuses are good enough. I know that to be able to be the best I can be to reach my goals I will have to change my mindset and then my actions. Personally I feel that it is extremely important to learn how to master persistent and focus in whatever field you work in. Reason why is because if you are not good at mastering both at the same time, you will eventually give up from all the wrong calculations, delays etc. Things will be taking too long because you weren’t as persistent as you thought and it will eat your self-esteem from inside. Well, this is a fact; quitting is a habit, so don’t.

I found a neat little book at Gatwick airport when I was travelling from London a while ago, and Its called ¨The Secrets of Success in Selling – 12 ways to achieve exceptional results¨, by Nicola Cook. I found something interesting that I know I have read somewhere else before and it’s about mantras or your own pep talk if you like.  It’s basically a way of transforming the mindset by self-brainwashing. As a matter of fact it is scientifically proved that it works, but you have to be patient. It does not happen over night. What you do is that you make up a mantra that you will tell yourself everyday. For instance, one of my mantras is ¨Everything I start, I complete with brilliance¨, the second one is ¨I am always on time because I like to be early just in case¨ and the third one ¨I get up early because I am on my way to becoming the greatest in my field and therefore I take advantage of all hours of the day to beat my competitors delivering the best service in the world¨. 

There are some rules for making a mantra:

-      - Make it positive; State your intentions as you want it to be as opposed to what you want to avoid

-       -State in the present tense so that it happens right NOW and not in the future

-      - Say it out loud and say it out proud. Personally I have a sheet on my wall on my desk with my mantra so that I see it every time I look up from my laptop. It is also the first thing I see when I sit down on my work-chair. So I sit on my desk and I say it out loud for myself.

-       -The mantra cannot be about other people changing. We can only change ourselves.

The clever thing about mantras is that it defines the goal, so you are always reminded on what you should always do. When you have managed to brainwash yourself you simply tune into the right frequency and you are on autopilot--- destination; your goal.

It feels a little bit like ¨runners high¨ when you are starting to notice the difference in your mindset and behavior.

Mantras are good tools when you are moving into unknown territories and things starts to get complicated. That’s the time you need to remind yourself of your mission.

When starting up you usually don’t have that much money so initially you will probably end up doing a lot of the work that a lawyer or an accountant normally would do for you if you were able to pay them. Because you don’t have the knowledge that a lawyer or an accountant have you will be spending a lot of time researching just to be 100% sure you are signing the right contracts and that your financial statements are correct.

Not everyone loves every area of running or owning a business. For instance; it is a well-known phenomenon that creative people and especially artist’s cant stand mathematics or anything where you are tied up by regulations and paragraphs, but if you want to be in full control you should know how everything works. You should understand the financial statements; balance sheet, cash flow statement and profit and loss (at least), even if you do hire an accountant and a lawyer. Why? Because someone might want to take advantage of your business at a later point when you are very successful. Maybe someone is trying to buy you out of your own company by securing a bunch of shares. You need to know how to protect yourself if that situation may arise. If you believe in yourself and your business idea you will do anything in your power to protect you company. You will be prepared for war any day and have the weapons ready even before you can see a glimpse of the enemy behind the thick fog in the distant eternity.

Ouch! My first BIG lesson!

Ok, so when putting up your first company research is def the most important thing. I can’t even describe with words how important it is. Research takes time, so be patient.

To me it was important to secure the trademark first, so I spent some time initially doing research on trademark after doing a superficial research of the industry. The reason why was because I wanted a name that described what we do, not a name that was fancy or cool, and I wanted to be sure that I could use a great name… not a good name, or an ok name…a great name; also I had to have a great name to get noticed in my particular field. In the industry I will be operating in I noticed that many of my significant competitors had names that did not describe their service at all, so one of my competitive advantages is therefore the name. I will reveal both the name and the industry Im in later on in the process. Main reason why I’m not revealing it yet is simply because I don’t want you to think that this blog is directed at one particular industry. I’m trying to make this blog as useful as possible for whatever industry you are in. 

The service that I will be offering is a ¨one time¨ service (a service that people normally only buy ones in their life) and statistics shows that people buying this type of service will turn to the Internet in many cases. Lets say I was a cup-cake baker. I would want to have the word ¨cup-cake¨ in my name so that it would be easier for potential clients to find me on the Internet. Makes sense; right?

I was really lucky with the trademark considering I did my own trademark research instead of hiring a lawyer, which most people do. Reason why I didn’t hire a lawyer was because I didn’t have the money to do so, and that was why I had to do the digging myself, therefore I wasn’t sure when I filed my application to the USPTO whether I would get it or not, or if I had filled in something wrong. After 3 months I got an emailing saying that it had been granted and the only thing I had to do was to respond to a ¨letter of action¨ as it is called. Good news turned into motivation, and I felt that nothing could stop me now. I mean…I did what a lawyer with years and years of education offer as a service…on my own! So of course I was bubbling of motivation and self esteem! Then…just days ago I found out something that wasn’t all so cool. I knew I had to change the approach, NOT give up! Although I have to say it did seem hopeless at first. Very hopeless. Most of all; time consuming.

I found out that to be able to open my own company in that particular industry in the US I would have to work 6000 hours under someone else to get a license. 6000 hours is about 3 years!  Additionally I would have to apply for a license in each state I would operate in. This does not apply to all industries, but my industry. Lets say you are a movie director looking to work in the US; then you don’t have the same problem.

I wasn’t shocked… it does make sense, but obviously it is very different from country to country, and obviously I had overlooked something important during the research…something I should have spotted earlier in the process.

I used to work part time for a company in London, UK, and it was not a requirement to have a license to open your own company there, so it sort of didn’t cross my mind, although I remember thinking about it first month I was all caught up in researching trademark. I just ignored it.

As I am still doing research I don’t really look at this as a failure but a lesson to teach me how to change direction. I mean; I was prepared for almost whatever turns, but yeah…I have to admit it sort of ruined my original plan to be up and running international from January, but hey; At least I had a goal when to start, and that’s crucial. This is all I think about day and night. I’m not going to give up just because some rule, hell no! Either I would have to change the rule or go around the rule. That’s how my mind works.

It took me two days to find a solution to my problem or to straight up the failure as someone likes to call it. Well, not really straightening it up, cause now it’s going to take more time, but that’s all right.  In my world however very few failures are actually failures. The word is overrated. Failure is just a tool to improve. The improve tool! That’s all.

I know some of you are thinking ¨My God this girl must be delusional! 3 years...6000 hours!¨ Why would I be so realistic? That word is also overrated to me.

Funny thing is, I have managed to brainwash myself with my business idea so that the only thing that I understand is the words KEEP GOING.

I must say that I do feel lucky because I actually found two ways around the rule, and not just one or non. I feel lucky yes, and not brilliant because I know that there are some industries where there are rules you can’t get around, and it takes some significant force to change it. It would really suck to have bought the trademark and then find out that you can’t even operate in the business.  So be very careful with the research part. I’m not completely retarded. Its not like I didn’t know whether I would be able to go through with this or not. I have more than one territory checked. So in worst-case scenario, I at least had Europe, and then I could have moved on to the US after 6000 hours, anyway, there is an exception to that rule. I don’t know how interesting it is for you all to read about the exception I came across in my industry, cause you all operate in different industries. I just want you to know that there are normally ways around and that it is important to not give up just because you get a punch in the face, cause I’m sure Ill get more of the punches, and so will you.

Many doors will be closed, but then some will open. I swear this is true. I used to work with phone sales for Dun and Bradstreet while I was studying. I was selling credit ratings and you wont believe how many NO I got, but I knew that the only way to get a sale was to pick up that phone again and again until no became a yes, so all I’m trying to do now and all I want you guys to do is go get your yes! YES, YES, YES!

Registering companies in different states in the US

A couple of weeks back I explained how Delaware was a good state to register a company. Now, what I’ve learned is that it depends on what kind of business you are doing. What kind of industry you are in. In some cases you will have to register a company in each state you are operating in.

The reason why has to do with protection in the case you are being sued in another state then the state you registered it in because your Delaware company, your Florida company…wherever you have it is a domestic company in that particular state. It is a foreign company in every other state or country. This basically means that you don’t really have the same rights as a LLC or corp in a "foreign" state: a state it is not registered as a company in. 

“If you plan to staff offices in a state other than Delaware, with employees who conduct business directly with the public, it may be wise to register in this state. Registering in additional states is generally not necessary if you are a consultant; a one- or two-person or home-based business; or sell through independent distributors, manufacturer's representatives, wholesalers, retailers, or through mail order or the Internet” (The Delaware company [online] 30.08.10).

A friend of mine told me it might be possible to put up a company in Delaware and in the state you are operating in, but doing everything through the company in Delaware, getting all the benefits Delaware as a state has to offer. I will find out how that works and come back with more info on that.

In the meantime I’m working on the business plan, hereunder the research, which is probably the most important thing when opening a new business. I started doing research around late January, but I guess research is something constantly ongoing. In this case it is for the business plan, but I think research is something that needs to be done frequently to be able to handle whatever situation occurs in the marketplace. BE PREPARED.

I’ve also started getting the practical stuff together such as international sim card for clients to reach the company on, website design, business cards and so on. It’s like a puzzle.

It’s late and I should probably go to bed now, but for some reason I can’t go. Its like I have too much energy inside to go to bed, although I’m dead tired. If I go now I will only lay awake in bed thinking of what the next step for my business would be, however I will try and sleep. It’s important to have a degree of structure, so I try to get up around 7am everyday.

I will get back as soon as I have more info on how to run companies from different states.

Good night!

Self-respect

The worst thing in the world is to wake up really hungovered and the sun is shining outside your window. I can’t stand it. I also can’t stand being hungovered.  The sun was up today, but luckily I wasn’t hungovered.

The last 9 years going out has been an almost daily activity. Maybe not going out, but at least drinking was an almost everyday routine until I realized how much time I was wasting. It doesn’t get any better when you are studying for three years in the United Kingdom. If you are trying to avoid alcohol do not enter this country. I have friends who have actually become alcoholics, and they don’t even know it. Young people; age 20-35. People don’t associate a person who goes to dinner parties or networking multiple times a week where alcohol is involved every single time as an alcoholic. It is just regarded as fancy and important. You know what I mean… its like the alcoholism is covered in fancy agendas. It is even expected that you come to these parties and drink. If you don’t drink people think that there is something wrong with you. For instance… last night I decided to try and not drink until the end of the night…just have a couple of drinks near closing time, cause I didn’t wanted to feel reduced when I had a ton of stuff that needed to be done today. Almost everyone I met was wondering why I wasn’t drinking and if I was ok…funny thing to ask a person when you can’t even stand on your own two legs.  Its strange how it sometimes seems like people drink so that they can act like idiots and dance like they have down syndrome…not sexy btw. I used to do that too when I was around 20. It was fun, but now I cant deal with it anymore...all the side effects of alcohol. Well I still like to do the mental and drunk dance a couple of times a year, but that’s it. I have never been in better shape in my whole life, still drinking just ones a week kills me, so I try to assess what parties and ¨meetings¨ are really worth going to and what people are really worth hanging with. I think it increases your self-respect by being selective. Without respect for yourself you are nobody. That’s how I see it. I do have friends who are not very much liked by the media or the government, but as long as I feel that the relationship I have with them is meaningful I don’t care what other people think. I stand by it and I’m not afraid of being seen in public with these people.

What I don’t like and what I think is embarrassing is superficial clowns who only talks about rich men, themselves and what parties to go to in 2017. A lot of the ¨very important¨ networking stuff is really just a hype. Luckily I love my own company, so I am ok with spending that time alone working or watching a movie, but it took me years to realize that I’m actually not missing out on anything by not going to every single party in town.  It feels really good to be in control over my own time not letting life control me but me controlling life. 

I don’t know anyone in the world who can drink everyday and still be successful over a long period of time. The definition of success to me is also much wider than the profit you are making on your business. Its not just wealth, it is also health and happiness. If you abuse yourself with alcohol everyday it will def affect your wealth, health or happiness. This is not rocket science.

Yesterday a friend emailed me and told me how upset she was feeling. She was really feeling sad and that the darkness has swallowed her raw. She also seemed a little bit worried that she would drink the pain away. She is a very intelligent woman living in LA working on a huge business plan…I bet she will be one of the wealthiest in the US within 5-10 years from now. She is smart, funny and beautiful… still she feels like the whole world is collapsing around her. I told her a life philosophy that I never really was aware I was living, but it is a very simple one; Focus on what you want to do with your time, not what you don’t want. That way you don’t have time to do what you should not do. This is what I started to do a year ago when I was finishing my final year at University. I told myself that I would be very selective with both friends and projects. Automatically I avoided getting involved in anything I wasn’t really passionate about and I avoided less intelligent people taking up my time, because I focused on who I wanted to spend time with and what I wanted to do. Just like that I started to drink less, I didn't have time for stupid parties and so on. My time was spent on stuff I liked and everything started to become more meaningful and I was happier. Being happy is very important, because when you are happy you work better and you attract good energy. I think this strategy is very logical, but I also have to admit I am a true rebel by heart.  If I tell myself not to do something I will most likely do it. So in a way I have found a way to trick myself into the right direction.

Personally I think it is very important to respect yourself to be able to have wealth, health and happiness, and for entrepreneurs who are looking for results you don't want anything to slow you down, right?

What do successful people have in common?

As a young entrepreneur with many ideas it is useful to know why successful people are successful. What do they have in common? Can you identify with their characteristics?

What can you learn from their common characteristics?

Personally I feel that passion and drive is one of the most important things. Almost everyday when I wake up I think of one thing and it makes me smile. Passion. While dating can get extremely boring and make me pretty impassionate about the whole thing, business never does.

Searching the Internet I found a couple of good lists of things that successful people have in common. What do you think?

List 1:

1. Successful people are fast in analyzing situations and making immediate decisions.

2. Successful people think before they act.

3. Successful people consider consequences and possible solutions to any action they are about to take.

4. Successful people do not fear risk, on the contrary they use risk as a tool to reach where others cannot reach.

5. Successful people never quit, they hunger and thirst for success.

7. Successful people are persistent even if what they believe in seems impossible.

8. Successful people do not believe in failure. Failure is a sign that there is a mistake along the line that needs to be corrected for success to happen.

9. Successful people believe in their capabilities, and dynamism.

10. Successful people love to see everyone around them succeed.

11. Successful people know that the journey to success has a price to pay and so they prepare themselves for that price.

12. Successful people are non conformists they never never follow the path of everyone; even if they do they always modify it to suit their needs. Each and every one of them has a secret path created for themselves.

13. Successful people use just 1/10th of acquired knowledge on their path to success. That is why acquired knowledge is not a major prerequisite to success.

14. Successful people use general knowledge (common sense) in every step on their journey to success.

15. Successful people surround themselves with like minded people.

16. Successful people are generous and share their knowledge with. others. The sharing of knowledge brings about awareness, more interest and more ideas from outsiders.

17. Successful people are very intuitive, discerning, and positive about the next day but living for today.

18. Successful people succeed where others fail, and they never fail from trying again and again.

19. Successful people do everything to learn whatever could contribute to their success.

20. Successful people could make something out of nothing. Take away a million from a successful man and he will make two, but give two million to an unsuccessful man and he will have non left in a very short time.

21. Successful people are very creative and are successful.

List: 2

1. Hard work. Successful people work very hard and they are keen on practising or rehearsing things until they come out perfect. Their outcome is only the tip of the iceberg; it is only that 10% that people see. The rest of 90% is preparation and hard work.

2. Focus. When they do something, the rest of the world disappears until they stop. All their attention and all their resources work together for a common goal, to complete the current task they are on. Many times, they forget even to eat or sleep, so much they are absorbed into their action. They just don’t let themselves overwhelmed by “urgent-not important” issues that crowd their agenda. They are keen on prioritizing.

3. Passion. They like what they do or they do what they like. Either way you put it, they enjoy their work, they are so passionate about it, that hard work is a pleasure and a must for them. Do you think that Beethoven could have written any of his works without passion? Or Van Gogh would have been able to paint so astonishing if passion was not there? Of course not!

4. Curiosity. Successful people want to know. They want to learn. The questions they most frequently ask are not “What? When? Who?” but rather “Why? Or How?” The best way to repeat a successful action is to know why was it successful, what was that little trigger that generated attraction and recognition.

5. Empathy. Have you noticed how many people like successful guys out there? It’s because their way of coming into resonance with others, their way of establishing rapport. Highly successful people are empathic and often it happens that despite their solitude, many people like them and feel good around them. That is because of their high level of emotional intelligence, because of their abilities to listen and learn from the world.

6. Responsibility. They are fully responsible of their acts. When something happens, they don’t waste time to search for who’s to blame, they rather move on to finding what needs to be done next. They don’t complain and they don’t look for pity.

7. Self-improvement. Successful people work on themselves, they change with the times, they learn from the past. Look at the famous singer Madonna: how many times did she completely change her style? Too many times. Each time when she felt the need to shift to something new. The result: she was appreciated every time by her fans and she’s still in tops after so many years.

8. Humor. They appreciate humor, they live in this spirit, they do serious things with relaxation and joy, they don’t rush or get hurried just to see things done.

9. Creativity. Successful people think out of the box. They search for new ways of doing things, when they don’t find something very comfortable, they try to adjust it to serve them better. Going with the flock is definitely their way of life.

10. Flexibility. There is a saying that in an organization, the most flexible element always wins. It is true. Think no further than your workplace. Which are the colleagues you value most? Aren’t they the ones who are flexible, who can adjust themselves so much that they can understand your point of view? Yes, success comes with a large dose of flexibility, and this does not mean that such people do not have their own opinions. Not at all! It just means that they know how to listen and how to act to see things and actions going their way. They know how to spot opportunities and change them into more joy, satisfaction and success for themselves.