Surrounded by my family for the past week, I have witnessed their immediate acceptance to my husband because of one thing… he made people feel important. People love to share their accomplishments, praise their passions, and most importantly, have someone take note of them.

Success in any avenue of life can come this way. Network with these people. My uncle Bill is obsessed with sailing; my husband asked him about sailing. My aunt Jan is paranoid about property issues around her land; we own land next to her’my husband talked about that. On and on until my husband had conversations with gobs of my family on topics he probably didn’t even care about. Sure they didn’t learn much about him at all. Yet the way into a person’s heart isn’t to boast about yourself. If you want to get with the big guys, talk about what the big guys love to talk about. The big guys in my family seem to love my husband!

Bottom line: make people feel important.

I remember all of those dreams I had. Go back to school, learn to paint, buy an airplane, work for a charity for free, travel to Tikal… I feel like the dreams that I had will never happen at this rate. I’m stuck, and my bed is that you are, too. Are you really achieving the big picture goal yourself?

We remind each other to take risks every day on Aridni, and I’m trying to be a daredevil. The truth is that my husband and I realize we aren’t trying hard enough. We’ve asked ourselves: How do we establish a million bucks? Are we willing to make the sacrifices?

I think we’ve found an answer, or at least a start. It’s time to take the plunge.

In six months, we are throwing away job security, health insurance, and an outstanding rental contract of six months. We’re going to pack ourselves up and revert back to those days of Ramen noodles if we have to. We’ll buy a rundown, cheap house in desperate need of TLC that we’ll fully provide. I’ll find a job in a town where jobs are scarce (at least I hope I will!), and devote my weekends to our project. My husband will be engaging in our project full time.

It’s scary to think about. Throw away everything? Yeah. But we’re taking the risk when we have nothing to lose. I’d rather look back and know we failed than be still sitting around, waiting and wishing in a lifestyle where we’ll never get ahead for sure. I can’t live this way!

This weekend, I challenge you’not to risk everything, rather to risk.

1. Ask yourself how you can establish a million bucks.
2. Think: are you willing to make the sacrifices?
3. Start thinking of the possibilities as we celebrate freedom this 4th of July weekend’the freedom to chose, the freedom to gamble
4. Don’t spend a potential fortune on fireworks (Todd!)

This weekend, pull out that handy notepad and pencil. We want you to make a list of forty, yeah forty, people who are money making or managing machines.

Over the next two years, plan on spending time with every one of them. Plan on meeting them, studying them, talking with them, and imitating them. Once you’ve tapped at their vision, we’re pretty sure that they’ll have provided you with the tools to not only emulate them… but maybe even exceed their achievements.

Even if you don’t get around to meeting some of these people, right now, we want you to jot down the reasons you think these people should be added to your list. What makes them admirable? How can you follow their paths?

July 7, 2006 – They’ll like you if ya make them feel important this weekend

June 30, 2006 – Find the root of that firework

June 16, 2006 – Dream up your squad quads

May 19, 2006 – Keep your future cash’consolidate those loans

April 14, 2006 – Define ‘Value’

April 7, 2006 – Beat the Easter Rush

March 31, 2006 – Are you ready for opportunity to strike?

March 24, 2006 – Change how you think of money

March 17, 2006 – On the day’o green, don’t let some leprechaun steal your gold card

March 10, 2006 – Network

March 3, 2006 – Where do you want to go?

February 24, 2006 – Where’d the money go?

February 17, 2006 – Where do you stand?

January 7, 2006 – How’d She Do That? Calculating the Future Value of Your Money and Other Formulas