Sitting in my friend’s room, overlooking Findhorn Bay, were 6 people. Apparently nothing was happening, as everyone had their eyes closed, no-one saying anything. But we were in a circle facing each other, so clearly something was going on.
To an outsider, it might have looked a bit odd. To us, well, it was one of the fortnightly Mastermind meetings that we have. We’d begun as usual in silence, which is about giving ourselves a time of reflection, to gather thoughts, to focus our minds on what the next 2.5 hours would be about.
As the first fifteen minutes drew to a close, our leader for that week asked everyone to state a success from the past fortnight (we’re really hot on celebrating each other). Then we went round the group again, asking who wanted to take some time to talk about an aspect of their business. Today it was all 6 of us; sometimes, it’s just 4 or 5 people.
What’s happening? We’re having our fortnightly Mastermind group, dedicated to supporting each of us in our businesses.
What is a Mastermind group?
First coined by Napoleon Hill in the 1930’s in his classic Think and Grow Rich, he defined the Master Mind as: co-ordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.
It had been brought to his attention by Andrew Carnegie, the great businessman and philanthropist who founded the library system throughout the world. Carnegie had surrounded himself with a staff of approximately 50 people, all of whom had a ‘definite purpose’ of manufacturing and marketing steel. He attributed his entire fortune to the power he accumulated through this Master Mind.
What is this ‘third mind’?
It’s simply the amazing the magical power that arises when two or more minds are brought together to focus on a particular topic. As Hill says “No two minds ever come together without, thereby, creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may be likened to a third mind”.
It’s easy to see the practical benefits of this: more creative solutions to problems, different ideas from those thought up alone, support and encouragement from others on the same path to mention a few.
But it’s less easy to pinpoint the benefits of the third mind, even though as I sit in my Mastermind group I can practically feel it! This is about the transmutation of energy between minds, where, as Hill says “the increased energy through the alliance (of a group of individual brains coordinated and functioning in harmony) becomes available to every brain in the group”. There just is something wonderfully powerful when two or more minds come together, concentrating on a particular outcome or issue.
How does it work?
A group of focused, committed individuals gather together, either face to face, by phone, or by message boards online for a regular meeting, not less than once per month.
When we started ours, three of us invited other people we knew who were also self-employed, or small business owners, to join. This was the first time I’d been in a Mastermind group too, so we kind of made it up as we went along, and found through trial and error that a maximum of 6 people was good for us, meeting for 2.5 hours every fortnight. We’ve tried weekly meetings, and altering the length of time, but have eventually settled with this format. Everyone has made a serious commitment to attend, arranging their lives to enable them to come to the meetings.
One of the things we’ve all committed to is supporting each other with clear feedback, given in a non-judgmental manner, and to hold each other accountable for what we say we’re going to do. We’re all committed to growing our businesses, and growing ourselves, and having fun while we’re doing that.
Who is it for?
Although our group is of self-employed people, the format would work equally as well for any group that has a common interest; but there does need to be a commitment to learning and growing, and a desire to move through fear of change to achieving goals and experiencing success. If you want to set one up, I’d suggest screening people whom you don’t know that well by naming what your objectives are from a Mastermind group, and then finding others who have the same objectives.
What would I get from being part of one?
You’ll get
- support from the other members
- creative solutions to challenges
- confidence in business dealings
- a chance to celebrate your successes and have them witnessed
- a sense of belonging to a group that cares about you & your business
- real progress in your activities
- to be held accountable for your actions
In the Findhorn Mastermind group, we set up a list of guidelines for us to adhere to. We each take turns to read out one of them at the start of each meeting. Here they are:
1. I am 100% committed to this Mastermind group.
2. I am committed to being joyfully generous and open to receive.
3. I will help without looking for anything in return.
4. I agree to engage only in no-limit thinkin
5. I respect my partners and agree to build our relationship on trust
6. I agree to support the dreams, aspirations and goals of my Mastermind partners
7. I agree to become accountable to my partners. I agree to do what I say I will do. I will take action
8. Putting aside all cares and concerns, I am positive, enthusiastic, expectant and ready to Mastermind
9. I commit to seeing that challenges are a gift for raising my consciousness about my business
10. I am willing to allow Spirit to flow through me and my business.
For me, there’s no doubt that this meeting of ours, which has been going at the time of writing for less than a year, is an instrumental factor in the success of RichThinkers, and I’d encourage anyone who’s interested to start one up. By having others meeting regularly in this way to commit to each other’s growth and development, magic happens. Try it and see!
See Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill for more information.
Jane Rogers of RichThinkers is a specialist business coach to therapists, coaches, healers and other wellness professionals. She has a two-pronged approach to coaching, focusing on the inner as well as the outer tools for success. Visit her website at www.richthinkers.co.uk for her free report 7 Steps to Thinking Rich and 7 Biggest Business Mistakes Therapists and other Make and How To Avoid Them.
I have used the principles I write about here in RichThinkers to bring about all kinds of things in my life, including running a successful counselling practice and health clinic business. Coming from a place of inspiration has enabled me to bring meaning and magic into all that I do, and my background in psychotherapy and counselling, combined with practical business skills, means I am uniquely positioned to help you in both the inner and the outer levels of success. (more…)
Mastermind Magic: using the power of the third mind
Sitting in my friend’s room, overlooking Findhorn Bay, were 6 people. Apparently nothing was happening, as everyone had their eyes closed, no-one saying anything. But we were in a circle facing each other, so clearly something was going on.
To an outsider, it might have looked a bit odd. To us, well, it was one of the fortnightly Mastermind meetings that we have. We’d begun as usual in silence, which is about giving ourselves a time of reflection, to gather thoughts, to focus our minds on what the next 2.5 hours would be about.
As the first fifteen minutes drew to a close, our leader for that week asked everyone to state a success from the past fortnight (we’re really hot on celebrating each other). Then we went round the group again, asking who wanted to take some time to talk about an aspect of their business. Today it was all 6 of us; sometimes, it’s just 4 or 5 people.
What’s happening? We’re having our fortnightly Mastermind group, dedicated to supporting each of us in our businesses.
What is a Mastermind group?
First coined by Napoleon Hill in the 1930’s in his classic Think and Grow Rich, he defined the Master Mind as: co-ordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.
It had been brought to his attention by Andrew Carnegie, the great businessman and philanthropist who founded the library system throughout the world. Carnegie had surrounded himself with a staff of approximately 50 people, all of whom had a ‘definite purpose’ of manufacturing and marketing steel. He attributed his entire fortune to the power he accumulated through this Master Mind.
What is this ‘third mind’?
It’s simply the amazing the magical power that arises when two or more minds are brought together to focus on a particular topic. As Hill says “No two minds ever come together without, thereby, creating a third, invisible, intangible force which may be likened to a third mind”.
It’s easy to see the practical benefits of this: more creative solutions to problems, different ideas from those thought up alone, support and encouragement from others on the same path to mention a few.
But it’s less easy to pinpoint the benefits of the third mind, even though as I sit in my Mastermind group I can practically feel it! This is about the transmutation of energy between minds, where, as Hill says “the increased energy through the alliance (of a group of individual brains coordinated and functioning in harmony) becomes available to every brain in the group”. There just is something wonderfully powerful when two or more minds come together, concentrating on a particular outcome or issue.
How does it work?
A group of focused, committed individuals gather together, either face to face, by phone, or by message boards online for a regular meeting, not less than once per month.
When we started ours, three of us invited other people we knew who were also self-employed, or small business owners, to join. This was the first time I’d been in a Mastermind group too, so we kind of made it up as we went along, and found through trial and error that a maximum of 6 people was good for us, meeting for 2.5 hours every fortnight. We’ve tried weekly meetings, and altering the length of time, but have eventually settled with this format. Everyone has made a serious commitment to attend, arranging their lives to enable them to come to the meetings.
One of the things we’ve all committed to is supporting each other with clear feedback, given in a non-judgmental manner, and to hold each other accountable for what we say we’re going to do. We’re all committed to growing our businesses, and growing ourselves, and having fun while we’re doing that.
Who is it for?
Although our group is of self-employed people, the format would work equally as well for any group that has a common interest; but there does need to be a commitment to learning and growing, and a desire to move through fear of change to achieving goals and experiencing success. If you want to set one up, I’d suggest screening people whom you don’t know that well by naming what your objectives are from a Mastermind group, and then finding others who have the same objectives.
What would I get from being part of one?
You’ll get
- support from the other members
- creative solutions to challenges
- confidence in business dealings
- a chance to celebrate your successes and have them witnessed
- a sense of belonging to a group that cares about you & your business
- real progress in your activities
- to be held accountable for your actions
In the Findhorn Mastermind group, we set up a list of guidelines for us to adhere to. We each take turns to read out one of them at the start of each meeting. Here they are:
1. I am 100% committed to this Mastermind group.
2. I am committed to being joyfully generous and open to receive.
3. I will help without looking for anything in return.
4. I agree to engage only in no-limit thinkin
5. I respect my partners and agree to build our relationship on trust
6. I agree to support the dreams, aspirations and goals of my Mastermind partners
7. I agree to become accountable to my partners. I agree to do what I say I will do. I will take action
8. Putting aside all cares and concerns, I am positive, enthusiastic, expectant and ready to Mastermind
9. I commit to seeing that challenges are a gift for raising my consciousness about my business
10. I am willing to allow Spirit to flow through me and my business.
For me, there’s no doubt that this meeting of ours, which has been going at the time of writing for less than a year, is an instrumental factor in the success of RichThinkers, and I’d encourage anyone who’s interested to start one up. By having others meeting regularly in this way to commit to each other’s growth and development, magic happens. Try it and see!
See Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill for more information.
Jane Rogers of RichThinkers is a specialist business coach to therapists, coaches, healers and other wellness professionals. She has a two-pronged approach to coaching, focusing on the inner as well as the outer tools for success. Visit her website at www.richthinkers.co.uk for her free report 7 Steps to Thinking Rich and 7 Biggest Business Mistakes Therapists and other Make and How To Avoid Them.