One of my biggest student "pet peeve" questions I get is this one:
 
"What should I do -- what should I invest in -- to make money?"
 
My answer?
 
"I don't know!  How the hell should I know what you should do?" 
 
It's this lack of responsibility of taking life by the horns that really gets under my skin.
 
And it's only going to get worse with our next generation.
 
I think everybody who knows me knows that I have a 5-year-old daughter.  I'm pretty strict on her and I expect her to maintain a much greater level of responsibility than most people would for a 5-year-old.
 
Why do I do this?
 
Because in order for you to be "great" at anything, you only have to be 10% better than everyone else.
 
Considering the sea of near-deadbeats that are coming up through grade school, junior high and high school right now...even taking responsibility to be on time to school is 10% greater than what most kids would attempt to do on their own.
 
Pretty sad.
 
I told my daughter this morning that in a couple of years I'll have her walk to school on her own (with other kids and parents, of course).  We ran through a listing of kids she'll potentially be walking to school with and, unfortunately, had to eliminate one of the neighbor kids across the street.  Their names are Emily and Andrew (4th and 1st graders).
 
You see, Emily and her younger brother Andrew are perpetually late to school every day.  In fact, it's actually considered a monumental accomplishment when you see that they get to school on time in any given month.  And this usually happens maybe once a month, twice max!
 
I told Brie (my daughter) that unless Emily and Andrew both start practicing some time management skills, she won't be walking with either one of them to school any time in the near (or far) future.
 
The worst thing about this chronic lateness is that it's the mom's fault for being such a wimp when it comes to her own kids.  She says, "Well, they usually find a project they want to do or they start playing with something..."  Blah, blah, blah.
 
I actually told her, "That's when you snatch the sh** away from the kids and say, 'time to get out the door!  Plenty of time to play with this after school.'"
 
In one ear and the out the other...
 
Unfortunately, my generation -- the Gen Xers -- are teaching Gen Ys some pretty freakin' bad habits that will ultimately bite them in the ass one day.  Some of these Gen Xers think that being "more relaxed" and "laid back" with their kids (than their parents obviously were with them) is better somehow.
 
Well...better in the sense that if they want a pot-smoking video-game-playing loser dwelling in their basement at the age of 53, then I guess these Gen Xers are on the right path.
 
Except I don't want that with my daughter.
 
My parents were hippies from the 60s.  I grew up as a vegetarian with a religion called Kriya Yoga.  They wanted to be so far from "status quo" as possible that it's surprising I have any bearings in the world of capitalism.  (I guess a cat always lands on her feet!)
 
I think the only thing that gave me a radar for entrepreneurialism was my dad who always kept hustling.  He was always a small business owner, did fairly well for a middle-class breadwinner, and was always working.
 
And that's exactly what my daughter gets to see.
 
Just yesterday she said, "Mom, thank you for working so hard for me."
 
Yes!  It's sinking in!!
 
Even better, instead of having her go to some kind of day care after school, I pick her up from school and she hangs out at the warehouse until 5pm when I leave.  She pretends to work, makes "shipments" out of envelopes and fake stamps, collects "important papers" in folders, etc.  I even put her to work by having her run a contract, form, or other paperwork to Lea.  Or to tell Lea something important.  Or to give someone a note.
 
The best thing about all of these little things I have her do is not that she does them perfectly each time (because she does) but that she understands a sense of responsibility and commitment to "processes" in general.
 
I feel like most people have difficulty in finding their way through life financially (and in many other ways).  You can't blame your parents...even if it's really their fault.  You now have to take responsibility yourself.
 
Just like I teach my daughter the psychology behind taking care of herself, I teach my students the exact same valuable lessons they can immediately use to change their lives.
 
Your only "hump" to get over is your mind and whether you'll pull the trigger (or not).  That's the part I cannot do for you.  All I can do is give you the strategies and techniques in the most precise step-by-step fashion and it's up to you to follow it.
 
As you know, I've finished my 2-day boot camp seminar in Los Angeles: the Underground Secret Event.  This 2-day power-packed event basically covered a new strategy on product distribution and how to strike it rich getting a simple product in retail stores (and chains) nationwide.
 
And yes, I walk the walk.
 
In fact, on Friday, I have a sales meeting with Rite Aid in PA to get our product in stores nationwide.  We've been able to make such incredible strides in our distribution business in less than a year!
 
And you can too.
 
The way the economy is now, you have to become an entrepreneur.  It's not merely a "should I?" question to consider.  It's more like, "when should I begin?" question to consider.
 
And you have to begin now!
 
The economy has shifted so severely that there is no "security" in working for someone else.  The only security you can have is by working for yourself.  Hands down!
 
See you at the top!
 
Your mentor,
 
Monica Main
www.MonicaMain.com