My mastermind mind group is changing.  One member is temporarily leaving to focus on work outside of our groups focus and we are interviewing potential new members.

It is the most enjoyable mastermind I’ve had and I receive great feedback.  I love it.  And I’m glad we are growing.  Adding new members is exciting.  I believe it is going to keep all us on our toes.  To strive for getting the most out of the group and helping others.

What can you do to shake up your mastermind group.  How about having a guest speaker?  Meeting in person if you normally meet on the phone.

What are some of your ideas?  Share in the comments.

Related articles

• More Abundance Unlimited Mastermind posts
• Recession-Proof Your Business Success With Masterminding
• Joining a Mastermind Group? be Careful & Avoid Mastermind Groups Making These 7 Mistakes

My girlfriend Nan sent this to me via email.

You are the master of your mind
You are the master of your emotions
You are a master of the law of attraction
You are the master of your life
I believe in you

A mastermind group and someone special in your life is a great resource in your life.

Thanks Nan.

 Here is a great use of a mastermind group.  One for your relationship, marriage and such.

When I first got married, I can honestly say that I had no idea what kind of work goes into sustaining a long term relationship. I just didn’t know how it was done. I needed a lot of help. I got that help from not only my wife, but also from my bishop, a couple of good friends my own age, a couple of good friends who were older, and from reading several books on relationships.

The mastermind idea is different from my post on calling in the cavalry for particular situations. Calling in the cavalry means finding experts to take over for particular situations or events. You mastermind group doesn’t step in and do certain things for you. Instead, the relationship mastermind group performs two essential functions:

The mastermind group provides advice on particular subjects. Every once in while my wife does something that doesn’t make any sense to me. I can call up a member of my mastermind group and say, “Hey, my wife did this. What do you think I should do?”

A Good Husband: Form a Relationship Mastermind Group

Here is a unique way to  start a mastermind group.  Put out a video.

A MasterMind group can help you develop business skills, give you insights and feedback on your projects and ideas, and stimulate you to think and do things you haven’t considered before. To learn how you may join a MasterMind group in the Las Vegas Valley area or to register to attend our next FREE MasterMind group open house meeting.

Las Vegas Entrepreneur Network – LasVegasEntrepreneurs.com

 These five items that a mastermind is not is a great reminder.  Mastermind members are there to give good feedback not be a coach.

A few years ago I was in a similar situation where I was in a six figure mastermind group. One of the members, who happened to be my buddy, started to drift off and not engage. I could tell he wasn’t really too involved with our calls and his energy was totally off. When I would ask him what he wanted that wasn’t happening I could never get a straight answer.

What I finally realized is that on some level, he had inappropriate expectations about how the group should support him.

Mastermind Group Resources: 5 Things a Mastermind IS NOT Mean to Be

I’ve received a lot of really good feedback lately.  It really makes my day, week and year.  Many people on Facebook have sent me very encouraging letters and this blog post about me from Sandy was especially touching.  Enjoy.  And thanks Sandy, you made my day.

I met Chris Sherrod, at the Millionaire Mind Intensive last year. Chris is a gracious person with a very dry wit and definitely has a Millionaire Mind. Chris balances several successful enterprises, and most of us know him as Chris, the Prosperity Guy and author of Prosperity Games.

When we posted the first version of the Millionaire Mind site online, Chris called and made the suggestion that rather than using hard coded HTML for the site, we might find that PHP and WordPress could provide a more flexible solution. Thus started a six-month self-taught journey through the wonders of PHP. Chris was indeed right and the site is more interactive and robust for his suggestion.

The next time I met Chris I was as a volunteer at a Millionaire Mind Evening. It was there he advised me on the benefits of a Master Mind Group and how to use the process to grow my business. I’ve described that meeting and the results in a previous Blogs — My Millionaire Mind Business Strategies: Be Part of a Master Mind Group and The Inner Game of Wealth… Mastermind Groups

Since our Millionaire Mind Intensive, Chris has successfully brought his Prosperity Game to the market, has expanded his Internet presence, and moved forward on all his other enterprises. I found myself studying Chris’ sites with the same intention as I studied Joe Vitale’s and Jack Canfield’s sites. I wanted to see how he structured his ads, and how he promoted his business entities.

A few weeks ago Chris invited me to sign up as a friend on his Face Book profile. I have never ventured into the social networking world because I ‘thought’ I didn’t have the time learn the process. Chris’ FaceBook invitation kick-started my educational process. I actually posted a profile and I’m now learning the benefits of social marketing… again by studying Chris and applying what I can to my own business.

I can’t claim more than a business acquaintanceship with Chris. We live in different cities and his mentorship has been a “low touch — high impact” one. I have been blessed numerous “Application Instants” by listening to his advice when given, and by studying how he goes about his business.

The Importance of Peer Role Models » The Millionaire Mind Support Network™

I had a “bad” day yesterday.

I have a wonderful life and I had a down day. Totally upstream from 1pm on.

Now my morning was fantastic. Time with my lady Nan in bed, yes indeed, very fantastic.

But, then I got to work at 1pm. I felt like I wasted half the day. I felt like I wasn’t going fast enough with my current project.

Nan, went to the beach and I tried to work, but I couldn’t think straight. I felt overwhelmed. So, I went to read a fiction fun book and then meditate. It didn’t work. I was still pissed off and I didn’t know what to do. Going to the beach which I can see from our place was a totally upstream thought. I felt that if I went to the beach I would just being a lazy person.

It wasn’t until my mastermind call last night that I finally snapped out of it. My mastermind group showed me that my life is fantastic. Most people would be jealousy quite honestly. And they showed me that the lifestyle that I want is not one of someone working all the time. I look up to many successful people and some of them are really not for me. Some work constantly. One hundred hours a week, non stop. I can’t do that. I need time to rest and think. I need time to enjoy the pleasures of the world.

So I work when I’m inspired to do so. Sometimes that is many hours in a week, more than most people work and sometimes it’s not much like yesterday. I worked for about one hour before going to the hot tub. My mastermind group helped me change my to do list to something more reasonable to my lifestyle.

If you’re not in a mastermind group then form one right now.

I’m off to the beach.

My mastermind groups until lately have been pretty quiet. Slow. Not much happening.

So we stirred things up in one and are creating a product together. Our first recording session is tomorrow. This is an excellent way to get the juices going again in a mastermind group. This article gives seven other ways to get excited again about your mastermind group.

Have you started a Mastermind Group and you don’t know how to kick it off? Or maybe you’re stuck in a rut and the group is not moving ahead?

Sometimes changing the status quo is a good idea. A departure from old habits might be just what the doctor ordered to give the group new life!

Whether your mastermind meets in person or virtually, here are some possible pattern-breaking ideas to change things a bit:

Mastermind Group Resources: Possible Mastermind Exercises – Crazy Eights for Stirring Things Up

I’m know for being Mr. Jacuzzi.  I can sit and enjoy a good jacuzzi for hours.  I’m the first one to notify management when at a resort if the jacuzzi isn’t working or too cold.  The condo we are renting right now has excellent management and the jacuzzi is very good.

So, I wanted to be able to record ideas I get in the jacuzzi as I’m in it for awhile.  My handy moleskine notebook would get wet and my digital voice recorder doesn’t like water so I would just have to remember whatever I came up with so I could write it down inside.  Well, after a couple of hours of hot bubbling water and maybe a couple of drinks I have a tendency to forget.

Then I remember my scuba diving days with a Diver’s slate and being able to write underwater at 50 feet.  This diver’s slate has been working wonders for me.  I’ve recorded many ideas while masterminding or brainstorming in the jacuzzi.  I then bring it back with me and the next day put it into my idea tracker system.

Some tips, it does glow in the dark and you need an eraser and pencil sharpener.

Here is to your future jacuzzi mastermind sessions.  May they be profitable and full of fun.

Another great article from Evan’s mastermind blog. Check out the full article link at the bottom.

If you’re new to mastermind groups or wonder how your group compares to another, then you’ll want to read the answers to the following question.

What the heck do you talk about in a mastermind group?

Our most recent mastermind group meeting found us focusing on the following topics of discussion among the four group members.

Mastermind Group Resources: Four Good Reasons to Belong to A Mastermind Group

This article talks about the reasons to not form a mastermind group.  Great advice.  Full article link is below.

I still feel that too many people aren’t able to understand the core of mastermind groups. They think they join a group for exclusivity. I’d rather talk about mastermind groups in the context of sharing and bridging people, not to create some kind of ‘elitist’ membership group.

Sure, from a marketing perspective I know it’s smart business to create an exclusive club for members to meet members. The prices of such clubs range from several thousand to several tens of thousands of dollars. I mean, you can do that, but you’ll run into trouble.

There are a number of things you should avoid when getting together in a group.

Masterminding Lessons #2 – What to avoid in a mastermind at Stuart’s Philosophies

I was mentioned in a recent blog about mastermind groups. Check out the full entry.

The Millionaire Mind Support Network » The Inner Game of Wealth… Mastermind Groups

I joined another mastermind group a month ago. So I am now in two mastermind groups.

Bill Hibbler who wrote Meet and Grow Rich the Mastermind meeting bible told me a couple of months ago that he is in three so I don’t feel like I’m overdoing it.

What I’ve found real helpful and has given me a lot of motivation in my new group is our mastermind blog. We post what we have accomplished day by day. Just that is really keeping me on track. I want to share with my group what I’ve gotten done day by day. The blog is a great tool for between mastermind meeting.

You can get your own blog for free at WordPress, Blogger, or TypePad.

Make the blog private so no one besides your group can see it. I have my blog professional hosted at my own domain name (TheProsperityGuy.com) but for your Mastermind blog one of the above free blog sites is good because only your group members are going to visit it.

Phil Gerbyshak wrote a good article on why you should join a mastermind group. Here is an excerpt.

Mastermind groups offer new perspectives. Have you heard the old saying, it’s hard to see what’s on the outside of a bottle when you’re stuck on the inside? This is why mastermind groups are so valuable. You can team up with people that are outside of your life bottle and see things you couldn’t otherwise see. Additionally, the folks you choose will have different experiences than you, and can offer new ways to handle issues that come up, and can help you by asking you great questions that help you find the answer to get through those times you are stuck and in need of a breakthrough.

Mastermind groups offer a built in accountability circle. When you share your goals and with someone else, you help them help you be more accountable for the outcomes. One of the best ways to achieve something is to be constantly reminded about it, and a mastermind group offers 4 or more people that can ask you where you are with your goal, and offer encouragement if you’ve fallen away from your goal.

Strength where are you are weak. Nobody is good at everything. That’s a fact. Joining a mastermind group helps you fill in those weak spots with people who have strengths you’re lacking, if you build the group strategically. Find people who are organized if you’re lacking organization, who have good writing skills if yours are lacking, and generally are gifted in areas you are not. After all, it’s a lot more fun working in our strengths zone than in our weakness zone, and if we work together, we can ALL be stronger.

[excerpt]I met Bill Hibbler last night who along with Joe Vitale wrote Meet and Grow Rich a book about the inner workings of mastermind groups. I discussed with him my experiences with mastermind group. I had just finished reading his book the night before so it was fresh on my mind.[/excerpt]
He believes the best way to start a mastermind group is to find one person at a time. My experience shows that this is a good idea. Form a two person mastermind group and then look for a third that both of you agree on and build it up to six or eight people. The book is very good and if you are serious about masterminding you should read it.

Over on our sister website MastermindAccess.com talks about a new book by one of my mentors Joe Vitale. Meet and Grow Rich is a new book that Joe mentioned to be in April during a private interview. I’m looking forward to reading it. I know personally that mastermind groups are a fantastic way to become successful.

I had the pleasure of being in on an interview with Joe Vitale a couple of weeks ago with Nancy Wagner a local real estate investor here in San Antonio Texas. When the topic of mastermind groups came up Joe mentioned a book that he and another fellow are coming out with in the near future. The book is called Meet and Grow Rich.

I’ll let everyone know when the interview audio is available. Joe and his partner mentioned a couple of times that the questions asked by Nancy were very good and she got some answers that you have never heard from Joe before. A really teriffic interview.

I just found out about this mastermind course from Nancy who I met recently. Her mastermind group used this course to get started.

MasterMinding 101 Online Course

One of my coaches is starting a mastermind group in 2006. It is a facilitated group and it require an investment to join. The details are not listed on his site, but here is his site so you can contact him. It is very close to being full.

EmpowerMAX Performance Coaching Systems

While I’d like to be able to offer “4 easy steps” to forming your own mastermind, there aren’t any. What I can provide are some guidelines that you can adapt and build on as you pursue a meeting of the minds.

1. Identify speakers with complementary businesses, similar career levels and shared values. The diversity of the group is a strength, and everyone should have something they can bring to the party in the way of expertise. Be careful that there is not too much disparity between experience levels, or the sharing of ideas may not be as relevant. Shared values underpin everything you do as a group.

2. Determine a purpose. There are many different reasons why your mastermind might meet, ranging from lead sharing to being a support group or some mix of different elements. Be very clear on what you’re trying to accomplish. The more specific you are, the more productive you’ll be.

3. Establish guidelines. Talk about meeting time, length and attendance, and address the soft issues around how you treat each other. Melanie Mills puts it well when she says, “Establish guidelines for how you operate with each other like not putting down other speakers, a solutions-orientation versus a problem-orientation, sharing time so nobody dominates, confidentiality, and mutual respect. This is probably the most important step as it creates the atmosphere for you to operate in. I would keep them simple but clear.”

4. Pick a leader. Whether this person holds the position forever or temporarily is less important than the need for someone who will coordinate schedules and meeting locations. Scott Friedman served unselfishly in this capacity for our group.

5. If it stops working, try something different. Recently our group had to deal with some difficult issues around members moving out of state, time commitments and revised goals. After several years, the nature of the group has changed because what once worked was no longer effective. Don’t be afraid to revisit your purposes and goals frequently to address if adjustments should be made.

Reference – How to set up a mastermind group