How To Successfully MasterMind A Reading Group in 9 Steps

Here's my tip of the day from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich; use the MasterMind Principle. In order to become successful in whatever you intend to achieve, you need to exchange ideas to expand your mind and increase your knowledge. No one knows it all and guess what, you don't need to. 

Whether a mastermind group is created to get a start-up off the ground, create a local reading group, or book club, start a mom's network based of some kine, launch a new product, create an advertising campaign, using the minds of people with similar interests is where it all happens.

You have an idea, let's say to start a reading group (I'm a bookworm so this works for me), here's how to successfully mastermind a reading group. And don't get caught up by the wording because it is really just a group of people helping each other by sharing their knowledge and at the same time, helping themselves.

 When one rises, we all rise.

1 - identify a maximum of ten people who are interested (according to Jack Canfield, more makes it unmanageable and everyone won't be able to have their say if the group is larger).

2 - the group has to be friendly and harmonious.

3 - set the duration for one hour maximum; this can be changed by consensus.

4 - every person present has an agreed amount of time to speak to avoid monopolising the floor. this means,

5 - the rules of conduct - which should be clear and straightforward - must be established conjointly by the group before it swings into action. Such as timely arrival, starting time, prior reading and analysis of the identified chapter before the meeting, and so on.

6 - meet at least once per week. Skype (for Windows, Mac, Linux) - which is free - can be used to connect with absent members.

7 - since it's a reading club, read one chapter of the selected book at each meeting. the discussion period follows the reading.

8 - the person reading should have a pleasant voice and be a good reader; in other words lively and entertaining, not montone.

9 - each member should take his or her own notes and ideas during the discussion for further expansion.

Follow this plan and every reader will gain not only a thorough understanding and appreciation of the book's contents, but also he or she will tap into new sources of knowledge they didn't know they had, and also acquire knowledge of priceless value from every other person present. So says Napoleon Hill.

This mastermind principle can be applied to any group of like-minded individuals whether it's to start a business, flesh out an idea, launch a product or simply meet once a week to discuss a book from Think and Grow Rich, A New Earth, to J R Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, and so on.  

Success begins with an idea and this is the place to exchange and expand on ideas using the mastermind principle.

Happy reading!

Do share your thoughts with me about this post. Do you think you could make it work for you? What would you need to get started? Who could you contact? What ideas have you been nursing but never had the courage to get it off the ground because..? Let me know.