7 Principles for Creating Your Future

Pursue Your Dreams, Follow Your Passions, Live Your Values

By James J. Semradek, Jr. & Michael P. Butler, Jaico Books, 2006

“7 Principles for Creating Your ·discover your strengths

Future” provides a pathway to a and dreams through self- BOOK OF THE WEEK:
more productive, fulfilling life by examination
showing you how to balance a ·choose a low risk, high
satisfying career and a value-added business to
meaningful personal life. pursue
Not only do these principles
·cast a vision for your life
illustrate how to become a ·lead a conservative lifestyle
successful entrepreneur or while leveraging your time
“intrapreneur”, they also show and money for good
you that the key to a dynamic ·integrate work with family
career is a healthy balance into a harmonious balance
between work and personal time. ·adhere to your values and
ethics in your business
These 7 Principles will help you ·regularly measure your
to: success

INSIDE THIS SUMMARY:

The Big Idea Principle 5 - Integrate work and family
Why You Need this Book Principle 6 - Adhere to your values
Principle 1 - Know yourself Principle 7 - Measure your success
Principle 2 - Select a low-risk, high-
value-added business
Principle 3 - Cast a vision
Principle 4 - Lead a conservative life

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Why You Need this Book If you don’t have the fire in your belly for self-
This book will help you discover how to create employed entrepreneurship,
your dream life, which is a life enriched with “intrapreneurship” may be an option for you.
purpose, meaning, and personal satisfaction. An entrepreneur is defined as one who
undertakes to start and conduct an enterprise
or business, usually assuming full control and
risk.
PRINCIPLE 1: Know yourself - your
An intrapreneur is defined as an individual who
strengths, weaknesses, dreams, works for a company in an entrepreneurial role
and passions and environment. While still working for the
____________________________ company, an “intrapreneur” has the
opportunity to develop new business
If 100 percent of your identity
is rooted in work, independently, as well as new revenues for the
and work turns on you, company, the profits from which will be shared
what are you left with? in part with the employee. The only condition is
My patients often say,
“I don’t know who that the independent business does not
I am anymore.” interfere with the company’s business and that,
in fact, total customer service is enhanced.
-Ilene Philipson,
Counselor
___________________________
THE 7 PRINCIPLES OF CORPORATE
The foundation for achieving a balanced life is to INTRAPRENEURSHIP
know yourself and to answer the question: 1. There is a mutual benefit to the company
“Where should I focus my life’s work?” By and the employee to structure a corporate
knowing who you are, what your needs are, and “intrapreneurship” environment.
where you want to go, the type of
entrepreneurial business and lifestyle which 2. The company provides employees with
compliments your abilities and completes you as flexibility.
a person becomes increasingly clear.
3. The company and the employee share in
the profits.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
4. Employees have flexible hours.

Authors: James J. 5. Employees function independently

Semradek, Jr., & Michael P.
Butler
Publisher: Jaico Books
Date of Publication: 2006
ISBN: 81-7992-545-5
135 Pages
within the guidelines.
6. Company objectives take precedence
over personal goals.
7. Employees function within the vision and
values of the company.

7 Principles for Creating Your Future, by James J. Semradek, Jr. & Michael P. Butler 2 of 6
THE 7 BENEFITS OF CORPORATE
INTRAPRENEURSHIP
1. New concepts, products, and revenue
streams are created.
2. Company turnover costs are dramatically
reduced.
3. Employee performance and company
results are enhanced.
4. The risk to the employee of starting a
new endeavor is minimized.
5. Employees can retain all of their existing
professional colleagues and associates.
6. Employees can capitalize on the premier
reputation of the company.
7. Employee creativity is enhanced.
Knowing yourself will help you to know
whether you should pursue entrepreneurship
or “intrapreneurship.” Either one can be a great
experience and prove to be highly beneficial,
both professionally and personally. You simply
have to decide which is right for you.
PRINCIPLE 2: Select a low-risk,
high-value added business – and
execute it with excellence
____________________________
Choose work you
love and you will
never have to work
a day in your life.
-Confucius
___________________________
7 Principles for Creating Your Future, by James J. Semradek, Jr. & Michael P. Butler
The central theme is to select an opportunity that
fits you based on what you learned about
yourself.
Whether it is identifying a business you wish to be
in on your own as an entrepreneur, or seeking out
a position with a company exhibiting the seven
intrapreneurial characteristics, the opportunity
you select is a key element of the integrated
business and lifestyle model you will create as a
result of applying the seven principles to your life.
You have an awesome opportunity, and
challenge, to structure a tailor-made opportunity
that can fulfill your specific dreams while
providing high value-added services which meet
the needs of your clients.
Once you identify the business opportunity that
fits you, and develop a plan to execute it with
excellence, you’re ready to move forward.
It’s time to bring together who you are and the
lifestyle you want to create with the business
opportunity you select – be it entrepreneurial or
intrapreneurial – to create an integrated lifestyle
and business model customized to you and the
future you want to create.
PRINCIPLE 3: Cast a vision – and
support it with leadership
____________________________
Leaders learn from the past,
focus on the present,
and prepare for the future.
-Byrd Bagget,
The Pocket Book of Leadership
___________________________
Creating a life vision is a very personal process,
since it directly reflects your goals, dreams,
values, passions, and business interests. You will
3 of 6
find that in the process of visualizing your
journey, you will also be plotting the steps and
strategy you will employ to achieve your
vision.
FOUR STEPS OF A VISION
1. Define your vision in practical terms.
2. Define your vision graphically and then
literally.
3. Support your vision with leadership.
4. Apply leadership principles to develop
the respect and trust of your clients.
When casting a vision, integrate the
knowledge of who you are with what you want
the business you have selected to be. Then
develop a vision that defines your business
and integrates your values.
In casting your vision, start by depicting the
vision you have for your business in a simple
but powerful graphic.
If you have a partner, the process needs to be
accomplished first independently and then
jointly until a graphic emerges that all
partners are completely satisfied with and
reflects who they are and their shared vision
for the company.
PRINCIPLE 4: Lead a conservative
life and leverage your money and
time for good – don’t allow your
desire to make money control you
7 Principles for Creating Your Future, by James J. Semradek, Jr. & Michael P. Butler
____________________________
Money is a great
servant, a terrible
master. It’s a great
way to keep score
in business, but
it’s a terrible way
to gauge overall
success in life.
-Howard Ruff
___________________________
A portion of your time and money goes to your
business, and another portion to your own
needs, but what about the rest? Two “balance
principles” will enrich you and the world in which
you live:
First, leverage your money for good. If
every business would set aside money on a
regular basis with the sole purpose of using
it to help others, it would change the world.
Granted, you should not be charitable with
the intention of being blessed. However, you
can be assured that blessings beyond your
comprehension will follow.
Second, leverage your time for good.
Time is a very valuable resource, probably
much more important than money. If we
could use a portion of our time to help
others, what a powerful, positive impact we
could have on our community and the world.
When your business is producing an abundant
income for you, you can “free up” a portion of
your time to devote to helping others. Recall
your gifts, strengths, and weaknesses, and then
look for ways to use those strengths to help
others.
Clearly, business and money are important to all
of us, but they only provide the means to an end.
Avoiding the constant pursuit of money for
money’s sake, and planning and living so that
4 of 6
you have time to leverage your resources to help Remember, it’s okay and even healthy to take a
others is a profound, life-changing philosophy. break. Balancing a successful business with a
successful home life is true success. “The
business of life” is more important that “the
business.”
PRINCIPLE 5: Integrate work and
Being true to yourself, your family, and your
family – it’s one life, not two values is everything. It is the key to inner peace,
____________________________
personal growth, and a fulfilling, meaningful life.
In dwelling,
live close to the ground.
In thinking, keep
to the simple.
In conflict, be fair
and generous.
PRINCIPLE 6: Adhere to your
In governing, don’t values – live them and integrate
try to control.
In work, do what them into all that you do
you enjoy. __________________________
In family life, be
completely present. Our values are not luxuries, but necessities –
Not the salt in our bread, but the bread itself.
- Tao Te Ching
___________________________ - Jimmy Carter
__________________________
Integrating work and family is a constant
Your core values are the heart of who you are.
challenge, but when done in a balanced way that
Only you can define your values and determine
works for you, the rewards are awesome. The
how your values will be reflected in your vision
goal should be to integrate your business and
and in all you do. Living your values without
your family activities into one cohesive, balanced
compromise gives you a sense of purpose and
life focused on achieving your dreams and the life
inner peace that is precious beyond words or any
you want to have.
financial sum. A key to achieving true success is
to know your values and to follow the path they
Remember to choose a life and a lifestyle that are
dictate.
true for you and your family as you seek the
balanced business and lifestyle model that you
As you implement the 7 Principles in your life,
want. Forget the “family” part and you may find
your goal will be to define the values of
yourself very successful in business but not
importance to you and to determine how they
happy in your family life.
will be integrated into all that you do.
You can be a super-achiever, be relaxed, and
Regularly asking yourself the question “How am I
have a wonderful family life. So, don’t run so hard
doing at living my core values?” is one element of
getting to “the goal” that you forget to enjoy the
a constant self-assessment process you must
journey.
maintain to be aligned with your business and
lifestyle model. Since life and business are not
Structure your business so you have time for
static, we need to measure how well we are
both business and family. Pace yourself and be
doing at achieving the success and balance we
patient with your business – don’t let it consume
desire, which we will address in the next chapter.
you.

7 Principles for Creating Your Future, by James J. Semradek, Jr. & Michael P. Butler 5 of 6
PRINCIPLE 7: Measure your
success – using success factors that
will make a difference
____________________________
In order that
people may be
happy in their
work, these three
things are needed:
They must be fit
for it. They must
not do too much
of it. And they
must have a sense
of success in it.
- John Ruskin
___________________________
The success barometers you develop should
allow you to assess your progress toward
achieving your perfect life and the future you
want to create. Remember, the intent is for you to
assess all aspects of your desired life balance.
Here’s a set of barometers that assess the factors
of importance to balance in your life:
1. Relationship with God. Developing a
personal relationship with God and focusing
on a rich spiritual life could transform your
life.
2. Relationship with spouse. Usually, if this
relationship is in the excellent category, all is
well in many other areas of our life.
3. Relationship with children. Set a good
example for them by providing a loving,
protected, and nurturing home environment
so they can grow and prosper with a healthy
self-image.
4. Time spent on business versus family.
Have you created a business that allows you
to integrate work and family to the extent
you desire?
5. Time for friends. Along with your spouse
and God, these are the people you turn to for
counsel in times of uncertainty, for comfort in
times of distress, and these are the people
who uplift you when you spend time
together.
6. Serving and helping others. If everyone
focused just a fraction of their time on this
activity, imagine the impact it would have on
our world.
7. Business and financial success. Success
in business and finance can provide you with
more time to focus on the important things in
life, not just on making more and more
money.
8. Ability to smell the roses. Slow down.
Enjoy the day. Talk to a friend. Eat lunch at a
park. Notice a flower. Consciously decide to
make time for smelling the roses.
9. Physical conditioning and exercise. It is
also a necessary part of maintaining one’s
health and contributes to personal
refreshment.
10. Pursue your dreams to the extreme. Each
has different dreams. You can’t pursue them
unless you define them. What are your
dreams? Are you able to pursue them?
Maintaining the balance requires periodic check-
ups. If you’re out of balance, what is your plan to
get back on course? Be ready to have a balanced
life and to realize joy beyond your expectations!

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