Tim Boucher’s SIX STRATAGEMS

To transform tragedy to comedy, simply follow these six steps:

  1. Sow Possibility.
  2. Gather Greatness.
  3. Enrich Relationships.
  4. Add Value.
  5. Always Do Extra.
  6. Optimize.*

*Mastering even one of these strategies manifests success!

(Works better than “The Secret”)


- END -

ASSOCIATED CONTENT @TMBCHR (Auto-Generated)

21 Comments

  1. speedbird
    Posted September 12, 2007 at 3:07 am | Permalink

    OK, now I’m frightened.

  2. Posted September 12, 2007 at 3:15 am | Permalink

    In what way?

  3. Posted September 12, 2007 at 11:20 am | Permalink

    You sound like a Self help Guru, but I don’t think you are. You are like an anti-Guru, but trying to provide resources for people. So I think its the true spirit of self help

    But standing alone without commentary, these slogans seem like standard fare, Tony Robbins, stuff like that.

    I think you see them differently in an experiential way, because you are using them in your life and seeing results, but that experience is personal and subjective. The power doesn’t seem to be in the words themselves.

    Its kind of like posting a verse of scripture that you are excited about without commentary. People won’t see your internal process just from the verse.

  4. Posted September 12, 2007 at 12:14 pm | Permalink

    I actually agree with Ted on this one.

  5. Posted September 12, 2007 at 12:22 pm | Permalink

    There’s a lot of good stuff in Tony Robbins. He’s a master hypnotist and a superb magickian. The reason he’s got a market is because he imprints triggers to keep people coming back to his seminars like addicts for the good feelings he can produce; plus, he’ll always have a market because it’s guaranteed that the majority of the people going to his seminars are gonna get hooked on the good feelings of the seminars and not actually go about the work of modeling the success strategies he’s putting out there. So in that sense he’s sort of a trickster. If you don’t fall for the little trickiness, he’s given you a workable template of conscious, ritual action to get what you want and you’re free to tailor it to yourself. You still have to do the work. We all do.

    I’m fine with Tim just posting his thing as such. I’m guessing he’ll elaborate later, but, man–in the end it all comes down to: are you gonna do the work or not? If it don’t work out and you honestly did the work, then its up to you to tailor it for yourself or come up with something else, keep moving forward–observe, analyze, take action, assess and modify.

    In the end, you gotta make whatever “method” simply something that you do in your way, automatically. Otherwise, yeah…go to a zillion Tony Robbins Mastery Academy classes, get the little Tony Robbins necklace to wear around your neck, and stay exactly where you are, except maybe slightly happier and slightly more broke. There are worse things.

  6. Posted September 12, 2007 at 1:18 pm | Permalink

    Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

    Blessed are they who mourn,
    for they shall be comforted.

    Blessed are the meek,
    for they shall possess the earth.

    Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice,
    for they shall be satisfied.

    Blessed are the merciful,
    for they shall obtain mercy.

    Blessed are the pure of heart,
    for they shall see God.

    Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they shall be called sons of God.

    Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice sake,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

  7. Posted September 12, 2007 at 1:29 pm | Permalink

    Okay, well this is good feedback. This tells me that there is another human layer of the story that needs to be conveyed before these simple points themselves can become sticky. The Beatitudes aren’t just the Beatitudes. They were delivered in the context of a man’s life and the Sermon on the Mount. The proof is in the pudding so to speak. It’s up to me as a storyteller to show more vividly how and why these simple principles have “transformed my life” so to speak. I was planning, of course, on expanding on this, but it’s helpful to see reactions here. There’s a section in the Book of Five Rings were Musashi talks about how arrows are better than guns in certain circumstances because you can see their path of flight and therefore correct with your next shot.

  8. Posted September 12, 2007 at 2:07 pm | Permalink

    I see the point and utility of what all of these people are doing now:

    http://www.pathwaytohappiness.com/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_habits
    http://www.stevepavlina.com/
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Agreements
    http://www.timboucher.com/journal/2005/05/04/the-power-of-bullshit/

    I, in fact, no longer think this stuff is bullshit. It’s a matter of boiling down to the most precise and concise language in your communications with people (the Sixth Stratagem, in fact). Or, as Thank You says, eliminating “wasted value.”

  9. Posted September 12, 2007 at 2:13 pm | Permalink

    Just for the purposes of applying my own bullshit, here is how one might respond to something like this emotionally (think of it as a script for a scene in the musical) while effectively applying the Six Strategems:

    “I don’t immediately see the value in this, but perhaps other people will who are at a different place than myself. I value Tim’s work, so I am excited to see where he goes with it and am open to the possibility of learning something from it, as well as comfortable with the fact that - hey, maybe it’s just not for me!”

  10. magic grubb
    Posted September 12, 2007 at 2:38 pm | Permalink

    Jeez…I really don’t know what to say about this…I’m actually listening to one of Steve Pavlina’s podcasts right now. I hadn’t been to this site in a while, and it just occured to me while the podcast was wrapping up to check in and see what’s new.

    Weird.

  11. Sean
    Posted September 12, 2007 at 2:43 pm | Permalink

    See, I think this shit is fucking great.

  12. jet
    Posted September 12, 2007 at 6:11 pm | Permalink

    I like this post too. At my work things seem to be in the “tragedy” phase for now, these look like good ideas to make the move to “comedy”.

    Tim, what do you mean by this: 5) Always be activating.

  13. Posted September 12, 2007 at 7:32 pm | Permalink

    Hey Jet, I will be writing detailed bits on each one, but you’re probably right that one could be more clear.

    What I mean by it, I guess, is that you ought to always be starting things, turning things on, making connections, getting things going, as opposed to shutting down, closing off, etc. What ends up happening when you do this is you begin to build forward momentum and things start to snowball and come to you. I guess you could think of it as watering the possibilities that you have sown!

    I recognize that I need to work on clarity within these statements!

  14. Julia
    Posted September 12, 2007 at 8:46 pm | Permalink

    A few years ago I saw a cartoon mash up of Star Wars and Glen Garry Glen Ross. In GGGR Alec Baldwin’s character gives his ABC speech. Always Be Closing. (They’re Real Estate agents.)

    In the cartoon Darth Vader gives the speech but he advises Always Be Stalking.

    I can’t see those two words together without laughing and I can’t find the cartoon to show you.

  15. Posted September 12, 2007 at 8:50 pm | Permalink

    The other thing about “always activating” is that you start getting into a position where something or other is always paying off. You end up playing with time scales: this project or this intention is this far advanced, and another is at a different place. Breaking them down into smaller and smaller chunks allows you to accomplish more and more immediately and to always be reaping a harvest, which you can then flow into the activation of some other new area! And soon this process begins to seem almost automatic as resources present themselves to you and you plug them in as needed!

  16. Posted September 13, 2007 at 3:09 am | Permalink

    “When a thought is too weak to be expressed simply, it is a proof that it should be rejected.”
    Luc de Clapier de Vauvanargues

  17. Posted September 13, 2007 at 11:20 am | Permalink

    Hey you changed them!

  18. Crystal
    Posted September 13, 2007 at 9:53 pm | Permalink

    Yeah, I liked it better when it just said “Economize.”

    I think it was more elegant that way.

  19. Posted September 13, 2007 at 10:44 pm | Permalink

    Yeah, they’re stratagems - they’re always changing!

    That’s real life!

  20. Posted September 13, 2007 at 10:46 pm | Permalink

    I changed the economize one back!

    Cause that’s also life! It’s a matter of deciding who the audience is, because they have certain expectations out of language.

  21. Crystal
    Posted September 14, 2007 at 8:38 am | Permalink

    Haha, well if you use me as your test audience you may be doomed to failure. I am a unique and beautiful snowflake!

Public Domain Where Applicable, Copy Left Where Not, Universal Free Realms Everyware Else for 2009 and for forever.the timboucher experience. No rights reserved.