The journey is long and painful, the obstacles are large and frequent, but the prize...is worth it all.--GLV
A friend of mine called me yesterday saying that reading my blog was a wake up call. After reading all 30 of the posts and then walking into the bathroom to answer the following questions from one of the posts:
What are you doing in your life to reach your Competitive Greatness?
What are you doing to develop your spiritual life (your relationship with God)?
Are you taking care of yourself physically (eating right, exercising), emotionally (developing relationships) and mentally (educating yourself)?
He realized that he could not answer the questions with good conscience. He tried to find answers to the questions for 10 minutes with out lying and then realized he didn’t have them. He couldnt bring himself to lie to the only person he couldnt lie to...himself. So he began to break down in tears, and in the midst of that shirade had a revelation. He decided to take action. Right then and there he began to change his life for the better. After listening to his story I was obviously taken back from his statements and it made me start thinking about all that I have gone through in business and in life. After a couple of minutes of reflection, a quote I read a couple of years ago popped into my head: "The will to win — the will to achieve — goes dry and arid without continuous renewal".
This quote is one of the most honest statements I have ever read, and for most, it explains their defeats. Most things are out of our control during our long journey to greatness (whatever that journey may be), and the only way to get to the finish line is by being mentally tough, a big picture thinker, and extremely motivated. You have to "bleed love and spit fire", and if you dont, you will fail, quit, and miss out on great opportunities because of those decisions. My dad sent me an email the other day with only this quote in it: Energy and persistence conquer all things. Think about that quote and then think about all the times you have bailed out on an opportunity. Then think about what would have happened if you pressed on. Would your life be different? Would it be better? My plan is to put every effort of my being into every second of the day so when I am on my deathbed I can recite these words:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”--Theodore Roosevelt
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Fuel for the fire
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will
not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will
not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and
determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved
and always will solve the problems of the human race"—Calvin Coolidge
My life has been hectic to say the least. Out of 100, my stress level has been a 99. With that level of stress comes doubt, the new existence of obstacles, and a lot of fear. They all go hand and hand, and when one pops up, the rest are right behind. But what do you do when this happens. Do you stay the course? Or bail out like 99.9% of people do??? That decision alone can keep you up at night…and recently, it has. But I have found that with lofty goals comes a hefty amount of work and a lot of stress. But those are small prices to pay for victory. Keeping that in mind and ignoring the massive amount of stress on my shoulders I decided, as always, to say fuck it. I wasn’t going to worry about the stress. I decided to ignore the anxiety. And the fear…I turned it into fuel for my fire. I did this through constant renewal on my goals and taking a step out of my current situation and looking at it through a consultant’s eyes. What would I tell myself? And is my advice right for me? Well it turned out it was! Nothing is as bad as you think it is and nothing DOESN’T have an answer. The thing that you find out at the other end...is that all of that happened as a test...and that fear and stress can now be used as a tool. Because if you really think about it…What is stress? It is fear about the future. But you cant live your life thinking about the future and not taking care of the present. You have to dominate today, plan accordingly for the future (don’t dwell) and have faith in yourself. Because I promise you, victory tastes a lot better than defeat...
not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will
not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and
determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved
and always will solve the problems of the human race"—Calvin Coolidge
My life has been hectic to say the least. Out of 100, my stress level has been a 99. With that level of stress comes doubt, the new existence of obstacles, and a lot of fear. They all go hand and hand, and when one pops up, the rest are right behind. But what do you do when this happens. Do you stay the course? Or bail out like 99.9% of people do??? That decision alone can keep you up at night…and recently, it has. But I have found that with lofty goals comes a hefty amount of work and a lot of stress. But those are small prices to pay for victory. Keeping that in mind and ignoring the massive amount of stress on my shoulders I decided, as always, to say fuck it. I wasn’t going to worry about the stress. I decided to ignore the anxiety. And the fear…I turned it into fuel for my fire. I did this through constant renewal on my goals and taking a step out of my current situation and looking at it through a consultant’s eyes. What would I tell myself? And is my advice right for me? Well it turned out it was! Nothing is as bad as you think it is and nothing DOESN’T have an answer. The thing that you find out at the other end...is that all of that happened as a test...and that fear and stress can now be used as a tool. Because if you really think about it…What is stress? It is fear about the future. But you cant live your life thinking about the future and not taking care of the present. You have to dominate today, plan accordingly for the future (don’t dwell) and have faith in yourself. Because I promise you, victory tastes a lot better than defeat...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
We are...
"We are the people that we have been waiting for"
I have been observing that people aren't as creative or determined as I had hoped. Its like the world in which we live is a franchiser and we are all its little franchisees. Where are the heroes? Where are the risk takers? Where are the "Why Sayers? In the "template" we live in, we have to wear _______ if we are going to succeed. Our facial hair has to be exactly like __________ or we cant succeed. We must drive a __________ or we "aren't doing as well as we should be". We cant start a __________ company because will step on ___________'s toes. Why?! And for what?! So we can be mediocre?!! Well what happened to the people that didn't do it like that? What about the people that said "Fuck this...I'm doing it my way"...Yvonne Chouineard, Owner of Patagonia, runs a 250 million dollar company, and lets his people come to work barefoot in board shorts. Why has he been able to do it while everyone else is afraid to color outside of the lines? He literally looks at the guy who wears a suit in the summer and is confused on why a guy would wear a wool suit in 90 degree heat. But no one else is confused...say what? Why don't we have more people in the world that think that way? Why don't we have more people in the world that want to change it? I have a friend that used to believe in passion and gave it up for a "salary man" job...I had lunch with this friend a while back and left almost in tears. I was looking and talking to a ghost...a ghost of a former man that lived his life. And now, he sells _____, drives the ________, dresses like he is supposed to, and only talks about his job selling ___________. What the FUCK is going on in the world?! What happened to LIFE! What happened to becoming SUCCESSFUL in things that you LOVE?! What happened to being an Innovator?! Taking RISK?! SAYING FUCK IT?! I'm going to roll the dice and if I fail, I will pick myself back up and do it again until I WIN! We are the people that we have been waiting for and it is time to realize how powerful we are. And worst case scenario...we can go become a "salary man"...
I have been observing that people aren't as creative or determined as I had hoped. Its like the world in which we live is a franchiser and we are all its little franchisees. Where are the heroes? Where are the risk takers? Where are the "Why Sayers? In the "template" we live in, we have to wear _______ if we are going to succeed. Our facial hair has to be exactly like __________ or we cant succeed. We must drive a __________ or we "aren't doing as well as we should be". We cant start a __________ company because will step on ___________'s toes. Why?! And for what?! So we can be mediocre?!! Well what happened to the people that didn't do it like that? What about the people that said "Fuck this...I'm doing it my way"...Yvonne Chouineard, Owner of Patagonia, runs a 250 million dollar company, and lets his people come to work barefoot in board shorts. Why has he been able to do it while everyone else is afraid to color outside of the lines? He literally looks at the guy who wears a suit in the summer and is confused on why a guy would wear a wool suit in 90 degree heat. But no one else is confused...say what? Why don't we have more people in the world that think that way? Why don't we have more people in the world that want to change it? I have a friend that used to believe in passion and gave it up for a "salary man" job...I had lunch with this friend a while back and left almost in tears. I was looking and talking to a ghost...a ghost of a former man that lived his life. And now, he sells _____, drives the ________, dresses like he is supposed to, and only talks about his job selling ___________. What the FUCK is going on in the world?! What happened to LIFE! What happened to becoming SUCCESSFUL in things that you LOVE?! What happened to being an Innovator?! Taking RISK?! SAYING FUCK IT?! I'm going to roll the dice and if I fail, I will pick myself back up and do it again until I WIN! We are the people that we have been waiting for and it is time to realize how powerful we are. And worst case scenario...we can go become a "salary man"...
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Big Stones
"It takes bigger stones to say NO than yes."--KM
The key phrases of my day are:
1. Action, Action, Action
2. Fulfill your life by the day
3. One day makes one week, which makes a month, which makes a quarter.
None of those phrases are possible without realistic goal setting, phenomenal scheduling, relentless persistence, (a nervous twitch), and the ability to SAY NO.
My brother and I were having a conversation about how he can’t say no. That mentality then throws off the entire rhythm of his day due to over packing his schedule, which then creates anxiety and rushing. Personally, I have the same problem. I want to be everywhere. I want to be everything. And if I am not, I feel like I am missing something or letting someone down. But am I? I sat down with a very successful executive and one of his "tidbits" was… "It takes bigger stones to say No than yes". At the time that phrase didn't really make sense...but I now understand it completely. It finally sank in due to a combination of an action packed day of diverse activities. If I hadn’t taught myself how to say no, everything in my life would have suffered. I will give you an example... I was asked by a sports team back in January if I was going to try out for their team. Everything in my BEING wanted to say yes. I am a competitionaholic but before I gave an answer I took a step back and wrote out my schedule if I were to say yes...and let’s just say my life was going to be going 100 mph from 5:00 AM until 10:00 PM with no wife/family/friend time. But something inside of me still wanted to say yes even after looking at my schedule! Can you believe that?! What is it about our society that people just expect YES? Well...as you may have predicted, I said NO. It still makes me feel awkward just writing it. But in saying NO, I have been able to say YES to more important things that allow me to reach my ultimate goals, personal and monetary. The lesson here is that we need to prioritize our lives, not just our days, and say NO to things that affect our long term plan rather than fixing a short term "craving". Trust me...it’s going to be tough to get used to but once you set your eyes on a prize, “YES” doesn’t come as often as it used to.
The key phrases of my day are:
1. Action, Action, Action
2. Fulfill your life by the day
3. One day makes one week, which makes a month, which makes a quarter.
None of those phrases are possible without realistic goal setting, phenomenal scheduling, relentless persistence, (a nervous twitch), and the ability to SAY NO.
My brother and I were having a conversation about how he can’t say no. That mentality then throws off the entire rhythm of his day due to over packing his schedule, which then creates anxiety and rushing. Personally, I have the same problem. I want to be everywhere. I want to be everything. And if I am not, I feel like I am missing something or letting someone down. But am I? I sat down with a very successful executive and one of his "tidbits" was… "It takes bigger stones to say No than yes". At the time that phrase didn't really make sense...but I now understand it completely. It finally sank in due to a combination of an action packed day of diverse activities. If I hadn’t taught myself how to say no, everything in my life would have suffered. I will give you an example... I was asked by a sports team back in January if I was going to try out for their team. Everything in my BEING wanted to say yes. I am a competitionaholic but before I gave an answer I took a step back and wrote out my schedule if I were to say yes...and let’s just say my life was going to be going 100 mph from 5:00 AM until 10:00 PM with no wife/family/friend time. But something inside of me still wanted to say yes even after looking at my schedule! Can you believe that?! What is it about our society that people just expect YES? Well...as you may have predicted, I said NO. It still makes me feel awkward just writing it. But in saying NO, I have been able to say YES to more important things that allow me to reach my ultimate goals, personal and monetary. The lesson here is that we need to prioritize our lives, not just our days, and say NO to things that affect our long term plan rather than fixing a short term "craving". Trust me...it’s going to be tough to get used to but once you set your eyes on a prize, “YES” doesn’t come as often as it used to.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Surround yourself with people that share similar goals
One of the keys of a continuous tenacious rhythm towards accomplishing your goals is to make sure you are surrounded by people that have your similar views and do not fall into the category of "misery loves company". I have taught myself to ONLY surround myself with people that have my similar views and philosophies of life which can be summed up as "living life to the fullest by dominating each and every day." With that being said…my good friend called and said he had a great post for the Enlightened Graduate...I read it and loved it...and here it is…
I’m a family friend to the Vetter’s and share the same Modus Operandi: Dominate everything you do in your life. My first post kind of piggybacks on some of Greg’s posts; Dialed In, Getting’er Done & Spider Monkey… I hope you enjoy.
Competitive Greatness
I am a college football Coach. I don’t get a day off from August 2 till sometime in late December. I work 100 hours a week (usually more). I miss all types of events (weddings, parties, etc.) due to my schedule. I am behind on current events. There are times when I know more about what’s going on in a recruit’s life than with my own family members. I have become a bad friend because of my personal job requirements. I might go weeks without a solid night’s sleep. I sacrifice, forfeit and surrender the majority of my personal life for my job.
With all of that said; I LOVE MY JOB. Football is my passion. I get up in the morning excited to go to work, everyday. When I’m not working I am reading about coaches and football. I am just like a lot of other guys who can’t wait to get out of the office; then I can go watch football. I am an addict and football is my drug; I can’t get enough of it. While football is a major part of my life, it is not my life.
The best way I can describe my commitment to my job, as well as my life, is to borrow Coach John Wooden’s (former UCLA basketball coach & 10 time NCAA Champion Coach) philosophy on Competitive Greatness. Competitive Greatness is not whether you win or lose your contest. Competitive Greatness is rising to every occasion and pushing yourself to the limit; mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually to reach your God-given potential. This immediately makes me think of the wonderful Vince Lombardi quote “I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, his greatest fulfillment of all he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.” It’s important to understand that your life is the ‘field of battle’ and you have an opportunity to be victorious in all facets of your life. Even writing this journal entry I’m getting excited for my next opportunity to compete.
I am sharing all of this with you to ask you a few simple questions that I ask myself every week. These are questions that only you can answer: What are you doing in your life to reach your Competitive Greatness? What are you doing to develop your spiritual life (your relationship with God)? Are you taking care of yourself physically (eating right, exercising), emotionally (developing relationships) and mentally (educating yourself)? If you ever find yourself unmotivated or searching in your life, than you need to re-center and refocus, answering these questions will help you do just that. Ask yourself these questions and write down your answers. Spend your next week focusing on what you wrote down. At the end of your week ask yourself these questions again, write down your answers and compare your answers from week one to week two. You will find a tremendous difference in how you prioritized your life, how you spend your time and you will find out what is missing and how you need to prioritize.
I’m a family friend to the Vetter’s and share the same Modus Operandi: Dominate everything you do in your life. My first post kind of piggybacks on some of Greg’s posts; Dialed In, Getting’er Done & Spider Monkey… I hope you enjoy.
Competitive Greatness
I am a college football Coach. I don’t get a day off from August 2 till sometime in late December. I work 100 hours a week (usually more). I miss all types of events (weddings, parties, etc.) due to my schedule. I am behind on current events. There are times when I know more about what’s going on in a recruit’s life than with my own family members. I have become a bad friend because of my personal job requirements. I might go weeks without a solid night’s sleep. I sacrifice, forfeit and surrender the majority of my personal life for my job.
With all of that said; I LOVE MY JOB. Football is my passion. I get up in the morning excited to go to work, everyday. When I’m not working I am reading about coaches and football. I am just like a lot of other guys who can’t wait to get out of the office; then I can go watch football. I am an addict and football is my drug; I can’t get enough of it. While football is a major part of my life, it is not my life.
The best way I can describe my commitment to my job, as well as my life, is to borrow Coach John Wooden’s (former UCLA basketball coach & 10 time NCAA Champion Coach) philosophy on Competitive Greatness. Competitive Greatness is not whether you win or lose your contest. Competitive Greatness is rising to every occasion and pushing yourself to the limit; mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually to reach your God-given potential. This immediately makes me think of the wonderful Vince Lombardi quote “I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, his greatest fulfillment of all he holds dear, is the moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.” It’s important to understand that your life is the ‘field of battle’ and you have an opportunity to be victorious in all facets of your life. Even writing this journal entry I’m getting excited for my next opportunity to compete.
I am sharing all of this with you to ask you a few simple questions that I ask myself every week. These are questions that only you can answer: What are you doing in your life to reach your Competitive Greatness? What are you doing to develop your spiritual life (your relationship with God)? Are you taking care of yourself physically (eating right, exercising), emotionally (developing relationships) and mentally (educating yourself)? If you ever find yourself unmotivated or searching in your life, than you need to re-center and refocus, answering these questions will help you do just that. Ask yourself these questions and write down your answers. Spend your next week focusing on what you wrote down. At the end of your week ask yourself these questions again, write down your answers and compare your answers from week one to week two. You will find a tremendous difference in how you prioritized your life, how you spend your time and you will find out what is missing and how you need to prioritize.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Dialed-in
Dialed-in: Adj, English, to know something at its fundamental level and execute it perfectly, constantly remaining flexible and open for improvement to take "it" to the next level.
Use in a sentence: That dude is dialed-in.
Running a small business as a side venture is no small task. And as each day passes, you are forced to sharpen your saw for the next day... reflecting on what you were burnt on while tenaciously preparing for the next day's adventure. My brother left his corporate job to help take our little venture to the next level, and through his hard work, coined the phrase "Dialed-in". He coined this phrase specifically because of his baptism by fire birth on the small business scene. After realizing that this venture was going to take every ounce of his focus and heart, he was forced to do some self reflection/realization. In doing so, he came to the conclusion that he was "Undialed in". With change as his motivator and fire in his heart, he took his organization and focus to the next level with the single goal of getting "Dialed-in". Three weeks and a half of a nervous breakdown later, Brian Christopher Vetter climbed an oak tree in our community and screamed "Hooodyhoooo, this mother fucker is Dialed-in!" . After coming down from the tree, the definition of Dialed-in was explained to me...and that moment is written down as the second time I opened my eyes for the first time. At THE "dialed-in moment", my world became divided in two. Dialed-in and Undialed-in. I instantly viewed the world completely different and have continued to do so. I became... enlightened. I realized in business and in life, you can literally put people into these two categories. They either plan intelligently and appropriately or they dont. They either know their craft like the back of their hand or they dont. They either attack each day like it's their last or they waste it. I consider myself "Dialed-in" but took the definition of being "Dialed-in" to the streets to make sure I was doing it 100% in every aspect of my life. I did this for one reason and one reason only... You can not be "Dialed-in" in one aspect of your life and be "Undialed-in" in another. It just doesnt work that way. To reach true success in your personal and professional life, otherwise known as "perfect balance", you have to be dialed-in in EVERYTHING! So I post this dare: Try being "Dialed-in" for one day, in everything you do, and let me know how it feels...I guarantee you never go back to half-ass.
Use in a sentence: That dude is dialed-in.
Running a small business as a side venture is no small task. And as each day passes, you are forced to sharpen your saw for the next day... reflecting on what you were burnt on while tenaciously preparing for the next day's adventure. My brother left his corporate job to help take our little venture to the next level, and through his hard work, coined the phrase "Dialed-in". He coined this phrase specifically because of his baptism by fire birth on the small business scene. After realizing that this venture was going to take every ounce of his focus and heart, he was forced to do some self reflection/realization. In doing so, he came to the conclusion that he was "Undialed in". With change as his motivator and fire in his heart, he took his organization and focus to the next level with the single goal of getting "Dialed-in". Three weeks and a half of a nervous breakdown later, Brian Christopher Vetter climbed an oak tree in our community and screamed "Hooodyhoooo, this mother fucker is Dialed-in!" . After coming down from the tree, the definition of Dialed-in was explained to me...and that moment is written down as the second time I opened my eyes for the first time. At THE "dialed-in moment", my world became divided in two. Dialed-in and Undialed-in. I instantly viewed the world completely different and have continued to do so. I became... enlightened. I realized in business and in life, you can literally put people into these two categories. They either plan intelligently and appropriately or they dont. They either know their craft like the back of their hand or they dont. They either attack each day like it's their last or they waste it. I consider myself "Dialed-in" but took the definition of being "Dialed-in" to the streets to make sure I was doing it 100% in every aspect of my life. I did this for one reason and one reason only... You can not be "Dialed-in" in one aspect of your life and be "Undialed-in" in another. It just doesnt work that way. To reach true success in your personal and professional life, otherwise known as "perfect balance", you have to be dialed-in in EVERYTHING! So I post this dare: Try being "Dialed-in" for one day, in everything you do, and let me know how it feels...I guarantee you never go back to half-ass.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
My home smells of rich mahogany and leather bound books
"The green grow and the ripe rot"
As your evolution in life and business continues, you are going to get bombarded with advice, suggestions, and "the best way" to literally do everything ...but what if none of the methods that are forced down your throat are correct for you... and what if there is a better way? Being a student of the game, I became curious on how the best got where they did and how to create my own path. After boss after boss forced "there way" on me...and after realizing that there way was shit...I decided it was time to implement my 1/3 nerd. I decided the only way to be the best, was to submerse myself in "the game" and teach myself along the way. I now read, on average, 1 book a week. Every free moment I have I am working on those books like its my job, and because of my reading, I have more written under the "ideas" portion of my daily lists than I have ever had! These magical texts, or "books" for the commoner, help me sharpen my saw and gain perspective on the paths previously taken to success. With every new book I read, I understand more and more peoples views, improve my ability to empathize, sharpen my saw with new methods of organization, and in turn, I gain momentum on my path to success. SO GO READ BIOTCH! Current Book Reading: When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi
As your evolution in life and business continues, you are going to get bombarded with advice, suggestions, and "the best way" to literally do everything ...but what if none of the methods that are forced down your throat are correct for you... and what if there is a better way? Being a student of the game, I became curious on how the best got where they did and how to create my own path. After boss after boss forced "there way" on me...and after realizing that there way was shit...I decided it was time to implement my 1/3 nerd. I decided the only way to be the best, was to submerse myself in "the game" and teach myself along the way. I now read, on average, 1 book a week. Every free moment I have I am working on those books like its my job, and because of my reading, I have more written under the "ideas" portion of my daily lists than I have ever had! These magical texts, or "books" for the commoner, help me sharpen my saw and gain perspective on the paths previously taken to success. With every new book I read, I understand more and more peoples views, improve my ability to empathize, sharpen my saw with new methods of organization, and in turn, I gain momentum on my path to success. SO GO READ BIOTCH! Current Book Reading: When Pride Still Mattered: A Life of Vince Lombardi
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Gettin er done
"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves."--Edmund Hillary
What are you doing to keep your mental edge? To sharpen and keep sharp, the "'ol saw"? In a world full of distractions and unimportant interrupts, we as a generation are as busy as ever... but for some reason we manage to accomplish less and less. My last post discussed GVPT and how it helps me maintain focus for the day while remaining "big picture" oriented towards my ultimate goals...but who cares about focus if you don't "get er done"?! So I pose two questions for you on the subject of "gettin er done": What are you doing? And, HOW are you doing it?!
I just finished a book by Ted Leonsis on his life thus far. Pretty interesting stuff, but not applicable to me because the dot com era has passed and I didn't make 60 + million from it. But...the one thing in the book that really hit home, other than how happy he is (i would be to if I had a net worth of over 100 million), was his energy and "fire" for actually accomplishing things. His philosophy was and is "one day, leads to one week, which turns into one month, which turns into a quarter". Productivity is the one thing that people really lack...I mean we all have "to do" lists, but what the hell are on these things?! I feel like we are all in the the old FedEx commercial with the guy who has nothing to do but cant stop screaming "BUSY BEE HERE, DON'T HAVE TIME!". What are WE actually accomplishing on a daily basis for our current and future success... AND... if we are accomplishing things, are they the right things to make us productive, successful, and ultimately happy? In my opinion, organized lists are an important part of the answer that most overlook.
I recently became obsessed with organization and have created my "to do" lists to work with my brain...My lists now consists of 5 categories: Urgent, Important, Goals, Ideas, and Notes. Each day has its own page and I check off as I go. I begin the list the night before, sleep on it, workout on it, and finish it during my morning planning session (fully catered with endless amounts of cold pressed coffee). At 7:15 AM, it is 99% done and has been a working document for at least 12 hours. The ability to distinguish between urgent and important was the tipping point in my daily productivity and organization. From DAILY productivity, I can then plan accordingly for the WEEK... and with a week's organizational foundation, I can remain on track to accomplish my ultimate goals due to the avoidance of unnecessary distractions and busy work. BOOOOOYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
What are you doing to keep your mental edge? To sharpen and keep sharp, the "'ol saw"? In a world full of distractions and unimportant interrupts, we as a generation are as busy as ever... but for some reason we manage to accomplish less and less. My last post discussed GVPT and how it helps me maintain focus for the day while remaining "big picture" oriented towards my ultimate goals...but who cares about focus if you don't "get er done"?! So I pose two questions for you on the subject of "gettin er done": What are you doing? And, HOW are you doing it?!
I just finished a book by Ted Leonsis on his life thus far. Pretty interesting stuff, but not applicable to me because the dot com era has passed and I didn't make 60 + million from it. But...the one thing in the book that really hit home, other than how happy he is (i would be to if I had a net worth of over 100 million), was his energy and "fire" for actually accomplishing things. His philosophy was and is "one day, leads to one week, which turns into one month, which turns into a quarter". Productivity is the one thing that people really lack...I mean we all have "to do" lists, but what the hell are on these things?! I feel like we are all in the the old FedEx commercial with the guy who has nothing to do but cant stop screaming "BUSY BEE HERE, DON'T HAVE TIME!". What are WE actually accomplishing on a daily basis for our current and future success... AND... if we are accomplishing things, are they the right things to make us productive, successful, and ultimately happy? In my opinion, organized lists are an important part of the answer that most overlook.
I recently became obsessed with organization and have created my "to do" lists to work with my brain...My lists now consists of 5 categories: Urgent, Important, Goals, Ideas, and Notes. Each day has its own page and I check off as I go. I begin the list the night before, sleep on it, workout on it, and finish it during my morning planning session (fully catered with endless amounts of cold pressed coffee). At 7:15 AM, it is 99% done and has been a working document for at least 12 hours. The ability to distinguish between urgent and important was the tipping point in my daily productivity and organization. From DAILY productivity, I can then plan accordingly for the WEEK... and with a week's organizational foundation, I can remain on track to accomplish my ultimate goals due to the avoidance of unnecessary distractions and busy work. BOOOOOYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Hummmmmmmmmm
Life, work, family, friends, communities, charities, side ventures, bills, relationships, health, and personal goals. How do we as a generation succeed, and balance everything in our lives? How do we create and stay on our ideal path? How can we organize our thoughts, goals, obligations, and health, yet keep on keepin on?! (I will give you a hint, you don't sniff it)
I do it with GVPT...see below...
The day I found out I was having a baby girl I knew my life was going to change in a direction that I couldn't even begin to fathom...so I did what I know how to do...I sat in a dark room and started thinking. My thoughts were not flowing like I was hoping (even after a multi-vitamin, a Norwegian cod liver oil pill, and some fruit) so I decided to get on my knees and pray. As I was praying, everything began to come clear to me about my true goals, my real fears, and my future as a man... but there was still a little haze...so I decided to stand on my head, get some extra blood flow to the 'ol mechanism, and continue my brain storming session. LET ME TELL YOU, the clarity came like a sucker punch! I have never been so focused! I wrote out my life goals...all 80 of them. I put in motion the plan to attain those goals. And let me tell you something...A plan with a purpose is a DANGEROUS WEAPON.
Some call it meditation, some call it prayer, I call it GVPT. But whatever it is, for 10+ minutes every day, I stand on my head. I focus. I think. I plan. I look inwards. And in doing so, I figured out my higher purpose. I figured out what makes me tick. I figured out me.
Some say its because I have a baby on the way, and with that comes "the fear of god". I think its because of the GVPT. And with the GVPT I figured out my WHY, and my HOW.
The GVPT week has been the most productive week in my life, so I pose this question: If you could find yourself by standing on your head for 10 minutes a day, would you do it?
I do it with GVPT...see below...
The day I found out I was having a baby girl I knew my life was going to change in a direction that I couldn't even begin to fathom...so I did what I know how to do...I sat in a dark room and started thinking. My thoughts were not flowing like I was hoping (even after a multi-vitamin, a Norwegian cod liver oil pill, and some fruit) so I decided to get on my knees and pray. As I was praying, everything began to come clear to me about my true goals, my real fears, and my future as a man... but there was still a little haze...so I decided to stand on my head, get some extra blood flow to the 'ol mechanism, and continue my brain storming session. LET ME TELL YOU, the clarity came like a sucker punch! I have never been so focused! I wrote out my life goals...all 80 of them. I put in motion the plan to attain those goals. And let me tell you something...A plan with a purpose is a DANGEROUS WEAPON.
Some call it meditation, some call it prayer, I call it GVPT. But whatever it is, for 10+ minutes every day, I stand on my head. I focus. I think. I plan. I look inwards. And in doing so, I figured out my higher purpose. I figured out what makes me tick. I figured out me.
Some say its because I have a baby on the way, and with that comes "the fear of god". I think its because of the GVPT. And with the GVPT I figured out my WHY, and my HOW.
The GVPT week has been the most productive week in my life, so I pose this question: If you could find yourself by standing on your head for 10 minutes a day, would you do it?
Thursday, May 20, 2010
“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”
So... I am in the middle of getting a line of credit from the bank for a side venture that I am working on. In doing so, I have come to the realization and the understanding, of the importance of taking your time, beginning with the end in mind, and only submitting the “best you can do”.
The numerous drafts of my financial forecasts I had to RE-SUBMIT reminded me of Winston Lloyds experience with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger...
“WL: Well, basically it was, I went in with a draft, and it was actually of a presidential foreign policy report. This is slightly apocryphal and not directly on your subject here, but I would go in with a draft of the speech. He called me in the next day and said, “Is this the best you can do?” I said, “Henry, I thought so, but I’ll try again.” So I go back in a few days, another draft. He called me in the next day and he said, “Are you sure this is the best you can do?” I said, “Well, I really thought so. I’ll try one more time.” Anyway, this went on eight times, eight drafts; each time he said, “Is this the best you can do?” So I went in there with a ninth draft, and when he called me in the next day and asked me that same question, I really got exasperated and I said, “Henry, I’ve beaten my brains out – this is the ninth draft. I know it’s the best I can do: I can’t possibly improve one more word.” He then looked at me and said, “In that case, now I’ll read it.”
In everything we do, there must be the understanding of how our actions (or work) will be used and "the end result". Will our actions get us our desired results? Is this the best possible work I can do? What if you started every task you faced with the end in mind...AND... with an understanding that nothing would be accepted EXCEPT for perfection? Would anything in your life change?
This experience has taught me the importance of planning, the importance of time management, the importance of big picture thinking, AND...the importance of ONLY DOING YOUR BEST. Nothing else will suffice if your desired end-result is victory.
So... I am in the middle of getting a line of credit from the bank for a side venture that I am working on. In doing so, I have come to the realization and the understanding, of the importance of taking your time, beginning with the end in mind, and only submitting the “best you can do”.
The numerous drafts of my financial forecasts I had to RE-SUBMIT reminded me of Winston Lloyds experience with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger...
“WL: Well, basically it was, I went in with a draft, and it was actually of a presidential foreign policy report. This is slightly apocryphal and not directly on your subject here, but I would go in with a draft of the speech. He called me in the next day and said, “Is this the best you can do?” I said, “Henry, I thought so, but I’ll try again.” So I go back in a few days, another draft. He called me in the next day and he said, “Are you sure this is the best you can do?” I said, “Well, I really thought so. I’ll try one more time.” Anyway, this went on eight times, eight drafts; each time he said, “Is this the best you can do?” So I went in there with a ninth draft, and when he called me in the next day and asked me that same question, I really got exasperated and I said, “Henry, I’ve beaten my brains out – this is the ninth draft. I know it’s the best I can do: I can’t possibly improve one more word.” He then looked at me and said, “In that case, now I’ll read it.”
In everything we do, there must be the understanding of how our actions (or work) will be used and "the end result". Will our actions get us our desired results? Is this the best possible work I can do? What if you started every task you faced with the end in mind...AND... with an understanding that nothing would be accepted EXCEPT for perfection? Would anything in your life change?
This experience has taught me the importance of planning, the importance of time management, the importance of big picture thinking, AND...the importance of ONLY DOING YOUR BEST. Nothing else will suffice if your desired end-result is victory.
Friday, April 16, 2010
...like a spider monkey
“Let your plans be dark and as impenetratable as night, and when you move, fall like a thunderbolt.”—Sun Tzu
In sports, business, and daily life, conflict is something that comes up whether you want it to or not. It’s when and how you handle those situations that define you.
I recently was put into a situation where someone was slandering my character and business savvy to my wife. MY WIFE?!! I know what you are thinking...ATTACK! But, having been a former surgical patient for a broken hand from doing just that...I decided to listen to the whole story first. The key to listening to these types of "stories" is to listen without emotion and only focus on the facts. After you have listened, analyzed the situation, and then let it "stew" for a while. You will be able to take a more objective perspective on the situation after thinking it through. So… I did just that. It turns out their wasn’t a situation at all…or so I thought…
…Three days pass and the situation happens again with a similar story and a similar confrontation. The only difference…it was ROUND TWO!
So what do you do in this situation? How do you react? How do you know when to protect your name and when you should just take a deep breath and keep your eye on the prize? The following list of questions will help you determine whether or not you need to attack like a spider monkey:
1. Is it worth losing my job/credibility over
2. Did the person slander my name/character
3. Did the person hurt me emotionally, financially, or physically
4. Is my personal progress affected in my company/community
5. Have I tried alternative avenues for resolving these problems
If you answer "Yes" to all 5 questions (which I did), then you know its ON LIKE DONKEY KONG. If not, take a deep breath and keep your eye on the prize.
Understand that conflict is a part of life and those that can manage it and make it work for them will be the ones standing at the end…
In sports, business, and daily life, conflict is something that comes up whether you want it to or not. It’s when and how you handle those situations that define you.
I recently was put into a situation where someone was slandering my character and business savvy to my wife. MY WIFE?!! I know what you are thinking...ATTACK! But, having been a former surgical patient for a broken hand from doing just that...I decided to listen to the whole story first. The key to listening to these types of "stories" is to listen without emotion and only focus on the facts. After you have listened, analyzed the situation, and then let it "stew" for a while. You will be able to take a more objective perspective on the situation after thinking it through. So… I did just that. It turns out their wasn’t a situation at all…or so I thought…
…Three days pass and the situation happens again with a similar story and a similar confrontation. The only difference…it was ROUND TWO!
So what do you do in this situation? How do you react? How do you know when to protect your name and when you should just take a deep breath and keep your eye on the prize? The following list of questions will help you determine whether or not you need to attack like a spider monkey:
1. Is it worth losing my job/credibility over
2. Did the person slander my name/character
3. Did the person hurt me emotionally, financially, or physically
4. Is my personal progress affected in my company/community
5. Have I tried alternative avenues for resolving these problems
If you answer "Yes" to all 5 questions (which I did), then you know its ON LIKE DONKEY KONG. If not, take a deep breath and keep your eye on the prize.
Understand that conflict is a part of life and those that can manage it and make it work for them will be the ones standing at the end…
Monday, April 5, 2010
"Its trust-o-riffic!"
Business is about relationships. The ones you make, the ones your break, and the ones that continually make a positive impact. I learned very quickly that you need to make all the "friends" you can get. People are out for numero uno and have no qualms about fucking over their competitors to "get theirs". With that being said, the more people you can have drinking YOUR Kool Aid the better... (you're thinking "no shit, everybody knows this). But the one thing that 99% of young graduates DON'T KNOW and consistently get BURNED on is... the confusion of the Ally and the Confidant...
Friends can be broken down into two categories in the business world: Allies and Confidants. To succeed in this wonderful thing called life, you will need to fine tune your trust-o-meter as quick as possible so you can distinguish between the two...
Confidant: Someone you can deeply trust regardless of the situation. He/she will always defend your name and act in your best interest.
Ally: Someone who shares the same self-interests at a point in time, but who is also a competitor. He/she can and will turn on you when their self-interests are no longer aligned with yours.
As a rule of thumb for evaluating relationships in any new environment...observe, trust, and then verify. If you make the mistake of confusing a confidant and an ally...you will be crushed.
Business is about relationships. The ones you make, the ones your break, and the ones that continually make a positive impact. I learned very quickly that you need to make all the "friends" you can get. People are out for numero uno and have no qualms about fucking over their competitors to "get theirs". With that being said, the more people you can have drinking YOUR Kool Aid the better... (you're thinking "no shit, everybody knows this). But the one thing that 99% of young graduates DON'T KNOW and consistently get BURNED on is... the confusion of the Ally and the Confidant...
Friends can be broken down into two categories in the business world: Allies and Confidants. To succeed in this wonderful thing called life, you will need to fine tune your trust-o-meter as quick as possible so you can distinguish between the two...
Confidant: Someone you can deeply trust regardless of the situation. He/she will always defend your name and act in your best interest.
Ally: Someone who shares the same self-interests at a point in time, but who is also a competitor. He/she can and will turn on you when their self-interests are no longer aligned with yours.
As a rule of thumb for evaluating relationships in any new environment...observe, trust, and then verify. If you make the mistake of confusing a confidant and an ally...you will be crushed.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tightening the loose boots
“A man's accomplishments in life are the cumulative effect of his attention to detail.”—John Foster Dulles
I coach a youth lacrosse team in Annapolis and love every minute of it. To start off last nights practice I made them all stand in a single line shoulder to shoulder facing my coaches and I. We went through every single kid’s shoes to see who had “loose boots” by administering the “shoe wedgie” test. All the kids that received a shoe wedgie had to step forward in front of their peers and be called out. With 4 kids having to step forward, I let the team know they would ALL be running suicides because of the 4 kid’s “loose boots”.
After the run, I introduced and then elaborated on my little success equation “the little things + attention to detail + discipline = success”. You should have seen these kid’s faces! They literally looked at me like I was a crack head. I continued to explain that if they put that equation to use it will snow ball into great accomplishments. Again, the guys looked at me with a stank fish eye, confused and tired, trying to comprehend why I made them run because of “loose boots”. So… I went on to explain the following:
"As a lacrosse player you are expected to be fast. You are expected to be quick. And, you are expected to be an "athlete". If your shoes are loose, you cannot run as fast as you need to. You cannot shift as quick as you need to. And, with going half ass in practice, your muscles will not develop due to the lack of performance thus restricting your overall athletic potential… How can you develop as a complete lacrosse player, if you can't even run?" Their fish eyed looks began to transform into thinking regular faces. "As an athlete, if you don’t take care of the little things, if you don’t have attention to even the smallest detail, the rest will suffer. It doesn’t matter if its nutrition, equipment, mental preparation, sleep, hydration…they all require attention to detail, they are all little things, and to be able to recognize the amount of work and organization it will take to be an elite athlete…its going to take SERIOUS discipline.”
This can be translated into any job, in any field, at any time. In business, I believe the masses have a case of the “loose boots”. If we are going to get ahead, we have to tie the laces tight…
I coach a youth lacrosse team in Annapolis and love every minute of it. To start off last nights practice I made them all stand in a single line shoulder to shoulder facing my coaches and I. We went through every single kid’s shoes to see who had “loose boots” by administering the “shoe wedgie” test. All the kids that received a shoe wedgie had to step forward in front of their peers and be called out. With 4 kids having to step forward, I let the team know they would ALL be running suicides because of the 4 kid’s “loose boots”.
After the run, I introduced and then elaborated on my little success equation “the little things + attention to detail + discipline = success”. You should have seen these kid’s faces! They literally looked at me like I was a crack head. I continued to explain that if they put that equation to use it will snow ball into great accomplishments. Again, the guys looked at me with a stank fish eye, confused and tired, trying to comprehend why I made them run because of “loose boots”. So… I went on to explain the following:
"As a lacrosse player you are expected to be fast. You are expected to be quick. And, you are expected to be an "athlete". If your shoes are loose, you cannot run as fast as you need to. You cannot shift as quick as you need to. And, with going half ass in practice, your muscles will not develop due to the lack of performance thus restricting your overall athletic potential… How can you develop as a complete lacrosse player, if you can't even run?" Their fish eyed looks began to transform into thinking regular faces. "As an athlete, if you don’t take care of the little things, if you don’t have attention to even the smallest detail, the rest will suffer. It doesn’t matter if its nutrition, equipment, mental preparation, sleep, hydration…they all require attention to detail, they are all little things, and to be able to recognize the amount of work and organization it will take to be an elite athlete…its going to take SERIOUS discipline.”
This can be translated into any job, in any field, at any time. In business, I believe the masses have a case of the “loose boots”. If we are going to get ahead, we have to tie the laces tight…
Friday, March 12, 2010
A friend of mine had a meeting with the VP of a professional sports team and called me after the meeting to share the wisdom that was dropped on him. Below is an overview of the "dropped knowledge"...
"Some Serious Notes from A SERIOUS MOTHER FUCKER:
• 2 Ears 1 Mouth……Listen Two times as much as you speak
• People do fucking business with people they fucking like
• Ask for references after you have crushed your performance (cutting grass theory)
• NEVER LIE……ALWAYS BE HONEST
• Sell it so you over deliver….So when you deliver it was the extra work YOU did
• BE NICE
• Entitlement
1. You are not entitled to SHIT
2. You must earn everything yourself
3. Position yourself as an asset to the company
4. Your generation thinks they deserve everything…that could not be further from the truth
• Be the 1st one in the office everyday…Get there; make a pot of coffee and poor half of it out. People will think you have drank 3 cups already
• Don’t lose the basics and get caught up in what you don’t know about what your selling
• College is OVER
1. Don't live like a Cave Man (Ben Roethlisberger lives like a cave man “I’m big Ben I can Fuck anything I want”)
2. Shower
3. Present yourself well
4. Manners Matter big time
• You don’t have to be a fucking nerd about what you are selling but be the “doctor with good bed side manner.”
• There is no such thing as a little deal
• No detail is too small
• Work Hard…..Play Hard…”Blow that shit out”… you must have fun
• Always write thank you notes. Make it personal, get some personal stationary. “I get 2000 emails a day, but if someone takes the time to write me a hand written note their stock goes up”.
• Do things against your nature
1. Get together with friends and talk about sales instead of pussy
2. Read books
• “The one thing you can change every day….EVERY DAY… is your fucking ATTITUDE! Be the happiest dude at the office”."
"Some Serious Notes from A SERIOUS MOTHER FUCKER:
• 2 Ears 1 Mouth……Listen Two times as much as you speak
• People do fucking business with people they fucking like
• Ask for references after you have crushed your performance (cutting grass theory)
• NEVER LIE……ALWAYS BE HONEST
• Sell it so you over deliver….So when you deliver it was the extra work YOU did
• BE NICE
• Entitlement
1. You are not entitled to SHIT
2. You must earn everything yourself
3. Position yourself as an asset to the company
4. Your generation thinks they deserve everything…that could not be further from the truth
• Be the 1st one in the office everyday…Get there; make a pot of coffee and poor half of it out. People will think you have drank 3 cups already
• Don’t lose the basics and get caught up in what you don’t know about what your selling
• College is OVER
1. Don't live like a Cave Man (Ben Roethlisberger lives like a cave man “I’m big Ben I can Fuck anything I want”)
2. Shower
3. Present yourself well
4. Manners Matter big time
• You don’t have to be a fucking nerd about what you are selling but be the “doctor with good bed side manner.”
• There is no such thing as a little deal
• No detail is too small
• Work Hard…..Play Hard…”Blow that shit out”… you must have fun
• Always write thank you notes. Make it personal, get some personal stationary. “I get 2000 emails a day, but if someone takes the time to write me a hand written note their stock goes up”.
• Do things against your nature
1. Get together with friends and talk about sales instead of pussy
2. Read books
• “The one thing you can change every day….EVERY DAY… is your fucking ATTITUDE! Be the happiest dude at the office”."
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Following up "People are just people"
Had a great call today a "Big Whig" PR ninja who took the time to speak with me because of his belief in "Business Karma". FINALLY! Someone with views similar to mine! These people do exist and now there are two people in my wolf pack. He went on to elaborate how 100% of his business is through referrals and regardless of the meeting topic, he takes it. Can you believe it? A highly successful Partner at a PR firm that takes almost all meetings that people schedule with him because of business karma...very cool.
Dominate the day and know this..."karma will pay you back two fold in some way shape or form"
Dominate the day and know this..."karma will pay you back two fold in some way shape or form"
Monday, March 8, 2010
People are just people
My brother called me tonight with a dilemma...his lacrosse team started the season 0-2 and they are going into the toughest 5 games of the season. This brought me back to my sophomore season where we started the very same way. The only difference in my story is we turned it around for 15 straight wins. How did we do it? We were just a bunch of regular guys that had lost to some average teams...so how did we turn it around? I'll tell you...40 meat heads sat in a room and discussed their biggest fears, their ultimate goals, and their problems with the current state of the organization. Why did we all open up? Why did the biggest meat head on our team open up to his peers in tears (not rapping on purpose)...because in that situation, he got a first hand glimpse of "people are just people". Everyone has fears, everyone has problems, and unless you confront these things head on...you will never accomplish the goals you want in life. I told my brother this story and explained to him that the truly successful people in the world understand one thing and one thing only...PEOPLE ARE JUST PEOPLE. CEO's, waiters, designers, investors...at the end of the day, they go home, eat dinner with their family, go to bed, and then do it all over the next day. So WHY ARE WE AFRAID TO CONNECT?! Why is my brother afraid to go to his head coach and tell him why they lost, what they need to do to win, and what the real problems in his organization are?
For the past month I have literally been pulling the "JUST PEOPLE" out of everyone I meet. Life's too short for bullshit. For some reason our generation thinks we need to act "extra professional", speak without emotion and keep our real personalities hidden from the business world...I say fuck that! Why act fake?! So we can create a meaningful business relationship based on a personality that doesn't actually exist? Chris Martin from Coldplay had an interview a few years back and he said that he was just an average guy that has had extraordinary things happen to him...and I truly believe that is how 99.9% of the successful people in the world feel. So why don't we go after what we want? Why don't we tell people how we actually feel? Why don't we close the deals that we dream about? The only reason that comes to mind is...fear.
Take the chance and see what happens. In the end...PEOPLE ARE JUST PEOPLE.
For the past month I have literally been pulling the "JUST PEOPLE" out of everyone I meet. Life's too short for bullshit. For some reason our generation thinks we need to act "extra professional", speak without emotion and keep our real personalities hidden from the business world...I say fuck that! Why act fake?! So we can create a meaningful business relationship based on a personality that doesn't actually exist? Chris Martin from Coldplay had an interview a few years back and he said that he was just an average guy that has had extraordinary things happen to him...and I truly believe that is how 99.9% of the successful people in the world feel. So why don't we go after what we want? Why don't we tell people how we actually feel? Why don't we close the deals that we dream about? The only reason that comes to mind is...fear.
Take the chance and see what happens. In the end...PEOPLE ARE JUST PEOPLE.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Excuses are for the weak--Lesson 8
I had an epiphany yesterday...and that epiphany was...we all need to STOP MAKING EXCUSES, STOP WASTING TIME, AND START LIVING OUR LIVES LIKE THERE IS NO TOMORROW!
I'm sure you're thinking to yourself..."No shit, I've been trying and I am not getting anywhere. I still hate my job, I am still fat, and I don't make any money." I guarantee the answer to your problems, regardless of what they are, is that you make excuses. It may start off as a small excuse to something minuscule, but compound that excuse with another excuse...and you now have a medium excuse. If you follow that logic, you will wake up one morning and your entire being is essentially an excuse. For what? Because you are lazy? Because you are scared? Wake the fuck up! It is our responsibility as a generation to make this shit hole country of ours BETTER! We CAN NOT do that if everyone has an excuse every time a tough situation or decision pops up.
I decided when I was a freshman in college that excuses are for the weak. I was trying to make my mark in the athletic world and I realized the only one to blame for my success or failure was ME...not the coaches, not my teammates, and certainly not the opponent we were playing. I came up with a philosophy that allowed me to not only make my mark as a freshman but to continue forward with an elite collegiate career. What is this magical philosophy you ask?
"No Mind": A philosophy that completely embraces obstacles as they pop into life, turns them into fuel for your inner "fire", keeps a realistic positive attitude, and keeps complete focus on realistic goal setting. NO EXCUSES BABBYYYYYYYY! Let me tell you...after I wrote the 'ol "NM" on everything in sight as a reminder, I made it my mission to not let anything distract me from my ultimate goal of success. The coach tried to bench me...I sat outside of his office every morning before he arrived and asked him what I had to do to be the best. A better player transferred in to the school and took my spot...I worked out twice as hard, employed a strength and conditioning coach and took my game to the next level. My car was stolen the night before our conference championship game...I said "Fuck it, shit happens, and I will deal with this after the game". All of those situations could have created an easy way out...an easy excuse to quit..."he's just better", "my mind wasn't right due to my car being stolen", etc. etc. I say "FUCK IT, EXCUSES ARE FOR THE WEAK".
What if we all lived our daily lives with "No Mind"? Our DAILY lives...not our lives in 5 years or our "look back at 50", LIFE...today. I guarantee if you stop making excuses in every aspect of your life for ONE MONTH... you will see a significant improvement. We only have one shot at this thing called life and I say we make the most of it. No excuses...
I'm sure you're thinking to yourself..."No shit, I've been trying and I am not getting anywhere. I still hate my job, I am still fat, and I don't make any money." I guarantee the answer to your problems, regardless of what they are, is that you make excuses. It may start off as a small excuse to something minuscule, but compound that excuse with another excuse...and you now have a medium excuse. If you follow that logic, you will wake up one morning and your entire being is essentially an excuse. For what? Because you are lazy? Because you are scared? Wake the fuck up! It is our responsibility as a generation to make this shit hole country of ours BETTER! We CAN NOT do that if everyone has an excuse every time a tough situation or decision pops up.
I decided when I was a freshman in college that excuses are for the weak. I was trying to make my mark in the athletic world and I realized the only one to blame for my success or failure was ME...not the coaches, not my teammates, and certainly not the opponent we were playing. I came up with a philosophy that allowed me to not only make my mark as a freshman but to continue forward with an elite collegiate career. What is this magical philosophy you ask?
"No Mind": A philosophy that completely embraces obstacles as they pop into life, turns them into fuel for your inner "fire", keeps a realistic positive attitude, and keeps complete focus on realistic goal setting. NO EXCUSES BABBYYYYYYYY! Let me tell you...after I wrote the 'ol "NM" on everything in sight as a reminder, I made it my mission to not let anything distract me from my ultimate goal of success. The coach tried to bench me...I sat outside of his office every morning before he arrived and asked him what I had to do to be the best. A better player transferred in to the school and took my spot...I worked out twice as hard, employed a strength and conditioning coach and took my game to the next level. My car was stolen the night before our conference championship game...I said "Fuck it, shit happens, and I will deal with this after the game". All of those situations could have created an easy way out...an easy excuse to quit..."he's just better", "my mind wasn't right due to my car being stolen", etc. etc. I say "FUCK IT, EXCUSES ARE FOR THE WEAK".
What if we all lived our daily lives with "No Mind"? Our DAILY lives...not our lives in 5 years or our "look back at 50", LIFE...today. I guarantee if you stop making excuses in every aspect of your life for ONE MONTH... you will see a significant improvement. We only have one shot at this thing called life and I say we make the most of it. No excuses...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The look back at 3 PM
BOOOOYAAAAAAA! Just to triple check my lesson/theory on preparation, I decided to prepare for yesterday like I had OCD. Clothes laid out, food packed, to do list prepared the night before, gym bag sitting by the door, AND as soon as I popped out of bed...I supplied my brain and body with some mental protein (I read a chapter of the book I am currently reading)! Making sure that every facet of my morning was utilized to its maximum potential.
With momentum from dominating my morning (the first five minutes dictate your day and preparation theories being used)I ventured out into the world to see if there would be that feeling at 3 PM of "I am absolutely killing it.." and I am excited to report back that I KILLED IT YESTERDAY! I was on the ball during every minute of the day, meetings, conference calls, emails, working out...I felt great! Now, this isn't the first day that I have prepared but it was the first day that I prepared like a mad man...and to my liking, I will continue to do so from here on out.
How was your morning?
With momentum from dominating my morning (the first five minutes dictate your day and preparation theories being used)I ventured out into the world to see if there would be that feeling at 3 PM of "I am absolutely killing it.." and I am excited to report back that I KILLED IT YESTERDAY! I was on the ball during every minute of the day, meetings, conference calls, emails, working out...I felt great! Now, this isn't the first day that I have prepared but it was the first day that I prepared like a mad man...and to my liking, I will continue to do so from here on out.
How was your morning?
Monday, February 22, 2010
Lesson 7: If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail
"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."--Benjamin Franklin
A friend emailed me today and gave me one of his favorite quotes which sparked my thought process. "Your first five minutes dictate your day." How do you start it? Do you prepare the night before? Are your clothes laid out, is your food packed, is your gym bag waiting by the door? I highly doubt it!
It made me think of my most productive days. Days that just flow. Days that you look back at 3 PM and say to yourself "I am absolutely killing it!" Why do these days happen and other days just fall by the way side? PREPARATION! Or a lack there of...If you dominate the days you prepare for, why not prepare for every day thus dominating every day? It seems easy enough to figure out... but people don't do it. They press the snooze button five times. They sleep during the time they should be waking up and working out to get their brain focused. They rush around in the morning trying to get to work on time and for what?! An hour of extra sleep? Sleep cycles are in THREE HOUR increments peopleeeeee! The extra half hour isn't doing shit. All of this has brought me to:
Lesson number seven: Preparation is the most important aspect of life
Just like the boy scouts always say, "Always be prepared", and as a young businessperson you should follow the same motto. This is a good rule of thumb for every aspect of your life, not just business or boy scouts. Imagine if you prepared everyday with the intention of getting the absolute most out of it...Meetings, phone calls, lunch, gym, interviews...you would absolutely crush the task at hand. A perfect example is the infamous "To do list"...now, what if you did it the night before when everything you didn't accomplish that day was still fresh in your head? You could hit the ground running! Now what if you prepared for the little things in your day i.e. follow up phone calls, emails, sales meetings, and even internal meetings, like an athlete going on an away game for a championship? Yeah I said it! What if you cared that much?! You triple checked your bag (briefcase), you planned and packed your meals ahead of time (to be as efficient as possible), you laid out your clothes the night before so you could pop up as soon as the alarm rang and hit the ground running. Imagine how efficient your day would be? All because you prepared. But you don't do that now...why? Because American Idol is on? Because your tired (poor baby). Stop making excuses and start preparing. You are in this thing for keeps now. Everything you do has the potential to make or break you...so why don't you do everything in your power to MAKE IT! Prepare, enough said...
A friend emailed me today and gave me one of his favorite quotes which sparked my thought process. "Your first five minutes dictate your day." How do you start it? Do you prepare the night before? Are your clothes laid out, is your food packed, is your gym bag waiting by the door? I highly doubt it!
It made me think of my most productive days. Days that just flow. Days that you look back at 3 PM and say to yourself "I am absolutely killing it!" Why do these days happen and other days just fall by the way side? PREPARATION! Or a lack there of...If you dominate the days you prepare for, why not prepare for every day thus dominating every day? It seems easy enough to figure out... but people don't do it. They press the snooze button five times. They sleep during the time they should be waking up and working out to get their brain focused. They rush around in the morning trying to get to work on time and for what?! An hour of extra sleep? Sleep cycles are in THREE HOUR increments peopleeeeee! The extra half hour isn't doing shit. All of this has brought me to:
Lesson number seven: Preparation is the most important aspect of life
Just like the boy scouts always say, "Always be prepared", and as a young businessperson you should follow the same motto. This is a good rule of thumb for every aspect of your life, not just business or boy scouts. Imagine if you prepared everyday with the intention of getting the absolute most out of it...Meetings, phone calls, lunch, gym, interviews...you would absolutely crush the task at hand. A perfect example is the infamous "To do list"...now, what if you did it the night before when everything you didn't accomplish that day was still fresh in your head? You could hit the ground running! Now what if you prepared for the little things in your day i.e. follow up phone calls, emails, sales meetings, and even internal meetings, like an athlete going on an away game for a championship? Yeah I said it! What if you cared that much?! You triple checked your bag (briefcase), you planned and packed your meals ahead of time (to be as efficient as possible), you laid out your clothes the night before so you could pop up as soon as the alarm rang and hit the ground running. Imagine how efficient your day would be? All because you prepared. But you don't do that now...why? Because American Idol is on? Because your tired (poor baby). Stop making excuses and start preparing. You are in this thing for keeps now. Everything you do has the potential to make or break you...so why don't you do everything in your power to MAKE IT! Prepare, enough said...
Thursday, February 18, 2010
F#&K IT!
"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?"-- Frank Scully
A good friend of mine wrote me an email today explaining how my blog gave him the inspiration to just say "FUCK IT" (F.I. for businesses that monitor your emails) on a business deal which he closed because of his "F.I." approach! It made me think for a while about not only the successes that I have had from that thought process, but the victories, accomplishments, and success stories you read about from that very message. Why don't more people just say..."Fuck IT!..I'm going for it. You only live once and I am going to LIVE!"
This rings home to me because I had that very epiphany two years ago when an acquaintance's father (not even a friend)died suddenly. I don't know why I was affected? I don't know why I cared? But for some reason, it was eye opening. Why do we NOT TAKE RISKS?! RFK said it best "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." Why is it that our generation feels the need to wear a tie everyday, say yes to everything, have a boring corporate job, and make middle class money! WHY I ASK?! WHY?!
Well I am hear to say FUCK IT. Last year I went for it. On my first side venture, I went for it and it worked! I'm not making a million bucks off of it...yet...but it gave me the eye opening experience of what its like to start, own, and succeed in business...by MY OWN IDEAS AND MERRITT. I have three friends that feel the same way. One of which wrote me the email. But why aren't there more of us? Why cant we all do it together?
I took a step back after the persons death and found myself insanely curious to how he led such a successful life (which he did...the dude was loaded). Which then in turn, started me on my journey of reading books on success and business. Which in turn, has led me to this blog. I mean really...a blog? But I said Fuck it...I am going to live my life to the fullest. I am going to take advantage of ever opportunity that comes across my desk. AND MOST OF ALL...I am going to enjoy the ride.
The next time you feel that little bit of fear in the back of your head when you want to start an idea, meet your future spouse, or make that momentous first move in anything...do the following:
Take a deep breath and just say FUCK IT...I will only live once!
A good friend of mine wrote me an email today explaining how my blog gave him the inspiration to just say "FUCK IT" (F.I. for businesses that monitor your emails) on a business deal which he closed because of his "F.I." approach! It made me think for a while about not only the successes that I have had from that thought process, but the victories, accomplishments, and success stories you read about from that very message. Why don't more people just say..."Fuck IT!..I'm going for it. You only live once and I am going to LIVE!"
This rings home to me because I had that very epiphany two years ago when an acquaintance's father (not even a friend)died suddenly. I don't know why I was affected? I don't know why I cared? But for some reason, it was eye opening. Why do we NOT TAKE RISKS?! RFK said it best "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly." Why is it that our generation feels the need to wear a tie everyday, say yes to everything, have a boring corporate job, and make middle class money! WHY I ASK?! WHY?!
Well I am hear to say FUCK IT. Last year I went for it. On my first side venture, I went for it and it worked! I'm not making a million bucks off of it...yet...but it gave me the eye opening experience of what its like to start, own, and succeed in business...by MY OWN IDEAS AND MERRITT. I have three friends that feel the same way. One of which wrote me the email. But why aren't there more of us? Why cant we all do it together?
I took a step back after the persons death and found myself insanely curious to how he led such a successful life (which he did...the dude was loaded). Which then in turn, started me on my journey of reading books on success and business. Which in turn, has led me to this blog. I mean really...a blog? But I said Fuck it...I am going to live my life to the fullest. I am going to take advantage of ever opportunity that comes across my desk. AND MOST OF ALL...I am going to enjoy the ride.
The next time you feel that little bit of fear in the back of your head when you want to start an idea, meet your future spouse, or make that momentous first move in anything...do the following:
Take a deep breath and just say FUCK IT...I will only live once!
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Do it now and OUT and About--Put to use today
This morning, I wrote about Lesson 5--Do it now, and I am pumped to write that I already put it into use for some $$$. My lunch meeting to discuss a side venture was unexpectedly rescheduled, during which I was supposed to pick up some documents to review. Keeping Lesson 5 in the back of my mind, I called the guy and told him that regardless of the rescheduling, I still wanted to pick up the information so I could get the ball rolling. During our brief conversation while picking up the documents for the potential side venture, I saw that he did business with a competitor of mine. I jokingly reminded him of what I did for my "day job" and asked why he used my competitor...his response "I don't know why I use them, I will switch to you today". Boooyaaaaaaaaa!!! Because I was "out and about" and didn't feel like waiting a week to get the ball rolling ("Do it now"), I just picked up a HUGE deal!
Lesson 5-- Do it now
"What does money like? Money likes speed. That's the secret few know about money. Money comes to those who act fast. If you think, wonder, question, doubt, plan, meet, discuss, or in any other way drag your feet, money goes to the next person in line."-- Joe Vitale
Lesson 5 -- Do It Now
If you have to do something important, do it now. It has been said that 80% of all decisions should be made immediately. I personally believe this to be true and also believe that if you don't do something the exact moment it needs to be done it will be postponed to the point where its already too late. If the "something" is an idea it should be immediately written down and researched. The more you practice this rule the more successful you will become. Be intelligent about your "Do it now" activity list...you don't want to waste your time on unimportant tasks. The "Do It Now" philosophy is for potential revenue generating activities only and should be put to use every day of your life.
The lesson of doing it now comes from years of looking back from an efficiency perspective and reevaluating why things don't get done. I came to the conclusion that people are habitually lazy and all talk. Its rare that you find someone that acts immediately on what they say and it just so happens that its rare to find really successful people. Why don't we just "Do It Now"? One reason is fear of what will come once we put the wheels in motion and another reason is flat out laziness. Why do we live in a society that has to set a meeting to set a meeting to set a meeting for a conference call? Why cant we all just DO IT NOW? I have a meeting today to go over a friend's business and I wanted my wife's input from a "devils advocate" perspective on questions to ask. Immediately after the initial meeting I called her and gave her a brief overview of my friends situation...she of course was immediately skeptical. The dialogue that followed is the reason success is rare:
Me: "Can you write those skeptical questions down and email them to me so we can have them since they are fresh in your brain?"
Wife: "We will do it this weekend"
It hit me hard when she said those words because I knew I would never have the questions. Why don't we, in the immortal words of Nike, "Just do it"?
Lesson 5 -- Do It Now
If you have to do something important, do it now. It has been said that 80% of all decisions should be made immediately. I personally believe this to be true and also believe that if you don't do something the exact moment it needs to be done it will be postponed to the point where its already too late. If the "something" is an idea it should be immediately written down and researched. The more you practice this rule the more successful you will become. Be intelligent about your "Do it now" activity list...you don't want to waste your time on unimportant tasks. The "Do It Now" philosophy is for potential revenue generating activities only and should be put to use every day of your life.
The lesson of doing it now comes from years of looking back from an efficiency perspective and reevaluating why things don't get done. I came to the conclusion that people are habitually lazy and all talk. Its rare that you find someone that acts immediately on what they say and it just so happens that its rare to find really successful people. Why don't we just "Do It Now"? One reason is fear of what will come once we put the wheels in motion and another reason is flat out laziness. Why do we live in a society that has to set a meeting to set a meeting to set a meeting for a conference call? Why cant we all just DO IT NOW? I have a meeting today to go over a friend's business and I wanted my wife's input from a "devils advocate" perspective on questions to ask. Immediately after the initial meeting I called her and gave her a brief overview of my friends situation...she of course was immediately skeptical. The dialogue that followed is the reason success is rare:
Me: "Can you write those skeptical questions down and email them to me so we can have them since they are fresh in your brain?"
Wife: "We will do it this weekend"
It hit me hard when she said those words because I knew I would never have the questions. Why don't we, in the immortal words of Nike, "Just do it"?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Continuing on lesson 4...love and obsession
"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chose field of endeavor."-- Vince Lombardi
Every Monday I email all the people I care about my "Monday Boooyaaaness" which is a motivational quote that gets my week started the way it should be...JACKED UP! Recently I have had more and more people comment on my booyaaaness; for example:
"Lets fucking crush it this week!"
"I love the inspiration every Monday"
"I am jacked up right now...keep em comin!"
With that type of response and energy, why aren't we all "crushing it"? Why do we just talk about it? I feel like my generation needs to follow the motto of the IBM commercial "STOP TALKING AND START DOING". Its a little ironic that I am putting that motto in a blog...but...I AM DOING. I stopped talking about it a year ago and I am on my way. My goal is to be a millionaire, most young business people's goals are...but why don't we do it? Its because of LOVE AND OBSESSION. We cant commit to succeeding in something that we don't love. So why don't we start doing things that make us money and we enjoy?! Their are two reasons: The grass is greener on the other side or 2. We don't know how to make money out of what we love. I had breakfast with my brother on Sunday and we ran into a well known businessman that we spoke to for a while. As we were walking to the car my brother said "he told me how he made his money", I said "how?"... And this is a lesson for the ages: "To make what I have made you have to completely dedicate every ounce of energy to what you do, completely buy in, and love every minute of it." My brother went on to ask him about not knowing what you love yet, and he came back with another great piece of advice "You make it a habit to go 100% in whatever you do until you figure out what you love." Our generation cant commit like that. If we do commit, we get distracted. We as a generation must put a plan in place and FOLLOW IT giving 100%! Its the only way we are going to make it. I am ready, my plan is in place, I am giving 100% and I am ready to make my mark. Are you?
Every Monday I email all the people I care about my "Monday Boooyaaaness" which is a motivational quote that gets my week started the way it should be...JACKED UP! Recently I have had more and more people comment on my booyaaaness; for example:
"Lets fucking crush it this week!"
"I love the inspiration every Monday"
"I am jacked up right now...keep em comin!"
With that type of response and energy, why aren't we all "crushing it"? Why do we just talk about it? I feel like my generation needs to follow the motto of the IBM commercial "STOP TALKING AND START DOING". Its a little ironic that I am putting that motto in a blog...but...I AM DOING. I stopped talking about it a year ago and I am on my way. My goal is to be a millionaire, most young business people's goals are...but why don't we do it? Its because of LOVE AND OBSESSION. We cant commit to succeeding in something that we don't love. So why don't we start doing things that make us money and we enjoy?! Their are two reasons: The grass is greener on the other side or 2. We don't know how to make money out of what we love. I had breakfast with my brother on Sunday and we ran into a well known businessman that we spoke to for a while. As we were walking to the car my brother said "he told me how he made his money", I said "how?"... And this is a lesson for the ages: "To make what I have made you have to completely dedicate every ounce of energy to what you do, completely buy in, and love every minute of it." My brother went on to ask him about not knowing what you love yet, and he came back with another great piece of advice "You make it a habit to go 100% in whatever you do until you figure out what you love." Our generation cant commit like that. If we do commit, we get distracted. We as a generation must put a plan in place and FOLLOW IT giving 100%! Its the only way we are going to make it. I am ready, my plan is in place, I am giving 100% and I am ready to make my mark. Are you?
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Lesson 4 Love and Obsession
"An athlete is a normal person with the gift of an undying passion to be the best and achieve greatness."-- Amanda Ring
What if you substituted athlete with "Business Mogul"?
It's 12:30 AM and you are staring up at the ceiling thinking about ________ (fill in the blank). The "fill in the bank" should be the "next big thing". Regardless of whether its a new idea or improving an existing one (even if it's in your current job) you should be smiling and excited. Your job, if you want to be a great success, should be something you NEVER stop thinking about. I am not telling you to be a workaholic and to never see the people you love...but what I am telling you is to model your professional career after a pro-athletes. Do you think that pro athletes limit the time they spend on their careers from 9-5? HELL NO! They completely submerge themselves in it. They want to be the best and will literally do anything to accomplish greatness in their specific field. They are prime examples of what it takes to become a millionaire in the business world. Everything they do is in preparation of work. What they eat, when they go to sleep, what they read, and who they associate themselves with. If anyone on this planet put the amount of time and effort into their "day job" like pro athletes put into their sport, they would be the best at what they do. Period! Imagine you are an accountant...you wake up and begin researching it, you eat the right foods for optimal brain function, you studied past accountants work, and the center of your world was perfecting your trade. You would be one of the greatest accountants EVER! BUT, No one does that. They think about something else when they are at work and never achieve the financial or professional success they so desire. If you go half ass you will get half ass! Which brings me back to my point of LOVE and OBSESSION for your work. If you are going to do something for the rest of your life, make sure its something that you are interested in, you can improve upon, and when you are lying on your death bed, you can look back and say "I have done everything in my life to be as happy and successful as I possibly could."
What if you substituted athlete with "Business Mogul"?
It's 12:30 AM and you are staring up at the ceiling thinking about ________ (fill in the blank). The "fill in the bank" should be the "next big thing". Regardless of whether its a new idea or improving an existing one (even if it's in your current job) you should be smiling and excited. Your job, if you want to be a great success, should be something you NEVER stop thinking about. I am not telling you to be a workaholic and to never see the people you love...but what I am telling you is to model your professional career after a pro-athletes. Do you think that pro athletes limit the time they spend on their careers from 9-5? HELL NO! They completely submerge themselves in it. They want to be the best and will literally do anything to accomplish greatness in their specific field. They are prime examples of what it takes to become a millionaire in the business world. Everything they do is in preparation of work. What they eat, when they go to sleep, what they read, and who they associate themselves with. If anyone on this planet put the amount of time and effort into their "day job" like pro athletes put into their sport, they would be the best at what they do. Period! Imagine you are an accountant...you wake up and begin researching it, you eat the right foods for optimal brain function, you studied past accountants work, and the center of your world was perfecting your trade. You would be one of the greatest accountants EVER! BUT, No one does that. They think about something else when they are at work and never achieve the financial or professional success they so desire. If you go half ass you will get half ass! Which brings me back to my point of LOVE and OBSESSION for your work. If you are going to do something for the rest of your life, make sure its something that you are interested in, you can improve upon, and when you are lying on your death bed, you can look back and say "I have done everything in my life to be as happy and successful as I possibly could."
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Out and about/the art of the human voice
BAM BABYYYYYYYY! It has taken me 3 months to get in touch with a local CEO and needless to say email and messages to assistants don't do shit. The main thing that I have learned in my journey to a million is regardless of the advancements in technology i.e. twitter, email, facebook, etc. people still want to see you. I was out and about last week and I briefly ran in to this known MILLIONAIRE but didn't want to hold him up so I briefly said hello and moved along. As I was writing him an email today I pressed "discard" and picked up the phone. Now I don't know if he didn't have my number saved and just decided to pick up a "rando" but he picked up and I set a meeting with him for next week. This brings me to my point: Be present in your community. Let people see you. Let people hear you. Let people notice that you are not only a good person in general but an even better person to do business with. I have been cold calling for 3 fucking years and I have gotten more business in the past 3 months than I did in those 3 years combined. Why you ask? Because I am OUT AND ABOUT. I am in youth sports. I am in charities. I am in things that interest me and it just so happens that millionaires are people too...that's right, they participate in the community just like everybody else. Don't be scared to get personal because at the end of the day...WE ONLY LIVE ONCE.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Lesson 3
I am in the midst of reading a book on Buddhism (yeah I said it) and its actually quite interesting. I am half way done and I have gathered that they believe in "Now". They don't believe in heaven being a utopia because utopia does not exist. They believe in living in the moment, valuing what you have right now, and understanding that "the grass is not greener on the other side".
This brings up a personal battle that I help my brothers with on a consistent basis: "Make sure your end result equals happiness."
Lesson 3
"I don't mean that if you are good you will be happy - I mean that if you are happy you will be good."-- Bertrand Russell.
Happiness is the key to not only a successful life, but a successful career. As you begin your job hunt and confusion takes over, know this: if you are uncertain about a job but want to take it to pad your resume, you are most likely going to be unhappy, under-trained, and unsuccessful. Now, taking the "wrong job" does not mean you will not learn a great amount of knowledge on what not to do. Your new found wisdom may even take you on to something bigger and better. But, is your happiness and sanity worth the knowledge?
Finding the perfect job the first time around is not extremely rare, its impossible. There is no perfect job and in today's society, the average person changes jobs nine times in their career. That alone should show you that the first job you take will unlikely be your last. With that being said, don't panif things aren't going exactly as planned.
If you are confused about what career path to take but have an idea about an industry, be like the "tree". The trunk of the tree is the industry that interests you, and all of the branches are the different career paths that you can take while staying in something within your likings. You never know who you will meet or what opportunity will present itself that could ultimately lead to your end result: happiness.
Remember that life is supposed to be fun. If you do something that peaks your interest while making you happy, you will be amazed at how much better you will perform.
This brings up a personal battle that I help my brothers with on a consistent basis: "Make sure your end result equals happiness."
Lesson 3
"I don't mean that if you are good you will be happy - I mean that if you are happy you will be good."-- Bertrand Russell.
Happiness is the key to not only a successful life, but a successful career. As you begin your job hunt and confusion takes over, know this: if you are uncertain about a job but want to take it to pad your resume, you are most likely going to be unhappy, under-trained, and unsuccessful. Now, taking the "wrong job" does not mean you will not learn a great amount of knowledge on what not to do. Your new found wisdom may even take you on to something bigger and better. But, is your happiness and sanity worth the knowledge?
Finding the perfect job the first time around is not extremely rare, its impossible. There is no perfect job and in today's society, the average person changes jobs nine times in their career. That alone should show you that the first job you take will unlikely be your last. With that being said, don't panif things aren't going exactly as planned.
If you are confused about what career path to take but have an idea about an industry, be like the "tree". The trunk of the tree is the industry that interests you, and all of the branches are the different career paths that you can take while staying in something within your likings. You never know who you will meet or what opportunity will present itself that could ultimately lead to your end result: happiness.
Remember that life is supposed to be fun. If you do something that peaks your interest while making you happy, you will be amazed at how much better you will perform.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Out of the blue to go with Lesson two
"Patience has its limits, take it too far, and its cowardice"--Holbrook Jackson
Its funny how things always seem to happen when you need them to. The main purpose of this blog is to see how often the lessons that I write about pop up in my daily life, whether it be business or personal. A good friend of mine (who doesn't know I have a blog because I have not told anyone yet) emailed me this at 6:00 AM this morning.
I am 100% confident that if young graduates in business read over the lessons that I have learned through trial and error, the lessons will help them lead more successful lives personally and professionally.
Its funny how things always seem to happen when you need them to. The main purpose of this blog is to see how often the lessons that I write about pop up in my daily life, whether it be business or personal. A good friend of mine (who doesn't know I have a blog because I have not told anyone yet) emailed me this at 6:00 AM this morning.
I am 100% confident that if young graduates in business read over the lessons that I have learned through trial and error, the lessons will help them lead more successful lives personally and professionally.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Lesson 2
2010 is here! I sent an email to my close friends to help them get started on this wonderful Monday and I will share the same with you:
"Every Morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you'd better be running"
This got me fired up so I printed it out and hung it in "cube nation".
Now that 2010 is here and everyone is focused on new beginnings I decided to post a lesson that directly ties to a friend of mine. He may be the nicest human being on the planet and is very much a big picture thinker. His girl friend's friends tend to overstep their boundaries with how they treat him due to the fact that he is 1. Nice and 2. They mistake kindness for weakness due to the face he has not informed them of his personal boundaries. He called me for some advice and in short, I explained to him lesson 2.
Lesson 2: People will treat you how you allow them to
The first day in any new environment is a new beginning. New impressions, new experiences and for some, new outlooks on life. The thing that most don't take into account is the fact that no one knows what to expect from you. They don't know your strengths or your weaknesses, and most of all they don't know your "buttons". The chances of you getting taken advantage of are great because people immediately feel threatened when there is a change in THEIR environment. Let who you are be known. If you don't, the up hill battle you will face will almost be insurmountable. Changing a persons opinion is a lot harder than creating their opinion for them. Now, I am not telling you to "gangsta" jail house style and knock out the top producing sales person on the first day. Just be your self and don't be afraid to take some one aside and let them know how you EXPECT to be treated.
"Every Morning in Africa a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you'd better be running"
This got me fired up so I printed it out and hung it in "cube nation".
Now that 2010 is here and everyone is focused on new beginnings I decided to post a lesson that directly ties to a friend of mine. He may be the nicest human being on the planet and is very much a big picture thinker. His girl friend's friends tend to overstep their boundaries with how they treat him due to the fact that he is 1. Nice and 2. They mistake kindness for weakness due to the face he has not informed them of his personal boundaries. He called me for some advice and in short, I explained to him lesson 2.
Lesson 2: People will treat you how you allow them to
The first day in any new environment is a new beginning. New impressions, new experiences and for some, new outlooks on life. The thing that most don't take into account is the fact that no one knows what to expect from you. They don't know your strengths or your weaknesses, and most of all they don't know your "buttons". The chances of you getting taken advantage of are great because people immediately feel threatened when there is a change in THEIR environment. Let who you are be known. If you don't, the up hill battle you will face will almost be insurmountable. Changing a persons opinion is a lot harder than creating their opinion for them. Now, I am not telling you to "gangsta" jail house style and knock out the top producing sales person on the first day. Just be your self and don't be afraid to take some one aside and let them know how you EXPECT to be treated.
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