I came across a bit of shocking information to me the other day.  The information is in regards to the level of success that American small business's enjoy, or should I say don't enjoy.

On average of 100,000 small business, 95% fall short of gross sales of $1,000,000.00 per year.  Of the 5% that hit the $1,000,000.00 mark, only 1% of that 5% ever hit the $5,000,000.00 mark.  Of that final percentage, only 1.6% of those businesses ever go on to hit the $10,000,000.00 mark in gross sales.

In many industries, a net profit margin of 5-10% would be considered good.  In my experience, the majority of people who work for themselves are looking to generate higher levels of income, yet the vast majority of small businesses never hit the $1,000,000.00 mark.  Obviously, there is a great deal of variation between industries.

Lets take my previous company for example.  On good years, we ran on about a 15% net profit margin.  In any business, cash flow is critical.  In the real estate industry, great deals of revenues can pass through the bank account yet never actual end up on the dinner plate.  With a 15% margin we were able to create a decent income on a couple million dollars in annual revenue.  With that, we worked nearly every day of the week, had massive overhead, incredible amounts of exposure, and higher than normal stress levels.

What is my point in this post you may ask.  We as business owners and entreprenuers set out to take control of our financial life as well as our time and quality of life, yet the reality is, most people trade an 8-5 M-F for a 6-8 M-Sun in the pursuit of a dream.  The majority of businesses create large scale debt out of the gate with the hopes of turning a big profit.  Again, in my experience, with a small business the more you make the less time you have to enjoy it.

Don't get me wrong, I consider myself to be unemployable.  I would rather work for beans and know I am working for a purpose, where my efforts are rewarded in a job well done and that the income will come eventually with consistent effort. 

For 95% of people who go out in pursuit of their bit of the American dream, most will fall short.  What if there was a way, where you could realize that dream of business ownership, without the traditional headaches, and instead of running at less than 20% profit margins, over time, you could run at 90% profit margins. 

To me, that is where it is at.  Minimum exposure, hard work, constant effort, and knowing there is truly a light at the end of the tunnel where my family and myself can experience an extraordinary lifestyle.  Yes I can see it now!

You can find the original blog post by Andy Andrews at http://tinyurl.com/2g4m3ys where I found it.

This is an incredible article about forgiveness based on a Mistake vs a Choice.  One happens by chance, a random act or lapse in understanding, the other happens as a result of a conscious choice.  One is easy to forgive, and the other requires the choice maker who requires forgiveness to ask for forgiveness based on acknowledgment of knowingly choosing a choice that did not work.

Please enjoy the read and ask yourself who in your life that you are holding hostage (It could be you as well) as a result of their mistakes deserves forgiveness.  And who in your life has made knowingly bad decisions that you can recognize as someone who chooses not to take accountability for their actions.

How do you handle the latter?  What are your ideas?  Make comments and suggestions.

The principle of forgiveness has been ingrained in our spiritual life, but as an everyday tool, it seems to have been discarded by leaders as a sign of weakness.

Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/AndreasKermann

Employers rarely seek forgiveness from their employees. Parents don’t seek forgiveness from their children. Politicians never seek it from their constituents; nor do athletes from their teams, coaches from their athletes, or teachers from their students.
We could go on and on, but the evidence is clear. The game of LIFE has a “reset button,” but it is not being used!
Occasionally, leaders approach me with an eye for a solution to a tragic rift. The “event” has often been discussed by committees, worked on by consultants, and has cost unimaginable sums of time and money. Sometimes the disaster refuses to die, and it goes on claiming victims who were not even around when the incident took place. Companies close, families break apart, and churches split.
Amazingly, all these events seem to have a single thing in common: if a leader was the person who caused all the trouble (pulled the switch, made the move, etc.), he or she tried to clean up the disaster and make everything “nice” without knowing the difference between a mistake and a choice. The gap between the two is monumental. Knowing the difference can save you a ton of heartache, trouble, and money.
A mistake is when you turn left instead of right and get lost in the woods, subsequently stumbling off a cliff and breaking an arm. But when your mother has warned you against going into forest and you do so anyway thinking that no one will ever know, any injury is the result of a conscious choice.
When a leader makes a mistake, a carefully worded, heartfelt apology is usually all that is needed to right the ship. We rationalize, “there but for the grace of God, go I,” and we grant our own grace to the person, take a deep breath, and start over with the knowledge that “they won’t make that mistake again.”
But when there’s trouble because of a choice, the only thing that can ever hope to repair the damage is a specific request for forgiveness.
Some leaders try to push a version of this into the charred landscape: “I am so sorry. I have apologized to my family and now I apologize to you. I can’t tell you how sorry I am.” As weeks and months pass, some become almost belligerent in their attempts to make things right. “How many times must I say that I am sorry?” they plead.
Yet these apologies never set things right. The leaders made bad choices, and the people floating in the wreckage left behind have the unsettled suspicion that, “You aren’t sorry. You’re just sorry that you got caught.”
Whether or not this dissatisfaction is acknowledged or even consciously understood, it remains a gaping wound that is often never healed. Parents who make wrong choices in front of their followers (children) and chalk them up as mistakes, throwing them away with casual apologies, know that those offenses can pile up in the life of a child and overflow into astonishing rebellion and disrespect.
Can you remember an instance in your life when someone lost the reins of leadership because of a choice he or she made? An inappropriate comment, an unwise association, even a bad attitude on display can fester into unintended and crippling consequences if the “reset button” is not pushed in time. Setting things right—actually asking for forgiveness—can be uncomfortable in the moment, but the effects of this simple action will astound you.
Nothing beats this:
“I am so sorry. I am ashamed. Will you forgive me?”
These humble words, when spoken honestly, can heal virtually any wound. I have watched in awe as leaders reclaimed their authority with the quiet impact of this single principle. By harnessing the strength offered by the principle of forgiveness, corporations have regained their stature and families have been made whole again.
As you spread this simple message, I urge you to enjoy being the bearer of good news.

Question: Who do you know that might benefit from having their reset button pushed?

I have to tell you that I was excited to receive Lead Like Ike by Geoff Loftus from Book Sneeze when I read the synopsis.  Unfortunately, once I received the book, and I cracked it open, my excitement level began to fade quickly.  I love the idea of meshing the worlds of Dwight Eisenhower's role in coordinating the largest military campaign in history up that point in time and the world of leadership. 

The book missed on several points.  At times, it appeared that the chapters were written independently from one another and then pulled together in one book.  The same information, or concept was repeated multiple times yet in a way as though it was suppose to be the first time the reader was seeing it but it wasn't.  To be honest, it was very distracting.  The integration of the management strategies to the history of the D-Day invasion and the planning did not flow well at all.  Inserts for the "business strategy" seemed to be hap hazardly thrown around.  Relation to modern day business was sometimes integrated into the main text and other times as excerpts as well.  With regards to modern day company integration, it appeared Mr. Loftus chose to focus on 4 or 5 companies with the same basic concepts......It seemed very entry level.

As far as a leadership or management book goes, Lead Like Ike is a complete miss for me.  That being said, If Mr. Loftus had focused his efforts on creating a simple straightforward account of Dwight Eisenhower's role (What this book really is) in the D-Day planning, it would have been much better.  Unfortunately, that has been done multiple times and much better than this. 

I tried to find the best in Lead Like Ike.  I wanted to like it.  I was pulling Geoff, but at the end of the day, I was able to get through Lead Like Ike because I was obligated too.  Don't think I could have done it otherwise.

I can't tell you how many times I have heard about what I do now will have a dramatic impact on my children's future.   I heard Andy Andrews speak this weekend and it actually put that simple concept into a large scale frame. 

Every action and choice that each of us takes on a daily basis adds up to large scale situations as I have discussed in the past.  Have you ever considered the impact one of your choices can make?  Have you ever had a bad day, and took that out on someone else?  I know I have, I think it is a human reaction.  It is a controllable human reaction, yet I have done it many times.

What does that impact have on a large scale.  Think about it this way.  Someone cuts me off at an intersection.  I know it has happened to me before.  Of course, I throw out a few choice words, that the other driver visibly can see me seething through the front windshield.  The other driver takes that on as either a good or a bad situation.  I know I have taken on the guilt of cutting someone off, and allowed it to replay in my mind.  Of course, when it is bad enough, I call my wife and let her know about it.  And then she talks to her sister, and so on and so on. 

Do you get it?  Little inconsequential things move from person to person to person.  I suppose it is Newton's 1st Law:  Objects in motion tend to stay in motion (Inertia).  Our actions once put into motion tend to move out in all directions and impact and keep moving forward from person to person.  The butterfly effect.  What I do creates global change.  With the advent of the Internet and the viral affect of information, thoughts transfer around the world at the speed of light. 

Andy Andrews put a complicated issue into a thought provoking immediate actionable item for me.  Anyone who reads this blog has the responsibility to do the right thing, to be a good person, to forgive, to love, because everyone out there is passing your impact to this world.  And at some point in time, your actions will eventually transfer to my children, or what I do will transfer to your children and have a profound and direct impact on them, good or bad.  It is a choice.  What does Dr. Laura say?  Go do the right thing!

 Have you ever had to deal with conflict in your workplace?  How did it go?  Were you in charge of the folks that were creating a riff and how did you handle it?

In my experience, conflict will do nothing but fester if not taken head on.  Depending on the severity of the conflict, it must be dealt with and dealt with quickly.  I typically like to acquire information from both of the individuals on an individual basis to determine what is going on in each of the conflicting peoples perspective.

Utilizing that information, the truth of the matter typically falls somewhere in between the two stories.  Surprisingly, most of the time, the stories are the same.  Sure, the emotion of each person tends to draw emphasis on the parts of the story they are passionate about, but they still have the same basic understory.

If the issue needs to be dealt with (as in, the issue most definitely create ongoing hardship), sit the people involved down and make the two people present the information and the issues as they see them.  It is important to facilitate the conversation and ensure that each person sees the side of the other person.  It is not always simple, but having the opposing parties state the other persons concerns as they understand it typically is a good way to walk in one another's shoes.

Conflict will do nothing for any organization.  It will create loss in production, hurt feelings, and at the end of the day will hurt the bottom line.  Snuff it out immediately.  Issues that need to be dealt with are simple to resolve early on, but are challenging at best if not dealt with.

In the next post, I will talk about conflict that it challenging to create a win/win.....never fun!

What does it take to lead?  I think, if you are to find real true success, you have to have the ability to lead.  Without leadership, their is no direction, and we simply wander about with random acts hoping that something comes together.  As a former scientist in the big boy world, its called chaos theory.  All of these interactions that happen with out a leader defining a path and creating the way would seam to have the ability to move forward in a somewhat predictable manner (failure) yet the ability to know what kind of failure may occur is challenging.

Fortunately, with the ability to create true leadership characteristics rather simply, we are never far from looking to someone for guidance.  What is the triple threat.  On the topic of leadership, we want to keep it simple (not easy) and we want to ensure that everyone has a fair shake at it.

Mark Sanborn, author of The Fred Factor, simply qualifies leadership ability as the Three C's; character, competency, and finally connection.

Character to me is the golden rule.  Due unto others as you would have done to yourself.  Character is so simple.  In my world, when the right thing is clearly defined, it is never difficult to proceed with integrity.

Competency is the one that typically takes a bit longer.  To learn a craft or a trade takes differing amounts of time.  Irregardless of the industry involvement, there will always be a learning curve.  I believe this is one where people can be challenged greatly on both cases.  For people who pick up skill sets quickly, they have the ability to lead based on their ability to teach and show others a new skill.  I run across this all of the time.  The other case is where it takes longer to develop the skill set.  I think in most cases, anyone can learn to do just about anything with a high level of competency.  Granted, it may take someone a week and another a year, but with consistency, it can be done.

The final ability of a leader is the ability to connect.  I have to tell you, this is where I struggle and focus a chunk of my time.  Connecting is essential.  In order to lead, you must have the ability to create a relationship based on trust.  The biggest aspect of connection is being truly interested in others.  Interest in others leads to a trusting relationship and thereby the ability to connect.

While character is the simplest of these attributes to attain, it can often be the biggest downfall.  While people work diligently to improve their competency levels and their relationships, one lapse in character can cause a foundational crack in a leaders position that can be near impossible to repair.  Sometimes the simplest attributes are also the easiest to screw up!

I was reading an article by Stephen Covey this fathers day morning and there is a list that I will give in this post that has so many valuable questions to take into consideration to create a family cohesion through open lines of communication.  I so often see in business where the family is independent of the business life or career path.

There are actually two situations that come up on a regular basis.  One spouse, or the children of the parents have no idea what the parents do for work, or have no interest in what they do.  I know for me, when my family is enrolled in what I am doing for my business, or even as simple as what I am doing for money, it is empowering to me.  The correlation between work and family will come in a moment!

The second situation I see, is where one family member, or children are resistant to the business life do to schedule and actually make it challenging to conduct business.  Again, a lack of understanding for the money earners in the family makes a family life challenging.

Okay, with those couple of examples, in my experience, both are easily tackled with the same solution.  The idea of enrollment.  Define what the family most desires.  Long term goals, midterm goals, and short term goals.  Enrolling the family in the goals allows the open conversation for open enrollment and involvement in the facilities to make the goals a reality.

For example, my children love their pets, especially my oldest daughter whose paint horse Bella is her pride and joy.  For Rhyan, her horse is a goal, or a part of her structure that creates happiness in her life.  With her enrolled in the vision for that purpose, when I go to work, and she asks, "why are you leaving" I relay it to Bella.  "Remember, mommies and daddies have to work to provide for our families.  Today, I am working so we can get more hay for Bella.  Does that sound like a good plan?"

I have young children, so for them, goals tend to be smaller and not BHAGs (Big Hairy Audactious Goals) that as we age come into focus.

What does all of this mean and how does it relate to the Covey article.  He talks about creating a family mission statement.  Powerful idea.  A mantra, by which the family is enrolled in for all aspects.  Health, spirituality, finances, and family.  A cohesive plan that allows open lines of communication to facilitate forward movement towards the empowering belief of the plan.  Simple!

Here is a list of questions from Stephen Covey to ask families to gain insightful information for developing your family plan!

1.  What kind of family do we really want to be?
2. What kind of home would you like to invite your friends to?
3.  What embarasses you about our family?
4.  What makes you feel comfortable here?
5.  What makes you want to come home?
6.  What makes you feel drawn to us as your parents so that you are open to our influence?
7.  What makes us feel open to your influence?
8.  How do we want to be remembered by others?
9.  What is the purpose of our family?
10.  What kinds of things do we want to do?
11.  What kind of relationships do we want to have with one another?
12.  What things are truly important to us as a family?
13.  What are our family's highest-priority goals?
14.  What are the unique talents, gifts and abilities of family members?
15.  What are our responsibilities as family members?
16.  What are the principles and guidelines we want our family to follow?
17.  Who are our heroes?  What is it about them that we like and would like to emulate?
18.  What families inspire us and why do we admire them?
19.  How can we contribute to society as a family and become more service-oriented?

Powerful list of questions.  I challenge you to create a family plan, a unified system for which the decisions in your family are made.  Put the plan into action.  Spend quality time on create your plan as it will be the foundation for which it is allowed to grow and mature!

I was reading a excerpt by Jim Rohn this morning regarding the power of consistency and it was so telling and overwhelmingly clear the power of consistency and its direct link to success or failure.

What truly is success or failure, or that is to say, how do we get from where we are today, to where we want to be.  We all begin and end at some point in this life and between now and then, we all live within a set set of circumstances.  Each of us has the power to interact in those circumstances and we get to choose how we define our ultimate outcomes by our reactions.  The way we react with the events in our lives is the difference between winning and losing, succeeding or failing.

The simple truth is, we don't have to make huge changes to see huge changes.  A small amount of effort over a period of time adds up.

Lets put this into several different examples to make this clear.

What if the only thing we changed in our lives was to start saving money towards our future financial security.  If we started at the age of 25 (assuming most people have either gone to college by that time and are out in the real world working, or have settled in their chosen career paths after college) and simply saved $10.00 per day every day for a period of 40 years (LONG Time) and we made 8% annually on the investment reinvesting all of the money, the total at the end of that time would be $1,021,201.  Of that total amount, you would have brought to the table $146,000.00 over a 40 year period.  But, breaking it into small bite size pieces of $10.00/day (one less coffee each day) makes it incredibly doable.

That would be a "success" in terms of investing.

Lets look at the flip side.  What would constitute a failure in terms of bit by bit, making the same mistakes over and over again.  In essence, that is what failure amounts to.  Repeating a systematic error, over and over again.  If I choose to get into shape, in the beginning I go 4 or 5 times per week and I do that consistently.  I see marked increases in terms of stamina, weight loss, energy, all of the things associated with taking control of my health.  Three months in, I make the determination, to cut back to 3 or 4 days a week.  After all, I am committed, and what is one day per week going to make a difference.  Again, I see a bit of increased results, but I start to plateau.  In my world, perfectly okay.  I reached my goals with the aggressive plan, and then I go into maintenance phase.  About three months later, I back off to 2 or 3 days per week.  Again, what is one day going to hurt.  I'm in good shape, things are going well.  As the story goes, six months later, I am down to squeezing in one day of work out in each week, my energy levels are dipping, my blood pressure is going up, my weight is most certainly on the wrong side of right.  Now, I am not working out as it seems why bother, and 2 years from now I get rushed to the hospital with heart issues.

Sad story, but a reality when we make little simple inconsequential decisions that over time compound.  It is so simple to make the right choices over and over again, and it is so simple to make the wrong choices over and over again.  The great part is, we can choose and every day is a new day to implement the action plan for success in our relationships, our health, our career, our spirituality, and our financial future.

Okay, it must stop already.  If you are utilizing your facebook, blog, or twitter account to shamelessly promote your business, just stop.  Read the tips below for a few basics on social media and marketing.  I believe Guy Kawasaki put it best, and I'm paraphrasing here, "you should be informing almost all of the time to earn the right to promote your business on occasion."  I love that, you EARN the right.  Such good advice!

 

Top 10 Social Media "Power Friending" Tips

Jun 09, 2010 -

There was a day when Twitter was just a tiny site with a 140-character blank box.  Today, the messaging service is now home to more than two billion tweets per month.  The company's CTO Dick Costolo recently announced that they're signing up 135,000 new registrations a day.  With so much conversation on just one website, it's tough to know how to get your business stand out from the online chatter. I just published a book called Power Friending: Demystifying Social Media to Grow Your Business, and it demystifies social media to help grow your business. Although it's a 50,000 word read, here are the top ten tips from the book that should entice you to learn more.

1.  Act authentically. A few years I worked as a social media consultant with Tony Robbins. As a leading speaker, entrepreneur, and coach, he is one of the busiest people I know. Still, today, Tony has time to manage many of his own social media efforts. As an active Twitter user (@tonyrobbins), he shares honest and compelling personal and professional messages. When he recently celebrated his 50th birthday, he took the time to record a friendly audio message for his fans. Being honest, accessible, and authentic is a key ingredient to social media success.

2.  Make time. People complain endlessly about not having time to roll social media efforts into their lives. Let's face it, many of us are short on time. As many highly effective people will attest, you always have time for the things you put first. Take the Tony example, I'm quite sure he doesn't have time to record friendly audio and video messages for an audience but he makes time because he knows it's important for his business.

3.  Be consistent. As much as you want to run away from your email and the web for a few days here and there, to ensure that your online marketing efforts are getting results try to participate in the social media world on a regular basis. That doesn't mean that you have to stay glued to your computer 24-7, but try to respond to comments within twenty-four or forty-eight hours during the work week.

4.  Tell stories. If you're looking for content ideas, there is nothing better than a good story. Whether you're sharing photos on Flickr or blogging on Blogger, people love to look inside the lives of people at home and at work.  Although you don't want to share anything that makes you uncomfortable, a little personality goes a long way online.

5.  Plan ahead. When I interviewed the face of Ford's social media efforts for my book he explained that a strategic plan kept his company on top. "A solid social media strategy meant that we had a plan and were well prepared for the newfound attention we received," said Scott Monty.  While you might not be experience a huge wave of social media activity right now, six months down the road this could change. As a result, you should be prepared.

6.  Embrace criticism. No one likes negative comments, but may times this feedback can help your organization make appropriate changes. The worst thing you can do when someone lashes out with a complaint is to ignore them completely. Often times, the individual simply wants a reaction and someone to listen to their problems.

7.  Listen well. To pick up on the last point, be aware of what people are saying about your brand or business. A free and easy way to do this is to sign up for Google Alerts, so you can monitor online conversations on a regular basis.  Depending on what you hear, look to your plan to figure out how you want to engage.

8.  Create a policy. As social media continues to grow quickly, and more than 400 million people worldwide continue to flock to Facebook, now is a good time for your business to develop a social media policy. This document can help your team determine what's appropriate to talk about online, and how they should interact in various situations. For example, Coca-Cola's social media policy includes a few smart guidelines, including advising employees that the Internet is permanent and that local posts have global significance.

9.  Go mobile. Remember how quickly the mobile world is exploding. Within more than one million iPads sold since launch, the demand for apps on the go shouldn't be ignored.  Consider developing your own application, either now or put it on your project plan for the future.

10.  Have fun. Although the technology is constantly evolving, and often frustrating, there are lots of exciting opportunities in the social media environment. A few weeks ago I hosted a workshop where attendees were tasked with developing an online video campaign for a fictitious airline in under thirty minutes. Many groups pitched pretty traditional ideas, but one group dragged their chairs up on stage and acted out an online skit with "Amelia Earhart" leading the audience through their plans to go viral. In other words, the most creative and original ideas have the best chance to stand out.

Do you remember in Top Gun, when Maverick says to Goose, "Talk to me Goose."  I believe that communication is the most valuable tool and for the most part, the top tool for success in life.  Communication both written, verbally, and non verbal says to the world what we are about and what we represent.

At the end of the day, to be an effective person and someone who has the ability to have big success, communication is the key.  Quite obviously, communication can be in so many different venues, but today, I want to focus quickly on public speaking or speaking in front of an audience larger than a couple of people.

For me, the first time I was to get in front of a group in my current professional life was incredibly trying.  I was anxious, nervous, dry mouth, all of the things we can imagine.  What I had, was a solid foundation of my material which assisted me to go on auto pilot once I got in front of the crowd.  Early on, I struggled to even remember what I said when I was done.

I have found, for me, one of the best ways to speak in front of a group, is to design the first couple of minutes of your material.  If you are an expert in the field, or if you are duplicating a sales presentation, the sales presentation should be the same or nearly the same if you have proven it to be affective.

For me, I often find something that has happened in my life on a given day that I can relate to the entire group.  It does a couple of things.  First, as a speaker, it is critical to share something of yourself outside the basic subject matter to connect with the group.  Again, if you are not connecting with the group, it does not matter what you say....they aren't listening.

Let me give you an example of a talk the other day so this makes a bit of sense.

"How is everyone doing today?  Please forgive me for my voice (I was sick the day I was speaking) today.  Does anyone in the room have children?  Great, most of you do, so you will be able to relate to me, especially if you have young kids in your home.  I have four kids, and my oldest is 5....so you can imagine, that if they are sick, I'm sick, so bare with my voice today please!"

I believe giving an anecdotal element at the beginning of a presentation calms your nerves as you are simply sharing a story.  In this case, it is also important to get the crowd in the "yes" before you even enter the actual presentation.  I asked who has kids, in most rooms that I speak I know 90% of the people or more will have children.  I also showed a level of relation, that I have a real life, with real concerns, and when I share the information that I will be covering on that day, they will correlate that I am just like them.

You have probably watched a speaker, who nearly faints in the first few minutes of their presentation and then they find their groove.  Its typically because they have so much pressure on the informational part.  Talk to the group as you were talking to a friend and they will feel that, relate to you, and they will in turn give energy back to you in the form of actively listening and participating.

I got to wondering the other day how best to treat that little voice in your head.  If you are wondering what little voice I am referring to, its the one talking to you right now asking what I'm talking about!

That being said, in my opinion, most people allow that little voice to be a source of defeat rather than a source of inspiration.  When we embark on a new challenge, our voice starts talking to us based on previous life experience. 

"Why are you doing this AGAIN, you KNOW you can't make it work"
"You are to heavy right now, why don't you try again after you lose the weight"
"Its in your genes, your parents weren't successful, your uncles aren't, no one is, so why bother"

You get the point.  Whatever the words are in your head that are defeating you, you are in control of those words.  One good theory on dealing with that little voice is to take ownership of it and employ it as a partner in your goals.  Instead of stonewalling the voice and trying to ignore it, think of it as an overbearing mom or dad who at the end of the day, are overbearing because they love you. 

Utilize the same tactics with the inner voice as you might with your parents. 

"Mom, I appreciate you sharing, and I understand that you come from a space of love.  I will take your thoughts into advisement, but I get to live my life on my terms, and when I need your assistance on tasks you can assist with, I will consult you.  Just know, my big goals are mine, and mine alone, you can assist with the small goals; the editing, the punctuation, the grammar of my life."

Whatever yours words are, just say "Thank you, but I'm not listening" as paraphrased from a mentor of mine Domo Kovacevik.  Now, go out and make it happen!

I love finding a great article that I can post for everyone to find value in.   Brian Tracy is phenomenal in the area of Sales and motivational psychology.  I hope you find value int he post!

The Parable of Talents by Brian Tracy

The Parable of the Talents is the primary reason for wealth or poverty throughout history.

Reasons for Rich or Poor
Why do some people retire rich and most people retire poor? This subject has fascinated philosophers, thinkers, mystics and teachers throughout the ages. There have been many cases of hundreds or thousands, and even millions, of men and women starting with nothing and going on to become financially independent. So, naturally, people are curious to know how their successes happened and what the common rules or principles are so that they, too, can apply them and become wealthy.

Why People Become Rich
One illustration of this key principle is called the Parable of the Talents. In the Bible, it says, "To him that hath, shall more be given, and he shall have abundance. But from him that hath not, even that which he hath shall be taken away."

Accumulation Leads to More Accumulation
What does that mean? In the modern world, we say the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The fact is, though, people who accumulate money tend to accumulate more and more. People who don't accumulate money seem to lose even that little bit of money they have. Why should this happen? The great success principle, the single idea that explains human destiny is simple. It says that you become what you think about most of the time.

Control Your Thoughts
And whatever you dwell upon grows in your reality. You create your entire world based on the things you choose to think about and how you choose to think about them.

It just so happens that wealthy, successful people fill their minds with thoughts, words, pictures and images of wealth, affluence, success, productivity and solutions to problems in the marketplace most of the time. These thoughts trigger the reticular activating cortex, the part of the brain that makes you more alert and sensitive to things that you have decided are important to you.

Activate Your Reticular Cortex
For example, if you decide to invest in a mutual fund, you will start to see news and information about mutual funds everywhere. Mentions in newspapers and magazines will jump out at you. These notices have always been there, but now you have sensitized your brain to pick them up and draw them to your attention with far greater frequency and vividness. This is the function and power of your reticular cortex.

Avoid Poverty Thinking
On the other hand, what do poor people think about most of the time? Unfortunately, poor people fill their minds with thoughts of scarcity, lack, poverty and being unable to afford things. They are always thinking and talking about how little money they have, how much things cost and how they wish things could be better financially. What they think about most of the time is how little money they have.

Think Like Wealthy People Think
Wealthy people from an early age think about how much they have, how much they want and all the different things they can do to acquire and earn the money and things they desire.

Find Out How Rich People Think
Here's a rule for you. If you want to become successful, find out what failures do and don't do it. If you want to be wealthy, find out what poor people think about, and avoid thinking in those ways. Instead, find out how wealthy people think. Find out what they read. Find out how they spend their time. Study their lives, read their stories and autobiographies, and listen to their words when they are interviewed and on tape. The more you find out what financially successful people think and talk about most of the time, and then do the same things, the more rapidly you will enjoy the same rewards.

Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do to put this parable of the talents into action:

First, make a decision today that from now on you will think and talk only about the financial success that you desire. At the same time, you will refuse to talk about or dwell upon your financial problems.

Second, instead of saying, "I can't afford it," instead, ask the question, "How can I afford it?" When you think of something that you want or need but don't have the money for at the time, the only question you ask is, "How?" How can you get it? What can you do to achieve it? What are your options? How can you get from where you are to where you want to go? This type of attitude will change your life.

Check out the link I came across.  No matter what your profession, the better we are at building our business and social network, the more tools we have in our chest for expanding our business.

http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/marketingideas/networkingcolumnistivanmisner/article206924.html

Have you ever considered what a person is worth, not in terms of them as a person walking on this earth, but what can that person do for you and your business?  I was reading a blog entry by Seth Godin today and it reminded me of one of the most interesting assets in business.  That asset is your personal power and what you bring to the table. 

Think of it this way.  If you were going to hire a band to come play at your new businesses launch party.  You could hire a local band who hits all of the big clubs and brings a pretty decent crowd and thus helps you get the eyes on the product or into your new store. 

How bout conversely to that.  You could hire one of the top bands of the day, for example, Stone Temple Pilots who just hit number 2 on the Billboard Top 200 chart the first week they released their new album. 

I think we have to agree that the local band put the time in to learn their craft just as the head liner did.  What makes the difference though in terms of their value?  The local band would certainly pull in all of the regular suspects that you would expect to come to your opening. 

The big time band would pull all of them, plus a wide variety of people that with out the pull would never have stepped foot into your new store, and that exposure opens a demographic a new customer base.

Both play for a couple of hours.  Probably pay the the local band a thousand maybe a few thousand dollars for the gig.....so why does the big timer get big money, perhaps on the scale of $100,000.00 for the appearance?

The bottom line is, its not the hours that are worked by the group, its the results that are produced.  If you open your store and in the first month you do 10 to 1 the production all of the same things being equal, the big timer has a perceived value of much greater than the local.

I remember listening on a success magazine disc one time a situation where there was a nuclear power plant that had shut down due to a mechanical deficiency.  The plant was losing millions of dollars a day each day it was not operational.  After a week or so of their best people trying to figure out the issue, they finally broke down and brought in one of the countries top consultants. 

The consultant arrived, and spent a full day looking at the controls, the dials, all of the instrumentation.  After assessing the situation, he walked in, got on a ladder, put a piece of masking tape on a dial marked with an X.  He told the plant managers to replace the dial and the issue would be resolved.

Sure enough, the dial was replaced and the plant immediately came back on line.  A short time later, the plant manager received a bill from the consultant for $75,000.00.  Of course, the plant manager practically fell over in his chair and sent a correspondence to the consultant inquiring as to the break down of the bill and why was it so excessive as after all, you simply placed an X on a dial and we actually fixed the dial and gauge.

After receiving the managers correspondence, the consultant politely sent back an itemized bill. 

$1.00 for placing X on malfunctioning Dial
$74,999.00 for having the knowledge of which dial to place it on.

So true, the company was losing a million dollars a day.  It is challenging to put a value on a "linchpin" job as Seth Godin calls it compared to a simple hourly recipe.

I believe if we took that same understanding and placed it on the strategic partnerships we have in business, everything would change.  I see it happen all of the time where we create massive value for the guidance of a top leader in our business, and the numbers that are produced are astounding.  The biggest difference is, we can promote effectively irregardless of who the person is.  It is not the same as dealing with a big public figure.  I can create within my integrity the value for whomever it is that we are working with and at the end of the day, sometimes it is easy to promote for the Stone Temple Pilots, but what if we were able to promote for the local band with the same intensity and excitement.  Sure, the name brings something.  But the name can be whatever it is we make of it.

If you are kind of a geek, but no where near super geek or even pretty geeky, check out this link to 100 tips to utilize Google more efficiently.  There are a ton of cool things Google can do!

http://www.eternalcode.com/100-google-tricks-that-will-save-you-time-in-school

Do you ever have those days where it feels like everything is going your way?  I am one of those people that have to choose everyday I get up whether it is a good day or a bad day.  I guess what I am saying is I'm not one of those naturally energetic super happy kinds of people.  As a result, sometimes, I wake up and think, oh my goodness, I do not want to get out of bed today, really, that is what I say, and it isn't because I am still tired. 

Today was not one of those days.  I slept in as did the kids, rolled out of bed at 8 a.m. And the day just was spot on.  You know, one of those days where you feel like you are on top of the world, and nothing could knock you out of the box.  I don't know why today was that way, but it was.  If I could only figure out the formula for what was different about today I would be unstoppable!

 I came across this blog post from Seth Godin today and it struck a bit of a cord.  What are your thoughts on this one?  I just wonder what percentage of people are out there with a true intent to manipulate a person into a sale?  The reality is, if you believe in your product, and you believe it is in the best interest of your consumer, then all sorts of psychology of selling comes into play.  Is that a manipulation if you use psychology to close a sale that you believe is truly in the best interest of the consumer.  When does it cross the line into a manipulation.  Or is it very black and white.  Is it as simple as, you believe in your product and the nature of the products use for the consumer and therefore it is not manipulation, but on the other hand, if you don't believe in your product, then is it manipulation irregardless of what you do to close a sale?  Thoughts?

Who is easily manipulated?

Sometimes (and too often) marketers work to manipulate people. I define manipulation as working to spread an idea or generate an action that is not in a person's long-term best interest.
The easiest people to manipulate are those that don't demand a lot of information, are open to messages from authority figures and are willing to make decisions on a hunch, particularly if there's a promise of short-term gains.
If you want to focus on the short run and sell something, get a vote or gather a mob, the easiest place to start is with populations that leave themselves open to manipulation.
There are habits and activities that leave people open to manipulation. I'm not saying they are wrong or right, just pointing out that these behaviors make you open to being manipulated... Here are a few general categories of behaviors that manipulators seek out:

• Believing something because you heard someone say it on a news show on cable TV.
• Being a child (or acting like one).
• Buying penny stocks.
• Repeating a mantra heard from a figurehead or leader of a tribe without considering whether it's true.
• Trying to find a short cut to lose weight, make money or achieve some other long-term goal.
• Ignoring the scientific method and embracing unexamined traditional methods instead.
• Focusing on (and believing) easily gamed bestseller lists or crowds.
• Inability to tolerate fear and uncertainty.
• Focus on now at the expense of the long term.
• Allowing the clothes of the messenger (a uniform, a suit and tie, a hat) to influence your perception of the information he delivers (add gender, fame, age and race to this too).
• Reliance on repetition and frequency to decide what's true.
• Desire to stick with previously made decisions because cognitive dissonance is strong.
• Inability to ignore sunk costs.
• Problem saying 'no' in social situations.

Interesting to note that AM radio used to be filled with ads for second mortgages. And now? Gold.
Manipulating people using modern techniques is astonishingly easy (if the marketer has few morals). You only make it easier when you permit people and organizations that want to take advantage of you to do so by allowing them to use your good nature and your natural instincts against you. It happens every day in Washington DC, online, on TV and in your local community institutions.

 I've got to admit, that the following bit of information doesn't surprise me much.  It would be interesting to know the details with regards to a geographic study as it relates to the level of narcissism within Gen Y because I have noticed much higher levels in areas of high population.  I do not know why that is, or if it is simply an observation that does not have much merit.  I know for me, I grew up in a town with 1000 people in it.  We were a local farming community where we learned the value of a work ethic at a very young age.  I believe we had beliefs instilled in us of our self worth, and the self worth was correlated to actions, not just because.  The article below is interesting.  I can see how someone who has an incredibly high self image and not the skill to back it up, or the work ethic to create the necessary skill would have a general disposition towards depression.  

Try this thought process on for size--perhaps a stereotypical Gen Y person.

"If I felt I was the best at my occupation, or calling in life, yet all indicators said otherwise, and because I was entitled to be the best just because someone told me I was, the difficulties and challenges to climb the ladder to the top would disallow me from reaching any real level of expertise as that would mean I would have to work more and thus, I would continue to fail time and time again, yet my self belief in how great I am would reinforce the cycle that I was above the work to get better, because for me, I am already perfect, it is all of you around me that aren't smart enough to see my greatness, to bad for you, I think I will sit over here and continue to do nothing and expect everything."

20-somethings have an inflated 'sense of self'

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Today's 20-something workers get a bad rap in the workplace, with many people complaining that their work ethic is less developed than their sense of entitlement. But is that really fair? Yes, according to new US research that's yielded actual data to back up that notion.

In a series of studies using surveys that measure psychological entitlement and narcissism, University of New Hampshire management professor Paul Harvey found that "Gen Y" respondents scored 25 percent higher than respondents ages 40 to 60 and a whopping 50 percent higher than those over 61.

In addition, Gen Y's were twice as likely to rank in the top 20 percent in their level of entitlement — the "highly entitled range" — as someone between 40 and 60, and four times more likely than a golden-ager.

As a group, Mr. Harvey says, Gen Yers are characterised by a "very inflated sense of self" that leads to "unrealistic expectations" and, ultimately, "chronic disappointment". And if you think the Gen Yers in your workplace are oversensitive as well as entitled, Harvey's findings back that up, too.

Today's 20-somethings have an "automatic, knee-jerk reaction to criticism," he says, and tend to dismiss it. "Even if they fail miserably at a job, they still think they're great at it."

Of course, to be fair, there's another stereotype about Gen Yers. They may be high-maintenance, but they're committed and idealistic, and determined to do work they believe in. A fair estimation?

No, according to another study, which will be published in the Journal of Management in September. Co-author Stacy Campbell, an assistant professor of management at Kennesaw State University, says the study revealed that when it comes to work, the two things Gen Yers care most about are a) high salaries, and b) lots of leisure time off the job.

"They want everything," says Ms Campbell. "They want the time off. They want the big bucks." To reach their conclusions, Campbell and co-author Jean Twenge — a professor of psychology at San Diego State and author of "Generation Me," a book examining discontent among members of Gen Y — worked over the data from an ongoing survey of high school students conducted annually since 1975 by the University of Michigan.

Time will tell what will become of Gen Y.  I think I am technically part of Generation X, and to be honest with you, I do not remember what the studies said about me, or us, or how we would turn out.  Perhaps that should be something to check on in the future to determine if there is hope for Gen Y!

 

I was downtown Portland, Oregon a couple of days ago waiting for my wife KayCee as she did a meeting.  We like to commute together most of the time, one of the perks of working together.  As I sat there at the corner of Broadway and Salmon I couldn't help but put down the book I was reading, and started to watch the people as they passed by.

I tend to watch people every now and again as I think many people do, but this time, I watched with a different eye.  I watched with an intent to try and imagine what people were doing, where they were coming from, what was their past and what might their future hold.

Keep in mind, my impressions are just that and I know that a cover is not necessarily the judge of the content, yet isn't it true that the cover is what we see first, that the cues we pick up on have nothing to do with words at a first content, or knowing a back story, so it is true that that we first consume information about another based on their appearance.  It makes me think of going to Barnes and Noble.  When I go, if I am simply going to buy a book purely for enjoyment without an author in mind, what always draws me to grab a book and read the inside cover is what the outside cover looks like.  Sometimes its a flashy cover that grabs my eye, and other times it is the beautiful simplicity that entices me to grab it, yet, each time, it is always the outer appearance that captures the imagination at first.  In most cases, I don't even read the title before I'm already reaching for it. That being said, take my observations with a grain of salt, and I will sum it up at the end!

One of the first people that walked by was a woman, with red stringy hair, smoking a cigarette, and she held the cigarette in her mouth with the seasoning of a pro, you know, the but somehow hanging from her lip suspended in near mid air.  Dressed a bit frumpy, head down, eyes pointing toward the road and not taking in the beautiful day (rare in Portland in Spring) around her.  She wasn't wearing makeup and you could tell she had skin that was a casualty of years of smoking.  She walked by twice, and as she went by, my thoughts were many.  It was easy to feel bad for her, yet at the same time, I wondered what her past was like that had brought her to where she was today.  My initial thought was that she must be a soul suck.  The kind of person that when you are with them, they take more than they give, and in many cases, you feel like you have to take a shower when you are done talking to them.

Here was an interesting note, I had the pleasure of observing two women her were sight impaired and both were utilizing black labs for their sight companions.  They both walked to the stop light with confidence.  Heads held high, walking with a definite purpose.  As they approached the light, the dog slowed the pace and like the two woman (keep in mind, they weren't together) were synchronized swimmers, they reached their toes out to find the curb, tapped a couple of times to gain confidence in their footing and stopped.  Both reaching into a waist pack they were carrying, pulled a dog chew (I'm hoping a juicy steak bite!) out, placed it in the dogs mouth and lovely stroked the dogs face and back.  A bond for sure.  Out of necessity at first I'm sure, but a relationship that has allowed freedom.  I can't imagine walking in one of the busiest areas in one of the top 25 metropolitan cities in the United States without my own eyes.  Trust runs deep in those relationships.  Someone that would be so fascinating to chat with for a few minutes and see the world through their eyes, because undoubtedly there is a vast world to be discovered without the tool of sight.

Last two that I will mention were sad, exciting, challenged, big dreams, all of those things wrapped up into one.  They were two men, one big, one small, both attempting to make it in a competitive professional world.  Both were carrying nondescript basic nylon brief cases over their shoulders.  The younger more slender man wore navy blue slacks and a navy blue sports jacket that were very close in color but in the sun of the day revealed the non suit suit.  The stockier older man with his hair combed over to one side, stiff and brittle, designed to be confident also wore a suit.  His actually a suit.  They crossed the road coming towards me and they chatted.  The older (perhaps the mentor of the younger) took the lead and carried himself with more confidence.  Clearly the two were outside salesman, peddling their wares to those that would find value in it.  As the two turned the corner and start to walk away, the more seasoned of the twos back vents in his jacket flapped up showing the inner lining of his jacket which was clearly a red satin, and I mean read, as in valentines day red.  Now, I know and I am a big fan of creating a little mystery inside a mans suit that is otherwise unassuming with a bit of character in the lining.  The fly up however was a telling sign, that the "mentor" was also faking a life he was attempting to build.

Wow, I know what people are thinking, this guy is shallow, yet, there are things we all notice based on our life experience.  Someone else may have been attracted to the man, or repulsed as they would remind them of a past experience, I simply was taking note of things that would give me validation, or an insight into what the folks passing by might be doing.

It then led me to the thought of all the doers in life.  So many of the people walking by carried umbrellas just in case it rained, obviously walking to a place of predetermined meaning and it got me to think about how most of us are on autopilot.  Alarm goes off, we get up, get in the shower, eat breakfast, get in the car, go to work, read our emails, do some work, eat lunch, watch the clock until its 5, jump in the car, drive home, eat a dinner, sit down, throw our feet up, watch a TV program, read a book for a few minutes before bed, turn the lamp off, ensure the alarm is set for the next day, and do it again.  We just do, don't think about things, what the consequences are, we don't challenge ourselves because we know what our current circumstance is.  To create a change takes a effort, no matter what it is.  If you don't read now, what would it take to implement a reading program?  Take some time from something else you are doing.  Attach a value system with the reading that is a driving force to get you to read on those early days where reading just doesn't seem that interesting to you.  Create a positive reinforcement loop for continued reading, all sorts of things go into changing our doer status, and frankly, for most of the people that I saw walking by in that hour that I sat in downtown Portland, I believe the majority will continue to simply flow with the status quo, which honestly, is perfect for them. 

Bottom line, many of the books I pick up at Barnes and Noble that look appealing from the outside turn out to be completely uninteresting when I read the synopsis.  The all show and no go syndrome.  However, some of those simple books, that are unassuming, are unassuming because what is held inside is more powerful then we could possibly know, and to "flash" it up would create an out imbalance with the inner.  The integrity we hold should be true through and through.  And at the end of the day, time is always the best gauge.  Many of those books, that sucked me in with the flash, and the opening chapters that were written with grace and eloquence fell flat in real content.  The reality, the talent, or the look of a person that draws us in, will never take them father than their real character can keep them.  The same as a good book cover has to back up with meaty turn paging content that comes from a space of realness and believability, so must the relationships with the people in our lives. So, while we can't judge a book by its cover, we certainly can choose to open it up and find out for ourselves if the cover matches the content.

I came across this great list from Wally Amos of cookie fame and apparently quite a published author on the subject of success.  The list resonated in my ears and was a priceless piece of daily download to implement into a game plan for life.  The lists are excerpts from The Path to Success is Paved with Positive Thinking by Wally Amos, 2008.

The Keys to an Optimistic Outlook


1.  Stop being your own worst enemy.  Be your own best friend.
2.  Don't put yourself down.  Pull yourself up.
3.  Don't permit others to define who you are.  You cannot be a failure without your own consent.
4.  Respect yourself.  Place a high value on yourself.
5.  Take stock of who you are and what you're capable of.  Work on weaknesses and find new strengths every day.
6.  Replace "I can't" with "I can" and "I will."
7.  Treat yourself generously, the way you want others to treat you.
8.  Be compassionate.  Love yourself, and others will love you.
9.  Remember that you are an individual expression of God.  As a work of God's art, you are priceless and irreplaceable.
10.  Visualize what you want from life, then work toward it.  See it, then be it.
11.  Allow time to be by yourself, with yourself.  Take time to appreciate yourself.
12.  Enjoy your uniqueness.  Out of all the billions of people since the beginning of time, there has never been, and never will be another you.
13.  Realize that you are important to the entire world; what happens to the world begins with you.

Number 3 is a laser isn't it.  So many things wrapped up into a simple statement.  I believe that 3 could be the most encompassing of all the statements.  To me its personal choice and from that, all others stem.

Number 10 is powerful as well.  The concept of thoughts are things, basic goal setting, visualizing what it will be like to be in the space of your goals and then starting to operate in that space of your being.

What do you think are most compelling or least for that matter?
 

There is a nice little quote in a John Maxwell book that I am currently reading that states "If your face is going to "talk" for you anyway, you might as well have it communicate something positive"

Interesting indeed.  I have to tell you, I tend to be the stoic person in most cases prior to my current path.  I didn't joke around to often, and I believe that often the message I was conveying was not the message that I was intending to convey.  This may make sense to those of you that can relate to me. 

I can remember times where I would be at a party, a bar, any kind of social setting, and I have never been an outgoing gregarious kind of light the room up kind of person, so I would tend to blend in with the walls. 

However, in most circumstances, I would be thinking, someone will come talk to me, I'm over here, alone, someone else has to be bored out of their mind, yet in most cases it did not happen.

Obviously, there are so many layers why that happens, but for today, I will focus on one simple fact.  My face was telling everyone to stay away.  I avoided eye contact (self confidence), did not smile for the longest time, oh, and as you might have guessed by the name of my blog, I can be a bit scary at times.  So, while inside my head, I as saying, come over and chat, my face, my body, everything else (the only thing I was communicating with) was saying, stay away or I might eat your children.  That last part is a joke of course.

Back on track though.  In situations where feelings and attitudes are being conveyed (From UCLA psychology professor emeritus Albert Mehrabian) Dr. Mehrabian found the following:

What we say accounts for only 7 percent of what is believed
The way we say it accounts for 38 percent
What others see accounts for 55 percent. 

That is to say, that in many situations, what we say has less than 10% to do with the impression that we leave upon people. 

Bottom line, if the words, feelings, expressions, and body language do not fall into alignment, you can bet that the people that you are attempting to influence are not buying what you are throwing down.  Connecting is one of the most important aspects of any business relationship.  So much in fact, that I believe in order for trust to be established, which is truly the foundation of leadership, the ability to connect must happen first.  Every contact is the chance to connect and as a result, I believe, as I am, if connecting is a weak point, it gets to be a priority in terms of self and personal growth.

It is always interesting to me that in times of the greatest silence, the most powerful thoughts, feelings, ideas, passions, goals, dreams, and desires come about.  I find that when the day to day world is going on around us, it is only those items that we are able to focus on.  The kids get up and the day starts.  Feed them, bathe them, start wondering how the day will unfold.  Have to go to work, make appointments, make things happen, and then the day wraps up, with more feeding, more putting out fires, and more not being in a creative space.

I have to say, that traveling on my own gives many opportunities to find that clarity.  Down time seems to be a part of consistent travel and has become something I accept and also at times thrive upon.  A couple of hours to sit down in a coffee shop, in a park, or simply in the car knowing that there is no other pressing matter that I should be attending too.  Out of town means I don't have the ability to tend to our children when there is down time.  No need to take care of those pressing matters around the house as I am not there. 

What a wonderful space to be in.  A space to allow to journal, to reflect, to blog (obviously as I am doing now), but just knowing that I can be selfish with my time.  Is that so bad?  A client of mine likened his travel schedule (He was a regional manager for a pharmaceutical company that required him to travel 3-4 days per week) as having the best of both worlds in many ways.  I believe many entreprenuers struggle with wanting to sink a million hours into their day time passion yet always knowing they have a purpose in providing stability, love, direction, and so many things for a family life.  The way that he put it was that when he traveled, it was his chance to be completely free to make decisions as if he was single.  Does that make sense?  He chose when to get up, what to eat, how to spend his off time, what park to go to, where to eat dinner, tv shows, you name it, it was up to him.  Obviously, he has the stability of a strong relationship where he is confident in his commitment to his spouse and his spouses commitment to him, but it is true.

Your decisions on  your own.  Your thoughts are you own.  The normalcy of day to day life is drowned out and it is such a powerful space to operate from.  Creativity is strength.  Most of us have probably heard artists who do their best work in the middle of the night, where they can focus all of their passion into the process.  When was the last time you allowed yourself such an opportunity.  I think it is healthy to recharge the soul with me time.  I've heard it many times lately, but it is the idea of place the oxygen mask on yourself before putting it on the others when the plane is going down.  If you don't do right by yourself, you will never do right by others, no matter what you think.  When we don't operate at our highest level with our highest purpose, then we compromise.  It doesn't mean that we have to be stuffy and serious, it means live life to its fullest, don't settle, know that all of the silent thoughts and dreams are possible if we allow them to be, now that's exciting!

"The only way you fail is when you quit trying"

I think the quit should be QUIT because we know that is what it is all about for those who choose it.

Over the last little bit, KayCee and I have been getting closer and closer to some of our midterm goals with our business.  I have to tell you, that it was exciting to see our companies recognition come out over the last few days and see 2 people in our group in the top 15 (ourselves and a dear friend), 5 of the 7 people in our group at our position recognized in the top within the company as presidents clubs members, and 3 of those 7 people recognized for a silver jacket which is an even more exclusive group within our company.

It just seems like the business is getting more and more simple, and it is so unfortunate when we see people that don't stick it out long enough to get to where they want to be.  Networking is quite simple, but it takes some for the simplicity to sink in.  That is to say, you have to stick around long enough, to be good enough, to get the results that you are looking for. 

The threshold of entry into most networking companies is so low that the associated benefits of what is possible are never realized as the investment is too easy to walk away from.  I used to remember people saying, "If I could just put my head on your body for a moment, you would never quit."  There is a point in time, where the lightbulb clicks on.  Everything starts to converge, and the ability to really see massive success becomes not only a "what if it could really happen, to its right there, go after it, its not a what if, it is simply a matter of time, there are no questions.

How many people quit before they realize their potential.  Sad really.

It always amazes me when I look up at the clock and realize that the last hour that I have been working has really been 4 hours.  Does that ever happen to you?  The last few weeks have been quite hectic and a little out of balance, and I know that it is for the best as we are pushing ever closer towards our goals to enjoy a life style without limitations.

The last 2 weeks I have been very tardy on attending to my blog entries and as most people do, (I'm justifying this right now as I am no different than anyone else) I have dropped out on a new years resolution or at least a goal of mine to post every single day.  Its much like working out, I miss a day, and the next day I figure I will work out twice as hard to make up for the lost day, but pretty soon missing a day now and again becomes the new norm, and usually for me, some sort of event happens, I get sick, we go out of town, something that finally puts last nail in the coffin and I'm off the wagon.  Silly really.

With that being said, I'm recommitting once again, kind of doesn't hold the same weight, but its a commitment for me, whether anyone drops by to read my little rants or not, I know that all of the little commitments I make towards improving (blogging is communicating and communication is key) will pay dividends in the long run.

I ran across this article on Alltop from the NPR.  It is crazy thinking about jobs that have come and gone.  I would rather imagine that many of us know people that actually did some of the jobs of the past.  Milk man, bowling pin setter, copy boy....click on the link to see some of the others. 

http://holykaw.alltop.com/how-innovation-obsoletes-jobs

Doesn't it get you to thinking about what jobs of today will be gone tomorrow.  There are so many things that continue to change with the advent of technology.  I was actually thinking about this just the other night.   I remember a friends family growing up that had a little movie shop where they rented out the original VCR's and VHS's.  When the first DVD's came out, they were sunk.  Now, today, I don't know very many people who don't go to a Redbox or utilize Netflix or even On demand options from cable and satellite providers. 

I've recently run into a manager from Blockbuster Video.  Her store is closing down.  I believe in the next few years, we will not see the brick and mortar versions of video stores.

Doesn't it beg the question, what other jobs will be lost in the next few years as technology continues to make us obsolete.  Does it make you wonder what you could do to protect yourself and your future.  Is there truly a position in the world that has true staying power?  What do you think?

The movies you say.  Never been a huge priority in my life, yet it is something that is a simple family outing that we can all enjoy together.  That being said,

"Have you seen these crazy prices lately?"

KayCee and I have upped our movie allotment quite extensively over the last year.  We have now gone to two movies this year as opposed to the 2 movies the prior 5 years of our married life.  I have to tell you, the last movie KayCee and I went to was at Cinetopia in Vancouver, WA which was nice.  You can order dinner and watch a movie all at the same time.  Big comfy leather chairs (you can actually order an adult beverage if you choose), ottomans to throw your feet up, you know, a great date night for an old married couple.

Lets talk about the outing the other night.  I have to tell you, it was very enjoyable and my commentary to follow should take nothing away from that.  The scenario, 4 kids, 2 adults, missed the matinee time, yet we really wanted to get the kids to a movie.  Not all of the "kid" movies play in the evening.  As we roll up to the theater, we thought, worst case, we will go to Alice in Wonderland, little adult for our kids, five, three, three, and two are the ages of our children.

So, worst case comes on board, the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland (in 3D no less), which as you may or may not know, a more dark version than the way I remember the book.  Where am I going with all of this you may ask, we stroll up to the ticket counter, 2 adults and roll off the ages of our children, and baboom......That will be $61.00.  Are you kidding me.  The family behind us with one child actually giggled a little bit when the ticket salesman said, "Because he is two, we normally charge, but I'll let it slide" and still it was $61.00.....that was with one of our cute kiddos getting in free.

Of course, whats a movie, with out the snacks.  Medium popcorn, bottle of water, nachos for Rhyan our oldest, and of course a box of those scrumptious cookie dough bites.  Another $21.75 on snacks, and the movie begins. 

I'm just wondering, if anyone knows the answer to this question....Is the movie theater business incredibly lucrative, or is the Hollywood industry so incredibly overinflated at what they believe their people to be valued at that in an attempt to have a nice family movie night, it now costs the average person a full days wages to attend? 

Of course, it is by choice that we partake in the experience, and as well, if people simply quit supporting the escalating fees, it would force a change and make it more affordable, but it isn't like we are creating world piece or solving health care reform here.....its simply a movie!

Do you remember the Smashing Pumpkins song, about Today is the greatest.....Do you think that everyday can be great.  I heard something other day that I believe could be instrumental in creating the best day each and every day.  It is a quote by John Wooden, former coach of the UCLA Bruins basketball team.  He says, "Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." 

That is quite brilliant.  Is it the idea of ying/yang, optimist/pesimist, glass half full/half empty.  Yes, I would rather imagine.  Each and every day, life will happen.  Each and every day, how we look at that life that happens is a choice.  At the end, we can choose if today is the greatest day!

Interesting question.   I came across the following article and I believe it to be pretty much right on.  In essence, it says money DOESN'T buy happiness.  However, read it, then seem my comments at the end and see if I'm very far off in my conclusion.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/human-nature/emotions/happiness/being-happy/can-money-buy-happiness.htm

According to a popular credit card company, there are some things money can't buy. The Beatles would put love on that list. Other people might add intelligence or talent. But surely happiness could be had for a cool one or two million dollars. After all, what person doesn't feel a surge of positive emotions upon finding a $20 bill on the sidewalk or at the thought of winning the lottery? If only you had a bit of extra cash to throw around, you could quit your job, buy an island in the Caymans and relax on the beach for the rest of your days.
But psychologists and economists who have studied the relationship between money and happiness paint a different picture. According to them, you'd likely grow tired of your cabana in a matter of years. You see, people have an astonishing ability to adapt to all sorts of situations, and while that can be a good thing if you get locked out of your house during a drenching rain, it also means you'd quickly grow accustomed to a life of affluence. A shiny red Jag and new house in the Hamptons would be great for a while, but after a few days or weeks, their newness would wear off, and you'd go in search of the next best thing. Even surveys of lottery winners indicate that their initial joy at hitting the jackpot wears off in just a few months [source: Brooks].

The one place that money and happiness are significantly linked is when a person is unable to afford to meet their basic needs. There is an appreciable difference in levels of happiness between those below the poverty level and those above it. Homeless people in Calcutta, for instance, score a mere 2.9 on a 7-point scale of happiness, while multimillionaires in the United States rank themselves a cheery 5.8. Once people pass that poverty threshold, though, the money boost tapers off; Inuits in Greenland and Masai ranchers living in Kenyan dung huts are just as happy as the high-society Americans [source: Begley]. So while the Warren Buffetts of the world are indeed more content than beggars on the street, they're not a whole lot happier than people who herd cattle for a living.
Such data may leave all you lottery-playing hopefuls out there feeling rather dejected. But don't lose heart just yet -- there are more effective paths to happiness than hitting the jackpot. For starters, you may want to rethink quitting that job of yours.

First thing I noticed, is the huge discrepancy from the people who just get by or at the poverty level of 2.9 out of 7 compared to 5.8 out of 7 for affluent.  The sampling groups and information are so far off that it makes no sense to me.

They speak of the Inuits in Greenland and the Masai in Kenya as being just as happy as the affluent in the United States.  I believe that whole heartedly.

Lets take a look at that from a different angle.  Perhaps in our day to day life.  In the United States we are constantly bombarded by items that we want as opposed to items that we need.  The news, internet, and magazines always remind us of the things that are available but we simply can't afford.  When people live in a society that is not based on consumption and vanity to the extent the US is, it would be much simpler to feel like "I have it all." 

It is the concept of you don't know what you don't know.  I can tell you, we have been fortunate to have a lifestyle where money wasn't an issue for us.  During that time, the stress levels were nonexistent and I would say that lack of stress would be a high determining factor as it relates to happiness.

Without money, our choices are limited, our world begins to shrink, and we live with what we have.  Both are fine, as we have talked about, and in my opinion, if money can create options in your life that would enhance your current ability to enjoy your life, then to me, happiness could go up.

For people who do not desire anything different by choice, it would be very feasible to see a similar level of happiness to someone who has the options that money can bring.  At the end of the day, as with everything, it boils down to choosing to be happy with what we have, or not.