"If You Don't Build Your Dream . . . Someone Else Will Hire You To Build Theirs."

A number of years ago, I turned 40 and for my birthday, a good buddy from college sent me a book. I read that book in two days and it totally changed my vision, my perspective and my life. That book was "Tuesdays With Morrie". If you haven't read it, pick it up TODAY. It taught me that life is fleeting and to spend each day enjoying life, your work, your family, and your friends. I spent too much time worrying at my job and seeing too many projects deferred by bad management. I experienced too many manager making too many bad decisions based on emotions and politics and not on facts and ethics. I realized I was no longer doing what I really wanted to do.

It took three 'insights' to help me realize my situation and deliver a solution.

My first insight was Tuesdays With Morrie.

My second insight was signing up for the Dale Carnegie course and attending all 12 sessions. Not only did I meet 50 wonderful professionals from all walks of life, I had an incredible instructor who helped me better understand my future career.

My third was hiring a coach to help me make the transition. He helped me rationalize the erratic fears of leaving a six-figure position for an unknown coaching practice that might fail. But he helped me understand what needed to be done, put goals and activities in place, and make the jump.

And many years later, I'm doing better every year — blowing away my past salaries and making more than I've ever dreamed. Yes — I have to work harder sometimes — but this is MY business. On the other hand, I am in COMPLETE CONTROL of my products, my promotions, what I write, what I do — and I have the flexibility many people wish for.

And the best part? I've helped hundreds of clients make the same jump from crazy corporate to owning their own business. And they hug and thank me every time they see me (they're my best cheerleaders).

So — take the plunge — step out of your comfort zone and start your own business. Come on in — the water's fine.

I leave you with Emerson, who also said (in Self Reliance): "In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty. Great works of art have no more affecting lesson for us than this. They teach us to abide by our spontaneous impression with good-humored inflexibility then most when the whole cry of voices is on the other side. Else, to-morrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another."

Image provided by Monika Majkowska at Unsplash.

10 Simple Tips To Attract The Best Clients.

Getting clients is easy, hard, fun, frustrating, energizing and enervating. Most of all, you never know what to expect — one day no one is saying yes and the next, you close five clients. Here are my ten top strategies I use every day to make clients knock on my door:

1. Communicate effectively with your potential client base.

You need a killer web site — not just one that sits there. It must actively reach out and grab prospects. So it will take a lot of work, but you'll see results immediately. In addition, design great business cards, brochures (sometimes), and a powerful 30-second talk about what you do.

2. Work with people smarter than yourself.

This has two angles:

1. If you don't know how to execute something critical for your business, hire someone. I know it will cost money, but most people think they can do it themselves. Result: it takes forever to build/implement, it's wrong, and then they ultimately hire someone to clean up the mess.
2. Get clients who add to your knowledge base — help them in one area, but be a knowledge vampire and suck out key strategies, tips, and avenues you will embed into your company.

3. Develop a networking relationship with your competitors.

I actively court coaches, while most of my counterparts are wary and shun theirs. Not only is it a 'good' thing to do (embrace everyone), but you find the differences between your vocations and allows you to give referrals to one another.

4. Create packages to meet your client’s needs.

The first time out of the gate, you usually have to guess what your clients requires — so you need to remain flexible and change your offerings slowly. Initially, I used to coach for an hour, but found the extra 15 minutes turned into a coffee klatch, so I shortened my sessions to 45 minutes. It's perfect — and if I really need extra time for an extra-special client, I have it.

5. Do pro-bono work for charitable organizations.

The bigger, the better. Not only does it position you in a wonderful light, it throws you into a mix of influencers who truly appreciate your skills. The more visibility you have, the more people know about you. In addition, always take on a number of pro-bono clients each month — it's just the right thing to do.

6. Write an eBook for your target market — and give it away.

You need to harness the knowledge/experience in your brain and spread it out into the marketplace. Most businesspeople tend to hoard it like a miser — successful people freely expose it to the world and clients come banging at their door. It doesn't have to be long — just put a few powerful ideas in a short article, give it a snappy title, and offer it for free on your site. Also, have copies made and hand it to anyone who breathes.

7. Set Up “Power Meetings”.

Master the act of  networking with the right people. Most men and women tend to meet with anyone — you'll quickly find out there are many 'time-wasters' who might be fun initially, but in the end, suck valuable money from your pockets (time is money). You know who your target market is (if you don't, call me) — chase and connect with them.

8. Work at least two hours a day to get clients.

"Rich are you crazy?" No, I'm not. You should be meeting, setting up lunches, expanding your website, talking on the phone and a myriad of other strategies to get clients. My motto — if business is good, slowly power down your marketing. If business is bad, rocket up your marketing. But always find at least two hours a day to keep your client pipeline full and healthy.

9. Master the cold call approach.

Face it — ultimately you will need to reach out to strangers to get the business you want. Don't procrastinate and never do it — learn how to reach out to key targets, entice them, and get in front of them. If you do your homework, for every strikeout you will hit a home run (and sometimes a grand slam), trust me.

10. MCA - take massive action.

MCA stands for Massive Client Acquisition — the state of mind where you need to target, hunt, and capture large swaths of your client base. Take the necessary steps to grow your clientele — get out and network, reach out via a killer website, thrill people with your abilities, give away your intellectual capital, wear huge holes in your shoes, and lose your voice from all the talking you will do.

Bottom line: Think like a salesperson — you need to get up every day and get your butt out the door. Stop putting distance between you and your prospects — close the gap and you'll have to begin turning them away.

What else do you do to get clients? If you've tried any of these tools, how did they work?

Image provided by Marjorie Lipan at Flickr.

Why Your Email Is Holding You Back.

I spent the better part of this morning entering a bevy of business cards into my database so every person I meet can receive an eBlast and other info from the mind of Rich Gee. Candidly, it's not fun. In fact it sucks. But I break it up into manageable piles and quickly do it. I should purchase a business card scanner — but the idea of shelling out $250-$300 for a single purpose scanner makes my blood boil. Until they hit $99 (a reasonable price), I will continue to enter them myself. Sorry - it's just me.

Here's my dilemma — most business cards stink, and the biggest 'fault line' item of all is your email address. Why?

Don't Make It Complex.

I hate when people use an algorithm of their name, initials, or cute words to compose their email address. Odds are, I will probably get it wrong when entering it into my database or sending an email to you. The result — "You don't getta No Coke!" (a famous line from Caddyshack) - in other words - you get nothing from me.

I LOVE when people have firstname.lastname@company.com — short, simple, easy to read and understand. Like richgee@richgee.com — I actually repeated the URL in my name. EVERYONE gets it the first time — and I promise you, they probably don't forget it either.

By the way, I totally understand if you work for a corporation whose IT department made the erroneous decision years ago to make a complex email system. I feel for you. I especially love the ones where they require a middle initial (like rcgee@advo.com, my old one) and it you didn't have a middle name, they gave you an 'X'. How much fun is it during initial meetings when clients pick that one up? ("rich.x.gee . . . what does the 'x' stand for?")

Stick With .COM.

Maybe this is my OCD coming out, but I hate it when someone has a .NET or .BIZ or .US or some other weird domain the powers that be dreamed up. Unless you are a non-profit or educational institution (.EDU or . ORG), I am going to write .COM — and if I have to delete and type something else, it says to me you haven't taken the time to go and get a .COM for your business.

If you can't develop an basic URL for your business, buy one - they usually cost between $200-$500, a worthy investment for any business.

While you're at it, purchase your kid's URL's too — it's cheap and they will thank you 10-20 years from now.

Get Your Own Domain.

I don't know about you — but if I see @comcast, @optonline, @aol, @hotmail, or even @gmail, it clearly communicates to me you aren't really serious about your business. Specifically — you are a hobbyist who is running their business part-time or you have no clue about how the web works. Get serious and get your domain immediately.

Make Your Email HUGE.

I hate it when people make their email smaller than their address on their cards. Or they handwrite it on the back of the card because they either made a mistake and have 5000 cards left. Throw them out and lay out your card in this fashion: Name — Company — Direct Phone — Email — Website. No fax number, no multiple numbers, just give me your direct contact line — I also hate it when people have three numbers on their card and I get voicemail on all three. Give me one.

Sorry for this diatribe — but I've been pointing this out for 10+ years and people are STILL making these stupid business mistakes. And then they wonder why they aren't getting business.

What other problems do you have with email addresses?

Image provided by Martin Wessley at Unsplash.

How To Have A Perfect Day, Every Day.

Did you ever have a day not only hit your expectations, but surpass them? Yesterday was one of those days for me. I started out meeting with my sales team (all 45) who were engaged, enthusiastic, and ready to hear what I had to say and what to do next for my company. In addition, one of my dear friends, BJ Flagg, president of Nurenu Brand Marketing, was my guest (her team developed and runs this site).

I then contacted my favorite barbershop - Montana For Men in Stamford and was quickly given a perfectly-timed spot to get a haircut (even though I have little to work with!).

Met with two dear colleagues for lunch — it was an introductory meeting for both of them to see if their businesses might work well together. Guess what? They both loved each other and we're planning subsequent meetings to see how we will work together as a team!

Finally, I had a two-hour, power-hour strategy session with a new client. This not only gets us off on the right foot, it allows me to clearly understand their career and make an impact immediately.

Whew - started the day at 4:30 AM and arrived home at 8:00 PM - a long day, but I'm still energized from it. The hours don't really matter — it's what I accomplished.

WHAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE DAY FOR YOU?

Think back — when was the last time you were firing on all cylinders? When your day exceeded all of your expectations? Where everyone you worked with energized you?

Now here's the hard part — what elements contributed to that day? Was it the people you worked with? The project? Your scheduling? What was it?

CAN YOU REPLICATE IT?

If it was such a good day — you were effective, efficient, and energized — can you put those pieces into play again and produce another powerful day? And another? And another?

Most of the time — we have a day which stands out — and then we go back to the old grind. I say — BREAK THE MOLD! Or in this case KEEP THE RIGHT MOLD and use it every day.

Try it — you might get addicted.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

Image provided by Alex Talmon at Unsplash.

The Top 10 Commandments Of Work.

I’ve been making a list over the past six months of commandments about work. I get requests all the time to bundle them up into a post. So here they are:

1. Be the go-to person in your area.

Know your industry inside and out, you won't do well if you just know your job. Learn what's happening, who's up, who's down, any new processes and practices, who are the stars, etc.

2. Cultivate and consistently grow your contacts.

You can never have too many friends, colleagues, or connections.Learn how to communicate, both written and verbal. Most people stop once they start a job — this is death for any career. It's not only what you know — it's who you know too.

3. Ensure your superiors and clients ALWAYS look good.

This is not the same as brown-nosing — do the right thing and take care of the people that sign your check. When they move on to bigger and better things they will call, every time.

4. Know your strengths and weaknesses well.

Strengthen your strengths and keep a tab on your weaknesses so they don’t sabotage you.

5. Be totally honest in everything you do.

Even if it hurts in the short run. Solid ethics always trumps sharky snarkiness.

6. Don't ever get trapped into a dead-end position because you're scared of change.

Move. Change is good and will open new doors. Trust me.

7. Treat everyone from the CEO to the janitor with the utmost respect.

Yes, you do have time for everyone — I start conversations with security guards. When my battery is dead, guess who offers a quick jump?

8. Never stop learning.

Stay hungry for knowledge and experience. Not only does it feed itself, it becomes fun.

9. Listen. Don't talk all the time.

People you meet everyday have the most interesting and powerful things to say that can change your life.

10. Mix with other successful people.

To play better tennis you must play tennis with better tennis players. Seek their advice, listen to what they say, and apply it. Go find where they live.

Can you think of any others? Which ones have rung true for you in your career so far?

Get Rid Of Stress Right Now.

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

She continued, "The stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything."

Remember to put the glass down.

What glasses are YOU holding onto? Can you get rid of ONE glass today? What would your life be like if you ELIMINATED that glass?

Do it today.

Image provided by ex_magician at Flickr.

You Will Own The Room! Or How To Present Effectively.

Last week, I presented to the International Coaching Federation's Career Coaching Group. The Career Coaching Group is a HUGE network of career coaches who span the globe helping executives, managers, and C-Levels make their way through today's corporate environment. I was asked by the leaders of the group to 'coach' all the coaches on how to present more effectively. I was honored to speak to the group and as a present to my readers, here is the recording of my workshop and the actual PDF presentation to follow along (see below).

A synopsis of the topic:

One of the best ways to grow your practice is to speak to large audiences and give them actionable knowledge. Once you do that - they have ‘test-driven’ the car, now they want to buy. In this presentation you will learn:

• What people want from a presentation
• How people learn and understand
• Good tools and techniques with bad ones
• How to deliver great presentations
• How to grow your practice with workshops

Link to Recording (mp3)

Top 10 Tools I Use To Work Anywhere.

Ever since I left my corporate gig (so many years ago), I've had to modify my practice to work on the go and be 100% effective. I can't 'forget' anything, I can't carry around stacks of paper, and I certainly can't lose any important information.

What do I do? I have a number of systems and tools to help me be my best at any time for my clients and also be able to boot up my office virtually — anywhere at anytime:

1. Dropbox

Dropbox is a my online file manager which lets me store up to 100GB, plus it’s also a good way to sync my files across my various work and home computers and mobile devices. I can share files for collaboration, store and share photo and video galleries, and my data will all be safely backed up on Dropbox's secure servers. It connect seamlessly with my file manager, so it acts just like a hard drive — but it's virtual. And when a client needs a big file, I can grant them access to my Dropbox temporarily, let them grab the file, and then lock it down again. It's easy, cheap, and it's never failed me. Check out Dropbox.

2. Crashplan & iCloud

This is my online backup and as my tech team has instructed me, I should have it in two places. So I initially have all of my files regularly backed up to iCloud, Apple's proprietary cloud-based platform. It's transparent and I never notice it working in the background, surreptitiously copying my files and storing them offsite on one of their super-server farms somewhere in Utah. In addition, I use Crashplan, a continuous offsite backup platform with anywhere mobile app access. Even though both have been tested and proven, I have lived through file-loss and hard drive failures, so I have the scars. That's why I use two systems. Check out Crashplan & iCloud.

3. WD 1TB HD & 1TB Portable HD

Now let's move from virtual to actual hard drive backup. This is where I've earned all of my scars. Many years ago, I had an Iomega HD hooked to my laptop and thought the world was all pink and rosy. Then one day, it started to make a funny noise and suddenly, I couldn't access that drive anymore in file manager. All of my files and music were stored on that HD. It took three weeks and $600 to have a service recover most of the info and transfer it to DVD's. Never again. Today, I have two desktop 1TB hard drives from Western Digital (they come highly rated). Their redundancy allows me to ensure if one HD dies, the other has a mirror image at all times. In addition, I carry around a 1TB portable HD to hold many older files that cannot fit on my cherished MacBook Air. Check out my WD 1TB HD and 1TB Portable HD.

4. Macbook Air

My baby. This is the glue that holds my business together. Ever since I started my business, I've been on Apple products. Why? THEY DON'T BREAK. And if there is a problem, Apple is right there on the phone and at the store ready and willing to give me first-class service to fix it immediately. Why the Air? It is ungodly light — it's almost like my iPad. And since it has a 128GB SSD, it boots up within SECONDS. And it's scary fast too. Yes, there is a trade-off with graphics cards and HD space, but all of these weaknesses fall away when you pick it up and start working with it.

The 11-inch Air’s trackpad is still smooth, responsive, and easily the best in its class while the 13-inch display is brighter, clearer, and so vivid over ANY other laptop (other than the retina models). Battery life is phenomenal — I get at least 8 hours on a single charge, so I don't have to run around with my power cord all the time. Check out my Macbook Air.

5. iWork - Pages, Numbers, Keynote

These are the tools which make my business hum. For over 20 years, I worked on a PC and voraciously toiled with MS Office Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. They're great programs, but they're expensive and bloated. Honestly, looking back to my actual usage of each program, it was:

• Word - 30% - I did letters, newsletters, and one-sheet flyers. That's it. No mail-merge.
• Excel - 25% - I ran my financials and linked spreadsheets. But I was no CPA - no pivot tables, etc.
• Powerpoint - 100% - I ran this into the ground and used up all of its features.

Why did I move to iWork? First, it's much cheaper. iWork is $49.00 where MS Office used to run me $300-$400. And no bloatware - each module allows me to all that I could do with Office, but so much more.

• Pages - So much easier to use, the graphics look great, and there aren't a million items to choose from. Fonts are phenomenal and the template layout is easy to execute.
• Numbers - Think of it as Excel Lite. It's perfect for my practice - I never get into trouble and it's easy to develop a quick pie chart or graph for a presentation.
• Keynote - The real power-player of iWork. Hands down superior to Powerpoint - when I give presentations with Keynote, attendees flock to me and ask, "Who does your presentations? I've never seen them before."

Check out iWork.

6. Wordpress

This is the platform I use to run my website, blog to my readers, and get clients. It's robust, the leader in the industry, and it always has additional features to allow me to upgrade immediately. Not only that, it is so easy to use — logon, click 'New Post' and I'm off and running! I use the Thesis template and had Nurenu Brand Marketing design and build it. Check out Wordpress.

7. iPhone & IPad

Too much has been written on both the iPhone and iPad (and today you're probably going to see a lot more). But I use them EVERY day:

iPhone - this is my portable computer. I check it at least once every 10-15 minutes and I use over 70 apps to make my business and personal life easier. I've owned the original iPhone, the 3Gs, and now the 5. All three have been consummate workhorses and have allowed me to be the best coach I can be. Check out the Apple iPhone.

iPad - I use my iPad both as a personal tool (reading, surfing, movies, music) and a professional tool (presentations, training, blogging, email, etc.). Even though I have a Macbook Air, my iPad allows me to instantaneously access information and make decisions within seconds. It too has 60-70 key apps that help me navigate the web for info. Check out the Apple iPad.

8. Go To Webinar

This is my online tool to host my various Masterclasses (Get Tough!, and soon: Bulletproof Your Career & Accelerate Your Coaching Practice) and reach hundreds of members weekly. I can host teleconferences, webinars with presentations, or full video. It's reasonable ($99/month), reliable, and the interface is intuitive. Most competitors to GTW have terrible usability and are all but impossible to use — just ask anyone who uses these tools. Check out Go To Webinar.

9. Get Response

When I started my coaching practice, I used to send out PDF newsletters via email. What I started to find is a severe drop-off of readership because corporate mail servers began to interpret my emails as spam (even though their employees requested them). I had to turn to an automated service. Initially, for many years, I was with a cool service called Emma. They got the job done and their interface and look gave my messages a real elegance. Unfortunately, they became pricey if I wanted to send out multiple messages during a month. I then moved to Constant Contact. I found their interface and design wanting and ultimately realized they were nickel and dime-ing me for every little service. I then found Get Response. The perfect mix of Emma and Constant Contact — taking the best of both worlds and delivering them for less than $20 a month (and it has SO much more!). Check out Get Response.

10. Thule Crossover Sling Pack

I've been professionally working since 1984 and I've carried scores of briefcases, bags, backpacks, etc. back and forth to work. Lately, I've noticed many people pulling back on all the crap we carry and really culling down to what we really need to get the job done. That's why I bought the Thule Sling Pack. It's light, fits comfortably on my back, frees both hands if I need them, and holds ALL the stuff I need to be a traveling professional warrior. It has many pockets and is thoughtfully designed to organize all of the errant cables, pens, papers and electronics I carry. It's sitting on my table as I type (see photo). Check out the Thule Crossover Sling Pack.

Well . . . that's it. I hope you've enjoyed my extended post this morning and it gave you a little insight into the powerful tools I use to keep my practice running smoothly. If you have any questions about any of the tools I listed, feel free to contact me or leave a comment below (I LOVE comments!).

Do You Have Career ADD?

I've been wanting to write this post for many months because there's been an exponential increase in what I see happening out there in business. Are you paying ATTENTION? Are you PRESENT when you work? Do you solve PROBLEMS or do you put them off?

More and more, I see a clear divide between two types of people:

One type, let's call them the Makers & Shakers, come to work early, work with excellence, think outside of the box, take calculated risks, deliver on-time (or early), and stay true to their promises. The get the job done and ensure their bosses and teams respect them. Their clients, customers, and vendors sing their praises and they come to the job with a big smile and a positive attitude.

The other type, let's call them the Slackers & Fakers, don't live up to and fall quite short of the Makers & Shakers' level. They are late to every engagement, they do 'just enough to get by' at work, they do the same thing every day without improvement, they are usually late with all deliverables, and over-promise and under-deliver. They rarely complete what they say they're going to do and their bosses and teams regularly have issues with their performance and decisions. Their clients, customers, and vendors are slowly going away or shunning them. Finally, they come to the job with a huge weight on their shoulders and complain incessantly about all the bad luck they're having.

Which one are you? You probably say to yourself, "I'm a Maker & Shaker!". But there's a trick here.

This delineation is not a light switch — it's a spectrum. At one end are the Maker & Shakers and at the other the Slackers & Fakers. Somewhere on that spectrum line falls your present state and your future.

Look back at your current performance (it doesn't matter if you have your own business or if you work for an organization) and score where you fall within the BIG 7:

1. Regularly come to work (or meetings) early or arrive late?
2. Think outside of the box or just get by with the same old stuff?
3. Stay true to all of your promises or over-promise and under-deliver?
4. Get the job done or procrastinate and miss deadlines?
5. Boss & team respects you or they have issues with your performance/decisions?
6. Client/Customers/Vendors love or shun you?
7. A positive and enthusiastic attitude every day or a negative and complaining attitude?

ACTION: Draw a line on a piece of paper and chart where you fall on each of the BIG 7 items. Be honest!

If you have Career ADD, most of your BIG 7 items fall closer to the Slackers & Fakers end. You need to start addressing some of the more serious areas — but the best part? It's a simple choice and your state of mind. Any one of the BIG 7 can be turned around with a concerted, willful effort and repeated attention to not slack back to the dark side of the BIG 7.

It's easy to make the decision — unfortunately, it's hard to make it a habit. You have a lot of work to do.

P.S. In no way is the use of the term ADD in this blog a denigration of people who suffer from ADD. I used the term to capture an associative behavior that impacts the typical executive or business owner.

Image provided by gemsling at Flickr.

How To Say Goodbye To Co-Workers On The Last Day Of Your Internship.

I work with a LOT of interns and they always have the BEST questions!

I thought I would give back to all the interns who have worked for me and have coached with me . . . here are some great responses (from colleagues) who experienced a classy goodbye from an intern:

Intern:

"You can say farewell to everyone individually, you can send a mass email with all of your contact information, or, what I recommend, do both."

Long-ago Intern, Now Employed:

"The ones you are familiar with, say goodbye, the ones you dont talk to, to hell with them, and to your boss give them wine/candy and a thank you card (they may want to hire you after that!)."

Current Intern:

"Most people will come in to your office and say something to you throughout the day. You can give a general "thank you so much for making me feel welcome and making this a great experience". You bring up specific instances when they helped you like "Thank you for teaching me all those Excel commands!" or refer to an inside joke you might share. I was always told "hopefully we'll see you around here full-time next year".

A Past Intern, Now an Executive:

"During one internship, I walked around throughout the afternoon and stopped to chat with each person and said goodbye. I wrote a personalized thank-you note to every employee I interacted with to thank them for the various things they did for me and left it at their desk at the end of the day. When I ran into coworkers and bosses later on, every one of them brought up those thank-you notes and said they were impressed and everyone was so excited to receive one."

So take the time and say goodbye personally and send a thank-you note. It works.

What Is The One Simple Change That Made Your Life Better?

I did some research on the web and then asked a number of colleagues, past and present clients about what they changed to make their life better. Not surprisingly, this list delivers many simple changes one can easily do.

This is what I came up with:

I stopped watching the news. It is all over-hyped drivel designed to keep you afraid. It's not good for you.

I stopped worrying about what other people thought. It's like I've been set free from a mental prison. I realized that not having the approval of others had zero affect on my life. 

I quit smoking. I stopped slinking around and feeling like a pariah.

I ride my bike to work. It's such an improvement in so many ways. I'm healthier, look better and I arrive in a much better mood. All that and I'm saving lots of money.

I put a hook beside the front door and ALWAYS put my keys on the hook. This small thing has made my life simpler and better.

I started taking myself more seriously. I've found out how good it feels to pursue my goals despite anyone else's opinions.

I stopped spending so much time around toxic, needlessly negative people. I have a fresh, new outlook on life!

I try to be mindful throughout the day, especially if I become frustrated. The conflict of an unnecessary desire is usually to blame. I try to recognize these instances and correct my perception to appreciate what is right here now at the moment.

I do yoga. I'm becoming fitter and more mindful. I am palpably more stressed in the weeks I didn't make it to yoga.

I only drink plain water with meals. My life really is better (not to mention my skin, GI, overall health.) So simple, but a big difference.

I make my bed every morning. Makes my room tidier and therefore I don't feel so stressed in the mornings. Also stops me from going back to bed.

I cut my Facebook use by 95%. I check it monthly to catch up on what my friends are doing AND I've cut out all the narcissistic people who focus all of their posts on themselves.

I made a conscious decision to never again buy, pick up or flip through another beauty magazine again. Made me feel 10x better about life and myself and relationships.

I take the stairs at work. Floor 2 to floor 10. It is quiet. I let my mind wander. A few times a week I hear somebody complaining about the elevator. They don't know what they are missing.

I started being myself. Exactly 100% do what I want when I want. I stopped trying to change to make a certain woman like me. I did this two years ago. Met my fiancee 18 months ago and I know that she loves me completely for me and I love her for her.

I leave ten minutes earlier than I "have to" no matter where I'm going. I get there early and I'm NEVER late.

I get up early, like REALLY early . . . 4:30 AM. I not only have time to workout or meditate or read, I'm also getting to work early and getting all of my tasks done. I'm SUPER productive.

I realized that the problems in my life had two solutions. Either they were fixable and within my control, or they were outside of my control and not worth stressing over. The second kind of problem, I can still control my reactions to it and how much it affects my life.

Intermittent fasting. I don't eat Mondays or Thursdays. Lost a whole bunch of weight and really appreciate the food I eat the rest of the time.

Giving up the idea that working 40-60 hour weeks would make me more money and a better Mother to provide. Once I gave that up to live a simple life I couldn't be more happy. I'm a stay at home Mom and a self employed crafty Woman. Time with my family is priceless! Money can't buy you memories.

Journaling. It's a very unique opportunity to pose questions to yourself that no one else has. I've had breakthroughs in my journal, and thoughts that've changed my behavior dramatically.

I used to be very interested in politics. Now, I really don't care about it. First of all, because nothing major is going on - ever.

I got rid of my TV. If I want to watch a particular show, I'll stream it. I work from home so I usually have a show in the background for ambience (Dirty Jobs, etc.) if I'm not in the mood for music.

Image provided by Moyan_Brenn_BE_BACK_IN_SEPTEMBER from Flickr.

3 Clues You're About To Be Fired.

You go to work every day. You put in long hours. You get your tasks done. Everyone is happy. You think you're doing a great job — your position is safe — your expecting that promotion or raise.

You're WRONG.

A lot of people are in this mindset right now. Just keep your head down, do your work, don't make waves, and good things will be coming your way. It's the mistake many people are making.

All is well and good until there's a knock on your door or you're asked to a conference room at 7 AM. Oh look! It's your boss with someone from HR!

What happened? What did I do? OMG — I'm let go?

Here are the three most prevalent clues one received when things start to get "hinky" at work:

1. Communication is severely restricted.

Suddenly, the people you rely on the most are suddenly not available. You set up meetings, they cancel. That crucial status update meeting you scheduled? Postponed. It seems many things around you are starting to circle and enclose you.

What to do: Start prodding and poking the communication bubble. Look for a way to 'pop' it. Sometimes people find they just need to alter the way they communicate and instantly everyone notices your message or concerns. Maybe other people are yelling and screaming — so they get the attention. You need to get it back.

2. Projects and initiatives you are spearheading are suddenly downgraded.

You're at the top — everything is going fine and then, over a period of weeks or months, some of your projects are cancelled, you might lose a key resource, or the regular interest paid towards your work is moved from critical to on-hold.

What to do: Step back and take a broad view of your situation. Are all projects and initiative on hold? Maybe it's just not you. But if it is, try to understand the WHY of the downgrade — maybe it was too expensive, moving too slow, or your project was too strategic, too out there. Maybe you really didn't get the right buy-in from the important people at the top. Make that happen . . . today.

3. You get a 'different' vibe or tonality from your superiors.

Your great relationship with your boss suddenly changes. He/She speaks and directs you from email rather than meetings. Everything suddenly is in writing. His or her peers are standoffish or act weird around you.

What to do: I always start out by turning the mirror on myself. Is there anything I'm doing differently? Did I change anything? Sometimes, it could be as simple as a clothes-change or style modification. Second, check out if something personal is happening to your boss. Ask around or more importantly, ask them politely. You might find out their spouse is ill or their child was just diagnosed. Sometimes it's not you.

Then again — It's YOU.

If these things are happening and some of the suggestions don't work, your name might be on a short list somewhere. If two or all three of these things are happening — start taking steps to secure possible new digs somewhere else. Get your resume in order, start reaching out to key influencers, and start getting out and meeting recruiters.

You've received a message — take action!

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. The alarm bells are ringing at work — and you don't know what to do next. Don't worry - you and I can work on it together so you instantly develop a plan of attack - Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of people who wanted to take assertive steps in this area — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Image provided by fczuardi at Flickr.

How To Be Successful 80% Of The Time.

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” One of my favorite quotes from Woody Allen. Most people forget that to be successful, you have to get out of your office chair and meet people. To go to functions where you mingle with professionals. And be on time for appointments with those people.

That’s it. Show up.

This week, one of my clients told me a powerful story about a monthly gathering of executives that I introduced her to — this time she brought a friend along.

Her friend (we’ll call him John) works for a major consulting firm — a huge one. While at this event, John introduces himself to another attendee and proceeds to find out that this person is a major partner his firm.

This partner is impressed that John is out networking for the firm. They have a great conversation and the partner proceeds to ask him out to lunch.

What just happened to John’s career? It went through the roof and is currently in the stratosphere. Why? Because he showed up.

Over the next week or so, start looking for opportunities to get out and meet people. Spread your wings — start making friends and bringing home gobs of business cards.

You never know who you might meet. At the very least, it allows you to get out of that stale office and into the sunlight. You get to interact with people in various vocations — the ideas will start flowing — and then magic happens.

You’ll thank me.

Who have you met (at a function, meeting, etc.) that changed your life?

Image provided by Dell's Official Flickr Page at Flickr.

10 Ways To Have Fun At Work.

Okay — We're in the middle of August and work is the last thing you feel interested in doing right now.  You can either have fun or turn it into a clock-watching, tedious, and painful nightmare. Your choice.

How can you have fun at work?

1. Keep a 'glass half-full' attitude at all times. The more you look at situations and problems with a positive attitude, the more fun you will have. Honest.
2. Try to do something different every day. Mix it up. Variety is the spice of life.
3. Add 'pizazz' to everything you deliver. Go the extra mile and ensure that every deliverable will wow your boss, your peers and your clients.
4. Sing! Dance! A little spring in your step or a quick little ditty will never hurt anyone - it will immediately change your mood.
5. Be light & funny. Don't tell jokes — but a little humor or light comment always brings in a little sunshine to the office.
6. Get outside. Instead of a meeting in a windowless meeting room - go outside for a 15-30 minute stroll with your team.
7. Stand up at meetings. When you have a status meeting, make it for no more than 15 minutes, have everyone stand around a white board, and adjourn early. People will love you. Have meetings in the gym (if you have one) — move everyone around.
8. Compliment people. Take the time to notice something on everyone you meet and mention it - be honest.
9. Stay connected. Keep your contact list robust and healthy by calling 1-2 people every morning for 5-10 minutes. Catch up, keep it light.
10. Think . . . There are always options. It's not the end of the world and most of the time, people aren't going to die. So don't take everything so serious and hard. Think outside of the box — brainstorm options — you will surprise yourself.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Changing your perspective at work isn’t hard — it just takes a little imagination coupled with action. You and I can work on it together so you instantly get what I’m talking about - Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of people who wanted to take assertive steps in this area — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Top 8 Critical Articles You Should Be Reading TODAY.

I've been blown away with the level and caliber of magazine articles lately. 

Instead of puff pieces, they are cutting right to the chase with powerful, informative and critical information executives, business owners and in-transition people need to succeed in today's marketplace. So here goes:

Inc. Magazine

The 25 Most Audacious Companies

Inc. 's first annual Most Audacious list features entrepreneurs who are original, ambitious, and totally uncowed by impossible odds.

Why Everyone Is an Entrepreneur Now

Job-hopping might ruffle a corporation's feathers, but employers need to accept it's a way of life.

Fast Company

The 100 Most Creative People In Business 2013

Data Geeks, World-Changers, Actors, Rappers, and all types of innovators prove the value of creativity at a crucial time in business.

The Future Of Technology Isn’t Mobile, It’s Contextual

It’s called situational awareness. The way we respond to the world around us is so seamless that it’s almost unconscious. Our senses pull in a multitude of information, contrast it to past experience and personality traits, and present us with a set of options for how to act or react.

Bloomberg Businessweek

In The Future, We'll All Be TaskRabbits

The temporary workforce in the U.S. is looking increasingly permanent. In April, 2.66 million people took on temp work, making up almost 2 percent of the country’s overall workforce, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Boomers Plan to Delay Retirement. Then Life Intrudes

If you’re one of those aging boomers who’s counting on extra years of work to save your nest egg, keep in mind that relatively few people end up doing it.

Entrepreneur Magazine

Entrepreneur's 100 Brilliant Companies for 2013

We talk a lot about ideas: what inspires them, how to act on them. But it's really quite simple: The best ones come from just going about our lives -- encountering, then attempting to resolve, both major obstacles and quotidian annoyances.

10 Habits College Entrepreneurs Should Forget at Graduation

You've made it. The finish line. With that degree in hand, now you can finally start the business you've spent years planning, right? Not so fast. After years of cramming for exams and attending class in your pajamas, you may have picked up a few bad habits.

I've tried to mix it up a bit for all readers of my site — please pick up all of these issues — they are chock full of POWERFUL ARTICLES.

3 Tips To Take More Powerful Notes During Meetings.

Meetings stink. You know you have to have them — status update meetings, quarterly reviews, client updates, investor relations, customer feedback sessions, etc. They stink because:

• They are usually not well run.
• They frequently go over their schedule.
• Work usually doesn’t get done — just talking/pontificating.
• It’s not all about you (probably the most important one).

One technique I use to combat "meeting-itus" is to take great notes. Stick with me.

The process of taking notes produces a number of pleasant side effects:

• You retain not only a mental record of the meeting, but also a physical one.
• You are engaged in the meeting, your mind doesn't drift off to other areas.
• You show your peers, customers, and superiors you value their time and input.
• It keeps your professional mind sharp at a time when you are might be drowsy and punchy.
• It delivers a jumping-off point for new ideas, strategies, and directions - which you can bring up during the meeting and look good.

But most people don't take good notes (or they don't take any at all). Usually because they still take notes like they did in school. Two different environments. So here are my three ways to take better notes:

Structure

A lot of executives use fancy and expensive leather books to take their notes. It's usually small, with a binding, and blank (or with lines). If you had to take a lot of notes, the physical structure of your book would probably work against you. Here's what I look for in a good note-taking platform:

• Ability to spread out - no bindings, large rings, or encumbrances to deal with. Nothing in the structure should impede my note-taking.
• Lots of space - don't use a 4" x 6" book - you need 8.5" x 11" to be able to draw, make arrow connections, and add/modify sections.
• You need to have some type of structure designed into the pages (see Format). These are usually flat.

Format

This is critical. Use my template (pdf) if you would like to see what I use. It's a simple format allowing me to list basic info at the top (date, meeting title, attendees) and adequate space between the lines to add graphics to my thoughts.

In addition, I have a 2" left-hand rail to allow me to list overall ideas, positions, and directions, so I can easily read down the left side of the page and understand what exactly happened during the meeting.

At the bottom, you'll see a large space for next steps or action items from the meeting. That's the most important part.

Behavior

Be engaged. When you sit down, prepare your notes — set the title, date, and attendees. There usually is a lead person who sets the stage for the meeting and hopefully delivers an agenda. This will give you a good idea of the purpose and structure of your time, hopefully well spent.

During each section (or person), break out each note area with a sub-title and think what's being covered, what are the elements, and what are the decisions/next steps. If you are tapped in any way to do something, make a defined, regular, and recognizable notation next to each element (I use two asterisks). This tells me I have something to do and to quickly inquire when it needs to be delivered.

What do you use to take your notes in? How successful are you in taking good notes? I would love to hear your techniques!

The Price Of Success.

Originally written by Joseph French Johnson in the early 1900's — I can not, to this day, find a more inspirational piece of text: I often wonder what it is that brings one person success in life, and what it is that brings mediocrity or failure to their brother or sister. The difference can't be in mental capacity; there is not the difference in our mentalities indicated by the difference in performance. In short, I have reached the conclusion that some people succeed because they cheerfully pay the price of success, and others, though they may claim ambition and a desire to succeed, are unwilling to pay that price.

And the price is...

To use all your courage to force yourself to concentrate on the problem in hand, to think of it deeply and constantly, to study it from all angles, and to plan.

To have a high and sustained determination to put over what you plan to accomplish, not if circumstances be favorable to its accomplishment, but in spite of all adverse circumstances which may arise and nothing worthwhile has ever been accomplished without some obstacles having been overcome.

To refuse to believe that there are any circumstances sufficiently strong to defeat you in the accomplishment of your purpose.

Hard? I should say so. That's why so many people never attempt to acquire success, answer the siren call of the rut and remain on the beaten paths that are for beaten men and women.

Nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without constant endeavor, some pain and constant application of the lash of ambition. That's the price of success as I see it.

And I believe every person should ask themselves:

Am I willing to endure the pain of this struggle for the comforts and the rewards and the glory that go with achievement?

Or shall I accept the uneasy and inadequate contentment that comes with mediocrity?

Am I willing to pay the Price of Success?

P.S. I modified this quote for my to make it powerful for all of my readers.

P.P.S. The photo is of Elon Musk, man who started PayPal, Tesla Cars, and now SpaceX.

Thinking Big vs. Thinking Small.

Find yourself thinking small? Too afraid to think big? Think Big: Take chances. Think Small: Take no chances.

Think Big: Meet New People, Target important contacts, Touch Movers & Shakers Think Small: Stay within your current group of contacts and colleagues.

Think Big: Spend money, Invest in your business, Grow your career. Think Small: Don't spend money, hunker down and wait for the issues to go away.

Think Big: Speak in front of people, Go after bigger and bigger groups, Attract influentials. Think Small: Keep your ideas to yourself, Think of writing a book, Never complete it.

Think Big: Take on more than you can chew, Push yourself, Reach higher (and higher). Think Small: Keep things in context, Don't push yourself, Stay within your box.

Think Big: Inspire people, Get their attention, Be a BILLBOARD. Think Small: Do the same things and expect a different outcome.

Think Big: Challenge yourself, Change the game, Make It HAPPEN. Think Small: Be content.

Think Big: Consult with experts, Ask questions, Challenge the status quo. Think Small: You know enough.

Think Big: GROW. Think Small: SHRINK.

It's that simple.

Hard Work Beats Talent.

Caught the new episode of Mad Men last night — one of my favorite shows. In the middle of all the soap opera antics of the story (I do love Roger and his comments though), I study the interactions of the characters at work. How they speak to one another, how they talk to their clients, and what they accomplish during their time at the agency.

What shines through, and many people probably miss, is how they are so successful. Let's look at two characters, Don & Peggy.

They have talent — they are the creative sparks in each of the agencies they represent. But it goes deeper.

They are 100% committed to their work:

• They work late.
• They take work home.
• They interact with their colleagues during many off-hours.
• They are willing to push themselves AND their teams.
• They think and breathe their work.

Unfortunately, if you view the teams who work for them, they are presented as lazy, comical, and people who lack direction. They go home on-time and party (sometimes they do work late).

Both Don and Peggy are talented — but it's their commitment, drive, and hard work that delivers.

That's enough of Mad Men for now. Let's talk reality.

If you want to succeed — if you want to move up in your company — if you want your business to explode — you have to HUSTLE at work.

You need to work A LOT. Think about what you're working on ALL THE TIME. Obsess about it — LIVE it. You can't get that promotion by putting in a "9-to-5" attitude.

Here are some tips I have my clients try:

• Arrive at your office early. I used to hit work at 6:30 AM and start working — I would clock 2-3 hours more work than other people trundling in at 9, Did it work? The Chairman noticed I was always the first car in the parking lot — ultimately I won the Chairman's Award. With my current business, I start at 5 AM. Because it's MY business (I wrote this blog post from 5-6 AM this morning).
• Work while you are at work. Don't ditz around — no surfing, no wandering around — make your time at work count. Every minute.
• Ask for more work from your boss. Usually do this after a good meeting with them where they've complimented you on your progress/work.
• Stay late. Ask if you can help out on a project. You don't have to burn the midnight oil all the time, but put in 1-2 late nights a week — stay until 8.
• Work on the weekends. I get up at 5-6 AM and work until 9 AM on Sat/Sun. That gives me an extra 3-8 more hours of work in the week without it affecting my home life.
• Think outside the box. Get your head thinking where everyone else isn't. Go where the puck will be going. Mention new ideas during meetings — but be positive.
• Do extra-credit work. I used to do this ALL THE TIME. I would keep my ears open and listen for opportunities or gaps where I could approach management with help they might need, a new idea how to do something, or a side-project which would make the company millions. It worked ALL the time.

If you try 2-3 of these tips, I promise you will begin to get more done, get greater exposure (with the people who matter), and start to see openings where you can succeed.

I know, I know. You have a spouse, kids, parents, friends, responsibilities, and a myriad of other obstacles. But at the end of the day, if you want to succeed at what you do, you have to hustle.

And that's the truth.

P.S. If you want to watch a great video on Hard Work Beats Talent, watch this.

"I Can't Find A Job!"

The title of this post is so often repeated in the media — all the way from college students who have just graduated to middle managers who have lost their job to workers in the sunset of their career. "I get up — I check out the job market — I send out a few resumes — and I never get a call back!" "What should I do?"

TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE.

It's easier said than done. But the reality is, there are more workers than jobs out there right now. And the premium jobs (management) are disappearing at a rapid pace due to productivity gains, technology, and the current economy. Check out this article.

BUT WHAT CAN I DO?

One option is to start your own business. It's never been easier in the history of people working. To start your own business, you need to clearly understand a number of areas:

• Knowledge of the Marketplace - is this needed?, is there a market for this?, are people willing to pay you for it?
• Drive & Hustle - a 'get off your ass' attitude to make it happen AND a drive to help you through the hard and complex times.
• A Vision - what is the future of this business?, where is it going?, who is your competition?
• A Mission - what are you going to do . . . exactly?
• A Plan - what are the steps, the timing, the resources, - the who, what, where, when, why and how?

Now you might say — "Start a business? How will I make money?" Let me give you an example:

There's a small shop in Kentucky called Gil Hibben Knives. You might have heard about them. Gil makes knives. Really good knives.

In addition to manufacturing his own knives, he runs classes where he teaches people to make their own knives:

• It's only offered once a month.
• The class runs for one week, each day from 9 AM to 5:30 PM.
• He only allows four people in each class. (he can probably run the class by himself)
• The classes are held at his shop in LaGrange, KY. (hotel, travel, food, etc. are your responsibility)
• He charges $995 for each participant.

The classes are FULL for the rest of the year.

Let's do a little broad math here: $1000 X 4 Students X 12 = $48,000/year.

And that's only working one week per month! This model allows him to work on manufacturing and other projects the other three weeks of the month! And let's be honest here — his site is pretty basic — it does the job, but anyone can do the same thing to market their services and wares. What I'm really saying is that it's pretty easy — don't let your mind develop obstacles.

And let me hazard a guess . . . he probably LOVES what he does.

So if the corporation work environment is slowly collapsing/changing — maybe you should strike out on your own and start that business?

It will be hard — it will tax you — but in the end, it will be well worth it.

P.S. I know there will be commenters who will say, "He's a famous knifemaker!" or "He's had his business for years!" or "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah". You may be right, but from my viewpoint, they're just more obstacles you're putting in your way — moving you from success to mediocrity and failure. Get out there and do something!