Viewing all posts under Self Development
No matter what we call it, we all pursue success. We all have desires and strive to achieve them. Our desires may be different from anyone else’s, and we may not consider achieving them to be “success.” We look around and see people whose success we envy. What is Jake doing with his supply of hours in any given day that puts him so far ahead of me in money, friends, and influence? Why is he successful, and why am I not? Why is he flying his own Learjet while I’m rattling around in ...
The 2 Key Factors of Success04/11/13
In this video, I talk about the two factors that I firmly believe are what make people successful in any situation–hard work and good choices. The truth is, you can’t achieve success without both of these things. People talk all the time about the necessity of hard work when it comes to success and though they’re one hundred percent correct about the importance of hard work, I’ve seen people work hard for decades and still not achieve the results they want because they consistently undermine...
I learned an important lesson about the fundamentals of success while playing football many years ago. We had a fairly good team my junior year of high school and most of the players on the team were juniors. The following year the team had mostly seniors, and we had some pretty high expectations for the season. A situation like this can make one over-confident, and that’s exactly how we were at the beginning of my senior year. When the season started, we experienced that brutal rite of passage for all fo...
There are little ways and big ways of making a difference in someone’s life. More likely than not, there’s someone you can immediately call to mind who has impacted you and really made a difference in your life, whether it happened recently or even back during your formative years. There are definitely certain individuals in my life who have made a big difference for me and in this five minute video, I tell the story of how one of these people in specific really made a positive impact on my life back in...
This video from NetworkingNow.com explains the powerful impact your business card can have and why it’s so important to tailor your business card to coincide with the exact business image you want to present. This video is just one example of the vast array of educational content offered on NetworkingNow.com–there are literally hundreds of business and networking downloads available in the site’s online library and you can access all of them for FREE for six months by entering the free subscripti...
A few years ago my company was in the midst of one of the largest projects in the history of our organization. The project involved many people—it was very complex and financially challenging. It was also in trouble. I needed to select a key player for the project team. The man I chose had incredibly strong technical skills. He was very qualified for the project and was the perfect person to help turn this around . . . or so I thought. I knew he came with a lot of baggage. He didn’t always play well...
In this video, I talk to bestselling author Stewart Emery about his concept “Who’s in Your Room?” which prompts people to practice discernment in regard to those they let into their life. Just imagine you are going to have to live your entire life in one room with an entrance door but no exit door–who would you let in and who would you keep out? Knowing the answer to this may be more valuable than you realize . . . What do you think about this concept? Does it encourage you to be more care...
Last October, I posted a video I did with referral marketing expert Eddie Esposito on emotionally-charged connections (CLICK HERE to view that video). On a recent vacation in Bali, I had the opportunity to do this new, five-minute video with movie producer Barnet Bain (producer of the Academy Award winning film “What Dreams May Come”) which is a perfect follow-up video to the one I did previously with Eddie. Here, Barnet shares his two-step process for unlocking the key to being able to connect emotiona...
With all due respect to the Mayans, it appears that we need to give some thought to our plans for 2013. Each year, a few days before New Year’s Eve, I head off to my mountain retreat in Big Bear Lake, California, to recharge my batteries. Getting away to the mountains is something I’ve done for almost two decades. It’s a great opportunity to spend time with the family and prepare for the onslaught of the coming year. It’s also a good time to give some thought to the vision I have have for my business ...
How to Find Balance in Your Life10/18/12
In this short video, presented by Applied Transformation, Inc., I talk with Roger Green about how to achieve balance in life. If you often find yourself focusing on business during family outings or thinking about your kid’s soccer game while you’re in an important meeting, I highly encourage you to watch this video. You’ll get tips on how to prioritize, be present, and achieve ultimate harmony. Do you have any helpful tips on promoting harmony in business and life? If so, please share them...
It used to surprise me when I heard statistics such as this: 50% of all businesses fail in their first three years. Now that I’ve been in business for several decades and have seen many entrepreneurs come and go, I’m more surprised that 50% of businesses actually make it past the first three years! Maybe I’m being a tad harsh . . . but not much. One thing I’ve learned is that most successful entrepreneurs embrace and engage in a culture of learning in order to excel. Personal and profess...
In this video, I talk with my good friend and partner in the Referral Institute, Eddie Esposito, about a very interesting concept he helped develop which I’ve never before mentioned on this blog site–Emotionally Charged Connection. Many people are not conscious of their Emotionally Charged Connection, yet it’s the reason we get up in the morning and do the things we do every day. It’s driven by the heart, not the check book or the head–there’s a big difference. Once you become ...
A significant challenge for business owners who have stepped out of the world of corporate support and started their own enterprise is that they become worried and scared to take chances on their own. In this short video, I speak with Dubai, UAE Referral Institute® franchisee Phil Bedford about success and the importance of the people business owners surround themselves with. Jim Rohn has said that people are the sum of the five people they are around most and Phil has a related piece of key advice for business ow...
Two Tactics to Help with the ABCs of Networking — “Navigating the VCP Process® to Networking” Series08/23/12
(Part 7 of 12 of the “Navigating The VCP Process® To Networking” Series) TR Garland (featured in this video with me) is a friend of mine and co-author of one of my most recent #1 best-selling books called “Building The Ultimate Network.” He’s also considered a top trainer for the Referral Institute. For some time now, we’ve both observed a need to drill down on one of the most important and foundational concepts to networking – The VCP Process®. Seven months ago, we started a much-anticipated 12-p...
Body language can be an extremely powerful or attractant or deterrent when it comes to building relationships with others. Could you be unknowingly undermining your networking efforts through your body language? Here’s a good experiment to implement, sooner rather than later. The next time you’re out networking, take along a trusted friend and have him observe your body language. Here are several things you can ask him to focus on regarding your performance at this event: Eye contact. Are you maki...
In this short video, presented by Applied Transformation, Inc., I talk with Roger Green about what motivates people and about how Frederick Herzberg’s concept of satisfiers and dissatisfiers was an epiphany for me–particularly the aspect that pinpoints money as a dissatisfier. The four powerful satisfiers I mention here can have a lot to do with happiness and success; assessing whether or not these satisfiers are currently available to you or not may cause you to reexamine the direction you are heading in...
At a networking event just a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to record this video with a good friend of mine, Tara Schmakel (also known as “The Once Timid Networker”), who offers her top four tips for overcoming timidness–something the majority of networkers face at one point or another. Tara has plenty of additional information and resources for both painfully timid networkers and networkers who simply face moments of timidity once in a while and if you’d like to find out more, ple...
