Are You Doing What You Want To Do?

Ask Yourself If You’re Doing What You Want to Do? Feeling unfulfilled at work shouldn’t be something you realize months too late, or even years. Consider making an earnest attempt every morning at what the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs told a graduating class at Stanford to do: When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Is Your Family Too Frantic?

I personally found this article to open my eyes to what's really going on in my family, due to the vastly different schedules we run - business wise, and the hectic lives of two incredible teenagers.... Is Your Family Too Frantic? Leadership expert Patrick Lencioni applies principles of running a great company to a great family. Complaining about the crazy lives we lead is something of a rite of passage in our culture. Reactive, scattered, frantic, chaotic, stressed—these are all adjectives you might hear people use to describe their home life. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Patrick Lencioni, author of The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family (Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2008), isn’t a family expert. But one day it dawned on him that the same leadership principles he teaches clients also apply to his family. Stress and rates of depression, substance abuse and psychological disorders are rising dramatically. And this is especially true among middle- and upper-class families who are overwhelmed by the unfocused day-to-day lives they lead. Society is facing a serious epidemic of chaos in families, the cost of which is both real and painful. “Life should be busy and demanding at times, but it should also be lived with a sense of purpose and sanity that allows us to be the people we’re meant to be,” Lencioni says. “I don’t think anyone is meant to be perpetually tired and stressed.” Here are three things to consider when running your hectic family. 1. What values are most important to your family? Is philanthropy a shared value? Being healthy and active? Continued learning? Family bonding? If you have a hard time thinking what your family’s values are, think about the individual members. The values you share with your spouse, for example, can be the same core values for your family. For example, Lencioni asked a couple to think back to when they first met and describe what qualities they appreciated most in each other. Standing up for what you believe in is something the husband found desirable in his future wife, because he shared that same principle. Later when they started a family, standing up for what you believe in became a family value. So when a family member was faced with a decision, he or she consulted their family values for guidance on how to proceed. Values give context for your decisions. 2. What is your family’s top priority or shared goal? Families function most productively when they have a common goal to achieve. Both short-term goals like taking a summer vacation or long-term goals like improving family communications help bring a family together. It gives them a rally cry to understand why “we’re all in this together,” Lencioni says. So when a family decides to cook at home instead of dining out to save money, they are achieving an objective that leads to their common goal of taking a family vacation. When everyone makes small decisions that align with a bigger objective, they share a common vision for the future. 3. How will you keep family values and shared goals top of mind for your family? The best-laid plans are worthless if they’re not executed. So review your family’s values and goals often and assess whether you’re making progress. Family meetings, open discussions and visual reminders are all ways to keep your family on the same page. “Ensure your family has greater, more holistic context for the daily decisions you make about scheduling and activities,” Lencioni says. “Ultimately, those decisions are what make our lives frantic.”

Better Odds

If you’re a first time entrepreneur, the outlook is not so good. Question is...How do you get better odds...Read below... According to the Harvard researchers, there is performance persistence in entrepreneurship. They write, “All else equal, a venture-capital-backed entrepreneur who succeeds in a venture (by our definition, starts a company that goes public) has a 30% chance of succeeding in his next venture. By contrast, first-time entrepreneurs have only an 18% chance of succeeding and entrepreneurs who previously failed have a 20% chance of succeeding.” Millions are falling victims to the false gurus out there pitching all sorts of easy button solutions. Promising easy money for things like stuffing envelopes, vending and ATM routes, completing surveys and all sorts of work from home opportunities. Linda Walker, a small business coach from Montreal, specializes in helping entrepreneurs stay focused and on target. She also specializes in consulting entrepreneurs who struggle with ADD and ADHD. She says, “Entrepreneurs face challenges from many sources… external threats may come from competitors, from the bank that turns you down for financing or the government agency that refuses your license application. Internal challenges are far more deadly to your success.” These 10 challenges come up with my clients again and again. They aren’t in order of importance, but ask any entrepreneur to list his or her most vexing challenges and I’ll bet you’ll find them on this list. 1. Paperwork: You hate doing it. You hate organizing it. You’d love to throw it out, but you can’t decide what you can get rid of and what to keep. 2. Delegation: You can’t trust anyone to do it as well as you. You haven’t practiced your delegation skills, it’s no surprise when it doesn’t go well, justifying your reluctance. 3. Perfectionism: Your standards are so high no one can live up to them. Not even you. But perfectionism is motivated by fear. You can’t be judged if you never finish. 4. Forgetfulness: Poor working memory makes you forget what you’re supposed to do. You can remember facts, but appointments? Commitments? Forget it. 5. Impulsive Behavior: A person of action, you’d rather move than take time to think. But shooting first and asking questions later just leaves a lot of hole you have to fix. 6. Projects: The trouble with projects, planning them, managing them and finishing them starts early. The business plan stops many would-be entrepreneurs before they start. 7. Procrastination: With so many exciting things to do, boring but necessary tasks are the bane of every entrepreneur. Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow? Here’s a secret strategy that can stop procrastination in its tracks. 8. Getting Organized: You’re often inconsistent. Organized in some areas and disorganized in others, you can’t seem to transfer the same skills from one area to another. 9. Lack of Focus: You have so many brilliant ideas, each one “shinier” than the next, that your biggest challenge is to pick one and see it through from brainstorm to business. 10. Time Management: You are chronically late, overcommitted and still overpromising. You underestimate how long things will take and often scramble to catch up late into the night. Today, online universities are rolling out all kinds of entrepreneurial and internet marketing courses and programs (Google search: “how to become an entrepreneur” and see what you find!) But these are largely academic and hypothetical and they cost thousands and thousands of dollars. On top of that, you are learning from a professor who makes $85k a year, not an actual entrepreneur or business leader in the field who is actually successful doing the task. Where the heck do you start? CONCLUSION: Most entrepreneurs fail, and starting a traditional business is just too risky. SOLUTION: Business System Don’t start a business, find a proven business system that eliminates all of those pesky variables. SOLUTION: You need a mentor. Someone who already has the results you aspire to have who is willing to show you the ropes. A mentor could be a professional who advises entrepreneurs for a living or someone working in a related industry who is willing to help you. And unlike your friends, mentors are typically more removed from you and your business. So they tend to be more comfortable delivering bad or critical news and advice. And since many of them have either started up businesses in the past or have worked in industries that you’re trying to shake up, mentors can also fill experience gaps, as well as impart their wisdom on how to handle specific business challenges. Thus, entrepreneurs — especially young ones — tend to tap their friends for business advice. But that can be a mistake. The reason is, friends tell you what you want to hear instead of what you NEED to hear. So how do you find a successful entrepreneur who is also willing to give you the time of day? You could luck into one, or you could talk to someone in your exact same field, and ask them. You'll be shocked on how many true leaders will, in a heart-beat, help you out. After two years of trial and error, trying to create a networking lifestyle for myself, I finally realized that what was missing for me was a mentor. I had all of the pieces, but was lacking the perspective of an already successful individual to help me put them together. Once I found this person, I was able to do something in 3 months that I was previously unable to do on my own over 2 years. Ever since then, I have committed myself to mentoring others to success in networking. This has become my personal mission in life: To wake people up to the choices that every individual has so that they can create the life of their dreams. All you have to do is put your hand in the air and say, “I’m ready!” There has never been a better time to start looking for self-employment. PERIOD. This is your time. The entrepreneurial gold-rush is happening as we speak! You just need the right system and mentor! Fortunately, we have it all wrapped up in one. Just do it... b2

what NEEDS to be discussed...

Hello Blog Followers... It's time to ask ourselves some heavy questions ("Am I Preparing Myself?), and give ourselves some "real" answers (Insert your answer in the comments section below)... As our incredible spokesman (Donald J Trump) states... "Don't Let Opportunity Pass You By...Which One Are You?"

Ladies & Gentlemen: We don't need to discuss the economy. We don't need to discuss (the lack of) job security in every industry/marketplace. We don't need to discuss the unemployment rate. We don't need to discuss the average person's retirement plans age/pension/lifestyle. We don't need to discuss how 97% of the people live pay cheque to pay cheque. Because, there's "nothing" positive to say about those any of those topics. However... We do need to talk about your options. We do need to talk about you taking you & your family's life into your own hands. We do need to talk about 97% of the population getting out of debt. We do need to talk about you "owning" your income vs "renting" your income. We do need to talk about everyone's "plan b". - Bill Banham, b2@momentumgroupglobal.info, 647-248-6303.

Time To Recalibrate?

Received a great email from marketing legend mr. kyle wilson over the weekend... Bill, As you're recharging the batteries this weekend, make sure and set aside some time to calibrate your strategic plan for each area of your life, including your career/business (this one activity is a consistent habit I've found among top producers). I wrote a short blog post Thursday that addresses a few core areas that can have the greatest impact on your short and long term success. What Can You Control? Posted on July 18, 2012 by Kyle What Can You Control? There is a consistent theme I’ve observed over the years from elite performers, whether it was Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Darren Hardy or Harvey Mackay. When faced with difficulties, hardships, challenges and all-around bad news or circumstances, these high achievers have simply focused on what they could control. When your teenagers aren’t following your great advice… When your spouse or loved ones are going through challenges you wished you could “fix”… When your employer, employees and/or co-workers create unwanted or needed problems you have to clean-up… When unexpected health challenges or sports injuries present themselves… Or when things break… at the worst times… What can you control? For some strange reason, when crisis (or near crisis) events happen, we humans tend to want to control all the things we have no control over versus realizing the best and most productive thing we can do is to let go of what we can’t control and embrace and CONTROL what we really can control. Jim Rohn said you can’t control the economy, the weather or the universe for that matter but you can control yourself. Ater all, that is one thing that matters most; especially how we respond when life throws us curve balls.

So what can you control? Here’s my list of 7 areas we can and should take control of during good and bad times (for the most part, some are generalities…ok) Our spiritual/devotion time. Whether it is prayer, quiet time, mediation, etc. when the world is upside down, we get to choose to make sure we are taking time to take care and nourish ourselves and keep our fuel gage full. Our physical health–in particular our nutrition. Sometimes our health can be a by-product of good and/or bad genes, as well as random happenings. But we do put the odds in our favor through good nutrition and exercise. How we eat, in particular, affects how we feel. It is the fuel for the Lamborghini we drive each day, and our nutrition is in our control, regardless of circumstances. Our relationship communication. How we treat others, especially our inner circle, is 100% up to us. Often times this takes mentoring, work and improving our skills but we ultimately have control in how we respond to others. Our Education versus Entertainment quadrant. Brian Tracy calls it the E versus E equation. How much of your time is spent learning and growing versus being entertained? TV in particular — this is BIG! Are you building your dreams and securing your future or spending all your time watching and ‘sponsoring’ actors and athletes on TV? Our Work. How focused are we during the time we allow for work? How well have we prioritized our activities? I’ve always been a hard worker but after starting a family I was fortunate to design a schedule that allowed me not to work evenings and weekends, for the most part. So that meant from 8am-6pm I was FOCUSED. Everyone I knew from my work world thought of me as the hardest working, most focused person they knew–and I was, from 8 to 6. Because I had those boundaries, it caused me to be laser focused during my allotted work schedule so when I was at home with family, I could focus fully on them. Our Associations. You can’t change who your family is, or necessarily who your co-workers are, who you went or go to school with but beyond that you get to choose who you want to spend time with, learn from and emulate. Jim Rohn was so clear on this! Your associations play a huge role in your behaviors, your thinking and your values. Our Attitude. This is HUGE! The number one thing I look at when hiring and working with others is their attitude. It’s the game changer in everything we do in life. Our attitude towards failure, towards bad news, towards obstacles, towards others successes, etc. is one of the single greatest contributing factors to our success or failure. Bonus Area We Control: Our Character and Word. Throughout life we all are presented with tests and challenges. Sometimes the temptation or perceived reward is small and sometimes it appears to be Big, but for sure it is not permanent. But if/when we do give in how it can then affect our attitude, relationships, self-esteem and will certainly have a greater negative impact than any perceived benefits. In those times of decision, yes, we have control of our actions, staying the course and doing what’s right. I know there’s many other areas we can add to our list, but these 8 areas should keep us pretty busy. The more we focus on the things we have control of in our lives the greater positive impact and influence we will have on others we care about. As Jim Rohn so eloquently said, “I’ll take care of me for you, if you’ll take care of you for me.” To Your Future Success, Kyle

Buddha-in-Disguise

A great read. Thanks GB. Very profound...

We all have repetitive Problem-Patterns that keep reoccurring in our lives. How you handle a negatively charged situation can tell you a great deal about yourself and show you where you need to ”dig deeper”. If you keep avoiding or ignoring the Problem-Patterns, they will reappear over and over again with increased impact until you deal with them.

If you have the courage to ask yourself why you are doing things the way you chose to do them and be open-minded enough to appreciate the answers and act on them with full responsibility, you can actually ”change your stars”. By recognizing the Problem-Pattern and acting on it honestly you will transform the limitations and inertia that are the end result of the unsolved problem into freedom and enjoyment in the present. For it is in the conflicts, problems and obstacles that the greatest possibilities for growth and illumination resides.

I know that this is really hard to do but, if you can tilt your perspective a bit and see the obstacle as a little ”Buddha-in-Disguise” giving you great opportunities to evolve, you will be able to come closer to your Soul-Source and allow yourself to change your future in a constructive and beneficial way while at the same time letting go of emotional ”carry-on” as regret and guilt.

The message is not – Be a victim, feel sorry for yourself and give up!

What your little ”Buddha-in-Disguise” is trying to communicate to you is – Think differently, use the feedback to change path, correct your strategies and above all Seek Joy!

Have fun with your “Bubble”

Awesome Read...

by Gordana Biernat.

Imagine a soap bubble.

When we are born, our ”In-Here-Bubble” is as transparent, sheer and beautiful as soap bubbles. I think this is one of the reasons why children are perceived as pure, vulnerable and delicate.

While in kindergarten we do not see any boundaries between the ”In-Here” and the ”Out-There”. Without thinking, we seamlessly interact between them, creating magic in our timeless reality just for the joy of it; retracting our ”In-Here-Bubble”, expanding it, bursting it and recreating it again.

Growing up, our beliefs about ourselves and our reality become more rigid and concrete resulting in the hardening of the translucent and evanescent surface of our ”In-Here-Bubble”.

The more we accept others opinions, beliefs and attitudes about ourselves and the world around us, the harder the bubble’s surface becomes until finally, we hardly sense the ”Out-There” reality.

We become lonely travelers in the fabric of the universe not remembering the original dreamlike lucidity and sheerness of our ”In-Here-Bubble”.

To soften and expand our ”In-Here-Bubble” we need to be creative and open again, like children. That way we can daydream and play a joyful reality into existence. For what is reality if not a shared interactive dream?

This is what my son shared with me one sunny Sunday morning when he was just 7 years old; ”What if everything is a dream Mom? I am a dream, you are a dream…Dad too… I am so glad that we are dreaming the same dream! ”

So, dream on! Play and have fun! Expand, retract, burst and recreate your ”In-Here-Bubble”.

Just for the joy of it!