A motivational speech by Gurbaksh Chahal given in Philadelphia at the Business Club of America. Performed November 14th, 2008.
Enjoy.
Best,
Andy Rodie
4/05/2010
The four emotions that can lead to change by Jim Rohn
Emotions are the most powerful forces inside us. Under the power of emotions, human beings can perform the most heroic (as well as barbaric) acts. To a great degree, civilization itself can be defined as the intelligent channeling of human emotion. Emotions are fuel and the mind is the pilot, which together propel the ship of civilized progress.
Which emotions cause people to act? There are four basic ones; each, or a combination of several, can trigger the most incredible activity. The day that you allow these emotions to fuel your desire is the day you’ll turn your life around.
Disgust
One does not usually equate the word “disgust” with positive action. And yet properly channeled, disgust can change a person’s life. The person who feels disgusted has reached a point of no return. He or she is ready to throw down the gauntlet at life and say, “I’ve had it!” That’s what I said after many humiliating experiences at age 25. I said, “I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’ve had it with being broke. I’ve had it with being embarrassed, and I’ve had it with lying.”
Yes, productive feelings of disgust come when a person says, “Enough is enough.”
The “guy” has finally had it with mediocrity. He’s had it with those awful sick feelings of fear, pain and humiliation. He then decides he is “not going to live like this anymore.” Look out! This could be the day that turns a life around. Call it what you will: the “I’ve had it” day, the “never again” day, the “enough’s enough” day. Whatever you call it, it’s powerful! There is nothing so life-changing as gut-wrenching disgust!
Decision
Most of us need to be pushed to the wall to make decisions. And once we reach this point, we have to deal with the conflicting emotions that come with making them. We have reached a fork in the road. Now this fork can be a two-prong, three-prong, or even a four-prong fork. No wonder that decision-making can create knots in stomachs, keep us awake in the middle of the night, or make us break out in a cold sweat.
Making life-changing decisions can be likened to internal civil war. Conflicting armies of emotions, each with its own arsenal of reasons, battle each other for supremacy of our minds. And our resulting decisions, whether bold or timid, well thought out or impulsive, can either set the course of action or blind it.
I don’t have much advice to give you about decision-making except this: Whatever you do, don’t camp at the fork in the road. Decide. It’s far better to make a wrong decision than to not make one at all. Each of us must confront our emotional turmoil and sort out our feelings.
Desire
How does one gain desire? I don’t think I can answer this directly because there are many ways. But I do know two things about desire:
A. It comes from the inside not the outside.
B. It can be triggered by outside forces.
Almost anything can trigger desire. It’s a matter of timing as much as preparation. It might be a song that tugs at the heart. It might be a memorable sermon. It might be a movie, a conversation with a friend, a confrontation with the enemy, or a bitter experience. Even a book or an article such as this one can trigger the inner mechanism that will make some people say, “I want it now!”
Therefore, while searching for your “hot button” of pure, raw desire, welcome into your life each positive experience. Don’t erect a wall to protect you from experiencing life. The same wall that keeps out your disappointment also keeps out the sunlight of enriching experiences. So let life touch you. The next touch could be the one that turns your life around.
Resolve
Resolve says, “I will.” These two words are among the most potent in the English language. I WILL. Benjamin Disraeli, the great British statesman, once said, “Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose.” In other words, when someone resolves to “do or die,” nothing can stop him.
The mountain climber says, “I will climb the mountain. They’ve told me it’s too high, it’s too far, it’s too steep, it’s too rocky, it’s too difficult. But it’s my mountain. I will climb it. You’ll soon see me waving from the top or you’ll never see me, because unless I reach the peak, I’m not coming back.” Who can argue with such resolve?
When confronted with such iron-will determination, I can see Time, Fate and Circumstance calling a hasty conference and deciding, “We might as well let him have his dream. He’s said he’s going to get there or die trying.”
The best definition for “resolve” I’ve ever heard came from a schoolgirl in Foster City, California. As is my custom, I was lecturing about success to a group of bright kids at a junior high school. I asked, “Who can tell me what ‘resolve’ means?” Several hands went up, and I did get some pretty good definitions. But the last was the best. A shy girl from the back of the room got up and said with quiet intensity, “I think resolve means promising yourself you will never give up.” That’s it! That’s the best definition I’ve ever heard: PROMISE YOURSELF YOU’LL NEVER GIVE UP.
Think about it! How long should a baby try to learn how to walk? How long would you give the average baby before you say, “That’s it, you’ve had your chance”? You say that’s crazy? Of course it is. Any mother would say, “My baby is going to keep trying until he learns how to walk!” No wonder everyone walks.
There is a vital lesson in this. Ask yourself, “How long am I going to work to make my dreams come true?” I suggest you answer, “As long as it takes.” That’s what these four emotions are all about.
From the late great Jim Rohn.
Best,
Andy Rodie
Which emotions cause people to act? There are four basic ones; each, or a combination of several, can trigger the most incredible activity. The day that you allow these emotions to fuel your desire is the day you’ll turn your life around.
Disgust
One does not usually equate the word “disgust” with positive action. And yet properly channeled, disgust can change a person’s life. The person who feels disgusted has reached a point of no return. He or she is ready to throw down the gauntlet at life and say, “I’ve had it!” That’s what I said after many humiliating experiences at age 25. I said, “I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’ve had it with being broke. I’ve had it with being embarrassed, and I’ve had it with lying.”
Yes, productive feelings of disgust come when a person says, “Enough is enough.”
The “guy” has finally had it with mediocrity. He’s had it with those awful sick feelings of fear, pain and humiliation. He then decides he is “not going to live like this anymore.” Look out! This could be the day that turns a life around. Call it what you will: the “I’ve had it” day, the “never again” day, the “enough’s enough” day. Whatever you call it, it’s powerful! There is nothing so life-changing as gut-wrenching disgust!
Decision
Most of us need to be pushed to the wall to make decisions. And once we reach this point, we have to deal with the conflicting emotions that come with making them. We have reached a fork in the road. Now this fork can be a two-prong, three-prong, or even a four-prong fork. No wonder that decision-making can create knots in stomachs, keep us awake in the middle of the night, or make us break out in a cold sweat.
Making life-changing decisions can be likened to internal civil war. Conflicting armies of emotions, each with its own arsenal of reasons, battle each other for supremacy of our minds. And our resulting decisions, whether bold or timid, well thought out or impulsive, can either set the course of action or blind it.
I don’t have much advice to give you about decision-making except this: Whatever you do, don’t camp at the fork in the road. Decide. It’s far better to make a wrong decision than to not make one at all. Each of us must confront our emotional turmoil and sort out our feelings.
Desire
How does one gain desire? I don’t think I can answer this directly because there are many ways. But I do know two things about desire:
A. It comes from the inside not the outside.
B. It can be triggered by outside forces.
Almost anything can trigger desire. It’s a matter of timing as much as preparation. It might be a song that tugs at the heart. It might be a memorable sermon. It might be a movie, a conversation with a friend, a confrontation with the enemy, or a bitter experience. Even a book or an article such as this one can trigger the inner mechanism that will make some people say, “I want it now!”
Therefore, while searching for your “hot button” of pure, raw desire, welcome into your life each positive experience. Don’t erect a wall to protect you from experiencing life. The same wall that keeps out your disappointment also keeps out the sunlight of enriching experiences. So let life touch you. The next touch could be the one that turns your life around.
Resolve
Resolve says, “I will.” These two words are among the most potent in the English language. I WILL. Benjamin Disraeli, the great British statesman, once said, “Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose.” In other words, when someone resolves to “do or die,” nothing can stop him.
The mountain climber says, “I will climb the mountain. They’ve told me it’s too high, it’s too far, it’s too steep, it’s too rocky, it’s too difficult. But it’s my mountain. I will climb it. You’ll soon see me waving from the top or you’ll never see me, because unless I reach the peak, I’m not coming back.” Who can argue with such resolve?
When confronted with such iron-will determination, I can see Time, Fate and Circumstance calling a hasty conference and deciding, “We might as well let him have his dream. He’s said he’s going to get there or die trying.”
The best definition for “resolve” I’ve ever heard came from a schoolgirl in Foster City, California. As is my custom, I was lecturing about success to a group of bright kids at a junior high school. I asked, “Who can tell me what ‘resolve’ means?” Several hands went up, and I did get some pretty good definitions. But the last was the best. A shy girl from the back of the room got up and said with quiet intensity, “I think resolve means promising yourself you will never give up.” That’s it! That’s the best definition I’ve ever heard: PROMISE YOURSELF YOU’LL NEVER GIVE UP.
Think about it! How long should a baby try to learn how to walk? How long would you give the average baby before you say, “That’s it, you’ve had your chance”? You say that’s crazy? Of course it is. Any mother would say, “My baby is going to keep trying until he learns how to walk!” No wonder everyone walks.
There is a vital lesson in this. Ask yourself, “How long am I going to work to make my dreams come true?” I suggest you answer, “As long as it takes.” That’s what these four emotions are all about.
From the late great Jim Rohn.
Best,
Andy Rodie
4/04/2010
The Dream by Gurbaksh Chahal
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
The Dream by Gurbaksh Chahal
View more presentations from Jaspal Singh.
4/02/2010
3 tips if you want to launch your own startup
A friend of mine came and visited yesterday and asked what would be my 3 tips if I had only 3 tips to give to someone starting a business in the Internet space these days
Best,
Andy Rodie
Best,
Andy Rodie
3/29/2010
Six tips to make your ideas happen
Another great post from Marelisa Fabrega. Please check her blog at
http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com/
“If you want your idea to succeed, you’ll have to take the offensive. So, you become a Warrior and take your idea into action.”
– Roger von Oech, “A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative”
Ideas are plentiful. However, ideas that are seen through to completion are an entirely different story. Most ideas end up in the idea graveyard, surrounded by countless good intentions and one-day-I-will dreams. Focus, determination, organization, and productivity will determine whether an idea will ever become reality. Below you’ll find six tips to help you make your ideas happen.
Choose One Idea to Work On – Avoid the Idea Avalanche
Avoid the idea avalanche, or the creative person’s tendency to jump from idea-to-idea without getting much done. Stephen Pierce defines the idea avalanche as: “The mental condition whereby ideas come to you in such abundance that you have trouble keeping up with all of them.” It’s basically about having a great idea, then having an even better one three days later, and moving on to yet another fabulous idea the day after that.
The net result of the idea avalanche is that you never see any of your ideas through to completion. The solution to the idea avalanche is to choose one idea to focus on, to the exclusion of all other ideas.
An idea in and of itself is basically worthless; this is true even of brilliant ideas. The idea needs to be coupled with execution in order to become valuable. Derek Silvers explains that ideas are just a multiplier of execution. He describes it as follows:
AWFUL IDEA = -1
WEAK IDEA = 1
SO-SO IDEA = 5
GOOD IDEA = 10
GREAT IDEA = 15
BRILLIANT IDEA = 20
NO EXECUTION = $1
WEAK EXECUTION = $1000
SO-SO- EXECUTION = $10,000
GOOD EXECUTION = $100,000
GREAT EXECUTION = $1,000,000
BRILLIANT EXECUTION = $10,000,000
To create a business you need to multiply the value of the idea by the manner of its execution.
Keep an Idea Journal
Every time a new idea pops into your head, resist the urge to drop the idea you’re currently working on to pursue the new venture. Instead, create a system for storing all of your ideas so that you can act on them at a later date. This system can consist of having a notebook or moleskin in which you jot down ideas, creating a word document on your computer which you can easily open as new ideas emerge, or you can even write your ideas down on index cards and keep them in an index card file (as Maya does). You can also consider keeping your ideas in your swipe file, which I wrote about here and in a guest post published over at “Write to Done”.
Cultivate a Sense of Urgency – Change the World or Go Home
In order to turn your idea into reality you need to act from a sense of urgency. Feel the urgency to get things done, to make your idea take shape and become tangible. You can put off executing your ideas to another day, but that mentality will lead to endless procrastination. Instead of delaying the next task on your action plan for a couple of days, act as if it’s urgent, even if it isn’t. Put some pressure on yourself by making the decision to tackle the actions that need to be taken to make your idea a reality, now.
The desire to see your idea become reality must be so strong that you’re willing to make sacrifices of time and energy to make it happen. Unless you have a burning desire to see things through to completion, you will be tempted to quit. Hugh McLeod from the Gapingvoid explains that in 2006 he posted a cartoon on his blog of a blue monster which he designed with some of his friends who worked at Microsoft in mind.
The cartoon was meant to represent the culture that he had observed among Microsoft employees, a culture of “change the world or go home”. The idea of the blue monster took off, and soon lots of Microsoft employees had blue monster posters hanging in their office, were wearing blue monster t-shirts, or had a blue monster on the back of their business cards. Create a blue monster for yourself; something that symbolizes or represents your burning desire to execute your idea.
Create a Massive Action Plan
All projects can be accomplished by taking a series of small steps that build on one another. Create a list of everything you can think of that you could possibly do in order to turn your idea into reality. Keep asking yourself: “What else could I do?”, “And then what?”, “What’s the next step after that?”, and so on until you have a long list of actions you can start to take. Then look at each of the steps you wrote down and ask yourself if that step can be broken down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Proceed to decide on an immediate next step and act on it. Every day chose three actions you can take to execute your idea, write them down on an index card or in your daily planner, and carry out those steps.
Become an Organization and Productivity Ninja
As I mentioned in the first paragraph of this article, your productivity and your level of organization are two of the elements that will determine whether your idea ever sees the light of day, or whether it languishes within the confines of your idea journal. Start collecting and applying organization and productivity tips as if your life depended on it. Here are two tidbits to get you started:
Parkinson’s Law
Parkinson’s Law dictates that a task will expand in time and seeming complexity depending on the time you set aside for it. Go through each subtask on your action plan and estimate how long it’s going to take you to complete each one based on historical data—that is, the amount of time that it’s taken you to complete that activity in the past. If you’re tackling an activity for the first time, simply make the best estimate you can as to how long it will take you to complete it. Once you’ve determined a length of time for each subtask, keep an egg timer next to you to help you stick to the allotted time.
Identify Time Wasters
Time wasters are those “filler” activities that keep you busy but don’t really move you toward achieving your desired outcomes. They can include: checking your email every fifteen minutes, checking your blog’s visitor statistics once an hour, shuffling papers, doing things others could do, taking an excessively long time in preparation, and so on. Identify these activities and replace them with focused action that moves you toward achieving your goal.
Accountability
In order to execute your idea you need to find a method for holding yourself accountable. This could be making a public commitment on your blog, finding a mentor who tracks your progress, joining a support group where you all hold each other accountable for turning your ideas into reality, and so on.
You can even consider joining JourneyPage which is a goal support system. Basically, every day members log in and input their three most important outcomes for the day; your friends or your accountability partner can access the data that you input in order to help keep you accountable. In fact, you can even put money in an escrow account which is returned to you only if you meet your weekly goals.
Conclusion
The execution stage is a vital part of the creativity process. I hope that the six tips explained above will help you turn your ideas into action. Remember, ideas without action are worthless.
By Marelisa Fabrega.
Best,
Andy Rodie.
http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com/
“If you want your idea to succeed, you’ll have to take the offensive. So, you become a Warrior and take your idea into action.”
– Roger von Oech, “A Whack on the Side of the Head: How You Can Be More Creative”
Ideas are plentiful. However, ideas that are seen through to completion are an entirely different story. Most ideas end up in the idea graveyard, surrounded by countless good intentions and one-day-I-will dreams. Focus, determination, organization, and productivity will determine whether an idea will ever become reality. Below you’ll find six tips to help you make your ideas happen.
Choose One Idea to Work On – Avoid the Idea Avalanche
Avoid the idea avalanche, or the creative person’s tendency to jump from idea-to-idea without getting much done. Stephen Pierce defines the idea avalanche as: “The mental condition whereby ideas come to you in such abundance that you have trouble keeping up with all of them.” It’s basically about having a great idea, then having an even better one three days later, and moving on to yet another fabulous idea the day after that.
The net result of the idea avalanche is that you never see any of your ideas through to completion. The solution to the idea avalanche is to choose one idea to focus on, to the exclusion of all other ideas.
An idea in and of itself is basically worthless; this is true even of brilliant ideas. The idea needs to be coupled with execution in order to become valuable. Derek Silvers explains that ideas are just a multiplier of execution. He describes it as follows:
AWFUL IDEA = -1
WEAK IDEA = 1
SO-SO IDEA = 5
GOOD IDEA = 10
GREAT IDEA = 15
BRILLIANT IDEA = 20
NO EXECUTION = $1
WEAK EXECUTION = $1000
SO-SO- EXECUTION = $10,000
GOOD EXECUTION = $100,000
GREAT EXECUTION = $1,000,000
BRILLIANT EXECUTION = $10,000,000
To create a business you need to multiply the value of the idea by the manner of its execution.
Keep an Idea Journal
Every time a new idea pops into your head, resist the urge to drop the idea you’re currently working on to pursue the new venture. Instead, create a system for storing all of your ideas so that you can act on them at a later date. This system can consist of having a notebook or moleskin in which you jot down ideas, creating a word document on your computer which you can easily open as new ideas emerge, or you can even write your ideas down on index cards and keep them in an index card file (as Maya does). You can also consider keeping your ideas in your swipe file, which I wrote about here and in a guest post published over at “Write to Done”.
Cultivate a Sense of Urgency – Change the World or Go Home
In order to turn your idea into reality you need to act from a sense of urgency. Feel the urgency to get things done, to make your idea take shape and become tangible. You can put off executing your ideas to another day, but that mentality will lead to endless procrastination. Instead of delaying the next task on your action plan for a couple of days, act as if it’s urgent, even if it isn’t. Put some pressure on yourself by making the decision to tackle the actions that need to be taken to make your idea a reality, now.
The desire to see your idea become reality must be so strong that you’re willing to make sacrifices of time and energy to make it happen. Unless you have a burning desire to see things through to completion, you will be tempted to quit. Hugh McLeod from the Gapingvoid explains that in 2006 he posted a cartoon on his blog of a blue monster which he designed with some of his friends who worked at Microsoft in mind.
The cartoon was meant to represent the culture that he had observed among Microsoft employees, a culture of “change the world or go home”. The idea of the blue monster took off, and soon lots of Microsoft employees had blue monster posters hanging in their office, were wearing blue monster t-shirts, or had a blue monster on the back of their business cards. Create a blue monster for yourself; something that symbolizes or represents your burning desire to execute your idea.
Create a Massive Action Plan
All projects can be accomplished by taking a series of small steps that build on one another. Create a list of everything you can think of that you could possibly do in order to turn your idea into reality. Keep asking yourself: “What else could I do?”, “And then what?”, “What’s the next step after that?”, and so on until you have a long list of actions you can start to take. Then look at each of the steps you wrote down and ask yourself if that step can be broken down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Proceed to decide on an immediate next step and act on it. Every day chose three actions you can take to execute your idea, write them down on an index card or in your daily planner, and carry out those steps.
Become an Organization and Productivity Ninja
As I mentioned in the first paragraph of this article, your productivity and your level of organization are two of the elements that will determine whether your idea ever sees the light of day, or whether it languishes within the confines of your idea journal. Start collecting and applying organization and productivity tips as if your life depended on it. Here are two tidbits to get you started:
Parkinson’s Law
Parkinson’s Law dictates that a task will expand in time and seeming complexity depending on the time you set aside for it. Go through each subtask on your action plan and estimate how long it’s going to take you to complete each one based on historical data—that is, the amount of time that it’s taken you to complete that activity in the past. If you’re tackling an activity for the first time, simply make the best estimate you can as to how long it will take you to complete it. Once you’ve determined a length of time for each subtask, keep an egg timer next to you to help you stick to the allotted time.
Identify Time Wasters
Time wasters are those “filler” activities that keep you busy but don’t really move you toward achieving your desired outcomes. They can include: checking your email every fifteen minutes, checking your blog’s visitor statistics once an hour, shuffling papers, doing things others could do, taking an excessively long time in preparation, and so on. Identify these activities and replace them with focused action that moves you toward achieving your goal.
Accountability
In order to execute your idea you need to find a method for holding yourself accountable. This could be making a public commitment on your blog, finding a mentor who tracks your progress, joining a support group where you all hold each other accountable for turning your ideas into reality, and so on.
You can even consider joining JourneyPage which is a goal support system. Basically, every day members log in and input their three most important outcomes for the day; your friends or your accountability partner can access the data that you input in order to help keep you accountable. In fact, you can even put money in an escrow account which is returned to you only if you meet your weekly goals.
Conclusion
The execution stage is a vital part of the creativity process. I hope that the six tips explained above will help you turn your ideas into action. Remember, ideas without action are worthless.
By Marelisa Fabrega.
Best,
Andy Rodie.
The 7 habits of highly successful people: Habit 1 by Marelisa.
Got this post from one of my favorite blogs I love to read, happy to share with my friends. Check out Marelisa's blog at http://abundance-blog.marelisa-online.com/
Enjoy the post.
In his No. 1 bestseller, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic approach for solving both personal and professional problems. The seeds for this book were planted in the mid-1970’s as Covey reviewed 200 years of success literature as part of a doctoral program. These are the seven habits:
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
The seven habits move us through three stages or paradigms:
1. Dependence: This is the paradigm under which we’re born, relying upon others to take care of us. Some people never completely move out of the dependence stage.
2. Independence: This is the paradigm under which we can make our own decisions and take care of ourselves. The first three habits that Covey presents focus on achieving self-mastery, that is, on moving from being dependent to being independent.
3. Interdependence: Once we’ve achieved independence we can go on to interdependence, which is the paradigm under which we cooperate with others to achieve something greater than we could achieve on our own. Habits 4, 5, and 6 are about achieving interdependence.
The seventh and last habit is one of renewal and continual improvement.
This post focuses on habit 1: be proactive.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Habit 1
Your life doesn’t just happen; it’s being created by you. Highly effective people choose how they want to feel and decide how they will act in every situation; they don’t simply react to circumstances or to what other people say or do. Covey explains that between a stimulus and a response there’s a gap–imagine pressing a “pause” button–and in that gap we can actively choose how we will respond to anything life throws at us.
Mindfulness
Being proactive is related to mindfulness: You need to be aware of yourself and of your surroundings so that you can act in ways that serve you well, instead of mindlessly allowing past programming, others, and outside circumstances to control your responses. Ask yourself the following questions to help you determine whether you’re living mindfully and are being proactive:
Do you question any beliefs you have which may be holding you back?
Do you blindly believe what others tell you, or do you go see for yourself?
Do you simply accept that this is the way in which things are done, or do you question whether there’s a better way to do things?
Are you willing to reassess the lens through which you look at the world?
See Yourself As a Creator
In addition, highly effective people see themselves as being creators of their lives, instead of identifying themselves as victims of external conditions. If they’re negatively impacted by an external event they focus on those things which are within their Circle of Influence –those things over which they have control–instead of worrying about things they can do nothing about.
David Emerald refers to this same principle of moving from a Victim Orientation to a Creator Orientation in “The Power of Ted”. As David explains, a Creator knows that he/she always has a choice, regardless of circumstances. At the very least, a person can choose their attitude in any given situation.
The Language of the Proactive Person
The mindset of a proactive person is “I am responsible for me, and I can choose.” The language used by a proactive person is the following:
Let’s look for alternatives.
What do I want to happen?
What baby steps can I take to begin moving toward what I want?
How did I either create this situation or allow it to happen?
How can I get the money so that I can launch this project?
I choose to . . .
I will . . .
Are You Proactive?
Here are some more questions you can ask yourself in order to test how proactive you are:
Do you take responsibility for your life, or do you blame other people or outside circumstances for what happens to you?
Where do you stand in the continuum between being highly reactive and being highly proactive?
Do you worry about conditions over which you have little or no control? Or do you focus your time and energy on those things which you can control?
Do you allow others to make choices or decisions for you?
Do you ask for what you want, or do you expect others to magically know what you need?
Do you take action to make things happen, or do you wait for others to act?
Are you waiting for someone’s permission before you act?
If you try to achieve something you want and you fail, do you give up, or do you start looking for a different approach?
Are you full of excuses which explain why you can’t accomplish this or that?
Ways to Expand Your Circle of Influence
There are many things you can do in order to expand your circle of influence. Here are five of them:
1. Go out and meet new people; grow your network. The more people you know who have a favorable impression of you, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to find someone who can pull some strings or put in a good word for you when you need it.
2. Educate yourself. For example, if you’re experiencing financial difficulties, read all you can on how to get out of debt. The more you know, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to come up with a solution to any problem you may be facing.
3. Try to turn a negative into a positive. Look for ways in which limitations can enhance your creativity. Problems can force you to look at a situation from a completely different angle, which can allow you to notice opportunities you would have missed otherwise. Scarcity can force you to focus your efforts on what is truly important.
4. Work on yourself instead of focusing on outside conditions. Focus on being instead of doing.
5. Create a diagram of all the resources that are available to you. This can include financial resources, skills, knowledge, family, friends, and anything else you can think of. Now ask yourself what are the most effective ways in which you can tap into each of these resources.
Conclusion
Covey explains that the first habit is the foundation for all the other habits. If you don’t take responsibility for yourself and for your actions, and if you’re not willing to take on the role of Creator, the other six habits make little sense. In future blog posts I’ll be elaborating on the other habits in Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.
Best,
Andy Rodie
Enjoy the post.
In his No. 1 bestseller, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”, Stephen R. Covey presents a holistic approach for solving both personal and professional problems. The seeds for this book were planted in the mid-1970’s as Covey reviewed 200 years of success literature as part of a doctoral program. These are the seven habits:
Habit 1: Be Proactive
Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind
Habit 3: Put First Things First
Habit 4: Think Win/win
Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood
Habit 6: Synergize
Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw
The seven habits move us through three stages or paradigms:
1. Dependence: This is the paradigm under which we’re born, relying upon others to take care of us. Some people never completely move out of the dependence stage.
2. Independence: This is the paradigm under which we can make our own decisions and take care of ourselves. The first three habits that Covey presents focus on achieving self-mastery, that is, on moving from being dependent to being independent.
3. Interdependence: Once we’ve achieved independence we can go on to interdependence, which is the paradigm under which we cooperate with others to achieve something greater than we could achieve on our own. Habits 4, 5, and 6 are about achieving interdependence.
The seventh and last habit is one of renewal and continual improvement.
This post focuses on habit 1: be proactive.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Habit 1
Your life doesn’t just happen; it’s being created by you. Highly effective people choose how they want to feel and decide how they will act in every situation; they don’t simply react to circumstances or to what other people say or do. Covey explains that between a stimulus and a response there’s a gap–imagine pressing a “pause” button–and in that gap we can actively choose how we will respond to anything life throws at us.
Mindfulness
Being proactive is related to mindfulness: You need to be aware of yourself and of your surroundings so that you can act in ways that serve you well, instead of mindlessly allowing past programming, others, and outside circumstances to control your responses. Ask yourself the following questions to help you determine whether you’re living mindfully and are being proactive:
Do you question any beliefs you have which may be holding you back?
Do you blindly believe what others tell you, or do you go see for yourself?
Do you simply accept that this is the way in which things are done, or do you question whether there’s a better way to do things?
Are you willing to reassess the lens through which you look at the world?
See Yourself As a Creator
In addition, highly effective people see themselves as being creators of their lives, instead of identifying themselves as victims of external conditions. If they’re negatively impacted by an external event they focus on those things which are within their Circle of Influence –those things over which they have control–instead of worrying about things they can do nothing about.
David Emerald refers to this same principle of moving from a Victim Orientation to a Creator Orientation in “The Power of Ted”. As David explains, a Creator knows that he/she always has a choice, regardless of circumstances. At the very least, a person can choose their attitude in any given situation.
The Language of the Proactive Person
The mindset of a proactive person is “I am responsible for me, and I can choose.” The language used by a proactive person is the following:
Let’s look for alternatives.
What do I want to happen?
What baby steps can I take to begin moving toward what I want?
How did I either create this situation or allow it to happen?
How can I get the money so that I can launch this project?
I choose to . . .
I will . . .
Are You Proactive?
Here are some more questions you can ask yourself in order to test how proactive you are:
Do you take responsibility for your life, or do you blame other people or outside circumstances for what happens to you?
Where do you stand in the continuum between being highly reactive and being highly proactive?
Do you worry about conditions over which you have little or no control? Or do you focus your time and energy on those things which you can control?
Do you allow others to make choices or decisions for you?
Do you ask for what you want, or do you expect others to magically know what you need?
Do you take action to make things happen, or do you wait for others to act?
Are you waiting for someone’s permission before you act?
If you try to achieve something you want and you fail, do you give up, or do you start looking for a different approach?
Are you full of excuses which explain why you can’t accomplish this or that?
Ways to Expand Your Circle of Influence
There are many things you can do in order to expand your circle of influence. Here are five of them:
1. Go out and meet new people; grow your network. The more people you know who have a favorable impression of you, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to find someone who can pull some strings or put in a good word for you when you need it.
2. Educate yourself. For example, if you’re experiencing financial difficulties, read all you can on how to get out of debt. The more you know, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to come up with a solution to any problem you may be facing.
3. Try to turn a negative into a positive. Look for ways in which limitations can enhance your creativity. Problems can force you to look at a situation from a completely different angle, which can allow you to notice opportunities you would have missed otherwise. Scarcity can force you to focus your efforts on what is truly important.
4. Work on yourself instead of focusing on outside conditions. Focus on being instead of doing.
5. Create a diagram of all the resources that are available to you. This can include financial resources, skills, knowledge, family, friends, and anything else you can think of. Now ask yourself what are the most effective ways in which you can tap into each of these resources.
Conclusion
Covey explains that the first habit is the foundation for all the other habits. If you don’t take responsibility for yourself and for your actions, and if you’re not willing to take on the role of Creator, the other six habits make little sense. In future blog posts I’ll be elaborating on the other habits in Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”.
Best,
Andy Rodie
2/22/2010
No fears and $1 billion empire
Two brothers and a great success story. Making it big in business. Here they are.
Best,
Andy Rodie
Best,
Andy Rodie
2/16/2010
Darren Hardy’s Final Keynote at Jim Rohn Tribute Event
A tribute to the late Jim Rohn by Darren Hardy.
On Saturday, February 6th, 2010 1,300 people attended a special tribute to celebrate the life and legacy of the renown leader and business philosopher, Mr. Jim Rohn
Darren Hardy’s Final Keynote at Jim Rohn Tribute Event
Best,
Andy Rodie
On Saturday, February 6th, 2010 1,300 people attended a special tribute to celebrate the life and legacy of the renown leader and business philosopher, Mr. Jim Rohn
Darren Hardy’s Final Keynote at Jim Rohn Tribute Event
Best,
Andy Rodie
1/25/2010
Forgive and feel the strength
Weakness in another person can be contagious. One very good way to catch that weakness for yourself is with resentment.
And the best way to avoid taking on the weakness of others is with forgiveness. Forgiveness frees you to be strong and to look forward.
What others may have said or done or failed to do cannot be changed now. What you can do now is to begin moving beyond the pain with sincere forgiveness.
With forgiveness, you are no longer a victim. With forgiveness, you take control of your own destiny.
Forgiveness does not mean that you support or endorse what happened. Forgiveness means that you are bigger than what happened, and confident enough to move on past it.
Forgive, and stop poisoning your own life with the past transgressions of others. Forgive, and feel the strength of your own integrity.
-- Ralph Marston
Best,
Andy Rodie
Read more: http://greatday.com/motivate/100108.html#ixzz0dckHCfru
And the best way to avoid taking on the weakness of others is with forgiveness. Forgiveness frees you to be strong and to look forward.
What others may have said or done or failed to do cannot be changed now. What you can do now is to begin moving beyond the pain with sincere forgiveness.
With forgiveness, you are no longer a victim. With forgiveness, you take control of your own destiny.
Forgiveness does not mean that you support or endorse what happened. Forgiveness means that you are bigger than what happened, and confident enough to move on past it.
Forgive, and stop poisoning your own life with the past transgressions of others. Forgive, and feel the strength of your own integrity.
-- Ralph Marston
Best,
Andy Rodie
Read more: http://greatday.com/motivate/100108.html#ixzz0dckHCfru
1/24/2010
Believe, Act and Prosper
I a big fan of quotes and inspirational pieces like this. It's worth sharing with all inspiring entrepreneurs and all who just want to make it happen.
" I will! I am! I can! I will actualize my dream. I will press ahead. I will settle down and see it through. I will solve the problems. I will pay the price. I will never walk away from my dream until I see my dream walk away: Alert! Alive! Achieved!" ~ Robert Schuller
" I have realized that I should not regret any day of my life. Good days give me happiness, bad days give me experiences - both are essential to life. Happiness keeps me sweet, Trials make me Strong, Sorrows keep me Human, Failures make me Humble, Success keeps me loving but God keeps me going."
Believe, Act & Prosper
Best,
Andy Rodie
Make it happen.
" I will! I am! I can! I will actualize my dream. I will press ahead. I will settle down and see it through. I will solve the problems. I will pay the price. I will never walk away from my dream until I see my dream walk away: Alert! Alive! Achieved!" ~ Robert Schuller
" I have realized that I should not regret any day of my life. Good days give me happiness, bad days give me experiences - both are essential to life. Happiness keeps me sweet, Trials make me Strong, Sorrows keep me Human, Failures make me Humble, Success keeps me loving but God keeps me going."
Believe, Act & Prosper
Best,
Andy Rodie
Make it happen.
1/20/2010
Robin Sharma Leadership Blog - A New Year's Gift from Robin Sharma
Here is to 2010. A great list
Robin Sharma Leadership Blog - A New Year's Gift from Robin Sharma
Best,
Andy Rodie
Robin Sharma Leadership Blog - A New Year's Gift from Robin Sharma
Best,
Andy Rodie
1/18/2010
50 inspirational quotes for the new year.
I’ve always have this penchant for inspirational positive quotes. It’s amazing what those mere strings of words can do. Seemingly simple. Yet interestingly profound.
If you’ve some time today, I invite you to join me in this self discovery journey as we go through this 50 wonderful inspirational positive quotes.
Indulge in the tranquil moment as you read with both your eyes and heart.
Remember, eyes may provide sight. But it’s the heart which gives insight.
Enjoy.
“Think like a man of action, and act like a man of thought.”
- Henri L. Bergson
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
– Hellen Keller
“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.”
- Josh Billings
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”
- Will Rogers
“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
- Christopher Columbus
“To a brave man, good and bad luck are like his left and right hand. He uses both.”
- St Catherine of Siena
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we took so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened up for us”
- Helen Keller
“We don’t see the things the way they are. We see things the way WE are.”
- Talmund
“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.”
- Norman Vincent Peale
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
- Dr Wayne Dyer
“The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”
- Theodore Rubin
“Pessimist : A person who says that O is the last letter of ZERO, instead of the first letter in word OPPORTUNITY.”
- Anonymous
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
- Thomas A Edison
“Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting”
- Elizabeth Bibesco
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”
- B. Olatunji
“When you get to the end of the rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
- Franklin D Roosevelt
“Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.”
- Zig Ziglar
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
- Winston Churchill
“The secret to success is to start from scratch and keep on scratching.”
- Dennis Green
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
- Muhammad Ali
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
- Dale Carnegie
“So many of our dreams at first seems impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
- Christopher Reeve
“Hard work spotlights the character of people. Some turn up their sleeves. Some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”
- Sam Ewing
“There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there’s virtually no competition.”
- Steven J Ross
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
- Confucious
“Many of life’s failures are people who had not realized how close they were to success when they gave up.”
- Thomas A Edison
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
- Stephen Covey
“Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.”
- Peter Drucker
“Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!”
- Donald Gardner
“Success is what you attract by the person you become.”
- Jim Rohn
“You have to ‘Be’ before you can ‘Do’ and ‘Do’ before you can ‘Have’.
- Zig Ziglar
“You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people to get what they want.”
- Zig Ziglar
“The test we must set for ourselves is not to march alone but to march in such a way that others wish to join us.”
- Hubert Humphrey
“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus when the limo breaks down.”
- Oprah Winfrey
“Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune.”
- Jim Rohn
“It isn’t what the book costs. It’s what it will cost you if you don’t read it.”
- Jim Rohn
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
“The future has several names. For the weak, it is the impossible. For the fainthearted, it is the unknown. For the thoughtful and valiant, it is the ideal.”
- Victor Hugo
“There is nothing more genuine than breaking away from the chorus to learn the sound of your own voice.”
- Po Bronson
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
- Waldo Emerson
“Use what talents you possess, the woods will be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”
- Henry van Dyke
“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”
- Bertrand Russell
“History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”
- Winston Churchill
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life’s about creating yourself.”
- George Bernard Shaw
“Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vintage point.”
- Harold B Melchart
“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.”
- Benjamin Mays
“More often in life, we end up regretting the chances in life that we had, but didn’t take them, than those chances that we took and wished we hadn’t.”
- Anonymous
“An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded.”
- Pope John Paul I
“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”
- Earl Shoaf
Best,
Andy Rodie
If you’ve some time today, I invite you to join me in this self discovery journey as we go through this 50 wonderful inspirational positive quotes.
Indulge in the tranquil moment as you read with both your eyes and heart.
Remember, eyes may provide sight. But it’s the heart which gives insight.
Enjoy.
“Think like a man of action, and act like a man of thought.”
- Henri L. Bergson
“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
– Hellen Keller
“Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough.”
- Josh Billings
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”
- Will Rogers
“Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
“You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
- Christopher Columbus
“To a brave man, good and bad luck are like his left and right hand. He uses both.”
- St Catherine of Siena
“When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we took so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened up for us”
- Helen Keller
“We don’t see the things the way they are. We see things the way WE are.”
- Talmund
“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.”
- Norman Vincent Peale
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
- Dr Wayne Dyer
“The problem is not that there are problems. The problem is expecting otherwise and thinking that having problems is a problem.”
- Theodore Rubin
“Pessimist : A person who says that O is the last letter of ZERO, instead of the first letter in word OPPORTUNITY.”
- Anonymous
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.”
- Thomas A Edison
“Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting”
- Elizabeth Bibesco
“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That’s why we call it the present.”
- B. Olatunji
“When you get to the end of the rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
- Franklin D Roosevelt
“Your attitude, not your aptitude, determines your altitude.”
- Zig Ziglar
“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
- Winston Churchill
“The secret to success is to start from scratch and keep on scratching.”
- Dennis Green
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
- Muhammad Ali
“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.”
- Dale Carnegie
“So many of our dreams at first seems impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
- Christopher Reeve
“Hard work spotlights the character of people. Some turn up their sleeves. Some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”
- Sam Ewing
“There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there’s virtually no competition.”
- Steven J Ross
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
- Confucious
“Many of life’s failures are people who had not realized how close they were to success when they gave up.”
- Thomas A Edison
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
- Stephen Covey
“Efficiency is doing things right. Effectiveness is doing the right things.”
- Peter Drucker
“Do you know what happens when you give a procrastinator a good idea? Nothing!”
- Donald Gardner
“Success is what you attract by the person you become.”
- Jim Rohn
“You have to ‘Be’ before you can ‘Do’ and ‘Do’ before you can ‘Have’.
- Zig Ziglar
“You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people to get what they want.”
- Zig Ziglar
“The test we must set for ourselves is not to march alone but to march in such a way that others wish to join us.”
- Hubert Humphrey
“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus when the limo breaks down.”
- Oprah Winfrey
“Formal education will make you a living. Self education will make you a fortune.”
- Jim Rohn
“It isn’t what the book costs. It’s what it will cost you if you don’t read it.”
- Jim Rohn
“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
“The future has several names. For the weak, it is the impossible. For the fainthearted, it is the unknown. For the thoughtful and valiant, it is the ideal.”
- Victor Hugo
“There is nothing more genuine than breaking away from the chorus to learn the sound of your own voice.”
- Po Bronson
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
- Waldo Emerson
“Use what talents you possess, the woods will be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.”
- Henry van Dyke
“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”
- Bertrand Russell
“History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”
- Winston Churchill
“Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life’s about creating yourself.”
- George Bernard Shaw
“Live your life each day as you would climb a mountain. An occasional glance towards the summit keeps the goal in mind, but many beautiful scenes are to be observed from each new vintage point.”
- Harold B Melchart
“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goals to reach.”
- Benjamin Mays
“More often in life, we end up regretting the chances in life that we had, but didn’t take them, than those chances that we took and wished we hadn’t.”
- Anonymous
“An excuse is worse and more terrible than a lie, for an excuse is a lie guarded.”
- Pope John Paul I
“Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom.”
- Earl Shoaf
Best,
Andy Rodie
12/08/2009
11/10/2009
Josh Stewart Founder and CEO of XJet
Josh Stewart’s Bio
XJet is the result of Josh’s life long dream to create a unique brand, recognized worldwide for its genuine people, passion to serve, and commitment to build a bright beacon that inspires others to live the life of their dreams. His passion for flying led him to Africa where he flew on peace and relief missions for the International Red Cross, the United Nations and the U.S. State Department. Josh has over 15 years of aviation experience and has logged more than 5,000 flight hours as a military (Royal Air Force), bush and commercial pilot rated in both helicopter and jet aircraft. He has held many roles in aviation including Chief Pilot and Director of Operations in addition to setting up the first air service in Sudan.
Josh was born in Ireland and is a graduate of London University’s Queen Mary College. He is committed to inspiring and educating youth through aviation. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors for ACE (Alliance for Choice in Education), Colorado Uplift and the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum. Josh works closely with Sungate Kids, Denver Public Schools, Denver Street Schools and the Morgan Adams Foundation encouraging them to reach for the stars
Josh Stewart Founder and CEO of XJet
Best,
Andy Rodie
XJet is the result of Josh’s life long dream to create a unique brand, recognized worldwide for its genuine people, passion to serve, and commitment to build a bright beacon that inspires others to live the life of their dreams. His passion for flying led him to Africa where he flew on peace and relief missions for the International Red Cross, the United Nations and the U.S. State Department. Josh has over 15 years of aviation experience and has logged more than 5,000 flight hours as a military (Royal Air Force), bush and commercial pilot rated in both helicopter and jet aircraft. He has held many roles in aviation including Chief Pilot and Director of Operations in addition to setting up the first air service in Sudan.
Josh was born in Ireland and is a graduate of London University’s Queen Mary College. He is committed to inspiring and educating youth through aviation. He currently serves on the Board of Advisors for ACE (Alliance for Choice in Education), Colorado Uplift and the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum. Josh works closely with Sungate Kids, Denver Public Schools, Denver Street Schools and the Morgan Adams Foundation encouraging them to reach for the stars
Josh Stewart Founder and CEO of XJet
Best,
Andy Rodie
11/09/2009
How to Get Anything You Want
Nido Qubein is a successful businessman, speaker, consultant and educator. He has been delivering dynamic presentations for over 30 years to such leading companies as AT&T, Dominos Pizza, JC Penney and Radio Shack. He is the author of more than a dozen books, including Stairway to Success and How to Be a Great Communicator. Enjoy this excerpt of Nido’s presentation, How to Get Anything You Want.
A great video. Enjoy
How to Get Anything You Want
Best,
Andy Rodie
A great video. Enjoy
How to Get Anything You Want
Best,
Andy Rodie
11/03/2009
10/28/2009
Empire state of Mind (feat Alicia Keys) - My new theme song. Inspiring
This song is very inspiring to me as a New Yorker. Makes me stay hungry. Let's hear it for New York, New York, New York.
Best,
Andy Rodie
Best,
Andy Rodie
10/25/2009
Thank you Will Smith
I enjoy his television, films and music, but this short video of Will Smith, took it to a whole new level. Enjoy.
Best,
Andy Rodie
Best,
Andy Rodie
10/19/2009
Great interview with Jordon Zimmerman on VVH-TV
A great interview with entrepreneur Jordon Zimmerman, followed by an article on success tips written by staff writer Bibin Mannattuparampil of THE CURRENT, Nova Southeastern University.
Future Huizenga School Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductee, Jordan Zimmerman, spoke to NSU staff and students about the hardships of his success on Jan. 6 at the Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
Zimmerman founded Zimmerman Advertising, which has grown into the fifteenth-largest advertising firm in the nation, with over 1,000 associates and 22 offices since 1984, when it was first established. During his time at NSU, Zimmerman discussed the obstacles he had to overcome to reach where he is today.
Zimmerman worked all of his life. At the age of eight, he created a greeting card distribution business and sold his enterprise two years later. When Zimmerman was ten years old, he lied about his age to become a paperboy. The required age was twelve. It was during his employment with the newspaper that he realized he had a passion and drive for advertising. Zimmerman attended school at the University of South Florida and created the well-known National Institute on Drug Abuse campaign, "Just Say No."
Zimmerman couldn't be stopped, or so he thought. After graduating from USF, he traveled up to New York in search of a job. Zimmerman set up ten interviews and made no progress. "I went zero for ten," he said. "I realized [they] couldn't all be wrong."
Failing to get hired helped Zimmerman recognize the importance of an MBA, so he went back to USF to continue his education. Upon graduating, Zimmerman decided to create his own company and Zimmerman Advertising was founded.
Zimmerman lectured to the audience about his "Eight Steps To Insane Commitment," an entertaining, yet motivating slide show on what has made him a success in the business world.
1. "There's no room for mediocrity." Ok doesn't cut it. Being the best is what it's about.
2. "There lies a thin line between brilliance and true insanity." Zimmerman referenced Einstein and other brilliant minds who many had thought were insane at one point.
3. "Fear nothing."
4. "Don't let anyone take you off of your game." If one is passionate about something, then nothing should get in his/her way.
5. "Sweat the small stuff." The little things oftentimes play a big part in consumer satisfaction.
6. "The bottom line never lies." The bottom line is everything, and in business one month is a year.
7. "Thrive or die." According to Zimmerman, there is no win or lose, there is only win.
8. "Knocked down ten times, get up the eleventh." Zimmerman was turned down in ten job interviews, yet that didn't stop him from reaching his goals.
Zimmerman concluded his lecture by explaining the importance of building a business that balances one's life, and added in closing, "Sleep when you die
Enjoy
Best,
Andy Rodie
Future Huizenga School Entrepreneur Hall of Fame inductee, Jordan Zimmerman, spoke to NSU staff and students about the hardships of his success on Jan. 6 at the Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
Zimmerman founded Zimmerman Advertising, which has grown into the fifteenth-largest advertising firm in the nation, with over 1,000 associates and 22 offices since 1984, when it was first established. During his time at NSU, Zimmerman discussed the obstacles he had to overcome to reach where he is today.
Zimmerman worked all of his life. At the age of eight, he created a greeting card distribution business and sold his enterprise two years later. When Zimmerman was ten years old, he lied about his age to become a paperboy. The required age was twelve. It was during his employment with the newspaper that he realized he had a passion and drive for advertising. Zimmerman attended school at the University of South Florida and created the well-known National Institute on Drug Abuse campaign, "Just Say No."
Zimmerman couldn't be stopped, or so he thought. After graduating from USF, he traveled up to New York in search of a job. Zimmerman set up ten interviews and made no progress. "I went zero for ten," he said. "I realized [they] couldn't all be wrong."
Failing to get hired helped Zimmerman recognize the importance of an MBA, so he went back to USF to continue his education. Upon graduating, Zimmerman decided to create his own company and Zimmerman Advertising was founded.
Zimmerman lectured to the audience about his "Eight Steps To Insane Commitment," an entertaining, yet motivating slide show on what has made him a success in the business world.
1. "There's no room for mediocrity." Ok doesn't cut it. Being the best is what it's about.
2. "There lies a thin line between brilliance and true insanity." Zimmerman referenced Einstein and other brilliant minds who many had thought were insane at one point.
3. "Fear nothing."
4. "Don't let anyone take you off of your game." If one is passionate about something, then nothing should get in his/her way.
5. "Sweat the small stuff." The little things oftentimes play a big part in consumer satisfaction.
6. "The bottom line never lies." The bottom line is everything, and in business one month is a year.
7. "Thrive or die." According to Zimmerman, there is no win or lose, there is only win.
8. "Knocked down ten times, get up the eleventh." Zimmerman was turned down in ten job interviews, yet that didn't stop him from reaching his goals.
Zimmerman concluded his lecture by explaining the importance of building a business that balances one's life, and added in closing, "Sleep when you die
Enjoy
Best,
Andy Rodie
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