Day 360 – Make a resolution and keep it.

So one of the rituals of this week of holiday purgatory is to decide on a New Years Resolution.

In 2012 at least 45% of all American committed to some kind of resolution. The top 10 resolutions are :

1) lose weight

2) getting organized

3) spend less, save more

4) enjoy life to the fullest

5) staying fit and healthy

6) learn something exciting

7) quit smoking

8) help others in their dreams

9) fall in love and

10) spend more time with family.

The University of Scranton did a study that showed surprisingly, that 75% of all resolutions make it through the first week. Only 46% make it past the six month mark. Oddly the study also revealed that 39% of people in their 20’s will actually achieve their goals this year as compared to only 14% of people over 50 will achieve what they set out to do.

Making a resolution is not hard and there is no secret to it. The latter is also true for sticking to them and actually achieving your resolutions.

Make your resolution tangible – make sure your resolution is something that you can see and measure. Things that are ambiguous like being happier need an anchor to give you some stick of measurability to see if you are on track.

Be specific – it is not enough to simply say I am going to lose weight. Be bold and choose a number! It is hard to hit your target when you really do not know what it is.

Come up with a plan – break your goal down into manageable steps. 50 lbs of weight loss may seem like a huge number but it really is only 1lb a week. One pound is equivalent to 3500 more calories burned than consumed. 3500 calories a week is only 500 calories a day which can be easily done by walking half an hour and not going back for seconds one meal a day.

Write it down –  I cannot express how important this one is. There is something magical about writing down your goal. Write it down and put it somewhere you will see it every day. I suggest the bathroom mirror, Every morning and every night you will see what you have written down and there is some cool stuff that will go to work in your sub conscious. Do not skip this step.

Share your resolution –  this is where accountability comes in. If you do not tell anyone what your resolution is it is easy to let something slide and then it just disappears with echos of, “I will try again next year” or some other kind of negative talk.

If you have never embarked on this journey of a New Years resolution I encourage you to do so. None of our lives are so perfect that we cannot find an area to improve in. Follow these simple steps and look back as one of the proud in a year and be grateful for how much better your life is. Share your resolutions with me and lets make 2015 awesome together!

Day 306 – Can someone actually “become” a morning person?

So as I am getting to the last couple months, my math skills are telling me that I messed up somewhere.

So today is the first day of me writing in the morning instead of at night. To be honest this is partly a ploy to get me in bed earlier. Since I began this blog 306″ish” days ago I have been writing it at night after my day. The problem is that I usually do not start it until about 10pm. By the time I am done its usually midnight. Does it take me that long to really write it? No, I just get distracted very easily.

Even though I am not what anyone would consider a morning person, my brain is functioning very well after I have been awake for about an hour. I can actually focus on things early as the distractions have not yet really began to stack up. Now, I write this blog mostly for myself and I invite you all to take a peak into my mind. This is a journal of sorts where I work out issues and record victories and challenges. When I write my blog, my mind is functioning well and I usually have to take notes of things and tasks that pop into my head while writing. By writing in the morning I can actually do something about that list right away.

I also need to establish a better morning routine. Haha who am I kidding? I need to establish a morning routine period! I secretly long to be a morning person. I hear stories about people springing out of bed in the mornings and it makes me a bit jealous. Going to bed earlier and getting up to a regular routine is my latest attempt to be more of a morning person.

I have always been a night owl. For as long as I can remember I always stayed up latter than I should. I think it goes all the way back to my childhood and staying up in my room listening to everything that was going on because I did not want to miss anything.

I also have to be really honest and look to my business heroes. I am pretty sure the likes of Richard Branson, Donald Trump, Darren Hardy, and Mark Cuban are morning people. I am sure none of them waste time staying up late just because they may miss something. I also know for a fact that they all have a morning routine. A set of tasks that rarely change every morning.

So here I go, getting on the morning train. Thank God for Spark  and good coffee!

Day 206 – Stop at the lemonade stand.

On my way to church tonight I drove past a few kids running a lemonade stand. I have a personal rule about this situation that I would like to share.

STOP!

It is one of the most powerful and easy things you can do. Do your part to support the young entrepreneurs of our future. When you stop you are sending a positive message and pushing them in the right direction. Running your own business takes guts. The confidence they gain at an early age directly affects the confidence they will have in the future. Lemonade stands represent a kids beginning steps to go out on their own and take risks for future rewards. When you stop you are giving them the confidence they need to pursue their dreams. The kids that are running that little lemonade stand could be the next Richard Branson, Mark Cuban or even bigger

Today’s kids are so inundated with technology. This technology is destroying the need for real human interaction. This institution of operating a lemonade stand is becoming a lost tradition in the face of tweeting, texting, and passive communication.

When you do stop be positive and encourage them. Remember they are kids and you have an opportunity to speak value and a positive message into them. Smile and  say thank you. They are giving you a service. This too is sadly being forgotten, mostly by adults. This is a good habit wherever you get a service. A smile goes a long way, especially if they have been out in the sun for a few hours.

This simple lemonade stand represents the foundation of the very country we live in. The best country in the world, The United States of America. A country where you can start with nothing but a dream and accomplish anything you want. Today we seem to have become a country of entitlement instead of what has made this country great.

By stopping at that simple lemonade stand you are doing your part to pump life into this forgotten fundamental – Work for what you want and reap what you sow.

Next time you see a lemonade stand I challenge you to stop.

Day 186 – Time to get rid of distractions and do the work!

Its funny how I need constant reminders.

If you want to get something done, you have to do the work. Seems simple right? It seems that I need to constantly remind myself of this.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by a task list that is huge. It can be daunting and if I let it get too big I tend to shut down. There is no wishing of hoping a task done, it just has to be done. I have to block out the time and focus. Thank goodness I have been introduced to focused power sessions. This is a practice of focusing in 90 minute bursts and then taking a break for a while before getting back to another 90 minutes.

By doing this I break large tasks into smaller more manageable chunks and I make progress. I have learned this before but like anything I learn I have to reinforce it by putting it into practice. By repeating it it will become habit and I will learn it eventually.

It is easy for me to find distractions and I am looking to reduce those. I need to just cut somethings out so they will not even have the chance to distract me. My biggest culprit, Facebook. I think I will be putting this damned app on the chopping block this week. I do not have time for it and it is a horrible time suck.

I would be willing to bet that Sir Richard Branson and Donald Trump spend time mindlessly scrolling through updates on pets and political ramblings. Any millionaire for that  matter. Facebook is a horrible crutch and I know I need to get rid of it. The fact that I haven’t pulled the trigger yet tells me that it is a problem.  I have used the excuse of business to keep it but, that is just an excuse. I will farm out the things that need to get done on Facebook to Amy or my new intern but, it is time for it to go. I am sure the world will keep spinning without me on Facebook.

Day 158 – The Week in Review

This has been a pretty good week.

Not as productive as I would have liked but, I had a week of self reflection and re organization. It has been said that admitting your weaknesses and faults are the first steps to addressing them. I have known for a while what me weaknesses were but, knowing is truly only the first step. There has to be action after the admission. Duh! It is not to just say that I have a problem with scheduling. That will never fix the problem. In fact, if I know it and do nothing about it, that is even worse. Before at least I was just ignorant. Now I would be stupid!

So last weekend I took action and Monday I started a 12 week course to get productive and take back my calendar. Darren Hardy is the current publisher of Success Magazine and has put together a course designed around the ideas and programs of some of the most successful Entrepreneurs on the planet. Hey if Sir Richard Branson can start Virgin and own dozens of companies with ADHD, then there is something he knows that I can learn from.

In the first module the onion was peeled back to show me why I was being so unproductive. DISTRACTIONS! The very things that are my tools for running my business are also some of my biggest distractions. Even now I have 9 tabs open on my browser . . . okay now just one.  That is the kind of little things that can derail me. I need to focus on the one task that I am currently working on and not get distracted by notifications in the other windows. Do I really need to know that someone liked my picture from yesterday?!

I was able to take some time and list all of the things I am responsible for in my various projects. I can simply take a few minutes every night and make a schedule based on the pressing needs of each project. I will actually schedule times to check and respond to email instead of letting it interrupt me all day long. I will make a schedule and keep to it!

I have also discovered that I need to really evaluate additional things that may come up. It is okay to say “no” and even healthy to do so. If something does not fall inline with what is really important I will not let it interfere with the things that are. I will not be afraid to say “no”.

So this has been a week of really looking under the hood and diagnosing some issues. The car is running okay but, it needs a performance upgrade. Maybe a supercharger!

 

Day 152 – Time for some learning!

Tomorrow I start on a 12 week chapter of my journey.

I have shared several times that I need more organization when it comes to my productivity. Albert Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results. By me trying to figure this out on my own I fall into this definition.

Last week I signed up for Success Magazine’s Insane Productivity program. It is a 12 week course designed to help me with my biggest problem. I will be learning the tactics of today’s most successful and influential people.

In a world where information is so abundant and accessible so easily, it is hard to understand why we do not take advantage of learning more. There are so many distraction in our lives that stop us from achieving what we really want. We are inundated with information every minute of the day. It comes to us through our smart phones, television, and the internet. I am looking to figure out how to filter through all of the crap and really focus.

If Richard Branson, Walt Disney, and Albert Einstein can overcome their ADHD then there is hope for me! Time for me to go back to school and learn me some good stuff. I will be sharing updates and some golden nuggets over the next 12 weeks so tune in!

 

Day 149 – Hard Knocks Extra Curriculars

You have to invest in your future.

Whether its college, trade school, or Hard Knocks, you have to get educated. I have been enrolled in the University of Hard Knocks for about 25 years. It is a school that you enroll in and you never graduate. There is always continuing education and classes available. Attendance is not only mandatory, you really have no choice. The classes come to you. You gain credit by actually recognizing them, completing the tasks, and actually learn something.

Classes are in finance, management, distribution , logistics and many more. The courses are unending. The labs are real life and the stakes are high. some lessons have cost me more than any Ivy League school I assure you. The best thing about Hard Knocks University is that there is no f’s. The only way you fail is by giving up. I realize that I am enrolled and giving up is just not in my nature.

There are time when I am presented with study aids for my University of choice. Books, tapes and success material help me navigate the courses. A lot of times these course helps are expensive. Recently I was presented with an opportunity that I have seen before but was not able to make it happen. I was only not able to make it happen because I did not try hard enough. I have learned here at this school that people will do whatever they really want no matter what. That is another blog and one that is coming soon.

I attended a webinar by one of my success heroes last week. Darren Hardy of Success magazine and author of “The Compound Effect” Darren Hardy has put on several private classes over the last 5 years. Private events that cost a lot of money but, provide amazing information and results. Information that has been gleaned from the kings of success. Jim Rohn, Sir Richard Branson, Tony Robins, and more.

After the webinar I was presented with the opportunity to attend one of these online classes. I will tell you that it was expensive by most standards. A monthly commitment for an entire year. I was face with a decision. Do I let another opportunity pass to get some expert tutelage by a giant or do I use the excuse of finances to justify why I would let yet another class pass by.

I knew I wanted to do this. Even though financially we are in a tough spot. I knew I had to make it happen. Yes I am owner in 4 businesses but cash flow is basically non-existent. I had to decide if I had faith in my future and make a commitment. I spent two days and figured out how to generate the money to pay for the class.

I wanted it  . . . I did it. I made the commitment to invest in my future. This class wil help me with my biggest challenge, prioritization and focus. I am super excited to be in the inaugural class of Darren Hardy’s Insane Productivity class of 2014!

I realize that I cannot move forward without investing in my future. If I do not learn I cannot grow.

If you are unhappy with where you are, ask yourself if you have the tools to move forward. If you do not then you better get them.

 

Day 148 – Screw It Let’s Do It!

Sir Richard Branson has a saying, “Screw it let’s do it!”

As a business owner those words are motivating and at the same time a bit scary. On one hand I love the go for it attitude. I am where I am because I have decided to act. I take a step, right or wrong but I move. I do not spend my time planning making sure everything is perfect. As I have said before I do not just go off half cocked and run blindly into battle. I do take time to weigh the pros and cons but, at the end of the day, nothing gets done without action. So a mantra like that pumps me up. I mean if Richard Branson can have that attitude then why not me.

On the other hand it is scary because while I am taking time to decide what the right move it I wonder and second guess myself. This is a healthy fear. I do have to take time to think about things but, I wonder to my self, “What would Richard do? Or Donald, Mark, or any number of business heroes I have. Sometimes, pausing or taking too long to act can have consequences. I will caveat that by saying sometimes those consequences are blessings in disguise but, they may not seem like it at the time.

A few months ago for instance we were discussing whether it was time to seek out a distributor for Eve’s Apple Pie. Our distillery was with a big national distributor and they had complained some about getting lost among the other 1000’s of products the big distributor had. I had also cringed at the percentage of margin that they wanted for the actual amount of work that they do on behalf of the spirits they represent. So we waited. I kept on my organic growth model self distributing and going to shows for exposure. In March we went to one particular Distillers event and there were no less than 7 Apple Pie Moonshine products. Now I know I am biased but, I will tell you that Eve’s puts them all to shame. We sold more product at that show than any other single item and even more than some distilleries entire product lines. This is a very common experience for us when we attend these events so I can say ours is the best with confidence.

It was about that time that we decided it was time to seek out a distributor. We really like the small local distributor in our area and we approached them at the show. I followed up with a few phone calls and several emails. I even enlisted the help of one of their sales reps who is very familiar with out brand and the quality. Come to find out they have signed two of the other Apple Pie Moonshines at that show and I can only assume that they just were not interested in another. Mind you that the owner of the distributor ship flat told me that they pick what to carry based on quality and taste and pride themselves on carrying the best product in the category. NOT!

To be honest I was pretty upset at the time. We needed a distributor to open doors for us that we could not open on our own so with reluctance we started talking with the big distributor of our Distiller. They were actually very positive about Eve’s and gave us a very competitive rate keeping out price point in the same ball park as it was when we were self distributing. We have been recently told by Safeway that they probably would not have even looked at us if we were with the smaller local distributor.

This was a case where initially I thought because I did not say screw it lets do it and go with the local guy earlier I had lost my place to the competition. However, as it turns out, that was a complete blessing as the larger distributor so far seems to be the better fit for us.

I am all about jumping in with both feet. Anyone close to me can certainly attest to that! Sometimes I just have to have faith and confidence in my future and act. Sometimes I need to listen to the small voice in the back of my head. If I listen closely there are those around me that are amplifying that little voice when they need to and I hope to be smart enough to listen. If I do not I will learn a lesson, as I do with every misstep.

Day 141 – Success Notes

Yesterday I told you that I spent about 90 minutes in a webinar hosted by Success Magazine’s Darren Hardy. Today I wanted to simply share my notes from that webinar. The topic was six insights from six years of homework on what creates super success.

#1 – Think Big “I dreamed big dreams. I dreamed the kind of dreams other people said would not be possible.” –
Howard Schultz, CEO Starbucks

The size of your life will be determined by the size of the problems you solve. If you are going to do something do it big. What is the difference between a real estate agent and Donald Trump? The size of the projects they work with.  Dare to think big then multiply that by 10!

#2 – Surround yourself with great people “A company consists of one thing—people. A company will only be as great as the people in it.”
-Richard Branson

What makes the difference in companies? What separates two like companies? People. People are what make companies, people make the difference. When choosing the right people for your team it is important to identify your own strengths and weaknesses. Build your team to support your weaknesses. Pick people that will check you and complete you. Empower them to operate in their individual strengths and you can multiply your capacity through the right team.

#3 Do the HARD work “Work your face off! Have an outrageous work ethic” –Gary Vaynerchuk

Before you can do the work you have to be convinced that you deserve to be in the game. You are no different than anyone else and you don’t need their permission to be there. Howard Schultz says that your competitors are out there to take food of your table. If you don’t take it, they will. There is no so called getting lucky. You have to put in the work, hard work. You need to be tenacious and work like hell. Eradicate relaxing and complacency.

#4 Insane Intense Focus “It takes a desperate obsessive focus. You’ve really got to focus with all of your fiber, and all of your
heart and all of your creativity.” –Will Smith

Focus is about saying “NO”.   Your point of impact – what can you do to make the most difference? Prune your life. Figure out what is the thing that you are best at. Delegate leadership to free time to focus. It takes desperate obsessive focus.

#5 Massive Failure “To grow you have to accept risk. Accept some experiments. If you are only succeeding, you are not
taking enough risks.” -Michael Dell  

Are you failing enough? What did you fail at today? Failure is a learning tool and part of the process. Life is about falling, success is about getting back up. Get UP! Se adversity as a challenge.

#6 Constant & Never Ending Growth “Investing in yourself is the best thing you can do.” –Warren Buffett

Keep pushing – never become complacent. Strive to better yourself. Be greedy when it come to knowledge. Investing in yourself is the best thing you can do. Become obsessed with learning.

I apologize for the choppyness of the thoughts. This was copied directly from my notes.

 

Day 140 – Pumped!

Oh yeah today was a day of hard work and focus!

I had a delivery first thing this morning. I was super excited to deliver the shot chiller back to Bar Myx, the local bar that gave it to us to brand. It looks great and the owner is excited to have it and start selling Eve’s Apple Pie.

I came hoe right away because it was time for school! Something I ahve gotten away from in that past few months and after today I don’t know why. I really do try to fill my head with knowledge. I read and learn about other successful people and try to apply their experience in my journey. Jim Rohn says that success leaves clues.

Today I spent about 90 minutes on a webinar put on by Darren Hardy of Success Magazine. I really like this guy. If you have not read “The Compound Effect”, you should definitely put it on your list. Webinars, books on tape and books are my college and continuing education. My businesses are my real life lab. I have great instructors and mentors in successful people that coach me through their experiences and encouragement.

Of course there is no substitution for experience but looking at the foot steps of others, there is certainly plenty to be learned. Think its all bull and hype? Here is a list of the people that I heard from today and regularly study:

• Sir Richard Branson
• Donald Trump
• Tony Robbins
• Warren Buffet
• Bill Gates
• Steve Jobs
• Will Smith
• Barbara Corcoran
• Howard Schultz

Yeah, those are the Professors where I go to school. They are all unarguably successful and provide tools and encouragement to me when I need it. They don’t just say ambiguous things they show you a path and tell you how to execute. Unfortunately even with these navigators the path is treacherous and many fall by the wayside. I refuse to be one of those casualties and push on.

The rest of my day was spent on deliveries and sales calls and perhaps you can imagine by my level of enthusiasm that they all went well. I said Sunday night that I was gonna hit it hard this week. I am just getting started!