Motivation

Success Comes from Taking Action – YMM #42

April 23, 2014

I was thinking about an awesome quote I remembered from the show, The Unit. I binge watched all of the episodes a while back, so I forgot where the exact quote was. Luckily, I was able to do some “Research,” by re-watching parts of some of the episodes.

This quote has probably stuck in my mind because Dennis Haysbert has an amazing voice, and can make anything sound good.

“They're ready for someone, but they ain't ready for us.”

Snake Doctor (Dennis Haysbert) in The Unit

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In The Big One, we'll go over why you shouldn't believe signal lights, but what you can do instead to show you're committed to taking action.

Then, we'll talk about 4 reasons why simple strategies are often more effective than complex ones. [Read more…] about Success Comes from Taking Action – YMM #42

#1 Key to Success – Ignite a Burning Belief in Yourself – YMM #41

March 19, 2014

ingite a burning belief in yourself In this episode of the You're Making Me Podcast we'll cover ways to stay excited about your goals by Igniting a burning belief in yourself.

If you've read my book Diamonds and Silver, you might recognize it as the first lesson our hero learns.

This week's Top X of a Topic is on the same topic. X=3 this week, which means I'll count down the three top ways to ignite a burning belief in yourself.

Other than that, I've got some news to share, and a little bit of gossip.

In this episode you'll learn:

Why I want you to stop whispering, “I love you,” at work
What it means to go Oliver Twist on something
The balloon technique and how it applies to motivation, and why you should NEVER visualize RED balloons.
I'll give you an example of an “Fake it 'till you make it” horror story. I'll also tell you why you should still fake it anyway.
What I believe is the best motivator know to exist
What pouring wine into a glass of vinegar can teach you about changes in your life [Read more…] about #1 Key to Success – Ignite a Burning Belief in Yourself – YMM #41

What You Can Learn From My Starbucks Schmoozing – YMM #38

January 17, 2014

coffee The other day I went to my local Starbucks and was served by a guy who showed me that the art of customer service is not dead.

I'm also going to show you how my experience connects with a book I just finished reading.

Anyway, the story is pretty neat, so check it out. It's short too (about 9 min) so you can listen to it as you continue browsing.

Right click to download podcast

In this episode you'll learn:

What happened during my 9:08 PM trip to Starbucks
Why my car almost had a hot chocolate bath
When the videos for the XMind Bonuses will be released
Two things this guy applied perfectly from a book I just read
What's coming up next episode

Other items mentioned in the podcast:

The Book: Mr. Shmooze: The Art and Science of Selling Through Relationships

XMind Bonuses – If you buy XMind through my link, I'll hook you up with all of the bonuses.

Other Listening Options:

Right click to download podcast

This article was originally published on YoureMakingMe.com.

Image Credit: humusak2

How You Deal With Closed Doors in Life Says a Lot About You

January 14, 2013

test-the-handle My wife Oralia and I were out traveling last summer and decided to stop at a little gas station on the side of the highway.

We stopped partly to fill up, and partly because there was an ice cream stand next door.

OK Kevin, what's the point?

I walked inside to use the washroom and noticed a sign on the door. It said, “If Door is Locked then it it is in use!!!!!” (That's the actual door in the photo)

I read the sign and understood why they put it up. They didn't want people going to the counter and asking for a non-existent key every 10 minutes.

I thought, “OK, that's fine,” but here was my dilemma. The door was closed.

How do you find out if a closed door is locked or not?

I figured that the best way to see if that closed door was locked or not would be to gently try the handle (Gently so I wouldn't creep someone out if they were inside).

At the exact second my hand touched the handle, the door swung open and a big tough looking guy came out and gave me a weird look. He pointed to the sign, and mumbled something about my lack of reading skills.

Huh!

I couldn't believe this guy.

Just because a door is closed, doesn't mean it's locked.

The Statue of Liberty Success Formula YMM #15

July 4, 2012

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statue-of-liberty

If it's worth having, it's worth paying for

You may remember that France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States as a gift in 1884. What stands out is that France didn't have a whole lot of extra money to spend at that point in time.

That meant that if the US wanted the statue, it was going to have to pay for the base. The problem was that the base cost almost as much as the Statue of Liberty itself.

Fortunately, some Americans rallied around the opportunity, most notably journalist Joseph Pulitzer, and the funds were raised to pay for the pedestal.

What I mean to illustrate here is that success demands a price. If you pay that price, there's still no guarantee that you'll get what you want, but the chances are much better than if you'd done nothing.

In essence, you'll up the odds of reaching what you're after.

Understanding that there's a price that must be paid for success will open the door to more opportunities in your life.

Meet Opportunities in the Middle

The good news is that amazing opportunities are all around you, but if your base isn't already in place, the chances of you taking full advantage of it go way down. [Read more…] about The Statue of Liberty Success Formula YMM #15

Building a Habit of Success Using Checklists

April 30, 2012

For a Pilot, missing an item on a checklist could mean the difference between life and death.

They already know all the steps necessary to get their plane off the ground and return it safely, but by having a checklist, it ensures that everything that should be done, IS actually done, thereby raising the rate of success.

While you might not always be involved in life and death situations every day, checklists can still be a good way of helping you get to your destination.

What makes a good checklist

Everyone's heard of checklists, but most people never use them properly. In the average person's mind, a checklist is the same thing as a to-do list. It's something they scan until they find an easy task to do. When they're finished, they put a check mark beside it. A to-do list simply lists off things you’ve jotted down that would be nice to get done.

A checklist, on the other hand, is a list of actions that you plan on completing that will move you towards a definite goal.

Creating and executing an effective checklist can offer incredible results and it’s something you systematically work through, not pick and choose from like a menu.

Results will only be as good as the list and how you effectively work it. If your checklist is meaningful, the results will be good. If the checklist sucks, you can guess what the results will be like.

Checklists are uncool, but effective

Change for a Dollar – Small Actions can Mean a World of Difference

March 21, 2012

Direct link to video

The video Change for a Dollar has been viewed almost 2 million times on YouTube…. and it's a mostly silent video.

It's the little things you do each day that make you great

The reason for me sharing it is because I like how the video aligns with the messages I write about on YoureMakingMe.com. When you read other posts of mine, you've no doubt heard me say that “It's the little things you do each day that make you great.”

I believe that's true for YOUR life and it's also true when going out of your way to help OTHERS.

I came across the video on a new blog that my super-entrepreneur friend Eugene Chen recently started called VitaminCr. He posts 1 short video each day that is either funny, inspirational, or inquisitive. (It's a cool idea and worth checking out)

One of the most engaging aspects of the video is when the main character DOESN'T do what you're expecting him to, which makes you pay closer attention for the duration of the video.

Change for a Dollar is completely safe for work, but if you get teary-eyed when watching touching videos, you should probably save it for home.

How You Finish is More Important than How You Start

January 10, 2012

It's about how you finish People worry about starting out right.

When you start out on a good note, it increases the chances of you moving in the right direction, but it's not the only factor.

It’s how you finish that matters

I truly believe that one of the biggest factors in a person’s success is their ability to finish what they start quickly and consistently.

What you get done and how much you get done is critical, but how you get it done and how long it takes doesn’t matter. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that I really don’t care how hard you work.

The effort you put in is irrelevant

All that matters is the result.

Hard work doesn't mean you're on your way to success. Hard work, just means you're working hard.

By focusing on finishing what you start, you’ll soon find yourself getting much more done, and others will start noticing your results too. When you focus on how you finish, you'll still work HARD, but it helps to translate that extra effort into tangible results.

2 Tools to help you get there

1. Time blocking is one of the tools that can help focus your efforts and take your work habits to the next level. Check out my free Time Blocking eBook for more on this. It's simple to do, but effective.

2. Ask yourself, “Are there different ways we can do the same jobs, only faster, cheaper, and easier?”

I've seen a lot of companies performing tasks inefficiently, because they've gotten into a rhythm and have never looked up again to see if there's a better way. Review sessions can suck to do, but they're vital to keep your business relevant.

Next Steps

Leave a comment and join the discussion. Have you had a time when you were working hard, but just spinning your wheels? Did you use a new way of doing things to save you time, money, and stress?
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How to Karate Kick Failure

September 6, 2011

karate-kid We're all defined by our failures. It’s what make us who we are and what connects us with other people.

Consider this.

Would you still have cheered for the Karate Kid if all he did was roll into town and beat everyone up?

Of course not.

The process of “Getting There” is what makes a good movie worth watching, and a great life worth living. Adversity opens up opportunities for growth, and it’s those challenges along the way that really show you what you’re capable of.

Sweep the leg

There’s a famous line in the Karate Kid movie where the Cobra Kai’s evil sensei tells his top student Johnny, to “Sweep the leg.” At the time, our hero Daniel’s knee is badly hurt and the evil sensei is, in essence, telling his student to target the injury.

The phrase, “Sweep the leg,” has even turned into a pop culture reference meaning going after someone’s weak spot, or kicking them when they’re down.

The relevance here is that when you stumble or fail at what you’re doing, there will always be people around you looking to make themselves feel better by targeting your weak areas.

Here’s the video link

There’s nothing you can do except be ready for people to attack you.

You'll never see it coming, but if you're aware that others WILL try to beat up on you when you’re down, then you'll be more willing to pick up the pieces and keep going.

The person bashing you usually isn’t doing it to be a bad person, but rather they see an opportunity to get ahead, so they’re doing what they think they need to in order to get ahead.

6 steps to Karate Kick Failure

Look at what happened and figure out what needs to change
If possible, try to find a mentor who can chop the tops off beer bottles with his/her bare hands (shameless movie reference )
Try your new methods
Accept that someone might kick you when you’re down.
Try again, and if you miss…
Try again

As Mr Miagi famously said about the ancient crane technique, “If done right, no can defend”

Here’s a link to the final scene.

Enjoy!

Image courtesy of: hisks

Always pay for your mistakes only once

August 23, 2011

Here are 3 things you can keep in mind to avoid “overpaying” for mistakes as you experiment your way up the ladder:

Embrace NEW mistakes

It’s OK to make mistakes, but a common trap is when you keep making the same mistakes over and over again, and then wonder why nothing is changing.

Making mistakes in themselves aren’t bad things, but you do need to make sure you're learning from those mistakes. A simple improvement technique is to consistently review your performance, whether good or bad.

Ask yourself a few basic questions like:

How did I do?

What specifically did I do well?

What specifically needs to be adjusted?

When things go wrong, it's often a huge opportunity for you to learn something about yourself and your system, so go ahead and make more NEW mistakes. If you learn nothing when things go wrong, that’s a sign that you might be in a rut and something need to change quickly.

Stop revisiting the past again, and again, and again…

It’s easy to beat yourself up over mistakes. Sometimes people will mentally review times they’ve screwed up for years and years after the event. I know it can be hard to forget, but like the saying goes, “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.”

Once you've analyzed what needs to happen, put the new solution in place and move on.

Here’s a little hack to get you moving in the right direction. When you feel yourself re-analyzing an old situation, cut yourself off in mid-thought and say, “But that’s when I started to… (insert new positive habit).”

It won’t work every time, but it’s a good start.

Don’t beat yourself up

We’ve all heard it said that it’s fine to make mistakes, but for some reason, people think that applies to everyone else, but themselves.

Many people think of themselves as perfectionists, which in theory should be a good thing, but in reality, it often holds good people back from achieving more.

A perfectionist mentality can limit the types of activities you try and slows you down as you put the finishing touches on every last useless detail of your project (which nobody else cares about).

People who are rapidly building careers and fortunes are still doing amazing work, but they understand that everything in the world can’t be perfect all of the time, especially if you’re relying on other people for all or part of the results.

Successful people make mistakes all the time. It’s what helps smart people move from being pretty good to being unbelievably good.