Success: It's your choice

Everything you do in life is a combination of past experiences, choices you make, hard work and preparation.  I am tired of all the people that believe things happen by luck or chance; or only to those that know the right people, have money, etc.  Success is something that is earned not given or guaranteed, and most certainly not forever.  Further, success is not a predetermined factor of something, nor is it defined the same from one person to another.  Success could mean making a lot of money, moving up at your job, providing a valuable service or product to society -- bettering human kind; helping out friends and family, meeting the right person "soul mate", living in the city and neighborhood you choose and want to live in, graduating college/grad school/phd; hell, it could be getting 10,000 Twitter followers, who knows!  Success could be anything, as a matter of fact one person's view of success may be anothers view of complete failure.  It all depends on how you view life and what you want out of it while you're here. 

The harsh reality of success is that you will, and should, fail; it's all about how you react to it, and how much tolerance you have for it.  Do you get depressed and beat yourself up? Or do you say, I failed this time, and I learned this and that, now I'm going to do this.  You can look at all of the ultra-successful people: Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, etc., and what you will find is that the amount of success they've had is directly related to the amount of their failures.  Elon Musk almost went broke when Tesla hit a rough spot a few years ago -- investing his last $100 million.  You can even look at the recent law upheld in Michigan that disallowed Tesla from selling its cars directly to consumers; do you think he will give up?  Or will he use it as a motivator to drive his and Tesla's success?  I believe it will be the latter.  If people stopped doing what they were passionate about and at every misstep or roadblock, we'd still be riding horses, living in a segregated society; there'd be no smartphone, social networks, or personal computers for that matter.  Look at the recent mishap with Virgin Galactic where a rocket plane exploded and killed the pilot.  Do you think this will halt Virgin's progress on this venture? Should it?  Absolutely not!  Richard Branson actually said,  "Space is hard but worth it.  We will preserver and move forward."  Virgin Galactic's CEO, George Whitesides, took it one step further by stating, "We owe it to the folks who were flying these vehicles, as well as those who have been working so hard on them, to understand this and move forward.  And that is what we'll do."  Could they have decided to stop everything and reevaluate their decision to bring space travel to the everyday (rich) consumer?  Yes, absolutely, however, they CHOSE not to; they CHOSE to move forward and learn from their mistakes and persevere.

That is the whole point.  It is the choice of the individual to succeed or give-up.  So you lost your job or went through a bad break-up, what you do next and how you react is up to you; it is your choice.  Which brings me to something else that is relative to choice, and that is experts are not born.  Michael Jordan did not come out of the womb crossing people over and dunking on them; he busted his ass day in and day out -- he earned being the best.  He chose to put in the work, accept failure, and was never satisfied with where he was at -- he remained hungry.  There are countless of individuals that reached the top by ignoring all the critics and just putting their heads down, focusing on mastering their desired skill.  

The real test is how many times can you accept failure before you say screw it, I'm going to give up or try something else.  How determined are you to get what you want out of life?  According to one of the greatest thought-leaders of our time on success, Napoleon Hill, most people will give up at or before the 3rd failure.  If you think about it, this truly holds ground when you think of the amount of people that have a job they can't stand, but are frozen in fear of what the other side looks like -- the unknown.  The numbers are actually staggering, as over 70% of Americans hate their jobs!  To me this is astounding, particularly since we spend over a third of our lives at work, and that third is of the most precious as that is when we are young and healthy enough to enjoy our lives and do things that actually mean something, make us happy, etc.

All this goes back to our mindsets: Do you believe in limitations?  Are you afraid to try something new?  Are you a leader or a follower? When approached with a challenge do you accept it graciously regardless of the potential of failure? Or do you runaway and accept that you will never be able to do it and would rather avert the potential of being seen as a failure?  The choice is yours!  I know what I would do!

Whew! I would say I apologize for the rant but I won't, as I feel very strongly about this; no matter what people may say or the outcome, the choice is yours whether or not to do something that you feel passionate about.

Hopefully this motivates someone, or at the very least gets others to think about their current situation, where they are at and what they want to do.  The purpose of every human beings life should be to reach their absolute potential -- not to mention it would be good for the world and the economy.

Remember, it's not how many times you get knocked down, all that matters is that you get up one more time.

Until next time.

Cheers,

ModernManTellsAll

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Career: Know where you're going

Know where you're going...

To know where you are going is one of the best pieces of advice any one can receive.  I can't tell you how many times I've heard this growing up, from my parents, teachers, mentors etc.  However, I can tell you it is about just as many times as I've ignored the advice, not necessarily on purpose but more from being naive and inexperienced in life.  I was always one of those people that knew what I did not want to do or where I did not want to go, but that only gets you so far.  At some point you will come to a crossroads in life and you'll have to decide where you are going and where you want to be.  And having a general idea can be extremely helpful.

Although knowing where we are going and where we want to be is a great piece of advice, most go through life without an understanding of what they want for themselves, and what their purpose is.  Many of us let life dictate our future and our plans even if it is truly not where we want to be and go.  Napoleon Hill would refer to this as "drifting".  According to Mr. Hill, nearly 98% of the human population are considered drifters and only 2% are considered non-drifters; therefore the chances are, you, me, and most people you know are drifting.  There are countless reasons for why this happens and Mr. Hill goes in to the details in his books, Outwitting the Devil and Think and Grow Rich, and he explains it much better than I, so if you're interested I'd recommend giving them both a read.  I will, however, tell you that the act of drifting and non-drifting, for that matter, are in full control of the individual.

I actually have been drifting for the majority of my life.  Yea, I always knew what I did not want to do and where I did not want to go, but I never actually knew where I was going and what I wanted to do - until now.  So how did I figure it out?  We'll, it really wasn't rocket science, but it did take a lot of hard work, ups-and-downs, successes and failures, and mental toughness.  I'll outline 3 main steps that changed my path, and pointed me in a direction where I am excited to be adventuring towards.

1. Determination

Determination is what it takes to get through much of everything in life, but it is even more important when breaking out of the drifting mode and into the non-drifter demographic, which is not easy.  As everyone knows, life will always throw you "curve-balls" and try to beat you down, but it is how you choose to react to these life challenges that dictate the outcome.  You can't let these challenges have a negative affect on you, after all, you have a goal and an idea of what you want out of life and where you are going, so keep at it.  Take all those challenges and negative experiences and learn from them, but don't let them set you back - stay on your path and keep moving forward.  Believe me, I have gone through many ups-and-downs from moving to LA without knowing a soul to my dad passing away to leaving a job, laid off, etc.  But, in the end all has led me to where I am now, and mentally I've never been in a better place.  Determination is the one thing that has kept me going through all of this, and I believe it is the most important if one wants to break the habit of drifting through life.  Without determination one would try things a couple of times, maybe even just once and then give up - staying stuck in the same place mentally and physically.   I know this for a fact as I've had this mentality in the past.  I had no clue as to where I wanted to go and how I was going to get there, I just went with the flow.  After all, determination is what made Thomas Edison fail over 10,000 times before he came about the phenomena of electricity, which many of us take for granted as if it has always been a part of this world and human life.

2. Never stop learning

It doesn't matter what it is, never stop learning.  You could be the president and CEO of the biggest and best company in the world - think Amazon, Apple, Google, etc.  And the minute you think you know it all and stop learning, you will lose that competitive advantage, your job, the company will lose market share, etc.   In today's world, the information age, knowledge can be acquired quite easily and educating yourself should be at the top of everyone's list.  While you journey to where you want to go, gather as much information as possible along the way, on as many subjects, as you never know what you'll need on your way and when you get there.   Furthermore, as you learn new subjects and expand your knowledge of topics you already knew a bit about, your path and destination will become clearer with each step.  Maybe you had a general idea of what you want to do, the industry you want to work in, where you want to live, but as you continue to learn - the knowledge you gain may help you hone in on an that exact position, industry, company, city, etc.   Soon your vision will become a reality.

3. Write things down (your plan, ideas, tasks, etc.)

I know it sounds cliché' but it's true, write things down.  We all have ideas and plans in our heads, whether it be personally or professionally, your business plan, marketing ideas, etc., it doesn't matter.  If you ask me, if you don't have it written down you have nothing.  Now, I am not saying that having ideas in your head is a lost cause, quite the contrary, those ideas are the seeds that will lead one out of drifting and into the 2% of non-drifters.  The problem is a lot of us have those ideas for a great business plan, new invention, ways to find that dream job, where we are going - you get the idea; however, the majority of us do not act or succeed in transitioning these ideas in our heads into a reality.  As a matter of fact, for the majority of us life ends up dictating our situation and before we know it time flashes bye and it's either "too late" or the passion for that idea has left or the idea never was expanded on.  I know for me personally, writing things down, making lists, setting goals, and dates to complete "X" by this date has enabled me to have a clear vision of my plan to where I want to be/go.  To be honest, I tell clients that I meet with, many of whom are small business owners and entrepreneurs, where the most common thing among them is they all have plans and ideas, however, it is almost always in their heads, to write things down.  Write that growth strategy down.  Write the marketing plan down, etc.  How do you know how you are going to get there without having it written down?  How do you plan on tracking your accomplishments?  What if you forget?  How can I help you if we don't have it written down in a business plan, marketing plan, growth strategy, etc.?  The same can be said for ones life and where they are going...how do you know exactly where you are going and how you are going to get there, if it's not written down?

I really do not know if these steps will help everyone, but what I do know is this is what has enabled me to move forward and finally find a path to where I want to go, not just where I didn't want to go.  Now everything I do moving forward will be one-step closer in the direction of where I am heading instead of to the right or left, or worse, backwards.  And that is a pretty good feeling.

As always, I'd love to hear your comments on this topic, so please leave comments if you desire.

PS - If you are in need of any Business and Marketing consultation for your small to mid-sized business/start-up feel free to shoot me an email at: modernbizstrategy@gmail.com.

Cheers,

ModernManTellsAll

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Relationships: Job hunting is a lot like dating

I'm sure many people have experienced the loss of a job or a breakup in a relationship, and if you really think about it the two are very similar.  I will be explaining this mainly from the male perspective, as that is all I know, being a male my entire life.  That is not say there are some similarities from the female perspective, however, I can't speak as an expert on such a subject (maybe some female commenters can elaborate).

OK, now that we have that out of the way let's get started.  Job hunting is a lot like dating in the sense that there are two sides to the story, coupled with the fact that there is rejection and mutual acceptance.  A job search can be agonizing for many, as can be dating, particularly in large cities where competition is fierce and viable options/positions are few and far between.  Furthermore, many of the job descriptions require qualifications that no real human can possibly have (10 years experience, MBA, know how to code a website, 7 feet tall, $20/hr, etc.), just as TV and movies cloud the judgement of the qualities/qualifications real men and women have.

In the dating world women are (typically) the final decision makers as are the hiring managers in the job world.   Have you ever gone on an interview and thought to yourself, I just knocked that out of the park; the conversation was balanced and flowing, etc.  You felt you were on the same page as the interviewer, you both were even having a few laughs sharing like experiences professionally and personally. All you had to do was wait for that phone call/email letting you know you got the job - only to have it never happen.  You follow up, "just to check in", and no response...?

This same phenomena happens in the dating world, particularly with men.  You went on a date or two with this smoking hot girl, the conversation was flowing, the two of you were laughing and having a great time, you have this in the bag no doubt.  As a (young) man, we always jump ahead and think we landed the perfect girl friend and the rest will be history.  Well, as we know this is not always the case.  We actually have no idea what the other person (the female) is thinking, or what other options/candidates the female has waiting in the wings.   It is a fact that a good looking woman gets hit on an average of 8 to 10 times a day, that's 70 times a week and over 3,000 attempts a year!  That is a lot of competition, therefore one must stand-out.

The same can be said for the high-value, highly sought after jobs.  As a hiring manager, I know from experience that just by posting a job ad on Craigslist will bring in over 100 resumes in a week.  So the question is, how do you stand-out from the competition? 

This is a tricky question, because as I stated earlier the decision power is in the hands of the female/hiring manager.  I guess the answer to both (as in life) would be to put your best foot forward at all times, keep growing professionally and personally, don't think ahead - stay present, learn from your mistakes, and don't stop searching until you have a definite answer.

As always, I'd love to hear your comments on this topic, so please leave comments if you desire.

PS - If you are in need of any Business and Marketing consultation for your small to mid-sized business/start-up feel free to shoot me an email at: modernbizstrategy@gmail.com.

Ciao,

ModernManTellsAll

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Lifestyle: Lost Nature

Nature is all around us, and yet so many of us choose (subconsciously or consciously) to be surrounded by technology (all day) and consumed by the daily grind of work, family, social media, traffic, TV, shopping, etc. It's almost as if we forget it's even there, or what our backyards, parks, beaches, forests, etc. look like and have to offer.  I know for me it took a separation, if you will, from my last employer to even get to the beach, which is only 15 miles away!

For the last two years I was pursuing my MBA, studying 25-35 hours/week and working 45-50 hours/week, with barely any time for my dog let alone myself.  Now, I know some of you have families to care for, but that is not the point, as it is the same no matter what way you look at.  So for two years I never made it to the beach, and I have access to some of the best beaches in North America by way of Los Angeles.  Sad isn't it?! The first Monday I had off, the first thing I did was drive to the beach and chilled, kicked back, listened to the ocean, surfed, read, etc. for a few hours, and the entire time I was thinking, man how is it that it took this long and something as extreme as parting ways with my old job to get here.  I know this is how many of us live and I'm here to tell you to stop and look around as much as you can - go out into nature (hiking, beaches, parks, lakes, etc.), time passes bye so fast that we'll be old before you know it.

Nature for me is like recharging the batteries.  I try and go out on hikes at least four times a week - mornings are best.  Granted living this close to Griffith Park affords me the luxury of having access to great trails, and in the mornings there's barely anyone there.  And those that are all smiling and happy to be outside walking their dogs, with friends, by themselves, no matter what they all smile and say hi and good morning.  There has to be something to it, as for me, starting my day this way enables me to appreciate the little things I am lucky enough to have.  Things such as my health, being able to run and climb hills, my happy ass dog, living in a city where I can disappear into nature in less than 5 minutes, friends, family, etc.

One of my favorite things to do is go off on a "side-trail" where most people will not hike, and hike up to the top and just sit there; take in the silence, well sometimes, as it is still LA and there are police choppers flying around on occasion, but they'll eventually disappear.  Even still, sitting up there, away from the concrete jungle and random people that are stressed out, missing life, hate their jobs, and on their phones non-stop is enlightening - even if it's for 10 or 20 minutes.  Not to mention it really slows things down, at least for the amount of time you are out taking in nature - 20 minutes could feel like an hour in "the real world".

If you really think about this it truly makes sense, we as humans have only been this disconnected from nature for around 100 years, in most cases much less.  I am not here to tell you to abandon your smartphones, laptops, iPads, etc., as I am all for technology and it's purpose and functionality.  As a matter of fact I consider myself a connoisseur and extremely tech-savvy.  Furthermore, I appreciate all that it does and will do for humans in the future.  The amount of information that is instantly accessible; the connectedness across the globe, efficiency, productivity, etc.  However, I am saying for your own well-being you should go out and enjoy nature as much as possible.  Think about all the time you spend in a day on Facebook or checking your phone just to find out you missed nothing; that email was spam; you already saw those pictures of your friends kids; or read some absurd post by someone that lacks the expertise/knowledge to speak on such a subject, etc.  I'm sure you get the point.  

Add up all that time you spent in your day and then spend that amount of time out in nature, whether it be 10 minutes or an hour - believe me it will be well worth it.  Chances are you will become far more productive at work as well.  Remember, you are in control of your time and your life - no matter what responsibilities you have.  If you manage your time properly, you will have time to go out and appreciate what nature has to offer.  I bet it's more inspiring than what you'll find online (most of the time).

As always, feel free to leave any comments as they will be read and replied to.

PS - If you are in need of any Business and Marketing consultation for your small to mid-sized business/start-up feel free to shoot me an email at: modernbizstrategy@gmail.com.

Until next time...

ModernManTellsAll

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