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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Lifestyle: Manage your time...

This is an open letter to all the horrible time managers out there...please take the initiative and manage your time, because it affects all of us!

All right, this is going to brief but hopefully informative and reflective. How many of you out there have been victims of a horrible time manager, or are one? (show of hands) I see about half of the crowd has raised their hands (hahaha).

I get it, we all have a lot going on in today's hyper fast, ultra digital world. We have our physical life and well-being to attend to and our virtual life, which is slowly creeping up on the physical, but not there yet. So we may be late to a meeting, date, friends birthday, wedding, etc., but why?

If the reason is: There was a horrible accident. I got lost. I was on the phone with my mom (who lives in another state/country). I ran out of gas, not a good one but acceptable (unless it happens more than once), etc. You get the picture. There are some legitimate excuses, however, for the most part being late is a product of poor time management.

I know it may sound "parental" in a way, at least my mom says this all the time; "You should leave early enough to prepare for traffic and/or accidents," especially when leaving for an interview, important work meeting, pretty much anything business related as social situations are allowed some leeway by default.

What I have come to realize as my life has gotten busier and busier, and as I've grown into a responsible man (thanks mom), is the fact that my time is valuable as is everyone's. If the meeting is at noon be there at noon (at least) or even better get there 10-15 minutes early. If you say let's meet at 3pm and you can't get there at 3pm, let everyone else know, preferably at least 30 minutes or an hour before. After all, everyone is busy, whether they are busy being productive that is another story.

"Better three hours too soon, than one minute too late." ~ William Shakespeare

Technology is supposed to make our lives that much easier, not harder. There are tons of apps out there that can help you manage your time and tasks, set reminders, set alarms, workout timers, monitor traffic conditions, estimated time of travel, etc. All there to make you more efficient and productive. Let's not forget the countless ways to communicate: text, social media, email, a PHONE call, so let's try and use it people.

Side note: The new iPhone comes out today and iOS 8, both of which have applications to help with time management.

Salutations,

Nicholas

Technology: How do you use it?

Technology: How do you use it?

This is a subject I have grown to become extremely passionate about over the last 3 to 5 years, particularly since the acceleration of online higher education, social media, smartphones/TVs, and the efficiency of applications such as Skype, Blackboard, IM, video/music streaming, etc.  You truly can run a global operation from the comfort of you own home, if you have mastered technology and all of its functions and nuances.  Granted many of us are not there (yet), and maybe running an entire globalized operation from your living room is a bit of a stretch - but the point is, one could if they had the means and a trusted team of, tech-savvy, highly intelligent, efficient, and productive individuals.  Again, a lot easier said than done.  So where do you stand on technology and how it is used in our everyday lives?  For me there are two general and basic categories: Distraction and Entertainment and to Perform Tasks Efficiently, and, quite simply, Make Things Easier.  Let's break it down.

Distractions and Entertainment:

Yes, technology is great, that goes without saying.   Think about it, we all have the power to do anything we want at anytime in the palm of our hands; some of us actually have it in the palm of our hands 24/7!  This is true, I personally know people like this.  It has even come to the point where our devices are the most important material thing to us, right underneath food, clothes and shelter, maybe you know someone that places it above food - it's possible.  How many of you (yes, I'm guilty of this as well) have been in your car, hopefully at a stop light, and decided it was a good idea to send a text, check your email, Twitter or Facebook feed?  I'd be willing to guess it is above 80-90%.  I can't tell you how often I see people doing this while actually trying to drive.  All this serves as a huge distraction.  How about when you are out with friends, at work, on a date, or just hanging at home with your kids and/or pets and you are glued to your smartphone, tablet, or laptop, and your kid, dog, or significant other wants attention?  This happens to all of us whether we are doing it consciously or subconsciously, really we are not trying to be unresponsive or unaware of our surroundings - it's almost as if some of can't help but be drawn to technology.  We are constantly being distracted by something (I just checked Facebook about 3 times while writing this post), and most of the time it is something of minimal or no importance.  That email could have waited, that tweet could been posted later, you've already seen the YouTube video, etc.  I've even seen people walk into stop signs, tree branches, or me while walking their dogs, all because they had their eyes glued to their phones.

My question to everyone out there is, do we really need to constantly be distracted by technology or is it there to serve a greater purpose?  I'd argue the latter, undoubtedly.  That is not to say, there is a time and a place for entertainment and other forms of uninformative articles, or social media posts, because there most certainly is, it just does't have to be 24/7.  Think about it, humans have managed hundreds of thousands of years without advanced technology, yet today most of us can't put it down for a few minutes let alone an hour or two.

Perform Tasks Efficiently and Make (everyday) Things Easier:

On to what I believe the best use of technology is: to perform tasks efficiently and make things easier.  I for one love technology and consider myself a tech-savvy individual.  I really can't imagine life without it.  Now, with the use of technology everyone has access to a vast ocean of information all at the click of a button, can manage all their financial accounts in one app, connect with associates, friends, and family across the globe in an instant (by video), streamline manufacturing processes, work autonomously; heck it can even parallel park your car for you, not to mention the fact that "getting lost" is now taboo.  There are countless other reasons for the use of technology and the benefits received, which I will not go into as you know what they are.  In business, technology has endless possibilities.  A small one man operation now has the potential to reach as many consumers/customers as an established multi-national.  That to me is mind-blowing.

Once one has harnessed the true purpose of technology, to perform tasks efficiently and make (everyday) things easier, your life could become more simplified.  That said, if one let's technology take control or someone doesn't fully grasp the powers of having a device or devices that, 30 years ago, would have costed millions of dollars and took up a room the size of your apartment, then life suddenly becomes more hectic and out of control.  How many times have you heard people say, "I'm so busy"?  Well, I'd put some money on it (although I don't have much), if they took advantage of the technology that we are so fortunate to have access to, harness and understand its powers, your life would begin to simplify.  Maybe, I am reaching a bit, but I feel it has worked for me.  How do YOU use technology?

If you agree or disagree, or are attached to your devices 24/7, I'd love to hear your comments.

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: So much to learn, so little time

I can remember growing up and not even thinking twice about how important it is to learn and be educated. My primary focus was on playing sports and enjoying time with friends - that was the most important thing.  Throughout grade school and high school I basically coasted along, going through the motions and getting mostly B's with a few C's and A's, mostly without much effort outside of the classroom.  This mind-set didn't change much, maybe even declined as I graduated high school and went to junior college at Harper and ECC.  I barley went to class and had no desire to learn anything new.  You could say I thought I knew it all as most teenagers assume - at least the males.  I pretty much spent most of the time partying with friends and enjoying life, without even a clue as to what I wanted to do.

Moving on to my decision to go to a four year college in 2000.  I felt I had to do something as I, and the majority of the people I was hanging with, really had no direction - and drifting through life.  So I had a self-realization, so to speak, and went through (mentally) what it is I really like to do, outside of playing sports.   I came up with two paths - both of which would enable me to move out of the mid-west and to the west.  It came down to culinary school and film/audio school.  Well, I chose to go to film/audio school at Columbia College Chicago.  This is where things started to change for me mentally, as the subject matter and teachers at Columbia were intriguing, engaging, and informative.  Although I had been more engaged than ever, I was still only giving about 75% effort towards learning, homework, and classroom participation.  This could be attributed to just growing up and realizing how the world actually works or just slow to adhere to authority.  Needless to say I graduated with a 3.0 average (not bad) and made the move to Los Angeles shortly after.

Not to lose sight of what this post is about, as it's not about me per-se but it gives a real life example to compare to; it's the fact that there is so much to learn and so little time.  The amount of information out there that we now have instant access to is mind-boggling to say the least.  This phenomena really hadn't occurred to me until recently.  Learning is actually addictive, and the personal growth one can achieve through this access to information can be exponential.  I say exponential meaning once your mind is trained to obtain and process information and you break through the misconception that you know everything and/or are content with who you are and what you know, the craving to learn overcomes and drives you.

Take for example my recent studies at Northeastern University where I obtained my MBA.  The amount of information and knowledge I gained just by dedicating myself to learning the material has been a life changer for me.  I like to describe it as a mental evolutionary leap.  It was the first time I actually gave 100% effort towards school or any learning for that matter.  Now, I can essentially talk business and economics with anyone, from Fortune 500 execs to Professors to regular people.  To be honest, it has gotten to the point where I'd rather sit down and read a book or watch an educational documentary, or a TEDTalk than some mindless television show or movie.  I've even contemplated going for a PHD, if it did not cost an absurd amount of money of course.

The point is, once you realize the importance of education and the value of being informed, the more you want to know and obtain, and the less time you want to waste on meaningless content - it's an addiction just like cigarettes or alcohol.  Further, the more educated one is the more freedom one has and the less chance one has of being controlled by fear.  Couple all that with the fact that life is short, even if you live to 90, that is only a blink of an eye in the broad scope of life on earth.

We are living in the information age, and now have access to everything and anything at the push of a button or by typing a few keywords in a Google search.  Many of the top universities are now offering their courses online to anyone interested, granted you will not get credit or a diploma; however you will gain the knowledge which can be applied to your daily life and career.

Learn as much as you can while you can - you will not regret it - and no one can ever take what you've learned away from you. You can lose material things, family and friends, but what knowledge you have that is yours (outside of a mental disease or injury).  In my opinion the most important thing to living is consuming information and growing as a man and as a human.  And then passing that education/knowledge down to others willing to listen and learn.

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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Lifestyle: Do what Dogs do

I'm sure the majority of you are thinking to yourself, what does he mean, do what dogs do?  Well, I will explain my logic behind this phenomena that has been peeking my curiosity over the last 4 years.  I'm definitely not saying people should go around and "evacuate" all over the neighborhood, I'm talking about how a dog appreciates life no matter what they are doing.

If you own a dog I believe you would oblige with what I'm saying here, unless you are not present and happy in your own life, then all vision would be cloudy, including your mind.  But for those of us that do appreciate what our pooches have to offer, much of what I'm going to say will make complete sense at least on the surface.  Granted the following will be based on my personal experience of owning a dog and interacting with other dogs at dog parks and friends/family's houses, etc.

So what do I mean, do what dogs do... For starters when you're out walking your dog, and they're all excited just to be out walking around the neighborhood, smelling all those wonderful smells, lifting their leg or squatting to pee on stuff - they are in heaven - nothing else matters.  Now, at that very moment ask yourself how happy am I right now, or what am I thinking about.  My dog is elated to be outside walking around, smelling and peeing on stuff, while I'm thinking about or stressed out about something that happened earlier or worse, something that hasn't happened or may not even happen in the future.

Another example would be when you take your dog (aka best friend/li'l homie) to the dog park, or a friend comes over with their dog, and the dogs are are so excited they can't even contain themselves, tails are wagging, whining, etc.  Now, when was the last time YOU were this excited to see a friend or family member?  I'd argue a long, long time ago, if ever.  How about when you come home from work after an 8 to 10 hour day, who's at the door waiting for you to come inside wagging their tail?  Yep, your dog.

Dog's are masters at living in the moment, granted they have no concept of time, and appreciating all the basic aspects of life, the little things that actually matter, which many of us forget.  Most of us (humans) get caught up in our heads, thinking about the past and/or future, when none of it really matters.  Well, as long as you've learned from the past and don't continue to make the same mistakes.  And the future, well that's out of our control, most of the time much of what we think is going to happen in the future does not even come to fruition; thus, causing you to miss all those smells and wonders of mother nature that all animals appreciate - and since dogs are usually the ones that live amongst us and are apart of our daily lives, we should take notice of how they react to their environment and enjoy life, and make an effort to understand why this is.  It will change your perspective, at least for a moment, and that's a start.

So next time you're out walking your dog take the time to smell, look around, and who knows, maybe even pee on a tree or two! (that last one is a joke, hahahaha)

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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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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