Be Great Today!

I have had the good fortune to have been mentored by Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz, Dell’s founder Michael Dell, Virgin’s CEO Richard Branson, creator of such hits as Survivor and The Apprentice’s Mark Burnett, actor Sylvester Stallone, Wendy’s restaurant founder Dave Thomas, billionaire investor Warren Buffett and literally hundreds of other famous, successful, and wealthy individuals.  How can an average guy like me from suburban Detroit gain access to all of this world-class talent?

 The answer to that question is thru the books that they have written.  All of these individuals and for that matter, individuals in every field, industry, and nation have shared their secrets to success in print for hundreds of years.  The answers to any question that you may have are in print at your local Barnes & Noble, Border’s Books, or online at Amazon.com just waiting for you to dive in and scoop up the treasures from page after page of answers to how these people overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to rise to the top of their respective fields.

 Further, you have people in your life: parents, siblings, teachers, coaches, neighbors, bosses, and friends who are achieving every day what you want.  Understand that not everyone in life is going to understand your hopes and dreams.  We all have different opinions and view the world from a slightly different lense.  It can be hard to understand sometimes why loved ones or people you admire have a different view from you when it comes to your dreams.  Just remember that your dreams are just that, “yours” and belong to no one else. 

 If you are operating from a base of integrity and life is giving you signs that whatever you may be striving for is a good thing, then by all means, forge on, and stick to your path.  Realize that some or all of the people listed above may not want to see you succeed because of their own insecurities or competitive nature to always have to be on top.  Just keep pushing on.

Dream Big!

What mentors must have in order to help you:

1. Have your best interest in mind. The mentors that you select must have your best interest in mind.  This may seem obvious but is not always the case.  Your mentors must truly value you as a person and want you to succeed.  Your mentors must want to give you wings that let you fly free on your own terms in your own time frame.

2. Not have an alternate motive for self gain, at your expense.  You must have a win-win relationship where you both gain.  Your mentor must not provide conditional assistance which would limit your growth to not surpass the mentor’s abilities.  Your mentor should want you to be the best you can possibly be and want you to surpass their capabilities and accomplishments.

3. Have already achieved or helped others achieve what you desire.  Your mentor must be a person that is either living what you want to live, lived what you desire to live, or coached others successfully on how to live the way that you want to live.  A mentor who hasn’t walked in the shoes that you desire to walk in or helped others achieve their dreams will not be able to get you where you want to go.

4. Exhibit integrity in all of their actions in life.  If your mentor only does what is right, when it is convenient, then you will learn other shortcuts that could lead to a dead end, and other problems, instead of true happiness and success.

5. Be honest with you about both your strengths and weaknesses.  If your mentor only tells you what you want to hear instead of what you “need” to hear, then the mentor will not be doing you any favors.  A good example of this was an episode of the reality show, So You Think You Can Dance?  One of the contestants brought his mother, who said he was great.  Was he really great?  Mom convinced this guy that he was great, and the supposed dancer said as much to America.  When it was time for this contestant to strut his stuff, it was evident that he had never danced in public, ever.  Forget the fact that he had never had any formal dance training, he had no rhythm or skill whatsoever.

When you are fortunate enough to have a mentor or role model in your life, whether it’s for a short time (in the form of a boss or coach), or for your whole life (in the form of parents or a spouse), the key is to respect that person and have an open mind, heart, and spirit.

Live, Learn and Pass it On!

Can I trust you?  Can you trust me?  Do you trust in yourself and your future?  Stick with me for a few minutes, and allow me to explain how you can quickly and easily gain in the trust of those around… trust in yourself, as well as, become a metal detector of trust.  What I mean by that is you will be able to pick out a trustworthy person and/or organization as quick as a metal detector beeps upon detecting a metal object buried comfortably below the sand on your favorite beach!

            Wikipedia defines trust as, “A relationship of reliance… a prediction of reliance on an action, based on what a party knows about the other party”.  Therefore, by definition, the only way that you can be trusted or give trust is thru repeated exposure or time spent with other people.

How to become a trustworthy person:

            Commit to do the right thing in every area of your life, not just sometimes, but all the time.  Do the right thing when people are watching, and more importantly, do the right thing when people are not watching.

How to be able to identify trustworthy people:

            Very simply, trust is earned over time.  People have reputations for a reason, because over time, they have demonstrated certain qualities.  People with questionable reputations should be viewed thru very objective lenses looking for signs to either back up or refute any prior opinions and reputations.  If people are open and easy to understand, that is a good sign.  If people are a series of unanswered questions, contradictions, and difficult to understand, then beware.

How to trust yourself:

            Let’s start out by saying that a lack of trust in yourself shows a lack of faith.  I believe that God made each of us, and God has faith in us.  Mother Angelica, the founder of Our Lady of the Angel’s Monastery shares in her book, “… constant worry, depression, anxiety, frustration, thinking ‘Nothing’s going to change’ – that is a total, total lack of trust… If you don’t have trust in your life, you have little love, because trust comes from love”.

            Therefore, the best way to trust is to start loving yourself.  Believe in yourself, and daily remind yourself by proclaiming your noble values, strengths, and contributions that you work to give to the world.

            When people prove to be untrustworthy and difficult to understand, they are quickly disregarded.  People who constantly strive to earn the trust and confidence of others, also gain the trust of themselves.  The net result is a life of happiness, love, and meaning! 

 Trustfully Yours!

My 7 year old daughter, Megan, made this brilliant statement this spring as the answer to her fears of doing a reverse summersault on the bar in gym class.  My brilliant little girl instinctually figured out all by herself what most people never realize their entire life.  Megan does wear Nike’s, but I know that she isn’t aware of Nike’s “Just Do It” ad campaign that has been popularized since before she was born. 

Why don’t we all “Just Do It” when it comes to something we are unsure of.  The obvious answer is… FEAR.

If we would just spend the time required to learn whatever we need to learn in order to get whatever we want to get, we could then just go after IT (whatever “IT” is for you) without FEAR.  The end result… we would all be happier, healthier, and have more peace of mind and success.

So, I for one, am going to take Megan’s sage advice and keep on “Just Doing It!”

Peace!

This term is used when you agree with what someone is sharing with you and like what you hear.  One caveat, just because the CoolAid (advice giver’s message) looks good, and smells good, think thru who mixed the ingredients.  Do they know what they are talking about?  Do they have your best interest in mind, or are they looking to further their own agenda?

One way to tell if the CoolAid preparers are legitimate is to look into their background.  Do these people do what they say?  Do they appear to be living out what they are recommending for you?

For example, I have been approached by dozens of random strangers over the years looking to recruit me into a network marketing, pyramid scheme (I must have this look on my face that says, I’m gullible?  I’ll have to work on my indifferent, grimacing expressions, when in public.  Just kidding!).  Here is a recent example to make my point:

As I was drinking a coffee one afternoon making some notes and preparing for my next appointment, I was approached by one of these network marketers.  He asks me if I’m studying?  Then he asks me what I do?  Then he launches into his sales pitch and tells me how he has worked with many salespeople and what a different breed, salespeople are etc., etc,…  I politely excused myself, then left the coffee shop.

What this guy was missing was credibility.  I saw him get out of his beat up, mid-90’s model, compact car.  If someone is going to recruit another person to work for them, the recruiter better present success and accomplishment, themselves, before they can have any chance of trying to motivate another person to work for them.

Just something to think about before you drink the CoolAid…

Have a great Day!