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Forget the New Year! Blast Forward Now!

8 Dec

Everyone seems to get hyped for the holiday season.

Gifts, good times, family and friends- its a great way to end a year.

And then as a habit most people make a habit of setting new goals for the new year. And this magical timing is believed to add momentum and increase gains, further success, and lead to the best you ever.

I call foul.

I’m not waiting for the New Year-
Neither should You.

And hey I’m the first guy to keep it real-
I made money this year, good side money.
And I still didn’t meet my goal.
I had health issues, work issues, and family health issues.
A lot of set backs. Big ones.
And I still made money. It’s kind of crazy but I did.
And it may not have been huge money, but it was in a way.
I made money in 5 minutes that usually takes me a few hours. So when you do the time ratios I came out thousands ahead for every dollar I took in.
And then I repeated these sales.
Not just to other customers, but I had a few repeat sales- a healthy amount actually.
But I missed my goal.

I also ran for an elected position and clinched it. It took two tries due to some malarkey from my opponents- but I triumphed.

A bunch of my investments also did well.

Planning pays off folks.
However I didn’t meet my goal(s).

Life is short and success is fleeting.
I did good but not good enough.

And as such my message is Forget the New Year!
I will beg borrow steal, fight claw and bite until I do better.
I still have my day job and my businesses.
As well as some new ventures I stumbled into.
Did I stretch myself too thin?
Not at all.
I went where the income was.
And it was worth it.
My gains almost exclusively came from two simple re-directs.
Am I proud? Heck yeah!
Am I disappointed? Of course.

All this said to make my final point:
When I make moves they work.

And so the only choice left is to make more moves.
And make them faster.

And as such I have dedicated the month of December to Greatness- My Greatness..
I have made my weight goals, sale goals, and other goals in the last 8 days alone.
And I bet I will make at least the same amount of sales I have since August in this same limited time frame.

Watch Please-
AND HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE.

#thriveorsurvive.

No one goes to the Olympics for silver.

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
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Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
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Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance

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ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP

11 Nov

This post is super quick, super concise.

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP.

That’s it.
Nothing to say.

Okay, I’m lying. I have an opinion as always.
You can’t have a successful team without Quality Leadership.
You can force people to perform.
You can make a team move by instilling fear as well.

And that’s the fools method.

A great team is build with the Leader as the foundation.
And this doesn’t make the leader better.
It makes the leader more responsible, and more accountable.
What’s the difference you say?

A leader is responsible for getting it done. He or she organizes and disperses to achieve quality.

A leader is accountable for all that occurs.
When it goes right the leader reaps the accolades.
And when things go wrong the leader is who reaps the blame and the cost.
It costs to BE the Boss.

So the question is not are you ready to be the boss.
You can learn on the job.
You can focus and search out inspiration and skills.
Momentum can be created, no question.

The question is are you willing to be the boss?
Will you do what it takes to succeed?
Will you put others ahead of you?
Will you make payroll if it means skipping your check?
Will you take the blame? Take the fall?
Are you able to hold everyone together while your faith is shaky?

Being the boss is a privilege not a gift.

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Infographic:8 Ways to Build Trust in the Workplace

25 Sep

Workplace trust is perhaps one of the most vital factors in your small business’s success.

Fostering a positive team dynamic begins at the top. Leadership isn’t just being “the boss.” It requires that you set a standard and model the proper executable actions for staff and colleagues.
Trust makes the difference between a wst quarter sales ebb where only the rent is paid and a 3rd quarter where revenue shows exponential growth.
The team that is in harmony and is motivated to succeed by the sheer communal will of sharing a task and a positive camaraderie will exceed expected production far beyond any spreadsheet might forecast.

#thriveorsurvive.

No one goes to the Olympics for silver.

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
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@changeinadvance

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Infographic: Leadership Qualities according to Mark Spangler

27 Aug

mark spangler leadership qualities

#thriveorsurvive.

No one goes to the Olympics for silver.

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Seven Steps to Success

11 Aug

Seven Steps to Success
1) Make a commitment to grow daily.
2) Value the process more than events.
3) Don’t wait for inspiration.
4) Be willing to sacrifice pleasure for opportunity.
5) Dream big.
6) Plan your priorities.
7) Give up to go up.
― John C. Maxwell

#thriveorsurvive.

No one goes to the Olympics for silver.

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
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7 Simple Ways to Boost Your Productivity Steve Tobak

6 Aug

7 Simple Ways to Boost Your Productivity

Feeling overworked, overwhelmed and overloaded? You have way more control over your time and productivity than you realize.

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We’re always complaining about how little time we have and how overwhelmed we are. We whine about all the interruptions and communication overload. We spend all sorts of time reading books and searching for ways to improve our time management and personal productivity. It’s ironic, I know.

Well, get this. Most of your productivity drain is your own doing. You give in to social media distraction because you crave a quick fix for attention. You spend too much time in your inbox because it makes you feel important. You waste ridiculous amounts of time doing things that don’t really matter because you choose to do them.

You know what you need to do: Work. Provide for yourself and your loved ones. And you know what matters in life: Having fun. Spending time with family and friends. So do all that. Don’t do the other stuff, or at least separate them so you’re aware that you’ve chosen to waste your time.

Here are seven ideas to help you get started:

1. Don’t tweet during the day. I don’t know about you, but for me, alcohol is off limits until after 5. Why? Because it destroys your productivity. Well, guess what? So does social media. Do your tweeting, blogging, posting, status updating, whatever, after work, like while you’re watching the tube.

2. Quit organizing. You know all those different methods for organizing stuff like your emails and files? I’ve never done any of that. Okay, maybe I do a little, but the absolute minimal amount. I have the biggest email inbox you’ve ever seen. It goes back years. So what? You need to find something? Use search. PC isn’t good enough? Get a Mac.

3. Use hard stops. I had a lunch meeting the other day. At the start, my associate announced that he had a hard stop at 2pm. That drove the meeting. And guess what? We were done at 2. It’s called a deadline. Deadlines force discipline. That’s why deadlines work. Use them.

4. Don’t do more; do less. It’s called prioritization. You know, what we all used to do before self help, time management, and personal productivity became big business. Decades ago I learned to classify To Dos as priority A (time critical), B (important), or C (everything else). When your As are done, take on the Bs. After a few years you learn that you never get to the Cs. And you know what? It never matters.

5. Learn to say no and never say maybe. I like getting attention. I like helping people. It’s always been a big motivator for me. When I realized that saying no was a bigger disappointment for me than it was for whoever was asking me to do something, it got easier to say. Don’t know what to say no to? If it’s not a goal, a priority, important, or fun, say no. And never say maybe. That’s just being controlling and self-important.

6. Mute your devices. When you’re supposed to be working and getting things done, close your email application or mute your PC or Mac so you don’t hear the chime. Ignore that tug to respond right away to every request. If you really want to do it right, set aside a small chunk of time the same time every day to email. Also, never answer a call unless you’re expecting it or have time for it. Even if it’s your boss.

7. Work at home. Most executives spend their days in meetings. Carving out significant chunks of time to get any real work done is a challenge. So I got in the habit of doing presentation and budget work at home. A lot of my strategizing and thinking, too. If you’ve got young kids running around, though, that can make it tough.

Here’s the thing. What used to be our priorities, the things that made our careers successful and fulfilling, our lives meaningful and happy, have somehow become optional.

The long term benefits that come from working, playing, thinking, feeling, exercising, eating right, and sleeping, now take a backseat to the instant gratification of distraction, addiction, self-importance, attention seeking, and minutiae.

To fit all that in, our lives have become overloaded and overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be that way. You set the priorities. You make the choices. You have way more control than you realize.

IMAGE: Paul Bradbury / Getty
Last updated: Jul 19, 2013

STEVE TOBAK is a management consultant, an executive coach, and a former senior executive of the technology industry. He’s managing partner of Invisor Consulting, a Silicon Valley-based strategy consulting firm. Contact Tobak; follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
@SteveTobak

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LEARNING TO LIVE WITHOUT RECOGNITION IS A SKILL

24 Jul

There was a farmer who had a horse and a goat…..
One day, the horse became ill. So he called the veterinarian, who said:

“Well, your horse has a virus. He must take this medicine for three days.
I’ll come back on the 3rd day and if he’s not better, we’re going to have to put him down.

Nearby, the goat listened closely to their conversation.

The next day, they gave the horse the medicine and left.

The goat approached the horse and said: “Be strong, my friend.
Get up or else they’re going to put you to sleep!”

On the second day, they again gave the horse the medicine and left.

The goat came back and said: “Come on buddy, get up or else you’re going to die!
Come on, I’ll help you get up. Let’s go! One, two, three…”

On the third day, they came to give the horse the medicine and the vet said:
“Unfortunately, we’re going to have to put him down tomorrow. Otherwise,
the virus might spread and infect the other horses”.

After they left, the goat approached the horse and said: “Listen pal, it’s now or never!
Get up, come on! Have courage! Come on! Get up! Get up! That’s it, slowly! Great!
Come on, one, two, three… Good, good. Now faster, come on…… Fantastic! Run, run more!
Yes! Yay! Yes! You did it, you’re a champion…!!!”

All of a sudden, the owner came back, saw the horse running in the field and began shouting:
It’s a miracle! My horse is cured. We must have a grand party. Let’s kill the goat!!!!

The Lesson:
Nobody truly knows which employee actually deserves the merit of success, or who’s actually contributing the necessary support to make things happen.

Remember:
LEARNING TO LIVE WITHOUT RECOGNITION IS A
SKILL!!!!

If anyone ever tells you that your work is unprofessional, remember:

AMATEURS BUILT THE ARK [which saved all the species]

and

PROFESSIONALS BUILT THE TITANIC [all died tragically]

#thriveorsurvive.

No one goes to the Olympics for silver.

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance

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The Body Builds When It’s At Rest

17 Mar

The Body Builds When at Rest.
Simple concept but so overlooked.
Let’s preface a bit shall we.

When you’re bodybuilding there aren’t too many ways to the top. You have to do what works and that path is narrow with only one or two deviations.

And no matter what you need rest. The body needs down time. The biggest gains are made when we sleep not when we lift.

How does this correspond? Simple-
In business You can’t sell 24-7. Let me clarify. Your busioness can sell forever. Whether you are present or not- but YOU literally cannot.
It isn’t feasible or smart.
Should you be ready at a moments notice? Yes.
Can you pitch at any moment? I hope so. However to sell forever and go on without relaxing will ruin you.
How?
Well if you are always in pitch mode you will badger people, aka lost sales. And those people will tell people. Word of your mouth will ruin you.

Next, if you aren’t resting you will miss opportunities. There are always options available, whether or not we see them is a different story. Be available to be sold to.
Be available to learn.
Be available to build.
When we aren’t available we lose out.

When you don’t rest and are on sell sell sell mode you can’t meet all the rigors of running a business. The mind is your greatest resource and as such it needs rest. It needs time to regroup, to sharpen it’s focus.
The mind won’t learn when it is always overtaxed by choice. The mind requires many things to function. Give your mind every advantage so you will not only succeed but conquer.

Lastly, when you sit back to rest you will see what is going on. The path will be illuminated. There aren’t too many ways to the top. And I know, most of you think- hey, bro- that’s bullshit. But it isn’t. I don’t care what your product is.
It has to be the best
or it has to be easily duplicatable.
And either requires you put in the man hours and give it your all.
Do you see the correlation?
NFL or MLB, both require the mind of a champion and the body to match.
Both facets also require rest.

Don’t be lazy now, just be time savvy.

Rest your way to the top.

#thriveorsurvive.

“If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes.”
~St. Clement of Alexandra

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
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Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
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Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
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Or simply reply to this article.

 

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3 Things Really Smart People Do

3 Jan

3 Things Really Smart People Do

You want to be the King. The Boss. The Best. Well it takes steps. And we have discussed the need for discipline and practice before so today we are going to come at being brutally efficient- aka the Boss from a different angle.

Start Early.
Even kings rise with the roosters. Why? You can’t conquer the day starting at noon.
My job starts at 7:45am and I liked getting up at 7am. And I can do it, no question. But it stinks. I’m rushing and have to move fast. Ugh. I know get up about 15 minutes earlier and in 2 weeks it will be about 30 minutes earlier. The goal is to get up at 6:15am. Why?
-So I have extra time for responding to emails and opt-ins.
-So I’m not rushing.
-So I can get everything ready for my family with a leisurely pace. How you start is how you end. Imagine starting your day with prayer, meditation, yoga, or a quick read- sounds like heaven. And I’m not trying to push any religion or mindsets on you but getting in to a calm, cool, collected groove benefits everyone.
As to why I’m upping the time in increments- easy. It makes sense. When you bite off more than you can chew you quit sooner. I set 3 day goals for myself mostly. Not 30 days. Why you ask again? It takes the pressure off. And builds small successes.
Look at football, they play to control yards. Then quarters of the game. Everything on the path to success revolves around small ‘focus-centric’ steps.

Do what you hate most, FIRST.
I hate returning phone calls. Hate it.
And I’m a people person!
So what do I do first chance? Call the people I’m supposed to. Con Edison, Cable, opt-ins, new team members, the irs- doesn’t matter. I make the calls as early as possible.
If you hate the doctor’s office go as soon as the new year begins. Make it your mission to begin new with conquering. Make it synonymous. If you start your day with whatever you dislike you can not only breath a sigh of relief but build on your successes faster. Also if that which you dread is done first the rest of the day can be spent on growth and or business building.

Exercise and Sleep.
Everyone needs a lot of both. How can you push your body to its limit without exercise?
You can’t leverage your health if its irrelevant to you. Build your body with the fervor of building your contact list. You can’t do marathon meetings if your body won’t run the marathon.
Next sleep folks- a lot. 8 hours is a minimum. Not a maximum. Rest helps you think clearer, function better, and burn more calories. So that image you guard is winning too. Also the reason to work harder is to have more. Well you can’t do more with less so have enough sleep to get it all done. Now at times you may lose sleep. But when you lose sleep for television, booze, or video games- you dishonor yourself. Your body is a temple. Treat it as such.

#thriveorsurvive.

“Mastering others is strength.
Mastering yourself is true power.”
Lao Tzu.

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
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Or simply reply to this article.

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Are You A One Hit Wonder

18 Dec

Are You A One Hit Wonder

Are you a one hit wonder-
That my friends is the question.
I’m sure just like me you guys have checked out the one hit wonder shows on VH1.
You guys know, the ones where they show music artists that made it to the top for about 3 weeks and then went and got a regular old 9-5. That one song, that one moment wasn’t parlayed into a successful career. Instead it became a moment in time so brief as to make them fodder for jokes by the little guy at home working like a slave.
One hit wonders make for great filler on an ipod but that’s about it. In business and in life there is no room for one hit wonders.
Success is a numbers game, and your numbers have to be long term.
Success comes from repeating great habits. And then repeating that. And repeating that. You get the point. Let’s examine some of the fine points.

Can they duplicate your system?
A lot of people are in direct marketing and or mlm based business models. In this economy there may be no better business model to thrive and survive (#thriveorsurvive, hint hint). However no matter how good your business, its compensation plan, or your pitch- if the system isn’t easy to duplicate than you may fail but your recruits by a vast majority will fail for sure. If they can’t see how to do what your doing then they can’t show it to others. If you have one of the aforementioned models learn it, be it. If you have your own business- whether you sell financial services or you teach seminars et al you have to be able to show people your concept and its simplicity. When they see that they will buy, duplicate or both.

Can you duplicate quality?
When you teach one recruit or team member to be a leader and a fiscal success or otherwise you are riding high. Everything was worth it. Your pride and self esteem, through the roof. However if you can’t duplicate that quality repetitively you have already lost. Put the team building aside for a second. If you can’t duplicate quality in your own actions and plans what are you doing? Watch a baseball game? The pitcher has to be able to throw the same pitch over and over with accuracy. The batter. For get about it even harder. A .300 average in baseball is good- and they only hit the ball 3 out of ten times. Look at any championship team and you will see that they have found the framework for success and have duplicated it over and over. Build from success to success and do the same things that got you to the top. For you and your team.

Leadership- You keep giving.
A great leader is effective, caring, charismatic and proactive. The list could go on and on but that’s the key components I’d say and as such you need to know if you lead well. If not any success you have will be fleeting. Leadership gives you the tools and lays the groundwork to get you beyond that one hit.
Kanye West is said to be fanatical about putting together verses for his tracks. And Pusha-T said in an article that Kanye did the same to him. He told him to rework it. Then rework it again. Then rework it some more. And at the end he got greatness out of him. Not good but great. That is effective leading and it is also strong and proactive.
A good leader is also accessible. Be there all time. Its not an up sell to mentor. It can be but that is an option not a necessity.

Be Excellent.
There will always be a place at the table for excellence. A great musician can play anywhere. A one hit wonder only has one song. A superior craftsman will always land contracts whereas the shabby, liar will get contracts for a time then they will be few and far in between. Excellence breeds its own success. Excellence makes you a contender. It puts the new guy on his toes and your contemporaries back to practicing. The true greats transcend time and even death itself. The Beatles, Big Pun, Steve Jobs, Ted Williams, Babe Ruth, VanGogh, Da Vinci, Botocelli- the list goes on a bit longer but you see the point. Excellence in any form exists forever and becomes the antithesis of a one hit wonder.

Parting shot:
Your destiny is not determined by your critics. Rise above the criticism and run your own race.

#thriveorsurvive.

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
http://www.changeinadvance.com
Or simply reply to this article.

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