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Your Body is A Result Of The Path You Take (So Is Your Business)
10 Nov- Your Body is A Result Of The Path You Take
(So Is Your Business)
If you read my blog you will see I’m quite an enthusiast for bodybuilding and weightlifting in general. To me they are the
true athletes. These two branches of the same tree require more effort and longer time frames. They require an inner greatness most refuse to accept resides inside them. Indeed many people are afraid to rise to the greatness that is humanity at large. But I digress- what bothers me most is that people will blame everyone but themselves. Ever see the guy or gal who is in the gym 3 times week and has no results?
Its scarily normal. They do circuit training and read Men’s Health and all that jazz. Yet they stop there.
And this is why they fail. Your body will be no more than the path you travel. Simple. Easy. Factual. Your body is a manifestation of you. It is essentially you. If you are mad at your shape or lack of muscle tone you are to blame. If you are at your pinnacle, the zenith- then you win. You have done what you set out to. See me, I’ve been there. Thrice. And receded. Thrice. No good. The cool part is I don’t quit. I fight my way back repeatedly until I win. However my failures are my fault. I walked off my path. At one point I hit 293 lbs and flabby. And when I chose to fight I hit 243 in 3.5 months. Will power, did it for me. I had supplements and a good gym. And I changed my diet and eating habits. It worked; because I worked hard at being a better me. And when I wanted to benchpress 325 pounds with no help – I did it. ME.
You see the mind is a fickle thing. It requires you to believe in it. It requires your heart be part of the conspiracy. You see to get anything done requires a conspiracy. Now I don’t mean the negative birther kind.
Conspiring can be perceived as you and your mind and heart meeting to beat your body. And that isn’t bad. You may prefer teamwork as the term of choice. I say no.
We as people wanting to improve our bodies must conspire against our bodies.
Tom Platz said ‘Put Your mind in the muscle’. He is right (Fyi Mr. Platz is a world renowned body builder). To get his body right required his mind to be the best and the boss.
Okay I droned on enough. How does this all relate? Well, Your business won’t be more than you are. If your paperwork is shabby you lose. If your product is trash, find a garbage can. Not to be a jerk but your business is a result of the path you take; of the path you choose. You are in charge.
What growth you gain you manifest. Make a decision- stick with it. Be more than your idea. Be the boss. Be the fact. Be the fiction. Every business begins with a dream and from there you must make the rest balloon larger than reality. The path you choose is the only thing that will make you a success or a failure.
Simply put we get only what we put in. Leadership requires you lead.
Success requires you make moves.
What will you do?
Will you choose the truth? Or blame the economy?
#thriveorsurvive.
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right” –Napoleon Hill
Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
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Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
http://www.changeinadvance.com
Or simply reply to this article.
‘IT’S CHESS NOT CHECKERS’
9 Nov‘IT’S CHESS NOT CHECKERS’
Today I’m keeping it short.
Mindset is the name of the game. Life is mindset. If you perceive yourself as a loser- U ARE. If you see a winner in the Mirror- the Winner is YOU. There’s isn’t much to think about. You see self perception is everything. To see the leader you are is more effective than to train to lead. The most qualified guy on paper is usually the least skilled. Not always true I concede but who you are on paper- as in certifications and education- doesn’t hold a candle to who you are in the field.
The guy who leads the team to victory is the king. He paid the cost. Leading is acting.
And from here I reference my title-
‘IT’S CHESS NOT CHECKERS’.
Simple. Eloquent. Factual.
Checkers has strategy. It requires skills, tactical motion, and patience.
Chess however multiplies all those efforts exponentially. The pieces have greater variety in motion and more skills sets. Indeed some attack in pairs. It is quite literally war. The troops advance. They close ranks. The king runs. Indeed even your queen who runs the gamut can be reduced to kindle within 5 moves!
What do you do? PLaY CHeSS. Skip the checkers. Every move in each endeavor you embark on requires you think 5 steps ahead. Every action sets its own reaction. You don’t anticipate the clients wants you dictate them. Gretzky adhered to this. He said go where you want the puck not where its going. Remember that guy; jobs? Yeah Steve. He ascribed to Gretzky’s philosophy. Two great innovators and champions in the arenas they chose almost inherently knew you had to control the game. You had to make moves. Indeed you don’t play. It isn’t a game.
And neither is your business. You have to know the moves.
Anticipate the factors.
If you can’t see what’s coming down the pike you are failing already.
Every entrepreneur is playing Chess.
Checkers is for employees.
See the difference- its so simple its astounding. When you run a business you prepare. And when your plan fails you are ahead anyway. Business requires leadership. You are on the offensive. I’ll tell you one thing I learned playing chess. The guy on the defensive- He lost already. The offensive player is winning. He’s dictating terms. He runs the board. He controls the game and the flow. In your business are your creditors dictating your income aka achievement levels or are you? You must always play the game on your terms. Not to say there aren’t setbacks. Heck, I have had them all along my journey. Yet the push from failure set my troops loose with a greater tenacity to dictate the terms of the surrender. War has casualties. And as such. Treat my business with the same mentality.
And from there, there is one choice only:
Live or die. I won’t die. I won’t quit. I will succeed. I will triumph. At the very least my enemy will have a Pyrrhic victory.
Such catastrophic losses so as to preclude a victory. Chess. Not checkers. Victory. Not losing. Plan every angle. Be ready for set backs. Anticipate your opponents moves, aka the consumer or competition. And don’t forget to leave room for your own margin of error. We all drop the ball. But the entrepreneur who plans ahead wins. Have a business plan. Have a mentor who knows the game. See where you need to go- and Crush the competition.
#thriveorsurvive.
“He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.”
-Aeschylus (via Robert F. Kennedy)
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.
WRONG FOCUS
5 NovWRONG FOCUS
ACTIVITY VS. PRODUCTIVITY
So I harp a lot on Focus. Without focus we are prone to failure. Focus can make or break you though. Focus channeled incorrectly, will in all probability
Kill your business, dreams, and entrepreneurial spirit faster than you can imagine.
And the biggest case of Wrong Focus is simply focusing on
ACTIVITY VSM PRODUCTIVITY.
-Activity.
Activity is merely motion. But misdirected motion achieves nothing. Imagine a baseball player, a major leaguer swinging wild. Like every pitch is whatever. Ugh! Jeter gets paid for skill. Ted Williams, Jordan, even Steve Jobs- these are all men who Focused on more than simply creating motion. To get motion only, that’s great for husky guys like me in the gym. We sweat and that works lol. But in my business I can run a muck and just hope that enough action will equate victory. Nope. See boxing. Boxers need to learn the opponents. They don’t just throw punches. Now back to Steve Jobs. As he was a quick innovator in the last. Decade of his life he didn’t just flood the market with crap. There is a story that he carried an early iphone around for two weeks and then flipped because the screen scratched too easy. He wasn’t worried about quick turn around. To sum it up you have to be more than action. You don’t just go to work, you go and give your all. Running in place creates action but gets you nowhere
-Productivity.
Productivity is the goal, the dream, the honey pot. Truly productive people make moves all day. Even when they are asleep they move forward. There is never a loss.
Productivity is staying on task and meeting deadlines. Ever seen a jerk union member? He doesn’t meet deadlines he pads his overtime. Jerk. A good union worker meets deadlines. He’s on time ready to work and create. He isn’t a dredge, he’s a cog in the machine who realizes he is integral to the projects completion.
Another example- Your Savings. So you have 50 large in the bank, but PJ Morgan only gives a .25% interest that is than taxed super heavy comparative to the gains. That money was safe but you were essentially treading water. Not smart. Make that money work. Invest it. If not in a fund et al- in yourself. Live your dreams. Incorporate, manage, and build an empire. Be more than a grunt. Be a Captain. Life is handed to those who work. Not those who coast.
Productivity can be merely managerial. A site manager on a house flip keeps momentum in their favor. That’s important.
Your EYE being on the ball is everything. You can do more with les activity if you have a focus.
To achieve this folks- back to basics.
Lists.
Lists.
Lists.
That’s it. And constant communication.
I’m not going to speak on this more.
You’re proactive or you are on the sidelines.
Its your choice. You can focus on motion or control motion to a cohesive end.
#thriveorsurvive.
Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
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Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
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Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
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Action Reading List
3 NovAction Reading List
Ok folks I’ve got a few books on my list that I think everyone should read. Its a short list and I’m going to skip Napoleon Hill et al because we as entrepreneurs are inundated with the likes oh him, The Secret, and many others. Not knocking them per say I just think a different avenue and a fewsh eye/perspective is more useful these days.
Let’s face it; the economies changed. The needs of the people have as well. So we as entrepreneurs and marketers need to be innovators and leaders. Not to mention educators, students, and help-mates to the masses.
And in that vein I present you my top 7 books you need to read.
–The Charge.
By Brendon Burchard, this book is no nonsense and a great read. Not his first but my first read of his tomes. Recommended to me by the Great Ray Higdon (@rayhigdon).
This book will help clear your focus and activate your drives. Truly groundbreaking in my humble opinion.
–Rogue Warrior.
Richard Marcinko’s autobiography of how he started Seal Team Six. This man was an innovator, achiever, and believer. He believed in his country and himself. Nothing stopped him from being the best. Great read with an easy format. A guy in the first mlm I made money with recommended it to me and he was right.
–48 Laws of Power.
By Robert Greene, one of my fave reads ever. It is considered ruthless by some but the lessons are useful. Also its historical references and layout are vastly intriguing. I’d buy it twice. I won’t say more because the book speaks for itself.
–33 Strategies of War.
Another classic by Robert Greene. I love this guy. Having bought all his books I can clearly tell you that this one is as much a game changer as 48 Laws of Power.
–Steve Jobs.
The acclaimed biography by Walter Isaacson is a no holds barred look into the life of Jobs. Indeed it could be called a dig as Isaacson went down the rabbit hole that was Jobs. There is a treasure trove of knowledge to be had here and a great read as well. One of the books that is truly amazing my mind. It excites and inspires at the same time.
–The One Minute Millionaire.
Mark Victor Hansen and Robert G. Allen, two literary geniuses in their own right with sales that astound. True innovators and creators. The team up for this book is amazing. It has a fictional and factual counterpart wrapped up in one book. Truly amazing and the one book I’ve read as many times as 48 Laws of Power. I literally learn every time I read it. I got it 30% off but after reading it know I would have paid 60% extra to own it.
–Rich Dad Poor Dad.
Rober kiyosaki at his best. Some hate him. Some don’t. Overall I like the guy. While I’ve taken his courses too I think I’m going to stick with the books. This first one I have purchased three times. What I do is read it and give my copy to someone else. Its a great book for opening the eyes of the reader.
BONUS:
–Heavy Hitters Magazine aka HH.
Not a book but a staple in my collection.
Indeed it is the only magazine I buy. Every two months it features insane quotes, cars, and profiles of self made entrepreneurs. People who most of us can relate to.
The most inspiration you can buy for $6 bucks. Guaranteed.
#thriveorsurvive.
“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.”
― Oscar Wilde
“If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.”
― Oscar Wilde
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
― Dr. Seuss, I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!
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.
Economic realities of the Entrepreneur
30 OctEconomic realities of the Entrepreneur.
Everyone is an entrepreneur.
A lot of people are too scared to put the work in. Strong words but salient concepts.
In my new series here at Moov Magazine I will embark on a journey with you to unravel the entrepreneurial journey.
-Economics.
A lot of people are scared in this day and age. In this market, in this economy, people feel they have no way out. They don’t. believe there is a way out. I think that’s fool hardy. Its lies and misdirection fed to us.
The simple truth is economics are irrelevant. The future, your future is in your hands. Are you aware that more millionaires have been made in the great depression and the great recession we are in now? Well its a fact.
My question to you the reader is simply What do you want?
What do you expect?
What are you going to do?
Until you can answer these you are lost.
However I’ve got some great basics to start with.
-Personal finance vs business finance.
As an entrepreneur there is one huge mistake a lot of people make- using their money and credit to make an empire. Never use your money. Set up an llc, S corp or other such venture. Why? It protects your assets. It saves your credit and your dollars. There is honor in standing by your risks. And there is greater honor in handling business ventures as an adult. I personally won’t use an S corp as it still leaves me with liability. However you choose your safe haven- but choose you must. Also why not have 5 corporations? Every idea you have is worthy of its own respect and llc et al. Make it happen.
-Debt.
Avoid negative debt. Sounds foolish and opposite I’m sure but hear me out. Debt is not needed but can build an empire. See America. Taking on a reasonable amount of debt to build your business is smart. Use that debt to get the tools you need not the Benz you want. Debt will expand not detract if your business model is right. The only question is will you make it right or dream it wrong.
-Credit.
Credit is funding that can be found from multiple sources. What’s better is it doesn’t always have to be paid back! You can literally build your business on the backs of others with no downside. Now this isn’t always but it is definite. There are many methods of procuring funding. Do your due diligence and you will find state, federal, and private funding as well. Facebook had numerous private investors put a lot of money into them. And now with the advent of kickstarter and its ilk we can all find credit.
-Success.
I’m going to end on a non-financial note. Success isn’t being a billionaire; its being Trump. Now I know he is a billionaire but hear me out. Trump has had failure after failure. Been bankrupt or close to it twice or better. And yet he keeps coming back. He has a diversified revenue stream and a successful mainstream that few of us even dream of. It wasn’t his money, it was his will. His tenacity. Success is a journey not a destination.
Let’s meet along the road.
#thriveorsurvive.
Tony L. 3rd.
Tony@changeinadvance.com
Today’s word is: COMMITMENT
25 Oct<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/1u-MTd6W85U” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>
Small Money, Small Success
23 OctSmall Money, Small Success.
Small money, small success. Sad but true, this mentality is probably handicapping more entrepreneurs and start ups than I can imagine. The scope of your dreams defines the rise of your success.
Before I get into theory and concept let me preface my mindset with a story. You see I moved recently and ran into a former coworker. We were discussing my move and some of the new logistics that came with it. Previously I’d had an indoor garage parking spot and as such parking was never an issue. At my new residence however I have to park anywhere I can. Indeed it is almost a Darwinian situation in some aspects (kidding). Now I have to find a parking spot and dodge meters, street cleaning, and school zoning. I don’t particularly mind because the trade off in parking was worth the proximity to my job and the great neighborhood and superior building service. At this point in the conversation my former coworker stated that having to pay a few bucks a week for parking when I can’t get a good spot gets to be expensive. I had to pause here and I’ll tell you why. On the average week I’m paying about 4 bucks to park over a 7 day week. That’s not bad in my opinion. It adds up to 16 dollars a month which is not a lot either. Now being fiscally rabid isn’t smart but for me it’s an economic win win. This works out to be cheap because I cut my gas bill and car mileage dramatically. I now spend about 50 a month on gas. I used to spend 35 dollars a week or better. So when you do the math my gas and parking bill at its highest month is still about half what I used to spend. Keep in mind that that’s the average numbers. There are weeks I don’t pay for parking at all so the savings are even greater when we look at expenditures for certain months. Also as I mentioned my mileage is down dramatically. I went from 20 miles a day to about 3. If you use the IRS’ numbers for the value/cost of usage per mile this is a big savings. I’m doing 110 miles less a week on average. So now my resale value will rise dramatically. My wear and tear and thus maintenance also will drop precipitously.
I say all this to point out the difference in mindset. I saw gain, ease of access, and peace of mind when I moved. My compatriot saw the 4 bucks. This is ludicrous. I lowered my living expenses overall while increasing my standard of living. And therein lays the key.
What do you see when you spend? Do you not spend money on your education or to grow your business out of fear of losing capital? Or do you spend to build your regime? Life is short and the less you invest in you the less you gain. If you sweat the small dollars you won’t make the big riches. Being fiscally prudent is always important- but you can’t make money if you don’t spend money. I think the quotes below will indirectly end this article better than I ever could.
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
-Oscar Wilde
“The mind is the limit. As long as the mind can envision the fact that you can do something, you can do it, as long as you really believe 100 percent” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think, we become” – Buddha
#thriveorsurvive.
#findyourfuel.
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.
FIND YOUR FUEL 2
9 OctFIND YOUR FUEL 2.
So I started this journey with you guys last week. Finding Your Fuel will be a small series. Succinct. Concise. Motivating. That’s it. Its a concept that came to me late one night while going through my blackberry and sorting ideas and concepts that I’ve stored or just recently fleshed out.
I’ve assembled a few steps to walk you thought the process below.
-Agenda 1
*Meditation.
Meditation will help tremendously.
Meditation clears the mind and the heart. It will help illuminate a clear path. Indeed it will show you what really exists within and what truly resonates with your soul.
Meditate every day at least once building to a 20 minute span. Start with 5 minutes if need be.
*Eliminating distractions.
This is a big one too.
Tv, HD, PS3, LED, PSP vita, ugh! No. No. No.
Limit or remove these distractions. The bar, the friends, all are too distracting. Try books. Try the gym. Try yoga. We can’t be balanced only chasing one goal. So breaking up your day into positive increments is a great idea. Whatever eats at your growth eats at your dreams. Would you trade your soul for abs? Exactly.
*Task lists to remove distractions and clear mental clutter.
Organize your goals, dreams, chores. Everything. I have daily lists, a wish list, a dream board- all that. I also broke down on a list how much money I have to make for my wife to stay home with the kids. And when I broke that number down to an hourly rate its small. And you know what that did for me? Created massive hope. And a reachable goal. Aka a finite target. Not a wish. And also the organization is pretty nifty too folks.
-Agenda 2
*Forgive the self.
A lot of people have hang ups that hold them back. And a lot of us conquer these hang ups but don’t forgive ourselves.
Forgive yourself your mistakes, and faults. It is so easy that it is hard.
*Forgive others.
Holding grudges will poison your soul. It will kill your heart, steal your joy, and ruin your business. None of this is productive. None of this will build your business or clear your heart. Let go of it all. People change. Times change. Grow my friends.
*Move past the past.
Your past isn’t your present. And it sure as heck isn’t indicative of your future.
Let yourself see where you are and where you are going. Nothing Else. The rest is irrelevant. Forget what was done.
YES you should build off past accomplishments.
NO you shouldn’t dwell on it.
Determine exactly where you are at and where you aim to be. If you are stuck in a rut at step 3, and there are only 5 steps- hell you are 60% done! And life is the same exact process. You may have ran before your legs were shattered- and know u have crutches. Focus on the laps you will run.
Nothing matters but where you are going. That being the case get their.
Self enlightenment.
A side note on the above agendas- These steps will produce self enlightenment. This is simply a true awareness of who you are. And this will define your actions. Motives and actions will materialize and make sense. This is something we all need and should aspire to have.
-Agenda 3
*Give. Tithe. Whatever.
I’ve never seen this not work.
It will soothe the soul. It will help others. It will build your business and it will build your heart. Give to your church. Give to the poor. Give it all. Okay not it all but sharing is caring. And it works. You don’t lose when you care. Also the infinite rewards those who give.
To those who much us given, much is required.
It’s time to step up to the plate.
#thriveorsurvive.
“I don’t want to believe I want to know.”
-Carl Sagan
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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Changeinadvance 