“You need to associate with people that inspire you, people that challenge you to rise higher, people that make you better. Don’t waste your valuable time with people that are not adding to your growth. Your destiny is too important.” – Joel Osteen

The pull is often to hibernate…

with our grand plans and visions for the future.

The last thing we want to be accused of is of being a pipe-dreamer, impractical, or having our head in the clouds.

Some of us are blessed with very close family and friends with whom we can share our dreams. Many are not.

Scripture tells us to avoid throwing “pearls before swine” and, therefore, many withhold to protect their visions from discouraging bullet-holes. It’s hard to think of family and friends as “swine”…but sometimes, when it comes to support, the shoe fits.

Problem is, when an idea or vision is kept to close to the chest, it often smothers for lack of air.

So, where do we give air to our dreams? With others who will treat them as sacred as we do.

The power of consciously designed association has been known by many, and is the benchmark of all who’ve chosen to “Think and Grow Rich.”

At first, it feels a bit sketchy to lay our insides out on the table for others to see. But, when placed before an association of like-minded and like-committed folks, miracles can happen.

When will you start interviewing folks for your own personal mastermind?

What idea or inspiration of yours would be a terrible thing to waste?

For those local to Southern California, there will be an entrepreneur accountability group starting up in March, with an introductory event on Monday, March 4. See the details by clicking either link:
LinkedIn
Facebook

Don’t buy into believing you’re in a pig pen. Consciously find those who will appreciate and polish your pearls. The world then becomes your oyster.

Have a pearl you want to polish? Schedule a free 15min chat, or go here for a menu of everything from career to business to life-purpose support services. The pearl-bearing shell that’s never cracked open benefits nobody.

Got pearl bearing association?

“The power of association is stronger than the power of beauty; therefore, the power of association is the power of beauty.”- John Ruskin

The post February 27, 2019 – JOLT – The pearly gates of right associations appeared first on CareerGuy.com.

“Accountability separates the wishers in life from the action-takers that care enough about their future to account for their daily actions.”- John Di Lemme

A good idea…

and a $1.85 will get you a cup of coffee.

A good idea with action will get you moving.

A good idea, with action, plus accountability will get you playing.

And, playing accountably with others brings ideas to results.

When it comes to entrepreneurship, many are too scared by statistics to take action on their good ideas. Sure, the SBA says 96% of all new businesses fail within 10 years…but I take issue with the word “fail.”

A 2013 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology says that real growth and learning actually comes from things not working out (i.e., “failure”), coming to assessments and conclusions based on those “mistakes,” and then implementing those new learnings in future situations.

The truth is that many successful entrepreneurs have a string of “failures” behind them. They start, fail, and start again. With persistent assessment and learnings, some reach success.

The question is, are you willing to get on that roller coaster for the thrill of the ride and the satisfaction of having played?

If so, you want to fill the other cars with fellow ride enthusiasts, because roller coasters are best enjoyed with others who will hear you scream and catch you if you start to fall out.

For those local to Southern California, there will be an entrepreneur accountability group starting up in March, with introductory events happening the next two Mondays. See the details by clicking either link:
LinkedIn
Facebook

Whether your good idea is to create a business or otherwise shift life, keeping it to yourself will ensure an early grave.

Find folks to hold you to account for the idea graciously given you. Give it action. Give it accountability. Give it life.

Want to bring an inspiration to life? Schedule a free 15min chat, or go here for a menu of everything from career to business to life-purpose support services. Every inspiration deserves its birth canal.

Got idea birthright?

“On good teams coaches hold players accountable, on great teams players hold players accountable.”- Joe Dumars

The post February 20, 2019 – JOLT – Are your ideas worth birthing? appeared first on CareerGuy.com.

“There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers.”- Teresa of Avila

We often think we know what’s best…

for us, and even for many of those around us.

Our amassed wisdom, whims, wants and wishful thinking tell us the preferred and ideal path.

And, yet, those routes or results aren’t always realized.

We then have two tracks of thought to choose between:

1) What went wrong?

2) What went right?

Neither track is “correct,” and you might even, temporarily, start down one before choosing to jump track.

Yet, it’s pretty clear that one will, ultimately, leave you empowered, while the other will, ultimately, leave you disempowered.

Look, what will follow your ideal not turning out will initially seem “second-best”…but for only as long as you stay on Track 1.

The question is, how fast can you move yourself to second-best being best?

Want support in playing for something better, best, next best? Schedule a free 15min chat, or go herefor a menu of everything from career to business to life-purpose support services. You only lose when you stop playing.

Got best second-best?

“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.”- John Wooden

The post February 13, 2019 – JOLT – Making second-best best appeared first on CareerGuy.com.

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”- Albert Einstein

In a particularly difficult pose the other day,

my yoga instructor said something apparently obvious but, upon reflection, not so much so.

“Balance doesn’t mean being still. There’s constant motion going on.”

This bit of wisdom related, of course, to my attempt to balance, for an extended period of time, on one foot, and the constant juggling of weight required to do so.

But then, I thought of the common desire of people wanting to find “balance” in life: work-life balance, living a balanced life, etc.

If you take just a moment to check in with yourself on the images those oft-stated desires evoke, you might notice a picture-perfect scene where all runs smoothly with ease, rainbows and unicorns: a world of peace and tranquility.

Yet, if we get real with what “balance” truly is, it’s not necessarily pretty and unchallenged, but actually challenged like hell, with lots of movement, tons of juggling and requiring high-alert attunement.

I like a sobering, Jack Welch quote which says “There’s no such thing as work-life balance. There are work-life choices, and you make them, and they have consequences.”

Balance sounds like an ideal to get to, and we can for sure all keep our attention focused there (like my attention on my right foot). Yet, we may lighten our idealism load by realizing that we’re probably doing a fair job of dealing with the shifting weight distribution even now.

Balance isn’t stillness, but the constant juggling of energies we engage in to stay upright. And, like any yoga pose, the more we practice it, the better we get.

For now, you’re still standing, and you’re still moving. That’s balance.

Would you like some support on the mat? Schedule a free 15min chat, or go here for a menu of everything from career to business to life-purpose support services. Stretching: it does a body good.

Got realtime balance?

“Motion is created by the destruction of balance.’”- Vincent Van Gogh

The post February 6, 2019 – JOLT – Realtime balance – it may look different than you think appeared first on CareerGuy.com.

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.”- Alan Watts

When you want to change something,

which is the basis of all New Years resolutions, you’ve called for chaos to enter your life.

To create a different result than what you’ve had in the past (aka change), you have to do things differently and think differently.

So, guess what? You’d better expect an undefined period ahead of you in which you’ll be fumbling and bumbling (as you do things differently) and feeling schizophrenic (as you think differently).

Another word for that is: chaos. And, we all know that change/chaos doesn’t happen/end overnight.

So, in the midst of chaos, what can you do to lessen the stress? Simply remember that life is a miracle.

When you allow yourself to appreciate, believe in and even count on the miraculous, your face loosens up, your demeanor relaxes, and you might even crack a smile or a giggle.

A more enjoyable dance of progress comes in holding both intentions simultaneously:

1. Today, I’ll invite the chaos that comes with the changes I’m committed to, while
2. Today, I’ll remember that life is a miracle where anything is possible.

Care to dance?

There are a few moves I can share to best enjoy your time on the dance floor. Schedule a free 15min chat, or go here for a menu of everything from career to business to life-purpose support services. 

Got change dance?

“Ego says ‘Once everything falls into place, I’ll feel peace.’ Spirit says ‘Find your peace, then everything will fall into place.’”- Marianne Williamson

The post January 30, 2019 – JOLT – The double-intentioned dance appeared first on CareerGuy.com.

“Time isn’t the main thing, it’s the only thing.”- Miles Davis

Goals are meant to keep us focused…

because we all know how fast we can be distracted by squirrels running this way and that.

Living by an effective schedule, to achieve those goals, is an art form…requiring constant stretching toward mastery.

And, even in the middle of those goals, life happens. As a matter of fact, John Lennon sang “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

Dancing with our goal-focused plans and life is, well, the dance of life.

As you continue moving into your New Year of the New You you’re creating, getting dirty and out of control to achieve those goals (see last week’s JOLT), remember that life will keep coming at you, in ways such as…

-your father calling to chat, just when you’re in the middle of something “important.”
-your child, spouse, coworker or business associate needing someone to lean on.
-the car, computer, cat, or checkup requiring focus away from your main focus.

So, expect the unexpected, and even plan for it. It makes the dance so much smoother.

How many unexpecteds can you plan for having today?

Want support in dancing toward your goals? Schedule a free 15min chat, or go here for a menu of support services in everything from career transition to business expansion to life purpose refinement.

Got dance of the unexpected?

“Respect people who find time for you in their busy schedule, but love people who never look at their schedule when you need them.”- Unknown

The post January 23, 2019 – JOLT – Unexpected, yet part of the dance… appeared first on CareerGuy.com.

“If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?” – Albert Einstein

There are those who would constrain their goals…

to ways and means which keep things clean, orderly and efficient.

God bless them!! But…

If Alexander Fleming had played by those rules, there would have been no penicillin.

If Albert Einstein wore socks and combed his hair, who knows how that misdirected attention would have cost us?

Heck, Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs are and were notoriously known for disheveled workspaces.

We often limit ourselves too much from fear of getting dirty or things getting out of control.

In the ’70s, Steve Martin produced a comedy album entitled “Comedy is Not Pretty.”

Very often, for those who are willing to get dirty and be messy in the pursuit of their dreams, achieving those goals envisioned in easier, wistful, holiday times (e.g., New Years resolutions) will not be pretty.

But a nice roast pig or holiday ham (sorry vegetarians) doesn’t come from a pretty pen.

As you get into the mud, blood, sweat, tears and fears of going for the gold in this new year of new you intentions, remember that all those can be washed off after the finish line.

This year, play dirty. Better yet, play ugly.

Need some help rolling up your sleeves and pant legs? Schedule a free 15min chat, or go here for a menu of support services in everything from career to life/purpose. 

Got playing ugly?

“I embrace the messiness of life, I find it so beautiful actually.”- Brad Pitt

The post January 16, 2019 – JOLT – Getting down and dirty… appeared first on CareerGuy.com.

“Obstacles do not block the path, they are the path.”- Zen Proverb

The statistics around resolutions…

are so bandied about this time of year that I’m not going to repeat them. We all KNOW that most New Year resolutions don’t last.

The question we might ask is “Why?” How come that turnaround we were so inspired to make in our life, career, relationship, health, etc., just drops out of our mind?

One reason is the failure to start. A good intention and $1.85 will get you a cup of coffee. But, putting that idea into action…now THAT is a hurdle overcome.

Another reason is the halt that comes about when the first, second, third or fourth obstacle to achieving that goal is encountered.

Seriously: does anyone ever think major (or even minor) change can come about without facing umpteen obstacles?

Rationally, no, we don’t think that. We know it’s going to take something to turn this ship around to go a different direction.

Yet, in practice, the luster of the grand idea or personal commitment starts to fade when it gets hard.

The mindset shift comes in realizing that, in the very moment we committed to a new possibility for ourselves, the Universe received notice and put out all the forces — consider them fitness trainers — to come to our aid in bringing that goal about.

Yes, it is a friendly Universe, and it has an infinite team of fitness professionals putting in front of you every obstacle necessary to achieve whatever you want.

So, as the “going gets tough” in bringing your New Year goals into reality, know that you signed up for a gym of goal fitness and the Universe is about to whip you into a shape you’ve only dreamed of.

No more sand kicked in your face: your New Year/New You workout regimen has begun!

Consider how much further you’ll press your edge with a goals workout trainer beside you. Schedule a free 15min chat, or go here for a menu of support services in everything from career to life/purpose.

Got goals gym?

“The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow.”- Robert Tew

The post January 9, 2019 – JOLT – Off to the gym…in more ways than one appeared first on CareerGuy.com.

“Often, it’s not about becoming a new person, but becoming the person you were meant to be, and already are, but don’t know how to be.”- Heath L. Buckmaster

It’s one of those two times of year…

when we most get to begin again. We often think to reinvent on our birthday, and then there’s New Years Day.

Behind many resolutions, goals and intentions are the desire to have more: more love, more joy, more prosperity, more richness in the experience of life.

We don’t often consider that in the having more [of whatever we desire] we will have to become more. It’s actually the first step to the having, as Be -> Do -> Have is the only way the equation works.

Many of us have realized that the mistaken formula of Have -> Do -> Be doesn’t work: we can never have more than we have until we be something other than who we’ve been.

So, as you launch your countless ideas and splendid plans for having more of all you desire in 2019, don’t forget to consider your path of becoming.

Those goals will be realized only when you’ve gone through the chrysalis of transforming yourself from who’ve you’ve been.

Ask any caterpiller: it gets messy and gooey in there. But if this is your year to fly, what choice have you?

Invite and enjoy but, most of all, get ready to goo!

Want a new year/new you transformation buddy? Schedule a free 15min chat, or go here for a menu of support services in everything from career to life/purpose goals. Be smart: don’t goo alone.

Got grow goo?

“Life isn’t about getting more. It’s about becoming more.” – Tony Robbins

The post January 2, 2019 – JOLT – Ready, Set, GOO! appeared first on CareerGuy.com.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.”- William H. Murray

Countless ideas and splendid plans…

can begin to percolate as another year ends and a new one begins.

The human spirit enjoys the ritual of new beginnings and second (third, fourth, etc.) chances.

So, most of us will now goal up for the next twelve months! It’s the forward-thinking thing to do.

Discouragingly, research shows that only 64 percent of New Year’s resolutions last longer than the first month, and only 46 percent last longer than six months. Even more discouraging is the statistic that only 14 percent of people over 50 actually achieve their resolutions compared to 39 percent of people in their 20’s.

Regardless of age, however, those numbers just don’t inspire confidence.

However, in addition to listing all your goals, plans and grand ideas, what if you were to theme up and buddy up? You’ll likely have much more success.

Your “theme” for 2019 can be a short statement or phrase which captures the overall gist of the personal transformation you want to see for yourself in the coming months. Broader than specific goals, yet including them, your theme points to your primary direction.

Your “buddy” for 2019 can be a specific individual (or group of individuals) you’ll communicate with regularly, who both knows your goals as well as holds you accountable for making progress in them.

Real growth in the year ahead — moving your career, dreams, purpose and life forward — won’t come by good intentions alone. Yet, by theme-ing up, goal-ing up, and then buddy-ing up, you’ll apply the glue to have it all stick.

If you missed it last week, my holidays gift to you as a subscriber: please download and enjoy an acknowledgement process that can support you to tie a bow on the previous 12 months in such a way that you’re literally amazed at your awesomeness.

Then, design your New You theme, your New Do goals, and commit to your New Glue buddy.

Want a power-buddy on steroids? Schedule a free 15min chat, or go here for a menu of support services around everything from career to life goals. If your 2019 theme is to win big, then buddy big.

For those local to Southern California, there will be a pilot program accountability group starting up in January. Though the intro event was two weeks ago, see the details by clicking any link. Contact me directly this week if interested in participating. I have just a couple more potential seats.
Meetup
LinkedIn
Facebook

Got theme buddy?

“People are 65 percent likely to meet a goal after committing to another person. Their chances of success increase to 95 percent when they build in ongoing meetings with their partners to check in on their progress.”- American Society of Training and Development

The post December 26, 2018 – JOLT – What’s your 2019 theme, buddy? appeared first on CareerGuy.com.