Day 25 - You Can't Get Anywhere Unless You Start

GUEST POST by Harvey Mackay

On the Web recently, I ran across the reminiscence of a senior citizen about his first job as a shelf stocker at a supermarket. "They told me I would get two weeks paid vacation," he recalls. "I couldn't wait to find out where they were going to send me. I wasn't the brightest crayon in the box."

When you're in the job market for the first time, it pays to listen to everything you're told . . . and not told, most especially before they welcome you aboard. Always remember: If you're hearing something that's too good to be true, it probably isn't . . . and you are the one who's likely making it up.

In my experience, young people usually fall into three different categories when looking for their first job. The first sort imagines a perfect job will land in their laps. The paycheck, the coworkers and the challenges couldn't be better. A short and bitter collision with reality bursts that bubble, and these exasperated souls give up and just avoid looking for work as long as they can.

The second type is more practical. They willingly punch any time clock, rationalizing that the job of the moment is just a stopgap until they put their mind to finding something better. Most people, unfortunately, fall into that category. They just forget where to put their mind. Instead, they spend their entire working lives more or less falling into one job after another, only half-heartedly trying to create a meaningful career.

The third group is a rare breed.  They constantly ask themselves what they really want to do. They learn precisely the skills they have to perfect, and they find ways to meet and understudy people who are now what these beginners want to be. They forever fine-tune their plans for where they want to be in five years. They don't waste opportunity. Always on the prowl, they learn from their present job and contacts. They leverage what they have into something they really want to do.

Today I'm chairman of a $100 million envelope company, Outside of paper routes and setting pins in a bowling alley, my first real job was as
a summer fill-in at Howard's Men's Store in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota.

Sounds like a pretty remote switch, but was it really? I still consider a CEO to be any firm's #1 salesman, and what I learned about sales at Howard's was epic:
Choices: Never put more than three ties on the counter. It only confuses the customer.
Convenience: Never start locking up, even if the customer is a couple minutes late.
Commitment: When the customer tries on the pants, it's usually a done deal.

How you tackle your first job will likely shape how you manage your career for the rest of life. And, I surely learned from my share of mistakes: such as asking for time off, even though the main reason I was hired was so that senior staff could enjoy their vacations.

If you're like most people, you'll churn through 3-5 career shifts and 12-15 job changes in your working life. Smart people probably switch less, and they surely determine when and why they make most of the changes.

The difference starts with positive attitude and perseverance. Remember, if you think you can . . . or if you think you can't . . . you're right.
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THOM Note:
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If you buy the book by March 5, 2010 you gain access to nearly $1,000 worth of additional tips and ideas only available from Harvey Mackay:

·   Rolodex Networking Book Download (includes 20 pages of his Harvard MBA speech summarized in the Harvard Business Review)

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·   6-month money back guarantee on finding a job!

Go directly to www.HarveyMackay.com/jobsecrets to check it out! (NOTE: This is NOT an affiliate code. I refer books and authors I personally follow and believe in.)

_____________________

About This Chart: For those who haven't been following, I created this daily chart for the purpose of communicating and tracking some of my more important goals - publicly. You can read about it in THIS EARLIER POST.

Day 24 - Growth Without Resistance?

"The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear. It is the storm within that endangers him, not the storm without." 

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was reading The Complete Sermons of Ralph Waldo Emerson this morning and came across the quote above. It made me think of body building. (LOL ... Stick with me on this ... my mind works in mysterious ways ;-)

I believe that many times, the obstacles, challenges and "dangers" we face are sent (or at least allowed) by God because they strengthen and grow us. They make us into the person that we need to become in order to achieve the goal or gain the blessing that we have prayed for or set our intentions on.


Legitimate danger aside, to pray for the removal of the obstacles and challenges then, can often be counterproductive. Much like a body builder who sets his or her goals to have a certain size muscle or to be able to lift a certain amount of weight, but doesn't want to encounter any resistance or challenge to achieve it. That simply doesn't work.


Now I'm not suggesting that the achievement of all goals has to be difficult or challenging... just as normal growth in nature occurs through proper nutrition, removal of negative influences and the passage of time.


But, I've never seen a bodybuilder who naturally just grew that way. No, they purposed themselves for it and they overcame the challenges and obstacles (skepticism, sickness, tiredness, soreness and even injuries) to achieve their goals.


So, if you and I want anything more than average growth ... if we want to develop spiritually, personally, professionally or physically beyond the norm, perhaps we should anticipate that there will be 'dangers' and challenges along the way. And, instead of praying that they be removed, we should pray for the courage and strength to move forward despite the storms and to learn and grow as much as we can through each experience so we don't have to repeat the lesson.


What do YOU think? Did that make any sense or have I just not had enough coffee this morning?

About This Chart: For those who haven't been following, I created this daily chart for the purpose of communicating and tracking some of my more important goals - publicly. You can read about it in THIS EARLIER POST.

Day 23 - My Father's Legacy

As you may know, my father passed away 2 weeks ago at the age of 83. He was a brilliant man (holding several patents in the arena of air conditioning and refrigeration products) and leader (rising to the head office of a substantial public company). He leaves behind a wife of 56 years, a daughter, 3 sons and 10 grandchildren.

But, I thought I'd take a moment to share with you what I believe his greatest legacy is through the words I delivered at his funeral this past weekend ...
_________

In telling people of my father's passing, I found myself repeatedly referring to him as a great man.

And,following one of these conversations, I began to think about that statement more and more. I began to wonder exactly what was it that made me refer to him as great ...

Was it his Herculean work ethic ... that drove him to strive for levels of excellence beyond that which us mere mortals often settle for?

This amazing work ethic powered him to almost single-handedly plant dozens and dozens of bushes around my childhood home and renovate a condo for my growing family. It was a work ethic that inspired him to put in tireless hours on the job only to return home to lead a boy scout troop or travel 3 hours away on countless weekends to repair and renovate an apartment complex in his desire to provide as well as he could for his wife and his family. 

His work ethic truly was great. But in my heart, I knew THAT wasn't what I was referring to.

Perhaps it was his brilliance ... more specifically his "MacGyver-like" mechanical brilliance that seemingly enabled him to fix or improve just about anything with a roll of duct tape, can of WD40 and a paper clip.

His mechanical brilliance was legendary with family, friends and neighbors alike ... as he continually invested his time and talents into the lives of others by keeping dryers, pool cover motors and ice makers running ... or foraging in a junk yard and finding just the right parts to transform high school floats into animatronic masterpieces that were well ahead of their time and worthy of a Disney World parade.

His mechanical brilliance was truly great as well .. but still not what I seemed to be referring to.

Finally, in a moment of introspection, it hit me ... the one thing that seemed to stand out as a theme of his entire life ... 

It was a principle that he actively demonstrated every day ... his deep desire and commitment to leave every situation better off than when he first encountered it.

It was this principle that caused him to see every circumstance with a vision for how it could be better. Whether it was seeing how a newlywed couple would be much more comfortable in their new little home with a couple air conditioning units installed.. or after perusing a school project that I'd produced -- suggesting how it could be better. At the time, I may not have always recognized the merits of his suggestions, let alone appreciate them. 

But, in hindsight, I began to see how they were motivated by love and coming from his desire to help and improve.

And, while there are words I wish we both had said (or said more often), I can see that for my dad, Love was not about words or even feelings. No, for him, Love was an active improvement in the lives of those who were in his care or sphere of influence.

My dad was not a perfect man, but he was a truly great and honorable man. 

Ephesians 2:10 Tells us - "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

My father's legacy was not that of endowments or libraries or hospital wings. Instead, he built people and things throughout his life and left a "wake of improvement" wherever he went.

He left his thumbprint on the world .. a thumbprint of works - in a way that only he could.

So while we will most certainly miss the daily presence of the husband, father, grandfather and friend that we knew, we can be comforted. For we will never have to miss the eternal effects that he had in each of our lives and in the lives of generations to come.

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As I seek to be more conscious of the legacy I'm creating throughout my daily activities, I am challenged by the example that my dad left me ... and encouraged that he probably never knew the extent of the positive effect he was having on others (as many of us might not know our own impact either).

I pray that in sharing this you are challenged and encouraged as well!

About This Chart: For those who haven't been following, I created this daily chart for the purpose of communicating and tracking some of my more important goals - publicly. You can read about it in THIS EARLIER POST.

Day 22 - Resetting The Sails

What do you do when you've set out to accomplish big things and you experience challenges, setbacks and utter derailments along the way?

That's something I've had to grapple with over the last few days as I have experienced both self-inflicted and outside challenges on the road to accomplishing my 79 day goals.

In the arena of self-inflicted challenges, I completely overcommitted myself with project work - not leaving enough margin to focus on the goals I established - which are more important in the big picture, but not quite as urgent!

In the arena of outside challenges, my father suddenly took a turn for the worse and passed away ... and in the days leading up to our unexpected trip to North Carolina for his funeral, my wife and 6 kids were all stricken with a very nasty stomach bug - leaving me as the 'last man standing' to clean up and help nurse everyone back to health.

However, even taking all that into consideration, I probably should have only lost 6 or 7 days out of the 79 days I've alloted for reaching my goals.  So, why did it take longer? What did I do to compound the challenges and make it harder to keep going strong? Faulty Thinking!

FAULTY THINKING #1 - Perfectionism - I KNOW ... these posts and my other projects are FAR from perfect. But, that doesn't keep me from 'noodling' with them and working and re-working them to death so that they wind up taking longer than they are probably worth and represent an overwhelming task when the 'squeeze' is on with the rest of life.

The Solution - Step up the volume and force myself to allow projects to leave my desk before I'm comfortable with them... AND, remind myself daily that mediocre execution beats perfectly undone any day!

FAULTY THINKING #2 - Self-Imposed Rules - When I first fell behind, I began thinking that I had to go back to where I got derailed and catch up on all those days of posts. So, the overwhelm of getting behind became more and more daunting with each passing day.

The Solution - Reframe my failure - I came up with the goals and activities in order to increase my service and value to others. They were put in place to help me grow. So, why would I use them to beat myself up instead? (It's a bad habit I've had since I was a kid and I'm finally trying to change that.)

Additionally, I need to reframe my view of temporary setbacks. Too often, I act as if they are like taking a wrong turn on a road where I have to backtrack to where things went wrong before proceeding. Instead, if I view the journey to my goals as a sailing expedition, I recognize that even when I am blown off course, I can simply set a new and more direct course to reach my goals based on where I am right now.

The good news is that some progress has continued to be made and, unlike some of my past failures, I didn't wind up giving up completely. Hopefully, by sharing all of this, others of you who may struggle with the same faulty thinking can find encouragement and help.

Meanwhile, I've reset my sails and charted an alternative course - still fully intending to achieve everything I set out to accomplish.

About This Chart: For those who haven't been following, I created this daily chart for the purpose of communicating and tracking some of my more important goals - publicly. You can read about it in THIS EARLIER POST.

Day 4 - A SUPER Sunday!

Super Bowl Sunday is always a fun experience - even for those like myself who aren't normally into watching sports. There's just something about a big exciting event that draws people together and creates fun experiences.

I brought my 'tribe' to a church Super Bowl party complete with a huge outside screen showing the game and more food than anyone should consume. Despite cold weather and the potential for a civil war with 3 of my sons rooting for opposing teams, a great time was had by all!

As far as the game itself goes, I offer no value in commentary on the play by play action. What I walk away with, however, is incredible respect for two teams who have both worked incredibly hard to be the very best in their business - both playing their hearts out and playing it clean (no fights, not a bunch of personal fouls - just fierce competition).

I'm also left with incredible respect for Sean Payton, the coach for the New Orleans Saints ... who would appear to be a man of guts, confidence and the willingness to change things up and try a different tactic when the one he's using isn't working. Like my friend and client, Rebel Brown, he seems to be willing - no - EAGER - to challenge the status quo! And, boy did it pay off!

In my opinion, the 4th quarter interception may have been the 'nail in the coffin' so to speak, but the game was won with the unprecedented decision and flawless execution of an onside kick in the 3rd Quarter. Not only did it garner New Orleans the points needed to get them back in the game, but it caused a huge emotional shift in both teams that affected the remainder of their battle.

As far as the Super Bowl commercials go - don't get me started... It's a yearly RANT of mine! As a top-tier ad agency Creative Director in my early days, I developed a disdain for overpriced super bowl commercials that sought to entertain with little, if any, thought of creating desire in the heart of a target audience let alone actual sales. Every year it's the same ... most of the companies whose commercials are ranked BEST by consumer studies ...  are, as brands, completely forgotten! Those same consumers simply couldn't remember what product or service those ads they loved were actually advertising. Certainly, agencies could do better at leveraging the power of a massive audience than that.

Here are some of my takes on the 2010 ads and winners/losers in my opinion:

1) In the Cute & Clever category - Coke and its sleepwalking ad. For me, it was a throwback to watching Mr. Magoo cartoons back in the day. This is a meaningless category and Coke could have done better with some sort of engagement to a social media campaign or involvement with a special promotion of sorts. But, being Coke, they seem to believe that all they need to do is reinforce their brand.



2) In the Most Effective category - Etrade and the babies. I think they managed to create something that was entertaining and at least worked SOME of their service benefits and positioning into the ads. And, through funny use of the babies, they have great viral potential.





Honorable mention in this category goes to Denny's ... not so much for the commercial itself, but for the marketing strategy. Offering a FREE Grand Slam breakfast and then following up on Grand Slam Giveaway day by giving guests a coupon book with coupons for breakfast and dinner deals month by month through June! (NOTE: The only reason why I would give Etrade the slight edge in this category is that it is more focused on long-term establishment of the brand versus short-term transaction. However, if in-store follow-up is done right, then Denny's will be the bottom-line winner by far.)

3) In the Funniest Line category - a tie ... between Etrade and the "Milkoholic" exchange (see above) .. and HomeAway.com with the hotel front desk clerk who exclaims, "It's complementary with an 'e.' The water complements the room. It's not free." HomeAway.com also managed to get some point in their commercial by stirring up fear (and sometimes memories) of hotels and vacation properties that didn't measure up to their advertising.



4) In the category combining Worst Commercial And Greatest Missed Opportunity - Taco Bell with Charles Barkley. Not only was that an embarrassing use of a celebrity and annoying to watch, but it also did NOTHING to take advantage of the massive audience to expand Taco Bell's market.



The way I see it, they have an entire NBA season to remind everyone that they are the choice of "late night gangstas and playas." They had a massive opportunity to go beyond brand reinforcement - and build connections with a much larger, broader audience. I would think that ads aimed at increasing awareness of their lower-cal, lower-fat, Fresco menu would have gained them market share without negatively impacting their existing audience. What? Didn't know Taco Bell HAD a Fresco menu with healthier options? Yeah.. that's my point!

I could definitely go on ... but I'd rather let go of my frustration and redirect my attention to the small business owners and authors/speakers and consultants I deal with who want to make every marketing dollar and effort produce results rather than create ads for the sake of vanity.

All in all - it WAS a Super Sunday and a great time with my family! Here's where the progress chart is at ... will be surprised if I didn't lose a little ground in the weight category with the Super Sunday junk food ;-)

About This Chart: For those who haven't been following, I created this daily chart for the purpose of communicating and tracking some of my more important goals - publicly. You can read about it in THIS EARLIER POST.

Day 3 - There's no "Do-Over Button"

Made it through Day 3 without breaking anything or trauma of any kind ;-)

In fact, I had a great day at my buddy, Ken McArthur's JV Alert Live in Orlando. I met several dynamic new people, finally had a chance to see Stirling Valentine speak (been wanting to for a while .. and he did NOT disappoint - superb) AND had a chance to visit with some old friends like Dawn and Michael Angier and Brad Semp - All three of whom have actually moved to Florida since the last time I saw them.

Had a fun conversation with Brad at breakfast - mostly getting caught up on what's happening with our businesses, families and churches. One theme seemed to emerge that I believe is particularly relevant and universal ... That of moving forward when things go radically different from what you had planned.

You see, we both had been sharing 'war stories' of business - those times when we both had gotten involved with companies or people and had adjusted our life plans around them ... moving, building houses, uprooting families ... only to suddenly have that situation radically change through a contract termination, partnership dissolution or otherwise sudden end of the road for where we thought we'd been headed.

Have you ever had anything like that happen ... job loss, divorce, failed business, etc... ? If you're like me, your first inclination is to think "Boy, THAT was a mistake. I should have never taken that position" (or whatever it happened to be for you). Then, I start regretting the fact that I had made major shifts in my life - like moving or building a home - with THAT position or situation in mind.


Frankly - I want a "Do-Over Button" ... something I can do to reset the situation back to where it was and let me take a different route.

But, life's not like that ... a road or a track that you can just make a U-turn on and go back to the last intersection and choose a different direction -- with no consequence other than some lost time.

No, our lives are much more like an oceanic expedition. We chart our course and set sail (though many are on a voyage with no clear plan of where they are going at all). Then, whether through our own mistakes or character flaws or outside conditions or other people, we get off course - sometimes a little and sometimes it's an encounter with a tsunami that leaves us with a damaged vessel and heading in a completely different direction.

It's at those moments, I believe the wise person takes these actions (at least they are the ones I'd take if I were wise ;-) ...

1) Renew - Ask ourselves if there was any mistake we made or personal character flaw that may have contributed to getting off course. And, if so, what will we do to make things different as we set our sails and resume our voyage.

2) Re-evaluate - Determine if you still really want to venture to your original destination or has the things you've experienced along the way changed your heart and desires so you don't even want what you thought you did at first.

3) Resume - If you decided that the original destination was not what you wanted, decide on a new one and set sail. But, if you decided you still want to reach your original goal, then look at your current location and determine if there is now a better path to reach it. Often, what we think has blown us completely off course has actually shortened our trip but with a new path that we hadn't anticipated. (As a driver, I've found that some of the best shortcuts I've found over the years were the result of a wrong turn.)

I believe the Bible describes it this way in Proverbs 16:9 when it says, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps."

To me that is such an incredibly cool verse. Our Creator, the God of the Universe allows, even encourages us to decide what we want - what our intended course and destination is. But, He will often allow and even cause different circumstances to occur in our day to day lives that will alter that path that we take - so that we experience, enjoy and grow in our journey in a way that we could never have imagined, nor would we have planned in advance.

Okay... didn't mean to go off on that subject. It's just always nice to know that we're not the only ones who ever feel hopelessly off course and in need of re-navigation.

Day 2 - Lessons From A Bumper Ding

Okay .. so judging from how Day 1 went and the title of this point, I'm sure you can guess where this brief post is heading ;-)

Yep, on Day 2, on the way to be on the expert panel at Ken McArthur's JV Alert Live event in Orlando, I got into a fender bender. (Side note: Have you ever wondered how it's possible to have so many friends get into accidents and it's NEVER their fault? Really ... stretches the boundaries of probability doesn't it? ;-)

Anyway, back to the story. Here's what happened. I'm rushing to the event - cutting it closer time wise than I should have. And, about 2 miles from my destination, some drivers seem to be getting into a sort of race with each other, weaving in and around everyone trying to get ahead. I can only surmise that one had managed to tick the other off. All I can say for sure is that these guys made me look relaxed!

Well, one managed to get ahead by the other by cutting me off as they darted back into my lane. This left his vanquished rival right behind me and visibly upset ... and riding my back bumper. Here's where it gets ugly. I was so focused on what was happening around me and was so tense about the guy behind me, that I hadn't paid proper attention to the car in front of me to notice that he had to stop short while turning because of oncoming traffic.

I looked up and saw the car ahead of me and slammed on my brakes. But, too little too late as I skidded several feet and dinged his rear bumper. ARRGHHHH!

Ever done anything like that on the road? Or perhaps in business? Have you ever been so focused on the turmoil around you or your tension over a situation that is behind you and you miss what's in front of you? I'm sure we all have times when we miss out on opportunities or create our own unintended calamities because we just aren't focusing on the road ahead.

Meanwhile.. still plugging away on my goals. Here's the outcome of Day 2:

Day 1 - The Wind At My Face

Have you ever made your intentions known publicly in a big way and shortly thereafter, it seemed like anything and everything was conspiring against you?

So went my first of 79 days! From computer files that weren't working right, to issues with our health insurance company to challenges with people that have never been anything but rock solid. It really felt like the wind was at my face all day long!

I wasn't complaining, but I also didn't do the greatest job at adjusting the sails to harness the wind either.

However, in keeping with the wise advice of one of my mentors, Dr. Mollie Marti, I'm going to do my best to celebrate my small successes. On the list today, I shed a half pound, posted to this blog, called my Mom and even created this little updatable chart so I can make it easy for everyone to see how I'm doing at a glance... and, of course, all of my regular daily work.

It doesn't feel like much yet, but I know that I'll start building some momentum here. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to a new day tomorrow. It will be a fun one too! I'm a Panelist for Ken McArthur's JV Alert Live. I love being on panels and other forms of consulting from the stage.

Well, now off to do something else my wife, Jody, told me should have been on my list - SLEEP! Goodnight!

Living Out Loud - A Social Media Experiment

Have you ever been struck by an idea and not known whether it was inspiration or insanity?

Having the impulsive personality I do, I must say that most of my greatest accomplishments and life changes have occurred when I've started to act on certain ideas without stopping to evaluate how do-able (or even smart) they might be. From creating the Extreme Business Makeovers Experience to proposing marriage to my wife with my very first words to her, my life has been forever enriched when I got out of analysis and into action. (NOTE: Some actions - like proposing marriage to a girl you've never spoken with - should carry a warning label which reads: KIDS, DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME. Fortunately, God has often shown me favor for my faith regardless of my lack of sense - as He did in my impulsive proposal to my wonderful wife Jody ;-)

So, this morning I had the idea to do something BIG to really challenge and inspire others ... something that will bring my authenticity and transparency online to a whole new level.

While I was journaling, I was thinking - I'm really a happy guy overall ... very blessed and grateful ... and, in most people's view, successful. At the same time, as I journal, I'm always writing things that I'm working on and goals that I have in order to increase my level of integrity. I know myself so I know firsthand how much more I can be doing. Most of these areas tend to be cases of "the cobbler's children having no shoes." Often, I'm helping others create balance, massive income gains and passive profit centers, while I'm running around like crazy trading my consulting time for dollars and neglecting important things like health, relationships and my own message development and product creation.

In order to make a dramatic and intense shift towards improving those weak areas and achieve my goals, I had the idea of reviving this abandoned blog of mine and use it as a tool to post my goals and give a daily update on progress and lessons learned along the way. When I told Jody, her initial response was, "It sure is gutsy." But, I figure it will:

- force me to treat myself like a client and take my own counsel
- be the ultimate accountability tool
- create a massive amount of energy and action
- inspire others to 'play full out' - at least THAT's the theory anyway

Hence, my little social experiment begins today. I'll start by posting my short-term goals. Then, starting tomorrow, I'll be posting here daily and will include an update chart to let you know how each goal is coming along.

Since my annual Extreme Business Makeovers Experience is April, 23, 2010, I thought I'd use that as my first goal deadline date and create a fresh set of goals after that! Here are the things I'm committed to accomplishing (in addition to my regular work) in the next 79 days:

1) Shed at least 50 pounds
2) Start and complete 1 book
3) Create and launch 1 informational product of my own
4) Launch 3 websites and post over 100 times
5) Help Go-Givers Sell More achieve bestseller status
6) Bring Jody on at least 10 dates
7) Call my Mom at least 10 times
8) Have at least 5 Scott Family Fun Nights

Nothing too ambitious eh? ;-) Just a few of the things that I've put in the "back seat" for too long! I'm excited about embarking on this journey and even having you along for the ride. Buckle up ... it MAY get bumpy ;-)

What do you think? Am I crazy or inspired? ;-)