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? ;-)

Going with the Flow

Well, Mother's Day turned out to be very nice - though not exactly what was expected. Here we showed up at the restaurant where we had reservations for over a month ... and they were CLOSED!!!! In addition, we were greeted by a police officer who told us that they would not be opening again anytime soon. (Of course, I "googled" it all right away on the ole iPhone, but apparently, there's no news about it and we still don't know what happened ... but, I bet there's a pretty long list of disgruntled ex-patrons out there now.)

Obviously at noon on Mother's Day Sunday, we weren't going to have any luck getting into another A list restaurant. Argghhh! Fortunately, I had been to a restaurant almost across the street with my two oldest boys one day, so I knew that the food was solid and that they didn't take reservations. Off we went to the new choice and made it in just in time to beat the later church crowd ("Thanks" Discovery Church for an earlier church time ;-)  ) We wound up having a nice time, the food was solid and the kids, especially, thoroughly enjoyed it. AND, since we saved a ton of money on what we would have spent as a family at the original restaurant choice, I told Jody that we could go out to one of her very favorite Japanese steakhouses - Mikado at the Marriott World Center - for a date night. So, she wound up getting her Mother's Day with no dishes and good and plentiful food AND another relaxing, higher-end date to boot! ;-)

If you're like me... these types of things happen all the time in business as well. Whether it's a marketing promotion or plans for a public program that we're putting on, it seems like there is often a fair amount of difference between what was planned and how those plans play out in reality. 

There are definitely some times when initial feedback you get seems negative and you just have to stay the course and fight on through to get to the goal you have established.

Other times ... perhaps too many times ... I find myself fixated on the MEANS and not the END. So, instead of adjusting the sail to capture the wind as it is really blowing, I figuratively shake my fist in the air and curse the wind for not blowing the way I want it to blow. In those times, I fall short of where I want to be, versus surpassing what even I had in mind.

Anyone else ever have experiences like that?

Be Blessed,

Thom

Tricked By God

Have you ever had one of those times when God used circumstances to trick you into something that you might not have done if you were given the choice up front?

That happened to me last week. Here, I had gone with Jody to see a counselor at church about our oldest kids ... no major issues, just thinking they may benefit from being able to blow some steam about parents, life, etc... with an impartial outsider ... and, wanting to make sure we're striking the right balance between grace-filled and authoritarian parenting.

Well, it started off weird as the counselor looked at the waiting area and was a bit surprised because they don't usually take two people at once. Jody had heard that the counselor wanted us both there - when really what was said was that they wanted to see both of us as well (not meaning at the same time).

However, it turned out to be a God thing since our time there together revealed some mutual resentments and hurts that had been shoved under the carpet years ago and not dealt with. 

And, then another God thing ... apparently, the person in the slot right after us was finishing up their counseling THAT week, so that slot would now be available.

So... you guessed it. For the next several weeks, Jody and I will have back to back counseling sessions - first apart dealing with the muck in our own closets and then together, tuning up our communications and conflict resolution skills... a pretty cool thing to do before our 19th Anniversary which is coming up in August!

My point? If someone had suggested that I go in for counseling and that Jody and I have a little marriage counseling, I probably would have rebuffed saying that this isn't the right time with our annual Extreme Business Makeovers event coming up and that Jody and I are fine since we're not having any major issues and no one is running for the escape hatch. I guess I still could have said "no," but I've learned my lesson from other times God re-ordered my steps. Nope, God had to trick me on this one and I'm glad He did.

I think of the verse in Proverbs (16:9) where it says, "In his heart a man plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps."

How cool is that? He allows us to be the big goal setters for our lives ... what's the way we want to go? (ie... I want a lifelong and healthy marriage) But, since His ways our higher than our ways, He often changes the path that we take to get there. If we fight the circumstances that He allows to come our way that change our path, we tend to muck things up. But, when we start to see those things as coming from Him and look for how they fit in with our big goals, everything falls into place without strain and striving.

Has God ever tricked you? Are you open to it when He tries?

All the Best,

Thom

(Note: I promised more open and heartfelt postings ... hope this helps you when I share openly like this. It's not the most comfortable thing in the world to share the "behind closed doors" world with a ton of other people. But, there are plenty of places you can go for expert type articles. I'm no expert ... just a fellow "pilgrim" in business and in life!)

Best Laid Plans, etc...

Well ... It's been a crazy couple weeks. First, I wound up getting knocked down by the Flu (a totally new experience for me since I'm used to getting an annual sniffles type of thing that slows me down, but nothing like this with aches and pains and making it tough to think clearly and work). In fact, I got it, along with 5 of my children - compliments of my oldest, Josiah, picking it up at a "camp in" event at church. Thankfully, Jody and Charity survived it all unscathed.

Then, last Friday night (actually Saturday morning at 2:30am) we all piled into our "less than environmentally friendly" conversion van and drove up to Hendersonville, NC to visit with my parents (who are now in their 80's), my sister and brother-in-law and their two children and my closest brother. My oldest brother and his wife also travelled to be there with his son and one of their grandchildren. Great visit! All the kids got along really well - not just with their cousins, but with the own siblings too (sometimes a challenge)  ;-)

Of course, I managed to get myself in a little hot water by checking my emails and phone messages far too often and consulting with my brother-in-law on a new business venture while I was there.  He is an amazing guy - a Psychiatrist AND MBA and a fellow A.D.D. type like myself ... so as co-dependents, we went off "chasing rabbits" and a quick breakfast out turned into a 3 hour consult which made for a less than warm reception upon our arrival back at my sister's house. Whoops! I guess that's the telltale sign that you're doing what you're meant to do ... that you'd do it for hours on end for free ... just for fun!

So, we got back late Wednesday night and now I'm headed for the airport in about a half hour to go to Mannatech's big Mannefest convention in Dallas. They're expecting about 5,000 people and my business partner, Bob is speaking there, along with Robert Kiyosaki, throughout the weekend. It should be a fantastic time ... the Manntech associates I've met are all really wonderful, giving people who seem to be in the business for all the right reasons.

I'd better dash for now, but I wanted to update you as to why it's been quiet on the blog for a couple weeks. I get back home on Sunday and sometime early next week, I'll post a video review for Gravitational Marketing (I did post a written review on Amazon.com if you want to check it out). I hope you're able to spend the majority of your time doing what you're created for today!

All The Best,

Thom

Heralding The Age of Authenticity

Okay... starting AFTER this post, expect less lengthy articles like this and much more commentary and questions concerning the things we all deal with every day as entrepreneurs, husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, etc... I've got a renewed vision to see this blog be more spontaneous and a dialogue versus monologues from me. That having been said, here's an article that explains the origins of this renewed vision ...

_________________________________________
Heralding The Age of Authenticity
by Thom Scott

Recently, I was blessed with the opportunity to be part of the phenomenal Strategic Profits "Live" Conference. My hats off to Rich Schefren and his team who did a fantastic job of designing and hosting the event, as well as assembling a top-shelf team of experts including my original marketing mentor, Jay Abraham (www.abraham.com), as well as my new friend and Web 2.0 master, Gary Vaynerchuk (www.winelibrary.com).

During the entire 7 days of intense training, whether the topic was leadership, product launches, direct mail or personal branding, one theme rang supreme ... "Growing Beyond Me-Too."

Of course, this was tremendous validation of my "Marketing From The Heart" System which actually leads my clients through the process of becoming authentic and attractive. It was also validation of The Law of Authenticity as expressed by my business partner, Bob Burg and his co-author, John David Mann in their national bestseller, The Go-Giver.

As with any true principle, The Law of Authenticity has ALWAYS been effective. However, the fact that it is included in The Go-Giver as well as my "Marketing From The Heart" System and that every speaker at this conference addressed it is, I believe, indicative of an emerging trend in business. I'll call it, "The Age of Authenticity."

The more I have studied this theory of mine, the more I see past examples of "packaged" and somewhat inauthentic messages that were made possible by one-way media. Even the first generation of businesses on the web utilized static, brochure-like web pages that enabled small, start-up companies to appear as big and impressive as established mid-to-large size concerns. In fact, many rushed to establish a presence on the web in order to take advantage of that “benefit.”

However, 2 changes have occurred that I believe are putting an end to the "Age of Packaging" and ushering in "The Age of Authenticity." The first is that we have become collectively sick and tired of over-hyped advertising. We're weary of people who are different before and after the sale. In short, we're weary of inauthenticity. From politics to television to the business arena, we have begun to see that reality (or at least messages closer to reality) sell better than their overly-packaged counterparts.

Why did this shift in thinking occur? Well, as my dad used to say, "nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising." Not that all of the products or services were bad ... but by and large they simply didn't deliver on the "magic bullet" messages that were used to sell them. And, even though these hype-filled approaches can still be very effective in the short-term, they inevitably leave clients feeling somewhat ambivalent.

(Parenthetically, many also have a product or service that truly is good and unique and they seek to add value, BUT mimicking others’ approaches, they haven't stood out from the competition. These true value-providers have become increasingly frustrated by their lack of market penetration. In their search to find a tactic that will work, they have stumbled upon a rare and powerful force in communications - the truth!)

The second big change that ushers in this new age of authenticity is the introduction of web 2.0 which facilitates and has popularized two-way communications on the internet. Ask any reality tv contestant... with the camera rolling 24/7, the real you is bound to show up at some point. The same is true on the web ... blogs, video podcasts and other popular mediums eventually betray their authors’ true selves if they are in any way inauthentic. Also, because of the wealth of available information and cool services like Google maps, it's no longer possible to "fake it till you make it," as anyone can quickly pull up an aerial view of my house, among other things, to verify whether or not I really have that Ferrari parked in front of my golf course mansion.

Okay, so we have this new "Age of Authenticity" thing happening. So what? What does it mean to us and how do we put the power of the Law of Authenticity to work for us? Glad you asked - since you may know that I am big on application! Well, believe it or not, so many of us have been conditioned, at a very early age, to become or act like something we're not in order to gain approval, that it often makes being truly authentic more difficult than wearing a "mask." Real authenticity takes the courage to willingly experience the polarization of relationships with those that love you and rejection from those who do not.

While the path to authenticity is often a progressive and evolving journey, one that takes my clients several weeks to navigate, I would advise that if you feel that this is something you need, you can begin your journey to true authenticity with the following questions:

Does the image that I portray to others really express who I am or the essence of my company? Do I like the people I am attracting as clients? Would I hang out with them if I didn't do business with them? Do I try to cover up my past mistakes and setbacks, or do I share these with others to reveal my inner motivations and help them grow through my experiences? Do I attempt to show great proficiency at every facet of my business or personal life, or do I clearly express my giftedness and challenges and seek to find others who can compensate for my weaknesses? How can I embrace the positive side of my quirks and allow others to see them? How can I live my life in such a way that when I am gone, I have left my thumbprint on the world and the lives of those in my sphere of influence? You get the idea.

While I tend to address topics like this through the lens of business, authenticity is obviously a message that reaches into every facet of our lives. It is vital to both our personal happiness and our success and something that I need to grapple with every morning as I face the man in the mirror.

In Defense of Optimism

"Two men look out through the same bars: One sees the mud, and one
sees the stars."
-- Frederick Langbridge, A Cluster of Quiet Thoughts

If you've made a bad decision at work that wound up in a loss, will
you jump for joy and push for better results the next time or will
you be discouraged and find an excuse not to stick your neck out
and attempt big things again?

In life, you are always filled with choices. You may opt to have a
pessimist's view and live a self-defeated life or you may decide to
take the optimist's route and live a challenging and fulfilling
life.

In an increasingly cynical society, optimism has, in many circles,
become synonymous with naivety and foolishness. In fact, when I was
growing up, someone thought to be too happy and too optimistic
would be called a "Pollyanna."

Well, I think Pollyanna got a raw deal. What was her big crime? She
always looked for things she could be glad about in the midst of
seemigly bad situations. And, in the end, when she was confronted
with possibly being paralyzed for life, it was the entire town
(that her "glad game" had positively affected) that wound up
bringing that message of hope back to her so she could have the
courage to move on. Am I missing something? Is this a bad thing?

One of my favorite theater productions is Les Miserables. So, I was
amazed when one of my business associates told me they saw it
and felt it was terribly depressing. While he was looking at the
horrible plight of those in the show, I was focused on the
indomitable spirit that allowed some to experience bits of joy in
their plight and empowered others to rise above their plight in the
end. (Note: this is not a social commentary on the French
Revolution as I believe lobbing off heads of aristocracy to be
pretty nasty business and a bad reaction to an equally horrible
system of injustice.)

So, what difference does it make? Don't we need to look at
things "realistically?" Why bother to be optimistic?

Well, optimism has been linked to positive mood and good morale; to
academic, athletic, military, occupational and political success;
to popularity; to good health and even to long life and freedom
from trauma.

On the other hand, pessimism has been linked to growing rates of
depression. It affects middle-aged adults the same way it hits
younger people. The mean age of onset has gone from 30 to 15 ... no
longer a middle-aged homemaker's disorder but a teenager's
disorder, as well.

OPTIMISTS EXPECT THE BEST

The defining characteristic of pessimists is that they tend to
believe bad events will last longer than they usually do,
undermine everything they do and are their own fault.

The truth is optimists are confronted with the same hard knocks of
this world. What differs is the way they explain their
misfortune... Exactly theopposite way. They tend to believe defeat
is just a temporary setback, that its causes are confined to this
one case. And, if it truly was their fault, they're happy to know
so that they can make sure it won't happen again in the future.

Optimists tend to focus on the lessons within the 'problem' at
hand. They use 'positive re-framing.' In other words, they most
likely reinterpret a negative experience in a way that helps them
learn and grow. Such people are unfazed by bad situation, they
perceive it is a challenge and try harder.

They won't say "things will never get better," "If I failed
once, it will happen again" and "If I experience misfortune in
one part of my life, then it will happen in my whole life."

Because optimists look for opportunities in times of crisis, they
are able to capitalize on them. In doing so, they will either
lessen the negative impact of their crisis situation, or, they'll
somehow find the opportunity within it to grow and improve and
build something spectacular out of the same crisis that cripples
another. Whether it is a John Walsh of America's Most Wanted, or
direct marketing millionaire, Jeff Paul, living in the basement of
a family member's house because his business went bust, history is
filled with those who took tragedy and turned it into triumph.

PEOPLE RESPOND POSITIVELY TO OPTIMISTS

Optimists are proactive and less dependent on others for their
happiness. They find no need to control or manipulate people. They
usually draw people towards them. Their optimistic view of the
world can be contagious and influence those they are with.

In life, these people often win elections; get voted most congenial
and sought for advice.

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, OPTIMISTS GET TOUGHER

Optimists typically maintain higher levels of subjective
well-being during times of stress than do people who are less
optimistic. In contrast, pessimists are likely to react to
stressful events by denying that they exist or by avoiding
dealing with problems. Pessimists are more likely to quit
trying when difficulties arise.

Optimists persevere. They don't just not give up easily - they are
also known for their patience; inching their way a step closer
to that goal or elusive dream.

OPTIMISTS ARE HEALTHIER AND LIVE LONGER

Medical research has justified that simple pleasures and a
positive outlook can cause a measurable increase in the body's
ability to fight disease.

Optimists' health is unusually good. They age well, much freer
than most people from the usual physical ills of middle age.
And they get to outlive those prone to negative thoughts.

We are all raised with different patterns of behavior. Optimism may
not be your natural state. It isn't mine. That is why I keep
filling my mind with great teaching and lessons from positive and
proactive thinkers. I fill the wall of my office with verses,
quotes and thoughts to remind myself of who I am and how I want to
be. One of these quotes is from George Bernard Shaw. It says:

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the
unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to
himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable
man."

So why not be an unreasonable optimist today? And bring
progress to your own life and the lives of those around you.