Tag Archive for: thought

The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)

The old saying is wrong—winners do quit, and quitters do win. Every new project (or job, or hobby, or company) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point—really hard, and not much fun at all. And then you find yourself asking if the goal is even worth the hassle. Maybe you’re in a Dip—a temporary setback that will get better if you keep pushing. But maybe it’s really a Cul-de-Sac, which will never get better, no matter how hard you try.

dip

According to popular business blogger and bestselling author Seth Godin, what really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.

Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons.

In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you ll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.

Losers, on the other hand, fall into two basic traps.

Either they fail to stick out the Dip they get to the moment of truth and then give up or they never even find the right Dip to conquer.

Whether you're a graphic designer, a sales rep, an athlete, or an aspiring CEO, this fun little book will help you figure out if you're in a Dip that's worthy of your time, effort, and talents.

If you are, The Dip will inspire you to hang tough. If not, it will help you find the courage to quit so you can be number one at something else. Seth Godin doesn't claim to have all the answers. But he will teach you how to ask the right questions.

Author:  Seth Godin

Seth Godin is the author of eighteen international bestsellers that have been translated into over 35 languages, and have changed the way people think about marketing and work. For a long time, Unleashing the Ideavirus was the most popular ebook ever published, and Purple Cow is the bestselling marketing book of the decade.
In addition to his writing and speaking, Seth was founder and CEO of Squidoo.com,. His blog (find it by typing "seth" into Google) is the most popular marketing blog in the world. Before his work as a writer and blogger, Godin was Vice President of Direct Marketing at Yahoo!, a job he got after selling them his pioneering 1990s online startup, Yoyodyne.
You can find every single possible detail that anyone could ever want to know at sethgodin.com

Buy the book Now available from The Book Depository or Amazon

A Lifetime of Planning Pays Off

"You gotta be crazy!" That's what Lee Dunham's friends told him back in 1971 when he gave up a secure job as a police officer and invested his life savings in the notoriously risky restaurant business. This particular restaurant was more than just risky, it was downright dangerous. It was the first McDonald's franchise in the city of New York - smack in the middle of crime-ridden Harlem.

burger

 


Lee had always had plans. When other kids were playing ball in the empty lots of Brooklyn, Lee was playing entrepreneur, collecting milk bottles and returning them to grocery stores for the deposits. He had his own shoeshine stand and worked delivering newspapers and groceries. Early on, he promised his mother that one day she would never again have to wash other people's clothes for a living. He was going to start his own business and support her. "Hush your mouth and do your homework," she told him. She knew that no member of the Dunham family had ever risen above the level of laborer, let alone owned a business. "There's no way you're going to open your own business," his mother told him repeatedly.


Years passed, but Lee's penchant for dreaming and planning did not. After high school, he joined the Air Force, where his goal of one day owning a family restaurant began to take shape. He enrolled in the Air Force food service school and became such an accomplished cook he was promoted to the officers' dining hall.


When he left the Air Force, he worked for four years in several restaurants, including one in the famed Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. Lee longed to start his own restaurant but felt he lacked the business skills to be successful. He signed up for business school and took classes at night while he applied and was hired to be a police officer.


For fifteen years he worked full-time as a police officer. In his off-hours, he worked part-time as a carpenter and continued to attend business school. "I saved every penny I earned as a police officer," he recalled. "For ten years, I didn't spend one dime - there were no movies, no vacations, no trips to the ballpark. There were only work and study and my lifelong dream of owning my own business." By 1971, Lee had saved $42,000, and it was time for him to make his vision a reality.


Lee wanted to open an upscale restaurant in Brooklyn. With a business plan in hand, he set out to seek financing. The banks refused him. Unable to get funding to open an independent restaurant, Lee turned to franchising and filled out numerous applications. McDonald's offered him a franchise, with one stipulation: Lee had to set up a McDonald's in the inner-city, the first to be located there. McDonald's wanted to find out if its type of fast-food restaurant could be successful in the inner city. It seemed that Lee might be the right person to operate that first restaurant.


To get the franchise, Lee would have to invest his life savings and borrow $150,000 more. Everything for which he'd worked and sacrificed all those years would be on the line - a very thin line if he believed his friends. Lee spent many sleepless nights before making his decision. In the end, he put his faith in the years of preparation he'd invested - the dreaming, planning, studying and saving - and signed on the dotted line to operate the first inner-city McDonald's in the United States.


The first few months were a disaster. Gang fights, gunfire, and other violent incidents plagued his restaurant and scared customers away. Inside, employees stole his food and cash, and his safe was broken into routinely. To make matters worse, Lee couldn't get any help from McDonald's headquarters; the company's representatives were too afraid to venture into the ghetto. Lee was on his own.


Although he had been robbed of his merchandise, his profits, and his confidence, Lee was not going to be robbed of his dream. Lee fell back on what he had always believed in - preparation and planning.


Lee put together a strategy. First, he sent a strong message to the neighborhood thugs that McDonald's wasn't going to be their turf. To make his ultimatum stick, he needed to offer an alternative to crime and violence. In the eyes of those kids, Lee saw the same look of helplessness he had seen in his own family. He knew that there was hope and opportunity in that neighborhood and he was going to prove it to the kids. He decided to serve more than meals to his community - he would serve solutions.


Lee spoke openly with gang members, challenging them to rebuild their lives. Then he did what some might say was unthinkable: he hired gang members and put them to work. He tightened up his operation and conducted spot checks on cashiers to weed out thieves. Lee improved working conditions and once a week he offered his employees classes in customer service and management. He encouraged them to develop personal and professional goals. He always stressed two things: his restaurant offered a way out of a dead-end life and the faster and more efficiently the employees served the customers, the more lucrative that way would be.


In the community, Lee sponsored athletic teams and scholarships to get kids off the streets and into community centers and schools. The New York inner-city restaurant became McDonald's most profitable franchise worldwide, earning more than $1.5 million a year. Company representatives who wouldn't set foot in Harlem months earlier now flocked to Lee's doors, eager to learn how he did it. To Lee, the answer was simple: "Serve the customers, the employees, and the community."


Today, Lee Dunham owns nine restaurants, employs 435 people, and serves thousands of meals every day. It's been many years since his mother had to take in wash to pay the bills. More importantly, Lee paved the way for thousands of African-American entrepreneurs who are working to make their dreams a reality, helping their communities, and serving up hope.


All this was possible because a little boy understood the need to dream, to plan, and to prepare for the future. In doing so, he changed his life and the lives of others.


Author:  Cynthia Kersey
Excerpted/Adapted from Unstoppable
Copyright 1988 by Cynthia Kersey, www.unstoppable.net

Thought for the day from Earl Nightingale

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Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life

At last, a book that shows you how to build -- design -- a life you can thrive in,

at any age or stage

Designers create worlds and solve problems using design thinking.

designing_life

Look around your office or home--at the tablet or smartphone you may be holding or the chair you are sitting in. Everything in our lives was designed by someone. And every design starts with a problem that a designer or team of designers seeks to solve.

In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are.

The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.

"Designing Your Life walks readers through the process of building a satisfying, meaningful life by approaching the challenge the way a designer would. Experimentation. Wayfinding. Prototyping. Constant iteration. You should read the book. Everyone else will."
Daniel Pink, bestselling author of Drive

This [is] the career book of the next decade and . . . the go-to book that is read as a rite of passage whenever someone is ready to create a life they love. David Kelley, Founder of IDEO

An empowering book based on their popular class of the same name at Stanford University . . . Perhaps the book's most important lesson is that the only failure is settling for a life that makes one unhappy. With useful fact-finding exercises, an empathetic tone, and sensible advice, this book will easily earn a place among career-finding classics.
Publishers Weekly"

About the Author
About Bill Burnett: BILL BURNETT is the executive director of the Design Program at Stanford. He is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com or visit www.prhspeakers.com.
About Dave Evans: DAVE EVANS is an adjunct lecturer in the Product Design Program at Stanford, a management consultant, and a co-founder of Electronic Arts www.designingyour.life.  He is available for select readings and lectures. To inquire about a possible appearance, please contact Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau at speakers@penguinrandomhouse.com or visit www.prhspeakers.com.

open_book

 

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101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life

 

Do you want to know the secret to finding positive qualities in a negative world? Perhaps you want to learn how to meditate or focus your creativity.

 

Everyone has the potential for happiness and success, and everyone has the power to make affirmative life changes. This book will inspire you to make those changes.

 

David Riklan has put together these proven success secrets from top experts in the field - Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Denis Waitley, plus many other leading experts have all contributed their knowledge to this great compilation..

You will get 101 quick, simple and -- most importantly -- proven success secrets from the top experts in the world and gain access to the greatest treasures of all time - the tools to make a positive impact on your life - the gold nuggets of success.

You can see it here on Amazon

 

 

 

How Hollywood Villains Can Teach Us How To Make Our Dreams Come True

The characters in director Michael Mann's West Coast noir thriller Collateral (2004) starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, provide excellent examples how Hollywood villains can teach self-improvement and how to get the most in life.

hollywood_villains_ed

In fact, often you can learn more from Hollywood villains than you can from the heroes.

The plot in a nutshell is about Max (Jamie Foxx), an erudite cab driver who picks up Vincent (Tom Cruise), an assassin. Vincent's plan is to murder the witnesses overnight who are to testify at the trial of a drug lord the next day. The first hit goes awry exposing Vincent as an assassin. From this point forward Max is knowingly Vincent's hostage as they continue to drive through the night to kill each of his targets.

Vincent represents all the elements of someone who is crystal clear about his objective and pursues it ruthlessly, relentlessly and efficiently without any wasted time or motion. It's all hard work but it pays off repeatedly despite occasional setbacks. As Vincent succinctly put it, it's all about "adapting to the environment" to get things done and plays whatever character is required, from the charming chameleon to the hard-nosed businessman to immediately seize the opportunity.

On the other hand, Max has dreams of starting an exclusive limousine company for VIPs and does extensive research by collecting glossy brochures of town cars. But it's a dream that's never left the drawing board in 13 years. The similarities are that both men are highly intelligent, imaginative, creative and meticulous planners to the point of perfectionism.

And that's where it ends.

The big difference between Vincent and Max is that Vincent acts out of a sense of urgency. Vincent is in a profession in which "failure is not an option," while Max, as a cab driver, can waffle blissfully through life day dreaming about his VIP limousine service year after year about starting a VIP limousine service.

This all changes during this hostage encounter when Vincent applies Max's traits and tactics when his back is against the wall using his skills as a creative sort, personality and attitude to get out of a situation alive. Max's procrastination is self-inflicted.

It's the most insidious of our inner demons are quiet and unassuming that drain us of spunk and energy. We have dreams but do little or nothing to making them a reality, always making convenient excuses of how difficult it is and blaming everyone and everything around us when obstacles get in the way or when the project regresses. Like Max our excuse is that every element in our project must be perfect, when in fact perfection doesn't exist.

We're composed of the ying-yang element. We are dreamers like Max and we've also achieved goals in a no-nonsense manner like Vincent.

Imagine if we could achieve our dreams through more action.

That's why we must create a sense of urgency in some way in our moral, ethical and legal pursuits of our dreams and not let time slip away. Use Vincent's advice to propel yourself out of the psychological quicksand and seize the day - everyday - and live life now because life is shorter than we imagine. The video link below is a powerful cinematic snippet and wake-up call of how many of us go through life like a zombie. When faced with uncomfortable powerful truths that are meant to help us, we can become quite angry - angry at ourselves - for not doing something. I highly recommend taking a close look at Max's expression as Vincent tells Max the way it is.

 

 

 

Copyright Indo-Brazilian Associates LLC 2014.
All rights reserved.
Indo-Brazilian Associates LLC is a NYC-based global advisory service and think tank with connections at the highest levels. International business is increasingly complex featuring a highly mobile professional class in all corners of the globe. We provide you the tools to successfully negotiate cross-culturally in your global business endeavors. Tell us about your challenges. We'll get on the "Short List".
Available for speaking engagements and workshops. Check out my international media profile as TV panelist, published articles and contact information:Speaker Profile http://www.speakermatch.com/profile/GlobalAdvisors/

Don’t Hope, Friend…Decide!

sunrise

 

While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had one of those life changing experiences that you hear other people talk about. You know, the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly? Well, this one occurred a mere two feet away from me!

Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jetway, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family.

First, he motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, and movingly loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other's face, I heard the father say, "It's so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!" His son smiled somewhat shyly, diverted his eyes, and replied softly, "Me too, Dad!"

Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe 9 or 10) and while cupping his son's face in his hands he said, "You're already quite the young man. I love you very much Zach!" They too hugged a most loving, tender hug. His son said nothing. No reply was necessary

While this was happening, a baby girl (perhaps one or one and a half) was squirming excitedly in her mother's arms, never once taking her little eyes off the wonderful sight of her returning father. The man said, "Hi babygirl!" as he gently took the child from her mother. He quickly kissed her face all over and then held her close to his chest while rocking her from side to side. The little girl instantly relaxed and simply laid her head on his shoulder and remained motionless in total pure contentment.

After several moments, he handed his daughter to his oldest son and declared, "I've saved the best for last!" and proceeded to give his wife the longest, most passionate kiss I ever remember seeing. He gazed into her eyes for several seconds and then silently mouthed, "I love you so much!" They stared into each other's eyes, beaming big smiles at one another, while holding both hands. For an instant, they reminded me of newlyweds but I knew by the age of their kids that they couldn't be. I puzzled about it for a moment, then realized how totally engrossed I was in the wonderful display of unconditional love not more than an arm's length away from me. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if I were invading something sacred, but was amazed to hear my own voice nervously ask, "Wow! How long have you two been married?"

"Been together fourteen years total, married twelve of those," he replied without breaking his gaze from his lovely wife's face. "Well then, how long have you been away?" I asked. The man finally looked at me, still beaming his joyous smile and told me, "Two whole days!"

Two days?! I was stunned! I was certain by the intensity of the greeting I just witnessed that he'd been gone for at least several weeks, if not months, and I know my expression betrayed me. So I said almost offhandedly, hoping to end my intrusion with some semblance of grace (and to get back to searching for my friend), "I hope my marriage is still that passionate after twelve years!"

The man suddenly stopped smiling. He looked me straight in the eye, and with an intensity that burned right into my soul, he told me something that left me a different person. He told me, "Don't hope friend...decide." Then he flashed me his wonderful smile again, shook my hand and said, "God bless!" With that, he and his family turned and energetically strode away together

I was still watching that exceptional man and his special family walk just out of sight when my friend came up to me and asked, "What'cha looking at?" Without hesitating, and with a curious sense of certainty, I replied, "My future!"


 Michael D. Hargrove

© Copyright 1997 by Michael D. Hargrove. All rights reserved. Used with author's permission. Visit Michael's website at: www.bluinc.com

 

The Organized Mind

organised_mind

Smart, important, and, as always, exquisitely written. Daniel Gilbert, author of "Stumbling on Happiness "

New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin shifts his keen insights from your brain on music to your brain in a sea of details.

Readers of his two previous "New York Times" bestsellers have come to know and trust his unique ability to translate cutting edge neuroscience into an informative and entertaining narrative. Now Levitin turns his attention to an issue that affects everyone in the digital age: organization.

It s the reason that some people are more adept than others at managing today s hyper flow of data. "The Organized Mind" explains the science behind their success and with chapters targeted specifically to business readers shows how all of us can make small but crucial changes to regain mastery over our lives.

The information age is drowning us with an unprecedented deluge of data. At the same time, we're expected to make more--and faster--decisions about our lives than ever before. No wonder, then, that the average American reports frequently losing car keys or reading glasses, missing appointments, and feeling worn out by the effort required just to keep up.

But somehow some people become quite accomplished at managing information flow.

In The Organized Mind, Daniel J. Levitin, PhD, uses the latest brain science to demonstrate how those people excel--and how readers can use their methods to regain a sense of mastery over the way they organize their homes, workplaces, and time.

With lively, entertaining chapters on everything from the kitchen junk drawer to health care to executive office workflow, Levitin reveals how new research into the cognitive neuroscience of attention and memory can be applied to the challenges of our daily lives.

This Is Your Brain on Music showed how to better play and appreciate music through an understanding of how the brain works. The Organized Mind shows how to navigate the churning flood of information in the twenty-first century with the same neuroscientific perspective. "

About the Author

DANIEL J. LEVITIN is the James McGill Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience at McGill University and is dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at the Minerva Schools at KGI. He splits his time between Montreal, Quebec, and the San Francisco Bay area.

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On Fire. The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life

In the bestselling tradition of Brene Brown's Daring Greatly and Nick Vujicic s Life Without Limits comes a rousing 7-step plan for living a life on fire, filled with hope and possibility from an inspirational speaker who survived a near-fatal fire at the age of nine and now runs a successful business inspiring people all around the world. 
 
When John O'Leary was nine years old, he was almost killed in a devastating house fire. With burns on one hundred percent of his body, O'Leary mustered an almost unimaginable amount of inner strength just to survive the ordeal. 
 
The insights he gained through this experience and the heroes who stepped into his life to help him through the journey - his family, the medical staff, and total strangers changed his life. 
 
Now he is committed to living life to the fullest and inspiring others to do the same. 
 
An incredible and emotionally honest account of triumph over tragedy, On Fire contains O'Leary s reflections on being that little boy, the life-giving choices made then, and the resulting lessons he learned. 
 
O'Leary very clearly shares that without the right people providing the right guidance, at the right time, he never would have made it through those five months in the hospital, let alone the years that followed as he struggled to regain mobility, embrace his story, and ignite clarity of his life's purpose. 
 
On Fire encourages us to seize the power to choose our path and transform our lives from mundane to extraordinary. 
 
Once we stop thinking solely on the big moments in our lives, we can begin to focus on those smaller opportunities that tend to pass us by. These are the events, the inflection points in our lives that can determine how we feel about life now, where we are headed in the future, and how many lives we can impact along the way. 
 
We can't always choose the path we walk, but we can choose how we walk it. 
 
Empowering, inspiring, remarkably honest, and heartfelt, O'Leary's strength and incredible spirit shine through on every page."
 
You can buy the book from The Book Depository  or Amazon
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How to be an Explorer of the World

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