Lonely, huh? Sitting there all by yourself. Reading the blog of a guy nobody has ever heard of. Listening to a guy in Dallas, with a bit of an Okie accent. But there you sit. All by yourself. Yes, I have no audience. Well, there’s you. You count. You matter. So on with the show because even if you’re out there all by yourself – that’s enough for me. For now.

Maybe you’re like me when I went to a midnight concert to see a guy and a guitar. I was still in high school. Nobody had heard of this guy, but I had heard a song or two on “Loose Radio” – the local album rock/alt country station serving the college town where I lived. His name was Jimmy Buffet. There may have been 100 people at the show. The tickets were $1.02. A radio station, FM102, promoted the show.

I did have a friend sitting beside me, but it was sort of a lonely concert. It would be over a decade before Parrotheads would fill entire stadiums. Everybody’s gotta start somewhere. I saw Jimmy live before most had ever heard of him. Kinda cool, huh? For me. Not for Jimmy. Building a fan base is hard work.

Today’s show really focuses on one question: “What do you believe to be true?”

There are some things I know to be true. There are other things I believe to be true. For instance, I know it’s true that I have no audience – so far as numbers are concerned. Sometimes I run across a person who is lamenting that their blog has been around for a year and they’ve only got 3000 subscribers. They’re desperate to reach 5000, but finding it’s really hard. I’ll click on the link to their blog and look it over, saying to myself, “How in the world did THEY get to 3000? I can’t even get to 10.”

Usually I laugh. At myself. And my almost complete (but not quite) lack of interest in techniques, tactics and strategies that I know (another truth I know) would help. Critical things like SEO, PPC, article marketing, guest blogging, posting 3-5 new posts daily, creating a compelling ethical bribe, blah, blah, blah. I know about these things. But to say I’m uninterested…well, that’s a gross understatement. I’d rather mow my yard than get engrossed in SEO. And I don’t mow my yard. My wife does. She loves yard work. Perhaps I’ll introduce her to SEO.

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Happy Labor Day Weekend!

This week I’ve been thinking quite a lot about the price of success. The dialogue was sparked by the question, “How badly do you want it?” I’ve found myself being a bit contrary with those who hold the notion that success is only found by those willing to sacrifice everything. Some of the conversation was sparked by this motivational speech found on YouTube. “You have to want success as badly as you want to breathe.”

What is success? How would you define success? We may not all agree on the definition. The common things I hear are “money” and “freedom.” Rarely do people disassociate those. More often than not people assume that more money brings more freedom, although it’s not necessarily true.

Terry Dean wrote a blog post about how people need to be careful in their pursuit of Internet success. The post is entitled, “Blind Drivers and Broke Gurus.” Terry’s advice is to practice defensive driving. I agree.

And on top of these two happenings I ran across a discussion – a dog-piling really – on a creative type who had produced an ebook he was selling. Some in his creative community were taking issue with his daring. Trying to achieve success with his art through sales and marketing seemed heresy to some. They’ve view people like Terry Dean and other marketers much the same as they’d view a carny. Success for some of them is found in simply performing their craft and  believing (hoping) that success (defined however they define it) will find them.

Discussions about success are everywhere. From Internet marketing to cartooning to web design to video production to any human endeavor. What’s the price of success? How much does success cost? What must be sacrificed for success?

When my children were growing up I used to speak with them regularly about the power of having choices. Perhaps it was my own variety of freedom, but as their dad, I encouraged them to put themselves in positions where they had choices. I’d talk to them about how awful it was to have your back against the wall, with no choices. And I’d tell them that sometimes life will pin your back to the wall. But if you can live in a way to give yourself options, you’ll be able to reach higher heights of happiness and achievement. I believed it then. I believe it more so now.

One of the major components of my speech would focus on not being a victim. Control your own destiny as much as possible. No, you’re not God. You don’t control all the circumstances of life, but the choices you make – the wisdom you display – will serve you well. Don’t expect anybody to simply hand you something because you think you deserve it. Earn it. Earn trust. Earn your reputation. Be somebody. Act like somebody.

It was a common sermon in our home. I still preach it every now and then, even though my kids are grown and married. I preach it because these people matter to me. I love them. I care about them. Success cannot be spoken of, in my life, unless there’s talk of fatherhood. And being a husband. Success in that regard is not measured with a dollar sign and decimal points.

Donald Miller wrote “A Million Miles In A Thousand Years.” If you haven’t read the book, do. You’ll thank me for steering you to it. He begins the book with a bit of a story and a challenge. It speaks to the subject of our chasing success, our contentment and mostly, our dedication to writing a better story for our own lives.

I confess that Donald’s book is, so far, the most profound book I’ve read this year – and I’ve read lots of books this year. Success truly is defined by our ability to write a better story for our lives. Each of us craft our own story. That’s the power within each of us. You can’t write my story for me. I can’t write yours.

Perhaps the question isn’t, “How badly do you want it?” – maybe a better question is, “What do you want?”

As we begin this holiday Labor Day Weekend, today’s show is my small contribution toward helping myself – and hopefully some of you – in finding ways we can write better stories by living better lives.

Regards,

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Have you ever wondered how so much information is being produced by so many people who seem to spend tons of time on Facebook and Twitter? I’m sometimes fascinated by people who seem to always be in Twitter no matter what time of day or night I log in – but they’ve written books, countless blog posts, recorded videos and podcasts. I suspect it’s just another Wonder of the World. Perhaps they’ve conquered the time space continuum.

I do know the streams of information flooding my life often cause me to fall. Like a failed attempt to wade through fast moving water, I’m knocked to my knees, eventually going over the cliff where all information eventually goes! I prefer to think of it as a cliff instead of the toilet. Same difference perhaps. And I know not all information is toilet material, but we all know much of it is.

Once I’ve fallen, it’s quite difficult to get back up. Distractions do that. They knock us to our knees – or put us on our butts. Our ability to get back on our feet is about as athletic as a cow on ice. The flow of information and connectivity to the outside world is so intense we often prefer to stay down.

Maybe you’ve experienced it. You sit down at your computer, or with your iPhone. You launch Twitter and Facebook. Texting is constant. Time is now invisible. It quietly disappears, along with your day – and your productivity. Sadly, it becomes a habit of being unproductive.

Today’s show hopes to contribute to the conversation on how to more effectively deal with distractions. I hope to help you get something meaningful done today! I also hope you’ll reciprocate by helping me get something done, too.

Thanks for listening.

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Dan Sullivan is The Strategic Coach. He operates his coaching business out of Toronto. His work focuses primarily around a concept he calls Unique Ability ®.

Catherine Nomura wrote a book published by Dan’s company entitled, Unique Ability ® – Creating The Life You Want. You can purchase the hard copy or the downloadable PDF version of the book. I highly recommend you buy it and read it. I purposefully saved it for this last episode because I think Dan’s work is so significant that it can help guide you along this journey of self-discovery.

That’s the good news. The bad news is you’ll have to read it, study it and act on it. That’s not so easy.

Finding out what we’re best at isn’t so clear for some of us. I rather envious of people who are doing what they say they were “meant to do.” You know the kind. They have found something they’re passionate about. They can’t imagine doing anything else. They’re good at it and it’s as natural as breathing for them.

That’s not really happened for me. You?

That’s why I’m still searching. Oh, there are a variety of things that I’m good at. And I enjoy them. But that one thing that just consumes me – making time just become irrelevant – well, let’s just say I’m still searching for that. My story isn’t so uncommon I fear. I had career success early on. A few detours along the way crushed me, but I found my way back – thanks mostly to the help of a supportive family. I cracked income barriers I never dreamed I’d crack. I had more success. And still more. But I’m the guy who has spent almost a lifetime – over 35 years – building somebody else’s dreams and business. So last year – after doing side projects for many years – I decided it was time to dive in headlong and start to build my own dreams.

Regrets? Of course. You don’t live to be 53 without some regrets – unless you’re foolish. I’m not chasing foolishness. I’m rather fond of pursuing wisdom and knowledge – in that order.

Many years ago I did discover one truth about myself. I find it naturally easy to help somebody else identify opportunities and strengths. I’m especially talented at business building and helping people find ways to earn more money. Where others see a mountain of difficulties, I often see killer opportunities. Easy stuff for me – when I’m looking at YOUR life. Not so easy when I’m looking at myself. It’s that proverbial blind spot that propels me to study this important subject. I hope my sharing helps you find your strength. Better yet, I hope it gives you an extra portion of courage so you’ll chase your dreams for all you’re worth!

My best to you – and the life you hope to build.

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The Truth About you by Marcus Buckingham

Jeffrey Gitomer is a terrificly engaging trainer who shows salespeople how to be more effective. In his live seminars he’ll often ask, “Who is the most important person in the world?” The room full of salespeople will give what they think is the desired response, “The customer!”

Gitomer will then chastise the crowd and say, “No, you don’t understand. There are two people left alive on the planet – you and the customer – one of you must die. Which will it be?”

Again, the crowd responses, this time correctly, “THE CUSTOMER!” Bingo.

“Now that we’ve established that YOU are the most important person in the world we can get on with it.” He’s right. YOU are the most important person in the world. At least YOU think you are.

And that’s not some high-minded idea or an arrogant belief. It’s reality. For each of us. Our lives are important to us. It’s the reason the subject of finding our strengths is so urgent. We want to create the best life possible – for ourselves.

In today’s show I share some wisdom from Marcus Buckingham‘s book, The Truth About You. We’re continuing our journey down the path toward finding answers to our most important questions about where are strengths are. Marcus will give us two important phrases to help us: “I feel strong when…” verus “I feel weak (drained, bored) when…”

Thanks for listening.

*Correction: Gitomer isn’t out of Raleigh. He’s out of Charlotte, NC. I’m sorry, Jeffrey!

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My parents taught me to behave. They wanted me to act responsibly and behave in a way that would make them proud. Not ashamed.

A buddy of mine who grew up in rural Oklahoma recalls his dad admonishing him, before he’d borrow the car to drive into “town,” – Act like somebody! Translation, behave yourself and make me proud.

We laugh about it, but it served us well to have parents who expected things of us. Not unreasonable things. Just things that any kid could deliver to parents. Don’t be stupid. Don’t be foolish. Don’t get into trouble. Be careful. Act like somebody!

Here I am 53 and I better understand the power of expectation. When nobody expects anything of us, that’s pretty much what we deliver. Nothing. It’s a pitiful place to be. I begin today’s show sharing with you some words Tom Rath wrote in his 2006 book, Vital Friends.

If you’ve not read the book, I’d urge you to. It’s a wonderful book, but I confess that I’m a bit of a Tom Rath fan. He begins the book the way I begin today’s show…with a discussion about expectations. How they’re important in shaping us. How they matter when we’re trying to discover our strengths.

You likely know his more famous work on StrengthFinder. If I’m not mistaken, that work is based largely on research done by the late Donald O. Clifton, who co-wrote Soar With Your Strengths, along with Paula Nelson.

The question seems so blazingly simple, but it’s among the hardest questions to answer, “What am I best at?”

What is it I’m meant to do? Where are my talents?

For some of us it’s not so much a matter of answering, “Why am I here?” As a Christian, I know why I’m here. God created us for His glory. I’m here for that purpose. The big picture isn’t so hard for me. It’s the smaller picture that often perplexes me.

I don’t suspect God cares what I do to earn a living for my family, as long as it doesn’t violate what He wants me to do. For instance, I couldn’t be a professional gambler. That violates God’s law against covetousness. So , there are some things that are quite easy for me to decide. But there are a host of other things that aren’t so easy. I suspect you sometimes feel the same way. That’s why I began this series.

Another book I reference in today’s show is the popular book by Donald Miller, A Million Miles In A Thousand Years. Add it to your reading list.

Thanks for sharing your time and attention with me. We’ll try to wrap this series up with our next episode. So make sure you come back to hear that one. Let’s get into it, shall we?

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John Nese owns Galco’s Soda Pop Stop in Los Angeles. He’s pretty passionate about soda pop. His father operated the shop as a grocery store. John’s love is soda pop. Today, the store carries over 500 different flavors of soda pop. Pay close attention as he talks about his wish as a kid when he discovered a naturally carbonated spring.

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Today we continue our discussion about a popular and compelling topic – soaring with our strengths. I know you’re anxious to find out what your strengths are. We’re all searching for the things we’re best suited for – the job, the enterprise, the art, the pursuit. Go here if you missed Part 1.

Don’t rush things though because first we have to make sure we’re not deluded. We’re all susceptible to thinking we’re strong in areas where we’re really weak. When we do that, we put a mountain in front of our strengths. We make it that much harder to soar with our strengths because we’re putting all our effort and energy into the wrong places.

First things first. We have to identify our weaknesses, then we have to properly manage them. Only then can we get on with the focus we need to identify and soar with our strengths. Listen to the very end of today’s show and you’ll be fully enlightened on why it’s important to go through this phase of our journey. Warning: it’s a powerful realization. It will propel us forward toward changing everything!

Thanks for listening,

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If I weren’t so passionate about this I’d have written a catchier headline.

If I weren’t so cynical I’d believe in The Law of Attraction or The Secret.

If I weren’t so hard-nosed I wouldn’t be fond of saying, “Build a bridge and get over it.”

If I were more tolerant of the lemmings who run amuck on the Internet swallowing all the drivel peddled by unscrupulous Internet marketers, guru bloggers and other purveyors of all wisdom and knowledge I’d likely be less irked by it all.

But let a famous blogger utter a few sentences of common sense and you’ll see hoards of faithful followers chime in with insightful comments such as, “Great post. Best ever! As usual you are 100% correct.”

Let an unknown person provide brilliant insight and valuable commentary and you’ll hear the crickets chirping. If wisdom is uttered in a forest and nobody is around to hear it, is it still wisdom?

Let an Internet celebrity tell you how only 9 months ago he was over $50,000 in credit card debt, living in the backseat of a 1974 Chevy Vega – but his life changed when somebody gave him Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich.” And grow rich he did. You see, he knew nothing about how to live a responsible life, but now he’s completely debt free and well on his way to being worth a million bucks. How? Internet marketing, of course. Buy his $1997 information product and you’ll learn all his secrets.

Read of a real life man who murdered his wife. Something tells me the Law of Attraction failed him. Unless of course, we’re to believe that he was attracted to spending the rest of his life in prison while leaving his 10-year-old daughter without a mother and a father.

Read what this copywriter has to say about the scoundrels and their tactics who market product launch after product launch. And if you’re courageous enough read the comments by Mr. Fortin and others.

Let me tell you who I applaud and cheer. Let me tell you why I’m sick and tired of all this bull. I’d love to hear your stories and comments. Leave me a voice mail at 214-736-4406. Tell me what you think.

If you’re a lemming, that’s okay. Just don’t get mad at me if I don’t follow you off the cliff. I salute your idiocy and hope you drown sooner than later. I also hope you’ll stop driving slowly in the left lane!

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This week I begin a series of shows discussing the important topic of finding  and soaring with our strengths. I’ve taken the title from a 1992 book of the same title. It’s the last book listed below. And yes, it’s still being published in paperback. The book serves as a framework for this series. I originally planned to post this before releasing the first podcast in this series – but I decided to release both this post and the first episode together.

Sir Ken Robinson’s book, The Element, places such value on finding what you love most (your passion) that he subtitled the book, “How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything.”

If finding our passion changes everything – and I suspect Sir Ken is right – then don’t we owe it to ourselves to search diligently for it?

Here are some books for your consideration:

StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath

Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham

Go Put Your Strengths To Work by Marcus Buckingham

The One Thing You Need To Know by Marcus Buckingham

The Truth About You by Marcus Buckingham

The Element by Ken Robinson, Ph.D.

No More Dreaded Mondays: Ignite Your Passion – and Other Revolutionary Ways to Discover Your True Calling at Work by Dan Miller

48 Days to the Work You Love: Preparing for the New Normal by Dan Miller

Instinct: Tapping Your Entrepreneurial DNA To Achieve Your Business Goals by Thomas L. Harrison

Soar With Your Strengths by Donald O. Clifton & Paula Nelson

As you can see, there are lots of resources to help us in our journey toward self-discovery. But I’ll warn you. It’s not easy. And it may require that you spend some time alone. Many people are uneasy being alone, but unless you’re willing to disconnect enough to work on YOU…you’ll likely spend most of your life as a spectator. Nobody wins unless you participate by doing meaningful, positive work. The world is better when you contribute.

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REM wrote and performed one of the best songs ever when they released, Everybody Hurts.

It resonated with so many people because pain and hurt are common among all of us. None of us are immune.

The same goes for frustration, set backs and simply trying to find our own way. We’re not all in the same boat because no boat is big enough. Pain and hurt require the world’s largest fleet of ships to convey us all forward in life.

I started Bula Network and the notion of helping others back in 1997 as a part-time endeavor. Burned out from a life spent building businesses for others, I found myself tired of chasing dreams not my own. So I stepped away.

During that time I found myself immersed in a sport of kids. I loved it. It consumed me. It was a diversion from a life spent in sales, marketing and pushing businesses forward. It was personal. It was human connection where I was driven to impact the lives of kids. It was three years of devotion that were exhausting, but I have no regrets. They were years well spent.

Business and the art of selling have consumed my entire adult life. It started when I was just a kid myself. It now spans a 38 year career in business. Slightly more than a year ago I set about to make my tagline come true: helping people in the art of being remarkable. It’s a lofty goal for sure. But I’m devoted to it. What form it might ultimately make is still uncertain. I’m muddling my way through just like most people. Don’t let the smile fool you. I laugh plenty, but life isn’t one big comedy. There’s tragedy in all our lives.

I hope you’ll share some of your time and attention with me. Hit play and I’m almost certain you’ll find I’m not much different than you.

Everybody hurts, sometimes!

Hold on. Hold on. Hold on.

All the best,

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Go here to read Part 1.

The second half of the book dives into a variety of topics designed to help you find the job – and work – most meaningful to you. Chapter 6 goes into the myths of resumes. Here’s a list of them:

- Myth 1: A good resume and cover letter will get me the job.

- Myth 2: The candidate with the best education, skills and experience will always get the position.

- Myth 3: Getting a job is really a matter of who you know or being in the right place at the right time.

- Myth 4: Employers appreciate long resumes because more information saves time spent interviewing.

- Myth 5: Always put your salary requirements and history on your resume.

- Myth 6: Always close a cover letter with “I look forward to hearing from you.”

- Myth 7: The more resumes you send, the more you increase your chances of getting a job.

- Myth 8: Once you send your resume, all you do is wait.

Dan then gives the reader solid advice on how to construct an effective resume. He includes thoughts on references and all the details vital to making sure you create a resume that will help you put your best foot forward.

Chapter 7 is entitled “Finding Your Unique Path.” This chapter delves into the important task of looking at job markets with an eye toward opportunity. Dan even addresses the need for people to promote themselves when they’re searching for a job. But the advice isn’t limited to mere job searching. He also discusses transition situations where people may simply want to do something different. Sometimes these situations are foisted on people. They’re terminated or their job is eliminated and now they need to look at their skills and experience under a new light. Sometimes people simply feel the urge to make a change.

Lots of people feel anxious when it comes time for the interview. Chapter 8 is entitled, “Do they like me? Do I like them?” This is a comprehensive chapter on how to handle yourself in the interview. The author takes you from the preparation stage to the time when the interview is over and you prepare to leave. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that your first impression is the only one that matters. The impression you make when you leave may be equally or more important. Miller covers such nuances and gives the reader rock solid advice to help them shine during the interview.

By the time the reader gets to chapter 9 he’s fully anxious to tackle the really big question, “How much will they pay me?” The chapter is entitled, “Show me the money.” If the interview doesn’t make you anxious, negotiating your income causes many people to feel tense and uncomfortable. You must have some basic negotiating skills. The book is not a primer on negotiation, but in this chapter Dan does give us some advice on how to handle this sticky part of the job searching process.

The book carries a strong message of being productive. The amount of money you can earn is going to be directly associated with your ability to make money for the company. You must provide value in order to obtain value from the company. Making sure your goals match the goals of the offer is a critical component of landing the proper job.

The last few chapters are aimed at those people who don’t want to find a job. They’re at the point in their life where they prefer to launch their own enterprise. Being on your own – without the perceived safety net of a job (Miller urges the reader to avoid the trap of thinking security is found in any job) – may not be for you. Chapter 10 launches into these ideas with a strong, but simple question, “Do you have what it takes?”

The final two chapters wrap it all up. Chapter 11 is “Skunks, Rags and Candy Bars.” This chapter and the conclusion chapter (chapter 12) talk about how today’s working world is different than any time in the past. The new world we’re in gives us opportunities that simply weren’t possible in the past.

Throughout the book the reader is encouraged to look deep within themselves. Self-examination is a major component of finding the work you love, whether that’s for an employer or for yourself. Responsibility to construct your own life is something Dan Miller preaches constantly. Own your life. Make your life what you want it to be. Don’t relegate yourself to being a victim to others, or to your circumstances. If you don’t like your circumstances, change them. If you don’t like your life, create the life you want – one you will like. One you’ll love!

The book does not presuppose that you are wired one way or another. We’re all different. Miller understands this. The book is aimed at anybody who understands that work is being productive. It should be work that makes a positive impact in and on your life – and the lives of others, including your family. It’s not a book of rah-rah, but there are plenty of inspirational case studies and stories. It’s a book of actions and deadlines, as evidenced by the title.

Add it to your reading list and follow the action steps. Of course, there’s no guarantee you’ll find the work you love in 48 days, but if you don’t set the goal to find work you love, you’ll never find it. Aim high. Go far. Be remarkable!

For more information about Dan Miller visit his website, 48Days.com. There’s also an interactive group at 48Days.net.

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King Solomon was given the highest degree of wisdom by God. He wrote this in Eccl. 12:12 “And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.”

Before the printing press was invented Solomon observed the massive flow of information in the form of making books. Each year in America there are a couple hundred thousand books published each year. That count includes only the books that have an ISBN number. Self-published material may not be included in that number. It’s safe to assume the number is sufficiently higher.

What about podcasts? The growth is so vast I’m not sure anybody can put a proper number on the number of English speaking podcasts produced each year.

Digital ebooks? Impossible to count.

Digital information products? Also impossible and growing exponentially each year.

Membership sites with information that educates people on a vast array of subjects or pursuits? Tons and tons of these. And these include subscription based learned like Lynda.com.

According to Kevin Kelly in this post on The Technium dated February 20, 2006 he concluded, “On the time scale of decades and longer, information is the fastest growing thing on this planet.”

Dare any of us disagree with his conclusion, even though we’re now over 4 years further along the time line?

Knowledge is more vast than ever. Information is more accessible than ever. It’s also more freely available.

Google owns the majority of our head space when we begin to look for information. Our problems are often hoisted onto the shoulders of the Google search engine as we begin our quest to seek answers. My guess is that most of your queries result in hundreds of thousands of search results!

You’ve likely spent hundreds, perhaps thousands, on a variety of courses, recordings, books or seminars. How do you know when enough is enough? How do you know you’ve reached the point where you know enough?

Here’s a few things I reference in today’s show. Check them out and think about your own life. First, here’s an interview Dan Miller did with Chad Jeffers, the lead guitarist for Carrie Underwood. Next, here’s a young man in Nashville who is giving it go by trying to break into country music, Mitch Rossell. And then there’s Mat Kearney, whose biography sort of started this entire line of thinking for me lately. Of course, ten years ago the book, The Knowing-Doing Gap, served to enlighten me. It caused me to begin asking of myself, “Are you already doing what you know to do?” Forget what you don’t know. What if we just did what we already know to do?

We’re all on the journey trying to find our own way. I certainly don’t claim to have arrived. If you think I’m way out front, then you’re not paying close enough attention. Let’s just keep walking together. Eventually, we’ll figure out a few things, correct our course countless times and most importantly – we’ll get some cool stuff done!

Click play and let’s see if we can’t help figure out some of these things together.

P.S. Happy 30th Birthday to my son, our first born, Ryan! Yes, I was once a young father, pictured here with Ryan and his sister, Renae.

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Dan Miller’s book, 48 Days To The Work You Love, first appeared in 2004. Some months ago it was re-released as a revised edition. It was well worth reading five years ago. Perhaps it’s even more so today.

Dan Miller’s work all revolves around the belief that we should live in pursuit of our natural aptitude and what we care about most. This book – and its predecessor – serve as the core foundation for all of his work, including his podcast, workshops and more.

Last week I decided to revisit Dan’s work – this newly updated version of 48 Days. I thought it was time to dive back into some of the ideas I remembered from a few years ago while reading the first edition. I had purchased this new edition some weeks prior and it sat on my desk beckoning me until I dove in.

True confession time: I’m slightly more than halfway through the book as I write this blog post. I understand if you feel it’s improper to write about a book before you’ve finished it, but I have good reason. Two of them actually. One, I’m going to write a second, follow up post to this one. Two, the journey is quite often the point. Especially with a book like this one.

Dan Miller is a man of faith. That’s important. Some may accuse him of a God-based bias. That’s seems okay with Dan. He acknowledges it from the get go. However, this is not a book that belongs in the religious section of your local bookstore. Yes, there are numerous scripture references throughout. Yes, he refers to God and a Christian perspective. If that offends you, don’t read this book.

But if you’re looking for the Joel Osteen prosperity gospel to be preached in this book – well, just save your money and buy one of Osteen’s books. Miller does not preach such a message. Nor does he preach a life of leisure where people lounge around tropical waters drinking fruity drinks.

Miller advocates doing something with your life. Something meaningful. Something with lasting value. Something that serves not only your life, but others.

48 Days comes from Miller’s notion that we mere mortals could use a few extra days to accomplish remarkable things. He cites God’s use of 40 days to prepare people for something better.

- Noah’s life and the world were transformed after 40 days of the flood
- Moses spent 40 days on the Mount
- The Israelite spies spent 40 days scouting the Promised Land

He cites other scriptural references to 40 days and concludes, “I’m giving you 8 free days in the process to create your own plan. Take a break on Sundays and a couple of Saturdays. Don’t knock yourself out; just stay committed to this time frame to avoid the usual procrastination.”

Dan begins taking us on a journey of self-discovery. And while much of the book is written in a self-help, personal development style doesn’t mean it’s just another rah-rah book. No, it’s a book that demands heavy lifting on the part of the reader. The book isn’t difficult to read, but the urgings of the author are likely going to make active readers break a sweat.

The first sweat Miller asks you to break is a mental sweat. Self-examination isn’t much fun for most of us. We may rather prefer to live a life of delusion. All the baggage we bring with us to our work – and our entire life – is called into question. Rightfully so.

You can’t likely read a single page without some short story used to illustrate the point. The book is filled with short little inserts high-lighted by arrows. These are not read in line with the text of the book, but serve as self-contained snippets of inspiration. Additionally, Miller often cites the work of other authors and proves himself to be a well-read man. It also proves Miller spent thoughtful, significant time fleshing out his ideas and methods. This is not some over-simplified, crank-it-out-in-a-weekend book. Miller is not that shallow. Nor is his message.

Yes, I confess that I’m fond of Dan Miller. And his message. And his approach. The great thing about books, authors, speakers and other communicators – you can search out the ones with whom you can most easily connect. Social media – and things like podcasts – enable you to judge for yourself if Miller has a message, or delivery that resonates with you.

The message is simple, but profoundly difficult for many people. Find the most meaningful work possible. Find the work that best suits your natural talents and desires. Behave in ways that benefit your life most. Discover important things about yourself.

Sadly, many people will go through life struggling with these issues never having considered that they control their own destiny. Bad things happen to everybody. Some things are beyond our control. But not our behavior, our actions and our reactions. We have full command of those things, even when we decide to surrender them to others, or to circumstances.

Life is made up of choices. Mr. Miller urges us to make the wisest choices possible. And to get on with it. Stop wasting time. It doesn’t matter if you are in your 20′s or 70′s. Time will pass no matter our age, and if we’re able to build a better life that only lasts days – that’s better than wasting those days in misery. The reward can be the destination, but as is almost always the case – the journey provides much of the enjoyment and benefit. Dan serves as a terrific guide.

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Another show recorded out “in the field.” One reasonably quiet room, one USB mic, a few pieces of cheap software and one Apple MacBook Pro – presto! Episode 45 is born.

Today’s topic is the result of thoughts I’ve been having about my consumption of information. My learning.

I spend way yonder too much money on books. I likely read too much. Is that possible?

Unfortunately, late one night while reading a thought struck me. A question really. “What’s the last PROFOUND thing you read?”

I immediately began to catalog the variety of books I’ve read recently, starting with the most recent one going back as far as I could remember. Of the dozens of books read recently, one book kind of stood out to me for providing thought provoking ideas (and analogies). None of the books really stood out as profound.

As I am wont to do late at night, my mind grows restless (like my body). Over a week ago I was enduring such a night when I began to think about my own purchases and consumption of learning or education. I mostly thought about the ones I had purchased and wondered how many of them were really worth the money and time. I also wondered about a few I’m considering making right now. At the heart of my mental meanderings was this question, “Why do I decide to buy this particular book, or course, or seminar or conference?”

I’m not talking about the marketing, although that clearly has an affect on all of us. It wasn’t the sales letter, or sale video that caused me to wonder. It was my emotions and in particular, my expectations. What had I hoped to gain from any of these things?

While recording today’s show I did come up with a rather unique exercise. Click PLAY, listen to the show and see if this exercise might not benefit you. In a future show I’ll reveal what I learned about my own consumption of educational or learning products, including books. If you decide to join me in the exercise, I’d love to hear about your results. Leave me some audio feedback or drop me an email. Go to the CONNECT page and you’ll see how to reach me.

Thank you for listening,

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The grandpa hears the 16-year-old grandson complain that the used car dad just bought for him is a piece of junk. Grandpa says, “You should be thankful. When I was your age we couldn’t afford for me to have a car. I didn’t get my first car until I was 22.”

“When I was your age…” or “When I was young…” are phrases that signal how we can become stuck in time.

It’s an important reality because it affects so many things. Among the most painful things I’ve seen recently is the tyrannical behavior of aging mangers and business owners determined to impose on their employees “how things used to be.”

They’re stuck in time. They’re also stuck in some pretty bad behaviors. It saddens me for their employees, but it may sadden me more for these managers and owners. They’re living lives of misery because they constantly complain how people disappoint them. Workers never do the work good enough. They’re destined to see all the bad things – all the poor decisions and all the poor performances. They never acknowledge that sometimes good work happens.

They do vividly remember breaking into the business by having their butt kicked. Determined that the way they broke in is how others today need to be broken in, they kick butt. All the time. They’re stuck in time.

Memory is great, but none of us can forget what we’ve already learned. The aging manager whose butt was kicked when he was 18 has forgotten that his 18-year-old butt needed a kick every now and then. So, now he’s 67 and he’s kicking the butts of the 40-somethings who work for him – and have worked for him for almost 15 years.

Not all tyranny is the result of being stuck in time, but recently I seem to be running into it more frequently. Do you suffer from being stuck in time? Awareness is step one toward becoming remarkable by improving what ails us.

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On one side of the scales is what we offer. It’s our product or service.

On the other side is the investment, or cost we’re asking prospects to give us in exchange for our offer.

The scales are balanced. That’s the minimum standard for building a sustainable business. It happens when customers pay us our asking price and we provide them value that is equal to that price. They pay us and feel they got value equal to their investment or cost.

It’s not a remarkable business strategy though. It’s tenuous. Competitors can come in and best our offer causing us to lose customers by the droves. We’re at risk if we don’t tip the scales fully in favor of the customer.

The Internet provides such a low cost of entry that it causes the business pond to be overrun with schools of fish (sharks actually) willing to live by making money NOW. That’s why you’ll find various Internet superstars sending out one offer after another by people selling high dollar product (information marketing) launches. No sooner have you purchased one…and BAM! Your inbox has an offer that is going to be available in two hours! And it’s a limited offer. It’ll sell out quickly (have you ever wondered how a digital offer sells out?) so hurry, hurry, hurry! The only value they provide is hawking the wares of their buddies, and then when it comes time to launch their own product – their buddies reciprocate.

Look back over the course of such activity in a year and you’ll likely find very little value. More likely than not the marketing promises far more than it ever delivers. Creative copy-writing and other acts of persuasion are employed to keep the buzz going because when the wheel stops, the money stops. It simply can’t stop. Customers aren’t likely constructing a solid base for a sustainable business based on an extraordinary exchange in value. The focus must be maintained on the top portion of the funnel. New buyers are constantly being sought because buyers of the past are no longer very valuable.

I don’t think it’s the best way to go. Rather, I subscribe to the notion that our businesses should be diligent to make sure the scales fully favor those people who give us their time, attention and money. We must concentrate on giving our customers remarkable value. That’s how we’ll become remarkable. That’s how we’ll build remarkable enterprises.

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Some years ago I presided over a hockey banquet for my hockey team. I had coached these guys for four years. We had gone without a banquet the entire time. Cramming four seasons into a single banquet proved a bad idea in one regard. It took too stinking long to recap it all. However, at the end of the banquet Mike “Mad Dog” Mania (that’s him in the green shirt) addressed me. Mike is now a fire fighter in real life. It’s nice to see how people grow and develop.

At the conclusion of his speech Mad Dog gave me a hug. I’m not bashful to hug people I care about. Nor do I find it hard to care about people. It was a terrific night. Filled with emotions. Filled with remembering great events…and some not so great.

What does that have to do with the changes happening here? Everything.

Coaching these guys had a profound impact on my life. The guys affected me. They made me better. I hope I returned the favor. I agreed to coach them because helping people is something I gravitate toward. Servant leadership is in my DNA. If Gary Vee has self-promotion in his DNA – and he does – then I have helping others in my DNA. It’s not hard. Or to be dreaded.

Let me explain a few changes I’m setting about to make around here. Thanks for listening! I hope I can do something to help you in the art of being remarkable.

All the best,

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And then there’s this rendition of Jackson Browne’s “Doctor My Eyes” – just because I love the song.

Welcome, August. The end of summer is nigh. Triple digit heat still dominates north central Texas. Heat isn’t the only thing in the air. Change is in the air.

Big changes. Meaningful changes. Being remarkable is hard work. It demands a serious uneasiness with the status quo. Often it demands monumental changes.

So it goes here at Bula Network, LLC. Websites, podcasts – the whole shebang is going to be changing. In Episode 41 I told you how much I hate the word,  TWEAK. Fine tuning. Fine adjustments. Forget those. Think major advancements. Think big leaps of performance.

Change would do you good. I know it’s going to do me some good. So permit me to explain what’s happening here.

One, Bula Network, LLC is my company name. That’s not changing. Neither is this website. Neither is the podcast. Well, that’s not entirely true. The podcast will change direction. It will be a weekly show about what’s happening here. Trends I’m seeing. Problems I’m encountering myself, and with clients. It’ll be my “company” podcast. I also plan to shorten up the shows to no more than 15 minutes. It’ll demand great discipline, but I’m up for it. Besides, I need that change!

Two, I’ll be launching another website that more precisely focuses on the work – the heavy lifting of helping people in the art of being remarkable. You’ll just have to stay tuned to see and hear these changes. Yes, my coaching offers here are still in place. They’re quite limited anyway. I’ll keep them going for the time being. I admit that my ultimate goal is to restrict them even further – not because I don’t enjoy them – but because I want to expand my ability to help more people in a single effort.

Three, I’m also embarking on a couple of new opportunities. Some involve collaborations with remarkable people. Some are lone enterprises. I’m looking forward to moving these projects forward. Some will be lived out on the public stage, but others will run more silently (but deep).

Four, Remarkable Retail continues. The podcast will become a once a week affair. I’m going to focus on the Friday podcast where I can answer questions. That means, Q & A Friday continues. The big change is that the Friday show will be the only weekly show at Remarkable Retail.

Why the changes? Two reasons: desire and time. I must carve out more time for the variety of projects and enterprises that interest me most. I’ve been going in too many directions lately and it’s unsustainable. It’s not much fun either. I’m going to chase some dreams of the heart while better using the time I’ve got.

I’ve been working toward this moment for a few weeks now. These things take time. And planning. I fully intend on pushing my ideas forward into meaningful actions. And I’ve got a bonus for you…I’m going to share some things with you.

For awhile my podcasts here will chronicle some of my recent struggles to come to terms with a variety of projects that have been in disarray for awhile. If my challenges can benefit your quest toward becoming remarkable – well, I should let you in on them! Collective wisdom. It’s a worthwhile pursuit. I’d like to contribute something to the cause.

Progress demands change. It’s exciting. A little bit scary, but invigorating. How are the changes going in your life? I hope you’re finding the courage to make meaningful changes in your life. Tell me about them. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for sharing your time and attention.

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First, let’s ask the bigger question, “DO you take action on your ideas?”

Most don’t. Are you among the majority?

No, not you. You’re different. You’re a real man of genius who takes action.

How? How do you take action?

As always, questions are easy. Answers, not so much.

History seems to be the greatest predictor of the future. History does seem to repeat itself. And that includes our history. We all tend to continue to do what we’ve always done. That means, if we’ve developed the habit of doing something, we’ll likely maintain that habit. If we’ve developed the habit of not doing anything, we’ll likely keep on doing nothing.

That’s scary, but it doesn’t mean life must continue along that track. It is possible to jump onto another track. Effort is required. Sometimes enormous effort, but it’s possible. How badly do you want it?

Let’s talk a bit about ideas and taking action on them. Hit PLAY and give me a small chunk of your life. Thank you in advance!

P.S. Here are some links to things I reference in today’s show. They are not affiliate links either. Only because that idea was never put into action.

Ampad Reporter’s Notebooks (this is where I buy mine, 12 at a time)
Moleskine Notebooks
Field Notes (I love, love, love them!)

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Dan Tyminski plays guitar in Alison Krauss’ band, Union Station. Union Station, including Alison, is a world-class band. Dan has been a member since 1994. He tells a story about being asked by Ms. Krauss to join her band as a guitar player. There was only one problem. He wasn’t really a guitar player. Banjo? Yes. Mandolin? Sure, proficient. But guitar? Not so much.

He confesses he knew chords, but not much else. So he spent some months in a shed teaching himself. All the while facing whatever fears he may have had. Shutting up the voices in his head that may have said, “Dan, you idiot. You can’t do this. You can’t go on the road or in the studio with Alison Krauss as her guitar player. Give it up, dude.” No, Tyminski apparently didn’t listen to any of those fears. He just got busy learning to play the guitar. One man. One guitar. One shed.

Magic does happen when men face their fear by refusing to surrender to it. Now, Dan hears crowds applaud. But it could have turned out so much differently had he never hit that shed with the tenacity to be able to tell Alison, “Sure, I’d love to be your guitar player.”

Fear takes on many forms. It morphs like the cyborg assassin chasing John Connor.

And it can be just as tough. In every way.

People wake up in the morning afraid of something. They lay awake at night worrying. Shadows, clouds and stormy weather don’t much care if you’re wide awake or sleepy. Fear is like a roach. It can thrive in any environment. It only needs a brain. The brain need not be rational, bright or highly intelligent. Any old brain will do. As long as it’s alive.

Vision is blurred when the corridor of fear is closing in. It doesn’t matter that clear skies are at the end of the hall. We often struggle to see that proverbial light at the end. Those shadows are in high def though. We can see them in vivid detail. 3-D even.

They change shapes as we embrace their closeness. Sometimes they take form as the risk of failure. Other times they’re the possible outcome of success. From one extreme to the other we embrace our fears and use them as excuses preventing us from what we claim we really want.

Sit down with anybody willing to acknowledge their fear and you sense their pulse accelerating. Their fingertips grow cold. And even if don’t feel it, you can almost see the knots form in their gut. Don’t let anybody tell you that fear isn’t real. It’s very real. Your body’s response proves it.

Our rational minds can fail us. Deception. Delusion. Imagination. Those are the fuel sources for our fears.

Questions can bring clarity because they demand answers. Deny answering at your own risk. If you do, fear will overtake you, run you down like a crazed trucker, beat you with chains and leave your dead carcass as a reminder for the rest of us…that it means business! Of course, it’ll all be a figment of our imagination, but we’re certain we can smell dead flesh.

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This is Rosie and Rocky – our two White West Highland Terriers. Brother and sister. That’s Rosie you may hear barking as the podcast begins. They were born in The Woodlands, Texas over a decade ago.

You should know I love cartoons. I have four full color prints of Jerry Van Amerongen hanging on my studio walls. He’s the creator of the greatest cartoon on the planet – Ballard Street. I purposefully surround myself with Jerry’s work. It inspires me, but quite often it shows me how little creativity I really practice. I hope to do better! Always.

“Who are you?” is the question asked. Some people may find that offensive, but not me. Don Crowther, whose work I respect and enjoy, would take issue with me even sharing personal stuff with professional stuff – but when people ask, what are you to do? People say, “Tell me your story.” I’ve been gently criticized for not sharing enough of my personal life with people interested in my professional services. Just this week Fast Company posted a story about Sarah Austin and her balance between personal and professional. It’s a story of how she seamlessly intertwines her personal and professional life. The fact is, some people are interested. I confess I’m still struggling to figure it all out. Don and other experts at such stuff are teaching me. We’ll see how good a student I am.

WHO ARE YOU? It’s not an offensive question to me – because I’m certainly not well known (yet). Fewer people know me compared to those who don’t. Lebron James doesn’t have that problem. Thankfully, I’m not that popular or famous. Nor do I run the risk of losing my anonymity any time soon. Going to the Wal-Mart is not a problem. I can’t imagine what it must be like when people know who you are, everywhere you go.

This is grandson number one, Max. His mom, my daughter, blogs about him (I contribute every now and then) at his website. Jake is his little brother. Jake has his own website.

Rhonda is my wife. She has a website where she sells her doll dresses. That would command an entire podcast episode all by itself. I didn’t even mention it, did I? She’s just getting her blog going. It’s a work in progress. She’s one of those people who is too busy creating stuff. She’s not got much time for this unproductive website stuff. She does, however, have quite a loyal band of followers, friends and customers. Her business is growing. Proof that no niche is too small.

I doubt I’ve answered the question as substantially as I could have, but this will have to do. Consider it part one of my answer. Will there be more parts? It all depends on who asks, how often they ask and if it will help me serve you better. So, maybe. Just maybe.

Thanks for listening. Thanks for reading. Thanks for letting me occupy part of your life and your attention.

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Wanna hack off a life coach? How about two? Take issue with the typical sounds about pursuing passion found all over the web. Recently a couple of life coaches took issue with my notion of pursuing passion.

We just have a philosophical and practical difference of opinion. Vastly different. And I wasn’t the least bit angry, but I touched a nerve with these two guys. You’d have thought I called their mama, “Fat!”

That word “practical” was at the heart of it all. In my mind.

The fact is, my approach is far too real-world for some life coaches. I don’t market myself as a life coach, but any of us in the “helping businesses” should be concerned with serving the lives of others – not pushing popular opinion or riding the wave of the latest, greatest notion.

Pursue your passion. Does it really serve the person who is up his ears in credit card debt, contemplating bankruptcy and struggling with daily life because of those pressures? Does it really serve the husband and wife are trying to make ends meet so the financial burdens don’t rip their marriage apart? Does it really serve the father who cries at night because he’s losing his teen to drugs?

Some life coaches seem to think the panacea for all of life’s problems is pursue your passion by being your own god. Law of attraction. The Secret. All the rest of the drivel that deludes people into believing they have full command of the universe.

Yes, I strongly disagree with that belief. For starters, let me give you my so-called bias. I believe in God Jehovah. That is, I believe in the God you read about in the Bible. I also know I’m not Him. I don’t think you are either. That fundamental belief means I don’t think any of us have full command of the universe. In fact, I rather believe the control we have is limited to ourselves. We control our behavior, our beliefs, our actions, our reactions and our choices. I also believe that’s sufficient for us to do the right thing.

But I also believe in the practical realities of life. Passion is not always the answer. Sometimes cash flow is the answer. Sometimes a medical doctor is the answer. Sometimes a family counselor is the answer. Sometimes God is the answer. Come to think of it, when isn’t God the answer? I clearly have what some might call a “religious bias.” I admit it.

Click play and I’ll tell you more about the two life coaches who disagree with my take on pursuing passion.

UPDATE: I love words. Especially ones I don’t know how to spell. Ironically, I’m usually a good speller, but I posted this post using the term “torked” instead of “torqued.” Thankfully, it was called to my attention early on, but it’s taken me all day to get around to changing it. I like the look of “torked” better, but thanks for the correction. We aim to please.

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“People with dirty jobs are the happiest people I know,” said Mike Rowe of the Discovery Channel show, Dirty Jobs.

“Follow your passion is probably the worst advice I ever got,” says Mike.

Zig when everybody else is zagging.

Go in a different direction from the herd.

It’s possible to love what you do. That doesn’t mean you’re doing what you love. It may not mean that you’re following your passion. If you’re not following your passion then you’re destined to live a miserable life – wrong!

The masses preach that we must chase our passion. We must do it or success will elude us. We must do it or we’ll wind up empty, pathetic and broke. And we believe it. So more often than not we’re discontented. With everything that is our life.

Are we destined to live our entire life questioning, “If only…?”

A blogger recently wrote how she was so engaged in her work that she lost track of time. She found herself working more hours than ever because she loved her work. She was somewhat offended – or so it seemed – when somebody commented about her “work.” She doesn’t think of it as work. It was as though the very word repulsed her. Interesting.

Work is not a dirty word. There may be dirty work – but work isn’t dirty. And loving what you do is not necessarily the same as doing what you love. Productivity, efficiently, effectiveness, fulfillment, contentment – they can all be yours.

Maybe it starts with us making up our mind we’re going to do remarkable things and find joy in the daily actions that make up our lives. Maybe it starts with us making up our mind we’re not going to chase fairly tales, but instead we’re going to write our life story and grow where we’re planted. Maybe it starts with making up our mind we’re going to provide value and service by doing those things we’re able to do – not because we’re doing what we love, but because we love what we’re doing!

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Our country – the entire world – is full of such people. Not everybody is chasing glamor and a 4-hour work week. Not everybody is meant to be self-employed. Not everybody is meant to live the way you think they should. Fact is, our world would come to brick wall stop if everybody sat on their butt Tweeting and Facebooking every day. Besides, don’t we have enough folks doing that job? I could name names!

I love Mike Rowe’s work, his humor and his style. I also love the stories he shares with us. His narration on The Deadliest Catch ain’t half bad either! In fact, I’m so fond of him I may just go buy a Ford. That Flex looks pretty sweet. In case you hadn’t noticed, Rowe is Ford’s current pitch man. When you’re hot, you’re hot. And Mike now has a killer line of Hawaiian red dirt items, including shirts, caps and a nifty bag. I’m eyeballing that bag to tote my reading material.

Work may be a dirty word to some folks. I’m rather fond of it – and even more fond of those who engage in it honestly every day. These are the people who are unafraid to do what must be done. They provide value. They provide for us, and their families. I don’t think less of them for it. You shouldn’t either.

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The pursuit of passion may well begin with knowing ourselves better. Avoiding self-delusion, recognizing our natural tendencies, knowing our abilities and seeing ourselves in honest and true ways – those are among the elements required for improved self-awareness.

This is hard work. It’s demanding. It’s often stressful. Coming to terms with who we really are can be some of our most important work. We ought to give it more time and attention. We ought to strive hard to figure it out.

It’s made harder because we like to compare ourselves with others. We look to emulate others. We often judge our success or failure based on how others are doing, or have done. It’s a trap. And it will consume us. Because there’s always somebody who is stronger, faster, bigger, better, more popular, prettier, more handsome, richer, funnier…

Be who you are, but be the best person possible. Improve. Grow. Develop. Mature. Be unique. Be remarkable.

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Passion. Lots of us are still searching for ours. We hope we’re gazing in the right direction to find it.

It’s not the easiest thing to discover. You’d think it would jump out at us plain as day. After all, it’s our passion. It shouldn’t be so hard. You’d think we were looking for a Balinese starling, the rarest bird in the world. Passions, like rare birds, are often very tough to spot in real life. But, there’s no zoo where we go to look at our passion. We have to find it in the real world.

Books. Speeches. Blogs. Podcasts. Webcasts. Videos. Forums. There are about 33,700,000 results on Google for “find your passion.” Clearly, many people are still on the prowl to find their passion.

Why is it so hard? Do you need binoculars or a microscope? It all depends on how close or far away you are from finding it. But, how do you know if you’re even in the ballpark? What if we’re looking in the wrong area of the sky? What if it’s right under our nose?

Today’s show focuses on just one question that might serve to help. Be forewarned though, it might not help at all!

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I’m taking some time off and traveling since this is the July 4th holiday week. But I’m not going to avoid my responsibility to provide you something. The value proposition may be compromised, but hopefully not. We found value in Seinfeld, even though it was a show about nothing. Today’s show may be kinda sorta about nothing, but actually it’s a show where I explain in greater detail who I am and how I came to launch the Bula Network.

Please hit PLAY and permit me to pull back the curtains a bit. I hope you find it profitable.

I’ve even been encouraged to open up comments on today’s show. Do you have the courage to leave a comment? I hope so, but I won’t be offended if you don’t. Embarrassed maybe, but not offended.

Thank you! Lord willing, I’ll be back the week of July 5th. Be safe.

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Edwin Newman was a newscaster with NBC. Newman was very observant about speech, words and language. In 1974 he wrote a book entitled, “Strictly Speaking: Will America Be the Death of English?” Almost a decade later he wrote, “Civil Tongue.”

Strictly Speaking was a book I read when I was a high school senior. I had aspirations of being a writer and frequently read books about effective talking and writing. Newman was among the very first I heard discuss some of the stupid speech habits of English speaking people.

Business people – in fact, all people – seem to fall in love with phrases that sound good, but if we’d stop to think about them – even if for a moment – we’d realize they’re stupid. Some of them are really stupid. But the masses still consider them profound.

I’ve long been convinced that lemming-itis is rampant in America. Perhaps it is worldwide, but since I’m not a globe trotter I can’t confirm that. Daily I witness lemming behavior in offline and online situations. Mark Twain made a statement about this long before I was born, so I know modern technology has very little, if anything, to do with it. Hit PLAY and I’ll explain.

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The time it takes to be average or bad could just as easily be spent being creative. But, we all have roadblocks that get in our way. That doesn’t mean we have to accept average or bad – in ourselves or in others. It does mean we need a better, perhaps deeper understanding of the challenges that stop us from being creative.

Jeffrey Gitomer is brilliant. He’s creative. I have a man-crush on him. He’s in good company, too. Sir Ken Robinson has the current top spot. Sorry, Jeffrey. Gitomer has long used a story of checking into a hotel as an illustration of how people – in this case, the clerk who checks in guests – lack creativity. He argues that they could just as easily be creative and provide a remarkable experience, but sadly – they don’t. They recite the same drivel day after day, guest after guest. Southwest Airlines proves the point with creative delivery of pre-flight instructions. If you’ve ever flown Southwest you recognize creativity immediately. Same FAA mandated pre-flight instructions as every other airline. Completely different (better) experience for passengers though. Why? Because Southwest Airlines decided to use a creative delivery of the exact same message.

Maybe today’s show can help provoke thoughts about how you can be more creative. That’s my goal. Click PLAY and listen to at least 3 of the things that sometimes stand in our way of being more creative.

Be more creative. Be more remarkable. Deliver remarkable experiences. Achieve remarkable results.

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It was announced this week that BP had extended invitations to a limited number of people to demonstrate their technologies to see if any of these things will help solve the oil spill problem. BP has likely received many solicitations from people who say they’ve got a technology or process that can help. I have no way of knowing how valid each claim is, or how seriously BP has even humored these solicitations. Now that we’re well into the worst oil spill disaster ever, it appears BP is more willing to listen.

BP is inviting a select group to come to the Gulf where they can demonstrate their services live, on the water. I rather doubt BP will ask a single candidate to describe their “core values.” Something tells me BP doesn’t likely care about the story behind how a single entrepreneur was driven by his passion. No, it’s likely they care only about one thing, “Will it work?” Okay, two things. Will it work? AND “How much will this cost?” Welcome to Capitalism where we put a price tag on everything. Where performance and effectiveness matter – even if you’re a jerk with a suspicious purpose.

Honestly, I have no problem with that approach. It’s smart. After all, if one of the oil spill fix pitch men has a compelling story based on the core values of his enterprise, but his service or product is less effective in cleaning up this mess – I’d boot him out of the boat! BP shouldn’t care. I’m rather certain they don’t.

I’m not in the oil spill clean up business. I’m not even in the oil spilling business. How would you like to be the company who will forever be known as the greatest oil spiller in the ocean? Not a good claim to fame. That is not the best road to being remarkable – remarkably BAD.

Here, at Bula Network we’re focused on one thing – helping people. It happens that our tagline is more than that – it’s a mission, a quest and a driving force. The art of being remarkable. And because the process and interaction is so personal, it does matter what core values are. Convictions and demeanor do count. Personal connectivity counts.

In today’s show I reference this book, written by Al Stubblefield – “The Baptist Health Care Journey To Excellence: Creating A Culture That WOW’s!” (That is NOT an affiliate link) We all consider our best doctors those we like the most. We assume competence. We assume a certain degree of expertise. A doctor can be very skilled, but if our experience with him is bad – we complain about him to everybody we know, and we may even decide to go to another doctor. Bed side manners do determine the quality of the experience. It may not be quite like core values, but a doctor’s personality and ability to interact with us is surely determined by what’s in his heart.

DO YOU WANT A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK?
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So, let me talk with you about coaching, consulting, core values and why BP doesn’t care about the core values of the outfits who may be able to help pull their fat out of this fire. Remember one thing though – BP may not care about the principles of the folks who can best help them, but they’ll always behave in ways congruent to their own values and principles. Those things they value most will rise to the surface just like all that oil. Your career and business are no different.

*You can leave audio feedback 24 hours a day. Leave your name, your location (city/state) and email address plus any feedback you care to share. I may play your feedback in a future show. Your feedback can be as specific or generic as you’d like. I honestly don’t care. It’s YOUR feedback to me.

On Monday, July 5, 2010 I’ll make a random drawing and give away the book FREE. No, I’m not going to charge you twenty bucks shipping. It’s 100% free, including shipping – my bribe for getting you to give me feedback.

Thanks.

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No blog post. Just today’s show. Why? Because I’m lazy. And busy. So hit that PLAY button and you’ll understand the title. The subject is building relationships. Yes, relationships. Trust me. You’ll understand when you listen to the show.

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Great leaders see the future first. This includes YOU, as the leader of your own life.

The question is, “What do you see? And what are doing about it?”

Some people view the future with wishful thinking. They dream of winning the lottery. They dream of having the cabin by the lake. They dream of living in that bigger neighborhood. People have lots of dreams. Visions of grandeur.

It’s been said that the difference between a dream and a goal is a deadline. No it’s not. There are significant difference beyond the scope of a deadline. If not, then the mere passage of time would elevate our dreams into goals. Just let time pass and as we approach our deadline – the dream is realized! Would that it were that easy, but it’s not. Not even close.

Deadlines without any action taken to meet those deadlines are meaningless.

Well over 10 years ago my son – then a teenager – had car envy. He wanted a Honda Civic Si. A blue one. It was a really great shade of blue. He could see himself in that car. He daydreamed about having it as his own. He had no trouble seeing a future with a Civic Si in the driveway of our house. I encouraged him to apply himself to make that dream a reality. That meant making some tough choices. It meant doing some things, sacrificing some things and taking the time necessary to put himself in a financial position where he could realize the future he saw with this car.

Note: When you listen to the show you’ll hear me talk about my Acura Type R – bright yellow with white Volks wheels. What I fail to tell you in the show is that I eventually sold my son that car. What he didn’t know is that when I bought the car I fully saw a future where I’d be able and willing to sell the car to him for a greatly reduced price. And I did, a few years after I bought it. For him it might have appeared as serendipity. For me, it was a future vision I had as his dad.

My son saw his future with this Honda Civic Si and he made it happen, with my help. But every day – check that, every moment – people make choices that create a future they don’t really want. So they say. They find themselves in circumstances that they hate. Jobs they despise. Stuck in places they’d rather not be.

They often refuse to believe that there is anything they can do to remedy their situation. They play the blame game and find many reasons to excuse where they’re at. One of their favorite phrases is, “If only…” If only they had their college degree. If only they had been given the lucky break they saw somebody else get. If only they could make $500 more a month.

If only “if only” would work, they’d be the world’s richest people. But, alas, “if only” doesn’t work. So these people are stuck in a defeated, discouraging life. It’s a life where you don’t look to the future because you’re too busy staring at your shoes. See the man on the right. That man may be YOU. I hope not.

Let’s begin our quest to consider the importance of thinking about our future with the intention of doing something to make it happen!

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Mental toughness has long been a popular area of study for me. It began years ago as I coached little kids. One player with fairly limited skills and abilities would battle through all adversity until he succeeded. Undeterred by difficulty, defeat and failure – this player seemed quick to recover and get on with his pursuit of success. Contrast that player with a much more skilled player who allowed the smallest challenge to defeat him. He’d quickly give up and want to quit. Success just didn’t seem as important to him.

I’d find myself devoting more and more time to the skilled player hoping to encourage him to battle through the tough times. Encouraging this player to not give up sometimes became job one. It had nothing to do with the player’s skill. It was all about this child’s apparent need to learn that adversity is just part of life – and that it must be managed. Sometimes it can be overcome. Sometimes it can avoided. But sometimes, it just must be endured. And it was equally important for me to demonstrate to these young players that we all face challenges. Our success isn’t determined by the size of our adversity, but rather by the size of our willingness and determination to overcome it.

I bought books on mental toughness. I talked with veteran coaches. I even visited with professional coaches. I developed relationships with coaches from all parts of the country. I even tracked down coaches from European countries. I was looking for techniques and strategies that might help young children learning to play a game. The bigger lessons were almost always in the art of tenacity. It was a noble quest – the quest to teach children how to conquer their fears, overcome adversity and keep moving forward.

I despise the “everybody gets a trophy” notion. It robs our children of resolve. It hinders their ability to properly deal with adversity. It gives them artificial expectations. It does not elevates a child’s self-esteem. I’ve looked into the eyes of too many kids to know the futility of sending every child home with a trophy.

No matter what our age there is a simple, profound answer for chasing down a dream – for making sure we endure until our dreams are realized. It’s simply this: make up your mind to outlast your adversity by just one moment!

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The idea seemingly comes out of left field. All of a sudden you’re struck with a profound thought. An idea that spurs on creativity. And it’s something that never crossed your mind before. At least that you can remember.

The other day I’m talking with a friend about a few business ideas. He says, “I’ve been constantly thinking about it.” I knock him on his butt when I admonish him, “Well, stop it! Quit thinking about it.”

He thinks I’m about to start my usual sermon on taking action. He’s not the most action-oriented person I know, but he’s hardly alone in battling that challenge. But that’s where I took our conversation. He was shocked.

Small businesses are often very creative. Entrepreneurs, small business creators and owners, are among the most creative people on the planet. But sometimes they suffer what my friend suffers from – over thinking or too much thinking. Creativity is frequently sabotaged because people don’t consider the power of rest or relaxation in creativity. Business creativity is often helped by the distraction of rest.

“Give it a rest,” I tell my friend. “What do you mean? Give up on the idea?” he responds. “No, I’m not telling you to abandon the idea. I’m telling you to step away from it. You’re constantly thinking about it and trying to force it,” I say.

For the next half hour I admonish him to disconnect from the business idea so he can prepare his mind to accept solutions that he may not be able to recognize now. He’s so consumed with his business idea that he can’t find the best solutions for developing the best strategy to implement. For almost a month he’s been “consumed.” That’s his word for it. Consumed.

Dr. Phil would ask, “How’s that working out for you?” I’m not Dr. Phil, but I asked the question. Long pause. Silence. Very softly he said, “It’s not working.” Exactly.

Business people often comment that they’re constantly thinking about some issue, some challenge or some new idea. It’s a badge of courage. Or so they think. It demonstrates how committed they are to the idea. They think it’s how it should be. But, they’re wrong!

More often than not ideas and creativity comes out of nowhere.

Think of the ideas you’ve had in those times when you least expected it. It can happen while you’re shaving, when you’re in the shower, while you’re driving or in a variety of other mundane every day activities. It can also happen when we’re having a conversation about something that has nothing whatsoever to do with our “idea.” Something is said, or said in a way, that sparks this EUREKA moment for us. We often don’t know and can’t explain why an idea leaps into our mind. Sometimes, they just happen.

“Stop working so hard at it,” I tell my friend. In fact, quit thinking about it. We talk about the books he’s reading – all of which were designed (at least in his mind) to spark him to finalize a strategy for his idea. I suggest he stop reading those books. He’s associating each of these books with pursuing his idea so I tell him he needs to set those books aside for the time. I recommend a few historical books (he likes history). Read the story of the Louisiana flood of 1927. Why? Because it has nothing to do with his idea. It’s completely different.

Contrarian strategies are the order of the day when we’re trying to get unstuck. Or when we’re trying to be creative. Or when we’re struggling to develop a strategy. It seems counter intuitive to disconnect in order to make a more meaningful connection, but that’s exactly how it works.

Quite often our best ideas and solutions come when we stop thinking about it. Sir Issac Newton remarked that he discovered gravity by “constantly thinking about it.” I doubt that very much. If we could have followed him around I’ll bet we’d find that he spent many hours not thinking about it.

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People who are still struggling to find success are often tempted to view those who are successful as being “lucky.” It makes them feel better about themselves. And their failures.

We know of many successful people. We know who they are. Some are online celebrities. But, we didn’t see them struggle. We didn’t know them when they were struggling, and poor. Sometimes we incorrectly assume they found success easily. And quickly. Worse yet, we may assume they were always successful.

I get a phone call asking me, “Do all successful people pre-think every action?” Words like “all” scare me. I’ve not found too many instances where broad brushes can properly paint an entire group of people. But I engage the conversation no matter.

I know people who have achieved wild success by shooting from the hip. They’ve not given much thought to anything because they were too busy moving. Sometimes they moved forward. Sometimes they moved backwards. Fast. Some are like those proverbial blind pigs and they did find it – success. Sometimes they hit it BIG.

I know other people who never make a move without giving it serious thought. They pre-think all the variables. They consider the possible outcomes. Nothing happens until they’ve properly considered every available piece of information. And success never comes. Failures happen slowly, but methodically.

There is no one-size-fits-all. However…

I think it’s a mistake to not pre-think our business and career actions. My advice is usually very specific because I rarely find people who share an identical circumstance, knowledge, experience, skill set, ability or opportunity. For the person who takes action – and lots of it – without ever considering the consequences – I encourage them to more carefully consider the possible actions they might take. For the person who thinks – but never acts – I encourage them to abandon another hour of data collection and take some meaningful action based on their current “best” information.

Generally speaking, I always encourage people to pre-think their decisions and actions. Have a strategy. Have a designed purpose. Answer your “why.” Nobody can guarantee success, but we can improve our chances. We can put ourselves in the best possible position. We can attract serendipity with meaningful actions.

You may become successful – we’ll use becoming a millionaire as a metaphor for success – without ever thinking about it. You may also be struck by lightning. Or win the Powerball. But the odds are not favorable. Develop a plan. Be strategic. Map out a route. Then follow that route as you course correct along the way. It will – in my opinion- greatly enhance your chances of success.

Will it happen tomorrow? I don’t know. You don’t know either. Nobody does. What I do know is you’d better prepare for success. You don’t know when you’re going to break through. Map out a strategy. Think about what you do.

Ask yourself questions and take some thoughtful time to answer them. Here’s just a few to help get you started:

- Will this action move me closer to my desired goal? How?

- Will this action be congruent with who I am, and what I’m trying to accomplish? Will it help me become who I hope to be?

Remain focused on what you hope to become. Work hard without being fearful of failing in public. Nobody is taking notes. Nobody is keeping score. That’s what makes today’s world so great. We can dive in without any worry of being embarrassed. Failure isn’t anything to be ashamed of unless you embrace it and allow it to define who you are. It’s merely a temporary state through which all successful people must pass. So, get on with it.

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Sometimes you just have to share brilliance and creativity. Watch it. Ponder it. Use it.

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Many, if not most (perhaps all), Internet marketing gurus – those folks who earn their money by teaching others how to earn money online – advise us:

“Find a hungry market, then give it what it wants.”

They go on to tell us to serve a market that proves it will pay for what you offer. How do you do that? Well, easy. Just see if they’re buying solutions now. If they are, then it’s logical that they’ll be inclined to buy your solution.

We love stories. We love analogies. We can visualize thirsty and hungry people who have a strong appetite for the things to satisfy those desires (or needs).

Find a hungry crowd and BAM! Instant Success.

Do you know why that advice is so common? One, it’s true. Sort of. Two, it’s easy to talk about. Three, it sounds good. Right, even! But…there’s more to it. Isn’t there always more?

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Back in the 70′s I was in journalism school at LSU. I was 17 when I created my non de plume. It wasn’t because of writing and journalism though.

Stanley Bing may be among the biggest non de plumes of today. I have a serious man crush on Bing. It may be argued that Gil Schwartz isn’t half the man Stanley is – but they are one and the same. I must say I think Gil did himself proud with creating Stanley though. No matter, I’ve read everything Bing has written for public consumption.

John le Carre may be among the better known pen names. Did David John Moore Cornwell not have the ability to write killer spy novels? Sure he did. From the early 60′s he’s provided excitement for millions of readers. He is John le Carre.

Eben Pagen wears a guru badge among Internet marketers. He admits he reached a level of financial success with a product entitled, Double Your Dating. But, he did it under a non de plume, David DeAngelo.

Yesterday, Johnny B. Truant wrote a guest post over at CopyBlogger. In the post he admitted that Johnny B. Truant is a non de plume. Back in December James Chartrand of Men With Pens made a similar revelation at CopyBlogger.

Why create a non de plume?

I suspect there may be a variety of reasons. I have my own ideas, but as always I reserve the right to be wrong.

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Tom Petty sang, “It’s time to move on. It’s time to get going. What lies ahead I have no way of knowing.” The song? Time To Move On, from his record, Wildflowers.

That last line is likely one reason why so many struggle with moving – taking meaningful action. They don’t know what lies ahead. Fear.

The paralyzing kind. The kind of fear that makes us sweat with worry.

People waste time. The distractions beckon us like those Greek Sirens of seduction. We often don’t resist – we can’t. Or so we think.

Email, websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and all the rest – urge us to join the conversation. Read me. Listen to me. Consume me.

And that’s exactly what they do – consume us. Preventing us from taking meaningful action. Rather, we join the masses – the lemmings – flailing our arms, kicking our legs in the waters called Community. We’re one of the gang. Going nowhere, but we’re in good company.

Well, it’s time to move on. It’s past time to get going – toward making your life, your career and your enterprise a success. Forward momentum. Trudging forward. With meaningful action.

Thank you for sharing your time and attention. It’s not a small investment you make. I don’t take it for granted. My goal is to help you in the art of being (more) remarkable.

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What do you say when you talk with yourself?

Don’t deny it. You do it.

Out loud? Maybe not, although some of us do.

But we all engage with dialogue with ourselves every day. It’s possible to make those conversations more meaningful.

Self-loathing is not really meaningful dialogue. Beat yourself up all you want and it’s not likely to lead to positive action. If anything, it’s likely destructive – especially if it goes on too long.

“Know thyself” is an ancient Greek inscription. But it’s much more. It’s a lifelong quest that I suspect few of us achieve. All the more reason for us to engage in meaningful conversation with ourselves.

There are a variety of tools and resources you can use to help propel this conversation forward – that talk you have with yourself. I discuss just one such tool. The tool isn’t the important thing. The more important thing is to have the conversation and to make efforts to have a true reading on who we are.

Soar with your strengths. Be congruent. Be genuine. Work hard. Knowing yourself is heavy lifting. Profitable, but heavy.

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Making decisions. Any fool can. But add one word and it all changes. Making good decisions. Or, making great decisions.

One of the things I love about some books is the busting of assumptions. Myth busters.

Freakonomics was such a book.

I’m not a brilliant economist. In fact, I’m not even a dimwitted economist. But these guys shine a light on things in ways few of us ever considered before. Where most of us see nothing, they see patterns, explanations and details. The analysis of such things enlightens us. It makes us more aware. It can also help us think differently, better!

Most of us like to think we decide based only on hard facts, but that Pfeffer and Sutton book cover to the left is properly titled how most of us really do things. We fall prey to dangerous half-truths and total nonsense.

Another such book is Competing On Analytics. I loved this book when it came out a few years ago. Don’t let the title scare you off. Measuring things. Quantifying things. Looking at things from a different perspective – one that can be measured – can serve all of us well.

Sometimes we make assumptions based on incorrect data. We let our emotions soar or fall based on those assumptions. We launch forth with an enterprise riding high on the wave of blind optimism, assuming everybody will quickly see how terrific our offer is. Too often, we’re wrong.

The value of an analytic approach is found in the title question, “What if we are wrong?”

But merely asking the question is only part of the suggestion for making better decisions. There’s another component that you should always incorporate. Your failure to implement the second part of the equation to the question – What if we are wrong? – is vital to saving us time, money, emotion, passion and a host of other valuable resources.

Thank you for hitting play. Thank you for giving me a chunk of your time and attention!

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Would it be more beneficial to learn from the ground up, as you begin your enterprise? Or, would you be better served by outsourcing those things you don’t know how to do?

Apprenticeships once served to help teach and train artisans. Passing on knowledge to another served everybody. The knowledge and skills of the experienced weren’t lost. The student learned something he hadn’t known before. Society benefited from increased knowledge as the craft became more fully developed.

Today, we’re mostly interested in saving time. There’s no time to learn all the stuff we need to know. Knowledge is hitting us at such a fast pace that we simply can’t keep up anyway.

Skills we lack are also readily available today. From php programmers to simple WordPress installation – we can find people who know what we don’t. Why should we bother?

Maybe, just maybe, we’re not always best served by forfeiting our own learning. It’s possible our longer term success might benefit from learning a few things from the ground up – even if it’s simple, fundamental and basic.

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Cameron Herold’s company is BackPocketCOO.

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Send birthday presents to my mailing address located at the footer of this website, http://connectwithrandy.com.

Yes, it’s my birthday. And I’ll cry if I want to. Because I’m quite old. Ancient in Internet years!

My birthday doesn’t really have much to do with today’s show. Well, maybe it does. You decide.

Spend some time in self-examination answering the riddle, “At my best I’m THIS, not THAT…”

I’ve decided to do that myself. Today. On my birthday. Permit me to grant YOU a birthday wish…

Find out what you are best at. Pursue it for all you’re worth. Chase it down. Make it your own. Be remarkable!

Listen to today’s birthday show and you’ll find out who I have a man-crush on. A serious crush. His most recent book speaks to the subject of today’s show!

(This just in – voicemail of Max, grandson #1, singing “Happy Birthday” to me today. Enjoy! I did.)

All the best,

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I’m watching the NHL playoffs and the color commentator says this, “The more comfortable they (the players) are, the better they perform.”

When a team is down by a few goals you’ll regularly hear the announcers say something like this: “They (the losing team) just need to get one goal here so they can start to feel good about themselves, and get back into this game.”

Confidence. Momentum. Comfort. Feeling good about yourself.

These are important ingredients to being remarkable. Without them it’s impossible to become remarkable. It’s an art. One you must practice. One you must engage in daily.

Give today’s show a listen and find a way to incorporate these things into your life. Equally important, find ways to incorporate these into the lives of others. Serving others is a great way to build your own comfort and confidence. Try it.

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Simon’s book website is here: http://www.startwithwhy.com/

I’m a big fan of the question, “WHY?” That explains why I’m a big fan of Simon’s work and the book.

Follow him on Twitter if you’d like. Listen to the Marketing Over Coffee’s John Wall talk with Simon. Subscribe to Marketing Over Coffee’s podcast while you’re at it. It’s among the best podcasts about marketing online. John Wall and Christopher Penn are both brilliant guys. I envy their youth, technical prowess – and their hair!

Enjoy. Think.

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Do you have a dream? Some desire? Well, you need to write it down because that adds validity to it. Next, give yourself a deadline. When you do that, it becomes a goal. Suck up the courage to tell your friends and family about it because when you say it out loud you add a level of accountability that can help you achieve it.

There are some fundamentals of business that I was taught decades ago. For starters, marketing is getting your message out to the world. Have some intentions about your enterprise, or your career. You can’t simply wander aimlessly toward success – or your goal. You need to behave with clear intention.

There are people in my life – even if they’re only slightly connected to me through social circles or social media – who appear to have a single focus in life. A very clear intention. They seem to be chasing it for all they’re worth. Their intention is evident. They need, want and strongly desire ATTENTION.

Not all of them want attention for the sake of money. Many seem to be wanting something else – POPULARITY! They want the big three F’s: friends, followers and fans! They’re living their entire life out loud. Life is a reality program in which they are the star and they seem to be forcing it on everybody who knows them.

Pass me the barf bag because I’m sick of these people.

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I was in high school when KISS took off. Admittedly, they were not the greatest musicians. Nobody would ever describe them as “world-class” in their musical prowess. But boy did they have style? Yes, yes they did.

They could play – some. Enough. KISS didn’t have to be the very best in order to achieve superstar fame (and money). They found a way to be remarkable by having a unique style. Today, the money is still rolling in. Public exposure is still reasonably high for a band that taken on more iterations than any other band I can name. From Dr. Pepper ads to reality TV programs, Gene Simmons has made a handsome living for decades. How? He is remarkable!

Nobody did quite what they did. That’s why they were remarkable.

Alice Cooper had a style that was also unique. He was a rocker who also used makeup. But he added a dark side stunt show. And it worked for him. He’s been playing golf in Phoenix for decades. All, thanks to Alice Cooper, the remarkable theatrical rock ‘n roll character who hasn’t produced new music in years!

Genesis wore costumes and makeup. They were also a great rock and roll band who brought theater to their lives shows. KISS, Alice Cooper and Genesis were all different though. When you heard KISS, you didn’t mistake them for Genesis. Each had a unique and different style.

From athletic footwear to professional athletics to rock ‘n roll to talk radio – to whatever it is YOU do, style often makes the difference. Spend all your time trying to be “the world’s best” and you’ll likely fail. But if you make sure your substance is sufficiently high in quality, then focus on your style – making sure your style is unique to YOU – then you’ll be well on your way to greater success!

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