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Create Real Change (the Anti-New Year’s Resolution post)

Jan 30 2018

We all know what to do. We just don’t know how to convince ourselves to do it.” — Mel Robbins How’s the New Year’s resolution going? Did you resolve to eat healthier, exercise more, save money? Unfortunately, many have already abandoned their goals. According to US News, 80% of people have given up on their New Year’s resolutions by second week in February. That’s only 6 weeks into the new year! Current society has programmed us to expect immediate results. Technology, customer service, GPS, Facebook, Alexa. All this has created an impatient lifestyle. When we don’t get the immediate results, we get discouraged and move on. That’s why New Year’s resolutions are almost always destined to fail. We are only thinking about simple solutions to issues that are not so simple. We need a different method to bring REAL change in our lives For real change, you must think long-term,[…]

Nov 21 2017

I started writing this post while lying in a hammock outside Chattanooga as I was looking up at the leaves enjoying what was left of the fall colors in late November. It was a cool, crisp morning on the last day of a casual trip with few awesome guys. A true adventure; the trip was full of action, good food and lots of laughs! In the professional world, I consider myself a hard-charger. I’m always involved in something new and progressing on some type of challenge. I am always exploring different concepts, learning new technology and researching new investments. I’m always signing up for something new and taking on new commitments. Recently, I’ve noticed something has been off. I found that I was becoming less motivated and less productive. Items on my to do list kept getting bumped down each day. It was an odd experience for procrastination to take such a[…]

Jul 07 2017

“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Previous President and COO at Waffle House Inc., Bert Thornton, presented his 10 Basic Laws of Success to the Gulf Breeze Rotary a few weeks ago. These laws can serve as guidelines for continual growth in your career and life. Bert speaks from his 40 years of experience of progressive growth, as he experienced Waffle House grow from a few southern restaurants to an iconic national presence. Bert frequently speaks on leadership and is the author of “Find an Old Gorilla: Pathways Through the Jungle of Business and Life.” Bert’s 10 Basic Laws of Success 1. Always take notes (always keep pen and paper) Bert warns that your mind is always at work and you must find ways to make best use of it. It is impossible to always remember an idea. If you write it down, you have a better[…]

Jun 20 2017

Everyone wants success, but no one wants to put in the work! I have a confession. When I work on really big projects, I work really hard when the project is new, I am learning and having fun. Then, when the project gets to about 80-90% of completion, it gets hard. Progress slows. It starts to feel like work and boring. The fun is gone and I lose interest. That’s the magic moment when projects can fail. Yet failure is not an option for the readers of this blog. I have found that the following actions keep me moving forward: Prioritize – Re-evaluate priorities and determine where this project fit. If this is your priority in your life, then stop focus on everything else that could be a distraction. In the book, “The One Thing”, there is an overall question to keep in mind: “what is the one thing you can[…]

Jun 05 2017

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” — T. S. Eliot We all have goals. Either expressed in statements like “one day, I plan to …” or you actually have it written down as a goal, we all are working towards a dream. Our goals are only as good as the action we put to support them. It is human nature to loose focus, cut corners and skip steps. However, these actions prevent us from achieving our goals and are avoidable. The magic component to stay on the path to success is accountability! Accountability is easily accessible and comes in many forms! You can set up an accountability partner or a group of partners. The idea is to have someone keep you honest to your goals. Below are a few ideas and resources to find accountability partners: Paid Coach –[…]

May 29 2017

“A great mentor helps you achieve what seems impossible” – Mariela Dabbah Dating back to the Ancient Greeks, there have always been mentor/mentee relationships. Closely related to apprenticeships, the knowledge and experience of the mentor is utilized to speed up the process for success. A great mentor is one that aligns with your values and pushes you beyond your comfort zone to achieve more and be more. There are many types of mentor relationships and mentors can be found in various ways. Although the mentorship is often the act of a successful person volunteering their time and attention, it is a two-way relationship where the mentee can provide return value. Not only speeding up success, a mentor can help with times of failure. The proper mentor can help you recover from those failures or reduce the collateral damage as you work to fix a problem. You can leverage a mentor’s experience and guidance[…]

May 20 2017

Either you run the day or the day runs you! – Jim Rohn One of the biggest challenges we all face is staying in control of our day. Far too often we end a long day exhausted with nothing really to show. We work hard, but in the end of the day often you can question – did this get me closer to my goal? If you didn’t start the day right, then the answer is usually “no”. One way to ensure you stay in control of your day is to start it correctly. If you wake up to a buzzing alarm clock, stumble out of bed, get ready and leave for work; then you have already lost control of your day. Owning your day, starts by waking up earlier to spend time alone to refine your purpose, set proper mindfulness and establish priorities for the day. You can accomplish[…]

May 14 2017

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. Martin Luther King, Jr. Think back on a tough time in your career or your business. I mean, think of a really tough time. Yeah, you’ve got a story. I bet it was really, really not fun times. None of us enjoyed the those times, but you probably remember a major lesson learned from it – something you have vowed never to do or allow to happen again! I bet you also had to get really creative and improvise to just to survive. Then, little by little and step by step you started to gain back your confidence and were able to overcome the challenge. Today, you are now stronger and smarter because of that hard time! I’m sure you remember the scenario:[…]

May 08 2017

Many people are considering a stronger focus on long term financial stability and creating passive income streams. Why not? Everyone shares the dream to make money and having the freedom to do what they love (aka: RETIREMENT! ). Real estate makes a great option to gain consistent returns for future abundance. Real estate can be an active or passive investment, but either way you have control of your investment. You get to chose the location, actual property, style, and so much more. In addition, you can decide on solutions to problems such as replacing an AC or just getting the current one replaced. Alternatively, you have the option hire a property manager and have them make those decisions. Beyond just control, real estate has a multitude of benefits including: tax benefits, loan pay down, appreciation and cash flow. Most of all, it just makes sense. The demand is high, as[…]

Apr 27 2017

While listening to one of my favorite podcasts, the James Aultucher show, James was interviewing a very interesting guest that told stories of travel, failure and self-discovery. The guest, Kamal Ravikant, was discussing a unique period of his life which inspired him to write the book, Rebirth: A Fable of Love, Forgiveness, and Following Your Heart. Although the book is fiction, it is closely related to an autobiography because it tells the story of a trip that Kamal took during this special time in his life. The book sounded too interesting not to read. Book Overview During a series of unfortunate events in his life; the main character, Amit, casually commits to an unplanned pilgrimage – the Camino de Santiago. The Camino de Santiago (aka: The Way of St. James) is an ancient 550-mile Christian pilgrimage route across northern Spain to the city of Santiago De Compostela, where St. James’ body[…]

Create Real Change (the Anti-New Year’s Resolution post)

Give Me a Break

10 Basic Laws of Success

Getting Dirty – Doing the Work

Leverage Accountability to Achieve Goals

Find the RIGHT mentor

Own the Morning, Own the Day

Hard Times Make Us Strong

BRRRR Method for Real Estate Investing

Book Review: Rebirth: A Fable of Love, Forgiveness, and Following Your Heart