In Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, he has a graphic called the “Time Management Matrix.” Therein, he says that things that are both urgent and important are generally problems – usually a result of improper planning. However, in Robert Greene’s best-selling book, The 33 Strategies of War, strategy number four is Create a sense of urgency and desperation: Death-ground. This strategy recommends that you place yourself where your back is against the wall and you have to fight like hell ot get out alive. The conquistador, Hernan Cortes, did this by boring holes in his ships and burning them so that his men HAD TO fight the Aztecs and go deeper into Mexico.
The reason I bring this up is to ask you how your business resolutions for this year are going. It is the 26th of January now so let’s do an enthusiasm check. Are you still excited and motivated to accomplish your business/career goals that you set for yourself? If you truly are, you should be pursuing them aggressively. If you’re not pursuing them aggressively, why even bother in the first place?
This year, I didn’t make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. I’ve made a decision to make overall lifestyle changes.
First of all, I am on the road to becoming a vegetarian (lacto-ovo). I notice that when I eat less meat, I feel better. I’m not moving toward vegetarianism for spiritual or because I love animals so much that I won’t eat them. I just want to be healthier and live longer.
I’m also committed to working out. I’m not much of a gym person and I’d rather work out at home anyway.
I’m working a “5 on 1 off” training schedule. Here is what I’ve done so far:
Mon, JAN 9, 2012
* Javorek Dumbbell Comlex #1 (2 sets w/ 20 lbs dumbbells) — Upright Row; High Pull Snatch;
Squat Push Press; Bent Over Row; and High Pull Snatch
* 1-mile In-home Walk
—
Tue, Jan 10, 2012
* Iron Yoga Routine #1 (Warrior 2 bicep curl; [switch legs]; Rapturous Reach
(happy baby with chest press); Staff pose w/ vertical accordion; Bridge
expansion [bridge into overhead extension];Tree Triumph [with upright tricep
kickback]; Thunderbolt boost; Triangle Twist; and Child’s Pose Plus w/
tricep extension)
* 1-mile In-home Walk
—
Wed, Jan 11, 2012
* 1-mile In-home Walk
—
Thu, Jan 12, 2012
* Same as Tue
—
Fri, Jan 13, 2012
* Javorek Complex #1
* Rope skipping – 2 minutes
—
Sat, Jan 14, 2012
REST
—
Sun, Jan 15, 2012
* “The Nine” [NOTE: Rope skipping for 100 skips in between lift sets]:
One-arm Swing; One-arm Snatch; One-arm Clean & Jerk (using one 35 lbs dumbbell);
Lunge w/ tricep extension; Lunge w/ bicep curl (using two 10 lbs dumbbells);
Tiger Squats; Tiger Push-ups; Ab Wheel Roll-outs; and Tiger Bridge
—
Mon, Jan 16, 2012
* “Two-Piece & a Biscuit” — Use a pair of 20 lbs dumbbells for the following lifts:
RDL to Shrug to Upright Row; Bicep Curl to Swing; Squat to Tricep Extension; Push-up
with Renegade Row; and Leg Raise w/ Chest Press. Use a pair of 10 lbs dumbbells for
the following lifts: Half Sit-up Hold w/ Chest Fly; Half Sit-up Hold with Russian
Twist; and Half Sit-up Hold w/ Front Raise
* 2-mile In-Home Walk (I used 5 lbs. hand weights instead of a stretchie band)
—
Right now, I’m 243 lbs. I’m working to get down to about 210 lbs. I’ll keep you guys posted. Thanks.
For the purposes of this post, there are three types of people in the world: Grays; Browns; and Purples.
Gray people are those who look up to you. For whatever reason, they hold you in high regard and view you as being a higher-up on the socio-economic totem pole. Don’t get cocky about your standing with them. You’re always a misstep away from losing your credibility. Be kind and supportive to them. You never know when one of your fledglings will evolve into a mover and shaker that you’ll have to answer to one day. Hey, stranger things have happened.
Brown people are your peers. I was told that the color brown represents humility and you certainly have to be humble around your peers. They know you in a “Clint Eastwood Kinda Way” — they know the good, the bad, and the ugly about you. You have a similar background to them be it your political views, religion, income level, neighborhood, and/or artistic tastes. You can generally gauge the character of a person by seeing whom he/she hangs out with. You know the old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Your success or failure is heavily influenced by with whom you associate.
Purple people are those that you look up to. Purple is the color of royalty. This is an appropriate color being that these ladies and gentlemen are king makers and queen makers. We tend to look up to them because of the wealth they have accumulated, the fame they have, the power/influence they exert, or the special skills they possess. They tend to be centers of influence and they are true connectors. A recommendation from a purple can truly put the wind beneath your wings and send you soaring to new heights.
What I’ve learned over the years is that all of your success and failures will be dependent on your relationships with other people. Be kind to all those you come into contact with be they gray, brown, or purple. If you do or say the wrong thing, you can end up black and blue.
Cutting right to the chase, below are 7 things I did to get my current job. Please note that this is not a gimmick. All of my words were sincere. Sincerity is a prerequisite for long-lasting success.
Get your mind right and be prepared
My good friend and coach, Ciro DiSclafani (aka, “The Dream Job Maven”), told me that I have to realize that I am a linchpin. According to dictionary.com, a linchpin is something that holds the various elements of a complicated structure together. Best-selling author, Seth Godin, wrote a book entitled Linchpin. It is a must read. With knowing what a linchpin is and realizing that my skill set qualified me as one, I went looking for a company that was to my liking rather than looking for a place where I could fit it. I decided to be an agent of change rather than a conformist. When you are prepared, success tends to happen.
Tell others that you’re looking for a new job.
Platinum rap artist, Jay-Z, said it best when he said, “A closed mouth don’t get fed.” You can’t keep your job search a secret. You have to go tell it on the mountain and then go down into the valley and shout it loud there too. Don’t forget all the places in-between. The funny thing about how I got my current job is that a subordinate is the one who gave me the lead. Don’t judge people. You never know who they know.
Research your target company/companies
Remember, it is all about you. You should not be trying to fit it. Seek a company that fits you – where you see yourself prospering. It is like getting married. You have to know who you are partnering up with. One thing I really liked was that the CEO calls himself The Chief Happiness Officer. How cool is that? I learned that he actually pioneered the onsite outsourcing concept and got back in the game to right the ship as he is displeased with how his ideas are being presented by other companies.
Be and intrapreneur
According to Wikipedia.com, In 1992, The American Heritage Dictionary acknowledged the popular use of a new word, intrapreneur, to mean “A person within a large corporation who takes direct responsibility for turning an idea into a profitable finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation”. Intrapreneurship is now known as the practice of a corporate management style that integrates risk-taking and innovation approaches, as well as the reward and motivational techniques, that are more traditionally thought of as being the province of entrepreneurship. Being an intrapreneur is what shows people that you are in fact a linchpin.
Be a squeaky wheel
A lot of people submit resumes via job search engines, but you just end up being what Pink Floyd sang about – Just another brick in the wall. What I did was submit my resume through the company’s website then immediately sent a hand-written greeting card to the company’s CEO. Here is what I said in the card:
Dear Mr. Weiner:
I know you keep a busy schedule but I was hoping that you could squeeze me in for an interview.
I recently submitted my resume via email for consideration as an Experience Manager but I wanted to send you a quick note so that you notice me.
Hey, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, right (smile)?
I really like what I’ve seen and heard about your company and I think we would be a good match.
I have been fortunate enough to receive recommendations from clients, peers, supervisors and direct reports.
After reviewing my resume and recommendations, I think you will agree that I am a good candidate for joining your team.
“We should all be concerned with the future because we will spend the rest of our lives there.” ~ Charles F. Kettering
I hope to meet with you soon.
Kind regards,
Tyrone Turner
Follow-up with a phone call
I followed-up my greeting card with a phone call. That showed the prospective employer that I was really serious about getting this new job. The human resources contact told me that most people never call. They just email.
Make your mark
As soon as I started working for my current company, I looked at the way my operation was working and I followed the legendary Bruce Lee’s advice: “Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.” The operation already had a lot of systems in place, but I have been using my powers of persuasion and my knack for dealing with difficult people to improve moral and overall performance. The future with my current employer looks bright!
The point here is folk, that going about getting the job or career you want needs to be approached systematically. Be prepared, be honest, and be focused and committed to get a company that YOU can hire.
The diagram to the left is called the Diamond of Dispositions. This information was discussed in my book entitled THE WHOLE 9 YARDS.
To be successful in business, you must learn to speak the language of those you encounter while being true to yourself. Don’t label yourself as one type of personality or another, and don’t label others either. This is to be used a a guide to get a quick read on people. Most people do not fit 100% into one category, but their dominant personality type is usually dominant.
Goalies have an open, indirect disposition. Generally their strengths are that they are approachable, affable, patient, easy to talk to, and are very good listeners. They tend to be your better counselors, teachers, and caregivers. They are the best team players and their motto is, “Got to take one for the team.” Their main challenge is that they tend to take too much poop from others as their fuse is very, very long. They are not cowards but are adverse to conflict.
Street Ballers have an open, direct disposition. Generally their strengths are that they are very friendly, funny, daring, and sociable. They tend to be your better promoters and comedians. They are always the life of the party and their motto is, “I like to get my party on!” Their main challenge is that they miss details and they miss information because they talk a lot and are easily distracted.
Golfers have a guarded, indirect disposition. Generally their strengths are that they are very analytical and knowledgeable in the area of specialization. They are experts. They are very detail oriented and methodical. They tend to be your stereotypical accountants and engineers. Their motto is, “Haste makes waste.” Their main challenge is that they tend to be over analytical and slow to make decisions. They may also come off as cold and unemotional at times because they are always thinking.
Cage Fighters have a guarded, direct disposition. Generally their strengths are that they are very mentally tough. They are aggressive and extremely competitive. They tend to be leaders of most organizations and are your stereotypical drill sergeants. There motto is, “Move out of the way so I can get this done!” Their main challenge is that they can be impatient, insensitive, and abrasive.
This is not my own original idea. I think the first time I came across this idea was from Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) guy. You have 4 symbols in a card deck — clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds. The way I did this was that the symbols represent the following exercises respectively: table makers; jack knife; squats; and push-ups. The number of reps done was determined by the number on the card. If it was a face card (e.g., Jack, King, or Queen), I did 10 repetitions of a given exercises. For an Ace, I did 11 repetitions.
Me and my 10-year-old son got through 20 cards each today. It was really fun! This is what I did:
11 squats
6 table makers
7 push-ups
5 table makers
10 push-ups
5 squats
10 jack knives
3 squats
5 jack knives
8 jack knives
7 jack knives
7 squats
10 push-ups
9 table makers
10 jack knives
10 squats
8 table makers
6 squats
10 squats
5 push-ups
That is a total of 28 table makers, 40 jack knives, 52 squats, and 32 push-ups. My son did most of his exercises. It was kind of fun and something that he and I can do a couple of times per week. I’m looking forward to getting up to doing a whole deck by myself.
I say binary because two beautiful boys are the lights of my life. My two sons.
I want all that I accomplish to pale in comparison to what they will accomplish.
It is my greatest hope that they work together as brothers to do right by their people, their community, their country, the world, and the ALMIGHTY.
Working together, they can build a great kingdom as large and as prosperous as the unified Roman Empire – Rome and Byzantium.
May the GOD of Grandfather Abraham greatly expand their territories and give them the unshakable faith of Job, the warrior spirit of David, and the wisdom of Solomon.
When things seem lost and gloomy, please have them light the world with their shining examples of what it mean to be an honorable man and model humanist.
My last post on the lotus code inspired me to write this poem. Please take note of the unique style of this poem. There are 13 verses in the poem and each verse is in haiku style; three lines where the first has five syllables, the second has seven syllables, and the third line has seven syllables. As is my custom, the last line of the poem will contain the title of the poem. I hope that you like this poem.
“You Become Your Thoughts
It starts in your mind.
That million dollar idea
YOU can change the world.
Get a check-up from
the neck up is Zig’s advice.
No stinkin’ thinkin’!
Kind words are sweet song.
Honey attracts more bees than
Bitter vinegar.
Sticks and stones break bones.
Harsh words scar minds forever.
Please holster your tongue.
The very first step starts
the journey of a thousand
miles. Get moving now!
There is a law called
intertia. Things at rest tend
to remain at rest.
Healthy habits bring
success in uncommon hours.
Master the mundane.
Bad habits enslave.
They waste money, energy,
and rob you of time.
When adversity
shows his ugly face, kick him hard.
Never, ever quit.
Most people will fail
because they believe the hype.
Do they fear success?
Plan your work then work
your plan. That is the best way
to know where you’ll be.
If you do not know
where you want to go, any
road will get you there.
Thoughts are seeds planted
in our minds. Be careful, friends.
You become your thoughts.
The Lotus Code is a 2,500 philosophy that lays out a blueprint to achieve success. It has six parts that build upon and support each other.
Here is an overview:
Thoughts: Thoughts are things – well at least they can become things. Everything begins with a thought. Books that have really helped me get my head right and attract the people and situations that I want are The Secret, The Power of Positive Thinking, and Think and Grow Rich.
Words: Words are powerful. They can make or break people. This is the power of prayer and affirmations. T. Harv Eker’s, The Secrets of the Millionaire Mind talks about making declarations and Anthony Robbins’ books like Awaken the Giant Within are heavily influenced by neurolinguistic programming.
Actions: Nike’s timeless slogan is “Just do it,” and that is what is necessary. You have to do something. Books like The Science of Getting Rich tell us step by step what to do to achieve desired results. Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People is also an excellent read on things to do to achieve success.
Habits: Stephen Covey reminds us in his book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the right actions to make habitual so that we can achieve success in uncommon hours.
Persistence: Persistence, particularly in the face of adversity, is what helps of earn our desired outcome. The universe must be paid in full, and this debt must be paid in advance. Feeling pain and fear and doing it anyway is what turns us mere mortals into the champions that we aspire to become.
Result: Everything that we do or don’t do will lead us to this outcome.
Remember, the universe is neutral so this roadmap can lead us to our goal or to a very sad and desperate state of affairs. As it has been said, “We become what we think about.” Truer words have not been spoken. I hope that you found this information helpful.
When I started my corporate sales career in the late 90s, I remember my sales manager saying that to be successful you must close” the deal.” I disagree with that phrase – “closing the deal.” When you meet with a prospect that becomes your customer, you must open the door to new opportunities.
You see folks, this person has given you their hard earned money and in a world of endless choices, they decided to do business with YOU. You should feel honored and treat this new relationship with reverence. When you treat your customers right, they will be your best advertisements. You will be in a great position to receive loads of referrals.
My advise is stay away from the old-school, hard selling ways of the past as shown on this video by Alec Baldwin the the movie Glengarry Glen Ross
Selling is simple – not easy, but simple.
Here is the simple formula to success:
Sell a product or service you believe in
Ask your ‘suspects’ what they need and what they want – they may become prospects
Once the suspect becomes a prospect, give them a simple overview of how your product or service can help them save, time, energy, or money, or just make them happier
It is kind of like being a waiter. Just make sure not to bring the customer pork chops they asked for chicken marsala.
In Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, he has a graphic called the “Time Management Matrix.” Therein, he says that things that are both urgent and important are generally problems – usually a result of improper planning. However, in Robert Greene’s best-selling book, The 33 Strategies of War, strategy number four is Create a sense of urgency and desperation: Death-ground. This strategy recommends that you place yourself where your back is against the wall and you have to fight like hell ot get out alive. The conquistador, Hernan Cortes, did this by boring holes in his ships and burning them so that his men HAD TO fight the Aztecs and go deeper into Mexico.
