365QOD-Day242

By being willing to risk failure in the pursuit of success, we lose some financial capital but we pay the intellectual capital forward.  Our goal is not to fail intentionally , or to pretend we enjoy failure, but it is to be willing to fail in the pursuit of greatness- Rob Padro Blizzard Entertainment

Would you double your failures if you knew that it guaranteed success?  That is exactly the advice that the head of IBM gave his staff many years ago.

Rob Padro offers the same advice on the road to greatness.  One can not succeed without that failure.

I recently published a book, The Result, in which I urge the reader to stop using the word failure and replace it with the word result.  We always get results.  Stop judging your results so harshly and instead focus on how to nudge them towards success/greatness by making intelligent adjustments.

Today's question is:
"What needs nudging towards greatness in your life?"

365QOD-Day241

"What are you not doing today that you were doing when I first met you?
What investments are you no longer making?
What daily, weekly practices have fallen by the wayside?"-source unknown

Over time even the things that work for us we forget or just simply stop doing.  There was a time when I started my day on my knees with a prayer.  It usually was the prayer of Jabez.

The prayer of Jabez THANKS God for blessing one, for enlarging ones' territory, keeping his hand upon one, and keeping one from evil.  I remember reading or hearing somewhere that the prayer was the only one directly answered in the Bible.

The point is not the prayer daily BUT the routine.  The routine made me feel good.  Or as Wayne Dyer says, "I want to feel good, I want to feel God".  It felt good.  I could clearly see how my life was changing.  How my connection with God was getting stronger.

So, why don't I say the prayer now?  Is it that my life is perfect? Far from it, I need it more than ever.  The sad truth is I do not know why I do not regularly say my prayer.  I do know that my connection to God has been very rusty lately.  My life does not feel smooth.  As a matter of fact, it feels unbalanced.  Something is missing....maybe a little prayer could fix it?

Today's question is:
"What important routine are you missing in your life?"

365QOD-Day240

Contribution of self-image to self-efficacy
"with such self-definitions[I am dumb, I am poor in math, etc], the student had to make poor grades in order to be true to himself. Unconsciously, making poor grades became a moral issue with him.  In other words, when the report card came back with an F, the self-described poor student had proof that he was right! - Psycho-Cybernetics Maxwell Maltz

Does that cookie look good?

Dr. Maltz came up with this theory based on observation of patients after surgery to correct scars and disfigurements.  It seems that we all have a self-image and without working on the mind a large change can not be processed too well.

I have heard of stories that folks that win millions of dollars in lotteries will over time find themselves in the same financial position as they were before the big win.  It is all about the real estate between the ears. Without it being aligned to the change it will not accept it and often sabotage it. 

Today's question is:
"How do you get your mind to accept the changes you want to make?"

365QOD-Day239

"What social networking revolution?"-my thought

One of my favorite writers is Malcolm Gladwell.  I am convinced that he can not tell a short story. He is very smart and I enjoy how he builds his articles and books. 

I recently went to his blog and downloaded some articles he had written for the New Yorker.  One of them was about social media vs. social activism.

It painted a clear picture of the difference between social activism of the 1960s and the social networking phenomenon of today.  Today the news people are singing the praises for social networking and their belief that it has had an effect on the Muslim world revolutions.

After reading the article, I came away with the conclusion that they have no clue.  At best the ease of connecting with many people does not provide a large social hurdle to jump over to become social activism.  It is just not possible.  The ties are weak vs. social activism's need for disciple and strong ties.

I do believe that social networks can reach many people quickly and effectively.  A product can be moved by word of mouth marketing.  BUT would you purchase a big screen TV if one of your friends thought it was good?

Today's question is:
"What are you willing to do that your friends think you should do?"

365QOD-Day238

"There is this goddess of wisdom.  An there's a goddess of wealth.  If you pursue the goddess of wisdom, then the goddess of wealth will become jealous and pursue you" -Deepak Chopra's mother telling him a story as a young child

I love this short story.   Often times we pursue things and become obsessed by them.  It could be something that initially was positive BUT with obsession it becomes negative.

The second sentence is very powerful.  It is when we do not obsess but pursue other things that the one thing we want more than anything becomes possible.

I also think that if there is one goddess to pursue it should be wisdom.  That is a reason why king Solomon was the richest man of his time.  He asked God for wisdom not money.

Today's question is:
"What goddess are you pursuing?"

365QOD-Day237

"Without a rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar"- Ralph Waldo Emerson

How much is enough?

If you are financially free(FF) but you still obsess about getting more and more then when will you reach the enough point?  How about transcending the getting and moving into the giving side?

The FF person may be confident in their ability to earn money.  However,  if a FF person lacks the spirit of generosity, they'll never be able to fully share.   The paper worth is only in the present moment, over time it will fade away.

I believe that is why wealth is a single generation phenomenon in the US.


Today's question is:
"Are you begging?"

365QOD-Day236

"Complete possession is proved only by giving.  All you are unable to give possesses you."- Nobel prize winning author Andre Gide

Recently I gave away a bunch of clothes.  I just simply took what I did not wear for the last year and put it in the donation bins at my local supermarket.  I felt lighter.

Before moving  a few weeks ago I threw out a ton of papers and junk.  I felt lighter.

What other things possess you?

Are you are thinking too much about your money problems?  Maybe you need to get creative and find ways to donate to a cause that lifts your spirits.

Do you feel a lack of respect from others? Think about giving respect to someone who deserves it.

Why do this?

Your subconscious is paying attention to your actions.  By giving what you feel you lack tells the subconscious that there is a surplus.

Today's question is:
"What is possessing you?"

365QOD-Day235

"I get a natural high"-my reason for running

What other types of good highs are there?

 In the book The Healing Power of Doing Good - Allan Luks gives the answer.

Luks studies thousands of volunteers and discovered that they achieved a
"helper's high".  This high was very similar to what a a person experiences after a long run.

Helper's high created a "euphoric" feeling that, unlike "runner's high" lasts for several weeks.

The most amazing part was that Luks also found that the volunteers who later reflected on their giving were refreshed by doing so.

Today's question is:
"Have you gotten your helper's high today?"

365QOD-Day234

 "You want to do what?"- I get asked this question all of the time

A while back I placed this on a wall above my desk at work
Results focused           (R)
Emotions driven           (E)
Massive action plan    (M)

Specifically ask yourself these three questions

What is the end result that i want?
Why do I want this end result?
What specific actions(s) I must take to archive this end result?

Today's question is:
"What is your REM?"
 

Note: I originally wrote this as post 209 BUT noticed that there were two 209 posts...so I moved one of them

365QOD-Day233

"What optimism?  I am a realist."- a negative individual(in my opinion)

I recently read a Fortune issue titled Tech Bubble 2.0

In the article it described that Silicon valley is driven by four factors.

Success at Silicon valley=f(fear,greed,fantasy,optimism)

 (The way to read this is that the success if a function of fear, greed, fantasy, and optimism.)

In the article it mentioned that fear forces some of the people to settle.
The greed allows them, to enjoy the finer things.
The fantasy allows them to create and to want to drive a fancy car.
Lastly the optimism is seen in the people driving a suburu(I don't get that one)

The first thought, while reading, was if one was to use the 80/20 principle where would one place the weights for success?

After some thought I concluded that 20% has to go to fear and 80% to rest.
Of the rest, applying the 80/20 again, 16% would have to be given to greed.
Similarly, another 80/20 cut, would have give 14% to fantasy.
Lastly, 40% would be left over for optimism.

Success =.2*fear+.16greed+.14*fantasy+.40*optimism

Assuming that you maximize each one of the four characteristics, 1=100%, you would achieve a success in the valley.  What was interesting is that optimism made up the largest piece.  Secondly, would the factors be any different anywhere else? I think that they are pretty inclusive.

Today's question is:
"Where would you rate each one of the four factors in yourself?"   

365QOD-Day232

"Who needs money? It is all about love."- a fool

Money is a great lubricator in life.  It makes things move smoothly.  Many people sweat how much they have or will have at retirement. 

A better question is how much should you have at any time in your adult life if you want to be financially free when you retire?  Based on the work by the authors of The Millionaire Next Door there is an easy formula to determine the Income needed at any age To Be Financially Free.


IncomeToBeFF= yourcurrentsalary*age/10

So if you are a 30 year old multiply your salary by 3.  If you are a forty year old then multiply your salary by 4.  If you are a 57 year old then multiply your current salary by 5.7.

Pretty easy to figure out the result BUT hard to achieve.  If you are below 1/2 of the desired result than you are  a poor wealth accumulator.

Today's question is:
"Are you close to your IncomeToBeFF?"

365QOD-Day231

"Dad, can you give me five bucks"-often heard expression

As a parent one is often asked for a small amount of cash.  Five bucks to an adult seems like nothing but to kids it is still a significant amount(maybe I am fooling myself).

I should not say that $5 means nothing to most adults.  I re-read a story I had saved which told of a micro-earners.  These guys will do small tasks for $5.

Again, you might not be impressed until you realize that these guys are overseas where $5 is a lot.  Get several $5 tasks done in a day and you are living like a king.

Today's question is:
"What is your $5 task that you need done that could be done by someone else and give you time to do things you are great in?"

P.S. The article can be found at

365QOD-Day230

Conquer Luck Excusitis... Accept the law of cause and effect.
Take a second look at what appears to be someone's 'good luck'.
Physical laws, not luck determine the bounce of the ball. 
The that's the way-the-ball bounces approach teaches us nothing- David Schwartz

A long time ago my son, Milan, was acting out.  I asked him to stand in front of me.

Next, I asked him if he could make the biggest smile anyone has seen.  He did.  I asked him if he could make the meanest scariest face he could.  He did.

Lastly, I asked him, "Who made the faces?"  He said that he did.  I asked him if I could mke him make those faces.  He said no.

I believe that day he learned about intrinsic motivation.

Today's question is:
"Who's making you do things?"

365QOD-Day229

I'll be damned if anybody is going to stop me, and I'll be double damned before I stop myself from succeeding-Gene Simmons

Sometimes we believe external factors control our success or failure.  It could be our spouse, family, friends, boss, etc. that we blame for not succeeding
 
Most of the time the factors are internal.  These intrinsic, internal, factors could be lack of discipline, wrong priorities, not important enough, the why is not greater than the how, etc.

I love the quote above.  To me, the double damned portion tells me that he believes that the internal motivation is twice as important and that other people can influence his chances of success but he is the only one that can stop himself.

Today's question is:

"Which world controls you?"

365QOD-Day228

"Heroes don't quit, so the only true failure is the failure to get up."- Peter Gruber

Recently I read a book called Tell to Win.  In it the author told a story of how when he was young he watched a handicapped child and father building a special bike. The kid then over time proceeded to try to ride the bike.

He fell many times.  The author thought that the father was cruel.  However, the kid kept getting up, refusing help, and eventually riding.

With each fall he learned what not to do.  As parents we want to prevent this behavior and provide our children with the solution.  This allows them not to learn how to learn or to develop their persistence.

Today's question is:
"How large is your persistence muscle?

365QOD-Day227

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination are omnipotent.  The slogan 'press on'
has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.- Calvin Coolidge

There is no perfect person.  No one type is an ideal combination of traits that guarantees success.

Many years ago I read Successful Intelligence by Robert Sternberg.  In the first half he explores that SAT tests are worthless at predicting success.  All they predict is success during the first semester in college.

However, the rest of the book is great.  It talks about Analytical, Creative, and Practical.  It concludes with the idea that the best chances for success are when there is a combination of the three factors.

Several years ago I created a OneMinute video while at a conference.  It explores the idea of  the perfect mix.  I argued that successful person make up: 60% is Practical, 20% is Analytical, and 20% is Creative would be as close to ideal as possible.

I believe that you must be creative to create a new idea.  After coming up with the idea you must be able to analyze the idea.  These two are OK but without the execution, the Practical, portion it all comes apart.

Today's question is:
"What is your success mix?"

365QOD-Day226

"Not only does language reflect a person's thinking, but it also reinforces a person's thinking.
This is true initially because you love the sound of your voice and pay rapt attention to it.


"Remember, also, that your subconscious mind is an eavesdropper on every conversation you have with others."  - Kent Sayre

"It takes careful notes and, based on your verbal instructions, produces feelings and physiological responses.  When you say that things are going from bad to worse, you are undermining your own sense of confidence.  You are unwittingly instructing yourself to have a negative point of view about the present and the future."- from Today We are Rich


In my opinion it is all about the thinking.  If you don't stop and ask yourself whether you are correct in your thinking, it will translate into your voice and actions. 

Confidence is everything.  If you thinking negatively you will not act positively.  You can't!  Your subconscious will sabotage you and reinforce your negativity.

Today's question is:
"Is your subconscious the eavesdropper to you thoughts?"

365QOD-Day225

"Tell me your story"- a question I suggested in an earlier post 

In the book Today We are Rich the author mentioned a couple of good introductions
that a couple of successful people use and have used:
"What's a good word" Dale Carnegie
"What are you working on these days?"- Keith Ferrazzi

Both of these initiate a positive response from the other person.

Today's question is:
"What is your opening line?"

365QOD-Day224

"Attitude is everything"- a stone I had on my desk at one time

In the book  Today We are Rich the author tells a story about an IT guy whole name is Richard(maybe?)
When confronted by a problem, Richard says
"I am the master of all things gadget. Always have been, always will be, I will get this to work if it's at all workable."

Later on in the story he tells how another IT guy responded to the same problem,
"...it is impossible and it will take a superhuman to figure it out"

Today's question is:
"Who do you think fixed the problem?"

365QOD-Day223

"I am so tired.. can I sit down?"- typical after an hour

Why stand?"

I recently read a study that said that sitting for 6+ hours a day
a person is 54% more likely to die from heart attack.

It also
1 screws up your back
2. makes you 1.6 inches fatter
3. causes lower back pain

So how do you stop those?  At the office follow these four strategies
Strategy1 get up twice an hour for a break
Strategy2 stand during calls
Strategy3 short emails
Strategy4 stand up desk

Today's question is:
"Are you still sitting?"

365QOD-Day222

"Maybe.."-what does this mean?

Some people are very good at using qualifiers.  Typical qualifiers that you often hear are:
maybe, perhaps, might, somehow, allegedly, no offense, just saying, should, unlikely, probably, likely, may, could be, appears, suppose, leads one to think and so on..

Who uses these words?  People that do not have confidence and who do not want to commit to anything.


Make it a point to commit.  Either you do or you don't.

Today's question is:
"Can you commit or do you need wiggle room?"

365QOD-Day221

"Ohhh stuff" - typical response

When things happen try not to react but take the time to respond. 
In order to properly respond you must frame the situation and information it provides properly.
In the Today We are Rich book the author offers the following technique
to frame incoming information:

Four ways to frame incoming information
Good-        either for you or for someone or something you have an interest in
Neutral-    no direct effect on you or one of your interests
Get Busy- adversity you need to respond to
Bad-          an irrevocably negative effect on you or one of your interests

If the situation is good, file it for future reference.
If it is neutral  then do not worry about it.
If it is bad then you must accept it and the resulting consequences.

Now that you have accepted the worst, Get Busy to figure out ways that you can
come out better than the Bad result.  Anything better that you can think of?
Start working towards that better result.


Often times the result will be unpredictable and better than the Bad expected outcome.

Today's question is:
"What can you do to Get Busy?"

365QOD-Day220

A journey often takes many side trips.  As long as the general direction is in the desired direction, the endpoint will be about the same- Robert Trajkovski

It is rare that we  move from point A to point B(our goal) in a straight line.  Often the road has many side trips.

Realize that the sideways moments are preparing you to move towards your goal.  Side way motion is not necessarily bad. You must take the time to note where you are and where you need to go.   

Intelligent adjustments need to be made to siginifactly move off the sideways path and move towards your goal.

Today's question is:
"What intelligent adjustment can you make to get moving towards your goal?"

365QOD-Day219

"I don't worry... I just bite my fingernails"- an unconscious worrier
 
I read an interesting story in the Today We Are Rich book.  It was about
Willis Carrier.  Unless you are an air conditioning expert you might not
recognize the name as the father of air conditioning.

In the story he had experienced a large failure.  After this he developed
a strategy for dealing with worries.

Carrier's strategy for dealing with worries
1. Define the worst case
    What is the worst thing that can happen
2. Accept it as survivable
    Act as if the situation is a forgone conclusion and let it go as a lesson to be learned
3. Make a goal out of beating the worst-case scenario
    Develop a set of responses that can help you trim your losses and mitigate damages

I always say that strategy is 80%, 20% is execution.  It is a start.

Today's question is:
"What is your strategy for handling worry in your life?

365QOD-Day218

I believe in bumbling around long enough not to give up at things.  And eventually success comes your way, because you tried to fail in every possible way, the only way that's left is the one successful way, and always, for entrepreneurs, seems to come last.  It's so obvious when it comes"  Vinod Khosla SUN co-founder

Recently I read an interesting book called Little Bets.  In it I saw a wonderful figure which described the difference between a fixed and flexible mindset.  In next few posts I would like to discuss this figure.

First difference is
Fixed Mind set      Intelligence is static
                               Leads to a desire to look smart

Flexible Mind set  Intelligence can be developed
                               Leads to a desire to learn

A student with a fixed mindset will thrive early on in their career.  But when they hit a wall, a problem whose difficulty is above their ability, they will fall down.  Sometimes they have problem getting up and conclude that they must not be smart enough because they did not see the wall.

A student with a flexible mindset will not thrive early on in their career.  They have a great work ethic and rarely give up on problems.  So when they hit a wall, a problem whose difficulty is above their ability, they will fall down, dust themselves off, and proceed towards solving the problem..  Sometimes they will solve the problem.  However, they do not tie the result to their intelligence.  They just see it as a process through which they have to go through in order to solve the problem.

 Today's question is:
"Do you believe intelligence is static or it can be developed?"

365QOD-Day217

"The most practical of all methods for controlling the mind is the habit of keeping it busy with a definite purpose"- Napoleon Hill

While reading the book Today We are Rich I came across the quote above and the following paragraph( I have split it up to improve the readability):

"When you follow a purpose, small problems pale in comparison to your mission.  You can dismiss self-doubt and wave off personal uncertainty.  Your cause is your shield, protecting you from naysayers and doomsayers alike.  Your mind is fixed on solution, not on petty problems.

Your cause will also boost your total confidence.  Because you are trying to make a difference, you'll have an internal sense of worthiness.  You'll feel as if you deserve to be successful in your efforts...."

In my life I have found this to be true.  The more busy I have been the more things get done.  There isn't as much time to "think".  Thinking is important BUT often times interferes with getting things done.  Unfortunately most thinking is a rehash of old thinking- stinky thinking.

So, your mission and mine should be to focus on  a definite purpose and you eliminate the noisy thinking.

Today's question is:
"What is your definite purpose?"

365QOD-Day216

"Creativity is just connecting things.  When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they really did not do it, they just saw something.  It seemed obvious to them after a while.  That's because they were able to connect experiences they have had and synthesize new things.  And the reason they were able to do that was that they have had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people...


Unfortunately, that's too rare a commodity.  A lot of people in our industry have not had very diverse experiences.  So they don't have enough dots to connect, and they end up with linear solutions without broad perspective on the problem" - Steve Jobs as told to Wired magazine

The key to these statements is in "just connecting things".   If you look for connections you will find them.
When I talk with people in different fields of study I listen to what they are working on and I try to see the connections to what I am working on.

One of my favorite people to exchange ideas is a gentlemen by the name of Nicolai.  He is a former gallery owner and world class designer.  To listen to him speak is a joy.  He is so passionate that even if you are not interested in design you become interested in.

Seeing the connections of  how he would approach a design of a system to how I approach it is precious to me.  He has been able to advise me on changes I wanted to make and I was able to help him with designs he was working on.  He was able to see things in my designs that I did not.  Similarly, I was able to connect pieces that were not obvious to him.

Our backgrounds are different but yet we can form connections with different forms of knowledge and make it our own.  The universe does not care whether you approach a problem from the left side or the right side of the brain.  The universe cares that the final result include both types of thinking to achieve anything worthwhile.

Today's question is:
"What connections did you make today?"

365QOD-Day215

"Glance at negatives, but focus on positives"-Maxwell Maltz

Our daily information intake is often very negative.  It is not uncommon that when I wake in the morning I check the news and look at stories on the web.  This appears as a slow way to start my day BUT I am starting to think that it is too negative.  It is also very time consuming. 

I have noticed that the information I am putting into my brain is negative.  This over time will affect my mood and vision.  So I am going to use Maxwell's advice.  I will glance at the stories BUT I will not read them. 

I rarely watch TV at home and I only watch shows it on the PC.  This allows me to control what I watch(CBS Sunday morning, 60 minutes, Two and a half-men, Big Bang theory, and a few others).  Not everything I watch is positive(two and a half men) but at least I stand as the guardian at my mind's gate.

Today's question is:
"Are you guarding your mind's gate?"

365QOD-Day214

"Man I got so much to do and not enough time"- a frustrated person

At times my plate seems very full.  Adding another item to it feels like it will send me over the edge.
I believe that there is such thing as being too busy.  As a matter of fact crazy busy.  I even wrote a post in which I refered to a book called crazy busy.

I think that frustration sets in when we feel that whatever we have to do is a

"I have to do XYZ".  

We need to shift our I have to into

"I get to do XYZ"  

This small mind shift was suggested in a book I finished reading this morning called Today We Are Rich by Tim Sanders.

There must be feeling of reward and appreciation for being allowed to do XYZ.  This shift in attitude is very important.  None of us are indispensable.  We are only valued when we create and execute the plan

Today's question is:
"What is it that you will get to do today?"

365QOD-Day213

"Oh it is so easy"- an illusion

It is hard to make yourself finish something.  Initially there is a joy about the newness of
the something one is trying to accomplish.  The excitement of trying to figure it out.
Next comes the uncertainty of whether you have what it takes to finish it.  The priority of
the thing is questioned.  Lastly, our energy level weakens and inaction takes over.

I recently read a story(I don't remember the source) that gave the 10 most common excuses for inaction
#1  I'm too stressed out
#2 I don't believe I can
#3 I don't have the time
#4 I don't have the energy
#5 I'm too emotional
#6 I'll always be the way I am
#7 I'm afraid I'll make a mistake
#8 I'm too sick
#9 I'm too skeptical
#10 I can't do it alone

Today's question is:
"Which one is your favorite number?"