365QOD- Day601

“9 vs. 2… it will never work” – my thought

In Inc. online story about the company Blank Label, founded by Fan Bi and Danny Wong, it tells a story of how when men buy a shirt they tend to “Buy a shirt off the rack and you have two sizing options: neck and sleeve length. Blank Label, an online custom shirt retailer, offers nine,  and allows you to customize collars, cuffs, pockets, and plackets." 

Will this work?  Sometimes more choices create purchase paralysis and lack of commitment to purchase.  This was learned in an experiment with jam in a mall. When people were presented with three choices they tended to buy more often than when presented with 30+ choices. 

I love unique offerings but the more and more I tend to evaluate multiple offerings I tend to delay my purchase.  In this I do not believe that I am unique.  However, I do tend to think that maybe more options than two is needed but maybe nine is overkill.

Today’s question is:

“What is the right number of options for your product or service?”

365QOD- Day600

“The ubiquitous wd-40 lubricant got its name because the first 39 experiments failed.  It stands for water displacement 40^th attempt” – Fast company article

In these words I find great comfort and advice.  Most of us expect success too quickly.  We almost expect it to happen on our first attempt.  We will settle if it occurs on our second, third or fourth.  But after that we will look around so as to assure we are not making a fool of ourselves before making any additional attempts.

Unfortunately most often we tend to stop too quickly.  We just give up.  But as the story teaches us some things take a little while to perfect.  In an early post I told the story of how Colonel Sanders got over a thousand rejections before getting a deal for his secret recipe.

Today’s question is:

“Could you stomach 40 failures before success strikes?”

P.S. THANKS for 600 days of support

365QOD- Day599

“We must find ideas big enough to be afraid of again.” – Garland Wright, Guthrie artistic director

How true!  We often settle into a groove.  Sadly, the things we attempt are things we have tried before and with great certainty know that we will succeed. 

So we only try things we will succeed at and assure that we will never fail. The idea of failure is what stops us.  Unfortunately, this eliminates learning difficult subjects or stretching into new ideas.  Remember that without stretching our physical muscles get stiff and eventually weaken.  This is also true for other muscles such as: mental, emotional, spiritual, etc.

Today’s question is:

“How do you know you are stretching?

365QOD- Day598

“If you are this successful doing work you don’t love, what could you do with work you do love?” – Tama Kieves, This Time I Dance

Sadly many folks believe that they are in the wrong job.  Reality is that they over time have become pretty good at the role even though they do not love the type of work.  It is simply necessary for them to do so in order to make ends meet.

The quote above made me wonder how high the ceiling becomes if one is working on things one loves.  This could be huge if you find the sweet spot between interest, passion, and being financially rewarding.

Today’s question is:

“How successful could you be if you did work that you love?”

365QOD- Day597

“Let me look at my crystal ball” – my joke

Last weekend one of the inserts in USAToday was of 30 visionaries of different fields offering their advice on what the future will look like.  It was interesting article because it focused on the future 30 years from now.

The articles in the insert reminded me of a Yahoo story earlier in the week which showed French artists attempts at predicting the future on postcards a 100 years ago.  The predictions were amazingly accurate. 

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/historic-visions-of-the-future-slideshow/postcards-from-the-future-photo-1347289263.html

I wondered if we would do as well in predicting the future 100 years from now.  Our worlds seem to move at such a pace now that predicting next year is difficult.  Maybe that is the point.  These folks predicted long term instead of short turn. 

Today’s question is:

“What would you predict will be reality 100 years from now?”

365QOD- Day596

“Here is a copy of my latest book.” – my approach

I have written two great books.  Recently I worked on a manual for internal use that shows the work flow process that my group uses.  Well, it grew to over 200 pages and in order for people to be able to read it and offer suggestions I produced it as a soft cover book.  This has been a wonderful experience because the work immediately looked professional and it made the review process easier. 

What about elsewhere?  While reading a Fast company article Why Books Are The Ultimate New Business Card by Ryan Holiday the author explains that most self published books are not written for profit. If profit happens it is nice but the intended effect is credibility, speaking invitations, and consulting work.

I believe that having written a book could be a great advantage in many situations.  You have to be very strategic how you use it.  I have offered this advice to a couple of students nearing graduation without having a job and experienced hires looking to stand out.

Today’s question is:

“Could you produce a ‘book’ of your work that you could use in an interview setting to provide you a strategic advantage?”

365QOD - Day595

“Man I need a vacation”- the call of a frustrated co-worker

This is something that we often say out loud.  And I do believe that leaving for more than a week at a time provides time to re-charge one’s batteries.  Most people usually take one week at most when they go away from their routine.

An alternative to a traditional vacation was presented in a Fast Company article by Joss Whedon: You need a creative shift, not a vacation.  It suggests that a change of creative direction could serve to re-charge us. 

I believe that the author is correct.  I might be so tired of working on a multi-step project that it feels like it has used up all of my energy.  So when done, I will attempt a simpler project that is creatively different that will still get my creative juices going BUT offer the mind a shift.

Today’s question is:

“Have you ever taken a ‘creating’ vacation?”

365QOD - Day594

“Now, just eat it.” – a motherly advice

Most coffee drinkers do not think anything of reaching for a new fresh paper/Styrofoam cup.  If we are a bit more conscious or at a location like office or home we tend to use a ceramic/metal cup. 

But what if you could just simply eat the cup after you are done drinking from it?  As long as the cup is tasty, this could prove to be a great idea.  I read a Fast Company article, Cookie coffee cup that’s easy to recycle: just eat it, that describes this cup.

I have seen this same idea used for old electronics being re-purposed into new electronics.  I question the usefulness of this because by originally being discarded it could mean that the product is at the end of its life and we are trying to continue using it.

Today’s question is:

“Could something that is currently a waste in your world become new gold?”

365QOD - Day593

“What to do? What to do?” -  a persistent question

While reading Inc. magazine I came across a description of a new book, Worth It… Not Worth it by Jack Otter,  that supposedly boils each of life's financial dilemmas down to a simple question.”

As we all know life isn’t simple.  We often feel that there should exist simple answers to our big dilemmas.   Maybe finding a key question to ask could make the final decision as clear as black and white?

The purpose of this blog is to take new information, discuss it, and then pose a great question.  The question is suppose to make you think more deeply about the issue.  So I see it as a start of the thinking process.  BUT this book promises that the question should be the end of thinking.

Today’s question is:

“Does a great question lead to more questions or a simple answer?”

365QOD - Day592

"Every technology was invented for single purpose: Enable humans to take actions  faster" - Jack Dorsey

I can see faster but I think one can argue for easier, smoother, etc.  It would be based on the technology(tool) itself as well as the user.

So why did I note this statement?  Dorsey is the founder of Twitter and Four Square.  In other words pretty successful at creating technology that solves a problem. 

I believe that enabling people to take actions is the key.  When we are confronted by a problem we should be wondering what technology will solve it.

Today's question is:
"What tool will enable you to take action now?"

365QOD - Day591

"Why not all?" - my thought

I dislike Democrats as much as Republicans.  Neither party fits me and my beliefs perfectly.  Last night I watched Tony Robbins interview Marc Cuban, Steve Wynn, and T Bone Pickens. 

Three billionaires with different views of what to do about our country's problems. One wanted to make us energy independent.  Another wanted to reward creators with tax reductions. Last one cared about how schools trained future workers.

In the end every one made a great case for their ideas and I was wondering why we were not doing all.  The true answer is politics not lack of great ideas.  Unfortunately it seems that we are forced to stomach the ideas of one party for 4-8 years.  It is sad that we can not implement the best ideas but instead we must choose.

Today's question is:
"Do you use AND or OR thinking in your life?"

365QOD-Day590

"Don't follow your passion, follow your effort" - Mark Cuban's advice to a presenter

While watching Shark Tank I heard Mark Cuban utter these words.  I immediately understood the advice.  Often times we are aware of your passion(s) but yet we do nothing towards executing it(them). 

If we are honest and do a detailed analysis we will find that out efforts are going towards other pursuits.
The pursuit might not be a passion but it takes us away from fullfilling our passion.

In the eppisode I watched was a guy who was passionate about foot messages but was an active tri-athelete.  When he was asked about his efforts, it became obvious that it was not mostly on his passion.  He failed the shark test.  Hia efforts were not towards his passion.

Today's question is:
"Are you working on your passion or are you working on your side-pursuits?"

365QOD- Day589

"It is too late for me" - Mario

Mario is a great basketball player.  He ia fast and has great control of his body.  So I asked him why he isn't playing on a team.  His response above floored me.

Yesterday I ran a 10k race in 1:11.  It was tough to run over a tall bridge four times.  I kept putting one foot in front of the other.  Yes when I was Mario's age the time that it would have taken me to run would have been around 34 minutes.  But so what!

I never understood how great I could have been if proper coaching had been available.  But I have never ever felt that it is too late to do anything.  I am the guy who will run a marathon when I turn 100.

Today's question is:
"How do you decide that it is too late?"

365QOD-Day588

"Unique advice is worth nothing when everyone is going the same thing; that is the falacy of a fad" - F.W Contini 

I often see everyone thinking the same way and wonder to myself if they are even thinking.  If we are all doing the same thing then we are all just simply following the originator of the thought.  That does not make the original thought correct. 

Why is this important?  The two worst investments that I have ever made were based on advice I received from two trusted sources.  Their advice felt correct.  Man did I get burned. 

I learned to Think Different(Apple campaign) and more importantly Do Different(My belief) for myself.  I believe it to be critical to understand data, evaluate the source, do your own analysis, and make your own decisions.

Today's question is:
"Do you Do Different?"

365QOD-Day587

"Just because you can, does not mean you should" - great advice

The other day I went to a free concert by a trubute band to the Beatles.  I like the Beatles.  Even though I do not know all of their songs, the popular ones I do know.

While enjoying the multi-generational crowd I listened to the music.  All of a sudden a group of senior citizens jumped up and got on the make shift dance floor in front of the stage.  They did the unthinkable. 

They started dancing.  Not just any kind of dancing.  It was line-dancing to the Beatles.  Just when you think you have heard and seen it all I was shocked.  It did not make sense to force line dancing to the beatles.  That generation did not line dance when they first heard the Beatles.  But now they know how to line dance and they are foce fitting it to the past.  It is like forcing a square peg into a round hole.  It just does not fit.

Today's question is:
"Do you try to force your preconceived notions to all concepts?"

365QOD-Day586

“The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you.  If you do that you’re in control of your life.  If you do not, life controls you” – Tony Robbins

What a wonderful quote.  Learn how to use pain and pleasure and you control life.  If you do not, life controls you and you feel miserable.

How do you teach yourself to use pain and pleasure?  I believe we have to awaken and be conscious that each moment we make very small choices.  These choices either move us towards pain or towards pleasure.  We have to stop trying to move forward in order to recognize which one is driving us.

The key is to be conscious.  To be aware that you are given those choices and that you are actively choosing one over the other.  This is not easy to do even for one day.

Today’s question is:

“Can you be conscious of all of your choices for one day?”

365QOD-Day585

 “The big break for me was when I decided this is my life.”- Comedian Jon Steward

We often behave like tomorrow is guaranteed.  Oh, I will get to it tomorrow is a typical thought.  We believe that tomorrow is guaranteed and that we will be more likely to complete whatever it is we are pushing off.  Often tomorrow comes and the story repeats.

The quote above comes from a comedian.  He made a decision and based on that decided to change his life.  To do this he took responsibility that it is his life and the choices need to support that belief. 

As an old saying goes, ‘Life is not a dress rehearsal’.  It is actually playing out and you can choose to participate and drive it or you can be driven by it.  The choice is a make or break choice.

Today’s question is:

“Are you the driver or are you being driven in your life?”

365QOD-Day584

“If you could give you kids the best characteristics, what would you chose?”- my

question to my self

A while back I wrote a post in which I posed the question if parents had a choice to make whether their kid was a genius or a successful adult which one would they chose.  The choice would normally be a successful adult.  Most people realize that the skills to look like a genius as a kid do not translate into being a success in life.

But if you could enable your rug rat with the special skills that would lead to success what would they consist of?  In  a WSJ article by Paul Tough on Opting Out of the Rug Rat Race he mentions a University of Chicago economist, James Heckman, who concludes that information stuffing into the brain is not the answer.  The answer is to back off. 

Yup!  Allowing kids to ‘face adversity on their own, fall down and not be helped back up’ is the most valuable thing that a parent can do to help their children’s develop non-cognitive skills.  In other words, let little kids be kids and not hover over them when they fail and assure them that they succeeded even when they really failed by just trying.

Realize that college is too easy for most kids.  It is a matter of putting the time and minimal effort to get to the diploma.  The non-cognitive skills are what will make the kids a success.  So we all need to be less overprotective and more encouraging of failure and allowing kids to learn from it?

Today’s question is:

“Could you allow your kids to fail and not pick them up?”

365QOD-Day583

“Young people searching for their ‘real’ self’ must learn that the real self is not something one finds as much as it is something one makes; and it is one’s daily actions that shape the inner personality far more permanently than any amount of introspection or intellection”- Sydney Harris

Based on the quote daily actions is the key to success?  I  would like to add two words: consistent small daily actions. 

Why these two words?  The actions have to be small enough that we would just do them as a part of a routine.  The consistent part adds the dimension that it moves us towards a goal. 

Today’s question is:

“What consistent small action did you take towards your goal today?”

365QOD-Day582

“If a men will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties”- Francis Bacon

I allow myself the flexibility to change my mind.  I am swayed by a good argument.  Many would consider this a weakness but I consider it one of my strengths. 

As Darwin said, it is not the strongest or the most intelligent that survive BUT the most adaptive. I am adaptive.  For me it is rare that there is only one way of doing something.  By having multiple ways I am more likely to solve an issue without my feelings getting hurt because of having one way of doing it and not having it work out.

Often times some of the most skilled people are skilled because they are well versed with multiple tools.  They know how to work the right tool for the job by having it in their arsenal.

Today’s question is:

“Are you adaptive?”

365QOD-Day581

“It is thrilling to realize that we are the first people in the history of the world for whom geography is not a limitation to self- employment.  As geographical barriers go down, entrepreneurial imagination goes up.” – Barbara Winter

I spoke with a co-worker the other day.  He said something very interesting.  In his estimate he will most likely never retire in the U.S.A. This is a 30 year old guy who has given up on retiring here.  He felt that his money and healthcare would be better taken care of elsewhere.  Wow!

Several years ago I read an article how many people that come to the USA to pursue advanced degrees were going back home because they felt the opportunities where there and not here.  Wow!

I think the quote above ads a third Wow!.  It adds the idea that you can create a job and live anywhere without limitation.  In other words you are not limited to the opportunities of a particular country at all.

After being overseas for a month I can see how being able to create a job that you control from anywhere in the world is the way to go in the future.  It provides flexibility that the past did not.

Today’s question is:

“Where would you live if you your living and health expenses were not issues?

365QOD-Day580

“For a long time, I thought motivation and inspiration were two words describing the same thing.  I no longer think that.  As I see it, motivation is a force that generates action because of the consequences if we don’t.  It may not have anything to do with genuine passion or enthusiasm.  Inspiration, on the other hand, is a call to creative action.  We act because we want to, not because we have to.”  – Barbara Winter , Making a Living Without a Job

In an earlier post I told a story how I once asked students to tell me what could keep them from being successful.  Half thought that laziness was keeping them from achieving more.  Other half thought that they were not motivated.  I often wondered if laziness and lack of motivation are not the one and same.

When I read this quote I can see that I did not consider how inspiration plays into this puzzle.  The call to action is what is missing.  I often find that by taking a step forward ,when I least want to, I am committed to keep moving towards a goal.  It might still take a lot of effort BUT at least I am moving towards the goal.

So do I need inspiration to take the first step?  I never really thought about it.  I believe if you wait for the inspiration then you might not take that step.  If you are inspired by something or someone then you will definitely take the first step.

Regardless, just take the first step.

Today’s question is:

“What inspires you to make yourself take that first step?”

365QOD-Day579

“Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying the basic fundamentals” - Jim Rohn

Often we observe the success of stars in a field and all we see is the success and not the hard work that went into getting to that point.  This is a problem.

It becomes a problem because often when people want to be successful they make an attempt and after a little bit they give up.  The success they see looks easy to have gotten and they are confused why it is not easy for them.

As the quote advises success is neither magical nor mysterious.  It does require that you understand the basics and to apply them exceptionally well over a long time.

Today’s question is:

“How do you keep yourself from quitting too early?”

365QOD-Day578

“I wanted to change the world.  But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.” - Aldous Hyxley

I t is very easy to look at the people around us or on our team and see dysfunction.  If this person would just do X then Y would be so much better.

If it was this easy then management would be simply wishing people into proper behavior.  This magically never occurs. 

The quote teaches us that we must start with us if we are to change anything.  Recently, I was going through a ‘bad attitude’ period.  I thought that other people were wrong and that I was right. 

The problem was not them, it was me.  I had to look in the mirror and decided that I had to change my attitude if my world was to change.

It is amazing how quickly things change when you change yourself.  And by the way, you can control whether you change or not.  You have absolutely no control of whether others change.

Today’s question is:

“Have you tried changing yourself first?”

365QOD-Day577

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change”- Charles Darwin

Probably one of the most misunderstood people in history is Charles Darwin.  I personally do not know enough to have much of an opinion of him.  I know he was a great scientist but I have also read that he was also very religious.  Interesting…

The quote above is very powerful.  It claims that when one looks at survivor of  a species, the most responsive to change is the one most likely to survive.  It is not the most intelligent or the strongest but the most willing to change.

Wow!  If we could only learn to be most responsive to change we will be most likely to succeed.  I believe that it starts with acceptance of continuous change as the norm and not an aberration.  We must go out of our way to look for the change instead of waiting for it to hit us between the eyes.

Today’s question is:

“How will you become more responsive to change?”

365QOD-Day576

“All startups should be thinking, what frustrates me and how can I make it better?  It might be a small thing or it might be a big thing, but that’s the best way for them to think.  If they think like that, they are likely to build a very successful business.”- Sir Richard Bronson

A few years back I used to sit down during lunch and think about what frustrated me that day.  I could usually find one or two items that just rubbed me the wrong way.  Once I have identified the source of irritation I can proceed to brainstorm ways of eliminating the frustration. 

Next day I would do the same.  It was amazing how one can almost come up with at least one new invention or a solution to a problem per day if one focuses on their frustration.

Sadly, I never did anything with the wonderful solutions I came up with.  There was definitely a lack of execution.  I never profited from all of those ideas.  It was simply mental masturbation.  It made me feel good but produced no useful fruit.

Today’s question is:

“What frustrated you the most today?”

365QOD-Day575

“For the last six years, I‘ve had exactly one employee. Me. This has changed my life in ways that I hand not predicted.  I can write an e-book and launch it in some crazy way and just see what happens.  If you don’t have to bet the farm on every launch, you are way more likely to launch more, which vastly increases your odds.”- Seth Godin

Seth Godin is a wonderfully creative individual.  Once in a while I have to go to his website and read a little and often download a free product.  He never fails to inspire me.

When I read this quote I can see that he is a sole employee.  He is the creator of his own materials.  This is unlike other self-help authors who have a team of people writing for them and they just provide the spark.  Nothing wrong with that approach either but they are not equal in my mind.

The quote urges the quick launch of products while minimizing the investment in money and time.  Launch, learn, improve, launch again, keep repeating.  The minimum cost is what allows this process to continue and to eventually get to a continuous success

Today’s question is:

“What prevents you from launching continuously?”

365QOD-Day574

"I should write one myself" - my thought

While reading Inc. Magazine I read a section called A skimmer's guide to the latest business books. It provides a short summary of key ideas from the book.

Being an author is cool. Now the goal is to drive some sales of the books. This section seemed perfect to self-write a piece and submit it. Is this cheating?  No if it helps me and it helps them.

All they can say is yes.  Going through the submiting process will at least teach me what it takes to get an article published in a magazine.

Today's question is:
"Even if you got nothing to lose, can you still make yourself  to do it?"

365QOD-Day573

"50% of all high school students go to college"- USA Today story

Wow!  50% seemed so high. I believe that I read somewhere that 25% of working people have a degree.
So why aren't we thriving and economy bouncing of the roof? 

As a group the college educated have done well during the current recession with only 4+% unemployment.  This is half of the general public. 

Education has provided some security in a volatile situation BUT it has not provided financial freedom for most. It is a wonderful ticket to working for someone else but it seldom translates into working for yourself and making a great living.

The opposite of security is insecurity.  Reality is that the higher our ability to handle the uncomfortable feeling of insecurity the higher our financial freedom.  The best way to increase the level of insecurity wr can handle is to force ourselves to stretch everyday outside of our comfort zones.

Today's question is:
"How much insecurity can your wallet handle?"

365QOD-Day572

"Be Somebody" - graffiti on a Houston bridge

I passed this piece of graffiti the other day and it stuck with me.  Aren't we already being somebody?

After thinking about it I realized that we are who we are but to be someone of influence is to Be Somebody.  Someone who moves others in their thinking, feelings, action, etc.

Today's question is:
"Are you BEing Somebody?"

365QOD-Day571

"Major corporations were founded and thrived, providing significant opportunities for a career seeking individuals.  US Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that today about 50 percent of the college- age population attends college, putting them on faster track to corporate opportunities.  "- Carol Roth

The American dream of 100 years ago is for most people a current reality that is quickly fading.  Most of us go to work everyday working for someone else.  We dream their dream.  Their pockets get lined while ours get slightly full.  Our appetite whetted but never quite quenched.

This is a reality for most of us because fear rules us.  The ingrained belief is that a big company provides security.  We are afraid of striking it on our own and testing the true worth of our talents. 

The good news is that the tests do not have to be abrupt.  I put out a book, get a result, make some changes, get another result, put out a different type of product, etc.  Little tests along the path to financial freedom.  You never know which stream will flow in your multiple streams of income strategy.  Mine might consist of books, presentations, apps, etc. 

Today's question is:
"What are your multiple streams of income that will lead you to financial freedom?"

365QOD-Day570

"My first theory is that people like to give and receive uplifting advice.  Let’s face it – our society is built upon blowing smoke up each other’s asses ( in layman’s terms, giving gratuitous or insincere complements or general good feelings)…. However, our collective unwillingness to engage in a reality check has gotten us in lot of deep doo-doo."- Carol Roth

I found this line while reading the Entrepreneur Equation book.  It is the truth.  We always try to be nice and polite and give people the "best" spin.  Then there are others who like to be brutal with their opinions. 

I always say that the truth is somewhere in the middle.  We have to use the sandwich approach.  Give people a  good point, followed by the bad point, and lastly finish with a good point.  This usually helps the person to recognize that they are doing some good things AND something to improve upon. 

The ratio of 2 to 1 is OK.  In a previous post I discussed the suggestion by another author who recommended 6 to 1 ratio for a marriage to succeed.

Again, somewhere between 2 and 6 is the right answer for a particular situation and person you are dealing with.

Today's question is:

"Have you offered someone a sandwich?"

365QOD-Day569

"If you can not get a miracle, be someone's miracle"- Nick Vujicic

I was flipping channels today and noticed on one christian show a guy sitting on a couch without arms and legs.  He uttered this line and I was captivated.

We are always hoping that our problems will miraculously go away and that we would experience nirvana on Earth.  Well, the reality is that we are spiritual beings having a human experience.  We are given senses in order to experience the world and to eventually awaken to being a spiritual being.

With those thoughts in mind, when I heard this man speak those words I could not help but see that he was farther along on that journey than most of us.  Even though he was the one without arms and legs, he wanted to be someone else's miracle.

Wow!  How unselfish!  Miracle does not mean you actually move a mountain.  It could be helping a person get rid of a personal mountain.  It is whatever that person needs.

Today's question is:
"Have you been someone else's miracle ever?"

365QOD-Day568

"As someone who’s quick to buck common conventions, I know that demolition isn’t hard; anyone can say that everything you’ve ever heard is wrong.  The trick is building something better in its place." - The Entrepreneur Equation by Carol Roth

I have a love-hate relationship with negative people.  They are good for finding what is wrong with your idea BUT often can not offer an alternative.

As Carol says it is easy to destroy people or ideas but the building up part is difficult.  An alternative can easily be offered BUT a better alternative is often hard to generate.

It is the idea of devil's advocate vs. angel investor I wrote about in the past.  The devil's advocate does a good job of demolition and finding faults.  The angel investor believes that the person is close to a solution and often leads the person to discover the missing ingredients of a better solution for themselves by posing questions.

Today's question is:

"Are you a builder or a demolitionist?"

365QOD-Day567

"You must have a keen understanding of your Brand, Outcome, and Differentiator" - Zen of Social Media Marketing Shamna Hyder Kabani  www.zenofsocialmedia.com

In several branding posts I have spoken of the idea of brand.  I have for the last few years attemped to

re-brand myself from being just an Engineer to a cREATOR (with a small c).  In reality I have always been more than just and Engineer since I have also been a professor.

The point is that I believe that in the long run I want when people think of me to associate creativity and deep contributions in multiple fields as my brand.  So that is the B part.

Since I am trying to establish this Brand I have to evaluate how each Outcome fits with it.  My first book The Result is my first attempt in writing a self-help story.  My second Outcome shows ow I have creatively put together 365 thoughts from over 40 different areas and organized them to be more usable.  Recently I put together and printed copies of a 250 page manual for training new Project Managers.  If you do a search on Amazon you will not find it.  I have not made it available to the public because it is not consistent with the direction of the brand.  It is creative BUT it moves me back to Engineer.

So how do I Differentiate myself?  Well, as a working person I still write daily posts, publish at least one book per year, and future books will be on subjects such as: Teamwork, Finance, Time and Energy management, Poverty of the Mind, etc.

Today's question is:

"What is your BOD?"

365QOD-Day566

 “..My intention in branding folks is always to extract what is truly unique, quirky, interesting, and relevant about them and their businesses and then roll that into the offer and consequently the brand.  What’s hooky about you? – Suzanne Falter-Barns www.getknownnow.com

I recently read majority of Zen of Social Media Marketing book by Shamna Hyder Kabani.  She has a website www.zenofsocialmedia.com.

I used to teach MBA courses and often had to teach my students how to write better papers.  The school chose to use the APA format and they strictly focused on the format and forgot how to write an interesting paper.  At times I had to read 20 page papers that were so boring BUT they followed the format.

In order to help them improve I often emphasized the need to hook me within the first paragraph and ideally the first sentence.  In my blogs the quote is typically my hook.

I agree with Suzanne.  We need to understand what is hooky about us.  If you do not know it then you can not sell others on it.

Today's question is:

"What's hooky about you?"

365QOD-Day565

"56% of people found jobs from their network"- 1974 study as referenced in the Tipping Point

I heard this statement and had to rewind the audio book.  The study learned that the network connection was not a friend BUT an associate. What!

You would think that if you are down and out your friends would be the ones that lead you to your next job.  They are not because they tend to be within a close circle that look at the same opportunities and many of times work together. 

The people who you associate with travel different circles and can expose you to different opportunities and ideas.  They can suggest an opportunity that you would not have even heard of or would normally considered.

Consider that this study was done in 1970s.  Today with Facebook and LinkedIn that percentage has to be higher.  We tend to keep in touch with many more people than in the past because messages and email are so quick to construct and do not require much thought.

The Tipping Point book by Malcolm Gladwell also points out that in the past "tribes" tended to be less than 150 people.  This was because people did not feel as connected to other members and did not feel social responsibility to larger groups.

This fact is still valid.  I feel a connection to the 500+ LinkedIn folks I am linked to BUT unless I maintain a direct communication with them that link will become weaker over time.  It is no different than our brain and the neuron that have not fired in a while.

Today's question is:
"Have you refreshed your 'weak' network links?" recently?"

365QOD-Day564

"SUCCESS!...again" - my words

Last week I managed to get something done.  Before my vacation I had submitted my second book to CreateSpace and the inside and outside got approved.  I reviewed the proof copy while on vacation.  Last week I pulled the trigger and made the book available as a paperback.

The process for getting my second book published has forced me to become a better writer and editor.  When I re-read my posts five times I quickly realized that if I had written them better then the re-writing would have taken less time. 

The editing of one's work is also very difficult.  We tend to overlook minor mistakes in our writing so finding those errors is a challenge.  Another thing that adds to the errors is that often we tend to write the way we speak.  I approached the posts with the idea that there are mistakes in them and that I needed to find them before someone else paid and found them.

In the end, I believe that my second baby is just as pretty and smart as the first one. 

What remains to be done is to make it available as a Kindle book.  In order to do this I need to figure out how to separate the book into chapters so that a person reading the book can easily navigate.

... time to celebrate...

Today's question is:
"How do you celebrate repeat success?"

365QOD-Day563

"Man I am proud of them" - my thought

I happen to have two great kids: Stefani and Milan.  They are both gifted academically and athletically. 

This weekend I spend some time with them since my 16 year old daughter is leaving for a year to live in China.  Yes you heard that right.  She left home at 14 to go to a boarding school and now at 16 is leaving the country.

Man! The world is changing and she is embracing the change quickly.  I take my hat off to her.  I do not know of many 16 year old kids that could handle a transition like that.  The amount of change is huge.  For her to thrive in a new environment like that is wonderful.  I am sure she will do well.

Today's question is:
"Could you thrive in a completely new environment(country)?"

365QOD-Day562

"Think BIG" - my advice to myself

In post Day560 I talked about a business man who had a product that he wanted seed money to build a second line.  The offer made to him was for the IP rights.  He did not agree and walked away from the deal.

So I kept wondering how this is related to me?  I have been playing with writing apps recently.  I wrote an app the other week which you can visualize simply as a "glorified" PowerPoint presentation that teaches a person how to solve a particular math problem.  It describes the theory, followed by a couple of completely worked out examples, and lastly it gives a template where you plug in values and it generates the solution.

So what?

Well my idea was to create a few apps and sell them on Google app store.  I kept thinking about my app and this guy's story and could immediately see that a better and bigger idea was to develop a template that would allow people to go from PowerPoint to app.  Cool!

Today's question is:
"Do you think BIG!"

365QOD-Day561

"Can't he see that?" - my reaction

The other day I watched a show called Shark Tank.  It is a show where four venture capitalists have ideas presented to them and if they choose to they invest in an idea that the presenter is selling.  It is an interesting show and often there is no deal.

What make this show interesting to me, that day , was a presenter who had been on the show last year and did not make a deal.  He was offered a sum of $600k for 51% of the intellectual property(IP) rights of his company which produces a cup of wine products.  He has created a method for bottling wine is a glass cup that the big wine companies had not.  So his IP was worth a lot but he was also interested in running his company.

This time around he had generated 5 million in sales and was asking for 300k to install a new line.  The VCs smelled blood again and went after the IP rights so that the technology could be licensed to other companies and he can make more money. 

What was interesting to me was they they offered him money for the IP rights and he chose not to take it.  In my opinion he was stuck on the amount offered and the percent of the IP rights that he was giving away.  What got in his way was that he was in love with running his business and did not want to sell of much for it.  The VCs came from the other side and offered too little for the IP rights.  He should have negotiated better and came to a middle ground.  I would have offered 25% for just the IP rights for a smaller amount that he needed.  The IP rights would have generated more money than he needed for future expansions.  He knew that he will have small future successes and did not want to risk those for the payout with which he was not satisfied. 

Today's question is:
"Are you willing to give up small future successes for a BIG success that is not guaranteed?"

365QOD-Day560

"The greatest friend to change is being discontent"- John Maxwell on Success CD

If you are never truly happy then you have two choices:
1. accept it
2. work to change it

A person who accepts it has "settled".  Besides complaining, a person who has accepted their current state will never do anything to change the situation.

The second type of person looks at change as malleable.  They will try to understand it and if they are bold lead it.  Leading it often results in control. 

The quote above lets me know that John is a driver.  He is not content with his current state and feels that he can do better by doing XYZ. 

Today's question is:
"Do you accept or are you driving your current state?"

365QOD-Day559

"Wow that is cool!" - my reaction

A few days ago I was showing my blog to a co-worker.  I told her the URL and she typed it in.  The blog appeared and I explained to her how I write on over 40 topics. 

While explaining this to her I showed her the label at the bottom of the post.  For the first time, I noticed that the label was clickable.  So I asked her to click it.

What appeared in front of me was all of the posts sorted by that label.  Cool!  While writing my second book this took forever to sort by label the posts.  This little discovery will save me tons of time when I write my next book based on my blog posts.\

Today's question is:
"What little discovery did you make today that changed your world?"

365QOD-Day558

"A morning is a terrible thing to waste" - Laura Venderkam

I have never classified myself as a morning or an evening person.  I can get up at 4 a.m. and start a run just as I used to do midnight runs in college.

For me the lark vs. owl debate is a made up.  You are what you set your mind to be.  If you chose to become a morning person and start getting up early eventually you will become a lark.  Similarly, if you chose to stay up later and later eventually you will become a night person.

Don't believe me? Take a look at kids during summer breaks.  They typically stay up to 1-2 in the morning and get up after noon.  But when school starts they shift into getting up early.  They don't like it but they still manage the change.

Today's question is:
"Do you believe that you can become the opposite type from what you currently are?

365QOD- Day557

"Fair fight is overrated.  I can lose a fair fight!  Give me an unfair fights and the upper hand.  I'll take those odds any day.  " - Real Truth About Success book

This paragraph caught my eye when I was reading this book.  I quickly asked myself why this was not conventional wisdom.  Why do we always want a fair fight?

Is it a cultural thing that we want everyone to have the same odds of winning?  Maybe not?  BUT I do agree that if it is a fight I have to fight then I do not want a fair fight.  I want the odds in my favors so much that the obstacle is minuscule. 

I want to win the fight.  If I can prevent the fight even better.  Even odds might place the win in jeopardy. 

In order to make the fight in my favor I need to marshall resources in my favor.  In my word, resources could be people that support me, tools (weapons) that are useful, and control the location where the fight takes place( I want sun in my opponent's eye).

Today's question is:
"Do you want to win more than it being a fair fight?"

365QOD-Day556

"I don't have the energy to do that" - a lazy person's response

The fourth type of a team member identified in the Real Truth About Success book is:
"The lazy one:"I see it and here's the easiest way to do it.""

Man I love lazy people! They often try to minimize the level of work needed to do the task.  Often times people just want to dive in and start working.  They do not consider the best approach.

This is where a lazy team member could save you a lot of work.  Hell they don't even want to do the work.  They are looking to get out of doing it so if they are forced they will trim he work down to bare essentials.

Today's question is:
"Are you a minimalist?"

365QOD-Day555

"Nope... we can't do that because of XYZ..." - a negative person's response

The third type of a team member identified in the Real Truth About Success book is:
"The negative thinker:"I see it, and I see every problem we'll have along the way."

There is need for negativity in everyone's life.  A healthy dose of pessimism prevents us from following every crazy idea that others offer to us.

BUT when you are in love with the current state and "never" want anything to change then you can be become a negative person.  Even though life through example teaches us that nothing stay permanent, as people we try to find that equilibrium and stay there.

Unfortunately when we are nudged from that equilibrium it takes a significant force to do it.  I believe that we have to approach life from the perspective that we must change our state before life changes it for us.  Then we can control the direction at least.

Negative thinkers are great at identifying the stumbling blocks.  They are usually not good at figuring ways to get over them.   Combining the negative thinking with a little vision would contribute greatly to the team.

Today's question is:
"Do yo find yourself fighting change most often?"

365QOD-Day554

"I agree with that" - a person's response

The second type of a team member identified in the Real Truth About Success book is:
The butt kisser: " I see whatever you see, and it looks fantastic."

Many years ago I was an Engineering Manager and had to attend a weekly 2 hour staff meeting.  The Manager I reported to liked to use the meeting for brainstorming.  Brainstorming meant that he talked and talked and at the end asked his staff for their opinions.  I was one of about 10 people that attended.  It was sickening to listen to the smooch sound around the table. 

Most of the time I was the only dissenting voice or provided an alternative point of view.  So I stopped going to his meetings for a year.  He came into my office one day and told me that I was to attend his meetings.  I said fine.

Next week I attended, complimented him on his new one hour format, and never returned to another meeting.  His butt was kissed.

The only good reason for butt kissers is for moral support.  They can be a great first follower (see post Day13) and help nurture an idea for which many team members might be unsure of.

I am sure that every one of us at one time or another has had to kiss some butt.  That is normal.  But it you have a permanent brown nose then you are doing it too often.

Today's question is:
"Do you agree with most things that your leader suggests?"

365QOD-Day553

"I can see that" - a visual person's response

The first type of a team member identified in the Real Truth About Success book is:
"The vision person: "I see it. I see everything.  I see the future."

The vision person is usually the big idea person.  They can think outside of that box and at times you have to tell them to get back in the box.

Their usefulness comes from idea generation.  They are able to visualize a new future state clearly.  At times that idea excites them more than the current reality so much that they do not understand why the rest of the team does not see their vision as the only way to get there.

Companies often try to get their employees to "brainstorm".  Not everyone can do this easily like the vision people on a team.  So it is important to nurture their ability by allowing them to pursue some of their "visions".  Great examples of companies that do this well is Google and 3M where a certain percentage of each employee's time is spent working on personal pet projects.

Today's question is:
"Can you see the future clearly?"

365QOD-Day552

"Never hire people just like you.  You will double your strengths and double your weaknesses"- unconventional wisdom

I believe that personality plays a bigger role in team effectiveness then anyone gives it credit.  As a leader or a team member you have spend some time looking at the people around you and identify their personality traits.  One example of personality test that many companies use is the DISC profile.  If you look on the net you can find many resources that would help you.

But then what do you do? In the book The Real Truth About Success the author mentions the make up of a team.  Some team member descriptions are very unusual.

A great team
"The vision person: ...
The butt kisser: ...
The negative thinker:...
The lazy one:...
Even though some of these labels have a negative connotation, the usefulness of the type contributes to the effectiveness of the team.  Their points of views differ and the whole is better than each individual.  That is the ultimate sign of a great team.

I will explore these four types in more detail in next four posts.
Today's question is:
"What type of person are you?"

365QOD-Day551

"Doing something you are good at puts the odds of success in your favor.  It is almost impossible to achieve something that is worthwhile without having enjoyed doing it.  Almost all of the most successful people today enjoy doing what they do.  The ones that don't are wasting a lot of their life" Achieve More With Pareto's Law

A while back I wrote a post about an African runner who is the only person to have run 2 miles in sub 8 minutes.  The original story made it sound like as if he simply did it for the money and to provide for his family.  So it is possible to achieve something worthwhile without enjoying it.

I do believe that enjoying it would make it more likely for one to be successful at it BUT it is not sufficient or necessary. 

Today's question is:
"Do you believe that you must enjoy an activity to be successful at it?"

365QOD-Day550

"Your goal is to wake up in the morning, get dressed, put on your shoes and tap dance to work!"- Achieve more with Pareto's Law

This is not reality for most folks.  However, if you go back and read the four posts (Day486-489) about people who live to be over 100 you will note that one of the four characteristics is that they had a reason to get up in the morning. Usually for most people this is related to work. 

This quote does allow us to visualize the joy that someone can have if their life is aligned with their work.   Unfortunately, for most folks their work is simply a job and not aligned with what moves them.  It takes time and effort for people to examine themselves and determine their true passion(s).

Today's question is:
"Is your work aligned with your life mission?"

365QOD-Day549

"What are the few inputs that lead to the many successes?" - a great question

Again, it is hard for most people to answer this question.  You might be one of those folks.

Allow yourself to accept it.  You might philosophicaly want to fight against it being just.  

It is hard BUT realize that you or I might not wish for things to be so for them to be so.

Today's question is:
"Can you allow a belief which you feel is wrong to become your new reality?"

365QOD-Day548

"80/20 is a catch all title"- Achieve more with Pareto's law book

What we are looking for when using the 80/20 principle are patterns where large imbalances occur within a set.  In a previous post I discussed the quote that 20% of the population controls 80% of the wealth. 

Another example could be that 20% of my projects will lead to 80% of the perception other people have about my performance.  Which ones?  You have to spend time and think about the effect and the people affected by the project.  Not all customers are equal.

The point of this imbalance is that it exists.  Be aware and keep asking yourself which few affect the many.
Note that most people do not believe this effect.  They believe that all things are important.  So it will be difficult for them to differentiate.  Reality is that they are wrong.

By learning to differentiate you will learn to control the output and your success.

Today's question is:
"What few inputs will affect your output the most?"

365QOD-Day547

"What?" - my initial thought

This morning I turned the TV on and could not stop watching the gold match between Federer and Murray.  I figured Federer was a given to win.  Someone did not let Murray know that.

So how does a guy who a month ago lost the Wimbledon final come back and on the same court beat the same guy that beat him a month ago?  I figured that he wanted it more than Federer.

I am sure that at that level of play the physical difference between the top players is not great.  I do believe that it does exist but as today proved anyone can beat anyone on a given day if they want it bad enough.

Unfortunately most of time we do not want to win bad enough and find ourselves on the losing side.  Wanting it bad enough requires alignment between mental and emotional dimensions. 

You must create the state by
1. physically train yourself for the battle
2. but also pump yourself to believe that you can win
3. and visualize yourself to truly believe that you can win.

Today's question is:
"How do you connect your physical, mental, and emotional dimensions into a winning state?"

365QOD-Day546

"No matter what country Pareto looked at or what time frame he used, the pattern was always the same: 80% of a nation's wealth was held by 20% of the population"- from Achieve More with Pareto's Law book

Interesting!  So what do you do about it?  If you are one the 99% you get pissed off and protest.  Little will that do to change this ratio.  Just because it is not what you like the ratio to be protesting it will not change it. 

A better question is to ask yourself what are these people doing that I am not doing.  By understanding the thinking of the 20% and their actions you will be in a better position to become one of the 1%.  What do they know and what are they doing that is different from you?  If you say that they inherited their wealth then you are wrong.  Wealth in America seldom a multi-generational.  One generation makes it and another pisses it away. 

Today's question is:
"Do you take action consistent with the top 20%?"

365QOD-Day545

"If we focus on solving a problem, there is no physical connection between the intention to accomplish the goal, the mental effort that follows, and the ultimate solution.  What allows us to go from problem to analysis to solution is the insistence of the mind.  This is what must be understood- what must be realized.  This is the explanation, for all of it: there is no physical continuity anywhere, and everything stems from insistence of the mind" - Deepak Malhotra I Moved Your Cheese

I found this quote while reading the book I Moved Your Cheese.  I didn't care for the book too much but I thought this quote was worthwhile.  (The book negates the original Who Moved My Cheese but I did not see what it proposes as a better solution for change.)

The way I understand the quote is that we can have the physical intention BUT the mental intention is what is necessary to solve a problem.  Nice... BUT how do you create a mental intention?

I believe that whatever we think about most often is our mental intention or as the author phrases it "insistence of the mind".   So if I think consciously about something for a major portion of the day it will most likely make its place into my sleep and unconscious mind.  Often I find that after a good night rest the solution to a problem is in front of me and it is easier to see it.

Today's question is:
"What is your technique to force the mental intention?" 

365QOD-Day544

"Is it possible to pursue happiness if the pursuit itself does not make you happy?"- from the book I moved Your Cheese

This question is very difficult to answer.  If it was about the pursuit of anything else then one would simply stop pursuing the goal.  BUT there is something very different about happiness.

I believe that many people go through life unhappy.  It is not the place they live, the place they work, or the million other pieces of their lives.  They are just unhappy.  They do not appreciate what they have and no matter what they get will still be unhappy.

For someone to pursue happiness then they must have decided that 1. it was missing or 2. they were not happy enough and need more of it.  In either case you would not be unhappy about the pursuit.

Using this logic then the quote above has to be false.  I do believe that we can always improve our level of happiness. If I am having an average "happiness" day then all I have to do is write a blog post or two and it improves.  Although it is not a continuous happiness pursuit for me, I am able to nudge it towards a higher level of happiness. 

Today's question is:
"Are you happy with your life or do you need a nudge?"

365QOD-Day543

"Focus more of who you are becoming rather then where you are going" - advice from an Olympian on CNN morning show

I heard this quote and it immediately made me appreciate the wisdom.  Here was a young woman who is wise enough to know that the destination is important BUT your evolution is critical.

If you achieve your goal BUT despise the person you become then the goal is meaningless. By focusing on your development then any goal that you reach will be consistent with your state.

Today's question is:
"Who are you becoming?"