My 1st official week of my journey from 49-50 indicates that my activity level is not sufficient to accomplish my goals.

If I’ve done my math properly the activity level I have to engage in to create the Leadership team I need to realize my goals is as follows:

I have to speak with 30 – 50 people a day to sign up 1 person per day.

I will ask them the following question
“If you knew for sure that it was possible to earn $100,000 a month legally and retire in two years, would that be a business you would at least want to know about?

If they respond with interest I’ll send them to wechoosewealth.com and arrange to follow up with them in 1-2 days at most.

If they decide they need more information I’ll just direct them to other tools our company has developed. This is very duplicable!!

After Identifying leaders in my organization I will work with them to duplicate the results I’m achieving and to help them achieve their goals.

Today started off kind of rough. My sleep was restless last night for some reason. I think it might have been the goody’s powder I took around 8:00. I asked Lisa to let me sleep for a few extra minutes, but between her and the dog it just wasn’t in the cards, so I got up and had my regular cup of Joe.

No breakfast this morning save a single banana.

by 8:20 I was into a full blown work out. 3 sets of 20 reps arm curls, 3 sets of 20 reps shoulder presses, 3 sets of 20 reps hammer curls, followed by 25 minutes of Yoga. In the tub for a quick bath and soak.

Off to a client visit. Great news – Good decisions/choices made by one of the key employees over the weekend and a wonderful attitude emerged this morning. I predict his performance will soar.

Back to my office by 11:15 after stopping to fill up with gas.

Lunch consisted of a banana and a protein bar.

I started making calls on behalf of another client, returning emails and looking into an opportunity to speak at a conference being held in San Francisco in December. I didn’t have any luck finding an angle of approach but I’ll stay the course until I reach a conclusion.

I’m coming out of the gates slowly with Quest due to a number of distractions. I ordered my business cards, made several calls and sent out a few emails.

I spent a few minutes visualizing my golf swing.

Dinner was Salmon filets baked in Ranch dressing with a heavy sprinkling of dill, stuffed shiitake mushrooms, broccoli with a little cheese and a couple of thin slices of Italian Garlic bread and a very tall glass of H20.

This evening included revising my thoughts about this site and the relevancy of content I post. I’m looking forward to the process.

Starting every Sunday evening I will be posting my Quest results in a graph I created. Here is an example draft.

I woke up to the realization that i was officially one year from 50. Let the countdown begin!

This journey is really no different than the one I made from 48-49 except for a few notable distinctions.

1. This is a very public journey for anyone interested in following it.
2. At the conclusion of each day I’m fine tuning or tweaking my performance with the expectation that I’ll perform better tomorrow.
3. I’m journaling each day’s activities and the thinking behind the behavior.

So, out with the old and in with the new, but not before I’ve had a chance to indulge a little on this very special day ~ my 49th!

Like most days I woke up to my routine cup of Dunkin BOLD coffee, a little 2% milk steamed in the microwave, add a packet of stevia, delicious! I tuned in to FB while my brain booted up. I can’t quantify my belief but I suspect  small doses of FB with the right perspective is good for the soul.

Breakfast was crispy pork sausage cooked in the cast iron skillet, I sifted most of the oil away from the drippings and then cooked fried eggs and everything bagels in the residue. Damn that’s good! A few fig preserves from the pantry, what could be better?

After breakfast I went back to bed, took a quick nap and then watched Dead Men don’t wear plaid. I was embarrassed for Steve the whole movie, he reminded me of Barney from The Andy Griffith show. I decided it would be good to get moving so I took a long vigorous bike ride into town zigging and zagging in and out of traffic and back alleys, jumping curbs, sidewalks and cars. Suddenly as if by magic my bicycle with me on it ended up at Wendy’s for lunch. I think my bicycle delivered an exceptional birthday present.

Lunch was a #1 which is a 1/4 pound with cheese no tomato, regular fries and a diet coke. Damn that’s good!

I’m cooking my birthday/anniversary dinner so I needed to stop in at Kroger and pick up a few things, so I cruised around town for a 1/2 hour or so and then pulled into Kroger on my bicycle with no basket, no satchel, no trunk, but that never entered my mind. I think I was suffering from greasy brain syndrome. Anyway I entered the store and was filling my basket when I ran into Mom. She was there filling the list I was asked to fill ~ delightful, I’ll finish the shopping and Mom can take the stuff home in the trunk of her car. Problem solved.

I’m looking for a couple of 50 lb dumbbells without the $50 a piece price tag, so I cruised through the neighborhood garage sales scouring for my bounty. NO LUCK, but I got in another 30 minutes worth of cardio. Total cardio for the day 1.5 hours ~ good stuff.

When I got home I did about 30 minutes worth of Yoga and then returned to bed for another quick nap. Love the ZZZ’s! Then I watched a little golf, followed by some serious cooking.

Birthday/Anniversary Menu
Steaks medium rare – provided by son as a birthday present
Twice baked potatoes ~ cook medium large russet at high temp 425 for 1 hour, 15 minutes. Remove from oven, slice length ways and scoop out center and set aside. Place skins back in oven at same temp and cook for 15-20 minutes or until crispy golden brown.
Mix potato with Asiago cheese, Mozzarella cheese, a little shredded sharp cheddar, a healthy portion of cracked peppercorn, a dash of sea salt, parsley, 1/2 stick of margarine and 1/2 stick of salted butter. Place contents in skins and return to oven at 350 for 30 minutes, remove sprinkle with sharp cheddar return to oven on high broil for 5-7 minutes. Serve hot! Add sour cream if desired!
Mushrooms sautéed in red wine vinegar, olive oil, shiraz and a little butter, dash of salt
Sweet corn in husk grilled over charcoals at 500 degrees for 20 minutes, light butter and a little salt.
Damn that’s good!

Dessert – Coca Cola Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream ~ Damn that’s good!

Indulgence almost over – left over’s tomorrow and then Monday morning new program.

Man, what a day?

It started normal enough, up by 6:00, coffee, 15 minutes of 5th habit again, quick perusal of FB and LinkedIn, Lisa cooked me 1 whole and 1 egg white, bowl of oatmeal with walnuts, cranberries, prunes, a splash of stevia and a heavy sprinkling of cinnamon. Then a quick bathe, shave, and off to engage my new clients entire organization.

We started the meeting at 8:00, everyone in attendance, a captive audience some eager, some skeptical, some anxious about the next 90 minutes but all at ease within a few minutes. My conversation with them was designed to answer the question WHY? Why training, WHY coaching, WHY cultural transformation, WHY behavior modification? You see If you help people discover the answers to the question WHY with enough satisfaction it makes what and how much easier, because without a compelling reason or reasons, something emotionally compelling people naturally resist change.
As we embarked on this journey to discover why, it was uncanny, unusual, humbling and abit freaky to find that without noticeable exception everyone came out from behind themselves and entered the room, the conversation and the challenge to change. For me a 1st and one that I’m still trying to get my brain around. For the next 70 minutes I poured myself into the process of sifting and sorting the truth discovered along the way.

5 minute break and then right into another meeting with the CEO to debrief and digest everything discovered followed by a full 90 minutes of gut wrenching, emotionally charged fierce conversation about the state of the business. At the conclusion I was physically and emotionally spent.

Now I get to drive across town to have lunch at Geisha’s in Greenbrier with the Senior VP of another company to discuss his future. The drive was pleasant enough, gave me time to reload a little, until I discovered that I had left my wallet and money at my office. My 1st thought was I have to share with the VP about my morning and the surprise that I’d forgotten my wallet. He was gracious, wanted to know more about the extent of my previous meeting and we had a great fierce conversation.

After returning to my office i realized that I was still spent, physically and emotionally exhausted. This is an unusual state for me because under normal circumstances I get charged up from the human interaction but something is different about this client, about this situation and I’ve got to get my brain around it.

I know power nap! slept for 2o minutes, still spent. I get up go to my office, sit in front of the computer, lost in a haze, disconnected from effort, disconnected from ambition, disconnected from achievement, something has to give. I finally gave up and went to the grocery and bought some supplies for the upcoming birthday/anniversary celebration this weekend. It was ok, not much thought required, a nice diversion, lots of temptation – ice cream, cookies, beer, wine . . . . . and soon enough I returned home.

Dinner tonight was the hot dogs we lost in plain sight over the weekend along with some very crispy crinkle fries which I love. Delicious! Afterwards I spoke with my beautiful bride about my day and discovered the answer to my dilemma – I was pouring out my discoveries and my emotion during those sessions with my client. My strategy tomorrow will be to pour out the discoveries and preserve the emotion for my use. My wife is so smart!

No Quest today, no anything else1

a little NCIS, a little Idol and off to sleep.

Maxwell states in his book (the 21 irrefutable laws of leadership) that

“He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” 

I suppose it could be said that business owners, CEO’s and Presidents of organizations have followers and therefore qualify as leaders but I would argue that just because someone works for you does not mean that they follow you. Strip away all the influences – money, prestige, debt, family pressures, social dilemmas, etc. and if that person still follows you then you can say you are a leader.

The Leadership Crisis or Lid is a very real blockage that prevents leaders, their followers and their organizations from achieving higher levels of excellence, growth, achievement, and market penetration. This blockage is always found in the 5” of gray matter between their ears. Another words how you think about and look at the world ultimately determines your world.

Here’s a story to illustrate

In the early days it was said that Sam Walton and one of his senior vice presidents were on a scouting tour through the Midwest. Sam and I’ll call him John drove into a small town of about 50,000 and pulled up in front of the local 5 and dime, which in those days was the equivalent of a small hardware store that also sold household goods. Sam told John they’d go into the store, go separate directions and in 30 minutes they’d meet back on the sidewalk to review their findings. When they returned Sam asked John what he thought to which John replied, Sam that has to be the nastiest, most disgusting excuse for a store I ever witnessed, did you see the stuff strewn about on the floor and what was there, a 1/4” of dust on the shelves? Disgusting, truly disgusting. What’d you think Sam?
To which Sam replied, John! Did you see the panty hose display? That was the absolute best use of floor space for merchandising I’ve ever seen. I pulled the rack out enough to find the name of the manufacturer and I copied it down. When we return I want you to contact them and invite them out to begin negotiations for placing them in our stores. Also did you see the ethnic cosmetics aisle? What do we have about 5’ in our stores? What did they have about 25’ and did you see how well organized and efficient the merchandizing was. I also got the manufacturer and distributor of those products call them and have them meet us to discuss a similar arrangement in our stores. To men toured the same store, one saw filth the other saw opportunity. Sam’s thinking and the way Sam looked at the world gave him the leverage he needed to break through barriers, to overcome limited thinking, to forge ahead with a great vision determined to overcome all obstacles, challenges and setbacks.

The primary limiters are deficient thinking, dialogue and behavior. To often there is a reversed consciousness where the person’s emotions control their behavior. It’s akin to shoot first aim later. Our emotions were designed to serve as signals alerting us to our flawed thinking, not to function as our operating system.

More to come . . . .

The door to outside in my master suite was ajar last night to let in the cool night air and this morning I was treated to the sound of heavy rains lulling me to sleep a few extra minutes. Righteous! I had my usual cup of coffee in symphony with a perusal of FB and LinkedIn while my eyes and brain boot up for another incredible day

Once again I’m listening to habit #5 by Stephen Covey – Seek 1st to understand and then to be understood. Extremely powerful principles that yield fresh learning without fail every time I tune in. It’s layered with insight, metaphor, analogy and wisdom impossible to consume in a single setting.

Do you listen hopeful to understand
or anxious to offer your smart reply?

40 minutes of Yoga – Bathe, Shave, Banana & Protein Bar.

I was with my client from 9:00 till 12:00 today working directly with the CEO and then with his #1 Salesman. Although I can’t divulge the confidential aspects of the relationship I can share the posture someone must take to transition through the kind of changes he’s hired me to facilitate.

In this case his company has been successful and they’ve hit a wall. A wall they’ve been trying to get past for several years with little success.  With strong conviction I can state that all such walls are found in that gray matter between the CEO’s ears. It’s often referred to as a Leadership Crisis. John Maxwell refers to it as a leadership lid. Whatever people call it it is a very real crisis that in almost all cases can’t be solved alone. Einstein stated it poignantly & here is my paraphrase “Problems cannot be solved with the same mind that created them”

Click this link My Thinking about Leadership to discover more about the posture this CEO has assumed to break through the gray matter.

I had lunch with leftovers from the weekend – Steak, green beans, fruit salad. Damn good stuff!

I made 8 calls for another client, generated and sent out 3 proposals, responded to half a dozen business emails.

Had a little protein bar snack.

Made several follow up calls for my Quest journey. Got traction with a couple looking deeper.

Had dinner around 6:00

Did a 3-way call at 7:00 with Mike Churchill COO Quest with a prospective friend looking deeper at Quest

Had  a yogurt with 2 Oreos

Wound down with a little recorded TV and then off to sleep around 9:30

Another great finish to a wonderful day.

Woke fairly early, stiff with pain in my left calf. Interesting?

Made coffee and turned on my IPod to listen to my recording of Conviction by Guru Ganesha. This short message has transformed who I am. The words are powerful and literally shifted my paradigm. I now use the sleight of mouth programmed in the recording to promote change with others.

This is probably not the persona you’d imagine of one of the best sales trainers in the world. He says relax I got a head injury, they warned you about mix marriages man – my mother was Russian catholic and my father was Irish Jewish.
To learn more about Guru visit http://www.guruganesha.com/

Made 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites with thin bagel and fig preserves for me and the same eggs but with oatmeal with walnut and prunes for Lisa. Barbie got 3 egg yolks

Updated my journal.

Pondering my upcoming session with my new clients salesperson at 10:00.
It’s amusing how quickly we reference our experience to satisfy our ego’s need to be right instead of simply listening for new insights and new wisdom to integrate with what we already know.

Session with Winston at 11:00
Acting or taking action to translate you from where you are to where you think you want to go can be a very difficult choice. You see it’s not the act or action itself that is difficult but the decision to act. It’s the decision or choice that is for many nearly impossible to make. The primary reason – most have not been trained to control their thinking which will control emotion. Want more? Check out the my thinking tab.

Nana Sushi Restaurant LLC‎6255 College Drive,
Suffolk, VA 23435-2768(757) 686-1560‎

Lunch with Winston at Nana’s Sushi
damn good sushi!
Love this Tokyo Love Roll!!!

Coaching and Training empties me. I’m working on a strategy to get an instant refill but maybe the best refill of all is a short power nap ;}

Power Nap!

Smile and Dial to share Quest. I made calls for about 1.5 hours, sent out about 8 emails, followed up with 4 people and then called it a day. Elapsed Time – 3 hours.

I was charged with Dinner – Pizza. No not delivery and not DiGiorno – Totino’s physically and tastefully altered by yours truly “add a complete covered layer of turkey pepperoni, complete covered layer of mushrooms, add a healthy sprinkling of red pepper flakes and top with mozzarella

Took a wonderful power walk with Lisa and Barbie throughout the neighborhood. Everything is beautiful everywhere I look.

Good Night!

Slept till 6:15 this morning. Had some wild, invigorating dreams last night and no I can’t remember any of them, just that they were invigorating. My coffee was exceptional this morning – not sure why . . . . . maybe my wife stirred it with her finger this morning.

I finally figured out how to lay down the architecture, configure the navigation and tweak the code on this site thanks to the help of http://www.kristarella.com/ and http://diythemes.com/ as well as a few others that I’ll mention in later posts. Thanks everyone!

After several hours reloading posts and pages from my former site, I relinquished my position to take my beautiful bride to see “how to train your dragon” http://www.howtotrainyourdragon.com/

We weren’t sure what to expect but the ratings for this fairy tale were fantastic. We weren’t disappointed, the graphics, special affects and story line were captivating and the 3-D effects were an added benefit. I especially like the misfit, no-fit, gotta figure out where I fit story line and the mis-judgment that spanned for centuries purely because the fathers before them said it was so.

The part that disappointed me some was the sticker shock. $25 for 2 adults and $5.25 for a medium diet coke. WOW! Maybe if they could figure out how to fill that giant theatre with patrons the prices could, would be more reasonable. The theatre we sat in must have had 300 seats and Lisa and I + another couple were the only people.

The weather was beautiful when we got out of the theatre, sunny, 75, breezy, so we decided to looking for some waterfront property. We cruised in and around Dock Landing and found a few streets with exquisite water front views. One day soon we will make the journey from Harding Dr. to another with just the right views, water depths, access, yard and every other convenience we desire.

During a discussion this morning it was decided that we would have hot dogs for dinner, so as you can imagine my mouth was watering just thinking about it. Only one problem, so how we managed to misplace em and had to make a quick decision – go to the store and pick up more or whip out the newly bought (b-day) steaks and fire up the grill. Guess which one won? Steak, sweet corn, fruit salad and lucky duck shiraz. Great combination!

Lisa, Barbie and I took a walk around the neighborhood after dinner and the temperature was perfect.

There was a flick recorded on the DVR with Donald Sutherland, Aidan Quinn and Ben Kingsley and because it’s my wife’s day I agreed to watch it with her. After watching I’d rate it a Smart, Sophisticated Action/Thriller.
It’s intelligent, well made and brilliantly filmed, and is one of the few thrillers with complex, interesting characters and a story line and plot that doesn’t sacrifice content for action. Well done Christian Duguay.

All in all a great weekend! Now I’m going to prepare for Quest and the clients I’m serving this week

Got up to my normal cup of coffee, made a quick review of FB and LinkedIn, captured some thoughts about strategy in my journal and then went for a ride on my bicycle to get the juices flowing.

Showered, shaved, %$#%& – wonderful start to the day

The air conditioning in my office isn’t working so I spent 1/2 the day working on it. I have a Samsung reciprocal mini split I installed when I built the master suite with office on my home. I think the installer missed something during the install because the system hasn’t been as dependable as it should be.

As I mentioned on my goals page, I have a completely organic garden, so I spent sometime hoeing weeds so that I don’t have to use chemicals to keep them under control. I also have a barrel where I’m brewing compost tea which is comprised of nitrogen, phosphorous, cow poop, leaves, lime, weeds, and a few other ingredients. I’m using this to fertilize the plants. I also installed a drip irrigation system using our well to provide the water needed during dry spells.

I watched an hour or so of the quail hollow golf tournament and I enjoyed it but it’s not quite the same without Tiger in the field.

I made 8-10 calls to expose Quest to folks and got a few 1st lookers

Dinner was my responsibility – Cooked burgers and fries, xtra crispy fries, yum yummm

Had a couple of glasses of wine and read a couple of chapters from Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott

Watched a little TV with my bride that we recorded with our DVR so we could skip over all the propaganda and garbage and then off to sleep