Business Attire Part 1: Look the Part if Your Going to Act the Part!

One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone in the business world dresses like some bum off of the street or like some high school student going to his first interview at the local grocery store. Listen, if your going to tell people that your worth all those 0's on the end of your pay check then you really have to dress like your worth all those 0's! Act your age, look your age, and always stay a classy gentelman. The main two things that I look for in a businessman are his shoes and his watch. I would suggest a pair of wingtips for your suits, and a pair of loafers or boat shoes for casual.When you wear a pair of shoes like wingtips it means you are here to do business and you are not fooling around!

Also the other investment that you want to make for your attire is a watch. You must wear a watch that commands attention; your watch not only brings power and confidence but it also tells others that you are a professional and you know it. Now, lets be honest not everyone can afford to buy a Rolex especially those who are just starting out in the business world. So don't pretend to be someone that you really aren't, and wear a watch that still personifies power. Watches like: Citizens, Swiss Army, Claude Bernard, and Skagen are all watches that hold class and power and would all be great choices for the kind of look you want to portray.

The Power of "Thanks"

Every year growing up, my mother and father would throw me a birthday party. My party's were always a big hit, due to the fact that my mother knows how to throw a good party, and even though I don't remember everyone that came to my parties over the years I do remember opening my birthday presents! I think that the shear joy of tearing off the wrapping paper off of the present or opening the birthday cars have to be probably the most looked-forward to part of every child's birthday. As I opened my gifts and cards my mom would write down all the names of those who gave me gifts. Then when the party was over and all the cleaning-up had been done my mom would set a pile of Thank You cards with envelopes down in-front of me, give me the list of names, and told me to get started!

In the beginning of my freshman year at Oral Roberts University, I had the pleasure of hearing a very powerful message on being thankful for the things that you have and for the people that you have been blessed to have in your life. The speaker went on to tell us about how valuable the words "Thank You" are, and how much they mean to those who are the recipients of them. My interest was then sparked, my brain started to run with ideas, and I could not get those two words out of my head. 

There is so much power in the words which we say, whether it be to build up or to tear down. I have found that so many people don't truly realize how powerful the words that they say can be and what they can do to the lives of those around them. There are few statements in life which leave an everlasting impression on the people that hear them, such as: Your fired!, God bless you!, Will you marry me?!, I love you!, Thank you!, and there are a few more. When you say one of these statements to someone, your life and their life has then been changed in a small or a major way. Use your words wisely! Just think about it, who doesn't like hearing the words "Thank you" or "I appreciate it"; I'm sure that there has never been someone who hated hearing the those words. Now, realize that these words mean absolutely nothing unless they are said with complete sincerity! You have the power to bring life to those around you with these words. The use of these two words can and will establish a name for who you are to the people around you, they have the power to build up your reputation, and they have the power to bring you business. Be smarter, live happier, and have an established name that you can stand on by using these simple words, "Thank You"!

Desire for More

What drives you to do what you do everyday? What does it take to get you out of bed and hit the ground running when you wake up in the morning? Basically, what makes you tick?

Recently I was watching the movie Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps, and in the movie the main character asked  very high bank executive, "What's your number?" the bank executive replied with an answer about how much he would make which sparked a follow up question from the main character, "No, I mean what is the number that would allow you to walk away from it all, everyone has a number and I want to know what yours is." His response was powerful, "MORE!!"

This want of something better than what you currently have, or this constant need to have MORE is the catalyst by which we find ourselves striving for in life. The promise of a new day brings forth things such as excitement, adventure, and prosperity. This new day is a chance for you to obtain MORE than what you had the day before; you can gain more knowledge, power, wealth, love, success and even more.

As a leader, businessman, or student we can not settle in our lives for less than MORE, we aren't called to just "SETTLE", but instead we must strive for the winning spot or top sale! Be a winner, and get MORE of what you deserve!

Seesaw's Aren't Only for Kids

When I was a kid one of my favorite things to do at the playground was to play on the seesaw with my sister and my two cousins. My sister is like half the size of any of us so trying to balance with her was always a tough task. But somehow we always found a way to balance ourselves with one another.

This same playground past time is played everyday in your life, whether it be in business, social, or spiritual. First we have to realize the whole purpose of the Seesaw, it is to help us find a balance and a counterpoint that will keep us leveled out. You might be able to tell where I'm going with this already, but keep reading along and enjoy. We must understand that the key to our success of a balanced life is this:
1. Realize that Balance is necessary for your life
2. You have to find the right person or partner that can keep you in check
3. Trust your partner

In order for us to succeed in life we have to have people around us who are willing to put us in check when we step out of bounds. This is the person on the other side of the seesaw who is trying to balance you out. You must be accountable to those who have an invested interest in your life, and who want to see you succeed, so trust what they say and don't take their advise for granted. Balance your career and your social lives to make them work together for your good. Good luck, and give it a try!

It Really Is That Simple!

Over this past weekend I met a man who essentially buys businesses, fixes them, and sells them at a higher profit. While having a conversation with this man, I just had to ask him, "What is it that you do in your job that puts you in such a high demand?". He just calmly answered, "Well I'm just simple, what I do is just take all of these complex rules and difficult situations and simplify them!"

Understand, that no company has ever said, "We are really just looking for a guy who can complicate everything for us!" NO! No one wants to hire a guy who is going to literally create more problems for their company. They want guys who can look at a situation, find the problem, create the solution, and EXECUTE!

What is so complicated about being simple? Simplicity really is one of the most complex things to demonstrate. It becomes hard to always think in such a simple way when everyone around you is trying to impress the big shots upstairs that their idea is so intricate and ornate that it just has to be implemented. You have to choose to be the difference, people want simple, don't feel intimidated about your ideas. Just be creative, smart, and simple and you will SUCCEED in your business!

Go SUCCEED!!!!!

Quote of the Day: Time

So many times we find ourselves wishing that we had more time to get things accomplished that have alluded us in our day. We then begin to analyze the cause of this "lack of time" and try to figure out the root problem. You ask yourself, "Is it time management? Is it that I'm just too busy? or Is it that I just don't make time to do the things that I need to do?" I find that in most circumstances it is a little bit of all three. I find myself not making time for the things that I need to do and instead doing the things that I want to do. 

The thing that will set you apart from the the guy down the hall is that you understand that there are 24 hours in the day, and lets say you get 8 hrs of sleep, 5 hrs of classes, and 4 hrs to fool around and hang out with your friends, plus an extra 3 hrs to study gives you only 20 hrs, thats an extra 4 hrs to do what you need to do and you've already accomplished everything else for the day. The time is there, you don't have to make it. Time will work for you if you just let it!

  "The most valuable asset that one has is time, so don't waste it!"

It's All About the Choices

Life is all about the choices that we make. Sometimes we choose the right choice and other times not so much! I'm not going to lie and pretend that I've never made a mistake, in fact I've had my own fair share of mess ups. But what matters the most is what you do when you mess up, my dad always told me "Be a man and own up to your mistakes, take responsibility for what you do or don't do" believe me, after hearing that so many times from dad I finally stopped blaming others for my mistakes and took responsibility for my actions. Everyday is a challenge, the challenge is to make the choice and stick with it, take responsibility for your actions!

The Go-Giver: The First Law

The Law Of Value

              -The Law Of Value states that "Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment."

Take Away:
       Your ability to be a good business man isn't just based on your short term accomplishments or what your sales are for a quarter or two. Your ability to make everyone feel like a 10 is what makes you a great businessman. You need to know that in this industry it's all about relationships, networking, and being sincere! The more you give value to someone's life, the better off you will be down the road and where you currently are in your business cycle. Your goals shouldn't only be to make a certain amount of money each quarter, it should be to create more relationships and to do what you love, so that you can flourish in all that you do!

The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea

About two summers ago, my dad handed me a book and told me that this book has some of the greatest secrets of the business world and will transform the way I live my life.....He was right! That book was called The Go-Giver. As soon as I started reading this book, I literally could not put it down, it's only 130 pages and every page is a wealth of knowledge. The book is all about this young businessman named Joe, and how he struggles for success. One day Joe gets a lucky break when he is presented with the opportunity to meet with a business guru named Pindar. Pindar is the man who introduces Joe to the Four Stratospheric Laws of Success. This week is going to be all about this book, I will give you key takeaways, all four laws, and answer any questions either posted as a comment or any usually asked questions about the book. Do yourself a favor and read this book now!

Thought of the Day: Love

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to be a professional athlete, rock star, or actor? Imagine how much fun it would be to get pain a lot of money to do what you love for the rest of your life, and then retire with out having to worry about needing more money. Well what it I told you that the key to doing what you love and getting paid big, is something that you can achieve with out having to go pro in any sport or having to play the electric guitar. You see, the key word in the statement above is LOVE! Once you have experienced love, you never want anything else, nothing will ever suffice. If you do what you love, wether it be marketing, sales, advertising, management, writing, singing, and the list goes on, then what you do for a living is no longer work. If you love what you do, then you will succeed in your area of expertise!

                                 "If you do what you love, then you will love what you do!"

Word of the Day: Extraordinary

Don't you just love being ordinary? If you answered that question with a yes than please read no further. Ordinary or mediocre means that you aren't doing anything in your life to try and surpass those around you.  As someone who is trying to become extraordinary, you need to be pressing for something better than what you have now. You see, being extraordinary is all about being:

Creative- anyone can throw together an average presentation, or can just mooch off of someone else's work, but a creative person will see the ordinary as it is and then completely transform it into something amazing and unlike anything ever been seen

Making the RIGHT Choices- life is all about choices, make the ones that will benefit you and your business

Go the Extra Mile- a piece of advice which I received from Dr. Russell (here at ORU) was to Volunteer for everything, especially the things that no one else would volunteer for. The more you work and the more value you add to your business, the more valuable of an employee or entrepreneur you are.

Hey the guy doing to Quiznos commercials is an ordinary, non-creative guy, anyone can replace him and do a much better job! You are not ordinary, you are extraordinary, and will succeed!

Quote of the Day: Commonly Uncommon

My friend Cody and I were watching an ESPN special last night called The Boys of Fall. The special was about how being on a high school football team had changed the lives of so many pro athletes and pro coaches in the NFL today. During the interview with ex-coach Tony Dungy said,

              "Success is uncommon, therefore; it won't be enjoyed by the common man."

It is our job as those in the business world to always strive for greater things, the moment we stop progressing is the moment that we become common. The moment we become like everyone else is the moment in which we say no to our potential to reach success.

So here is the question/challenge: Are you common, or uncommon? Are you going to be successful or are you going to say no to success?

Goal Setting

Goal setting is one of the easiest things to do in life, you simply say, "I'm going to do this" or "I will achieve that", but somehow you lose track of your goal along the way. Have you ever set a goal at the beginning of the year or a week, and then the next day you hit the ground running, your pressing toward your goal and nothing can stop you! And then you miss a day or you don't get all that you wanted to get done; and after a little while you completely lose sight of your goals and are no longer moving toward them, in fact you feel as if you are moving backwards. Here are some tips to help you accomplish your goals....

The key to success in fulfilling your goals are simply:

1. Set REALISTIC goals for yourself- most of the time we shoot for these super great goals because we feel invincible, your still a human so get real and set goals you know are achievable.

2. Tell others about your goal- the more your friends know about your goal, the more likely you are to complete it.

3. Each day set a small goal- setting a small goal for the day is a great way to chip away at the ultimate goal.

4. Get Up!!!- sometimes we get discouraged when we miss a beat or a small goal for the day, hey that's life so get up, wipe the dirt off of your knees, and get ready for tomorrows new goal.

5. Logging- another step for accomplishing your goals is to write down what you have completed each day, this will help keep you motivated to keep moving tomorrow.

Remember, you can do it! Get out there, set a goal and accomplish it to the best of your abilities!

Quote of the Day: Rise from Failure

"Success is not permanent. The same is also true for failure." Many times we find ourselves failing, falling short, or not accomplishing what we set out to do and therefore we get discouraged or downtrodden. What people don't realize is that in order for success to take place, there must be some amount of failure incurred. Failure needs to be seen as an opportunity to learn from your mistakes. Failure promotes growth through experience, once you have made your mistake you should take note of the mistake and don't do it again. Success is great, but failure teaches you more than success does, the most successful people in the world have failed more than they have succeeded. Success is out there, it is your job to find it and create even more of it!

Outliers: The Story of Success. The 10,000 hours of work is just the beginning!

In my personal selling class today, the Dean of Business referenced the book Outliers: The Story of Success, By Malcolm Gladwell. He gave reference to the 10,000 hours rule of thumb; which states that in order to be the best in your field of expertise you need to put in about 10,000 hours of practice. I first read the book in January of 2009, about 2 months after it came out, instantly I found it hard to put down. The book has many great takeaways but my favorite one is also the most challenging, its the rule of 10,000 hours. This book gives examples such as the story of people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and The Beatles, who performed over 1,200 times in Hamburg, Germany before they made it big as a band. Gladwell says, "It's not enough to ask what successful people are like. [...] It is only by asking where they are from that we can unravel the logic behind who succeeds and who doesn't." Successful people are more than just hardworking, they are also the recipients of an amazing circumstance or happenstance, which enables them to succeed.