René Magritte’s The False Mirror

In the last 5 or so years, the world has undergone a mini revolution, one able to fly under the radar due to it’s nonviolent nature. This revolution is the information age, taking over by storm. The days of controlling information have become obsolete, and the way we live our lives has transformed.

Large or small, companies, criminals, business owners, politicians, and anyone else who’s central purpose has been the control and dissemination of information, now find their business models obsolete.

Musicians no longer need labels to be discovered by the world. Filmmakers have the means and resources to make a Jurassic Park size movie in their bedroom and can distribute the final result on the web. Entrepreneurs no longer need outside resources to start their dream business. All they need is and idea and the motivation to see it through. This revolution is going on right now, everywhere around the world.

Growing up, it was always about who you know. Now, it is just about who you are.

There are no more excuses. You can’t say, ‘I didn’t know how to do that,’ when all the answers are a Google search away. You can’t say, ‘I didn’t know anyone’, when every person and business is accessible in some shape and form on the net. You can’t even say, ‘well I didn’t have the money,’ when nowadays you rarely need it to get started.

In reality, it just comes down to us, staring into the mirror and realizing, there are no more excuses except the ones we create. There is nothing ‘we have to do’ that we are not passionate about. The only thing stopping you is the excuses you accept, and the only person in your way is staring right back at you.

Forget the limitations you think your body has.

Forget the fears of failure your mind projects.

All that matters is your spirit and your desire.

Let desire be your guide, and spirit be your strength. You always knew you could do it, you just needed a little time to accept the task at hand. Remember, success is getting up every day doing what you love. The rest just takes some time to fall into place.

photo credit

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

It took only one human to invent electricity, one to discover the theory of relativity, one doctor to cure polio, and one man to lead the civil rights movement of the 60s. Albert Einstein had a problem, Jonas Salk had a mission, Martin Luther King had a dream, Thomas Edison had a goal, and hundreds like them had the same courage to live out their dreams no matter what that entailed.

Albert Einstein once said ‘It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.’

Martin Luther King had a dream that many were afraid to listen to, yet he told the world about it.

Jonas Salk tested the initial polio vaccine on his wife, daughter, and himself.

Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before he revolutionized the world by inventing the incandescent light bulb.

All of these men were not afraid to be themselves, and trust in who they were, especially when times were rough. They knew the obstacles they faced caused everyone else to run in the opposite direction, however they stayed the course because they believed in themselves, no matter what that meant.

The question is, are you afraid to be yourself and live out your dreams?

This is not a challenging question, but rather one to be contemplated for a bit. You see, I can admit that I was very afraid to be myself for a long time. If you would have asked me then, I would have told you you were crazy, and probably tried to fight you (ooooh, to be young again).

Finding ourselves

Being who we are can be very difficult at times, especially when it conflicts with those around us. That is why there are so many mean people in the world. They are mean because they are afraid to be themselves, and some, rightfully so. Being themselves has caused others to mock, pick on, or worse, even physically hurt them. The world can be a tough place when you try to walk your own path. However, the end result is you wind up where no one else has before.

Being honest with ourself is another daily challenge we all face. Are we really listening to ourselves, or are we listening to our own excuses? It is the complexity of our mind that can make self honesty such a challenge. Yet, if we can truly be honest with ourselves, our life intelligence will grow at a rapid pace.

It took major surgery and a year of being stricken with a severe case of Crohn’s disease for me to see the importance of being myself. I was 18 years old, and faced with the prospect of never living a normal life again. After that experience, I started to chase what I love in life. There have been some bumps in the road since then, but somehow, I always wind up back on the same course toward my dreams. Sometimes a tragic experience can have an effect where suddenly, everything you thought was important means nothing now. In another words, your mind is cleared from all the bullshit we encounter in our lives, so it can see what really is important in our life.

Just Go Do It

Being yourself is not as easy as we might think. It takes hard, consistent work. Our brains are extremely adept at rationalization. So you may want to be that baseball player, but your brain will rationalize whether or not you can before you even try. You may think you are not big enough, or fast enough, or strong enough, or athletic enough, or even lucky enough. Whatever rationalization works best, your brain will find to avoid failure.

However, if we were never told such things, and wanted to be a ball player, we would simply just go out and do it.

What I have found is that being yourself is a challenge worth undertaking. It is like an individual revolution all inside your head. Suddenly, the straps are off, and you are free to roam the world fueled by your passion, without the chains of other’s judgement and/or opinion to hold you down. Every decision you make is actually decided internally, and not through three phone conversations and your Facebook friends list.

Standing Out is a Superpower

Being yourself is the only true way to stand out from the crowd, and conquer your dreams. You may think and feel like everyone else, but we are all unique in certain ways. It can be our passions, dreams, goals, or simply confidence that we can go where no one else has gone before, that separates us from the pack. Whatever it is, it is certainly worth pursuing.

Becoming an individual is like having a superpower, and not the crap super powers you see on twitter either. It is a superpower of individuality. No longer will you have to have others think for you. No longer will you accept the spoken word as fact. No longer will you live an ordinary life. It will become extraordinary, because it becomes your own.

Life in pursuit of your dreams is a sacrifice many of us are unwilling to undertake. There is much bark, but little bite when it comes down to the moment of truth. I think this is because the first, and hardest step, is going out on our own and simply being who we are, no matter what that means. People may not admit it, but there is a certain respect we have for someone who does their own thing, even if it’s not our thing. If we were to dig deeper in our psyche, I bet we would find that that respect is based on a hint of jealousy we have not done the same.

Everyday I work on being myself. I discover new things, work on my weaknesses, and continue to grow. We all do, whether we realize it or not. Some days are better than others. I can safely say that it is not a steady climb up the mountain. Some days we climb up, and some days we fall down. However, if we keep pursuing that goal, there is only one possible destination.

If you need a reminder stronger than this, check out the stories of Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., Jonas Salk, and Thomas Edison. Believe it or not, they were not that much different than you.

——————————————————————————————–

If you like what you see, get all the latest updates right to your email…

photo credit

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Inspired recently by Napolean Hill’s classic book ‘Think and Grow Rich‘, my partner and I recently sat down to plan our strategy to make more money than we can count. The following steps are the process we went through over the last year to get to the point where we were able to make this plan. There are six steps in the plan put forth in ‘Think and Grow Rich’. I have included them in this list, and added my interpretation of them. If you have not read ‘Think and Grow Rich’, I certainly suggest it. I can’t say it will make you rich, whatever your definition of that is, but it will certainly open your mind to the fact of just how possible it is to become so.

1. Think about what type of life you would like to live.

Don’t think about money. Money is pointless at this stage. In fact, pretend money does not exist. You simply have to choose what you will spend the majority of your time on. Now, don’t worry about changing your mind. That is okay. The important thing is to be successful in whatever you do, so learning how to succeed on one path will easily translate over to the next. Even if you pick the wrong path, it will not be a waste of time.

2. Write down how much money you would like to make.

As Napolean Hill says, you need to define this number and make a commitment to it. Write it down on a piece of paper right now. Don’t be scared either. I wrote down $200 million. My partner wrote down $333 million. Remember, this is our one life. If we are not going to try and go big, then why try at all? 

3. Write down what you are willing to sacrifice for this financial gain.

Napolean Hill opened my eyes to a very simple concept, that for some reason or other, had eluded me. If you want to make a lot of money, it is going to take sacrifice. It is not simply, think about it, and it will happen. You are going to have to give up family time, weekends, hobbies, television, and all sorts of things. Right now, list all of the things you are willing to give up to reach this goal. Remember, the higher the sum, the more sacrifice it requires.

4. Make a due date.

Another great step from ‘Think and Grow Rich’. Define the time period in which you want to achieve this goal by setting a due date to reach it. Now, don’t be scared to make the commitment. I wrote down 3 years with a due date of 7/4/2012. You can write down anything you like. The important part is to make that date and stand by it no matter what. Write it down right now.

5. Make a plan to acquire those sums.

This step from the book is quite useful. It helped us tremendously. You see, my partner and I had a couple of services that we are releasing this June. Now, originally, we were set on a certain strategy for marketing these services. We were thinking, in a few years, we may be able to collect enough monthly to pay all our bills. However, with this new commitment to a large financial gain, we had to think bigger. So we did, and what we came up with is incredible! I am not able to delve into details at this time, but the idea is probably our best idea yet. I can’t believe we didn’t see it before. We would have never thought of it had we not been forced to plan a way on how to make our fortune.

What I learned while doing this is, if you do not make a plan, how can you hope to achieve that sum? The answer is you can’t. That’s why, right now, you need to take some time and write down exactly how you plan to acquire the sum you desire. Don’t worry about the small details. Just get to thinking how you are going to take your passion, and turn it into gold.

6. Read it 2x a Day

So you now have a list. Napolean Hill, and my partner who had read hundreds of similar books, both say you should write the plan as if it already happened. For example, you may write…

“In the last 3 years, I have acquired $200 million dollars. To get this sum, I have sacrificed time with my family, weekends, television, training, luxuries, expensive dinners, good credit, sweat, blood, and tears. My fortune was acquired by (insert plan here). 3 years ago, I made a deal that by today, I will have acquired $200 million. There is no feeling quite like knowing I achieved my goal. It is too treasured to try and explain with mere words.“

Napolean Hill suggests reading it when you wake up, and before you go to bed. I think, as long as you read it daily, it will have the same effect. The important part is to get a taste of the incredible feeling of reaching that goal every time you read it. That is your daily motivation, Not the money, but that feeling of success. Right now, write down your own tale, as you would be telling it to others, after it is accomplished.

7. Believe in Your Ability

One of the things this book has done for me is it cemented the thought in my head that I really can do anything I want to. I think, along the course of our life, barraged by negativity day after day, we tend to doubt our ability to achieve things. ‘Sure, I’d love to be rich, but I’m just not the rich type.’ If you think like this, unfortunately, you are a 100% right.

To follow your plan, you must believe in it whole heartedly. You must believe that even if you are not ready at this very moment, by following that path, you will become as ready as you will ever be. It is not you that makes the path, but rather the path that makes you. You have made a commitment because you believed in your self. Now you have to do your best to stick to it.

8.  Start Right Now!

This is Napolean Hill’s final step in his book. He points out that, whether you are ready or not, you must start on this plan right now. It reminds me of starting out in Jiu Jitsu. They don’t show you moves, and make sure you know what to do before you start. Instead, they simply throw you right into the fire. To become good at Jiu Jitsu, you must first learn what NOT to do, before you learn what to do. The same goes for your plan. Jump right into the fire, and trust in your ability to adapt. Humans are nature’s greatest example of adaptation, so don’t tell me you don’t adapt well. Tell me you choose not to let yourself adapt well, because you are afraid you might not succeed. That is the truth, and from here on out, as you set out to start on this plan, the truth is all you have left.

9. Be honest with yourself.

Making a commitment to reach a goal is quite scary. It may sound ridiculous to others. It may invoke some teasing from friends and family. People think I am a moron when I tell them I am going to make $200 million in the next three years. However, I don’t care what anyone thinks. I don’t expect them to believe me. If someone told me that, I would not believe them either.

The truth is, you are not telling these people when you speak to them. You are telling yourself. You are being honest with yourself and your intentions. This is an important part of self confidence. Be firm in what you want. Don’t let anyone tell you different. It is your life, and the only thing you can do, is be honest with yourself about how you want to live it.

10. Money is not important.

This may seem ironic. If money is not important, than why the hell did we waste our time on the first 9 steps? The answer is that money is one part of living a stress free life. The feeling of reaching the goal you set out to reach is the true treasure of this journey. Imagine the possibilities that will open if you firmly believed you can achieve anything if you actually committed your mind to it. Think about the smug feeling of confidence you would have the next time somebody laughs at your lofty goals.

This is the feeling you need to have right now. This is the feeling of confidence you need to make your plan a reality. It’s not about the money, even though there will be plenty. It’s about harnessing the power of your mind, and realizing that with the gifts you have right now, anything, anything at all, is possible. It’s just a matter of committing yourself to it. Are you ready?

——————————————————————————————–

If you like what you see, get all the latest updates right to your email…

photo credit

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Everyone in life has their position. Whether at work, in your own business, in sports, at the dinner table, financially, or even in your personal relationships, their is an element of positioning. When trying to climb the ladder of success, we are inherently trying to improve our position in life, be it at work, or in our bank account.

Accountability

The first step to fighting for a better position in life is similar to a lot of first steps: Accountability. We must understand that what ever position we are in, it is because we settled for that spot. It is not because of any other reason. We decided at some point that this particular position was good enough. It might not have been a conscience decision. You may not have even thought of it that way, but the truth is, at some point, you accepted the position you are in.

That is okay. We all settle into a position at some point, at least until it gets uncomfortable again. Then we squirm around to try and find a new position. Some of us are eager to move up. Some of us will come tumbling down, and many of us will find it easier to move laterally. Moving laterally means we switch positions, but instead of moving up or down the ladder of success, we just move a little to the right, or to the left. So, yes our position has changed, but not the level we are on. It is almost like sitting in an uncomfortable chair, and then shifting your weight. It may feel good for a minute or two, but the bottom line is, no matter how much you try to make it, the chair will never be comfortable for long.

Settling for Less

Every position you are in you have settled for. Now that we understand that, we can see that if we are unhappy with our position, then we are really just unhappy that we settled for it. The position is not the problem. That is just a space that we fill. However, if you find that space uncomfortable, or unsatisfying, then only you can make the choice to improve it. To do this, you must make a deal with yourself that you will not settle for less than what you want.

When I graduated film school, I had to do something to make money quick. My family sold their 7 year old summer camp business, and now I was on my own to earn a living again. I was engaged to be married, had no job, lived at my parent’s house, and didn’t have a clue how to make money with the skills I had with a camera.

I started out trying to write screenplays, but they just were not good enough to garner any attention. So, instead of chugging along and finding my way, I jumped at the first opportunity I had to earn a living: mortgages. A friend of mine from Jiu Jitsu owned a huge company and I was eager to make some money and get some bills to pay. At the time, it seemed like the decision to take this job was what was best my wife to be, my parents, and myself.

This is the perfect example of settling for less. I didn’t want to just pay my bills. My goal was to pay my bills doing what I was passionate about. However, as soon as it got a little difficult, I switched paths to the easier road, and convinced myself paying my bills in anyway is what was best for everyone. So yes, for a little while I got to pay my bills, but in the end, when the economy got in trouble, I was left right where I started, with more debt, higher bills, and still with the problem of trying to earn a living using a camera.

Due to this, one rule of thumb I now live by is that if I am debating a decision, and the best argument I can come up with to do something is that it is what’s best for everyone ELSE, then I will no longer do it. I have learned that it is not selfish to do what’s best for you, cause in the end, what’s best for you is really what’s best for everyone else around you.

Learning First Hand on the Mat

As with most of life, I have found the perfect analogy for this in Jiu Jitsu. Just like chess, Jiu Jitsu is a big position battle. You are constantly fighting to get a better position then your opponent. In fact, many people who watch the UFC will complain when it goes to the ground because they feel the fight is boring. If you actually trained, you would enjoy all the battling for position that goes on when it looks like these fighters are just rolling around on the ground, because you would understand the importance.

Position is extremely important in Jiu Jitsu, just like in life. And, just like life again, if you wind up in a bad position on the mat, there is no one to blame accept you. You either made an error, or gave up fighting, and now your opponent has secured a dominant position.

When you are rolling (the term for sparring) in Jiu jitsu, many times you will find yourself tired as another one of these position battles happens. For example, you are exhausted, and your opponent is holding you down in side control like the following pic…

photo credit – Side Control Position

From here, as you are trying to catch your breath to escape, your opponent begins sliding their right knee across your stomach to try and gain the following mount position.

photo credit – Mount Position

Once an opponent has the mount position, it can be very tough to survive much longer. They are in a dominant position that makes it extremely tough for you to get out without exhausting much of your energy. Many times this is the beginning of the end in a match.

So let’s review the steps one more time. An opponent who had side control while you are catching your wind, begins to slide their knee across to try and get the dominant mount position. You have two choices here.

1. You can rest up, let the opponent get the mount, and then try to fight from there.
2. You can suck it up and fight like hell to make sure the opponent never gets the knee across and secures the mount because you know the fight from there is a hell of a lot tougher then the one you face now, no matter how tired you are.

Many times as a white belt, I chose choice #1, letting my opponent advance while I recovered. This always turned out to be a mistake no matter how tired I was. By resting, I was delaying fighting a necessary battle to reach my goal of winning. Inevitably I would have to fight anyway, but now from a much worse position. Each time I thought the rest was more important when the battle started. Each time, I was wrong.

In life, it is much the same. Many times we decide not to fight for a certain position because we are tired, or we convince ourselves it is not worth it. We fail to fight for better pay, or a better deal, or a better whatever. We settle for what we don’t have to fight for and just like on the mat, we usually find ourselves still fighting that battle, but from a much worse position later on.

The Key

The best way to secure a better position in life is to always be prepared to fight for it. Identify the position you are in, and where you are trying to go. Then, even when you are tired, worn out, or it is the last thing you want, if it is relevant to your success, you must fight for it. Otherwise, you risk losing ground to many others who will be trying to pass you on their way up the ladder. Once they get ahead, it is at least twice as hard to catch up.

In Life, unlike Jiu Jitsu, instead of battling one opponent, we face a myriad of opposition every day. So these fights can come from every direction. Sometimes they don’t even appear to be a fight. However, the bottom line is, if you want a better position in life, it is not going to come easy. You have to be prepared to pay the price for the position you want, and fight like hell to maintain and improve it. The better the position, the harder the fight. It’s all relative.

So the next time you feel that something is no big deal, or you’ll just handle it later, think of your positioning. Many times, you will realize, better to fight now, rather then let it go, and have to work twice as hard later on.

——————————————————————————————–

If you like what you see, get all the latest updates right to your email…

photo credit

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

First off, I hope every Mother had a great weekend. Seems like one day a year is kind of a small price to pay for the amount of support and love a mother can give all year long. Hope the weekend met every mother’s expectations.

Speaking of weekends, I read a great article on Sunday in ESPN the Magazine (May 18th, 2009) titled ‘Mixed Messenger’ by Michael Woods. For all you fight fans, it is a story about the life of Dana White, the head honcho of the UFC. The story takes place at some different times in the life of Dana leading up to the Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin fight. What struck me about the article is the quote they used at the end to sum up the story:

“The picture of Dana White? A little clearer. He’s savvy, but savage, creative but crude, organized but unpredictable – also the recipe for success in the cage.”

Basically, Woods describes him as a ‘walking contradiction’, but in a good way. Like the yin and the yang, Dana has two sides to him, both of which play a pivotal role in who he has become. It was in reading this quote that I felt a lot better about myself. I, too, can be a walking contradiction, as we all can.

What this quote, and story, showed me, was that it’s okay to be both sides of the coin. There are times that call for you to be a nice, caring person. However, if you want to survive in the shady world we live in, then you have to be able to flip the switch, and be ruthless against whatever obstacles stand in your way. In another words, being just one way is sometimes not enough. A fighter can not come in the cage and beat every opponent with the same strategy, and neither can we expect to overcome every obstacle with the same approach in real life.

To be successful in the cage, you have to be prepared, be adaptable, and ready for the unthinkable. Sounds a lot like life, huh? Well, it is. In the cage, all the chit chatter, the reputations, and the thoughts of other people mean absolutely nothing when those cage doors close. Same with life. If you think about it, all the chit chatter, reputations, and things people say about you mean are not the reason whether we succeed or not.

The recipe for success in the cage, and in life, is to be yourself. Dana White gets a lot of flak about his public cursing, his savage response to his critics, and his image as a ruthless CEO. So what? You think he, or his bosses the Fertita brothers, really care? Of course not. They know that Dana being Dana is the reason they are where they are today. They know Dana routinely gives money to people in need, and is a nice caring person. However, they know he is not someone the competition wants to cross either. We should all take note of this when we try to conform to what other people think around us.

photo credit

This is not to say it is okay to walk around and be an asshole. However, I am saying that sometimes in life, the best way to get what you want is to be an asshole. Early Sunday morning, while thinking about this, I caught the movie about Madonna’s rise to fame called Madonna: Innocence Lost.

One noticeable thing in the movie was how many of the friends she made that she left behind. It almost seem like she was a ruthless bitch going after her dreams, not caring who she hurt in her way. However, there is one line in the movie that really lets you understand what she is about. Madonna is about to make it big, and is very frustrated with her managers inability to get her a record deal. When she finds someone who can get her that deal, she jumps at the chance. Needless to say, the manager, who has risked everything on Madonna, is devastated. She gets very upset and threatens to throw Madonna out on the street. Madonna responds (at least in the movie):

“Don’t be mad at me because I am moving on and you can’t come with me.”

She goes on to explain how everyone gets mad at her because as she moves on, her friends can’t come with her. That is not her fault, that’s just the way it is. That really made a lot of sense. Life is not predictable, fair, or easy for any of us. Chances and opportunities are far and few between. So when one comes along that can make our dreams come true, we must not miss out because of what other’s may think. If the others are true friends, they will understand. I’m sure Madonna is not regretting getting that record deal and releasing ‘Like a Virgin’.

Dana White, Madonna, and a host of other successful people all have similar stories. They are all caring, creative, ambitious human beings who won’t take no for an answer, or let anyone get in the way of their goals. They can be caring, as well as ruthless in their ambition, depending on what the world calls for. I think we could all learn a little from them as we chase our own dreams in life.

——————————————————————————————–

If you like what you see, get all the latest updates right to your email…

photo credit

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

In New Jersey, USA, it has just reached spring time. The plants are budding, the landscapers are back, and the weather is finely enjoyable (at least for this week). With all of the new developments in nature, spring should be a reminder of the cycle all life follows, and all businesses as well.

Like a new business, there is seasons for each part of the process it takes to build a successful venture. One of the biggest mistakes a new business owner can have is believing that everything is going to run smoothly from the start. It takes time to learn how to become ‘seasoned’ in your business.

Today’s post is all about identifying the four seasons a business year will have, and helping you identify the best way to handle each one.

Spring

photo credit

Ah, the beginning of all life. Every new business venture is like the spring. Things look bright as life envelopes the barren landscape that once was. As the ideas start to bud into fruition, the business begins it’s new life.

The most important part of the spring is taking the time to make sure all the seeds are planted with the right amount of care. The same goes for your new business. It is important in this stage of the process to identify your desired outcomes, plant the proper seeds, and take into account that not everything will go smoothly. A lot of things occur between the spring and harvest time that are out of your control. If you lack experience in this new business, definitely prepare to learn some important lessons the hard way.

Once you have properly planted the seeds of your business and prepared for the year, it should be about time for the next season to roll on in.

Summer

photo credit

Ah, the heat is on. Summer is the busy time. This is when you put in the sweat and tears, all while rolling with the punches. The summer can either be a scorcher, or a day at the beach. It all depends on how well you prepared in the spring.

It is during the summer time that it’s important to view things objectively. When it’s hot in the kitchen, people want to get out. You must be prepared for things to be rough in the beginning, and for you to be adaptable. Don’t get caught up in playing the blame game with your team. It is important to correct the mistakes that come up during the busy summer season, so that they don’t happen twice. Planning perfectly to avoid any and all mistakes takes years of experience. Don’t expect it the first summer you put your business out there.

Once the business slows down, and the heat subsides, it will be about that time when autumn rolls around.

Fall

photo credit

This is the harvest time. Every business creates a plan (spring), puts it into action (summer), and then they see the results of their labor. Busy times are seasonal for almost any business. When things begin to slow down, that is a good time to evaluate the fruits of your labor.

Fall is a time of change. You now have seen the results of your actions. This is the time to implement the changes you need to make. Don’t wait for next summer to roll around and think you will remember all the things you need to do better. Make those decisions in the fall, when the last busy summer is still fresh in your mind.

Fall is also the time when you will see if the harvest will get you through the slow season known as…

Winter

photo credit

They can be long and hard, or they can be mild and bearable. Depending on your business, there is always a slow time. For mine, it is in November and December. For other’s, that is the busiest time of year. It all depends on the geography of your business.

Regardless, though, the metaphorical winter time is the slow time for a business. This is when you need to survive off the fruits of your labor from the spring and summer. In the beginning of a business, this can be the hardest time. Money is tight, business is slow, and surviving the financial freeze can be as difficult as trying to steer a car on a sheet of ice during a blizzard. This is where you need to hold down the fort, and concentrate on doing whatever you can to make your business more prepared for the coming spring. Simply take it a day at a time.

As your business grows, eventually, you may have no winter at all. When things go well, these slow months become vacation months. However, you have to get to that point first. You don’t start out at an ideal situation. You simply create one through years of hard work.

It’s a New Year!

When the flowers start to creep out from the dirt, and the leaves begin to bud on their branches, it is time to start the process all over again. Every spring, you will have a renewed vigor to do better than the last year. Every spring you will gain experience through your triumphs and your failures. However, as a ‘seasoned’ veteran of your business, you will become more & more familiar with the ins and outs of navigating your way through each year. It is only a matter of time.

——————————————————————————————–

If you like what you see, get all the latest updates right to your email…

photo credit

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Saturday I teach people how to choke other people.

Well, not every Saturday. Many classes have no chokes in them. Instead we work other Jiu Jitsu moves such as positioning, leg locks, arm bars, triangles, escapes, etc. However, many days, my job as an instructor is to teach people the best way to choke their opponents.

This is not just a physical thing. Sure there are sequential steps to properly apply a choke, but mostly, the art of choking someone is a mental battle. There is a certain philosophy to achieve success. It takes focus, faith in yourself, and most of all, patience.

I have actually found that the philosophy behind choking someone properly, and achieving success at something, are one and the same. In fact, the process is quite relative. The steps to securing a successful choke on someone are almost identical to the steps to succeeding at whatever you choose.

Let’s take a look, using the philosophy of applying the Rear Naked Choke, pictured below, as an example.

photo credit

Step 1: Set it Up right from the Start

Obvious, but very true. The set up is everything. If you have a bad setup, you will never succeed, be it a choke, or a business venture. You can not build anything solid on a shaky foundation. You have to put yourself in the proper position from the start to apply the choke successfully, or don’t bother wasting your energy. With the choke, everyone knows the hand has to be around the neck, but did you see in the picture how the feet (called hooks) are wrapped around his waist. This is also an important part of the set up that many beginners over look. Without the hooks, the person can roll out of the choke. Without putting yourself in the proper position, you will severely limit any chance for future success.

Step 2: Go for it.

The Choke is not going to come to you. It is one thing to finish a choke on someone while learning, and a whole other process to learn how to apply it in a real life situation when people are going live. No one is going to roll over and say, okay, I’m ready, choke me (at least I hope not). You have to commit yourself to going for it.

Step 3: Try, Try, and Try again.

Success in anthing takes trial and error. Sometimes their resistance is so strong, that you really have to slowly dig your hand under their chin just to slip it in there. It can be a tough road when people are competing against you to succeed. They never make it easy. However, once you succeed a few times, you’ll gain the confidence of a natural. The important thing is to be patient, and learn from your mistakes. Trust in the fact that eventually, over time, you will figure it out. Just continue to faithfully battle your hands around the neck of success until you see an opportunity to capitalize on it.

Step 4: Finish the move

You can’t believe it. You actually put yourself in the perfect position, and now the time is here to reach your goal and finish the choke. Take a deep breath, and relax. I know it has been a long road, but you don’t want to have to start all over again from the beginning. Stay focused.

Once you get a good grip with one hand on the neck, the next step is slipping in your other hand in to tighten the choke. This is where most people mess up. Setting up the choke, and getting the grip are the first two steps. They take patience, and so does this step. Remember, the closer you get to your goal, the harder the resistance is going to be.

However, you will remain calm, because you know you set up a solid foundation, properly applying the previous steps. Therefore, you will ignore the chaos around you as the other person fights vigorously to escape, simply focusing all your energy on finishing what you started. It is always the calm, steady approach, like a snake choking it’s lunch, that wins the war. Being over aggressive, or over anxious, will make your life 100x more difficult every time.

All in all, hopefully you will try to use these metaphorical tips achieve success in whatever your heart desires, and not just to try choking the people you know.

Well, at least not the good people.

——————————————————————————————–

If you like what you see, get all the latest updates right to your email…

photo credit

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Hey, you want to be successful? You looking to take it to the next level? You ever wonder what is it really going to take to achieve your wildest dreams? Me too. Over the course of the road I have traveled, I have come up with six things every single person must know if they ever dare to dream of success…

1. Shit ain’t easy.

I don’t care what it is, being successful is never, ever, ever, going to be easy. It is going to be a grind regardless. Just think about it, if it were that easy, everyone would be doing it. It takes physical and emotional strength. It takes faith. It takes nerve. Put it this way. Right now, think to yourself how hard you estimate it’s going to be to become a success in whatever you choose. Think about the long road. Okay, now however hard you just thought it was going to be, I would times it by 100. That might even be a little optimistic.  The bottom line is, whatever you want to do, it takes a lot of sweat and tears. If you know that going in, it makes the bumps in the road that much easier to travel. 

2. Don’t just do things, do things right.

We all love the short cuts. I am the king of short cuts. However, I learned time and time again, especially in Jiu jitsu, that you have to do things the right way. You may be able to get over everybody on a daily basis, but you are only fooling yourself. Take the time to do things right. Don’t rush them, or just do things to get them done. Take the time to learn everything you can. Do the research to feel confident in your decisions. You can’t win every battle, but you sure as hell can increase the odds each time. 

3. Even when no one else does, believe in yourself.

Risk is an essential part of becoming successful. A lot of people will warn you of the risks, mostly because they wouldn’t dare to take them themselves. Want to know what I think of this kind of advice? Next time your stomach is not feeling well, turn around after you finish using the toilet. That stuff floating there is just as valuable. I mean actually, it might be worth more. Business is business. No one knows what it’s like in your position except for you. No one has your passion. Don’t let the crowd steer your ship. That’s the captain’s Job, and passion is his steering wheel.

4. Out work your competition

Picture your job field like a huge MMA tournament. Everyone is training hard, but some are pushing the limits. Some are so dedicated to their own success, it consumes them. They become a machine, working every day toward their goal without thought. When it comes time to get in the cage, they look like silent predators stalking through the night, emotionless, till the cage door closes and it’s time to attack. Their belief in their preparation is what carries them through the arduous fight. Apply this same story to your job field. Are you a machine? Are you prepared for the grueling grind to be successful? You better be.

5. Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself.

An oldie, but a goodie. You don’t need to be religious to live by this creed. I have found that Karma is real. It is everywhere. When you do something negative, you send out a negative vibe, which always reverberates back to you in some way. The same goes for when you do something positive as well. Don’t worry about what other people do to you. Just do what you do. If your mind is right, they don’t have a chance anyway. You can overcome everything on the road to success. As I was always told by my family, it just takes patience, persistence, and perseverance to overcome any obstacle life throws your way.

6. Reap the Rewards and Pass them Around

You work your ass off. The first five steps involve taking people’s crap, working when other’s sleep, taking risks most wouldn’t dare, and making sacrifices most couldn’t bare. When you travel this kind of road, you better enjoy all of the success you get. Reward yourself for pushing the limits. Reward those who have helped you push those limits. Give away parts of your rewards to those that deserve them. Remember, whatever good vibes you spread around always reverberate back to you, so spread them while you can. Nothing breeds success, like success…or so I have heard

——————————————————————————————–

If you like what you see, get all the latest updates right to your email…

photo credit

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Wednesday is Personal Development in Business, and this week, to make up for Monday, I included some Jiu jitsu as well.…

The last few months or so have been pressure packed for me. As you can tell by my various posting schedule, my time has been short. I have a budding business I am helping mold, major projects being released, and a growing list of clients to deal with. On top of that, money has been tight because I have been putting it all right back into the business, or working for pennies to build my portfolio. All in all, you could say it has been a tough, but very productive, first quarter of the year.

Considering the economy, I’m sure many of you have been dealing with similar problems in your business or job. Your mind is tied up with all sorts of issues while you try to hack out the best possible path in your life. You have bills, deadlines, worries, expenses, and not nearly enough time in the day to take care of them all. Your mind is clouded with these thoughts, and you want nothing more than for them to disappear.

If you are like me, then you toss concern to the side and just keep on pushing, knowing that at some point, the night will eventually fade into the spectacular splendor of dawn. At least that’s the hope  However, the other day in Jiu Jitsu, I noticed how much of an effect these thoughts have on our daily state of mind.

Performing at your Peak

When times are tough, it is more important than ever to have a clear mind, and attack problems with confidence and optimism. However, when times are tough, confidence and optimism can be hard to come by.

When training in Jiu Jitsu, if I have a clouded mind, I am completely off my game. I don’t have the same drive, or energy level needed to do my best. My mind is constantly wandering, and nothing seems too important until I’m put in a really bad position and forced to fight my way out. It’s as if I don’t even care until it’s almost too late.

I have found the same goes for life as well. When our minds our clouded, we tend to not want to deal with anything. There is too much on our plate already, and anymore will break the entire dish. Therefore, we tend to lose focus, trying to just to keep up as best we can. It seems each time we solve a problem, another has already built up enough to cover the part of the plate we just cleared. The cycle goes on and on, like a bad dream you can’t wake up from.

Clearing Your Mind

I realized this the other day, how can I possibly become successful if my day is spent focused on the negatives? How can I be optimistic in my approach to success, if all I deal with is one negative after the next?

The answer is you can’t. Remember, success is a state of mind. You do not get this state of mind after you are successful. That is called getting lucky. You develop this state of mind first, and that leads you to your success. Developing that state of mind is the first step to becoming successful beyond your wildest dreams.

Developing this state of mind is not something we are going to accomplish by the end of this article. No, that is something we have to continue to work on each and every day. However, by the end of this post, you will have a great base to build off of.

Developing the Successful State of Mind

Times are rough. There seems to be more problems than solutions in the current world.

For a person feeling down about their situation, this is a negative statement. They think like the majority: ‘there are too many problems to deal with, so we just do our best to get through it.’

For a successful entrepreneur, they see that statement as a gold mine of opportunity. A successful entrepreneur realizes that if there are more problems than solutions, then there must be a lot of opportunities to make money off of solutions.

This is an example of the state of mind you need to have to be successful. It is an optimistic state of mind, bordering on lunacy. Whether times are bad, or times are good, you know opportunity is everywhere. Each problem that comes your way is just another step on the old ladder. Success is all about how you perceive the environment around you. With this in mind, I have come up with…

5 Steps to a Successful State of Mind

photo credit

1. Take control

Today is today. Yesterday was yesterday. Tomorrow is not here yet. The first thing to do to clear your mind is to let go of all the nonsense out of your control. Let go of the past. Let go of all the possible future outcomes. Let go of anything you can not control right now. If it is not in your control at the present, then you can not concern yourself with it. You can only take care of the now.

2. One problem at a time

Too many times, as the problems start to pile up, people get overwhelmed with taking care of all of them at once. The bottom line is that to correctly solve a problem, you must focus on only one at a time. Write down your problems somewhere, prioritize them, and check off that list as you attack each one. Don’t worry about how long it takes. Just solve one, and move on to the next.

3.  Nothing is as serious as it seems.

When I was 18, I was deathly sick with Crohn’s disease. Out of the blue, in the middle of college, I lost over 60 pounds in a few months. They were not sure if I would ever be the same. Surgery was my only option. The reason I write this is because your health, and your loved one’s health, is all that really matters. Everything else may seem like a big deal, until you compare it with the value of good health. So when facing financial, business, or personal problems, remember, it could always be worse. Those problems are easy compared with some of the health issues others are forced to handle.

4. Enjoy the Challenge

Problems are fun, right? Maybe not while you are facing them, but afterwards, we always like to reminisce how we overcame the obstacles we face in life. It gives us character, and a sense of pride. Try to remember that while you are dealing with the problem. Look forward to be able to one day talk about how ‘it was really no big deal’. I will even go so far as to advise you to pretend in your mind that you already solved the problem, and see what it feels like. Get a glimpse of that feeling of success, and then hold on to it for motivation during the hard times.

5. Believe in Yourself

If you don’t believe you can be successful, then stop reading, shut down your browser, and start thinking about changing careers. Your belief in your own success does not get tested when times are good. No, belief in your own success gets tested when times are rough. A true success thinks like the aviator Howard Hughes. Even when the whole world is laughing at your feeble attempts to reach your seemingly impossible goals, you know that just makes it all the more glorious when you come through. It is this belief that carries you through the darkest times of your journey.

6. Take responsibility

Each problem you face is a test of your resolve. It is up to you and you alone to make sure a solution is found. It is not up to your friends, families, co-workers, or relatives. It is not up to fate. Life is what you make it, and if you give up trying to make it, then nothing and no one can help you out. You must fight hard to stay focused and take responsibility.It will by no means be an easy task, but you can overcome anything you put your mind to. I can not tell you how long it will take, but any problem can be solved over time. Just look at what one of the smartest people in our history said…

“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer .”
–Albert Einstein

——————————————————————————————–

If you like what you see, get all the latest updates right to your email…

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

]]> http://yinvsyang.com/2009/03/25/5-steps-to-a-successful-state-of-mind/feed/ 0 http://yinvsyang.com/2009/03/20/whether-self-employed-or-playing-texas-holdem-no-nuts-no-glory/ http://yinvsyang.com/2009/03/20/whether-self-employed-or-playing-texas-holdem-no-nuts-no-glory/#comments Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:35:12 +0000 Peter James http://yinvsyang.com/?p=1396

photo credit

Article by Peter J. Normandia. Follow me on Twitter.

Every Wednesday is Personal Development in Business, however I was late this week due to business obligations…

‘No nuts, no glory’ is a rather vulgar way of saying that if you don’t take risks, you’ll never get where you are going. This is great advice for business, and if you are like me, than the blunt, vulgar approach sinks in much faster than the sugarcoated, sappy crap.

I was listening to the rapper TI’s ablbum the other day, and apparently, this is a favorite statement of his. It’s not like he invented it, or that I never heard it before, but being in the position I am in right now, it really hit home this time.

My business is in it’s second year, and we are just now getting to the right point we should be. It has been a long road, as this blog can reveal, and we are still climbing up hill. However, we have really made it through thick and thin, and survived.

When we first started, many thought I should just get a job for security and safety, especially after my failed mortgage venture. However, I have a very thick head and now, because of the ailing economy, everyone is realizing that the idea of a job giving you security and safety is a just an illusion. No one is safe from bad times. Truth is it’s not about avoiding the bad times, it’s all how you handle them.

After my experiences, the best analogy for starting a business I can come up with is playing a game of Texas Hold’em. Whether in business, or poker, it’s all how you play the hand your dealt.

Surviving the Initial Buy In

The initial buy-in in Texas Hold’em is like your initial investment in the business. Many people lose everything on the first few hands. It’s kind of the first test of a business.

• Can you survive?
• Are you able to live with the risks you need to manage?
• Can you handle financial stress while working for cheap, sometimes even free at first?
• Do you have the gall to risk everything on a pipe dream?

These are the kinds of questions every self employed person needs to answer. Believe me, there have been plenty of times I thought about whether or not I am on the right track. It certainly has not been easy. In fact, IT’S BEEN DAMN HARD. So hard, that I could not imagine possibly ever going through it again.

However, as a friend of mine recently said, ‘…these are the good times. When the money is rolling in, don’t get me wrong, it’s great, but these are the fun times, when you are building it all up. This is the stuff you remember.’

Over the years , this friend of mine made over a million, lost it all, made it again, lost most of it, and then just got it back again. He is a survivor, and the kind of person you need to be to deal with the lightening quick changes the information age causes today. Just like in Texas Hold’em, it’s not how many chips you have that matter, it’s how you play the hand you have.

Managing Risk

Now, if you have ever played Texas Hold’em, than maybe you can understand the meaning of ‘No nuts, no glory’ for a business owner. You see, the poker table is like your business world. The chips represent your market share, or your assets. The only difference between the table, and your world, is that at the table, everyone starts with the same amount of chips. In the real world, it is much more skewed.

At the table, though, the real playing does not begin till the chips start to move around. How many times have you seen somebody up big, and all of a sudden, like that, they are out? This person is probably a big risk taker. They may win big sometimes, but in the end, they are going to take one too many chances, and wind up ‘all in’ at the wrong time.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, how many times have you seen somebody play it so tight to the vest, that they never are even in the game? This person takes no risk. They play the hand they have to the tee. If it’s good, they are in. If it’s bad, they fold. They never lose a lot of chips at once, but they always lose them all over the course of the game while waiting for the perfect moment that may never come.

How to Play Poker Better and Apply it to your Business

photo credit

The same traits can be applied for business owners. Behind every success story is a story of tremendous risk management, and a soldier like work ethic. The best businesses, and the best poker players, all know how to manage risk. They take big chances, but only when they should.

For example, the best poker players bide their time before suddenly swooping in and taking all the pots. The reason is, they know how to manage their risk. They know that it’s not only about the hand you have, it’s also about the hand everyone else has. So they tend to skip a lot of hands in the beginning because the risk is too big. Too many players with too many cards and chips.

However, after getting a handle on the table, and how the other players play, a great player then feels comfortable taking big risks. As soon as the opportunity presents itself, they swoop in with big calls, and take home the pot.

For business owners, it is the same idea to build a successful business. At first, you need to keep your risks low, and get a feel for your market. Get a feel for your competitors. See what they do well, and what they don’t. Know your business world inside and out. Then, when an opportunity presents itself that just feels right in your gut, it’s time to suck it up, and take that big risk. If you don’t take the risk, you will never advance.

Most people are afraid of falling backwards. Not me. I’m afraid of staying still. The only time their are ups and downs is when you are making progress. If there are no ups and downs, than you are not moving at all, and that’s scarier then anything I can imagine.

Taking big risks does not mean you will always win either. That’s okay. No professional poker player wins even half the time. However, they all make a lot of money when they do win, and it usually compensates for the times they lose. Not only that, but each time they lose, they gain experience for the next time they face a similar situation.

So it’s all up to you whether you use this advice to take your friend’s money at the Texas Hold’em table, or simply use it to motivate yourself to success. The choice is yours. Just remember, the next time an opportunity presents itself…

NO NUTS = NO GLORY.

Go for it. Win or lose, you always come out on top in the end. It’s those of us that don’t go for it, that wind up the worst off.

——————————————————————————————–

If you like what you see, get all the latest updates right to your email…

Enter your email address:         

Delivered by FeedBurner

]]> http://yinvsyang.com/2009/03/20/whether-self-employed-or-playing-texas-holdem-no-nuts-no-glory/feed/ 0