Yin vs YangThe Battle for Success in Life

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

Every Wednesday is Personal Development in Business…

It took us a year to figure out what I am about to share with you. I may be a bit of a slow learner, but at least it definitely all makes sense now. For any entrepreneurs out there, here is some advice that may save you the same trouble my partner and I experienced while building our company.

I am partners in a media production agency called Reimagine. We are a two man team. My partner specializes in design and creative direction. I handle the video side, client relations, project management, with a smidgen of content writing thrown in.

Making Our Mark

Our main issue has been in branding Reimagine over the last year. When we first opened, we were lucky enough to get a couple of major jobs right off the bat. However, this caused us to put off building our own image for the time being. It was only recently, this became a top priority for us.

For some reason, it always seems easier to help brand other people’s companies then your own. We tend to do design driven, edgy work, and wanted  to attract medium to large clients who had no problem paying for our talents. Usually that means attracting Agencies. To do so, we wanted to provide a very professional image. We wanted to be like the million dollar companies racking up the clients in our industry. We wanted to convey the impression that we were just like them.

The Reality

The problem is, we were not just like them. In fact, nothing could be further than the truth. Two men in a start-up business is no comparison to a seasoned slew of veterans in a million dollar company, no matter what image we projected. Our website and print media may look like a million dollar company, but after working with us for a a few months, it is apparent we are simply a small talented team.

That’s when my partner and a colleague figured out a better way. The solution they discovered seemed so simple, it was like, why didn’t I think of that? All of a sudden, it all made sense, and we had a concept for our branding. What was the concept?

We are a two man team that is hungry, talented, unique, off the wall, and easily accessible.

In other words, we would just be ourselves. We didn’t need to pretend to be something we were not. Actually, we realized it was quite beneficial for us to relish in the fact we were a small company with less overhead.

We even took it a step further. My partner and I are polar opposites. Whatever he can do well, I can’t, and vice versa. He’s way to the left, and I grew up conservative. It’s what makes us such a well rounded pair. We decided that this would be our identity. We didn’t have to be like the big companies to succeed. We had to just be ourselves and play to our advantages. 

Suddenly the longing for an identity dissipated into thin air. It seems the concept we were searching for was right in front of our eyes all along.

Playing to Your Advantage

I think the original problem we had when looking at our company was we were too focused on where we wanted to be, and not where we were. Building your dream company happens one step at a time, and there are advantages and disadvantages for every step along the way. One of the advantages we were ignoring was the fact that we were a small personable team. We were too concerned with the giant shadow of some of the major players to just simply be ourselves. However, unlike the big wigs, we are extremely adaptable, easily accessible, and also, a bit less expensive. That was our advantage, and that’s the best way to brand ourselves.

For anyone else building their business image, try answering these questions:

• Who are you?
• What do you do best?
• What are the positives for a client that chooses your product or services?

Take the answers to these questions and start from there. No matter who you are, or where you are starting from, I guarantee there is some advantage to your position. You just have to find it. It is amazing, but if you think about it, there are always advantages to every position, from high to low. Just like Poker, it all depends on what your hand is, and how you play it.

Remember, you can not please everyone. However, rest assure that there is a deep pleasure derived from the relief of no longer pretending to be something you are not. Trust me on that.

Feedback

Have any of you had a similar experience with your business? Ever try to project yourself to be something you are not, when in reality, the best option was simply to be yourself? Leave your answeres in the comments below….

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EEEEH! EEEEH! EEEEH!….

I was awoken this Friday morning by the 5 am alarm clock on my iphone. As I wiped the crust from my eyes and stumbled into the bathroom, I realized that today was really the 1st day in 2009. I turned on the shower, debating whether to really count the 1st, which is more of a holiday than a typical day. Now that that was over, I had to once again teach a Muay Thai class at 6 am, just like the Fridays of last year.

As the water warmed, I stepped in the shower and thought about why this is considered a new year. I mean, yes the calendar has changed, and the dates on my checks will have 2009 on them, but other than that, what exactly is new? My routine is still the same. Nothing significant has changed in my life, and yet I am supposed to be excited for 2009?

That’s when it hit me (not the water, of course). If you plan to reach all of your resolutions in 2009, then TODAY is your opportunity to get started on the right foot. TODAY is the one day you must have the courage to change. TODAY is the first in a line of 363 other dominoes waiting to fall. The choice is yours whether they fall the same way as last year.

Make a Change

It is time to replace the words ‘New Year’ with the phrase ‘New Opportunity’. If you are expecting to make this year better than the last, then you have to make a commitment to change by taking your first big action TODAY. That is your opportunity.

Do something different. Take that initiative, and let the rest of the year follow suit. Many of us spend our Holiday recapping the prior year, and thinking about all the wonderful things 2009 can possibly bring for us. Well, the only way any of those things will come true is if we start to make a change right now.

Not tomorrow.

Not next week.

Not on Monday.

Today!

If you plan to lose weight, then start that diet today. If you plan to get in shape, make today your 1st workout. If you drink coffee every morning, maybe for some motivation today, you should try tea. The point is you must make an effort to change.

If you just go about the same routine as last year, how can you expect anything to change? Think of the movie Groundhog Day. Until Bill Murray actually made a change, he kept waking up to the same pattern over and over again..

That is why it is imperative to start on your resolutions NOW. To help get you motivated to do so, Yin vs Yang has come up with some resolutions of our own.

A NEW Year at Yin Vs Yang

This being our 2nd year, we have decided to take a more routine approach with our writing. We are going follow our own advice on change and set a new weekly routine.

• Mondays - Personal Development through Jiu Jitsu
• Wednesdays – Personal Development through Business
• Fridays – Video post or Video review.

In between, we will have random topics, jokes, stories, and quotes. However, this routine will give everyone a chance to know what’s coming, and when. So if you are a fan of the Mixed Martial Arts world, then you know every Monday I will have a story for you. If you read Yin vs Yang to improve your networking, business approach, or financial situation, then Wednesdays will be for you.

If you are a fan of the increasing popularity of videos on the world wide web, then Fridays will be a fun day for you.

If you enjoy them all, then sign up for our RSS Feed or subscribe by email below.  This way you won’t ever miss an article.

Take some inspiration from Yin vs Yang and make a change today in your own life. Our goal this year is to help make 2009 the best year for all of us. However, it all starts with today. Are you up for it?  Inspire us all by leaving the change you are going to make in the comments section below.

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“I’m Starting With The Man In The Mirror. I’m Asking Him To Change His Ways.
And No Message Could Have Been Any Clearer. If You Wanna Make The World
A Better Place, Take A Look At Yourself, And Then Make A Change.”
-Michael Jackson from the song ‘Man in the Mirror‘

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Look to your right.

Now look to your left.

Look up above you.

Now look under your desk.

Look all around everywhere you can see.

That is where you’ll find opportunity.

-Peter James

I guess I am feeling a bit poetic this Friday.  My company just finished another great commercial yesterday.  For all of those relatively new to YinvsYang, I will fill you in.  A little over 6 months ago (wow, time flies), my partner and I started this blog to mark a big change in our lives.  We had just started a New Media production company Reimagine, and soon after began writing.

The concept for Yin vs Yang was simple.  We were going to completely give up all the stuff in our lives that we did not want to do.  We were going to fight all the fear, obstacles, limits, and setbacks that life could throw at us will the sole desire to build the dream life we desired.  We were going to win the ongoing battle of Mind vs. Body in us all to do what we want, not what we can.  That meant only doing the projects we love, and not working just to pay our bills.  We were going to do all this and write about it, just to prove one thing:

Doing what you love to do will take you wherever it is you desire.

I’m sure this sounds admirable, as my ego would like you to believe, but in fact, it is quite a war of attrition.  Building a dream life &/or business is a huge process requiring patience, persistence, and perseverance.  Without these traits, you will probably give up over time.  In fact, I learned one simple fact about any challenge:

Success isn’t a possibility.  It must be your only option!

Do not take no for an answer.  Do not give up, ever.  When the going gets tough, you need to dig deep within yourself, find your resolve, and keep going.    It can be rough facing tremendously tough challenges.  You must understand that win or lose, it does not matter.  It is only about the path you take, not the outcome that occurs.

Sure, I am not out of the financial mess that chasing money got me into in the first place, but I am definitely on my way.  I am steadily building the life I want to live, as is my partner.  Because of this, our work is growing stronger, our reputation is spreading, and we are much better people on a daily basis because of it {well, at least most of the time }.

I imagine a lot of you have thought about just doing what you love, only to have reality laugh at you.  We are not any different, except we try to laugh right back.  It has been quite challenging and at the same time, quite rewarding.  I learn more and more about myself everyday, simply by sharing my inner most thoughts with the blogging universe.  My partner and I continue to fight each and every day towards this goal of living the life we desire, and sharing our feelings with others on similar paths is a blessing in itself.

We just would like to take moment to say Thank you.

We have had to believe with all our souls in our own success, or we would never get off our feet.  Sometimes, believing in yourself can be the toughest challenge of all.  It is our reader’s wonderful comments, or emails, that have kept us inspired to keep going. What we have learned is actually quite amusing.  I guess the best way to sum it up is like this:

Everyone wants to know how they can make a million dollars.  Well why not just ask the only person who knows the answer:

Yourself!

It really is that simple, or at least we believe it is. Do what you love and the rest will follow.  It WILL be difficult at first, but all great paths usually are.  For us, so far, so good.  Till next time, enjoy the weekend, and thanks as always for reading!

For all those interested, here is the local commercial we just finished….

Elite Martial Arts from Reimagine New Media on Vimeo.

Things are getting rough.  This past week has been a nightmare financially.  Back in June, when I did my first commercial pro-bono with the hope of getting more work from it, I knew it would effect the upcoming month.  However, when you take a month a ‘free’ project, it can have a negative outcome on your finances.

So was it all worth it?

Isn’t that what I’ve been writing about these past months? How following your dreams is worth it.  How no matter what anyone else says, just follow your heart.  I have been riding the happy bus for 3 months now, giving every reason imaginable for readers to be inspired to follow their own dreams.  Now things look cloudier than ever.

When weeks like this happen, you question if it is all worth it.  Would it have been easier for me to just get a job?  Maybe I could just build my dream company on the side, after working all week to pay my monthly bills.  Maybe my first commitment should be to my bills, and my 2nd to my dreams.  It definitely seems like the right choice when all my bills are coming due and my bank account looks like a goose egg collection.

One thing about me, though.  I don’t fold easily and neither should you.

I am definitely the type of person who sticks to my guns if I believe in anything with all my heart.  And I still do believe.  This is all part of the journey.  Unpaid bills, debt, stress, and hope are a major part of any entrepreneur’s start.  Why should I be different?

Well, yesterday, all of a sudden some sunlight started to peek through the rain.  Brian Katz, who we did the ‘free’ commercial for, called me up.  It seems not one, but two other Jiu Jitsu schools he is associated with would like to get commercials.  This would give us a total of 3 commercials in 3 sections of NJ, all in MMA / Jiu Jitsu.  Not only that, but I learned there are 50 other schools in the network of Brian’s school.  All may be interested after I get these two done.

All it took was one phone call to brighten things up.

My company has been struggling to get the word out as much as possible. We have been promoting, building, re-building, organizing, and proceeding with an unprecedented determination.  Yet, it had been fruitless until now.  This is the start we were hoping for.

Not only that, but my website business picked up a few new clients as well.  So now, at least for the moment, we get a sunshower in our forecast.  Oh well, one day, if I’m right, the rain will clear, and I will be vouching instead of preaching how my theories work.

Guess you will have to read on to find out!

Yesterday, after a frantic last few weeks, my company, Reimagine, finally finished our first commercial. It took about a month or so to complete, from concept to final cut. Over that time period, I had to scramble for money, find odd jobs to pay some bills, sell off any assets I had, cut my expenses, and deal with all the doubt that comes with it. Yet, after yesterday, I can tell you it is all worth it.

There is nothing like the gratification you get from setting a goal and accomplishing it. No one can take it away from you. You set out to do it, you said you would do it, and then you actually come through. Accomplish enough of these small goals, and before you know it, you will turn around one day and realized you just accomplished your big one.

However, during the journey, it is not all peace, love, and happiness. There were countless worries, fears, arguments, doubts, and hecklers from all over. Up until the very last day, there were doubts about whether we would be able to finish on time. Looking back on it, I realized that all the worrying is simply a waste.

When setting out to reach a goal, it is not possible to see every time you inch closer. There are days when you get closer to that goal, and days where you fall back. It is not always a linear journey. The important thing is to understand this. That way, the days you slip back don’t affect the days you move forward. Some days are tougher than others. Some days can seem hopeless. But they are just a day.

Every day, new hope, new challenges, and new opportunities await us. However, sometimes on a bad day, we can feel like all is hopeless. We want to call it quits. We question the worth & the possibility of everything we ever dreamed of. We wonder if we should give up right there.

But then, on the next day, a phone call, or an email, or something rejuvenates us. We are back on track, ready to keep going. We forget about the last day and move forward. We don’t look back because everything seems all right again.

That’s because it is. The one constant is change. Things can’t stay bad forever, just like they can’t be good all the time. However, during the tough days, we can get emotionally caught up in the stress. Sometimes we don’t know how to handle it any other way then to worry. But there is another way. It just takes visualization.

Visualize yourself on the journey. You have a starting point, and a finish line which is your goal. Picture a line of roller coaster track between them. As a matter of fact, turn that line of track into a gigantic roller coaster with HUGE twists, turns, apexes, drops, and all sorts of scary loops. Now, I want you to visualize zooming in to a point on the track where you think you are on your journey. Zoom ALL the way in to that point so that both the starting point and finish line have long since disappeared.

Are you at the top of a drop, or in the middle of a loop? Where are you on the track? If you can’t see the finish line, or even the point where you started, do you even know?

Now, zoom all the way back out for a second and look at this as a roller coaster we created. It’s not so scary when you can see the beginning and the end, now is it? Our journeys toward our goals are very similar to this.

When we start out, we start slow, prodding our way along the track. The tough days are like the moments heading into that first huge drop about to spiral down at a speed humans should not be traveling. It’s those moments that make us forget for a second, hey, don’t worry, everything is going to be okay at the end. During them, though, it feels like the world is going to end. Our stomach drops, our fears rush through our body. This is just the way we freak out. It’s why at the end when we know it is safe, that we want to do it again.

Reaching your goal is like that ending. You pull into the track. The safety bar/belt pops open, and you realize you have made it back. ‘I survived!’ You hop off the track, and reminisce about the moments you were scared out of your mind. The same is true for your journey.

Enjoy all the twists and turns, but always remember the journey is just a roller coaster ride. Nobody gets on a roller coaster and expects a simple, easy ride around the track. They know it is going to scare them with loops, drops, curves, peaks and valleys, so they don’t try to get off during each one. They simply trust they are probably going to be all right in the end.

That’s why when their stomach drops and they feel like they are about to die, they smile and keep going. It’s just a roller coaster. If that’s what we are on, we might as well enjoy it. The same holds true for our tough times. Enjoy them, because just around the track is the ending we’ve been waiting for.

Yesterday, I finally was back on a set, shooting video again for the first time since 2004. My company ReImagine shot a commercial for Advanced Martial Arts in North Brunswick, NJ. It has been a long time over due. Film making just feels like where I belong. I never really felt that anywhere else. For the last couple of years, when I closed a mortgage, I was happy to get paid. That’s about it.

There is nothing wrong with doing mortgages, it just was not for me. I realized after awhile that it was only for the paycheck. If you don’t put your entire heart and soul into everything you do, then a paycheck does not make up for it. I think a lot of people’s anger is sourced from this.

Doing a job is not about the pay check. Obviously, if we did not have to, we would not work a job. But I know the majority of us would not be able to sit home and do nothing for years on end. Doing a job well brings something more important than a paycheck. It brings a sense of accomplishment. A sense of success.

Some people, however, do as little as possible to get the best paycheck they can. But those people are probably not reading this blog anyway. The people reading this blog do so because they understand the utter importance of a sense of accomplishment that comes from reaching your goals.

My experience has been that doing something you love to do will get you farther in the long term, than working for a pay check. In the short term, that is probably not so. Short term means initial success, but over the course of time, it is as good as a failure. Long term means it is an uphill battle for a while. But after you make it up that hill, it is as good as the greatest sense of accomplishment that their is. Nothing feels better.

Thinking short term may seem extremely necessary. You may ask youself ‘how can you think long term if you can’t survive the short term’? My answer to you is the old adage:

Where there is a will, there is a way.

It is as simple as that. I learned that first hand yesterday. The vibes we got from everyone involved in the project were amazing. It was because we were amazing. We were amazing because we were having fun doing what we love to do most: Creating.

After a long journey these last couple of years, the last week has been pretty good to me. I received my purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (a four year accomplishment), and I shot a professional commercial for the first time since graduating film school. Let me tell you about the feeling of obtaining your goals in life. Ever see the movie ‘Flashdance’ ?

“Oooooh Whattttttt a Feeeeeeeling!!!…”