When we take a trip as a family, often my wife and I divvy up the driving. I may drive to and she may drive from. Sometimes, she drives both to and from. I am fine with Jamie doing most of the driving because she has a strong opinion about how I drive. It’s just easier for her to do it.

We were making our way back from Portsmouth over the weekend. I was sitting in the passenger seat and the kids were napping. I pulled up the USA Today app on my phone and was browsing through the headlines.

An article about the economy caught my attention. The title was…

“Execs Blame Business Drag on Washington Politics”

To quote some of the article…

“The criticisms flung at Washington centered around how the uncertainty and loss of confidence caused by the debt crisis has ushered in a cautious, wait-and-see mindset that has created “a drag on businesses.”

Politics aside, here’s what this means…

A “Wait and See” mindset is NOT conducive to action. A wait and see mindset is the polar opposite of putting new ideas and initiatives in motion. A wait and see mindset brings everything to a halt.

In some cases “wait and see” is a must. After all, the philosophy of “Motion Before Motivation” is not about blindly jumping into things without doing any homework.

What you see in the macro economy is a slow down caused by slowing down. The ripple effect of fear governing decisions and over-riding ambition.

Big businesses are hand-cuffed by share-holders, boards and executives. These folks rightfully need to “use caution” to protect their own interests. And so do you. You need to use caution when moving forward. You need to be on the look out for possible traps that can hurt you. That’s not being pessimistic – it’s being realistic!

Just remember you can still be cautious, you can still be diligent and you can still make moves that can help you set good things in motion in your life. Be aware of the turmoil and possible land minds, but don’t let it immobilize you. Once immobilized, the ripple effect of negativity caused by lack of action begins.

Stay sharp, stay active, stay in motion.

I guess most of our school age readers are going to love this article. Then again, maybe not. I’m sure not everyone was like me when I was in school and really despised homework. But as you read you’ll see the takeaways here go way beyond any crowded back-pack, think text books or marble copy books.

I remember homework to be just as the word sounds. Work you do at home. It brings back vivid pictures of sitting at the kitchen table doing definitions, math problems and looking up answers to social studies and history lessons found in text books that had seen better days. But when I look back I can’t help but wonder if homework in the traditional sense was all a big sham. After all, couldn’t math problems, definitions and answering questions be done in school?

Maybe homework in the traditional way is done the way it is because the assumption is discipline, goals and ambitions are lacking. Meaning – if teachers didn’t pile on the homework most kids would come home, throw their backpack in the corner and not pick it up until the following morning. Yeah – I could see that happening. I wasn’t the best student so on days when no homework was given guess what I did? Right, I threw the back pack down and forgot about it till the next day.

Whether you work for yourself or work for someone else think about this…

If you put in your eight hours you’ve earned your keep, right? But what if your boss also assumed that you’d be spending an additional two to three hours working on things at home? Then, what if you came home and your spouse said to you: “Now Sally (or Bobby assuming you both work) before you do anything like watch TV or go outside make sure you do your homework.” Could you imagine?

If you work for yourself…

When you are your own boss or run your own business it’s important to have some sort of schedule. If you run a local shop the hours of operation will take care of that for you. I’ll be the first to admit that for us self-employed people, the line is very blurred. I also really get irritated of all the “gurus” out there who make having your own business out to be a day at the beach all the time. While running your own business is demanding you still shouldn’t have to worry about “homework.” If you do find yourself constantly working longer than a normal work day and taking work home with you from the office this may be a sign you are not efficient or have not established clear boundaries with your clients, customers, employees and suppliers.

What homework should be…

Whether you’re like my little Julia who just started kinder-garden or you’re a fifty year old executive, or thirty-five year old entrepreneur homework should be “get ahead time.” See, as adults we all have a choice. We can discipline ourselves to use our non-work time to improve our situation or we could simply let it go to waste. This is the difference between a kid who makes the choice to do an hour of reading and studying instead of wasting all their free time playing video games.

Homework done right consists of physical activity so you’re body stays strong and healthy. Homework done right is a balance between taking the initiative to improve yourself in all aspects of your life and taking time to slow down so your body and mind can relax.

I doubt schools will ever move to a “homework is optional” policy, but if they ever decide to that policy will be closer to the reality of life after school.

I’ll end with a quote…

“School is never out for the pro”

-Cavett Robert

In some circles there’s a dirty word associated with success and achievement. It’s a word that some are afraid to admit to “using.” It’s a word that some “teachers” of success philosophy brush under the rug and dare not say in public…

Let’s be right up front: The dirty word of success that’s often kept on the hush by the “gurus” is work. Most people are smart enough to know the right kind of work, hard work, smart work, efficient work, work you are good at and work you take pride in will ultimately lead you to where you want to be. The dirty word of success is work.

There are too many books and speakers out there who dance around the issue of work. Funny, there was a guy who worked real hard to make a book called “The Four Hour Work Week” a New York Times bestseller. I give Tim Ferris much respect and “props.” But do you think he eats his own cooking? I’m sure on some weeks it takes him at least six hours just to travel to and from a speaking engagement – makes you wonder huh?

The world where I spend most of my time – the Internet Marketing world – there are so many gurus who take pride in talking about how easy it is to make the green stuff online. Maybe after a few years of hard work and preparation it does get a little easier, but up until then, it takes work.

Onward…

If you want a good marriage what do you have to do? Right, work at it. If you want your teenager to stay off drugs it takes work. If you want to keep your job in our tough economy it takes work. If you want to advance in your career guess what you’ll have to do – work!

My first book, Motion Before Motivation, was about taking action and getting in motion. What do you do when you take action? Right, you work. And to stay in motion you have to keep working.

And then, the facts- go ask anyone (Lottery winners and rich socialites like Paris Hilton aside) who has any sort of financial success and they’ll tell you something like this…

“I worked hard, I worked smart, I worked effectively, I worked with the help of a team and my family for every penny. Most importantly,  I worked hard to keep it. I worked hard to protect it from the two legged meat eating sharks who actually want to destroy me because they think I didn’t work hard for what I’ve earned.” Basically, what they’ll tell you is they worked hard for any career, business, family, personal and financial success they achieved.

Don’t get confused though…

Don’t confuse hard work with the nightmare of doing something you genuinely despise. Finding work you are passionate about and can make a living at is where hard work rewards you even more. If your current situation has you in place where you are working hard and not getting any personal satisfaction only you can work to make changes. Just start working a little a time.

A story about a guy (me), a Movado watch a jewelry store and watch-maker in downtown Concord, New Hampshire.

When I was a senior in high-school I became obsessed with Movado watches. The all black face without the second hands, the single dot a twelve representing the sun at high-noon. Only years later did I discover Movado means: “Always in Motion.” Combine the beauty of museum watch” with the fact most Movados are not way over-priced made owning one much more appealing and realistic. 1997 was the year I got my first Movado watch.

It had a black leather band, the signature all black face with gold trim around it. It was about $495 at the time. Lucky for me, my mom, agreed to go half and make it an early graduation gift. It was a classy  time piece for sure. About a year after graduating from high-school and about nine months into being a “wet behind the ears” small business owner I decided I wanted a Movado with a stainless steal band. No going halves with mom on this one though!

I went out one night in November of 1998 and bought one. I ended up wearing the new one with the stainless steal band most of the time. In my secret reveries I dreamed of being a collector of fancy time-pieces one day. But in 2002 my collection was reduced by half when my leather-banded Movado disappeared. My frugality and practicality kicked in and I decided the stainless steal Movado was good enough for me.

In 2008 the Movado stopped (“always in motion, but not all the time). I got the battery replaced and it worked for a short time before it conked out on me again. Then, I sort of forgot about it. But in late 2009 I decided it was time to get it fixed because I wanted to wear it again. So I began my search on Google’s home page. I found a jewelry store in down-town Concord which advertised it was a Movado dealer. I called the store two days after Christmas to verify they were open. Then, I headed south on I-93. When I got there I encountered something I can only describe as pure rudeness!

I tried to explain what I thought was wrong with the watch at which point, I was abruptly cut off and “told” how they handle Movado repairs. Imagine, Scrooge, before he was converted by the three ghosts! “$300 should cover it. That’ll include shipping it to our facility in Massachusetts, taking it apart and repairing all the mechanical.” I chimed in (or at least tried to), “But is there a way for you to tell me what is wrong with it?” Scrooge replied: “You probably got water in it.” Me: “I’m pretty sure I didn’t get water in it.” Scrooge: “Well, that’s just my guess!” Me: “Great, a $300 guess!” I grabbed my Movada and my shattered confidence of getting my watch repaired and headed for their door faster than a jack-rabbit who just drank a Red-Bull.

The search continued .

But this time we weren’t on Google’s home page anymore. I spotted another store so I went in with my fingers crossed. Two pleasant young ladies gave me the name of a watch repair shop across the way. The Bristol Watch Maker in Concord if you’re taking notes. They informed me he kept limited hours so I gathered the info and went back home. The Movado, still not in motion.

Then one day I realized I always pass a local jewelry store right here in Tilton. I went in and picked a nice little sliver bracelet out for Jamie and asked about watch repair. Guess who they mentioned. Right, the same guy that was referred to me in Concord two months earlier, The Bristol Watch Maker

Fast forward about seven months and I finally brought my watch to the only person in Concord, and the entire central part of New Hampshire (at least that I’m aware of), who could fix a Movado. The price range given to me over the phone? About $200 less than our rude friends on Main Street. The final cost or repair? Sit down…. A whole $15! What was wrong with it? The battery leaked inside the watch causing it to stop. No water at all, just as I suspected!

Funny thing is this…

I’m really easily persuaded. If the owner of “Rudes R Us” on Main Street were just a little nice I most-likely would’ve just said “OK, whatever you need to do, I want my watch working again.” But they weren’t. Their excuse for being rude-mongers? The holiday season. I kid you not!

The moral of the story? I don’t know, but maybe this…

I don’t believe being “nice” all the time is always the best policy. Sometimes you have to put your foot down. Plus, there’s that old thing about “nice guys finishing last.” So while being nice doesn’t work all the time – being rude really never works.

Just a quick reminder…

If you don’t have my book: Motion Before Motivation, The Success Secret That Never Fails

Grab it here…

MotionBeforeMotivation.com

Growing up in the city we didn’t have lawns. We had concrete. If you were lucky you had a small patio and maybe a small deck. One thing I’ve learned about having a lawn is if it sucks, only a few people really care. How do I know this? Because our lawn currently sucks! And it seems like not too many people care. So who cares if your lawn sucks?  Let’s explore, then I’ll translate this for you…

Depending on where you live your neighbors might care because their houses are closest to yours. Do  they really care about your lawn? Not really! They only care because your bad lawn may be driving down their property value or just annoying them. Then, you care and just about everyone that lives in your house cares. Only you and the people closest to you actually care. Other than that, not too many people care. I’ve also learned through experience that even landscapers and lawn services really don’t care unless you make an effort to bring your bad lawn to their attention by stalking them with phone calls and emails. So what am I getting at?

If Your Lawn Sucks Only A Few People Care – Translated – If Your Life Sucks, Only A Few People Care.

Before you think I’m being harsh or cynical remember a few things…

First: When I use the term “life sucks” in the context of the article define it as any area in your life that you know needs some improvement. Define it as any area of your life that you really want to improve.

This is not about having a bad attitude, no way! It’s about working to make things better.   There are many items on my list that I’d like to improve (including my lawn) and I know you’ve got a bunch too. We all do!

Next…

Success is a relative term and so is thinking “life sucks.” What is success for you may not be the same for someone else. What seems to be a mountain of problems to you might be nothing compared to the problems of another. The point is you define success in life just as you define what frustrates you. It’s all relative. At the end of the day you can choose to improve your situation or you can leave it exactly the way it is. Yes, the biggest room in the world is the room for improvement, but you make the choice to improve. So who really cares if you improve your situation?

Hopefully you care enough to improve it since it is ultimately up to you. The people closest to you care because your improvement may directly help them in some way. But other than that, unless you’re effecting them in a negative way nobody else really cares if things are not going well for you.

So what to do?

Don’t be sad. If you’re not totally happy with where you are it’s OK because you can improve if you want. Identify some goals, write them down and start working on them. Take little steps for sure, but remember to take a lot of little steps! I’ll be stepping right along with you and may be even sprucing up my lawn in the process.

One of the many fun aspects of what I do for my clients and subscribers is to interview other authors who have great messages to share. Recently I spoke with Greg Reid. Greg’s newest book is called “Think & Grow Rich, 3 Feet From Gold.” Let me give you a little back drop…

The original “Think & Grow Rich,” was written by Napoleon Hill in the early part of the twentieth century. It’s a personal development classic that has been read by anyone serious about achieving more in their lives. Andrew Carnegie was the richest man in the world at the time. He saw in Napoleon Hill something that Hill didn’t see in himself. Carnegie wanted to document the laws of success. He wanted to share with the world what he and other successful business people knew to be a winning formula. Carnegie wrote letters of introduction to people like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone. Carnegie opened the doors for Hill to begin his quest to reveal these secrets to the masses.

Fast forward 100 years…

Greg Reid was sought out by the Napoleon Hill foundation to modern day successes and reveal their formula. But this time would be a little different. Rather than just go right to the “Forbes 400” list Greg sought out people who faced enormous adversity and overcame it. He talked to people who didn’t quit. Which leads me to “Three Feet From Gold.”

The Story…

A young man who went west during the Gold Rush, R. U Darby, was determined to discover his fortune in gold. He staked his claim, and discovered high quality ore very quickly. With funding from family and friends, he started mining his discovery with early success and then one day the gold simply ran out. After weeks of finding no more gold, R. U. Darby grew exceedingly more frustrated and finally gave up. He sold his mine and equipment to a Junk-man in town. He returned east totally defeated and broke.

The Junk-man had nothing. But he had been studying gold-mining for 20 years – waiting for this opportunity. He hired the right adviser. He brought in a gold mining engineer to study the mine. The engineer told him that Darby had simply punched right through the vein of gold. All the Junk-man had to do was to go back to the beginning, to the place of the original discovery of gold, move three feet in the other direction and he would tap back into the vein. That is exactly what the Junk-man did and he discovered a great fortune in gold!

There are so many lessons in the above story. When I spent the time interviewing Greg he shared many of them. But the one that is so important is the fact that the Junk-man understood he didn’t have all the answers. He knew bringing in the right person with the right knowledge was key. Greg and I discussed this during the interview. Then he told me something that is overly simple, yet often overlooked; “Just ask! The only dumb question is the one you don’t ask!”

Last summer, Jamie, me and the girls made the drive from the Lakes Region of New Hampshire to Ocean City New Jersey. My parents live in Philadelphia and Jamie has family in both South and Central New Jersey. So beyond Ocean City being one of our favorite “quick summer getaways” when we lived in Philly it was an easy way to allow any family who wanted to see us, visit without taking the long drive up here. The girls had a blast on the rides and the boardwalk. Julia wants to move back to Jersey so we can “go on the rides every night!” Not a chance!

While browsing around one of the many boardwalk shops I saw a novelty item that really caught my eye and made me think a little. (enough to write this article). It was one of those little display pieces that you hang on the wall with a saying on it. The saying…

“I hope my ship comes in before the dock rots.”

How many people do you know are waiting for their ship to come in? More importantly, what ships are you waiting for? For many years I put off doing my first book. No regrets of course, but it was certainly one of those things I’d wish I done a little sooner.

To some extent we are all “waiting” for the right time to do something. The simple truth is people who get more accomplished in their lives are simply waiting for less ships. The math works in their favor.  They’ve just figured out. “wait too long and the dock will rot!”

What do you think?  Do we spot our ship and then jump in the water and swim to it? Do we charter our own? Pick the one that fits you best. Either way, the lesson is…

Make something happen! Move toward your goals.

As a still relatively new parent I often catch myself dangerously saying, “When the kids get older I will….” Of course there’s some practicality to that thinking. Jamie and I can’t just head off to the Bahamas by ourselves without first carefully considering who’d be in charge while we were gone. But when the girls are older, why not? Putting off spur of the moment trips is no big deal. Putting off the steps necessary to create your idea life can lead to years of regret.

When it comes to your dreams, your goals or anything just begin to move forward inch by inch. Make time for it and just get started. Other wise –  your dock just may rot before your ship comes in.

Two short stories in this week’s article will prove a simple point. Certain answers are not always obvious to us. Maybe it’s the whole “forest for the trees” thing, who knows?

I once heard a marketing guru tell a story of how he arrived in a far-off town for a speaking engagement only to discover that he had his favorite French cuffs, but no French cuffed shirt to put them on. Since wearing his suit and tie with no shirt was not an option he headed out in search of a “french-cuffed shirt.” Every clothing store he found was either closed or did not carry the shirts.

He was getting frustrated and was thinking, “What kind of jerk-water town is this, no French-cuffed shirts anywhere? Unbelievable!” Finally he spotted a Walmart in the distance and figured he’d give it a shot.

He found a clerk wearing one of those big yellow smiles and asked  her if the store carried French-cuffed shirts. The answer came back, “no!” At this point he was angry and muddled something under his breath. The clerk then asked him if everything was OK.  He then explained to the clerk that he needed a French-cuffed shirt to go with his suit because he forgot his back in Arizona. The clerk then said, “Sir, we don’t have French-cuffed shirts, but we have plenty of button-down shirts that will look just fine with your suit. Why don’t you just buy a new shirt?” As you can imagine this was a “duh” moment for this marketing wizard.

My recent “duh” moment…

My wife teaches a Zumba class on Saturday mornings at “C-Steps” in Tilton. She takes Julia with her and Marissa stays with me. After a little lounging around Marissa and I head out and take care of the grocery shopping for the week.

Most weeks I pick up some ground-beef. My careful stats revealed to me that two pounds is plenty. One thing that had been bothering me recently is the fact that I could never find a “two-pound” package so I’d get exactly the amount of meet we need. As I stood there and looked at the packages I saw some that were close to a pound and the others that were a tad over three pounds. Then I saw my chance to rectify this problem.

In front of my eyes was a surely competent meet department employee. So I asked him, “How come no two pound packages?” He very politely explained that based on the process and how the machine worked – two pound packages just did not make sense. Then, being a “master of the obvious,” (which, unfortunately I am not) he said; “Just get two one-pound packages and you’ll have your two pounds.” “I think I’ll do just that, thanks!!” Talk about a “duh” moment!

So what can we draw from these two stories? That “Marketing Wizards” and Authors are stupid? Of, course that conclusion is arguable based on the above facts! But the real lesson here is the simple truth that what is obvious to someone else may not be so obvious to you. What is obvious to you may not be so obvious to me and what is obvious to me may not be so obvious to you.

I see this truth play out every day in my life and business. I seek out answers from people I know have them. And when I work with business owners I constantly help them make obvious (to me) improvements in their businesses.

The Lesson…

Keep your mind open because the minute you think you have all the answers is exactly the time you need to slow down before you get hurt.

Quick Disclaimer! Don’t read this week’s article if you won’t take the time to pull the valuable and realistic “success lesson” out of it. Don’t read it if you’re “appalled” at the title. Don’t read it if you’re going to take my words “out of context.” Finally, I speaketh from experience because I’ve been burned in the past too!

Now that I’ve got your attention…

As I’m writing this most Newspapers here in the Granite State are covering the alleged “Ponzi Scheme” surrounding the closed Financial Resources Mortgage, Inc of Meredith. 500 people lost somewhere close to $80,000,000.00!

I’ve been following the story a little and talking about it on my weekly radio show in Nashua. I feel really bad for the good people who got wrapped up and lost there life savings to New Hampshire’s Bernie Madoffs.

“A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned. The Ponzi scheme usually entices new investors by offering returns other investments cannot guarantee.  These returns are either abnormally high or unusually consistent.

The perpetuation of the returns that a Ponzi scheme advertises and pays requires an ever-increasing flow of money from investors to keep the scheme going. The system is destined to collapse. “

I think the key words there are “entices” and “abnormally high.” Now, what did dad and mom tell us? “If it’s too good to be true….” What, would psychologists tell us? They’d insert their tobacco pipe and observe the “enticing” brought upon an irrational descision that exploited their key emotion of greed. Am I calling anyone greedy? NO! (Remember my disclaimer!). But greed is a powerful emotion that lives in all of us.

Positive and Negative Emotions

The fact is there are positive emotions and negative emotions. Negative emotions are useful.  But too much of any one particular negative emotion can be dangerous depending on the situation. A little fear keeps you alive, too much keeps you stuck. A little greed can make you financially free and enables you to help others. But too much….

The Illusion of Invulnerability

There is a mindset that thinks: “Bad things happen to others, bad things don’t happen to me.” Psychologist call this “The Illusion of Invulnerability.” It too, can be dangerous. The reality is bad things happen to everyone! But, not everyone responds the same way. Some people respond positively to bad situations. These people are the ones that “fall down nine, get up ten.” They’re the ones who come out stronger and wiser. And they’re the ones who Sinatra sings about; “Each time I find myself flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race!”

Bad things will happen to you and so will good things! So make the best of the good times and pull the valuable wisdom from the bad.

And as one of my favorite authors, Robert Ringer, says; “Look out for number one!”

After giving a talk at a local club, several people picked up copies of my book for themselves. I’m always grateful when that happens. It actually shows that people are “taking action” on a couple of the principles I talk about when I speak.

Let’s start with those principles before we get to “Course Corrections.”

“Keep Your Mind Open” and “Continuous Learning.” The fact is that you never know when an “AHA” moment can strike. That’s why it’s important to keep your mind open. “Continuous Learning” will often produce “AHA” moments. Or as Forest Gump would say; “Mama says they go together like peas and carrots.”

Unfortunately the reality is “AHA Moments” are still not enough to get you to where you want to be. You need to get in motion and stay in motion. The problem is we (yes- you, me, everybody) second guess ourselves to the point of slowing our own progress or killing it totally. And yes I do it too, I’m not special, I just have a knack for pointing this stuff out. Sorta like Jerry Seinfeld had a knack for taking obvious situations and making them funny. Ahh, the good ol’ days of NBC! Anyway…

I received a call from someone who said very enthusiastically; “Remember me? I’m one of the people who bought a book the other day after you spoke!”  “Yes, how are you and what can I do for you?” He went on to tell me about an idea for a product/business that he had been thinking about for a while. He wanted my help. I told him that on occasion I do offer some by phone or in person coaching sessions. We chatted for a few minutes more to be sure that it was a good fit and then he asked me to put him down for the following week. So that’s what I did.

He called me a couple of days before ( I appreciate the courtesy) and informed me that he couldn’t make the time and was now reconsidering his decision to move forward on his project. At that point all I could do was wish him the best with his project if he ever decides to pursue it.

I’ll be the first one to tell you though experience; most “projects,” as they are first conceived, should die on the vine. There’s nothing more precious than time. Wasting it on something that is not going to happen is a losing proposition. But there’s a fine line…

Most good things start off one way and then end up another way. How does this happen? It’s called “Course Correction.”

Course Correction occurs only after you get going and take a few steps in the direction of your goals. But if you don’t take a few steps no course is charted and no positive corrections can be made.

Think back. How many “course corrections” did you go through to get to where you are today? Are you still correcting? I know I am! It’s OK, because that means you’re making things happen. So take a few steps and correct as you go.

And Feel Free to Catch The Replay of Yesterday’s Show… “The Future of Local TV”