The Fake Plane Ticket

Entrepreneurs do whatever it takes to advance the cause for growth of their companies.  Those who create success work hard, take risks, and do things that other people may never think about in order to make things happen.  Creativity is key to connecting all the dots necessary to be a disrupter and a maker all at the same time.

One person I know bought a fake plane ticket to be able to network with a key person they needed to meet.  While at an industry conference in Dallas they saw a speaker who was paramount to the future success of their business.  This person was a little famous and had immense influence that could have a direct impact on the entrepreneur's future business.  My friend knew that approaching this person after their talk was futile.  Too many people would rush the stage and a few minutes of "Great Speech" chit chat would be all they could accomplish.    

Our hero in this story decided he needed to take a chance to get more time with the speaker than just a handshake and a business card exchange.  The speaker had mentioned heading home later in the day and my friend began to wonder how to capitalize on this knowledge.  He thought about this person getting to the airport and having nearly an hour of waiting for their plane.  It would be an ideal opportunity to have a meaningful conversation, however Dallas is a big city with two airports, so he needed to think about the possibilities.

He went on his phone and looked at all the flight options the speaker could have to get home that day.  There were several choices, but he made some educated guesses about the speaker and decided that one of two American Airlines flights were the most logical.  He bought the cheapest ticket he could from Dallas to anywhere (one-way to Oklahoma City, although where did not matter as he was never gong to fly, he just needed a way to get through security) and left the conference before the speaker finished their remarks.  

Once inside the airport he waited by the gate.  He eventually thought he had wasted his time when suddenly he saw the person he desired to meet.  He casually approached and introduced himself, commenting on the wonderful presentation at the conference earlier in the day.  The discussion lasted for 40 minutes and ended with an exchange of emails, personal cell numbers, and a promise to talk more about the industry topics they had in common.  

After the speaker boarded their plane, this entrepreneur returned to his car and drove home from Dallas to Austin.  

In my opinion the odds of this scenario working out so well were slim, and thus most people would never attempt such a costly and time consuming stunt.  But successful entrepreneurs go the extra mile and do not think about the failure options.  Instead they visualize the success and then do whatever it takes to make that happen.  

What will you do today that goes beyond the "norm" that can advance your success?

Have A Great Day

thom singer

Three Steps To Getting Free Guru Motivation

*** Disclaimer on the below post.  I have no beef with any expert who sells their expertise (heck, I do this).  I do not have a problem with the coaching industry (I work with individual clients).  I do not discredit the power of internet marketing tools (I use them).  There is a difference between shared information and solicitations, and not all inbound emails from "gurus" are trying to separate you from your money, know the difference.  Selling is not a sin.  Any resemblance to any guru described is purely coincidental.


Free Guru Coaching Starting Today

Do you want to move your career to the next level?  Are you looking for someone to take you under their wing and lead you to more success?  Are there people in your industry you admire who offer expensive coaching programs you believe would help you -- but you cannot justify the expensive investment in their giant menu of programs, services, bootcamps, etc....

Wish you could get the benefits of their motivation without having to take out a second mortgage?

Well you can have any one of the most famous internet motivational experts actively working to motivate you around the clock without investing any money.

Follow these three steps and you can get the best results from (pick your favorite guru):

1.  Write down twenty-five things that you know you need to do to expand your career and create a "to do list".  


Most of us are aware of what we need to do to achieve our desired success.  We just get busy with the nuances of life and fail to follow through.  This is normal, do not beat yourself up over your lack of motivation.  Identify the actions that you are confident will allow you to grow your business, get promoted, find a new job, etc....


2.  Get on the mailing list of the top internet guru who you think holds the magic seeds to personal improvement.  There are many to choose from, they have infomercials, giant email databases, highly seductive webinars and bootcamps, etc...  Any one of them will do, or better yet, get on multiple mailing lists of these mavens of motivation. 


It is not SPAM if you opt-in!


3.  Every time you get an email from your guru(s) trying to sell you their latest program, product, coaching service, etc....  select one item on your "to do list" and immediately go do it.  You need not even open their emails, just see their name in your inbox and take action (while their email looks personalized, the salutation is computer generated...they were not really thinking of you when the email blast was sent!).  

This really works.  I have been doing this since January and I have grown my business year over year.  My chosen guru sends me emails more than once a week promoting something that his company or one of his affiliate partners is selling.  I enjoy his enthusiasm, but if I bought all he offered it would have added up to more than my annual income.

Do not unsubscribe from the guru lists.  They are your ticket to getting more done without ever having act on any of their offers.  I heard one such guru say once that the only way to get off their mailing list was to die and leave no heirs.  Cool.  Keep those emails coming.... it gets me moving toward attaining all my goals!

At the same time, if they have an offer that is appealing to you, by all means, sign up.  These are not bad folks (well, most of them) and often have great materials.  But if you are not in a place to invest, do not waste the opportunity to utilize their coordinated, dedicated, and frequent email campaigns as a tool to kick you into taking action.

Have A Great Day.

thom singer

Finding The Career You Love

It is just better when you are driven by a passion for your work.

I have had jobs I liked, and jobs I hated.  The ones I liked were always much more pleasant.

Some of my clients often feel stuck in their career.  They make good money, and it is what they "do".... but they are not happy.  They are surprised by the questions I ask them about goals and dreams.... as many have never inquired to themselves about what they really want.  They see being "stuck" as the norm.

It can take time to find your calling and to transition into a field that brings you joy in your work.  But if you never ask the right questions and continue just going through the motions, that feeling of contentment will never be discovered.

I think success comes through consistent questioning and then taking actions to guide yourself in the right direction.

Have A Great Day.

thom singer

Treat The Good Ones Like GOLD

Two blog posts I read today inspired this  blog post.

The first is by Chris Brogan.  Chris wrote about flaws, and in reading his post it seems that maybe the critical jerks that populate our world were impacting his mood as he sat at his computer.  He is right, we all have flaw, but they should not define us more than the amazing things we do to impact the society around us.

The second was by Leslie Morris (my editor, business partner, friend, and an impressive communications consultant).  Her post contemplated if being a "giver" was born or bred.  She discusses how some people, regardless of their own situation in life, find ways to serve.... while others are oblivious to the needs of others.  She is right that many wonderful people just never seem to discover the easy ways they can positively impact the world.

Well meaning people often can easily slip into self-focus.  This can be gossip and finger-pointing or the lack of philanthropic awareness and efforts. This happens to everyone at some point, as just getting through the day can sometimes be overwhelming.  Yet it is in the patterns we find character.

I believe most people want to do good and assist others in achieving success.  They want to be a beacon of the positive.  This desire often becomes confused with actual action, and can even blind them to their lack of effort or negativity.  Many make promises and never follow through, yet internally view making the promise as equal to the completed action.  Others think that "constructive criticism" 100% of the time is a gift (ummmm, not always!)

We all have made mistakes, and we all come up short on expectations sometimes. Flaws are part of being human. When this happens there is a long line of people willing to share our flaws with the world... But few are the ones who line up to praise others for their successes. When you find these rare souls who help for the sake of helping... and who give for the sake of giving... treat them like GOLD.

My business partner (The publisher at New Year Publishing and Leslie's husband, Dave) is one of these people who finds the good in others and supports them in the efforts to go for their dreams. I would never have become a full time speaker, author, and consultant if he had not seen my goals as legitimate and found ways to assist me to make them bigger than real.

He regularly does stuff to lift others up and avoids slamming people for flaws. Additionally he has had a very successful career. Some mistakenly say he can do good things because he is so successful.... but I know it is the other way around.... He IS successful because most of the time he focuses on the good parts of people and not the bad.... and gives of himself. 

You can't change the selfish people, the gossips, the mean-kids, the dream-killers, and the jerks.  But you can avoid being one of those yourself.  Additionally you must remember to treat the good people in your life like they are made of gold!

Have A Great Day

thom singer

Identify Success In Advance - Goals for 2011

This time of year brings many goals and resolutions, but too many people are vague about what they want to accomplish. They desire "more money" or "more time with the kids", .... but "more" is a random and subjective term that does not inspire action.

If you want to accomplish your desires you must be clear in your exact pursuits. You should identify your success in advance so that you can take the necessary steps to arrive at your destination.

If you were to fly from Los Angeles to Honolulu you would want the pilot to know where he was going. To take off and point the plane "west" could have fatal consequences.

When you are clear about where you are going it makes it easy to take the actions along the way that lead you to your success.

Individuals, companies and other organizations should create success plans that will serve as a road map throughout the year. A small amount of time invested now will help you create your most powerful year ever.

Have A Great Day.

thom

My Theme for 2011

I am not sure when people began having "themes" for their year, but ever since social media has come into play many people publish words, key phrases or themes to guide them throughout their year. I like the idea. I have always been a goal setter, and having an overall theme helps keep the focus.

Have you ever taken a young child bowling? They have "bumpers" that can automatically be activated that keep the ball from rolling into the gutter. That is what my theme is for 2011 - my "bumpers". If used correctly this will help me knock down the pins this year.

My theme the new year is:

• Belief in Self
• Intention in Action
• Joy in Family and Friends
• Fun in Success

This can be broken down to "Belief, Intention, Joy and Fun"..... but the above bullet points give you the full perspective.

Some people do not set goals or have a theme. That's cool. But don't knock it until you have tried it!

What is your "theme"?

Have A Great Year!

thom singer