Book Review: The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

I constantly troll Amazon to find new books to read, as if the fifteen I have already purchased and downloaded on my Kindle and in iBooks are not enough to keep me busy for awhile. 

On a search I did last summer, I found the book The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.

I'm not sure words can do my affection and gratitude for this book justice, but I'll do my best.

"Never give up!" and other lessons I learned from Diana Nyad

Diana Nyad

***After you read this post, be sure to visit me at my new home here.***

I will admit I hadn't closely followed Diana Nyad's four previous attempts to swim from Cuba to Florida, but when I saw this news alert on my phone, 

CNN: Diana Nyad, 64, is about 2 miles shy of finishing her swim from Cuba to Florida, a goal she's persued for 35 years.

and I saw messages of encouragement on my Facebook timeline, I knew I needed to tune in.

I tend to stay away from the news, because rarely does it inspire me to be a better person, go for my dreams, or think bigger. This is one news story I can't get enough of, and lessons abound from watching Diana's interviews this morning on The Today Show and CBS.

Here's what I've learned from Diana:

• Age doesn't matter. As I'm enjoying my 40s, I have had some thoughts in the back of my mind that I need to get stuff done now while I'm still able. No more! I jokingly said last summer that I want to do the Ironman in Kona when I turn 70, and my training officially starts tomorrow. Tune in in 2040 or better yet, be waiting at the finish line with some chocolate covered macadamia nuts for me.
• It's always about the team. Diana talked about how her team helped her to avoid dangerous currents, animals and deal with hunger, thirst, and swallowing too much salt water. Without her team, her success wouldn't be possible. It's true, there's no such thing as a self-made person. We all go farther and faster {and have more fun} surrounded by people who help us and cheer us on.
• It's better with music. Diana has a playlist with 85 songs. She sang Neil Young's The Damage Done to herself at 2 a.m. to keep going. Find some tunes that literally rock your world and keep you going when the going gets tough.
• There will be obstacles. Find a way through them. When Willie Geist asked Diana what made the fifth attempt successful, she said, "I resolved to get through the jellyfish. It's their world, but this time I had to get through them." She also had to deal with swallowing lots of salty sea water and sea creatures wondering what the heck was happening in their world. She had to just keep going. It doesn't matter what tries to stop or delay you, you can persevere and succeed.
• You must set your intention and be committed to it, no matter what. Diana had been dreaming of completing this swim for 36 years, and had made four previous attempts. Don't quit until you've reached your objective, completed your dream, and hit the goal.
• Stay focused. Willie noted there were other swimmers with her toward the end, but she didn't notice them ... she was too focused. When you're attempting to achieve a new level of success, or catch the brass ring, you must have blinders on and become oblivious to anything and anyone who can cause you to lose focus.
• There's the yin and the yang. For every thing that didn't go perfectly, there were several things that went great. This time, the current and tide were in Diana's favor and she was so grateful. There will always be some bonus miracles that will happen to let you know you're on the right path.
• Never give up. No matter what. Diana means it. I mean it.

 What did you learn? What would you attempt if you knew for sure you would succeed? Start today.

YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ:
Make a Bold Move and Set Yourself Free {Honorée}
Control Your Mental Real Estate {Honorée}
Challenges, Schmallenges {Honorée}

My Motto for 2013

Merry Christmas, everyone!

What's Your Unfair Selling Position (USP)?

***After you read this post, be sure to visit me at my new home here.***

I believe everyone has a "USP" (Unique Selling Proposition): it's what sets you apart from your "competition." There may be someone who does what you do, but I guarantee if you dig a little deeper, you have qualities, characteristics and qualifications that make you unique and different. When you identify them, you give yourself an advantage.

An advantage you can take to the bank.

This is particularly helpful if you've just changed careers, and have been in your current position less than five years. It's difficult to get someone to take you seriously if you're a "newbie" because most of us want to do business with people who have lots of credibility - it just makes most people comfortable to do business with people who have experience. Except it's not just current professional experience that contributes to your ability to perform. (Just remember to tell the truth about how long you've been doing something. I see people add a year or two here and there. Being out of integrity just isn't the way to go.)

Now, let's move on to the fact that there are other coaches, realtors, financial advisors, attorneys, CPAs, etc. If you consider yourself "just" another professional in your discipline, there's an opportunity to shift that perspective and dominate your new market share. Stop right now and take into consideration everything you've done, every job you've had, every class you've taken, and every place you've traveled that has brought you to today. Make a list of the distinctions you've made that contribute to your ability to get your job done, and very well.

You must be confident in what you do in order for others to feel confident in you. You must stand up in order to stand out!

I had this question posed to me by a realtor in Tennessee ... "Everyone's a realtor ... how do I set myself apart?"

I made a few suggestions, which I believe transcend all professions. There's great news here, because (unfortunately) the bar is pretty low.

1. Get clear about what sets you apart. Develop your "tagline" and put it in your 30-Second Sound Bite: "I turn service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality." The truth is, when I first started coaching, I had years of experience in doing that, just not as a coach! But my coach showed me how I was different, and how I really had years of experience I could "sell." Now, thirteen years later, I consider myself to have more than 20 years of experience.
2. Notice the challenges you have with other "professionals" and do the opposite of what they're doing ... such as: failing to return phone calls or respond to emails in a timely fashion. I'm a huge fan of these two solid business rules: (1) do what you say you're going to do and (2) call people back, no matter what you are going to say (yes, no, or maybe). It's a sad day when that's a high standard that others simply fail to reach. Take the time to set your own standard and do your best to live up to it.
3. Get on the cutting edge - then take the leader's position. A leader creates new technology, programs, or processes. They take a stand, back it up with logic, and use it to make their clients live and businesses better. Define what could make your clients lives dramatically improve, refine your process, and then make it what sets you apart. Followers imitate others, and are always behind. You know how to make a difference to those you serve, so trust your instincts and intuition. Become a thinker who expresses what you know to be the truth! 
4. Remove any and all desperation. If you need 200 clients but you only have 80, you "feel" to potential clients you like you need them. Instead, create the mindset that you have a booming, prosperous business with a 198 clients ... and if you take on one or two more, you'll be completely full! Doesn't that feel differently to you? It will to your potential clients as well. This will require you to consciously focus on the positive possibilities and take consistent action toward the achievement of your goals, which means you will be unable to focus on the fear (you'll simply be much too busy). Instead of convincing your potential clients why they should hire you, let them convince you why you need to "let them hire you." You don't have time to work with everyone - or just anyone. You take on only the best, most friendly and incredibly qualified clients (right?). When that is the picture you create in your mind's eye about your business, it won't be long until that picture is your reality.

In the end, your USP is really your Unfair Selling Position - it is you going for what you truly want, being authentic, creating and giving your clients what they want, and being amazingly successful.

Honorée Enterprises, LLC. turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how we can specifically help you or your organization, click here. You can read all about Honorée here.

Guiding Words for Life

Mother Teresa's Anyway Poem

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Honorée turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how she can specifically help you or your organization, click here. You can read all about her here.

Sample Sunday: Play2Pay Chapter 1

The following is an excerpt from Play2Pay: How to Market Your College Bound Student-Athlete for Scholarship Money, by Beth Walker, Founder of College Funding Coaching, and Honoree Corder, Personal Transformation Expert.

This guide is designed for families who want to send their student’s to college without going broke and view partial athletic scholarship money as part of their overall funding strategy.

You can order through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

Chapter 1: The Playing Field

College today is expensive, expected, and misunderstood.  Other than that it’s the single biggest source of stress between parents and teenagers in most U.S. households today. 

Let us explain…

In terms of cost, nothing we pay for in terms of products or services has risen as sharply as the cost of college.  College costs have risen 539% over the last 20 years as compared to the 251% increase in medical care over the same time frame (Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, NCPPE, US Census Bureau, Wall Street Journal).

And the rate of inflation related to the cost of college isn’t the only financial burden faced by families today – most families have not saved or planned for the expenses related to college and find themselves amassing debt in their efforts to finance post secondary education…

·    61.6% of undergraduate students borrowed money for funding their education in the form of student loans and their average cumulative debt amounted to $17,878; 13.5% of parents borrowed to fund their children’s education, amassing an average PLUS loan debt of $23,298. (Note: These figures were calculated using the data analysis system for the 2007-2008 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics at the US Department of Education.)

Despite the costs, most kids today will tell you they plan to go to college.  Press them as to why and they’ll tell you they know they need to go to get a good job and that’s what their parents expect.

Beyond that, most students can’t tell you what or where they want to study … which leads us to yet another incredible statistic regarding college today – most kids are taking 6 years to get a four year degree.  

In fact, according to the most recent Dept. of Education report, about half of students who started college in 2003 had managed to graduate within six years.  Another 15% were still attending college and more than a third had dropped out.

But don’t despair…

As the parent of a student-athlete, you can be much more optimistic about your student’s prospect for going to college at a reduced price, finishing in a timely manner, and graduating with less debt. Find more information here: http://www.finaid.org/educators/20110505athleticscholarships.pdf.

But, you also have to be realistic about the role an athletic scholarship will play in your overall college funding strategy.

While it’s true there is a lot of money in college athletic scholarships – over $1.1 billion dollars worth – the percentage of high school athletes that actually supports is relatively small – 1.4%. Source: http://www.finaid.org/educators/20110505athleticscholarships.pdf.   

In fact, the typical N.C.A.A. athletic scholarship awarded, excluding football and men’s basketball, is only $ 8,707 (Source: Expectations Lost to Reality of Sports Scholarships, NY Times, by Bill Pennington (3/10/2008).  With the average public university costing $19,640 per year and private colleges requiring $40,493 per year (Source: College Board), an athletic scholarship that must be renewed each year is not insignificant but will not solve the funding challenge in and of itself.

Most families wait too long to market their student-athletes, believing that getting in front of college coaches in the junior and senior year of high school will result in meaningful scholarship offers.  The fact is, 75% of college coaches are tracking athletes for recruiting purposes by their sophomore year. (Source: How To Market Your Student Athlete for Athletic Scholarships by Chuck Moore.)

To read the rest, order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.

Sample Sunday: Tall Order! Chapter 1

The following is an excerpt from Tall Order! Master Strategies to Organize Your Life and Double Your Success in half the time.

You can order it through CoachHonoree.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Smashwords.

MASTER STRATEGY #1: ENVISIONING YOUR VISION

At my daughter’s karate school, her instructor repeats over and over: “Focus on the target!” Whatever stage of business you find yourself in, if you haven’t defined a clear precise vision up to this point, now is the time to create one.

Vision is what you see in your mind’s eye, not something you see externally. Do you go on a trip without knowing your destination? Of course not. The first master strategy is creating your vision. Personally, this is my favorite strategy. You will find it to be a most exciting strategy and big fun to put together.

At first, the process and outcomes of visioning may seem vague and intangible. But the long-term benefits are beneficial, substantial, and the results can be simply amazing.

Visioning breaks you out of boundary thinking. As you open your mind and your mind’s eye to new possibilities, you will begin to shed previous limitations.

Visioning provides continuity and avoids the stutter effect of planning fits and starts. Having a defined, clear vision that is reviewed often – I recommend daily – will help you avoid “New Year’s Eve Syndrome” … where goals are set, then forgotten in about two weeks (until the next New Year)!

Your vision automatically identifies your future direction and purpose. It grabs hold of your interest, strengthens your commitment and promotes laser-like focus. When there is a clear picture in your mind of where you’re going, it is always there, accessible -- readily available to pull you in the right direction.

Visioning encourages openness to unique and creative solutions. As you hold your clearly defined vision, the ways to make that vision happen become clear. Your subconscious mind works on your behalf to spot potential opportunities, prospects, and possibilities you might otherwise have missed.

Visioning promotes and builds confidence. Have you ever noticed how a person who has a purpose and a vision carries themselves in a certain way? They are positive, upbeat, and yes, confident. Your confidence is magnetic, attracting to you your clearly defined vision.

Play2Pay: How to Market Your Student-Athlete for Scholarship Money

New guide for Student Athletes to help them find the right school, pay the right price, and let the student play instead of pay the full retail price for a college education.

The power team of Beth Walker, Founder of College Funding Coaches, and Honoree Corder, Personal Transformation Expert, have created a guide designed for families who want to send their students to college without going broke, Play2Pay: How to Market Your Student-Athlete for Scholarship Money.

"Parents who view partial athletic scholarship money as part of their overall funding strategy for their student athlete's education don't always know how to make that happen," said Beth Walker, "The athletes who most likely aren't going to get a full ride still have a lot of opportunities, but they have to market themselves strategically in order to get those dollars."

Play2Pay is a how-to guide for college-bound athletes who desire an education that is partially paid for by participating in athletics and that is, in fact, their Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, Gold Medal, Wimbledon, or World Cup. The real pay off being a fabulous education at a fraction of the price, with the bonus by-product being they get to participate in a sport they love at the collegiate level.

"Your son or daughter can play instead of pay for their college education, but the odds are this is one piece of the funding puzzle, not the entire solution for the challenges you face in paying for today’s increasingly expensive college education," says Beth, "and, this is a marketing challenge above all else."

The statistics are grim: 61.6% of undergraduate students borrowed money for funding their education in the form of student loans and their average cumulative debt amounted to $17,878; 13.5% of parents borrowed to fund their children’s education, amassing an average PLUS loan debt of $23,298. With a plan to get money up front, student athletes and their parents can borrow less money and therefore not have that debt (and the interest that goes with it) after college.

"Parents and their student-athletes must think strategically and act intentionally with regard to their college education," Honoree Corder shares, "If they don't, the cost may be devastating. A solid marketing plan dramatically increases the student-athlete's chances of securing available monies, and also provides skills they will need later in life to market their professional skills."

Play2Pay is a step-by-step guide that includes templates for marketing to coaches, including sample cover letters, a resume, email campaign, talking points and much more! It's available in multi-digital format through Smashwords at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/94454, and on your Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Play2Pay-Market-Student-Athlete-Sc ....

Legacy

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” ~Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent."

Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.” ~Fortune

Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” ~Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” ~Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.” ~Inc. Magazine

“We don’t get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent.

"Because this is our life. Life is brief, and then you die, you know? And we’ve all chosen to do this with our lives. So it better be damn good. It better be worth it.” ~Fortune

"Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.” ~Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

“Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it.” ~Fortune

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.” ~Unknown

RIP, Steve Jobs. You've contributed to the world in amazing ways, and inspired all of us to do more of the same.

The Victory Goes To ...

You don't have to be the smartest, fastest, or most well-funded in order to be successful. In fact, it's truly sad the number of people who have genius-level intelligence, incredible talent and deep resources ... who can't get themselves off the couch to accomplish, well, anything! 

The good news for the rest of us is that if we're willing to work smarter, harder and longer, the victory goes to us! What you need is determination, a great plan, and to take action until ... Until you reach your goals. It's that simple. (I'm not promising it will be easy, but it is truly that simple.)

You Can If You Think You Can!
If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
It is almost certain you won't.

If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can. ~ C. W. Longenecker ~

   

Honorée has dedicated her life to being a positive force for good. She writes personal and professional growth books for professionals, and The Successful Single Mom books series. As an executive coach and corporate trainer, she turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how she can specifically help you or your organization, click here.

H is for Habits that Support You

I was asking myself the question today why so many people LOVE the idea of being really successful, prosperous and healthy, but fail to do what's necessary to make that happen (every single day), and then it hit me.

We are all creatures of habit.  In fact, most of what we do every single day we do unconsciously and on auto-pilot, therefore it is very hard for new habits to become established. Until we adopt proven habits and they are established and become our unconscious, consistent actions, we must rely on something to make those actions unconscious and on auto-pilot.

We know, intellectually at least, that setting goals, staying on track, and making progress is a good thing.  We also know that in less than five minutes a day, just by writing down what we want and what we will do in order to get it, we can move much closer to our goals, dreams and outcomes - not to mention achieving our purpose for being on earth!  Despite these great intentions and excitement, we still fail.

Well, here is a little trick that I use to easily help myself create new habits and routines I want to stick to daily.

1) I always plan my day electronically and mentally before I dive into it. I schedule every moment and then take a few minutes to visualize it going perfectly. Use your Outlook Calendar to block your time and trust me, the structure will set you free! You will get so much more done, more than you have ever accomplished before! You will also stop surfing the net, engaging in time-wasting conversations, etc. because when you use the "reminder setting," that very calendar will remind you what you previously decided you needed to be doing!

2) I enter my desired habits into the calendar and make them tasks that repeat every single day. So, at 5 a.m. my alarm goes off. At 6 a.m. I'm working out and by 8 a.m. I'm in my office. And, by the time I stop working on Monday, I know what I'll be doing every minute of Tuesday.

I have used this to develop powerful new habits such as:
*Exercising every single day
*Spending time reading and learning every single day
*Reviewing my goal list and affirmations every day; and even to
*Remember important birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, etc.

I have used it to take control of my time so that what I have said is truly important to me gets into my subconscious mind and becomes who I am. Then, I don't need those reminders because once I (YOU!) create those new success habits, they become automatic (just like brushing your teeth, showering, and eating a delicious dessert at the end of dinner). That is the absolutely beautiful thing about habits: once you've adopted the right ones, they will support you in your desired outcomes forever.

So, start today to take advantage of your imagination by creating those new habits mentally-first, and then use the technology at your fingertips to help make them reality. Your future belongs to you!


Honorée turns service providers into rainmakers, average producers into rock-stars, and dreams into reality. For more information on how she can specifically help you or your organization, click here.