Episode 28: Success From Scratch

Episode 28: Success From Scratch

Gabe Abshire, CEO of Utility Concierge is our guest this week on success from scratch. Gabe shares his “EOS,” the entrepreneurial operating system where the concept is based on each successful business having a visionary and an implementer. Or in real estate, a team leader and an operator. Gabe shares his secrets for success and how those can apply to your real estate practice. He also shares the value proposition of Utility Concierge and how that can add value to you and your clients.

 

“We want to make it simple. We provide a one-stop shop for your clients’ utilities needs to make the moving experience smoother.”
– Gabe Abshire,  CEO of Utility Concierge

Need a coach that can help you build your EOS? Get free consult at www.travisrobertson.com/jpar

The Silent Dream Killer

The Silent Dream Killer

Last Friday’s Success Hot Line –  973.743.4690 – reminded me of what I already know:  the 5 words that kill more dreams, more potential and more happiness than any other 5 words spoken: “I don’t feel like it.”

I’m not sure of your dream, yet I suspect for many of you it’s more financial freedom, better health, stronger relationships and more connectedness with your community. Yet let’s face it, so many times when you are about to start something toward those dreams the onslaught of excuses flood your mind like water gushing out of a broken pipe. The theme of these excuses always traces back to the same root… “I don’t feel like it.”

How many times have you said, “I don’t feel like it?”  How many times have you listened to that thought, allowing it to alter the course of your actions? What if you could make a different choice?

Here is what I know, “I don’t feel like it” is the universal human condition that silently kills dreams. Yet you and I don’t have to accept this dream killer. We can all overcome the feeling and move powerfully towards our goals and dreams. It starts with intention… the intention to live on your terms not the terms of your moods and feelings.

Next time you say to yourself “I don’t feel like it,” consider this 4-step guide to snap out of that feeling and make a choice for action.

Step 1: Put Your Body In Motion  

Emotion is created by motion. In other words, emotions are linked to movement in our bodies. Think about it… observe your posture when you are slouching, or happy, as opposed to when you are sad. Or what you look like when you are angry, versus when you are elated. Our mothers were correct, proper posture means more than just looking good.

Try this little experiment, right now: stand up smile and raise your hands above your head and say, “yes, yes, yes!” Did your mood change? When you are low on energy, I’ve found movement, any type of movement… getting the body in motion helps. Walk around your office building, if you’re sitting stand up, rub your hands together rapidly. Movement and breathing can change your energy level quickly.

Step 2: Hydrate More

Dehydration is one of the most common preventable medical conditions in the world, and yet it affects millions. For something so common, most of us are unaware of its dangers.

CBS reports nearly 75% of us simply don’t drink enough water. 10 cups per day is prescribed by the institute of medicine. When you function daily in a chronic and persistent state of dehydration you lose focus, you lose energy, you lose your attention span and you increase irritability quotient. Simply drink more water.

Step 3: Accept Your Emotional Level Then Redirect

Whatever you are feeling, give yourself permission to feel that way. Instead of denying the reality of your feelings acknowledge them.  Consider sitting with them for a moment and then make an active decision to regroup. What’s that famous quote? “You can’t stop the birds from flying around your head, yet you can stop them from making a nest.”

Accept, reflect then redirect.

Step 4: Take Action Towards Your Intention

Instead of listening to “I don’t feel like it” now you are in a position to take a different action. To overcome your feelings and move towards your dreams.  In business and in life, you state your goals and plot your course for reaching them. However, there will be many days when you don’t feel like doing the work, yet go ahead and do it anyway … “feeling like it” is not a pre-requisite.

Final thought… who’s in charge, you or your feelings of “I don’t feel like it?”

#WinTheDay #RIPCDJ

 

 

What Will You Regret More?

What Will You Regret More?

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get stuck. When you get stuck what do you do? Here’s one idea… to consider:

What will you regret more… doing it or not doing it? Asking yourself this question cuts through the fears, the pros and cons and all that other stuff that clogs the decision-making process. Asking this question can get you out of your head and into your heart, revealing what you truly want. And once you know that, the details sort themselves out. Any testimonials?

Research shows that more people regret things they didn’t do than the things they did, even if things they did turned out badly. After all, with time and effort, you can fix almost any mistake… yet you can’t go back and do the things you dreamed of doing but didn’t. That means you can only think about how today would be different if you had only taken action.

Take a moment and write down that decision you’ve been procrastinating about… the one thing you’ve been thinking about, the one thing you’ve been getting ready to get ready. And ask yourself, “what will I regret more… doing it or not doing it?”

Research shows, we most regret thinking we didn’t reach our full potential. We most regret not becoming the person we feel we could have become…if we only had tried.

I suspect this is the case because it is the one mistake you can never go back and fix.

Yet it is the one mistake we all can stop making today.

Think about this… it’s easy to imagine that superstars in their fields were just born better equipped than the rest of us. When a co-worker loses 20 pounds, or a friend runs a marathon while completing a huge project at work, we assume they have more grit, more willpower, more innate talent, and above all, more motivation to see their goals through.

Yet that’s not actually true. Inc.com columnist Jeff Haden proves “motivation” as we know it is a myth. Motivation isn’t the special sauce that we require at the beginning of any major change. In fact, motivation is a result of the process, not a cause. Understanding this will change the way you approach any obstacle or a big goal.

Read more about it here, The Motivation Myth

What will you regret more… doing it or not doing it?

#WinTheDay

The Pain of Discipline OR The Pain of Regret?

The Pain of Discipline OR The Pain of Regret?

This week I had requests to write about, “how to have more joy and fun in my business” and “how to avoid procrastination in my business.” Both excellent topics. I’ll write more about fun and joy in business on another post until then I’m reminded of that famous Abraham Lincoln quote: “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”

Do you prefer the pain of discipline OR the pain of regret? Research shows that we regret those things we have not done MORE than we do the things we have done. Can you relate?

What I’ve experienced personally and observed in others is, procrastination blocks us from creating to the fullest the business and life we want. You already know, the main reason we procrastinate is that taking action will cause us a certain amount of pain, a certain amount of discomfort.

Coaching clients have shared with me, “I’m avoiding undertaking certain tasks because of the risk of shame, vulnerability or failure. Taking action means we might be making a mistake or we might fail. Let’s face it, it’s easier to not take action and avoid the pain of looking less than perfect. Thus, many of us instinctively retreat to our comfort zone and miss creating our ideal business. Basically, in trying to protect ourselves from failure it’s easier to erect our own barriers to success. Can you relate? If you’ve ever been in this place – as I have – how do you
get out?

Psychologist calls this a strategy of self-sabotaging. Research shows, that by creating impediments that make success less likely, we protect our sense of self-competence. And believe it or not, we as humans tend to do this more when the stakes are the highest.

So how do we procrastinate less and take action more? Practice, get an accountability partner or join a mastermind group. By taking more small steps that lead to bigger steps you’ll build the “take action muscle.” By creating an accountability partner or mastermind group you’ll have others who can help you discern what is an excuse and what’s not. And consider these 5 action steps:

1. Remember a goal is NOT a system. A system will produce what a system will produce nothing less nothing more. Example, losing 10 pounds by September 1st is a GOAL. Learning how to change your eating habits is a SYSTEM. See the difference?

2. Make your goal tangible and specific. “Grow my business” sounds great but is also meaningless.”Land five new clients a month” allows you to determine exactly what you need to do to land those clients. Always set a goal that allows you to work backward and create a process designed to achieve it. It’s impossible to know exactly what to do every day when you don’t know exactly what you want to achieve.

3. Make it matter to you! If you want to get in better shape so other people will think you look better at the pool this summer, you’re unlikely to follow through. Ultimately, who cares what other people think?

Yet, if you want to get in better shape because you want to feel better, and feel better about yourself, or to set an example for your kids, or to prove something to yourself…then you’re much more likely to stick with it. Now your goal has meaning–not to your doctor, not to strangers at the pool, but to you.

4. Make it positive. “Stop criticizing other people in meetings” is a great goal, but it’s a negative goal. It’s a lot harder to give up or stop doing something than it is to embrace a new and positive challenge. Example, setting a goal like”stop eating sweets” means you constantly have to choose to avoid temptation and since willpower is often a finite resource, why put yourself in a position of constantly needing to choose?

When you pick positive goals, you’ll be working to become something new rather than avoid being something you no longer wish to be.

5. Focus on the process, the DAILY process. All incredibly successful people I’ve worked with have one thing in common… they set a goal and then focus all their attention on the process necessary to achieve that goal. Sure, the goal is still out there. But what they care about most is what they need to do today–and when they accomplish that, they feel happy about today.

So, I’ll ask again, do you prefer the pain of discipline OR the pain of regret? The choice is yours.

Do you have a question, theme or topic you’d like to see in a future blog? Let me know, until then #WinTheDay and remember what Abraham Lincoln said: “Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”

Is It Time To Sharpen Your Saw?

Is It Time To Sharpen Your Saw?

Happy Monday. Have you ever been too busy to stop and get gas? How did that work out for you?

As we start the week, can you relate to this story:

Once upon a time, there was a strong, ambitious young woodcutter who needed work. She traveled to the nearest timber merchant and asked if she could secure a job. The timber merchant could sense the woman was a hard worker and decided to give her an opportunity. “Meet me here tomorrow at daybreak,” the merchant said.

The young woman arrived the next morning where the merchant led her to a dense patch of trees in the nearby forest. “Chop down as many trees as you can today and meet me just before sunset.” The young woman chopped down 18 trees that day. The merchant was impressed. “Well done!” he said, “You are the best woodcutter we have!”

The next day the young woman returned, feeling even more motivated. Her muscles were sore but her ambition was strong. She chopped down 15 trees the second day. On the third day, the young woman arrived before daybreak and stayed until she could barely see the tree she was chopping down. She cut down only 9 trees that day. This pattern continued over the coming week.

“I must be losing my strength,” the young woman thought to herself.

The next week her boss met her in the early morning hours and told her she was fired. The young woman was upset and scared about her future. But she knew she worked as hard as she could and just didn’t have enough time to chop more trees. Her head hanging low, she handed her axe back to the timber merchant. The merchant took one look at the axe and said, “When was the last time you sharpened your axe?” “Sharpen my axe?” the young woman replied, “I’ve been too busy trying to cut down enough trees to sharpen my axe.”

I’m curious… can you relate? If so, how can you sharpen your axe this week? Consider this:

Abe Lincoln’s productivity secret was to use sharper tools to get the job done more efficiently. He said: “If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.” Lincoln, who was a skilled woodcutter before becoming one of the most important presidents in US history, probably meant this both literally and figuratively. Inefficient tools waste your energy. It’s better to spend the majority of your time finding and cultivating the best tools for any task.

If you have 10 minutes, you might consider investing in watching this classic video from Stephen Covey on big rocks and little rocks… no endorsement of the YouTube channel here, it’s just the only one we could find that still has this classic video. It’s worth your time, watch it!

Let’s #WinTheDay #RelationshipsOverSchedules