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I’m sure most of you that follow my blog know that myself and a whole lot of my friends have been engaged in a series of 90 Day Challenges to improve our overall health and fitness.  I think over the past year, I have seen more about true human nature than I actually wanted to, but I have to say it’s been a great learning experience.

Most of us who have chosen to step off the beaten path of mediocrity and chase success can easily relate that we have seen our fair share of “detractors” along the say.  Call them Naysayers, Complainers, Toxic People, or just pain ole Curmudgoens, most of us have seen and heard them all!  We have also seen how people with a dream and the motivation to get ahead have  been derailed by a friend or a family member whose sole intent was to drag that “dreamer” back to mediocrity.

The sad part is that as we know, the whole process has nothing to do with the person trying to get ahead, but is all about the person who isn’t moving.  Our society is flat out scared of someone leaving the pack.  We have a herd mentality.  When one buffalo ventures out of the herd, the others do everything in their power to herd them back in.  It’s a survival instinct in the animal kingdom, and works exactly the same way with humans.

It’s an unfortunate fact.  Those of us that are on our journey of breaking new ground do face so many challenges, but what we never expect is that many of our friends and family won’t cheer us on.  It’s like fighting a 2 front war, but many of us will never give up no matter what.  I’m sure you are one of those people.  What we really need is an education on how to overcome these adversities.

I’m a huge Tim Ferriss fan.  I think this video does a great job of putting all these “Haters” in perspective.

 

 

I mean, let’s face it.  Only about 10-20 percent of people in today’s society are ever going to do anything with their life anyway.  More than anything, I wish that number was 80%, but it just isn’t so.  Most people are going to be reactionary and plod through life complaining and letting someone else determine their future and design their life.  You are reading this blog because you are part of the 20% that actually is or wants to take charge.

I hope you enjoyed Tim’s video, I know it caused me to re-look at how I approach those in my life who don’t add value.  Here is a Mashable reprint of the points Tim makes in his video.  Enjoy and implement today!

 

1. It doesn’t matter how many people don’t get it. What matters is how many people do.

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“It’s critical in social media, as in life, to have a clear objective and not to lose sight of that,” Ferriss says. He argues that if your objective is to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people or to change the world in some small way (be it through a product or service), you only need to pick your first 1,000 fans — and carefully. “As long as you’re accomplishing your objectives, that 1,000 will lead to a cascading effect,” Ferriss explains. “The 10 million that don’t get it don’t matter.”

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2. 10% of people will find a way to take anything personally. Expect it.

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“People are least productive in reactive mode,” Ferriss states, before explaining that if you are expecting resistance and attackers, you can choose your response in advance, as opposed to reacting inappropriately. This, Ferriss says, will only multiply the problem. “Online I see people committing ‘social media suicide’ all the time by one of two ways. Firstly by responding to all criticism, meaning you’re never going to find time to complete important milestones of your own, and by responding to things that don’t warrant a response.” This, says Ferriss, lends more credibility by driving traffic.

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3. “Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.” (Colin Powell)

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“If you treat everyone the same and respond to everyone by apologizing or agreeing, you’re not going to be recognizing the best performers, and you’re not going to be improving the worst performers,” Ferriss says. “That guarantees you’ll get more behavior you don’t want and less you do.” That doesn’t mean never respond, Ferriss goes on to say, but be “tactical and strategic” when you do.

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4. “If you are really effective at what you do, 95% of the things said about you will be negative.” (Scott Boras)

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“This principle goes hand-in-hand with number two,” Ferriss says. “I actually keep this quote in my wallet because it is a reminder that the best people in almost any field are almost always the people who get the most criticism.” The bigger your impact, explains Ferriss (whose book is a New York Times, WSJ and BusinessWeek bestseller), and the larger the ambition and scale of your project, the more negativity you’ll encounter. Ferriss jokes he has haters “in about 35 languages.”

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5. “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” (Epictetus)

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“Another way to phrase this is through a more recent quote from Elbert Hubbard,” Ferriss says. “‘To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” Ferriss, who holds a Guinness World Record for the most consecutive tango spins, says he has learned to enjoy criticism over the years. Ferriss, using Roman philosophy to expand on his point, says: “Cato, who Seneca believed to be the perfect stoic, practiced this by wearing darker robes than was customary and by wearing no tunic. He expected to be ridiculed and he was, he did this to train himself to only be ashamed of those things that are truly worth being ashamed of. To do anything remotely interesting you need to train yourself to be effective at dealing with, responding to, even enjoying criticism… In fact, I would take the quote a step further and encourage people to actively pursue being thought foolish and stupid.”

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6. “Living well is the best revenge.” (George Herbert)

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“The best way to counter-attack a hater is to make it blatantly obvious that their attack has had no impact on you,” Ferriss advises. “That, and [show] how much fun you’re having!” Ferriss goes on to say that the best revenge is letting haters continue to live with their own resentment and anger, which most of the time has nothing to do with you in particular. “If a vessel contains acid and you pour some on an object, it’s still the vessel that sustains the most damage,” Ferriss says. “Don’t get angry, don’t get even — focus on living well and that will eat at them more than anything you can do.”

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7. Keep calm and carry on.

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The slogan “Keep Calm and Carry On” was originally produced by the British government during the Second World War as a propaganda message to comfort people in the face of Nazi invasion. Ferriss takes the message and applies it to today’s world. “Focus on impact, not approval. If you believe you can change the world, which I hope you do, do what you believe is right and expect resistance and expect attackers,” Ferriss concludes. “Keep calm and carry on!”

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To The Success You Deserve!

John Adams (501) 606-9688
johnadamsglobal@gmail.com

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I remember early on in my entrepreneurial journey, I was told by a mentor of mine that I needed to dream more.  He told me the kinds of things I needed to keep in the forefront of my head, but it just didn’t work for me.  You see, his dreams weren’t mine, and vice versa.

Over the course of my journey, keeping that dream alive was one of the most difficult things I had to do.  You see, I kept thinking that my dream had to be about material things, and I’ve just never been driven that way.  Now don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong if that’s YOUR dream, it just wasn’t mine.  Most of you know I’m a huge fan of John C. Maxwell.  I have been working through a book of his that is a Daily Reader with little “nuggets” each day that are totally inspirational.  The other day, I read his daily “scripture” and it really cleared up some of my own misconceptions about having a dream, it was titled “The Power Of A Dream”.

He makes some excellent points about how as success oriented people we need to have a dream that is in our heart, no matter what it is.  He says, “I’m not talking about wanting to win the lottery.  That kind of idea comes from a desire to escape our present circumstances, not to pursue a heartfelt dream.  I’m talking about a vision deep inside that speaks to the very soul.  It’s the thing we were born to do, it draws on our talents and gifts.”

So often as busy entrepreneurs, we get caught up in our daily activities and we forget the very reasons we are pursuing and pushing in our business lives.  We forget that when we started our journey, we had a dream and a vision.  In the book The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, he recommends that we revisit those reasons daily.  As part of our morning “calibration” meeting with ourselves.  Deep inside of you there is a reason you wake up each morning and do what you do, I challenge you to write those reasons down and review them each and every day.  No matter the reason, it’s what matters to you!

I have said before that one of the greatest maxims of leadership is the desire to help others.  To go from success to significance.  I don’t believe that this goal is altruistic or mere “fluff”.  As business owners, it is incumbent upon us to provide value to those we serve, and with that comes our own success.

So dig deep inside of you and find out the thing that burns in your heart.  I know for me it is that deep desire to help others, maybe for you it is to be free from a job that you hate.  Whatever it is, write it down and revisit it daily.  Here’s what Mr. Maxwell says about your dream.

A Dream Does Many Things For Us:

• A dream gives us direction.
• A dream increases our potential.
• A dream helps us prioritize.
• A dream adds value to our work.
• A dream predicts our future.

To The Success You Deserve!

John Adams (501) 606-9688
johnadamsglobal@gmail.com

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I keep getting this overwhelming feeling lately that the average person thinks that Capitalism is some sort of a dirty word.  That any person who makes money from a source other than an employer or the government is somehow contributing to the downfall of the world.

What happened?

It used to be a source of pride for people to say that they were Capitalists.  Remember the Cold War when we prided ourselves on our freedoms and we derided the Soviet Union for their communist and socialist ways?

Maybe it was Enron.  Or the oil companies making billions while rising gas prices caused families to go almost bankrupt.  Or maybe it was corporate and executive greed.  All of those things would cause any average Capitalist to rethink their opinion a bit, for sure!

But maybe…just maybe, there is an alternative.  An alternative we see sprouting up all over that can make it ok to be a Capitalist again.  How about Compassionate Capitalism, or Capitalism With A Cause.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffett just gave away BILLIONS to their foundations to support causes all over the world.  We look at companies like Ben & Jerry’s, Kashi, and Starbucks as “Socially Responsible Companies”.

I think we can all agree that the communist and socialist models don’t work.  Take the motivation, innovation and drive away from the people and you have a government trying to support people instead of people supporting people.  Eventually, you have an economy like much of Europe right now.  Bankrupt!

Take a look at this short video clip on a company that is making some real noise, Tom’s Shoes.





The quote that in my mind really hits home from this video is near the end.  The fabric maker says, “This is a good CAUSE because it is not only a business, but we are helping people.

Maybe that’s what we need to focus on.  Is Capitalism so bad if at the root of our mission we are helping people?  Maybe it’s not about our product or our company.  Maybe it’s all about our FOCUS.  I remember that near the end of my retirement from the Air Force, they came out with new core values.

• Integrity First
• Service Before Self
• Excellence In All That We Do

Maybe, just maybe if we focused on those 3 things, Capitalism wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.

If the plan you are on now just isn’t working, don’t shy away from entrepreneurship just because you think owning a company is a “dirty venture”.  As long as you have the right perspective, you may find it possible to help people while growing yourself.

To The Success You Deserve!

John Adams (501) 606-9688
johnadamsglobal@gmail.com

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