Creating Distance

I write a lot about gratitude, optimism and staying positive.  Some days (or weeks or months) are tougher than others to stay positive.  I recently came across the below quote from musician Michael Franti.   Maybe we should all take a few gratitude “free throws” today :).  "It's hard to be grateful all the time, you know?  And some days I wake up and I feel like I'm on the wrong side of the bed an...

JT McCormick has overcome a lot of obstacles. I mean, a LOT of obstacles.  His mother was an orphan. His father was a pimp and drug dealer. Upon being deserted, JT was forced to live with his father’s prostitutes for years, taking care of his younger step-siblings at the tender age of 8-years-old.  JT received his High School diploma from the janitor during summer school. At one point, he was home...

“How noble and good everyone could be if, every evening before falling asleep, they were to recall to mind the events of the whole day and consider exactly what has been good and bad. Then, without realizing it, you try to improve yourself at the start of each new day; of course, you achieve quite a lot in the course of time."   - Anne Frank  Morning routines have been all the rage the past few ye...

"If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter."  - Mark Twain Last week, I gave some tips from NYT writer Aaron Orendorff on how to get people to read what you write at work.  Here’s a similar tip that can help with writing, public speaking, and presentations.   There is common advice given to novice public speakers: Be brief.  Be brilliant. Be gone.   A lot comes across in those six...

"Opportunities multiply as they are seized."  - Sun Tzu  The world is abundant.  There is an infinite amount of opportunities flowing through The Universe at any given point.  Money flowing, jobs being offered, people walking the streets that can change your fortune.  Maybe you don’t see it that way.  There are no jobs. The economy is down so nobody is going to buy my product.  My network is worth...

On Friday, March 20th, I put out a video challenge.  The idea is simple. Despite the craziness going on, I’m seeing a lot of good happening in this world and people rising up to shine a light. I want to spread that positivity. Here’s how it works: 1) Leave a review (or dm me) a bright side you’ve seen in the current situation. 2) Each person = $1 donation from me to a charity in need 3) Ongoing bl...

“If you believe it, the mind can achieve it”  — Ronnie Lott Belief is one of the most powerful drugs in the world. You need to believe in yourself. Believe that you can accomplish your goals. Believe that you are a good person. Believe that you can change the world. Alongside self-belief, being around others who believe in you is vital for success.  This what I heard when I interviewed Jordan Burr...

I listened to a podcast with Inky Johnson and Ed Mylett the other day.  If you’re unfamiliar with Johnson’s story, you should get familiar.  He grew up in a family that was poor enough that he had to sleep on the floor with a dozen of his siblings and cousins.  Football was Johnson’s way out.   Johnson eventually earned a scholarship to play for The University of Tennessee.  With only a few games...

Here’s a Tuesday Tip for you.  Aaron Orendorff wrote a great article for the New York Times about why your colleagues don’t read your writing (which Elissa Fink, former podcast guest, posted on LinkedIn and caught my eye).  As a salesperson and leader, I write a lot at work.  Sometimes, people respond. Sometimes they don’t. If you’re like me, you may benefit from these tips from Orendorff’s articl...

"Having courage does not mean that we are unafraid.  Having courage and showing courage mean we face our fears.  We are able to say "I have fallen but I will get up."  - Maya Angelou    Let’s face it: we all have fears.  Maybe it’s public speaking.  Maybe it’s walking into a dark room.  Maybe, like me, you have a fear of heights.   Our professional lives are equally scary.  There are cold calls to...

“Give a damn about yourself first, then those who give a damn about you, and then see if you have any damns left to give.” - Kevin Dorsey on Linkedn   The peanut gallery is awfully loud lately, isn’t it?  People can sometimes feel inclined to disrespect you without even knowing you.   But those people don’t matter.   Marcus Aurelius said that "we all love ourselves more than other people, but care...

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.”  — Samuel Beckett   A few years ago, I interviewed The Wolf of Wall St, Jordan Belfort.  Love him or hate him, there are lessons to be learned by a figure like Belfort, a person who has felt the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.   When he was 23, Belfort went bankrupt running a business selling lobsters.  That event w...

“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.” - Gary Keller   One reason I write so much about habits is that it’s one of the things that we control.   Our background, the weather, other people, the economy - these are things we do not control.  Waking up early.  Speaking kindly to others.  Putting in our best effort. These are in our control...

I wrote an article a few years ago breaking down my process going “Outbound Mode” in sales.  It’s a tactic to more successfully focus on prospecting - calling and emailing potential customers.   The article had four steps: prepare, block off the calendar, distractions, and action.  Unsurprisingly, the one that gets ignored is also the most boring step: preparation.  And that’s my Tuesday Tip: prep...

“Extraordinary benefits accrue to the tiny minority of people who are able to push just a tiny bit longer than most.” - Seth Godin    In his book, The Dip, Seth Godin teaches us about the inevitable dips in our life - when to quit and when to stick.  In any of life’s journeys, there are a lot of rewards that come early in a path.  Take your first job out of college as an example. Before that, you...

A few years ago, my podcast partner and I interviewed James Altucher.  You can label him as an author, podcaster, investor, entrepreneur or - as Forbes would say, “the most interesting man in the world.” Altucher told plenty of fascinating and vulnerable stories on the ups and downs of his life but one concept from this conversation has stuck out to me: 10 ideas per day. I’ve written about the imp...

“A private victory always precedes a public victory.” — Stephen R. Covey   There’s a huge gap between what we see on social media and reality.  Instagram is full of people bragging about someone landing their dream job, sitting on a beach in Croatia or looking great in a bikini.  These are public victories.  If all we do is compare ourselves to public victories, we’re going to miserable.  What we...

Here’s a Tuesday tip for you:  If you feel stressed, anxious, like life is moving too fast, drop what you’re doing right now.  Just for a minute. Try something call box breathing.  It’s done in 5 simple steps: Exhale slowly for a count of 4 seconds Pause for a count of 4 seconds Inhale for a count of 4 seconds Pause for a count of 4 seconds  Repeat It’s that easy. And before you wave this off as a...

"The seeds of remarkable results are planted when no one is watching."  - Shane Parrish  There’s a great picture of Kobe Bryant that went re-viral after his passing (RIP) of him shooting free throws in his pajamas with his left hand because his dominant right hand was broken.  He was wearing pajamas because it was likely 4 or 5 am when Kobe went to the gym that day.   At first, you might think: th...

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”    -Warren Buffet    I’ve written about the importance of planting trees, both literally and metaphorically.  In fact, one of the most important factors of a successful salesperson or networker is planting seeds: doing something for someone now so that it may benefit both of you later down the line.  As a natura...

You’re probably on the front lines right now.  You’re cold calling into businesses. You’re preparing the presentation that your executive will give.  You’re doing the grunt work.   You’re dreaming of one day (soon) sitting in the corner office as someone that runs this place.  This menial job is beneath you. Hold up.  Before you ride these tasks off as useless or unimportant, consider that it may...

All-time great basketball coach John Wooden once gave advice to “make friendship an art.”  I have friendships that I hold near and dear but have never considered it to be an artwork.  Have you?  Artists work on their craft every day.  Artists see things in their most beautiful state.  Artists speak their minds and speak from the heart.  Great friends often work in the same way.  They’re there for...

"The difference between an amateur and a professional is their habits.  An amateur has amateur habits. A professional has professional habits."    - Steven Pressfield    Scott Adams famously said that “Losers have goals, winners have systems.”  While I’m a big believer in goals, they’re not the only thing responsible for success.   Anyone can write down on a piece of paper all of the things they’r...

“Do sharks complain about Mondays?  No. They’re up early, biting stuff, chasing stuff, being scary - reminding everyone that they’re a fucking shark.”   I had that feeling when I woke up this morning.  I heard the egregious honking of my alarm at 4:45 shouting in my ear.  I heard a voice say within me, “Just tap that snooze button, roll up under the warm sheets and get some rest.  Who needs that w...

“Trade your expectation for appreciation.”  - Tony Robbins    Did you know that humans actually have six senses?   Alongside sight, smell, taste, touch and sound, our sixth sense is the vestibular system.  This system keeps us balanced and tells us if we’re moving or staying still. Without it (and there are rare cases of this), we would constantly be walking as if we were on a tightrope, never fee...