PRESS ON

What If We Sold YOU on E Bay

2010-07-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

This is a story. It began as a joke and then we got serious.

I mentioned last week that I am finishing up a small book and audio program, and preparing a series of events on Seeking The Work You Love & Selling YOU to Get the Job You Want. I believe many of you will benefit from the book, programs, and show.

I also gave you some thought questions to help you and someone you know who is seeking work, to find direction, and. decide what work they should seek and might be best at. I explained all of this to a small group, and pointed out that we had to do this very differently. I said, "It's not about finding work, it's about selling you!" One member said, "Oh my, maybe I should try and sell myself on E Bay." Everyone laughed, but I thought and said, "Let's work with that."

We then did that as a make-believe exercise and asked, how would you do that? What if you offered yourself for sale for a year to a E Bay buyer for any work that was legal, moral, ethical, and worthwhile for up to 45 hours a week? What picture would you use to sell you and your talents? Be creative! How would you describe you and sell you in the space allowed? Again, let's be creative. You want to make the sale.

What would be the minimum bid? Everybody in the group had fun, we laughed a lot, and we all learned a lot about the challenge of marketing ourselves, and selling ourselves in our challenged and difficult economy. Why don't you do the same thing! Tell me what you come up with.

By the way if you missed last week; here are the four discovery questions that I mentioned that will also be helpful in your search for the job you love.

1. What are you wearing when you feel you look at your very best?

2. Where are you and what are you doing when you are the happiest and most fully alive?

3. What are you doing or working at when you are performing at your best and making the most impact on people and situations?

4. If you got inside information that the company you worked for was going to be sold in six months to new and different owners, what would you do?

The T9 Principle!

2010-06-22T16:14:00.000-07:00

I am doing a lot of thinking about very simple questions and ideas to help us all be more successful in these very trying and difficult times. In the next few weeks I will take just a few minutes of your time to share them with you!

One that came to me lately is what I have named the "T9 Principle." My daughter suggested I read a personal memoir entitled, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. She said it would bother me a bit, I would disagree a lot, and it's appeal is much more to women; but perhaps that I could learn something about writing successful memoirs from her story. So I am reading it. But it was a quote in a foreword page by a women, Sheryl Louise Moller that struck me hard right away. It is "Tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth."

That's my T9 principle, tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth. I am more convinced than ever that I must do that; first to myself, my clients and friends, and then to others who want to hear. I may have lost a long-term client because of the principle. But today in a world full of spin, hype, indeed lies, my gift to myself and others must be to have the courage, to tell the truth, tell the truth, tell the truth (T9).

Wooden - The Coach - The Wizard

Sports Illustrated is best known for their swimsuit issue, but they also do some very fine journalism. The death of legendary UCLA Coach John Wooden, who loved his wife, loved his work, loved his players, and loved God, was the cover story this week.

Alexander Wolff wrote Remembering the Wizard. It is a wonderful tribute, indeed like all good communication, it is a personal story. I have learned a great deal about how to coach people who seek to be high performers by reading the work and listening to the stories of "The Coach."

His model was very simple, Explanation, Demonstration, Correction, and Repetition. That's good stuff. Sometimes even a coach needs a coach to confront him. Wooden did after the death of his beloved wife, Nell.

Enough from me. Read the story in SI, and they have graciously put it on the web.

Remembering The Wizard

May we all have the courage to Press ON!

No Staples Please!

That is the message from a CEO business leader to his colleagues. He meant that he did not want any reports or memos that need to be stapled. He only wanted things to come to him that were one-page long.

I decided to do the same thing, at least most of the time. You are all subscribers to my PRESS ON! newsletter. I am grateful. I will continue to publish those once a month. But during the month I hope to find valuable and helpful ideas, insights, and information resources. I will share them with you in the PRESS ON/Xpress! It will be one idea or theme that will take you one minute to read and decide whether it is immediately useful.

Practice the same rule today. Shorten your resume, your brochure, and every letter you write to one page. No staples please!

Thanks to Dale Dauten for sharing this story with me.

Your Genius

2010-05-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

Today I want to challenge you to seek your genius and to choose your media channel.  I also want to remind you to seek to be fully alive every day!

We also have some interesting random things that might amuse and instruct you!

Demonstrate Your Genius

I picked up an old book one time in a library while I was waiting to see a coaching client. It was a series of essays by the writer Thomas Carlyle. The book was fragile as the date was 1869. I glanced through it and almost by providence I came upon a statement that struck me deeply.  I have come to understand that these epiphany times are not mere coincidences in my life.

Carlyle was writing about the poet Robert Burns who lived a short and sad life. He said of Burns,

"All that remains of Burns, the writings he has left, seem to us, as no more than a poor mutilated fraction of what was in him; brief, broken glimpses of a genius that could never show itself."

I put the book down, and thought, "Oh my God, what a sad thing to say about a person", and then I realized that the same thing could be said of most of us, even me. Could it be that we leave the same way, with no legacy of the genius that might be in us?

So I now I ask many of my clients and audiences, and I ask you, "If you were a genius (and you might be) how would your genius best be expressed?"  This is important. You might have some God-graced genius in you but because of life, work, distractions, and other stuff it might never be expressed. You might die with your genius deep inside of you. Please don't do that. End of message! Deal with it and do something about it!

Now YOU Need a Media Strategy!

Here is what you can and must do. Come up with some media strategy for promoting yourself, your work, your unique ability, maybe even your genius. You have to write, speak, produce audio programs, maybe even do video.

This is serious; you need to start capturing and demonstrating your wisdom and insight to others. Now I have found a product that might help you get started. I have been helping some clients set up internet /podcast studios in their offices, and indeed in their briefcases in order to produce audio programs and internet radio shows.

I have no financial interest in this but this little video might show you some of the possibilities. For what it's worth, here it is.

Don't die with your genius within you. Please ask me to come to your company or organization and help everyone who has to make their mark in the world tell their story and share their wisdom.

Live fully alive, Share your aliveness and your wisdom and insight with others. Capture it in sound, show, and words. May it never be said of YOU ...

"All that remains of YOU, the writings YOU have left, seem to us, as no more than a poor mutilated fraction of what was in YOU; brief, broken glimpses of a genius that could never show itself."

A 100 Million Dollar Story

This is well done. Some of you might think this is "political" but that is not my intent in showing it. It is a great illustration of a media strategy and a communication principle that I have been advocating for years.

Tell a story, show pictures, and use props to make your point. Storytelling is the only effective means of communication! This week I am speaking to a national insurance group. The conference executive asked me if I had a powerpoint to use. I said, "No, I will be using signs, toys, and props."

Here a college student "explains our Federal Budget" and the portion of the budget that must be borrowed in simple terms for everyone, plus his visual aid example easily demonstrates the $100 million cut that has been promised as savings.
Click on this link and be amazed. Watch it twice to enjoy the simplicity.

Now you do something similar with a point that is important to you.

Selling You - Lesson Four

2010-04-26T11:23:00.000-07:00

I believe that our career success and our life happiness is dependent on what we have put into our hearts, minds, and spirits. What we fill our minds and hearts with is who we are, what we become, and what we do.

That is also vital to Selling YOU and getting the career, even the job, you want.   Our last lesson talked about the "American Idol World" and how you had to demonstrate, not just describe, how good you are in the work and responsibilities you seek.

You must also become a better you. I am convinced that we must seek to fill our heads and our hearts with lots of good stuff.   That is our lesson for today. In that regard I was lead by grace and coincidence to an old prayer and benediction that I would suggest that you use in your thoughts about selling you to get the job you want, advance in the career you have, and for many, to build the business you must!

It is called - God Be In My Head and Understanding. Here are the words!

God be in my head,
and in my understanding;
God be in my eyes,
and in my looking;
God be in my mouth,
and in my speaking;
God be in my heart,
and in my thinking;
God be at my end,
and at my departing.

Amen.

If you would like to hear it the words of a world famous boys choir, click here.

I also loved a version from Holland, where I lived for a few years. Click here.

Fill Your Mind With Good Stuff

What you think about, you become, is what the great broadcaster and motivator Earl Nightingale called the great success secret.   When I was unemployed, desperate, and seeking to know what to do; I sustained myself in many ways and one was listening to the audio programs on success by Earl.   He truly became a mentor to me as I listened to his deep broadcasting voice with words of life and business wisdom. If you wish to experience him, here is an old YOU Tube video of Nightingale talking about this great success "secret!"

Today everything you offer in terms of talent and ability for doing a job has been commoditized. Hundreds of people can do what you do. I tell folks in the insurance industry that people can buy insurance from a lizard, duck, or nobody; so tell me why they should buy it from you?

Your success in selling you will be determined by many things, and that is what this whole series is about. But how you think and how your mind is fed with good stuff will be vital. Guard your mind. That is what the prayer and benediction above is all about. So for our final lesson, lesson four in Selling YOU - How to find the job you want and love in troubling times, focuses on some thoughts on thinking, and that is what our Do It Right Radio program for this week is all about.

So for the rest of the story and the lesson, listen, learn, and shout back with your comments and questions.

"Ten Minutes of Timely Talk".

Our program Fill YOUR Mind takes 10 minutes, and please shout back!

Click here and wait for the show to begin.

Selling You - Lesson Three

2010-04-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

This is the third lesson in our series on how to find the job you want and love.   It is entitled Selling YOU!

Many of you are following the series. We are seeking to demonstrate that many of the old job rules, like getting together a good resume, are not necessarily the best advice in these new and very difficult times. Today we continue that theme.

I seldom watch American Idol, but the theme of the show is relevant to your job search, indeed to your whole career.   Every day you have to perform so that someone will pay you for what you do. If you don't do well, you go home!   So please read our brief comments and listen to the audio show.

Remember, it's your turn in your town, and you're on!

And peace be with you as you press on!

It’s An American Idol World So How Good are You?

My wife claims that she just has to watch Dancing With The Stars because so many of the clients she calls the next day will have seen the show and they want to talk about it ... and so she better be ready! That's what she tells me.

Show's like that and American Idol have become cultural icons. They represent some important things about our culture and even about the new world of commerce and careers.  One pundit pointed out that Simon on American Idol has made millions of dollars by just going against the all too present perceived softness and self-esteem worship in our present society. Many people want someone like Simon to tell it like it is. Be tough, tell the truth. Yet whole generations of children have been raised to believe that they are just wonderful.

Sorry kids, in the real world not everyone gets a trophy for participation, and in fact we do keep score, and some of your performances are terrible.

I remember watching one audition, which even I could tell was terrible. Simon said so, and the young woman was just devastated as her family rushed in to comfort her. I wondered why no one had the courage or loved her enough to tell her before, "That was not good, and you are not a singer." She really thought she was good, and could not believe that she was not.

One of my mentors said that a secret to success was to "always have the courage to face the truth."

On a more positive note I believe that when it comes to promoting your career; getting, or even better, creating the job you want; that there is a great deal to learn from American Idol.

It is this.  From now on it is never enough to claim past experience. Remember, "throw away that resume." You cannot describe what you have done and how good you are in a resume or cover letter. You have to demonstrate in an audition how good you are in actual performances that count today and for tomorrow.

That is lesson three in Selling YOU, and for the rest of the story listen to the radio show below.

Ten Minutes of Timely Talk

Selling You - It's An American Idol World -Demonstrate How Good You Are!

Click here and wait for the show to begin.

Selling You – Lesson two

2010-04-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

George e-mailed me after receiving a forward of our last newsletter on Selling YOU - How to get the job you want and love. It is clear that he is afraid and desperate. I wish I had the answer for a 55 year-old man who has been successful until the latest economic downturn wiped him out. As he said, "I am in danger of losing everything; house, cars, career, and hope." I will try and help him even though there is no way he can pay me.

I will be giving the Selling YOU program to major community groups in April as a public service. It will also be coming out in audio and video formats. This week we have lesson two - Throw Away Your Resume & Tell Your Story. That's what this edition is about.

For an inspirational aside, Professor William Stuntz of Harvard Law School will probably celebrate his last Easter this week. He is 52 years old and will most likely die this year. His story of being fully alive and living without fear and with faith is moving and inspiring. Please read his story. It is here

Throw Away Your Resume

Throw away your Resume might be an exaggeration for effect but it get's your attention. Sales and marketing is first about getting a listener or reader's attention so that you can tell your story or seek to get your message across. So part of the title is just marketing. But I do mean it. When it comes to getting a job you want and love, you might as well throw away your resume.

But you are saying, "Stan, how can you get a job without a resume?" I confess you might need one for formality sake and because it is expected, but your resume will not get you the job you want and love. First of all a resume is a dead tree and dead-tree marketing is indeed dead.

Second, the biggest reason that your resume is dead is that it is about the past; and the job you want is in the future. A resume is full of stuff that has been carefully selected to make you look good, and every employer knows that, and it is full of past stuff that means little to a future client or employer. The employer wants to know how you can help them make money in the future.

Does it matter that I graduated from Marshalltown Iowa High School 48 years ago? Do you really care that I taught history 40 years ago. No, you want to know how I can help you, my prospective employer or client, make money now, tomorrow, and in the future.

I am afraid that when seeking a job today, just posting a resume is a lot like buying a lottery ticket; and good luck with that!

There is more to the story in Lesson 2 of Selling YOU. So go to the radio and listen to, Throw Away Your Resume!
Selling YOU!

Throw Away Your Resume
takes 12 minutes, listen, learn, and shout back!

Click here and wait for the show to begin.

Selling You – Lesson One

2010-03-24T10:23:00.000-07:00

This is is the beginning of our promised series of short programs that gives you a preview of our coaching and in-person performance program to help you and those you know find a job in these difficult times.

It is called Selling YOU - How to get the job you love and make a difference in the world. If you did not hear our ten-minute radio introduction to Selling YOU from our last newsletter, here it is. Just click here.

This is the season of March Madness Basketball tournaments . Here is a wonderful story of the true and spiritual origins of Basketball. You will enjoy it.
The link to the WSJ article is here

God made Me Fast

The first lesson in Selling YOU is all about you! Start there. I just read that Miley Cyrus, now that she is 17, has finally figured out who she really is! I doubt that. At that age and stage of life, very few of us know who we are and what we really care deeply about.

Yet we often made college and career choices when were were young and not very wise. Many of us also just fell into the career we first had, or may have to this very day. I know that I did, and if I had continued that path I would now be retired, and have been unhappy for many years. I would also have missed many life-changing opportunities. Step one is, find out how you are made.

In the classic film Chariots of Fire, the major character Eric Liddel is the Flying Scotsman destined by his great running speed to compete for Great Britain in the 1924 Olympic Games. Much of the story centers about that event. But leading up to that there is a sub story. Eric's sister Jenny thinks all this running and racing is crazy and a distraction from what she thinks is Eric's true mission; that is to return to his birthplace, China, and continue the family tradition as a missionary.

In words that make me tingle, Eric says, "Jenny, don't you know God made me fast, and when I run I feel His pleasure." We start there. Think about how you are made and what that means to the job and career you seek. Now get the rest of the story and counsel by going down to the Do It Right Radio box and listen to Lesson One in Selling You - God Made Me Fast!.

Selling YOU - Lesson One

God Made Me Fast!

Click here and wait for the show to begin.

St Paul – Entrepreneur

Do you remember that I said in a previous newsletter that I was going to write 10 books this year? I think I can. But you have to understand what I mean by that, and how I am going to do that. Ask for details if you wish. My first one for 2010 is on mentoring, and it is going through final editing and will soon be ready for publishing.

I have started the second book entitled, St. Paul - The Entrepreneur. I am already giving talks on the subject of being an entrepreneur, from a life and spiritual perspective.

The future belongs to the entrepreneur. Stay alert for more info, or contact me about this challenging show and soon-to-come book!

It Was A Moment in Time!

2010-03-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

It was a good run, but in terms of history it was only a moment in time. But we mistook it for reality, even normal. As the nation emerged from the Great Depression and became a world power in World War II, millions of people left the small shops and farms and lived in larger cities and worked for big corporations. They got good benefits, negotiated for job security and good pay, and believed that if they worked hard for a company they could have, and even deserved a good job for their entire career.

But for most of human history there was no such thing. Large numbers of people worked on farms with no security, guaranteed pay, or any benefits. Others owned or worked for small enterprises and it was whatever you could get day by day. If you worked for a big company you were glad for just enough pay to make your day. Most of the people who have ever lived would marvel at our expectations as well as our very good life. But our good times were just a moment in time.

The new reality is that we will have to live with great uncertainty, no job or retirement security; and like it or not, will have to live an entrepreneurial life. Every day you will have to get up, and go out and be so good that people will buy you, and buy what you do. That's the future, and for many it is frightening! It is the new normal and so you better get used to Selling YOU and forget about a JOB and seek to get a YOB (Your Own Business).

Figure Out Who YOU Are!

In order to sell you to get one of the few jobs around or to market you and your business or services start by describing who you are. That is how you start to sell you. I have a great exercise to help you. From my book YOU Make the Difference I came up with over 200 descriptive words that are helpful in describing and selling you. They are usually ER/OR words, such as teacher, leader, advisor, discoverer, etc. Start there. Ask for the ER/OR list and I will email you a pdf copy and a pdf copy of my book on how to be a great personal performance marketer. The first thing to do in Selling YOU is to know and tell people who you are!

YOU Must Have DWI's to Sell YOU!

Whether you are selling you to get a job or to market a YOB (Your Own Business); you must learn how to get DWI's, lots of them. DWI stands for Demonstrated Wisdom and Insight. Please remember to not describe what you do but to demonstrate how good you are.

Do It Right Radio!

In the next seven weeks I will be giving lessons on what you need to know about Selling YOU - How to tell your story to get the Job or YOB you want! Listen learn, and invite us to your community or group.

Now to hear the introduction listen to the next ten minutes on Do It Right Radio on Selling YOU! Listen, learn and shout back!

SELLING YOU - How to tell your story to get the Job or YOB you want! Click the link and wait for the show to begin.

http://www.doitrightradio.com/play/SellingYoufortheJob.mp3

Remember Every day – YOU are for sale!

Let Me Tell YOU a Story

2010-02-20T12:40:00.000-08:00

Here is a a quote that a friend shared with me. What do you think of it? - "Use every letter you write, every conversation you have, every meeting you attend, to express your fundamental beliefs and dreams. Affirm to others the vision of the world you want. You can be free; a powerful source of life and goodness. Affirm it, spread it, radiate it! Think day and night about it and you will see a miracle happen, the greatness of your own life." Dr Robert Mueller

What do you think?

Look at this video about Dove soap and tell me what you think the message is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hibyAJOSW8U

A Man Remembers His Mentor

Here is a wonderful tribute by a man named William Katz to his mentor, a film maker named David Brown. It is a deeply moving story and tribute. Katz is the proprietor of Urgent Agenda. That is his blog and this post appeared in Powerline, http://powerlineblog.com/ on Feb. 10, 2010. I will talk more about mentoring in my book offer that follows below.

David Brown died last week. Most Americans probably never heard of him, but they're certainly familiar with his impact on movies. With his partner, Richard D. Zanuck, he launched the feature-film career of Steven Spielberg with Sugarland Express, and, far more significantly, Jaws. The team produced The Sting, The Verdict, and Driving Miss Daisy. As a studio executive, David Brown had a hand in Patton. And on Broadway he produced A Few Good Men.

David was one of my mentors. Whatever map I've been on as a writer, he put me there. When he and Dick Zanuck acquired my novel, Surprise Party, for film, my writing career leapt from the Rodney Dangerfield level of respect to real respect. Sadly, the movie was never made, but working with David was one of those rare experiences that a writer can truly call a pleasure.

David was a noble entertainer. He believed that giving an audience two hours of enjoyment in a theater was a noble enterprise. And that enjoyment, he knew, began with a great story. In that sense he differed from some producers of today, who think that a stream of four-letter words or a few well-placed explosions make the film. David was very much a man of the Alfred Hitchcock school - style and story, with a well-written script that an audience would love.

After all the conversations I had with him, I could not tell you his political views. He never expressed them, and never seemed to think they belonged in his movies. I wish a few others would learn that lesson today. The title of David's autobiography -- Let Me Entertain You -- described the man.

He wasn't always treated well. "This is a business of rejection," he told me, and said that, despite his status in Hollywood, he was rejected all the time. Hollywood, after all, is not a place where a true gentleman is always appreciated. I saw David on a TV panel once, and another producer disparaged him. David didn't get angry. He simply replied, "Aw..," as if to say, "You don't really want to sound that foolish, do you?" He taught us how to handle an insult, and make the other guy look silly.

Writers loved him because he loved them. There are plenty of producers who will work with a writer, then never take his phone calls again. David would not only take your calls, he'd often pick up the phone himself. He'd also call writers regularly to let them know the progress of their projects. Once you'd worked with David Brown, you didn't want to work with anyone else. I think he knew that, and rather enjoyed it.

He was an educated man - a graduate of Stanford and Columbia. But he was never his university degrees. He never mentioned them. There is a whole army in Hollywood today that believes that talent comes from taking English 101 at Princeton. David knew where it came from, and knew it had to appear on the written page. And he didn't care to know what degrees appeared after the writer's name, or if any appeared at all.

Some people were quoted in the obits as saying that David Brown was the last gentleman producer. That's ridiculous. There's no "last." There will be others. The question is whether Hollywood will know what to do with them. The signs today are not encouraging, but Hollywood hobbles from era to era, crisis to crisis, and there will someday be another David Brown to remind youngsters that three things make a great movie - story, story, and story - and that three things make a great producer - taste, taste, and taste.

I thought last week that, following his name and the dates of his life, the only words that should appear on David Brown's headstone are "Once upon a time." Farewell to a storyteller. ....I often ask, "How do you want to be remembered?" - And I say "The future belongs to the storyteller," and "Storytelling is the only effective means of communication."

Would You Read and Review My Book on Mentoring?

In the future business books will be small, short, simple, and to the point. Many will be e-books and audio-only books. That is why I told you in a previous post that I hope to, and will be able to, write 10 books this year .

The first manuscript is ready for review. My little book is entitled, Having Conversations that Count - A beginners guide to performance mentoring. If you would like to read the manuscript and send me suggestions and comments I would like to send it to you by e-mail in a pdf format. If you want to read it, just reply and say, "mentoring book please" I would be grateful.

YOU Must Be a Storyteller to Be Successful

David Brown was a storyteller and if you want to be successful in sales, and influencing and leading people; ask me to help you be a great storyteller. In particular ask about our program entitled, Storytelling Is The Secret to Sales Success. If you want a bit of a preview listen to our Do It Right Radio program which is posted below! Guess what, it's a story.

Either way you need to learn how to market yourself. For the asking I will send you via email pdf file a free copy of my book. YOU Make The Difference - A performance guide to marketing you. It is free, just reply and say "book please."

Do It Right Radio – Let Me Tell You a Story

On the "Ten Minutes of Timely Talk" Program.

Our program Let Me Tell You a Story ... takes just 10 minutes;
listen, learn, and shout back!
Click the link and wait for the show to begin.

Let Me Tell YOU A Story
All the best as we press on and don't be afraid!

Fear Kills Everything

2010-01-30T09:05:00.000-08:00

These are challenging times. And at PRESS ON! we hope to help you deal with challenges that are before us. I was glad to have some of your responses to our program on my plans to write 10 Books this year. My hope is that you will take the challenge of figuring out how you might write a book this year. If you have not yet heard that program on how you can write a book this year. Click here and listen.

The new Senator from Massachusetts has a daughter who is not only a basketball star but an accomplished singer. She was on American Idol. A friend passed on the YouTube of her singing the National Anthem at a Boston Pops event. She is awesome! Click here and listen.

Pray for and give to the victims of Haiti.

And now a story of victory and about not being afraid.

A Story of Violence and Victory … Hooray

I recently came across this on a blog and it moved me. You can find the rest of the story by going to www.nancysstory.com.

Nancy's Blog

I am Nancy Salamone and I'm a survivor of domestic violence. For 20 years I kept a secret from my family and co-workers. The secret was that I was physically, emotionally and economically abused by my husband. I kept this secret for 20 years -because I was ashamed.

Then on December 28, 1991 I left. To this day I do not know the Nancy who left but I will always be grateful to that person inside me who summoned the courage to leave. I have started this blog to tell my story. I am telling my story so that women who are in a domestic violent relationship, or those who are struggling with the decision to leave or who have made the decision to leave, know that there is a way out no matter how long it takes. Not only is there a way out but - you CAN create the life you want. Read more about my story every day and know that you can have a life free of domestic violence too. You are not alone! This is my story.

Calling Out Our Fears

In our last newsletter I talked about some of my signature statements and encouraged you to come up with some of your own that can be part of your unique persona and personal performance in your life and in your business.

One of mine is, "Fear Kills Everything!" I am deeply committed to living a life that is fully alive. Nothing kills our "aliveness" as much as fear. I also want you to know that "personal aliveness" is a great business advantage because as my book says, YOU Make the Difference. Right now the marketplace is full of fear and a lot of pain.

Last week the sunsets in Tucson were right out of the picture books from Arizona Highways. One evening I went to a sunset meditation service and the leader read an encouragement to "Call out our Fears." I was deeply moved and decide to do that. I believe it helps.

Take some time to just list in your journal or notebook the anxieties and fears that are in place in your life right now. Name them specifically. Then listen to my radio program on the five fears below, and you may discover that most of our fears fall into one of these big five life and business killers.

Once you name them, set some faith plans in place to deal with them. It is indeed possible to be fear-less in a fear-full world. Perhaps I can help you!

Learn How to Market You With our Free Book

The January 18th issue of Business Week had as a cover story the big rise in the number self-employed independent contractors in "the permanent temporary work force." That is the future for many of us. The jobs are not coming back as we remember them. You may have to get a YOB, (your own business) or learn the art of the independent contractor.

Either way you need to learn how to market yourself. For the asking I will send you via email pdf file a free copy of my book. YOU Make The Difference - A performance guide to marketing you. It is free, just reply and say "book please."

Do It Right Radio – Fear Kills Everything!

On the "Ten Minutes of Clarity" Program. The Big Five Fears That Kill Everyting
It takes 10 minutes, listen, learn, and shout back!

Click here and wait for the show to begin.

All the best as we press on and don't be afraid!

I Am Going to Write Ten Books This Year

2010-01-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

This is our new edition of PRESS ON! with a link to our Ten Minutes of Clarity program on Do It Right Radio. I want to help you, as I seek help myself, to live with energy and vitality so that we can better attract opportunity and market ourselves. Today I ask you to find ways to be quoted and noted.

Here is a quote - "In these difficult times the person most dangerous to the status-quo, and most powerful for the future is the one who has nothing to lose."

Then a start to some ideas on how to build a tribe of 1000 people who follow you and buy from you. In later editions of PRESS ON! we will help you write a book this year to build your tribe. Our radio show will help you start.

And ...

If you want to have three minutes of music that is good for your soul ... click here

The following YOUTube was produced by some folks who obviously have too much time on their hands, but it's six minutes of mindless fun and well done. Click
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=jEjUAnPc2VA

Words of Wit and Wisdom from Me? … and YOU?

Yes I know" he said. "Dead tree marketing is dead." He had just sent out a post card mailer to a list of good prospects, and was disappointed with the results. So he quoted back to me what I had told him a number of times," "Dead tree marketing is dead" is one of my signature statements.

The other day I made a list of quips, quotes, and questions that I have gained a reputation for. Hopefully they have a touch of wisdom and wit and are true and helpful. I flattered myself and came up with thirty-seven. Here are the top seven besides the dead tree remark. Perhaps you have heard me or read these in the past.

Fear kills everything!
You have one minute to tell your story.
Storytelling is the only effective means of communication.
It all comes down to courage.
Don't describe what you do, demonstrate how good you are.
Be fully present; it's priceless.
Adversity is part of the plan.

Now this is about you. What are some of the quotes and notes that come from you? It is important to collect some of your wit and wisdom and use it in your speaking, writing, and audio recording. That is what you are going to have to do. Your product, your service, and your "job" are becoming a commodity, and you will not do well unless you can demonstrate your wisdom and insight through performing by writing, speaking, and audio presenting. I can help you!

I have two friends and clients, Virg from Sioux Falls and Gary from Duluth who continually delight me and inform me with thoughtful little 10 word or less statements about how the world works and what is true and useful.

Let me hear from you. First of all help me. Are there any other of my quotes and quips that your remember from me? Let me know! Now share some of your wit and wisdom that you hope to put in your personal portfolio of collected sayings. In my next newsletter I'll share some of your best.

The 10³ Factor – Build a Tribe of 1,000 Friends

His name is Stephen and he is a real geek. In fact he is a geek to geeks. His organization Bits on the Wire www.bitsonthewire.com has a following of thousands of all over the world who look to Stephen and his colleagues for counsel and guidance on a variety of SQL Database issues. Believe me most of you would not understand what they are talking about in their writing and conversations, but they do.

But here is the marketing "miracle" that Stephen has created. He has over 100,000 subscribers to his newsletter. Hundreds of thousands visit his website and he has a weekly internet TV show (not one of those boring power point webinars but a real show) that regularly attracts 30,000 to 40,000 viewers. Stephen has created a great business model for the future and for you.

That is why we are working together to help you build that kind of reach out model for your business. Recently Seth Godin, renowned marketing guru, wrote in his blog that your challenge is to get 1000 people who will buy $100 of what you produce every year. You can make a good living that way.

Stephen and I are collaborating on a small book and video experience entitled The 10³ Factor - How to attract and build a "tribe" of 1000 people who know you, trust you, follow, you and buy from you. We believe this can change your business and maybe even your life, so watch for The 10³ Factor coming soon.

Now a further thought on marketing you. The 10³ Factor is one of ten books I hope to write by the end of the year. Obviously I have some different ideas about what goes into writing a book. If you want to know the rest of the story, listen to my ten-minute podcast below on how I plan to write these books and how you can write at least one book yourself this year to begin to attract those 1000 fans.

Our "Ten Minutes of Clarity" program is

I Am Going to Write Ten Books This year

Click the link and wait for the show to begin.

http://www.doitrightradio.com/play/DRRTenBooks.mp3

All the best as we press on!

Some Random Thoughts For The End of 2009 and The Beginning of 2010

2010-01-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

We will think on Wisdom, Susan Boyle, and the challenges of the year ahead, and perhaps what we should do and how we should live.

What is Wisdom?

Wisdom has to do with becoming skillful in honoring our parents and raising our children, handling our money and conducting our sexual lives, going to work and exercising leadership, using words well and treating friends kindly, eating and drinking healthily, cultivating emotions within ourselves and attitudes toward others that make for peace.

from The Message by Eugene Peterson

Susan Boyle on Getting a Life

I am afraid that in this recession more people than ever are going to let their life get away from them. I was one of the first to see the Susan Boyle YOU Tube video that made her famous after being tipped off by my daughter. I just recently purchased and enjoyed her new album. It is going to be a smash success. Susan has saved her own life.

Think how things have changed for her. Last year she was a very plain, shy, unemployed, and struggling woman. She took a chance to endure humiliation and audition for a TV show. The rest is history.

But unfortunately many people are not doing what Susan did, and are letting their life get away from them. They are not taking risks, moving out of bad situations, seeking new opportunities, or living with passion and energy. They are hunkering down and seeking security. They are going to reach their mid and older lives and discover that their once-in-a-lifetime life has passed them by.

Please don't do that!

Some Thoughts on 2010

Remember ten years ago this week as we were approaching 2000, Y2K. Remember the apocalyptic scenarios. Nothing happened! I always question hysteria. However we will have some very difficult times to come in 2010. Here are some things I challenge you to remember in the year ahead.

- Do not ever believe that hope and change will come through politics, political solutions and leaders. Hope and change are only inside jobs.

- The jobs are not coming back. Every job-seeker will have to learn how to market and sell themselves as a valuable set of services. More and more people will have to become 1099 people and self-employed entrepreneurs.

- If you have not taken seriously the challenge to learn advanced marketing and sales principles for you, your service, and your business; this is the year you better learn how to practice those skills.

- In 2010 your challenge is to begin to attract and organize 1000 people who know you and value what you do.

- You will not get paid well for what you do. You will only get paid well for making a difference for people. Please discover what that difference is. Your life and business depend on it!

Some further thoughts are in my radio program. I mention the five words that you must consider in your business strategy thinking for the year ahead. The five key words are:

Simplify
Diversify
Multiply
Vitality
and Pray

Please listen to Do It Right Radio (see below) for the details.

Our "Ten Minutes of Clarity" program is entitled Five Words of Strategy That Will Make a Difference for You and Your Business in 2010

Click the link and wait for the show to begin.

http://www.doitrightradio.com/play/DRRFiveWords.mp3

Some December musings

2009-12-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

I hope to come with some ideas for living a full and marketing life. In this posting I talk about what I have learned from others. I also hope that we can challenge each other to live lives of meaning and service to each other in these challenging times.

I² = Terminal

It’s been said that a master consultant is one who learns from his clients as much as he learns form his own study and stuff. I hope to be a master.

People who need help are not seeking it or are unwilling or unable to invest in it. Don’t do that. I am a coach to many business leaders but I also have people who coach and mentor me. More than ever I am reaching out to them. Please do the same. Here is what I learned from my client and friend Virg DeJongh. He said, “I have learned that Independent Intelligence is Terminal” (Hence the formula I² = Terminal)

Today trying to figure things out by yourself is dumb, and may be fatal to your business enterprise. Get help and be helpful.

“Networking Events are a Waste of Time”

The above is a quote from a client. I think he might be right. He said, “Going to a networking mixer or event is more like a singles bar for business,” I have also discovered that the networking groups tend to lose their power and effectiveness over time. Is that your experience? Please write and let me know.

The reason networking is not as effective as it could be is because people are there to network themselves. They are saying “Notice Me. It’s all about me!” That’s terrible marketing. Networking works best when people are at an event for another purpose. When people come together to share an experience or learn together, real networking happens.

In my programs on how to use the New Media (not the social media) for business marketing there has been a phenomenal amount of real networking that goes on. However they came to learn about a common concern; eg: how to make money using the media.

After the program we have often had to shoo them out of the event because there was so much “hanging around afterwards” as people shared ideas, experiences, ideas, and business cards. That’s real networking! Call me and I will give you a coaching experience program on using the media, and on networking that works.

Some Thoughts on Glen Beck & Tiger Woods

It does not matter what you think of him personally or politically, but Glenn Beck is a modern marketing machine that works. Let me tell you why it works and what you can learn from the Beck phenomenon.

Unfortunately Tiger woods got caught up in what I call, “Believing Elvis is alive” syndrome.” Do I have your attention? If you want to know the details listen to my Do It Right Radio program. The title and the link are below.

On the Radio

LOGO - Our program “Beck, Tiger, Elvis & YOU” takes 20 minutes, listen, learn, and shout back!. Click the link and wait for the show to begin.

www.doitrightradio.com/play/DRRBeck.mp3

Give Thanks – The Key to Success

2009-11-25T10:40:00.000-08:00

"It's been a difficult year" he said. I agreed and told him that it had been a tough year for me too. The year brought a life challenging health issue. Like many of you the economic recession has impacted our businesses and careers. I also lost my mother who passed away in September.

But I added, "The challenges of the year have also been a great gift of clarity and opportunity. For that I am grateful and very thankful." This is Thanksgiving week in the USA where I live and I intend to spend time this week writing down all the things I am thankful for. Please join me! 2010 is going to be another very difficult year. Much of our success in the year ahead will be in direct proportion to how thankful and grateful we are in the midst of our difficulties.

I am thankful for Paula, my marketing associate, Mark, my artist-musician-web site guy and good friend, and Susan who is my new newsletter editor and publisher. I am thankful for you my reader.

Selling You – How to Get the Job You Need and Want!

The unemployment rate will probably hit 11% in 2010. Everything you have been taught in the past about how to get a job is probably wrong. You have to learn how to market and sell you. That is a whole different set of skills and attitudes. That is why I have a program going national entitled Selling YOU - How to get the job you want, the job you need!

For some ideas and help listen to our "10 Minutes of Clarity" program on Do It Right Radio entitled Selling YOU - How to get the job you want, the job you need!

Here is your link. Just click SELLING YOU and the program will begin.

Marketing Coach to NAIFA USA

I have worked for many years with members of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (NAIFA.) I am thankful that at their national convention in September the association selected and named me as a coach to their 60,000 members. See this short 60 second video with the introduction. Click NAIFA COACH or use the url address http://www.naifa.org/benefits/networks/naifacoach/

I can help you with your marketing efforts. In 2010 you will have to be a better marketer of your business and your career, you will have to start seeking multiple streams of income, and you will have to get better at who you are and what you do. You will have to join the 3% group who know and practice the secrets to true success.

10.2 and YOU ... And The Best of Times

2009-11-14T09:30:00.000-08:00

The unemployment rate hit 10.2% last week in the United States. It will probably go slightly higher and the real rate of employment and under-employment is higher than official reports. It is also very hard on small business owners. Many of them are trying to survive. They are working 50-60 hours a week and not even taking paychecks themselves. One of my mentors said, “Remember surviving is success in these times.”

These are tough, even bad times, for many. But I also believe that it is the best of times. Now we will have to use our God-given powers to get really good at what we do. There are some really neat, even fabulous ideas out there on the horizon. People will start to do and create things that they never would have thought of in “the good times.”

I also believe that many people will finally give up trying to make it doing something that drains them, disappoints them, and makes them miserable. Maybe it’s time to do what you really love and see if you can make a living or build a business from that.

That is why I have commissioned a colleague to organize a whole series of coaching events on the subject “Get a YOB!” - Get Your Own Business.

I have identified the seven things you need to know, seven strategies for starting and marketing your own business. It is great stuff and if you want my colleague Greg to contact you about the program for you and your group, just reply “YOB Please”

Come Out With Your Hands Up!

2009-10-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

I often quote for others, and say to myself, the line from Ernest Hemingway, “All are broken and some become strong in the broken places.” A few weeks ago I was attending a retreat. It was in some ways an “ultimate issues” discussion of career, God, business, and family. Occasionally I speak in those venues but here I had the opportunity to be one of the listeners and learners.

One of the sharer’s of wisdom at the retreat described his life journey as one where on many occasions, “He had to come out of the cave with his hands up.” That cowboy metaphor hit me hard because I know how true it is. Sometimes we discover that in our many self-absorbed projects that we have lost our way, or need to seek a new direction.

If you have your hands up and need to talk, let me know. Perhaps we can all become stronger together.

Some miscellaneous “stuff” that might help or interest you.

I am going to write a book in the next two months on how to be a mentor and guide to others. Please share your wisdom with me and it may make the book. Details will follow.

I will be producing an audio program and a small book on how you can write a book too. Watch for it. You are called to share your wisdom and insight with others in a book. Make it so!

I am grateful for the honor of being named the Marketing Coach for the 65,000 plus members of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors. I can help you market you and your business.

Speaking of marketing, remember my book on marketing YOU is still a free gift for the asking on a pdf copy. Just reply and say, “book please.”

Virtual events are changing the conference industry. You can attend a free VirtualEvent University on October 29th to learn what can be accomplished online and many tips, tricks and best practices on how to have a virtual event. You are my guest. I am one of the presenters. If you would like to know more, click here.

Please consider me for your next conference or event. My programs on marketing, mentoring, and the meaning of life might be useful to you.

Make Me Smile!

2009-10-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

My good friend Kris Porter reminds me that the email newsletters she likes to read are the ones that have humor and make her laugh. I need to remember that because one of the marks of good marketing is that it makes the listener or reader smile. I would often add that a good newsletter also makes them smarter. Smarter and happier, and perhaps wealthier, is good marketing. Show them you are fully alive!

So look at your marketing pieces, even your resume; anything you are using to influence people, does it make them smile? Does it make them smarter? Does it help them have a better life and make more money?

That’s the thought for this Friday and for some weekend mulling. Perhaps you are now a little smarter about your personal marketing. Next week I want to tell you about a new development called “virtual conferences” that are changing the business conference industry. It is also providing great and inexpensive opportunities for demonstrating how good you are to your prospects, clients and customers. You can make more sales, and in today’s economy that will make you smile.

Remember my book on marketing you, "YOU Make the Difference" is now out of print for revision and you can have a PDF copy free!. Just reply, “book please.”

Please listen to my Changemaker Minutes from the past week as noted below. Especially the one for today that talks about how I was deeply challenged by a speaker who said that men often get married for the wrong reason.

Unrest and Anxiety

2009-10-09T14:29:00.000-07:00

The following may not be your style, your beliefs, or your feelings. Then it is not for you. But I know that what it addresses is true for almost everyone today: fear, unrest, and anxiety.

The recessionary economy and the disruptive power of technology are changing business practices and profitability. In a recent speech I speculated that 50% of all companies and organizations alive today may be gone in five years. The social upheaval of jobs lost (for good), lack of economic security, and lost wealth and resources affect us all. How do we respond?

This excerpt from a 19th century woman, Hannah Whitall Smith, from a favorite book of meditations and homilies sits on my writing desk and challenges me every day. That is how I use it and you may use it as you wish.

A quiet spirit is of inestimable value in carrying on outward activities; and nothing so hinders the working of the hidden spiritual forces, upon which, after all, our success in every thing really depends, as a spirit of unrest and anxiety.

There is immense power in stillness. A great saint once said, “All things come to him who knows how to trust and be silent.” The words are pregnant with meaning. A knowledge of this fact would immensely change our ways of working. Instead of restless struggles we would “sit down” inwardly before the Lord, and would let the Divine forces of His spirit work out in silence the ends to which we aspire.

You may not see or feel the operations of this silent force, but be assured it is always working mightily and will work for you, if you only get your spirit still enough to be carried along by the currents of its power.

It is your business to learn to be peaceful and safe in God in every situation.

That may be a new business model. Just something to think about for the weekend and the week before you!

Not So Fast ... Using the social media

2009-09-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

Many of you who read this “Stan’s stuff” on a regular basis know some of my marketing themes such as, “dead-tree marketing is dead,” and “Storytelling is the only effective means of communication.”

Recently I have been helping many business leaders figure out how to use the Internet digital media, often called Web 2.0 or Media 2.0 in their business enterprises and personal projects.

As many dead-tree magazines and newspapers struggle and fail to survive, it is obvious that many marketing messages are going to the WiFi world on computers and cell phones.

There is a related development called Social Media. This refers to the people connecting web sites and services such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the like. Already many so-called consultants are saying that the social media is “it,” the new “next big thing.” They are selling workshops on how you can make big money and market you using the social media.

My response is, “Not so Fast.” Social Media as a marketing tool is way over-hyped. If you want to use the internet and the New Media to market you and your business, I can help you. You begin with a blog, and then you go to some videos. I have three videos for you to watch as you wish.

The first two videos are just five-minutes long and you will begin to learn why I say, “Not so fast,” and that the social media technology is more of a fad than a tool for effective marketing right now. That may change in the future, but right now it is over-hyped and it violates a number of good marketing principles.

Here are those videos on New and Social Media Marketing.

mms://bcast.sswug.org/sswugtv/StanHustad-NewMedia.wmv

mms://bcast.sswug.org/sswugtv/StanHustad-NewMedia-Advanced.wmv

Then take a half-hour to watch a 30 minute show that will introduce you to the power of personal performance marketing™. Please watch the show and then let me know your thoughts. Here is the link

mms://bcast.sswug.org/sswugtv/StanHustad-YoureOn1.wmv

Remember we must be planning our business comeback strategies and staying fully alive and energetic in these deeply troubling times. These programs can help you be on the go, and ready to go.

Blessings on us all as we press on!

Coaching for Difficult Times

2009-08-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

These are difficult times. Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal had an article on how many thoughtful business leaders and entrepreneurs are seeking executive leadership coaching in order to be more effective. It is entitled, “Staying in the Game With Help on the Sidelines.”

I am a coach to many leaders and organizations. I also have coaches and advisors to help me. The best have a coach. Please read the article in the Journal. Here is the link.

Click Here

I also have a printer-friendly pdf copy of the article that I could share with you. Just request it.

If you would like to have a demonstration of how a coaching experience works; e-mail me and I will schedule a free over-the-phone coaching introduction session with you to help you take some surviving and thriving steps in these difficult times.

Let me know. I can be helpful and useful to you.

Next week I will have a special free public service podcast entitled,
Selling YOU - How to get the job that you want. (20 Minutes playing time)
If you are, or know of anyone who is in the job hunt, please listen and pass on this program. Coming next week.

All the best and blessings.

Tell Them A Story

2009-08-28T19:07:00.000-07:00

Don Hewitt, the founding producer of the 60 minutes TV news program passed away last week after a distinguished career as a broadcast communicator. Hewitt said that the secret of his communication success could be said in four words; tell them a story.

Your sales efforts are going to be only as effective as your ability to be a storyteller and story listener. Let me help you do better. Ask about our program, “Storytelling is the secret to sales success.”

Books that change lives

I love to buy old used books that people have read and marked up. It’s great. You can feel a bond with the previous owner and learn from them as well as the author. This summer I picked up a 25 year old book for 25 cents. The subtitle caught my attention as it boldly proclaimed, “A book that changes lives.” I don’t know if it will change mine. I am reading it now. It’s called, Way of the Peaceful Warrior, by Dan Millman.

Changing lives is a noble goal for our life and business. I hope that my two forthcoming books entitled, The Coaching Experiment, and The Serpent’s Song will help you change your life and leadership experience. I hope they will be ready for reading by the end of the year.

“There will be no good jobs in the future!”

Last week I spoke to a group of small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, and the above is one of the challenges I threw out to them. There will be no good jobs in the comeback recovery, only opportunities to create your own jobs and build your own enterprises. In the future you may have to be an entrepreneur, warrior, and tribal leader. If you would like a free 10 minute coaching session on what I mean by that, just ask via e-mail and we will schedule a time to talk.

My book on marketing you, YOU Make The Difference, is now out of print but you can have a copy for free. Just reply “book please” and I will send you via e-mail a pdf version free.

Do you still want to press on with me?

I am doing what every business needs to do in these times, refine and re-wire. I will be sending this blog out on occasion when I find something that I think is worth sharing. Please tell me whether you want to continue to hear from me! I would be grateful if you do.

All the best to you.

When I’m 64!

2009-08-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

Forty years ago Paul McCartney sang about it and now I am it. Today I am 64. Chronologically I have outlived my youth. Wow, where does life go?

I took some time off from writing and internet broadcasting for health reasons, and to reflect on and renew my business plan. In these difficult times I, like many of you, have to renew my mission and redesign our business models in order to grow in the economic storms and be ready for recovery. I have also been helping clients do the same thing; particularly in the area of marketing, and how to use the New and Social Media in their performance marketing efforts.

I am back at the keyboard with some random and related thoughts.

Fully Alive

The subtitle for PRESS ON has changed. It’s now about becoming “fully alive.” I have been challenged by that phrase for many years. Dr. Howard Thurman, an African-American philosopher, theologian, teacher and a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. is known for preaching, “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive and then go do it. What the world needs is people who have come fully alive.”

If you seek to be fully alive you may want to pursue the Diamond (four points) of personal development that I write and speak about.

How to be one of the 3% who live with passion, purpose, poise, and a plan for personal greatness.
How to expand your influence by being a great personal marketer.
How to create and perform great client experiences that make a difference and make more money.
How to be a coach and mentor to others so your legacy of aliveness goes on.

All of those good things can come from people like you who want to be fully alive. Do you want that?

Finishing Weight

Now that I am 64 it’s time to shape up and get down to my finishing weight, and lose inches in my waist line. I need waist management. So I am reading and doing a great book entitled, YOU on a Diet, The owners manual for waist management by Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz. It’s good and fun stuff, and working. I have learned that it is not about your weight, it’s about your waist.

I am giving my book away free!

My book YOU Make the Difference (a guide to marketing you) is now seven years old. It needs to be updated but is still a good and useful book. So now I will be aggressively giving it away; hard copies, pdf, and audio versions. If you want a copy, it’s free. It is written for people in the financial services, but 98% of the material is helpful and useful for anybody who wants to be a better marketer of themselves and their services; particularly in these challenging times.

It’s free; just reply, “Book please” and I will send you an email pdf. copy. If you want a hard copy, email and ask and I will give you shipping details for that, but the book is free!

Things I wish I had know forty years ago.

My internet radio program this coming weekend is about the things I wish someone would have taught and told me forty years ago when I was in my “quarter-life crisis.” Look for and listen for it!

I have cancer.

Many of you have told me that I am in your prayers and thoughts as I face my challenge with cancer. Thanks so much. When I was young cancer was like a death sentence. Thank God it no longer is. My initial therapy seems to be working and for that I am also grateful. I long for more years of being fully alive.

Made For Greatness

2009-04-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

I have recently updated a program on building your own business, and designed a new one for the troubled economic times we are in.

The new program is designed for those who are seeking a job. I call it, Marketing You So You Can Get the Job You Want! This is not your typical resume writing, interviewing skills, networking stuff that you usually get in those so-called “job transition” seminars. In fact I tell people that your resume will not help you get a job, and you need to audition, not interview, for the job you want. It’s new stuff. It’s about marketing you in new, exciting, and effective ways.

I can bring the program to your group. It will also be available on the internet and YOU Tube.

One of the key reminders that I start the program with is my God-based belief that we are all made for greatness. To use Eugene Peterson’s phrase, we are made to “run with the horses.”

Unfortunately most of never discover and use our greatness; we don’t dream or pursue our dream; we let our music die, and we never become fully alive. I believe that part of my present calling is to challenge and coach people to use the gift of these tough times to start their own business, write a book, do a radio show, pursue dreams and lofty goals, and seek personal greatness.

In the midst of this both of my daughters shared with me this YOU Tube video that is making the rounds around the Internet. Some of you have already seen it, and know that it will make you smile, even cry, and challenge you once again to dream. So here is the seven-minute story of Susan, unemployed, who is still pursuing her dream, and who knows, this time she might make it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

All the best and blessings, and now what is the dream you are going to pursue?

We Need More Cowboy Courage

2009-04-08T13:52:00.000-07:00

There is a powerful description of life in Louis L’Amour’s story, North To The Rails. The major character, Tom Chantry is being challenged by a long time “westerner” as to what is really important and different from things out East where he is now from after leaving his western family life many years ago.

The westerner says,

“The situation back east is very different from out here Mr. Chantry. Money is not always the consideration. Out here we place emphasis on the basic virtues, and I have noticed that the more organized our lives become the less attention we pay to such things as courage and loyalty. Organization seems to eliminate the necessity for such things, but out here they are the very stuff of life”

Chantry responds,

“and what does that mean?”

“Simply this; that a man’s courage or lack of it is a matter of economic importance in the West. There are few ventures that can be attempted out here where courage is not a necessity, and anyone engaged in such a venture has the right to know the courage of those who are to share the risk.”

Winston Churchill who lived part of the “cowboy life” in the frontier of South Africa said that the supreme virtue is courage because courage is the root, source, and power that make all the other virtues possible.

Let’s be very clear my friends, we need more “Cowboy Courage” in our lives and businesses today. When it comes to true success in life and business I often remind myself and my clients that, “It all comes down to courage.” We need courage to do the right thing.

Our economic difficulties are not going away soon. There are only two choices. We can go deeper into despair or we can see the gift that is in the mess we are in.

As I approach my 65th year, and you in what ever year you are celebrating, will get to join me in seeking to live lives of courage, loyalty to our beliefs, and faith in the “Glorious Benevolence” of the universe. It’s time for Cowboy Courage.

If you are ready to take your life and business to some new realities and possibilities in spite of these difficult times, I could be useful to you, and you might be surprised what might happen. Give me a call and I can tell you more!

Best and blessings at this Passover and Easter season.

The Switchyard for the Soul

2009-03-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

My Doctor and coaching colleague, Dr Jim Struve inspired me the other day by sharing a metaphor that is a story in itself; and you know how I feel about the power of a good story.

He was speaking of a special listening and healing event where people in a time of difficulty came to seek renewal and redirection for their lives. He called it “a switchyard for the soul.” As one who has loved the sights and sounds of trains from early in life, I was moved to say, “Yes, that’s it.” In those days the train engine came into the switchyard, stopped, changed direction, and went out in a new way.

Unfortunately for us, it is not easy to stop, change direction, and start a new way. In fact it is very hard. But I am convinced that in these very difficult times we are going through, that many of us need to find a switchyard for our soul. I was recently reading a series of meditations about how to do soul work. Let’s face it, too much stuff, too much money, and not enough solitude and silence is bad for our soul. Maybe our current difficulties are blessings and gifts in that many of us will be forced to slow down and go into our own personal soul switchyard.

What do you think? If you are in the soul switchyard right now, what are you learning and where do you think you will be going? I would love to hear your story.

Best and blessings to you.

PS – Many of you continue to be a blessing to me in your thoughts and prayers about my challenge with cancer. We continue to press on and seek to be strong. The prognosis so far is very encouraging, and thanks for being an encouragement to me.