Category Archives: Podcast

Book Review: Mindset, The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

This is another book review about one of my most favorite published works recently – the phenomenal book Mindset, The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck. I love this so much I bought 100 books to give away to people – to teachers at my kid’s school, friends and podcast audience. My Mom got this book a couple of weeks ago and said she wished she had this 20 years ago.

Below are some of the highlights – there are lots of good chapters here, from teaching to parenting to being an entrepreneur and I am going to discuss each chapter briefly section by section. Carol talked about the two mindsets:

This is phenomenal in figuring out what kind of mindset you need to have in all aspects of your life.

A fixed mindset comes from the belief that your qualities are carved in stone – who you are is who you are, period. Characteristics such as intelligence, personality, and creativity are fixed traits, rather than something that can be developed.

People who have a fixed mindset think their intelligence is, well, fixed, and they care the most about looking smart. They avoid challenges (because they might lead to failure), give up easily (because setbacks might hurt their self-image), and see hard work and effort as a waste, because they think they’re either talented enough to do something or they’re not.

A growth mindset comes from the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through effort. Yes, people differ greatly – in aptitude, talents, interests, or temperaments – but everyone can change and grow through application and experience.

Folks that have a growth mindset see their intelligence as malleable – they see their mind as something that can be developed, and they have an intense desire to learn. They embrace challenges, persist against setbacks, and see hard work as a chance to get better at something.

Human skills can be cultivated through human effort. If you are not failing, you’re not going to succeed.

Most of us think that our intelligence is something we were born with – but it can be cultivated.

People’s ideas grow out of their own mindset – people who are open to growth are welcoming of challenge and motivations.

Self-insight – people who know themselves more and pretty much have self-awareness, willing to put effort to improve and grow.

The other thing exceptional people have is the talent of converting personal or life setbacks into future successes.

Effort is what makes you smart or talented.

Low effort is the biggest risk in the growth mindset – as long as you learn something, it was a good experiment.

It is very important how you challenge your kids, how to reward them.

The growth mindset doesn’t mean that everything that needs to be changed has to be changed. We have to accept some of our imperfections.

Tips from Tai Lopez Mastermind

Tai Lopez’s Mastermind Talk Recap
This is a recap of the Mastermind Talk with Tai Lopez I attended in California.
In addition to learning from the speakers a big benefit is to meet and hear from other entrepreneurs. Sometimes you realize really successful people are very much like you and thus you gain the confidence to achieve more.
It is great to be around people who in my eyes are more successful than I am. It was also fun to hear new ideas, give advice and get advice.

Jay Samit spoke to us – wikipedia info on Jay Samit

He asked us how many of you would hire a PR agency? I thought I wouldn’t until he explained why we should. You should if you want to partner with a company who has a PR agency and the tip is to higher the same PR agency as the other company you want to work with.

Justin Sener

Known as the T-shirt Cat Guy, who is successful at selling t-shirts online. He talked about how to create T-shirts and how to market them on facebook. I noted that they create 10 T-shirts, market each on facebook for very little ($5) and then increase the marketing for the ones that sell. Tip – women buy the most t-shirts.

Sites that can set up clothing business: THREADMEUP.COM and
Shopify plug in

Book recommendations from Cole Hatter who runs the Thrive Connect conference are:

    Persuasion Skills

by Rentu Basu (I’m almost done with this short book)
and Learn how to speak to people to be better in sales:

    Spin Selling

by Neil Rackham

    And a marketing recommendation (this is a much larger book)The Advertising Effect

by Adam Ferrier and Jennifer Fleming

A great podcast for learning about Facebook, Linked In and Google advertising:
The Art of Paid Traffic Podcast

always do sponsored post, never
advertise on the right side
Utilize Facebook Live and Snapchat

they are the main thing now

Tai Lopez thoughts

  • Social media should enhance your life
  • Challenge yourself – do it for practice

Book Review of Gary Vaynerchuck’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook


This is a Book Review of Gary Vaynerchuck’s Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook

If you want to or need to learn more about social media and how it applies to marketing and business this is a must read. I know a little about advertising and marketing online but this book took my knowledge to a new level. He gives you his insights as to how to use social media and how each plat form is different. The book includes actual examples of ads on the different platforms as well as how to use each platform. And he points out how we should all keep up with the latest and greatest.

With over 80 detailed case studies from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & Pinterest – this book is a learning material for those who are marketing their businesses online, with social media being the best tool at this point in time.

Below are some of the best lines from the book.

Jab—the one conversation, one engagement at a time that slowly but authentically builds relationships between brands and customers—the  78
but because it embraced authenticity and “realness.” And maybe I needed to make sure that my clients and others who turned to me for advice were doing the same.  106
I’d spent the majority of my time and effort over the years emphasizing the importance of the long view, and teaching people how to communicate in such a way that would develop authentic and active customer relationships.  108
No matter who you are or what kind of company or organization you work for, your number-one job is to tell your story to the consumer wherever they are, and preferably at the moment they are deciding to make a purchase.  131
Consider this book a training camp to prepare you to storytell on today’s most important social media sites.  140
But the secret sauce remains the same: The incredible brand awareness and bottom-line profits achievable through social media marketing require hustle, heart, sincerity, constant engagement, long-term commitment, and most of all, artful and strategic storytelling. Don’t ever forget it, no matter what you learn here.*  150
Where’s your phone? In your back pocket? On the table in front of you? In your hands because you’re using it to read this book? It’s probably somewhere within easy reach, unless you’re one of those people who are constantly misplacing their phones and my question has you rummaging through the laundry basket again or checking under your car seat.  155
HOW SOCIAL BLENDED INTO DIGITAL  183
In fact, adding a social layer to any platform immediately increases its effectiveness.  191
every social media platform has its own language. Yet most of you haven’t bothered to learn it. Most big companies haven’t put in the financial resources, and most small businesses and celebrities aren’t putting in the time.  226   • Delete this highlight
HOW STORYTELLING IS LIKE BOXING  235
Jabs are the lightweight pieces of content that benefit your customers by making them laugh, snicker, ponder, play a game, feel appreciated, or escape; right hooks are calls to action that benefit your businesses.  246

Book Review of Philip McKernan’s Rich On Paper Poor On Life by

Another fantastic book that I just had the amazing chance to read recently – a book called Rich On Paper Poor On Life by Philip McKernan. This is the link to the book on Amazon $12.95 kindle, $19.95 paperback.

Quote: We are accustomed to a life where we work endlessly to belong, to assimilate to what is normal, what society dictates us to be. This sort of pressure misaligns us to our true values, to the things the things we truly want against what we work for to achieve.

The real life stories in this book is such an inspiring reflection to make us question the way we are living – are we working towards achieving our goals through the things we are passionate about? Or are we merely existing to please the society that sets the standards on how we are supposed to be – having checklists of accomplishments for success. If you feel are doubtful about the way you’re living your life, feeling stuck, wondering if there is more, GRAB THIS BOOK!

I heard about Philip McKernan first on one of the Mastermind Podcast episodes. To listen to that, soundcloud.com has the episode 28 in which he was featured.

Below are the key notes which are helpful in finding your authentic self.

Many (if not most) people keep their truth inside for fear of looking stupid or because they believe they have nothing to add. How many people have a hidden desire to write, sing, paint, get involved in politics, or start a business? How many of them don’t get involved because they don’t believe they’re good enough? I believe the majority of people feel this way. They won’t speak up or act up as long as they place a low value upon themselves. 136

Our Biggest Fear: The Truth 140

Finding one’s voice is a process that takes time. Life can beat us down. Many of us endure years of being told we shouldn’t believe in ourselves. 141

Fear of speaking in front of others is not our greatest common fear. Our greatest common fear is that we don’t believe that what we have to say matters. In this way, the fear of public speaking stems from a fear of not being loved. Let me repeat: when we say we’re scared of public speaking, what we’re really saying is that we are scared of making a mistake, of being judged. Deep down, we’re afraid of not being loved. 143

I admit there’ve been times I’ve done exactly that. But it wasn’t until I started speaking vulnerably that I felt fulfillment from speaking. 150

In spite of the fact that we fear we won’t be loved, speaking our truth is one of the most important things we can do to put ourselves on the path towards authentic love. 152

The voice I speak of, is our intuition. 157

Who Am I Really Am I really the person I see in the mirror whose face is wrinkled and worn? Or is there something I don’t see in this one-dimensional window? Am I really the work I do or the house I live in? Or is there something I have not yet met within myself? Am I really the husband I am told I am? Or the voice I hear echo back at me when I speak to others? Am I really the person others see when they look at me? Or are they seeing a person through a set of eyes they themselves do not know? What if there is someone within me that I have yet to meet who is better looking than I am, smarter than I believe I am, and more famous than I could ever be? Would you like to meet him? 158

“Success in manufactured in the mind while happiness is cultivated in the soul.” ~ Philip McKernan 170

Individuals were ignoring their own truths. Individuals had lost our own voices. In sum, we got greedy. We forgot what was important. We chose gadgets over happiness, fancy over fulfillment. 245

Looking back, I was one of the lucky ones. I managed to escape the worst of the financial carnage. What I didn’t escape was the loss of my peace of mind. In the pursuit of money and growth for growth’s sake, I did what most of my countrywomen and men did; I ignored passion and happiness in my own life and pursued wealth with the naive assumption that happiness followed achievement. (And take note of that sentence because the implication is that achievement is prerequisite of happiness is common—and dead wrong.) 264

Using Intuition To Find My Way Out 274

I can help others out of the cycle of being rich on paper but poor on life. 290

To be clear, I’m not against financial wealth. What I’m against is sacrificing peace of mind for wealth. If wealth is to be sought, it must be sought as a healthy byproduct of a life well-lived. Too many people pay nothing more than lip service to well-being in favour of wealth building. Instead of seeking happiness now, they believe in happiness when. 291

poor health is the price of eating unhealthy food, and poor relationships are the price of failing to love and cherish our spouses (and ourselves). Seeking riches at the expense of well-being exacts an immense cost to the spirit of every individual who tries it. You simply can’t put well-being on the back-burner and expect to be well. 295

However, their deepest and most heartfelt goals almost always include some combination of the following: Family (spending more time with kids or parents) Spirituality (feeling a greater connection) Contribution (giving back time or money) 304

That’s why my work focuses on relationships. More precisely, I help my clients focus on their relationships to the key elements of their lives. This strategy is based on the knowledge that every person’s personal path to well-being is through improved relationships, whether it be a relationship with one’s self, with others or with the work we do. 309

Unfortunately, I often hear about these core desires expressed along with a belief that they are connected to massive wealth. That’s because people think they need millions of dollars to achieve what they “really” want. 312

The head is where we think we want something. The heart is where we know we need something. 316

A very good number of my clients will explain to me how their job or business is their passion. It’s this experience that’s led me to believe passion is a misunderstood concept. 319

Note: Interesting I know my main profit center is not my passion and thus spend time ding thingsi want to be doing. Edit

I say this because the same people who tell me that their job or business is their passion will, in the next breath, tell me they’re going to quit their job or business the moment they make enough money so that they can do something else. 321

What many people don’t acknowledge is the disconnect. 323

To be clear, a passion is something you’d do for free if you had to, it’s something you’d like to do for the rest of your life, no matter what. Indeed, a passion might cost you money rather than make you money. But why do so many people want to quit their job or business if it’s their passion? The answer is simple: they’re not passionate about their job or business after all. In fact, most people don’t know what they’re passionate about. They can identify the things they really want (family time, contribution, experiences, spirituality), but not their passion. This leads people to try to turn their work into their passion. 324

I start to see a shift in my clients when they bring those things that they love to the forefront of their thoughts and actions. This is the process of becoming rich on life instead of just rich on paper. 330

Anyone who looks within will find that their heart longs for simplicity, passion, love and meaning. 340

They regret not practicing their art, spending time with their family or helping others more. 343

this book gets you to stop and ask better questions, then you will be better off than the many millions of people around the world who continue to think money might buy them freedom. 346

Anti-Social Media 347

The deeper truth of their lives is not found in what people say, it’s in what they don’t say. It’s those silent spaces I’m interested in. 352

The ugly truth of social media is that it magnifies the opportunities to compare ourselves against others, typically in a negative light. But comparing ourselves to others is not a phenomenon that started with social media. 355

hope you are half as happy as you pretend you are on Facebook every day.” 360

Each person at that workshop had a deeply-held belief that once their goal was realized, they’d be happy. Think about that for a moment: people believe they couldn’t be happy until a goal was realized. That concept foreshadows the harm in this way of thinking. If everything good lies in the future, what are we to do with the present? 390

This book is not about giving up on dreams and aspirations. It is all about taking responsibility to identify the real meaning behind the things we say we want. 394

I stood by and watched millions of my countrymen and countrywomen become rich on paper while ignoring the things that could make them truly happy. 404

I’m not suggesting they’ve “arrived.” It’s not possible to be “done” working on ourselves. We can only seek to improve from one day to the next. What really matters is that they had the courage to change, the courage to grow. 409

What did he do? He faced the truth. 419

I share this example of Padraig to illustrate how many people get stuck on this first level of self-growth by refusing to see the truth of their current situation. 424

Finding Your Voice Finding your own voice, never mind your own path, is hard work in a world shouting at you from all directions to perform and conform. The world wants you and me to step into line with the rest of society. 428

lives!) In our society, the line between who we are and what we do has been blurred, if not erased. Many people, if not most, define themselves by what they do professionally. What they do becomes who they are. 432

I believe that in the developed world the 80/20 rule can be applied to the three elements of people’s lives: Work, Self, and Others. 443

The real issue is fear. We are afraid of judgment. Indeed, we crave acceptance to an unhealthy point. We know there’s a spark deep inside—something the world hasn’t yet seen, but the fear of not fitting in is so strong we’d rather put up with the status quo than run the risk of being happy. If you don’t believe me, ask yourself where you’ve been settling. Are you doing the work you’d dreamed of as a child? Do your primary relationships resemble the relationships you want? Are you as healthy as you imagined? Are you as vital? Do you find satisfaction and joy in your friendships and family relationships? 467

I have chosen stories that demonstrate how this kind of change is the organic outcome of a natural process that begins when individuals commit to leading a more authentic life. 490

You want to be the person who listens to the whisper of your soul—and takes action on the transformative wisdom of its message. 508

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” ~ Oscar Wilde 511

PART ONE: WORK 515

Doing Versus Being Happy 519

I don’t believe any human deserves to be happy, but most people think it’s a god-given right. This sense of entitlement dilutes the authentic drive for happiness. I find it fascinating that people who spend eight hours a day doing work they do not believe in, wonder why they don’t feel complete. Often I see people putting their mortgage ahead of meaning, and justifying it to themselves like only humans can do best. 520

I believe our work must be an extension of what we believe, not of who we think we are. 525

Taking Business to the Next Level “Many people spend more time, money, and energy trying to grow their net worth than they do on their self-worth.” ~ Philip McKernan UNAUTHENTIC EXTERNAL GOALS 534

The ugly truth is that many people chase goals that are not theirs. And what’s the point of chasing someone elses or society’s goals? 541

This guided conversation helped Emma understand she already had something greater than what next level offered. Her quest for more money now threatened her happiness, fulfillment, meaning, and peace of mind. 595

First, do not trade in a lifestyle you love for a lifestyle that you would love a lot less. Emma already had a dream lifestyle. She 605

“As humans we’re masters of two things; complicating our lives and justifying why we did it.” ~ Philip McKernan 615

when the owner does more of what they love. When you grow your business by out-sourcing the parts you love, you risk finding yourself tied to work you dislike, perhaps even detest. 622

What I really want you to think about is the immense power in asking the simple question, “Why?” 626

CHAPTER 2: Giving up Your Baby “The past has created the present and the present is creating the future.” ~ Philip McKernan 636

Sir Walter Scott, “Oh what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive—ourselves.” 646

That tendency to put others on a pedestal compromises our ability to be real. And that reduces our ability to be vulnerable, even though it’s essential to being authentic. I don’t know if that fear of vulnerability has an evolutionary explanation in the basic fight/flight response of human beings, but I do know the fear is real. In the personal growth arena, it’s the people who break through that barrier, the people who make the biggest changes in their lives allow themselves to be vulnerable. 652

when you believe another person or business can make you better by partnering or joining in with them, you risk undervaluing yourself. 687

Whenever you put someone else on a pedestal, regardless of how much height you give that podium, the end structure is lop-sided. It’s bizarre when you think about it. Why would you not be as good as someone else? It’s bizarre, but so widespread. 688

Note: Do you look at mentors and teachers as someone you can be like? Edit

Do you ever regard other people and assume you could never do what they do? 692

Note: Not really only if I think about playing some pro sport where I’m not as big as they are. And I could probably bulk up much more than I realize if I put the effort they did toward it. Edit

While I didn’t understand it at first, that act assumed I needed those people to succeed or further my career. 696

I was leading the group through a simple exercise where I asked the group to consider who in their life they had on a pedestal. 703

Real Passion for Business “When it comes to the work you do please don’t confuse excitement for passion. It could cost you your health, relationships, and your peace of mind.” ~ Philip McKernan 706

This tendency to confuse excitement with passion is common within the entrepreneurial community. 710

What you need to understand is that when it comes to work, many pretend, but few actually live their passion. That’s why it’s so refreshing to see someone who is truly passionate about his or her work. I find it often shows up with entrepreneurs who enjoy the core activity of their business. 737

“Excitement is a freeing break from the norm that’s described with words to try and capture its essence. Passion is a part of your soul, which ignites a fire in your belly, resulting in a spark in your eyes.” ~ Philip McKernan 740

Rather than admit my disability, I put on masks to disguise the problem—and my fear. Because I believed I was unteachable, I allowed them to think the same. 763

For Tara, as with others in my seminars and workshops, it all comes down to self-belief. If we hold negative false beliefs about our self-worth, we can’t help but self-sabotage our efforts to develop our true potential. 780

CHAPTER 3: Blind to His Talents 782

Over the years I’ve been a huge advocate for people to tell the world about their dreams or aspirations. It’s like letting a cat out of the bag and once the secret is released, there’s no chance of stuffing it back into the bag. 828

“Thinking big doesn’t help, you have to believe big.” ~ Philip McKernan 835

Putting the Passion to Sleep It never ceases to amaze me how millions of people can harbour powerful dreams and never look for ways to bring those dreams to fruition because they simply do not believe in themselves. It saddens me to see people believe in their god without question and yet walk the earth never believing in themselves. 849

I call it taking space. To put it into effect, you need to step away from all the tasks and busyness of life and spend time alone. Taking space is about your relationship with yourself, but it affects all areas of your life. Work and the passion (or lack of passion) you have for it is closely tied to your relationship with yourself, so improving your relationship with yourself will lead you to a better understanding and clarity around your work. 887

The only thing that’s for sure is that the only way to find out if we can make a living from our passion is to actually do it, do it consistently, and look for ways to integrate earning an income from our work. 963

CHAPTER 4: Authenticity Sells the Deal “Fear is the assassin of dreams.” ~ Philip McKernan 967

Whenever we bring a partner into our business, there’s a strong possibility we’ll have the following realizations: We find out the partner is not as great as we thought We find out we can do more than we thought 1029

Scared Of The Truth Inside each person resides a core that remains unchanged by the opinions and beliefs of others. Experience has shown me that we all know what’s inside. However, we’re often too scared to face that truth and be fully authentic with it. But, we must tap into this core to find our power in the world. The more logical, mind-driven of us may think this is airy-fairy, but I promise you, we each have an internal guidance system. 1042

Living In Your Head In my short e-book, Dead Man Walking, I discussed the difference between mindset and soulset. My experience has proven that our intellect is a powerful ability, but it can also be a crutch. 1053

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.” ~ Albert Einstein 1058

Reconnecting to intuition is one of the most powerful things we can do to promote positive change in our lives. 1065

We start neglecting it the moment someone tells us we’re wrong as a child. 1071

Strong Emotional Blocks To Intuition Some of the emotions we experience act as powerful detractors of our intuition. For example, fear drives people into their heads and away from what they know is right in their soul. 1075

But honouring our own truth, following our intuition, and doing exactly what’s right for our personal journey isn’t clever. It’s courageous. Doing what we know is right in our core takes enormous courage. It means overcoming our fear and anger. It means deeply trusting ourselves. 1085

“I totally regret listening to my gut – Said no one ever.” ~ Oliver Manalese 1116

CHAPTER 5: From Money Magnate to Children’s Champion “If you’re facing the right direction, all you need to do is walk.” ~ Philip McKernan 1118

Following my own approach to authenticity, intuition and soulset, I asked Trina to question every aspect of her life, including the brand she was developing. This process took several months. In the early days, Trina was fully on board with her new brand and thought she was on the best business path for her. Over time, a different picture began to develop. 1142

quite right, its often easier to stay on the current course that you think logically is clear, as opposed to changing course based on a feeling that often has no clear logical direction. This is were the trust you have in yourself comes in. 1165

As humans we talk a lot about trusting others, while I believe the most important person to learn to trust, is you. 1167

The change in the confidence of these young people was a bigger reward than she could imagine. 1186

What do I really want? That’s one of the most powerful questions we can possibly ask ourselves. It’s also one few consultants ever ask since their main focus is to take what you bring them, and then multiply it by two, three, five, or ten. That’s fine, but at what cost? What is the trade off? What is the social invoice? 1202

I have a different perspective on goals. I believe a goal is usually just an attachment made official. When we set a goal, it’s as though we’re officially saying to the world, “Here’s my attachment, and I intend to do whatever it takes to achieve the object of my attachment.” 1217

To those who say they cannot make a living doing something they love, I have a one-word response: bullshit. “Once you become blinded by attachments you become deaf to your heart.” ~ Philip McKernan 1242

It’s simple. Love yourself and do what makes you happy, and you’ll be more likely to find someone attracted to that energy. 1269

In fact, once you accept how devastating attachments can be to living authentically and to having authentic business success, you’ll see how quickly decisions can be made—and business fulfillment achieved. I see it with my clients all the time. This is where you’ll see how releasing attachments opens our minds to see the truth of our existence. 1273

SELF Your Relationship To Who You Are “Success is manufactured in the mind, while happiness is cultivated in the soul.” ~ Philip McKernan The Original Relationship 1288

For the purpose of in-person mentoring, I often use the lenses of Work, Self, and Others to stimulate thought and deepen awareness. My belief is that it’s these three areas of life where we spend the bulk of our time (and effort). It’s also the areas where change can make the biggest impact. 1294

“It’s generally the things we don’t do that haunt us forever.” ~ Philip McKernan 1305

I agree that you can’t change other people. But if you set out to change yourself, and then invite others to come along, changing others is inevitable. People follow examples. 1329

The problem is that most people travel to get away from themselves, their lives and their work. Laura and other self-aware people travel to be with themselves. 1342

I believe that Ireland’s experience mirrors what happens when individuals make compromises about how they choose to self-identify. Never before has humanity more needed a place to call home, something to believe in, and something to feel part of. As many of the heroes and institutions we’ve historically held in high regard falter, people feel more isolated and insecure than ever. 1398

Adding children to the mix often presents another life-altering shift in self-identification. While children are a beautiful gift, and we learn so much from them, there’s no doubt that many parents (and mothers in particular) radically alter their self-identification once children enter the picture. This happens because your life is suddenly focused more on what you do as opposed to who you are. I’ve seen this in clients enough times to know this is a common issue. 1407

Facing problems that appear unrelated to a focus issue is often the best way to shine a light on the challenges we’ve already identified. Life can be complicated. That’s why a series of small revelations can create the lasting and sustainable change that tackling a major challenge cannot. 1448

The bottom line is that real change depends on intense, and sometimes painful, self-reflection

Book Review of The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey To Optimal Performance by Josh Waitzkin


This is my review of the fascinating story of Josh’s journey from chess prodigy to push hands world champion. Below are some of the highlights of this wonderful read. A friend gave me this book because it is one of her favorites. You can buy the book on amazon Paper back $11.66 or kindle $11.99.

He was the inspiration for the movie Searching for Bobby Fisher” – Book and Movie

His dedication to learning and studying to be great is amazing.  I had no clue about the world of competitive chess including the mentors and coaching necessary to excel.

He was an athletic kid who discovered chess at the age of six and it was almost as if he understood parts of the game intuitively.

Searching for the next bobby fisher. Is a book and movie his dad wrote about him.

He tells many a story about his time spent learning and competing in the world of chess.

He looked back at some moments in chess he called the “Soft Zones” when he became part of the moment.  He studied that and has tips and techniques for creating these moments when necessary.

He tells how he dealt with challenges and distractions from music to players kicking him, shaking the board etc.  Often he would turn a challenge or distraction into an advantage.  Start thinking to the beat of the music, not to react to the kicks by being distracted.  Taking a break to go and run sprints or climb stairs to regain focus.

“Mental resilience is arguably the most critical trait of a world-class performer, and it should be nurtured continuously….When uncomfortable, my instinct is not to avoid thediscomfort but to become at peace with it….My instinct is always to seek out challenges as opposed to avoiding them.”  p 60

He then talks about his downward spiral in chess competitions.

I took from this a few things:

I like his explanation of playing chess the way that matched his personality and when he didn’t he didn’t play as well.  – so he wasn’t working through his strengths.

He notes “pressing for wins in equal positions often results in losing” – you need to really know your circumstances especially after things have changed from one where you were at an advantage and now are not at one.  Pressing forward as if you still have an advantage can be costly.

How can you apply this to life and business?

The film Searching for Bobby Fischer came out when he as 16 – and this added fame as a challenge and distraction.

“As a competitor I’ve come to understand that the distance between winning and losing is minute, and, moreover, that there are ways to steal winds from themaw of defeat.  All great performers have learned this lesson.” p 63

He talks about being present rather than being stuck in time.

He speaks about two coaches with very different techniques – one nurturing and the other shock and awe of breaking you down.

He mentions reading the books “On the road”, The Dharma Bums and the Tao Te Ching.  – “The Tao Te Ching’s windom cnters on releasing obstructions to our natural insight, seeing false constructs for what they are and leaving them behind.”

While  competing in chess he He was introducted to Tai Chi and then later Push Hands competitions

And  moved on to Martial Arts and eventually winning world championships.  Once again the dedicated he has for learning and competing is amazing.  He has a drive for challenging himself and getting the most out of himself.

Then chapter on “Investment in Loss” – you need to be challenged enough that you lose and then learn from it to advance.

“Investment in loss is giving yourself ot the learning process”

“…it is essential to have a libverating incremental approach that allows for times when you are not in a peak performance state.  We must take responsibility for ourselfes, and not expect the rest of the world to understand what I takes to become the best that we can become.”  Great ones are willing to get burned time and agin as they sharpen their swords in the fire.”  Michael Jordan making more last minute shots…also missing more

Making smaller circles. Chapter 11 – breaking things down into small steps – be the tortoise who continues prodding along on your goals.

12 Using adversity

3 Critical steps in a resilient performer’s evolving relationship to chaotic situations.

1.       “First we have to learn to be at peace with imperfection.” p 126

2.       …Learn to use imperfection to our advantage

3.       Create ripples in our consciousness…so we are constantly inspired whether or not external conditions are inspiring.:

When it came to competing in martial arts he took a challenge of having a hurt right arm to learn to use his left.

The challenge of dealing wit illegal hits lead him to learn ow to deal wit the fear of being hurt and learning to protect himself which took away the opponents advantage of using the illegal techniques.

He also learned to concede certain moves of holds thus conserving his energy and putting a wrinkle in the opponents plans. – much like his practicing the end game of chess and thus being better when getting to that part of the game.

Chapter Searching for the zone

Starts with this chapter “How can I learn to enter the zone at will, make it a way of life? How can I maintain my focus under pressure, stay serene and principled under fire, overcome distraction?  What do I do when my emotions get out of control?”

In this chapter he talks about some techniques he learned when he went to the Human Performance Institute formerly LGE in Orlando, Florida.

He realized he performed better after a relaxation break – so use time between moves to take a break.  Quarterbacks and NBA stars also implemented this.

Clear you mind

And also a training technique of cardio vascular interval training – getting his heart rate up to 170 take a minute break to get it down to 144  and then go hard again.

This helped him with his ability to relax and recover between arduous thought processes in a chess game.

Chapter – Building Your Trigger

He gives techniques for dealing with stress and how to create routines to get into the zone.  And how to shorten getting into the zone for all of us so we can turn it on and focus when we need to.

Example what is a time when time flies by?  Preceding this time add some other enjoyable activities then end with the time you are in the zone.

Then you shorten the time spent doing the preceding events and or use those times before you want to be in the zone/attentive at a meeting for example rather than doing the thing you are naturally in the zone doing.

Meditation – Thought being just practice it and realize you will have thoughts but release them and come back to focus on your breath.

Chapter Making Sandals

Deals with what to do with your feelings and emotions.

Can you do you take those emotions and channel them into a deeper focus?

“Then there are those elite performers who use emotion, observing their moment and then channeling everything into a deeper focus that generates a uniquely flavored creativity.” p 200

He covers thoughts around anger, ego, and fear.

“I had to develop the habit of taking on my technical weaknesses whenever someone pushed my limits instead of falling back into a self-protective indignant pose. Once that adjustment was made, I was free to learn. If someone got into my head, they were doing me a favor, exposing a weakness. They were giving me a valuable opportunity to expand my threshold for turbulence. Dirty players were my best teachers. ”  p 206

“The only way to succeed is to acknowledge reality and funnel it, take the nerves and use them. We must be prepared for imperfection.  If we rely on having no nerves, on not being thrown off by a big miss, or on the exact replication of a certain mindset, then when the pressure is high enough, or when the pain is to piercing to ignore, ore ideal state will shatter”

On how the Great chess player Garry Kasparov – champion for nearly 20 years dealt with a lack of confidence in an upcoming match

“Garry responded that he would try to play the chess moves that he would have played if he were feeling confident.  He would pretend to feel confident, and hopefully trigger the state.”

Kate Hagerty Interview: Intuition, Purpose and Life Coaching

In this week’s podcast, I had a great conversation with Kate Hagerty, a career, life purpose, intuitive and relationship coach. We met at Toast Masters and known each other for several years. Kate used to work in the corporate world for 30 years – in sales, marketing and advertising – making her way up the ladder and on the verge of making it to top of the play field, she realized that she needed something more from life.

Below are some of the great points during our conversation.

Turning point – being unhappy and just didn’t care about the results. Kate began to ask herself some powerful questions about what she really want to do with her life – she was miserable and unhappy and she didn’t want to continue having to deal with that.

Most people not really clear about their purpose.

Growing up, she had an intuitive gift but ignored it.

“You are gifted and keep moving.”

Working with people once didn’t really get anywhere.

It’s smart to start paying attention to your intuition.

Turn off the ‘chatter’ part of the brain to focus more on the more important things.

Start meditating.

When you step out of the house in the morning, pay attention – there are lots of interesting things happening around.

What you look for, you can find.

“Miracle Morning” – focus on what thought and see where that leads you.

We are so hard on ourselves and expect we are going to be good at meditation the first time we try it – some people need guided meditation, some need silence or music. It’s a challenge. It’s a process.

Kate got very unhappy in 2011 and tried different coaching certifications – to figure out herself and help her clients.

Do you want your health or do you want your benefits?

“I will never tell someone miserable to quit tomorrow.” Kate

You can be an empathic person but if you haven’t gone through something and suddenly meet someone who has, you can’t really completely understand.

Even though it’s scary, it is worthy in the end because it’s exciting – you are doing what you’re supposed to do.

Tell the truth without being mean.

You’re usually the average of the 5 people you spend your time with.

Are we supportive of each other? Do we support and learn from one another?

Don’t be around toxic people. Just because they’re family doesn’t mean you have to be around them.

Accountability partners are key to being successful for some people.

For a ‘solopreneur’ – you got to have an array of people to help you out.

Delegate the things you hate to do so you can focus on the things you love.

James Altucher – write down at least 10 ideas a day

Kate’s 8 Ways to Increase Your Intuition

(1) Meditate

(2) Work with angel or oracle cards

 (3) Pay attention when you step out of the house with all five senses

(4) Test out the intuitive hunches you get; try following one and not following another and see what you experience

(5) Feel instead of think

(6) Listen to your body

(7) Learn from the past

(8) Do not call yourself crazy; trust what you “get”

To learn more about Kate, visit her website at www.soulpurpose.biz

About Kate Hagerty

Kate is a Career, Life Purpose & Relationship Intuitive Coach. She helps professionals discover their true life purpose and the specific next steps they need to take to align their life with what they REALLY came here to do, so they can finally find peace, clarity and direction. Learn more at www.soulpurpose.biz

kate@soulpurpose.biz

(303-562-8530)

 

 

Review of Mastermind Talks Podcast: Personal Branding, You’re Doing It Wrong


I recently listened to this amazing Mastermind Talks podcast with Jason Gaignard when he interviewed Joey Coleman about personal branding. Joey is a celebrated speaker and has done coaching in over a decade – mostly on personal branding framework.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you’re missing on a lot if your personal branding is unclear – it is of utmost importance to focus on your personal brand, its attributes and what really your business stands for. It will also get you clarity on where your business is headed.

Below are some of the best points spoken about in the podcast:

  • How you package and present yourself/your brand is hugely important.
  • What is a personal brand?
  • Personal brand is the image that is created in a person’s mind when they connect with your name, specific skills and reputation.
  • It is what people perceive – it’s making conscious choices. When you meet a person, you are instantly and constantly formulating opinions. By default, people judge and critique.
  • There’s 2 aspects: what you think of your personal brand and what others think.
  • Your personal brand enters the room the same time as you do. Are you happy about what other people have to say about your personal brand?
  • Philip McKernan – the more successful we become, the less we recognize how successful we are.
  • Getting outside perspective helps us identify the things we are great at that we often do not acknowledge.
  • All of us have natural skills – and now we have learned skills and you can be world class with our learned skills.
  • Being able to take complex ideas and make them simple, persuade people how to get things done.
  • A friend is not someone who tell you what you want to hear, a friends is someone who tells you what you NEED to.
  • Friends, mentors to give you feedback about your personal brand
  • Clarify and explore, look into what you want your personal brand to be.
  • What would do for the rest of your life even if you don’t get paid to do it? There should be a piece of your current job that you want to be part of your personal brand.
  • (Self-assessment) Strength-finders, DISC, Kolbe Test
  • There’s a voice inside you that knows what you are best at.
  • It’s the pursuit that makes it more exciting.
  • The most successful people I know have a lot of things they’re passionate about – they don’t go all in on one things because then you’ll be one-dimensional. Multi-dimensional people are more successful.
  • There is a skill you have you don’t have to lead with a particular skill. – just because you’re good at fixing things doesn’t mean you have to lead with that.
  • Be more specific, more clear about what you do and who you serve.
  • The human brain can only associate 2-3 areas in an individual we know.
  • 3 Step Process – investigation, Refining, Packaging
  • Reinventing your personal brand every 5-7 years.
  • Philip McKernan – Where you’re busy seeking out opportunities we often miss the possibilities.
  • 5 years – making a vision for your personal brand/business for 5 years is more manageable.
  • I want to go deep in dozens of different areas, I want to go medium in hundreds of different areas and I want go shallow or at least have a small understanding on thousands of different areas in life, because that’s what keeps it interesting for me. – Joey Coleman
  • As you are getting more comfortable with your personal brand, you get to make unconventional choices.

Recap of the 3 Step Process:

Investigate

  • What are the elements of your personal brand? All the things you love, all the things you’re fantastic at. What are these specific things you are world-class in.

Refine

  • Pick and choose which one you want to go after? If someone hears your name, they thing about these things?

Package

  • How can I share this with the world? How can I position myself with these types of project? How can I get it out? How can I make my brand unique?

If you are interested, subscribe to Mastermind Talks podcast on iTunes if you are an Apple user and Stitcher for Android.

The Mindful Athlete by George Mumford Book Review

I came across this book The Mindful Athlete: Secrets to Pure Performance by George Mumford and in this week’s podcast, I will share with you the inspirational passages I highlighted in this book.

Now, if you are a basketball fan, you would know who Phil Jackson is – amazing coach of former NBA champions Chicago Bulls and LA Lakers. He brought in George Mumford to transform their game and start winning.

George Mumford had a very interesting beginning – he was playing basketball for the University of Massachusetts when injuries forced him to walk away from the game he was truly passionate about. Things at home weren’t helping as his dad was an alcoholic so George started doing drugs starting from marijuana to pain medications like heroin. Through meditation, he was able to kick the addiction away.

Now, George is a well-respected public speaker and sports coach and in this book, he shares his story and strategies. Countless of basketball players, even the great Michael Jordan himself, credited Mumford for changing the way they played the game. His proven techniques transform the performance of anyone with a goal, be they an Olympian, weekend warrior, executive, hacker, or artist.

Below are some of my best highlights in the book to guide you through:

  • A lot of athletes think the trick to getting better is just to work harder but there is a great power in non-action and non-thinking. Just be fully present in the moment. – Phil Jackson
  • Life is available only in the present moment. Thich Nhat Hanh – what matters is what we are doing now.
  • Learning about stress management.
  • We are all chipping away to get to our masterpiece even if we grew up on the wrong side of the tracks. – you can become whoever you want.
  • We all have divine spark within in us. – there is something in us that we should express. Slowing down and thinking, “What do I really want to do in my life?” Our passions may change.
  • Buddha – my teaching is not a dogma. It is a method to teach reality, it’s just a finger pointing at the moon.
  • He talks about Buddha’s Eight-Fold Path and his 5 Spiritual Faculties: Diligence, Faith, Mindfulness, Concentration, Insight
  • Each of us is a completely unique creature.
  • Open your funky mind.
  • No one told him when he was young that he can alter his mind – he turned to drugs.
  • We emerge into the light not by denying our pain but by walking through it. Joan Borysenko, PhD
  • The only way out is always through. Robert Frost
  • There might not be the right time to start. – it’s the journey, the first attempt might not work, the second might not.
  • But as many of us know, taking little steps into the right direction eventually you’ll dig results. – start taking baby steps even if you fall down.
  • Be inquisitive – ask questions
  • God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to take the things I can.
  • Listen to your body.
  • If you do follow your bliss, you put yourself on a kind of track that has always been there waiting for you. And the life you ought to be living, is the one you’re living.
  • Read all the books available aligned to your passion and interests.
  • He talks about the five superpowers: mindfulness, concentration, insight, right effort and trust – the fourth power (right effort or diligence) is the energy that makes us steadfast in our practice
  • Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness by Sharon Salzburg
  • You can train your brain to focus
  • We have evolved to pay attention to dangerous things
  • The minute your mind is elsewhere, the present moment is gone.
  • The brain is a muscle, practice everyday.
  • Baseball is 90% mental, the other is physical, the other half is physical. – Yogi Berri

There are numerous motivational passages in this book that I haven’t covered in this podcast but I’ll leave it to you to discover. I highly recommend this book, it’s not just about sports – the things discussed and written here are applicable to both your personal and professional lives, may it be facing a career crossroads or just simply going through some personal changes.

How to subscribe, rate and review podcasts

This is a guide on how to subscribe, rate and review podcasts on your MAC or PC, iPhones and iPads.

How To Subscribe, Rate and Review Podcast on a Computer (MAC or PC)

Open iTunes, then:

  • Make sure that iTunes Store is selected.
  • Search in the iTunes Store for the mindset zone. Press return to start search.
  • From the result page, click on the Podcast Cover to open Podcast to Subscribe or Rate.

Now that you are already on the podcast page ie YourBusinessPodcast, these are the remaining steps:

  • Subscribe to the podcast by click the “Subscribe” button below the Podcast Cover.
  • Click on the option “Ratings and Reviews”.
  • Click on the number of stars you want to rate the podcast.
  • Write a sentence or two review of the podcast.
Reviewing or rating podasts is a great way of making the it gain more followers.
 
Rating and reviewing from your iPhone/iPad:
  • Launch Apple’s Podcast app.
  • Tap the Search tab.
  • Enter the name of the podcast you want to rate or review.
  • Tap the blue Search key at the bottom right.
  • Tap the album art for the podcast.
  • Tap the Reviews tab.
  • Tap Write a Review at the bottom.
  • Enter your iTunes password to login.
  • Tap the Stars to leave a rating.
  • Enter title text and content to leave a review.
  • Tap Send.