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Peak Performance Resources for Leaders by Leaders

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The Mexican Fisherman and You!

On a beautiful, warm day twenty-five years ago, I looked out the window of my beachfront villa in Bali. As I ate some snake fruit, I watched several fishermen knee-deep in water, catching fish.

My phone rang, and my friend Michael, one of the original founding officers of FedEx, said hello.

We talked for a while about Legendary Leadership, a passion of his, and the fisherman I was watching. He asked if I had heard the story of the Mexican Fisherman? No, what’s that about? I asked inquisitively.

Michael proceeded to tell me this story.

An American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several giant tuna. The American complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The fisherman replied, “only a little while. The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. 

The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”

The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria. Each evening, we stroll into the village where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”

The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats. Eventually, you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village. You would move to Mexico City, then LA, and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”

The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”

To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”

“But what then?” Asked the fisherman.

The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO, sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions!”

“Millions – then what?”

The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife. In the evenings, you would stroll to the village where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”

I was spellbound.

WOW. This story had my head spinning. I was young, ambitious, with plans for the future, and yet here, in this simple story, my friend had conveyed to me the essence of what most people take a lifetime to figure out.

Many of us are so busy doing and living that we don’t take the time to figure out what we really want. Can you relate?

The American in the story advocated for more is better and chased what I call the Success Paradigm. Lived linearly, one success leads to another only to live a good life at an old age. Is more really better? What if you get to the end goal and it isn’t what you expected?

What would happen if you lived your life with your ultimate end result in mind?

What if we could figure out what we really wanted and work backward to today? Then we could start living our ultimate dream life now, instead of at the end of a long road.

Perhaps you are like many people I have met. You know with certainty what you don’t want but have no idea what you want or what would make your heart sing?

To know what you want in your heart of hearts is one of life’s best gifts.

Turn fear, uncertainty, and doubt, into confidence, certainty, and clarity!

To me, the value of these three C’s (confidence, certainty, and clarity) are priceless. Without them, inaction is the norm. When you are clear about what you want — nothing can stop you.

Anjou and I created the GOLDZONE Experience to give people a sensory experience of what’s possible if you lived your life knowing what you really want in all areas. We offer an experience of life and a step-by-step guide to getting each area of life into the zone. If you already live this way, congratulations! If not, and you want an experience to fast-track your journey, consider exploring what GOLDZONE has to offer.

LEARN MORE

P.S. Most people I meet are overscheduled. They run from meeting to meeting. With such busy schedules, where is space and time to think about what you really want for the rest of your life? When do you take the time to work on yourself — your most important and often neglected asset? The GOLDZONE Experience offers you a chance to slow down for a few days to relax, reflect, and reinvent!

P.P.S. Do you want more spirit, meaning, and fulfillment in your life, career, or business? Now is the time to do it! Reinvent Yourself!

Using Leverage to Speed Up Your Success

This video is based on Marshall Thurber’s theory of Network Science. If you don’t understand the principle of leverage, you work too hard.

Be sure to read this post on Key-Leverage Points.

Never Too Old

When it’s time to shine, be the brightest! – Wang Deshun

A humble and down-to-earth man and China’s favorite grandfather, actor, and catwalk model. If he can do this after 60 years of work, what can you do?

33 Winning Attitudes

How Your Body Rewards You for Success, 
and Punishes You for Failure. 

Winning leads to winning and losing leads to losing.

This statement seems so obvious that most people overlook the power of a few simple words to state an evident truth. If you want to win more, then win more and lose less. If you enjoy losing, then lose more which will lead to losing more.

The reason for this simple and yet profound logic is because of our hormones. Our bodies punish us for losing and reward us when we win. These hormones plus the conclusions we draw from the experience determine our attitude towards the next engagement.

When our attitude is confident and we are sure of ourselves, the chances of overcoming minor setbacks and succeeding long term are much greater. On the other hand, when we are less confident, unsure and doubtful, the probability of being stopped by minor setbacks is higher, and the likelihood of failure almost assured!

Thirteen Tips to Be a Net Energy Generator

emotionally bankrupt means you put out less

In this article, you will discover thirteen tips
to be a Net Energy Generator!

Imagine a battery that increases in power when you use it and decreases when you don’t. Wouldn’t that be amazing? Well, the incredible news is that you have such a battery… an emotional one!

This is how emotions work. The more you express or use them – the more they grow and the more energy you have. When you withhold, contain or suppress them the less energy you have.

This is why some people end up being emotionally bankrupt. They stop putting out or giving and end up taking. They say little which forces the other people around them to give by way of saying more to fill the empty space. Their emotional battery is empty. In other words they are emotionally bankrupt.

Emotionally bankrupt means you put out less than you receive. The key to success in life is to be a net generator of energy…

Whenever you give more than you receive, you are communicating to yourself, the world around you and other people that you believe in abundance. Regardless of your financial status or position in society, it is possible to generate more energy than you receive. Eventually the excess giving creates a vacuum that can’t help but flow back to you.

This positive flow back can be in the form of good luck, energy or good old CASH. Personally I have experienced all three. I find myself easily being in the right place at the right time… people respond positively to me and make huge efforts to give me what I am asking for. Sometimes without me even saying anything. Yup, sounds hokey, but it is true.

I was at my favorite restaurant in Beverly Hills the other day and ordered my usual organic chicken soup for lunch. The restaurant is also in Paris and when there, I like to order what they call a chicken Pot-au-feu and it comes automatically with Harissa (Tunisian hot chili pepper paste). So this day in Beverly Hills I thought of Harissa but didn’t say anything, in fact I didn’t even know if they had Harissa! Can you guess what happened? The waiter brought my usual chicken soup and without saying a word brought a jar of Harissa! Wow. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

If you are wondering if that is an isolated incident, I can assure you I have had too many experiences like this to count…

Most people think that emotions are like any other scarce resource that must be held back, saved and conserved. This is so wrong! Emotions are nothing like scarce resources, in fact they operate by different rules.

These rules can be learnt. Applied and if you do, you will experience an almost immediate increase in energy and wellbeing. Little by little you will become more and more lucky. How does that sound?

Thirteen tips to be a net energy generator:

  1. Tell people what you like about them or what they did.
  2. Greet people with enthusiasm.
  3. Smile.
  4. Give heartfelt appreciation whenever people give you something or do something for you.
  5. Use people’s names – they love it!
  6. Offer sincere and heartfelt compliments when they do something special or look exceptionally great.
  7. Show an interest in people’s lives and notice when they are not happy or are having a bad day.
  8. Ask how people are doing and listen when they tell you.
  9. Pay larger than normal tips to service staff.
  10. Always give more than you receive.
  11. Minimize complaining, and if you do complain, offer a solution.
  12. Leave every conversation or environment better off than when you found it.
  13. Look for the good purpose in every situation, regardless of how negative it may appear.

Good luck and here is to more energy! XOXO

CHANGE > How Do You Respond?

Response to Change-6-19-15.001

One of the most uncomfortable aspects of life is that it involves constant and never ending change. And the pace of change isn’t slowing down anytime soon, in fact we live in an era of accelerating acceleration.

How you respond to change determines your level of stress, happiness and success.

if you are like most people change brings fear and uncertainty. We like things to stay the same. Often it feels like we are just getting used to and comfortable with things as they are… and bam… something or someone pulls the rug out from under us.

It takes a lot of self confidence to know that no matter what happens, no matter what changes – everything will be alright.

Our research has shown that people respond to change in one of 7 different ways. The least effective strategies are to deny, resist and accept change slowly. Higher up (meaning more effective) is to embrace change aggressively. Even more effective is to be enthusiastic and ultimately proactive which is where you preempt what is soon to happen by understanding and foreseeing the future.

By far the best is to adopt an attitude of “knowing” that change is constant and to respond to it in advance without even thinking about it. To live day by day with a balance of mind and heart. Secure in the knowledge that all change serves a higher purpose, we just have to trust and figure out what it is.

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Happiness and Success Orbit Each Other

We all aspire to more happiness, success and fulfillment and yet few people are aware of the relationship between each of these states.

happiness and success.001

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Movie: Flash of Genius

This is an exceptional movie with an awesome cast.  “Flash of Genius” tells the story of one man whose fight to receive recognition for his ingenuity would come at a heavy price.  Nobody thought he could win.  He becomes obsessed with justice and the conviction that his life’s work be acknowledged by those who stood to benefit.

This movie is about standing up for yourself – even though you may be the only one who believes in you and your mission.  This movie is also about justice and the price you may have to pay to get it.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSd1BS8E3RE&w=560&h=315]

Until One Is Committed

Many people have issues around commitment. This is probably because of the loss of freedom that goes along with committing to something, or someone.

Think about it. If you commit to something, what happens? Right after you make the commitment, everything that is the opposite comes up to challenge your commitment. If you commit to stop using profanities in public… the next time you are in public something will happen that will seduce you to want to use a profanity.

Then you think, “What does it matter anyway?” or I will “just do it this one time.” Then before you know it, your commitment is worthless and you find yourself back at square one.

This is why so many people have difficulty following through on their commitments. It is so easy to make the commitment when you are feeling good and are thinking about the theory of it, and another matter altogether to do it. The doing part takes emotional energy that was not needed when you first made the commitment. It is the emotional energy or the emotional aspect of the commitment that carries you through the difficult times as your commitment is challenged.

If you commit to something because you were threatened in the moment, then when you take the threat away, the commitment goes with it. If you get swept up in the emotion of a moment and make a commitment, then when the momentary emotional drive is gone (for example in a meeting, or a company conference where everyone is excited about making a goal, objective or ideal happen) the commitment goes with it.

Spiritual Commitment

The best type of commitment and the most long-lasting are the ones that move you, so you emotionally commit. Then there is no going back. Your emotional energy going in the positive direction of what the essence of the commitment is all about, along with the spiritual reason behind it, will have you unwavering. Typically, a spiritual level commitment involves connecting with the higher purpose of the commitment. This usually involves the “greatest good for the greatest number of people.

Overcommitment

If you commit to too many things without taking the time to emotionally and spiritually commit to seeing them through, then you will end up overestimating what you can reasonably achieve.  You will also make more commitments than you can keep.

Good As Gold

The key is to “make your word as good as gold,” which means that you make small commitments – and keep them – before committing to huge, big and overwhelming commitments. By making and keeping small commitments you build trust with yourself.  Plus others will also trust you more.

And this trust is the essence of building lasting relationships and is the key to success as a leader.

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Below is a quote from a book by William H. Murray. It’s an old one but relevant to this subject:

Until One Is Committed

William H. Murray (from his book “The Scottish Himalayan Expedition”)

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”

Five Reasons Why People Procrastinate

There are five primary reasons why people procrastinate:

1)  Too much or too little information
2)  Lack of emotional energy
3)  Hoping things will change on their own
4)  Afraid of making a mistake
5)  Attached to current results

It is a mistake to overlook the fact that no decision is a decision.

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