THE KEY TO SUCCESS DISCOVERED!

Last week was a monumental week. The revelation occurred as me and my "all so frustrated" counterpart Big S brainstormed over our mediocre $4.00 lunches at a job that makes chewing glass look like a good idea.
We use lunch as a time to regroup and figure out a way to achieve the riches that continue to cruelly elude us on a daily basis.

We think we have found one of the key ingredients that make successful people successful. This is such a profound thought because in all of the numerous mind numbing literature I have read about success, self improvement, leadership etc. I have never been privy to this information.

Now I’m passing it on to my readers free of charge.

Here goes:

How many people actually give 100% of themselves at anything? You can always say you tried hard, but can you really say that you gave 100%? 100% is usually used for a select group of people like Olympians, recovering addicts, and professional athletes.

We tried to dissect ourselves to try and rationalize the reason that 100% effort is not given. The only thing that we could come up with, is the fact that the pay off is not guaranteed. I also think when you have a certain level of intelligence and commonsense you might go your entire life putting forth 85% and that’s been more then enough to propel you to society’s definition of success.

If someone told you that they would give you a million dollars to run a 6 minute mile 3 months from now, your life would change immediately. If you seriously signed a contract and the money was put right under your nose, you would put down the large fries and start training. Per the agreement you are not allowed to quit your job, or spend any less time with your family, but you can do anything else to prepare for your six minute mile. Somehow you would make time to train. You would replace all your reading material with running information. You would have sweat suits in your car for a run before you got home and before work. You would replace all of your internet browsing bookmarks with running sites, messageboards and blogs. You would be fitness crazy. Only a fool wouldn’t give a 100%

This is the mind game that some worldclass athletes are brainwashed into when they are young. A perfect example of this is in the Spike Lee movie "He Got Game". It's about a basketball prodigy, Jesus Shuttlesworth (played by Ray Allen), and his relationship with his father, Jake Shuttlesworth (played by Denzel Washington). During the movie they show flashbacks of the basketball prodigy and his father. They are shown on the basketball court at night, doing running drills. Jake is running with a young Jesus telling him, "The only two people up right now are you and Michael Jordan, and what is Michael doing, training. ". Then he beginns to instill the guarantee of success in his child, " What are you gonna by your mama, What kind of house? ". So Jersus is brainwashed into thinking that if he gives 100% he would be the best basketball player in the US. There was no doubt, so that 100% is not hard to do.

Tiger Woods had this same advantage since he was a kid and continues to enjoy it. He can give 100% daily because he knows that he will win and become the best in the world. Players like Phil Mickelson, find it hard to give 100% working on their game because Tiger has already defeated them mentally. Why give 100% when you know you will never be better then Tiger. Phil can give 85% and still be one of the top players in the world. For fat Phil, that is good enough.


What does all this mean? The reason that we don't give 100% is fear of failure. Fear that we would give everything we possibly have, to reach a goal and not hit it. We would rather give 85% percent and fail, saying at least I tried, then to go hard for 100%.

This applies to me and my resistance to give 100% to my outside endeavors. What am I afraid of? I will try and concentrate on the reward rather then the failure. If I realize the reward as concrete then I should be able to go 100%.

Sounds good in theory but can I apply it? 85% has been good enough to make me moderately successful in the past. Am I all talk and no action?
Knowing this information has put the responsibility of my success on me not any outside excuses. Knowing this information has put the responsibility on his success on Big S.

If you are reading this, you know it’s true, and your success has now been placed in your hands and know one else’s. I have chosen to accept this responsibility because I need to be successful, by our definition of success. There is no other alternative for me. Rich or nothing.

LET’S GO!


-MJL

AGGHHHHH!

7:00 and I'm still at work. Came in at 6:00 AM because I had a conference call with China. Went to bed at 1:00 AM because I'm sending emails. My entire goal in life today was to leave at 5:30 and work on my own shzit.

I feel like running head first into a brick wall. I feel like ripping my skin off and sending my skeleton for a jog. I am literally on the phone right now while my Korean and Shanghai counterparts are babbling about issues that they can solve without me. When will the madness stop.

I'm coming to work tomorrow with one of those big ass hands that you buy at sport events, and I'm just slapping anybody that talks to me. You can't get rich this way. This right here....This...This is the number one reason I'm not rich.

What do I do? Do I get a new job? Not so easy. I need to somehow figure this out...and quick. Before someone gets hurt. I can feel my pimp hand itching to come out of retirement.

......and yes, I just typed this entire thing while on hold listening to Korean and Chinese blabber.

Seacreast Out

-MJL

Labor Day Rant

Well it's officially September, and the end of summer. The good thing about starting this blog, is the fact that it keeps a log of things I've said I need to accomplish. The bad thing about the blog is that it keeps a log of things I've said I need to accomplish.

I still haven't been able to control my professional job, or market my small business the way I need too. I am a well-spoken, somewhat charismatic guy, but can't seem to build the confidence needed to market aggressively. My hours at my day job have not decreased and I have even less control then I have ever had before of the day to day work flow.

I ask myself what is the difference between me and the guy who really drives a Gallardo? Yeah, I can say that his parents are rich, or that he was lucky, but I think you make your own luck. What is that guy doing that I'm not doing? Well I need to find the answer and do it.



As a huge TV and Film fan I watch the show "The Contender". That's a reality show with boxers who all want to be headliners, pitted against each other with elimination bouts fought after each episode. When these guys are interviewed before their fights, they all say the same things. "I'm hungry Dog", "I have to do this for my family", "I live for this", "I sacrificed everything for this". Often when they get in the ring, one guy fights like he is hungry and the other guy fights like a bitch. When you see the mentally defeated fighter in his corner between rounds, they look like they want to quit more then anything in the world. That's how I feel. I am not fighting like I want it. I am fighting like success is my birthright. Sometime I think because I work slightly harder then the next guy then success is guaranteed.


Nothing is promised in this world. Look at the beloved Crocodile Hunter. Yes, he is really dead. No one is promised tomorrow. Like a very inspirational friend of mine says, “ There are no Guarantees”. The Crocodile Hunter got stung in the heart by a Stingray. By a damn Stingray! Experts stressed that stingrays are not usually vicious and rarely attack and kill humans, unlike the range of deadly creatures Irwin had confronted in the past. There are no Guarantees.








Those who are fans of the show Entourage, know the energetic Ari Gold Character played by Emmy Award Winning Jeremy Piven. Just watching him during one of his well-scripted masterfully directed tirades leaves you exhausted. There are numerous shots where the camera is following Ari as he walks in a room or runs through crowds. You feel the energy he brings to each situation. Ari takes his work to the extreme, doing whatever it takes to get the job done. Despite his drive and determination, he still finds himself hustling to stay on top. He gets fired from his agency, and then starts his own. Each set back makes him better and more successful.


For Tracking Purposes let's look at a few summer time setbacks:

1. Transmission blown in the business truck ($2800)
2. Loss of my biggest account
3. Loss of control over my China/ Korean Program at work
4. I have not visited my family all summer

Now the summer hasn't been all doom and gloom.
A few positive notes:

Although frustrating as ever I have significantly improved my golf game. This is key in the world of business.

I have built this blog sight into a nice little income stream thanks to all of my readers.

I have managed to get my weight under the 180 mark (the six pack is right around the corner). I’m currently weighing in at 179.999 thanks to an elephant Ear at a particular State Fair.

I have created a structure for small business tracking that will allow me to run my business with increased efficiency. This should decrease operating costs by more then 10% .

I have two business plans that have proved to be a lot more promising then I thought.

Labor Day is the door to the second half of the year, and I will start fresh on Tuesday trying to work smarter, instead of reacting. Things are going well, and like previously posted I will leverage the good situations to make things great. (See archive 2006-07-09 WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING PREPARE FOR THE RAIN)
I have to remember to use all of my God given talents to create my luck. I am not that guy that gets things the easy way. Like Ari Gold, I will outpace my set backs and turn each one into a “Gold-en” opportunity.


LET'S HUG IT OUT BITCH!

-MJL