Category Archives: Professional Development

We Are What We Consume

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and thoughts.

Have you heard of the documentary, “Super Size Me?”  In it, Morgan Spurlock submits his body to eating only McDonalds for one year.  If the thought of this doesn’t make your colon quiver, it will once you lookup the documentary.  Yuck is an understatement!

Most of us wouldn’t dream of eating McDonalds every meal for one year straight, but I’d like to take a look at what we consume from a mental perspective to challenge your thinking.  Many a study are published every year with new “super foods” to add to our diet.  When we look back at making real change in our diets it usually involves: eating more fruits/vegetables, limit red meat, eat more chicken/fish, drink a lot of water, don’t over-consume alcohol, etc.  I’m sure I’m leaving something out, but you get the idea.

USDA_Food_Pyramid

Lets turn the tables now to look at what we consume from a mental and thought perspective.  How healthy is your mental diet?  Again, how HEALTHY is your mental diet?  In order to best understand our mental diet I’ve chosen to relate it to the timeless food Pyramid pictured here on the right.

When I think of my mental diet I think of the following elements I choose to consume daily:

1. Podcasts (Fruits) – I’ve got six to seven I subscribe to and listen to almost weekly.  They challenge me to think about my: finances, new strategies, marketing, and of course sports (Dan Patrick Show).   I listen to these in the car and while doing household chores.

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2. Audiobooks (Vegetables)- I’ve got about 10-15 audiobooks I listen to frequently because every time I listen, I learn or implement something new into my life.  I grabbed a snapshot of a few of them for you as well to show you I mean what I’m saying.  It’s at the bottom of this post as I’ve run out of room here.  Like my podcasts I consume these in the car, working out, or while doing household chores.

3. TV Shows (Fats/Oils/Sweets) – I do watch TV and I can’t tell you a lot of it is real solid “learning material” but that’s ok.  We can’t all be on 100% of the time.  My wife and I have a few shows we watch together (Parenthood, Modern Family, and Homeland).  It’s a great way for us to connect.

4. Books (Meat/Protein)- I found this link very interesting: The Average CEO Reads 4-5 Books Per Month.   Do the math people.  That’s over 50 books a year.  How many of you have read 50 books in your life?  There are reading lists everywhere.  Start now.

5. Relationships (Bread/Cereal/Rice/Pasta)- This is the last one on my list and most likely the most over looked consumption medium.  I know a guy who was a completely different person based on the people he was around 5-6 years ago until a friend called him out on it.  That guy was ME!  Choose who you look up to and associate with carefully.  Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”  Relationships are what we consume the most of on a daily basis and the bottom of our mental consumption pyramid.

Lastly I thought I’d share a list of all the opportunities we have on a daily basis to make ourselves better.  Look at your day and tell me you don’t do one or more of these activities: exercising, eating breakfast, during a commute, in the shower, during lunch, cooking, doing household chores, flying/travel, gardening, and brain-numbing television.  YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE!

ACTION ITEM:  Don’t try to eat the whole elephant.  What I mean is, don’t go off on an over consumption strategy.  We know from diet studies this doesn’t yield positive results.  Studies show goals are reached with the creation of really good habits.  Create a new mental consumption habit and fuel your hungry mind with challenging new practices and techniques.  With every day that passes, you’ll be laying the groundwork for a Keen Mind.

 

As promised here is a quick look at the audiobooks I mentioned above and a list for you to consume.

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Jerry Maguire, Seth Godin, and the $90 Fear

I certainly hope you’re wondering what Jerry Maguire, Seth Godin, and cash have in common with fear.  Allow me a moment to explain.

I spent a couple weeks up late at night scheming and planning.  I’d been sketching and strategizing toward the final stages of my big idea and presentation to our owners.

I’d done my research and there was undoubtedly merit to the plan.  Two core business elements would be repackaged and sold as a combined offering to our clients.  The client would benefit and so would our business.

As stated, I spent a couple weeks working through the particulars: sales, training, process, execution, client enrollment, external marketing and internal marketing.  All of these elements were combined into one well thought out plan (my opinion) ready to be put in front of our ownership the day before everyone departed for Thanksgiving.

bb360634fb28151dcbf284acb1dc71b6839d21d7b039fc17a12a3048179f6a60Imagine something along the lines of Jerry Maguire, without getting fired afterward of course.

I ventured off to Copyworks the evening before the presentation to ensure I had professionally bound materials ready for the following morning.  I was going to have eight of the documents printed in sharp color and bound for an expert touch.  To be taken seriously I was going to make serious moves!

When the booklets were completed the charming yet shy girl at the front desk asked me how I’d like to pay for the books.  I politely asked if she took American Express and replied with, “Yes, it will be $90 sir.”

WHAT?!?!  Are there gold leafs in the booklets?  How on earth could this cost $90?

I was confused, frustrated, and for some reason embarrassed.  Maybe I should’ve asked (before I was in such a hurry – typical me!) what the price was, but it was a little too late for that.  I handed her my credit card and she completed the transaction.  There were a couple of books remaining to be assembled so I grabbed a seat in a stodgy old chair by the front store window.

I starred off into the cold dreary street and I got to thinking.  Was I really upset about the $90?  I certainly shouldn’t be.  I mean, I had the $90 and I knew it was going to cost something.  I didn’t plan on bartering for the goods.  That’s when the real question hit me.

“Zac, do you think your idea is worth $90 or not?”

I had a fear of putting the concept out in the open; to our ownership nonetheless.  I was taking a chance.  The perfect idea lived in my head and on paper, but it might as well have been in a vacuum.  Certainly no one was going to benefit from a idea in a vacuum.  It had to see the light of day and breathe in the cool wintery Iowa air.

Taking time to reflect, I’m glad the books cost $90 to print and assemble.  It made me take a good hard look at the material and the confidence in my idea.  After all, it only took $90 to get my mind right!  Thousands of people waste much more than $90 trying to find confidence in the midst of fear.

As fate would have it, a couple days before I published this blog post, the email below appeared in my inbox from the remarkable Seth Godin.

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show-me-the-money

ACTION ITEM: Don’t let $90 keep you from your idea, concept, or business plan.  I promise you, It’s not the money you’re worried about.  The sooner you understand this, the closer you are to launch.

PS – When you do launch, I encourage you to scream “SHOW ME THE MONEY!”  It feels awesome.

Tom Izzo Can’t Lace ’em Up

I recently spent time reflecting about my struggle between being a high performing individual vs. the need to grow others and coach ’em up.  In hindsight, I spent the first eight years of my career focused on personal achievements and personal growth.  Now I’m entering a new chapter.

I tweeted a great article in the Harvard Business Review by Ed Batista (@edbatista) “Doing Less, Leading More.”

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Although I’m still focused on personal growth, I’m finding more and more enjoyment and necessity to grow others.  I’m the first to tell you, this is a challenge and it takes focused effort.  It was’t until a couple days ago when I was watching a Michigan State basketball game things got a little clearer.

I’m a basketball junkie and I love watching Michigan State teams as they are fierce competitors.  It is by no mistake Tom Izzo has a drill in practice aptly referred to as, “war.”  He gets the most out of his guys and every night their effort is never in question.  Oddly enough during a TV timeout, I caught a glimpse of the following image and I paused the game.

Tom+Izzo+Adreian+Payne+ubsI3vVQiBSm

Tom Izzo can’t be more than five foot seven inches short.  Conversely, Adreian Payne is about seven feet tall.  Payne is the one on the floor electrifying the crowds and making the spectacular happen with his talents.  Tom provides the blueprint, knowledge, tenacity, and competitive spirit.

Tom is coaching, Adreian is playing.  Tom provides instruction and guidance, Adreian executes.  At five foot seven, you wouldn’t want Tom to lace ’em up unless he was the last guy on your bench.  And even at seven feet tall, Adreian will likely never be half the coach of Mr. Izzo.

I realized I can continue to focus on my own efforts and probably be pretty successful.  But no one ever did anything truly great on their own.  This change will require me to put the sneakers on the shelf and be sure to get the right talent on the floor.

ACTION ITEM: I want your feedback.  What have you done to grow from a player to a successful coach?  What changes did you make?

It Pays To Be A Winner

When I hear the word “ELITE” I immediately think of the US Navy SEALs.  I have an affinity for their leadership, training, focus, and commitment to each other.  One training tool I use frequently when I get in a rut mentally is the training videos of Navy SEALs BUDS Class 234.  It really gets me going.

One episode I’ve viewed numerous times (probably more than 20) is, “It Pays To Be A Winner.”

TAKE THE TIME AND WATCH THIS

http://youtu.be/9MYAbRoIEfc

Remove the pushups, getting wet and sandy (horrible in the cold surf), lack of sleep, and what do you have?

Focus.

Attention to detail.

Elite mental capacity.

If all you see is the rigorous physical nature of their process you’re missing a great deal of intelligence.  These elite warriors are training their minds.  The intense physicality of their training is a byproduct of consistent mental conditioning.  They learn the valuable lesson of getting comfortable in the uncomfortable.

This is much easier said than done in our civilian tribe, but it doesn’t mean we can’t apply the principles.  Former SEALs lead extremely successful careers by applying the teachings less than 1% of enrolled US service members will ever receive.

Apparently I’m not the only one interested in the teachings of the US Navy SEALs and Class 234 either.  I learned reading Hank Haney’s book, “The Big Miss” about the legendary Tiger Woods’ affinity for the SEALs and their mental acuity.

He routinely watched videos of Class 234.  He was even rumored to be training with SEAL teams but I’ll let your read about that. Now is Tiger the role model we strive to be?  Absolutely not.  But, when you think of the short list of athletes in complete ownership of the “mental game” Tiger Woods is on your list.  He knows, “It pays to be a winner!”

Tiger loves these teachings and I believe our tribe will as well.  If you’re driven by this video I invite you to view the others in the series and by all means share!

ACTION ITEM: Find an uncomfortable situation in the next week and insert yourself into the heart of it.  If you’re afraid, understand its ok.  Recognize the fear and channel it.  “Use it as aggression,” as the SEALs say!

 

Here is a link to purchase Hank Haney’s book, The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods