If Unsure, Connect

Last year, I labeled the Coronavirus pandemic, “The Great Accelerator” for the immediate changes expedited within our lives, businesses, travel, education and all things day to day life. Change which seemingly felt on the five year horizon, was brought to our doorstep in light speed. In turn, behaviors changed over night.

The pandemic also brought with it a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Our health. Our financial futures. Our careers. What would be left when it ended?

I promise you large amounts of uncertainty are alive and well within many individuals. Fear hangs around long enough and it starts to feel normal. This isn’t right.

What I’d like to tell all the readers is fear lives in everyone. Uncertainty, lives in everyone. Sure, some are better at hiding it than others…but it’s there.

I’ll also tell you I’ve personally become very comfortable with the idea that NO ONE has it all figured out. No one is operating a master playbook whereas every page plays out like the acts of a master play.

So what does one do with lingering or consistent uncertainty?
Connect.

Resist the urge of pushing away, into isolation where 2020 led us…and pull instead.

Let your uncertainties, or fears or anxieties hit oxygen via the most basic of human needs. Communication. The rest will melt away. I could use this advice probably more than most.

I know whenever I’m stuck with a problem, or I’m anxious about uncertainty, the ONLY thing that really brings me out of it is the connecting through others.

I’m very hopeful to say we’re nearing the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. What we’re just getting started with…is the all important restart. Think about rebooting your computer. It’s not a singular button and seconds later things are refreshed anew.

No. It takes a reset and time. It takes a reboot and the machine needs to recalibrate for a fresh start. I think we’re in the year of recalibration. We all heard “the new normal” enough in 2020 to throw up. At least I did. But some of the newly found normalcy of it all stuck.

As we move deeper into this recalibration, start with human to human connection. This is a wonderful example where “more for the sake of more” is TRULY, a good thing!

Connection. We’ve all been missing it in a MAJOR way.

State Your Intentions

I believe this is one of the most powerful pieces of advice I can give anyone on tribe following this content.

STATE. YOUR. INTENTIONS.

I’ve been fortunate enough to follow some really solid advice in my life, and for the most part I can’t really tell you where it came from. I can only tell you what it’s given back to me…which is everything.

  • When I was 21 interning at a job (unpaid as an intern) I stated my goal (and wrote it down) to be the youngest Account Executive the company had seen to date. Less than two years later it happened. It was just before I turned 24. A year or two later I was managing the largest piece of business we had. 
  • Just prior to 30, I stated the need to expand our company’s offering at the time and the need to acquire talent in the digital field. I wrote that message to an old friend on 2/27/2012. I still have the email saved. Less than a year later, the acquisition of this company was complete and we were off and running with an entirely new product line. Looking back, this was one of the most fun times of my career. ~Cheers TargetClick.  
  • After the previous accomplishment, I felt the burning desire to own something. My eyes were opened.I wasn’t going to continue on working my tail off for only what was left over. I needed to be on the other side of the deal. I needed a seat at the table and began my search. It was mid 2014. In 2015 I made the transition and after putting in a year of solid growth, my intentions were rewarded. I owned a piece…and a piece is more than zero. As luck would have it, almost a year after this, we sold our business to a much larger firm in the space. Something I couldn’t have imagined only a few years prior. Until I stated my intentions to OWN. 
  • My newest intentional ask revolved around relationships and the real estate space. I’d been devouring books, audio, and lessons on real estate ownership but I had one big problem…I still didn’t own or operate anything. So, what did I do? I called my banker. Stated what I was looking to do, and ask that they connect me with another customer of the bank, one who was already operating in the space. Preferably someone my age. Fast-forward to today, we own and invest in multiple pieces of real estate with a few more deals in the works. Each producing monthly cashflow. Reading another book wasn’t going to get me across this threshold.  

In each of these examples, I stated my intentions clearly, and was committed to their outcomes. This is vitally important. I was committed to their outcomes and was prepared to take LARGE action. 

Here’s what won’t work.

  1. Who you tell matters. “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”~Buddha. Try telling a bum on the street your intentions to become wealthy…can he help you? Not likely. Who you tell matters what resources will present themselves. My advice, tell someone who has what you want, or is doing what you’re doing! 
  2. Lack of Commitment. Running around flapping your gums about what you want to do is wasteful if you aren’t 100% committed. These people are a blow hard. Big hat, no cattle. People do pay attention and they’ll know it’s fake. To note each of the examples above, I was ALL IN on bursting through the door once the opportunity presented itself. No going back. State intent, find guidance, and act! 

I continue to use and coach this strategy today as I go about mapping out the journey that is life. 

ACTION ITEM: You have to get insanely intentional about your life. Know exactly what you want. For you. Not anyone else. You don’t have to know exactly where to find it. In my experience, the world has a funny way of presenting itself once you know what it is you want and are committed to the pursuit!

The Time is NOW for a Personal Scorecard

How did a visit to one of the nation’s largest owners of Verizon retail stores and their annual summit change my perspective on New Year’s Resolutions?

About two years ago, right around the time millions of people were mulling over “New Year’s Resolutions” I was drafting the first version of my personal scorecard.

Put simply, “resolutions” are shit!

New Year’s Resolutions are complete waste of time and energy. A faint promise made on Dec. 31st (potentially alcohol induced) is NOT a roadmap to having what you’re hoping to be, THE BEST YEAR EVER!!!!! You know…like the same BS spewed the year prior!

Furthermore, most resolutions lack the level of detail needed to truly follow through to make any real progress. Empty promise = Empty result. Well spoken resolutions drift away or fall forgotten like the fun and hangover had on New Year’s Day.

Resolution Examples:

  • Lose “some” weight (how much?)
  • Get in Shape (what does that mean?)
  • Save X,XXX $$$ (Ok, for what?)
  • Read more (How much is “more” anyway?)
  • blah blah blah. The list goes on.

Lastly, as if I needed to hammer home my point any deeper, resolutions are really ALL OR NOTHING propositions. You know how human beings do with ALL OR NOTHING? I’ll tell you. Nearly 100% of the time, “nothing” wins out, because that’s what happens when you deal in absolutes. One slip up and the resolution is broken like one of the Ten Commandments and shame quickly ensues. Momentum = LOST

So what is the alternative?

The answer instead, is what I learned from starring at a piece of poster board at a Verizon summit. A Scorecard. Many of the most successful businesses I’ve ever encountered operate with a keen sense of measuring what really matters and it’s made visual to the point of elementary understanding. The scorecard also serves as a decision-making tool for energy investment.

What is essential?

Below is a snapshot of my personal scorecard. Recently updated for March 2021. I’m obviously biased, but there is beauty in the simplicity.

The four categories listed in my monthly scorecard are my vitality boosters. They are the essential activities I control, which largely impact my overall well-being and positive contribution to those around me.

  1. Meditation – I have a very active mind. When I mediate, my day is more fluid and my thoughts more organized. I can think deeper. I’m calmer. I sleep better. I’m happier, sharper and more witty. I’m a better Dad and husband. What started as 15x month, I’ve now increased to 18x.
  2. Exercise – Many things can be considered exercise and I’ve really thought recently about fine tuning this definition. My definition is I’ve got to get my heart rate up 150+ into a target zone for 20+ mins. I could move 20,000 steps in a day…and I may count that if I’m feeling like I earned it. Mowing the lawn, doesn’t count. Exercise calms my mind and usually generates ideas I can act upon.
  3. Church – I’m a healthier person when I make time for this activity plain and simple. I don’t know how you measure compassion, but mine would be undoubtably higher after attending church (even virtually). My generosity also peaks after church. I feel a sense of relief and release when I’m done in the best of ways. I can’t say I’ve ever been the most religious person, but I do feel the spirituality of a service if that makes any sense at all.
  4. Education – Consistently consuming new perspectives, new stories, and new ideas is good for the mind. I’ll never stop consuming books as I still love turning pages and making notations in the margins. Call me old fashioned I guess. The audiobook piece is just too easy nowadays as well. Audio can fit into so many aspects of our daily lives. I’ve thought about increasing this one but I do offset a good amount of listening with a variety of podcasts.

As a means to help you the reader take action, I’ve included a link to my scorecard (if it helps you get started). CREATE ONE!! It doesn’t have to be perfect and know it can be fine tuned over time.

SCORECARD LINK – – – > https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HXlvYmZK919m4oNlOV1Yay0dq1Ixkg-r/view?usp=sharing

Lastly, there are two reasons I created a scorecard.

Accountability. Momentum.

The first is very easy to figure out. The second is what I consider one of the biggest keys in life. Finding, generating and harnessing momentum. Conversely, as previously stated, a resolution is all or nothing and largely lives off fear. Don’t mess up, or this year is shot. Blown up. Gone!

With a scorecard you can have a bad day, week, or even month. But the following month always allows for a reset and a kick in the ass to restart momentum.

Here is my December. 2020 was a Looooooong year…and I was over it.

January 2021 I came out refocused and swinging! Momentum…re-established.

Find activities, or actions which are additive to your vitality. It goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway. They have to be YOUR THINGS!! Not mine. It won’t work otherwise as you’ll be faking it.

If I Want to Be ______________

I started using this open-ended statement a few years back as I pondered what progress in my life looked like and where I wanted to go. Knowing there is much in life that is undoubtably out of our control, I looked to better understand and therefore control the focus of my efforts.

If I knew what I wanted, how could I get a roadmap to get there? Who would know and who walked a similar path?

What followed was a pretty simple exercise of fill in the blank.

If I want to be _____________ ,

Then I must do, what _____________ people do.

Choose MUST DO > Want to.

If I want to be ____________,

  • Healthy
  • More Christian
  • Physically Fit
  • Wealthy
  • Great Parent
  • An Owner of Multiple Businesses
  • Well Read
  • Less Anxious
  • More Flexible
  • Real Estate Owner
  • Financially Free
  • Well Traveled

Then I must do what _____________, people do.

By refocusing my efforts toward a more well-defined target, mentors and examples became abundant. I found there’s nearly a 100% chance, where I want to go…someone asked a similar question and walked a similar (if not the same) path.

Does this make achieving a goal any easier?

Not sure. If you believe information is hard to come by, then yes, this would be a step in the right direction of making the process easier.

That said, we almost all have access to the same information in the palm of our hand. So action is undoubtably the winner here. MUST DO > Want to.

Now the hard part. The mentors I’ve found didn’t happen upon their skills and they didn’t luck into their existence. It was earned.

Once you define, don’t forget to ask, “How did you do that?”

Here’s to defining and earning!

ISO: Energy Builders

Tell me you’ve been there…I know I have.

You get to the end of the day, and you’re wiped out. Just. Plain. Tired. Your brain might as well be mush. Why am I soooooo drained?

You may even be a touch irritable and you can’t exactly pinpoint why? Why do I feel this way? What did I do today to feel this way?

I’ll challenge you to think about the question of feeling…with a twist. Gain perspective into WHO time is spent with vs. exclusively WHAT you’re spending your time on.

Recently, I was listening to Jim Collins, a guest on the Tim Ferriss Show (episode 361). Jim Collins, author of Good to Great, Great by Choice, and Built to Last, keeps a daily +/- spreadsheet log based on how he feels from that day’s efforts. Personally I find this very interesting as I’m always trying to tune into just how I feel about a meeting, situation or encounter.

Back to Collins and his spreadsheet.

Jim’s daily scoring goes as follows [-2, -1, 0, +1, +2]. A score of +2 is a great day, +1 is a good day, 0 is a ‘meh’ day, -1 is a net negative day, -2 is a bad day. He then sorts his spreadsheet, looking over long periods of time, does more of the things that cause a +2 day and fewer of the things that cause a -2 day.

He pays attention to those things that give him energy and positivity.

This is where I offer the reader a plot twist. Jim pays deep attention into where he spends his time. My parlay to that bet isn’t inclusive to only WHAT time is spent doing, but looking to the additive (or subtractive) nature of with whom?

Everybody knows an energy suck!

Energy sucks are largely unavoidable and come in different forms. If possible, the goal is to avoid these people at all cost like a root canal. No one goes looking for a root canal nor do they enjoy the hours in the chair.

  • The Ego Monster – These energy sucks take, take, take, because they are the black hole to conversation. Everything in the end, is swallowed up by them and is about them. I’ll add “toppers” to this group as well. You did something? They inevitably did it BIGGER and BETTER. Heck, might as well throw the “assholes” in here too!
  • Negative Nancy – Name says it all doesn’t it. The perfect cloud for any sunny day. Run forrest run from negative Nancy. She has a sister as well. Saturday Night Live did a skit for her titled, “Debbie Downer”
  • No-Mo-Joe – This person is low energy. Low drive. Low ambition. Hang around them and I’m certain you’ll feel sleepy too. Don’t worry too much about what can be done better, the world happens entirely to No-Mo-Joe and there isn’t much to be done about it.
  • The Stressor – This unique group is habitually worried about worrying. Although they may seem like a Negative Nancy on the surface, they really are just anxious about being anxious. Careful as this could rub off on you. I can’t think of a long list of people satisfied with being more anxious.

This is when I like to take a step back and think of a few of the most EPIC energy sucks I know. We all have them. I smile ear-to-ear thinking about how little time I spend with them anymore.

Now, the inevitable question must be asked. Zac, “What if I can’t avoid the energy suck in my day? I work with them. Or better yet, they’re family!!!” The answer is simple. Limit interaction. Be brief. Get what you need and don’t be sucked in. Your energy level will hate you for it. As tough as it sounds, it’s the right thing to do.

Be on a mission to add energy to your day.

I’m personally much more in tune to how my day is scheduled and WHO it is scheduled with. If I know I’m going to run into a couple back-to-back energy sucks, I’ve got to plan a rebound call or chat with an energy builder. It’s as simple as more (+), and less (-) every day. I won’t be perfect, but if you read anything I put out, I’m very bullish on momentum. Momentum builds up and tears down. Be a builder.

Who are energy builders?

  • Energy builders bring a smile to your face just by hearing their voice
  • Energy builders add value and stimulate deeper conversation with you
  • Energy builders talk about ideas and progress, not people
  • Energy builders challenge you to think bigger, take more action and live bolder lives
  • Energy builders ask thoughtful questions and engage you by listening to what you really have to say.

I’m incredibly fortunate to have a ton of energy builders I can connect with. Some are family. Many are close friends. Some are clients past and present. Each has their own recipe to build me back up and getting me moving toward progress again.

As I close on this topic, pay close attention not only to how you’re spending your time, but WHO you’re investing that time with.

For those looking for the final plot twist here it is. As you complete reading this post, be on the lookout for energy sucks. Also, it needs to be abundantly clear. Whose list are you or I on?

Am I an energy suck???

Or am I an energy builder!?!


2020: Don’t Leave it ALL Behind

WORST. YEAR. EVER!!

I know what you’re thinking. That’s what many will say of the year 2020. I’ll spare you all the reasons why, as there are many and I believe at this point of the year we’ve been inundated with their storylines. Like most, I could easily crumple up the notes of 2020 and throw it in the trash can. Light it on fire, and (you know what) on the ashes! “On to the Next One,” Jay Z would say.

This year brought a confluence of challenges: financially, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. All aspects of what was once day-to-day, were upended in relative immediacy on March 16th, 2020.

Let us not forget what 2020 came to bear.

In the toughest of times, I believe the mirror paints the most vivid of pictures in reflection if you choose to see it. Let us move forward, but with a keen eye to the teachings of this past year. Was this year really “the worst,” or was it the weakest link in a chain of decisions?

Also, before we move forward into a new year, let us consider this. What if…what if, all things aren’t immediately “better” in 2021. What then? Have you thought about that? Do you or I have the perseverance and perspective to continue on and march through this?

The second World War lasted four years from 1941-1945. This troubling and uncertain time produced what would be labeled the greatest generation. This generation was molded by the hands of growing up in the roaring 20’s, living through the crash and Great Depression, storming the beaches of Normandy and securing victory in WWII. This generation set our country up for what would become the greatest nation the world had ever seen. And boy did this generation have perspective!

We’re not even a year into this pandemic. Could we last four years?

The sermon I was listening to at (virtual) Orchard Hill Church this morning LINK HERE was delivered by Alice and was about “pondering” where we’ve been, what we’ve learned, and how can we carry that forward into a “better” next year. We must look back. We must acknowledge the cause, and not merely the symptom of what got us to where we are, and bring solutions forward.

Here’s what I’m bringing with me:

  • Financially – Tighten the belt loop. When hard times hit, companies reduce expenses to return to profitability. That isn’t really very interesting. What is however, is thinking back to 2008. When expenses are reduced due to contraction, they don’t come back anywhere near where they once were pre-recession. Profits follow and the business rebounds. Look at yourself like a business. You are a business! My family is a business and we operate it with ample margin. Don’t go running back to unnecessary or unfounded expense. If you haven’t noticed, society really doesn’t care what you drive or wear in a pandemic. How significant has that been for you the last nine months? Life also hasn’t ended the last nine months without Netflix. Financial Smarts > Scrooge McDuck.
  • Debt – Overwhelming debt is crippling. Be conservative in your estimates and ensure you’ve got runway for things just like what we’re experiencing. Here’s a rule I live by. If you can’t pay for it twice, you can’t pay for it. This offers a tremendous blanket of protection and freedom in crisis.
  • Time Commitments – For a moment there back in March, April and May it seemed as though everything came to a screeching halt…and maybe that was a good thing. All of a sudden weeks weren’t filled with 20 commitments in a schedule which would allow only 10. I’m not coaching you to keep your kids out of soccer or basketball. Yet a more discerning eye to commitment is possible as we look forward. What brings you joy? Spend your time there!
  • Health – I’m yet to reach 40, and I’m confident in saying some day I’d sure like to see 80 and grandkids. Furthermore, I don’t think we’ve seen the last virus to rock us in my lifetime. That said, I hope to be prepared for when it comes. Doing so means following my scorecard I mentioned early in 2020. Exercise. Meditation. Church. Growing my Perspective. Move. Meditate. Read.
  • GRIT – Not so shockingly, I was moved to write a post about GRIT in 2020. I was speaking with my six year old son about the challenge of moving into and through hard things. Boy was this year filled with “hard things” to ponder. I felt like every week I was getting punched in the stomach. Although I had many sleepless nights, I will look back and say…hard, undoubtably HARD… but, not impossible. The Only Way Out is Through < – – a worthwhile read here.

I miss Travel. I miss my friends and gatherings. I miss a night on the town in a crowded restaurant and the energy of humanity.

But it will come back.

In closing out the year 2020, I ask for you to look at your keyboard. Look down at ALL the keys. Now avert your eyes to the far right side of the keyboard.

What I’m choosing to do on 2020 is press RETURN, not DELETE. Begin writing the next chapter. A chapter connected to the entire story.

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR 😉

GRIT

I’ve been thinking a good deal about what perspectives this pandemic can offer? What am I actively learning from what’s happening? 

I was speaking with a physician last week and he used the word, “grit” to describe a behavior to pay attention to during COVID. It hit me like a blindside block and I’m not too certain I heard most of the rest of what he said as I thought it was so profound. 

COVID is testing our: health, children, jobs, relationships, patience, finances, and the list goes on and on…

COVID is testing our resolve. COVID is our generation’s GRIT test…if you can choose to see it that way. 

If you choose to see it, you can see this very resolve showing itself all over in wide arranging scenarios.

For example, yesterday was Halloween. Today, the internet was ON FIRE with photos and videos of people committed to continuing the tradition of Halloween with unique and creative solutions to deliver “the prize” (Candy) to our kids who were seeking some normalcy in the midst of a pandemic.

  • I saw people who fashioned tubes/chutes/gutters used to send candy toward their onlookers with a little help from gravity 
  • I saw a medieval style catapult constructed to launch candy to awaiting trick-or-treaters with bags held wide open
  • I saw row of bags attached to a fence with clothes pins holding individual treats to be taken one-by-one by ghosts and ghouls 

ALL of this, is GRIT. 

Resolve to not let a pandemic get the best of us.  Creatively focused to “embrace the suck” as the Navy Seals say, and find a way.  Schools have done it. Businesses, hospitals, restaurants, professional sports are all finding creative ways evolve. 

I find stoicism healthy here. The stoics would teach us to observe reality as it is, and not as we want it to be. But then move. Move forward. 

Floods will rob us of one thing, fire of another. These are conditions of our existence which we cannot change. What we can do is adopt a noble spirit, such a spirit as befits a good person, so that we may bear up bravely under all that fortune sends us and bring our wills into tune with nature’s.
– Seneca, Letters from a Stoic 

The pandemic has certainly thrown all of us off what was once considered our  “normal” day-to-day modus operandi. It’s also showing us where our resolve is. 

I’m a self confessed optimist. I DO believe there is a way through and it very likely won’t be easy. Not in the least. That said, the way forward lives with the people and their ingenuity. I certainly believe in that.  

Instead of looking for ease of passage.  Lean into grit. 

Where is your grit today? 

See the Silver Lining

These are without a doubt challenging, uncertain times. That said, with every challenge comes opportunity and this is no different.

I challenge you to see the Silver Lining in this pandemic. How can you best use this time to come out better on the other side?

ACTION ITEM: Take this opportunity to look inward. See the angles for improvement and embrace the challenge.

It Feels Good to Smile

Kobe. His Daughter Gianna. 

It was all too tragic on Sunday. A legend, his daughter and 7 others lost too soon. We’ve all seen the news. It’s unavoidable.

I grew up in the MJ era, so it wasn’t like Kobe was “my guy,” but yet I was upset. I was watching the PGA tour event at Torrey Pines when I saw the news on my phone.

My wife asked, “how do you feel?” 

“Heartbroken,” I said. But not entirely sure why. Why do I feel this way?

“It’s ok to cry,” she said. “You do know you can cry. Let it out.” 

Why was I upset? I got to thinking:

  • A legend, a basketball icon lost too soon. A man I hoped to see in old age. Similar to how I see Bill Russell today. 
  • Be was 41. I’m soon to be 38
  • He has kids and a young daughter almost the same age as my daughter. 
  • Leaves behind a wife (Vanessa)
  • He’ll never get to deliver the hall of fame speech he deserved 
  • Jerry West was beside himself. I have tremendous respect for Jerry. “The Logo” of the NBA and fierce competitor felt deep sorrow in the loss of his friend and Laker comrade. I think he saw himself in Kobe
  • And on and on… 

Yesterday (Monday), I was just somber. I just felt sad for the entire situation.

The thought I struggled with most and continue to, is the thought of that helicopter going down, and what do you say or prepare your daughter for….sitting along side you in those last fatal moments. That WRECKED me. 

As a parent I’m fine going out on my own. No one ever wants to go too soon. But with your child, your protege, at your side…that hurts. 

Monday moved on into Monday night and that’s where I found a smile. 

I was watching the Wisconsin vs Iowa basketball game and saw a post that ESPN would be reairing Kobe’s final game. His 60 point night of artistry that would complete his NBA career tapestry. 

Immediately I changed channels only to watch him start 0-5. That was painful. I knew the damn script and I was struggling through it.  C’mon Kobe, put the ball in the bucket.

Then a shot dropped. Then a layup. Then another. He was finding his legs. Three straight.

I’ve said this many times, but basketball was my first love. Now I’ll never know what it was like to be in the stratosphere with Kobe, but I could score and I knew what it felt like to get H-O-T.  Bucket. Bucket. Buckets!!

I was drawn in with the broadcast. 

I found myself rooting for an ending in a script that was already written.  Like cheering for Andy Dufresne to escape Shawshank. We know the ending.

I appreciated him. His work. His drive. His final chapter.

When he had 45, and was going for 50 I was drawn in. When he hit 53, I was sitting on the floor but up on my haunches…leaning in. Asking for 60!

He had that look in his eyes.

He hit 60, and I smiled. 

Ear to ear, I smiled. 

I smiled and I felt a little peace. That’s what he was put on this earth to do, and for a moment I forgot the tragedy, and remembered, even participated in his greatness. 

I put my kids to bed last night and knew that next day I’d be heading out of town for a quick business trip. Not irregular in the least, but it felt oh so different this time. 

I’d be lying to you if these events didn’t make me pause. Slow down. Appreciate.

I looked at my kids differently on Monday night, and today as they headed out the door. Different in a more clear way. Different in a more appreciative and thankful way.

I hate that these events do that, but it’s true and I won’t hide from it. 

This tragedy brings into perspective the reminder we hate to hear. Life is short, and it must be cherished.

Don’t forget to smile! No matter where it comes from.

Rest in peace Kobe & Gianna.