The Man Box.

Thought I should share this.

The “I’m Me” Theory

“Boy, I've got vision and the rest of the world is wearing bi-focals.” ― Butch Cassidy

All my life I’ve seen things differently. Where others see adversity I see opportunity. Where others see problems I see profit. And while this has led me to many successes, it has also led to many problems. Historically, when these “opportunities” arise and I share my ideas with those around me inevitable I am met with the same questions. “Hasn’t that already been tried?” “If that idea is so great why hasn’t anyone else thought of it?” and my favorite “If all of those other people have tried to do that and failed what makes you different?” Sometimes I answer these questions with a reply reminiscent of Condoleeza Rice’s testimony before congress. The reason being, that people don’t like it when I answer with the 3 word response that I prefer. “Because I’m Me.”

I realize how arrogant that sounds however, that is not my intention at all. I believe I am simply stating the facts. And if anyone questions your goals I would suggest that you do the same. Just because they don’t see what you see does not mean it’s not there. It means that they don’t have your eyes. Don’t let anyone project their fear of failure onto you. The reason you can do what you do is because you’re you.

If you are a better business person than most, claim it. And when people ask you why you started a business in “this economy”, you tell them “Because I can.” Everyone is capable of building castles in the sky, but only a few can build the foundations to support them.

Hustle Harder,

HNC III

Math for Hustlers

Did > Will

Have > Want

Simple expressions that are meaningful for those of us in the business of making things happen. Part of being audacious is having grand plans and ideas by the dozen. Very often we get caught up in the dreaming and the doing suffers. Wheels spin but there is no forward motion.

It may be that we are afraid of doing the wrong thing, so we err on the side of caution and do nothing. Perhaps we need additional resources (money, information, people, equipment) in order to execute exactly as we’ve imagined. Sometimes pride keeps us from asking for help to progress to the next level.

Do what you think is the right thing. DO IT. Stop thinking about what might happen if you do or don’t and just take action. Even if you do the wrong thing, some action will be taken. I am confident that another action will follow. And from that series, maybe a process will develop. Refine that process and make it your plan. All those steps, right or wrong, will move you from the place where you currently sit - thinking about what you will do.

Doing things will help you have things rather than want them. Would you rather want a successful business or have a successful business?

Make sure you’re on the hustling side of the expression.

Motivation anyone?

Part of the attraction of being a hustler is the self-determination aspect. You make your own schedule, determine your own priorities, choose your clients & co-workers, take power naps, eat cereal for lunch and pizza for breakfast – what could be better?!

As you go from meeting to meeting to meeting, on phone calls in between tweets there is an air of excitement, generated by the sheer energy that you radiate as you move ever more quickly toward success. As you check tasks off your to do list and set new goals to replace those accomplished it’s easy to get caught up in the rush and neglect the fundamentals. Let’s face it, there’s not too much fun involved. Nobody admires your brilliance for buying office supplies or paying taxes nor posts on Facebook about negotiating a good price with a vendor. Those things, and many others, have to be done in order to continue with the happiness of hustling though.

So how to stay motivated to complete the mundane? A few tips that help me:

1. Just like yawning, motivation is contagious. So spend some time with motivated/motivating people. It’s great to do so in real time but a virtual crew can be helpful too. Twitter is great for this as you can get to it on your phone, carry motivation in your pocket/purse. A few motivators that I follow: @Brotherjesse, @MrCrawford, @crayyy3, @sweetlocs

2. If you know you’re a morning person, schedule your most mundane/least inspiring work for morning so you’ll have the maximum amount of energy to devote to the tasks. Reverse if you’re a night owl.

3. Move around; sitting in one place breeds stagnation. Think about it - water that constantly flows is life giving. Stagnant water can kill you.

4. Work on your resume; consider interviewing for a job that you know you don’t want…and getting it! Now imagine having to be there every day, going to meetings, dealing with co-workers you didn’t choose…If that doesn’t motivate a hustler then I don’t know what will!

Keep hustling!

Help for Haiti

In the midst of our daily back and forth on the road to success, please take a moment today to offer a prayer, a kind thought, a moment of silent acknowledment for the people of Haiti.

Our hearts go out to our Haitian brothers and sisters in the wake of the tragic earthquakes and aftershocks that they have suffered. Please do what you can to be of service in their time of need.

Let the links below be your guide:

Donate through Wyclef Jean's foundation, Yele Haiti. Text "Yele" to 501501 and $5 will be charged to your phone bill and given to relief projects through the organization.

The American Red Cross is pledging an initial $200,000 to assist communities impacted by this earthquake. They expect to provide immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. They are accepting donations through their International Response Fund.

Text Haiti to 90999 to donate $10 to the Red Cross

UNICEF has issued a statement that "Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them." UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund. You can also call 1-800-4UNICEF.

UPDATE

Seeking more information about family in Haiti?
You can call 1-888-407-4747 to try and locate friends and family.

The World's Most Profitable Investment

I got this in my Dave Lavinsky email newsletter the other day, thought I should share.

What would you do if I handed you an investment opportunity
for 2010 that was guaranteed to have a massive return?

Would you jump on it?

How about if I gave you proof that this investment
opportunity yielded significant returns last year, and the
year before that, and the year before that.....

Are you interested now?

Have you guessed what this investment opportunity is yet?

No, it's not gold, or stocks, or real estate.

So what is this investment?

It is investing in you.

More specifically, it is investing in improving your
skills, so that your brain becomes a bigger and bigger
asset. An asset that can generate more and more revenues and
profits well into the future.

I want you to think for a second. What one skill set, if
you became great at it, would revolutionize your success? If
you were amazing at closing sales, would it help? If you
became a phenomenal communicator? Or if you gained
world-class internet marketing skills? Would these skills
allow you to realize more success?

Every one of us can become much more successful if we
improve our skills.

But for most, we don't do anything about it. Did you know
that the average American spends $7.58 per day on fast food
and coffee? Imagine that money was spent by those
individuals to improve their skills.

Actually, there are those among us who constantly invest in
improving their skills. And they're very easy to spot. They
are the ones who have started, run and/or manage the fastest
growing and best run companies.

Yes, successful people realize that the best investment
they can make is the investment in themselves. It's the one
investment that gives back year after year after year.

Don't have time to take a class or read a book? Well, then
you can burn CDs to listen to in your car or on your MP3
player.

Did you know that in 2009 I listened to over 100 expert
interviews, business book summaries and tutorials, just
while driving to and from work?

How much more valuable have I become. How much more revenue
will this learning equate to in 2010? Only time will tell,
but I can guarantee you that I will reap a tremendous ROI on
this education.

I hope that 2010 will be your year to really improve your
skills and maximize your success. It is a sacrifice. But a
sacrifice well worth taking.

To Your Success!

Dave Lavinsky
Growthink
Growthink University

davel@growthink.com
Follow Me at http://twitter.com/davelavinsky

Someone to share my pretzels with

The other day as my wife and I loaded our three kids in the car, my 2 year old stopped in the middle of getting into her car seat to hand her big sister a pretzel. This was quite frustrating to my wife who had to stand outside in the cold until my daughter got in her seat. After we got in the car my wife commented about how our oldest daughter who is now 6 used to get in the car and put on her seat belt without hesitation when she was 2. "That's because she didn't have anyone to share her pretzels with" I replied. As I drove home I thought about some of the parallels between being an only child and hustling alone.

As an only child you have to play alone, most of your entertainment depends on how good your imagination is. You have to think of creative ways to play games that traditionally require 2 people. (Instead of playing catch you bounce a ball off a wall etc...) You also don't have anyone to ask for advice. (What's the best way to get cookies out of the kitchen after being told to go to bed etc...)

Well I think the same thing applies to your hustle. If you hustle alone you don't have anyone to help keep you motivated when things get rough. Nor will you have anyone to offer ideas, insight and advice that you may have never thought of. In short don't hustle alone. As the saying goes "Friends multiply joys and divide griefs." Good company IN your hustle will keep you ON your hustle.

Keep Hustlin'