Archive for Personal Development
Coolness :)
Posted by: | Comments(I don’t care if this is bragging but this was just too cool not to share ^^)
It’s awesome the connections I get to create as part of what I do, which includes impacting lives, inspiring folks, and adding value to people through my teachings and the leadership I provide for those who choose to follow. ?And I am able to do this through the teachings OTHER great leaders and mentors have provided for me and the aid I have gotten from the amazing influential people I have and had in my life (cheers!)
Ultimately, it’s about leaving behind a legacy and making a difference in the world… making sure the influence I have extends beyond myself and the lives I’ve improved extends beyond just that of my own.
As a result I get some really kind words from folks and am humbled by them all. ?Now and then, one really stands out, like the one below from Leslie Gray.
Posted on my Facebook wall today:
And just think… I didn’t even have to bribe her!
Thanks Leslie 
Focus Focus Focus
Posted by: | CommentsHey folks,
Welcome to 2011 – booya!
While I don’t necessarily believe in making new year resolutions (I am more of a believer of resolving to become better every day, why wait for the turn of a year to resolve to be better?), coming into 2011 I did make a “resolution” of sort if you will. But it had nothing really to do with the new year, it was a build up of events that’s happened the past couple of years and it’s just coincidence that well… it’s also the turn of a new year
So here it is: let me decree that 2011 shall be a year that I stop getting distracted by “cool and potentially highly profitable” projects that come at me from each and every angle.
The past few years, and especially the last year, I’ve heard a lot of:
“Hey Ray, let’s partner up and work on this venture, it’s going to sick!“
“Yo Ray, we need a SEO guy to pull this off, why don’t you and Fernando join us on this project and we do 50/50?“
“I like you Ray. Let’s work together.“
I remember a couple of years ago while talking to one of our favorite mentors, Mike Dillard, he advised me that as our business grows, as we gain more and more traction and exposure, many potential opportunities and partnership will pop up. The challenging part becomes learning to turn them down, no matter how tempting they might be and how “promising” they might appear. Why? Because if you take up every single opportunity that comes your way, you’ll never be able to focus on any of them and bring them to fruition.
Wise words Mike.
I did find myself distracted quite a bit this past year, seizing opportunities left and right as they come at me – and boy did they come at me from every-which angle. At first it was all so exciting – thinking about all the opportunities and potential.
But soon, it became hellish – trying to juggle way too many projects, unable to focus on any, and being spread too thin. It was like becoming the jack of all trades and master of none.
And I’ll say this, MASTERS make the money, MASTERS succeed at the ultimate level. Jack of all trades end up just being “really really busy”.
Now don’t get me wrong, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t be open to new possibilities and opportunities, rather it’s to say that if you already bought into an opportunity, make the very most out of it – MASTER it. Stop getting distracted. Stop trying too many things and spreading yourself too thin.
And yes, even if this means at times saying “no” to million dollar deals… because what you have going on, assuming it is something you truly believe and have faith in, will grow into a billion dollar deal – but only if you fully commit to it and dedicate yourself to it.
This is the year I become laser-focused on what I have going on in my business.? This is the year I stop getting distracted and start saying “no” to other opportunities and instead, make what I have going on the ultimate best.
To 2011 and to much success!
P.S. This doesn’t mean I am closed off, I still love to have conversations with other high-caliber folks (maybe even you) and who knows, maybe there is a way we can still work together without me taking my eyes off the prize and losing focus. Talk soon
Self Reflection as We Wrap Up 2010
Posted by: | CommentsHey hey,
Hmm, as we get to the end of yet another year, it’s always good to do a bit of introspection.
You look at how you (hopefully) have transformed into someone (also hopefully) better than you were a year ago. Acknowledge EVERYTHING that’s happened this year, whether they were things that made you laugh, made you cry, took you down, picked you up, elevated you, hurt you, made you look good or bad, ALL of it for it is that entirety that got you to where you are now… and made the year what it was.
Looking at the past year (and specifically the past few months) I made a key discovery I’d like to share with you.
Screw Social Norms & Expectations – Rise Above It
It is our nature, as social animals, to well… abide by “social norms”, to do what others do and to THINK what others think. This helps structure a cohesive society and serves its purpose…
The problem is, too many of us stick to this far too stringently, not allowing ourselves the freedom to stray from the pack once in a while, not allowing us to BE whom we were destined to be and instead… we end up BEING just another predictable boring drone (“sheeple” as I like to call them… ya know, SHEEP + people). We end up allowing society, which is made of mediocre people, shape us into who we are and who we will ever become.
*shakes head*
Advancement in society is done by the extremists, the ones that DON’T play by the rules (all the time), that think outside of the box, that challenges the “social norm”. Think about it, if we ALL thought and did the same thing, there would be absolutely no room for creativity and as such, no room for advancement and discoveries.
F**k that.
I say challenge yourself and stop thinking like a sheeple (at least once in a while…)
Ditch what you think SHOULD be and instead, think what COULD be, because odds are, that “SHOULD” is shaped by social expectations and norms setup by folks who never thought of a different way of doing/being, who didn’t have the cojones to try something different, to risk being someone greater.
STOP doing something and STOP being someone just because that’s what you think the society thinks you should do/be.
Case in Point
One particular “sheeple” philosophy that seems to have come up a few times in my discussions with various people in the past year has to do with time.
Our concept of time and how long something should take seem to be largely influenced by social norms.
For example, “I need to work until I am 72 to retire.” “It’ll take me four years to get my college degree.” “I need 12 years of experience before starting my own consulting firm.” “I can’t expect to reach a certain level of success because I am too young.” “Maturity only comes with age.“
Bluh bluh bluh…
Stop imposing such limitations on yourself just because everyone else seem to be abiding by them.
Try surprising yourself sometimes… give yourself that opportunity and that freedom to break free of social restrictions.
Heck, try setting NEW social norms
Here’s to a great 2011!
NEWS FEED
