Episodes 41-50

 People first.  Always.  I once had a sales job where the leadership only cared about my production.  What results did I get for the company?  What actions was I taking to produce those results?  How could I drive more business?  I was pushed, and ended up doing very well converting many new clients and earning a great commission and income.  The questions above were necessary to achieve more success, no doubt.  In fact, I learned quite a bit about the importance of metrics and performance evaluation at that company.  However, I am no longer an employee there.  I didn't feel valued and fell out of alignment with the direction of the company, and so I sought employment elsewhere.  I had all the success in the world at that company.  I earned a 6-figure income.  I was respected by my peers as a top performer, and I helped others around my achieve success, too.  What does that say?  What went wrong?  Why did I leave?  This week's #truthseekers guest, Jon Rennie, shares his views on leadership. 

 I used to think that living in a state of bliss was dependent upon me solving all my problems.  "If I could only get rid of this problem, I'll be happy."  But by the time I would solve one of my problems, 10 more would show up.  As I kept going in this merry-go-round of problem-solution-problem-solution-problem-solution, I had a big a-ha moment:  my problems were not going anywhere.  My state of mind had nothing to do with the amount of problems I was facing or the speed at which I solved them.  My state of mind was determined by the way I saw my problems.  "Happiness with conditions is not happiness" is one of my favorite quotes.  "Fall in love with the journey, not the destination" is another powerful quote with the same meaning.  But what does that mean?  Why do we read these words, and then fall into the same patterns once another problem pops up?  This is what we discussed in this week's episode of #truthseekers with Dr. Kimberly Wilson.  She makes an extremely important distinction between stress and BURNOUT.  Listen as she addresses these 2 terms, and provides fantastic advice to navigate the difference between them. 

 I read somewhere recently that success is who you are, not what you do.  Many episodes of #truthseekers focus on states of mind.  When we feel good, we do better.  We show up stronger.  We play above the rim, so to speak.  We are constantly seeking to feel good in our lives.  And when we slow down to acknowledge our accomplishments, it perpetuates even more of it.  This is how I frame celebration.  Celebrating an accomplishment is a 2nd chance to feel good about something we already felt good about in the past.  Or perhaps we only now are allowing ourselves to slow down enough to enjoy it for the 1st time.  Either way, we have an opportunity to improve how we feel.  And it doesn't mean there isn't more work to be done... if anything, it prepares us for that work.  I believe I am doing myself a disservice when I don't reflect on something I have done well.  After all, there were several moments of anger and frustration on my way to achievement.  All I wanted while I was in those states of mind was to feel good (better).  Now that I have overcome those moments, I have earned the right to improve my state of mind!  "But it's been no bed of roses... no pleasure cruise..."  Freddie Mercury acknowledges this concept as he belts out the lyric to "We are the Champions".  Successes are always fraught with challenges and frustrations.  That's what makes success so great.   And when we limit our celebrations, aren't we limiting the extent to which we allow ourselves to feel good?  Now THAT'S something we have control over!  Check out this week's Coach's Corner where Coach Nick and I discuss the concept of celebration.    This week, we ask you to slow down.  Acknowledge a win you've had this week.  Bask in it. 

 "If you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated" ~ Coach Nick  Our body doesn't lie.  When we neglect certain things in our life, our body is forced to give us signals to tell us so.  If we over-exert ourselves, our body tells us we are sick. If we don't drink enough water, our body tells us we are thirsty. If we don't get enough sleep, our body tells us we are tired.  Don't "yea yea Coach Josh" me!  These are important things to pay attention to!  We have covered a number of success principles in our 50+ #truthseekers episodes, and one thing shines through for me... these principles are simple!  They are nothing new... nothing we don't know.  It just so happens that we can fall out of practice of the simple things from time to time.  The things we know that work...  This is why coaching is so powerful!  Another perspective can help you catch things before it's too late.   If you are sick, it's too late. If you are thirsty, it's too late. If you are tired, it's too late.  When your body finds itself in these states, it means it's not running at optimal performance and it needs YOU to do something about it.  Don't wait until your body tells you things (and for Heaven's sake, don't not listen when it does!).  Today's challenge as you watch this week's episode:  tune into your body.  What is it telling you it needs?  What are you neglecting?  And of course, what action is the obvious one to get back on track?  Slow down and tune in.  

 "The wound is the place through which the light enters"  ~ Rumi  Resist nothing.  Accept everything.  It will all be revealed, in due time.  The concept that there is a grand purpose - a greater "thing" at work - makes more sense to me the more life I live.   An uncomfortable situation, a frustrating experience, an emotional interaction - they are always fleeting... temporary.  Inevitably there is a lesson I walk away with or knowledge that I gain.  Always.  It happens every time.  You'd figure I would learn.  You'd figure it would be easy to separate myself while in the moment.  But it's not... which is the fun part!  It is never easy to do.  It is always a challenge!  That's what makes it great!  Each experience is a new opportunity to approach failure or disappointment with a renewed perspective.  This week's episode of #truthseekers features Adam Fineberg, a man who has made a habit out of reframing failure.  In 2021, Adam has set company production records month after month after month.  Check out this week's conversation to see how Adam attributes his failures of the past to his successes of the now.  Don't trip on all the other nuggets discussed along the way including but not limited to incremental progress, self awareness, dealing with uncertainty, and much much more.  Enjoy! 

 Stress on your muscles makes them bigger.  That's why you work out.  So why do we resist stress emotionally?  Isn't that our opportunity to strengthen our resolve?  In this week's Coach's Corner, Coach Nick and I discuss the difference between the "automatic" way we assign meaning to the events that occur to us vs. the act of being "intentional" about the meaning we assign.  Like Nick says, "if we're not intentional about the meaning we're giving things, we will tend to give it meaning that's not helpful to us".  We know that growth comes from uncomfortable situations.  So when things happen to us that are outside our control, what's the best way to manage them?  How do we become proficient at being more intentional with the meaning we assign things outside of our control?  Like martial arts, using energy against your opponent can do wonders for you.  Much like using the energy of an errant punch can leverage your counter-attack against an opponent, the same is true for managing stressful situations.   As you sit here today (hopefully with no stress), we can infer that you've overcome every stressful situation in your life.  When we are experiencing stress, it feels like the stress will never go away - that it's here to stay forever.  That's not true!  We always get on the other side of it... and we are always stronger for it having gone through it.  So isn't it time to embrace stress?  To enjoy that it's here?  To stop resisting it?  This is a simple secret of the successful... they understand this principle.  They practice it every day.  The most successful people in the world have stress.  The difference is in how they handle it.  If you want to accelerate your success more quickly, start managing your stress differently.    Happy stressing!  ~ Coach Josh 

 Life is a funny thing.  A collection of stressors and celebrations.  I have learned to appreciate them all - in their own little ways.  Appreciating everything not only makes it a little easier to manage the times that used to send me into a downward spiral, but it allows me to appreciate the peaceful times even more deeply.  It is often darkest before the dawn.  When we so badly desire new results, we attract the challenges that make us worthy of reaping the rewards we have asked for.  For whatever reason, these challenges rarely show up how we expect.  We often reject them and think they keep us from getting what we want.  I wonder if we would treat them differently if we knew what was on the other side... that the challenges were the first part of the success we've been asking for...?  What if we took the approach that every time something bad happened, that something good was about to happen right after?  Would that make the challenges easier to deal with? Would we be able to recover from the 'unexpected' more quickly?  What if our pain was part of our pleasure? 

 This week, Coach Nicholas Davies and I spotlight Victoria Vela who uses neuromarketing to help coaches and sales-minded people convert more leads!  Victoria is a digital marketing strategist, and owner and CEO of Microcosmic Marketing where she works with clients to build an online presence, optimizes conversions, and increases your sales conversions up to 20% within 90 days.  Victoria has a background in psychometrics (the science of measuring mental capacities and processes), has worked in a lab as a research assistant, and is a musician as well!  - How does your brain take in and process information? - What is neuromarketing? - What is conversion hacking? - How can marketing and sales professionals trim the strategies that don't work? - ...how can they hone the ones that do?  Let's dive in

 ABUNDANCE vs. SCARCITY  - What does it mean to operate from a place of abundance at all times? - What are the pitfalls of operating from a place of scarcity? - How can we recognize when we start to move away from an abundance mindset and towards a scarcity mindset? - What's the best way to act on the days we feel "off"? - How can you manage overwhelm? - How can you achieve success earned by the top 1% in your field?  Coach Nick and Coach Josh take video questions submitted by @Dan and @Carissa - thank you for your engagement! 

 When I say "marketing", where does your mind go?  What are you picturing?  Where is the value?  Of course, your mind could go in hundreds of directions.  This week's #truthseekers guest, Nancee Johnson, stops by our podcast to share some thoughts on the matter.  The recipient of a number of awards during her 15-year tenure at Microsoft, Nancee decided to scratch her entrepreneurial itch in pursuit of working more directly with end users - her eventual customers!  Now at WSI (We Simplify the Internet) as a digital marketing strategist and independent agency owner (2020), Nancee assists business owners, CEOs, and marketing executives in leveraging the power of the internet.  As you'll hear during our conversation, she helps businesses of all sizes make smart choices with their marketing budgets, allowing business owners to get back to the work of running the business.  Spending more time doing the things you love - now doesn't that sound great?!  Nancee makes that happen!