The cereal IS the prize.

“The cereal is the prize” – Management book by Marge Simpson, given to Homer.

This business you are running – yea, well, it’s your life happening. It’s a journey, not a destination. It’s not something that you’ll get through, you have to constantly overcome. There’s no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that once you get there, you’ll be happy from that point on.

So…don’t forget to enjoy the daily ride. Have fun with it. Do it on your terms, rather than modeling your competitors. Make it an adventure. Love the people you are doing it with. Help others with it. Be grateful you get to do this, and be a blessing to others because of it.

The cereal is the prize.

The Law of Focus

What you focus on with intensity, will come to pass.

What are you focusing on?

No plan survives contact with the enemy

“Everyone has a plan – until they get punched in the mouth” – Mike Tyson

When the competition attacks, as they are prone to do, you have to respond, not just react.

What has been your response to not only neutralize their attack, but win?

Possessed by Possessions

There is nothing you can buy that will make you happy for long.

When we look to change our life, and how we feel with things outside of us, it never works. We’ll have to buy more and bigger things when the thrill of this wears off. It’s the same with drugs, plastic surgery, food and anything else we turn to for meaning.

Real happiness comes from inside. We are going to have to find out who we are, follow our talents, and be true to ourselves in order to be happy. We are going to have to look inside, and when we look out, we have to look towards other people to satisfy our heart and soul, and not things.

Things are nice, don’t get me wrong. They help cause (sharable) experiences, and are part of the art of living. But dependence on them to feel alive is a sign that we must look within for the real work that must be done.  

Angry enough to change

Leaders are people. They happen to be people who direct the fortunes of teams. If a leader doesn’t change, the organization won’t either.

If a leader is content or satisfied, and feels he is doing the right thing, he will not feel he should change. But if a leader is not satisfied with the results he has been getting, he may.  

Sometimes you just have to get upset enough. Get beat down enough. Lose enough. Get pissed off at yourself enough. Sometimes, you just have get to the point where you say “I will do anything to change, no matter how long it takes, because this isn’t working.”

The day you really and truly have had enough, is a big day for you, because it’s when you finally start overcoming yourself and becoming a better you.

Autonomous Vehicles and You

Imagine a driverless car coming to pick you up because you don’t own a car. Imagine your servicemen catching up on phone calls, computer work, and eating lunch while their self driving truck brings them to the next customers home. Imagine a guy without a drivers license or someone who is sight impaired working on one of your delivery routes.  It’s all coming – soon.

Tesla says all it’s vehicles will be autonomous this year.  Google will deploy a semi-autonomous version of the Chrysler Pacifica minivan this year.  A self driving 18 wheeler has already delivered 50,000 cans of Budweiser.  In Pittsburgh a self driving Uber car with no driver, has already picked up passengers and delivered them safely to where they wanted to go.

How could this affect your business?

Everything outside, is from inside

As you go about your day, look around. Everything outside of you came from what is inside you.

The people around you, the things, the spaces, the work and results of all kinds…

They all came from what is going on in your mind.  

How do you change the outer? Change the inner first.

Believe you are – already

Self-doubt is the worst kind of doubt. You’ve got to believe that you are worthy, able, and that you already are the kind of person that gets the results you are looking for.

You have to know, not think, know, that you can do this.

The Price of Success

The price of success is high. Self-discipline and lots of work. Getting out of your comfort zone a lot, and learning new things. Doing the things you have to do when you have to do them, whether you want to or not.

But if you think the price of success is high, try the price of failure.

All You've Got

In the Baja 1000 in 2015, my son Tanner and I were fighting for the lead after 790 miles. Tanner was on the bike and he made the pass for the lead! One minute later, he came to a four way intersection where someone had changed the signs for which way to go.

If Tanner had stopped to think about it, and spent time figuring it out and evaluating for long, the guy he just passed, 285x, would have come along and blown by him. He picked right. He did not know if it was the right way to go, but he went in that direction as fast as he could. He figured the faster he went, the faster he’d see if it was correct. After four miles, he saw it was not the right choice, and he turned back.

Learn to put all you’ve got into all you do. If it’s not the right thing to do, you’ll find out faster, and can make corrections earlier.  

Pick a direction, and GO!