“People with dirty jobs are the happiest people I know,” said Mike Rowe of the Discovery Channel show, Dirty Jobs.

“Follow your passion is probably the worst advice I ever got,” says Mike.

Zig when everybody else is zagging.

Go in a different direction from the herd.

It’s possible to love what you do. That doesn’t mean you’re doing what you love. It may not mean that you’re following your passion. If you’re not following your passion then you’re destined to live a miserable life – wrong!

The masses preach that we must chase our passion. We must do it or success will elude us. We must do it or we’ll wind up empty, pathetic and broke. And we believe it. So more often than not we’re discontented. With everything that is our life.

Are we destined to live our entire life questioning, “If only…?”

A blogger recently wrote how she was so engaged in her work that she lost track of time. She found herself working more hours than ever because she loved her work. She was somewhat offended – or so it seemed – when somebody commented about her “work.” She doesn’t think of it as work. It was as though the very word repulsed her. Interesting.

Work is not a dirty word. There may be dirty work – but work isn’t dirty. And loving what you do is not necessarily the same as doing what you love. Productivity, efficiently, effectiveness, fulfillment, contentment – they can all be yours.

Maybe it starts with us making up our mind we’re going to do remarkable things and find joy in the daily actions that make up our lives. Maybe it starts with us making up our mind we’re not going to chase fairly tales, but instead we’re going to write our life story and grow where we’re planted. Maybe it starts with making up our mind we’re going to provide value and service by doing those things we’re able to do – not because we’re doing what we love, but because we love what we’re doing!

Please Subscribe To The Podcast. Connect With Me. Become Part Of The Community.

Right Click Here To Download The Audio

It was announced this week that BP had extended invitations to a limited number of people to demonstrate their technologies to see if any of these things will help solve the oil spill problem. BP has likely received many solicitations from people who say they’ve got a technology or process that can help. I have no way of knowing how valid each claim is, or how seriously BP has even humored these solicitations. Now that we’re well into the worst oil spill disaster ever, it appears BP is more willing to listen.

BP is inviting a select group to come to the Gulf where they can demonstrate their services live, on the water. I rather doubt BP will ask a single candidate to describe their “core values.” Something tells me BP doesn’t likely care about the story behind how a single entrepreneur was driven by his passion. No, it’s likely they care only about one thing, “Will it work?” Okay, two things. Will it work? AND “How much will this cost?” Welcome to Capitalism where we put a price tag on everything. Where performance and effectiveness matter – even if you’re a jerk with a suspicious purpose.

Honestly, I have no problem with that approach. It’s smart. After all, if one of the oil spill fix pitch men has a compelling story based on the core values of his enterprise, but his service or product is less effective in cleaning up this mess – I’d boot him out of the boat! BP shouldn’t care. I’m rather certain they don’t.

I’m not in the oil spill clean up business. I’m not even in the oil spilling business. How would you like to be the company who will forever be known as the greatest oil spiller in the ocean? Not a good claim to fame. That is not the best road to being remarkable – remarkably BAD.

Here, at Bula Network we’re focused on one thing – helping people. It happens that our tagline is more than that – it’s a mission, a quest and a driving force. The art of being remarkable. And because the process and interaction is so personal, it does matter what core values are. Convictions and demeanor do count. Personal connectivity counts.

In today’s show I reference this book, written by Al Stubblefield – “The Baptist Health Care Journey To Excellence: Creating A Culture That WOW’s!” (That is NOT an affiliate link) We all consider our best doctors those we like the most. We assume competence. We assume a certain degree of expertise. A doctor can be very skilled, but if our experience with him is bad – we complain about him to everybody we know, and we may even decide to go to another doctor. Bed side manners do determine the quality of the experience. It may not be quite like core values, but a doctor’s personality and ability to interact with us is surely determined by what’s in his heart.

DO YOU WANT A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK?
I’ve got one copy I’ll give to you if I select your name based on
audio feedback you leave me at
214-736-4406*

So, let me talk with you about coaching, consulting, core values and why BP doesn’t care about the core values of the outfits who may be able to help pull their fat out of this fire. Remember one thing though – BP may not care about the principles of the folks who can best help them, but they’ll always behave in ways congruent to their own values and principles. Those things they value most will rise to the surface just like all that oil. Your career and business are no different.

*You can leave audio feedback 24 hours a day. Leave your name, your location (city/state) and email address plus any feedback you care to share. I may play your feedback in a future show. Your feedback can be as specific or generic as you’d like. I honestly don’t care. It’s YOUR feedback to me.

On Monday, July 5, 2010 I’ll make a random drawing and give away the book FREE. No, I’m not going to charge you twenty bucks shipping. It’s 100% free, including shipping – my bribe for getting you to give me feedback.

Thanks.

Subscribe To The Podcast. Connect With Me.

Right Click Here To Download The Audio

No blog post. Just today’s show. Why? Because I’m lazy. And busy. So hit that PLAY button and you’ll understand the title. The subject is building relationships. Yes, relationships. Trust me. You’ll understand when you listen to the show.

Subscribe To The Podcast. Connect With Me.

Right Click Here To Download The Audio

Great leaders see the future first. This includes YOU, as the leader of your own life.

The question is, “What do you see? And what are doing about it?”

Some people view the future with wishful thinking. They dream of winning the lottery. They dream of having the cabin by the lake. They dream of living in that bigger neighborhood. People have lots of dreams. Visions of grandeur.

It’s been said that the difference between a dream and a goal is a deadline. No it’s not. There are significant difference beyond the scope of a deadline. If not, then the mere passage of time would elevate our dreams into goals. Just let time pass and as we approach our deadline – the dream is realized! Would that it were that easy, but it’s not. Not even close.

Deadlines without any action taken to meet those deadlines are meaningless.

Well over 10 years ago my son – then a teenager – had car envy. He wanted a Honda Civic Si. A blue one. It was a really great shade of blue. He could see himself in that car. He daydreamed about having it as his own. He had no trouble seeing a future with a Civic Si in the driveway of our house. I encouraged him to apply himself to make that dream a reality. That meant making some tough choices. It meant doing some things, sacrificing some things and taking the time necessary to put himself in a financial position where he could realize the future he saw with this car.

Note: When you listen to the show you’ll hear me talk about my Acura Type R – bright yellow with white Volks wheels. What I fail to tell you in the show is that I eventually sold my son that car. What he didn’t know is that when I bought the car I fully saw a future where I’d be able and willing to sell the car to him for a greatly reduced price. And I did, a few years after I bought it. For him it might have appeared as serendipity. For me, it was a future vision I had as his dad.

My son saw his future with this Honda Civic Si and he made it happen, with my help. But every day – check that, every moment – people make choices that create a future they don’t really want. So they say. They find themselves in circumstances that they hate. Jobs they despise. Stuck in places they’d rather not be.

They often refuse to believe that there is anything they can do to remedy their situation. They play the blame game and find many reasons to excuse where they’re at. One of their favorite phrases is, “If only…” If only they had their college degree. If only they had been given the lucky break they saw somebody else get. If only they could make $500 more a month.

If only “if only” would work, they’d be the world’s richest people. But, alas, “if only” doesn’t work. So these people are stuck in a defeated, discouraging life. It’s a life where you don’t look to the future because you’re too busy staring at your shoes. See the man on the right. That man may be YOU. I hope not.

Let’s begin our quest to consider the importance of thinking about our future with the intention of doing something to make it happen!

Right Click Here To Download The Audio

Many, if not most (perhaps all), Internet marketing gurus – those folks who earn their money by teaching others how to earn money online – advise us:

“Find a hungry market, then give it what it wants.”

They go on to tell us to serve a market that proves it will pay for what you offer. How do you do that? Well, easy. Just see if they’re buying solutions now. If they are, then it’s logical that they’ll be inclined to buy your solution.

We love stories. We love analogies. We can visualize thirsty and hungry people who have a strong appetite for the things to satisfy those desires (or needs).

Find a hungry crowd and BAM! Instant Success.

Do you know why that advice is so common? One, it’s true. Sort of. Two, it’s easy to talk about. Three, it sounds good. Right, even! But…there’s more to it. Isn’t there always more?

Right Click Here To Download The Audio

Tom Petty sang, “It’s time to move on. It’s time to get going. What lies ahead I have no way of knowing.” The song? Time To Move On, from his record, Wildflowers.

That last line is likely one reason why so many struggle with moving – taking meaningful action. They don’t know what lies ahead. Fear.

The paralyzing kind. The kind of fear that makes us sweat with worry.

People waste time. The distractions beckon us like those Greek Sirens of seduction. We often don’t resist – we can’t. Or so we think.

Email, websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and all the rest – urge us to join the conversation. Read me. Listen to me. Consume me.

And that’s exactly what they do – consume us. Preventing us from taking meaningful action. Rather, we join the masses – the lemmings – flailing our arms, kicking our legs in the waters called Community. We’re one of the gang. Going nowhere, but we’re in good company.

Well, it’s time to move on. It’s past time to get going – toward making your life, your career and your enterprise a success. Forward momentum. Trudging forward. With meaningful action.

Thank you for sharing your time and attention. It’s not a small investment you make. I don’t take it for granted. My goal is to help you in the art of being (more) remarkable.

Right Click To Download The Audio

Making decisions. Any fool can. But add one word and it all changes. Making good decisions. Or, making great decisions.

One of the things I love about some books is the busting of assumptions. Myth busters.

Freakonomics was such a book.

I’m not a brilliant economist. In fact, I’m not even a dimwitted economist. But these guys shine a light on things in ways few of us ever considered before. Where most of us see nothing, they see patterns, explanations and details. The analysis of such things enlightens us. It makes us more aware. It can also help us think differently, better!

Most of us like to think we decide based only on hard facts, but that Pfeffer and Sutton book cover to the left is properly titled how most of us really do things. We fall prey to dangerous half-truths and total nonsense.

Another such book is Competing On Analytics. I loved this book when it came out a few years ago. Don’t let the title scare you off. Measuring things. Quantifying things. Looking at things from a different perspective – one that can be measured – can serve all of us well.

Sometimes we make assumptions based on incorrect data. We let our emotions soar or fall based on those assumptions. We launch forth with an enterprise riding high on the wave of blind optimism, assuming everybody will quickly see how terrific our offer is. Too often, we’re wrong.

The value of an analytic approach is found in the title question, “What if we are wrong?”

But merely asking the question is only part of the suggestion for making better decisions. There’s another component that you should always incorporate. Your failure to implement the second part of the equation to the question – What if we are wrong? – is vital to saving us time, money, emotion, passion and a host of other valuable resources.

Thank you for hitting play. Thank you for giving me a chunk of your time and attention!

Right click here to download the audio.

Would it be more beneficial to learn from the ground up, as you begin your enterprise? Or, would you be better served by outsourcing those things you don’t know how to do?

Apprenticeships once served to help teach and train artisans. Passing on knowledge to another served everybody. The knowledge and skills of the experienced weren’t lost. The student learned something he hadn’t known before. Society benefited from increased knowledge as the craft became more fully developed.

Today, we’re mostly interested in saving time. There’s no time to learn all the stuff we need to know. Knowledge is hitting us at such a fast pace that we simply can’t keep up anyway.

Skills we lack are also readily available today. From php programmers to simple WordPress installation – we can find people who know what we don’t. Why should we bother?

Maybe, just maybe, we’re not always best served by forfeiting our own learning. It’s possible our longer term success might benefit from learning a few things from the ground up – even if it’s simple, fundamental and basic.

Right click here to download the audio.

Cameron Herold’s company is BackPocketCOO.

Simon’s book website is here: http://www.startwithwhy.com/

I’m a big fan of the question, “WHY?” That explains why I’m a big fan of Simon’s work and the book.

Follow him on Twitter if you’d like. Listen to the Marketing Over Coffee’s John Wall talk with Simon. Subscribe to Marketing Over Coffee’s podcast while you’re at it. It’s among the best podcasts about marketing online. John Wall and Christopher Penn are both brilliant guys. I envy their youth, technical prowess – and their hair!

Enjoy. Think.

Do you have a dream? Some desire? Well, you need to write it down because that adds validity to it. Next, give yourself a deadline. When you do that, it becomes a goal. Suck up the courage to tell your friends and family about it because when you say it out loud you add a level of accountability that can help you achieve it.

There are some fundamentals of business that I was taught decades ago. For starters, marketing is getting your message out to the world. Have some intentions about your enterprise, or your career. You can’t simply wander aimlessly toward success – or your goal. You need to behave with clear intention.

There are people in my life – even if they’re only slightly connected to me through social circles or social media – who appear to have a single focus in life. A very clear intention. They seem to be chasing it for all they’re worth. Their intention is evident. They need, want and strongly desire ATTENTION.

Not all of them want attention for the sake of money. Many seem to be wanting something else – POPULARITY! They want the big three F’s: friends, followers and fans! They’re living their entire life out loud. Life is a reality program in which they are the star and they seem to be forcing it on everybody who knows them.

Pass me the barf bag because I’m sick of these people.

Right click here to download the audio.

I was in high school when KISS took off. Admittedly, they were not the greatest musicians. Nobody would ever describe them as “world-class” in their musical prowess. But boy did they have style? Yes, yes they did.

They could play – some. Enough. KISS didn’t have to be the very best in order to achieve superstar fame (and money). They found a way to be remarkable by having a unique style. Today, the money is still rolling in. Public exposure is still reasonably high for a band that taken on more iterations than any other band I can name. From Dr. Pepper ads to reality TV programs, Gene Simmons has made a handsome living for decades. How? He is remarkable!

Nobody did quite what they did. That’s why they were remarkable.

Alice Cooper had a style that was also unique. He was a rocker who also used makeup. But he added a dark side stunt show. And it worked for him. He’s been playing golf in Phoenix for decades. All, thanks to Alice Cooper, the remarkable theatrical rock ‘n roll character who hasn’t produced new music in years!

Genesis wore costumes and makeup. They were also a great rock and roll band who brought theater to their lives shows. KISS, Alice Cooper and Genesis were all different though. When you heard KISS, you didn’t mistake them for Genesis. Each had a unique and different style.

From athletic footwear to professional athletics to rock ‘n roll to talk radio – to whatever it is YOU do, style often makes the difference. Spend all your time trying to be “the world’s best” and you’ll likely fail. But if you make sure your substance is sufficiently high in quality, then focus on your style – making sure your style is unique to YOU – then you’ll be well on your way to greater success!

Right click here to download the audio.

Almost daily I hear somebody say, or I read somebody’s writing – and the sentiment of that headline is expressed. The logic seems appropriate.

“Find a way to earn $1000 in your business, then just replicate it and you can earn $10,000.”

This week we’ve got thunderstorms in the forecast. It’s spring time here in Tornado Alley. Go outside during a storm, holding a ten foot metal pole and you can be hit by lightning. Maybe. Maybe not.

You might be able to walk outside without a pole and be struck by lightning. Or you might be better off with a 12 foot pole. I really don’t know because I’d rather not experience a lightning strike. The fact is, lightning strikes are quite random. Sometimes success – financial success – is equally random. Sometimes.

Life is full of happy and unhappy coincidences. Yes, I believe we can do things to improve our chances. Yes, I think we can make choices that will help propel us toward winning – or losing.

In your quest for a pattern, something you can follow – some step-by-step process you can execute – I wish you well. Sadly, you won’t find it here. Even more sadly, you won’t find it anywhere because it doesn’t exist. Life is simply full of too many variables!

But don’t let me leave you with the wrong idea. There are things you can do to succeed. Success isn’t necessarily random, any more than failure may be. Give yourself improved odds. Listen and I’ll tell you how. Be warned though, you’ll have to listen to the bitter end. You’ll be glad you did though. I promise.

Right click here to download the audio.

It takes a thief to ruin the reputation of honest, hard working businesses. Or to ruin the long term viability of a business. It takes a thief to make people very angry when they discover they’ve been ripped off.

One phone call created the subject of today’s show. Preying on the ignorance of prospects is not a good way to create a remarkable business.

It’s the proverbial good news versus bad news scenario. The bad news is, there are lots of crooks out there. The good news is, the thieves give honest people the opportunity to display integrity as a remarkable trait – a way of doing business where we’re serving others with honorable intentions.

Right click here to download the audio.

How much should I give away for free?

I’m worried about giving away too much.

And how good should my free stuff be?

I sure don’t want to give away my best stuff, do I?

The conversations about free versus paid have been going on for awhile now. They don’t seem to be dying down any either. If anything, I’m finding more and more people are asking about how much they ought to give away for free. And they’re worried about it. Seriously fretting about giving away too much, in quality or quantity.

Can we work our way from free to paid? How do we do that? How will we know when it’s time to charge money for it? Here’s a hint. If your free stuff sucks, then you can forgo paid stuff. If your free stuff is remarkable, then you’ve got a fighting chance of selling even better stuff. Better stuff.

Better can be defined in a variety of ways. Maybe it goes deeper. Maybe it’s more detailed. Maybe it’s personalized. But, it must be different – unique – remarkable.

Above all, never betray the trust people give you. Free or otherwise. Betray the trust of those who follow you and you can save yourself time and money by just closing your doors, fast! You can build your business on quality free stuff. How much? Listen and I’ll tell you.

Right click here to download the audio.

“I just can’t seem to get started,” she says.

I say, “Why?”

She says, “I’m not sure. I’ve got plenty of good ideas. At least I think they’re good.”

“What makes them good ideas?” I ask.

“I think they’ve got great potential,” she answers.

“Define potential.”

She stumbles, but replies, “Well, I think they’d be valid in the marketplace. I think they’ve got income potential.”

“How much income have you earned from any single one of the ideas?”

“Well, noting yet, but…” she replies. “Exactly,” says me, Mr. Smarmy. No action. No starting. No income. No remarkability.

Starting is a challenge for lots of people. But so is stopping. Some folks can’t ever get going and others, workaholics – can’t seem to stop. Balancing our quest for income with the meaningful people in our life – it’s a never ending challenge. Being remarkable in one area of life – does it require that we completely sacrifice other areas of our life? Is it possible for us to be a complete person who is remarkable in all areas of our life?

Mentioned in today’s show is this video of ESPN’s Sports Science (I incorrectly identified it as a Sports Illustrated production). Watch the video on Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportscience/index

Right click here to download the audio.

Think. The admonition is given by parents to their teenage children. Students are exhorted by teachers. Employees hear it from the boss. Think.

It’s not that easy. If it were, everybody would be doing it. Clearly, not everybody is.

While there are plenty of idiots roaming the planet, there are other well-intended, well-educated and reasonably smart people who fail miserably – to think! None of us are immune from the dangers of delusion. And that’s really what it is, delusion.

We’re often deluded to think that if only we had what the other guy has, then our life would be better. If only my boss weren’t such a jerk, then I could enjoy my job. If only people would buy my stuff, then I could quit this job I hate and venture out full-time pursuing my passion.

The Ignorance Is Bliss Syndrome can affect people in one of two ways. One, people can see an opportunity – or what they perceive is an opportunity – and believe it’s easier than it really is. Two, people can an opportunity – or what they perceive is an opportunity – and believe it’s more difficult than it really is. I’ve often encountered both groups.

Lately, I confess I’ve encountered a lot more of the first group though. I suspect it’s because they’ve fallen prey to the Internet marketer who is selling the dream of easy living. Create the life you want. Design it how you’d love it to be. Now, buy my product and PRESTO! You, too, shall have the life you always dreamed about.

But the reality hits – hard – and that dream often becomes the nightmare. Higher credit card debt. Crushed dreams. The reality that it wasn’t as easy as they said – or implied – it might be. The Internet is littered with websites of people who thought, “If I just build it, they will come.” They built it, and nobody even noticed though.

How can we remedy this? What can we do to protect ourselves? Today’s show is merely today’s attempt to spur you to THINK. Thanks in advance for listening.

I wish you all the best…but we both know you’re going to suffer some defeat. That’s okay. Join the rest of humanity as we all struggle to find our way. THINK and enjoy the journey because we’re all just mortals here. Nothing more.

Right click here to download the audio.

The world is full of rookies and novices. It’s understandable that at any point in time there will be plenty of people just entering a market.

An abundance of novices and women seem to be entering the world of “I’d like to start a business.” As a result, there are more than enough providers willing to help them start a business. For a fee.

Charging money isn’t a bad thing. I’m rather fond of money. And I respect those who charge for products or services provided. I’m also a big fan of Jason Fried and his compadres over at 37 Signals. They don’t want to work for free. Neither should you.

I don’t have a problem with charging, but I do have a problem with the value proposition. In too many cases I’m seeing businesses that take unfair advantage of those who don’t know any better. They’re picking the low hanging fruit because right now it’s easy. Meanwhile, that higher hanging fruit is sometimes rotting on the tree. Too many of these marketers ignore that higher hanging fruit – in part, probably because it takes greater skill and effort to pick that fruit that’s higher up in the tree.

The risks are low with low hanging fruit. Stand on the ground, reach up and pick it. Simple. Not so of the higher fruit. The risks are higher. But so is the reward if you’re thinking longer term.

Women and rookies are in abundance today – they comprise an enormous group of people looking to start a business. They are the low hanging fruit. And sometimes they are easy picking for unscrupulous and unwise marketers.

Right click here to download the audio.

Yesterday Dallas talk radio was somewhat abuzz about a sex tape that Jesse James supposedly has with wife, Sandra Bullock. If the reports are true the behavior isn’t appropriate for any public (or private) discussion.

Update 4/6 @ 3:56pm CST: Sandra reports there is NO sex tape. I feel some better. Can we believe her? I sure hope so. I kinda like her.

Tiger Woods is clearly the front runner in how to destroy your reputation. Behave poorly. Be found out. It works every time.

The question is asked, “How can I build a reputation, especially an online reputation?”

I’ll give you 3 components that I think must be included in any discussion about reputation building – which is really about making connections. There are likely many other things we could talk about, but I’m going to give you three things to consider. Hopefully, you can find things to help you build your reputation, online or otherwise.

Warning: You won’t appeal to everybody. Not everybody will like you. Not everybody will want to do business with you. Reputations are like farming, you reap what you sow. It’s important that you behave properly 24-7-365 if you want to have a great, remarkable reputation. I’d encourage you to behave well, all the time!

Right click here to download the audio.

Watch this video, then listen to the podcast. You’ll quickly make the connection and understand how context impacts our ability to market ourselves – and our companies.

Pardon my lip smacking audio, but food and drink wait for no man. I’m sorry, but it may happen again. I’ll work to make sure not for awhile though. Enjoy!

Right click here to download the audio