Category: Motivation

How do you see this? I want your input!

opportunityisnowhere

Either you saw it as opportunity is no where or (hopefully) opportunity is now here!

We can wait and wait and wait until it’s the perfect time no matter what our dreams are. There is never a perfect time. There never will be. Now is the time.

Every day people are making the best of their life. They see opportunity no matter where they are and are going after their dreams no matter what their situation, circumstance or fear.

These poor quality pictures were taken yesterday. Both on my way home from work. The first picture is of a break dancing team that managed to get over 150 people to stop in their tracks. And then got those people to give them a dollar or two. They were amazing.

The second picture is of a band. About 50 people were watching this band. And paid to do so.

Both of these groups are going after it. They want it. Whether they have nothing to lose or need the money, they are making the best of their current surroundings. Are you?

Opportunity is now here!

Here’s my question to you. I want you to fantasize a little. Day dream for a few minutes…

What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

Let me hear it.

For all who say, “Exactly what I’m doing right now!” I admire you.

I’ll be there soon enough. And hopefully, we all will!

How about those Knicks? (Famous athlete picture included!)

JohnStarks.bmp
(Click on above link to see picture of John Starks!)

One of the luxuries of working for a company like Ernst & Young is definitely some of the perks.

Last night I had the good fortune of being invited to a Knickerbockers game.

These weren’t any old seats though. These were the corporate club suite seats.

The corporate club suite seats are very cool. There is a special entrance for club suite seat ticket holders to avoid all lines. These aren’t floor seats. They are the sky boxes all the way at the top of the Garden.

You walk into these corporate suites and it’s a whole other world up there. It’s like a miniature hotel room complete with every food and top shelf liquor you could possibly imagine.

The point of these corporate club suites must be for the experience. It’s a “Hey, you are paying top dollar as a client and we’ll hook you up and entertain you!” You scratch my back and I’ll scratch your back. Quid Pro Quo.

It has to be for the experience. I was the only one really watching the Knicks get crushed by the Spurs. Everyone else was fake laughing, boozin’, schmoozin’ and stuffing their face.

Don’t get me wrong. I did plenty of that, too.

But no one cared about the game until all of the sudden the huge deficit was cut to three points and the amazing deafening roar of the crowd began chanting, “Defense!” Boom. Boom. “DEFENSE!” Boom. Boom!

Sometimes people aren’t buying things for the actual product. They are buying the experience.

Cold Stone has great ice cream but is it that much better than good ol’ Ben & Jerry’s? (Ugh, how great is Half Baked!?!) You are paying a premium for the experience of watching them mix your ice cream in front of you.

There are thousands of businesses built on experiences. Hibachi is a restaurant built on an experience.

Sitting in the corporate club suite seats is a totally different experience than sitting on the floor. If you want to entertain and socialize with clients then the club suites seats are the way to go. Having unlimited gourmet food and alcohol is all part of the wonderful experience.

Here’s a thought exercise for you:

How can you reinvent your product/service/job so people want it for the experience?

How could you experience more experiences?

We’ve all heard people tell us, “At least do it for the experience.” Or, “You have to try it at least once!”

I think that’s very important. That’s called zooming. Or expanding your comfort zones.

If you don’t expand your comfort zones then how will you grow as a human being? You will constantly remain scared or fearful.

The best part of last night’s experience was meeting John Starks.

The photo above was taken right after I got his autograph.

I asked him to make it out to GuruGilbert.com and told him to check out my blog because he was going to be in it. He looked puzzled (but just in case)…

Johnny boy…Welcome! What did I tell you? I’m a man of my word. The picture came out good, right?

Oh, and make sure you tell all your friends about your picture on my lil’ site over here. Patrick, Charles, Anthony, Xavier, L.J, all of ‘em.

The million dollar question?

I asked my friend the other day if he would sit in a closet from 8AM – 6PM, every day, starting now until he was 55 years old.

Here’s the catch.

His pay would be $1,000,000 per year.

He replied with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic, “Yes!”

If you answered yes, maybe you should be a stripper. Or do something that makes a ton of money. Do anything, as long as you make a lot of money. Money is all that matters.

Who needs meaning in what they do? You might as well hate what you do, make all the money in the world and dread going to work. We all live more than once.

So, I ask you, one million boxes of ziti to sit in a closet…

Deal or no deal?

Play like you’re in College.

Hi! I’m in Delaware.

Wilmington, Delaware, Inc. to be exact. The incorporation capital of America.

I’m here on business with E&Y. I focus on the sexy world of hedge funds and private equity funds. It’s insane how much money gets thrown around. You should see the size of my hotel suite. It’s 4 times the size of my entire NYC apartment. And my apartment is not that small.

These hedge fund managers are getting paid millions of dollars. Often, for being wrong. What a gig. I don’t know many other jobs where you can make, not earn, so much money for not doing your job well. Weathermen can be wrong.

No matter how many times well-tanned, whiter than white teeth, Mr. Sam Champion is wrong; he’ll still have a job.

Most anti-preneurs seek job security. Everyone from teachers to doctors to truck drivers wants and demand job security. In fact, it’s a big deal when a professor or teacher gets their tenure. It’s customary to celebrate such an accomplishment.

But is job security really a good thing? There is a reason why college basketball is so much more exciting than the NBA.

I believe college athletes have something to prove. They are hungry, determined and are filled with a burning desire to get to that next level. They want to collect their pay day. They want it so badly that that treat every single play as if it were a tryout.

College basketball is what separates the men from the boys. Either they are going to play basketball professionally or not. They know NBA scouts are watching their every move with a microscope.

Once they make the NBA, they don’t have to worry. Something happens to 95% of all people. Whether it’s the guaranteed contract for $100 million for 6 years or a guaranteed contract for $75k for one year; the same thing happens.

I think complacency and the ‘it doesn’t matter’ attitude happen. I’ll still get paid, I’ll still have a job and I’ll still have health insurance and benefits whether I put the pedal to the metal or not.

Job security is a license to get lazy. It means you don’t have to treat every single day as it were a tryout.

What if your paycheck always depended on your performance whether you were the CEO or the janitor?

If you owned a company would you rather have salaried or performance based employees?

This world would be very different.

25 X-rays of the same thing?

I went to the dentist yesterday for a regular check-up and cleaning. This was the first time I was at this dentist and I must say it’s very strange being in a doctor’s office in the middle of NYC!

The first thing I noticed was how old the actual office looked. The last time they painted or did anything must have been 15 years ago. At least it appeared that way. (If it appeared that way, then it was 15 years old. Whatever your customers think about you, is your reality.).

“So just a regular check-up,” the dentist says to me. It seemed as though that was his code language for, take 25 X-rays because we need to make more money. His dental assistant proceeded to do just that. I had this contraption that exposed my teeth and gums in such a way; I didn’t know it was possible!

In all of my 23 years on this amazing planet, I’ve never had so many X-rays of my teeth taken in one visit. I was counting to myself… 1…2…3….9?…12??…25?!?!? And each X-ray was a different image of my mouth.

It got me thinking. A dentist is, of course, an entrepreneur. They decided to invest in themselves and their trade to learn how to practice dentistry and then be able to sell their services and expertise for a large premium. Good deal. That’s how our great country works.

To be able to get through all those years of dental school they must have a passion for teeth. But they also need to make money doing what they (hopefully) love.

How do dentists decide what type of insurance they want to accept, what type of clientele they want to serve, how much they’ll invest in their office appearance (not including equipment), and if they even want to take insurance?

Why do some dentists focus so much on the décor of their office and location and some totally overlook that?

There’s no doubt in my mind all dentists are created equal with regards to their skill, at least in general dentistry. Not much can go wrong when taking a metal pick and knocking on all of my pearly whites or looking at X-rays.

I think the difference between the extremely wealthy dentist and the average dentist is simple. He aimed higher. He wanted more. And he felt he deserved it. A dentist who has the confidence to not accept insurance or to charge exorbitant rates is making a statement about how he views himself and his work. Or how he wants others to see him.

He is saying, “I don’t care about your money problems, I am the best dentist around. Look at my office. Look at my shiny 911 Turbo. Look at the flat screens all around the office. If you want the best dentist then you will come to me.”

His marketing is all around him. It portrays success and confidence. Ultimately, reassuring the patient why she is paying $400 when she could go down the block and only pay her $10.00 co-pay. “He must be the best, look at this office, the car he drives, everything!”

I bet the dentist I had yesterday is as good.

Image IS everything.

What do you want to be?

The struggling dentist who has to wait months and months to collect his money from insurance companies and make his patients sit through 20 minutes of X-rays or the rich one with the shiny 911 turbo?

Shoot for the stars in everything you do. You deserve it.

The 5 Most Powerful Words in this World

Everyday I am overwhelmed by the amount of things I want to get done. At times, it’s extremely overwhelming and causes temporary paralysis. I have so many things I need and want to get done but I don’t know where to begin.

What happens when we have things in front of us we don’t want to do? We put them off for later. People naturally do the things they enjoy doing first. Whether it’s studying, work, going to the gym, etc., etc., we procrastinate.

If you say these 5 words to yourself next time you have a mundane task in front of you, they’ll really help motivate you to just do it!

If not now, then when?

That’s right, I ask you. IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?

Stop procrastinating because the sooner you get the things done that you don’t want to do the sooner you’ll be able to do the things you want to do.

Remember these 5 words next time you don’t want to do something.

If not now, then when?

They can very well change your life!

Do you wish for success?

As I have set many goals for myself this year, it can seem overwhelming at times. Like with anything though if you have a plan you can accomplish whatever your heart desires. I believe a wish is a goal that hasn’t been written down.

If you haven’t written your goals, you are still just wishing for success. I find that when creating goals using the SMART formula helps to make them a reality. Ensure that your goals are Sensible, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Specific.

Here are also some pointers that can help you to make your goals become a reality.

• Phrase your goal in the present tense and assume success
• Put them in writing
• List the benefits you intend to receive by achieving each goal
• As you review your goals each morning and evening, picture yourself achieving each of them
• Anticipate the challenges you will encounter and plan how you will overcome them
• Take action and don’t procrastinate

Use the SMART formula and you’ll be astonished at how many of your goals are becoming a reality!