We talk about our thoughts of his life, his passing, and we even played some good tunes in between.

Tonight we’re hosting a VERY special Successfool @ 6pm Pacific.  I hope to see you there http://Successfool.tv

Here’s the 4 things that I share that I learned from Michael:

- Be Passionate about what you do
- It’s okay to be Foolish and act like kid sometimes
- Do something NO ONE ELSE is doing
- Living a legacy

I want to hear what YOUR thoughts on Michael’s life and how it impacted you!  Let me know below.

WOW.  Last night’s Live Broadcast of Successfool.com’s 1 Year Web Birthday was a HIT.  We interviewed some of the most amazing business folks online last night.

You heard me rant, you saw me dance, and you saw the passion last night no doubt.

Thanks so much for a great year and we’re doing it even bigger this year.

Hear interviews from:

Angel McClinton
Ed Dale
Coach Deb
Michelle MacPhearson
Sierra Friend
Lewis Howes
Preston Taylor
Justin Brooke

What was YOUR favorite quote or part of the show?  Leave your comments below & Tweet it up using the “Retweet” button up top.

Thanks

Wow, time fly’s when you’re having fun!!

This is a BIG DEAL to me and would mean a LOT if you came.

Successfool.com turns 1 this Wednesday, April Fool’s Day and I’m doing a LIVE Ustream Birthday Bash with all of my friends at 6pm Pacific  (9pm Eastern) time on Successfool.tv

Tweet this event by clicking here —>>> Tweet This!

Wednesday night we’re doing it REAL BIG, you’re invited!

Here’s what to expect on SuccessfoolTV:

- the Successfool Rants & Raves
- Free Book Giveaway
- Special Guests
- Discussion on how I built the Successfool Brand
- The State of the Fool

Tweet this event by clicking here —>>> Tweet This!

Make sure to to join the Facebook Fan Page as well Successfool Page on Facebook

Today I would like to throw a third and final way we can approach our uniqueness into the mix.  I’m sure there are many other ideas so please share them with us via the comments or directly.  I hope you continue to see more opportunities for your teams, families and clients.  Thank you for your feedback.

I was recently asked to bring my 2 cents worth to a discussion regarding reward & recognition. An interesting point raised was different values placed on possible rewards, often motivated by demographic or our uniqueness.

For example, a young lady who is a few months out from getting married & moving out of home for the first time stated that she is motivated by shopping mall vouchers so she can set up home.

An older guy with school age kids may be motivated by paid time off so he can have the rare but valued experience of being the school taxi driver or even attending a mid day school event.

I think there is worth for our teams & families to explore this aspect of our wiring ie. incentives & motivations.

I value quality time together.  For my upcoming trip, I am keen on sitting in cafes & restaurants with particular people. Sure, I will see some sights along the way but for me, that’s bonus!

I have a friend who isn’t motivated by lengthy time together but gets “pumped up” by encouraging words.

What can we be intentional about today regarding reward, recognition, motivation & incentive?

Could it be affirmation, time together, or even giving something material/tangible?

]]> http://successfool.com/wired-part-3-of-3/feed/ 0 http://successfool.com/wired-part-1-of-3/ http://successfool.com/wired-part-1-of-3/#comments Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:05:30 +0000 Jason Ewart http://successfool.com/?p=521

Jason Ewart is a Sydney-based transformation writer and speaker who obliterated obesity & demolished debt.  

It was often said to me that “most of us are like the rest of us” . Even in our similarities, there is a uniqueness that you & I bring to our communities in areas from business to recreation.

What has helped me to extract potential from others & myself is discovering some things about the way that I am “wired”. This has assisted in honing in on strengths & removing hindrances.

My aim today is one of two things

1. You will discover a new lens for understanding how yourself, team mates & clients are “wired”.

2. You already have found benefit in using this and you are willing to share with us all by joining the conversation via the comments section

There is a tool available called DISC Assessment.

Let’s briefly look at the four frames

D = Dominant (Bold)

I = Influencing (Communicator)

S=Stable (Steady)

C = Compliant (Details)

D & C tend to be task driven. I & S are people oriented.

All four frames have strengths & weaknesses. (Read: the importance of teams/collaboration)

I would encourage you to explore the link, google & ponder as there is more to extract.

I will give you an example from my life on how this has added value.

The results of my survey indicated that I was a high D. Meditation of this result was very freeing. It explained a lot. In simple terms, I want things done & I want them done YESTERDAY!

INTERNALLY, impatience & unrealistic expectations were leading to frustration.

This is good to know as myself (along with my wife, team etc) are able to work with this toward eliminating frustrations.

EXTERNALLY, the potential is there to hurt people (ie. family, customers, co-collaborators) and also miss important details. The “C” people are great to have in my world!

I believe there is great benefit for discovering how ourselves, our families, our teams and our clients are “wired”.

Keep in mind, as my friend Dana Byers reminded me recently,

“knowledge of our own and other’s personality types must be used as a means to improve working and personal relationships but should never be used as a means of judging or manipulating others’ behavior.”

On that note, what is the cost for not improving working and personal relationships?

]]> http://successfool.com/wired-part-1-of-3/feed/ 3 http://successfool.com/tension-resilience-strategy/ http://successfool.com/tension-resilience-strategy/#comments Mon, 26 Jan 2009 03:57:18 +0000 Jason Ewart http://successfool.com/?p=185 Jason Ewart is a Sydney-based transformation writer and speaker who obliterated obesity & demolished personal debt. 

Tension will come. It’s not a question of if but when. As an entrepreneur, an innovator, a trailblazer you will definitely experience tension. Tension as you go against the grain. Tension as you front up to solve problems. Tension as you create despite the naysayers. You already know this. This current financial climate creates tension for many also.

So when it comes, what will we do?

Here are some of the value adding assets that I engage in trying times.

#1 – FUN.

Family, food, big laughs. We don’t even need to spend big to do it. Creativity is key. Unleash it.

Are we so locked into the tasks that we may have lost the fun?

#2 – STORIES matter.

Get fired up & fire up others.

What are you reading and writing?

Who do you hang with?

Connect on the net globally. Share applicable, relevant & inspiring linkage.

#3 – VOLUNTEER.

Live for something bigger than your project. Yes I know your project is “all that & a side of fries”. We are all biased like a loving father toward kids.

Continue to get involved in community. Serve. Love.

There are times to knuckle down on our “to do” lists but sometimes it pays to walk away (for a brief time).

I personally have found volunteering to be rewarding.  Not just tangible results of service, but the ideas that come to mind during it.

Have something on hand to collect the thoughts (journal, phone recorder etc)

#4 – INVEST.

Refuse to let today’s tensions limit tomorrow’s returns. Continue being generous.

Is there a potential collaboration opportunity?  Can that collaboration aid a community dilemma, solve a crisis or bring efficiency?

Coaching and mentoring?

What is in our hand? Are our hands open?

#5 – CORE CHECK.

How is your core?     Do you have margin for resilience?

During times of tension, what is inside will be squeezed out. Take some “me” time before to “set up”. That “me” time isn’t selfish. It would be if it was the only thing but that’s not you. That “me” time is wise if we are to have capacity for the long haul & in trying times.

Be like the ant in preparation for the winter.

What is your foundation or value system?

This list is obviously not exhaustive. It is just a few bites of what I bring into play in my world that have proven valuable.

What is the cost for NOT having a Tension Resilience Strategy?

What works for you?

Please invest this into us all by adding to the conversation here. My notepad is ready. Thank you in advance.

Yes I was upset that he quit after the 8th round ended in his corner but I’m not talking about that.  I’m talking about when he gave up during the fight.

He just wasn’t comfortable the whole fight and it seemed like he didn’t really wanted to try.  As if he was waiting for the fight to be over.

I was upset.  I was let down by you Oscar.  Please don’t ever give up again.  Fight back. Believe in yourself.  Don’t ever give up!

This reminds me of one of the most AMAZING speeches I’ve ever heard which was by Jimmy V at the 1993 ESPY Awards.  If you don’t know the story, basically Jim Valvano was suffering from cancer and at the ESPY’s they honor him with the Arthur Ashe award.

This video will give you goosebumps if you haven’t seen it already.  I promise you, you won’t be let down.

Until tomorrow, DON’T GIVE UP, DON’T EVER GIVE UP!  I still love you Oscar!

Here’s the 10 Commandements:

1. Wealth: If your Passion is not part of what you do you will never be rich!

2: Career/Business: You must build a career/life around Passion to live without regret.

3: Attitude: Your Passion for life will affect your position in life.

4: Significance: If you do not define your Passion someone else will!

5: Responsibility: Do what you must while you focus on your Passion.

6: Balance: Core values are the difference between Passion and Obsession.

7: Time: Manage your Passion not simply your time.

8: Resiliency: Passion never dies it only gets buried through negativity.

9: Goals: Your goals without passion are fantasy!

10: Enthusiasm: Passion is the fuel of the soul that moves your goals forward to completion.

Enjoy!

The movie is about a young boy, August Rush, who grows up in an all boys school having never met his parents.  For some apparent reason, he believes that he’ll find them one day by “following the music.”

While in this boy’s school, the other kids think that August is a “freak”and pick on him for believing that he will find his parents one day (as they have no hope themselves).

In the midst of the environment and what the kids around him are doing, August says something very interesting, “Sometimes the world tries to knock it out of you.”

My question for you is, What has the world been trying to knock out of you?  What is that thing inside of you that you’ve been burying because of what the world has said about you?

That thing inside of you is your Passion!  Passion is that thing that you would do regardless if you got paid to do it or not.  The problem is that so many people have allowed their world and their environment  define their passion for them.  I call this, “Passion Spoilers.”  If you don’t define you passion folks, someone else will!

This week I’m going to be doing an interview with the Passion Expert, Gary Zelesky.  Gary released a book earlier this year called the Passion Centered Professional.  He’s an author, speaker, and probably one of the best communicators I’ve ever heard.

Stay tuned this week for this interview with Gary as he sheds light on how to find your Passion.

Aside from your environment, What are some other Passion Spoilers?

Stay Hungry – Stay Foolish