Recognition for the sake of recognition has no value. Recognition increases what people expect of you, so if you are not growing in your talents and capabilities, then you are raising the bar without raising your ability to get over that bar.

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I have made some recent posts encouraging people to focus on their longer term goals. Many were fully on board with the idea, but some felt I was judging them for not being ambitious enough. They told me that they are just trying to survive and there's nothing wrong with that.

I completely agree that there is nothing wrong with survival as a goal. It is common and reasonable. However, the best strategy to achieve that goal is having more ambitious plans. Sounds counterintuitive, but it's not.

If your goal is merely to survive, then that is as far as you will plan. If your goal is to do something more ambitious or to be in a better place in a year or five years, then survival is the first step of that plan. You'll still do all the same things to survive, but you will be more motivated and more creative.

During the quarantine, I've been as locked down as anyone. For the first few weeks, I was in survival mode, but as weeks dragged into months, I shifted my focus. Survival was set. Our family was in a rhythm. We had food. We had taken precautions. Now what?

These daily videos are part of the answer to "now what?" My coaching. The other resources I have created. It's all part of a plan to play the cards I've been dealt by the pandemic.

Unless you started farming to feed yourself, chances are that survival is not filling your time. If you are focused on survival, but you are reading books or watching TV or doing other leisure activities, then you have time that could be better deployed.

Some people say that they need to tend to their mental well being. I completely agree.The best way to tend to your mental well being is to have dreams and goals beyond the present crisis. Living to survive is exhausting and depressing. Living for something more is inspiring and energizing.

Defense delays defeat while offense drives for victory. No one ever won through pure defense. Survival is defense. Goals are offense. The best defense is a good offense, so if your goal is survival, the best way to achieve that goal is to strive for greater achievement beyond the current crisis.

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You are the linchpin in anything you are doing. If you are tired, sick, rundown, then everything else that is important to you will suffer. What are you putting into your body? What are you doing to maintain your body? You cannot ignore the needs of your body and except to be successful in any other aspect of life. Determine what makes the most sense for you and do it.

I have another podcast on which I interview a variety of very interesting people. It's called The Guy Who Knows A Guy Podcast. Check it out.

Getting your black belt is not the end of training. It is the end of the beginning. It means you have mastered the basics and can now continue to the higher levels of training.

Many aspects of life and business are similar. You never arrive at the point where you can coast. Rather, you arrive at new levels of challenge that allow new levels of achievement.

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There are people with valuable wisdom and knowledge all around us. Are we taking advantage of what they have to teach us, or are we too busy running from one thing to the next to listen to them?

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You put good fuel in your vehicles, but do you put good fuel in yourself? You are the most important piece of equipment in any enterprise you run, and if you break down, it all breaks down. What are you eating? Drinking? Are you exercising? Taking care of your health? It's not just about taking care of you, it's about giving you the power to take care of business.

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I like seeing advertising because it keeps me informed of new products, new opportunities, and the state of the business world. Knowledge is power. Even knowledge that some paid to send you.

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It is important to look for the opportunity in all circumstances, especially now, because now we have some weird circumstances. When the quarantine began, I had no idea what to do. My business was entirely in person. We were able to pivot to working remotely. The lack of needing to travel created time, and in that time I launched my coaching business.

Looking for referrals to resources? The Guy Who Knows A Guy can help. Fill out my I Got A Guy form and I'll connect you with someone great from my network to help with what you need.

You're always bad at something when you first start, but you have to stick with it until you get better.

There are opportunities in these strange times if you are willing to accept them. You may not recognize them for what they are, and that's why I made the Set Difficulty Easy exercises.

They are out there, and I'm helping my clients find them every day.