Play Your Position

I love the Super Bowl. I was not happy with the outcome on Sunday as I wanted the Falcons to win. But hats off to Tom Brady and the Patriots for pulling out of their tailspin and coming back to win the game. History making event.

But enough about football. Ha! Today I want to talk about the halftime show because it was out of this world and I couldn't help myself...I was enjoying it not just for the entertainment value, but also for the business value...looking at Lady Gaga as the epitome of an artist entrepreneur who plays her position to a tee.

I've been a distant fan of Lady Gaga for years, with a few of her big hits on my playlist. She is an icon of my daughter's generation more than one of mine. But I gained an entirely new level of respect for her after Super Bowl 51's halftime show.

Here are three things that stood out to me about Lady Gaga's performance at Super Bowl 51:

1. When you show up as yourself, you win. I can't think of another performer today who is as much herself as Lady Gaga, and the halftime show she put on demonstrated that exponentially. Her glittery costume and matching boots. Her hair, the mask over her eyes. She was confident. She was bold. She was authentic.
2. When you serve others through playing your position, you win. Lady Gaga is all about her fans who she calls her "Little Monsters" for those listening today who don't know much about her. Notice how she didn't use the enormous viewing stage that comes with a halftime show to play a song she's been working on that no one knows, or rant about her views on some issue. I have seen performers do this when they get the spotlight. They make it all about them instead of giving the audience what it wants. In Lady Gaga's case, what her audience wants to hear are her big hits like "Poker Face" "Born This Way" and "The Edge of Glory." And she delivered big time. Her one nod to the highly charged political climate was starting the set with "America the Beautiful." Her message? We are all one big team here. We may not always see eye to eye but we can work together to keep this thing called Democracy we love going as red white and blue lights lit up behind her in the shape of the American flag. Brilliant..
3. When you want to play your position at the highest level, you build a great team around you. Even though she is the name of her brand, the center of the Lady Gaga brand, she surrounds herself with the best -- the best dancers, the best musicians, the best sound team, the best choreographers… Lady Gaga is incredibly smart about her business and she holds herself accountable to the highest standards. She takes responsibility for what happens. Even in her pregame interview with Michael Strahan, she was cool under pressure, confident about who she was and what she was going to deliver. Like anyone about to launch a product into the world, she knew her performance had risk in it. But she went for it anyway and took it all the way into the end zone.

The experience was extraordinary from the opening aerial stunt when she came flying down from the fake sky to the conclusion when she dropped the mic and caught the football as she leaped off the stage into the abyss. It took my breath away when I watched it live and it's taking my breath away now as I recall it.

For me, that was the biggest win of the day.

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When I was in my twenties, I loved buying expensive shoes at Nordstrom. While I'm not nearly as obsessed with fancy shoes as I was in those days, I still enjoy splurging once in awhile on a great pair of kicks. In fact, I know plenty of women whose appetites for shoes and other fashion accessories have only increased over the years. Honestly, it doesn't matter what people decide to spend their money on because it's a personal decision. Some women like shoes. Some men like motorcycles. Most people at some point or another ask asks themselves the following question: How can I play my position better? As much as we'd like a one-size-fits-all answer, no such thing exists. A vacation to Maui every spring is the answer a friend of mine offers. More naps is the answer of another. And I'm not joking. Figuring out who we are, what we stand for and what we want in this life are universal themes we will encounter. Some meet these questions early and get them all dialed in. Others spend a lifetime trying to unravel the knots of expectation thrust upon them in childhood before they had a voice of their own. I have always known who I am and have two incredible parents to thank for allowing me and my brother to be who we were growing up rather than trying to fit us into some kind of mold that wasn't aligned with our core. Playing our position is tough enough without having to battle external forces for the right position. Life is fundamentally about the paradox of embracing and accepting being who we are while figuring out how to do that better each day throughout our lives -- in the face of enormous and inevitable change and social pressure to conform to someone else's ideal of who we should be. Thank goodness Nordstrom is still around for those times when nothing but a new pair of shoes will do the trick. #pyp

In the second half of my conversation with Thor Conklin, Thor gets into the details of how to execute on the plans we make for our lives, our businesses, our careers. Think that's easy? It's actually not. For the last 16 years, Thor has been obsessed with finding out what makes the difference between the people who succeed wildly in life and the ones who say they want to succeed wildly -- but never do. With the same energy and enthusiasm as he put forth in the first half, Thor doesn't skimp on the value he freely shares with Team PYP. It's practically impossible not to want to run out and get stuff done after listening to him walk through the parts of his Ultimate Success Map. This is an episode you will want to listen to again with pen and paper so you can catch more details of Thor's Ultimate Success Map the second time through and apply them to your life.

It's fun listening to Thor Conklin. He is full of energy, insights and passion for helping people achieve peak performance. What I noticed right away about Thor was his conviction: what he shares with us in the first half of our conversation in today's episode is nothing less than spectacular -- and totally doable. That's another quality I admire in Thor. He breaks down big ideas that may at first seem too far out reach to someone just getting started or in a place of confusion. There is a reason, after all, why Thor is a successful business owner, author, executive coach and content-driven podcaster. Gritty, experienced and accessible, Thor brings to bear what holds people back from realizing their full potential. Through his latest venture, Peak Performance Nation, he teaches the tools, tips, tricks and strategies necessary to be a Peak Performer no matter what you do for a living. He qualifies the psychology of success in one word: Execution. His mantra is, "Nothing you've learned matters – unless you can EXECUTE!" We hear you, Thor! Game on!

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Being the Best. I've been reading Seth Godin's book The Dip this week. If you haven't read this book, I recommend it. In a nutshell, The Dip is a book about helping readers figure out when to keep going, when to quit and "having the guts to do one or the other." Sounds simple enough, but it really isn't. A Short Book with a Long Punch. The Dip is a short book, but it packs a long-lasting punch. It gets you thinking about what you're doing, and whether or not what you're doing is worth it. It tells you that it's easy to start things, and not so easy to hang in there until you've achieved mastery. One of the themes of the book is being the best at something. How do you know if you're the best? What does being the best really mean? Why aren't more people the best at something? These are but a handful of the many questions he asks.

Make 2017 Extraordinary!

"The best professionals I've ever met are always improving. They are never stuck in one place." Claudio Toyoma, PYP #62

The end of one year and the beginning of a new one is always a great time to reflect, ruminate, and recharge. What better way than to showcase the best and brightest insights from the 2016 roster of PYP MVPs than with a highlight reel? Today's episode continues the spirit of compiling key plays from each guest's playbook to inspire you to kick off 2017 with energy, excitement and enthusiasm for what's next. I've decided 2017 is going to be extraordinary and look forward to having more conversations with fascinating people who will show up and bring their A game to us. My gratitude extends to my loyal listeners of PYP and to the 2016 PYP MVPs: Asa Mathat, Dana Corey, Dr. Cynthia Boccara, Giovanna Rossi, Claudio Toyoma, Dr. Carol Parker Walsh, Matt Heinz, Rob Barisoff, Dan Kimble, Elizabeth Case, Jane Leslie, Jeany Park, David Taylor, Brandon Gaille, Kelley McElreath, Kris Miller, Paul Maskill, Marina Darlow, Nellie Akalp, Tanner Gers, Nate Osborn, Dave Sanderson, Jo Miller, Jeremy Barnhart, Ally Machate, Britney Gardner. Happy New Year, everyone!

Personal branding is all the rage today and it's one of the most difficult concepts to grasp, let alone get right. But for people who work with today's PYP MVP, Britney Gardner, things fall into place with their brands and they get results. As a brand strategist, Britney Gardner translates what it feels like to work with you into messaging you will use to build a business (or career) full of the best clients for you. Creator of The Badass Brand and host of the The Know, Like & Trust Show podcast, Britney empowers entrepreneurs (and some professionals) who are ready to level up to the premium clients they've been waiting for. She's got some terrific ideas about branding she shares with Team PYP on today's show. If you're thinking about starting the new year off with a bang in your brand, or if you're ready for some updating and reinvention of an existing brand, Britney will inspire you to take action in the right direction and finally feel good about the Brand Called You.

It's almost 2017 and the publishing industry has been turned upside down in the last few years by tech giants like Amazon who allow anyone to publish anything, anywhere, anytime. Given our highly digital world, a big question on book lovers' minds everywhere is -- do books still matter in a Snapchat world? Today's PYP MVP Ally Machate has a unique perspective on the state of books today. She is the founder of The Writer's Ally, an award-winning business that offers expert writing and editorial services to business professionals, publishers, agents, and authors. Ally is a bestselling book collaborator, award-winning editor, and expert publishing consultant who loves using her insider knowledge of the publishing industry and wealth of experience to lead serious authors toward publishing success. Since 1999, she has supported authors on their publishing journey and takes pride in serving as their books' best ally. We had a great time geeking out about books on today's show, and you will too!

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Kids today are experiencing greater health challenges than any generation in our history. From too much time sitting in front of screens to highly processed diets, our children need alternatives to developing healthy habits for life. Today's PYP MVP, Jeremy Barnhart, is a co-owner and VP of Franchise Development at Apex Fun Run and is providing a terrific solution to this problem. Apex Fun Run helps schools raise funds for equipment and other campus needs through a two week character building and leadership development program that culminates with a student "run" to raise donations for schools. Jeremy has a background in accounting and other business ventures, and he currently lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with his wife and three sons, who keep him very active with their various involvement in sports. People like Jeremy exemplify the power of doing good while making a great living serving people who are looking for solutions.

The Chicago Cubs just won the World Series after 108 years of dashed hopes, high expectations, faith, belief, doubt, and generations of fans wondering if it would ever happen. One week later, on November 8, 2016, America will elect a new president, and we will witness a new round of dashed hopes, high expectations, faith, belief, doubt and generations of citizens wondering what just happened. Regardless of who wins on Tuesday, it's Election Season 2016 and the stakes are high...or are they? In today's bonus PYP audible, I explore the different sides of winning and losing...and what they mean to us in the grand scheme of things.