Success Road

Do you enjoy taking personality tests? I do. I love the helpful insights they provide. 

On today’s podcast, we have coach and speaker Kelly Knowles sharing how to understand the Color Code personality test. 

The Color Code was developed by a psychiatrist named Taylor Hartman. Hartman created the Color Code as a way to help his patients get better, faster. One key differentiator with this test is that it delves down into what is your driving core motive. And this driving core motive is something that you were born with, this is your natural state. It is what drives you in your most authentic self. 

 

A Summary Of The Color Code

There are four colors: red, white, blue, and yellow. For reds, their driving core motive is power or doing things. For whites, the driving core motive is peace. They're all about maintaining a steady state, because they want to stay in a state of peace. 

For individuals who are yellow, their driving core motive is fun. They are optimistic, energetic, and they have a really fun spirit. For blues their driving core motive is intimacy or connection. They are the people that feel they are all about quality and value. 

When you start to learn these things about yourself, then you start to be able to pick out and play with this in terms of your relationships with other people. 

 

Digging Deeper Into The Color Code

It is important not to use The Color Code, or any other personality test, to make assumptions; rather, it is a tool to open up communication. While you might have one predominant core driver, you likely have a secondary driver too. 

As human beings, we are complex: it is essential to not use The Color Code as a way to generalize others or ourselves. 

 

Why Habits Are So Important

I really believe our habits make or break achieving our goals. If you wake up in the morning with the best of intentions and you say, today I'm going to do something in about five seconds, I'm going to offer that Murphy's Law is going to kick in and something is going to jump that off base. 

However, if you have some habits built in, if you even have some routine built in, those are actually Something that will give you freedom. And you're going to find that you're going to be able to achieve your goals and make those strategic steps that you need. Even better. 

When habits are used to create freedom, you will see great traction. Instead of habits being about limitations, they are tools that you use to build a better life. 

  An Important Change

We grew up believing we should minimize our weaknesses, but I believe this isn’t true. First, we should not call them weaknesses. Otherwise we view them as problems. Rather, you can view them as limitations. And it is ideal to maximize your strengths and neutralize your limitations.

There are many tools and services available that we can use to neutralize our limitations. If you are someone who is disorganized, there's technology out there. There are personal assistants out there professional organizers that can help you with that limitation. to neutralize it, so you can go and be your best self. 

 

A Final Word

I...

Feeling stressed? Know you’re not alone. We all inevitably have stress in our lives, and we need to manage stress in healthy ways while also staying productive. On today’s podcast, Daria Tsvenger joins us. Daria is a mindset coach and has also studied cognitive neuroscience at Stanford University. Daria has a unique program called The Dream Sprint, a personal growth challenge that people gain clarity and pursue their dreams.

 

The Problem With Stress

Stress is a state in our bodies. It's a primal response that occurs in our brain whenever we face some kind of change. If the changes are sudden, our stress levels rise higher. Our brain wants things to stay the same; stress is the brain’s response to change. Thankfully there is a healthy way to handle stress. 

How To Handle Stress

Resilience is the best way to handle stress. And resilience is like a muscle in your body. When you train a muscle, you do the same activity over and over. So the next time you do the same activity, it is easier for you to do because your muscles are trained. The same concept applies to your mind. The more we process change, the more we develop resilience. 

Moving Past Mental Blocks

We all face mental blocks, things that stop us from doing the things we want to accomplish.

And it might not even be the same challenge that stops us. Daria recommends the “big perspective exercise” where you take into account how long your life actually is. 

 

On average, a human being’s life expectancy is around 80 years, which comes to about 4,000 weeks. Once you are able to realize how many weeks you’ve already been alive, and approximately how many more weeks you have to live, you’ll likely start to see that your time is limited. You know you don’t want to waste your time. This creates urgency and allows you to move past any challenges so you can take action. 

Becoming More Confident

Many people struggle with confidence. But what is confidence really? It is when you're able to keep the promises that you gave to yourself. Every time you break a promise to yourself, you become less confident. So the best thing we can do to move forward is to set micro goals. Micro goals add up and enable us to keep our promises to ourselves. 

Next Steps

Wherever you are today, I want to challenge you to take the next small step that will lead you to where you want to go. Daria’s Dream Sprint program could be a great way to get some support and accountability as you move forward. We all need support and encouragement. Once you have those, you also have hope. And hope is a very powerful thing. That’s why I make this podcast. So I want to encourage you to keep taking intentional small steps as you are on your journey. 

 

Best of luck as you pursue and achieve your goals. Feel free to contact me, Joshua Rivers, if I can help in any way. 

I’ve heard the mantra “Leaders are readers” - you probably have, too. The problem is that, if you’re busy like me, you struggle to find time to read as much as you want to or as much as you feel you should.

Today, I’m going to share a couple things I’m doing to help make this easier.

Physical books

There is something special about reading a physical book. You can actually feel the pages. It’s easy to underline, write notes, or dogear pages.

However, physical books take up space. If you have lot of books, a lot of space can be used just in storing books (I have boxes and boxes of books).

eBook/Kindle books

To save physical space, Kindle or other types of eBooks make it easy to store a lot of books in a single device that may be even smaller than a single book. This makes it easy to take a lot of books virtually anywhere.

While you can still take notes, it seems to be a little more cumbersome in my opinion.

Audiobooks

A downfall to both physical books and eBooks is that you can’t do anything else at the same time (well, I guess you can do some exercise like walking on a treadmill or exercise bike).

A lot of the books I “read” are actually audiobooks. I can listen to the books while I’m doing a variety of tasks - mowing, cleaning, driving, etc. I can even speed it up and get through the books a little faster.

A downfall to audiobooks is that it’s easier to get distracted and you don’t get as much out of the books.

Blinkist

While you can miss a lot of the details in books, many times, all you need to do is grasp the main points. A lot of the details just support or prove the main point(s). There is value in getting the details, for sure, but you can make a lot of progress if you take the main point and apply it to your life.

Blinkist is an app that is like Cliffnotes - which you never used to take a shortcut when writing book reports back in school. A benefit of Blinkist, though, is that you can have written summaries and audio summaries, so it’s like a summarized ebook and audiobook in one.

While this doesn’t let you get the depth of going through the full book, you are able to get those important points out of it and have a good foundational basis.

You can check out Blinkist for yourself.

 

Are you an automator? Do you automate your sales? Do you automate the growth of your following? Are you able to automate for impact? 

Today’s guest is a serious automator, and she would like to show you how how to do it too. Kathryn Jones is a bestselling author, Certified Internet Marketer and the ClickFunnels Dream Car winner. You can connect with her on Instagram or join her Facebook Group Design Hackers Official. You can also pick up Katryn’s book Automate Your Routine, Guarantee Your Results.

 

How We Can Start Automating

Becoming an automator really is a mindset and a lifestyle. The word automation means to set up systems so that things can be done without human control. 

We all have repetitive tasks that we can outsource to other people. We can use software systems to free up our headspace and out time. 

Catherine discovered in her early twenties that she was lacking motivation and will power to get up. By setting up a simple system with a loud alarm clock, she discovered that she could use that tool and suddenly set herself up for success. 

She even applied this principle to eating healthier; instead of having waffles and cinnamon rolls in the house, she would only have egg whites. 

All automation can be simplified to one basic question: 

How can I avoid making the same mistake twice? 

 

Automation Is More Than Apps 

There is more to a system than just an app; barriers are important. The elimination of other possibilities is essential too. When you combine human behavior with essentially computer science coding, right, you're actually able to program your brain. 

If we look at the basics of coding, it's zeros and ones.  A computer will do exactly what you tell it to do. 

So when you're creating your routines, it is important to write out what you want to do as if you are a computer. Break it down, and you literally program your mind. 

With the example of using an alarm clock, she broke it down like this:

1. Open your eyes
2. Take two deep breaths
3. Sit up
4. Get out of your bed
5. Leave your room and close the door so you can't go back in there
6. Walk to the alarm clock
7. Turn it off
8. Go into the bathroom
9. Close the door and shower.

When you eliminate other options, you also get your brain into a regimented routine. 

I highly recommend you listen to this entire episode, as we spoke more about health and routines in the show notes as well as automating your business. Thanks to Kathryn for being a guest on the Success Road Podcast. 

Are you falling short in meeting your goals? Or maybe you feel like something is just missing. 

On today’s episode, I chat with Roman Marinov about goal setting. Roman is a relationship coach who has been trained in Tony Robbins’ coaching program. He also is offering a free 30% discount on coaching for anyone who mentions Success Road Podcast listeners. Just mention the show to him. 

Why Is Goal Setting Important?

A great example is to think of a plane. A plane needs to know where it's going. It needs to know his destination. Otherwise the plane will waste time, and fuel. It might get lost or even be going in the wrong direction. And that's what goals are for us. Goals are our destinations. That’s why goals are so important.

How To Approach Goal Setting

Roman uses a straightforward framework that consists of a quick meditation. Then he asks individuals to share their goals in four specific categories which include personal, financial, adventure and contribution. This entire process comes from the book Awaken The Giant Within.

 

And so they give Roman those goals, he writes them down. And then the next step is he asks why these goals are important to them. And the next step is getting very, very specific, creating specific action items for each goal and the deadlines. That's the process.

Best Advice For Someone Not Working With A Coach

Roman recommends reading Awaken The Giant Within and following the framework described in the book. The very first step is taking five minutes to write a goal in each category without filtering yourself. For example, if you're working in the financial category of goal, so someone may write “I want to make this specific amount of income.” Following the framework is key, and sticking to it by showing up everyday.  

 

When Goal Setting Isn’t Working

If you’re struggling with achieving goals, Roman recommends focusing is on the future. Believing something will happen and what it will feel like when it happens. This provides a form of motivation. Roman uses visualization in the morning and evening to stay on track. 

Accomplishing Goals With Loved Ones

Roman recommends reading the book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, because Covey goes into depth about this topic in the book. 

 

In some cases, putting some of your money at stake can help too. You could tell a friend, “If I don't complete complete this goal by the specific deadline, use this money however you want.” And if you accomplish the goal, you get the money back. That's a pretty easy way to hold yourself accountable.

Your Next Steps

We will all fail at meeting our goals sometimes. We all have to readjust our goals too. This is all just part of the process. You set new goals, and then you create a plan. Whether you are starting a new goal or just need some help with a current goal, Roman offers a free complimentary coaching session for all new clients. In addition, mention Success Road Podcast for a special 30% off discount. 

 

Best of luck as you pursue and achieve your goals. Feel free to contact me,

A key part of productivity is having the ability to focus and to do the deep work. 

Lee Chambers is the guest on today’s episode of the Success Podcast. He is a life coach,  and he is going to talk with us about this specific topic.

Lee looks at how we attach to tasks and how we then carry them out. These two areas intersect with employee productivity and performance in today's society. Here are some key points from this episode. 

 

We have so many different things vying for our attention. 

It’s becoming more and more difficult to follow our biological rhythms and work deeply for periods of time.We face many businesses that get paid to remove our boredom. At the same time, these businesses are also removing our ability to focus on one specific task and carry that out to a really high peak performance level for a long period. The average worker does so many different things today, he or she can't possibly just work really deeply on one task. There are emails pinging here and notifications over there. 

 

How To Start Doing The Deep Work Despite Distractions

It’s a lot like riding a bike. First you get on and you balance the bike. You visualize the path ahead. You start pedaling.  But do you remember what it was like when you first started learning how to ride a bike? The same applies to deep work. A lot of practice is required. You’re not going to get it right when you do it the first time. 

 

You have to set boundaries. No notifications. Your email is closed. Anything that's gonna distract you from the work is not there, and naturally takes a big step to make those intentional decisions. Deep work really starts to become a process of you becoming aware, and then implementing these things into your life. 

 

When Challenges Come Your Way

At some point you’ll face different challenges in your life. They might be health related or financial problems. Whatever the problem, you can turn a threat or challenge into an opportunity to learn. Lee became seriously ill, spending three weeks in hospital and spending six months learning to walk again. His illness was a turning point for him. Lee spent the last five years studying and practising everything he could learn to optimise my mind, body and soul. There will be times when your back is up against the wall. You must decide to take responsibility for your own situation and do what you can do. That’s how you’ll keep growing and learning. 

 

You can connect with Lee Chambers on his website or on Instagram.

Step into your greatness by taking action with intention and purpose.

Ryan Stanley, a Certified Personal Coach, dives into the driving force behind living life without fear and on your terms. He talks about the impact of stress and anxiety on the mind, the body, and life. Taking steps toward change will make you the creator of your dreams.

Ryan delves into the importance of shifting your mindset, pushing through negative self-talk, and utilizing your time intentionally. He talks about building patience and pushing through the stress to increase your level of success.

 

What you’ll learn:

• Living on purpose doesn’t happen by accident. 
• The Doc Brown Theory 
• The first step to overcoming negative self-talk. 
• Dealing with the mindset and taking the first step. 
• Be Patient, Be Present, Be Joyful: A First Aid Kit for the Emotional Bumps, Scrapes, and Bruises of Life

 

Quotes:

“In order to get what we want in life in any capacity, it takes intention and it takes purpose.” - Ryan Stanley 

 

More about Ryan M Stanley:

• Website: https://www.ryanstanley.com/be-patient-be-present-be-joyful
• Website: https://www.ryanstanley.com/free-ebook 
• Website: http://teachmetocoach.com 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rms_ryanstanley/ 
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmslifecoach/ 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/RMS_RyanStanley 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RMS.Life.Coach/ 

 

Recommended Reads:

• “Be Patient, Be Present, Be Joyful: A First Aid Kit for the Emotional Bumps, Scrapes, and Bruises of Life” By Ryan Stanley
• “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself” By Dr. Joe Dispenza. 

 

Chris Krimitsos and I talk about the discovery of the self by starting ugly, perfecting your craft, and innovating. We delve into Chris’s book, Start Ugly: A Timeless Tale About Innovation & Change, and discuss the benefits and conflicts of innovation.

I tend to get bogged down with perfectionism, which prevents me from getting started. The philosophy of Start Ugly is to ‘stop thinking and start doing,’ which helps me get started.

Innovators are dreamers who problem solve by probing and implementing ways to improve. Join us today as we delve into the story behind Start Ugly and some current-day innovators.

 

Quotes:

• “It’s not starts ugly stay ugly; it’s starts ugly and perfectly execute from there.” 
• “Innovation is always happening whether we like it or not.” 
• “We all reach a semblance of success, and then we wind up plateauing because we’re afraid to move out of our comfort zone.”

 

Links: 

• Start Ugly: A Timeless Tale About Innovation & Change by Chris Krimitsos
• Chris’ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chriskrimitsos
• Chris’ Website: https://chriskrimitsos.com/
• Chris’ Twitter: https://twitter.com/chriskrimitsos
• Chris’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriskrimitsos/
• PodFest: https://podfestexpo.com/
• VidFest: http://vidfestexpo.com/podfest-2020-big-in-size-huge-in-memories/

Over the past several months, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of changes and, as a result, we have experienced a lot of constraints, both personally and corporately. 

I have witnessed many times where these constraints have led to various creative solutions.

Schools have done parades instead of traditional graduation ceremonies. While this isn’t an ideal solution for the graduates, it was at least a way to celebrate the accomplishments. I live out in the country and a nearby small town had the whole town involved, where there may normally have been less community involvement.

While many small businesses have had to close for a period of time and suffered a lot, other businesses have had to rethink how they can operate while under the legal limitations. My wife and I recently went to a restaurant, and found out we could pay the bill through our phone - no need for a paper check or using the Ziosk machine.

Churches have worked to come up with alternative ways to gather. While many churches utilized streaming services online more - and adapting better ways of doing this - some churches started having parking lot services where everyone stayed in their vehicles. My church is one that did this - we had only online services for a few weeks, and then we started meeting in the parking lot. A few weeks ago, we started having indoor services, but increased sanitation practices and sat in every other pew.

I think about the movie Apollo 13. If you haven’t seen the movie yet, I’m sorry for any spoilers here. When the shuttle experienced an electric malfunction and the CO2 filter stopped working, an extreme situation was created. There was an option to make some modifications, but they were faced with having to connect the proverbial round peg in a square hole. It may have been the other way around, but close enough. The scientists back on earth were gathered and a box of miscellaneous parts were thrown on a table. The leader said, “We have to make this fit into this, using only these parts.” And they only had a very short amount of time before the toxicity level got too high. Spoiler alert - they were able figure it out and save the astronauts.

 

Scientific studies about constraint

So, as I’ve been thinking about this idea of constraints breeding creativity, I found 2 articles, from Inc Magazine and the Harvard Business Review.

The Harvard Business Review article, they conducted a survey and found that individuals, teams, and organizations benefited from a healthy dose of constraints.

The Inc Magazine article said that we actually need constraints to get good at creating something remarkable.

Both articles go on to explain how constraints can help by forcing you to work with less so you can actually begin to see the world differently. They even talk about how new inventions and business practices have been inspired through various constraints.

 

Too much constraint

Both articles do mention that too much constraint can dampen creativity. In other words, there’s a point of diminishing return.

So...

I have been concerned about many issues of injustice over the years based on various issues. The most prominent injustice revolves around race and police brutality.

There are a few problems that I’ve realized for myself regarding these.

I don’t follow enough of the news to fully understand the details of the issues. I hope to remedy this going forward.

Even with what I do know, I never really knew how to respond or react properly.

As a Christian, my first priority is to honor God in all I do. So I saw the way people responded across the county, I had a hard time seeing how I could participate in those ways while still honoring God by following the Biblical principles I know to be true.

For one, I ought not act with a spirit of rebellion. For example, injustice by a few against one (George Floyd) is not remedied by injustice by a mob against all. Peaceful protests are great, but the riots and violence taking place across the country are completely anti-Christian.

One thing I do know is that doing nothing isn’t help at all. I’m reminded of the quote, “All that’s needed for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing.”

At the same time, I don’t want to just complain about how wrong people are acting and reacting. Rather, I want to be part of a solution that actually helps people and still honors the Biblical principles God wants me to follow.

There is a Bible principle that shows that when offences and afflictions come to me personally, I am to take that to God and allow Him to take care of it. Additionally, it is also the responsibility of the government to execute judgment in such cases. It is not my right to execute judgment or revenge for myself.

At the same time, God tells us that when we see injustices take place, as a Christian, we are to take a stand. We are to be a voice for them. We are to help and minister to them.

My pastor, Rick Carter, Jr., took the lead over this last week to create a non-profit organization to address this exact issue. It’s called Solidarity Stand. It’s still in very early stages, but on the website, there is a pledge that can be taken. I’m going to go ahead and read that now.

I signed the pledge this morning, and you can also sign the pledge yourself by going to SolidarityStand.org.