The L.D. Sewell Podcast

Be A Professional Truck Driver - Not Just a Truck Driver... Yes there is a difference! How you approach what you do, how you see yourself within it and whether you constantly work on improving your performance and yourself or not makes a huge difference. Pursue the business of trucking with an owner mindset - not an employee mindset. Always be looking to do everything better - and have your eyes wide open for opportunities as they arise - and they come up all the time... The problem is most people don't recognize them because they are covered in dirt and grease and look like more work as the old saying goes - but the truth is they are gold in disguise! Reach out and take everyone of them when they show up. If you are willing to bust your ass instead of following the typical bull shit routine everyone else follows then you get the good stuff that comes from your efforts. That's how you build a better life as a professional truck driver. Be efficient at the work - then get more efficient. Manage and use your time. Communicate with people that matter - start with building a good working relationship with your dispatcher. If that's not possible shit can your dispatcher and get a new one that you can work with. And yes you can really do that... Think of yourself as an entrepreneur and an owner in all you do - even when you are an employee - own your profession and pursue it professionally and far outperform damn near everyone else. Most people are too lazy to do that. Don't be lazy. Instead get up and go work for what you want - make progress not excuses and you can make things happen. Develop a healthy amount of disrespect for what other people think - stop letting their opinions hold you back. Are they going to pay your bills, put food on your table ... I didn't think so. So damn their opinions. They don't matter. Your opinions matter and they control your mindset which controls your habits which controls what you do which gets you results - good or bad, and that is your life. So take charge of it and run it intently with focus toward specific goals of your own choosing.

Mastermind Alliances and Mastermind Groups Napoleon Hill was one interesting guy. He interviewed and studied most of the super successful people of his day and one of the things he learned was that they all had other people who were in some way shape or form part of an inner circle or group that met and worked together on each others problems. The power of the many always far exceeds the power of any one person alone. Sometimes it can be as simple as having a different perspective from a detached point of view. Other times it may be some unique skill and or experience that a member has that another doesn't, and it may be a skill or experience that took decades to learn and develop - all of which can be shared instantly. Combine that concept with multiple other people and you have a powerhouse of experience and insight that would take hundreds of years to develop - which of course is impossible for any single individual to ever accomplish. The good news is that such power is available to us all - if we can only find and become a member of a group that is interested and capable of working together to solve common problems and can help each other reach individual goals. I am working to build just such a group of highly motivated people - people who want to get out of debt, build businesses, effectively manage divisions, departments and companies. People who are entrepreneurs and take pride in independence and self reliance - yet at the same time want to work with other people seeking the same things. People who understand the value and the power of an alliance. People who want to escape the rat race and build successful careers while at the same time build better lives for themselves and for those they care most about. Abbie (my wife and business partner) and I are hard at work daily building out the structure and systems of our membership site. The structure is now in place (mostly) and the internal community board is up and running fine - just waiting for you! If you are serious about changing your life for the better and want to be part of our community on the ground floor - then sign up and come on in! Be patient though... its is a work in progress. New areas and content are being added daily.

Be Safe and Get Home Again They say trucking is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country industry wise. It can be. But there are a lot of things you can do to minimize your risks as much as possible. Fathers Day is an excellent time to think about such things. Whether you are a father or a son there are people at home who love you and who need you - so don't be in a hurry. Though the business of trucking is a rush rush all the time thing - you just have to constantly remind yourself what is truly important. WHO is important to you and who you are important to... Then be careful and be safe so you live to get back home yet again. This applies to all drivers men and women - not just on fathers day, but every day. When you sit in the next boring ass safety meeting - listen up and pay attention. It may help save your life. Till next time, Be Safe

Site Updates and Membership Area Work In Progress We have been and are still busy building everything but it is coming together - step by step. The membership area is up and running to the point it will let you in - though we are just now beginning to plug in content. So if you want to be among the first - and if you can be patient for a bit while we get everything else in place - then come on in! Next week we will be adding a Community system inside our members only area - and we have chosen to use one of the top systems for doing so. It offers each member a chance to have his or her own personal blog within the system as well as be able to interact with all other members easily and clearly. There are many features available in the system.... and those brave enough to sign up now will be among the very first members to join. I focus most of what I do on helping people who want help choose their own courses and build better lives... That is what I see as my primary mission in life and what I intend to focus on for the rest of my life. Living in debt and working your ass off to be an indentured servant and a wage slave is not much of a life. The good news is that you can choose to change it anytime you like - choose a new course and head off in a direction and on a path of your own choosing. That is what I want to help you do. And what I want to build is a community of other like minded people around the same idea. One for all and all for one - to borrow the phrase so to speak. A community where people work together to get out of debt, build careers and businesses of their own choosing, invest and build near passive income streams, manage businesses and lives effectively and accomplish amazing things. To share ideas, experiences - both good and bad so we can all learn together what works best and help each other avoid what doesn't. To have fun and enjoy recreational pursuits too - nobody is ever served well by work alone. We all need rest, relaxation and just plain fun too! So fun is part of the whole thing too... Visit the site www.ldsewell.com and check out sign up to become a member if you dare... or sign up for email now and I will let you know when we are a bit further along.

When you want better then start by bettering yourself. Some people are able to perform well in just about any job and situation in life - they are able to quickly and calmly adapt, improve and become efficient at getting the job done in minimum time. Other people - not so much. For some they cant seem to do much of anything right. Everything is always in turmoil and crisis and they create it whenever they cant find it. Everyone they encounter has a bad day as a result too. What about you? Which extreme are you at, or are you somewhere in the middle? You can improve your own attitude, mindset and your entire life while you are at it - if you want to. Start with adopting a new attitude and see things from a fresh perspective. Have clear goals and objectives and approach your job and your life with intent. If you do you will improve. Not to mention everyone you encounter will appreciate it too... Develop teamwork - teamwork with others, and team work with yourself. That may sound a bit odd but it simply means work toward intentional specific goals and a positive consistent manner - and stop working against yourself and others too. Your performance will dramatically improve if you do...

7 Things You Can Do To Be More Effective In a New Leadership Position Getting a new position whether you are moving up in an existing company or going to a new one - or even starting your own for that matter - is a wonderful and an exciting thing. But getting it and being successful at it are two very different things. Many people are not adequately prepared for the extra responsibility or the leadership role that comes along with it. How about you, are you ready? In this episode I give you 7 things you can do that will help you be more successful;

1. Get Specialized Information and Training
2. Use a Task Management System
3. Document Events
4. Learn to Say NO...
5. Develop Self Control
6. Set the Example
7. Continuously Learn and Stay Current

This fast paced world requires a new level of never ending education, training and skills development as well as continuing education and training to keep your skills current once you have them.

Your attitude and overall mindset determine how you think about pretty much everything. How you think affects everything else in your life. Everything... In trucking and in life you will have numerous opportunities to choose to either get mad and impatient and behave negatively - or use the time and the situation to your benefit. If you choose to use the time constructively you will have more success in everything you do than those who fail to see this and act on it. Its interesting to look at people who are successful and more importantly look at their attitudes, beliefs and philosophies on things. They all have the one thing every other person has - the same amount of time in each day, week and month. Its how they choose to use it that makes all the difference in the world. So what are your goals? If you know and have them written down great - if not then now might be a good time to think about what you want and then go ahead and formalize it by writing it down. Then next time you have to wait at a customer, or an appointment anywhere for anything - instead of getting upset - pull out your goals and read them. Then think about what you can do toward making them happen. Money and debt are critical issues for everyone alive today. You need money to live in this modern world. Even Richard Proenneke needed some supplies and materials - and it all cost money too... Look him up. Fascinating story - and while he certainly was much more capable than most - there were things he needed and couldn't make for himself. The things he had brought to him came by airplane - and everything associated with that cost money too. But the amount of money you need can be minimized - just as he minimized what he needed. Although I doubt you want to go quite that extreme. The more important aspect is to get rid of debt as fast as you can so that what ever you do make can be used by you for you and your family. Things to think about anyway.

Today's episode is just a quick update of what is coming up and what we are doing behind the scenes at the moment. I would also like your input too - This is all about helping people who want help build better lives - and that means you too! So I would like your help. First of all I would like to know what you want to hear. Interviews? Who? What about, etc. Got blog post recommendations? You can send me an email at [email protected] but please put the word "Topics" in the subject line otherwise it may go in file 13 before I get a chance to see it. My first Udemy course is in progress and will be uploaded by Saturday of next week or before (not sure when they will make it publicly available but they will have it by then anyway). As I was researching podcasting and scratching my head trying to figure out how to actually get mine going I read in several places that most new podcasts only last a handful of episodes before they disappear forever - and I have already seen several go that way. Others seem to disappear for days or weeks and then crop back up every once in awhile. As long as there is at least one person listening I will keep making them and they will get better with better content too as we go forward. I'm not going anywhere so long as I can still talk and the microphone works... you will get two episodes every week as promised.

What are your expectations? If you are considering a career in trucking, or even maybe have already started - what is it specifically that you are looking for from trucking? How much do you expect to earn? How often do you want to get home - and how often are you LIKELY to actually get home? Do you have big picture goals -or are you just taking it day by day and week by week? Have you made an effort to educate yourself about trucking? A real honest to goodness effort, like reading books, taking online or in person courses, done your own research, attended a webinar, visited a truck driving school in person - talked to any truck drivers face to face? To get an accurate picture you need information from different sources - NOT just what a recruiter tells you. That's part of it... but not the whole story and if you rely solely on recruiting information you are more likely than not in for a few hard lessons and unpleasant surprises. Do your own research. Get clear with yourself on what exactly it is you are trying to do. Then figure out how best to do it - write it all down. Have very specific written goals - then take action. If you do your chances of success go way up.

Whether you are looking for adventure and more independence or just looking for a way to escape from a crappy job you don't like Trucking might just be the answer you have been searching for - a way to a better life. For some it will be all they can hope for and more... but for others it sadly will not be the right choice. As much as we may want it to be trucking can't and won't meet the needs of everyone equally - nothing in this life ever can nor ever will. But is it for you? Or are you one of the folks who would be better off to keep looking until you find something else that will work better for you? That you have to decide for yourself. What I can tell you is this - you do have choices... It may not seem like it sometimes when things aren't going the way you want them to go. You may feel stuck - or trapped even. Feeling like you have to just keep slugging away day after day at a job you hate doing things day in and day out that bring you no sense of accomplishment and little if any real satisfaction either. If you find yourself in such a situation and not happy at all - then why not change it? Try something different. Do your homework and get accurate information about what ever it is you may decide to try regardless of what it is and then pull the trigger and do it. If you dare... Do your own rocking chair test. Imagine yourself many years in the future. You are sitting on your front porch in a rocking chair reflecting back on your life. You are very old now, and no longer able to do the things you want. You know that soon enough your time left on this earth will be done and the book called your life will be finished. As you reflect back over all the things done and left unfinished, all of your accomplishments and all of your missed opportunities - thinking back from then to this day, and this moment in time what will you think? Will you be happy that you took a chance and did something bold and changed your life - in what ever way that may go - or that you never did even try. That you just kept slugging away day after day after day ... until you landed in that chair on that porch? I don't remember for certain where I read or heard that basic story the first time - though I have heard it many times in many different versions from different people over the years, but I think it was from Tony Robbins where I first encountered it if I recall correctly. Seems like (and I may have it wrong so don't put much weight on it without looking it) he was responding to whether he should take the risk and make the effort to become a helicopter pilot or not - or just take the safe route and stay on the ground or do something less dangerous instead of learning to fly a helicopter. He made his choice - and he didn't stay on the ground. Your turn now. Do your own rocking chair test - make a decision and do what ever you decide to do. It's your life so choose your own course before you run out of time. What ever you do whether or not that may involve trucking or something else entirely - do it right. Do it to the absolute best of your ability. Get good information, a good instructor, a good coach and the right training so you can achieve all that you are capable of.