The Lookout

When you learn how to ask the right question, you are able to move forward with wisdom. “Knowledge is like someone giving you a gold coin.” – Aaron Young’s father

We just don’t know what we don’t know. It’s a given that no matter how much we know in life, there’s always going to be something we’re not familiar with or haven’t learned, so the sooner we are able to humble ourselves and become teachable, the faster success will come.

 

It’s empowering to ask questions because you’re giving yourself a gift of new knowledge. When we learn how to ask the right questions, we are given nuggets of knowledge to help us move beyond embarrassment and avoid becoming victims.

 

“Keep looking up, and I’ll keep looking out.” –Aaron Young

Welcome to The Lookout Society Podcast, where Aaron shares a story from his life, then connects it with a business principle to pass on. This is his way of helping others that are also going down an entrepreneurship path as contributing members to society. As an added bonus, Aaron sometimes shares wonderful gems of Oregonian knowledge from his home state and weaves the passion he has for the community he lives in as an invitation for others to visit the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re enjoying these podcasts, become a part of The Lookout Society and opt in as a subscriber or write a review on ITunes.

Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or contact us!

LESSON FOR THE DAY

To be successful you’ve got to be teachable. Ask questions and look up words or information you don’t know, which will change your perspective and give you a better appreciation on the topic. By not being prideful, you will be able to open up your mind; be authentic, not a phony. You become the expert as soon as you have the answer.

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

* Proverbs 16:18 Pride Goeth Before a Fall

* Winston Churchill Biography

* The Lookout Episode with Churchill quotes about getting tough

* Derivation of words: Etymology

* Maya Angelou Biography

#thelookoutsociety

OTHER INTERESTING LINKS & REFERENCES

I use to carry a pocketbook dictionary and thesaurus with me everywhere I went. I still have them, only now I can use my smartphone, but I’ve always had a fascination with the flavor of words. I was reminded of this during today’s podcast on asking the write questions by learning to be teachable. I use to carry a little tablet (not an electronic device tablet, but one with wire bound paper) around in college full of handwritten phrases and words that I would savor or write down to later look up if I couldn’t find it in my pocket dictionary. While reading, I would underline in my books an unknown word or one I appreciated the author using so I could use it eventually myself.

ABOUT THE SHOW NOTES

Each of The Lookout Society show notes are written by Natalie C. Martin

LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT NATALIE:

Think of the person that has inspired you in something to go beyond what you thought possible.

Mentors, especially the really good ones, bring out our inner strength as they guide us to achieve our own limitless potential. Every successful person has a mentor behind them cheering them on and leading the way towards abundance.

 

When we are able to learn lessons from others, our mentor provides us an example to aspire to, showing us that our dreams ARE possible and we can do it!

“Keep looking up, and I’ll keep looking out.” –Aaron Young

Welcome to The Lookout Society Podcast, where Aaron shares a story from his life, then connects it with a business principle to pass on. This is his way of helping others that are also going down an entrepreneurship path as contributing members to society. As an added bonus, Aaron sometimes shares wonderful gems of Oregonian knowledge from his home state and weaves the passion he has for the community he lives in as an invitation for others to visit the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re enjoying these podcasts, become a part of The Lookout Society and opt in as a subscriber or write a review on ITunes.

Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or contact us!

LESSON FOR THE DAY

Everybody needs a mentor, and they need to be higher up on the mountain than you are. The greatest gift you can give to others is to become a mentor yourself. How can you help the next generation? How can you be a leader and a teacher? Admit who you are as you move beyond your inadequacies by searching out a mentor to help you become the person of abundance that you always wanted to be.

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

* The Lookout Episode: Meaningful Synchronicity with Robert Frost quote

* Karate Kid with Mister Miyagi

* MasterMind Meetups

* Laughlin Assoc

* Coach Ron Tunick, The Mentor Show

#thelookoutsociety

OTHER INTERESTING LINKS & REFERENCES

A quick Google search brought up a whole list of mentorship programs, but I’m sure that many mentors have been found from the great neighbor next door to the inspiring teacher in the classroom, meaning that most mentors can’t be sought after from afar; they’re usually found closer to home.

ABOUT THE SHOW NOTES

Each of The Lookout Society show notes are written by Natalie C. Martin

LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT NATALIE:

A life-long learner and unashamed history nerd, Natalie is a certified teacher in secondary education history and English turned stay at home mom. She is the mother of four energetic children all two years apart from 8 to 2 and recently celebrated her 11th wedding anniversary with the only boyfriend she ever had. After the kiddies are put to bed, she writes show notes as she continues to ignite her passion for writing and editing, fact checking and learning to make the world wide web a more educated place. When we learn that more gets accomplished when we replace “can’t” with “c...

Have you ever gone on a drive or walk just for the sake of discovering something new? What happened?

While taking a scenic drive with his sweetheart along a scenic byway in Oregon, Aaron came to the realization that some of the most beautiful things come from taking a road less traveled. When we literally or mentally go out of the norm, new discoveries arise.

This is applicable in all aspects of one’s life, from choosing new angles and approaches in one’s business to reconnecting with family and friends. The point it to acknowledge the journey in its present form, and glean the life lessons that are constantly around us.

 

“Keep looking up, and I’ll keep looking out.” –Aaron Young

Welcome to The Lookout Society Podcast, where Aaron shares a story from his life, then connects it with a business principle to pass on. This is his way of helping others that are also going down an entrepreneurship path as contributing members to society. As an added bonus, Aaron sometimes shares wonderful gems of Oregonian knowledge from his home state and weaves the passion he has for the community he lives in as an invitation for others to visit the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re enjoying these podcasts, become a part of The Lookout Society and opt in as a subscriber or write a review on ITunes.

Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or contact us!

LESSON FOR THE DAY

Reexamine your vantage point and develop a new way of looking at things. Once you’ve gotten to a new way of looking at things and have honestly examined what it means to you, you will either receive a confirmation that you’re on the right path, or you’re going to realize that maybe you never understood the big picture. See your world in fresh new, exciting ways!

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

* The Lookout Episode about taking flight instead of standing in line

* Wild movie starring Reese Witherspoon

* Oregon Scenic Byways

* The Lookout episode about Thoreau’s life lesson

* Henry David Thoreau’s Walden

* Oregon Mountain ranges

#thelookoutsociety

OTHER INTERESTING LINKS & REFERENCES

While listening to today’s podcast about venturing off the interstate, I was reminded of the movie Cars (one of my four year old’s most favorite movie of all time), and the life lessons that came from going on a journey.

And since we’re on the subject of life lessons from Disney Pixar cartoons, Big Hero 6 teaches that sometimes when dealing with ruts in life, we may just need to look at it from a different angle to come up with a new solution.

ABOUT THE SHOW NOTES

Each of The Lookout Society show notes are written by Natalie C. Martin

LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT NATALIE:

A life-long learner and unashamed history nerd, Natalie is a certified teacher in secondary education history and English turned stay at home mom. She is the mother of four energetic children all two years apart from 8 to 2...

What inspires you? What motivates you enough to take action in order to achieve your dreams?

Aaron’s inspiration in today’s podcast takes the shape of a heavenly prospect of the Cascade Range which taught him that no even when unsure about how to achieve the end result, he was willing to take a risk to achieve something great. This way of thinking leads to a full life, without regrets.

 

Aaron once received the advice that sometimes we need to say yes and then figure out how. In taking action today, we can fulfill the dreams of tomorrow, focusing on how we can better ourselves even if the path isn’t completely laid out from start to finish. Sometimes embarking on a new journey may lead down a path that only has bits of it visible, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the best path for us! The key is to get moving.

 

 

“Keep looking up, and I’ll keep looking out.” –Aaron Young

Welcome to The Lookout Society Podcast, where Aaron shares a story from his life, then connects it with a business principle to pass on. This is his way of helping others that are also going down an entrepreneurship path as contributing members to society. As an added bonus, Aaron sometimes shares wonderful gems of Oregonian knowledge from his home state and weaves the passion he has for the community he lives in as an invitation for others to visit the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re enjoying these podcasts, become a part of The Lookout Society and opt in as a subscriber or write a review on ITunes.

Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or contact us!

LESSON FOR THE DAY

You’ve got to take the risk to reach your goals. Say yes and then figure out how. Do the thing that stretches you, and scares you to take it on “even though” the odds are not in our favor.

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

* The Lookout episode about business tips from baby goats

* The Lookout episode about a tough call with a birthing goat

* Scott Bever from Bever Homes

* Oregon Mountain ranges

* Anaheim, CA

* Paulo Coelho

* The Lookout episode with his “Bondmobile” VW Dasher

#thelookoutsociety

OTHER INTERESTING LINKS & REFERENCES

While researching links for today’s podcast, I came upon The A to Z of Entrepreneurship that had some great tips that mirror what Aaron talks about in each episode.

While a contestant in Mrs Idaho America a few years ago, I was told to read Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist by another contestant, one who had carved her own path of success as a major director in Rodan+Fields,

The road to success very rarely resembles a smooth, straight path. Too often it is pocked with twists and turns, hills and detours. Parts that were once clear become overgrown, while other parts that appeared blocked become open.

Have you ever struggled to finish a journey? Ever felt like you weren’t good enough, or in over your head? Well, so has Aaron. A reminder that he’s made for himself is to ask the question, “Am I thinking about my ego, or my audience?”

Though he has been a mentor to many, Aaron has received many great words of wisdom from his own mentors. He realized that he IS good enough, just the way he is, and has learned to look at all that he has been able to accomplish, rather than all the great ideas that he never finished. Whether we can or can’t, that’s what we believe.

 

 

“Keep looking up, and I’ll keep looking out.” –Aaron Young

Welcome to The Lookout Society Podcast, where Aaron shares a story from his life, then connects it with a business principle to pass on. This is his way of helping others that are also going down an entrepreneurship path as contributing members to society. As an added bonus, Aaron sometimes shares wonderful gems of Oregonian knowledge from his home state and weaves the passion he has for the community he lives in as an invitation for others to visit the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re enjoying these podcasts, become a part of The Lookout Society and opt in as a subscriber or write a review on ITunes.

Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or contact us!

LESSON FOR THE DAY

We oftentimes need a mentor to help us. We’re all working on something, some dream with a deadline. Whether we’re chasing our goal with vigor or have placed it on the back burner, finishing the work will allow us to live the life of our dreams.

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

* Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill free download

* Napoleon Hill Foundation

* The Lookout episode about Aaron going to federal prison

* Henry A Kissinger biography

* Henry Kissinger “Is this the best you can do?” example on professional development

#thelookoutsociety

OTHER INTERESTING LINKS & REFERENCES

Anytime I hear “agony” and “ecstasy” together, as in today’s podcast title, I’m brought back to my sixth grade homeroom class with a master teacher showing us the beauty from the Renaissance with the movie, The Agony and the Ecstasy. Starring Charlton Heston as Michelangelo, is quickly became one of my favorite classic movies, which I watched on a regular basis. Little did I know that a decade later I would be standing under the

When we work hard, we deserve to claim our prize.

During high school Aaron was already showing his talent in business and entrepreneurship by thinking outside of the box through selling tickets for a school activity where a prize for the most tickets sold motivated him to success. How many opportunities and prizes are presented to us on a regular basis to think outside of the box and ambitiously reach for a seemingly lofty goal?

Aaron provides some great tips in today’s “Lesson of the Day” to audaciously put ourselves out there and achieve success by a landslide.

“Keep looking up, and I’ll keep looking out.” –Aaron Young

Welcome to The Lookout Society Podcast, where Aaron shares a story from his life, then connects it with a business principle to pass on. This is his way of helping others that are also going down an entrepreneurship path as contributing members to society. As an added bonus, Aaron sometimes shares wonderful gems of Oregonian knowledge from his home state and weaves the passion he has for the community he lives in as an invitation for others to visit the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re enjoying these podcasts, become a part of The Lookout Society and opt in as a subscriber or write a review on ITunes.

Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or contact us!

LESSON FOR THE DAY

Set a big goal. If you want to have real success, you have to set really big goals! Think outside of the box for how you can do something different than everyone else. You have to be audacious and add a human interest element. What are you willing to ask someone that others are too afraid to ask?

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

* “Give a difficult task to a lazy man” quote origin

* Benson Polytechnic High School founded by Simon Benson

* Volkswagen Dasher

* Good to Great by Jim Collins

* Tom’s Shoes: One for One

* Office Depot back to schools program

#thelookoutsociety

OTHER INTERESTING LINKS & REFERENCES

Curious about other companies that decide to give back, I found a Forbes list of American companies that have give back programs, and 23 Charitiable Companies.

ABOUT THE SHOW NOTES

Each of The Lookout Society show notes are written by Natalie C. Martin

LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT NATALIE:

A life-long learner and unashamed history nerd, Natalie is a certified teacher in secondary education history and English turned stay at home mom. She is the mother of four energetic children all two years apart from 8 to 2 and recently celebrated her 11th wedding anniversary with the only boyfriend she ever had. After the kiddies are put to bed,

Today Aaron likens whale watching to finding focus in the business world.

While describing his family’s getaway retreat home on the Oregon Coast, Aaron likens the ocean to all of the thousands of things that grab our attention in the business world, which can become very overwhelming and directionless. Just as discovering the footprint while whale watching–honing in on specific patterns in the water–if we are able to focus on one, singular thing in business we will be able to find clarity as we discover the specific job that we are good at. It’s the simple act of simplifying that allows us to stay focused on what we’re good at by saying no.

“Keep looking up, and I’ll keep looking out.” –Aaron Young

Welcome to The Lookout Society Podcast, where Aaron shares a story from his life, then connects it with a business principle to pass on. This is his way of helping others that are also going down an entrepreneurship path as contributing members to society. As an added bonus, Aaron sometimes shares wonderful gems of Oregonian knowledge from his home state and weaves the passion he has for the community he lives in as an invitation for others to visit the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re enjoying these podcasts, become a part of The Lookout Society and opt in as a subscriber or write a review on ITunes.

Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or contact us!

LESSON FOR THE DAY

It’s OK to say no to a thousand different things. Look deep inside and ask that probing question of that one thing that will make life simple and fulfilled.

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

* The One Thing by Gary Keller

* Steve Jobs quote

* Oregon Coast Nelscott Reef

* Whale watching along Oregon Coast

#thelookoutsociety

ABOUT THE SHOW NOTES

Each of The Lookout Society show notes are written by Natalie C. Martin

LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT NATALIE:

A life-long learner and unashamed history nerd, Natalie is a certified teacher in secondary education history and English turned stay at home mom. She is the mother of four energetic children all two years apart from 8 to 2 and recently celebrated her 11th wedding anniversary with the only boyfriend she ever had. After the kiddies are put to bed, she writes show notes as she continues to ignite her passion for writing and editing, fact checking and learning to make the world wide web a more educated place. When we learn that more gets accomplished when we replace “can’t” with “can” so many possibilities are opened to us. In the words of Rosie the Riveter, “We can do it!”

There is always something in life that can be likened to a farm experience, especially if told by a storyteller such as Aaron.

As only Aaron can, he artfully blends the experience of a friend facing the dreaded job all owners have to go through at some point in their life by letting employees go with a recent experience he had on the farm with a birthing goat.

No matter what situation we have to face, we have a choice with how we will let it affect us. If we remember the simple steps posted in the “lesson of the day” below, we will be able to follow Winston Churchill’s advice of shifting our perspective from that of a pessimist to an optimist.

“Keep looking up, and I’ll keep looking out.” –Aaron Young

Welcome to The Lookout Society Podcast, where Aaron shares a story from his life, then connects it with a business principle to pass on. This is his way of helping others that are also going down an entrepreneurship path as contributing members to society. As an added bonus, Aaron sometimes shares wonderful gems of Oregonian knowledge from his home state and weaves the passion he has for the community he lives in as an invitation for others to visit the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re enjoying these podcasts, become a part of The Lookout Society and opt in as a subscriber or write a review on ITunes.

Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or contact us!

LESSON FOR THE DAY

When facing the tough aspects of your business, remember these important steps:

Get educated.

Get organized.

Get it done.

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

* Mount Saint Helens

* “It’s better to be a has been than a never was” quote origin

* The Lookout podcast on having courage to know when to quit

* Kidding season (birthing of baby goats)

* St Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals, merchants and ecology

* Winston Churchill

* Jimmy Buffett “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes” song lyrics

#thelookoutsociety

OTHER INTERESTING LINKS & REFERENCES

Aaron uses other “farmisms” when likening his baby goats in an earlier podcast as examples in becoming a strong leader for business.

ABOUT THE SHOW NOTES

Each of The Lookout Society show notes are written by Natalie C. Martin

LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT NATALIE:

A life-long learner and unashamed history nerd, Natalie is a certified teacher in secondary education history and English turned stay at home mom. She is the mother of four energetic children all two years apart from 8 to 2 and recently celebrated her 11th wedding anniversary with the only boyfriend she ever had. After the kiddies are put to bed, she writes show notes as she continues to ignite her passion for writing and e...

Sometimes it’s scary to be an entrepreneur.

It’s hard to find the sweet spot to engage with people and build a successful business around that, and sometimes there comes a point when throwing in the towel on a venture is the best foot forward; but when is that the right move?

The nature of the beast is that 80% of business ventures fail. 80 percent! That doesn’t mean that one shouldn’t even try; it just means that it’s hard to find long-lasting success, but so worth it because of the strength it took to see it through. In 1986 Aaron thought he was successful and clever enough to weather the storm with a cell phone business (yes, during the 80s) yet remembers vividly having to turn over the keys to some beautiful things in his life after closing.

Sometimes it’s not until we’ve hit rock bottom that the only thing to do is go up, using whatever means necessary to crawl out of the hole. Through a lot of humility, Aaron became the “Tie Guy” and sold discount cards door to door to barely make ends meet, not because it was what he wanted to do, but because it was a solution. He had the courage to stop being an entrepreneur in order to provide for his family. It was the bravest move he ever made to take a few steps back and know when to stop, which in turn helped him get his feet back on the ground and pursue the entrepreneurial success he now has.

“Keep looking up, and I’ll keep looking out.” –Aaron Young

Welcome to The Lookout Society Podcast, where Aaron shares a story from his life, then connects it with a business principle to pass on. This is his way of helping others that are also going down an entrepreneurship path as contributing members to society. As an added bonus, Aaron sometimes shares wonderful gems of Oregonian knowledge from his home state and weaves the passion he has for the community he lives in as an invitation for others to visit the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re enjoying these podcasts, become a part of The Lookout Society and opt in as a subscriber or write a review on ITunes.

Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or contact us!

LESSON FOR THE DAY

Failing forward is having enough courage and brains to know when to stop and take a few steps back until you can get back on your feet enough to pursue your life purpose.  Make sure that you have the confidence to fail forward because you never know what opportunities will come to you. Stay curious!

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

* 80% of businesses fail

* The Lookout podcast about Thoreau’s guide to recycling

* Cell phones from the 80s

#thelookoutsociety

OTHER INTERESTING LINKS & REFERENCES

Check out five reasons why 8 out of 10 businesses fail to see what NOT to do!

In the article 23 Successful People Who Failed at First shows us what happens when a person stops staying “can’t,” or have been told that they aren’t capable of following their dreams and didn’t listen. Sometimes all we see is the grand mansion of success that we don’t see the basement beginnings holding it all up.

A sucker for origin stories, I also enjoyed reading

What is failure? Is it the end of something or the beginning of something else? Things that we’re doing now that seem insignificant may become something bigger later on.

Can we create a success from a seemingly failure of a situation simply by thinking positively?

Attracting a good outcome, or synchronicity in which things magically work together, is possible, but it’s not always in the most obvious way.  For Aaron, he attracted the actual people that taught him this tool to attract these goals. We think the challenge is going to end us, but it’s not. We’re going to have struggles and go into hard times, but if your dreams are anywhere in the realm of possibility, as you believe and stay focused with your baby steps, things start to come together in unexpected ways.

Whether we’re attracting a bright light as a beacon to hold onto in order to find fulfillment or go about our work doing good, we don’t know how we’re going to influence people. Aaron was able to provide some comfort and solace to a listener after sharing his hard story of being sent to federal prison, but this taught him that lesson that we may no know how much of an impact it is to others when we share our stories and successes, providing a means to show that we too can succeed.

We don’t know how the boulders that are thrown in our path end up becoming stepping stones and sculptures in making our life the most fulfilling. It’s up to YOU to decide what you’re going to do with what is given you. Always be curious, but never proud when life goes really well. Figure out what you can do with your current prosperity and season of peace. What can you do now to make your future self even happier?

One of Aaron’s favorite poems is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost which shares his thoughts on finding happiness from every path we take.

“Keep looking up, and I’ll keep looking out.” –Aaron Young

Welcome to The Lookout Society Podcast, where Aaron shares a story from his life, then connects it with a business principle to pass on. This is his way of helping others that are also going down an entrepreneurship path as contributing members to society. As an added bonus, Aaron sometimes shares wonderful gems of Oregonian knowledge from his home state and weaves the passion he has for the community he lives in as an invitation for others to visit the Pacific Northwest.

If you’re enjoying these podcasts, become a part of The Lookout Society and opt in as a subscriber or write a review on ITunes.

Feel free to send an email to [email protected] or contact us!

LESSON FOR THE DAY

We don’t know why forks come in the road or where they will lead us sometimes, but as long as we keep moving and looking at the lessons to be learned, we will succeed.

LINKS MENTIONED ON THE SHOW

* The Lookout podcast: Toughest Row to Hoe about Aaron’s time in federal prison

* The Secret

* The Lookout episode on taking the first step

* The Lookout episode on baby steps

* Greg S Reid

* Greg S Reid presents: Secret Knock

* The Story of Make A Wish Foundation, Frank Shankwitz

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