In the last episode, I talked about inspiring people instead of trying to motivate them. But what do consequences look like in the inspirational model? How should a leader address negative behavior or recognize positive behavior if he or she is trying to avoid the “carrot & stick” approach?

How do you get people to do what you want them to do? You can try motivating them with punishments and/or rewards (the “stick & carrot” approach). Or you can strive to inspire by casting vision, setting expectations, and giving options. The latter takes more effort and finesse, but overall I think it’s healthier and more effective.

Lately, I have been having more ideas for content than I have time to execute. This presents me with the problem of having to make decisions and choose: What is going to be the best use of my time? Which projects are going to be the most beneficial? Which projects will have to be put on the back burner? And then there’s the realization that some ideas may never get to see the light of day. It can be draining because making decisions requires extra effort and energy. But I would rather have this problem than the alternative.

My special guest for this episode is my brother, Brett. As a personal trainer, coach, and athlete in his own right, Brett has developed habits in his life to get results for himself and for his clients. It was fun to hear how he’s gotten to this point in his life and see how he has been applying success principles that anyone use. You can follow Brett on Instagram here: @sonofpsychology and College Park Athletic Club here: @coach.pc. The StrongFirst article he referenced about the body’s energy systems can be found here: https://www.strongfirst.com/understanding-why-less-is-more-with-anti-glycolytic-training/

I’m finding that there seems to be a line, a ratio if you will, when it comes to adding value to others and advertising your products & services. My theory is that people don’t mind you advertising what you have to sell as long as you are giving people plenty of value. It lets them know that you care about them and want to help rather than only concerned about making a sale.

While it’s true that being an entrepreneur involves overcoming a lot of challenges (we don’t use terms like “hustle” and “grind” for nothing), there are also rewards along the way. In this episode, I share a couple of moments from the past week that lifted my spirits and fueled my drive to keep pressing forward.

On this episode of The Output Habit Podcast, I interview Shane Laufman of Flying Fox Gear. We had a great conversation about adding value to others, serving their interests above your own, and building belief and confidence. Business owners don’t always have to compete. Sometimes they can collaborate! Check out flyingfoxgear.com to see how Shane’s company is supporting businesses in the area of e-commerce.

We live in an age of incredible opportunity. We have more options available to us than perhaps at any time in history. I’m finding that relying on my life experience has been helpful in figuring out how to leverage and make sense of these opportunities. A good idea, in theory, doesn’t become useful until I figure out how to express it in a way that’s consistent with who I am.

It seems that every entrepreneur has to deal with slumps, times when it seems like things aren’t going right. How do we keep discouragement from slowing us down in times like these? In this episode, I talk myself through one of those times of discouragement.

Sometimes people don’t appreciate what you’re trying to do. Sometimes they completely misunderstand or misrepresent you. On this episode, I share a personal story of how this recently happened with me and a friend, and how I am processing it.