This is Your Life

My wife, Gail, often travels with me when I speak at various events. Inevitably, she is asked, “How do you live with a entrepreneur?”

In fact, two literary agents have encouraged her to write a book on this topic. So I sat down and interviewed her about this very topic. It was lot of fun. So much so, that we decided to make this a three-part series.

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This week, we focused on what you need to do if you are married to an entrepreneur. This also applies to those who are married to corporate executives, ministry leaders, or any other kind of “Type A” personality.

Next week, we will focus on what you need to do if you are the entrepreneur—and keep from blowing up your marriage.

Finally, in week 3, we are planning to take questions from my listeners. So if you have one, please scroll down to the voicemail widget below and leave your question.

If you are married entrepreneur, you can help them (and yourself) by giving them five gifts:

The gift of belief

The gift of appreciation

The gift of affirmation

The gift of perspective

The gift of commitment

Special Announcements

We still have a few tickets left for the Platform Conference, which will be held in Dallas, Texas on November 3-5, 2013—just about a month away. We have a terrific lineup of speakers this year:

Lysa TerKeurst

Amy Porterfield

Derek Halpern

Cliff Ravenscraft

Stu McLaren

Ray Edwards

Jeff Goins

Ken Davis

This conference is for anyone who wants to build a platform or take their existing platform to the next level.

If you are considering launching your own platform—or just getting serious about it—you need to start with a self-hosted WordPress blog.

This is not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, I have put together a step-by-step screencast on exactly how to do it.

You don’t need any technical knowledge.By the way, I just updated this screencast a few weeks ago, so it has the latest and greatest information available. I walk you through the entire process in exactly 20 minutes.

In my next podcast, we'll discuss what the entrepreneur in the relationship can do to achieve his or her dreams without blowing up the marriage.

Gail and I will devote the third episode in this series to answering your questions. If you have a question on this or ANY subject, please leave me a voicemail by clicking below:

This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Book: Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt

Conference: Platform Conference

Membership: Platform University

Screencast: EZ Wordpress Setup

Show Transcript

You can download a complete, word-for-word transcript of this episode here, courtesy of

Recently, after what should have been a relaxing staycation with my wife, I confessed to her that I was feeling discouraged. We talked through a few possibilities without success, but then she asked me, “Are you discouraged or just tired?”

The fact is that it is incredibly easy to confuse these two feelings because the symptoms are similar.

Click to Listen

When I don't get enough sleep, it impacts me in five ways:

I’m less focused.

I’m less creative.

I’m less resilient.

I’m less generous.

I’m less productive.

Nothing is more important than sleep. Exercise, diet, and mental focus are all important, but they can’t make up for a lack of rest.

Here are eight tips for getting a better night's rest.

Avoid caffeinated drinks (especially after 4 p.m.).

Eliminate negative input.

Go to bed on time.

Make sure the room is dark.

Keep the temperature cool.

Run a fan (or white noise generator).

Use essential oils.

Pray.

Listener Questions

Jeff Sanders asked, “When it comes to sleep, what’s more important: quantity or quality?”

Tabitha Ford asked, “Should I allow other sites to re-post my content?”

John Burke asked, “How do I start to monetize my speaking events?”

Egil Elling Elingsen asked, “Why do you use digital tools in your morning ritual?”

Matthew Kenyon asked, “When is my platform big enough to monetize?”

Special Announcements

We still have a few tickets left for the Platform Conference, which will be held in Dallas, Texas on November 3-5, 2013—just about a month away. We have a terrific lineup of speakers this year:

Lysa TerKeurst

Amy Porterfield

Derek Halpern

Cliff Ravenscraft

Stu McLaren

Ray Edwards

Jeff Goins

Ken Davis

Also, until October 18 you can get a special $200 discount by using the code: OCTOBER.

If you are considering launching your own platform—or just getting serious about it—you need to start with a self-hosted WordPress blog.

This is not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, I have put together a step-by-step screencast on exactly how to do it.

You don’t need any technical knowledge.By the way, I just updated this screencast a few weeks ago, so it has the latest and greatest information available. I walk you through the entire process in exactly 20 minutes.

In my next podcast I will interview my wife, Gail, on the subject of "Entrepreneurship and Marriage: How to Accomplish Your Dreams Without Blowing Up Your Marriage." If you have a question on this or ANY subject, please leave me a voicemail by clicking below:

This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Book: Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt

Conference:

A few weeks ago, my wife Gail and I were invited out for an impromptu dinner and movie with friends. Our schedules are often so tight that when we get a chance to do something like this we jump at it. We weren’t disappointed.

The movie and the dinner were great. But what really stood out was our conversation.

It reminded me that being a good conversationalist is a critical success skill. It matters—not only in our personal lives but also in our professional lives as well.

Click to Listen

As I thought about the great conversations I've had over the years, I realized they all had certain elements in common. I boiled these down to ten suggestions for better dinner conversations.

Here are ten suggestions:

Be intentional about it.

Choose a conducive environment

Have only one conversation.

Use open-ended questions.

Ask a second question.

Draw out quieter guests.

Don’t “one-up” your guests.

Pay attention to people’s physical needs.

Do more listening than talking.

Affirm people, even if you disagree with them.

Listener Questions

Lucy asked, “How do you keep from feeling like a self-appointed moderator when you are the primary person making/starting conversation at the table?”

Brian asked, “Any suggestions when the people you invite have kids that are ‘active’ during mealtimes? What if you have small children?”

Patricia asked, “How can we teach our children to be better conversationalists?”

Larry asked (in reference to a blog post I published earlier this week), “How does journaling fit into your morning routine?”

Special Announcements

We still have a few tickets left for the Platform Conference, which will be held in Dallas, Texas on November 3-5, 2013—just about a month away. We have a terrific lineup of speakers this year:

Lysa TerKeurst

Amy Porterfield

Derek Halpern

Cliff Ravenscraft

Stu McLaren

Ray Edwards

Jeff Goins

Ken Davis

Also, for a limited time, you can get a special $200 discount by using the code: OCTOBER.

If you are considering launching your own platform—or just getting serious about it—you need to start with a self-hosted WordPress blog.

This is not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, I have put together a step-by-step screencast on exactly how to do it.

You don’t need any technical knowledge.By the way, I just updated this screencast a few weeks ago, so it has the latest and greatest information available. I walk you through the entire process in exactly 20 minutes.

My next podcast will be on the subject of “Sleep and Your Productivity.” If you have a question on this or ANY subject, please leave me a voicemail message. This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Conference: Platform Conference

Membership: Platform University

Podcast:

I recently had a call from a business acquaintance who wanted to discuss a problem he was facing at work. I asked several questions, but it quickly became obvious that he didn’t really want to solve the problem.

My friend had a quiver full of excuses as to why things couldn’t change. It became apparent I was dealing with a classic “fool.” I know that sounds harsh, but it is what it is.

I knew immediately that talking about it any more was a waste of time. I had to change strategies.

In this week’s podcast, I discuss how to tell the difference between the wise and the foolish and why it matters—not only in terms of your effectiveness as a leader but in your success in life.

Click here to listen to the podcast and review the show notes. I’ve also included a complete transcript. Better yet, subscribe to to my e-mail newsletter and get my posts delivered to your inbox.

Admit it, you've thought about writing a book. According to a recent reader survey, 61.5% of my blog readers have thought about writing a book. Is it time for you to stop thinking and start doing?

Being a published author has done more for my career—and my income—than I could have ever imagined. It has opened doors of opportunity I couldn’t have dreamed were possible. It can happen for you, too.

Click to Listen

 Here are five good reasons why you should consider writing a book:

It provides an opportunity to share your expertise.

It provides an opportunity to establish your authority.

It provides an opportunity to differentiate yourself.

It provides an opportunity to expand your market.

It provides an opportunity to launch a business.

I'm not saying that writing a book is easy. It takes a lot of hard work and, most of all, perseverance. But it is possible. I promise, every published author—every successful author—started out just like you.

Listener Questions

Bruce Cross asked, “What is one thing that can help me get started writing a book?”

Christopher Scott asked, “What is the most likely type of book a a publisher would publish from a first-time author?”

James Kinson asked, “Is there benefit to publishing a book before establishing my platform?”

Kari Scare asked, “Is writing a book really worth the time when there are so many books written by such competent people?”

Regan Kakoschke asked, “Can I publish my journal or should I start over to turn it into a book?”

Steve Dwire asked, “Should my reasons for writing a book impact the path I take (e.g., ebook, self-publishing, traditional publishing)?”

Special Announcements

Just a reminder about Platform University. The monthly subscription price is going up for new members. If you join before September 13th, you will save $5 a month on the membership fee. That’s $60 a year. I honestly don’t know of a better way to grow your platform faster than learning from the pros and brainstorming with like-minded people. This is why Platform University is so valuable. Click here to find out more.

If you are considering launching your own platform—or just getting serious about it—you need to start with a self-hosted WordPress blog.

This is not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, I have put together a step-by-step screencast on exactly how to do it. You don’t need any technical knowledge. I walk you through the entire process in exactly 20 minutes.

My next podcast will be on the topic of “The Primary Difference Between the Wise and the Foolish.” Which are you? And, as a leader, which do you have working for you? If you have a question on this subject, please leave me a voicemail message. This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Over the years, I have noticed that there are two kinds of thinking: Abundance Thinking and Scarcity Thinking. One leads to success, joy and fulfillment, while the other leads to failure, fear and discontent.

If you look behind the outcomes—in any area of life—you will see specific actions that caused them. But if you look beyond the actions, you will see the thoughts that gave birth to them.

Click to Listen

So, which type of thinker are you? Maybe it’s time to do some honest self-evaluation. Better yet, ask those closest to you.

First, consider the eight characteristics of abundance thinkers.

They believe there is always more where that came from.

They are happy to share their knowledge, contacts, and compassion with others.

They default to trust and build rapport easily.

They welcome competition, believing it makes the pie bigger and them better.

They ask themselves, How can I give more than is expected?

They are optimistic about the future, believing the best is yet to come.

They think big, embracing risk.

They are thankful and confident.

Now, consider the eight characteristics of scarcity thinkers.

They believe there will never be enough.

They are stingy with their knowledge, contacts, and compassion.

They default to suspicion and find it difficult to build rapport.

They resent competition, believing it makes the pie smaller and them weaker.

They ask themselves, How can I get by with less than is expected?

They are pessimistic about the future, believing that tough times are ahead.

They think small, avoiding risk.

They are entitled and fearful.

So if being an abundance thinker is that important, how can you develop this ability.

Cultivate awareness

Practice gratitude

Be generous

If you change your thinking, you will change your actions. And if you change your actions, you will change your outcomes. And if you change your outcomes, you will change your life. It is that simple.

Listener Questions

Brandon Vaughn asked, “How do we teach our children to become more abundant thinkers?”

Jill Savage asked, “In pursuing abundance thinking, is it possible to go to an unhealthy extreme that is not healthy for ourselves or others?”

Special Announcements

If you are considering launching your own platform—or just getting serious about it—you need to start with a self-hosted WordPress blog.

This is not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, I have put together a step-by-step screencast on exactly how to do it. You don’t need any technical knowledge. I walk you through the entire process in exactly 20 minutes.

This fall’s SCORRE Conference is filling up fast! My business partner Ken Davis, who originally developed the SCORRE Conference, and I will be hosting this next conference on October 14–17 at the beautiful Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Hotel in Vail, Colorado.

This Conference will sell out, so get your tickets today!

My next podcast will be on the topic of “5 Reasons You Should Consider Writing a Book.” Yes, YOU! If you have a question on this subject, please leave me a voicemail message.

Whether we realize it or not, our words carry enormous weight. In fact, you and I probably don’t have any tool more powerful—for good and for bad—than our words.

A verse in the Bible that says,

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29, NASB)

This advice applies far beyond spiritual matters and goes straight to the heart of our leadership and our impact.

Click to ListenThis verse provides three characteristics of wholesome speech.

Characteristic #1: Wholesome words build people up.

Characteristic #2: Wholesome words are timely.

Characteristic #3: Wholesome words provide grace.

King Solomon said, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). Every day, we are shaping reality for someone by the words that we use with them. The choice is ours.

Listener Questions

Christopher Scott asked, “Do you have a Bible verse or a mantra that you repeat to yourself to control your thoughts?”

Jennifer Hester asked, “Do you have a specific action that you take to keep your words in check?”

Jon D. Harrison asked, “If words are only a reflection of our mindset, how much investment should we make in correcting our language?”

William Stonewall Monroe asked, “How do our words affect our ability to sell ourselves?”

Special Announcements

If you are considering launching your own platform—or just getting serious about it—you need to start with a self-hosted WordPress blog.

This is not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, I have put together a step-by-step screencast on exactly how to do it. You don’t need any technical knowledge. I walk you through the entire process in exactly 20 minutes.

This fall's SCORRE Conference is filling up fast! My business partner Ken Davis, who originally developed the SCORRE Conference, and I will be hosting this next conference on October 14–17 at the beautiful Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Hotel in Vail, Colorado.

This Conference will sell out, so get your tickets today!

My next podcast will be on the topic of “Two Types of Thinkers: Which Are You?” If you have a question on this subject, please leave me a voicemail message. This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Conference: The SCORRE Conference

Screencast: How to Launch a Self-Hosted Wordpress Blog in 20 Minutes or Less

Software: Startupizer

If you have ever been in a service-oriented business, you have, I am sure, dealt with the “high maintenance client.” This is someone who not only has unreasonable expectations of you, but, very often, they are not happy with the work you do no matter how well it is done.

I have learned that these are clients that you simply cannot afford to have, no matter how great the opportunity appears to be.

Click to Listen

In dealing with all kinds of clients, I have come to three conclusions:

Some people are just high maintenance. You will never going to please them. You will only deplete yourself trying.

High maintenance people are a distraction. They suck up more than their fair share of resources. You can end up spending all your time on trying to please them, rather than on delivering results.

They keep me from serving others. You are better off to say “no” and spend the time searching for low maintenance clients—or at least reasonable ones.

So, how do you deal with these clients? First, you must start with a client acquisition strategy. I want to share with you a simple model that I believe will make a huge difference as you build your business.

High-profit/Low-maintenance

Low-profit/Low-maintenance

High-profit/High maintenance

Low-profit/High maintenance

Getting rid of high-maintenance relationships will allow you to reclaim resources you can invest in finding or serving Priority 1 relationships. Once you exit the relationship, you’ll only wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.

How do you keep from getting into these relationships to begin with? The same way you keep from hiring the wrong people to work in your organization:

In the courting phase, you should do the following:

Discuss expectations. Write them down. Repeat them to the prospective client.

Recognize the warning signs. For example, when it comes to my speaking, I get nervous when someone is:

Continually trying to negotiate me down on the price.

Attempting to add additional speaking sessions that we didn’t initially quote.

Trying to cut corners on expenses.

Failure to follow-through on initial communication.

Assess your capabilities. Make sure you can deliver on what they are asking.

Check references. See what their other vendors, suppliers, or service providers say.

Most of all, don’t be afraid to walk away if it’s not a fit.

The good news is that you can better at this over time, IF you have the right client acquisition model and will focus on high-profit, low-maintenance clients.

Listener Questions

Ken Davis asked, “Does a client ever become too high maintenance to deal with?”

Nick Pratt asked, “What do you do when the client doesn’t want the relationship to end?”

Shules Hersh asked, “Is there any time it is right to appease a high-profile, high maintenance client just to preserve your reputation?”

Timothy Moser asked, “How can you break your dependency on one large client?”

Travis Bowersock asked, “How do you let a high maintenance go and still leave the business relationship on good terms?”

Special Announcements

If you are considering launching your own platform—or ...

There seems to be no end to the wealth of material written on coaching employees. However, very little has been written on the subject of coaching your boss.

While many employees probably dream of this, precious few act on it for fear of being fired. But what if you there was a way to approach this without jeopardizing your job?

Click to Listen

The best bosses welcome criticism, knowing that the shortest distance between where they are and where they want to go is the truth. They create a “safe environment,” where people can freely speak their mind. Here are a few things to consider when attempting to coach your supervisor.

Check the weather—bosses are people too.

Be humble—acknowledge that you and your boss are both human.

Start with praise—offer a genuine compliment before anything else.

Ask for permission—it’s difficult for the boss to take offense if he or she has given you permission to proceed.

Put It in context—help your boss understand how his behavior is keeping you from accomplishing his (or her) goals.

Assume the best—it's highly unlikely your boss gets up in the morning with the goal to make your life miserable.

Believe that it matters—it's not an accident that you are working for this person at this time and are noticing this behavior.

Take the risk—you will never grow into the leader you were meant to be if you are not willing to take a risk and occasionally speak up.

As a boss myself, I consider it an expression of loyalty when my people talk directly to me rather than about me. I know I have faults. I want to grow. You can help me—and your own boss—by taking the initiative.

Listener Questions

Joanna Holman asked, “How do I coach a boss on a topic that is outside their area of expertise that shows respect for their status?”

Special Announcements

If you are considering launching your own platform—or just getting serious about it—you need to start with a self-hosted WordPress blog.

This is not as complicated as it sounds. In fact, I have put together a step-by-step screencast on exactly how to do it.

You don’t need any technical knowledge. I walk you through the entire process in exactly 20 minutes.

This fall's SCORRE Conference is filling up fast!

My business partner Ken Davis, who originally developed the SCORRE Conference, and I will be hosting this next conference on October 14–17 at the beautiful Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Hotel in Vail, Colorado.

You can use the discount code HYATT and take $200 off the registration price. But this offer expires on August 15th, 2013, so you need to act quickly.

My next podcast will be on the topic of “Three Reasons You Can't Afford High Maintenance Clients (and What to Do If You Have One).” If you have a question on this subject, please leave me a voicemail message.

This is a terrific way to cross-promote your blog or website, because I will link to it, just like I did with the callers in this episode.

Episode Resources

In this episode I mentioned several resources, including:

Book: Becoming a Coaching Leader: The Proven Strategy for Building Your Own Team of Champions by Daniel S. Harkavy

I am on sabbatical for the next few weeks. While I am gone, I am running a series of “Encore Episodes.” These are my most popular podcasts ever, as measured by number of downloads. Enjoy!

In this episode, I give you a peek inside my toolbox. These are “tools” I use virtually every day in my professional and personal life.

I want to look at my tools in six different areas: Hardware, Startup Software, Blogging, Writing, Speaking, and Podcasting

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Hardware

13" MacBook Air

27" Apple Thunderbolt Display

Fujitsu ScanSnap 1300 Scanner

HP OfficeJet Pro 8100

Big Jambox by Jawbone

Time Capsule

iPad Mini

iPhone 5

Startup Software

Startupizer

Alfred

iKey

Typinator

Crashplan

Stay

DropBox

PathFinder

SnagIt

Cobook

Messages

Apple Mail

Hootsuite

Evernote

Google Calendar

Google Chrome

Nozbe

Blogging

WordPress

BlueHost

Get Noticed! Theme

Feedburner

Disqus

MailChimp

Akismet

Google Analytics

ScribeSEO

VaultPress

iStockPhoto

Evernote

Writing

Byword

Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Edition