This Life of Brian

By Brian Maucere

Hi, I'm Brian. I love telling stories and connecting the dots between my life lessons and how they might apply to business. Here are my stories in 2 minutes or less. My hope is you find some value in ... more

· Business

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FAQs about This Life of Brian:

How many episodes does This Life of Brian have?

The podcast currently has 93 episodes available.

This Life of Brian episodes:

April 04, 2021 Ep. 92 Donuts for Burpees
I've talked a lot about opening our CrossFit gym, but did you know it was almost a donut shop? It's true. Listen for the full story.
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2min
April 02, 2021 Ep. 91 "When Others Cease Their Struggle, Mine Will Begin"
Here's one of my favorite motivational creeds out there. It is from the Georgia Smoke Diver's Association.
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2min
April 01, 2021 Ep. 90 Don't Demotivate. Praise and Appreciate.
Hey Peter, do you have those TPS reports?

Motivation is a funny thing in business.

Often when we have the full intent on doing something, we have no problem staying motivated.

But when someone else mentions it, we lose interest.

So how do we avoid demotivating employees?

By allowing the idea to remain with them.

Instead of saying, “Are you going to finish those TPS reports by lunch?”

Try “I always appreciate when you get reports in on time.”

Zero blame or accusations and replaced by praise and appreciation.

Listen in for some funny stories from my house and how I work around demotivation
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3min
March 31, 2021 Ep. 89 Cost Benefit Analysis
Do you routinely undervalue your time?
Chances are, you do.
So how do you spend less and get paid more?

When I was a small business owner, I did all the jobs, big and small.

Because it was a business, I could figure out how much was coming in at the end of the month and how much I was getting paid hourly.

While I covered bills and had enough to get by, my guess is I was actually getting paid less than $5 an hour to own my own gym.

The problem was I never thought about the CBA of all the other things I needed to do to keep the doors open and grow.

I sucked time away from my family and my weekends just felt like another work day.

So learn from me and my mistakes.

Do a CBA not just in business, but in life.

Figure out what a new project or problem is actually going to cost you at your actual rate.

Then decide whether you should tackle it or someone else should.

You just may save yourself a lot of time AND money.
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2min
March 29, 2021 Ep. 88 "Trying To Force It"
When things aren't working out and frustration sets in . . .
Break the cycle. 🪓
Walk away and allow yourself the chance to refocus.

In the video I talk about my video making process and how some days it doesn't go as planned.

After a few attempts to get the video recorded and either messing up or missing my 2 minute cut off, I recognize that the next 5 probably aren't going to get the job done either 😭

I used to keep grinding.

Now I walk away and give myself a break.

Even a 5 minute ⏰ break and change of pace can help me reset and get the job done.

Don't try to force the work.

Even if you get it done, it won't be your best.

Give yourself a break and come back stronger.
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2min
March 28, 2021 Ep. 87 Virtuosity
Are you ignoring the basics of your skill set?
If so, you could be heading for a ceiling in business.

We all like doing the flashy stuff.

And there is nothing wrong with wanting to get better at your craft.

But if you ignore the basic building blocks long enough, you will eventually hit a ceiling.

And then you have to make some uncomfortable decisions about how to rebuild.

Strive for virtuosity.

Whatever you do in business, strive to perform your common tasks uncommonly well.
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3min
March 27, 2021 Ep. 86 "Perfection Doesn't Exist."
"One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect."
So why do we constantly rate ourselves against an impossible goal?

Here are the things you can achieve that are more valuable than perfection:
😎 Happiness
❤ Love
👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Work/Life Balance
👍 Approval when you look in the mirror
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2min
March 26, 2021 Ep. 85 "Be Bold. Make The Move. Take Chances."
My career path has been anything but linear.
I used to think it was a black mark on my resume.
Now I see it as my true superpower 🦸‍♂️

This post is inspired by one from Jake Dunlap, CEO of Skaled Consulting. He listed all the jobs he has had in 24 years.

I started thinking about my nearly 30 year career and all the different jobs I have had.

They might seem all over, but truthfully, there has always been a common thread.

Experience.

I have worked in
✔Corporate climates
✔For governments
✔In war zones for the military
✔For small companies
✔For my own companies
✔In hospitality
✔And in sales

And all of these experiences have taught me how to communicate and interact with people from various professions and backgrounds.

I hope this post inspires someone to
"𝗕𝗲 𝗕𝗢𝗟𝗗.
𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗢𝗩𝗘.
𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦"
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4min
March 25, 2021 Ep. 84 Paralysis By Analysis
Pick one idea and follow it through to completion.
This is what one of my old fire chief's yelled at us.
His point: Don't get paralysis by analysis.

𝗜𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀:

You are sitting in a conference room or Zoom meeting and your team has been tasked with fixing an important problem for the company.

After an hour or two, your team has come up with 3 possible solutions.

None are sure winners, so the consensus is to start with idea no. 2

Before too long, confidence in that idea begins to show cracks and the team lead decides to abandon it for idea no. 1.

The situation repeats and each idea is revisited at least once.

The problem does eventually get fixed, but it takes much longer due to the constant pivoting.

This is paralysis by analysis and it can sink companies.

Not all ideas 💡 are good ones.

Some you will have to abandon pretty early.

But if you are going to pivot, be sure that you have seen that first idea through to its end so that you can remove it from the list of options.

This is where great leadership comes in.

Having a leader who can listen to the arguments, pick a direction, and go with it is crucial.

Even more so is sticking with an idea long enough to ensure it is or isn't working before the pivot.
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2min
March 24, 2021 Ep. 83 My Not-So-Secret Secret
I learned a valuable secret on Clubhouse recently
And I'm not trying to hide it below 3 rows of text.
It's simple. Treat humans as humans.

Yeah, I know it really isn't a secret.

But if I had to guess, you don't always follow it in business.

Spending time on Clubhouse ♣🏠 and here on LinkedIn has reminded me that we are all humans.

Regardless of title, rank, or perceived stature, we all are just people trying to live our lives. 🤼

I have had some amazing conversations on Clubhouse and most of the time I really don't know what the other person does unless I look at their bio.

And not knowing has been freeing because I act like myself vs whatever my brain starts telling me I should act like due to their title like CEO, VP, or top 100 business woman of the year.

When I just relax, have a great conversation, and provide value, it turns out fine.

And I have made business connections that I would have never made otherwise.

It is a great reminder that we all have a voice and we all belong. 💗
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2min

FAQs about This Life of Brian:

How many episodes does This Life of Brian have?

The podcast currently has 93 episodes available.