Leadership Lessons

Do You Want To Make A Difference In The World?

A lot of people want to make a difference in the world. But I can tell you from personal experience that the best you can do is to try and make a difference in a single life. Find someone who desperately needs something you have: Street smarts, intelligence, business wisdom, a shoulder to cry on, etc. Give THAT to a single person and you will make a world of difference to them. Don't try to change the world. Make life better for a single person at a time. Your ripple will make the world better in ways you'll never fully be able to realize. 


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Staying Healthy

The Five Most Important Reasons to Laugh

Life is not always funny. But if you are looking for some great physical and emotional reasons to laugh then you are going to LOVE our list. Check it out!

1. Laughter Makes Us Healthier.

Laughter is a good thing. Scientists tell us that laughter, humor and joy are an important part of life. Laughing lowers blood pressure, reduces stress hormones, and increases muscle flexion. It increases the circulation of antibodies in the blood stream and makes us more resistant to infection.

2. Laughter Touches Our Soul.

Laughter is good for us physically, but that is just the beginning. Laughter is good for the soul. There is a holiness in laughter. Laughter brings us closer to each other – and there is something holy about people coming together. Laughter provides us a moment of grace. It occurs spontaneously and unexpectedly. It catches us by surprise, and we respond with laughter. We never expect to laugh, just as we never expect grace or good fortune when it arrives. And in that grace, we can recognize the folly of our own pursuits.

3. Laughter Keeps Things in Perspective.

Laughter helps us to transcend ourselves, and I need that help. Too often I take myself far too seriously. There is a danger of taking ourselves, our beliefs and our life too seriously. Fanatics, it seems to me, see nothing as funny. Here’s a suggestion. The next time you’re in the middle of an argument, start laughing – not in a derogatory tone, but in the jovial sense of being in on a good joke. Then see if the anger begins to melt away and if you can find a more creative way to handle things. I’ve done this with my kids and it actually works. And you know what else? Now I know that when I think about doing it and don’t, that I have lost my perspective.

4. Laughter Helps Us Stay Positive.

Laughter can be an important tool for keeping our troubles in proportion, for realizing that things aren’t always as bad as we think they are. But even when things are as bad as we think they are, laughter helps create positive emotions and helps us find a frame of mind in which we can more easily cope with the struggles of life. Laughter eases tension and sharpens our ability to concentrate. Laughter is a lot like changing a baby’s diaper. It doesn’t permanently solve any problems, but it makes things a lot more acceptable for a while.

5. Laughter Is Loving.

If I am able to laugh with you in my mistakes as well as with you in yours, it suggests we are all flawed and imperfect. Embracing good natured humor, we find the humility to see the foolishness of trying to be perfect and the gift of enjoying the smiles and laughter of love.

Children laugh on average 200 times a day and adults only 26 times a day. How many times a day do you experience the rich joy of laughter? If we want to be happier, healthier, and more productive we seriously need to make time to laugh. Because when we laugh, when we really laugh, deep from the belly… we feel alive! Start looking for more reasons to laugh today.

BIO:

Barbara Lee, the Sex Minister, is an international author, award winning speaker and accomplished group facilitator and trainer. She has committed her vocational journey to the non-profit sector and ministry where she is an advocate for diverse populations, particularly the marginalized and voiceless in our society. Barbara has an MBA in Leadership Studies and a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration. She is an ordained interfaith minister who has led pilgrimages to the Five Holy Peaks of Taoism in China. Barbara, a resident of Grand Haven, was a presenter at TEDxMuskegon 2013. 

Her books include Sacred Sex: Replacing the Marriage Ethic with a Sexual Ethic and Tension in the Tank: Embracing Interfaith Mysticism Without Leaving the Church. 

More information is available at thesexminister.com or barbaraleeauthor.com.


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Generating Wealth

Do You Get Jealous of Successful People ?

Are you ever browsing the internet looking for ways to be more successful and more motivated?

Every now and again you'll stumble upon the blog of a person that is living the life you want to live. They look like they are famous. They talk about their money or other assets. They have a huge social media following. They are loved and adored by all their fans. And you are 100% sure that they are relaxing in their 10,000 square foot house drinking top grade alcohol while floating in their pool.

I've heard friends say that they encounter this often. And it is depressing. It is depressing to think that so many other people in the world that are doing so much better than you are. It can be almost painful at times to see that somebody else has no problem buying food. Or making their mortgage payment. Our putting clothes on their kid's backs.

If you go to the extreme, you might be one of those people who have an extreme hatred for successful people. Why do they deserve to get everything?

You are the one working two jobs and your lights still get cut off every now and then. If you ever feel yourself getting angry when you see somebody else's life, I want you to remember this list:

  1. You don't know that person's history/backstory. They may have been through more hell than you can imagine before they "made it". Some of the most successful people have been in jail, gone bankrupt multiple times, lost limbs, and have been through multiple divorces. You just never know.
  2. Anybody on the internet can portray anything. That person with the 10,000 square foot house could be in the middle of a foreclosure. You just never know.
  3. Every second you spend focusing on somebody else's money is one less second focusing on generating money for yourself. That is one of the reasons I spend a lot of time talking about time management on this blog.
  4. There is no shortage of success and money. If you want it bad enough, you will bust your ass to get it. No amount of jealousy or whining will pay your bills.

Pay close attention to #3.

The more time you spend on #3 the less time you have to spend on #4.

If you are frustrated with your lot in life, then stop wishing for something better and stop watching other people have what you want. Just go do it yourself. Now get off the internet and figure out how to generate your own personal fortune.

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Attitude Adjustment, Personal Development, Podcast

SDN EP 13: 5 Things I Wish I Would Have Learned In High School

Do you ever wish you could go back to that very last day in high school and talk to yourself? I wish that all of the time. What you learned in high school does not even come close to preparing you for the real world. There are so many life lessons I'd share with myself. But more importantly I'd lay down a good set of ground rules and beliefs to guide me for the new few decades. It is great when you learn how the world is structured. But sometimes it takes too long to figure out.

I hope this post accelerates your learning curve or the learning curve of a high schooler. Please help me share it.

The link for the video (below) and the podcast of the show are below. We can also be found on Stitcher and Soundcloud.

Take care and stay hungry my friends~
~ Patrick

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Leadership Lessons

Your New Rule: Start Selling Less If You Want To Sell More

You read it right. Start Selling Less If You Want To Sell More. It seems counter-intuitive. And I know there will be plenty of people who have been in sales for decades that disagree with me.

If you are "that sales guy/gal", here are some general unscientific facts about how people feel about you:

  • You are not trusted.
  • People hate to get your calls and your emails.
  • People avoid you at parties.

As a general rule, people do not like you when you are in that "sell, sell, sell" mode. Your main existence is to convince people to part with their money - whether or not it is in their best interest. You might have been in the sales business long enough that you can sell anything to anybody. You might even switch jobs every year or two. And that is usually when your friends hear from you. I'm talking about the calls that you make only when you have something to sell. People dread your calls while at the same time your friends don't want to be rude.

So, they pick up the phone and listen to your latest schtick.

It is time for your new mindset ...

The cliche "People hate to be sold to but they love to buy" rings true today. Remember that as your build your sale force going forward. As of right now you are going to stop focusing so hard on separating people from their money. That is the best way to lose friends and infuriate people.

Instead, you are going to become a person/company of value that focuses on education first. The best organizations are ones that go out of their way to train their prospects on the right and wrong way to do things. You are going to start generating regular free training that demonstrates how your organization is great at what they do. Go into extreme detail (without divulging company secrets) about how to accomplish what you do. I know it seems like you are giving away the farm. But in most cases your prospects will see how hard it is to do what you do. They won't want to fight the pain and frustration. And they will call you, the demonstrated expert, to solve their problems.

Here are your three rules of becoming a training-based organization:

  1. Start a place on your website that is your training and education area. Update it every week with a new tip no matter how minor.
  2. Use social media and your email list to encourage sharing of your training.
  3. Be sure that every tip and training session ends with a call-to-action encouraging them to call or email you for more information or to hire you.


Over time your website traffic will increase, and your sales will get easier. Bonus: Easier sales = less time spent on closing a sale = more profit per sale.

If you want to start increasing your business sales with less effort, become a company that educates and entertains.
People love to learn, and they love organizations that teach.


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Performance & Productivity, Personal Development

People Skills Will Separate You From the Pack …

Ladies and gentlemen I just found this great article for you to read:

Can waiting tables teach you how to be an entrepreneur.

Pay very close attention to … #1. Write it down. Make it your backdrop and your screensaver. Tattoo it on your ... well you get my point.

No skill you ever learn in life will get you as far as plain old people skills. The art of conversation. The art of listening. The art of shutting up. The art of using your eyes and ears twice as much as your mouth. If you are an introvert, I am sorry - you are not going to make it far when it comes to business and entrepreneurship. And maybe you don't want to. I am not trying to dog you if that is your thing. But if your goal is to be a star then you have got to start getting your mad crazy people skills in motion.

When I think back of all the successes, I have had over the past two decades just about all of them came from my people skills, either directly or indirectly. I have contracts that started off as casual airport conversations. I have lifelong friends because of a humorous encounter in a coffee shop.

Hey, you pushy sales guys this is for you: I am not heavily into being a salesman, but I know all I need to know from the great lady that was my real estate broker. Right after I got my real estate license several years ago, she was teaching us about how to fill our pipe. Her words - verbatim - where the first thing you do is you make a friend. You then sell your friend a house.

Now go out there today and make 5 new friends.

Do not eat lunch alone.

I'll even help you out ...

If you are in Oklahoma City, drop me a comment here.

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