Tag: Success - Page 4

Give me all the money in the world and I would return it, stupidly some may say, for a life filled with happiness and health.

I make that gesture in the belief that if you hold the gifts of health and happiness close to your heart, the money will follow.

Oscar nominated film Whiplash (my favorite of the Academy season)  got me thinking about how far people are willing to go to get the best out of themselves and others. 

How far do you push? Is your best good enough or do you strive for better, for more or even to be the best? 

I have read some great books recently, mostly about how to build a happy and sustainable culture within the workplace and build a business globally.

At the moment Marketing Eye is employing new people in key positions within our company. Each position is new as Marketing Eye is growing exponentially and we need to hire people to accomodate that growth.

"The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we hit it." - Michaelangelo

Goals. Not the kind kicked by America's best field goal exponent. More the type set by entrepreneurs, businesses, fitness fanatics and anyone who wants to get the most from life. I’ve edited a lot of pieces about goal setting in the last two months. It’s that time of year. Of those, however, who are taking advice about setting their goals, many fail to stick them.

I’ve been in the marketing industry for over 20 years; it’s fair to say, nothing fazes me.

However, every now and then I meet a client that achieves the extraordinary.    

Then I meet a client that achieves the impossible, and recently, for me that was Frank Richmond, the Founder of Cirrus Networks.

Last month I sent a team member to a two-day class to learn about "The Project Success Method".

As a company, we handle many projects, all at the one time, for multiple clients across multiple offices. Ensuring that everything runs as smoothly as possible is critical. 

I had read quite a bit about Clinton Padgett and his proven Project Success Method. What prompted me to take action was the fact that our company is growing exponentially and we have so many international projects on that unless our people are equipped to run these projects, something will fail. Most importantly is that qualified people train the project leaders, who then in turn work with their teams to train them.

Landed in Atlanta, and within minutes and I am getting the run-down on what's going on in the office. Clients are happy, new brands are being launched, marketing campaigns executed, clients acquired in January have been on-boarded, moved to a new office within our building because of our continued fast growth and a new employee has started.

It's no secret that our Atlanta team is the highest performing marketing team I have ever worked with. As a team, they are game-changers. They see things that other's don't and communicate creatively and insightfully our clients brands in a way that resonates with their target market.

Winning is part of the culture. Each member doesn't know how to lose. They push each other to perform at a level that blows my mind and are forward thinkers. I never have to ask if something has been done - because it was finished yesterday.

Over the years I have worked with literally hundreds of marketing people and I am never surprised by who goes on to become a marketing superstar and those who never make the mark.

Wanting to be successful and actually putting the hard yards in to achieve your dreams are two different things.

I read "10 Reasons Why You Will Never Be Successful" recently as published on www.addictedtosuccess.com and it really resonated with me. What makes one person climb the corporate ladder and not another, depends on how much that person really wants to make it.

I took the liberty of doing my Top 5 Reasons:

1.  Not willing to do the hard yards: People want everything yesterday and are no longer prepared to work hard for it and make sure that they have ticked all the boxes to get to where they want to go. Instead they believe "their own bullshit" and think they have already made it and are good enough - yet the proof is in the pudding that they are perhaps a bit short of where they would like to go.

Last night I caught up with my good friend, recruiter Michelle Fish, a new friend Chocko Valiappa and a couple of other people. 

As we sat down and enjoyed a bite to eat and a glass of wine, I began to talk to Chocko about Ashrams in India. I have been wanting to go for some time and wanted his insight into which ones were the best to investigate. 

Chocko is a spirital man - and although he didn't say as much, I could tell. I gravitated to him and before long we talked about different aspects of spiritality. He then mentioned that he read handwriting. Within seconds I was writing on a napkin hoping that he would pass on some wisdom about myself that would enlighten me.

He said:

"I am level headed and connect well between my head and my heart"

"I need to celebrate my highs more"

"I have discovered myself, but not other people"

My friends keep telling me that "life begins at 40". To be brutally honest, I am not so sure. How can someone think that is the case, when in your 20's you made all your mistakes but had the time of your life. In your 30's, you made some more, but they were far more manageable and life was pretty good. You had more money than in your 20's, more experience and had fewer issues. You felt as though you were more comfortable in your own skin and you came to terms with your flaws.

Then you started approaching 40. Somehow everything went back a few steps. Firstly, just when you thought you were comfortable in your own skin, you realized that there were a few things you wanted to change. For instance, your appearance. Do those wrinkles really belong to you? Have your eyebrows really drooped that much? Are your boobs really that saggy?