Tag: motivation

Ramble On, 6.20.2022

Gratitude. Hmmm. It’s such a mystic and elusive word, isn’t it? Maybe, maybe not.

It is, however, something that is easier said, or written, than done. I can only really speak for myself and in my experience it is much easier to say what I am grateful for by means of an oral or written list than actually living my life in gratitude. What does that really look like? Does it actually look like anything or is more of a feeling?

Let me step back for a moment and look at the other side. It easy to complain, judge, and be disappointed when things do not turn out the way I plan or want. It sure doesn’t feel good, though. It is also easy to focus on the things I don’t have and become jealous and envious of others. That sure doesn’t foster gratitude. Why would I want to live that way? I don’t. Then why do I continue to do so? Is it simply a bad habit? 

I could do a deep dive on this and still come up a bit confused so I will keep my rambling short. I do think there is more than one simple answer. Habits are definitely part of the discussion. Verbalizing or writing gratitude lists help form the habit of looking for the positives in our life rather than focusing on the negatives. The positives help us practice good behavior, i.e. good habits, while focusing on the negative perpetuate the bad habits.

I write this the day after Father’s Day on which I had a great day with my family. It was a perfectly enjoyable day. Today is June 20th which is the birthday of one of my lifelong friends that I have been romping around with since the diaper days. I say “one of” because I have quite a few from those days still in my life. If that is not something to be grateful for I don’t know what is.

Looking back just a few days ago I was experiencing intense bouts of anxiety around the sale of Go-Go Babyz. The anxiety came when I found myself in the middle of a deal and all of a sudden two other interested parties came out of the shadows. One in particular had been discussing their interest with another colleague for over a year. They asked that I talk to this other party as a favor. The ink was all but dried on the other deal and now this? I obliged and it went nowhere but generated anxiety for a few days. Of course there was much more but I am sure you get the point.

Looking back I could have avoided the level of anxiety I experienced by focusing on the fact that I had multiple prospects. That is a great position to be in an, again, something to be grateful for.

The point of all this rambling is that in order to change our habits, we have to think differently. Sometimes we need to act our way into thinking differently. Little acts are what will help change the thinking that will form the habits that create positive change in our behavior and life. That is why I believe in a creating gratitude list because writing them down or saying them out loud is a little act that can lead to bigger changes. 

Talk Soon,

Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

The End Part 18: Born Again

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” – Leo Tolstoy

He there, do you remember me? I know, it has been a while. Truth is, I haven’t had much inspiration to write and on the sale of the business topic, there just hasn’t been much activity to share. The reality is sometimes you just have to stop, let go and walk away to allow things to happen. That is just what I did.

I’d like to say that it was a noble and calculated decision to do so. That it was all part of my overall strategy. If I did I would be lying. What really happened is life became so busy with the other business that time just continued to slip away. At some point I realized that so much time had gone by and that I really should focus on selling the business again before it’s too late. I did just that. I gathered all the basic info needed and listed the business for sale in April. I have had several interested parties and now I am currently in an active negotiation. I won’t get too excited but will practice cautions optimism.

We have been in talks for two business days and the prospective buyer submitted an offer. No need to get onto details that is not the point of this piece. The point is to illustrate, yet again, that once I let go and stop trying to control and force things to create the outcome I want, flow and life is to be restored. The distraction of the other business helped, but I let go of my attachment to the situation and what I wanted to see happen as the outcome. This allowed things to happen more naturally. I just had to do the footwork.

This lesson transcends business and applies to all areas of life. The more I hold tight to situations and try to control the outcome, the more stress and disappointment I experience. That is recipe for disaster.  The more I try to control, the more disappointment and failure I experience in my life. This creates fertile ground for anger, resentment and all their ugly cousins to come have a party in my head. Negativity feeds on negativity and the longer I allow them to live rent free in my head, the larger and stronger they grow.

Once I can acknowledge what is happening and face the negative tenants, I can send an eviction notice. That allows me to move on and create a space for productivity and positivity. As cheesy and cliché as it sounds it is true. It has been proven to me over and over in my life. I only have control over my own attitude and actions. If I feed the demons dancing with the monkeys in my head, things do not work out so well. If I acknowledge them and take away their power, life is good.

Today I choose to evict the negative tenants as I wait with cautious optimism for the final dance with Go-Go Babyz.

Talk Soon,

Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

Ramble On, 1.18.2022

“Choose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life” – Confucius.

I call BS!

I don’t know who to attribute this quote to because there are so many people that have said it or a variation of it. I chose to put Confucius because he was the earliest figure of the bunch I have seen. Whoever said the quote above, I call BS on it.

There are two main arguments I have. First, a job is a job no matter how you define it. Whether you love what you do or hate it, you still have to put in the work. You have to suit up and show up whether you want to or not. Loving it just makes it easier.

Secondly, if you love what you do you are just going to work more and harder. That is my experience. Even more so if what you love to do involves owning your own business. In this scenario there are no set workdays with punching in or out. There are no forty hour work weeks. You just work and work until what needs to get done is completed. Work life balance is non-existent. There is always something pressing that needs to be done when own a business, especially in the beginning.

Having said that, It is also my experience that when you love what you do the work is typically more rewarding, making it easier to show up day after day to put in the time and effort. The hardest part about the work for me is finding the ability to let go and create some balance in life. There comes a time when you have to pass off some responsibly to others in order to minimize the time spent working. If you don’t do this you are sure to burn out.

Therefore, the key is to find work that you can enjoy to make it more fulfilling while putting parameters and boundaries in place so you punch out at quitting time.

Talk Soon,

Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

It’s So Easy, When I Keep It Simple

A very important concept to understand is that “simple” doesn’t translate into “easy.” It is important to make this distinction. Especially this day and age where the social media feeds are running rampant with the “get rich quick” pitches. It seems like the majority of my feed is selling some simple path to success, wealth, health, you name it. Any of the things one desires are easily achieved with little effort as long as you buy today. After the timer hits zero, the deal is over.

I know most are not get rich schemes but many are definitely presented in a way that can easily be interpreted that way. Now add the countdown timer and it becomes even more important to hurry up resulting is a rash, impulsive purchase. It’s easy to be seduced by the idea that in just five simple steps we can have the life we’ve always dreamed of. Or in just thirty days we can have our beach worthy body without any diet or any exercise. Now add that expiration date and it becomes even harder to pass up. There are always exceptions to rules and outliers but the reality is that any significant result or desired reward takes time and effort. There is not a magic pill or formula that takes the work out of it.

I am not saying that everything out there is a scam, but there are definitely bottom feeders that are looking for a quick buck by manipulating people. I have been seduced by them in the past and drank the Kool-Aid. Fortunately, I have learned from those costly mistakes. My biggest mistake was falling into the trap of thinking any of these things are fast and easy. When I think these simple strategies, formulas, or processes are actually easy and take little effort I have lost sight of reality and allowed myself to be manipulated. It is really not the people publishing the content; it is my own mind that is the culprit by convincing me otherwise.

The reality is simple strategies are great. They work and are effective if executed correctly. That takes both hard work and time. The biggest lesson that I have learned is that just because something is simple doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. Simple plans take hard work to be successful.  That said. If there is a way to simplify the process I am all for it. I just do not believe there are any true short cuts that eliminate the work. There might be a proven process that someone has already tested and is offering. Great. Do the research and if it makes sense fits goals then go for it.

The second important lesson that I have learned is that I am my biggest obstacle. I search for the easier way because I am constantly making things more difficult. I can over think a very simple plan right into a state of paralysis. Then I find myself talking to the monkeys and squirrels in my head as I rock in a corner drooling.  That is not a fun place to be.

That is why using a mentor or coach is so important. I have learned that I need to untangle my thoughts and ideas by putting them down on paper. Then I can search out solutions or advice from another. Once I can see the ideas in their simplest form, stripped of all the fat and fear I wind them with, I see a simple plan of action that can be executed one step at a time. Now, if I cam only remember this moving forward and keep it simple.

It’s simple but not easy!

Talk Soon,

Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

Ramble On, 1.10.2022

“The oldest, shortest words – ‘yes’ and ‘no’ – are those which require the most thought.” Pythagoras

Isn’t this so true? There are so many opinions on saying yes or no these days. If I am to consolidate the thoughts and opinions of all my mentors throughout the years I think it would come down to this…

In the beginning, say yes to EVERYTHING! When you are staring out and have not made any sort of name for yourself you should say yes to anything that comes your way.

Once you have established yourself, learn to say no. It seems to be a common theme that once a level of success, however one defines that, is achieved, saying no is what will provide the greatest opportunity for continued growth and freedom.

I am not going to argue with this but I do think there are exceptions to every rule and personal influences on them as well. The reality is these cannot be blanket statements. The rules for saying yes or no cannot be made as one-size-fits-all solution.

For example, I actually need to learn to stop saying no. I say no all the time. Too much I am told. My no saying issue falls into the knee-jerk reactive category. This type of reaction without any thought has caused a lot of problems for me. I need to learn to process the data and provide a responsive answer of yes or no. The truth is that many of my knee-jerk no’s have turned into yeses once I stopped and thought about the question, offer, or proposal in question.

The lesson for me is to work on responding rather than reacting. This is a lesson I have been working on, and getting better at I might add, for years. It goes beyond the simple yes – no dilemma.

Think before you speak!

Talk Soon,
Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

Ramble On, 1.7.2022

“Can you hear the Holy Mountains?” – System of a Down

The mountains are holy to me. They hold a sacred place in my heart.

I have been thinking a lot about this lately because the weather has not been conducive to certain outdoor exercises I like to partake in. These are mountain biking or cycling and trail running. I am not a fair-weather trail user but the snow and rain has made the trails near my house quite messy. This has forced me to ride a stationary bike indoors. I much prefer to be outside.

Yesterday on the way home from my other favorite outdoor activity, snowboarding, the song “Holy Mountains” came on and it just confirmed the importance of getting out to these special places. It is good for the mind, body, and spirit. For me, it is really any hilly terrain with trails that take me away from the regular chaos of the day and the crowds. They don’t have to be rugged mountains in the wilderness, just a trail far enough away from the daily noise that provides an escape and a means to quiet the monkeys and squirrels.

The song has nothing to with what it inspired in my mind but I am glad it came on. It reminded me that working hard is great but it is important that I always find time to get away and play. Heading to hills is more than a way to stay fit for me, it is a way to decompress, relieve stress, and reflect.

Remember to always find time to play.

Talk Soon,
Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

To Defy The Laws Of Tradition Part 6: Heed Thy Calling

“Let the music be your master” – Led Zeppelin

I always thought my calling was to be a rock star. That is all I ever wanted to be. Music was my master, my savior, my medicine, my escape, my love…my everything. Then one day I just quit. The truth is the story is more complicated than that but the details are better left for another piece.

To wrap up this series , however, the relevant cliff note version is that through some soul searching after I quit music I discovered that whether I play and write music or not I must create. If I don’t, my soul slowly withers away into the darkness.

Cooking and writing is my current form of creating that nourishes my soul and allows me to heed my calling. I might not be creating traditional music but what I create is inspired by music and the rhythm of my soul. This internal music is what inspires ideas and action. I hope that what I create for others in my shop is like music for their taste buds and what I write is like poetry that resonates within.

I often approach my writing and cooking much like I did when writing and playing music. While writing I often talk it out in my head first much like I would hear a riff or a lyric. I talk it through in my head with a cadence as if signing along to the beat of a song. When I cook I think of flavors that will play well together and enhance the other ingredients. Once I have worked that out I practice. Practice, practice, and more practice. I write out sentences or I create a dish and work on it until I have produced what closely matches song I heard in my head.

Even more, I like to create that which hasn’t been made before, or doesn’t seem like it would fit but the flavors meld and accompany each other and come together in brilliance. As I touched on it in the beginning of this series, this approach has often produced many things that simply do not work.

I don’t like to waste time, money, or food so I have to be careful. I also do not like being told what I can and can’t do. That is where the laws of tradition come back in to play. What I create must be confined by some basic rules. Very basic that is. I love music and art because the freedom it allows the creator. The rules are there to keep the artistic process moving and flowing, not to restrict or prevent. Yes, they are rules but they are basic and do not crush the spirit of creativity and passion. They are there so an artist can produce something that truly works. They allow a musician to create a song that is played in key, a pastry chef to create a cake that rises and holds its shape, or a writer to create a poem that can be read. None of which has to make sense, it just has to work.

So, will you heed your master’s call? Will you defy the laws of tradition and push your art to the boundaries of creativity to create your masterpiece?

I hope so; the world needs more of what the artists create.

Talk Soon,

Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

The End Part 17: I Guess I’ll Be An Artist

“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” ― Richard Branson

To be more specific about the title, I will just become a drawer of some sort. Why? Simply because is it back to the drawing board for Go-Go Babyz. After six months or more of negotiations with the buyer they have decided to back out. It’s a bit frustrating and deflating but that is how it goes sometimes with a negotiation of this nature.

I have made the decision to just accept it. I do not have the time, energy, or desire to be angry or resentful. The only part that really bothers me is the time spent on this negotiation. Time is the most valuable, non-renewable resource. They said yes to purchase the business pretty early in the process and the majority of the time was spent negotiating the terms. I really had no reason to think that they would back out. If that was naive, so be it. The best I can do is learn from the experience and move on.

The truth is that I can’t blame them for their reason. They said that they have other big projects and plans that they are currently working on and this would really just be a distraction. I can respect that. There have been several times in the history of Go-Go Babyz that we squirreled off the path with projects that diverted us from our core business. Many of these detours seemed like good ideas at the time, presenting future potential but the result was a lot of hard work for very little reward or contribution to the bottom line, if any at all. At the end of the day, the bottom line is really what matters because that is what determines whether or not you are actually in business. Unless, of course, you are one of those businesses that seem to have an endless reserve of cash to burn. I can assure you that we are not one of those.

Perhaps the greatest lesson that has come from running business over the last two decades has been the ability to find the lessons in mistakes. There will always be wasted time, mistakes made, money lost, etc, but if I can look back at each experience and find the pearls to carry forward, is any of it really a waste? I can assure you that there have been many times that I spent much too much time, money, and effort on things that became flops. I can also assure you that the duration of these mistakes have become shorter over the years. I have become better at knowing when to say when. Maybe they can be expensive lessons but if they make me better at what I do that is a good thing right?

An example is that I now go into these situations or projects with a better structured strategy. The most important part of the strategy is the exit plan. It doesn’t have to be a very detailed or sophisticated plan. I simply have to say we are going to do “x” with the expectation of “y” as the result. If “y” doesn’t happen by “a” time or after “b” money is invested, we are out.  That’s it. That thinking provides some parameters and the details of the strategy provide the framework for the plan of action and the rules to operation.  The stop point is clearly spelled out so there is no excuse if the hemorrhaging begins and a decision isn’t made to stop it.

That said, another very important lesson is to be flexible. Flexibility must be woven into your strategy and decision making process. For example, If you do not reach the goal of “y” within the parameters of “a” or “b” but there is something that indicates “y” is just around the corner then push out the parameters a bit. Not too much, but a little bit to ride the tide to see which way it goes.  One must remember that we cannot predict the future so the stop points in our strategy can be off. They are really just markers to keep us on track. Therefore, we need that flexibility.

In retrospect, take those so called mistakes and turn them into assets to make you better and stronger moving forward.  Remember, hindsight is 20/20. If Sir Richard says it is alright to fall over, then fall over now and again if it makes you better.  The past is the past and it doesn’t have to repeat itself if we learn from it.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some drawing to do.

Talk Soon,

Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

The End Part 16: Dance With Me

“Either run the day or the day runs you.” – Jim Rohn

Selling is a game. Selling is a dance. Or so I have been told by the wise ones that have come before me. The sales negotiation process is a dance between the buyer and the seller. The goal is to always be the lead and control the situation. That sometimes means letting the other party think they are in the lead and controlling the deal. That is where the opening quote come is; you either run the sales dance or the dance controls you. That means control the deal or the other party wins. Unless, of course, the deal is a win-win for all parties involved. I have also been told by some wise ones that there is no such thing as a win-win, but that is a discussion for another time.

Let me be frank; I don’t like this dance. I am not much of a dancer as it is. The most “dancing” I’ve done was in mosh pits at concerts. I don’t think the violent nature would be good in this application. I simply do not like the back and forth, the half truths, the waiting, the deflection of responsibility, and so on. No one wants to make a decision or assume responsibility for their side of the table. They always have to go back and talk to “someone” that cannot ever seem to leave their office and join the dance. My father in law calls this person the “wizard in the back.”

In our present dance, I think their wizard is their lawyer. This wizard has been sitting in the back without providing more information for too long. I’m tired of slow dancing, let’s pick up the pace. Maybe that’s the old mosher in me talking but it’s time “run the day!” They have had us sitting in uncomfortable silence for too long. So, we pushed back and took back the lead. We want to know if we are moving forward or moving on. Hopefully, we make some progress this week.

This process has brought up an important lesson that I have learned running businesses the past couple decades; hire people that make you and your business better. As the boss or owner I always wanted to be better or smarter than those that worked for me. That just results in a team of less-thans. That is not good for growth and progress. Not to mention furthering my skills and knowledge. It is best to bring on people that have skills and knowledge in areas I lack. For example, I do not like sales and I am not that great at negotiations, therefore, I want to add people to my team that are better than I in those areas. Following this strategy builds a strong team that is rich with diverse skills. 

The great ones throughout history know that they don’t know it all. They know they become better and stronger by the people they surround themselves with not by doing everything by themselves on a lonely throne. They create a dance team that can take over any dance floor.

Talk Soon,

Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live

The End Part 15: The Doors of Perception

“Communication breakdown, it’s always the same
Havin’ a nervous breakdown, a-drive me insane” – Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin

Business is about relationships. That is the bottom line. It really doesn’t matter if you sweep the floors or head the board, everything leads back to relationships. All relationships, whether personal or professional, require communication of some form or another. In my experience, good relationships are built on good communication.

Seems simple, right? My experience also teaches me that it is not always that easy. In fact, it can be one of the hardest parts of any relationship. Communication provides information for all sides of a relationship. We, as rational and sentient creatures, use the information that we have to make decisions, formulate opinions, and take actions. Information is not created equal but our minds will do with it what it will based on what have access to or have been provided at the time.

It’s a pretty simple equation; bad information = bad thoughts and opinions and bad thoughts/opinions = bad decisions and actions. Simple equation but hard to follow. Why? Because we do not always know that the information we have is incorrect or limited. How many times have you been given some information that was not the entire story? Did you form an opinion or even take an action based on the information that you later regretted? I think we have all done that. I bet most of us have even looked back in hindsight after receiving the “rest of the story” and realized that we would have taken a different course of action had we had all the information at the time.

The real questions is have we learned from these lapses in judgment? Have we learned to verify the information we have before making major a decision and saying or doing things we later regret? I have. Don’t get wrong, I am not saying I do this all the time but more often than not, I pause and take time to evaluate the information and situation before I react. This allows me to respond accordingly. I must admit I have only learned this by doing the wrong thing over and over.

In the last part I discussed how the prospective buyers had gone silent. That led us to think they lost interest. Further, that one of the main communicators in this deal on our side had pushed a bit too hard and closed the door. The reality was there was a miscommunication. We thought one thing and they thought another. They were waiting on something from us and we were for something from them. We were locked in a holding pattern on different pages. The good news is we cleared things up and got back on the same page and have moved closer to finalizing a deal.

Communication is the key. Without having good information, or providing good information, the human mind is left to fill in the empty spaces. In my experience, I have often filled those spaces with “worst case” type of information. That usually does not end well for any party involved. If you want to build something great in business or your personal life, focus on your relationships and strengthen them with good communication.

Talk Soon,

Kevin W @LEAP272
Owner-Operator

You have to leap if you want to live