what’s really important?

Life is so easy to get lost in, everything from cranky driving to believing you MUST answer all those damn email messages. Trust me, they are not going away.

I have had some interesting life challenges over the last several years, exponentially growing beyond the wildest thoughts of even Dean Koontz.

What to do now? Where to go? Why did a dream of mine just disappear so easily?

Too many questions to ponder…and yet, many really don’t matter in the glorious grand cosmos of life.

Back to basics is sometimes all you have when you are looking down the abyss of the biggest dark whole you’ve ever seen. Ask yourself the true simply important life question. What’s really important?

For me, it was a gloomy, rainy day, sitting in 5 o’clock traffic inching my way home to see my beautiful wife & ever so energetic little girls, where it smacked me across the face. Once again…thank you Jimmy Buffett!

The song “Lucky Stars” began to play, bringing one giant smile to my face.

I believe in energy throughout the universe & that there sure is something in life that no one can explain. So when the little signs present themselves, you better be listening. I regularly listen to audio books & will alternatively just hit shuffle for any of my 3000 songs to begin playing. Wouldn’t you know it…an old favorite & reality check for me began to billow through my car speakers. Immediately, I was brought out of a more than usual funk & once again decided to move forward with my three favorite words (or motto).

Live, Laugh, Love

A life altering favorite song for me…enjoy the words, they can make your day!

Lucky Stars
Written by: Jimmy Buffett
Performed by: Jimmy Buffett

Woke up just the other day
Fell out of bed and my dog ran away.
The car won’t start and the weather was cold and gray.
I got stuck in a traffic jam,
My major meeting didn’t go as I planned.
Looks like it’s gonna be another one of those days.

I got a roof over my head,
Someone to love me in a four poster bed,
And I can play this here guitar
I thank my lucky stars.

Politicians speak and it makes me ill…
People are dyin’ just for a thrill.
Maybe it’s just evolution gone astray.

The climate’s too hot, music’s gotten cold,
I’ve livin’ like a health nut but I still grow old.
You do what you can on the edge of the Milky Way.

Got a roof over my head,
Someone to love me in a four poster bed,
And I can play this here guitar
Gonna thank my lucky stars.

Wrapped up in the problems of the day,
Just remember there’s no rewind and no replay.
Don’t you worry cause it ain’t gonna fix a thing.

Woke up just the other day,
Thought that maybe I’d be OK,
Cause the story I’ve been getting
Ain’t written anywhere.

Got a roof over my head,
Someone to love me in a four poster bed,
And I can play this here guitar
Gonna thank my lucky stars.

Got a roof over my head,
Someone to love me in a four poster bed,
And I can play this here guitar
I thank my lucky stars.
Gonna thank my lucky stars.
Thank you stars

start up’s – family

Do you think your relationship is strong?  The type of bond that could never be brought down?  Are you truly a team?

Well, starting a business will test you and your relationship on every single level.

Several key areas which to focus:

• money
• time: spouse and kids
• presence

MONEY

Money is typically the number one argument amongst married couples.  Unfortunately, it is this one perceptual need for our lifestyle attainment goals.  This fight for money is most definitely less pleasant than being tossed into a box full of jagged shards.

So to test your relationship, throw away your high salary, paid benefits, vacation and cushy schedule, then see if you still wake up with a smile 1-2 years later; like that doe eyed entrepreneur you once were.

Some great advice I received in the last year, when our income was at a very low point and we could not figure any other expenses to alleviate (a side from moving into a card board box) was to “turn toward”.  Your better half is surly going through this with you and just because they do not see the negative bank account or answer the creditor’s calls, doesn’t mean they are not feeling your pain.  It is pretty amazing being connected to someone that can simply know you through their subconscious.

Every tried to keep a secret?  Your body language, conversation, attitude and perception give you away every time.

“Everybody knows everything”.  The sooner you learn this statement to be true, the better life becomes, because your focus can narrow to a laser without taking up space with life’s clutter.

Do I really need this?  Live by this statement for a couple of years; it will help keep the pain at bay.

Maintaining your even keel upon facing the inevitable cash flow anxieties is like walking the plank to meet the ocean depths of uncertainty.  Some things that help are good diet and exercise.  Exercise especially allows time for your brain to relax and wander, helping to answer some of your most aggravating issues as well as plan without emotion.  Mental sharpness is next and fully associated with your diet.   This helps to build your endurance and energy so that attacking problems are not as daunting.

TIME

Time is critical and if you already struggled with time or life management you will seriously overload here.  There are 24 hours in the day, so plan on sleeping about 4 – 6 hours, 5 days a week, with the hopes that you will get 1 or 2 days of 8-10 hours, helping the body catch up.

A couple biz tips:

EMAIL

1. Check it only 3-5 times per day.
2. Respond, file, create task, create appointment or delete every email per day.  Leaving your inbox empty upon your end of day viewing is one key to a clear mind.  Your inbox will truly never be empty, but this way you will prioritize quickly not allowing the proverbial 1000 email buildup, creating the inbox cluster F***.
3. Don’t have emails pushed to your phone, check them at your convenience; phones are a tool to be managed, not the other way around.
4. Don’t respond immediately to email, you set a standard and people will expect you to treat email like an instant message; IT IS NOT.

TO DO’s

1. Find the tool that will communicate with your chosen email client and phone; this helps you to have access to your stuff whenever you need it.
2. Or, utilize a killer notebook with printed calendars and tasks to be written on and updated on the fly…since that is how life happens.
3. REPEAT, REPEAT, REPEAT.

FLEXIBILITY

1. Be prepared to change and adjust your methods daily, even hourly depending on your business.
2. Developing a solid personal “Flow” system takes time and practice; plug away daily and you will find yourself sleeping like a baby.

So…why the heck talk about these couple steps above?  Perfecting a way to manage your business life, allows you to focus on your family life; the MOST important piece of any human!

A couple personal tips: (in this order)

#1 – SPOUSE TIME

I cannot express HOW important this is.  Remember, you chose to be with this person through better or worse, so find little ways to show you still think about them constantly.  Buy/pick cheap flowers for your kitchen, sit and listen to them speak about their day, ask questions and PAY ATTENTION!  These are the little gifts you can give to your spouse daily.  Capitalizing on connecting points are what will help weather the storms of crapola down the road.

As life improves, having the time and money to resurface into society for dinners and babysitters will be great.  However, you need to cherish and be thankful for where you are today.  This allows your mind and body to be open, ready and accept your new present.  People that constantly say, “wait till you see my next…whatever” are never really happy with their present, and will never be.  Guess what, the future is always the future and never attainable when that is all you look towards.

Be happy, present and mindful.

#2 – KIDO TIME

This is so much fun!  They really help to alleviate the day to day stressors.  Have you ever heard anything better than a “DADDY!” when you walk through the door?  Nope!  So come home, leave the shit behind, put your mommy or daddy hat on and have some fun!

If you don’t already have kids when you go down this route and plan to…just go ahead and make it happen.  You planners out there are crazy to think you can will life to your command, won’t happen…at least not exactly.  I will say that just figuring it out along the way has awesome benefits.  And do you really think your kids will remember anything of the early years?

We basically jumped into the deep in and figured we would sink or swim.  Right when we got into the thick of starting the business, we announced, “We’re pregnant again” and one of the first questions asked was, “are you just a glutton for punishment or what?”  Absolutely!  No time is ever perfect, so if you are an over planner, good luck ever finding happiness, because nothing is perfect and rarely if ever to plan.  Plus, if you wait too long, you’ll be that couple in electric wheel chairs at your kids PTA meetings.

PRESENCE

Brings much of the above two (money and family) together.  Being around is nice, but not truly being involved is easily detected, seen and down the road resented by your family.

How many times do you sit there nodding your head like a bobble doll?  I bet you even think you are pretty convincing at times.

The nicest part of my day is walking through the garage, opening the door and being bombarded by people that love and care for me.  No requests, no ideals placed upon, no expectations other than being present when you walk through that door.  Put the phone down, turn the TV off and color a while…it is quite fun!

Why do people treat life as an emergency?  You are not an ER doc, so I am pretty sure all your stuff will be there tomorrow.  Your inbox is never really empty…even when you die!

One of my most favorite sayings to help lighten the load throughout an event is, “It’s Lunch and Dinner, Not Life or Death People!”

Don’t follow that traditional BS that states separate your business and personal life.  This would be stupid; they are so intertwined, that if one is not functioning well, the other will suffer immensely!  Work to bring them both in Harmony with your life goals, expectations and beliefs.  You will live a much more peaceful life, no matter the stress level.

PS – People that state they are “self-made” are not lying; they are just misinformed.  Everyone has had help along the way, whether they admit it/know it or not.

start up’s – business plan, opinion

There sure has been quite a bit of chatter about business plans as they pertain to “start up’s”…

Should I write one or not write one? That is the question.

I think these new found entrepreneurs that say, “You don’t need a business plan, it’s a waste of time” are completely smoking crack! Ok, I get it…some people out there are very charismatic & simply make stuff happen, and that is pretty awesome for you 2%er’s. The other 98% of us are stuck dreaming, verbalizing, creating, critiquing, advice finding, revising business planning folks.

Plain & simple, YOU MUST PLAN! This is a huge benefit not only to getting your doors open, but for future growth, money raising potential and having a compass/vision to help guide you through the crap of any start up.

Another genius statement I heard, “Only focus on current actions & what your venture needs right now.” What, planning for growth or future changes aren’t important? Off the cuff (no plan) is a fine way to live & start a business, hell, you may even be successful for a while, but when you hit a certain level your knowledge runs out & if you are not in line with a vision…start to kiss the honeymoon goodbye!

“Real entrepreneurs don’t write a business plan, they simply make the right action at the right time” really?

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity. That is the purpose of a business plan; succinctly collecting your thoughts, being ready for opportunity & making it happen for yourself.

Business plans are not just some crazy “have to do” that MBA’s state is the direct path to success. Business plans make you think about who, what, where & how; giving you a helpful road map to your dream.

A few quotes I have heard in some form or fashion:

“Five-year financial projections will assist investors with making decisions about your business and help you understand how much funding you will need for startup & if you are able to be profitable.”
First, yes, financial projections are good to have and all this really shows is you know what the heck you are talking about. You will most likely know the industry cost percent standards allowing you to work backwards forming the most accurate projections possible. And, once you get past year one or two they become even more arbitrary, because no one I know can predict the future, not yet anyways.

Also, take your projections and do several things:

• cut your revenues in half
• multiply your expenses by two
• extend the timeline for actually opening by 6-9 months
• extend your timeline for seeing a profit by 2 times
• if you still have cash leftover to stay in business, you might have a chance covering all the crap that cost money which you forgot to include

“Businesses don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan”
I couldn’t agree more. I am a believer that had we not planned as much as we did the economic down turn of 2009 would have put us in the dirt. Spending about two years, allowed us to have already hashed out many things that would have been asinine to try. Also, our investor’s believed in us enough to extend extra lines of credit and/or loans because they could see real & future plans to gaining their ROI.

“Adjust your business plan as needed, be sure to not stray far from your original idea.”
About half right. Once again, adjust your plan as needed & if your vision changes make the appropriate changes in the business plan for moving forward. This is not a document you will read daily, probably semi-annually at best. But writing down plans, goals & execution strategies are what make them real, not leaving them in your head!

Potential investor meetings where we presented the business plan were some of the MOST educational periods of our lives. We had tough questions to answer, many we had no clue, but these made us re-evaluate how we approached everything. Was our plan sufficient, did we believe in ourselves to know we had something great, were we on the right track…?

If planning is so bad, why have a budget? Don’t sales & numbers change as constant as everything else? ABSOLUTELY! The point is you need to have something to shoot for.

Why then do people always state, “Write your goals down.” You know you will more than likely not look at them again for some time. The cosmic flow of life begins to take shape by taking your subconscious ideas & putting them down consciously, you start to believe & perform actions to bring it to fruition. Sure, nothing ever goes as planned, so what! Vision is not about being perfect; it is about striving to make things better, through key points: plan, focus, act, practice & deliver.

Change is the only constant in life and if you have trouble accepting this you may be in trouble.

In the end, writing a business plan may or may not be for you. I am a creative thinker & dreamer, so taking a dream, verbalizing it, collecting some data, envisioning the outcome & then disciplining myself to sit down & write has been a very powerful life altering practice.

So write or don’t write. You will make the call right for you!

PS – I do not have an MBA

Benjamin Franklin’s 13 Virtues

Have you ever tried to follow these?  Not easy!

Benjamin Franklin only focused on 1 per week; I think highly advisable.  Try it & you will find yourself truly becoming a better person.

If you need additional information about what an extraordinary person Ben Franklin really was, checkout “Benjamin Franklin: An American Life” by Walter Isaacson.

1. TEMPERANCE
Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.

2. SILENCE
Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.

3. ORDER
Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.

4. RESOLUTION
Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.

5. FRUGALITY
Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.

6. INDUSTRY
Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.

7. SINCERITY
Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.

8. JUSTICE
Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.

9. MODERATION
Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.

10. CLEANLINESS
Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.

11. TRANQUILLITY
Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.

12. CHASTITY
Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.

13. HUMILITY
Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

live for your Karma!

start up’s – success

What is the secret to success?

Leveraging four things:

1. your mind
2. your experience
3. your time
4. your money

In that order!

start up’s – quote

Warren Buffett once stated:

“Profit is KING…to get it requires these action steps:

1) knowledge and skill
2) timing
3) cost consciousness

knowledge and skill does not develop from repetition.  They develop from conquering diverse challenges”.

weekly affirmation

I release the past.

weekly affirmation

All the variety in this Universe Inspires Me!

weekly affirmation

I accept responsibility for how I prioritize my time.

never quit quote

“Effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.”
-Napoleon Hill

weekly affirmation

I act now!

just because it has always been this way…

A friend of mine recently told me this story, primarily due to our conversation being centered around, ”just because things have always been done this way, doesn’t mean it’s right”.

Sally was slaving away, cooking Thanksgiving dinner when her brother, Jim, soon approached and asked, “why do you cut both ends off the ham?”  Sally, stunned from such a simple question, states, “I am not sure; I believe it cooks best, but mainly because mom always cooked it this way.”

Sally quickly thinks, let’s go ask mom…”Mom, why did you always cut both ends off the ham prior to cooking it?”  Mom replies, “It cooks better; I think.”  ”We should ask your grandmother; Nana, why did you always cut both ends off the ham prior to cooking it?”  Nana in her grace, “It cooks best when they are cut and helps the heat get in.  However, I have never asked the question and since Granie’s here, let’s confirm that.”  ”Granie, why did you always cut both ends off the ham prior to cooking it?”

And Granie being the simple woman, “it wouldn’t fit in the pan, so I cut both ends off, shoved it in the pan & to the oven it went.”

What a great illustration of people following along like simple minded sheep.  Do you ask questions?  Do you challenge ideas that just don’t seem to jive?  Are you affraid of conflict?

The busy days of life, family, constant connections, work, social clicks, etc…can surely keep your brain stimulated. Questioning tradition or changing something that has always been done a certain way, may be challenging, but worth the short term research.

live for your Karma!

weekly affirmation

Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

weekly affirmation

All my relationships are filled with love.

the answers have changed

Have you ever looked back and wondered, “why in the heck did I make that decision?”

More than likely you asked yourself some simple pro & con style questions and then just went with your choice.  Next, your traveling down the road, life has changed, situations have altered & nowhere in sight is the reasoning you once had making that decision.

A most favorite & simple explanation is…”The answers have changed”.  Boy, isn’t that always the case. The questions rarely, if ever change, but the answers seem to be ever evolving with time & change.

Simply put, constantly evaluate your life situation and change to adapt with your surroundings.  I have never understood the comment, “man, I sure wish life would just slow down & stay constant.”  The only thing constant about that statement is the fact that people say it over & over.  I think it has yet to ever come true.

“We cannot solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them”
- Albert Einstein

live for your Karma!

weekly affirmation

Everything I need is already within me.

weekly affirmation

Argue for your limitations and they are yours!

weekly affirmation

All problems are learning situations in disguise.

live quote

“as long as you’re living, continue to learn to live”

insanity

Have you ever heard this definition of insanity?

“to do the same thing day in & day out, expecting different results”

I love it!  The ruts of life, golden hand cuffs, whatever you want to call it, we as humans love to beat a dead horse.  We will do things over & over because we “think” it is what people want us to do.  Are we stupid?  No, just lost.  Funniest part about it, is that if/when you make the change, all those people you thought wanted you to stay say, “it is about time!”

Staying in bad jobs, relationships, ventures that simply are toxic & do nothing but bring us down will kill your sole quicker than a head on collision.

I heard this story not too long ago…

“A rat was placed into a maze, he continually bumped along until he found his prize, the cheese.  A day later, the same rat was placed in the maze & this time he bumped a little less & found the cheese a bit quicker.  This continued until he was no longer bumping along & could streamline directly to the cheese every time.  Next, the cheese was not replaced, but the rat was still sent to race for his prize; only to discover it was no longer there.  After 3-4 times of the “no cheese” disappointment, the rat simply stopped running the maze.”

That is the difference between rats & humans, they will stop running when the hope is gone.  We don’t…at least not always.  We will stop, change, alter our direction only when forced, i.e. – heart attack, job loss, partner split, etc…

Don’t wait for your cheese to be moved, listen to your heart & find what your purpose is.  Then & only then will you be able live, laugh & love without fear.

live for you Karma

weekly affirmation

As I create thoughts with purpose, I create a life with purpose.

wisdom is power

I have never really been interested in “philosophy”, mainly in terms of debating others (this is probably driven from my monotoned college professor).  I love life and personally, don’t really care what people think.  I have a wonderful family, business that is picking up traction and friends that you couldn’t ask for better.

However, I stumbled across this guys book some time ago, “The Science of Success” by James Arthur Ray; interesting and highly inspirational.  If you need a JOLT of life or just something to PUMP you up, get this book!  There is one part I remember, my favorite, which he sums up very well with these few paragraphs…

We’re told that “knowledge is power” or “information is power.” These statements aren’t entirely true. Our world is full of knowledge. Between the internet and other exploding communication technologies, the information available to us doubles approximately every 1.5 years. Yet people don’t feel very powerful in the world or even in their own lives.

Information is not power. It is nothing more than unorganized data. Knowledge is nothing more than organized information. Neither brings us true power or true success. To succeed today, we need more than information or knowledge. We need wisdom.

People who are truly successful are wise. Wisdom is the true power! I define wisdom as “information and knowledge that is organized, aligned and acted upon in accordance with universal principles and laws.” Whenever we act in a way that is organized, aligned and in accordance with universal laws, we act wisely.

Wisdom is about how to think, rather than what to think. Truly wise people know how to gather pertinent knowledge about a subject and then listen to and apply the power of their intuition. They realize that the intuition, that “still, small voice” within, is our higher self asking to be manifest.

When we combine information, knowledge and experience with our intuition and then fuel it with massive action, we discover our own wisdom… a personal truth that synthesizes the head and the heart and puts us in touch with our higher self.

In short, we as humans drink from the fire hose of information every day.  We must organize our information and understand that we will not know everything.  Then, will clarity of life manifest.

live for your Karma

ryan & her pimp hat

Kids are absolutely the most fun thing in life!

Here is a great shot of my daughter doing what she does best…being herself!  Now, that is something I hope she never looses!

We as adults sure can learn a lot from watching our kids.  Especially before life & society has beaten all the crap into their brains, they deep heartily believe anything is possible; that I work to keep alive, in me, my family & will for her!

live for your Karma

jimmy’s taking over the world

What an awesome thing to be living in Miami…the Dolphins stadium is now LandShark Stadium.

Looks like Jimmy may not be taking over the world, but surly south Florida.

I guess you know you have truly made it when you are asked to be partners with a major league stadium. Now, I guess if you have to foot the bill because they are out of money, that might suck…but he could probably do it.

I sure can’t wait till my next JB concert!

Let all your drinks be boat drinks!

simple food done great

What a great night last night. chef Richard sure knows how to take standard, simple ingredients & turn them into something pretty damn good.

We catered for a local Austin IT company that was hosting a small “thank you” for their customers at Ballet Austin. A nice Pinot Noir & Pouilly Fume were poured as all the guests munched on smoked salmon crostini’s, caramelized onion topped baked Brie & a mediteranean bruchetta…to name a few.

Keeping it simple & bold was last night. Quite an awesome evening; life just doesn’t get simpler or better than that.

live for your Karma

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