Expert in the Rough, Brian Monahan

One of my favorite writers/bloggers is Scott Ginsberg of “Hello, My Name is Blog,” his writing technique is what I call Jedi Mind Tricks.

Scott’s approach to writing and life is re-framing the obvious.

Today Scott discussed the idea of “What if You Practiced Everything.” Essentially, Scott’s point is if you re-frame your life as practice it takes the edge off and allows for you to enjoy and enhance your life.

Practicing life is a cornerstone for being an Expert in the Rough.

Many people forget to embrace life and live it with the skills they possess now.

If you are waiting until you arrive to start the journey then you might want to embrace Scott’s Jedi Mind Trick.

Practice Life!

Success is pretty easy.

Be the one!

Be the one:

• who picks up the trash
• who starts the company blog
• who organizes the team
• calls the CEO of your top prospect company
• who starts a non-profit helping somebody in need
• who identifies an under served market
• who polishes their public speaking at Toastmasters
• who takes additional writing classes
• who hires a personal coach to guide their career
• who updates their resume quarterly and is ready when opportunity knocks
• who studies for additional industry certifications
• who seeks a mentor for career guidance
• who creates a personal board of directors to hold them accountable
• who mentors others giving back the experience others have bestowed you
• who does the job nobody else wants
• who stays late when the job requires
• who starts early to ensure the quality of their work
• who does what others won’t, put off, forget or are afraid to do

“Be the One” when opportunity knocks who answers the door.

We should find somebody to organize the warehouse.

We should find somebody to update our marketing materials.

We should find somebody to speak at our next fundraiser.

We should find somebody to head up that committee.

We should find somebody to streamline our processes.

We should find somebody who can organize our files.

We should find somebody to get our blog off the ground.

We should find someone to manage our training.

Is there somebody in your pocket? When you say “We Should” who exactly is included in your “We”?

“We” is the trap.

“We” is the belief that somebody else will do it.”

“We” never happens. The truth is there is no “We” without an “I” first.

I will get a team of managers together to organize the warehouse.

I will work with the ad agency to update our marketing materials.

I will call the founder of “insert company” to speak at our annual fundraiser.

I will form a committee.

I will hire a process management consultant.

I will manage the overhaul of our filing system.

I will learn about blogging platforms.

I will organize a monthly training session.

“We” sounds great on paper.  The more the merrier so to speak but the truth is your boss, your leader, your friends, your members, your co-workers are looking for you to take the reigns.

Next time you say “We” stop yourself and feel the power of “I.”

I will change my world, I will change the world.

10 People stopped by my website yesterday.  I am not sure who they are.  I do know they were on Drew Rozell’s website first, thanks to my Google Analytics, which gathers way too much information.  I average around 15 visits to my website a day so this was an unusual circumstance.

When I saw this my heart pitter-pattered a bit.  Maybe Drew, my former personal coach and somebody I look up to, may have mentioned me on his website. Yes I am the eternal narcissist, so I checked my feed reader and read Drew’s latest post. It had very little to do with me and it was a sad take on the loss of his cat.  Drew is a great story teller and he also is a great writer on the Laws of Attraction.  He weaved a nice (heartfelt) article about the loss of his cat with his lessons from his life and the Laws of Attraction.

He shared a link to my website mentioning I had introduced him to Abraham-Hicks one of the most popular authorities on the Laws of Attraction.  I had no idea I was the one who referred Drew to Abraham-Hicks.  I am honored since Drew has become one of the best writers on the Laws of Attraction.  I do remember sharing LoA resources when I was working with him as a coach but never imagined I was the one to give him this referral.

Drew here is a convoluted account of how you found Abraham Hicks and why 3 babies are being born this year.

Thanks to Paul C. for sharing Abraham Hicks with me.  Drew Rozell has greatly benefited from it.

Thanks to my step mom Nancy for marrying my Dad.

Thanks to Phil H. my step grandfather.  He introduced my family to Life Success Seminars where I met Paul C.

Thanks to Bob Evans Restaurants.  Bob Evans hired my good friend Clinton C.  He moved to Cincinnati for the job.

Thanks to Cincinnati for leading Clinton C. to Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance.

Thanks to Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance for causing Clinton C. to hire Paul C. as a sales coach.

Thanks to Paul C. introducing Clinton C. to Life Success Seminars which introduced Clinton to me.

Thanks to me for introducing Clinton C. to my high school friend Jeff O.

Thanks to Clinton C. for helping Jeff O. get a job at Morgan Stanley.

Thanks to Morgan Stanley for introducing Jeff O and Lora S.

Thanks to me for inspiring Clinton to move San Diego (i decided not to go.)

Thanks to Jeff O. for introducing his friend Ryan W to Clinton C.

Thanks to Clinton C. for introducing his roomate Camille to Ryan W.

Thanks to Jen K for introducing me to Drew R.

Thanks to Life Success Seminars for introducing me to Jen K.

Thanks to Life Success Seminars and Jen K. for introducing me to Megan H.

All right enough ot the thank you’s but I do want to share that you just never know how you might change the world.

Some big results from this crazy chain.

Drew Rozell very successful writer and coach on the Laws of Attraction.

Ryan and Camille are married and just had a baby.

Jeff and Lora are married and just had a baby.

Brian (me) and Megan are due to have a baby any day now.

So I am not sure what the point of this post is but a few innocent moments in life have some interesting results.

The attached ticket grants the holder Permission to Fail in 09!

Facsimiles, Copies, Torn, Wet and/or Counterfeit Versions of this ticket are acceptable for entrance into this Down Economy.  Watch CNN & FoxNews for tour updates.  This tour WILL be coming to your town.

It’s inevitable The Down Economy, The Recession and The Great Depression Revisited are coming to a town near you in 2009.  You have no options except to fail.  That is why 2009 is a great year to get started living your dreams.

Are you following me.  Since you are going to fail at everything else.  Everything is bleak.  The sun will never rise, you no longer need to worry about the risk of failure.  It is inevitable.  It is for sure. So, if you are doomed to fail and so is everybody else,  why not take a chance on living your dreams in 09.

It is a bit counter-intuitive but 2009 could be your best year ever to start living your dreams.  Here are 9 reasons 2009 might be the year for you.

1. Stocks are cheap.  Buy Low and Sell High. Warren Buffet is doing it.
2. Housing Bubble has busted.  Once Again Buy Low and Sell High.
3. Others have given up.  You might be surprised there are businesses that are thriving.
4. If you fail you can blame it on the economy.
5. Businesses are reassessing contracts in an effort to save money.  This is a great opportunity to get your foot in the door.
6. A great time to scale down, get out of the rat race, reassess your lifestyle.  Even the “Joneses” are scaling back.
7. The world was supposed to end in 2000 so you have been granted at very least an extension.  Get moving.  Maybe it’s a 9 lives type of thing and 2009 really is the end of the world.
8. If you take the numbers 2009 and add them together you get eleven its a great Blackjack hand.  The experts, recommend that you “Double Down” on eleven.
9. George Bush’s last day on the job is January 20th.

Check back early next year for the “Pleasantly Surprised by your Success Tour. “

Besides 1 Million and a Google you just can’t beat the number One Hundred. Did I forget about Ten.  Ten is alright but it doesn’t have any where near the number of nicknames as 100.

AKA a Hondo, a Benjamin, Century, 10 Squared and C for my Roman subscribers.  However you say it 100 is cool.  In fact 100 is so cool people are intimidated by it.  Just shy of 100, 99 over the years has given 100 a run for its money but I must say 100 always comes out on top.  If you dare to argue.  Its simple math.

Some famous 100 Brands:

• Billboard Top 100 Hits
• Fortune 100
• Audi 100
• 100% (110% gives 100 a run for its money)

I am not sure why 100 is so special, all I know is it’s a universal starting point.

I started my blog in late may.  My goal was to post 3 to 4 times a week.  For the most part I have been on target for this goal.  Now that I have 51 posts under my belt, I feel pretty confident I am sticking with this blogging thing.  I now have a goal of reaching 100 blog posts by 2009.

On my way to 100 here is what I have learned:

• Blogging is not easy
• I could have easily quit at 10 and nobody would have known the difference (except me)
• What I find interesting does not always translate into an interesting post as a novice writer
• People are really freaked out by Grammar mistakes (Can I get an editor?)
• Patience is a virtue.  Write multiple posts and save one for a rainy day.
• A budding blogging habit does not mix well with well with a day job.
• A pregnant wife needs more attention than an email subscription to my blog feed
• When I get to 100 I will be 99 posts better than when I started.

100 is a great number,  before I get to my goal of being a best selling author, a keynote speaker to thousands and  surpass 3000 blog subscribers I can find great joy smelling the roses at the Special number 100.

Momentum Monday Assignment.

Create a 100 Goal.  Everybody is doing it!

Seth Godin, covers a topic my “Dear Old Dad” has been covering for years.  The difference between “Get to!” and “Have to.”

Seth’s take is the classic shift of attitude,  seeing the task as an opportunity versus a drudgery.

My father Mike Monahan of Life Success Seminars, also teaches in his seminar about “Get to” versus “Have to.”

He shares a story of his two sons, Brian and Brad who are ten years apart.  Brian was given a much different perspective on taking out the garbage from a younger less wise father.  You see taking out the garbage was a chore and was something to dread.  Every night after dinner my father would ask if I had taken out the garbage and I would moan and groan as my Atari game was interrupted abruptly by a trip to the side yard.  I, “Had to take out the garbage.”

During the next ten years my father grew a little wiser and he employed a bit of a “Jedi Mind Trick” with my brother.  He positioned taking out the garbage as a privilege.  He would tell my brother.  “Hey Brad, get out the way,  I get to take out the garbage!”  Brad would jokingly reply, “No get out of my way, I am taking out the garbage!”  In the end they both ended up taking out the garbage and smiling about it.

Next time you take out the garbage give it a try, “I Get To Take Out The Garbage!”

You might “Get” a different experience.

Newsflash, I have a day job and it has nothing to do with blogging!  I work in the audio visual productions industry.  I produce corporate sales meetings, conventions and special events.  The industry is 1 part tech, 1 part hospitality and 1 part logistics.  The 3 parts often are challenging to combine on any given day.

This week, I had the equivalent of nearly a years worth of business in the past for me. The company produced its largest event ever last week and propelled into one of my events this week the companies second largest event ever.

Needless to say things have been a little hairy.   I had a truck full of equipment denied entry into Canada as well as the drivers.  I had shipments arrive at my dock in Cincinnati which should have been on a dock in Las Vegas.  I had a meeting completely scrap their agenda 24 hours prior to meeting load in and start over.  I had a custom set piece arrive damaged as a cherry on top at 5pm yesterday.

Being an over-achiever, I have surpassed the bad things come in threes theory.

But in the end its all going to work out.

Because surprise, I am on “Candid Camera.” You remember the game show which puts people in challenging  but silly situations and sees how they respond.  After putting the unsuspecting person through the ringer, the host Allen Funt, comes out and lets the cat out the bag, letting people know it’s all a practical joke, pointing out the hidden cameras all around.

This week was a great lesson for me.  If you take the time to consider life as one big practical joke it’s easier to just move on.  Next time you feel like its all falling apart, stop and say to yourself.  Smile, You’re on Candid Camera.

Last week Mark Hayward over at My Tropical Escape posed the question “What are your goals for the week?”

I listed 3 goals:

1. Create a Fitness Plan
2. Work on a Birthing Plan with my Pregnant Wife
3. Clean the basement

A simple but powerful exercise.  I publically posted my goals on his website.  What was interesting is over the last week I noticed I was naturally drawn to action on these goals.  In fact on Thursday I ran on the treadmill in the basement and proceeded dripping in sweat to clean the basement.

I have been studying personal development for nearly 20 years and this simple blog post might incorporate two of the most powerful factors for success.

The first is writing down your goals.  I did not write these goals on paper but yes I created a concrete list.  By having a list of goals you now actually have a tool to prioritize your activities for the week.  Should I attend join the Cincy Tweetup or clean the basement.  Should I take a nap or should I lace up my running shoes.

The second is accountability or peer pressure.  I love to publicly proclaim my goals.  Sometimes it comes off cocky but somebody generally asks me about my progress.  I now have an option.  I can be a person who keeps my word or I can be a person who becomes known as all talk or (blog).

I must admit, occasionally I don’t deliver on all my proclamations but more often than not I follow through with my goals.

Your Momentum Monday Assignment:

What are 3 things you need to accomplish this week?

Who are you going to announce it too?

My 3 Goals for the Week!

1. Get company internal blog online and operational.
2. Run 12 Miles.
3. Finish painting the baby’s room.

Blog it, write it, tell a friend.  Success is waiting.

Kajagoogoo the Nostradamus of musical acts made a bold prediction in 1983 with their hit song “Too Shy.”

When it comes to Social Media, I am “Too Shy.”

Social Media has been a buzzword around the blogosphere.  Oops that is too many buzzwords in one sentence but if you were wondering Social Media is basically people talking to each other via electronic media.  This includes blogs, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to name some popular platforms.  It’s a loose definition but chances are you are engaged in some form of Social Media.

What I have found interesting is when I engage in new Social Media arenas I often find myself experiencing many of the same anxieties I face when in person.

On Twitter a micro blogging website which allows you to follow people and their short insights or daily interactions often feels to me, much like a loud cocktail party.  People are sharing their opinions left and right with nonsense about their daily challenges or links to blog that they read but I am a little shy.  Do I reply to people direct or share a link.  Do the people posting actually want to talk to me.  Will they reject me.

When I go to a high profile bloggers website and read a post and comment will they check out my blog and judge me since I am just getting started.  Maybe I need a professionally designed header.  Maybe he will notice I am using a free Wordpress Theme.  I am just a hack.  I couldn’t even afford to pay for my template.

I just Dugg one of my own blog posts.  I bet people will think I am narcissistic.  Am I a bore to be promoting my own blog?

Patty Craft a friend of mine who also blogs recently posted about how she was blasted by a new acquaintance as being “self-centered and grandiose.” I thought that was kind of funny.  I actually had to break it to Patty that maybe that person was right.  I think the idea of even having a personal blog is “self-centered and grandiose,” but so is having an opinion for that matter.  I guess the difference is where or how you share it???

Social Media is no different than the ancient cave drawings that scatter the world.  Social Media is the same feelings you have on the first day of grade school.  Social Media is the jokes on the bathroom stall.  Social Media is just that another media for socializing.

Mark Hayword at My Tropical Escape, shared his thoughts on how to successfully use Social Media this week.

Be Human.

That reminded me I am on the right track.  Since I am feeling shy and anxious when I Twitter and when I go to networking meetings in person….yes I am the same person online and off-line.  By the way I also am having a blast exploring writing as a hobby and a career.  Blogging is my training ground.

Social Media is just the tool.  Just like the phone, a letter or an email.  Be yourself.  Follow your dreams and the rest will follow.

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My Human/Personal Website Coachbriany