Archives for 2013

Be Clear Who You Are

March 28, 2013 by sycreed

Over the last 28 years I have had the honor of working with thousands of business owners, corporate leaders and managers. The truly successful ones have one thing in common. They play to their strengths. It’s not about who you aren’t. It’s about who you are. Talking with Robert Kiyosaki, we agreed you can become successful and rich in any of the CashFlow quadrants if you know the strategies of each and how to win there.

This article may upset some people and I suppose that’s okay. It is not intended to aggravate anyone but simply to shed light on where you’re at so you can play to your strengths.

While there are some striking similarities amongst those business owners, corporate leaders and managers, there are also some significant differences. Not that one is necessarily better than another nor does it matter whether you are an employee, self-employed or a business owner. It is purely a frame of mind.

Therefore the environment that you put yourself in is critical to your success. If you mismatch, there’s a good chance you’ll end up miserable.

I know many people who thrive to great wealth and fulfillment and many others who struggle and are constantly stressed out. Let me determine the differences based on my observations and you can see where you fit in. The question to ask yourself at the end of this is… are you playing to your strengths?

Ask yourself in your heart of hearts; are you an entrepreneur or a manager?

Harvard Business School defines entrepreneurs as those who seek opportunities without apparent or available resources. That is, striving for an objective regardless of whether there is funding, people, assets or resources. A manager on the other hand is one who executes an objective by allocating available resources. There is a huge difference.

I have found people to be amazingly creative, energetic and productive when they are in an environment where the boundaries are known and where budgets, timelines and resources are apparent. They may not be totally clear…but the environment is established. That is a manager.

However, put some of those same people into an entrepreneurial environment where there are no resources, where the boundaries are very obscure or nonexistent and they find themselves stressed and confused. Emotion goes up… intelligence goes down and creativity shuts down. The more randomness and complexity, the more results are diminished.

True entrepreneurs on the other hand, while they may be stressed, get more creative under greater pressure. Some of the most brilliant businesses and strategies are born out of near desperation situations. Some get resourceful while others stress out and get cynical.

Some worry about what others are saying while there are others who may care, but not that much.

Some use adversity as a springboard for greatness and others use it as a reason to reconsider.

The job of an entrepreneur is to create something that was not there before. To create an artifact, tool, institution or physical ‘thing’ that empowers others to a higher standard of living, operation or satisfaction.

So you have to ask yourself… do you like standing in the heat? Do you have a pattern for breaking through to new levels of awareness and accomplishment? Or does it just stress you out?

Do you create and drive on a mission or do you clarify a mission?
Are you good at inside sales or outside sales?
Is fear a motivator or de-motivator?
Do you naturally expand the pie before dividing it?
Do you over extend or do you stay in exchange?
Are you better at organizing and motivating an existing group of people or attracting a great team from scratch?
Are you time-based or outcome-based?
What is your level of risk and how much of yourself are you willing to risk?
Do you look to do “the deal” first or do you over-serve first?
Does ‘not knowing’ slow you down or speed you up?
When does money enter the picture… sooner or later?
Do you seek balance in your life or do you operate at extremes?
Do pressure and scarcity make you creative or does a smorgasbord of talent and resource do it for you?
Are you a revolutionary/rising star in a world of the known or are you creating light where there isn’t even a perceived need for light yet?
Do you find that your creative juices flow when presented with problems or do you create problems and then get creative?

Do you move at the speed of your expectations or at the speed of (others) reality?

It’s not that one answer is better and you may find that in some cases you are one side of the equation and other times you’re on the other side. But all the people I have met who have achieved high levels of success have one thing in common – they position themselves to win almost unconsciously. You gotta play to your strengths and put yourself into an environment that will allow the best of you to emerge.

Doing anything less is kidding yourself and setting yourself up for frustration. It’s not so much about what quadrant you are in as it is the way you think and where your heart and soul are at. Do not try to be someone that you are not!

Are you playing to your strengths?

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Accelerated Learning Techniques and Experiential Training Offers Fast Effective Results

February 21, 2013 by sycreed

Recently, I was asked where my teaching style comes from… Here are the highlights that address my use of Accelerated Learning Techniques and Experiential Training that has proven to make learning a lot more powerful, effective and fun…

Many years ago, one of my early mentors introduced me to a super effective teaching style he had studied with Georgi Lozanov, a gentleman who coined the term “Suggestopedia”. “Suggestopedia” means that everything in a learning environment suggests something which is adding to the learning experience or detracting from the learning experience… nothing is neutral. For example, if it is too cold in the room, it is distracting. If it is too warm, students fall asleep. If the teacher is angry, the students can’t concentrate on the materials being taught. Exposure to “Suggestopedia” led me to study how people learn and I discovered that there was this whole field of study called Accelerated Learning. My fascination with Accelerated Learning Techniques led me to incorporate them in to all of my programs for the past 25 years!

There are two parts to effectively teaching someone. I believe that Education in not just sharing information…

Education is a process of transformation.

This means:

Giving people the information in a manner that they can comprehend and retain it most effectively and…
Giving them an experience of actually doing this new thing they are learning so they can incorporate it into their own lives.

Using this educational process has repeatedly generated the results people are looking for while participating in programs with me. I’ve witnessed people increase their incomes, build stronger teams, achieve better health, forge better relationships, become happier with themselves and their lives, and more – in just a few days!

Accelerated Learning Techniques allow me to provide this type of education/transformational learning in a very short period of time by working on integrating how both the right and left brain take in and retain information.

Left brain thinking is very logical, linear, and uses words while the right brain is creative and pays attention to color, music, emotion, and feelings. So, whenever I teach, I use data like words and numbers, but I also introduce color and images (and sometimes music), simultaneously.

Additionally, Edgar Dale discusses in his Cone of Learning that the most powerful way to help someone truly understand and remember new information is to give them an experience of it. Experiences are far more effective than someone seeing, hearing or reading new information when it comes to comprehension and retention. So, I really focus on creating experiences for my program participants so that people can get the lessons.

For example, when I teach selling, I have people actually sell in the program. Participants learn by having the actual experience of doing it (selling in this case). Once the experience is over, we discuss the emotional, physical and operational reactions to the experiential exercise the participants went through.

Using Accelerated Learning techniques and Experiential Learning, I’ve helped many people increase their sales from 15-85% in a matter of a few weeks, heal relationships, envision, and then achieve their dreams very quickly. Accelerated Learning, combined with experiential programs, is the fastest and most effective way I know to impart information to people so they truly understand, remember, and are able to apply it to their lives for immediate transformation.

I welcome your comments and questions on this blog post. To share, please visit me on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/blairsinger1 or on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/blairsinger.

If you really want to learn and moreover practice Accelerated Learning Techniques and Experiential Training (and other skills required to become a World Class Presenter), I suggest you take my Master Facilitator Training Program. Click here to learn more.

Turning Lessons from 2012 into a New Year of Success!

February 21, 2013 by sycreed

To pick up the recent holiday issue of Economist magazine entitled “A Rough Guide to Hell” depicting the woes of climate change, economic trauma, gluttony and violence, you would have to assume tough times. To watch the news on any given network or internet news sight you could certainly get depressed as well and would even ask yourself is 2013 going to be more of the same?

Yet over this last year, I have travelled more of the world than ever before and have noticed one common thread, particularly outside of the US. It is a thread of hope, toughened optimism and the belief that life will get better. It is a faith in cultures both economically rich and poor that “education and learning” is the ticket to a bright and prosperous future.

While the gap between rich and poor seems to be widening in certain areas, economists have observed that the rich and poor gap is actually lessening globally. Why? Simple. Countries driving billions of dollars toward educating their populations at an early age is making a huge difference. For them, there is hope and aspiration. The question is, what are you learning?

My point is, “reality is created by agreement.” The agreement of those you hang out with and the agreement you have with yourself.

As my friend Mack Newton says….”achievement of what you want is ‘inevitable’ if your mindset, self-concept and attitude are right and if you eliminate the popular addiction to negative thinking.

So as we cross the cusp of year’s end and new beginning, the choice is not so much about what seems to be happening. It is all about what you are disciplined enough to focus on. If you are like me, I would love 2013 to be the best so far. So amid the blizzard of violence, political nonsense, economic uncertainty and paranoia….how do you create a reality for yourself, your family and your community that brings you the best.

2012 laid out the roadmap for learning how to create that reality. Here are the top seven lessons as I see it:

The “steering wheel of your life” as Mack would say, are continually setting GOALS. Not a resolution, not a wish and not a hope…. Goals that are truly yours, that you own, deserve and have a burning desire and belief in. Not setting them may exempt you from possible failure, but condemn you to a life of either random and momentary inspiration or helplessness.
Through the turbulent times, you should learn by now to TRUST yourself. You have been through a lot. You have weathered many storms emotionally, financially and spiritually. Just know that you have embodied powerful lessons and that you are not a “rookie” any more. Trust that you can make the right decisions, do the right things and if you mess up… that you surely know how to correct and improve to have the life you want. You are qualified.
No matter what has happened or what may happen…. stay PRESENT. Whether it is in a critical moment in your career or more importantly in a simple moment with those you love, stay connected and 100% present. Take it one push-up at a time, one hour of presentation at a time, one conversation at a time. Do not let your Little Voice detour you to the thousands of addicting distractions that tempt you. Do not put your focus on what lies ahead or what has already transpired. Stay present from your heart to your eyes, to their eyes to their heart. I learned in 2012 that the world will suddenly work in a magical way for you when you do this.
Cherish and show gratitude toward those TRUE FRIENDS and PARTNERS that share your values, your visions and who love you for exactly who you are….not who they think you are or who you think they want you to be. Those who you surround yourself with create the context for helping you inevitably getting what you want and being who you want to be – without obligation. Learning and reaffirming who these people are in my life has been the greatest gift of 2012. I am sure they are yours as well!!!
Be clear on your VALUES and let them govern every decision. In 2012, like you, I experienced things that forced me to get clear on who I really am. For me at ten thousand feet on the flanks of Mt. Kilimanjaro the value of LOVE came roaring to the forefront of my life as being the single most important value. It boosted me to new levels of relationship with my family, associates and myself. Values such as honor, integrity, learning and gratitude rounded out my top five. Having a Code of Honor that protects those values can mean the difference between fulfillment and regret.
Whether it is age or experience or just getting smarter, it has become clear that PATIENCE is critical to success and happiness. If the context is right, and the goals are clear, the Universe will follow a due process. Learning to minimize the Little Voice that gets irritated with lag, that becomes intolerant of others, that wants to grab the course of events and drive it has been a huge lesson. It could be waiting in a never ending line, stuck in traffic, waiting for responses from buyers or sellers, listening to the same repeated excuses, which can result in inappropriate and impatient action. It’s that action that can ultimately either disrupt or abort the process of transformation and growth that you are looking for.
Most of all for 2013, your ability to master your Little Voice by controlling your Thoughts and Emotions will make the biggest difference. Does your emotion drive primarily on negative thoughts of fear, worry, guilt or non-deservedness? Or does your emotion drive on positive excitement, anticipation, love, confidence and high self-esteem? Either way, your emotions are the fuel and passion behind your actions and will drive them in one way or the other.

Like I said….all around you there is a blizzard of negativity fueled by high emotion (and sometimes low intelligence). Did you buy in or did it make you stronger? 2012 was a training year to prepare for 2013 and beyond. The question is: “What did you learn?”

I hope that you learned how big of a person you really are. If you check the record I am sure you will recall moments of you actually feeling how great you are. If you learned just that…..this next year will lay before you a feast of successes in all areas of your life.

You have heard me quote Bucky Fuller before by saying that those moments are “Licks of the ice cream….” and that you would only be given licks…” if you were meant to have the whole cone!”

We love you and are honored to be part of your world,

Remember to love yourself and always BE AWESOME!

Happy New Year!!

Blair

A Reminder that Everything Counts

February 21, 2013 by sycreed

Here in America, Thanksgiving has just passed and we are moving into our big end of year holiday season. This is a time for us to give thanks for those things that we have. Yet this season it takes an even deeper meaning based upon a conversation I had with one of associates. An incredible woman by the name of Laurel.

She gave me a perspective that shifted my view ever so slightly, but profoundly, and I want to pass it on to you. Not long ago she was told by her doctors that she had a rare and nasty cancer deep in her abdomen. She realized that she had a choice to make. One was to be terrified and depressed knowing that the prognosis was not good… a justifiable response. Yet in the face of this horrible situation she said she saw it as a gift.

Why a gift? She said that God, the Universe or whatever had given her, with this terrible news, a membership to a very elite club. A club consisting of a small and rare group of individuals who, unlike most of us, now has the presence and focus to soak in every sunset, sense every breeze that wafts by her cheek, notices and relishes every inflection, nuance and expression in even the smallest of things and yes… savors every breath. Life for her instantly jumped to a whole new level of appreciation and gratitude. Everything counts!

(You should know that she also decided to not only face the demon, but wrestle it to the ground…which she is doing.)

What Laurel pointed out is that the things that we have always had are even the most precious. In speaking with her, it became my commitment for me and my hope for all of you to be present with the preciousness of the most amazing things we have.

It should not take a catastrophic event, diagnosis or situation to get us to appreciate what we have or what we have lost.

This Thanksgiving and beyond, I am grateful for each breath, smile, tear, emotion and touch that envelopes my life. In my daily gratitude process I am grateful for honor, integrity, love and abundance.

I am grateful for all of you whose intentions, dreams and actions precessionally raise the consciousness and well-being of millions around you and who have touched my life in so many ways. I am grateful to have been able to teach you, know you, inspire you, learn from you and to be moved by you. I am grateful for the trust you have given to allow me to do these things.

It is my wish for you that every moment brings you closer to your dreams and that, as Laurel says, we all become members of that elite club that savors every bit of life force we have and share.

Most of all….thank you for being YOU!

Love,

Blair

Use Positive Events to Build Positive Life Experiences

February 21, 2013 by sycreed

6 Tips to Being Happier and More Successful

I have studied under many mentors, all using different approaches to help people find ways to lead happier, more fulfilled lives. In this blog post, I will share some of the highlights that I practice myself, because I found each of them to have tremendous value, and when combined have helped create dramatic shifts in my life. I encourage you to employ them as part of your own daily living and create the positive life experience you want to have for yourself!

When something good happens in your life – celebrate it! This allows you to pause and truly enjoy your life in that moment.
While you are celebrating and experiencing that moment of emotional joy, also take a moment to be grateful to have this experience in your life. When you express gratitude for what you have and do so with a positive attitude, you are sending a message to this Universe that you would like to attract more of the same. This may be a bit “woo woo” for some of you, but it won’t hurt to try it.
Envision your dreams for yourself and then set goals that you can use to drive your daily activities towards achieving your dreams. These goals will keep you moving towards the things that will deliver the most happiness to you. Goal setting helps you get what you want quickly and efficiently instead of just hoping and wishing for things to magically appear in your life (which usually does not work).
If you fall short of achieving a specific goal, you can look at what you DID achieve and learn in the process of pursuing the goal and celebrate THAT win (see point #1)!
Whenever something positive in your life happens, own it.
Yep, that’s right – take ownership that you helped make it happen (even if it seems like this wonderful thing fell from the sky into your lap) and tell yourself these two things:
a. Good stuff like this happens to you ALL THE TIME and
b. YOU DESERVE IT.It wasn’t a one-off strike of luck (you’re always lucky and the Universe knows you deserve good things, so it sends them your way all the time). Dr. Marty Seligman wrote a book called Learned Optimism which talks about the significant statistical increase in sales performance for sales people who have an optimistic outlook over salespeople who do not. You may not get why it works, you may not be a “woo woo” kind of person – but the statistical proof backs up that this behavior and thought process can actually help you experience more success in your life… so try it!
My mentor, Mack Newton, taught me to use affirmations when facing a challenging situation. Try an affirmation like: “I like myself! I CAN do this!” Doing this will help you briefly tap your energy source to help you keep going when you doubt your ability to carry on. Repeat it as often as needed until you are done. It has helped me in countless workouts, when I think I have nothing left, to keep going. I employ this technique and always access energy that I did not know was there to carry me through!

There you have it, 6 things you can start implementing in your life TODAY for a dramatic improvement of how you experience your life and the success you create in it!

For more tips on creating business success, follow me at: Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.

A Summer of Quantum Leaps in Clarity and Purpose

February 21, 2013 by sycreed

This summer, I have experienced probably more change, inspiration and clarity in such a short period of time than I can ever remember. Those of you who read my post about the “Mission to Kilimanjaro” have read a small part of it.

It is hard to describe the depth of feeling and emotion that has permeated my heart over these months. One thing that was re-awakened and re-affirmed was that great things happen when people make great commitments. Sometimes, getting out of your own way allows the biggest quantum leaps in your life and the lives of others.

In Tanzania, I was put face-to-face with the hardship and plight of 500+ kids in a school for the blind, albino and orphans. More than that, I was driven by the realization of how much of the world does without… and yet, how bright the spirits of those are who are given a glimpse of hope on a distant horizon. I also saw how the magic of love, fun and education blocks out all the rest of the squalor, pain and struggle that surrounds a person in that moment.

The willingness to look, get dirty and go into the bowels of environments that breed prejudice, ignorance, disease, addiction, poverty and even death is the work of huge spirits. It takes the drive of entrepreneurs, leaders and teachers to create islands of magic in those worlds.

Faced with pivotal decisions in my own life and career, I was forced to look beyond myself again over the last several months. The Mission: “To improve the quality of life for everyone through transformation…” took on new meaning and greater depth. The work that we did in Moshi woke up a part of me that had gone silent for a time. As my dear friend Po Chung (founder of DHL International) said, “It is a societal responsibility for those who know… to teach others.”

Just yesterday, I witnessed the “coin out” or graduation of one of my students from an incredible rehabilitation center created by dear friends and partners of mine, Josh and Lisa Lannon. What was incredible was hearing this person’s story of facing addiction, overcoming fear, surrendering to love and support, and witnessing a complete transformation (or re-awakening) of this person’s life. Once again, I was happily flooded with emotion.

I had to think… What about me? What are my addictions, distractions and resistances that keep me from being all that I can be? What am I possibly running from? How big of a game could I really play if I were to face whatever fears I have and truly be who I am supposed to be? What about you?

Have you ever felt like there was some cosmic fire hose out there relentlessly blasting you in the face with message after message – as if trying to get you see something? My values and priorities… Code of Honor, Mission first, never abandon a team mate in need, love stronger than a mountain, eliminating distractions that keep me from my calling… and at the same time witnessing the magic and exquisite brightness of spirit of those who peek through the veil of their normal existence…

The sweet and happy singing of a teenage boy with XP (exoderma pigmentosum) knowing that he will probably not live to see 20… The magic glow of a father and husband coming alive after years of addiction… the crowding of kids in blue sweaters to the chalkboard so eager to learn the day’s lessons… watching life after life take a turn toward greatness… and the hug of my 17 year old thanking me for being there to back him up. Wow!!

It starts with an entrepreneur somewhere with a dream to serve others. To create a space that is somehow a little bit better than it was before. I am in the deepest state of gratefulness to be blessed with great friends, teachers and partners who continue to illuminate that path.

I show you the video at the end of this blog to inspire you to whatever your next level of greatness is. To inspire you to remove the distractions that are keeping you from being whom you are supposed to be. As a result of K2, I have committed to founding my own foundation to improve the quality of life for children and families in need worldwide through education, healthcare and entrepreneurship.

Buckminster Fuller once said that the purpose for human beings was to be local problem solvers. It is what we are naturally good at. He also said that you may never know your true purpose in life; but to be assured that you would fulfill that purpose if you commit yourself to the highest advantage of others. In other words, our job is to seek problems and solve them so that everyone can live a more successful and fulfilling life.

I know this may sound like a religious sermon, but, now more than ever it is up to courageous entrepreneurs to create tools, experiences, processes, businesses and movements that give people a chance to experience their greatness… whether on the Masai plains of Africa, the back streets of Chennai, in trade magazines of Colombia, or in your own home town.

Inside of you is someone great. It takes courage to face it. It takes commitment to do something with it. But like Mack Newton says, “Courage is simply staying in fear for just one more minute.”

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