The Thin Line, by Doug Grady

It has been said there's a thin line between love and hate, winning and losing, bravery and stupidity, genius and insanity... After over twenty years studying and teaching the pathways to personal potential, I am convinced:

There's a thin line between the person you are and the person you can be.

The person you can be lies just below the surface of who you are now. Reaching your full potential may at times feel unrealizable. The pressures of every day life may leave little time and energy for becoming the person you know you can be but aren't quite yet. Bad habits, regrets, and feelings of failure add extra weight on an already heavy load. Even moderate success and superficial achievement can become obstacles to your true greatness.

Self improvement programs can be cumbersome at best. They offer formulas and fixes, strategies and solutions, lotions and potions. I have participated in hundreds of them. I have delivered thousands of seminars, workshops, and trainings. They all work and none of them work. What's the difference? What's the magic bullet? What's the one thing? WHAT'S THE THIN LINE?

"Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person." -Albert Einstein

Being interested in your personal potential is not enough. Wishing is not enough. Hoping is not enough. Talking about it won't do it. The best training programs in the world can't do it for you. Prayer is a great start. But without crossing the thin line, you will never reach your personal potential.

"Commitment is the thin line between the person you are and the person you can be." -Doug Grady

Who are you committed to be? This is the most powerful commitment you will ever make. Consciously choose the person you intend to become.

• Who are you at your best?
• What qualities are you committed to develop?
• What will you let go of?
• Who are you committed to serve?

"It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody." -Bob Dylan

Few achieve greatness. None without commitment. The power of commitment is available to you right now. Commitment loves. Commitment finds a way to win. Commitment is brave. Commitment manifests genius. Commitment is the thin line between who you are and who you can be.

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." -Vince Lombardi

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The Ripple Effect

Are you ready to jump into the fire?

I built a huge campfire on a very cold morning while on a recent camping trip with my Dad, G. David Alexander.  The fire was awesome, its radiant glow warmed up the entire area.  While I sat there enjoying it, I noticed an ember fall out of the pit.  It burned brightly and warmly for some time and then it started to diminish, grew cold and grey and eventually turned black.  So, I flipped it back into the fire and guess what?  It immediately started to burn brightly again. The most successful people I know never grow cold, they are radiant successful and connected.  What about the embers or people that fall out of the fire?  Many networkers, business people and entrepreneurs practice scorched earth networking instead of keeping their referral fires burning.

My Dad G. David Alexander

So what exactly is scorched earth networking?  It’s when you build a network only for your own benefit.  These people are the ones that you run from when you see them out and about.  Why?  Because you know they are going to try to sell you on their latest big idea.   These are also the people who are only interested in meaningful conversation about themselves.

To build referrals, you build a network to support, nurture, and energize each other.  It is a two way street.

I ran into a BNI member recently who shared his current successes.  His success in these economic times is impressive, especially considering he is a home inspector.  He shared with me that he has made $68,000.00 in income related to referrals he has received.  I asked him how he did it and he said, “I am committed to the people in my chapter and my network.”  I will share more on the commitment thing later.

Now, let’s get back to the ember.  To create a successful referral marketing plan, you have to stay involved, connected and committed to the people in your network.  Many, if not most, people jump into new projects, groups, training programs or marketing campaigns expecting immediate results.  Sometimes that happens, but more often it happens over time.

When I am training people, I usually ask, “How many of you could run a marathon this weekend if I registered you?”  Very few hands go up.   I then ask, “If the building was on fire could you run outside?”  Every hand goes up.  In this example, it’s not about the running.   They can all run. It’s about the training, discipline and accountability to prepare.  Accountability is all about staying in the fire.  We might not like it at times; it might get hot and uncomfortable, but it will produce results.

Let’s go back to that immediate success idea.  Often times when people start achieving success with their team, they think that it’s time to do it on their own again.  Remember what happens when that ember falls out of the fire pit?

Let’s talk about three steps to keep you in the fire:

1.  Plug into a group of like-minded people.  If you need referrals, find a successful networking group.  If you are growing your business, plug into a group coaching program.  If you want to give back to your community, join a civic organization.  If you are into self-development, join a self-development program or mastermind group.  Remember commitment, any of these require it.  If you plug in and really commit, you will be rewarded by becoming a credible expert.

2.  Form an accountability group and keep track of each other’s success and progress.  Five frogs are sitting on a log and four decide to jump off.  How many are left?  One? Nope, all five are still on the log.   Deciding and committing are two different things.  I believe in the power of others to help keep you in the fire.

3. Find others whom you can pull into the fire.   If you want more clients, connect to people who can connect you to more clients.  Does anyone come to mind with whom you would love to connect?  Maybe you even envy their success or client list.  Ask them to meet you for a cup of coffee, tea or whatever THEY like.  What’s the worst thing that can happen?  They could say no, but if they say yes, then help them with something they need.

I believe one of the most powerful strategies that we can use to keep the referral fire burning bright is to spend as much of our time as possible helping other people achieve their goals.  What comes around goes around, right?

Happy Networking,

David

"If you can dream it, then you can achieve it. You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want."
Zig Ziglar

Rich is the Chief Catalyst at International Business Fuel and Shifu at Rou Long Ma Taijiquan.

David is the Executive Director of BNI in Georgia and North Carolina and the Chief Networking Officer of  High Achievers.

What's In Your Library? Dan Lier

It's hard to believe I have known Dan Lier for over 18 years. It was April 1994 when I decided to leave the insurance business and begin working in the personal and professional development industry. I drove my car from Southern California to Miami, FL and began promoting Brian Tracy seminars. My two roommates were Peter Montoya and Dan Lier. We began friendships that have lasted almost two decades.

Dan is one of the most charismatic, dynamic people I have ever known. Back in the day I modeled his certainty when communicating one-on-one or to large audiences. Through the years he has been a peer, a sounding board, and a coach for me.

Four things I have learned from Dan:

• Think BIG and take massive action
• Certainty separates the good from the great
• When facing a crisis, take a long-term perspective
• Make progress every day

Now for the official bio... Known as "America’s Coach", Dan is a best selling author, executive coach, business consultant and former top speaker with Tony Robbins. With over two decades of experience and 3,500 customized presentations, along with coverage by The Today Show and Inside Edition, Dan’s track record speaks for itself. His TV show “Your True Potential,” has inspired millions of people to take their life and business to the next level. From a former college basketball player on two national championship teams to a top performing sales producer, Dan knows what it takes to win.

Check out my interview with Dan on blogtalkradio.

By the way, three of Dan's trainings from his popular audio series The 10 Minute Coach are unlocked in your High Achievers intro membership: A Winning Attitude, Goal Setting and Vision and Success Mindset. Not a member yet? Plug in!

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The Ripple Effect

Becoming A Trusted Authority, by Doug Grady

Years before I led my first seminar, wrote my first song, or typed my first blog I penned this in my journal (it is more or less a paraphrasing of a famous Goethe quote):

"When you proceed confidently in the direction you want to go, a path will unfold itself." -Doug Grady

Becoming a trusted authority is an exciting journey- you never know quite where it will take you. Wherever you are on your path, here are some thoughts on proceeding confidently.

"See yourself as you want to be." -Brian Tracy

Vision. Before you can effectively position in someone else's mind that you are a trusted authority, you must first position it in your own mind.

• How do you see yourself? Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses.
• How do others see you? Compare your list to the feedback of others. How do your clients see you? Your peers? Your friends? Ask a few trusted people how they see you- your strengths and weaknesses. Give them permission to be brutally honest.
• How do you want to be seen? Begin to see yourself as a trusted authority. What type of companies would you ideally like to work with? What would your ideal work day consist of? What activities would you consistently like to engage in?

Vision is critical, but it is just a beginning. In order to make your vision a reality, work on your...

Character. Think of a person you consider to be a trusted authority. Resist the urge to evaluate what they do. Instead consider who they are.

"Character isn't something you were born with and can't change, like your fingerprints. It's something you weren't born with and must take responsibility for forming." -Jim Rohn

What are the characteristics you would use to describe this person? Strive to strengthen these characteristics in yourself. Focus daily on the person you intend to become. Allow the character of this person to dictate your:

Strategy. What activities would you consistently engage in if you were a trusted authority? There are many to choose from.

• Study. Great students become trusted authorities. Have you ever noticed that trusted authorities commonly quote other trusted authorities? Go out of your way to be around trusted authorities. Take them out to lunch and pay for it. Ask questions and listen. Buy their books, listen to their audio programs, invest in their trainings.
• Write blogs, write articles, write a book.
• Video blog.
• Lead seminars.
• Validation. You think you're great- wonderful. Who else says so? Collect written validation from satisfied customers and peers in your field. When it comes to testimonials, consider the source- not all are created equal. Seek endorsements from known and respected entities. Don't expect busy people to come up with a unique testimonial for you- always be prepared with an draft for their modification and approval.
• Contribute. Be a consistent contributor to groups and organizations in your field. Comment on others peoples' blogs. Provide testimonials and endorsements for people you believe in. Volunteer for causes you believe in.

Do you have a question on becoming a trusted authority? Is there a strategy you are using to be effective? Please share it with us in the comments section.

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Welcome to the Referral Fire Blog, formerly the Referral Fire Newsletter.  

Only read if you want to create a team that sends you more referrals!!!

Doing It All Yourself Sucks, Doesn't It?

A while ago I heard an analogy comparing salespeople to fighters. It caught my attention as a martial artist, though I am sure that many of you can identify with this thought process. How many of us can relate to slugging it out, digging down deep, taking one more shot and the list goes on and on. There are countless analogies between sports and business. Both endeavors require hard work, persistence, dedication and skill. Just as in sports, there can be two approaches to this game we call business. We can approach the game individually or we can decide to make it a team sport.

Which way do you think will get you further faster?

OK, we all said teamwork, right?  Now, how do we develop teamwork to market our business? What does teamwork even look like in marketing? No matter what our profession is, we are all in sales.  A doctor sellss patients on his ability to treat them, a lawyer sells people on his ability to provide legal advice. We believe all salespeople are fighters!  

Isn't an army a team of fighters?  Lets create a Referral Army.

This picture illustrates one of the greatest teams of fighters ever forged, the Spartans of ancient Greece.

Can you see the power in  fighting together as a team to  win more sales and business? Imagine being part a group of individuals who have committed to work together to market their businesses, understanding that the more they help others get business through referrals, the more business they will get in return. Imagine this group meets weekly with the express purpose of generating business for each other. Imagine that this group holds each individual accountable to the commitment of generating referrals for the others in the group. Imagine this group strategizing on who they can refer in a group setting.

Does this sound like a group that would help you fill your pipeline?

The great news is that you can be a part of a group like this.  A major part of working with a team is knowing your vision(read a little about it).  Building teams is a huge part of achieving success. Start building your referral marketing team today.

How do you build a “Referral Army” like we are suggesting?

1.  Start with your existing network. Who is sending you referrals? Work with individuals that you already know, like, and trust.  Figure out how to help them.  The most successful people we know actively work to help people in there network.  They do this daily which builds huge credibility.

2.  Commit to help each other get business.  Get together and bring your contact database.  Let your referral partners describe their ideal client and see if you have any introductions you can make.  This is using a powerful strategy to grow your referral partners' businesses and they will likely reciprocate. Light each others Referral Fire.

3.  Consciously look for other teammates to build your networking army larger and stronger.  Building your network is about both quantity and quality.  You have to develop quality referral sources to grow your business, but you need to meet lots of people to find those that have the time, commitment, database and desire to help you reach your goals.

Remember Toghther We Each Achieve More (TEAM)

Thanks,

Rich

Rich is the Chief Catalyst at International Business Fuel and Shifu at Rou Long Ma Taijiquan.

David is the Executive Director of BNI in Georgia and North Carolina and the Chief Networking Officer of  High Achievers.

What's In Your Library? Joel Weldon

If you have ever called my voicemail and listened to the words, "Make it a great day!" then you have been touched by Joel Weldon (I got that from him).

I will never forget the first time Joel spoke for High Achievers. It was 2003 in California. He ran up on stage, put a huge smile on his face, and just stood there for almost a minute. What a way to start a talk! He was funny, enthusiastic, and tailored his talk specifically to our members. Joel is also master story teller. A story he told us a man name Willie has impacted the way I interact with my clients to this day.

"Success comes in cans, not cannots." -Joel Weldon

For 30 years, Joel Weldon has been sought after as an Idea Consultant and seminar leader by many of the world's leading organizations and businesses. A former construction worker with no formal education, Joel turned down a full scholarship because he thought he "wasn't smart enough to go to college." But a few years later his life completely changed. He discovered amazing talents and abilities he never knew he had, and he became a prime example of the power of one idea to transform your life!

Doug with Joel and Judy Weldon

"It's not what happens to you , it's how you respond! It's all up to you! Control the controllables! Forget the excuses, and take ACTION!" -Joel Weldon

Joel's full length seminar, Extraordinary Selling- Using The Willie Factor, is unlocked in week one of your High Achievers intro membership. Not a member yet? What are you waiting for?

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Success Ahead

Welcome to the Referral Fire Blog, formerly the Referral Fire Newsletter.  

PLEASE Only read if you want more referrals!!!

A mentor of mine once said if you are going to be a leader you have to stop chopping down trees. I was not clear on exactly what he meant. He continued on, saying that leaders put down the ax, climb the tree and use vision to point their team in the right direction.

Over the years I have learned the importance of pointing my team in the right direction. Your vision allows you to point your network in the right direction as well.

"You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might just get there." -Yogi Berra

So what does this quote have to do with Referral Marketing? Everything. If you don’t have the vision, direction and discipline to know where you are going how will you train your network to help you get there? Clearly stating your vision is the first step to inspiring people to refer you. So take a moment and think about what really drives you, what pulls you through the difficult days. How do you want to change the world? Make that your vision. Share it with your network so they are inspired to help you achieve it.

Our vision for this blog is to give you weekly action items and thought provoking ideas to “Fire Up Your Referrals”. If you want more referrals for your business, you are in the right place. We are excited to launch the Referral Fire Blog. We thank the thousands of Referral Fire Newsletter subscribers for continuing to ask that we bring the newsletter back as a blog.

Our blog will be more informative than ever. We will help you clear through all the referral marketing information out there and give you the tools to grow your business. We have over 100 articles ready to share with you and we are creating more all the time. Our blog will have two authors as well as guest authors from time to time. The main authors are Richard Martin, the original author of the Referral Fire newsletter and David Alexander, bestselling author of Networking Like a Pro. Join us in embracing a lifestyle of high achievement!

A little about Rich. He is the Chief Catalyst at International Business Fuel and Shifu at Rou Long Ma Taijiquan.

note from Doug: This is the first in a series of blogs from YourDay founder and High Achievers faculty member, Day Adeogba. Day is the recipient of the first ever High Achievers Lifestyle of Achievement Award. Since I have been personally challenged with a persistent pain in my hip for over two years, this seemed particularly appropriate as his first entry...

Hip Pain: Physical or Psychological? by Day Adeogba

I have been personal training for over 15 years, and I am constantly confronted with both new and many of the same challenges. A physical challenge that has approached my doorstep several times and even entered my house one time is that of Hip Pain. I trained an amazing lady in the past who had been working out since the early days of Jane Fonda. For privacy sake, we will call her Bethany. Bethany was referred to me by her husband. He knew that she and I would hit it off really well because Bethany was very intuitive and had a gift for reading the energy of whomever she worked with. Long story short, we connected immediately.

During the course of our personal training, Bethany revealed to me many insightful beliefs and paradigms about life, relationships, family and hobbies. Our training was right on track until one day Bethany fell off of her horse while riding. Although she did not sustain major physical injuries, she did adopt new psychological beliefs. I could see it in her eyes, and I could hear it in her conversation. In the YourDay Balance Game, one of our cornerstone beliefs is:

The results that your body produces come from 50% consciousness, 30% eating and cleansing, and 20% fitness.

Equipped with this belief, I was intrigued to see what the result of her new thought process would be and how it would affect her ability to heal.

Although we worked hard to strengthen all of her ligaments and tendons around her hips, lower back and knees, Bethany started complaining of sharp pains shooting down her hip. During this time, I would continuously share with her that the real issue that was causing her pain was not physical but a psychological fear of moving forward. According to Dr. John E. Sarno in his book The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders, he writes that people with an unconscious psychological need for symptoms tend to develop a disorder that is well known. For the sake of this conversation, Hip Pain is a well-known disorder.

Within weeks, Bethany’s condition deteriorated, no matter how many specialists she saw. This reality supported Dr. Sarno’s statement that the second cause of such epidemics is often the result of a psychosomatic disorder being misread by the medical profession and being instead attributed to a structural abnormality. It seemed like it happened in a matter of days, but before I knew it, Bethany was having hip surgery to replace a hip, and she was one of the most physically healthy women I knew. She ate very clean, she worked out daily whether it was strength, yoga, cardio, pilates, etc. She cleansed, read, and meditated daily, and it still happened to her.

So what happened? How could this be?

Well, the YourDay Balance Game was designed as a guideline to help you navigate through these challenging moments and find the tough solutions that are not easily identifiable. In the YDBG, we use a Balance Chart to guide the alignment of your health and fitness. We define the health and fitness of the whole person as spiritual, mental, social, emotional and physical. With this balance chart as a guide, we break down your health and fitness practices into 7 major components. We refer to these as the 7 practices of calibration because they are the major practices that will raise your energy/calibration: Prayer, Meditation, Reading, Journaling, Eating/Cleansing, Exercise, and Association.

Utilizing these tools, it wasn’t long before I identified the cause of Bethany’s disorder. In the book Breaking the Death Habit by Leonard Orr, he states that friends and family can make you wildly successful or destroy you completely without your conscious mind ever realizing it.

The irony of her situation was that the entity that was supporting her was also destroying her. Yes, her husband supported her financially, but spiritually, mentally and emotionally she was at a major deficit being connected to him. I communicated this to him, and I communicated it to her, but when the ego is attached to the external security of money, family, hobbies, significant others, etc., then it is very difficult to walk away and move on even when your spirit is giving you clear signs to let go. In conclusion, I always tell people that your soul and your mind have agendas.

The question is, will the mind surrender to the higher purpose of the soul? When this happens, you will have peace of mind and peace of soul. This is the most optimal state for healing. When your body is not healing the major diseases that we attract, it is because there is a misalignment between the two. Food for thought. To BE continued...

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Embrace The Struggle, by Doug Grady

struggle (verb)

1. To be strenuously engaged with a problem, task, or undertaking

2. To progress with difficulty

-thefreedictionary.com

One of the many reasons I workout with my trainers at YourDay is that our workouts are a perfect, beautiful metaphor for life. They are always tough. They are always different. Even though I know I have made progress they never seem to get easier. There is always a level of struggle.

Earlier this week I was having a particularly difficult time performing power cleans with a weight level outside of my comfort zone. I failed on five out of six attempts. The voices in my head started to say unpleasant things. I went on to another exercise.

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow.” -Thomas Paine

I came back to the power cleans, forcing myself to listen to the voice in my head saying, "It's OK to struggle, just do your best." I failed on four more consecutive attempts. My YourDay trainer, Michael "Choppa" Willis, stayed with me, coaching me. Finally I did one. I rested for a minute or so. I did another. On my next attempt I failed. I rested for 45 seconds or so, resolving to end with a "win." I did one more rep, successfully completing three out of my last four attempts. Progress.

It would have been so easy to quit; to let the struggle be too much for me. I have been there more times than I care to admit. Times when I felt that life had my number and nothing I did made any difference at all. Times when I hated the struggle and prayed for it to just go away. Not today.

"Don't wish it were easier, wish you were better." -Jim Rohn

In the "laboratory" of the gym I get to observe my relationship to struggle. I can embrace my inner "chump" or my inner "champ." The lessons in the gym become the lessons for life.

my inner chump says: "Why is this happening to me? Why is this so hard? Why even try? Nothing I do makes a difference. I can't take this anymore. It is generally accompanied with a strained look on my face and short, shallow breaths. My body tends to be tight and rigid. This sucks.

"If it's hard, do it hard! Nobody said it would be easy." -Les Brown

my inner champ says: "It's OK to struggle. I am in the ring. I am making progress. I can do my best right now in this moment." My body is relaxed. My mind is clear. I breathe deeply and my face is relaxed. Bring it.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

Everybody struggles sometimes. How you struggle makes all the difference. Struggle like a champ today.

Please, leave a comment. I really want to hear from you.

See Doug struggle (training with Day Adeogba)...

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What's In Your Library? Les Brown

Les Brown's life itself is a true testament to the power of positive thinking and the infinite human potential. Leslie C. Brown was born on February 17, 1945, in an abandoned building on a floor in Liberty City, a low-income section of Miami, Florida, and adopted at six weeks of age by Mrs. Mamie Brown, a 38 year old single woman, cafeteria cook and domestic worker, who had very little education or financial means, but a very big heart and the desire to care for Les Brown and his twin brother, Wesley Brown. Les Brown calls himself "Mrs. Mamie Brown's Baby Boy".

"You've got to be HUNGRY!" -Les Brown

In the early 90s as a young man in the insurance business Les Brown was one of my favorite sources of inspiration and motivation. Over two decades later his voice and message is more powerful than ever.

"My mission is to get a message out that will help people become uncomfortable with their mediocrity. A lot of people are content with their discontent. I want to be the catalyst that enables them to see themselves having more and achieving more." -Les Brown

Les spoke three times for High Achievers. He was one of our most popular, passionate, and powerful speakers. You can listen to Les Brown's full length High Achievers seminar, Live Your Dreams Now, in week 11 of your High Achievers intro membership. Membership is just $9.95 a month. I challenge you to listen to him and not be motivated.

Get, be, stay HUNGRY!

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