What’s your kudzu? Dan Miller

This is a guest post by Joanne Miller.  She is my wife and affectionately known as Queen Mother in the 48Days community. She writes, serves the needs of others and spends time with her grandchildren.  She doesn’t use Twitter or Facebook but has more connections than anyone I know. If you’d like to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

If you drive through any of the Southernmost states when the landscape is lush and green you will be amazed at the carpet of kudzu.  An extremely invasive plant that has been dubbed, “the vine that ate the South”, kudzu can withstand extreme conditions of soil and weather and is very stress-tolerant.  Many years ago, when introduced to the United States from Asia, kudzu was often used as an attractive cover for porches, arbors and garden walls.  But kudzu is extremely invasive. Little-by-little…..up to a foot a day of growth…..it can eliminate anything in it’s path. 

What’s the kudzu in your life?  What one thing (or maybe more) has squeezed the life out of your dream? Have distractions covered up your passion so it is hardly any longer recognizable?  What are common forms of kudzu?

The first thing that might pop into mind would be the television.  What started out as an amazing form of entertainment that enabled more people to tune into the arts and hear the news, the television has become an intrusive part of American culture that sucks up more time in a day than most people care to admit.  Recent Nielson statistics (March, 2015) shows that the average time spent watching television in a day is 5.11 hours…..resulting in the statistic of over nine years of TV viewing per person in the U.S. Yikes! That’s a lot of years that could have resulted in writing a book, traveling, learning a new language or myriad other possibilities.

In considering my own kudzu, the first thing that comes to mind is my intense desire to have everything around me in proper order.  I want my house in order, my desk in order, my life in order and THEN I can concentrate on my writing, which is what I most want to do.  I love to get deep into writing mode.  It is like the icing on the cake for me.  However, I can spend so much time “perfecting the cake” that I never get to the icing.  My house, my desk, my life…..are never as orderly as I would like.  So, for me, the kudzu is my obsession to orderliness.

Facebook, for many, has become competitive with the television in sucking up hours in the day.  Our fascination with virtual connection has taken us down a road of communication that has little to do with real relationship.  Our cell phones, iPads, lap tops and even our Apple watches have become so much a part of our daily lives that we have forgotten how to carry on a conversation looking eye-to-eye and listening intently.   

Another common form of kudzu can be in taking care of others.  If you have a servant’s heart or a tendency to be a people-pleaser, you may be addicted to volunteering to do everything that comes along the pike.  The “no” word rarely escapes your lips so you are continually on call for anyone who needs help, needs attention, needs nurturing.  Ok, admittedly that is another issue for me. 

Kudzu is hard to control and permeates it’s surroundings like a virus.  It often kills the object it overtakes.  Isn’t that much like the distractions in our lives?  How often have you had a dream or a goal that got swept under layers of kudzu and, over time, strangled out your passion? 

Recognizing you have kudzu invading your life is the first step to eradicating the problem.  What could you do to eliminate the smothering, tenacious, and potentially deadly kudzu in your life and allow your dream to breathe again?  Perhaps it’s time to pull that strangling distraction up by the roots and face it head on!

So what is the kudzu that you’ve found creeping into your life?

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Just gimme a little more time DanMiller

In the first few moments of the movie Collateral, the taxi driver, played by Jamie Foxx, tells Tom Cruise’s character: “I’m not in this for the long haul.  This is just filling in—I’m putting some things together—I’m going to open my own limo service.” Cruise asks him, “How long you been doing this?” To which the taxi driver replies, “Twelve years.”

The lights will never all be green – just start

This is a classic example of how life happens.  I once saw a client who had taken a temporary job at a bank. He knew that wasn’t where he wanted to be; it was just a fill-in job while he did his real job search. That was fourteen years ago. Life just happened; he got used to where he was and didn’t take enough initiative to move on to a higher level of success.

Here is a step-by-step process for change:

1. Clarify your current situation.

• I have been in the same job for twelve years with no change in sight.
• I detest the monotony of my job.

2. Seek the advice and opinions of other people.

• I will ask four or five trusted friends or professionals what they would do if they were in my situation.
• I will ask the members of my Sunday School class what they would advise.

3. Identify the alternatives.

• I could go back to school and get a degree in education.
• I could create a clear focus and do a job search with a company with some advancement potential.
• I could start my own chauffeuring service.
• I could request a manager’s position with my current company.

4. Choose the best alternative.

• I will start my own chauffeuring service.

5. Act.

• I will create my business plan in the next thirty days, give my two weeks’ notice fifteen days after that, aggressively plan to purchase my own vehicle by that time, and be open for business sixty days from now.

Whether it’s choosing a new school, a new place to live, a new car, or a retirement center for a parent, you must keep a clear deadline in view.  Otherwise, procrastination will lead to indecision.

The point is this: Don’t wait on perfect conditions for success to happen; just go ahead and do something. 

Here’s my 8″Keys”to”Starting”a”New”Business”

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I’m at the top of my game and I have no life DanMiller

I recently worked with a physician, a high level specialist who is respected nationally.  Yet his description of his situation is summed up in – “I’m at the top of my game and I have no life.”  Yes, working 100 hours a week will culminate in that unfortunate end result, no matter how excellent your work may be. 

Doctors rarely understand “residual” income

This physician is trapped in the model of generating linear income only.  He gets paid very well but as soon as he stops operating or consulting his income stops as well. 

Is it possible to leverage his expertise in ways that will create income while he sleeps? – Absolutely.  Here’s just one example:

Every year he speaks at a prestigious medical school on the business principles used by the Ritz Carlton Hotel for excellent customer service and employee commitment.  He does this for free and just enjoys the break from his office (while his income stops). 

My recommendation to him is this:  Look at your Ritz Carlton presentation as a body of intellectual property rather than just as a speech.  You’ve already done the hard work to create the content. 

Consider: Creating a 3-ring binder instructional manual complete with your text, graphs, charts, and perhaps an audio CD or a demonstration DVD.   And suddenly you have a residual income possibility.  If the message is focused toward medical students then your marketing focus would be quite simple to develop.  If you gave that a great title with an attractive physical presentation you could position it as a $197 product.  Your target market is easy to identify.  If you sold to only .5%, yes 1/2 of 1%, of the 1,026,788 physicians in the United States alone, you would generate $1,011,386 from that one thing alone.  That’s more than your annual income now – and without the risks, headaches, etc.  And the pressure of continuing your income with the insane hours required would evaporate.

Having the very prestigious medical school as your established venue, you could now offer to make the same presentation to 12 other medical schools.  Yes, you could still offer to come for free – or perhaps just ask for travel expenses.  But then approach 3-4 major corporate sponsors for let’s say a $20,000 sponsorship package.  Pfizer, Mercedes, Bank of America and The Ritz Carlton are just the beginning possibilities.  You can modify those numbers any way you want but the implications are clear.  Here’s a step-by-step guide for writing a corporate sponsorship proposal. 

Most of you reading this probably have a similar area of intellectual expertise. 

• You know how to deliver great customer service
• You have a highly successful process for closing sales
• You know how to decorate a home on a budget
• You have experience in cooking with healthy ingredients
• You are known for creating beautiful landscape designs
• You are a master at dressing your family well from thrift stores

How could you leverage what you know rather than just doing what you do?  What other opportunities do you have for creating residual income? 

Most of us are sitting on ideas we could leverage – if we just looked at them with new eyes.

Here’s my 8″Keys”to”Starting”a”New”Business” to help you “see” your next opportunity. 

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Stop asking for permission Dan Miller

 

Stop asking for permission

1. Do my “nontraditional” educational experiences really have value in the workplace?
2. I make over a $100,000 year, but I don’t really have any skills that could propel me into a new direction.
3. How can I build an audience without having “haters?”
4. What if the negative person in your life is your spouse?
5. I have too many ideas to start my business and achieve what I want.

“If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission.” –Anonymous

Other Resources:

I have an 11-page checklist to help you identify What’s Holding You Back From Your Dreams? 

Escaping Shawshank – eagle awards  http://ift.tt/1A5lbGj.com/eagle/

10 Tips for Getting Your First Coaching Client

Checklist for finding job freedom

The Strangest Secret YouTube Video of Earl Nightingale’s message

Escaping Shawshank – the event in August where we’ll look at Prison, Purpose and Plan – Meet Dan & Joanne there.

48 Days Coaching Mastery Program

The Ultimate Advantage Cruise – Feb 2017

Coaching with Excellence – September 3-4, 2015

Question for Dan – http://www.48days.com/ask-dan/

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What if the negative person is my wife? DanMiller

Two weeks ago my podcast theme was Stay Away From Negative Friends.  I talked about my 3-hour rule where I’ll spend 3 hours a year with negative friends but certainly not 3 days or 3 weeks on a vacation. 

Well, I knew there was the elephant in the room and didn’t address it fully.  I have had a whole lot of you ask this question:

I just listened to your podcast about staying away from negative people. What if the negative person is your wife?

I got both – what if it’s my wife, and what if it’s my husband?

Some of you may be hearing:

• We can’t afford to take a risk right now. 
• We don’t have the money.
• You don’t have the time. 
• It can’t be done like that. 
• Someone else is already doing that. 
• You don’t know where to begin. 
• Better be safe than sorry. 
• You’re not that good. 
• You’ve failed in your last 3 ideas – why would this one be different. 
• You’re just a dreamer – not a doer. 
• You don’t have the credentials. 
• You’re not a leader. 
• You can’t compete with Dave Ramsey, Michael Hyatt, Pat Flynn or John Lee Dumas. 
• You’re too old – you’re too young. 
• You don’t have the right degrees.

Sometimes it’s the people closest to us that want us to stay as we are.  Where new growth and change may be threatening or a painful reminder to that person that they are feeling stuck.

So before Joanne and I sit down and really combine our thoughts on this, I’d like to hear from you.  What are your tips for dealing with a less than supportive spouse when you are ready to pursue your dream?

I’ll share on an upcoming podcast and in a post like this as well.  If you want to remain anonymous that’s fine – just let me know.  You can add your comments here or email me privately at askdan@48Days.com.

Thanks for your wisdom and insight on this important topic.

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I love books …… but DanMiller

Growing up in a home without radio or TV drove me to books as a way to expand my little world.  And that little world has expanded from doing simple farm chores like baling hay and milking cows to writing, speaking and coaching today. 

Reading allowed to see more and expect more and ultimately to doing, having and being more.  The UPS driver roars up my lane 2 or 3 times a week with new and exciting books to allow me to continue to expand my experiences and opportunities. 

Recently my reading list has included The Happiness of Pursuit by Chris Guillebeau, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode by Crystal Paine, The Legacy Journey by Dave Ramsey, Permission to Procrastinate by Rory Vaden, Drucker & Me by Bob Bufford, The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst, The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster by Darren Hardy, Business Secrets in the Bible by Rabbi Daniel Lapin, The Art of Work by Jeff Goins, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, Blood Moons on Wall Street by Jay Peroni, Small Business Big Pressure by Darryl Lyons, Powerful Words by Clark Gaither, You Have What it Takes by Jevonnah Ellison, and Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch.

And yes, I still prefer to read physical books.  I scan a lot of books on my Kindle but if I really want to read it, I immediately order the “real” book.  But the steady influx of books in my office creates a new challenge.  So twice a year I purge books from my office, keeping my standing library at about 1000 books.  With Monday being a holiday, I spent the day pulling about 200 books that I’ve read but that did not make the cut for my remaining 1000. 

If you’re coming to an event at the Sanctuary you’ll see the large bookcase on the back wall with these books – free for the taking for event participants.  Help yourself, and I hope they will inspire you as they have me. 

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Let’s have a “come as you will be” party! Dan Miller

Let’s have a “come as you will be” party!

1. Should I expect a full time job at the end of the 48 Days process?
2. I’m not sure there is any “work” that I would enjoy doing.
3. Could I make money as a caffeine coach?
4. I find it very frustrating not being able to make decisive decisions.

“If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to meet it.”  Jonathan Winters

Other Resources:

I have an 11-page checklist to help you identify What’s Holding You Back From Your Dreams? 

Escaping Shawshank – eagle awards  http://ift.tt/1A5lbGj.com/eagle/

10 Tips for Getting Your First Coaching Client

Checklist for finding job freedom

The Strangest Secret YouTube Video of Earl Nightingale’s message

Escaping Shawshank – the event in August where we’ll look at Prison, Purpose and Plan – Meet Dan & Joanne there.

48 Days Coaching Mastery Program

The Ultimate Advantage Cruise – Feb 2017

Coaching with Excellence – September 3-4, 2015  May Event is SOLD OUT

Question for Dan – http://www.48days.com/ask-dan/

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