Podcast Episode #16 – Courage & Perseverance

Episode #16 of the Xtraordinary Living podcast is out. The topic is Courage and Perseverance. This podcast is a shining example of Xtraordinary raw courage, perseverance and “never-quit” attitudes.

In this episode I interviewed Bob Babbitt, Vice President and a Founding Board Member of the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). The CAF raises money to help people with physical disabilities pursue an active lifestyle through physical fitness and competitive athletics. Bob will share stories of CAF athletes and their drive and determination to compete. You will hear:

> How CAF grew out of a desire to assist one athlete – below-knee-amputee endurance racer Jim MacLaren – who suffered a devastating second accident while competing in a triathlon.

> Learn why Lance Armstrong viewed his second diagnosis of cancer in a positive light, and how his attitude fully supports Dr. Bruce Lipton’s premise as presented in The Biology of Belief Episode #14.

> Hear the behind the scenes story of CAF assisted athlete, Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah from Ghana. His emotional story was made into the award-winning documentary “Emmanuel’s Gift.”

> Get the scoop on President Bush’s secret service agent’s response to Emmanuel demonstrating his prosthetic leg in the Oval Office.

> Learn how you can help CAF reach their fundraising goal of $2 million for the San Diego Triathlon Challenge (SDTC) on Sunday, November 5 at La Jolla Cove.

To learn more or donate, go to: Challenged Athletes Foundation.

Since 1994 the Challenged Athletes Foundation has distributed grants to more than 2,100 disabled athletes. To date the CAF has raised over $8 million. It’s through sponsors and donors like ourselves that disabled athletes gain a fair chance to realize their dreams, and breathe hope for others with similar life challenges.

This episode is 31 minutes long. If you have broadband, click on the play button below:

powered by ODEO
If you don’t have broadband click here:Podcast #16

Technorati Tags: Challenged Athletes Foundation, Bob Babbitt, CAF, Emmanuel’s Gift, Xtraordinary Living

Penny Wise & Dollar Foolish

I hardly ever use cash when I pay for things. Whenever possible, I look to pay with my credit card so that I can accumulate the airline miles. Given the amount of travel I do, these miles allow me to upgrade my Coach tickets and fly Business Class at a fraction of a cost.

There is a deli nearby that has good food. However, I hardly think of it among my options for lunch. I’m pretty sure that one of the reasons I don’t is because they don’t accept credit cards. However, now that we don’t have a kitchen and we’re eating a lot more take-out, my wife and kids suggested we get something from this deli. When I went to pick up my order, I was pleased to see that they were now accepting credit cards.

A few days later, I decided to go to the deli for lunch. When it came time to pay, I handed my credit card and I was told that they “couldn’t” accept credit cards for orders that totaled less than $10. The truth is not that they “couldn’t” but that they “wouldn’t.” The reason for this is because they are paying a “per transaction fee” rather than a straight percentage. And they reason that accepting credit cards for small amounts eats too much into their profits. I wonder if they have any idea how much business they are losing because of this mindset.

Another restaurant nearby, did something similar. They started cutting back in the amount of salad dressing they were giving with their take-out salads. When I mentioned this to the cashier she said that they had received a lot of complaints lately but that the corporate office insisted they continue with the smaller amounts.

As a business owner, I’m very aware of looking for ways to cut costs and maximize profits. However, when these ways come at the expense of what the customers want, it can really back-fire.

As a PL&L client I urge you to let me know if you ever feel like we are making some of these mistakes.

Podcast Episode #15 – Building Relationships

Episode #15 of the Xtraordinary Living podcast is out. The topic is Building Relationships.

Just as Productive Learning & Leisure places an emphasis in our courses on “extraordinary relationships,” we spoke with Dr. Misner about his view of the importance of building and creating extraordinary relationships in business and our personal life.

In this 15th episode you will hear:
– How Dr. Misner started BNI in 1985, and the fact that over 4.4 million referrals were passed last year generating over $1.7 billion for BNI members around the world.
– The best referral Dr. Misner ever received in BNI as a member.
– Why in this day and age, we need to create a virtual Main Street.
– The role communication plays in cultivating strong relationships.
– And much more!

I have personally been a BNI member for 8 years and can attest to the power of this organization. My association with BNI has been an invaluable asset in building PL&L. If you would like to find out more about this organization, click here:BNI.

This episode is 31 minutes long. If you have broadband, click on the play button below:

powered by ODEO

If you don’t have broadband click here:Podcast #15

Tearing down vs. Building

This week we finally started our kitchen remodel. The contractor and his crew arrived this morning and by the end of the day, my entire kitchen had been demolished. I found it fascinating that it will take 6-12 weeks to build a new kitchen and yet it only took 1 day to destroy the old one!

As I reflected on this, I realized that is the same with many other things – relationships, businesses, reputations, etc. It takes a long time to build them and almost no time to tear them down.

Another thing that struck me was how much less talent is needed to tear something down than to build it.

Hopefully I’ll remember this lesson the next time I have an urge to tear something (or someone) down.

Focus and Accountability

In Podcast #7 we talked about the impact of mentoring and how my partner Lindon and I hired two people to serve as our advisory board. Yesterday we had our monthly meeting with our advisors Tom and Bob. It was a great reminder of the value of having both Focus and Accountability in business – and in life!

Tom & Bob do for Lindon and I what we do for our clients: they find out what is important to us, help us focus and hold us accountable for what we said we would do. While difficult to do sometimes, it is highly effective.

The pursuit of Xtraordinary is greatly aided by having focus and accountability. Who – besides you – is holding you accountable?

Retirement can wait!

I was riding on my way back from lunch when I noticed two young kids (about 5 & 8 years old respectively) running a lemonade stand. Given that I have a “soft heart” for budding entrepreneurs, I stopped and decided to support them.

The young one was so excited – particularly because it turned out that I was their first customer. We ended up chatting for a few minutes and I left there feeling like I had connected with the little kid in a special way.

This experience reminded me of a similar one I had in Tanzania a few years back. I was leading one of our Learning Vacations and we visited a Massai Village. A few of the Massai villagers were selling various items. Though I had no intention of buying anything, I ended up buying a genuine Massai spear as a souvenir. The reason for this was my interaction with the Massai man and his wife who sold me the spear. They didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Swahili. However, we found a way to communicate and laugh and made the whole experience much more than commerce. I felt like I had connected with those people in a very special way.

The catalyst in both of these situations was doing business. Had it not been for it, I would have never interacted with the kids or the Massai couple. And my life would have certainly been poorer as a result.

I look at my business the same way. It is a catalyst to offer me opportunities to connect with people that I would normally not connect with. And my life is much richer as a result. No wonder I’m not in any hurry to retire!