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Hail To The Chief

Monday, January 19th, 2009

In the movie Dave the title character is a politically unsophisticated regular guy who looks like the film’s fictional president. When pressed into duty to impersonate the ailing chief executive, Dave sings to himself, “Hail to the chief …” pauses with a quizzical look, then continues incorrectly, “he’s the chief we all say hail to.”

As the movie progresses, ordinary Dave sees in his extraordinary situation the opportunity to create necessary change. He acts on it and accomplishes his goal. Of course, that’s all a nicely scripted bit of fiction.

Tomorrow in Washington DC: Barack Obama will hear the strains of Hail to the Chief played for him for the first time. Derived from an old Gaelic tune, the melody was adapted and was first performed in New York in 1812. It caught on instantly. New lyrics were written and it was re-titled Wreaths for the Chieftain and played in Boston in 1815 to celebrate the birthday of George Washington. It’s had Presidential associations ever since.

As we’re learning, Obama is a student and admirer of Abraham Lincoln, the man and the President. So it’s interesting to observe that Hail to the Chief was the first piece of music Lincoln heard as he stepped into his carriage and started for the Capitol on the day of his inauguration. And it was the last piece he heard before he died, when the orchestra played it as he entered Ford’s Theater on the fateful night of April 14, 1865.

So, with this capsule history, what’s the TGIM point?

The answer for today lies in the lyrics that the movie character Dave didn’t know, and few citizens do. After a long and contentious election cycle the words have a certain irony. Yet I think they suggest one of the abiding reasons a democratic people in a democratically led nation can come together and know continued success. Here they are:

Hail to the Chief,

We have chosen for the nation,

Hail to the Chief!

We salute him, one and all.

Hail to the Chief,

As we pledge cooperation,

In proud fulfillment

Of a great noble call.

Yours is the aim

To make this grand country grander,

That’s our strong, firm belief.

Hail to the one

We selected as commander,

Hail to the President!

Hail to the Chief!

On Tuesday the Marine Band will play and a United States hopes for “proud fulfillment of a great noble call.”

Roughly a year ago my MLK-Day TGIM talked about dreams and “a dream deferred.” Tomorrow the hopes and dreams and aspirations of many people will become more tangible. Many will feel their deferred dreams are almost fully realized.

There will be many comparisons and lots of insightful and significant talk about whether this is, in fact, so. There will be soul searching, and forward-looking messages, and challenges, and inspiring speeches that will echo through the centuries.

And there will be naysayers and folks who see all this as manipulative political branding and empty platitudes.

TGIM Takeaway: What it will all amount to for each of us as individuals – what kind of “opportunity” this presents as well as represents – depends almost entirely on each of us as individuals.

You will recall that in the run up to the election in November virtually every candidate for the presidency talked about “change” – so much so that an important truth almost became trivialized. Still, the idea resonates because it’s a universal longing.

The official website of the Obama/Biden transition team is (was?) change.gov. The official inauguration theme, echoing Lincoln, is “A new Birth of Freedom.” But the official inauguration poster, that graphically resembles the “Hope” poster of the Obama campaign, features the phrase –

“Be the Change.” That thought and counsel is usually viewed as the embodiment of the philosophy of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, best known by the honorific Mahatma (“Great Soul” in Sanskrit) Gandhi.

Change = Opportunity + Action.

The untrivial fact of life is, if you really want to change in any part of your life-

It takes action. You can think about change … You can read about change … You can listen to and watch others speak about change. Or -

You can take action and change. You and I are not so far removed from Lincoln or Gandhi or hundreds of thousands of other “ordinary” men and women who longed for change …  saw the opportunity to create change … and took action. They made history.

You can make history, too. It’s not always easy. It’s not always immediate. It’s seldom accomplished alone. It may not be on a grand scale.

But it can be done. If you see the opportunity and act on it, you can “be the change” and you can make change happen. That is perhaps one of the greatest personal improvement lessons any individual can take away from our historic past and the eventful days ahead.

Geoff Steck

Chief Catalyst

Alexander Publishing & Marketing

● 8 Depot Square

● Englewood, NJ 07631

201-569-5373

gsteck@hotmail.com

P.S. Opportunityisnowhere. Huh? What message is hidden in these run-together words?

In the spirit of Martin Luther King Day and tomorrow’s historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States, I’d like you to think of it as kind of a TGIM Challenge:

Hint: There are two answers. But for our purposes today only one is right-minded enough to win you a gold star.

If you see the words -

Opportunity is nowhere

Then you have a little more work in front of you.

However, if you immediately saw the phrase -

Opportunity is now here

Congratulations! Go to the head of the class. You appreciate the spirit and meaning of the times we now live in. Now make it happen in your life.

P.P.S. More opportunities upcoming. Eric and I believe the Best Year Ever! Program has quite a few can’t-miss strategies and opportunities worth investigating. Let us know if you’re interested.

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The Power of Right Now

Monday, December 1st, 2008

Dear High Achiever:

THANKSGIVING IS OVER. Black Friday is over. November is over. And in thirty days 2008 will be over.

This year went by quickly, didn’t it? If you were to do a quick review, analysis and took personal inventory, how did you do? More importantly –

What do you need to do to make 2009 better; Your Best Year Ever!?

My FYI newsletter challenge to you today is to not wait thirty days to start making 2009 Your Best Year Ever! I want to inspire you to Do It…

Right Now!

Not later today. Not tomorrow. Not “I’ll start my diet next week” — or –“I’ll call on that big prospect after the New Year ‘cause no one has a budget in the fourth quarter” – or — “I’ll spend more time with my kids as soon as this project is done” – or –“The economy stinks so I’ll wait to start my own business.”

Ouch! Forget “not” and all the contrived reasons why not. It’s BS and you’re living in your own muck, kidding yourself and believing it.

What the heck are you thinking?

Did you hear the fat lady sing?

This isn’t a rant.

It’s the truth. And you can you handle the truth, can’t you Jack?

FYI Last-Month-Of-The-Year Takeaway: If you are not where you want to be in one or more areas of your life, right now is the time to look at your challenge and take massive action toward achieving what you say you want.

Are Any of These Excuses “WHY” You Haven’t?

1. F.E.A.R. – False Evidence Appearing Real or Forget Everything And Run 
2. Lack of Clarity / Focus
3. Perceived Lack of Resources / Tools
4. Your Age
5. Your Education
6. Your Ethnicity
7. You’ve Settled

Don’t wait. Don’t become a victim of analysis paralysis. And don’t give up! You’ve heard it before –

FYI ACTION IDEA: The way to overcome a fear is to face it. There is massive power in overcoming any fear.

But – and it, as we like to say, is a BIG BUT –

You have to start.

How?

• Get CLEAR on what you want – There is POWER in CLARITY.
• Find the RESOURCES and TOOLS to help you.
• Take MASSIVE ACTION and notice your RESULTS or OUTCOME.

This isn’t rocket science. It’s a reminder.

You may have heard of Eckhart Tolle’s book, The Power of Now. It’s sold millions of copies and has been a #1 book on the New York Times bestseller list. If you are looking for spiritual enlightenment I highly recommend you read it.

This FYI is not about or alluding to his book. Yes, I agree you should live in the now, the present moment, and embrace your true self. This FYI is about taking Massive Action.

RIGHT NOW!

There is true power in the positive momentum of swiftly moving forward toward your goals and dreams. You can only get experience by having an experience. If you decide, take action and get an undesired outcome, you’ve learned, you’ve gained experience, you did not fail.

Imagine: You have a Massive Action Momentum Muscle. If you do not exercise that muscle it will atrophy, become smaller and you will become weak. When you take Massive, Decisive, and Immediate Action on an idea, thought, goal or dream you strengthen that muscle, gain confidence, build self-esteem and learn to follow you instincts.

FYI case in point: In the spring of 2004 I booked Christopher Reeve to speak at First Energy Park in Lakewood, NJ. At that time, I had no idea how to fill a 7,000 seat baseball stadium for a public seminar. And, too be painfully honest, I didn’t. (How funny is that?) But when Geoff Brown, the General Manager of the Lakewood BlueClaws, called and asked me for ideas to get people in the stadium for something other than a baseball game, I jumped at the opportunity. I had no idea what I would come up with, but I said YES!

The rest is history. The event I envisioned – Empower NJ 2004 – and my experience producing and promoting that event and with Christopher Reeve changed my life forever!

And the point is? I immediately took action, I couldn’t wait or the opportunity would pass, I knew I had to make it happen, when…?

RIGHT NOW!

Did I sell 7,000 tickets? Not even close.

Was the event an absolute success? Yes.

My takeaway: What I can emphatically tell you is, it was the greatest experience I’ve ever had from producing an event. The additional benefit was my confidence, self-esteem, credibility and national exposure went thru the roof – Priceless!

For those of you who don’t know my entire Christopher Reeve story; Chris died 10 days after my event.

What if I had waited?

He is a daily inspiration to millions of people and certainly to me. When I consider everything in my life that has brought me joy, gratitude and a sense of urgency to live RIGHT NOW, Christopher Reeve and theEmpower NJ event are at the top of my list.

Whatever it is for you … whatever has been holding you back … get clear on it, find the right resources and tools, and – as Chris would advise – Go Forward!

The Second Achievement Breakfast Club is Scheduled

Everyone is excited after attending the first ABC meeting. If you would like to join us on Wednesday, December 10th and get around positive, friendly, out-going, success-minded people, click on this link and get details – www.selfgrowth.com/abc

Go Out and Make This Your Best Year Ever!

Eric Taylor is the Chief Inspiration Officer of SelfGrowth.com and founder of New Jersey based Empowerment Group International. He delivers more than 100 energized and interactive keynotes, workshops and seminars each year to corporations, associations and tradeshows. He is the author of the Energy Passport, Co-creator of the Best Year Ever! Personal Empowerment Program and Co-author of The Complete Sales Training Encyclopedia. Eric can be reached at 732.761.9930 ext.114 or email Eric@SelfGrowth.comor Eric@EmpowermentGroup.com

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Now You Can Blame Obama

Monday, November 10th, 2008

Dear High Achiever:

IF YOU GOT PAST THE HEADLINE (No more politics for a while, please!) no, I’m not jumping on the Presidential Election bandwagon … sharing my political opinion … or typing a word about Candidate Palin (although I’m tempted).

So what’s up with the headline? President-Elect Obama is at the very core of FYI #130, no doubt. But it’s not about politics.

I’d rather share with you an observation and information that I believe will have a far greater impact on your quest toward personal development.

It’s about two interviews I watched with LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Now, if you didn’t tune into this year’s Summer Olympics and if you don’t follow professional basketball, you may not know these two gentlemen and the influence they have over today’s young athletes. So –

Here’s some background: Kobe Bryant is more controversial than LeBron James, but both of these men are giants (no pun intended) in the world of professional sports, especially basketball. When they speak, play basketball or endorse a product (at least Lebron) people listen, watch and buy. Don’t know Kobe or LeBron, simply Google.

Here’s the Obama connection: So, I’m on my elliptical doing my cardio workout the morning after the election, bouncing back and forth between watching ESPN highlights, listening to my iPod and catching updates on CNN. I typically don’t watch CNN (Constant Negative News) but I do make an exception every four years for something like the Presidential Election.

Fortunately, I caught two brief interviews on ESPN with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as they were being asked about the impact of Barack Obama being the first African-American elected President of the United States.

Their responses were similar and, to me, they were profound and insightful.

Of course, they were both very proud to be black and to live in America. They were also surprised that they had an opportunity to witness this historical event in their lifetime.

But what had the greatest impact on me was that they both said, and I’ll paraphrase –

Now you really can become and achieve anything you want. Kobe Bryant referenced that being a rap artist, an actor or professional athlete were once perceived as the only professions to make big money and have an impact if you were African-American. LeBron James spoke about how this election will impact his future children, and they way they will view the world, and the opportunities that exist.

As I said at the start, this FYI isn’t about politics. And it’s also not about race. It’s about beliefs and self-improvement and –

It’s about you and me. One thing both LeBron and Kobe made clear was –

Now you have no excuse.

Barack Obama took away your excuse. And you can blame him for that. It doesn’t matter whether you are black or white, rich or poor, now it’s clear that anyone has the potential to become President of the United States of America.

Both of these sports superstars are wealthy beyond the wildest dreams of most people. They live a privileged life as a professional athlete in America. And now they are telling the people who hold their opinions in high regard, from all walks of life, of all races and professions, and especially the impressionable young children of this nation –

“ Now you really can become anything you can dream of, even the President of the United States”.

No more excuses. These interviews made me reflect on all of the excuses I hear people make about why they are not successful. Barack Obama stole that excuse last week, crushed it and discarded it forever.

You know his story and his history. Like it or not, you must concede it is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a story of privilege. At one point after the election, when talking about the dog he had promised his daughters, he indicated he would like to go to the pound and get – his words:

“A mutt like me.” His success is earned. His win showed everyone who can see past the politics that you can do anything you set your mind to.

FYI Takeaway: I want to encourage you to stop blaming your past for your future. It’s true; your past does not equal your future. What happened yesterday is history, learn from it and keep moving in the direction of your goals and dreams.

***** Quick reminder *****

The first Achievement Breakfast Club meeting is this Wednesday, November 12th.

The Achievement Breakfast Club is about sharing the ABCs of success and personal motivation with like-minded people. The primary focus is on personal development, self growth and of course, Achievement.

There is extremely limited space, we cannot accept walk-ins and we only have 3 available seats left. I encourage you to register today to guarantee your spot.

To get all of the details and sign up for the first Achievement BreakfastClub meeting simply click on this link www.selfgrowth.com/abc

Go Out and Make This Your Best Year Ever! 

Eric Taylor is the Chief Inspiration Officer of SelfGrowth.com and founder of New Jersey based Empowerment Group International. He delivers more than 100 energized and interactive keynotes, workshops and seminars each year to corporations, associations and tradeshows. He is the author of the Energy Passport, Co-creator of the Best Year Ever! Personal Empowerment Program and Co-author of The Complete Sales Training Encyclopedia. Eric can be reached at 732.761.9930 ext.114 or email Eric@SelfGrowth.comor Eric@EmpowermentGroup.com

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How To Get Your Groove On

Monday, November 3rd, 2008

Dear High Achiever:

I’ve got to say, its entertaining living in New Jersey. There is more attitude per square mile than anywhere else I’ve ever been. Jersey’s got attitude.

People will actually race you to get to a red light first. You need Jeff Gordon driving skills just to survive on the Garden State Parkway and the Turnpike, its crazy.

It’s true; we are the brunt of many comedians’ jokes and if you’ve only been to Newark Liberty Airport you probably think the whole state looks and smells like a refinery. And if that’s your experience; I’ll give you a clue, we’re called the Garden State for a reason. We have beautiful farmlands, Jersey sweet corn, Jersey tomatoes, and of course, the Jersey Shore. We also have some of the greatest little towns in the country, like Princeton, Red Bank, Hoboken and Lambertville. (There are hundreds of great towns, so if I’ve left your town out I’ll catch you in the next newsletter).

I never lived more than 1.5 miles from the beach, except when I was in the U.S. Air Force, I lived in England, but I was still surrounded by water, along with a lot of clouds and rain.

The reason why I’m sharing some of my Jersey history with you is because it’s a prelude to How to “Get” and “Keep” Your Groove On.

As I mentioned, New Jersey is competitive, it’s got attitude, moxie, and everyone’s got a certain kind of confident swagger. (Bordering on cocky and obnoxious at times)

I’ll let you in a secret though. Confident looks and swagger do not always equate to internal confidence accompanied by a healthy self-esteem. The key to getting and keeping your “Groove On” is staying focused on reaching your goals, building a better you and working on your internal confidence and self-esteem every day.

You see, what usually follows someone getting out of their groove is known as “getting into a rut”. The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth, so you’ve got to be careful and work on staying in your groove.

Got it?…

Groove > Rut > Grave…

Not a good direction.

Now back to Jersey for more Groove Clues. Its competitive, that’s the first clue to staying in your groove, how competitive are you?

I work with a lot of sales organizations so setting up a competitive environment is easy in that arena. Sales people are highly competitive by nature but especially in the New York / New Jersey / Philadelphia market.

But what if you are not in sales?

Let me use a Jersey Boy as an example of another kind of competitive.

I saw an interview with Jon Bon Jovi on 60 Minutes earlier this year and he was asked what motivates him after 25 years of
live performances and selling over 100 million CD’s (Do the math? Holy Cow!)

Bon Jovi said, “Coming into an arena and blowing the doors off the band that was in the stadium the night before is what keeps me motivated”. WOW! I don’t know if that impresses you but I was blown away. This guy is focused on always being his best and considers other bands as competition in terms of selling out stadiums and arenas and putting on  rocking shows. Very cool.

Competition and preparing to win has everything to do with getting and keeping your groove on. When you are preparing,
practicing, rehearsing, training and competing you are “in the zone.” You’re focused on a desired outcome working toward something.

In other words, you are not just hanging out going through the motions, which leads me to another example of how to stay in your groove.

Do you exercise or train?

I Train

I don’t go to the gym to exercise; I go to the gym to train. The reason why I get the tremendous results I get from my workouts are because I am trying to out-do whatever I did the last time I was there.

Training versus just exercising helps me stay in the groove. I change up my routines; I keep my training sessions interesting so I don’t get “in a rut” by doing the same boring stuff every morning.

In this sense, I’m competing against myself.

Be like Tiger. At his level of golf, Tiger Woods is not competing with the other golfers; he is competing against himself, his personal best.Another way to get and stay in the groove is to hang-out and become associated
with other like-minded people who are also focused on staying in the groove. Get, stay and be around achievers, people who are making things happen. Their energy, daily habits and behaviors will rub off.

If you are in a rut heading toward depths that resemble a living grave, then you need to take massive action now. The
best way to get or stay in your groove is to get in action. Make necessary changes to keep improving and don’t settle for good, don’t settle for great, go for best and keep getting better.

You’ve heard of baseball players getting in a batting slump. The key  to them getting out of a slump / rut is to take  longer and more frequent batting practices, perhaps make some minor adjustments, but keep getting up to the plate and
keep swinging.

If you are in a rut and need to get your groove back on I want to invite you to join me next Wednesday, November 12th at the first Achievement Breakfast Club event.

I promise you will be surrounded by positive happy people who are personal development enthusiasts committed to getting and staying in their groove.

All of the details are here: www.selfgrowth.com/abc

There is extremely limited space and advance registration is required. I’ve also included a motivational “complimentary gift” to go along with your continental breakfast as a way of saying thank you!

Have a great week, now go Get Your Groove On!

Go Out and Make This Your Best Year Ever!

Eric Taylor is the Chief Inspiration Officer of SelfGrowth.com and founder of New Jersey based Empowerment Group International. He delivers more than 100 energized and interactive keynotes, workshops and seminars each year to corporations, associations and tradeshows. He is the author of the Energy Passport, Co-creator of the Best Year Ever! Personal Empowerment Program and Co-author of The Complete Sales Training Encyclopedia. Eric can be reached at 732.761.9930 ext.114 or email Eric@SelfGrowth.com or Eric@EmpowermentGroup.com

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If Not You, Who?

Monday, October 27th, 2008

Dear High Achiever:

I’M CERTAIN you’ve heard this quote before, especially if you are in sales or have ever been to a motivational seminar. Ironically, I’ve never asked the audience at one of my seminars these two questions …so here they are for you in writing.

If not you, who?

If not now, when?

These are two good questions to ask yourself if you are a person who desires to make the most or your life … experience all it has to offer … and want to contribute in helping others make the most of theirs.

I’ll let you in on a secret…

You are not like most people!

How do I know that? Because you are reading this FYI/TGIM. And I would guess that you subscribe to other personal or professional development newsletters and are a student of personal growth.

• You are in a unique and special category of people. You represent one tenth of one percent of the population that cares about self improvement and personal growth.
• You’ve taken personal responsibility in accessing information that can help you become more as a human being.

But information is only potential power. It’s what you do with the information that becomes real power.

Which leads me to my third question…

What Personal Accountability Strategies Do You Have In Place?

My guess would be zero.

On a scale of 1 to 10: Where would you rate YOU for personal accountability? You know what I mean, the kind of accountability when no one is watching. I’m referring to the kind of accountability that you share with the people closest to you. Not the stuff you share with your acquaintances and people at work that you embellish on to make you look good.

What’s your real number? And what area or areas of your life do you have to take it up a notch or three?

For example: Think about when you see someone in life doing exceptionally well. (I know this is relative; we all have our own opinion of “exceptional” and “well.”)

So, let’s say when you see someone who seemingly has it all together mentally, spiritually, physically, financially, in their marriage and family, their life just seems to have balance and harmony. What do you think of this person?

I think they have a high level of personal accountability, accompanied by personal responsibility. They most likely take consistent action to improve their life and take personal responsibility in finding the information they need to achieve their desired outcome. They’ve answered the core questions: the “who?” … the “when?” … and their personal accountability rating is a 10.

But here’s another not-so-little insight: I’m around some super achievers and nobody has it all together. I can count on one hand people I know that have answered and mastered all three questions and every area of their life.

So not everyone has it all together. That’s why professional athletes, business executives and soccer moms have trainers, mentors and coaches.

Yes – You are the one who is responsible for your life. And you are the one who has to do it now because the clock is always ticking. And you are the one who has to hold yourself accountable for your actions. But the good news is…

You don’t have to go it alone. You don’t have to take the journey toward Self Growth by yourself.

In fact, you shouldn’t. I always emphasized and agreed with the philosophy that “personal development is an inside job.” But that doesn’t mean you can’t utilize all the resources that are available to you.

FYI Takeaway: Since you are already an active student of self improvement, you probably realize you have unlimited outside resources to get the inside work done.

FYI ACTION IDEA: Use them!

FYI IDEA IN ACTION: One of the key motivators for me initiating the upcoming Achievement Breakfast Club event is to create a forum for like-minded personal development enthusiast to meet, learn and become more by sharing energy, experiences and ideas for Self Growth. When one or more gather with similar intentions there is energy, enthusiasm and a synergy that is very powerful.

I have a name for it: I call it Energy Transference. At my seminars, I have the privilege of being on stage and I see it happen right in front of me. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Enthusiasm takes energy, and when two or more people combine their energy and enthusiasm, amazing things happen.

I want to recommend two Action Items for you to consider if you know you need to take your personal accountability up a notch.

Action Item #1: Do everything in your power to make it to theAchievement Breakfast Club get together on November 12th. Details and registration information will be emailed to you in just a few days.

Action Item #2: If you are interested and willing to make an investment of time and resources to make 2009 Your Best Year Ever! — let’s set up a time to talk.

Shameless commercial (sort of). I say “sort of” because you know these no-charge “FREE” FYIs and TGIMs are, and will continue, to be here to Inform and Inspire you throughout the days and years ahead. And at the Empowerment Group we’re actively fine-tuning the Best Year Everprogram in its many forms and variations to make its guidance affordable and available to you.

But if the challenges of today’s FYI have Informed and Inspired you at a higher level–

Maybe it’s time for you to go the distance. Contact me about becoming your Personal Success and Accountability Coach. I only have room for a few clients and if you are compelled to take your life and career to the next level we should schedule a complimentary Discovery Call.

Take Action: Don’t settle for less than you deserve in this life. YOU are the person and NOW is the time to make this Your Best Year Ever!

I hope to see you on November 12th at the Achievement Breakfast Club or speak to you in person to see how we can work together.

Go Out and Make This Your Best Year Ever!

Eric Taylor is the Chief Inspiration Officer of SelfGrowth.com and founder of New Jersey based Empowerment Group International. He delivers more than 100 energized and interactive keynotes, workshops and seminars each year to corporations, associations and tradeshows. He is the author of the Energy Passport, Co-creator of the Best Year Ever! Personal Empowerment Program and Co-author of The Complete Sales Training Encyclopedia. Eric can be reached at 732.761.9930 ext.114 or email Eric@SelfGrowth.comor Eric@EmpowermentGroup.com

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