We’ve been watching the audition rounds of So You Think You Can Dance, and one of the most crazy-talented people they took to their second-level Las Vegas Round was Robert Muraine, a “popper” who can do absolutely mind-bending things with his body.

But one of the things all the contestants have to do is learn choreography - short rehearsed routines. Muraine was having a lot of difficulty with it, and was talking about leaving the show, rather than “mess up a partner” when he couldn’t perfom.

Well, word of that got to the judges, and they gave him an opportunity to do his solo routine first.

Someone posted what happened to YouTube, and it’ll just astound you. Watch how amazing he is. Watch how he gets a standing ovation from everyone. Watch how the judges do everything they can to encourage him to stay. And watch how so terribly, terribly powerful an enemy the fear is.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 1:10 pm and is filed under A-Has in the Ether, Lessons Learned. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Lucky me! Instead of having to dig into my brain and come up with a brand-friendly article on success and the might of the “A-Ha!” (which Allen and I define as “Bold Insight PLUS Joy-filled Action), I get to do a simple “copy-n-paste” from online marketing and power-preneur Alexandria Brown. Woohoo!

“3 ‘A-Ha’ Success Principles That Have Reshaped My Business”
by Alexandria K. Brown

Over the past several years I’ve immersed myself in learning. Because my business is marketing, I have mostly attended and spoken at marketing seminars. But I also make plenty of time to read books, attend seminars, and listen to audio programs on personal development as well.Why?

You should actually work harder on yourself than you do on your business (or job). I first learned that from Jim Rohn, whom some call the father of personal development. Some call him America’s foremost business philosopher. I just call him brilliant. (Jim was one of Tony Robbins’ first mentors, too.)There are three success principles I’ve learned over the years that I wanted to share with you. I call them my “a-has” because they put my attention on areas I’d never thought of. And following these guidelines has helped me skyrocket my business.

1. You are the average of the five PEOPLE you hang around the most.When I first heard this quote from Jim, it struck a big nerve in me. Robert Allen says something similar, that your bank account balance is typically the average of the five people you hang around the most. (Yikes!) I realized I needed to surround myself with people whom I wanted to be like. I still love my old friends, but I make a specific effort to be around people who take risks, think big, and talk about great ideas instead of the latest celebrity gossip, the price of gas, or how much they hate their clients.

What first opened up my circle of influence was attending seminars. I continually go to seminars on marketing, business, and personal development. There are so many great seminars going on every month all around the country, at all price points. You have no excuse not to get out there and meet people who are playing big!

2. Your HABITS create your future (and your fortune).Brian Tracy talks a lot about this. Your daily habits create your long-term results. Your habits today will determine your outcomes tomorrow. If you want to be a millionaire, you’ve got to have millionaire habits. If you want to be a great leader, you must have the habits of a great leader. If you want to get in shape, you’ve got to have the habits of a fit person.

What new habit can YOU put into place right away?

I wanted to put into place a millionaire habit. Because I detest budgets (and enjoy spending), I needed an easy way to save money. So now I have a set percentage of my inflow automatically go into a savings account that I don’t touch.

And because I enjoy looking and feeling great, I made the habit many years ago to exercise at least 5 days a week. To kick this into gear, I hired a trainer, which forced me to make the habit happen. It was a struggle at first, but now I feel off-balance if I don’t work out regularly.

3. Make sure your ENVIRONMENT supports you in playing big.A few years ago I had the chance to hear a dynamic woman named Artemis Limpert speak at an event in Dallas. In her talk, she pointed out that when you have a pet fish that’s sick, you treat the water — NOT the fish.

Your success depends more on your environment than you know, but it’s extremely important that you give yourself an environment that supports you at the level you want to BE at. (Note that I did NOT say the level you are at now!)There are generally 3 areas of your environment you should pay close attention to:

First, your physical environment. Do you love your office? Do you have enough space to work and plan? Are you surrounded by attractive things? Do you have a nice view or at least a beautiful piece of art to look at? I paid a pretty penny for my beach pad, but I can’t tell you how inspiring it is every day to look out at the peaceful ocean, sailboats, blue sky, and the sand. It fuels me. But you don’t have to spend a lot of money on your environment. Little touches like candles, flowers, music you love, and photos of friends and family can go a long way. (Even if your office is the kitchen table!)

Second, your emotional environment. Are you getting the support you need from your family and friends? It’s up to YOU to ask for what you need. If they cannot provide it, find a coach, a mastermind, or a support group. I find it wonderful to have a mastermind group for support. I can bounce ideas off them, ask for help with problem solving, share my victories, and sometimes just vent!

Third, your intellectual environment. Jim Rohn says, “Are you feeding your brain protein every day, or are you just giving it candy?” Most Americans sustain their brains solely on candy - that is, useless television shows, news, and gossip. Are you stimulating yourself with big ideas and new learning? Again, check out a seminar, take a teleclass, or buy some books or audio programs. (I love listening to programs on CD or my iPod, so I can learn while driving my car or relaxing on a plane.)© 2003-2008 Alexandria Brown International Inc.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Online entrepreneur Alexandria K. Brown publishes the award-winning ‘Highlights on Marketing & Success’ weekly ezine with 28,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your marketing, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at www.AlexandriaBrown.com

Ali has her LAST EVER Online Success Blueprint Workshop coming up November 13-15th in Los Angeles. Allen and I have been learning from Ali for something like six or seven years, in one way or another. Whether it’s been through her articles, teleclasses, ezines, or information products, she’s always delivered on her promises and has been instrumental in helping us as we continue to create the business and life of OUR dreams.

So we’re pretty thrilled to say we just signed up and will be at Ali’s November workshop. Are you interested in joining us? Please do! Sign up through this link and we’ll even treat you to dinner.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 8th, 2008 at 3:42 pm and is filed under A-Has in the Ether. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Separated at birth, perhaps? No, of course not. But I’ve been thinking about them both a lot lately, for different reasons.

I’ve been mulling over Reilly because, after a tremendously distinguished career in serious movies, has made a bold move into comedy in recent years, with 2006’s Talladega Nights and 2007’s Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. And of the five movies he’s got going in 2008, three of them are comedies.

What I’m dying to know is why he’s making this choice! I think he’s a great actor, and I’m very curious to know what’s motivated the move.

More to the point of the blog post, I think he was the funniest thing about Talladega Nights (better than Will Ferrell in it, who’s honestly kind of rehashing the same character movie after movie), and I think I know why - but it took Tyra Banks to teach me.

By some odd quirk of fate, MTV and VH1 have been airing marathons of America’s Next Top Model, and though we never watched it before, it’s become a staple while a hungry two-month-old baby boy demands his milk from Lani. And the thing that jumped out at me one night, after the models were challenged to act out a random verb/adverb combination pulled from separate hats (i.e. “dance viciously,” “hide dizzily”), was Tyra’s observation about commitment.

Some of the models just threw themselves into it, some barely tried, and one actually got so embarrassed she ran out of the room when she was done. (She was the one eliminated that episode.) And the essence of Tyra’s feedback was that commitment is everything.

No matter what’s thrown at you in your given work day, you’ve got to attack it with complete commitment, dive in, give it your all, don’t worry about making a fool of yourself, just own the moment and roll with whatever life and business throw at you.

That’s why I think, despite very little indication (in more than 15 years of movie making) that comedy was in his blood, Reilly is succeeding at comedy - because as an actor, he commits. Sure, there are things about comedy that most people can learn, but not everyone can master. I’d say utter commitment is one of the keys to mastery, and Reilly seems to have that in spades.

That’s my medium-sized “Aha!” of the week for you, and if you’re getting so-so results from whatever you’re up to these days, maybe a check-in with your commitment level is in order. And that goes for me as well. 

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This entry was posted on Thursday, January 3rd, 2008 at 10:32 am and is filed under A-Has in the Ether. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

It came up in conversation the other day - the question about how you qualify your prospects. And since not everyone in the room knew what that meant, I’ll explain briefly here for those reading: To qualify is to make sure a prospect actually fits in your target market, and has a need that you can fill with what you offer.

Usually, when the sales gurus talk about qualifying, they mean that you should be asking the right set of questions to determine whether the person in front of you is a legitimate prospect.

But what about your website? You can’t be there 24/7, so your content has to serve in your qualifying capacity, right?

Well, the “Aha moment” I had about websites is that web surfers - unlike the people you meet face-to-face - are waaaay more willing to meet you halfway.

After all, if they’re online, they’re searching for information. They have something specific in mind, and they want to know whether you can meet their needs. In other words, your online prospects are actively trying to qualify themselves for you.

Web searchers don’t want to be wasting their time when they’re on the prowl for a solution. They’re actively trying to figure out whether they belong in your market. And that’s huge! They’re making it so much easier on you than if you were speaking to them in person, sending direct mail, et cetera, et cetera.

And if you don’t have a website already? Oh boy, are you missing out. Earlier this year, we wanted to paint our new office, and Lani went online to find a local painter. She said, “I’ll give my business to the first Lakes Region painter I can find online.”

She couldn’t find a single one, so we painted the office ourselves. My brother-in-law nearly fell 15 feet off a ladder during the process, but that’s another story.

Please, please, if you’re not online, then get there as fast as you can, and make sure anyone who reads your website comes away knowing whether they’re supposed to be buying from you. Even if they decide not to, that’s okay - that’s a separate issue. Get ‘em there and get ‘em to qualify themselves first.

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 1:57 am and is filed under A-Has in the Ether. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Jeff Pulver, who offhandedly said he twice made the mistake of working for someone else’s company (instead of starting his own company) in his “Lessons of a Serial Entrepreneur” session, claims to have started something like 50 companies - not all successes.

But he’s happy making mistakes, because if you don’t live and work on the edge, you don’t get pushed. (I’m paraphrasing, of course.) And I’ve tried to paraphrase some of his other bon mots here, including:

One of the things he thinks is necessary for success is absolute, supreme confidence in yourself - “It’s kind of like a super power.”

Another is a significant event that pushes you to make crucial decision about your life and the direction you want to take, when you’re pushed out on your own with no support.

He fondly recalls the first days of VON, when he had 200 people cone to his first show, people following their passions and imagining what could be.

He comes from an accounting background. Telecom is not his space, even though he is at the center of the IP communications industry web. He’s most interested in seeing how software turns into services people can use.

Now he’s investing in people’s dreams - small amounts ($10K-$30K), but enough to prove concepts and prototypes, to get businesses to a stage where they can attract bigger investors.
People who have failures under their belt seem more real and grounded to him.

He takes fun very seriously, and mostly in situations where you wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable and at ease. It’s important for him to share that happy energy with other people.

The opportunities to change the world still exist in a very big way. 

The negative energy of people who say “No” and “Can’t” is overpowering to him, and he needs to work with positive people - not “yes men,” so to speak, but people with happy attitudes who are open-minded to what’s possible, who take what’s been done before and improve it, go beyond it, and don’t limit themselves.

Don’t let what you don’t know stop you.

If your friends aren’t supporting you, reboot your friends.

Being lucky is okay.

Give back.

It’s all about potential. If you think about the boulder at the top of the hill, it has more potential value than when it’s sitting on the bottom of the hill. And his three watch words are “Fear, Greed, and Disruption” - if you create something that disrupts the status quo, that causes fear in an incumbent, or that makes someone greedy enough to want to buy your company for its profit potential, then you’ve won, in his estimation.

He also happens to be the mastermind behind the VON conference, at which our client Iperia is exhibiting this year, and where I’ll be blogging from during the business week.

It’s a bummer Lani couldn’t have been here for Pulver’s talk, because she eats this stuff up. And I’m beginning to see why. Hopefully I’ve captured some of its essence for her. (And you, too.)

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This entry was posted on Sunday, October 28th, 2007 at 2:14 pm and is filed under A-Has in the Ether. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

It’s a classic exercise in the value of small numbers compounded over time. (You can find this in a bunch of places, but we got the following graph here.)

Most people would think a million dollars in the hand is better than taking a penny and doubling it every day for a month. But as it turns out, you get waaaaaaay more if you go with the penny:

Below is an example of how fast money can accumulate. Start by putting a penny in a bucket (better use a big bucket). The next day, put two pennies in the bucket. Each day after that, double the amount put in the prior day. At the end of a month, you will have over $10 million.

Day #	$ Saved Today	Total $ Saved
1	0.01	0.01
2	0.02	0.03
3	0.04	0.07
4	0.08	0.15
5	0.16	0.31
6	0.32	0.63
7	0.64	1.27
8	1.28	2.55
9	2.56	5.11
10	5.12	10.23
11	10.24	20.47
12	20.48	40.95
13	40.96	81.91
14	81.92	163.83
15	163.84	327.67
16	327.68	655.35
17	655.36	1,310.71
18	1,310.72	2,621.43
19	2,621.44	5,242.87
20	5,242.88	10,485.75
21	10,485.76	20,971.51
22	20,971.52	41,943.03
23	41,943.04	83,886.07
24	83,886.08	167,772.15
25	167,772.16	335,544.31
26	335,544.32	671,088.63
27	671,088.64	1,342,177.27
28	1,342,177.28	2,684,354.55
29	2,684,354.56	5,368,709.11
30	5,368,709.12	10,737,418.23

 

It still blows our minds every time we see it. For us, it just reinforces how small changes over time add up to really, really BIG results.

What small change could you make today?

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 18th, 2007 at 11:49 am and is filed under A-Has in the Ether. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

My son, the obsessive.

He’s been asking to watch the movie “World Race” over…and over…and over…  I think he watched it three times in a row on a recent rainy day.

Lani and I have been asking him what he’s getting out of this movie, and until today, the answers have been along the lines of, “It’s cool!”

Well, over breakfast this morning, my darling four-and-a-half-year-old said, out of nowhere, “Daddy, do you know what the ancient inscription says?”

“Ummm..no. What’s it say?”

“Wisdom is a circle. What you receive, you must give back.”

Aha! I recognized this line from one of the many World Race showings over the past few months. So that’s what he’s getting out of the Hot Wheels racing movie. Which makes me feel a lot better about him watching it.

And, it made me think about the concept of “Dignity Marketing,” which Lani and I have been talking about more and more in recent months. The quote Joey tossed out is exactly the philosophy behind Dignity Marketing.

It’s marketing without selling yourself. It’s sharing your passion and knowledge in bite-sized chunks so that when your audience is ready to buy, you’re top of mind, and they just go for it.

So thanks to the little man for this morning’s “Aha!”

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 10th, 2007 at 11:08 am and is filed under A-Has in the Ether. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

A New Hampshire small biz success story, launched by an epiphany following a near-death experience…two gutzy chicks…6000% growth in the first year…bold messaging on comfy, cozy, sun-washed tees and sweatshirts…PLUS a smiling Alec Baldwin…

I LIVE FOR STORIES LIKE THIS!

Meet Alyson Bruu and Kristine Fichera, founders of Liv’n Out Loud! Clothing Company Inc.

I found out about their story and biz success in this article on NH.com, from where this explanatory excerpt hails:

“We’re not just a clothing company,” said Bruu, a marketing and public relations professional and owner of December Marketing. “We’re promoting a lifestyle. We’re getting people to look at their own humanity and ask themselves, ‘Am I living the life I’m meant to live?’ It’s like we’re igniting these epiphanies.”

Their own “aha moment” came after Alyson nearly bled to death after simple surgery to remove an ovary. The Big Life questions started pouring in: “Did I live a meaningful life? Did I make a difference? Was I true to myself in life?”

The conclusion to each of these questions was “No.” So the six-fig salary was ditched, and a T-shirt company was born. Bold insight PLUS joy-filled action. Ain’t it purty, tho’?

Now, the co-owners boast huge growth, international attention, and an ever-broadening fan base - all in less than two short years! - because of regular press coverage and successful viral marketing efforts. (Getting some good Hollywood exposure hasn’t hurt, either.) Cancer survivors find comfort and strength in their clothing AND powerful mini-anthems:

• “Hey Cancer…You Picked the Wrong Broad!”
• “Defy mediocrity”
• “Because I Can”
• “Mine Are Brass”
• Bring It On!”

Congratulations, ladies. Excellent messaging. Stellar mission. Bold moves. You are fab examples of how to “A-Ha Yourself!”
Keep on truckin’!

Posted in A-Has in the Ether, How do you "A-Ha Yourself"?, Insight + Action | 1 Comment »

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 10th, 2007 at 5:01 pm and is filed under A-Has in the Ether, How do you "A-Ha Yourself"?, Insight + Action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Okay, this is slightly incestuous, but I had to give a “blod” (that’s a “blog nod”) to my friend and biz associate, Kevin Skarritt.

As I type - and my feverish 4-year-old son is leaning against me in his oozy delirium - Kevin and Allen are creating #2 of FOUR amazing information products that comprise our “Business Breakout 2007” package, available to the public on January 31st! (If you want to find out more - and even get a special deal! - on this exceptional collection of information, go to www.GoNutsin2007.com, sign up for the free special report, and take a look at the “hidden” page on the other side. You don’t want to miss it!)

Despite the fact that he and Allen were burning the midnight oil last night, Kevin took a moment to blog about his post-recording buzz…and say really nice things about us in the process, such as…

This is what Allen and his business partner (and lovely wife) teach to all of their clients. How to create “bold insight and joy-filled action” in your business! They call it “A-Ha-ing” yourself.

If this is how a business owner can feel after a 17 hour day, then COUNT ME IN EVERY DAY. Well, not for the 17 hour part. You know what I mean! Have you A-Ha’d yourself lately??

Since “A-Ha-ing Yourself” is more of an experience than an easy-to-explain concept, this blog entry is a kind and wonderful gift to us. It shows us - and Kevin’s blog readers - we deliver value, we’ve got something special to offer ultra-talented entrepreneurs and business professionals, and perhaps most importantly, that the “A-Ha-ing Yourself” process is understood, appreciated, and adored by those who have experienced it.

Thanks, Kev. You da BOMB, baby!

(And not to be a nag, but do you think I could have my husband home before tomorrow this time?)

Want to increase the number of “A-Has” you have in YOUR life and business? Sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!

Posted in A-Has in the Ether, Agents of Karma, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!" | 1 Comment »

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 24th, 2007 at 6:07 pm and is filed under A-Has in the Ether, Agents of Karma, Tools to "A-Ha Yourself!". You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

First, I apologize.

As much as I’d like to attempt to summarize this amazing article from Sharon Begley of the Wall Street Journal - How Thinking Can Change the Brain - it’s just not going to happen. I will tell you it includes, but is in no way limited to:

• The Dalai Lama
• Neuroplasticity
• Buddhist ‘adepts”
• Neuroscientists
• University studies on the power of mediation
• Monks
• and last but not least…Gamma Waves

And I will say this: If you ever doubted the power of your own mind, this is an article you may want to check out. Your doubts will disappear. (Especially if you meditate on it!)

The reason I’m sharing the article on this particular blog is because there’s a lovely little paragraph explaining - at least partially - the science behind the “Aha” moment, lest you liken this sudden flash of insight to the unicorn…or to straight men who know what a duvet cover is. Here goes:

As the volunteers began meditating, one kind of brain wave grew exceptionally strong: gamma waves. These, scientists believe, are a signature of neuronal activity that knits together far-flung circuits — consciousness, in a sense. Gamma waves appear when the brain brings together different features of an object, such as look, feel, sound and other attributes that lead the brain to its aha moment of, yup, that’s an armadillo.

 (The “armadillo” thing comes out of nowhere, but the rest, I think you’ll agree, is pretty fascinating.)

Now, in addition to crunches, I’m going to have to work gamma wave strengthening exercises into my workout routine.

Got any ideas? 

Want to give YOUR gamma waves a workout that’ll add some zing to YOUR life and business? Sign up for our ezine, “The Inciter,” at EpiphaniesInc.com!

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007 at 3:31 pm and is filed under A-Has in the Ether. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.