Five in a Row
To win five sporting events in a row is an amazing feat. There has not been a Triple Crown winner in horse racing in 30 years. To win a Superbowl in football takes winning at least three in a row and is celebrated as one of the great accomplishments in all sports each year. To win a World Series requires winning four games, although they do not have to be in a row: just the best of seven. So when Ron Hornaday won his fifth consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Race on Saturday, I watched in awe.
There is so much that has to happen to win just one race. So many things can go wrong, and so many things have to go right. There are 36 other trucks on the track, all hoping to make it to Victory Lane. Equipment can break or malfunction. The pit crew can make mistakes. A driver can be caught up in an accident beyond his control. Thousands of other things can happen to take a car out of the race or put it behind the leader.
So what does a driver have to do to win five in a row? First he has to have awesome equipment. He must have engines with outstanding horsepower. The handling on the truck has to be spot on. Pit stops need to be fast. All of these things have to happen, and the driver has to believe he is a winner. In fact, on a racing team everyone has to believe. The guys in the shop who prepare the truck for the race, the people in the engine department, squeezing the last bit of power out of the engine while making sure it holds together for the entire race, the driver himself—all need to believe.
To be able to do this five consecutive times is historic. In fact, it has never been done in this series and has not been done in any of NASCAR’s major touring series since 1971, when NASCAR was very different from what it is today. The moral of this account is that if you believe you are a winner, you will be! The 33 team believed it was and proved it to the rest of us.
As a side note I could not be happier for Ron Hornaday and his team. About 4 years ago I was with some friends in Mooresville, NC at this little, hole-in-the-wall, local bar to listen to a band and relax on a Saturday night when a guy tapped me on the shoulder, asking for help to move a table. I said, “No problem” and “Man, you look like Ron Hornaday.” He replied, “I am,” and we ended up talking for awhile. I can tell you that he is as down to earth and as much a gentleman as anyone I have ever met. He has all the humble qualities someone needs to make history like he has. In my book he deserves the accolades. I congratulate the 33 team! They proved to me that if a person believes, he can achieve.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“Faith is to believe what you do not see, the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.”-unknown
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Do You Play Victim?
Playing the Victim
In racing one sees a lot of post-race interviews in which one driver blames another for getting him loose or spinning him out, causing a wreck. I am amazed that drivers have such a hard time taking responsibility for what happens on the track. In racing, as in life, few things happen over which we have no control. A series of events usually occurs before a wreck, and often the wreck could have been avoided. It troubles me when drivers get in front of the camera after a race and play victim.
This is an important issue for me personally. I have spent a good deal of my life in victim mode. However, when I honestly look in the mirror and take full responsibility for my life, I am able to move forward. As a life coach I find many people who do not realize that they have created everything in their life. Placing the blame on others and not owning up to the fact that they are responsible for the life they lead are the primary obstacles that hold back most people. The Law of Attraction states this: everything we have in our lives we have created—good and bad.
If you want to change your life, then start owning it. Take a good, long look in the mirror and realize that you are where you are today because you choose to be—the result of your past thoughts and actions. Today, however, you are choosing to take control of your life and be completely responsible for future outcomes.
When you have negative feelings or are dealing with a difficult situation, assess whether you are in victim mode. Analyze your thoughts and, if you are thinking of yourself as a victim, reevaluate and change your role. Take ownership of your life, and you will finally be in control of your own destiny.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“Some men see things as they are and say ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and say ‘Why Not?’” – George Bernard Shaw
In racing one sees a lot of post-race interviews in which one driver blames another for getting him loose or spinning him out, causing a wreck. I am amazed that drivers have such a hard time taking responsibility for what happens on the track. In racing, as in life, few things happen over which we have no control. A series of events usually occurs before a wreck, and often the wreck could have been avoided. It troubles me when drivers get in front of the camera after a race and play victim.
This is an important issue for me personally. I have spent a good deal of my life in victim mode. However, when I honestly look in the mirror and take full responsibility for my life, I am able to move forward. As a life coach I find many people who do not realize that they have created everything in their life. Placing the blame on others and not owning up to the fact that they are responsible for the life they lead are the primary obstacles that hold back most people. The Law of Attraction states this: everything we have in our lives we have created—good and bad.
If you want to change your life, then start owning it. Take a good, long look in the mirror and realize that you are where you are today because you choose to be—the result of your past thoughts and actions. Today, however, you are choosing to take control of your life and be completely responsible for future outcomes.
When you have negative feelings or are dealing with a difficult situation, assess whether you are in victim mode. Analyze your thoughts and, if you are thinking of yourself as a victim, reevaluate and change your role. Take ownership of your life, and you will finally be in control of your own destiny.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“Some men see things as they are and say ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and say ‘Why Not?’” – George Bernard Shaw
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
What Is Wrong with Failure?
What Is Wrong with Failure?
I have crashed and burned several times in my life—in a race car, in business and in relationships. I have made some pretty major mistakes, and they have cost me a lot. I used to really beat myself up over them. Now I realize the real cost was the time and energy I wasted on feeling sorry for myself or on not moving forward because I was so caught up in the past, where all my energies were focused.
Not until I was able to let go of the past and concentrate on today did I truly learn how to live. I learned to embrace the mistakes and failures as life lessons. I believe I may have created these challenges in my life to help me grow and to prepare myself to handle anything that comes my way. My failures have given me the strength to be successful.
From Portrait of an Achiever:
-1832 Failed in business: bankruptcy
-1832 Defeated for legislature
-1834 Failed in business: bankruptcy
-1835 Fiancé died
-1836 Nervous breakdown
-1838 Defeated in election
-1843 Defeated for U.S. Congress
-1848 Defeated for U.S. Congress
-1855 Defeated for U.S. Senate
-1856 Defeated for Vice President
-1858 Defeated for U.S. Senate
-1860 Abraham Lincoln Elected President of the United States of America
Abraham Lincoln shows us that failure can overcome us only if we let it. Those who are truly successful take life’s hardships and setbacks and use them as preparation for the next challenge. The lesson in all this: Use life’s challenges to build character and strength to move forward with your life.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day! - “Strength is built by one’s failures, not by one’s successes.”- Coco Channel
I have crashed and burned several times in my life—in a race car, in business and in relationships. I have made some pretty major mistakes, and they have cost me a lot. I used to really beat myself up over them. Now I realize the real cost was the time and energy I wasted on feeling sorry for myself or on not moving forward because I was so caught up in the past, where all my energies were focused.
Not until I was able to let go of the past and concentrate on today did I truly learn how to live. I learned to embrace the mistakes and failures as life lessons. I believe I may have created these challenges in my life to help me grow and to prepare myself to handle anything that comes my way. My failures have given me the strength to be successful.
From Portrait of an Achiever:
-1832 Failed in business: bankruptcy
-1832 Defeated for legislature
-1834 Failed in business: bankruptcy
-1835 Fiancé died
-1836 Nervous breakdown
-1838 Defeated in election
-1843 Defeated for U.S. Congress
-1848 Defeated for U.S. Congress
-1855 Defeated for U.S. Senate
-1856 Defeated for Vice President
-1858 Defeated for U.S. Senate
-1860 Abraham Lincoln Elected President of the United States of America
Abraham Lincoln shows us that failure can overcome us only if we let it. Those who are truly successful take life’s hardships and setbacks and use them as preparation for the next challenge. The lesson in all this: Use life’s challenges to build character and strength to move forward with your life.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day! - “Strength is built by one’s failures, not by one’s successes.”- Coco Channel
Monday, August 3, 2009
August Book Review: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
It has been passed down through the ages, highly coveted, hidden, lost, stolen and bought for vast sums of money. This centuries-old Secret has been understood by some of the most prominent people in history: Plato, Galileo, Beethoven, Edison, Carnegie, Einstein—along with other inventors, theologians, scientists and great thinkers. Now The Secret is being revealed to the world.
“As you learn The Secret you will come to know how you can have, be, or do anything you want. You will know who you really are. You will come to know the true magnificence that awaits you in life.”
— from the Introduction
If you don’t know the Secret, then you need to read this book or see the documentary that was made by some of the leading business leaders, philosophers, authors, speakers and quantum physicists of our time about the Law of Attraction.
The Law of Attraction states that what you think about, you bring about. You control your destiny with the power of your mind. You become what you think about most, but you also attract what you think about most. Like attracts like. If you have positive thoughts, you will have positive results. The Law of Attraction gives you what you want—period! If there was ever a book that I could recommend that would start you on the path to changing your life, this book is it. Further, I suggest you get the DVD and the book and use them together.
You can find these at www.erikelsea.com/books/
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
“As you learn The Secret you will come to know how you can have, be, or do anything you want. You will know who you really are. You will come to know the true magnificence that awaits you in life.”
— from the Introduction
If you don’t know the Secret, then you need to read this book or see the documentary that was made by some of the leading business leaders, philosophers, authors, speakers and quantum physicists of our time about the Law of Attraction.
The Law of Attraction states that what you think about, you bring about. You control your destiny with the power of your mind. You become what you think about most, but you also attract what you think about most. Like attracts like. If you have positive thoughts, you will have positive results. The Law of Attraction gives you what you want—period! If there was ever a book that I could recommend that would start you on the path to changing your life, this book is it. Further, I suggest you get the DVD and the book and use them together.
You can find these at www.erikelsea.com/books/
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Go or Go Home!
I had the opportunity this past week to watch qualifying for the NASCAR race in Chicago. For those of you not familiar with NASCAR racing, there are 43 starting positions in the race. Usually there are more cars than that that show up to try and make it into the race. The cars that are in the top 35 in owners points are guaranteed a spot, so all of the cars that show up outside of the top 35 have to qualify their way into the big show. For this particular race in Chicago there were 11 cars competing for 8 spots. These 11 cars are considered go or go home cars. Basically their whole weekend is riding on their being fast enough to make the field in the 2-lap qualifying run.
That’s a lot of pressure. A driver has two laps to make a fast run or his team ends up putting its equipment back on the car hauler and heading back to Charlotte without even racing. Think of all those wasted miles, driving out to Chicago or Las Vegas or California and not making the race. All the preparation is for naught if a racing team cannot make a good qualifying run. This past weekend 3 teams made that long, disappointing drive home without the chance to race.
When you are a team that is trying to qualify, you do everything legally within your power to try to make the field. The preparation that goes into a qualifying round is extensive. The team’s one goal is to lay down the fastest possible lap it can. As is said in other sports, “It’s do or die.”
What if we started having that kind of focus in our lives? What if in our careers we treated each meeting or presentation or client like it was go or go home? What if for our health and well-being we started making going to the gym a do or die activity instead of thinking, “I’ll try.” The amount of preparation put into qualifying on a go or go home car is intense. If we put that same amount of preparation into the important aspects of our lives, I promise we would start accomplishing more.
I use a system that Charles M. Schwab, president of Bethlehem Steel, learned from a man named Ivy Lee, whose objective it was to sell him services to make his business more efficient. It is called the critical six. At the end of each day make a list of the six most critical tasks that you need to complete the next day. The key is that they be critical for moving you toward your goals. After you number them in order of importance, complete them the next day in that order and check them off as you do. Any unfinished tasks automatically become your most important tasks for the next day. By doing this you will stay on task to complete the most important steps toward personal success. Start treating your life as go or go home. . .to win the race of life.
For more in-depth coaching on winning in life or in business, check out my website below.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” –John Wooden
That’s a lot of pressure. A driver has two laps to make a fast run or his team ends up putting its equipment back on the car hauler and heading back to Charlotte without even racing. Think of all those wasted miles, driving out to Chicago or Las Vegas or California and not making the race. All the preparation is for naught if a racing team cannot make a good qualifying run. This past weekend 3 teams made that long, disappointing drive home without the chance to race.
When you are a team that is trying to qualify, you do everything legally within your power to try to make the field. The preparation that goes into a qualifying round is extensive. The team’s one goal is to lay down the fastest possible lap it can. As is said in other sports, “It’s do or die.”
What if we started having that kind of focus in our lives? What if in our careers we treated each meeting or presentation or client like it was go or go home? What if for our health and well-being we started making going to the gym a do or die activity instead of thinking, “I’ll try.” The amount of preparation put into qualifying on a go or go home car is intense. If we put that same amount of preparation into the important aspects of our lives, I promise we would start accomplishing more.
I use a system that Charles M. Schwab, president of Bethlehem Steel, learned from a man named Ivy Lee, whose objective it was to sell him services to make his business more efficient. It is called the critical six. At the end of each day make a list of the six most critical tasks that you need to complete the next day. The key is that they be critical for moving you toward your goals. After you number them in order of importance, complete them the next day in that order and check them off as you do. Any unfinished tasks automatically become your most important tasks for the next day. By doing this you will stay on task to complete the most important steps toward personal success. Start treating your life as go or go home. . .to win the race of life.
For more in-depth coaching on winning in life or in business, check out my website below.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?” –John Wooden
Monday, July 13, 2009
Celebrating Those First Victories
Celebrating Those First Victories!
A couple weeks ago Joey Logano celebrated in New Hampshire what many believe will be the first of many victories in his career in New Hampshire. At age 19 he is the youngest driver to ever win a Sprint Cup NASCAR race. A first victory is special on so many levels. It is special just for the fact that winning a race is a huge achievement. It is proof that all of the training and hard work have paid off and were worth it. You earn a respect from the people with whom you race. But most importantly you prove to yourself what you already knew: I can do this.
I am writing this because our lives are full of firsts. The victories that we have in life are not always celebrated with champagne, confetti and a beautiful girl’s kissing your cheek but they are just as important . . . and so maybe should be.
It seems to me that when we were children a lot of firsts were celebrated. A first birthday was an important family event. Our parents were overjoyed when my siblings and I took our first step or said our first word, and they have a photo of each year’s first day of school.
I want to remind everyone to keep celebrating those first victories. They are important! Don’t miss a one. Your first anniversary. The first day of work in a new career. The first day of school to continue your education. The first sale you make at a new job. Reward yourself and acknowledge these accomplishments. If you can go all out with the champagne, confetti and even the beautiful girl’s kissing your cheek, then do it. You are telling the universe that you gladly receive all the victories in your life and you are ready for more to come.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
A couple weeks ago Joey Logano celebrated in New Hampshire what many believe will be the first of many victories in his career in New Hampshire. At age 19 he is the youngest driver to ever win a Sprint Cup NASCAR race. A first victory is special on so many levels. It is special just for the fact that winning a race is a huge achievement. It is proof that all of the training and hard work have paid off and were worth it. You earn a respect from the people with whom you race. But most importantly you prove to yourself what you already knew: I can do this.
I am writing this because our lives are full of firsts. The victories that we have in life are not always celebrated with champagne, confetti and a beautiful girl’s kissing your cheek but they are just as important . . . and so maybe should be.
It seems to me that when we were children a lot of firsts were celebrated. A first birthday was an important family event. Our parents were overjoyed when my siblings and I took our first step or said our first word, and they have a photo of each year’s first day of school.
I want to remind everyone to keep celebrating those first victories. They are important! Don’t miss a one. Your first anniversary. The first day of work in a new career. The first day of school to continue your education. The first sale you make at a new job. Reward yourself and acknowledge these accomplishments. If you can go all out with the champagne, confetti and even the beautiful girl’s kissing your cheek, then do it. You are telling the universe that you gladly receive all the victories in your life and you are ready for more to come.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Friday, July 10, 2009
Deal with your Emotions
Last weekend’s NASCAR race had a spectacular finish with cars piling up and sliding across the finish line. Kyle Busch was leading the race but ended up getting loose and wrecking when he tried to block Tony Stewart. After slamming into the wall and getting hit from behind by Kasey Kahne, he ended up falling to 14th place. To go from leading with less than a half mile to go to finishing in 14th place because you got spun out would make anyone upset. The problem for Kyle was that the replay showed clearly that it was not Tony Stewart’s fault.
Kyle did not have the opportunity to view the replay before climbing out of his car, visibly upset. He went stomping down pit road toward victory lane, stripping off his gloves and his helmet because he was going to give Tony a piece of his mind . . . and maybe then some. About halfway down pit road the NASCAR officials corralled him. It took about eight of them to force him into a truck to be taken to the infield care center, where he could be checked out and persuaded to cool his temper.
I have been watching racing, involved in racing and behind the wheel of a race car long enough to have seen this scenario played out many times. In this case it didn’t lead to a fight or the loser slamming his car into the winner’s car like it usually does. In this case NASCAR officials got to Kyle first and gave him a chance to cool down and maybe even see the replay so he knew that he was not wrecked on purpose.
How many times in our lives have we let our emotions control our decision making and our actions? I am as guilty of this as anyone. But I have gradually come to realize that as emotions go up, intelligence goes down. We all need to concentrate on leaving emotion out of major decisions in our lives. When we are emotionally attached to the outcome of something, it is like we have blinders on to the rest of the world.
I have seen people so emotionally attached to a relationship that they stay in it even though it is suffocating them. I have seen people so emotionally attached to a business or investment that they refuse to see its failing until they are completely broke and sometimes buried in debt. The point: if you want to change your life, change your thinking. Leave your emotions at the door.
Remember: when emotions go up, intelligence goes down!
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Kyle did not have the opportunity to view the replay before climbing out of his car, visibly upset. He went stomping down pit road toward victory lane, stripping off his gloves and his helmet because he was going to give Tony a piece of his mind . . . and maybe then some. About halfway down pit road the NASCAR officials corralled him. It took about eight of them to force him into a truck to be taken to the infield care center, where he could be checked out and persuaded to cool his temper.
I have been watching racing, involved in racing and behind the wheel of a race car long enough to have seen this scenario played out many times. In this case it didn’t lead to a fight or the loser slamming his car into the winner’s car like it usually does. In this case NASCAR officials got to Kyle first and gave him a chance to cool down and maybe even see the replay so he knew that he was not wrecked on purpose.
How many times in our lives have we let our emotions control our decision making and our actions? I am as guilty of this as anyone. But I have gradually come to realize that as emotions go up, intelligence goes down. We all need to concentrate on leaving emotion out of major decisions in our lives. When we are emotionally attached to the outcome of something, it is like we have blinders on to the rest of the world.
I have seen people so emotionally attached to a relationship that they stay in it even though it is suffocating them. I have seen people so emotionally attached to a business or investment that they refuse to see its failing until they are completely broke and sometimes buried in debt. The point: if you want to change your life, change your thinking. Leave your emotions at the door.
Remember: when emotions go up, intelligence goes down!
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Thursday, July 9, 2009
How Do You Want to Win?
How Do You Want to Win?
I had the pleasure of attending the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona this past weekend. For any of you who follow this blog regularly, you know that racing, and in particular NASCAR racing, is a huge passion of mine. It is right up there with the coaching and consulting I do. Helping people win in life and in business correlates with my passion for racing. What made this weekend even better is that I was able to share the experience with someone who had never been to a race.
It was an amazing race, with all the excitement one could expect, especially as someone’s first. Going to the mecca of NASCAR racing on the Fourth of July, celebrating everything that is great about America and seeing a phenomenal finish was awesome. The lead changed in the last lap; then the lead driver slammed into the wall and triggered a massive wreck—all the elements of racing excitement in one event.
Tony Stewart was the eventual winner, and it was his handling of Kyle Busch’s wreck that impressed me most. It was Tony’s car that got Kyle Busch loose coming out of turn 4, but when Kyle moved up the track to block him, Kyle’s car was spun sideways and into the wall at over 180 miles per hour. Even in the stands we could see from the replay on the Jumbotron monitors that is was nobody’s fault. It was a fact of racing: everyone’s fighting for the same piece of real estate and going for the win. Tony Stewart came out on the better end of the deal this time, but even as he crossed the finish line, he was on his radio, saying “I don’t like winning ‘em like that.” He was also extremely humble in all his post-race interviews, making sure that everyone knew he was not at all happy about what had happened to Kyle Busch.
A term in racing says it all: “clean.” This means racing tough but not wrecking your opponents on purpose in order to win. Tony Stewart raced Kyle Busch “clean,” and that brings me to the point of this blog. Are you racing everyone clean? I know successful people—successful by society’s standards, anyway—who did not win honestly. I wonder, “Did they truly do what was in the best interest of their client, their relationships, their family, and their business partners, or did they put their winning above and beyond everyone else in their life?”
How do you want to be remembered? As someone who was fair and honest or someone who tried to win at all costs? Wrecks happen in life as well as in racing. What matters is where your intentions lie. Make decisions that you can sleep with at night. Let the past be history and move on to race “clean” for the next victory.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
I had the pleasure of attending the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona this past weekend. For any of you who follow this blog regularly, you know that racing, and in particular NASCAR racing, is a huge passion of mine. It is right up there with the coaching and consulting I do. Helping people win in life and in business correlates with my passion for racing. What made this weekend even better is that I was able to share the experience with someone who had never been to a race.
It was an amazing race, with all the excitement one could expect, especially as someone’s first. Going to the mecca of NASCAR racing on the Fourth of July, celebrating everything that is great about America and seeing a phenomenal finish was awesome. The lead changed in the last lap; then the lead driver slammed into the wall and triggered a massive wreck—all the elements of racing excitement in one event.
Tony Stewart was the eventual winner, and it was his handling of Kyle Busch’s wreck that impressed me most. It was Tony’s car that got Kyle Busch loose coming out of turn 4, but when Kyle moved up the track to block him, Kyle’s car was spun sideways and into the wall at over 180 miles per hour. Even in the stands we could see from the replay on the Jumbotron monitors that is was nobody’s fault. It was a fact of racing: everyone’s fighting for the same piece of real estate and going for the win. Tony Stewart came out on the better end of the deal this time, but even as he crossed the finish line, he was on his radio, saying “I don’t like winning ‘em like that.” He was also extremely humble in all his post-race interviews, making sure that everyone knew he was not at all happy about what had happened to Kyle Busch.
A term in racing says it all: “clean.” This means racing tough but not wrecking your opponents on purpose in order to win. Tony Stewart raced Kyle Busch “clean,” and that brings me to the point of this blog. Are you racing everyone clean? I know successful people—successful by society’s standards, anyway—who did not win honestly. I wonder, “Did they truly do what was in the best interest of their client, their relationships, their family, and their business partners, or did they put their winning above and beyond everyone else in their life?”
How do you want to be remembered? As someone who was fair and honest or someone who tried to win at all costs? Wrecks happen in life as well as in racing. What matters is where your intentions lie. Make decisions that you can sleep with at night. Let the past be history and move on to race “clean” for the next victory.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, by Dr. Robert Fulghum – July Book Review
Like most people, I have a going on in my life. Between work and family and keeping up with the normal hustle and bustle of life, I, like others, tend to forget the simple pleasures in life and miss the bigger meaning in the little things. This book by Dr. Robert Fulghum reminds all of us of the significance found in our relationships with others and in everyday occurrences.
So often I find myself forgetting to slow down and smell the roses. My schedule is extremely full. When life starts to overwhelm me, the essays in this book help bring me back to the basics and remind me what is truly important in life. And when I get right down to it, I did learn it all in kindergarten.
(From the book)
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday school. These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life: learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: they all die. So do we.
And remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned—the biggest word of all—LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere: the Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all—the whole world—had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are: when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
(End of book excerpt)
I have read this book three times in my life. As far as I’m concerned, that is way too few. As complicated as I have made my life, I need to be reminded more often to keep it simple. We all want the same basic things in life. They just come wrapped in different packages. This book will help you realize how truly special the gifts in your life are.
To order your copy of this book or look at past book reviews, visit www.erikelsea.com/books/.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day! “We are not held back by the love we didn’t receive in the past, but by the love we’re not extending in the present.” - Marianne Williamson
So often I find myself forgetting to slow down and smell the roses. My schedule is extremely full. When life starts to overwhelm me, the essays in this book help bring me back to the basics and remind me what is truly important in life. And when I get right down to it, I did learn it all in kindergarten.
(From the book)
ALL I REALLY NEED TO KNOW about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate-school mountain, but there in the sandpile at Sunday school. These are the things I learned:
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don’t hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don’t take things that aren’t yours.
Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Warm cookies and milk are good for you.
Live a balanced life: learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
Wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: they all die. So do we.
And remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned—the biggest word of all—LOOK.
Everything you need to know is in there somewhere: the Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation, ecology and politics and equality and sane living.
Take any one of those items and extrapolate it into sophisticated adult terms and apply it to your family life or your work or your government or your world and it holds true and clear and firm. Think what a better world it would be if we all—the whole world—had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap. Or if all governments had a basic policy to always put things back where they found them and to clean up their own mess.
And it is still true, no matter how old you are: when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.
(End of book excerpt)
I have read this book three times in my life. As far as I’m concerned, that is way too few. As complicated as I have made my life, I need to be reminded more often to keep it simple. We all want the same basic things in life. They just come wrapped in different packages. This book will help you realize how truly special the gifts in your life are.
To order your copy of this book or look at past book reviews, visit www.erikelsea.com/books/.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day! “We are not held back by the love we didn’t receive in the past, but by the love we’re not extending in the present.” - Marianne Williamson
Friday, July 3, 2009
Would You Rather Be Right or Rich?
Would You Rather Be Right or Rich?
I was amazed today when my appointment for an interview didn’t show. I am in the process of hiring one exceptional agent to handle my real estate business in Cape Coral. I thought I had found that person when a lady who had owned a boutique brokerage up north for 12 years responded to my ad. She explained to me that she had lots of experience but her license here in Florida was currently inactive. If she went to work anywhere, because of the state of the economy and her current financial situation, the new company would have to cover or at least advance her dues to the local real estate board. I understood. We have all been through tough times financially, and those dues are about $1200. We had a really nice conversation on the phone, and I thought she might be the one. I did not give her all of the specifics because I wanted to get to know her some in person and make sure she was going to be a good fit for our company. None of that happened.
I had sent her an e-mail confirming the time and location: 1 pm at a model home for a builder who is affiliated with our company. I specifically picked this location because it was the closest meeting place to her home to which I had access. I arranged my day and schedule around this appointment because our phone conversation and her reply to my e-mail, saying that she was looking forward to the meeting, made me hopeful. There was only one problem: she thought the meeting was at 10 am. I double- checked my e-mails to her, and she had obviously misread them. They clearly stated 1 pm.
When she didn’t show, I was really surprised. I waited until about 1:15, then called her, thinking maybe she had gotten lost. She answered and was angry with me because she had been there at 10 am, “like she wrote down.” She was sure she was right about the time. However, although I didn’t bring it to her attention, the time was there in black and white in the e-mail to which she responded. I also know I had other commitments this morning that would have precluded me from making another appointment.
However, in good faith, I changed other plans and met her later. Regardless, she went off on me because the construction guys who work in the model home failed to acknowledge her and she was left waiting for ten minutes. She was in the “right” that they should have greeted her, but I wondered why she hadn’t politely asked one of them where I was. She started blaming me for their rudeness, and I found myself trying to explain and apologize for something that was completely out of my control. She was angry with me for standing her up (which I didn’t), for the guys in the model home not giving her the time of day (I can’t be responsible for anyone other than myself.) and for driving all the way there (when I had picked a place as close to her as possible). She was dead set on letting me know she was “right.”
I knew then that she was not the one. You see, I needed a partner, someone to handle the day-to-day operations of a real estate business, someone who would be customer oriented and get along with all of us. This woman was more intent on being right. She was argumentative and confrontational. She didn’t take the time to check the correctness of her information (by rereading my e-mail) and did not seem inclined to admit mistakes or express humility. She would rather be right than “rich,” rich being relative, especially for someone who needed to borrow $1200 to renew her license.
I am not immune to wanting to be right, but I’ve learned it is not all important. In fact, it has cost me in my life: jobs, friendships, business partnerships, personal relationships. I am writing this today to remind myself and others that no one has to always be right. The only person anyone has to prove anything to is himself. Remember we are 100% responsible for ourselves only. Being right can cost you a lot in life. It cost this lady one heck of an opportunity.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day! – “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.” –Henry Ford
I was amazed today when my appointment for an interview didn’t show. I am in the process of hiring one exceptional agent to handle my real estate business in Cape Coral. I thought I had found that person when a lady who had owned a boutique brokerage up north for 12 years responded to my ad. She explained to me that she had lots of experience but her license here in Florida was currently inactive. If she went to work anywhere, because of the state of the economy and her current financial situation, the new company would have to cover or at least advance her dues to the local real estate board. I understood. We have all been through tough times financially, and those dues are about $1200. We had a really nice conversation on the phone, and I thought she might be the one. I did not give her all of the specifics because I wanted to get to know her some in person and make sure she was going to be a good fit for our company. None of that happened.
I had sent her an e-mail confirming the time and location: 1 pm at a model home for a builder who is affiliated with our company. I specifically picked this location because it was the closest meeting place to her home to which I had access. I arranged my day and schedule around this appointment because our phone conversation and her reply to my e-mail, saying that she was looking forward to the meeting, made me hopeful. There was only one problem: she thought the meeting was at 10 am. I double- checked my e-mails to her, and she had obviously misread them. They clearly stated 1 pm.
When she didn’t show, I was really surprised. I waited until about 1:15, then called her, thinking maybe she had gotten lost. She answered and was angry with me because she had been there at 10 am, “like she wrote down.” She was sure she was right about the time. However, although I didn’t bring it to her attention, the time was there in black and white in the e-mail to which she responded. I also know I had other commitments this morning that would have precluded me from making another appointment.
However, in good faith, I changed other plans and met her later. Regardless, she went off on me because the construction guys who work in the model home failed to acknowledge her and she was left waiting for ten minutes. She was in the “right” that they should have greeted her, but I wondered why she hadn’t politely asked one of them where I was. She started blaming me for their rudeness, and I found myself trying to explain and apologize for something that was completely out of my control. She was angry with me for standing her up (which I didn’t), for the guys in the model home not giving her the time of day (I can’t be responsible for anyone other than myself.) and for driving all the way there (when I had picked a place as close to her as possible). She was dead set on letting me know she was “right.”
I knew then that she was not the one. You see, I needed a partner, someone to handle the day-to-day operations of a real estate business, someone who would be customer oriented and get along with all of us. This woman was more intent on being right. She was argumentative and confrontational. She didn’t take the time to check the correctness of her information (by rereading my e-mail) and did not seem inclined to admit mistakes or express humility. She would rather be right than “rich,” rich being relative, especially for someone who needed to borrow $1200 to renew her license.
I am not immune to wanting to be right, but I’ve learned it is not all important. In fact, it has cost me in my life: jobs, friendships, business partnerships, personal relationships. I am writing this today to remind myself and others that no one has to always be right. The only person anyone has to prove anything to is himself. Remember we are 100% responsible for ourselves only. Being right can cost you a lot in life. It cost this lady one heck of an opportunity.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day! – “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.” –Henry Ford
Monday, June 22, 2009
Unlock the Power of Your Mind With Hypnosis
I wouldn’t normally blog about an event but this one is that important. If you want to change your outer world, change your inner mind. My good friend Dr. Steven Roth is hosting this amazing event this week. If you can make it I highly recommend you attend. I will be there personally. I hope to see you there.
Are you willing to accept financial success and prosperity while helping
others?
If you answered yes then read on!
As promised we are bringing all the way from California
World Renown
Hypnosis Trainer
Dr. Shelly Stockwell-Nicholas Ph.D.
In addition to practicing Hypnosis for 29 years, Shelly is the Founder and President of the International Hypnosis Federation. She has trained thousands of people to be professional hypnotists. She is currently the author of 12 books, a college teacher, and keynote speaker. Shelly has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV shows including the Phil Danaher Show and most recently Good Morning America. Her own show, The Shelly Show, won an Angel Award of Excellence for outstanding cable TV. Television shows use her sweeps and everyone from the LA Times to the National Enquirer call Shelly
"Today's Premiere Hypnosis Expert."
All this and she has agreed to come and certify MIAMI's Finest!!!!!!
June 25-28 2009
Certification Price: $1297
Financing Available
Here are some of the things people have to say about Dr. Stockwell:
"The one thing people are more private about than their sex life is their money. Leave it to Shelly to bring people to a financial orgasm that is proud and loud."
"Dr. Judy" Kuriansky Generation Sex, and The Complete Idiots Guide To A Healthy Relationship
"Thank you Shelly, this stuff works! I've doubled my income and my life perked up too."
J. Tessler Hypnotherapist
"The Stockwell System has everything you need to know about hypnosis as a personal tool or as a career. Hypnosis can help you eliminate fears, quit smoking, lose weight, and find happiness and success quickly and easily. "
Lynn Lofthouse,C. Ht.
"Shelly Stockwell's hypnosis course transformed my life. It gave me workable tools to quickly and simply deal with limiting patterns and the gratification of helping others."
Beryl Middleton, N.D.
The program offered through the
Hypnosis Institute for Progress will give you the tools, training, skills, and information you need to be successful in this growing field.
Did you know that:
Hypnotherapy is scientifically proven and has been accepted by the American Medical Association since 1958, American Dental Association and American Psychological Association since 1960
1956 Pope Pius XII gave his approval of hypnosis
Careeradvice.com lists hypnotherapy as #1 in it's list of top 5 interesting careers on earth
salary.com says "hypnotherapy is a hot career choice and ranks among the top 5 highest paying careers without a degree"
since 1990 hypnotherapy has become one of the fastest growing fields in the county yet more and more hypnotherapists are needed as the demand grows
your current practice or job can easily expand by offering hypnosis as an adjunct to what you already do such as; makeup artists, aestheticians, nurses, massage therapists, doctors, teachers, chiropractors, personal trainers, yoga instructors, etc.
Hypnosis is quickly becoming the most sought after modality of alternative therapy today
Hypnosis as a career offers freedom because you control your schedule, work place, and income by working when you want with whom you want
Hypnosis as a career allows you to target the area of expertise that interest you most
After the investment in your certification you can start immediately with your phone and your talent
Enroll now! Do your part to help yourself so you can help the world
Hurry!!! Call Now To Register
Limited Seating Available
305-522-8606
In this Live Weekend Hypnosis Training, you will learn:
Exactly what hypnosis is: how to dispel common myths
Powerful Hypnotic Tests: you can use with anyone to demonstrate hypnosis
Foolproof ways to hypnotize anybody: once you know what to say it's that easy
Tools and interventions: Learn to work with smoking, weight loss, pain control, stress reduction, and more...
Self-hypnosis: learn to use hypnosis to change your own habits and beliefs, and propel yourself to the future of your dreams
Complete Certification by IHF(International Hypnosis Federation)
How to set up your practice profitably and successfully
And much, much more
We reward people who take action, this means for the first 10 people who register and pay in full, you will receive additional bonuses;
Bonus #1:
One on one marketing consultation to discover your brand, niche, and how to grow your new Hypnotherapy Practice with Hypnocoach Marketing Expert
Amy Emme
A $2500 Value
Bonus #2
Conference Booster Hypnosis Session with
Dr. Steven Roth
A $500.00 Value
Bonus #3
Hypnosis Scripts to ensure success every time in any situation
To your future!
With Love,
Dr. Steven Roth
Hypnosis Institute for Progress
If you have any question call me on my cell at 305-984-3909
Or feel free to contact me through www.erikelsea.com
Erik Elsea
Are you willing to accept financial success and prosperity while helping
others?
If you answered yes then read on!
As promised we are bringing all the way from California
World Renown
Hypnosis Trainer
Dr. Shelly Stockwell-Nicholas Ph.D.
In addition to practicing Hypnosis for 29 years, Shelly is the Founder and President of the International Hypnosis Federation. She has trained thousands of people to be professional hypnotists. She is currently the author of 12 books, a college teacher, and keynote speaker. Shelly has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV shows including the Phil Danaher Show and most recently Good Morning America. Her own show, The Shelly Show, won an Angel Award of Excellence for outstanding cable TV. Television shows use her sweeps and everyone from the LA Times to the National Enquirer call Shelly
"Today's Premiere Hypnosis Expert."
All this and she has agreed to come and certify MIAMI's Finest!!!!!!
June 25-28 2009
Certification Price: $1297
Financing Available
Here are some of the things people have to say about Dr. Stockwell:
"The one thing people are more private about than their sex life is their money. Leave it to Shelly to bring people to a financial orgasm that is proud and loud."
"Dr. Judy" Kuriansky Generation Sex, and The Complete Idiots Guide To A Healthy Relationship
"Thank you Shelly, this stuff works! I've doubled my income and my life perked up too."
J. Tessler Hypnotherapist
"The Stockwell System has everything you need to know about hypnosis as a personal tool or as a career. Hypnosis can help you eliminate fears, quit smoking, lose weight, and find happiness and success quickly and easily. "
Lynn Lofthouse,C. Ht.
"Shelly Stockwell's hypnosis course transformed my life. It gave me workable tools to quickly and simply deal with limiting patterns and the gratification of helping others."
Beryl Middleton, N.D.
The program offered through the
Hypnosis Institute for Progress will give you the tools, training, skills, and information you need to be successful in this growing field.
Did you know that:
Hypnotherapy is scientifically proven and has been accepted by the American Medical Association since 1958, American Dental Association and American Psychological Association since 1960
1956 Pope Pius XII gave his approval of hypnosis
Careeradvice.com lists hypnotherapy as #1 in it's list of top 5 interesting careers on earth
salary.com says "hypnotherapy is a hot career choice and ranks among the top 5 highest paying careers without a degree"
since 1990 hypnotherapy has become one of the fastest growing fields in the county yet more and more hypnotherapists are needed as the demand grows
your current practice or job can easily expand by offering hypnosis as an adjunct to what you already do such as; makeup artists, aestheticians, nurses, massage therapists, doctors, teachers, chiropractors, personal trainers, yoga instructors, etc.
Hypnosis is quickly becoming the most sought after modality of alternative therapy today
Hypnosis as a career offers freedom because you control your schedule, work place, and income by working when you want with whom you want
Hypnosis as a career allows you to target the area of expertise that interest you most
After the investment in your certification you can start immediately with your phone and your talent
Enroll now! Do your part to help yourself so you can help the world
Hurry!!! Call Now To Register
Limited Seating Available
305-522-8606
In this Live Weekend Hypnosis Training, you will learn:
Exactly what hypnosis is: how to dispel common myths
Powerful Hypnotic Tests: you can use with anyone to demonstrate hypnosis
Foolproof ways to hypnotize anybody: once you know what to say it's that easy
Tools and interventions: Learn to work with smoking, weight loss, pain control, stress reduction, and more...
Self-hypnosis: learn to use hypnosis to change your own habits and beliefs, and propel yourself to the future of your dreams
Complete Certification by IHF(International Hypnosis Federation)
How to set up your practice profitably and successfully
And much, much more
We reward people who take action, this means for the first 10 people who register and pay in full, you will receive additional bonuses;
Bonus #1:
One on one marketing consultation to discover your brand, niche, and how to grow your new Hypnotherapy Practice with Hypnocoach Marketing Expert
Amy Emme
A $2500 Value
Bonus #2
Conference Booster Hypnosis Session with
Dr. Steven Roth
A $500.00 Value
Bonus #3
Hypnosis Scripts to ensure success every time in any situation
To your future!
With Love,
Dr. Steven Roth
Hypnosis Institute for Progress
If you have any question call me on my cell at 305-984-3909
Or feel free to contact me through www.erikelsea.com
Erik Elsea
Friday, June 19, 2009
Do You Have a Fear of Failure?
Fear of Failure
Yesterday we discussed dealing with fears and how the fear of failure can hold us back from realizing our true potential. This past weekend was probably one of the most exciting NASCAR races I have seen in a long time. Everyone was going to be very close as to whether or not they were going to make it on fuel to the end of the race at Michigan International Speedway. As the race wound down the drivers in the lead were trying to balance being easy on the throttle to save fuel with racing hard enough to stay up front and be in contention for a win.
On the last lap Jimmie Johnson ran out of gas and slowed being overtaken by Greg Biffle who subsequently ran out of gas with about half a lap to go. Mark Martin ended up coasting to victory as he ran out of gas yards before the finish line.
The fear of failure keeps us from taking risks. We play the race of life from a “not to lose” strategy rather than a “maximum gain” strategy. If you want to increase your success rate up your failure rate.
For Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle the gamble of staying out on the track rather than coming into the pits for more fuel did not work because they didn’t win. But they took the chance and I can promise you given the fact that Mark Martin made it all the way on fuel that they would not have won anyway.
So in your life are you willing to risk failure for potential success? I can promise you if you do not take the risks you are not going to win anyway either.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”-Franklin D. Roosevelt
Yesterday we discussed dealing with fears and how the fear of failure can hold us back from realizing our true potential. This past weekend was probably one of the most exciting NASCAR races I have seen in a long time. Everyone was going to be very close as to whether or not they were going to make it on fuel to the end of the race at Michigan International Speedway. As the race wound down the drivers in the lead were trying to balance being easy on the throttle to save fuel with racing hard enough to stay up front and be in contention for a win.
On the last lap Jimmie Johnson ran out of gas and slowed being overtaken by Greg Biffle who subsequently ran out of gas with about half a lap to go. Mark Martin ended up coasting to victory as he ran out of gas yards before the finish line.
The fear of failure keeps us from taking risks. We play the race of life from a “not to lose” strategy rather than a “maximum gain” strategy. If you want to increase your success rate up your failure rate.
For Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle the gamble of staying out on the track rather than coming into the pits for more fuel did not work because they didn’t win. But they took the chance and I can promise you given the fact that Mark Martin made it all the way on fuel that they would not have won anyway.
So in your life are you willing to risk failure for potential success? I can promise you if you do not take the risks you are not going to win anyway either.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”-Franklin D. Roosevelt
Thursday, June 18, 2009
NASCAR Driver Dies in Crash
NASCAR Driver Dies in Crash
This past weekend NASCAR Mexico driver Carlos Pardo died in a wreck in the final laps of a race in Pueblo, Mexico. He was leading on lap 97 when a competitor tapped his car from behind, sending it into a retaining wall at the entrance to the pit lane at well over 100 miles per hour. Pardo had raced in one NASCAR Nationwide Series race and in six NASCAR Camping World East races here in the U.S. He was a series champion in 2004 and had won ten races in the Mexico series in 74 starts.
Thanks to NASCAR’s commitment to safety, one doesn’t hear about deaths in races here in the U.S. very often. Since the deaths of Dale Earnhardt, Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin years ago, the cars, tracks and equipment have been dramatically improved. A story like this, however, reminds us that there is definitely a risk involved in auto racing. So, knowing that death is a possibility, how do these drivers continue to get into a car every weekend and race at speeds close to 200 miles per hour?
When a person is passionate about something, he is willing to take risks. In coaching and consulting, one of the biggest issues I deal with is fear. Most people have fears of one kind or another. I myself have a fear of heights: I will get in a car and drive 200 mph, but I do not like getting up on the roof of a house. Other common fears are fear of rejection, fear of the unknown and fear of failure.
In business, especially in sales, the fear of rejection keeps a lot of people from asking for business in the first place. I learned very early in my career that the one thing that would increase my sales was asking the prospect to do business with me. It was amazing something so simple increased my sales so much.
In relationships, I see many people stay in unhealthy or unfulfilling relationships because they fear the unknown and are unsure there is anything better. The uncertainty of finding happiness keeps them stuck in a rut of unhappiness.
Fear of failure keeps many others from accomplishing their goals. Fear of failing in business keeps many from trying to succeed as an entrepreneur. Staying stuck in a dead-end job is safe. My belief is that if a path seems uncomfortable, it is the correct path to take.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Carlos Pardo’s family and friends. I am pretty sure, however, that he knew the risks and chose to follow his passion regardless.
If you are dealing with fears that are keeping you from realizing your dreams, you may benefit from coaching.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“How do you know the path is the right one to take? When you don’t feel prepared to take it.” – James Arthur Ray
This past weekend NASCAR Mexico driver Carlos Pardo died in a wreck in the final laps of a race in Pueblo, Mexico. He was leading on lap 97 when a competitor tapped his car from behind, sending it into a retaining wall at the entrance to the pit lane at well over 100 miles per hour. Pardo had raced in one NASCAR Nationwide Series race and in six NASCAR Camping World East races here in the U.S. He was a series champion in 2004 and had won ten races in the Mexico series in 74 starts.
Thanks to NASCAR’s commitment to safety, one doesn’t hear about deaths in races here in the U.S. very often. Since the deaths of Dale Earnhardt, Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin years ago, the cars, tracks and equipment have been dramatically improved. A story like this, however, reminds us that there is definitely a risk involved in auto racing. So, knowing that death is a possibility, how do these drivers continue to get into a car every weekend and race at speeds close to 200 miles per hour?
When a person is passionate about something, he is willing to take risks. In coaching and consulting, one of the biggest issues I deal with is fear. Most people have fears of one kind or another. I myself have a fear of heights: I will get in a car and drive 200 mph, but I do not like getting up on the roof of a house. Other common fears are fear of rejection, fear of the unknown and fear of failure.
In business, especially in sales, the fear of rejection keeps a lot of people from asking for business in the first place. I learned very early in my career that the one thing that would increase my sales was asking the prospect to do business with me. It was amazing something so simple increased my sales so much.
In relationships, I see many people stay in unhealthy or unfulfilling relationships because they fear the unknown and are unsure there is anything better. The uncertainty of finding happiness keeps them stuck in a rut of unhappiness.
Fear of failure keeps many others from accomplishing their goals. Fear of failing in business keeps many from trying to succeed as an entrepreneur. Staying stuck in a dead-end job is safe. My belief is that if a path seems uncomfortable, it is the correct path to take.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Carlos Pardo’s family and friends. I am pretty sure, however, that he knew the risks and chose to follow his passion regardless.
If you are dealing with fears that are keeping you from realizing your dreams, you may benefit from coaching.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“How do you know the path is the right one to take? When you don’t feel prepared to take it.” – James Arthur Ray
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Manifest the Life You Have Always Wanted
5 Steps to Manifesting Things Fast
Set your intention not a goal. An intention is a way of living that is permanent whereas a goal has a clear ending point. An intention would be something like living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy size and weight. A goal would be I am going to lose ten pounds by July. Put your intention down on paper because if it is not written it is already lost.
Be grateful for what you currently have. Every day preferably in the morning or to start your day off write down five things you are grateful for. No matter how hard life is right now there are things to be grateful for. By doing this you are telling the universe that you are grateful for what you are receiving and the universe will then provide you more.
Create a vision board. The best way to achieve what you want is to visualize it. On a poster board or corkboard put pictures of what you want to attract in your life. These would be pictures of your dream home or car, a couple in a loving relationship, a scene from somewhere you’ve always wanted to travel. Put this board somewhere you will see it often. This will remind you and your subconscious mind what you want the universe to provide to you. I believe this is the most important step and yet I know so many people who won’t do this. If you want to change your life then stop what you are doing right now and go create a vision board. What you think about you bring about. Energy flows where attention goes. Visualize the life you desire and you shall receive it.
Set your action steps. These are the steps you are going to take to live your intention. This is where the goal setting comes in. Write them down often and look at them consistently in the “I AM…” form. These steps need to be specific and measurable. For instance “I am going to the gym three times a week.” “I am down to 130 lbs. by July 1st.”
Act as “if”. Buy an outfit in the size you desire to be. Go sit in the car you desire on the showroom floor or better yet test drive it. Experience with all your senses the new car smell, the roar of the engine, the way you fit in the seat like a glove. Go to open houses in neighborhoods that you would love to live in. Picture the way you would have it decorated. Imagine the kids playing in the living room. Open the cabinets and picture where your going to put your dishes. If you want to be an author start writing a blog, and tell people you are an author. You are telling the universe you are ready.
For more information or to participate in the manifestation forum go to: www.manifestitfast.com
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Set your intention not a goal. An intention is a way of living that is permanent whereas a goal has a clear ending point. An intention would be something like living a healthy lifestyle and maintaining a healthy size and weight. A goal would be I am going to lose ten pounds by July. Put your intention down on paper because if it is not written it is already lost.
Be grateful for what you currently have. Every day preferably in the morning or to start your day off write down five things you are grateful for. No matter how hard life is right now there are things to be grateful for. By doing this you are telling the universe that you are grateful for what you are receiving and the universe will then provide you more.
Create a vision board. The best way to achieve what you want is to visualize it. On a poster board or corkboard put pictures of what you want to attract in your life. These would be pictures of your dream home or car, a couple in a loving relationship, a scene from somewhere you’ve always wanted to travel. Put this board somewhere you will see it often. This will remind you and your subconscious mind what you want the universe to provide to you. I believe this is the most important step and yet I know so many people who won’t do this. If you want to change your life then stop what you are doing right now and go create a vision board. What you think about you bring about. Energy flows where attention goes. Visualize the life you desire and you shall receive it.
Set your action steps. These are the steps you are going to take to live your intention. This is where the goal setting comes in. Write them down often and look at them consistently in the “I AM…” form. These steps need to be specific and measurable. For instance “I am going to the gym three times a week.” “I am down to 130 lbs. by July 1st.”
Act as “if”. Buy an outfit in the size you desire to be. Go sit in the car you desire on the showroom floor or better yet test drive it. Experience with all your senses the new car smell, the roar of the engine, the way you fit in the seat like a glove. Go to open houses in neighborhoods that you would love to live in. Picture the way you would have it decorated. Imagine the kids playing in the living room. Open the cabinets and picture where your going to put your dishes. If you want to be an author start writing a blog, and tell people you are an author. You are telling the universe you are ready.
For more information or to participate in the manifestation forum go to: www.manifestitfast.com
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Harmonic Wealth Book Review
Harmonic Wealth: The Secret of Attracting the Life You Want by James Arthur Ray
This book is not only a must read: it should be kept and referred to daily. If you want to become wealthy—I mean truly wealthy—then this book can show you practical ways to do so. Harmonic Wealth will help you achieve real wealth in the “five pillars”: financial, relational, mental, physical and spiritual. This book helps make clear that true wealth will never be attained without success in all five areas.
James Arthur Ray combines teachings from some of the world’s premiere spiritual leaders with theories from top physicists and scientists to explain the Law of Attraction and how to create for yourself the life you have always desired. As a featured expert in the book The Secret, Ray knows the keys to getting what you want by unlocking the powers of the universe.
Harmonic Wealth is not some feel-good, motivational book filled with pie-in-the-sky fantasies. It encourages you to get real and be creative in identifying and living the intentions you have for your life.
If you want to break through personal limitations and acquire true financial, relational, mental, physical and spiritual wealth, start by reading this book. Then Live It!
You can find this book at www.erikelsea.com/books/
This book is not only a must read: it should be kept and referred to daily. If you want to become wealthy—I mean truly wealthy—then this book can show you practical ways to do so. Harmonic Wealth will help you achieve real wealth in the “five pillars”: financial, relational, mental, physical and spiritual. This book helps make clear that true wealth will never be attained without success in all five areas.
James Arthur Ray combines teachings from some of the world’s premiere spiritual leaders with theories from top physicists and scientists to explain the Law of Attraction and how to create for yourself the life you have always desired. As a featured expert in the book The Secret, Ray knows the keys to getting what you want by unlocking the powers of the universe.
Harmonic Wealth is not some feel-good, motivational book filled with pie-in-the-sky fantasies. It encourages you to get real and be creative in identifying and living the intentions you have for your life.
If you want to break through personal limitations and acquire true financial, relational, mental, physical and spiritual wealth, start by reading this book. Then Live It!
You can find this book at www.erikelsea.com/books/
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Do You Have a Balanced Life?
Do You Have a Balanced Life?
I just finished reading the book Harmonic Wealth by James Arthur Ray, which talks about harmony in different areas of one’s life. My review of that book will be posted later this week. A lot of the books I have read recently agree that a person cannot achieve perfect balance in his life, so he should not stress about not attaining it.
This past weekend’s NASCAR race at Pocono is a good example of how a driver must compromise to go faster. Pocono is probably the most uniquely shaped track on the circuit. It is roughly a triangle with three completely different turns. In order to be fast around the track, a driver sets up his car to be decent in all the turns but not great in any of them. If he has the perfect set-up for handling turn 1, he will be horrible in turn 3. If he is super fast in turn 2, he will be holding on for dear life in turn 1. The key to being fast around the entire track is to compromise a little here and a little there in the handling of his car.
If you focus on just one aspect of your life, then the other aspects are certain to suffer. This is not always a bad thing: your current priorities dictate that you make sacrifices in one area to succeed in another. Realize that the priorities of the moment will affect your overall balance, and don’t beat yourself up about it. For instance, when I made up my mind that I was going to be sober, I had to focus completely on that. For awhile my career and relationships suffered because I was totally committed to going to twelve-step meetings, praying, meditating and reading about addictions. At that point in my life nothing was more important to me than my sobriety, and I did not mind sacrificing other areas of my life for it.
Likewise, if your career is your priority right now, family and relationships may suffer. You may make it to the gym less often or find yourself rushing through a drive-through for lunch so that you can get back to work. The key, however, is to compromise: focus on one area but contribute to all. Try to be at least decent in all areas. For example, if you cannot eat a healthy lunch because you are working hard at your job, eat a well-balanced breakfast and dinner. Take proper supplements and drink plenty of water. If you cannot make it to the gym because you have so much work, take a brisk walk after work. I personally cannot sit still while I am on the phone. I probably walk 5 miles a day around the office or outside while making phone calls. I get exercise and business done at the same time.
Try to maintain some semblance of balance in your life, but recognize when demands in one area outweigh those in others. Compromise for the time being. If you are extremely disciplined and can hold it all together, that’s great. However, if you are concerned about staying in the fast lane to success, consider hiring a life coach.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“Not everything that can be counted, counts and not everything that counts can be counted.”-Albert Einstein
I just finished reading the book Harmonic Wealth by James Arthur Ray, which talks about harmony in different areas of one’s life. My review of that book will be posted later this week. A lot of the books I have read recently agree that a person cannot achieve perfect balance in his life, so he should not stress about not attaining it.
This past weekend’s NASCAR race at Pocono is a good example of how a driver must compromise to go faster. Pocono is probably the most uniquely shaped track on the circuit. It is roughly a triangle with three completely different turns. In order to be fast around the track, a driver sets up his car to be decent in all the turns but not great in any of them. If he has the perfect set-up for handling turn 1, he will be horrible in turn 3. If he is super fast in turn 2, he will be holding on for dear life in turn 1. The key to being fast around the entire track is to compromise a little here and a little there in the handling of his car.
If you focus on just one aspect of your life, then the other aspects are certain to suffer. This is not always a bad thing: your current priorities dictate that you make sacrifices in one area to succeed in another. Realize that the priorities of the moment will affect your overall balance, and don’t beat yourself up about it. For instance, when I made up my mind that I was going to be sober, I had to focus completely on that. For awhile my career and relationships suffered because I was totally committed to going to twelve-step meetings, praying, meditating and reading about addictions. At that point in my life nothing was more important to me than my sobriety, and I did not mind sacrificing other areas of my life for it.
Likewise, if your career is your priority right now, family and relationships may suffer. You may make it to the gym less often or find yourself rushing through a drive-through for lunch so that you can get back to work. The key, however, is to compromise: focus on one area but contribute to all. Try to be at least decent in all areas. For example, if you cannot eat a healthy lunch because you are working hard at your job, eat a well-balanced breakfast and dinner. Take proper supplements and drink plenty of water. If you cannot make it to the gym because you have so much work, take a brisk walk after work. I personally cannot sit still while I am on the phone. I probably walk 5 miles a day around the office or outside while making phone calls. I get exercise and business done at the same time.
Try to maintain some semblance of balance in your life, but recognize when demands in one area outweigh those in others. Compromise for the time being. If you are extremely disciplined and can hold it all together, that’s great. However, if you are concerned about staying in the fast lane to success, consider hiring a life coach.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“Not everything that can be counted, counts and not everything that counts can be counted.”-Albert Einstein
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Adversity Builds Character?
One of the reasons I love sports in general is because it is encouraging to see individuals and teams overcome extraordinary adversity to claim victory. Stories of the human spirit are played out right in front of you. When the underdog or a horse with 50 to 1 odds wins, I realize that if you believe in yourself and your team, you can overcome any obstacle in your path.
Back in the early 80’s, way before all of the safety advancements of today’s NASCAR race cars, Ricky Rudd was in a serious accident during the Busch Clash at Daytona. His seat broke, and he was bouncing around in the car as it rolled. His window net came down, and his arm was flailing around outside the car. He was taken to a local hospital, where doctors wanted to keep him overnight for observation. He had suffered torn cartilage in his rib cage, and prospects did not look good for his racing in the Daytona 500. Ricky, however, wanted to get back to the track to continue practicing for the biggest race of the year. When his wife Linda pleaded with him, Ricky got up and walked over to a mirror in his hospital room, where he saw how badly his face was swollen. He gave into the pressure and decided to stay the night.
The next day he was back at the track to practice in a back-up car. When he got up to speed and went barreling into the turn, he lost his sight. He could see nothing, even though he was completely conscious. Not being able to see at 180 mph was not a good feeling. When he got back onto the straight-away and slowed, however, his sight returned. Ricky figured out that the g forces at those speeds in the turn, coupled with how severely his face was swollen, forced his eyes closed no matter how hard he tried to keep them open.
His solution: tape his eyelids to his eyebrows so they wouldn’t be able to close. His crew tried this, and when Ricky went back out on the track to practice, he had no problem. Ricky ended up racing the Daytona 500 to a very respectable 7th place finish at speeds of nearly 200 mph. The very next week he came back to win at Richmond.
I often hear that adversity builds character. This may be. What adversity really does is reveal character. We face challenges every day in our lives. The way we address them is a direct result of the kind of character we have. In these challenging times we need to remember what we are capable of overcoming. We need to push forward through the pain, because victory is waiting for us on the other side.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Back in the early 80’s, way before all of the safety advancements of today’s NASCAR race cars, Ricky Rudd was in a serious accident during the Busch Clash at Daytona. His seat broke, and he was bouncing around in the car as it rolled. His window net came down, and his arm was flailing around outside the car. He was taken to a local hospital, where doctors wanted to keep him overnight for observation. He had suffered torn cartilage in his rib cage, and prospects did not look good for his racing in the Daytona 500. Ricky, however, wanted to get back to the track to continue practicing for the biggest race of the year. When his wife Linda pleaded with him, Ricky got up and walked over to a mirror in his hospital room, where he saw how badly his face was swollen. He gave into the pressure and decided to stay the night.
The next day he was back at the track to practice in a back-up car. When he got up to speed and went barreling into the turn, he lost his sight. He could see nothing, even though he was completely conscious. Not being able to see at 180 mph was not a good feeling. When he got back onto the straight-away and slowed, however, his sight returned. Ricky figured out that the g forces at those speeds in the turn, coupled with how severely his face was swollen, forced his eyes closed no matter how hard he tried to keep them open.
His solution: tape his eyelids to his eyebrows so they wouldn’t be able to close. His crew tried this, and when Ricky went back out on the track to practice, he had no problem. Ricky ended up racing the Daytona 500 to a very respectable 7th place finish at speeds of nearly 200 mph. The very next week he came back to win at Richmond.
I often hear that adversity builds character. This may be. What adversity really does is reveal character. We face challenges every day in our lives. The way we address them is a direct result of the kind of character we have. In these challenging times we need to remember what we are capable of overcoming. We need to push forward through the pain, because victory is waiting for us on the other side.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Don't Beat Yourself
This past weekend’s NASCAR race in Dover, Delaware was absolutely dominated by Jimmie Johnson and the Number 48 Team. Johnson led 289 of the 400 laps. He was the class of the field all afternoon, but with a late wreck bringing out the caution flag, everyone came in to pit. Different strategies played out: some teams took four tires, and others took just two, getting out of the pit faster with a better starting position when the race restarted.
The 48 Team, which had been perfect all day in the pit, had an extremely slow stop: Jimmie Johnson came into his pit in first place and came out running eighth. The problem was a different system for the pit stop than the one they had used all day long to try and save time. I interpreted it as their trying to be cute in the pits. This threw off their rhythm, and it looked like they would succeed at losing. Fortunately, Jimmie, with his four fresh tires, was able to catch up to the leaders and eventually pass them with only a few laps remaining, but that poor pit stop could have cost him the race.
The moral of this narration is to avoid beating yourself. Do not do things that open up the possibility of failure. If you are battling an addiction, do not put yourself in positions where you might use or be around people who do. If you have had a string of bad relationships, do not pursue a partner with the same characteristics. If you have found a technique in business that works for you, stick to it. I have seen many people who were on the right track, who beat themselves by getting off it and then failing. Unfortunately, you can be your own worst enemy. You need to work on being your own best friend.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
The 48 Team, which had been perfect all day in the pit, had an extremely slow stop: Jimmie Johnson came into his pit in first place and came out running eighth. The problem was a different system for the pit stop than the one they had used all day long to try and save time. I interpreted it as their trying to be cute in the pits. This threw off their rhythm, and it looked like they would succeed at losing. Fortunately, Jimmie, with his four fresh tires, was able to catch up to the leaders and eventually pass them with only a few laps remaining, but that poor pit stop could have cost him the race.
The moral of this narration is to avoid beating yourself. Do not do things that open up the possibility of failure. If you are battling an addiction, do not put yourself in positions where you might use or be around people who do. If you have had a string of bad relationships, do not pursue a partner with the same characteristics. If you have found a technique in business that works for you, stick to it. I have seen many people who were on the right track, who beat themselves by getting off it and then failing. Unfortunately, you can be your own worst enemy. You need to work on being your own best friend.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Paralysis by Analysis!
Paralysis by Analysis!
Being the huge racing fan I am, I consider Days of Thunder one of my favorite movies. In that movie Cole Trickle, played by Tom Cruise, is advised to head right toward the smoke during any crash in front of him; by the time he gets there, the spinning cars involved in the wreck should have slid down the track and out of the way. At 180 miles per hour, a driver does not have the luxury of time to analyze all of the information thrust at him in a crash situation. If Cole had had to hit the brakes to slow down to make a decision whether to go high or low on the track, odds are that he would have been hit from behind, sending him spinning and probably wrecking himself.
Instead, there was a plan in place before that set of circumstances ever arose. He knew to head right toward the smoke, without letting off the gas, without slowing down. He did not have to think in that situation because there was a plan in place beforehand. Because of the smoke, he would not know if the track were clear ahead of him or not. He could not be sure of the outcome. He just had to trust. He had to believe in the plan.
In life I see so many people who want to move forward but are not willing to make a plan. They dream of winning but do not trust in either themselves or the plan. Because they cannot see through the smoke, they are not willing to go charging in, even when they know that victory could be waiting for them on the other side.
We all need to decide what we really want in life. Then we need to ask ourselves, “What am I willing to do to get what I want?” Formulate a plan and go for it! Until you do, you will continue to be involved in life’s wrecks with no shot at victory.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “Your mind is like a parachute, it works best when its opened.”
Being the huge racing fan I am, I consider Days of Thunder one of my favorite movies. In that movie Cole Trickle, played by Tom Cruise, is advised to head right toward the smoke during any crash in front of him; by the time he gets there, the spinning cars involved in the wreck should have slid down the track and out of the way. At 180 miles per hour, a driver does not have the luxury of time to analyze all of the information thrust at him in a crash situation. If Cole had had to hit the brakes to slow down to make a decision whether to go high or low on the track, odds are that he would have been hit from behind, sending him spinning and probably wrecking himself.
Instead, there was a plan in place before that set of circumstances ever arose. He knew to head right toward the smoke, without letting off the gas, without slowing down. He did not have to think in that situation because there was a plan in place beforehand. Because of the smoke, he would not know if the track were clear ahead of him or not. He could not be sure of the outcome. He just had to trust. He had to believe in the plan.
In life I see so many people who want to move forward but are not willing to make a plan. They dream of winning but do not trust in either themselves or the plan. Because they cannot see through the smoke, they are not willing to go charging in, even when they know that victory could be waiting for them on the other side.
We all need to decide what we really want in life. Then we need to ask ourselves, “What am I willing to do to get what I want?” Formulate a plan and go for it! Until you do, you will continue to be involved in life’s wrecks with no shot at victory.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “Your mind is like a parachute, it works best when its opened.”
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
It's Better to Be Lucky Than Good
It Is Better to be Lucky than Good!
One of my former bosses used to say this on almost a daily basis. I am sure you could find many examples of this being correct. There is probably some element of luck involved in almost every success. In the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 this past weekend, David Reutimann won the rain-shortened race by staying out on the track during the caution for rain that ended up being the last caution of the race. There were 13 cars in front of David when the yellow flag was waved. All of them decided to come into the pits to get tires and fuel, expecting the sprinkles of rain to end soon and the race to get back under way. David’s crew told him to stay out on the track. This was a huge gamble: if the race were restarted, he would either have to race on old tires, making him slower than the competition, or give up track position to come in and pit, putting him nearly in last place.
David’s team had to determine if the risk was worth the reward. In this case it was: the rain never did let up and the race was called with David taking the victory, his first in NASCAR’s premiere series. It was also the first win for Michael Waltrip Racing and for its crew chief. They rolled the dice and came home winners. They got lucky that it kept raining, but thirteen other teams had had the opportunity to make the same call and probably would have ended up winning. Yes, there was an element of luck, but only David’s team had the guts to make the right call. It took the risk, and now it’s the 50th winner of the Coca-Cola 600.
All of us need to determine what risks we are willing to take to win. We need to decide whether the risks are worth the reward. Then once we take the risk, we must own it. Live with it no matter what the outcome. Remember, it could be our shot at victory.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “ Never get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life.”-unknown
One of my former bosses used to say this on almost a daily basis. I am sure you could find many examples of this being correct. There is probably some element of luck involved in almost every success. In the NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 this past weekend, David Reutimann won the rain-shortened race by staying out on the track during the caution for rain that ended up being the last caution of the race. There were 13 cars in front of David when the yellow flag was waved. All of them decided to come into the pits to get tires and fuel, expecting the sprinkles of rain to end soon and the race to get back under way. David’s crew told him to stay out on the track. This was a huge gamble: if the race were restarted, he would either have to race on old tires, making him slower than the competition, or give up track position to come in and pit, putting him nearly in last place.
David’s team had to determine if the risk was worth the reward. In this case it was: the rain never did let up and the race was called with David taking the victory, his first in NASCAR’s premiere series. It was also the first win for Michael Waltrip Racing and for its crew chief. They rolled the dice and came home winners. They got lucky that it kept raining, but thirteen other teams had had the opportunity to make the same call and probably would have ended up winning. Yes, there was an element of luck, but only David’s team had the guts to make the right call. It took the risk, and now it’s the 50th winner of the Coca-Cola 600.
All of us need to determine what risks we are willing to take to win. We need to decide whether the risks are worth the reward. Then once we take the risk, we must own it. Live with it no matter what the outcome. Remember, it could be our shot at victory.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “ Never get so busy making a living, that you forget to make a life.”-unknown
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Happy Birthday to Me!
Happy Birthday to Me!
Last week I celebrated my 31st birthday, causing me to pause and reflect on my life. To me a birthday is almost like New Years. It’s a time to make decisions about how I want to live the next year of my life. It makes me think about what I have accomplished so far and what I would like to accomplish before the next anniversary rolls around.
The evening before my birthday someone posed the question to me, “What is the most important thing on a tombstone?” I gave it as much thought as I could in the short time I had to stand there and ponder. He answered for me: it is the dash between the day you were born and the date you die. The dash is the most important thing on a tombstone. It represents your life—all the days between your first day on Earth and your last. It appears on your memorial as a simple, plain line, but it is so much more than that.
I was speaking to one of my closest friends that same night and told her that I could not believe I was going to be 31 the next day. I feel like I should be 41, or maybe even 51. I did not say this because I feel old physically. I feel great and am probably in the best shape I’ve been in since high school. I said this because I am amazed at how much I have done in 31 short years.
Not all of those things, most people would say, have been positive. I have made more than my share of mistakes, including addictions and costly business decisions. I have been selfish and sinned, but I have also learned. I have experienced real love. I have seen the beauty of God’s work in people and on this Earth. I have been fortunate to travel and to meet people from all walks of life in many parts of the world. And on my 31st birthday I can honestly say that I am finally headed in the right direction.
I will probably have many more birthdays, but eventually that final date will be engraved on my tombstone. Until then I am going to keep working diligently to make sure I have one very impressive dash.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember anything.”-Mark Twain
Last week I celebrated my 31st birthday, causing me to pause and reflect on my life. To me a birthday is almost like New Years. It’s a time to make decisions about how I want to live the next year of my life. It makes me think about what I have accomplished so far and what I would like to accomplish before the next anniversary rolls around.
The evening before my birthday someone posed the question to me, “What is the most important thing on a tombstone?” I gave it as much thought as I could in the short time I had to stand there and ponder. He answered for me: it is the dash between the day you were born and the date you die. The dash is the most important thing on a tombstone. It represents your life—all the days between your first day on Earth and your last. It appears on your memorial as a simple, plain line, but it is so much more than that.
I was speaking to one of my closest friends that same night and told her that I could not believe I was going to be 31 the next day. I feel like I should be 41, or maybe even 51. I did not say this because I feel old physically. I feel great and am probably in the best shape I’ve been in since high school. I said this because I am amazed at how much I have done in 31 short years.
Not all of those things, most people would say, have been positive. I have made more than my share of mistakes, including addictions and costly business decisions. I have been selfish and sinned, but I have also learned. I have experienced real love. I have seen the beauty of God’s work in people and on this Earth. I have been fortunate to travel and to meet people from all walks of life in many parts of the world. And on my 31st birthday I can honestly say that I am finally headed in the right direction.
I will probably have many more birthdays, but eventually that final date will be engraved on my tombstone. Until then I am going to keep working diligently to make sure I have one very impressive dash.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “If you always tell the truth, you never have to remember anything.”-Mark Twain
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Slow Down!
Slow Down–The Fastest Way to Get Everything You Want
This book has meant a lot to me. I picked it up, early into my sobriety, as part of a course I was taking to get my life coaching certification. The course was taught by the author himself, David Essel. I was not sure at the time that I wanted to be a life coach, but I knew that I needed to make some major changes in my life if I were going to maintain my sobriety. I was willing to try anything–even slowing down.
Those of you who have followed my blog for awhile know that my passion is racing. Going fast is just the way I am wired. David’s book Slow Down and his course have taught me a lot about how to slow down in order to achieve my goals faster. He debunks the notion that I personally held that in order to be more successful you have to work faster and harder and always be first.
David Essel is an author, lifestyle coach, speaker and TV/radio host whose nationally syndicated motivational program was heard in over 220 cities for nine years. An athlete, poet, and more, David has been labeled a “21st century Renaissance man” for his ability to inspire millions through the combination of his creative, authentic and philosophical energies and drive. David’s mission is to inspire others to reach their own personal potential, and his professional presentations have drawn rave reviews from Fortune 500 companies across the U.S.
David’s book, his course, and his theories have helped me shift my beliefs about what it takes to be successful and has helped me maintain my sobriety. I highly recommend this book if you are facing any challenges in your life, in business or with spirituality. This book will offer you a formula for achieving all that you desire in life. You can find Slow Down by visiting www.erikelsea.com/books/.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
This book has meant a lot to me. I picked it up, early into my sobriety, as part of a course I was taking to get my life coaching certification. The course was taught by the author himself, David Essel. I was not sure at the time that I wanted to be a life coach, but I knew that I needed to make some major changes in my life if I were going to maintain my sobriety. I was willing to try anything–even slowing down.
Those of you who have followed my blog for awhile know that my passion is racing. Going fast is just the way I am wired. David’s book Slow Down and his course have taught me a lot about how to slow down in order to achieve my goals faster. He debunks the notion that I personally held that in order to be more successful you have to work faster and harder and always be first.
David Essel is an author, lifestyle coach, speaker and TV/radio host whose nationally syndicated motivational program was heard in over 220 cities for nine years. An athlete, poet, and more, David has been labeled a “21st century Renaissance man” for his ability to inspire millions through the combination of his creative, authentic and philosophical energies and drive. David’s mission is to inspire others to reach their own personal potential, and his professional presentations have drawn rave reviews from Fortune 500 companies across the U.S.
David’s book, his course, and his theories have helped me shift my beliefs about what it takes to be successful and has helped me maintain my sobriety. I highly recommend this book if you are facing any challenges in your life, in business or with spirituality. This book will offer you a formula for achieving all that you desire in life. You can find Slow Down by visiting www.erikelsea.com/books/.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Do you have a strategy?
Pit Strategy
In racing, pit strategy is a major factor in determining who wins the race. Crew chiefs and drivers have to determine the right time to come into the pit. Can you make it to the end of the race on the fuel you have or should you come in for a splash of gas? Should you take two tires or four? This past weekend’s race saw the winner’s team debating on whether or not he had enough fuel and whether or not his tires still had enough grip to hold off challengers who would come in and get fresh tires behind him. Then a late race caution came out for a wreck.
The winning team decided to take a chance and stay out so it would have good track position for the restart. It was a gamble, although a calculated one. Even though there was a risk that their car would run out of gas or that cars that had pitted would be much faster with fresh tires, it was worth it. They made a strategic call based on their calculations and figured that being out front when the race got under way was better than having fresh tires farther back in the pack.
There is no exact science to the decisions made during a race. However, through experience and by studying available information on engine performance, track conditions, and opponents’ records, a race team can put itself in the best position to win.
Do you have a strategy for your life? Have you decided that you want to win in your life? Are you willing to take some calculated risks to accomplish your goals? Have you studied the information available to you so that when it’s time to make a split-second decision you are able to do it with confidence, knowing you have put yourself in the best position to finish first? I hope you answered yes to all of these questions. If not, take some time to reflect on what you really want out of life and on what steps you can take to achieve your goals. Develop a strategy!
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “The greatest happiness is to transform one’s feelings into actions.”- Madame de Stael
In racing, pit strategy is a major factor in determining who wins the race. Crew chiefs and drivers have to determine the right time to come into the pit. Can you make it to the end of the race on the fuel you have or should you come in for a splash of gas? Should you take two tires or four? This past weekend’s race saw the winner’s team debating on whether or not he had enough fuel and whether or not his tires still had enough grip to hold off challengers who would come in and get fresh tires behind him. Then a late race caution came out for a wreck.
The winning team decided to take a chance and stay out so it would have good track position for the restart. It was a gamble, although a calculated one. Even though there was a risk that their car would run out of gas or that cars that had pitted would be much faster with fresh tires, it was worth it. They made a strategic call based on their calculations and figured that being out front when the race got under way was better than having fresh tires farther back in the pack.
There is no exact science to the decisions made during a race. However, through experience and by studying available information on engine performance, track conditions, and opponents’ records, a race team can put itself in the best position to win.
Do you have a strategy for your life? Have you decided that you want to win in your life? Are you willing to take some calculated risks to accomplish your goals? Have you studied the information available to you so that when it’s time to make a split-second decision you are able to do it with confidence, knowing you have put yourself in the best position to finish first? I hope you answered yes to all of these questions. If not, take some time to reflect on what you really want out of life and on what steps you can take to achieve your goals. Develop a strategy!
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “The greatest happiness is to transform one’s feelings into actions.”- Madame de Stael
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
In order to finish first...
In Order to Finish First
This past weekend Mark Martin did it again! We talked in an earlier post about a person’s being too old to accomplish his dream. Well, Mark Martin proved that his win a few weeks ago over the age of 50 was not a fluke. He won again Saturday night at Darlington in the Southern 500, conquering “The Track too Tough to Tame” for only the second time in his career.
Darlington is one of the toughest race tracks on the NASCAR circuit. It couples high speeds with tight racing conditions, meaning there is not much room to maneuver around competitors. This often causes drivers who are fighting for the same piece of real estate to beat up and bang on each other, sometimes with one or both of them ending up in the wall. Hitting the wall is common at Darlington, and rubbing it is almost expected sometime during the 500-mile race. Scraping the wall leaves a strip of paint down the side of one’s race car known as the Darlington stripe.
It’s a feat to keep one’s car in one piece for 500 miles at Darlington. In his post-race interview Mark Martin revealed that back in the 70’s, early in his career, fellow racer Dick Trickle told him, “In order to finish first, first you must finish.” Dick Trickle, who is known by most racing historians as the most winning race car driver in American history because of his estimated thousands of wins on local, Midwest short tracks before moving up to the national touring series, told Mark this, as Mark put it, because at that point in his young life he was all about giving the car as much gas and going as fast as he could. Mark admitted that he kept crashing, knocking off the front of his cars by being too aggressive.
Mark learned with experience to keep his car in one piece throughout the race so that at the end he was in a position to go for a win. It’s impossible to have a chance in the final laps if you have spent half the night in the wall.
The moral of this dialogue can be applied to our everyday lives: use your energies wisely with attention to the end result. In business set yourself up for success when it matters. Do not dive into a project at work full force and burn yourself out before taking it to completion. Be patient with relationships, sometimes waiting for them to find you instead of forcing the issue . . . or letting the one you are in develop naturally.
When we set our goals, we need to look at them as the victory lane in the race of life. We need to set action steps to achieve those goals that ensure we will make it to the end. If we crash halfway through the race, we and our pit crew will have a difficult time getting the car to the finish line. Not that some races haven’t been won by overcoming great adversity; it just makes more sense to set yourself up to take the checkered flag.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “Lose your wishbone, get a backbone.”-unknown
This past weekend Mark Martin did it again! We talked in an earlier post about a person’s being too old to accomplish his dream. Well, Mark Martin proved that his win a few weeks ago over the age of 50 was not a fluke. He won again Saturday night at Darlington in the Southern 500, conquering “The Track too Tough to Tame” for only the second time in his career.
Darlington is one of the toughest race tracks on the NASCAR circuit. It couples high speeds with tight racing conditions, meaning there is not much room to maneuver around competitors. This often causes drivers who are fighting for the same piece of real estate to beat up and bang on each other, sometimes with one or both of them ending up in the wall. Hitting the wall is common at Darlington, and rubbing it is almost expected sometime during the 500-mile race. Scraping the wall leaves a strip of paint down the side of one’s race car known as the Darlington stripe.
It’s a feat to keep one’s car in one piece for 500 miles at Darlington. In his post-race interview Mark Martin revealed that back in the 70’s, early in his career, fellow racer Dick Trickle told him, “In order to finish first, first you must finish.” Dick Trickle, who is known by most racing historians as the most winning race car driver in American history because of his estimated thousands of wins on local, Midwest short tracks before moving up to the national touring series, told Mark this, as Mark put it, because at that point in his young life he was all about giving the car as much gas and going as fast as he could. Mark admitted that he kept crashing, knocking off the front of his cars by being too aggressive.
Mark learned with experience to keep his car in one piece throughout the race so that at the end he was in a position to go for a win. It’s impossible to have a chance in the final laps if you have spent half the night in the wall.
The moral of this dialogue can be applied to our everyday lives: use your energies wisely with attention to the end result. In business set yourself up for success when it matters. Do not dive into a project at work full force and burn yourself out before taking it to completion. Be patient with relationships, sometimes waiting for them to find you instead of forcing the issue . . . or letting the one you are in develop naturally.
When we set our goals, we need to look at them as the victory lane in the race of life. We need to set action steps to achieve those goals that ensure we will make it to the end. If we crash halfway through the race, we and our pit crew will have a difficult time getting the car to the finish line. Not that some races haven’t been won by overcoming great adversity; it just makes more sense to set yourself up to take the checkered flag.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “Lose your wishbone, get a backbone.”-unknown
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Relieve Pressure!
Too Much Pressure!
One of the quickest and easiest ways to get a race car to handle better and increase its speed is to adjust the tire pressure. This can be done to the next set of tires while the car is still on the track, before its next pit stop, based on communication with the driver. When the new tires are put on, the handling of the race car improves without any other major adjustments. If the crew made the right adjustment, lap times also improve. Usually tire pressures are reduced so that the tire is softer, makes more contact with the track and provides better traction. Less pressure, more traction, faster speed!
One of my clients has a big show to put on this coming weekend. She has put so much pressure on herself to get every detail right, from the marketing materials to the website to collecting money through a merchant account to what kind of coffee to serve. She has put so much pressure on herself to get the details right that she is missing the big picture of what she wants to accomplish at this show. If she can reduce the pressure she is putting on herself about the details and focus on how she can best serve her clients, everyone will benefit.
In our daily lives we put so much pressure on ourselves to perform the day-to-day tasks that sometimes we miss the big picture. One of my mentors in business told me in my early twenties that I was stepping over dollars to pick up nickels. I was running around, worried about everything I thought was important in my business, but I wasn’t making any money. The same can be a problem in our personal lives. We can spend so much of our energy trying to keep up with the Joneses or doing too many relatively unimportant little things that we miss the big picture.
Do you think your children are going to remember that you spent last Saturday cutting the grass, doing the laundry or vacuuming? Or do you think they will have memories of you playing ball, baking cookies or taking walks? My four-year-old daughter does not care what I do at work; she cares that I take pressure off myself to take her to the park or the beach. She is not going to remember that I have a speaking engagement this weekend. She is going to remember my pushing her on a swing.
Your assignment this weekend sounds easy, but I know some of you are going to have a hard time with it. No matter what your plans are now, remove pressure from yourself and do something that you really enjoy with people who are most important to you. Make a conscious effort to take in EVERYTHING around you and truly EXPERIENCE things that really matter in life: relationships, family, life itself. Live it and love it!
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day! “People who wait for a magic wand fail to see that they are the magic wand.” – Thomas. J. Leonard
One of the quickest and easiest ways to get a race car to handle better and increase its speed is to adjust the tire pressure. This can be done to the next set of tires while the car is still on the track, before its next pit stop, based on communication with the driver. When the new tires are put on, the handling of the race car improves without any other major adjustments. If the crew made the right adjustment, lap times also improve. Usually tire pressures are reduced so that the tire is softer, makes more contact with the track and provides better traction. Less pressure, more traction, faster speed!
One of my clients has a big show to put on this coming weekend. She has put so much pressure on herself to get every detail right, from the marketing materials to the website to collecting money through a merchant account to what kind of coffee to serve. She has put so much pressure on herself to get the details right that she is missing the big picture of what she wants to accomplish at this show. If she can reduce the pressure she is putting on herself about the details and focus on how she can best serve her clients, everyone will benefit.
In our daily lives we put so much pressure on ourselves to perform the day-to-day tasks that sometimes we miss the big picture. One of my mentors in business told me in my early twenties that I was stepping over dollars to pick up nickels. I was running around, worried about everything I thought was important in my business, but I wasn’t making any money. The same can be a problem in our personal lives. We can spend so much of our energy trying to keep up with the Joneses or doing too many relatively unimportant little things that we miss the big picture.
Do you think your children are going to remember that you spent last Saturday cutting the grass, doing the laundry or vacuuming? Or do you think they will have memories of you playing ball, baking cookies or taking walks? My four-year-old daughter does not care what I do at work; she cares that I take pressure off myself to take her to the park or the beach. She is not going to remember that I have a speaking engagement this weekend. She is going to remember my pushing her on a swing.
Your assignment this weekend sounds easy, but I know some of you are going to have a hard time with it. No matter what your plans are now, remove pressure from yourself and do something that you really enjoy with people who are most important to you. Make a conscious effort to take in EVERYTHING around you and truly EXPERIENCE things that really matter in life: relationships, family, life itself. Live it and love it!
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day! “People who wait for a magic wand fail to see that they are the magic wand.” – Thomas. J. Leonard
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Get Loose!
Loose is Fast!
If you watch racing much, you will hear the commentator make the comment, “Loose is fast.” A loose race car is one that turns easily. A tight race car is one that doesn’t want to turn even as the driver turns the steering wheel. When a car is loose you will also hear it referred to as “free.” It has no problems turning in the corner.
A loose car can go barreling into the corner, pivot and power out. A tight race car has to be let off the gas a little so the front tires bite and make the turn instead of pushing across the track. Tires pushing across the track and having to slow down to gain traction combine to reduce lap times.
In life, loose is fast also. Being able to make decisions and trust that they will succeed allows you to speed toward your goals. Being a little loose—turning easily—makes it easier to get off the fence and go after what you want.
The goal here is to start making those decisions that you have been dreaming about for years. Quit talking about starting that new business and do it. Stop contemplating your returning to school and register for classes. Make a choice today that will allow you to go barreling toward your dream, and never look back.
Like everything else in life, too much of something is never a good thing. A race car can be too loose: the car turns so freely that the back end wants to come around on the driver. A person can also be too loose, but you can avoid this by making educated decisions. Get a coach or a mentor. Make a game plan and stick to it.
Yesterday we talked about all the things in life for which we are grateful. Hopefully you made that long list and tucked it away in your purse or wallet. Today I want you to be loose. I want you to get off the fence about what it is in your life that you want to accomplish. Make a move that sets you up for achieving that goal. Hire a coach or a trainer and make a game plan. Whatever your goal, make a decision today that moves you toward it. Get loose!
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day! “Willingness without action is imagination” -unknown
If you watch racing much, you will hear the commentator make the comment, “Loose is fast.” A loose race car is one that turns easily. A tight race car is one that doesn’t want to turn even as the driver turns the steering wheel. When a car is loose you will also hear it referred to as “free.” It has no problems turning in the corner.
A loose car can go barreling into the corner, pivot and power out. A tight race car has to be let off the gas a little so the front tires bite and make the turn instead of pushing across the track. Tires pushing across the track and having to slow down to gain traction combine to reduce lap times.
In life, loose is fast also. Being able to make decisions and trust that they will succeed allows you to speed toward your goals. Being a little loose—turning easily—makes it easier to get off the fence and go after what you want.
The goal here is to start making those decisions that you have been dreaming about for years. Quit talking about starting that new business and do it. Stop contemplating your returning to school and register for classes. Make a choice today that will allow you to go barreling toward your dream, and never look back.
Like everything else in life, too much of something is never a good thing. A race car can be too loose: the car turns so freely that the back end wants to come around on the driver. A person can also be too loose, but you can avoid this by making educated decisions. Get a coach or a mentor. Make a game plan and stick to it.
Yesterday we talked about all the things in life for which we are grateful. Hopefully you made that long list and tucked it away in your purse or wallet. Today I want you to be loose. I want you to get off the fence about what it is in your life that you want to accomplish. Make a move that sets you up for achieving that goal. Hire a coach or a trainer and make a game plan. Whatever your goal, make a decision today that moves you toward it. Get loose!
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day! “Willingness without action is imagination” -unknown
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The Big One!
The Big One!
I was inspired to speak about the Big One with NASCAR’s being in Talladega this past weekend. The Big One usually happens at one of NASCAR’s restrictor plate races. For those of you new to racing, restrictor plates are used to cut down the horsepower on race cars to keep them from exceeding speeds that would be unsafe for both the drivers and the spectators. Cutting down on speed causes the cars to run in a pack called the draft, because on these large tracks two cars running together are much faster than one by itself. Having large groups of cars running together makes for some exciting racing but can also cause some tense moments. When you have 43 cars doing 180 mph in one pack, all within approximately two seconds of each other, one mistake can cause a huge wreck.
In such close proximity one driver’s mistake can set off a chain reaction leading to the Big One—a wreck taking out dozens of cars and tons of expensive equipment. To avoid the Big One, drivers need to be patient, pay extremely good attention, and choose their battles wisely. If they don’t, the collateral damage caused by their poor judgment could be devastating.
I want to talk about this today as a reminder that what you do in your life affects people around you in either a good or bad way. I think that I have made a positive impact in many people’s lives, but I may also have caused the Big One. My drinking and drug addictions have negatively affected many people. I have hurt many around me who were involved in my “wreck” because there was no way around it. Now that I am in recovery, however, I am more cognizant of how my actions affect others. By constantly reminding myself of my purpose on this Earth, I strive to be a better person and have a more positive impact on other people’s lives.
As long as each of us is still on this Earth, we are not “totaled.” Like a race car, you can be repaired after a wreck and race again another day. After the “Big One” at Talladega tempers flare and heated exchanges ensue. After a while, however, everyone calms down, and the guy you wrecked may be the one you push to victory at the next super speedway. Let this be a life lesson.
Remember we all make mistakes and should not be too hard on ourselves for them. As long as we realize that the choices we make affect others and we keep this at the forefront of every decision, we will make a positive impact on this Earth.
We have talked about being grateful in the past, but today I really want to focus on that. I want you to sit down and make a list of all of the things for which you are grateful. You should be able to come up with hundreds, if not thousands. Just write down as many as you can in ten minutes. Take a look at that sheet once you are finished and feel—concentrate on feeling—thankful. Keep it with you. On a bad day, pull it out and remind yourself of everything you have been blessed with…and smile.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.” –Albert Einstein
I was inspired to speak about the Big One with NASCAR’s being in Talladega this past weekend. The Big One usually happens at one of NASCAR’s restrictor plate races. For those of you new to racing, restrictor plates are used to cut down the horsepower on race cars to keep them from exceeding speeds that would be unsafe for both the drivers and the spectators. Cutting down on speed causes the cars to run in a pack called the draft, because on these large tracks two cars running together are much faster than one by itself. Having large groups of cars running together makes for some exciting racing but can also cause some tense moments. When you have 43 cars doing 180 mph in one pack, all within approximately two seconds of each other, one mistake can cause a huge wreck.
In such close proximity one driver’s mistake can set off a chain reaction leading to the Big One—a wreck taking out dozens of cars and tons of expensive equipment. To avoid the Big One, drivers need to be patient, pay extremely good attention, and choose their battles wisely. If they don’t, the collateral damage caused by their poor judgment could be devastating.
I want to talk about this today as a reminder that what you do in your life affects people around you in either a good or bad way. I think that I have made a positive impact in many people’s lives, but I may also have caused the Big One. My drinking and drug addictions have negatively affected many people. I have hurt many around me who were involved in my “wreck” because there was no way around it. Now that I am in recovery, however, I am more cognizant of how my actions affect others. By constantly reminding myself of my purpose on this Earth, I strive to be a better person and have a more positive impact on other people’s lives.
As long as each of us is still on this Earth, we are not “totaled.” Like a race car, you can be repaired after a wreck and race again another day. After the “Big One” at Talladega tempers flare and heated exchanges ensue. After a while, however, everyone calms down, and the guy you wrecked may be the one you push to victory at the next super speedway. Let this be a life lesson.
Remember we all make mistakes and should not be too hard on ourselves for them. As long as we realize that the choices we make affect others and we keep this at the forefront of every decision, we will make a positive impact on this Earth.
We have talked about being grateful in the past, but today I really want to focus on that. I want you to sit down and make a list of all of the things for which you are grateful. You should be able to come up with hundreds, if not thousands. Just write down as many as you can in ten minutes. Take a look at that sheet once you are finished and feel—concentrate on feeling—thankful. Keep it with you. On a bad day, pull it out and remind yourself of everything you have been blessed with…and smile.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!- “Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.” –Albert Einstein
Thursday, April 23, 2009
You Wanna Bump?
Bump Drafting
This is a fitting topic as NASCAR heads to Talladega this weekend. The circuits largest and fastest track where drafting is a necessity. We have talked about drafting in previous blogs…where two cars run faster together than one car by itself. Bump drafting is when the car trailing gives a little push or a bump to get the lead car going faster. It’s a pretty amazing sight to see a car being pushed at over 180 miles an hour. This technique is used to help make passes. I’ve also seen cars being bumped by a teammate or friendly competitor to the checkered flag for the win.
Bump drafting is about people working together to accomplish a common goal. Usually passing a competitor. Do you push your teammates to succeed? Do you nudge the people in your life so that you can all accomplish the common goal? Are you allowing the people in your life to push you to achieve what you are capable of?
Now let me be clear. I am not talking about going around being pushy. I’ve seen many times on the track where a driver bumped another car too hard or pushed him in the middle of a turn causing a huge crash. Bump drafting takes skill. You have to know how much to push and when to do it. In life it takes the same kinds of skills. There is a time and a place to push someone to achieve their greatness. Don’t push to hard or you could cause a wreck.
But with the right tact you should be able to motivate and inspire others to perform to their fullest capabilities. You might have to give them a little push but together you can win the race of life.
Today I’m going to bump draft you a little. I want you to schedule a time in your planner this week for something that you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t done. If you’ve been meaning to get on that treadmill but haven’t done it then I want you to mark it on the calendar. Block off time for zero interruptions. If you’ve been meaning to work on your relationship then I want you to get with your partner and schedule some time to spend together. Do something out of the ordinary this week, make a commitment to it, and keep it.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“ What you do today will determine how you feel tomorrow.” – Marshall Sylver
This is a fitting topic as NASCAR heads to Talladega this weekend. The circuits largest and fastest track where drafting is a necessity. We have talked about drafting in previous blogs…where two cars run faster together than one car by itself. Bump drafting is when the car trailing gives a little push or a bump to get the lead car going faster. It’s a pretty amazing sight to see a car being pushed at over 180 miles an hour. This technique is used to help make passes. I’ve also seen cars being bumped by a teammate or friendly competitor to the checkered flag for the win.
Bump drafting is about people working together to accomplish a common goal. Usually passing a competitor. Do you push your teammates to succeed? Do you nudge the people in your life so that you can all accomplish the common goal? Are you allowing the people in your life to push you to achieve what you are capable of?
Now let me be clear. I am not talking about going around being pushy. I’ve seen many times on the track where a driver bumped another car too hard or pushed him in the middle of a turn causing a huge crash. Bump drafting takes skill. You have to know how much to push and when to do it. In life it takes the same kinds of skills. There is a time and a place to push someone to achieve their greatness. Don’t push to hard or you could cause a wreck.
But with the right tact you should be able to motivate and inspire others to perform to their fullest capabilities. You might have to give them a little push but together you can win the race of life.
Today I’m going to bump draft you a little. I want you to schedule a time in your planner this week for something that you’ve been meaning to do but haven’t done. If you’ve been meaning to get on that treadmill but haven’t done it then I want you to mark it on the calendar. Block off time for zero interruptions. If you’ve been meaning to work on your relationship then I want you to get with your partner and schedule some time to spend together. Do something out of the ordinary this week, make a commitment to it, and keep it.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Quote of the Day!-“ What you do today will determine how you feel tomorrow.” – Marshall Sylver
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
You MUST make some adjustments!
Adjustments
During the course of a race, a racing team will make many adjustments to the car to improve its handling and increase its speed. These are done during the pit stops and can dramatically improve the results of the race, if the team makes the right adjustments at the right time. Watch a race sometime and listen to the pit crew’s conversation. Some adjustments are as simple as changing the tires’ air pressure to increase traction or adding tape to the grill to create more down force. A crew can also make adjustments to the suspension or move weight around on the car by adjusting the springs for better handling.
A key to continually winning races and being competitive is a racing team’s ability to work on the car throughout the race to improve it. Making good adjustments gives its driver the best possible set-up for ending the race.
Thinking of your life as a race, ask yourself, “Am I making adjustments constantly and consistently to improve my chances of winning? Am I doing the little things that will make my life more successful?” Look at your goal. Is it to improve your health? Then the adjustments could be to join a gym, take supplements or eat fresh fruit instead of that doughnut for breakfast. Is it to advance your career? Adjustments could include streamlining your daily activities, organizing your time better or eliminating busy work. Is your goal to improve a relationship? Make adjustments in the way you relate and show your love.
A key to being competitive in the race of life is to constantly work on yourself, to improve as the race goes on, to make those good adjustments that will give you the best chance of winning.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Word of the Day! Competition-the act or process of competing.
Are we doing all we can do to be competitive in the race of life?
Quote of the Day! “Good habits are hard to make but easy to live with. Bad habits are easy to make but hard to live with.” -unknown
During the course of a race, a racing team will make many adjustments to the car to improve its handling and increase its speed. These are done during the pit stops and can dramatically improve the results of the race, if the team makes the right adjustments at the right time. Watch a race sometime and listen to the pit crew’s conversation. Some adjustments are as simple as changing the tires’ air pressure to increase traction or adding tape to the grill to create more down force. A crew can also make adjustments to the suspension or move weight around on the car by adjusting the springs for better handling.
A key to continually winning races and being competitive is a racing team’s ability to work on the car throughout the race to improve it. Making good adjustments gives its driver the best possible set-up for ending the race.
Thinking of your life as a race, ask yourself, “Am I making adjustments constantly and consistently to improve my chances of winning? Am I doing the little things that will make my life more successful?” Look at your goal. Is it to improve your health? Then the adjustments could be to join a gym, take supplements or eat fresh fruit instead of that doughnut for breakfast. Is it to advance your career? Adjustments could include streamlining your daily activities, organizing your time better or eliminating busy work. Is your goal to improve a relationship? Make adjustments in the way you relate and show your love.
A key to being competitive in the race of life is to constantly work on yourself, to improve as the race goes on, to make those good adjustments that will give you the best chance of winning.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Word of the Day! Competition-the act or process of competing.
Are we doing all we can do to be competitive in the race of life?
Quote of the Day! “Good habits are hard to make but easy to live with. Bad habits are easy to make but hard to live with.” -unknown
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Making Choices!
I learned what I thought was a lot about right and wrong when I was a child. I thought I also learned a lot of good lessons. We were very polite children for the most part. We were what I considered a religious family. We went to church every Sunday. My mother ended up later in life becoming director of Christian Education for that same church we grew up in. So that may tell you a little about our upbringing.
But we learned most of our real lessons from our father. Unfortunately not the father above. Now my dad was what I consider a good man. He worked very hard as an insurance agent specializing in Agricultural things like crop insurance which then led to getting the farmers’ business for their home, auto, and life. He was very skilled not so much in sales but in delivering customer satisfaction. You see his work ethic led him to study corn future prices, cattle future prices. All kinds of topics that only farmers really pay attention to. But he wanted to be able to talk shop with them and show genuine interest in their business.
But by and far what earned him the most business and total customer loyalty were those devastating spring storms that the Midwest is so famous for. Not just tornadoes but hail storms, wind storms, flooding. You see when a storm came through in the middle of the night Larry was the first one out after it. He was great friends with the claims adjuster in the office and they would leave in the middle of the night to go to his client farms in the dark, in the mud, at all hours to check on their crops. Now who heard of a suit and tie paper pushing insurance salesman showing up at your farm in boots tramping around in your field to assess the damage and get a claim started at 4:00 am in the morning?
This impressed most of them and it didn’t take long for word to spread in that close knit community of farmers that Larry gave the best service above and beyond in the business. I learned a lot about business from watching him. I wanted to be just like him when I was growing up…like most children look up to there father. Unfortunately many of the choices I made when I entered the business world my father would have never made.
Business skills weren’t the only thing I learned from Larry. I should explain the Larry thing. See when we were growing up we spent a lot of time with babysitters and my grandparents. I guess they all referred to my parents as Audrey and Larry and we just picked it up. As long as I can remember they were always Audrey and Larry and they didn’t seem to mind me calling them that because they never said anything so it stuck. Now a lot of people around us growing up were appalled that we addressed them by their first name. But we never changed.
Many of the other skills I learned form Larry included the basics or they used to be the basics. Yes mam, no mam. Yes sir, no sir. Please and thank you. Opening doors for women including our mother and our sister. In general respect for others. In fact as long as I can remember as a child the big event of the week was Friday night at the country club. All of the local elite would be there for dinner. It was what I considered at the time to be a very eloquent dining room. We would show up in our Sunday best all five of us. The place would be packed. Everyone knew everyone else. The local business men in the community would come by our table and greet my father and our family. They would spend a few minutes talking small talk, discussing light amounts of business. Making a few jokes before moving a long to the next table. Larry would also make the rounds, shaking hands, kissing the wives on the cheek.
We children got to know almost everyone on a first name basis. And boy those older folks really took a liking to us. That might be because we were the only children in the place. The reason for that is everyone else got babysitters for their kids on Friday night. My parents waited till Saturday night for that. I’m pretty sure the reason for that was Larry loved showing off his family. How well behaved and proper his children were in public. That was the other reason there weren’t any other children there our age. You see the place was packed. The service was horrific. We sometimes had to wait as long as an hour to eat and we usually didn’t even get there till seven. Now not many five year old kids could sit still that long. But not a peep out of us. No temper tantrums. No whining. No running around.
That is because we knew better. You see Larry was also a very strict disciplinarian. There were plenty of spankings to go around. And all it took was a slight raise of or sternness in his voice with that look that shot through you like needles for us to know to pipe down. I guess we were pretty smart kids because it usually didn’t take us too many times of screwing up to learn our lesson.
Now I don’t want to make this blog for or against corporal punishment of children. That is a whole different debate for a different time but I can tell you as strict as Larry was there was never a spanking I didn’t have coming to me. You see every time I received a spanking I knew why I was getting it. In fact the thing I did before I got caught misbehaving I probably knew was going to earn me on of those hands across my butt…if not more than one. It didn’t take a whole lot of spankings before I didn’t do bad things anymore. The moral of this is that I sometimes wish today I knew that I had my dad to spank me before I made a choice. Because I probably would have made a different decision.
I told you my mother ended up being the director of Christian education at our church although when I was very much older. But to describe by mother to strangers I used to always tell people That if she and Mother Theresa died and they were both standing at the pearly gates but St. Peter could only let one of them in….I’m not sure which one he would pick but I know he’d have one hell of a decision. I’m sorry I couldn’t pardon the pun.
Audrey was so caring so kind. There isn’t a mean bone in her body. Everyone in our town loved her and so did we. Everyone in town knew her. It was a small town and her family had been there for ever. Literally they owned the first stage coach stop in town. She was a popular cheerleader, near the top of her class. Active in local events and church. But what seemed most important to her in life was being a Mom. For most of our childhood she was a stay at home mom. She proofread books but she could do that at home.
Like I said we spent most of our days either at school or outside. Now I’m not really sure what Audrey did all the time. She was a stay at home mother. But she didn’t take us to school. I already told you that we spent the majority of our summers alone at the country club. We had to ride the bus to and from school for the most part. We had a cleaning lady for most of my childhood because if we didn’t our house would have been a disaster. So I’m not sure if proofreading took all of her time. I mean they were really big books. Mostly medical books and journals written in languages like Russian and Spanish. Or maybe it was her volunteering with the church or the heart society or whatever charity or event that she couldn’t say no to.
But when we were with her she was great. There was no problem having all the neighborhood kids to the house to play or for a snack. We were a little spoiled by her. I hardly recall a time walking in to Wal-Mart when we didn’t walk out with some new toy. She took us to McDonalds for Happy Meals often. We had a great relationship with our mother and loved her very much. However we would treat her differently than Larry. Even though we loved her in some case I would say more than Larry we didn’t give her the respect we gave him. See she was so sweet. She could hardly raise her voice and when she did she was normally bluffing. In the very extreme circumstance and I mean maybe once maybe twice in my life she paddled me with a flimsy almost cardboard paddle. You know the ones with the rubber band that’s attached to a ball.
How come then I would make choices around her that I would never make around Larry? Is it because the bad choices I made would never result in the consequences that they would if Larry was around? But if I loved her more how could I disrespect her more. How come the people you are closest with or love the most you are willing to hurt the most with the choices you make?
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
But we learned most of our real lessons from our father. Unfortunately not the father above. Now my dad was what I consider a good man. He worked very hard as an insurance agent specializing in Agricultural things like crop insurance which then led to getting the farmers’ business for their home, auto, and life. He was very skilled not so much in sales but in delivering customer satisfaction. You see his work ethic led him to study corn future prices, cattle future prices. All kinds of topics that only farmers really pay attention to. But he wanted to be able to talk shop with them and show genuine interest in their business.
But by and far what earned him the most business and total customer loyalty were those devastating spring storms that the Midwest is so famous for. Not just tornadoes but hail storms, wind storms, flooding. You see when a storm came through in the middle of the night Larry was the first one out after it. He was great friends with the claims adjuster in the office and they would leave in the middle of the night to go to his client farms in the dark, in the mud, at all hours to check on their crops. Now who heard of a suit and tie paper pushing insurance salesman showing up at your farm in boots tramping around in your field to assess the damage and get a claim started at 4:00 am in the morning?
This impressed most of them and it didn’t take long for word to spread in that close knit community of farmers that Larry gave the best service above and beyond in the business. I learned a lot about business from watching him. I wanted to be just like him when I was growing up…like most children look up to there father. Unfortunately many of the choices I made when I entered the business world my father would have never made.
Business skills weren’t the only thing I learned from Larry. I should explain the Larry thing. See when we were growing up we spent a lot of time with babysitters and my grandparents. I guess they all referred to my parents as Audrey and Larry and we just picked it up. As long as I can remember they were always Audrey and Larry and they didn’t seem to mind me calling them that because they never said anything so it stuck. Now a lot of people around us growing up were appalled that we addressed them by their first name. But we never changed.
Many of the other skills I learned form Larry included the basics or they used to be the basics. Yes mam, no mam. Yes sir, no sir. Please and thank you. Opening doors for women including our mother and our sister. In general respect for others. In fact as long as I can remember as a child the big event of the week was Friday night at the country club. All of the local elite would be there for dinner. It was what I considered at the time to be a very eloquent dining room. We would show up in our Sunday best all five of us. The place would be packed. Everyone knew everyone else. The local business men in the community would come by our table and greet my father and our family. They would spend a few minutes talking small talk, discussing light amounts of business. Making a few jokes before moving a long to the next table. Larry would also make the rounds, shaking hands, kissing the wives on the cheek.
We children got to know almost everyone on a first name basis. And boy those older folks really took a liking to us. That might be because we were the only children in the place. The reason for that is everyone else got babysitters for their kids on Friday night. My parents waited till Saturday night for that. I’m pretty sure the reason for that was Larry loved showing off his family. How well behaved and proper his children were in public. That was the other reason there weren’t any other children there our age. You see the place was packed. The service was horrific. We sometimes had to wait as long as an hour to eat and we usually didn’t even get there till seven. Now not many five year old kids could sit still that long. But not a peep out of us. No temper tantrums. No whining. No running around.
That is because we knew better. You see Larry was also a very strict disciplinarian. There were plenty of spankings to go around. And all it took was a slight raise of or sternness in his voice with that look that shot through you like needles for us to know to pipe down. I guess we were pretty smart kids because it usually didn’t take us too many times of screwing up to learn our lesson.
Now I don’t want to make this blog for or against corporal punishment of children. That is a whole different debate for a different time but I can tell you as strict as Larry was there was never a spanking I didn’t have coming to me. You see every time I received a spanking I knew why I was getting it. In fact the thing I did before I got caught misbehaving I probably knew was going to earn me on of those hands across my butt…if not more than one. It didn’t take a whole lot of spankings before I didn’t do bad things anymore. The moral of this is that I sometimes wish today I knew that I had my dad to spank me before I made a choice. Because I probably would have made a different decision.
I told you my mother ended up being the director of Christian education at our church although when I was very much older. But to describe by mother to strangers I used to always tell people That if she and Mother Theresa died and they were both standing at the pearly gates but St. Peter could only let one of them in….I’m not sure which one he would pick but I know he’d have one hell of a decision. I’m sorry I couldn’t pardon the pun.
Audrey was so caring so kind. There isn’t a mean bone in her body. Everyone in our town loved her and so did we. Everyone in town knew her. It was a small town and her family had been there for ever. Literally they owned the first stage coach stop in town. She was a popular cheerleader, near the top of her class. Active in local events and church. But what seemed most important to her in life was being a Mom. For most of our childhood she was a stay at home mom. She proofread books but she could do that at home.
Like I said we spent most of our days either at school or outside. Now I’m not really sure what Audrey did all the time. She was a stay at home mother. But she didn’t take us to school. I already told you that we spent the majority of our summers alone at the country club. We had to ride the bus to and from school for the most part. We had a cleaning lady for most of my childhood because if we didn’t our house would have been a disaster. So I’m not sure if proofreading took all of her time. I mean they were really big books. Mostly medical books and journals written in languages like Russian and Spanish. Or maybe it was her volunteering with the church or the heart society or whatever charity or event that she couldn’t say no to.
But when we were with her she was great. There was no problem having all the neighborhood kids to the house to play or for a snack. We were a little spoiled by her. I hardly recall a time walking in to Wal-Mart when we didn’t walk out with some new toy. She took us to McDonalds for Happy Meals often. We had a great relationship with our mother and loved her very much. However we would treat her differently than Larry. Even though we loved her in some case I would say more than Larry we didn’t give her the respect we gave him. See she was so sweet. She could hardly raise her voice and when she did she was normally bluffing. In the very extreme circumstance and I mean maybe once maybe twice in my life she paddled me with a flimsy almost cardboard paddle. You know the ones with the rubber band that’s attached to a ball.
How come then I would make choices around her that I would never make around Larry? Is it because the bad choices I made would never result in the consequences that they would if Larry was around? But if I loved her more how could I disrespect her more. How come the people you are closest with or love the most you are willing to hurt the most with the choices you make?
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Monday, April 20, 2009
Are you to old?
I was not planning on this being the topic today, but as we follow our racing theme in the Fast Lane to Success blog, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the history that took place on a race track in Phoenix, Arizona Saturday night. For only the fourth time in NASCAR history a man who has been on this Earth for over half a century won in its premier series. Mark Martin took the checkered flag in first place on Saturday night at age 50 years and 89 days. In what many consider a young man’s sport, he proved that perseverance and dedication to accomplishing one’s goals does not have to end when one is “over the hill.”
Mark Martin went out there and beat the young guys in qualifying by setting the fastest lap and earning the pole position. He followed that by leading the first 102 laps of the race, showing absolute domination against his competitors. As the track changed and the sun went down, he faded back in the pack and off almost everyone’s radar. . .until the end of the race, that is, when he came back and sped to a huge 4-second lead over second place. Martin proved he still has what it takes to be a competitor.
What makes Martin’s victory even more special is that for the last two seasons he has been running a partial schedule. He has opted to forgo the grueling 36-week NASCAR schedule to spend more time with his family. Many, including Martin himself, thought his days of competing for an entire season to have a shot at the championship were past. That was until Rick Hendrick, one of the sport’s most competitive owners, offered Mark a full-time ride in the #5 car for this season. An opportunity to drive for Hendrick meant having fast cars week in and week out and possibly a shot at a championship. So far this year Martin has proved that he should be taken seriously as a contender for the Sprint Cup.
The fact that we are having this conversation about a man who would be way past his prime in most sports, much less one as physically and mentally demanding as NASCAR, speaks loads about the kind of person Mark Martin is. It would be hard to find anyone in the garage area who is in such good physical shape, and I am including guys 30 years his junior. Mark Martin trains more than almost anyone on the circuit and prepares himself for every race.
The moral of this blog is that no matter what your dreams are, they do not pass you by because of your age. And at no time should you give up because you have not accomplished what you thought you could by a certain age. Today is always the first day of the rest of your life. Think of Mark Martin, who came out of semi-retirement to compete and win! You can win, too!
In past sessions we have set our intentions, been grateful for what we have in our lives, worked on action steps, and worked on loving ourselves. One of the fastest ways to success is to visualize what you desire. Today I want you to start making a vision board. Find pictures of what you wish to accomplish and put them on your vision board. Suggestions might be a magazine cut-out of a classic Corvette or of two people in love or of a well-sculpted body. Be creative. Put this board where you will see it often—perhaps by your desk or in your office. I want you to be constantly reminded of what you are working to accomplish.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Word of the Day!- Esteem-the regard in which one is held; especially: high regard
Let’s work on the esteem with which we hold ourselves in.
Quote of the Day!- “POWER is for use.”-Marshall Sylver
Mark Martin went out there and beat the young guys in qualifying by setting the fastest lap and earning the pole position. He followed that by leading the first 102 laps of the race, showing absolute domination against his competitors. As the track changed and the sun went down, he faded back in the pack and off almost everyone’s radar. . .until the end of the race, that is, when he came back and sped to a huge 4-second lead over second place. Martin proved he still has what it takes to be a competitor.
What makes Martin’s victory even more special is that for the last two seasons he has been running a partial schedule. He has opted to forgo the grueling 36-week NASCAR schedule to spend more time with his family. Many, including Martin himself, thought his days of competing for an entire season to have a shot at the championship were past. That was until Rick Hendrick, one of the sport’s most competitive owners, offered Mark a full-time ride in the #5 car for this season. An opportunity to drive for Hendrick meant having fast cars week in and week out and possibly a shot at a championship. So far this year Martin has proved that he should be taken seriously as a contender for the Sprint Cup.
The fact that we are having this conversation about a man who would be way past his prime in most sports, much less one as physically and mentally demanding as NASCAR, speaks loads about the kind of person Mark Martin is. It would be hard to find anyone in the garage area who is in such good physical shape, and I am including guys 30 years his junior. Mark Martin trains more than almost anyone on the circuit and prepares himself for every race.
The moral of this blog is that no matter what your dreams are, they do not pass you by because of your age. And at no time should you give up because you have not accomplished what you thought you could by a certain age. Today is always the first day of the rest of your life. Think of Mark Martin, who came out of semi-retirement to compete and win! You can win, too!
In past sessions we have set our intentions, been grateful for what we have in our lives, worked on action steps, and worked on loving ourselves. One of the fastest ways to success is to visualize what you desire. Today I want you to start making a vision board. Find pictures of what you wish to accomplish and put them on your vision board. Suggestions might be a magazine cut-out of a classic Corvette or of two people in love or of a well-sculpted body. Be creative. Put this board where you will see it often—perhaps by your desk or in your office. I want you to be constantly reminded of what you are working to accomplish.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Word of the Day!- Esteem-the regard in which one is held; especially: high regard
Let’s work on the esteem with which we hold ourselves in.
Quote of the Day!- “POWER is for use.”-Marshall Sylver
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Fast Lane to Success Life Coaching's April Book Review!
Rules for Renegades: How to Make More Money, Rock your Career, and Revel in your Individuality by Christine Comaford-Lynch
Want a richer life? Break all the rules! Renegade entrepreneur—and runaway success story—Christine Comaford-Lynch has lived the kind of life most of us only dream about. From model to monk to multi-millionaire, she does what she wants—and things get done. Now, in ten outrageous life lessons, she shows you how to make your dreams come true. Your way. Your rules.
Rules for Renegades distills what Christine learned as she succeeded (and failed) in business, built strong (and disastrous) relationships and evolved spiritually and professionally. If you want to become financially independent, she shows you how to do it. If you want to build your confidence and self-esteem, she gives you a crash course. If you want a meaningful life with rich connections, she shares her secrets. Ultimately, she lets you in on the greatest secret of all—how to build a fulfilling life while rocking your career.
You will learn the surprising truths behind her most offbeat rules:
· Everything is an illusion, so pick one that is empowering
· Rock rejection and finesse failure
· Learn to love networking
· Work your money mojo
Rules for Renegades is not just the story of a remarkable entrepreneur. It is an amazing approach to life that breaks the rules and makes life work for you.
Christine Comaford-Lynch is a five-time CEO and company founder, and all five businesses grew to go public or be acquired. She has over 20 years’ experience in operational high tech positions with Microsoft, Lotus, Adobe, and Apple. She has assisted 700 of the Fortune 1000 companies and 300 small businesses in accelerating innovation and has consulted with the White House on tech and small business strategies.
I thoroughly enjoyed Rules because I can relate to Christine. Life can be challenging, but if you have the guts and are willing to think outside the box, then you, too, can accomplish your dreams. Christine’s amazing career came together in a very unorthodox manner. Her experiences show that no matter what problems you face in life, there is a solution if you are willing to be a renegade. If you want to succeed in business and in life, then this book is for you.
Not only is Rules empowering; it is filled with lots of helpful free stuff: links to sample business plan outlines, tutorials on sales and marketing techniques, and tools to help you enhance your own power. I highly suggest you read this book and take advantage of all the resources Christine provides by linking through my site below.
Erik Elsea
http://www.erikelsea.com/books/
Want a richer life? Break all the rules! Renegade entrepreneur—and runaway success story—Christine Comaford-Lynch has lived the kind of life most of us only dream about. From model to monk to multi-millionaire, she does what she wants—and things get done. Now, in ten outrageous life lessons, she shows you how to make your dreams come true. Your way. Your rules.
Rules for Renegades distills what Christine learned as she succeeded (and failed) in business, built strong (and disastrous) relationships and evolved spiritually and professionally. If you want to become financially independent, she shows you how to do it. If you want to build your confidence and self-esteem, she gives you a crash course. If you want a meaningful life with rich connections, she shares her secrets. Ultimately, she lets you in on the greatest secret of all—how to build a fulfilling life while rocking your career.
You will learn the surprising truths behind her most offbeat rules:
· Everything is an illusion, so pick one that is empowering
· Rock rejection and finesse failure
· Learn to love networking
· Work your money mojo
Rules for Renegades is not just the story of a remarkable entrepreneur. It is an amazing approach to life that breaks the rules and makes life work for you.
Christine Comaford-Lynch is a five-time CEO and company founder, and all five businesses grew to go public or be acquired. She has over 20 years’ experience in operational high tech positions with Microsoft, Lotus, Adobe, and Apple. She has assisted 700 of the Fortune 1000 companies and 300 small businesses in accelerating innovation and has consulted with the White House on tech and small business strategies.
I thoroughly enjoyed Rules because I can relate to Christine. Life can be challenging, but if you have the guts and are willing to think outside the box, then you, too, can accomplish your dreams. Christine’s amazing career came together in a very unorthodox manner. Her experiences show that no matter what problems you face in life, there is a solution if you are willing to be a renegade. If you want to succeed in business and in life, then this book is for you.
Not only is Rules empowering; it is filled with lots of helpful free stuff: links to sample business plan outlines, tutorials on sales and marketing techniques, and tools to help you enhance your own power. I highly suggest you read this book and take advantage of all the resources Christine provides by linking through my site below.
Erik Elsea
http://www.erikelsea.com/books/
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Fast Lane to Success Business and Life Coaching!
Today we are going to do something a little different than usual. On Tuesdays we are going to do a blog that gives you a little insight into me, the author. There will be stories about my background, about my struggles and my successes. Hopefully this will empower you to know that no matter what difficulties you are facing right now there is hope.
This is my story, a culmination of my life events so far. What I’ve learned from them and what lessons I can use to make my next 30 years better than the first. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately I still have to pay for some of my mistakes. Yes it could be nice to start off these next years with a clean slate but then I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I am happy with who I am but like all of us strive for something more.
I was born in a small farming community in Southern Illinois. It was a bedroom community for the city of St. Louis, Missouri. I was born in what I consider a fairly upper middle class family. Upper middle class for Southern Illinois. We had a nice house. Good parents. We didn’t want for much of anything. Waterloo is a town where you can let your kids ride there bikes all over town without worrying about them. There is basically no crime. It’s the kind of place anyone would want to raise a family.
It was a great time growing up there. I eventually became the oldest of three children and like most siblings we had our spats but all in all it was a very loving family. In the quaint little neighborhood about three miles out of town the houses were all set around a lake. Most of the other houses had families too with children of similar ages. So there was always something going on in the neighborhood. When we would get off the bus from school we would run in the house, we’d throw our backpacks down and just as swiftly run back outside to find the afterschool adventure of the day. A lot of this depended on the weather of course. You see St. Louis like most of the Midwest had very drastic changes in the seasons. I am writing this in SW Florida where I have lived for nearly five years. And I can tell you from experience that August in Ft. Myers in no way compares to the heat of August in St. Louis.
If it was the typical hot and humid day after school or in the summer we would put on our swim trunks and meet in the lake behind the house. The neighborhood kids would all take turns flipping our canoe over and using it as a diving platform. Or my favorite was going underneath it while it was tipped then popping my head up in the air trapped underneath and pretending it was a submarine. My life was filled with carefree days of play after school in the neighborhood. Football games in the fall. Playing in the woods in the spring, building club houses and forts.
This was except for the summertime when my brother and sister and I spent most of our time at the Waterloo Country Club. Now the Country Club was comprised of members who were the upper echelon of Waterloo society. But don’t compare it to most Country Clubs of upper echelon people. I have been in some very exclusive very ritzy Clubs during my years. This doesn’t hold a candle to those. Yes we had a golf course. A nine hole golf course with fairways so wide and forgiving that I even look like I know what I’m doing with a club in my hand. We also had a swimming pool which is where we would spend most of our time during the summer. Jumping off the diving board, playing Marco polo, dunking the smaller children. Our parents pretty much treated the Country Club as summertime day care. They would drop us off early in the morning and pick us up later in the afternoon. We were pretty much free to do what ever we wanted. We could fish in the many lakes which we sometimes saved the good ones to take home and stock the lake behind our house. We could play on the tennis courts although none of us ever excelled at tennis. I spent a lot of time on the putting green practicing my short game to no avail.
But our favorite part much to the dismay of our parents was the Tab. See all members were allowed to run a tab for food, drinks, etc. and then you would pay it at the end of the month on your bill. Luckily for our genetics or the fact we were running around all day and swimming the thousands and thousands of calories of candy and soda and chips and pretty much every other junk food you can conceive that we consumed had no effect on us. We had many a talking to at the end of the month about the size of that bill. But what did my parents expect with all that temptation and no one there to tell us no.
That brings me to the point I am going to try and make. About temptation. About life and the choices you make.
(to be continued)
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
If you are looking for either life coaching or business consulting please visit my website to find out more about the services we offer.
This is my story, a culmination of my life events so far. What I’ve learned from them and what lessons I can use to make my next 30 years better than the first. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately I still have to pay for some of my mistakes. Yes it could be nice to start off these next years with a clean slate but then I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I am happy with who I am but like all of us strive for something more.
I was born in a small farming community in Southern Illinois. It was a bedroom community for the city of St. Louis, Missouri. I was born in what I consider a fairly upper middle class family. Upper middle class for Southern Illinois. We had a nice house. Good parents. We didn’t want for much of anything. Waterloo is a town where you can let your kids ride there bikes all over town without worrying about them. There is basically no crime. It’s the kind of place anyone would want to raise a family.
It was a great time growing up there. I eventually became the oldest of three children and like most siblings we had our spats but all in all it was a very loving family. In the quaint little neighborhood about three miles out of town the houses were all set around a lake. Most of the other houses had families too with children of similar ages. So there was always something going on in the neighborhood. When we would get off the bus from school we would run in the house, we’d throw our backpacks down and just as swiftly run back outside to find the afterschool adventure of the day. A lot of this depended on the weather of course. You see St. Louis like most of the Midwest had very drastic changes in the seasons. I am writing this in SW Florida where I have lived for nearly five years. And I can tell you from experience that August in Ft. Myers in no way compares to the heat of August in St. Louis.
If it was the typical hot and humid day after school or in the summer we would put on our swim trunks and meet in the lake behind the house. The neighborhood kids would all take turns flipping our canoe over and using it as a diving platform. Or my favorite was going underneath it while it was tipped then popping my head up in the air trapped underneath and pretending it was a submarine. My life was filled with carefree days of play after school in the neighborhood. Football games in the fall. Playing in the woods in the spring, building club houses and forts.
This was except for the summertime when my brother and sister and I spent most of our time at the Waterloo Country Club. Now the Country Club was comprised of members who were the upper echelon of Waterloo society. But don’t compare it to most Country Clubs of upper echelon people. I have been in some very exclusive very ritzy Clubs during my years. This doesn’t hold a candle to those. Yes we had a golf course. A nine hole golf course with fairways so wide and forgiving that I even look like I know what I’m doing with a club in my hand. We also had a swimming pool which is where we would spend most of our time during the summer. Jumping off the diving board, playing Marco polo, dunking the smaller children. Our parents pretty much treated the Country Club as summertime day care. They would drop us off early in the morning and pick us up later in the afternoon. We were pretty much free to do what ever we wanted. We could fish in the many lakes which we sometimes saved the good ones to take home and stock the lake behind our house. We could play on the tennis courts although none of us ever excelled at tennis. I spent a lot of time on the putting green practicing my short game to no avail.
But our favorite part much to the dismay of our parents was the Tab. See all members were allowed to run a tab for food, drinks, etc. and then you would pay it at the end of the month on your bill. Luckily for our genetics or the fact we were running around all day and swimming the thousands and thousands of calories of candy and soda and chips and pretty much every other junk food you can conceive that we consumed had no effect on us. We had many a talking to at the end of the month about the size of that bill. But what did my parents expect with all that temptation and no one there to tell us no.
That brings me to the point I am going to try and make. About temptation. About life and the choices you make.
(to be continued)
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
If you are looking for either life coaching or business consulting please visit my website to find out more about the services we offer.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Fast Lane to Success Life Coaching!
Fast Lane Coaching!
Why do I compare life to racing? Why do I use racing metaphors in my writing? I believe my affinity for racing comes from trying to control something that is uncontrollable. All my life I have tried to stay in the fast lane. Racing has always seemed a good fit for me. It’s high speed excitement, the same kind of thrill one gets from a roller coaster ride or downhill skiing.
Racing, however, is entertainment; a life that is out of control is not. Is your life out of control right now? Are you struggling with addiction, financial problems or a bad relationship? These things are not fun, yet many of us continue to manifest them in our lives. Why? Why do we keep bringing the same problems into our lives over and over again? Why do we continue to do things that are destructive?
We create patterns in our life because of our programming, the way we perceive ourselves. If you do not love yourself, then you will not receive love from your partner. If you do not think you are worthy of wealth, then you will continue to struggle financially. Until I started to value my life, I could not fight my addictions even though I knew they were destructive. I needed to get out of that fast lane and into one that was more my speed.
Don’t get me wrong: this is not always easy. Often there are deep-rooted issues in our subconscious that cause a pattern of self-destruction. The only way to make a change in your life is to realize “I MUST change!” Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom. It takes looking into the mirror and saying, “Enough is enough!” That’s the day you also say and believe—truly, truly believe!—“I am worth so much more than this. I am worthy of anything I desire!”
Addictions, bad relationships, financial problems all cause drama in our lives. You feel like your life is moving 100 mph, but in the wrong direction. Get out of that fast lane and into the one that sends your life speeding toward success.
We have stated our intentions in present tense with our “I AM….” statements. We have listed what we are grateful for today in our lives. We have made a list of our “Action Steps” toward achieving our goal and have organized our game plan with a checklist. Today I want you to do something that will probably make you a bit uncomfortable at first. I want you to lock yourself in the bathroom or anywhere with absolutely no distractions and stare at yourself in the mirror for 5 minutes. I want you to really look at yourself. I want you to fall in love with yourself. Most people need to do this at least once a week to get the results I am expecting. We all initially look for what is wrong. We find wrinkles and blemishes. But we are all wonderful people, and we should all love ourselves first and foremost. Look at yourself deeply and realize how special you are.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Word of the Day!- Must-1. to be commanded or requested to; 2. to be compelled by physical necessity to
We need to turn our wants into musts.
Quote of the Day!-“Reality is an illusion…albeit a very persistent one.”-Albert Einstein
Why do I compare life to racing? Why do I use racing metaphors in my writing? I believe my affinity for racing comes from trying to control something that is uncontrollable. All my life I have tried to stay in the fast lane. Racing has always seemed a good fit for me. It’s high speed excitement, the same kind of thrill one gets from a roller coaster ride or downhill skiing.
Racing, however, is entertainment; a life that is out of control is not. Is your life out of control right now? Are you struggling with addiction, financial problems or a bad relationship? These things are not fun, yet many of us continue to manifest them in our lives. Why? Why do we keep bringing the same problems into our lives over and over again? Why do we continue to do things that are destructive?
We create patterns in our life because of our programming, the way we perceive ourselves. If you do not love yourself, then you will not receive love from your partner. If you do not think you are worthy of wealth, then you will continue to struggle financially. Until I started to value my life, I could not fight my addictions even though I knew they were destructive. I needed to get out of that fast lane and into one that was more my speed.
Don’t get me wrong: this is not always easy. Often there are deep-rooted issues in our subconscious that cause a pattern of self-destruction. The only way to make a change in your life is to realize “I MUST change!” Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom. It takes looking into the mirror and saying, “Enough is enough!” That’s the day you also say and believe—truly, truly believe!—“I am worth so much more than this. I am worthy of anything I desire!”
Addictions, bad relationships, financial problems all cause drama in our lives. You feel like your life is moving 100 mph, but in the wrong direction. Get out of that fast lane and into the one that sends your life speeding toward success.
We have stated our intentions in present tense with our “I AM….” statements. We have listed what we are grateful for today in our lives. We have made a list of our “Action Steps” toward achieving our goal and have organized our game plan with a checklist. Today I want you to do something that will probably make you a bit uncomfortable at first. I want you to lock yourself in the bathroom or anywhere with absolutely no distractions and stare at yourself in the mirror for 5 minutes. I want you to really look at yourself. I want you to fall in love with yourself. Most people need to do this at least once a week to get the results I am expecting. We all initially look for what is wrong. We find wrinkles and blemishes. But we are all wonderful people, and we should all love ourselves first and foremost. Look at yourself deeply and realize how special you are.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Word of the Day!- Must-1. to be commanded or requested to; 2. to be compelled by physical necessity to
We need to turn our wants into musts.
Quote of the Day!-“Reality is an illusion…albeit a very persistent one.”-Albert Einstein
Friday, April 10, 2009
Personal and Business Organization!
A race car will not run without a checklist!
A race car will not run without a checklist, and neither will you. Organization is key to any successful racing operation. Different racing series travel throughout the country and, in some cases, throughout the world. Logistics of moving people and equipment is the full-time job of someone on the race team. Can you imagine the repercussions of inadvertently leaving the spare engine at the shop in North Carolina while racing in California and needing it? The team would be grounded or scrambling to borrow one. That is a major example, but think of all the tools, nuts, bolts, tape, radios, oil, computers, uniforms, helmets, racing suits and other necessities for running a successful race team. These thousands of pieces of equipment had better be at the track come race weekend. And the only way to guarantee they are is to have a checklist.
Likewise, people wanting to accomplish a goal need a checklist. Have you said to yourself, “There aren’t enough hours in the day.”? Granted, with our careers and our families, we are living busy lives. However, the keys are 1) motivation, 2) prioritization and 3) organization.
· Ask yourself, “What am I truly motivated to do?” Without real motivation, you will be unable to make a change.
· Ask yourself, “Is this life change really important?” It has to be MOST important—prioritized first!
· Ask yourself, “What steps will get me to my goal?” Get organized with a checklist.
Because my goal is better health, my checklist includes
1. Eat a healthy breakfast.
2. Walk for 20 minutes during lunch.
3. After work spend an hour at the gym.
I check off each item as I complete it to give me a continual feeling of accomplishment. You can do the same. Make your checklist TODAY!
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Work of the Day!-Discipline-1.punishment 2.training that corrects, molds or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.
Don’t look at having discipline as punishment but look at it as correcting moral character.
Quote of the Day! “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”-Robert H. Schuller
A race car will not run without a checklist, and neither will you. Organization is key to any successful racing operation. Different racing series travel throughout the country and, in some cases, throughout the world. Logistics of moving people and equipment is the full-time job of someone on the race team. Can you imagine the repercussions of inadvertently leaving the spare engine at the shop in North Carolina while racing in California and needing it? The team would be grounded or scrambling to borrow one. That is a major example, but think of all the tools, nuts, bolts, tape, radios, oil, computers, uniforms, helmets, racing suits and other necessities for running a successful race team. These thousands of pieces of equipment had better be at the track come race weekend. And the only way to guarantee they are is to have a checklist.
Likewise, people wanting to accomplish a goal need a checklist. Have you said to yourself, “There aren’t enough hours in the day.”? Granted, with our careers and our families, we are living busy lives. However, the keys are 1) motivation, 2) prioritization and 3) organization.
· Ask yourself, “What am I truly motivated to do?” Without real motivation, you will be unable to make a change.
· Ask yourself, “Is this life change really important?” It has to be MOST important—prioritized first!
· Ask yourself, “What steps will get me to my goal?” Get organized with a checklist.
Because my goal is better health, my checklist includes
1. Eat a healthy breakfast.
2. Walk for 20 minutes during lunch.
3. After work spend an hour at the gym.
I check off each item as I complete it to give me a continual feeling of accomplishment. You can do the same. Make your checklist TODAY!
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Work of the Day!-Discipline-1.punishment 2.training that corrects, molds or perfects the mental faculties or moral character.
Don’t look at having discipline as punishment but look at it as correcting moral character.
Quote of the Day! “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”-Robert H. Schuller
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Jeff Gordon has a spotter. Do you?
Jeff Gordon has a spotter. Do you?
Every NASCAR driver who gets on a track of a Sunday has a spotter. You usually do not see them because they are perched high above the track on top of the luxury boxes or press boxes for a view of the whole track. What is a spotter? A spotter is a person who, through radio communication, gives information to the driver. He tells the driver when the green flag waves to begin the race. When the driver is in traffic, the spotter tells him if he is clear high or low. If there is a wreck up ahead, the spotter warns the driver and directs him how to avoid it. And spotters deliver very important information about the performance of the car. For instance, if one of the other drivers is running particularly fast lap times by running a slightly higher line on the track, a spotter could tell his own driver about it so he could also use that racing line. Basically, a spotter is another set of eyes for the driver and may see things that the driver is unable to see from his position in the car.
Why do you need a spotter? Think of your life as a race: at times you need to get going; other times you need to brake. You could probably avoid potential wrecks down life’s road if you had a spotter to help guide you around them. In business a spotter could be another set of eyes for you on a potential project. Or a spotter could give you the advice that allows you to run a different course from what you were, letting you go faster in accomplishing your goals.
A spotter could be a life coach, business consultant, mentor, any third-party person who does not have a major emotional attachment to you. Although having discussions with your spouse or significant other about things going on in your life and in your career is very healthy, I think that should be balanced with discussions with someone who can maintain that third-party objectivity. Find someone to bounce ideas off or with whom you are comfortable asking for advice—someone who does not work for the same company as you and who is not related to you. Remember you want a second set of eyes for your life—ones that give you an unbiased opinion and help steer you in the right direction.
Yesterday we wrote our goal in present tense, as if we had already accomplished it. Remember mine was “I AM sober.” Today I want you to contemplate all the things you are grateful for in your life that relates to your goal. In my case, two items on my list are, “I am grateful for AA meetings” and “I am grateful I do not feel the need to drink today.” Write out as many as you can, and then study them. Be thankful for all these things/people already in your favor.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Word of the Day!-Destiny-something to which a person or thing is destined
Let’s control our own destiny through our thoughts and our actions.
Quote of the Day!-“Be a victor-not a victim.”-Marshall Sylver
Every NASCAR driver who gets on a track of a Sunday has a spotter. You usually do not see them because they are perched high above the track on top of the luxury boxes or press boxes for a view of the whole track. What is a spotter? A spotter is a person who, through radio communication, gives information to the driver. He tells the driver when the green flag waves to begin the race. When the driver is in traffic, the spotter tells him if he is clear high or low. If there is a wreck up ahead, the spotter warns the driver and directs him how to avoid it. And spotters deliver very important information about the performance of the car. For instance, if one of the other drivers is running particularly fast lap times by running a slightly higher line on the track, a spotter could tell his own driver about it so he could also use that racing line. Basically, a spotter is another set of eyes for the driver and may see things that the driver is unable to see from his position in the car.
Why do you need a spotter? Think of your life as a race: at times you need to get going; other times you need to brake. You could probably avoid potential wrecks down life’s road if you had a spotter to help guide you around them. In business a spotter could be another set of eyes for you on a potential project. Or a spotter could give you the advice that allows you to run a different course from what you were, letting you go faster in accomplishing your goals.
A spotter could be a life coach, business consultant, mentor, any third-party person who does not have a major emotional attachment to you. Although having discussions with your spouse or significant other about things going on in your life and in your career is very healthy, I think that should be balanced with discussions with someone who can maintain that third-party objectivity. Find someone to bounce ideas off or with whom you are comfortable asking for advice—someone who does not work for the same company as you and who is not related to you. Remember you want a second set of eyes for your life—ones that give you an unbiased opinion and help steer you in the right direction.
Yesterday we wrote our goal in present tense, as if we had already accomplished it. Remember mine was “I AM sober.” Today I want you to contemplate all the things you are grateful for in your life that relates to your goal. In my case, two items on my list are, “I am grateful for AA meetings” and “I am grateful I do not feel the need to drink today.” Write out as many as you can, and then study them. Be thankful for all these things/people already in your favor.
Erik Elsea
www.erikelsea.com
Word of the Day!-Destiny-something to which a person or thing is destined
Let’s control our own destiny through our thoughts and our actions.
Quote of the Day!-“Be a victor-not a victim.”-Marshall Sylver
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