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Lesson Number Nine: Slumps Happen

In the classic baseball movie “Major League,” one of the players has taken to sacrificing chickens and rubbing mysterious voodoo tchotchkes on his bat in order to get a hit. Some of the other players belittle his efforts – until it appears to work. Superstitions aren’t just the stuff of Hollywood; Hall-of-Famer Kiki Cuyler refused to move to a different spot in the batting order; Dolf Camilli used to rub the batboy’s head before entering the batter’s box; and possibly one of the most famous that players of all levels have adopted: Tapping your bat on home plate before each at-bat.

The problem with superstitions like these is that they work… until they don’t. Eventually the slump happens, no matter how many chickens sacrificed or batboys rubbed. Sometimes, baseball slumps just happen. You’re on fire the entire season until one day you wake up, do everything you did the day before, and suddenly you can’t get a hit to save your life. You’re in a slump, and it hangs around until it breaks – or you do.

Businesspeople experience their share of seemingly inexplicable slumps, too. And just as in baseball, you have a choice: Through or out.

Top-notch marketing blogger and best-selling author Seth Godin based his book, “The Dip,” on this very principle. He says that dips – “slumps,” in baseball speak – will happen; it’s not a question of if, but when. And when it does happen, you have a choice to make. Are you going to give up, or are you going to barrel through?

If your reasons are strong enough, you will continue to get in that batter’s box, says Godin. You’ll put out products, talk with customers, market your wares. And you’ll also work behind the scenes to improve your chances of getting a hit. You’ll review your statistics (Lesson #8), you’ll work with a coach (Lesson #6) and you’ll keep refining your process. And then you’ll keep on swinging (Lesson #3). And eventually, the slump will end and you’ll get that hit.

Of course, giving up is always an option. More than one baseball player has let the slump get the best of them and quit without ever managing to make it back on base. The choice is yours. In the meantime, your competitors will be facing the same challenges at one time or another. The spoils will go to the one who can stick it out – and put their voodoo to work.

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Lessons From a Homeless Woman Part 1

Yesterday my wife and I stopped by the local Starbucks to get a cup of coffee. As we went to our seats, we noticed young lady sitting at the table next to us. She had her Bible out and she also had numerous bags surrounding her.

As we sat down to have a cup of coffee, we began a conversation with woman. Her name was Desiree. And, she was homeless. Now, I mention the word homeless, only because it just sets up the story and the situation.

Desiree was a lovely lady who began to share with us her story. As she shared her story, there were some very good life and business lessons that I learned. Honestly, This was one of the best breakfast times I have had in a long time. So I just wanted to share these lessons I learned from Desiree that day.

1. Never let your situation dictate your outlook.

Desiree was homeless, but her present situation did not cloud the sunny future she saw for herself. She shared with us her dreams and her aspirations. She shared with us her plans on what she was going to be doing in the next 2 to 3 years. Desiree was bubbly and flowing over with enthusiasm about her future.

Take-Home - No matter where you are right now in your business make sure you keep a positive outlook  for your future.

2. Break the mold-don't stay in the rut

One of the things, we talked about was how people seem to continue going in circles. How many of the people that she met on a day-to-day basis who were homeless, seemed to think they would always be homeless. Here was Desiree take on the situations.  You have to determine in your mind that you are no longer going to stay where you are. Your future is determined by being able to break the mold.

Take-Home - If you are going to be successful; don't be afraid to get out of your own way. In fact, don't be afraid to break the mold. To bust out of the box. And more importantly, get out of the everyday rut.

3. Suffering is but a moment in the grand scheme of things.

Desiree spoke at great length about where she was going, about the changes she was making in her life in order to be better. She also spoke at length about the suffering that she was going through in her present situation. She began to tell us the tale of how she had been homeless for about a year. And that according to her plan she would have to be homeless and another six months to a year to get back on her feet. But what she said after that was mind-boggling. Desiree said in the grand scheme of her 43 years living, being homeless for two years is just a moment. In fact she went Bible on me and said, "if all of my life is suffering, it is still but a moment in eternity."

Take-Home - When we are up against the wall. When we are facing our biggest obstacles. We often huddle down and feel that we are being tried in the fire.  If we really think about it, our suffering is just for a small time. In business, as well as life, we have to go through periods of what we consider to be suffering. The key is to understand that this suffering is just for a moment in the grand scheme of things. We will emerge sooner or later.

There is so much I learned from Desiree that day. I left much better than I came. I hope to one day run into Desiree after her process so that I can witness the miraculous transition that her journey has brought her.

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Create

My hard drive crashed.  And while there is a multiplicity of files that I have lost. What I have not lost is my ability to create.  In fact in most cases, I can re-create everything that I've lost.

So my friend as long as you are alive and able to create, don't worry about what you've lost.

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What Do I Want to be Known For When I Die?

Recently I invited a group of teens and young adults to sit and ask me questions. Any question about anything. And boy did they throw it at me. This is a video from that series.

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Quotable from this video: "If they can write in my obituary that I was a good dad, then I have lived a good life" - @realsource

This is Richard filmed unscripted - straight from the heart - in a single take, without a prompter or notes.

J. Richard Byrd is a father, husband, church launcher, serial entrepreneur, musician, and marketing consultant. He is the author of several books most recently Next Steps. His goal is to make you Think Bigger -- Be Bigger so that you Can Do Bigger Things.

Meet Richard at http://www.JRichardByrd.com

 

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3 Things To Do While Waiting for An Upload

While today just has been one of those days friends. I've been sitting here waiting for one of my podcast to upload into my library account. And for some reason, today's upload seems to be incredibly an extremely long. So I thought about what do you do with this unexpected downtime in your day. If you're like me I want to always be as efficient as possible. I'm always looking for ways that I can just increase the level of what I'm doing on a daily basis.

So I spend a lot of time creating these complex schedules. Then when something like this belong dates my day I am completely flabbergasted as what to do. So I decided to create this blog as a way of what to do when you have downtime that's unexpected.

  1. Watch Something - Use this time to catch up on Tedx or Self-help Videos -- You can use this time to get some quick inspiration for your creativity.
  2. File Something -- File anything. I am sure there are things on your desk that need to be filed away - your inbox needs to be sorted or you just need to wipe off the coffee stain that has ben there for a week -- Take this time to tidy up your space.
  3. Write Something - Write a blog post -- Which is what I did. While waiting for my upload I turned on my Dragon Dictate and I dictated two blog posts one of which you are reading right now.

Don't let this time get you down or catch you twiddling your thumbs.  Use it to your advantage -  Please leave a comment below -- What would you add to the list?