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Leadership

Entrepreneur, Manager, or Employee

Let’s first look at what the actual definitions of these three distinct words are—before we get into personality traits or other characteristics, because trust me, there’s a heck of a lot to this.

entrepreneur /ˌɒntrəprəˈnəː/ noun a person who sets up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.

That’s a pretty bare-bones and a quite literal definition of course. If I asked you to name three, my guess is at least one of the following would come instantly to your mind: Steve Jobs, Sir Richard Branson, Bill Gates, and Mark Zukerberg. And for good reason—they’ve all been very successful. But the truth is, there’s been millions and millions of successful entrepreneurs throughout the history of mankind going back to when the first caveman sold another hungry caveman a piece of roasted meat from the spoils of that day’s hunt. We’ll get more into that in a few moments, but let’s go ahead and define a manager now.

manager /ˈmanɪdʒə/ noun a person responsible for controlling or administering an organization or group of staff.

This one is fairly obvious, and to be frank with you—it’s not much different from an employee, save some added responsibility.

employee /ɛmplɔɪˈiː,ɛmˈplɔɪiː,ɪm-/ noun a person employed for wages or salary, especially at non-executive level.

What the two latter people have most in common is the fact that neither have any real control over the business they work for. That doesn’t mean they don’t have say over certain processes or tasks or whatever, but it’s a bit of an illusion because the ultimate authority (and responsibility) rests with ownership. In many respects, employees are simply a part of the mechanism that’s ensuring an entrepreneur’s goals come to fruition.

“Every day you’re lucky enough to wake up—you’re either working towards your goals, or someone else’s. Daily the choice is yours.” —James L. Clark

Make no mistake about it—both managers and the lowest rank and file worker at any company are employees. regardless of their job description and relative responsibilities. They trade hours in their day (the only currency in life we cannot replenish) to make someone’s goals a reality.

What’s your daily motivation?

Mangers and non-manager employees pretty much have the same motivation—they want a paycheck. I get it, trust me. Made lots of money and lost lots of money. It can be scary knowing that I’m entirely responsible for getting up every morning and finding a way to produce an income. Working a job takes away some of the heavy burden that rests on an entrepreneur’s shoulders.

People who work “jobs” for for crazy folks like me every day so they can trade the cash they earn and trade it for things like a lifestyle. Employees enjoy, as I said, “relative” security and a paycheck that is hopefully dependable. Not always the case of course, but for those of us who venture out (so to speak) into the uncertain world of business, we have no guarantees whatsoever. Other than, the guarantee that there are none. Well, if we’re honest—neither do employees. Businesses fail every day, so one minute you can have a safe job and the next—it’s gone.

I tend to embrace that kind of thing and live in that kind of reality. As a medic I’ve seen how uncertain life is across the board, so for me, I’m not the kind of guy who shrinks away from risk. Of course, I’m what I would describe as a “calculated risk taker” as opposed to someone who just takes risks without considering the potential consequences. Most employees around the world are either perfectly happy being “employees” (not necessarily at a given job, but with the concept of trading their day for a paycheck). Or, they just don’t know anything different.

Those who prefer the relative stability offered by a “job” over the potential uncertainty and seemingly innumerable associated risks of owing a business, are probably not entrepreneur material. And that’s perfectly okay. There’s nothing wrong, whatsoever, in holding down a job. In life there are leaders and there are there are followers, and we all fall somewhere on that ladder. Doesn’t make one person better than the next—it just makes us all different.

Are you open to alternative lifestyles?

I’m not talking about living in a commune and not showering for weeks on end. I’m not talking about wearing tie-dyed shirts, smoking pot, or gauging your ears either—though none of those things will necessarily prevent you from being your own boss, if I’m honest. What I’m really talking about is being an entrepreneur. Because it’s unlike anything you’ve ever done in your life—hands down.

Most employees, especially people who’ve worked jobs for years—have no idea how to think any differently. Those who flirt with it or are able to make the mental leap from working a job to wanting to be the boss—often have no idea how to transition. But to get there you have to be open to risk, open to working a lot more hours than you ever have in your life, to being dedicated, to sleepless nights, to uncertainty, and to all other plethora of realities that come with the new title.

Going back to motives, it could be argued that the main motive or objective of an entrepreneur is to start a venture and make money. I suppose in many respects, that can be true, but I think that falls short in a lot of respects. It also could be said that an entrepreneur sets up a business for personal gratification, which too is often the case. More likely, it’s a combination of these and a lot of other factors.

For instance, a lot of the business owners I know personally are crazy—crazy creative, crazy inventive, and crazy fun. They just think differently. They think both inside and outside the proverbial box. They look for needs or problems and fill or solve them accordingly. They see gaps that need to be filled.

So what are you? An entrepreneur, manager, or employee?

Productivity

How I Wrote a Book in 7 Days

I know, crazy right? Almost seems impossible, but, it isn’t. I know, because I actually sat my rear end down at a computer and banged out an entire book (that’s now on the market I should add)—from start to finish—in a week. Well, give or take a few hours here and there I suppose, if you really want to get technical about it. And, yes, you’d be correct in assuming it was a tremendous amount of work—but the good news is, not hard work. Just work.

What’s really impressive, aside from the turn around time (though, I’ve come to realize it isn’t actually that big of a deal)—is just how much income I generated from that one title. It was so successful at the time that I ended up writing another volume, then I eventually sold the rights to another publisher and moved on with my life towards other goals.

You may be thinking, “There’s no way in f&%# I can do that…” And you’re probably correct, well, at least if you believe that to be a fact. I can assure you, you’re going to be your biggest stumbling block in your life. People who blame their parents, siblings, friends, co-workers, employers, other races or groups from a given demographic—are blaming the wrong people for their personal failures in life. Note I said personal failures—and that should sufficiently clue you in on who you need to blame when things don’t turn out how you want them to.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.” —Henry Ford

I’m fairly convinced Mr. Ford’s thoughts there apply to any goal in life to be honest. If you aren’t willing to believe in yourself, why should others? Me personally, I don’t have to know you to know you can write a book in seven days just like I did—barring any legitimate handicap that may prohibit the process. But even with a disability, there are ways around it. I’m not the sharpest crayon in the box, and I managed it—so I’m guessing you could to.

So here’s my advice for doing it:

**Step 1. Decide you actually want to do it**

This may sound obvious, but if you don’t actually decide this is something you want to do—you’ll never do it. If you’re an existing author (or you’ve spent a lot of time in academia), this may be a little easier for you to do than someone just starting out for the first time (or who has never or no longer spends any time in front of a computer writing), because you’ll already be familiar with process and discipline required to make a go of it. But you don’t actually have to have written a book before to write one now. Remember, every author starts out as a wannabe. What you do have to be is committed. Deciding you’re gonna do it is probably the most important part of this process. The rest, as you will find out, is’t all difficult as much as it is just time consuming and a little tedious.

Step 2. Pick a topic you know very well

Before you start writing about something random—just stop right there. The key to speed is writing about something you’re very familiar with. The best writers spend time writing about things their passionate about and know intimately. Sure, there are exceptions like journalists who may get random assignments and have to turn things around quickly, but generally speaking—even they write in a genre they’re familiar with. Think about your hobbies. Consider work. Maybe your family history or things you experienced growing up. Me, I pick non-fiction.

Step 3. Before you write a word, plan it out

One of the most important lessons I learned writing a book with a major publishers was how to be properly organized, and that starts in large part with the structure of the book—the table of contents. I use a word doc (you can use Google docs for free) and create a outline of the book broken down into chapters. It’s actually very easy to do. Recently, I sent a template to a friend I’m mentoring and he made one for his first book idea in about an hour.

Once you have the raw structure outlined, you can break that down even more into subsections for each chapter. I personally try to create at least 10 chapters in every book, with a goal of having 10-20 pages per chapter in the finished product. I seldom do less than that, but may do more. The reason is simple, anything less feels a bit light and cheap. If people pay $15-20 for a book, they like some heft. If you write more than that, you start having to look at printing costs, shipping costs, et cetra. There’s a trade off and it does reduce the money you will ultimately make—depending upon the model of publication.

I use Word to write most things (articles, papers, proposals, books), but I’ve begun spending a lot more time using Adobe Indesign with mock-up chapters because I can see the book begin to take shape. As a publisher (both of my own material and that of others), I think a lot more about the “look and feel” of content I produce than I ever did before when I worked with traditional publishers. If you write each chapter in Word with normal margins, 12pt text, single spaced you’ll get one or two full pages for a real book from each single Word page. You can also create margins that are about the same size as the interior pages of a book (final trim of 5.5×8.5, 9×6, or whatever) and that will help you gauge how much you’re writing as you type.

But that won’t happen if you don’t plan things out first.

Step 4. Test how fast you can create pages

Inline with planning, figure out how much content you can write in a single day. For me, I use a split-keyboard and can type (without looking down) somewhere between 65-80 words per minute. That depends on how many Red Bulls I’ve had that day too, of course. If you you’re writing about something you know well, such as from memory, it comes a lot faster than if you’re having to piece it together from research. Sit down and figure out how fast you can put it to paper—so to speak. If you can write 10 full pages in Word in one single day, that means you can probably produce 10-20 interior pages in a finished book per day.

Do the math now—that’s 70 to 140 pages, give or take. In fairness, a 140 page book isn’t bad.

Get it? If you can meet those kinds of numbers—you can write enough content for a full book in a week. No problem.

I know I can write about 15-20 pages of solid content in a single day, which means I produce upwards of 200 pages every 7-days if I format the pages correctly. My finished books tend to use 11pt per line and I prefer finished trim of 5.5×8.5 for trade paperback and 6×9 for hardback. My biggest stumbling block is not being able to produce good content quickly, it’s in being far too critical of the content I produce. That naturally slows the process down. Which brings me to the next step.

**Step 5. Do NOT go back to edit or stop writing**

Since you have a plan—stick to it. Do not, under any circumstances, go back and try to edit things or make them better. Books are written in phases and editing (at least beyond the most superficial levels) is best saved until after the book is finished. I promise you that you’ll have plenty of time to edit afterwards, not to mention, all of the help you’ll want to enlist to make sure you don’t miss things. The point here is in writing the book in one week, which you’ll not be able to do if you keep going back, stopping, and re-starting again. Trudge through my friend and keep your eye on the price—writing your book in no more than seven days!

Step 6. Block time and ensure you can’t be interrupted

You’ll probably only be able to do this if you block a week out for the project. Just how it’s gonna have to be. I’m self employed (and I was at the time I did this), so it’s a bit easier for me to take 7 consecutive days out of my life on something like this than someone working a full time gig 40-70 hours a week.

If you’re in-between jobs (like J.K. Rowling was when she authored the first of the Harry Potter series), that’s the perfect time to use your freedom for something special like this in your life. Of course, you could take your accrued vacation time (or take unpaid leave) and invest it in your book instead of sitting around the house or going somewhere tropic and doing absolutely nothing—if you’re so inclined. In other words, there are options.

No matter when or how you get there though, you need to make sure you can focus on the task at hand. That means telling your loved ones or friends to keep away unless it’s an emergency. Turn off your phone, kill social media, and only use the internet if you need it to help with the writing of the book. Period.

Step 7. Stop dreaming and start doing

This isn’t Disney. Life isn’t a fairytale. Dreams don’t really ever come true—goals do. Thus, if this is an actual goal you’d like to accomplish, then make it happen. Shut up. Stop talking. Stop procrastinating—and go for it. Do.

“Do. Or do not. There is no try.”—Yoda

Before you dump money into an MBA program, read this.

Personal Development

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Get an MBA

First things first, I have an MBA. Now, anyone who’s taken a critical thinking class knows that the Genetic Fallacy tells us to not dismiss information just because of the source, so it actually doesn’t matter if I have earned the degree or not, provided the information I provide is good information. But I do have one, so I feel fairly qualified to share my views on the topic. Of course, it is just my view; doesn’t mean this will apply to you specifically. If it does, great. If it doesn’t, great also!

1. You’re NOT Going to Make More Money

These days, everyone has an MBA; they’re, as the saying goes, a dime a dozen. In other words, when they first came out, not everyone had one. Now, the degree is so copied, so common place, that having one isn’t anything special. If your goal is to differentiate yourself from your peers, the MBA is hardly the way to do it these days. It’s become quite diluted, and only a very, very small percentage of MBA grads come out making anywhere near the imagined six figures they think they’ll get. Some HR managers may even see you as being “overqualified” if you change jobs or look to do a career pivot.

2. Programs are Notoriously Impractical

Contrary to popular belief, MBA programs don’t really offer a lot of “practical” advice. In fact, you tend to spend your time reading case studies and books written by academics who have minimal real world experience actually making money. That’s not to say that there aren’t exceptions to the rule, but quite often, the people actually teaching the classes have made average incomes, lived average lives, and seldom done anything worthy of emulation in the business world beyond earning an MBA or doctorate themselves. That doesn’t make them bad people, just not the people I want to learn from. If that’s your actual goal, to be like them, then go for it. But if you want more, then take this seriously. There’s an old joke in academia that goes something like this: PhDs know lots and lots about less and less.

Which leads me to the next point…

3. Most Entrepreneurs Do NOT Have an MBA

I enjoy earning an exceptional income, not an average one. Anyone can be an employee; you can put your head down and work a job. There’s nothing wrong with that. But having an MBA doesn’t ensure you’ll get or always have a job; it’s just a degree. Nobody in life, to be frankly, is guaranteed anything. But more importantly, look around the business world and ask this question, “How many billionaires earned their MBA?” The answer will likely shock you.

When I look at people I’d like to emulate, very few (if any) ever went to business school. An MBA isn’t like going to a trade school where you learn actual skills; there’s no set standard that will help you become a better businessman. Most of the people I respect in business (Bill Gates, Richard Branson, et cetra) all learned through trial and error; they got up every day, worked hard, stayed focused, and moved forward. Ever day. Day in, day out.

I might add that Richard Branson doesn’t have a university degree, let alone an MBA. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard as an undergraduate and co-founded Microsoft. If I could be like them, and I knew what I know now, I can honestly say I’d not have spent the time and money on the MBA, but would have invested that time and money on other ventures.

4. Earning an MBA is a Major Waste of Time

Listen, most MBA programs will take two years of your life you can’t ever get back. Some will take a year full time, and if you’re really killing yourself like I did—10 months (including a 38,000+ word dissertation). Even though I worked faster and was able to graduate much earlier than my contemporaries, it was still a major waste of my time. That’s partly why I worked so hard to get it over with.

I figured out by the first semester that what I was being asked to learn wasn’t remotely relevant to what I wanted to accomplish in business. I’m an entrepreneur, and I never had any interest in sitting in a box working towards someone else’s goals. Ultimately, you have to decide what works for you; each of us has our future in our own hands, and we each have directions we want to go.

So you really have to ask yourself if spending 2-years and a ton of money is really going to produce a return on investment (ROI) for you. If I’m honest, I can’t say I got as much out of it as I would have liked.

5. An MBA isn’t Specialized Enough

These days the MBA is far too broad. Even the ones that are supposedly specialized, like those designed for marketing or other fields, really aren’t focused enough. As I noted earlier, they’re also often very outdated. It’s like earning a degree in computing and taking COBOL for an entire semester in 2015. What? If you’re doing a degree in computers or programming, you should be focused on what’s being used, today, right now. Java, PHP, HTML, CSS, C+, and other languages that people are activly using right now to create applications, programs, Likewise, many of the programs out there are being taught by people who have very minimal information creating solutions in given areas for today’s problems. If you take a marketing class and it doesn’t teach you how to do split tests, then you’re already behind the power curve.

Syrian refugee helps mother trying to pawn necklace

The Important Stuff

Syrian Jewelry Store Worker Helps Dallas Woman Out

An act of kindness by a Syrian refugee who escaped the war-torn country with his family to America has gone viral on the Internet.

When a woman and her children, who were hard up and in-between paychecks, walked into a jewelry store to sell a necklace her mother had given her as a gift, she left with more than a handful of cash.

Whenever I read the papers, watch TV, or scan Facebook, I feel like all I ever see is trivial, negative, and destructive information. I get that it’s not all like that, but it sure feels like it is. But not this time; it’s really nice to see something positive going viral. Frankly, we need more of it.

Noah, who told CBS affiliate Channel 11 in North Texas that he didn’t want his face, last name, or the shop he works in to be shown on camera, knows what it’s like to be in a difficult position. Why? Well, he’s one of those “bad” Syrian refugees everyone seems to be worried about.

Not.

What he is, is the kind of man who, by his actions, makes this world a better place. There’s no question that there is a measure of risk allowing people to come into America from other countries, especially if they’re unchecked and we have no way to verify their background or their intentions. But Noah is the perfect example of our immigration policies working. We should never be afraid to give people an opportunity to build a better life.

Talking about paying it forward; I’m proud of Noah. His love and kindness for another person gives me hope—especially in todays hyperbolic culture.

Podcast

0005 – Staying Focused

We live in a microwave culture, where we are bombarded daily with an endless stream of noise, emails, phone calls, and social media, it can be difficult to stay focused. But unless you do, you will never reach the levels of success you want. In this podcast, James looks at things you can do to stay focused, increase your productivity, and get ahead.

Personal Development

5 Things to Remember When You Hit a Dead End

I learned a very important lessons a very long time ago: if what you currently have isn’t what you actually want, then it’s time for a change.

We all hit dead ends and fee stuck, but remember nothing in life happens by accident. Every experience will have some value, even if it sucked while you went through it. It contributes to the person you are. But it doesn’t have to stay the way it is. You can make a change.

A dead end, blown out bridge, or other obstacle is often the perfect opportunity to look at other opportunities. Here’s 10 Things to Remember When You Hit a Dead End that helped me, so I’m hoping it will help you too.

1. Frustration Means it’s Time for a Change

We all end up heading down the wrong road at some point in our lives. Sometimes more often than we like. If you’re experiencing frustration, that’s a good thing—it’s a sign that you need to reevaluate where you’re at. And in most circumstances, it means that you’re ripe for change.

2. It’s Never Too Late to Turn Around

I often tell people that it’s never too late to take a right, take a left, or turn around entirely. If you’re heading down the wrong road, take an off ramp, go to a truck stop, and open up a map. The worst thing you could do is continue heading down a wrong road somehow thinking things will change or improve. Instead, turn around. Chance course.

3. You Don’t Need a Complete Plan to Move Forward

Planning is a good thing. Those who don’t, often produce results they’re not happy with. But you don’t have to have everything figured out before you start moving forward again. Sometimes, you just have to take a leap of faith—to trust your gut and go for it. Either way, you don’t want to just sit there. Do something—different. Anything—different. Just go for it.

4. Nothing will Change if You Don’t Actually Change

If your life sucks, it’s your fault. That doesn’t mean that other people won’t annoy you or try to hinder your growth, it just means that you’re the one who’s actually in charge. Nobody has any power over you except that which you give them. If you’re unhappy with the way things are, choose to change you.

5. Change Can Feel Like Your Whole Life is Crashing Down

I was recently watching Masters of Sex, the Netflix show about Masters and Johnson, the visionary researchers who changed the world’s scientific understanding of human sexual behavior.

During this particular episode, Dr. Masters is talking about needing to leave the hospital environment so he can continue his study, but at the same time he laments the fact that he’d be leaving a career he’d spent 25 years building.

The African-American physician who ran the hospital that Masters was working at said that making changes can sometimes feel like you’re dying. There’s some real truth to that, but you’ll be just fine. Embrace it.

Learn 5 characteristics of a good follower.

Leadership

5 Characteristics of Being a Good Follower

When I talk about following, I’m not talking about clicking follow on Twitter or on Facebook. I’m specifically talking about the people behind the leaders—who make or break those leaders.

Too many people malign followers, as if being one is somehow an inherently bad thing. But the truth is, there isn’t anyone among us who isn’t a follower, in some respect, at some point in their lives. Without exception.

All of us fill roles in our families (kids follow parents, older siblings often lead younger ones, et cetra), in our social circles (I promise you that someone around you is a stronger leader than you, and you tend to follow them), in the Church (we follow pastors, for example), and in many other settings.

No leader has ever impacted the world without having good followers providing critically needed support. The old adage that behind every good man is a great woman seems apropos here suddenly. But think about it, every President, Prime Minister, King or Queen, every successful religious figure, athlete, or celebrity—these people are who they are and they reach the levels they do because they’re supported by others.

Contrary to popular wisdom, being a good follower doesn’t make you a sheep, well unless you’re actually a bona fide Ovis aries (hint: that’s the Latin name of sheep). Or, I suppose, if you follow blindly even in the face of compelling evidence that you should behave contrary to the crowd. You tend to hear people like that called “Sheeple”, which is a somewhat derogatory portmanteau. But being a good follower speaks a lot about the character of the person following.

Being a good follower is also important to becoming a better leader; every solider starts as a follower, for example. It doesn’t matter if that person is enlisted or commissioned—you follow before you lead.

“Every leader has to start as a follower.” —James L. Clark

So here are five characteristic traits that will make you a good follower, and as a consequence, a much better leader:

1. They’re Always Enthusiastic.

I love people like this. You know the type, they nearly always come to work with a smile on their face—and when they don’t, we quickly wonder what’s wrong. A good follower, like a good leader, chooses to be a cheerful and upbeat person. Even when things are bugging them, you would hardly ever know it. They avoid letting personal issues impact others around them, and as a natural result, people want to be in their presence. Enthusiasm is contagious.

2. They Set the Bar High.

Good followers model good behavior. They set the bar high and walk the walk, not just talk the talk. It doesn’t matter if it’s in their business life or personal life—they always set the standard for others to follow. They constantly build strong relationships, exhibit self-discipline in the face of adversity, and they treat others the way they’d want to be treated. Even though they’re followers, they still lead by example. This is called non-positional leadership—and it’s a very powerful thing.

3. They Take the Initiative.

Good followers don’t wait to be instructed—they just do it. They take the time to learn their job and that of others around them, and they do what’s expected of them without having to be told. They’re just naturally helpful and go out of the way to do the right thing because it’s the right thing.

4. They’re Always Learning.

Good followers have an insatiable appetite for improving their knowledge, education, and abilities. They don’t settle for a basic understanding of things or rest on their laurels. Good followers take classes, listen to educational programs when they exercise, they read books, go to seminars, and seek out mentors. Like leaders, they’re always looking to improve.

5. They Always Serve Others

Mahatma Gandhi said, “If you want to find yourself, lose yourself in the service of others.” I love that quote. I live that quote. All good followers do, and so do all good leaders. Good followers serve their organizations, employers, their families, and others. Good followers are, in my view, the best Servant Leaders.

The characteristics are the bedrock or foundation of good leadership, so it’s not surprising that if you can be a good follower—It’ll make you a much better leader.

Learn how to avoid being cynical in life.

Personal Development

5 Ways To Avoid Being Cynical

Listen, I get it. People suck sometimes. But that doesn’t mean all people suck all of the time, and neither should you. The bad news is you can’t control others (much to our chagrin of course!), but you are 100% in charge of you. That means you can make changes to you if you don’t like the you you are today.

Before we move on though, what exactly is cynicism or being cynical. Well, the Oxford English Dictionary defines cynicism as “…a disposition to disbelieve in the sincerity or goodness of human motives and actions…” Does that sound like you? If it does, it’s time to think differently.

In my experience the people who I’ve encountered over the years who are cynical are generally negative about everything, not just human nature. They almost always chose to err on the side of doubt and disbelief even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Frankly, it’s a dangerous place to be because it infects everything they do and every relationship they have.

The idea that “misery loves company” had to be something propagated by someone who was lonely and needed friends. It sure as heck wasn’t someone who’s positive, upbeat, and finds the best in people. Encouragers have no shortage of people wanting to befriend them, trust me.

So it begs the question, why do people think like this? In my view, they don’t think at all because it’s emotional, not rational. More often than not, it’s the result of some kind of event (or a series of them) that hurt them, and cynicism is the by-product; it’s a symptom of a greater problem under the surface. Let’s face it, it’s impossible to love, to have friends, to get to know people if you’re not willing to risk hurt. All of us, at some point in our lives will experience some kind of event (a break up, divorce, being treated poorly, et cetra) that will tear us up or break off a piece of our heart, and we may find ourselves acting that way too. So what do you do? Here’s five quick tips for you to consider:

1. Look in the mirror

The first thing you have to do is look in the mirror, be honest, and recognize you may have a problem. It’s the same with all problems. Unless you recognize it, you can’t address is. Sadly, some people go through their whole (or maybe it’s better described as “hole”) lives without ever admitting they have a problem. Thankfully, you’re smart enough to take the steps needed to improve your life.

2. Take hold of every thought

A good friend of mine told me the story of having a vacuum cleaner salesman come into their home because they had knocked and “thought” they heard someone say “come in”. This is back in the 70s, so people were less likely to lock their doors. At any rate, once the salesman got inside, it took my friend and his wife about 30 min to convince the guy to go away. In other words, once he was pass the threshold of the door, he was already inside their house; had they caught him at the door, they could have just shut the door and went about their business. Thoughts are like that. Take them captive. Stop them before they become form. Examine your thoughts and if it seems even remotely cynical in nature, reject it. I do that with all thoughts actually, because I’m always looking for harmful thought processes that could derail my goals. If you catch one, say something in your mind like, “I reject that… that is not who I want to be or how I want to think.” Be active and participate in your thoughts, don’t just go on autopilot.

3. Learn fallacies and critical thinking

I can’t tell you how often I’ve mentioned “fallacies of argumentation” to people and had them look at me like the proverbial dear in the headlights. Go look it up. They’re a critical part of critical thinking. Logic after all, is an amazing thing and it can help you overcome negative thinking. In fact, it can help you become a more rational thinker in general, which will have a direct impact on everything you do. Poor or illogical thinking leads to anxiety, depression, hatred, fear, and a lot of other negative behaviors. Trust me.

4. Chose to be a positive person

Nothing in life is an accident. The things you do (or don’t do, which is a don’t or a “no”) are either the result of previous programming, or a conscious act (an act of your volition). Believe it or not, if you find yourself being “negative”, it was a choice. You may not have recognize the choice, but it was somewhere along the line. So is being positive. If you want to be a better person, make the choice and keep at it until you make it a habit. You’ll probably screw it up and make mistakes, but so what. Just keep at it.

5. Try to be a Barnabas

In Acts 4:36 we learn that Barnabas means “Son of Encouragement”. When people say “Be like Barnabas” they’re telling others to be an encourager. Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Even if you think the Bible is just some old dusty history book, or even a book of fairy tales, consider the advice independently. To go back to point #3 above, the genetic fallacy (also known as the fallacy of origins) is one where a source’s history or origin is used to dismiss the information provided, regardless of the content itself. Remember, good advice is good advice, no matter where or whom it comes from. If you want to be less cynical or to avoid every becoming cynical, choose to be an encourager. That means, you need to actively look for good qualities in people instead of any negative ones.

There’s no magical panacea in life to “fix” all of our problems, but we can build ourselves up and grow a little bit with a little effort every day.

mind mapping can help you visualize idea and help you organize.

Productivity

5 Best Mind-Mapping Tools

I’ve been using mind mapping software packages for years, and drawing them on notepads for decades. I still do it the “old fashion” way with a pen and paper when I travel. I’ve used napkins too. Mind mapping is a great way to brainstorm, flesh out ideas, and it can really help with creating plans. With software, you can do it much quicker and even correct mistakes or reorganize your thoughts. Best of all, you can save them for later and share with others. Here’s five of the most popular on the market:

Mindjet (Mac/iOS/Windows)

This software is far more than a simple mind mapping package, it’s a total suite of tool designed to help you brainstorm and organize. For those of us who love to “manage” projects, it’s the ideal piece of software.

Mindjet was developed from the ground up for mind mapping, so it has tools that you won’t find with packages that are simply hacked for the purpose. One of the things I like about it (well, there are many) is that it allows for parts of your project to be assigned to others so you can collaborate. It also intigrates with tools you already use like Microsoft Office.

XMind (Mac/Windows/Linux)

XMind isn’t new to the scene and has a lot of powerful features. It’s easy to use, flexible, and works great on just about any computer. You can use it to mind map, organize, and create different styled diagrams and designs to help you with your projects. You can also link photos and media to items in the mind maps you create. One of the coolest features is the built-in Gantt view. Best of all, it’s free and open source. Of course, you can also buy a more “pro” version that has additional features the standard builds don’t.

Coggle (web)

Web based software is becoming more and more common place. Me, I’m not a fan. If I’m honest, I’m still a bit of a control-freak, and since I travel to places where I don’t always have reliable internet access, I want to have thing running locally on my own machines. Still, Coggle is free for use (though it is limited to one personal or private chart, with unlimited public). All you need is a Google account and you can login. Use is fairly straight forward and intuitive. I’m not a real fan of the design characteristics, but that’s just a personal choice as opposed to one that impacts functionality.

Freemind (Windows/Mac/Linux)

I’m a fan of free, and Freemind fits the bill. It’s a GNU General Public Licensed app built in Java, so it runs on virtually everything. It’s easy to use, flexiable, and performance really well no matter what platform you’re on. The mind mapping capability is robust and powerful too with a lot of nice features that are ascetically and organizationally pleasing. You can add notes and links to media too, which helps with referencing what you were referring to or thinking about as you produced your mind map. When you’re ready, you can easily export it to just about any logical final product.

MindNode (Mac/iOS)

Pretty is the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about MindNode. It’s just pretty to me and has excellent functionality. It’s only for Apple products, which may be why it’s more astetically pleasing than others on this list. If you’re an avid user of iPad or iPhone, this is for you to be sure. It’s very, very easy to use and has many of the features you’ll find in other more powerful applications. It’s also very fairly priced.

Podcast

0004 – Being Wrong is Awesome

Something wonderful happens when you can admit being wrong: you learn to get out of your own way and that will help you learn, grow, and succeed. In this episode of HeadChange, James L. Clark will discuss the benefits of being wrong and how to better identify when you and others are. Book recommendations:

On Being Wrong
Predictably Irrational
How We Know What We Know Isn’t So
Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science

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