Changing the mindset to a successful/positive mindset for me is the single most important thing that you can do.  My default is always to go to the negative, the dark side and believing that things are going to blow up rather than work out and by doing that you create the law of attraction on the worst case scenario.  Having a winning, positive and focused mindset sets you in the right direction. The forward thinking, positive mindset lets you see things you normally wouldn’t. It allows your brain to expand to let in the good and possibility , it forces the brain down a different path rather than the default that I/you have trained it. It allows the brain to get to the next step. It is where true vision comes from. Mindset and forward vision are almost synonymous and when the mindset that is full of positivity , focus and possibility. The results are much better than the depressive and anxiety driven mindset that I/we and many of us struggle with most of the time.  Realizing the power of your mind and what it can give or take from you, (both positive and negative) is the key to changing any situation you are in.  Changing your mindset may sound simple and it is, but it is definitely not easy.  Having awareness of the power of your mind is an amazing first step.  Be aware and the future is full of possibility. 

​Ken

Win!

Winning in life is key, if you are going into life to not win then why are you here?  Life is all about trying to become the best version of you!  Everyone thinks that winning if going over the line first, that isn’t it, winning is about being better than you were yesterday. Winning is about pushing yourself to get over your own finish line, winning is about stepping outside of your own comfort zone.  That is winning.
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Believe me, and don’t get me wrong, I love to get across the finish line first, but my competition is not everyone else, my competition is me, it is about pushing my limits of what I think I can do and taking off the governor. I am not someone that is naturally smart, athletic or gifted. For me to win, I need to work harder, go longer, think more and apply myself more than most. I know that when I don’t do the things that push me forward, I start going backwards. And it plays with my mind, body and spirit. I get really pissed off at myself when I lose momentum. In my subconscious I know that I what I am doing isn’t working. I know that it is really forcing me backwards when I want to go forward. It makes me feel guilty, anxious and gross. In reality it is real time feedback that from you mind and body telling me what I have and haven’t done right. That is why it is so much easier to focus on the win rather than focus on being mediocre.  

Most of us are looking to get the next level!  

We are hungry for more, but many are looking for motivation from external sources, that is not where the next level comes from. It comes from your heart, your desire and your soul.  Many times when you need motivation it is to late.

In our culture we think that we need to throw money at someone to motivate them. There is also the mindset that if we are going to take something away that they will also be motivated.  These are both polar opposites looking for the same results!  

The best way to get what you want is to have a burning desire to be better than you were yesterday.  Push that one extra step, put that last drink down, lift that last rep, save that extra dollar.  Those are the little things that will compound into the big results that you want. 

Get out of your comfort zone and make it happen! 

Know Your Story!

Most people and companies don't know their story!  

Fact: 40% of employees in the workforce don't know what they really do!  How said is that? That does not sounds like great job security.

Additionally most employers don't know how to articulate their story to potential customers and employees.  That doesn't sound like a recipe for success for bring on new business or top talent.

This is a video from a panel I was on yesterday at Maine Start Up and Create Week about: Talent: Recruiting, Developing, and Maintaining.

http://www.mainestartupandcreateweek.com/schedule/acquiring-talent/

Ken
​klubin@zrgpartners.com 

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If you have ever felt unmotivated or discouraged, you need to read the response to this letter. It is brilliant.

Dear Andrew,

I've been really discouraged lately. Without going into too much detail, a lot of my dreams just haven't panned out the way I planned. I used to have so much hope and drive, but now every day I just feel more disillusioned. Part of me keeps telling myself to never give up, and then the other part of me is saying I'm a loser and am just fooling myself thinking I can ever accomplish anything in life. These days I've been feeling more unmotivated and depressed than ever. What if you're just too frustrated with failure to bother trying anymore? How far can you push yourself?

Yours truly,
Discouraged And Down

Dear Discouraged And Down,
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You can push yourself incredibly, incredibly far. You can push yourself further than you can imagine and then realize you have only barely started pushing. You can push yourself until it feels like you have drained every bit of energy you have, and then still find a way to push yourself even further. And then further. Forever. Until you die. This is called "going for it." This is called "being hardcore." This is called really living your life.  Read more

It’s impossible to be successful by lying in bed. The best of the best are up early, like they say the early bird gets the worm, it can’t be more true.  Taking action early while the brain is fresh, the coffee is hot and house is quiet is the best time in the world to get anything done. There are no distractions and I am already ahead of the curve.

Also it is hard.  Doing the hard things is what makes the journey of life awesome. No one ever felt proud by doing the easy things.  Doing the hard things is what makes you overcome adversity, makes you feel like you have accomplished great things and doing the hard things is what makes life epic. All the greats of life do the hard things, they make the hard decisions, they use discipline for success.  It has been said that discipline creates freedom, that statement couldn’t be more true.  If you are disciplined in all areas of your life and you live to the standards that you set up for yourself you will be victorious but if you don’t ever set your mind up for victory, you will never win. 

Doing the hard things, like getting up at 5am, being authentic, telling someone you love them, stretching, working out, or picking up the phone to make that hard call are difficult at first, but with time they all become easy, they become easier than ever.  Doing the hard things is what makes the journey so much better.  Doing the hard race, or making the hard call, or standing out, or being willing to go first, or sitting at the front of the room or asking the first question or putting yourself out there is how to get things done.  No one ever became successful by just doing the easy things.  Sweeping the floor is easy, making 7 figures every year is hard.  Embrace the hard! 

Ken