This won't be a long post, but it is an important one.

At this point, we are over 4 months into the Wuhan Coronavirus being unleashed on the world.  Every aspect of life has been impacted and in many cases turned upside down.  A lot of people when this first began, thought that it would come and go rather quickly and things would go back to normal. 

I hoped for that, but at the same time I sat back and mentally prepared.  I asked myself, what I would do if this went on for 6 months, a year, 2 years, etc?  What if things never got back to being the same and in the midst of it all, the world changed, the way business is done changed - basically, what if everything got turned upside down?  Would I be able to handle it?  Would I be able to adapt?  What would I need to do and prepare myself and my businesses to do?

You may have asked some of the same questions.  And as we get into the 5th month of lockdowns, business shutdowns, riots, and general unease throughout the world, it is most important to remember one thing.

Stay Strong!

I see a lot of people beginning to crack or even break under the pressure, fear, uncertainty, and changes to their lives and businesses.  As entrepreneurs, we must lead the way.  Change and dealing with problems and and challenges are our every day lives.  And yes, now we are throwing in the virus and all this other stuff - but we must remain and stand strong.  We must prepare for things to go longer and be worse than we ever thought and at the same time, power through it.  

Entrepreneurs were made for these times and we are the ones who will help pull the world out of it.  We will do it with our will, our faith, our spirit, and never give up attitude.  I just wanted to remind you of this.  Stay strong, endure, and keep pushing.  These times will eventually fade to different and better ones - just be prepared to keep going until those times come.

Sometimes we just need to be reminded of reality and the facts of life.  No matter how much we keep them at bay or seek to change them, there are certain truths that will win out over time.  And there are certain truths that when we live by them have proven to make us more successful, happier, and free'er in our lives.

I was thinking about this the order day in the midst of much of the chaos around the world and started making this list.  While it's not complete and something I will probably noodle on for a while, I wanted to share it with you.  I hope it will spur you to think critically and differently and question what is being hailed as "normal" in our lives.

1. Personal responsibility is one of the greatest things we can do for our success, happiness, and freedom.  We must take responsibility for our actions and our decisions.  Everything we do is a choice that we make - and we alone are responsible for that choice.  The sooner we come to grips with this the better.  And once we do, we will make better choices for ourselves.  We can blame others, blame situations, blame society, blame whatever, but in the end it's always just us and our individual choices, good or bad that shape our lives.  It is that simple.
2. Beware making decisions based solely on emotion and not logic.  The best decisions balance both.
3. The greatest power you have is your individuality.  It is each person's uniqueness and individual desire that creates greatness.  Don't rely on others or a group to give you your personal power - you will be disappointed.  When you are not allowed to be who you truly are because you must conform to a group and/or group-think, you lose the opportunity to be your best self.  Don't give up this greatest of personal power.
4. Your beliefs lead to your thoughts/feelings which lead to your actions, and your actions determine your results.  When was the last time you thought deeply on what you believe?
5. Your chances of being alive are 1 in 4 TRILLION!  It's basically a mathematical impossibility.  You are a miracle and the fact that you are here means that trillions of others that might have been - are not.  Cherish your life and make the most of it.
6. Don't say things you do not believe.  You hurt yourself and those around you when you do.
7. If you take care of your body and your health, it will take care of you and improve your quality of life.
8. Be the same person you are alone when you are with others.  Don't change who you are or be someone different based on who you are with.  Be YOU.
9. Most people are not victims - they pretend to be for personal gain.  True victims require our compassion and help and we should give it to them - but we should never play to the role of the victim in our lives.

Sometimes, we just need a little inspiration and a good video with a uplifting message is one of the best ways to get it.  Below are 3 of my favorite inspiration videos I want to share with you.  Enjoy!

Over the last few months as the Wuhan Coronavirus has spread throughout the world, there has been death and suffering.  I won't discount that.  Chances are that you are affected in some way by the virus.  Whether getting it yourself, knowing someone who h​as, or even knowing someone who passed from it, it has impacted your life - and mine as well.

I have written about suffering before and how it is frankly, a part of life.  A big part of it.  And I have noted that because of this, if we want to reach new levels in our lives and our full potential, then we must build a positive relationship with it.

In this piece, I want to talk about the other side of things.  The blessings I see that have happened in my life and for all of us during the virus.

I have often noted that the pace of life over the last 10+ years has gotten so instant that it seems like we can never catch up nor keep track of things day to day.  Outside of the virus, can you remember the top news headlines from a week ago?  What about a day or two ago?  Why do we stop the microwave with 2 seconds left?  We really can't wait 2 seconds?  

The speed of life has increased dramatically and one major blessing that I see from the virus is that it has slowed life back down some.  It has allowed us to find time for something we rarely had a chance to do prior - have downtime and relax (at least I can say for me).  

It has also brought us closer to family and friends and helped us to realize what is most important in our lives.  It has brought us closer to God and my creator.  It has reminded us of what truly matters.  

Additionally, the virus has given us the time to reconnect with ourselves.  I understand this is very uncomfortable for some.  In fact, I surmise that one of the biggest reasons for the fast paced, go-go lives that we have had prior, was due in some part from the fear of truly just being alone with ourselves and who we are.  What would see about ourselves that we don't want to deal with?  What would we have to confront?  And once we realized it and knew what was needed to change or become better - would we have the strength or will to do it?  The hardest thing we will ever do is confront ourselves and work on who we are and want to become.  It is the hardest work we can do, but the work that makes the most difference in our lives.  

The virus has also brought out our caring for our fellow man and helped us realize the principles that we take for granted in our lives so we can better cherish them.  For example, not having the freedom to get a haircut or even go to a park with your child when we want, has shown us how important it is to understand the basic rights and freedoms we have and how important they are when taken away or suspended.  

It has also given us a greater appreciation for our work.  As of this writing, there are almost 40 million people now unemployed in the U.S. - about 25% of the workforce.  And to make matters worse, it was due to no fault of their own.  And then you have the businesses that employed them, especially small businesses, fighting every day just to be there when "they are finally allowed to open."  I can say, now more than ever, I truly cherish the work I get to do and for others.  I cherish the opportunity I have every day and I pray that things will come back for those who are affected.  And I think we will all see our work in a new light.  I think we will find more joy in it, respect it more, and give even better effort.  We were not made to sit idle.  We are explorers.  We are dreamers.  We are meant to create, build, and solve problems.  We will do that even better as we come back to work.

Lastly, the virus has made me believe even more in the power of the entrepreneur and the entrepreneur inside all of us.  Entrepreneurship - that explorer looking to make our dreams a reality, exists in all of us.  And I think we will see more people realize that and tap into this part of themselves, their "inner misfit."  

The Wuhan Coronavirus has brought suffering, but it has also brought blessings in disguise.  I will not deny the suffering, but I will choose to focus on the blessings.  I hope you will find a way to do so too.

I share a lot of lessons from my personal experiences on this blog.  One of the things I have talked about before is that I have no regrets - for anything.  People will often look at me funny when I say that or think I'm some kind of narcissist or sociopath.  But, that is not the case.  I have no regrets because everything that had to happen to get me to this exact point in my life where I am writing this had to happen exactly as it did.  And I would not change it.  That doesn't mean I don't learn from my mistakes of the past and if given the chance to do them over, would do things differently.  It just means I don't regret.

As an example, I recently had a sad experience and a falling out with a coaching client over $200.  It sounds petty and honestly it is on both our sides, but that is how it turned out.  As a quick overview, I had a client that paid for a month of service, but decided not to continue and I agreed to refund their monthly fee (minus the $50 processing fee), which I promptly did the same day they asked.  The transaction went through and I didn't think anything of it.

About a month or so later, they reached out to me to say they hadn't got it.  It was weird, I had proof of it in my payment processor counsel.  So,  I had some diligence done to try and find out what happened and to see if the payment actually went somewhere.  This took over a week of back and forth and was frankly, irritating.  It was at this time that the client sent texts asking where it was, etc.  This put a little more fuel on the irritation fire as this was taken care of in an honest and very timely manner, but they were now questioning my integrity and of those around me.  So, after a few more days, I just said screw it and initiated another refund.  Keep in mind, this is about 2 months now after the initial request.  It went through and I thought all was well.

Some time passed and the client reached out again and said they never got it.  I was incredulous, so I personally got into the system and started researching.  It seemed that payment processes successfully, but didn't go through and I had another $150 in fees because it.  This time we had the processor do research to see what was up and after a week, the client was reaching out again.  We were over 3 months now.  At this point, I let them know I would just send a check.  I let team know to cut a check in the next check run and take out the fees associated as we cannot refund what we don't have.  (You've probably had something similar happen before).  This was a mistake in judgement, as at that point, I should have just ate the fees.  More on that below.

This time, all was good.  The client would get the check and things would be fine.  Or so I thought.  A few days after the client got and cashed the check, the reached out wondering why we had taken the $200 out.  I explained about the fees that we got hit with and we took those out.  I honestly didn't think much of it after everything we had gone through to issue a simple refund.  This was my first mistake.  I did not put myself in the shoes of the client or really convey the issues that we went through on our side to do this.  And because I hadn't, they were upset.  They said some things via text that I took the wrong way and I was just shocked.  I had really been there for this person and had even let them know that I would continue to be there for them if they needed me, even without being a client.  I never thought a relationship could get ruined so fast over a measly $200.  It's just such a small amount to me.  That was mistake number two.

$200 means something to someone who wants it.  It doesn't matter what you think about it and after all the time involved, it may have seemed to them like a slap in the face - even though it was never my intent.

So, two big lessons.  
1.) Always put yourself in the client's shoes and do your best to understand where they are and what they may be thinking.
2.)  It's not about the money, it is about what it represents.

These are both lessons I know...and that we all know.  But, we (especially me) are not perfect and sometimes we don't handle things the right way, even when we are working hard to and think we are.

One last lesson - don't handle things like this over text.  It's much easier and better to do it with a simple phone call.  I handled most of this via text because of how busy I am, but could have just stopped and done a 10 minute phone call and taken care of most it - including the final exchange where we parted ways.

I will always speak highly of this client and wish them well and hope at some point, they will see that I was doing my best to help them and get this issue resolved.  I have no regrets about it because it reminded me of some great, timeless lessons that I need to keep forefront and will do so going forward.  It's OK not to regret things, but it is NOT OK not to learn from them.  Keep learning.

As you go through life, you will know doubt learn more.  You will learn about this world, more about those around you, more about life, and more about yourself.  And if you deliberately seek wisdom and knowledge, you will learn even more and expand your capabilities along with it.

But, the best thing you can do to help you learn and grow is to ask questions of yourself.  And the better the questions you ask, the better the answers you will get - or seek.

I have been thinking about this lately and spending time asking myself questions - important ones.  Some of them I have started formulating answers to, others I still have no answer as of yet.  But, just in asking the question, it has stimulated new ways of thinking and breakthroughs in other areas of my life.

I've been asking myself a lot of questions, but here are 11 questions I think everyone needs to ask themselves at some point in their life.

1. Why am I here?  What is my true purpose? 
2. Am I fulfilling what I was put on this earth to do?
3. And while on that subject - Why did God choose me?  
   1. An offshoot would be (if you haven't already tackled this in your life) - Do I believe God exists?  How can I be sure?
4. What do I believe?  Why?
5. Do I really understand the true nature of how the world works?
6. Do I I really understand the true nature of mankind?
7. Can I do more and be more than I am today?
8. How do I tap into my best self and unleash it?
9. What is good?  What is evil?
10. What is important in my life?  REALLY important?
11. What is love, and what does it me to love and be loved to me?

These questions no doubt spur tons of other questions and each one is like it's own version of the white rabbit taking you down it's own rabbit hole.  I don't know if I will ever settle on firm answers on all of them as the changing nature of life is part of the adventure.  But isn't it worth it to seek the answers?  I believe so.  I believe the more I understand the answers to these questions, the better my life will be - not just for me, but all those in it with me.  Ask better questions of yourself and better your life!

Each day that the world pandemic goes on, more and more destruction take place to people's lives, jobs, businesses, and psyche.  There is no sugar coating it.  It is a dark time economically.  But everywhere I look there are incredible examples of resilience, ingenuity, fortitude, caring, and compassion.  I  short, there is beautiful light being put into this world all around us everyday.  

And every day, we have an opportunity.  We have our chance, to be the light for someone else.  

Whether it is something as simple as a phone call to check in on a friend you haven't spoken to in a while, a note of encouragement for someone who is working hard to keep a business afloat during this time, or donating to a cause - there are many ways to be the light.

While, sadly, a great many people will let "life happen to them" during these times and let anger, resentment, the events that have transpired in their life, and in many ways give up; we cannot be one of them.  We must be there for them and show them they have more control than think and that even in the darkest of times in their life, there is good - there is light.  There is always light.

Be the light in someone's world today and shine as bright as you can! 

Sometimes, the best posts or articles are the shortest.  This will be one of those.  

There is a simple ingredient you need to succeed in anything.  Without it, it is nearly impossible to achieve and get what you want.  That ingredient?  A Burning Desire.

If you do not have a burning desire to get what you are after, you won't be motivated to do what it takes, go through the challenges, put in the work, or innovate at the level you must to make it a reality.

What do you really want?  In you life?  Your work?  What is success to you?  If you don't have a burning desire to get these things - they aren't the right things.  Figure out what you really desire.  What do you have an almost healthy obsession with?  And once you have it, don't let go.  Keep pushing.  Keep going.  Keep working.  Keep innovating.  Until it becomes a reality.

The starting point of all achievement is desire - Napoleon Hill

I was recently reminded of what a great team can accomplish and what it takes to truly have a great team.  I little while ago, I one of the best product launches I have had in a very long time in one of businesses.  It broke records and set new bars to shoot for and achieve in the future.

But the reason it was so successful, wasn't due to me or the solution I was sharing with people, it was due to the team behind it (OK, I had a little to do with it as a member of the team!).  It was amazing how to group worked together, put together all the assets needed, nailed the outreach and marketing in both messaging and scaling to thousands all over the world.  They drilled the presentation and process with me until we knew like it was second nature, and everyone executed their duties at the highest level I've seen.

As we celebrated the launch and the impact we had on the lives of those we served with our product/service, it really got me thinking back to the elements that make a great team and how all of them were present with this team.  

There are 5 Elements tat make a great team.

1. Vision:  A great team has a vision, but it is not just one person that has it. In fact, everyone needs to contribute the vision in their own way to finalize it.  For example, in my scenario, the best vision of what the product should be didn't come from me, it came from a member of the team who really understood how the market would react to it and how to best position and package it for success for the customers.  It would not have done near as well in it's original version.
2. Discipline:  Everyone must be disciplined in that they know what their end goal for their role is and do what is necessary to achieve it.  That does not mean that they always know exactly every step to get to the end goal.  A lot of times, those things are figured out once in the thick of things, but they do know the end goal and work toward every day in a disciplined way.  Every team member was empowered to do what was necessary to make sure their part was ready to go, and they not only did so, but went above and beyond because they had the discipline to see it through. 
3. Focus:  Where you focus goes, things expand.  Each team member was laser focused on their specific contribution and didn't allow distractions to get in their way.  They kept that focus all the way through and after product release to help serve clients and their questions, etc.
4. Execution:  Execution happens when you have a vision with focus and the discipline to do what is necessary to reach the goal.  The team executed flawlessly because they were prepared, ready, and believed in their vision/mission.
5. The X-Factor:  The last component is what I call the X-factor.  This is not something that can be taught, but only modeled.  People still have to choose it though.  The X-factor is the willingness to drive harder and further, go above and beyond and almost have a healthy obsession with the success of the vision.  This is where I had to model things and the team did too.  I maniacally worked on my deliverables to ensure we were ready and I was ready.  That meant working through 9-10 pm at night each night to make sure everything I committed to was ready and right.  It meant reviewing everything I was part to ensure it had my sign off and that the team could continue execute and move at a rapid pace without me being a bottleneck slowing them down.  And when the whole team embraces the X-Factor and operates at the highest levels, you get massive success.

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If you look for and foster these 5 Elements in your teams, you can and will achieve great things and have wonderful successes.  Here's to making it happen!

The other day I saw an incredible stat.  There has been over 2 BILLION media mentions of the Wuhan Coronavirus in the last few months.  The next closest outbreak had only 60 million media mentions during its entire time.  

This got me thinking about how much this can impact people and create fear for them - with this much media bombardment, how it could it not. 

As I was thinking on this, something awesome happened.  My daughter had a breakthrough.  She had been trying to learn how to ride her bike for some time without training wheels and we had worked on it together - she was getting close, but just hadn't been able keep her balance for a long period.  

On her own, she went out and started practicing in the driveway and after 10-15 mins, she can running to tell me she did it.  So, I went out to watch her and sure enough, she had figured it out and had a breakthrough.  It was amazing to see the sense of freedom that came over her as she realized the capability she now had.

As I stood there, proud of her accomplishment, it made me think of all the other awesome things that were happening right now in our lives and businesses - even in the midst of a pandemic.

So, I decided to sit down and write out 20 Awesome things happening in my life right now.  It was a great exercise.  And I was energized as I got to 20 and could continue to name more.  It also gave me perspective and a new insight into everything that is good in my life right now, because there is a lot.

Try this exercise for yourself.  Shut off the TV and social media and tune out the billions of pandemic media mentions and focus for a little while on the awesome things happening in your life.  Write them down.  It will open your eyes and show you new opportunities available to you.  Write your 20 Awesome Things today!