As we go through life, we will have a lot of conversations.  Many of them meaningful and many of them meaningless in the grand scheme of things.  And there will be times we must have hard conversations whether in business or our personal lives.  A hard conversation is the one you don't want to have because you know it may challenge you or the other person(s).  It may also be unpleasant or in some ways confrontational.  No matter what, these conversations will happen one way or another and it is best to be ready for them.  Here are 3 pieces of advice for when you must have a hard conversation.

1.)  Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

Do not have a hard conversation on a whim.  Take the time to prepare and make sure you understand both yours and the other person's point of view.  Make sure to understand that emotions drive people and you must understand the potential emotional toll on both you and the other person the conversation can have.  You must come from a place of solid ground and truth/fact and build from there.  The only way to do this is to prepare.

2.)  Check Your Emotions

Even with preparation, a hard conversation can give way to emotional responses, opinions, and perceptions that are not rooted in truth or fact.  Feelings are not facts or truth, but they do matter and drive people's responses.  You must make sure to control your emotions and stay grounded in the truth and fact, not getting into a battle over opinions or emotions because this leads to poor outcomes for both parties.

3.)  Give a Little

No one is ever 100% right or wrong and no one is perfect.  Resist the urge to have to win absolutely on your side and be mature enough cede own up to things you are responsible for in the relationship that you can do or be better at.  Be willing to give a little to the other person as neither of you are 100% perfect.  Admit it and own your side and ask them to own theirs.  Then go to work together to make things better.

Hard conversations are am opportunity to learn and get better in the end - as long as you are willing to do so.  And you should be willing to do so.  Use them as such and don't be afraid of them, but don't take them lightly.  Prepare, check your emotions, and be willing to give in and admit where you fall short.  Then get better.

Every once in a while, I come across a great video that has a really great message and one that can make a difference in your life.  This video is one of those videos.  Jordan Peterson is a truly unique thinker and thought leader that challenges people and how they think.  Watch this video below of him discussing the Price of Becoming Exceptional.

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Entrepreneurs are always looking for ways to do more with less.  Whether you are a seasoned veteran with a successful business or a new startup, you are always going to be looking for ways to grow.  Some ways of growing are worth the expense.  For example, hiring a great sales person.  But, there are other ways to grow that can help you succeed in big ways that don't cost anything.  Here are 3 of them.

1.)  Partnerships/Joint Ventures

One of the easiest ways to grow is to create a partnership or joint venture with another company or entity that has complimentary products or services.  You can then bundle your services with theirs an they with yours to create an even more compelling offer.  Additionally, you can do a revenue share together when you bring them opportunities and they can do the same with you.  You also get access to now sell to their customers and they get access to yours.  It costs nothing to do this other than a little time and ingenuity.

2.)  Affiliates

If you have a product that people people can buy online or without interacting with a sales team on your side, an affiliate program may be a good way to go.  You can pay commission to those that bring sales to your door.  This works great with influencers, brand ambassadors, and those with big networks looking to monetize them.  All this takes is creating an affiliate page for people to sign up and coming up with a commission structure.  You can use Paypal to start as a way to pay commissions and then go seek out influencers and those that would be a good fit with a good audience for your product or service and invite them to be an affiliate.

3.)  Current Customers

This last should come as no surprise.  One of the best places to get new business and grow is by getting referrals from your current clients.  If you take good care of your clients, all you really have to do is ask them.  But, you may consider putting in place referral program where they receive an incentive of some kind for referring you if it makes sense for your business.  Again, this costs nothing except taking good care of your clients and some sweat equity.

So, there you go.  3 ways to grow your business whether you are seasoned or start up that cost nothing other than time, a little work, and ingenuity.

There are some days where you just get frustrated.  Maybe things don't go your way.  Maybe you have a bad day in business.  Maybe you get frustrated with a loved one over an issue or a challenge.  Whatever it is, there are just times things don't go right and we get frustrated.  Of course, this is an emotional reaction.

So, what do we do?  How do we get over the frustration quickly and not let it affect us.  First, use logic, but understand - frustration will affect you.  The key is to make sure it has minimal impact.

You should logically think through why you are frustrated or angry and then ask yourself what is in your power to do about it and then what is not.  You can then focus on the things you can control.  

The second thing you can do is what a Misfit Entrepreneur guest, Harma Hartouni called the "5 Minute Funeral."  Instead of just ignoring the issue and letting frustration impact you, deal with it and do it quickly.  It is OK to get pissed off and be angry or even say a few choice words - just do it for 5 mins, get it over with, and get to work on the things you can control to resolve it.  

We will always have things that get us angry or frustrated.  The key is to understand that.  Deal with it.  And get moving to a better place as fast as possible.  And the more challenges you can handle and overcome the more you will grow and succeed!

Everyone has their own hacks and ways to help the to focus and concentrate.  One of my favorites is to listen to ambient music.  But, over the years, I've found there are certain types that really work for me and have found a number of great long (1 hour+) compilations on Youtube that I can throw on and just let go as I work.  Most of them involve movie scores or soundtracks.  You'll probably be surprised at what works best for me, but it works and that is all that matters.  Here are my Top 5 Youtube compilations for concentrating while I work.

1.)  My Go to Favorite:  Harry Potter Ambient

2.)  My Second Favorite:  Fantastic Beasts Ambient, Raining in New York

3.)  My More "Upbeat, Yet Serious) Favorite:  Bat Cave Ambience, Dark Knight Trilogy

​This one doesn't allow it to be embedded in other websites, so here is the link.  It's a killer compilation.

https://youtu.be/p-9AbH4Q1OU

4.)  My Fun Favorite:  Both Sherlock Holmes Soundtracks 

5.)  My Favorite for Deeper Concentration:  Interstellar Main Theme Extended

This won't be a long post.  In fact, it is more like a gut check - one that we all need from time to time.

Are you being truthful to yourself?  Are you?

Before you answer, stop and really think on this.  Are you living the way you want and know you should be?  Are you living by the principles you believe in?  Are you compromising them in any way?  Or more importantly, are you settling in any area of your life where you know you should not be?  

Most people are living a lie in some area of their lives.  It may be in a relationship, their work, or internally within themselves.  Most of the time, they are complacent and settling in an area they know they should not be.  They know what they should be doing or the choices that need to be made, but they avoid them and keep the lie going because it's easier to do that than face the truth and potential consequences - even when they know by doing so, they will be better off in the end.  

Don't be one of these people.  Face your lie(s) and breakthrough.  Act.  Do what you know you need to do and push forward.  

Free yourself by telling yourself the truth and living in it.

Structure. Equals. Freedom.

What?  How does that make any sense?

When most people hear, "Structure equals freedom," it confuses them as the word structure conjures up thoughts of limitations or making people follow certain terms or rules, etc.  But that is not the structure I am talking about.  I am talking about the structure you implement into your life that allows you to regain control and freedom on your terms.

Most people don't take the time to plan and decide what they will or won't do on a weekly basis and thus are at the mercy of everyone's needs and whims.  From work to family and other actors, our time is constantly getting taken away from us by outside influences.  Do you ever feel like there is not enough time in the day to do all the things you know you need to do?  You're not alone.  And this happens because we haven't implemented the structure in our lives to take back control.

It starts with taking your time back.  You can do this by setting parameters for those around you for your time and availability.  The easiest way to accomplish this is to set specific times when you are available and when you aren't.  For example, my teams have specific days and times that I am available for their needs and they can schedule a time with me during those blocks to work through them.  I also block times in my calendar for Ironman training every day as well as family time and fun/personal time, etc..  These times are non-negotiable and if someone tries to book time during one of these blocks, it gets denied and then can go grab time in one of the open slots.

In the end, this simple tactic allows me to dictate what times I am available for others and the focus for those times, instead of them just taking any opening in my time they wish.  In doing this, I have trained others when I am available and am able to focus much better and be more productive with them during those times.  By implementing this simple structure, I have given myself more freedom in my life to be able to do everything I want/need to do and meet all of my obligations in my businesses.

How about you, what areas can you implement structure in your life to give yourself more freedom?

No matter who you are or what you do, in order to perform at your best levels, you must take time to recharge and clear your mind - each day.  I've experimented a lot over the years looking for the best ways easily charge my energy and senses back up during the day and help my mind to be the sharpest it can be.  Some things worked and others didn't and I can say that some things will work better for some than for others.  But I've found 5 ways to recharge and clear your mind that should work for most people and want to share them here.

1.)  Get Up and Take a Walk

This is pretty easy.  When you start to feel fatigued or your head is feeling "cloudy," get up and taking 15-20 minute walk outside if possible.  This will get your blood and oxygen flowing and get you refreshed.  Another thing you can do is schedule your work out time(s) for the day in a way that they give your breaks after working for a period of time.

2.)  Do a 10 Minute Yoga or Meditation Session

If you are not a walker, you can also do 10 minutes of guided Yoga or a meditation session.  You can find free ones on Youtube from beginner to advanced.  It's amazing what 10 minutes of this will do to clear your mind and help you think better.

3.)  Stretch!

Most people hardly stretch their muscles and this causes all kinds of problems for them that they don't even realize.  Muscle tightness can cause tension, it can cause fatigue, it can make it harder to concentrate.  If you take a few minutes each day to stretch your muscles, you will be amazed at the benefits and it helps you to have more energy and be refreshed.  Try it!

4.)  Do 10 Minutes of Boxed Breathing

A lot has been studied on breathing and its benefits.  In fact, if you have an apple watch, it has a breathing app and reminder that comes with it.  I am big fan of Boxed Breathing, it is simple and easy to do.  In fact, here are just some of the benefits.

• It can help you cope with panic and stress when feeling overwhelmed. Counting helps to take the focus from the panic-producing situation enabling you to handle and control your response.
• Helps you to sleep when you are having insomnia.
• Helps to control hyperventilation as you can instruct your lungs to breathe rhythmically.
• Helps you refocus when you are having a busy or stressful day.
• Eases panic and worry.
• Keeps you calm while preparing for the day.
• When making a big decision.
• Lowers blood pressure and decreases Cortisol — a stress hormone — which can improve your mood.

Add this to your daily routine and use it as needed to help you.

5.)  Leave Your Office Environment and Do Something Non-Work Related

This is another way to recharge and refocus - just remove yourself entirely from things for a little bit.  Go play a game, hang with the dog, talk to your significant other or your kids - just do something that doesn't have to do with work.

Bonus!  Clear Your Mind by Writing it All Down

If you feel like you are overwhelmed and have too much on your plate, take 5-10 minutes and just write everything out from your mind.  Make a list of everything you need to do or that is in your mind.  Then leave your work area for a few minutes and come back and review it.  It will help you get clarity.  

There are a lot of things that go into being successful and maintaining success.  Hard (and smart) work, grit and the ability to keep going, seizing opportunities and actioning them as they present themselves, dedication, focus, and many more.

I could write many posts about the ingredients to consistent success, but I feel it especially important to write about one characteristic I've seen consistently across almost every entrepreneur I meet or interview.

That characteristic is this:  It is not one major thing that they do that sets the apart from their peers and competition, but a lot of little things done just a little different or better that add up to a huge advantage for them.

Many of these things are thing that all entrepreneurs do - lead people, work with clients, make sales, manage finances, create and work toward a vision, etc.

The key difference is that the most successful entrepreneurs either do these things differently or more uniquely than others or focus intently on how to be better than even the best they are up against.

For example, I recently interviewed Alicia Jarrett out of Australia.  Alicia invest in real estate in the US and is highly successful to the point where her "competition" is coming to her and her business partner to teach them what they are doing to succeed.  Alicia's secret is in a couple areas.  First, her and her partner have a developed a unique process to mine and manage data to find the absolute ideal prospects that are currently in a position to sell their property at a discount.  Next, they market to them through not just one method, but multiple.  Additionally, Alicia has carved out a very specific niche in that she buys vacant land that prospects have had for many years that has potential, but usually has a couple roadblocks that had kept it from being developed.  Alicia and her team have put together everything they need to alleviate those roadblocks, so they can buy the property at a discount taking the burden off the owner's hands, then fixing the issues, and selling it for a great profit.

As you can see Alicia does a number of things uniquely and differently and her obsession with fine tuning prospect data to find the perfect lead is better than others.  These things all combined give her a great competitive advantage and have made her and business partner consistently successful.

How about you?  What areas can you get just a little bit better than you biggest competition in?  What things can you do in a more efficient or unique way that will help give you an advantage?  Start thinking on these questions and jotting down your thoughts and you'll find there are a number of opportunities that present themselves.  Use this critical element to success to your advantage!

Life is so precious.  We forget that.  While, for those of us that have accepted Christ as our savior, we are just passing through on our way to our eternity with our maker, this life still is a wonderful, incredible gift that we have been given.  And it goes by very fast.  A blink of an eye and someone is there, then gone.

Mark Eaton was a guest on Misfit.  I did an interview with him about a year ago, but the audio came out bad and I was never able to release it.  I had reached out about scheduling another interview, but Mark and I had not been able to pin down a time.  If you don't know Mark, he was a top former Pro-Basketball player with the Utah Jazz - a future Hall of Famer, who had retired and had taken the lessons learned on the court and applied them to business.  He was a top rated speaker and consultant who was really becoming big in the space.  He died just over a week ago from a bike crash.  He lived in Park City Utah and had gone out for a nice summer ride for some exercise.  Somehow, he ended up crashing his bike and was found by a car driving by.  He was rushed to the hospital but didn't make it.

As a competitive Ironman triathlete, I spend a lot of time on the bike and know how just one wrong move or someone not paying attention while driving can cause severe injury or death.  Just like that, Mark was gone and he had a lot more to share and give to the world.  

I share Mark's story because it is a great reminder of how precious things are.  It is sad to see someone's life end before we think it should (although we must trust in God's plans) and it should spur us to think deeper about how much we need to cherish our lives and those around us.  And it should bring us closer in our relationship to our maker and learn how to use the talents given to us to be what we were born to be to the world.  We must not go through life without giving our best to the world to make it a better, more meaningful place.  I know Mark's impact will live on and you can learn more about his teachings at https://www.7ft4.com/

Cherish it.  Cherish it all, because we never know when our time in this short life is up as we pass through.