Three...Two...One...2010!

A bit less than 3 days left in the year, and the decade, for that matter. What choices could you make in the next three days that will change your life? Are you waiting for January 1st to plan? If so, you're cheating yourself out of 48-60 hours of time that could put you that much farther ahead come the New Year. Besides, who's going to sit around making choices when they could be watching Dick Clark for what could be his last year on Earth? (and we've been saying that for how long?)


I'm busy preparing the 2010 launch of Champions of Choice - a new look for the Challenge and all the Champions who've been a part of it to this point. This includes a re-invigorated approach to the NING site, a re-boot of the Newsletter, and a re-boot of the Facebook Fan Page - and that's just the beginning! More details to come.

How has the Champion of Choice Challenge helped you this year? How would you like to see it improve? Leave your comments, or email me at Rich@richhopkins.com - I want to hear from you. The good, the bad the ugly, about you, and about me.

In the meantime - get busy gettin' ready - the time to jump on 2010 is now!

Career Suicide: 5 Steps to Failure

An Article I wrote 4 years ago, that seems as pertinent now as it did then.

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Your career can affect every area of happiness in your life, from your recreational options to your family-life, from your financial stability to your personal fulfillment. Yet so many of us fall into common traps that sabotage our careers and endanger our futures. Don’t let yourself fall prey to any of the self-destructive choices below:

1. Ignoring your talents
2. Living beyond your means
3. Torching the trellises
4. Not planning ahead
5a. Choosing a profession you don't believe in
5b. Choosing a profession you hate

1. Ignoring your talents. So what if everyone told you being an engineer would make you more money than drawing comic books? We get one life – do you want to spend it miserable and wealthy, or fulfilled and, well, maybe still wealthy? Last I checked, Todd McFarlane, the artist who rejuvenated Spider-Man and created Spawn, is worth several million dollars. Your talents exist for a reason – discover where they can take you.

2. Living beyond your means. No matter what you do, if you aren’t making enough money to cover your lifestyle, you will be unhappy, and ultimately unproductive and hazardous to your career. Either find a job that makes more money, or learn to live on what you currently make. When we learn to live a lifestyle that is in line with what we earn, we understand the true value of our efforts.

3. Torching the trellises. More commonly known as burning bridges, leaving a past employer or co-workers with a bad taste in their mouths will haunt you. If your career path doesn’t change, you’ll probably work with or for some of these people again. Even if you make a career shift or move out of state, anyone of them can turn into future clients, members of your church, or even next-door neighbors. Stay professional through every job transition, and you can preserve a wide base of support for the future.

4. Not planning ahead. Technology advancements, market conditions, layoffs – the workplace is more unstable today than at any time in the last 75 years. Stay abreast of changes in your industry. Educate yourself by keeping up with trade magazines, software updates, and company business. Be ready to land on your feet if the firmament under you falls away without warning.

5a. Choosing a cause or employer you don’t believe in. If you do not value the work you do, or the company for which you work, get out! You may be doing what you love, but if you are doing it without a strong belief behind it, it will ultimately undermine any short-term success you experience. Great newspaper salespeople may switch to billboards to make a higher income, but not be able to sell it as well if their belief in the product is too low. Take inventory of your values. Great defense attorneys don’t always make great prosecutors.

5b. Choosing a profession you hate. Sounds rather self-evident, but it happens continually. How many times a day do we deal with someone at a store, over the phone, or in our own offices who clearly hates their job? Don’t let yourself be swayed by prestige, promotion, or money if the job you will take is one you’ve sworn you’d never do, or spent much of your life de-valuing. The day will come when you look in the mirror and wonder who you’ve become.

Career failures lead to financial hardship, family strife, and depression, yet we often make knee-jerk decisions when exiting and entering the workforce. Keep these guidelines in mind next time you shift career paths: Examine your career decisions for at least 24 hours before accepting a position – if it’s the right job, it’ll still be there tomorrow.

Stay true to yourself by finding an accountability partner who can objectively discuss your career path, as opposed to a close friend or family member who may have too large a stake in your affairs. Finally, remember that you are in charge of your career, not the other way around – it exists to enable you to live the rest of your life, not to destroy it.

Who Do You Follow, And Who Follows You?

I've been listening to a lot of speakers talk about leadership lately.

They talk about Vision and Goals, Trust and Authenticity, Experience and Follow-through, and many more wonderful qualities we must cultivate to become leaders, and that we look for in those we follow. Leadership is a buzzworthy topic in any age, and moreso as we seem to see a vacuum in leadership in every sector.

We are so desperate for leadership, we look for it where it doesn't always exist, whether in the promise of a new President, the powerful persuasion of a motivational guru, or the pristine image of a mega-star golfer.

What do YOU look for in a leader? Do you want them to take you somewhere, or show you where you can go? Do you want them to have all the answers, or help you find them for yourself?

Too much faith in anyone is bound to fail us in the end. That's why I'm working to build a world full of Champions of Choice. Champions lead themselves, by both choosing who to follow, and making choices worth following. Who are you going to follow, and who will follow your lead?

Scrooge Always Has A Choice

I both love and hate Christmas.

On one hand, I love everything about Christmas, from the music to the shopping excess to Santa Claus - and that's just the secular aspect. Despite being well aware of Christmas' origins, I love the religious aspects of the holiday. I read the story of Christ's birth AND Twas the Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve. I love stockings and anticipation that keeps kids from sleeping until 2 am just to get up at 5 am to jump on Mom and Dad's bed. I love chocolate santa's, Brach's Christmas candies, and those assorted nuts at the bottom of the stockings.

And I have some great memories of Christmas and Grandpa Bob and Grandma Lula Hopkins house, even though they had a (gasp) FAKE tree! Grandma did up Christmas just like Thanksgiving, but added homemade chocolate candy and chocolate fudge to the mix. There'd be candy bowls full all over the house. How much could I eat out of each one before people started to notice?

But Christmas also stresses me out beyond belief. To the point my wife thinks that I actually HATE Christmas. She's right. I get incredibly tense thinking about whether or not everyone will be happy with what they get (that costs HOW MUCH? then multiply by six...who's going to think they're ripped off? why aren't I a millionaire yet?). I hate dealing with 'arrangements' - where are we going when and to what? Externally, I'm always pretending not to worry, and that we should be happy even if we have a Christmas like they had on Little House on the Prairie when Laura only got a small doll, a tin cup, and a penny. This does not instill confidence in my wife. But internally I'm fretting not living up to the perfection I really want Christmas to be.

Beyond those conscious, somewhat logical irritations, I also have a visceral response to the season that puts me on edge, tensing me with increasing power the closer we get to the 25th, until I'm so stressed and tired that Christmas morning its all I can do to smile and pretend to enjoy watching the wrapping paper fly through the air.

If I was talking with Oprah, I'd probably talk about my parent's divorce and all the Christmases that followed without Dad. I might open up about the many relationships, even an engagement that crumbled over the Christmas holidays. If I was talking with Dave Ramsey, he might suggest I adjust my expectations to my income - though if I were talking to Tony Robbins, he'd tell me to adjust my income to my expectations.
Maybe its just knowing the kids are home for 2 weeks and my productivity is doomed to dive-bomb dramatically.

In the end, all of these excuses for me to be an annually grouchy humbugger are not worthy of the Champions of Choice. The Past is Past, the Present (and Presents) is just fine, and the Future is ours to decide. I never chose to feel negative during the holidays. I didn't think I could control it, as deep-seeded as the emotions were. That's the key - I didn't think I had a choice. Of course, I do. Whether it's Christmas, Fourth of July, or Bastille Day, how we feel, and the actions reflecting those feelings, are completely within our control.

This year, I'm choosing to enjoy every second of Christmas, even if it kills me. I'm certain the kids will be happy with what they're getting - we've been blessed beyond belief this year. The decorations are up and the music is blasting (Harry Connick Jr., at the moment). We're handling the event and the food here this year, eliminating any concerns about who sees who for how long. The real test will come if anything goes awry, I suppose.

I have loved and hated Christmas, know it or not, by choice. Time to choose just love. Which is, after all, what this season should be about in the first place. Welcome home kids - let's have a great Christmas break....now go clean your rooms!

What is Most Important to You?

They say you can tell what's most important to people just by walking into their house.

What is most prominent when you walk in? The TV (as the picture above illustrates, the size of the screen doesn't always determine the size of the priority)? Bookshelves? A family Bible? Perhaps a comfortable sitting area? Perhaps its artwork on the wall, or family pictures. A piano, a china cabinet, or a computer desk.

Closets are a close second. Plenty of shoe storage space? Is it well-organized, or a place where clothes end up hung up only by chance?

And of course their checkbook. Where does all the money go, regardless of how much there is?

All these show the world, and reinforce to ourselves, what we are really about, what choices we really care to make. When the television is the easiest thing to access, its likely pretty high on the list of priorities. This isn't a post to beat any of us up - heck, my family has a TV in the living room, and in all the bedrooms. It's a pretty important part of our lives.

Instead of beating ourselves up over the 500 DVDs that line our living room walls while the Wii Fit sits idly by in the bottom drawer of the entertainment center, can we take a moment to refocus? After all, if you're journaling one moment about changing your life in the fast-coming new year - spending an hour a day exercising, making time to finally write your book, and spending more quality time with the kids - couldn't you reinforce those decisions by changing your environment? Leaving your living space the way it is lends itself to creating the same results you've been getting.

If your DVD's are put in a room out of the way (except, of course, for those Richard Simmons work-out video's), your family games are prominently placed in your living room, and your workspace is void of distracting paraphernalia, do you suppose that would make a difference?

If you are saving for a car or a house, does your checkbook betray you? If you added up the money spent in drive-through's, at movie theatres (even though you have 500 dvd's at home), and the wine of the month club, how much closer to your goal would you be? Amazing how even in the tightest of times, we are able to find money for what's really important, even if we would swear an oath in court denying these things are important at all!

Instead of waiting for the New Year, start taking some inventory. If an archeologist went through your household 1000 years from now, what would they determine to be the most important parts of your life? Of course, even if you're a dedicated exercise nut, you may run the risk of being seen as a Richard Simmons devotee - but isn't that better than being caught with the DVD's of every season of the Roseanne, ER, and Star Trek? But enough about me....

2010 belongs to the champions...The Champions of Choice!

Stop Waiting for the Perfect Time

When I decided to go on the Atkins diet the day after Thanksgiving, my wife was less than enthusiastic. "This is a lousy time to go on a diet! We have Rachel's party next week, then our Anniversary, then Riker's birthday, then Christmas - it's impossible to stay on a diet right now!" She was right, and I'd made similar statements in the past. But...is there ever a perfect time to go on a diet?

With a major holiday virtually every month and a birthday party, or three, six months out of the year, when IS the perfect time? Particularly Atkins, the no-carb, no-sugar diet designed to change your body's fat-burning chemistry, where one little cheat throws you out of whack for at least a day. This was a horrible time to start it.

But I did anyway - and so did she.

For the first time, I've actually stuck to it enough to see results. I'm on six days, off one (which isn't the plan per se, but it has worked for me). After 16 days I'm down 18 lbs. It's been a roller coaster with the off days, waking up two days later up 3 lbs, then down 3 the next, but its real. I'm down one pants size, and am confident I can lose 25 or more lbs by the end of the year. Ultimately, I'm looking at dropping another 6-8 inches off my waist, and another 60 lbs.

The diet is just one example. When writing Win Place & Show and Go Ahead and Laugh, I would sit and wait to be in the perfect mood, to have the perfect atmosphere, and the perfect silence before writing. This resulted in nothing getting done for long stretches. When I finally ditched the perfection scenario, I was able to finish the books quickly.

I'm not sure where this vision of perfection comes from, but my top suspect is the media. From the perfect Thanksgiving dinners by Norman Rockwell on the Saturday Evening Post to moments of romance, success, and victory punctuated by perfect lighting and music, we are inundated with the concept that we should be a part of, and possibly defined by, perfect moments.

Most of us can think back through our lives and remember a perfect moment or two. Maybe winning a competition, or the cool fall night that punctuated our first kiss, or the moment we first held our child. The key to that is 'think back'. Perfection is often an illusion that comes in hindsight - we edit out the imperfect moments that surrounded the few seconds of bliss and victory.

If you're waiting until the time is perfect to make your move, you'll likely never move. Success comes in the midst of chaos when we choose to act while everyone else is panicking. When we take the winning shot whether its open or not. Even when we diet during the holidays.

Champions of Choice, embrace the perfect imperfection of the present reality, and you'll be well on your way to creating many perfect moments to imperfectly remember down the road. After all, there's never a perfect time to diet, but there's always a perfect time to be down 18 lbs!

A Lesson From Brooklyn

Last night, right before our 'family meeting', where we download our day, do a brief Bible study, and send the kids off to bed after a prayer, I asked my two year old to pick up the 30 or so wooden blocks she'd strewn across the living room.

She started by picking up one block, walking to the drawer, dropping it in, and going to retrieve another block. Soon, she started putting a block in each hand, doubling her productivity. She was up to three, then four at a time. When she tried five, they came spilling out over the floor. She still had two in her grasp, put those away, and returned to put away the other 3 blocks.

As I watched her, I was hit by a few different thoughts:

1) She was choosing to learn with each step
2) She was willing to deviate from what worked, to discover what would work better
3) When something didn't work, she didn't quit, she just adjusted back a notch to what did work. No time for self-loathing or frustration.

Its easy to get caught up in the desire to make 'perfect' choices. That drive for perfection, however, can sabotage improvement by creating fear of failure. At two-years-old, Brooklyn isn't tainted by perfectionism yet. She's still adjusting her choices on the run. Are you?

If only we knew now what we knew then.

Choices that Last

"I Choose Us" - Jack, in The Family Man

Ten years ago today I married my best friend.

It was a choice I'd made months before, in truth before she made her choice to marry me. The choice carried with it the responsibility of two kids from her first marriage, age 3 and 2 at the time - a choice I made easily, knowing we would be able to create a successful family since they were still both at such young ages.

Over the years, we chose to add four more children to our family, one about every two years. We've chosen to stop, but I'd wouldn't change a single choice when it comes to the children God has loaned to me.

10 years means 3650 days of choosing to stay married. Choosing to love during the triumphs and the defeats. Choosing to love through the occasional lovers quarrel, and the occasional lover's all-out war. Choosing to love through challenge, through sickness, through uncertainty, though pain. Choosing to focus on blessings and joy and victories no matter their size.

Choosing to marry Kristi was the best choice I've ever made, and she reinforces that choice everyday. Marriage, love, commitment...all are choices both sides must make each day, each hour, each minute.

No matter what the past has brought, no matter the present circumstances, no matter the future - I stand firm to choose Kristi, over and over again.

Happy Anniversary, my dear.

Announcing the Go Ahead and Laugh Teleseminar!

Fellow speaking coach Felicia Slattery is going to be interviewing me next week (December 14th, 9 pm Eastern) about adding humor to speeches using my book, Go Ahead and Laugh, as the textbook.

I'm excited to get to work with Felicia, and if you know anything about either of us, you know its going to be all kinds of fun, and filled with creative ways for you to get your audiences to Go Ahead and Laugh!

If you can't make the call, register anyway, and you'll receive a link to the free replay within a day or so of the event. Click here to register TODAY!

Champion of Choice Challenge 3.0 Update

My three Foundational Footsteps were:
1. Write and release an ebook for my wife
2. Write and release Speak & Deliver: A Public Speaking Book for the Speaking Public
3. Create an amazing Christmas for my family

Amazing how much has changed since then...
I'm still focused on my wife's book, but now it's a hold in your hand version. I've put my own book on the backburner to the point I'd forgotten I was going to have it done by end of the year. I'm still creating an amazing Christmas for the kids, though.


Blogging is a big part of what I want to get going by end of December - I've been sporadic, at best. Daily blogs are my goal, or more. Don't know if I'll ever be Chris Brogan-esque, but we'll do what suits the audience.


I've also gotten more serious about my weight, and have been using the Atkins plan to lose weight. It was all the rage 10-12 years ago - drop the carbs, put your body into ketosis and burn the fat quickly. It's working so far. 11 lbs in 9 days, even with my cheat day eating my daughters birthday cake yesterday...and having some popcorn. I started at 248, and am looking at 220 by end of month.


I'm working on a couple websites, and am determined to start my newsletter that so many of you have signed up for since April. Those are some goals I'm working specifically with my Accountability Partner on. 


I'm working on a few other projects as well, but these few are still my focus, and have long-term ramifications. It may be the end of the year, but now is a great time to ramp up instead of down. Why wait until January, when you can be ahead of the game by starting right now.


I honored Jim Rohn in my Speak & Deliver blog today - was big on choices as well:

Is Tiger Still A Champion?

I have followed Tiger Woods since he tied for 60th at the Milwaukee Open back in 1996. I have blogged about him, his attitude, his skills, and his competitive spirit.

I have never blogged about his character, other than how it is displayed on the course. I've ignored the cursing and club throwing, understanding the intense pressure he is under from outside and from within each time he tees it up.

Now, he's a week into his worst situation ever - media bombardment, the fickleness of fans, and the ramifications cheating on his wife will have on his family, most important of all (to me).

I do not find it to be my place to judge Tiger, sympathize with Tiger, or defend Tiger.

However, he has provided us with an amazing example of what happens when our choices don't align with our overall goals (or what he has put out there as his goals - I suppose he would be dead on if his goals were to become a virtual sports god and then risk it all by conducting an extra-marital affair).

A week ago, our perception of Tiger was still pristine, and about to get another shine with his Tournament this week that benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation, which largely benefits kids education.

Today, his endorsements, his ability to draw fans, his focus to his craft, and his marriage are all at risk. His legacy has changed forever. Just as Kobe Bryant may never truly out-play his rape trial, no matter how many championships he wins, Tiger may forever be seen as the fallen angel.

Of course, he still has choices. Moving forward, he can make some great choices, as can any of us who have made mistakes of all types and varying degrees in our past. He's already making choices, and they are being scrutinized every second, from his communication on his website to reports of his pre-nuptial agreement rewrite, a large payment to Elin, his supermodel wife, and immersion into marriage counseling.

What he does from this point one will determine his future, just as his past choices have determined, in all of its mayhem and stress, his present. He has to live with his choices, past and future, just as we live with our own.

Two things to think about:

1. Learn from Tiger. Align your choices with your ultimate goal - whether it's to become a revered golfing legend, a successful entrepreneur, or a great dad and husband. Don't let your short-term choices short-circuit your long-term success.

2. Monitor the Big Choices with the Big Consequences. After all, no matter how many titles Tiger wins, how much money, how many people he helps - these Big Choices will always be carried somewhere in his golf bag.

Tiger is still a champion. Whether he will be a Champion of Choice is up to him.

Who the Champion of Choice Really Is

When this all began back in May, I called myself The Champion of Choice. I have struggled with that 'title' because I've been so concerned with viewing it as a title, when, in fact, it is an action.

I champion choice. I fully believe we have the power to choose every action everyday, and we can deconstruct the present state of our lives based on the choices we have made, or chosen not to make. I know I am where I am right now because of each choice I've made. Continuing this blog is one of those choices.

Even after deleting the posts and videos from the first challenge, which I already regret, there is enough in this blog to let people know I'm not as financially successful as Tony Robbins, Ed Tate, or even OctoMom. Well, maybe OctoMom.

Do I want a meeting planner, corporation, or potential coaching client to read past posts know that I'm not an all-out success yet? That I still have goals I'm pursuing, and the big house, fast car, and massive bank account don't yet exist? That I'm still at the beginning of this journey, as opposed to being inundated with bookings and enjoying the speaker life in full? All it takes is a quick look at this blog, and they can see what struggles I face, without yet acquiring all the victories I aspire to achieve. (Of course, I don't have meeting planners bothering right now, since many of those goals revolve around marketing, but that's beside the point.)

Beyond this blog, the silver screen is lurking. Next year, a movie called SpeakEasy will come out, and it won't be hindered by my fear. It's a documentary about Public Speaking, with the storyline of the 2008 World Championship of Public Speaking as its overriding silver thread. I wasn't doing great during this time of my life financially, and was facing personal and family health challenges (some we knew about, some we didn't) throughout. Anyone who sees that movie will see a very stressed-out version of me in the midst of crisis. Of course, the viewer can also see it as "wow, he made it to the World Championship even through all that crap?"

There's no hiding from reality. I'm a financially strapped speaker/coach who can speak with the best of 'em, and inspire and coach others to transform their thought process and speaking skills in ways they never thought possible. Really. I hear that, or a version of that, every time.

I have allowed my present reality to hold me back, essentially extending my reality. My choice has been fear. Fear of being 'found out'. Fear that my competition will point to me and say "if he were really that good, would he be where he is?"

The reality of my reality, however, has nothing to do with talent or ability. It has to do with fear. Fear of not being credible, fear of investing everything and coming up empty, fear of giving others too much to judge. That means I haven't made the choices to succeed.

I've had enough. Because there isn't an audience out there that wouldn't benefit from what I have to say, there isn't a speaker I couldn't help improve in some way, regardless of my bank balance or stress level. Sound arrogant? I've been afraid of that too. No more.

So read the blog. Watch the movie. But remember to talk to my clients, too. Read Speak & Deliver, and my wife's blog Thriving with Neurofibromatosis. Follow me on Twitter, friend me on Facebook. See who I really am. My life proves my own philosophy - our future is ours to create by choice. I've made the choices to survive. The choice to hold onto my family without losing grip of my dream. The choice to build my wife's dreams even as I pursue my own. But ultimately, the choice to fear failure so intensely I have failed by not charging forward with every ounce of energy. Which brings us to now.

The choice I'm making today, December 1st, 2009, is to stop being afraid of reality, in order to build a new one.

What is your reality? What can you do better than anything else, regardless of any other circumstances in your life? What choices are you making out of fear?

The future belongs to The Champions. The Champions of Choice.

Challenge 3.0 Update

This has been a down week compared to last week, quite honestly. With kids only going to school half-days all week, and doc appts. Mon, Tue, Thur., leaving me here with two young kids for the other half of the days, my focus has been virtually non-existent.

This morning, Kristi took the two young kids with Braden for yet another doc appt., and has given me a chance to write, which is the only reason this blog post exists!

Since my personal focus has been off, I've been putting it more on the kids and Kristi this week. The e-book I was going to do with Kristi has switched to a real (albeit self-published) book that will be available mid-January. I have been sending her out by herself to sit and write, and molding the form of the book in my spare moments. We have built tremendous momentum on this project.

Yeah, I can sit back and wish I'd blogged more, or started my book, or any number of other things, but I'd rather focus on what's working. This book is something we dreamed up in August, but simply wasn't going anywhere until this week. By changing the choices we were making, shifting our focus, we have been able to light a fire under this project.

Success one step at a time - one Choice at a time.

The Choice of True Heroes

image credit: jcolman

I wear shorts a lot. If I don't have a business meeting, I'm in shorts, 12 months a year. One result of this habit is that I get a lot of comments on my super-deluxe, robot leg. Particularly from veterans. The assumption is that I lost it on the battlefield, of course. I did not, and I always tell them straight-away, and thank them for their service.

I chose to remove the lower half of my left leg. It was the best choice available to me to live a fuller life.

Veterans made a choice to serve their country. It may or may not have been the best choice available to them, but it was a choice they consciously made. The choice to serve in the military is bigger than enlisting, though, bigger than service.

Their choice isn't even just to sacrifice - it's a choice to be WILLING to sacrifice. They know they are sacrificing their time, sweat, and energy. What they can't be certain of, despite an awareness of it, is they may sacrifice their own leg in battle, or their ability to walk, or their mental health, or their very life. The choice to be willing to sacrifice, without so much as a moments notice, is what makes our Veterans True Heroes.

I never had the choice to make this choice - 4F all the way, physically. I thank God there are so many of YOU, so many of THEM, who have made these choices, so that I can make mine.

God Bless You.

How Many Do-Overs Do You Get?

When I was a young boy, Weebles were all the rage - they wobbled, but they didn't fall down. This chant was often used against me on the playground, as I limped with every step. Inherent in the insult though, was encouragement. No matter how much I fell, I would always get up. Even those who tortured me were forced to admit it.

I had the original Champion of Choice Challenge - and it didn't go the way I'd hoped. I learned a lot, but in terms of accomplishing my goals, it was an anemic effort.

Then, in mid-August (an amazing 86 days ago), I rebooted to the Champion of Choice Challenge 2.0. While I accomplished several things, my overall yield was light.

So - it's time to admit that it's impossible - the power of choice isn't what I thought. We can't decide to create our future. We are at the mercy of the world. I need to give up, delete this blog, forget about my dreams, and sink into the great masses of despair who inhabit so much of the world.

But I can't. Because if I choose to do that, it's still a choice, and I will create that reality. The negative proves the positive. And frankly, I'd rather be POSITIVE.

Who's up for the Champion of Choice Challenge 3.0?

Parameters:

It starts NOW. As soon as you've read this post. Not on the first of the month, or on a Monday, or after the football game, or once the project on your desk is done - NOW.

It goes till December 3Oth - 50 days all told.

Pick three things, three Foundational Footsteps, you want to have done by that time. Big, small, doesn't matter. Three things. Do them, and report back. If you get them done early, celebrate, and pick a few more - push yourself. If you're having trouble getting them done, let me know, and the Champion of Choice Challenge NING community. We need something to do over there anyway.

My three Foundational Footsteps are:

1. Write and release an ebook for my wife
2. Write and release Speak & Deliver: A Public Speaking Book for the Speaking Public
3. Create an amazing Christmas for my family

Yes, there's more things I want to do, that I need to do, that I have to do. But these three things will add to my life and lifestyle the most.

My Secret Weapons:

An accountability partner - everyday I'll be going back and forth with this person to help ensure I continue to move forward.

A profitable project - today I agreed to work on a special project which will help my bottom line, allowing me greater ability to focus.

The Experience of Failure. I know what's worked this year, I know what hasn't.

I call myself the Champion of Choice, and encourage you to become one as well. For my Devoted Minority - remember that that doesn't mean always make champion-level choices, though that is the goal, champion-level results following quickly after. It means I champion the world acceptance of their Power of Choice. My mission is to help you take back your Power of Choice - and use it to improve your life.

For better or worse - we are who we've chosen to be. The Champion of Choice Challenge 3.0 - It's time to choose better. We can wobble, but we won't fall down.

The Devoted Minority

Do you take criticism to heart? Was your last book poorly received? Yesterday's blogpost not read and commented on enough? Worse yet, did you get NEGATIVE comments? Does your YouTube video sit with only 12 views, 10 of them your friends and family? Does it make you want to quit? Do you want to hide your ideas, your talents, yourSELF because your competitor has more Twitter followers, has a bigger Facebook Fan Page, and constantly brags about the 30,000 dollars they made in 24 hours with their latest product release? Then you need to discover The Devoted Minority!

The most popular, most famous, and/or the most successful people in the world are hated by more people than they are loved. And even more people in the world don't even know who they are. Guess what? You won't be hated as much as most, and most likely, the vast majority of the world won't even know who you are. And that's OK.

President Obama. Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan. Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, and Alex Rodriguez. We often hear more negative things (some true, some not, and most often somewhere in between) about all of them more than we hear the positive. Someone's always willing to take a potshot at them – yet they continue to survive and succeed (even in death, for MJ) despite drawing the ire of so many.

The key is The Devoted Minority. In a world of nearly 7 billion people, no one will have The Devoted Majority. In the U.S. Presidential election, President Barack Obama won with 69,456,897 (source: Wikipedia) votes, in a country whose population is over 307 million. The entire number of votes cast for both Sen. Obama and Sen. McCain was roughly 141 million – not even a majority of the country, despite the highest voter turnout in 40 years.

Your Devoted Minority is a group of supporters that keeps your success afloat. It may be 100 people, it may be 1000, it may be 10 million. The Devoted Minority loves you, spreads your ideas and ideals, and buoys you from day to day. The Devoted Minority may be your emotional or financial lifeline, and is often both. They give you approval, and they spend their money when you give them the chance.

Feed your Devoted Minority. Stay in touch, by newsletter, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, books, media – stay in front of them and give them what they want from you. Only the biggest movie stars can afford to put out a movie every three years – most are filming a movie every 8 months or so, and only the rarified writer can go more than 2 years without releasing a book. For the average businessperson, you need to be in front of your audience at least once a week. With the advent of social media, putting something out there (even if its just a few tweets or a daily status update) every day may be the only way to keep from being forgotten.

Your Devoted Minority can be a very fluid group. Don't fall into the trap of thinking “Oh, I wrote about this 6 months ago, and I'll bore my audience”. Not only do you have new people in your Devoted Minority, you have no idea how many of the read your post or book in the first place, or how many of them need to be reminded of it again! In Make It Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath, they mention the Burden of Knowledge – the idea that because WE know something, we assume everyone must know it. Your Devoted Minority either doesn't, or they want to know it again, differently. How else could Sleepless in Seattle AND You've Got Mail be hit movies, almost a decade apart? The Devoted Minority wanted to see Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan together again, or, for those that were new, they got to enjoy it for the first time, and then likely went and rented Sleepless in Seattle!

Embrace your Devoted Minority. Build it, nurture it, love it. Don't worry about the fact that someone else has a bigger Devoted Minority – your own will grow faster when you focus on what you have instead of what you don't. Don't disrespect or abuse your Devoted Minority by being someone they don't want you to be, unless you're willing to part with them. For me, this means not barraging my speech coaching Devoted Minority with MLM opportunities. What does it mean for you? How can you stay in alignment with your Devoted Minority?

Choose to identify and accept your Devoted Minority. They are why you can continue to do what you do, successfully. They appreciate your services, your expertise, they appreciate YOU. On the days when you wonder if anyone is reading your blog, or going to your website, or cares if you ever do anything ever again, remember your Devoted Minority. They will keep you going, and in turn, they will add to their own number. Frustrated because you're starting with only 100 fans? Guess what? They're still a Devoted Minority. And that's OK.

Champion of Choice Challenge 2.0 Update

Between the Swine Flu, Toastmasters Contests, Car Troubles, and general stress, my choices have taken me away from my blogs in the last few weeks. Time to revisit the goals set for the Champion of Choice Challenge 2.0.

I. A Financial Life completely supported by my career as a speaker and a coach. The specific amounts are for me alone to know – suffice it to say my goals are high.

1. Multi-page speaker brochure by August 31
2. 4 scheduled speaking engagements in September
3. Two sets of business cards – one for speaking, one for coaching, by September 4th
4. 100 proposals to speak sent out by September 30th
5. Speaking e-book completed by September 30th
6. 5 articles up on e-Zine Articles by August 31st
7. Coaching specific website up and operable by August 31st
8. 25,000 Twitter followers by August 31st (15,200 as of August 16th)

Accountability is a bitter pill in the Financial Life area - none of these goals have been met. We continue to maintain the status quo, financially.

II. Support my wife with her Thriving with Neurofibromatosis campaign

1.Finish her book by August 31
2.Create posters for free disbursal by August 31

While these two goals haven't been met, Kristi's blog and networking has taken off. In addition, we have focused on finding out more about her condition, and the medical choices she is facing. This has been a focus that we have chosen together to make top priority.

III. Reconnect with Toastmasters. The choice was made several weeks ago for me to take a year sabbatical. That choice was a bad choice. I receive so much support through the Toastmasters organization that leaving left me feeling without family. While I have a large family at home, a professionally supportive family is very important.

1. Complete TM DVDs and deliver on Monday, August 17
2. Reconnect with District Leadership by August 18
3. Return to Spokane Falls TM by August 27
4. Earn CL by June 30, 2010

Goals 1-3 are all completed, and I'm continuing to move forward, having taken on the role of Division Governor.

IV. Create a Healthy Physical Body for Me to Inhabit. (No, I'm not looking for a host body!)

1. Lose 60 lbs by February 15, 2010 – 6 months, 10 pounds a month.
2. Daily tracking of food intake – to be publicly posted on the NING site.
3. Daily exercise – to be publicly posted on the NING site.
a. 100 push-ups program by Sept. 30
b. 100 sit-ups program by October 2nd
4. Finish dental work by October 31st

I made some strong progress on this with the push-ups program for 4 weeks, then dropped it. The dental work has also been delayed into November. The rest remains status quo.

V. Create stronger mental discipline

1. Daily work in the Secret Abundance Files
2. Daily min. 30 minute exposure to positive reading or audio learning – to be posted publicly on NING
3. Read Atlas Shrugged by October 31st
4. Daily reading in the Bible – to be shared publicly on NING
5. Wake up by 6 am daily
6. Watch only 10 hours of TV per week (except football in the background as I work – lets be realistic.)

Goals 3,4, and 6 have become regular lifestyle features. I'm on schedule with Atlas Shrugged, and my TV viewing has significantly dropped. Still, the others are very important, yet have been allowed to stall.

VI. Create a stronger family unit

1. Spend more one on one time with each child, guilt-free, each day
2. Build family-time in the evening – 30 minutes minimum to check in, read from the Bible, and pray – starting tonight.
3. Spend more fun time with Kristi, away from the kids, the financials, and the house.

Of all the big goals, this is the one that has been most successful, and I am proud to have made large strides with my family.

Every day is a battle for choice. What choices will I make today? What attitude? Which work do I focus on? What do I do for the family? How do I spend my time, money, emotions? What food do I eat? What exercise do I do? Where do I go and for how long? And dozens more.

No matter how many times I make the wrong choice, or make choices in the wrong way, I know tomorrow is another day. And I will never, never, never give up. That is my choice - to ignore the naysayers, to overcome the doubts, to tell myself yes even as I tell myself no.

I am a Champion of Choice, regardless of my results. Because in the end, each result is from the choices I've made. That's where being a Champion begins - taking responsibility, and taking credit. I choose. You choose. They choose. Choose the route of a Champion.

I'm Sorry. So Sorry. Please Accept, My Apology...

The public apology has become a bit of a sport since the days of Bill Clinton. He wouldn't admit anything, but was still sorry. Some say he wasn't sorry enough. Some say he wasn't sorry early enough. Some say he wasn't sorry LONG enough. Of course, he's still married to our Secretary of State, so he either was sorry enough, or continues to be sorry on a daily basis.

Before him was Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Bakker, both performing apoplectic apologies publicly, and year after year, more preachers, writers, politicians, athletes, and entertainers have walked the tightrope of regret.

We begged Pete Rose to admit his sins of betting on Baseball, and apologize, so we could see him in the Hall of Fame. He finally did, but we decided he didn't mean it, and are left empty inside.

The parade of politicians sleeping with women who are not their wives has been rather long of late - with apologies that sound a lot like little boys caught with their hands in the cookie jar - 'It was wrong, I'm sorry, but I couldn't stop myself'. The term soul mate has been a favorite, lately.

David Letterman is the latest apologizer to hit - and he took a unique approach. He has the advantage, of course, of addressing the world from his home field - his own television show. By both apologizing and revealing a blackmail scheme, he introduces a couple of threads to the public discussion. Yes, he's a typical jerk who had affairs at work (at a time when he involved, but not married), but now he's introduced a bigger jerk who threatened to rat him out if he didn't pay large sums of money. An affair of the heart is understandable in today's world, but blackmail is a major crime, and we love our crime shows even more than our soaps.

We all face moments in our lives when we must apologize. We make choices that aren't the best. We hurt people. We let them down. We offend. The very concept of Reclaiming our Power of Choice cannot work outside of the concept of taking responsibility for those Choices, and occasionally having to apologize.

Anatomy of an Apology

A. The Earlier the Better - don't wait to get 'caught' - catch yourself.
B. Acknowledge the Pain - THEIR pain, not yours.
C. Check their Pulse - are they ok? What consequences are they facing thanks to YOU?
D. Propose a Solution - how can you make up for what you did? Warning: sometimes you CAN'T.
E. Follow Through - put the solution into action quickly, with enthusiasm and contrition.
F. If you blow E., return to A. and begin again.

Of course, too many apologies will lower your credibility, both with others and with yourself. Make them, mean them, and then work to avoid them...by making your choices with more precision each day. Be a Champion!

Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Start Over.

Do you remember Space Invaders? The old 80's video game where row after row of aliens would march down the screen as you raced to shoot them down before they reached the ground and destroyed you? It started off easy enough. The aliens were slow, and you gained confidence as each one blipped into nothingness after being faced with your amazing trackball/button pushing display.

As you cleared each wave, the next wave would hit, and they would be faster, seemingly smarter than before. And no matter how quick you became, eventually you would be overwhelmed by that last speedy alien you just missed on the last pass.

You'd let out a breath, or an audible scream, or pound the table, but, if you had one left, you'd stick in another quarter and start again.

Yeah - you're waiting for it, so I might as well say it: Life is like a Video Game. The more you play, the better you get. The better you get, the more life gives you to handle. And in the end, we all die. Well, that's using a bit of a broad brush on today's metaphor.

Today's video games are a bit more life-like - not just in their graphics, but their approach. You still die, but you immediately come back to life, and instead of starting at the beginning, you return to the last checkpoint of your current challenge. You can actually complete a game, and be a winner. You can even win without picking up all the 'goodies' available - and then go back and pick up the goodies later on, if you still feel like playing after winning.

In both types of games, you're still faced with myriad choices at increasing speeds, and the ultimate choice of whether you will play on. You experience great joy upon success, and great frustration when the life is drained from your player.

Yes, there's a lot more at stake with our choices in real life. We also usually get more than a few nano-seconds to make our choices. Sometimes we're going to win, sometimes we're going to lose. Perhaps its time to change the game, perhaps its time to change our style of play. Regardless, the biggest choice we'll face is if we're willing to continue to play, in spite of the consequences of our last round with life.

Being a Champion of Choice isn't easy. It's a daily decision. In fact, its a minute by minute decision. And some days the Aliens win. You can choose to stare at the screen at the little white words that say "GAME OVER", or you can choose to pop another quarter in and start again.
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Thanks to Nigel Reed for suggesting this little video - just for fun.

Is Your Life Really OK?

What a week.

Doctors appts 4 straight days for my kids and my wife. If you've been following my wife's blog Thriving With Neurofibromatosis, you have an idea of what she's been going through, and the choices we may be facing for her in the next few days and weeks.

What she has dealt with over the last 20 years is a pain level that many of us just can't imagine. Constant headaches since her days as a teenager. Doctors would continually tell her they were migraines or stress related. As a result, she built up a tolerance, a coping mechanism that changed her pain threshold. She would constantly be at some level of discomfort, and forgot what being 'OK' felt like. After pushing doctors over the last few months, it turns out she's been walking around with Hydrocephalus and swollen ventricles to the brain for an undetermined amount of time. A ticking time bomb with a random timer.

The most likely course of action will be a shunt, which creates continual drainage of fluid from the brain, lowering pressure, and virtually eliminating her headaches. She will feel 'OK' for the first time in years. Her approach to stress will change, her ability to focus and act will improve.

Her turning point was in accepting her diagnosis of Neurofibromatosis as more than an annoyance. More than something to just bear as a genetic disorder. The more she found out about NF, the more the puzzle pieces of her pain fell into place. Then she had to push the doctors beyond their pill pushing propensities, and dig deeper into what was happening to her. She made the choice to stop settling for her life as it was, even though she'd gone for years accepting that it was just the way her life would be.

Have you been settling? Ignoring your pain? Beyond physical pain, there is emotional pain, relationship pain, even financial pain. Look beyond where you are, where you think it's 'OK' to be, and instead look to a life you wish you had. Then choose to dig deeper, to question or downright ignore those that get in your way.

Be the Champion of your own life.

How Do You Choose Your Responses?

This weekend was birthday weekend - one daughter turned 9, the other 2, both on Friday. Friday night was a slumber party, followed by a lunchtime party the next day. That 18 hour period offered many opportunities to watch people of all ages choose their responses.

A. On Friday night, one of the girls told my daughter the party was boring and she wanted to go home. Red Alert! Riley left the room crying - a typical response. My wife was more than a little frustrated, but of course tempered her response toward the offender, asking her how she would feel if Riley did that at HER birthday party, and offering her a choice: apologize, or have her parents pick her up. It took a few minutes, but she apologized after thinking through her options. Riley's choice was indicative of her place in life right now, and we talked to her about choosing to stand up for herself vs. fleeing in tears. Interestingly, the next day, the same girl talked about how much fun she had at the party, and wanted to stay over Saturday night too!

B. My wife home-made the cakes for our daughters. She was not happy with them. She was using new methods and the results were below her standards of perfection. And then she asked my opinion. Guys, this is right up there with 'Do I look Fat?' as far as the danger zone of answering goes. I looked at it, and thought 2 things: 'This looks really good' and 'I know why she doesn't think so'. I had a choice - tell her it was good knowing she wouldn't believe me, or tell her I understood how she feels, but to me it looks great. Either would have been better than what I said: "Well, from an adult standpoint, I see why you don't like it, but...." - Oops. Took a few minutes to get to the rest of it "but the important thing is Riley loves it!". Not a good choice on my part. I hoped to communicate honestly, but my approach needed a bit more icing on the top. Of course, Kristi could have chosen a different response to my response....but let's not go down that road. We're all about personal responsibility at The Champion of Choice Challenge.

C. My mom brought over gifts for both girls. My two-year-old was too busy playing with one toy to bother opening Grandma's gift. As parent's we didn't want to create a tearful scenario by ripping away one gift in favor of the next, but we also didn't want Grandma to forever sit waiting. My mom could have responded with impatience, indignation, anger - but instead she chose to laugh. She watched her Granddaughter intently and contentedly playing with her first gift, and just waited until Brooklyn was ready. It took almost a half an hour, but she finally gave up the toy and headed to her new gifts. Brooklyn's own choice was interesting to watch. She didn't get upset at our attempts to divert her - she simply ignored us!

We cannot control someone else's response. We can plan for it and even attempt to influence it, but in the end, the only response we can control is our own. It is common to blame another for making us feel a certain way - positive or negative. And we do have a natural emotional response to how others act towards us. As human beings with cognitive brain function, however, we must take responsibility for how we filter those emotions into our responses, and how we form every response we offer.

Being a Champion of Choice means accepting your ability to change a conversation, set a boundary, avoid temptation, defuse an argument, and resist tempting others. Of course, it also means accepting your ability to make things significantly worse, if the surrounding parties aren't Champions themselves.

Remember Champions - with use your powers for good - or you'll end up looking like this guy:


May the Force Be With You.

Are Your Goals Big Enough?

I've been gone a few days. This is what I've been working on, among other things.

I also watched the final performances of 'America's Got Talent' and subsequent finale last night. I was not terribly shocked at the final two, Kevin Skinner, chicken catcher country singer extraordinaire and cancer survivor operatic genius Barbara Padilla, making the cut to face each other at the end.

I was slightly surprised that Kevin won the whole thing, in part because I felt Barbara Padilla was the stronger performer, and more of a slam dunk going into Vegas and the entertainment arena. But then again, so was Adam Lambert, despite his 2nd place finish in American Idol. Even Susan Boyle, who sang before last night's results were revealed, was a clear winner in Britain's Got Talent before losing to Diversity.

It's almost as if voters say to themselves "this person is bigger than this show - I'm going to vote for the other guy, because they need it more". Granted, it could also be a bit of fickleness for over-exposed celebrity by people who haven't done anything yet. Either way, these 'Losers' can turn into Winners in a way they didn't expect at the beginning of their journey.

When you set goals, do you create realistic scenarios? Do you 'hedge your bets' to prevent disappointment? After all, who would be silly enough to say "I'm going to make a hundred thousand dollars this year, even though I've never come close in the past"? Jack Canfield would, actually. How about a million dollars?

Barbara Padilla, Adam Lambert, and Susan Boyle will all have careers that go far beyond what they set to accomplish. Losing actually opens up doors they may have been locked out of in the contracts that bind the winners. If they keep their goals small, and let the competition define them, they will limit their accomplishments as well. Regardless of how you feel about their music, Kelly Pickler, Clay Aiken, and Chris Daughtry have all gone on to great success by allowing goals bigger than winning American Idol to enter their field of view.

When you set your goals, don't limit yourself to reality, or too narrow an outcome. Leave room for a force greater than you to change your path and lift you higher than you ever imagined. If you are in a competition, why does the outcome of the competition define your future? If you can lose 25 lbs, why not 50? Or lose 25 and be in incredible shape? If you can make 100,000 dollars in 12 months or less, why NOT a million?

Make the choice to be open to more. The old saying is that one God closes a door, he opens a window. Perhaps we should change that to 'When God closes a window, he opens a door. A really BIG door."

Why Do YOU Connect?

How many friends, followers, and connections do you have? Have you discovered MySpace yet, or have you long since left it in the dust? Are you on Facebook? Twitter? LinkedIn? NING? Plaxo? Plurk? FriendFeed?

Only a few of you do them all, and a few do even more.

I started my first MySpace account as a fairly early adopter, then got out, then got back in. If you go there now, it says "You can find me on Facebook. Sorry Tom."

I've been on Linked In since 2004, thanks to my friend LaMont Snarr, who invited me to join, but have been pretty dormant until the last few months. I have just over 430 connections, I think. I like the discussion strings on LI - they reach a broader audience than a typical Google Group. Seems a bit of life has been sparked there recently - but many of my connections are also connections on Facebook.

Google Groups, as mentioned above, cater to a narrower audience. I started a Toastmasters Group almost 18 months ago (to replace an older one, which had been overtaken by SPAM) here - and it offers quite a bit of conversation about Toastmasters International, and has even been known to catch the eyes of the higher ups in our organization.

Facebook has been a blast since January of this year. I had been on it, but barely, for at least a year prior, but didn't start working it til lately. I've got 801 friends at the moment. It's a lot fun, but a lot of time to devote, as well. I had pages up for Go Ahead and Laugh and The Champion of Choice Challenge, but took them down when it was apparent they were to much to maintain.

Twitter - yeah, Twitter. Joined just before the boom hit, 14 months ago. Didn't work it much til December, and now I have close to 19,000 followers. I used to communicate a lot using a third party program called Tweetdeck (I even wrote an article about it here), but haven't opened Tweetdeck in months. Its not even on my new computer. I still tweet regularly, but my conversations have gone down.

I'm involved with many of the others, as well, but to lesser degrees. NING is an interesting program - a niche-oriented Facebook. A great way to create a community if you find a niche that will motivate. As well as being a member of 6 or 7 NING communities, I have created one for The Champion of Choice Challenge here.

So - cool Rich Hopkins - you're involved in SO MUCH. WHO CARES? What's the point? What choices are you making? Is this driving your success, or just sucking all the time out of your life? (And I haven't even talked about blogging, building websites, writing articles....)

There are so many avenues to connect with people without ever leaving the comfort of your chair that nobody with access to an internet connection should ever complain about loneliness again, much less lack of prospects.

Uh oh - did I just call you a prospect? My dear friends on Facebooks are now nothing more than marketing targets? Twitter is all about making money? Well, yes. And no. Do you do business with your friends? Do you buy their books? Do you recommend them to others? Do you support them in their endeavors? Of course you do. Customers are friends, and friends are prospective customers. The more friends you have, the more successful you are likely to be.

Even if you are my best friend in the world, and I give you all my books for free, let you into my workshops at no charge, and give you all the free advice you want, you are still, technically, a 'contact'. Shudder. You just might say something to someone at the right time in the right way that connects me to another gig. Or send someone to my website or blog. If you don't, I probably haven't been a very good friend, right?

I'm still optimizing my usage of these platforms. I'm no social media expert, but I know a lot of people who claim to be, and one or two who actually are. Below, I share my personal rules for social media usage, based on what I want to accomplish. They may work for you, they may not. But, as any REAL social media guru will tell you, the rule is there are no rules. Do what you feel will get you where you're going.

1. Don't be overly political - it's worse than peeing in the pool. If you're just there to be purely you, consequences be darned, then fine. But know the consequences may cost your friends, opportunities, and in some cases, even your job. Or, if you're Larry Winget, it'll simply make you more popular.



2. Use humor, but know your audience. Don't assume others will take your humor with humor. Just trust me on this - or read my post on Michael Jackson a while ago, here.

3. Keep your friends your friends, but remember everyone who's a 'contact/potential customer' wants to be your friend at some level. I don't want to be overly personal (that's why we created email and IM), nor do I want to be overly sanitized. The closer your real personality and your professional personality are, the greater your authenticity and level of integrity becomes.

4. Promote others. Share other people's blogs and products on Facebook. Retweet. Get involved in conversations on LinkedIn. Zig and others say it constantly "the more success you create for others, the more success you create for yourself" (paraphrase).

5. Be consistent, but not manic. I have issues with this one. I'm constantly online, checking statuses, tweets, emails, etc. Even ONE platform can dominate your day, if you aren't watchful of your time. You want to be seen, but 24/7 monitoring may not cast a great image of your business or time management.

My goal is to reach out and connect to as many people as possible - from old classmates to Toastmasters to all the speakers I will eventually sharing the stage with to anyone who might want to see me speak, hire me as a coach, read one of my books, etc. As the connections, friends and followers grow, so will my personal friendships, and professional successes. Sometimes, they are amazingly intertwined!

Why are you using social media? ARE you using social media? If you're reading this blog, you are - even blogger is social media to a point. You have choices to make. Which to use, or not. How you'll use them. Why you'll use them. But make no mistake, social media is here to stay, in one form or another. I suggest choosing to do something about it vs. waiting out its demise. The world is getting closer every day - are they getting closer to YOU?

Climbing The Wall: 4 Week Challenge 2.0 Update

The climb over the wall can get crowded, and busy! Already 4 weeks into the the second challenge - the weeks have flown by.

Several of the habits and rituals I chose to form, reading, food log, push-up challenge (finally into week 3!), and family time, have survived the journey. Others, from journaling to listening to educational/motivational tapes have barely left the gate.

I'm blogging consistently, and have added the Stumpy & Bumpy Laugh Off The Pounds blog to the mix, which compartmentalizes my weight loss challenge. I'm down to 239, and I'm not looking back. I'm about to add another blog to the mix, focusing on speaking and speakers. If you're looking to write a book, create articles, or simply get noticed - blogging is a great way to create and hone content.

I've been focusing on building income on the internet, and partnered with several folks to sell Go Ahead and Laugh to their fans. Affiliate marketing has potential to be a great choice for me. There are several other opportunities I'm looking at, and if you have a product you'd like me to help you promote, let me know.

Twitter continues to be a growing fan base, as I close in on 19,000 followers. I'd originally set 25,000 as an August goal, but there's only so many I can follow per day, So I've ramped it down, expectation-wise. If I have 21,000 by end of September, I'll be doing well. My Facebook experience has been similarly favorable. You can Facebook me at http://facebook.com/richhopkins.

The kids are back in school, reducing my distractions. I'm back in Toastmasters, which has really given me back some joy.

As I look back at my original list, there are many things I have not done. Going forward, there are new things I see myself doing. Ritual works. The white board method, so far, does not. Working with my wife works better every day. Working when the kids get home from school does not. Saying that I'm going to do something, like write a book, or start a blog, doesn't work. Doing them, and then talking about it, works (yes, I know I talked about starting a blog earlier in this post...). I know that I am happier now than I was 4 weeks into the original challenge. The foundational changes I have made in my daily life are key.

My judgment, this morning at least, is that The Challenge, at this stage, is succeeding. I can improve its results, and I am feeling more empowered to do so than I have in weeks.

How is your Challenge going? Have you joined our community at NING? If you are there, have you posted? The community will be worth what we make it worth. I'm looking at some new activities for the community to liven it up - but the best way to do that is for its members to be alive!

Your Challenge (and mine) is meant to create growth. It is not meant to be an easy checklist. Instead, it is a gauntlet of activities designed to test our skills, and create growth, occasionally through pain. Don't judge your Challenge by whether or not it is completely met, but by the growth you have experienced learning to master it.

Make the choice to keep moving forward, to keep climbing the wall. To observe and take credit for the steps you've taken, even if its only been one. Its still one more than you had taken before.

Crazy like a FOX: Ellen on American Idol

DISCLAIMER: Today's blog references American Idol. If AI disgusts you, run away fast. Worry not, its not ABOUT AI, it simply refers to events in the show that are related to my topic.

Just when you thought no one could be a worse judge of talent than Paula Abdul, the folks at American Idol sign Ellen Degeneres to be their 4th judge for the upcoming season. When was HER last chart topping pop album? Which rock stars has she sent shooting towards the stars of success?

Yes, she has a nice little talk show, and is quick with a joke, and probably a light of your smoke - but isn't there someplace we'd rather she be? Sorry, I occasionally slip into Billy Joel lyrics when exasperated.

The producers are exercising their power of choice in an unexpected manner, but with great deliberation. Last years 4th judge, Kara, is an industry professional. Putting Ellen on the forum is the equivalent to dropping Dennis Miller onto the set of Monday Night Football a few years ago. While Dennis is a wonderfully talented and witty human being within his social and political setting, he was out of place and overmatched on the set of MNF. He didn't get the game, he didn't get the fans, and he didn't get to keep the gig. I expect the AI's Ellen results to be similarly disappointing.


If I can see it coming, and you can see it coming, why would they choose to make it happen? One of two reasons: either they DON'T see it coming and believe Ellen will expand the demographic and add value to the judging, or, more likely, they DO see it coming, and are counting on all of us to tune in to watch the train wreck side show she will bring each week to what is otherwise fairly solid entertainment (relatively speaking).

When you make changes in your life, you face similar choices. Looking for a bigger market share, whether with customers or simply those who inhabit your daily life? Doing more of the same creates diminishing returns. Adding something radically different, however, will attract attention. Sometimes negative attention, but attention nonetheless.

Consider your options, and your outcomes. Make your choice, and stick by your guns, at least for a season. If it works, great! If not, be prepared to create a new strategy next time around. Actually, its not a bad idea to prepare for a new strategy regardless of how it goes - even a train wreck will bore the rubberneckers is left unchanged for too long.

SPECIAL BONUS: Top 14 Dennis Miller quotes on Monday Night Football - in honor of the opening of the NFL season, tonight on NBC! Provided by Topfive.com


14. "Of *course* he needs to renegotiate his salary -- the guy buys more snow than Seward did when he bought Alaska from the Russians."

13. "I haven't seen anyone rely on the ground game this much since the battle of Verdun."

12. "The quarterback's spending so much time behind the center that he may jeopardize his right to lead a Boy Scout troop."

11. "I've seen women pee standing up with better aim."

10. "Somebody call Janet Reno -- I think I just saw Donato dragging Doug Flutie into a locker room closet!"

9. "That field goal attempt was so far to the left it nearly decapitated Lyndon LaRouche."

8. "I haven't seen someone so overmatched since Mike Tyson tried to recite the alphabet."

7. "Hey, Cunningham -- Andy Warhol called. You're at 14:55 and we're tickin' big-time here, Chachi."

6. "He lasted about as long as the dessert tray at Rosie O'Donnell's house."

5. "Hey Deion, Bubbelah -- maybe you'd better pay a little less attention to those unfairly Draconian salary caps that only allowed you to acquire four of the five remaining 1932 Aston Martins still in road-worthy condition after you'd paid for life's little necessities like hookers and weed, get your medulla oblongata out of your duodenum for a few milliseconds, and make a tackle or two, okay, Babe?"

4. "When the hell is Warren Moon going to retire? I mean, this guy is older than the cuneiform in Nebuchadnezzar's tomb."

3. "That punt was higher than Marion Berry on a fact-finding tour of Cartagena."

2. "Nervous? He's tighter than Pat Buchanan's sphincter muscle at a 4th of July soiree on Fire Island."

...and the Number 1 Dennis Miller Monday Night Football Quote...

1. "Warner had more hands in his face than an OB-GYN delivering Vishnu's triplets!"