tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49998433699932186692024-02-02T02:22:55.882-08:00Rich Hopkins - Speaker, Coach, Encouraging you to Find Your Self-Defined SuccessRich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-11063419539110513032011-01-24T13:57:00.000-08:002011-01-24T13:57:09.319-08:00The End.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZY-8zuV0C4LxuZ6Zm5OQFKWxML3P2dOpgSchAXHZKxH78s5wrGN0xu5CnUAv4yAA-vZUbH1xbFZVwQ4QfyYSaje0X9GwoLG_E3zrmwMOX_v9HDcC_bbPDTxxHWk47WuTM-Cx_LudOd7z4/s1600/The+End.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZY-8zuV0C4LxuZ6Zm5OQFKWxML3P2dOpgSchAXHZKxH78s5wrGN0xu5CnUAv4yAA-vZUbH1xbFZVwQ4QfyYSaje0X9GwoLG_E3zrmwMOX_v9HDcC_bbPDTxxHWk47WuTM-Cx_LudOd7z4/s400/The+End.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I've kept this blog going for almost two years, though it has had its share of down time. While it had its moments, for the most part it hasn't served the purpose I had hoped, which was to inspire people and help keep myself and others accountable. For this I have only myself to blame.<br />
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I've decided to go in a different direction with my blogging, returning to my more general blog style from RichSpeaks, which I stopped writing in Summer of 2009 - the last post there, in fact, covers Michael Jackson's death!<br />
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I will continue to blog about the importance of Choice and finding your Self-Defined Success, but I may also just blog about a movie I like, something that happened with my kids, or my take on current events. The blog will also be my first attempt to embed a blog into my main website.<br />
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Of course, I will continue to write <a href="http://speakanddeliver.blogspot.com/">Speak & Deliver,</a> my blog dedicated to public speaking, as well.<br />
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Special thanks go out to <a href="http://davidgoad.wordpress.com/">David Goad</a> and <a href="http://bobjensen.blogspot.com/">Robert Jensen</a>, two of my stalwart readers and commenters over the time of this blog.<br />
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It's been fun everyone - and I hope to see you all at my new digs: <a href="http://blog.richhopkins.com/">Rich Speaks</a><br />
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Remember - your success is always up to you - go out and be a Champion of Choice!Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-57110491887274247102011-01-21T11:38:00.000-08:002011-01-21T12:13:42.470-08:00When You Make the Wrong Choice Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-wV9OxKz6p2WirLIKUTcnP-tnubIJZQT_YaUngPnm8gnbxBSW9YKGl0qSlTUnV8eCLd3m7kla23Oha7_AlOERKACElIHe0PLOM0Z4lQWFRDdiiduVN3vAA4I0eHeLIdKX_tyU0Pnpwap/s1600/Jennifer+Zevita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-wV9OxKz6p2WirLIKUTcnP-tnubIJZQT_YaUngPnm8gnbxBSW9YKGl0qSlTUnV8eCLd3m7kla23Oha7_AlOERKACElIHe0PLOM0Z4lQWFRDdiiduVN3vAA4I0eHeLIdKX_tyU0Pnpwap/s1600/Jennifer+Zevita.jpg" /></a></div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBHaciwDtBnCznCRiD-B8srU66FQdi4b0S3LlOuq6kr8cgoQiykdfk9M2oqJbHxWPrcvK90j-ttvfJ0qf6L-x826cEGxzqvGcJfK5KFkYs4HyeIfaDbqX6cl3P0aG0-Cdk0MEPksrgipv/s1600/idol-rachel-22-newyork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBHaciwDtBnCznCRiD-B8srU66FQdi4b0S3LlOuq6kr8cgoQiykdfk9M2oqJbHxWPrcvK90j-ttvfJ0qf6L-x826cEGxzqvGcJfK5KFkYs4HyeIfaDbqX6cl3P0aG0-Cdk0MEPksrgipv/s320/idol-rachel-22-newyork.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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About a year and a half ago, I talked about making the <a href="http://championofchoice.blogspot.com/2009/08/when-youve-made-wrong-choice.html">wrong choice when I quit Toastmasters</a>.<br />
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Last night, I watched the premiere (a day late, thanks to my DVR) of American Idol Season 10, and Jennifer Zevita reminded me of that post, and about a few other wrong choices, and wrong thoughts I've had since my showing in the 2008 World Championship of Speaking, where I performed, according to both my own opinioin, and the opinions of the judges that day, <a href="http://speakanddeliver.blogspot.com/2009/12/youre-not-as-good-as-you-think-you-are.html">rather poorly</a>.<br />
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In the clip below, Ms. Zevita talks about her own 'failure' which led to her own wrong choice:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="250" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/R47dUaUEhgk" title="YouTube video player" type="text/html" width="390"></iframe><br />
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The quotes that stick out to me are:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">"I kind of thought it was destiny telling me this wasn't the best path for me," Followed by her realization years later: "What the hell is wrong with me? Since when do I give up on anything?"</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Wow. It's amazing how we can let other people tell us who we can be, instead of deciding for ourselves. We can blame judges, parents, friends, bosses - any number of people for telling us we aren't good enough, but in the end, the real culprit is ourselves. </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-size: large;">We choose who to believe</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">. </span>(Now, for the record, she shouldn't believe me either, because if she makes it past Hollywood Week, I'll be shocked - but who am I?)</span></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">She is so shocked that Jennifer Lopez remembered her, and thought highly of her and her voice. It's important to remember that even though we aren't going to be liked by everyone, it doesn't mean that we won't be liked by anyone! The most important person who must like you and what you do? YOU.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">There are a lot of reasons people give up on their dreams. In Ms. Zevita's case, it was because she believed in the judgement of three judges, and possibly a producer. Others give up because of money, family, injury, anger, frustration, and depression - and the list goes on. All of those reasons, even some that may be 'good, rational reasons', are still false excuses. The real reason most people really give up their dreams because? <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>They no longer believe they can achieve it to the degree they wanted to when they had the dream in the first place</i></span>, </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Have you ever stopped believing in yourself? Thrown up your arms after a bad day , a bad year, or even a bad decade? Decided the greatness you thought you could achieve was outside your grasp? Ask yourself this: what would it take for you to decide you shouldn't have given up? What would it take for you to realize you deserve to succeed the way YOU want to?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><b>Put your dream to the test:</b></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">A. Did you quit because others said it wasn't possible?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">B. Did you quit because you lost a competition?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">C. Did you quit because you thought you could never be as good as someone else?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">D. Did you quit because you got distracted? </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">E. Did you quit because you couldn't afford to continue?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">F. Did you quit because it was too hard to accomplish?</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">G. Did you quit because you were afraid you wouldn't succeed?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Believe it or not, none of those are good enough reasons to quit. I could provide numerous examples of people who have faced similar circumstances, buy what would be the point. You're not them, right? Think about it for yourself. Whatever your reason was, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><i>what concrete, incontrovertible truth do you have that that reason is reason enough? </i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Are you so certain </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A1106498">others are right?</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"> Is the competition over forever, or can you try again? Do you want to be the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnmbJzH93NU">next Elaine Page</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"> or the First *insert you name here*? Do you believe you are incapable of refocusing, refinancing, or pushing past obstacles? Do you believe you are incapable of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9rPoFvKaoQ&feature=related">beating fear?</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;"> </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">The only concrete proof is your own belief. And the only reason your belief is concrete is because you believe it is. Think back in your life - how many things have you done that you, at one point, felt you would never do?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333;">Don't let your biggest obstacle be yourself - because you are likely the only obstacle that can actually stop you. Giving up your dream is always the wrong choice - unless you are replacing with a dream that is even bigger. Never give up on your Self-Defined Success.</span><br />
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</span>Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-87032007701174625612011-01-18T20:53:00.000-08:002011-01-18T20:53:15.048-08:00Follow-Through<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlP1C8xYpevOxIWHQoGDUa00GHP3gXTo_LiY1y-ZJ70C2WXollaAb1Psdj80mOCxpmPQrpLCcUlJqdrPrGPVEL63mvssCX8y1YkhcOq03Zgiy5K3JJK5Zb1_NHjUocDoXgTs6Zay4Hor-/s1600/followthrough.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdlP1C8xYpevOxIWHQoGDUa00GHP3gXTo_LiY1y-ZJ70C2WXollaAb1Psdj80mOCxpmPQrpLCcUlJqdrPrGPVEL63mvssCX8y1YkhcOq03Zgiy5K3JJK5Zb1_NHjUocDoXgTs6Zay4Hor-/s320/followthrough.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><br />
Yesterday's post was difficult to write. But nothing is as difficult as follow-through, a challenge on this blog since day one. Tough to bill yourself as a Champion of Choice if you aren't also a Champion of Follow-Through!<br />
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Without follow-through, all decisions, choices, plans, resolutions, mission statements, and the like, are impotent. Lack of follow-through is why so many people keep chasing the same goals day after day, week after week, year after year. I know I've been chasing many of the same things for longer than I care to admit.<br />
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Follow-through is a daily decision. Yesterday I made a decision, and followed-through, just as I'd planned. First day is usually the easiest. Today was tougher, particularly on leg excercises. My left leg was actually sore from all the exercises yesterday. Still, I've done what I can, and more than before. I'm crawling as the doctor ordered, and used my crutches while out of the house today. After just a day and a half, I am noticing progress. Slight, but its there.<br />
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Follow-through can be infectious. Beyond my physical goals, I was able to actually focus on other goals I've set, as far as productivity in my business. Goals that had been eluding me for far too long as I buried my follow-through under a sea of pretty good excuses.<br />
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Have you had victories lately? No matter how small, or for how short a time, don't be afraid to celebrate successful follow-through. It'll make it that much easier tomorrow.Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-78374757316559848732011-01-17T14:17:00.000-08:002011-01-17T14:17:49.830-08:00My Way, or the Mountain Top?<object height="285" width="380"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T6ya7ZRlrEo?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T6ya7ZRlrEo?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="380" height="285"></embed></object><br />
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I have a bit of a reputation for doing things "My Way". Sometimes, it's a good reputation, other times it's not.<br />
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I believe it stems from being born disabled, and spending a large portion of my life proving people wrong. Wrong about what I was capable of doing, whether it be crossing a tree bridge, playing basketball, or spending my life in a wheelchair. Wrong about their perception of me, that I was somehow less of a person because I 'walked funny'. Amazing how many people see someone with a physical disability, and decide it equals a mental challenge as well.<br />
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Over the years, the attitude expanded to include teachers, bosses, friends, family members, and even coaches. If I didn't like what they were saying, I assumed they didn't get it. Didn't understand me, didn't believe in me.<br />
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Frankly, its worked for me. I've been successful in the jobs I've decided to be successful in. I have a beautiful wife and six great kids. I've been to the World Championship of Public Speaking twice. I've co-written three books, and helped my wife launch her first book. And, my biggest victory of all, I'm still walking, even after opting to let go of my atrophied lower left leg in favor of my self-proclaimed 'Super Deluxe Robot Leg'.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Until now.</span><br />
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Last Monday, I started physical therapy, ostensibly to treat the sudden onset of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciatica">Sciatica </a>that started just before Thanksgiving. Initially I had gone to a local Urgent Care, who prescribed steroids and vicodin. A week later, I was out of pain, but only for a few weeks. I went in again just after Christmas, and left with yet another prescription. This time, it only worked for a week, and by the end of the first week of January, I was again battling a combination of Sciatica and intense back pain - not a good mixture.<br />
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I've gotten prescriptions for PT before, but only once had I followed through. The result was one visit, with the therapist giving me exercises to do at the local gym, which I had a rarely-used membership to at the time. Epic fail, as my kids would say.<br />
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This time I forced myself to go. I didn't even accept another prescription for pain killers, because they weren't working, and frankly, addiction to anything other than Ben & Jerry's doesn't set well with me.<br />
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My first three sessions last week were interesting. I was again given exercises to do. The therapist mentioned adjusting my sacrum, and that I'd been walking wrong for so long, its a wonder I could walk at all. My left leg (what's left of it) is 5 centimeters smaller in diameter than my right, which has been compensating for 42 years for the weakness of my left. Even now that my legs are the same size with the prosthetic, my left 'kicks out' out of habit, and the lack of muscles in the right places.<br />
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In addition to the 'physical' therapy, there was 'motivational' therapy, as she started telling me about behavior modification, the need for my buy-in and commitment, and lots of other concepts that I tell other people all the time, but oftentimes find difficult to live by, as anyone whose followed this blog can attest.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Who motivates the motivator?</span> Particularly one who's prided himself on doing it 'his way' his entire life?<br />
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I was frustrated, though, because it felt like nothing was being done for the pain. The therapist said the pain is a result of the way I walk, and until we build up my left leg, the pain will not only continue, but get worse. I went home after my third session with orders to exercise three times a day, walk with crutches, and crawl in the house as often as possible. This did not set well with me.<br />
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After so many years working to stay off crutches, after so much time crawling in 2006 when my leg stopped working, leading me to the decision to amputate, how was I supposed to lower myself back to that level? The goal was for me to walk without pain. I was used to limping - if I defiantly didn't care if I had to limp the rest of my life. That's what I'm known for, after all - it's part of my identity, and oddly, my Self-Defined Success.<br />
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For the four days between PT visits, I did about half a day's worth of exercises. No crutches. No crawling, other than those 3 am trips to the bathroom when trying to put a leg on is a dangerous endeavor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4MwsUsnc3oolhgfhXBZwbdl5srNWV2aqSvgp32ltSrIWLqILiuF8vw9goR-_TVlh-FzgSndFBqNuKZXM3GjygMa78PIp7N2VX2QNohcLC3IBec-iNexKF0ZLJXXWCTV7oqfGrWK3tatt/s1600/Sue-Sylvester-in+red+with+megaphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4MwsUsnc3oolhgfhXBZwbdl5srNWV2aqSvgp32ltSrIWLqILiuF8vw9goR-_TVlh-FzgSndFBqNuKZXM3GjygMa78PIp7N2VX2QNohcLC3IBec-iNexKF0ZLJXXWCTV7oqfGrWK3tatt/s320/Sue-Sylvester-in+red+with+megaphone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok - it wasn't as bad as being yelled at by Sue Sylvester</td></tr>
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This morning, I showed back up at PT, without crutches, and was given the riot act. Rightfully so. The therapist again explained the process. She asked me what I was afraid of. She told me that if I did what she told me to do, I would see progress. She also said it wouldn't work if I didn't want it to as much as she wanted it to work for me.<br />
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I could hear myself saying the same types of things to various speaking clients, and to audiences from the stage, over the past few years. What was I supposed to say back? I just nodded, said yes ma'am, and proceeded to do the exercises on the floor mat. As I looked up into the fluorescent lights, and tried to raise my weak leg in the air, I knew I was at a crossroads. More accurately, I decided I was at a crossroads.<br />
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I could either keep doing what I've always done, and continue to live with a limp, live with pain, and perhaps even end up in further debilitating pain - or I could listen to someone who was telling me I had to change the way I was living and the way I was thinking.<br />
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On the drive home, I started to take my thinking a bit further. Over the years, I've gotten a lot of advice. Some of it solicited, some of it not, but still supplied by well-meaning individuals. While I've always had a tendency, as I mentioned at the beginning of this post (getting a bit long-winded, so I figured I better remind you), to do things my own way, it has gotten worse over the last 5-7 years. I see many of you nodding vigorously.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Library of Congress has nothing on me.</td></tr>
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What if I should have been listening more? What if, perish the thought, other people were right? What, if instead of building what is lovingly called on my external hard drive "The world's biggest self-help library" of mp3's videos, and .pdfs, I focused on just one of them, and actually followed through? Instead of just listening and thinking, "Yeah, I'll think about it, and maybe apply a concept or two," I actually followed the program step by step, and, as my physical therapist says, retrained my muscles and replaced my behaviors?<br />
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Then I answered her question in my own mind, and began to form this post. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">What am I scared of?</span><br />
<br />
<i>I'm scared of being wrong</i>. Of having wasted all this time, all this effort. Of wasting the last 42 years of my life doing things out of prideful determination instead of educated persistence. Scared that if I change now, its too late anyway.<br />
<br />
Those fears feel real, even though I know they are not. I can poke holes in each one of them, as easy as popping a soap bubble. The past is the past, and its led me to right now, and all I can deal with is right now anyway. Every experience I've had will help me in the future, even if its just learning from my mistakes. And, as my friend, and 2003 World Champion of Public Speaking, Jim Key once famously signed in his victorious display of persistence, <a href="http://www.jimkey.com/Championship/NeverTooLate-English.pdf">"It's never too late to follow your dreams."</a><br />
<br />
If you've made it this far, you may be ready to ask yourself some of the same questions. What if you retrained your muscles and your mind? Replaced your behaviors? What are you scared of?<br />
<br />
And the most important question of all - what is standing in the way of your Self-Defined Success? It's you, of course. But it may, as mine did, go deeper. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">It may be what your definition of Success is in the first place, and your Choice of how to get there.</span><br />
<br />
Now what? Where do I go, <i>where do you go</i>, from here? And HOW?<br />
<br />
I've decided it's OK if I've been wrong. I'd rather have been wrong the first 42 years than wrong the next 42 years as well. I've decided to listen to my physical therapist, and follow through - which means I've decided to start walking more normally than I ever have, even though my body, right now, has no idea what that is like.<br />
<br />
I've also decided to start seeking more advice - even advice I may not agree with, or feel comfortable with, and start following through. Because I'm tired of limping through life - in more ways than just physically.<br />
<br />
I have had my share of victories. I've had a great life by many measures. But to get to where I want to be, it's time to change the way I'm getting there. A car won't get you to Everest. A plane won't get you to the Moon. If I have to change "My Way" to "My Better Way Based on Other Ways", so be it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_808233223"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nGm1U3uhM792QDODaX5vvOcL6EmJP-_cftgorYI0MiMdPGu1Q-a8-25SM7WiitonVDEAFWsMY2JmQu1UG1_5kWtyfqJFGtcwqH1mGPTtdSPWvaAgnKHYBpoY9vPcLDaHalR3u-b4M92k/s320/mlk_promised_land.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkivebeentothemountaintop2.htm">He's been where I want to go, and is no doubt still there.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I'd rather get to the Mountain Top, and thank those who helped me get there, than spend the rest of my life with blinders on, taking satisfaction in climbing hills; living forever in the shadows of my goals, with only myself to blame.</span>Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-80481216653541792622011-01-10T16:24:00.000-08:002011-01-11T07:33:17.760-08:00Ted Williams: Finding His Self-Defined Success<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_MJsLUuJUHncEoW4m7zBDj6GtYX0sg8BpoADy7CV1-ZX48C4Fhwq8HOAU9DG0hyphenhyphenvxVm-Wcx9LLBvLycrQ_zQS4c2FRnriVIqRIZpX06x2mjLvEIrQHhKppLeGD8d7_s0nmGy72WZbX4Z/s1600/Ted+Willliams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ_MJsLUuJUHncEoW4m7zBDj6GtYX0sg8BpoADy7CV1-ZX48C4Fhwq8HOAU9DG0hyphenhyphenvxVm-Wcx9LLBvLycrQ_zQS4c2FRnriVIqRIZpX06x2mjLvEIrQHhKppLeGD8d7_s0nmGy72WZbX4Z/s320/Ted+Willliams.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">If you don't know who this man is by now, you either don't live in the U.S. (which a surprising number of you reading my blog don't), or you've been away from any form of media over the last week.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">It was just a 7-8 days ago this man burst upon the scene in a YouTube Video that quickly went viral. This one-time radio personality turned small-time crook, druggie, and alcoholic turned homeless man begging on the roadway is going through yet another <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40944077/ns/today-today_people/">transformation</a>. Thanks to the local cameraman and the mystic tides of the world wide web, he's now he's being offered jobs and homes from companies including Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and NFL Films.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><object height="285" width="380"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6rPFvLUWkzs?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6rPFvLUWkzs?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="380" height="285"></embed></object></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
He's appeared on numerous news programs, and has reportedly received 500 job offers. We love our underdogs, and our redemption stories, don't we? Just look at the resuscitation of Michael Vick's career with Philadelphia in the NFL this year. Or the hopeful looks aimed towards Tiger Woods as the 2011 PGA Season begins.<br />
<br />
Many people have said he's "lucky". Others wonder why they can't get a break, when they've never broken the law or had the problems Mr. Williams has battled with. Others just scoff, believing this is just another internet fad that will burn itself our, a la <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMwhl4IrPNc">Pants on the Ground</a>.<br />
<br />
The way I see it - this man is a Champion of Choice. At least the Choice he made to make the sign espousing his God-given talents, and find a busy intersection to beg at, and be willing to be filmed. His Choices before that may be suspect, but how many of us have never made a suspect choice? Or an outright BAD Choice?<br />
<br />
The key is that he changed the Choices he was making in an attempt NOT just to survive from day to day, but to draw attention to his talent, which he knew could lead to his Self-Defined Success. What I doubt he realized was that his end-result would be his goal multiplied by such a large degree.<br />
<br />
It's not over for Mr. Williams. He has many Choices ahead of him, including Choices that, if poorly made, could take him back to his old version of Self-Defined Success - drugs and alcohol. For his sake, I hope he's figured it out after all these years.<br />
<br />
What about us? What can we do? What small Choice can we make that God, or You Tube, can multiply by an nth degree? Without a doubt, to achieve your success you must choose to do so. Even 'The Voice' would still be a voice in a cardboard box without making a Choice to step towards his resuscitated Self-Defined Success.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;"><br />
</span></span>Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-14674440956042004872011-01-06T06:42:00.000-08:002011-01-06T06:42:33.509-08:00The New Idea BurdenWe're always looking for it, aren't we? That wonderful, vacuum-sealed, never been seen before idea.<br />
<br />
Whether its a new invention, a new story idea, a new sales technique, a new technology, or just a new thought to put on twitter, turn into a YouTube video, and bask in viral glory.<br />
<br />
<object height="305" width="380"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hKoB0MHVBvM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hKoB0MHVBvM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="380" height="305"></embed></object><br />
<br />
It can be frustrating, particularly in today's world. 20 years ago, we could at least have an idea that, if no one we knew had heard of, was a new idea. At least until we did a patent check. <a href="http://www.startribune.com/local/112619979.html">We could be pithy and funny and no one would check to see if we'd ripped it off, intentionally or not, off the Internet.</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7zRCdfGQfkmjGbUxU1KpvZoHnnPymg2CNDVgmKRKo0eHse7v7mTMfLyqCw2ZwLllBEUMnjDU9zE-e2ICdveWsbK3pFyUf6k7RZSLgYd2zrHfKPKnS63CP0jsuuJaFe5MvBnBOzmRNHlI/s1600/steven-wright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge7zRCdfGQfkmjGbUxU1KpvZoHnnPymg2CNDVgmKRKo0eHse7v7mTMfLyqCw2ZwLllBEUMnjDU9zE-e2ICdveWsbK3pFyUf6k7RZSLgYd2zrHfKPKnS63CP0jsuuJaFe5MvBnBOzmRNHlI/s1600/steven-wright.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would you steal from this man?</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<br />
Today, its tough to even write a blog post without feeling I'm ripping it off from somewhere. Over in <a href="http://speakanddeliver.blogspot.com/">Speak & Deliver</a>, I offer advice to speakers. There are tens of thousands of other blogs, websites, books, cd-sets, videos, and subscription services, and real-life coaches that do the same. As you might suspect, I read a lot of their work - even review their books, from time to time. I have a list of other speaking blogs in my own blog!<br />
<br />
Frankly, it can be paralyzing. We don't want to be unoriginal, we don't want to appear to be copying other people's work. And, of course, we don't want to be boring. If I write about How to Give a Great Introduction, I don't want to do it the same way everyone else has done, or do it within days of someone else in my circle of peers writing about it.<br />
<br />
Should we just start ignoring everything? Never expose ourselves to another blog, book, or podcast and risk hearing our brilliant ideas being used by others? Seems rational, doesn't it?<br />
<br />
Rational Insanity. What I refer to today as <b>The New Idea Burden</b> - which somebody else has probably else called it somewhere, someway, somewhen.<br />
<br />
But it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter who had the idea first, it matters what YOU do with it right NOW.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-324F0Kj2P60sJIx6JfZ9WsJn2XOexr22WVnVH0xSbO_EdbptB-GMU5lNbP9CvUpwGjwE-ykNX59Fj8I5_i3fc9AtHsqhFbNseB77WIXnw_T4_DTyeN05rj4KgsGAZrrrLn1KO7ec9zV/s1600/2011_porsche_911_speedster_left_front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw-324F0Kj2P60sJIx6JfZ9WsJn2XOexr22WVnVH0xSbO_EdbptB-GMU5lNbP9CvUpwGjwE-ykNX59Fj8I5_i3fc9AtHsqhFbNseB77WIXnw_T4_DTyeN05rj4KgsGAZrrrLn1KO7ec9zV/s320/2011_porsche_911_speedster_left_front.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Unless you are deliberately <a href="http://plagiarism.org/">plagiarising</a>, duplicating plans for the next model of Porsche, or selling term papers, its OK. Chances are nobody cares.<br />
<br />
Speak, write, draw, paint, play, invent the way you want to. We're all influenced by the everything we've ever experienced. And if a great idea exists, chances are you're not the only person to think of it. And if you do nothing with it, you'll just be copying the countless others who suffer from the same rational insanity of <b>The New Idea Burden. </b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
If you've suffered as I have, stop it already. Use the key in your hand, and unshackle your feet, and get moving. There are millions of people waiting to read your next book, watch your video, comment on your blog - even if <a href="http://www.chrisbrogan.com/writing-help-for-2011/">Chris Brogan</a> just did the same thing on one of his multiplicity of blogs.<br />
<br />
The real challenge now, which I'll leave to another day, is <i>The Traffic Burden - </i>getting those millions to know and care that you exist.<br />
<br />
Keep building your Self-Defined Success!Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-30611457781153004882011-01-05T12:17:00.000-08:002011-01-05T12:17:07.325-08:00Success in Whose Judgment?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdyoiIpd5eQz5BRTIvsEwMK2ijmf-4UExSb2Kkta7BdWx54-QhXmaYYdyT3PDIaH_dham2gPXKKM64CwKxS_BLlug46xalpRC_c5SBLAkZ9TswCykBprD2Sm_WK2_EDhr7RFiGLDVTJgM/s1600/keatonprison-thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdyoiIpd5eQz5BRTIvsEwMK2ijmf-4UExSb2Kkta7BdWx54-QhXmaYYdyT3PDIaH_dham2gPXKKM64CwKxS_BLlug46xalpRC_c5SBLAkZ9TswCykBprD2Sm_WK2_EDhr7RFiGLDVTJgM/s1600/keatonprison-thumb.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The Age of Judgment is Here.<br />
<br />
And its been here for a long time. These days, every day is Judgment Day, and everyone is a judge. I'm not talking about a religious Age of Judgment, nor do I refer to the oft-predicted End of Days.<br />
<br />
Instead I mean the Age of Judgment on You and I, on our ideas, on our dreams and hopes, on our Choices. Judgment is a weapon wielded not just by the Naysayers in your life who work so hard to discourage you, but even by those who believe in you. It's used by relatives and church friends, and often even coaches you've hired to help you along your journey.<br />
<br />
Judgement comes in many forms: ridicule, guidance, scoffing, critique, dismissal, suggestion, sympathy, love, anger, respect, outrage, depending on the wielder, and the moment. Judgment can put you on a clearer path, or torch all the paths you thought you had in front of you.<br />
<br />
One minute your advisor says "Yes, this is completely feasible," the next moment, "in three to five years." One moment you're discussing your latest public relations victory to a friend, the next they ask "So, how much money is that making you?"<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uERl9HgmxsnO0fOJaKAOTA8VBrT57dC7uWiVhgN16nKuIqf4v_xc7DKBpFUi6pzWKHJHJt4NHDUoe7GqAa5GVS8z_5zK1AI-iGX-496CdnDMVk69CbIeFR7ns1z13kf2QXMVMMn9Iwlm/s1600/Hang+by+the+neck.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6uERl9HgmxsnO0fOJaKAOTA8VBrT57dC7uWiVhgN16nKuIqf4v_xc7DKBpFUi6pzWKHJHJt4NHDUoe7GqAa5GVS8z_5zK1AI-iGX-496CdnDMVk69CbIeFR7ns1z13kf2QXMVMMn9Iwlm/s320/Hang+by+the+neck.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The Squire of Gothos tells Captain James T. Kirk he will <br />
hang by the neck until he is dead, dead, DEAD! What is the<br />
World saying about YOU?</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>It shouldn't be surprising or discouraging to us, in truth. Everywhere we turn, talk-show hosts, critics, politicians, bosses, teachers, bloggers, twitterers, and little kids across the street weigh in on anything at anytime with their Judgment. Nothing is universally accepted, nothing universally abhorred. We spend our lives working to please the majority, even if our thoughts are in the minority, just to keep from getting slapped down. Heaven forbid, for example, I declare I believe in God in this blog and lose a reader who doesn't.<br />
<br />
More on point, for those of you who do read this blog, you're likely being judged for wanting to be different. People around you wondering what you're thinking, wanting to take control of your life outside the normal constraints of public approval. For wanting to create your Self-Defined Success.<br />
<br />
Maybe you want to quit your job. Maybe you want to change your weight, and its going to affect everyone in your household when you stop buying Pop-Tarts. Maybe you have decided money isn't as important as family, but the family still wants to watch The Cartoon Network and buy clothes at their whim.<br />
<br />
Maybe just the opposite - you've decided a cubicle or a corporate job is the perfect place for you. That you're tired of dieting and you'd rather stay 30 lbs overweight and lose the stress of not being able to eat your daughter's birthday cheesecake. Regardless of your vision of your Self-Defined Success - that is just what it should be. It shouldn't be defined by anyone you don't want or need to give power over you.<br />
<br />
Even when you've broken away from the Judgment of others, you are not yet safe. The Age of Judgment doesn't fade away without a fight.<br />
<br />
Despite the many ways and means Judgment can come from the outside, it is most potent when it comes from within. Our Self-Judgment can destroy our futures before we even take the first step, and burn the foundations of dreams before the the cement even hardens. Even more cruelly, Self-Judgment can cause us to turn back even as we reach the cusp of success, and torch a brilliant structure for the sake of an unexpected flaw or challenge.<br />
<br />
Self-Judgment may find its roots in the Judgments of others, but ultimately it is our own responsibility. While it can manifest itself positively, helping us discern between choices, too often it appears in the guise of fear, confusion, and uncertainty. It sabatoges, distracts, and discourages. It can make us defensive, embarrassed, and hopeless.<br />
<br />
Have you been there before? Have you been there today?<br />
<br />
Time for a reality check. Before making a knee-jerk move that sets you back or steers you in another direction altogether, perhaps just before reaching the final horizon, STOP.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27qKO5dGUK7H5f6owc8RDVvtATdAH1tbMoY8TSgjGZbKhRAxwL0B5e04YEa9yTfqfXlK6wMuV9fXAy1gsXFgVeI6G_g2vOtfHfQyCKJS7D6a-buSU-t0e18SmniZbrldK4IIGNEEQtrep/s1600/journal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27qKO5dGUK7H5f6owc8RDVvtATdAH1tbMoY8TSgjGZbKhRAxwL0B5e04YEa9yTfqfXlK6wMuV9fXAy1gsXFgVeI6G_g2vOtfHfQyCKJS7D6a-buSU-t0e18SmniZbrldK4IIGNEEQtrep/s200/journal.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Escape to a neutral environment - the library, a coffee shop, even just hopping into your car and heading to a park. Take a pad of paper or a notebook, and start an honest assessment.<br />
<br />
Look at the moment:<br />
<br />
Who are you right now?<br />
Who do you want to be?<br />
What are your talents?<br />
Who are your allies?<br />
What victories have you experienced in the last year?<br />
<br />
Look at the Judgers:<br />
<br />
Do they have credibility?<br />
Do they know the whole story?<br />
What happens to you if you take their advice?<br />
What happens if you take a PART of their advice?<br />
What happens if you ignore it?<br />
<br />
Look where you are going:<br />
<br />
If you stay the course, where can it take you?<br />
If you change course, what are the consequences?<br />
If you could take any course you wanted, what would it be, and where would you go?<br />
Now ask it again - and choose two more.<br />
<br />
Once you've taken the time to put these items in writing - good old fashioned pen to paper - start making your plan. Whether its your old plan, that you've managed to refocus on through all the Self-Judgment, or a new plan that became clear in the process, put it down as a step-by-step, realistic and achievable process.<br />
<br />
Then go out and DO the first thing on the plan. <i>Nothing beats Judgment like Action in the face of it. </i><br />
<br />
It won't stop there. You may very well find yourself in the same spot tomorrow, depending on how much you have going on, how many obstacles you're facing. But the process stays the same, whether you spend 10 minutes or two hours. Your plan may change day to day. It may mean removing or adding activities or people from your life, your plan.<br />
<br />
Just make sure the plan is always yours, always going in the direction you want to go, even as you evaluate the desires and intentions of others. Ultimately, the Choices, the consequences, the defeats, and the victories are yours, and the Judges will continue doing what they do - but they will never sound the same again.Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-80011468579795345202011-01-03T07:08:00.000-08:002011-01-03T07:08:54.807-08:00Little Toy Soldiers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaah5uTblbW-89wQkednRvaxJBFfl1Z7KLAQ8ZRDy7swNHkTySnKlWOExe-huKxC0Z-fha793ddNs2yRilmfiCb-U__fmMMDdX3tyEsMEcxD_Xn8jUvAcRS90nDrTg3KRxjLrDYo-jY6X/s1600/Toy-Soldier-Posters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaah5uTblbW-89wQkednRvaxJBFfl1Z7KLAQ8ZRDy7swNHkTySnKlWOExe-huKxC0Z-fha793ddNs2yRilmfiCb-U__fmMMDdX3tyEsMEcxD_Xn8jUvAcRS90nDrTg3KRxjLrDYo-jY6X/s320/Toy-Soldier-Posters.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>New Year's morning I was pumped and ready to go. Time to hop on the computer and blog and design websites and make things happen for the new year.<br />
<br />
First course of action for me was breakfast - all protein to get me a headstart on my return to Atkins in my quest to reach 200 lbs by Jan. 31, and qualify for a new prosthetic leg. 25 lbs to lose in 31 days - I can make it, if I focus. Headed upstairs, and my dear wife was already breaking the eggs into the skillet.<br />
<br />
Quickly, I shifted gears into another goal for the year, being a better husband. I zoomed past the kitchen into the laundry room and pushed a load through. To give you some idea of how much I need to be a better husband in this particular area, I had to ask her how to operate the new washer we bought last year (ouch!).<br />
<br />
Breakfast was great, and I took the dry clothes out to the living room to fold, readying myself for the dash down to my office to work. Just as I reached the bottom of the pile, my five-year-old son, Riker, started setting up his toy soldiers in the entry way, just as I used to do. He'd gotten his first set for Christmas, and was doing exactly what I described to him Christmas Day that I did years ago.<br />
<br />
Conflicting orders. Do I rush downstairs, knowing he'll be fine, and hadn't asked me to join him? Or do I take the time with him to play? It may make for a syrupy post, but you're right if you assumed I got down on the floor with him. We set up opposing forces, then rolled a plastic ball towards each others men, methodically taking down the other's armada. He beat me with one last man standing.<br />
<br />
Conflicting orders, by nature, create conflict. Did I do the right thing? It's easy to say yes, right? But what if that had led me to playing the rest of the day with the other kids? What if I let it derail my entire day?<br />
<br />
Could an argument be made that I should have gone down, written my blog, then come back up? Certainly - the old adage "Do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do" is some of the oldest wisdom in the book.<br />
<br />
But we are not Little Toy Soldiers, with our feet frozen in a singular stance. We have the ability to make our choices based on what we feel makes us successful, not what the world determines makes us successful. Even playing with Riker - I 'lost' the battle - but I won the War - the war with myself as to what I should do in the instant of conflicting orders. And I still came downstairs to work, as well.<br />
<br />
It doesn't always happen that way - but it will happen more often when we stop letting other decide our outcomes for us - and take responsibility for each choice, and responsibility for creating our Self-Defined Success.Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-26165226962326664092011-01-01T11:14:00.000-08:002011-01-01T11:14:51.771-08:002011 - Every Year a New Challenge?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTTySq3ayMfAORODGyanolzeUcE2d3A-k7tD_wkjIjIdhwl701zgXDZGtrxYWQq4gGxPcobnJYLNt4iV7-g_Nt_kvWwPaaD3x_rtHzL2C-YCmazxFjrr4CEMq8EBZ_Q-8KCrzrTaWqtWZ/s1600/Writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioTTySq3ayMfAORODGyanolzeUcE2d3A-k7tD_wkjIjIdhwl701zgXDZGtrxYWQq4gGxPcobnJYLNt4iV7-g_Nt_kvWwPaaD3x_rtHzL2C-YCmazxFjrr4CEMq8EBZ_Q-8KCrzrTaWqtWZ/s400/Writing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>January First. No surprise that I would gather enough gumption to write a post, right? After all, today is the day so many of us insistently declare our new habits. How many of you are changing your eating habits, starting this very morning? Promising to exercise - even joining a health club? How about recommitting to following your passion and quitting your J.O.B.? Finding a new relationship, or improving the one you're in? Paying back debt?<br />
<br />
The possibilities are endless.<br />
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Yesterday, as I started my soul-searching process by looking over 2010, and even a few years before, I discovered a few things that have changed - some that I liked, some that I didn't. I also saw that a lot hasn't changed at all.<br />
<br />
- The last time I created a Top 100 Things to do in a Year List was 2008. I tried a short/medium/long term goal list in 2010, that wasn't very effective.<br />
- 2010 saw me cross off many things from my Top 100 Things to do before I Die List - including speaking for a seminar company, going to Disneyworld, Paris, and rappelling down a cliff.<br />
- I finally, as I've mentioned often, moved back to Colorado.<br />
- While I successfully went off caffeine from 1/09 to 2/09 - I've been back on ever since. Two months did not a new habit create.<br />
- The only goal I seriously set for 2011 that was accomplished in full was one I set with Kristi - finish her book - <a href="http://www.thrivingwithnf.com/thrivingwithNFbook.htm">Thriving with Neurofibromatosis</a>, and get it on the market.<br />
- 2010 is the first year since 1999 I ended lighter than I started, though I haven't been at my lowest weight since August.<br />
- 2010 was the first year since 2001 I did not compete in a <a href="http://www.toastmasters.org/">Toastmasters</a> contest - and I really miss it.<br />
<br />
Beyond checklist type items, I still face the daily challenges and choices a husband, a father of six, and an entrepreneur face - balancing time, staying confident, staying committed (as anyone who reads this blog, or its companion blog, <a href="http://speakanddeliver.blogspot.com/">Speak & Deliver</a>, cant attest to), staying focused, and, occasionally, staying sane.<br />
<br />
In some ways, I've taken some amazing leaps forward in my life over the last two years. In others, I remain mired in the same mud I've been in for the last 20.<br />
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All results are still by choice, all results are ultimately my responsibility. Blaming the economy, the many naysayers in my life, the busy life of a big family, the way the healthcare system works (read <a href="http://thrivingwithneurofibromatosis.blogspot.com/">my wife's blog</a>, where she talks quite a bit about what challenges we have healthwise, and our efforts to Thrive through them), or any number of other easy excuses is unacceptable to me - it's an easy way out, and an easy way to accept less than what any of us are capable of accomplishing.<br />
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I'm not going to list a set of goals here to live up to today. I have a private list, and I'll record my process and progress this year as I go. That is, I guess the only goal I'll disclose - that I will write more, be more helpful and more open, and follow through on what I wanted this blog to be for all of you who have ever stopped by.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7VwRkYHM5WagSs4mISyFXIZYyppI3buqgBY_17czQGwJMW2WuGU8pU51qe19QG6jNRDn3d6oXxju9hlWlrZtFtUr9y6shqd1XRQKrlffDEoqCWYaIWvqoNNSSsXwqSaOHphAeyQR1EYd/s1600/DietPepsiCan.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr7VwRkYHM5WagSs4mISyFXIZYyppI3buqgBY_17czQGwJMW2WuGU8pU51qe19QG6jNRDn3d6oXxju9hlWlrZtFtUr9y6shqd1XRQKrlffDEoqCWYaIWvqoNNSSsXwqSaOHphAeyQR1EYd/s200/DietPepsiCan.gif" width="127" /></a></div><br />
That, and I'm off caffeine again. So far, so good, on both counts.<br />
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Make 2011 your year to be a Champion of Choice!Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-81400367476469208662010-12-15T10:18:00.000-08:002010-12-15T10:18:08.378-08:00Validation - When It Doesn't Matter Enough<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQCd-WsY0UtTpWRWnugoOqnPEzfh4yHePWx_0Y8l2b7OXNbdeLOe4cXa95ga7jo2P57_MV3OFYDMCboENN8ADlFiFgbPi2-avx1125z7z4B2mwiB93jMjC6OhkKVxSdZAXMt_jaCtpOP0/s1600/Accept+Success.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQCd-WsY0UtTpWRWnugoOqnPEzfh4yHePWx_0Y8l2b7OXNbdeLOe4cXa95ga7jo2P57_MV3OFYDMCboENN8ADlFiFgbPi2-avx1125z7z4B2mwiB93jMjC6OhkKVxSdZAXMt_jaCtpOP0/s400/Accept+Success.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Yesterday I wrote about Validation - When it Matters Too Much. Today, the other side of the coin.<br />
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Can you take a compliment? When someone tells you how great you are, what do you say? More importantly, what do you THINK?<br />
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If you're like most people, you immediately downplay it externally, and may downright dismiss it internally.<br />
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"Oh, it was nothing", "It could have been better", "No, it wasn't that great" and other dismissive comments are both disrespectful to the giver of the compliment and to yourself. Even if it WAS 'nothing' (and it never is), it wasn't to the person validating you. You're also telling your brain that you aren't good enough, which means for every compliment you get, you bash yourself. This is not constructive behavior.<br />
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We are somewhat trained to be this way growing up. After all, if we reply with "Yes, I am pretty great, aren't I", we're not going to be well-received. Society tells us to be modest and unassuming. We don't respect chest beaters and self-promotion - it comes off as arrogance. But "Yes, I am pretty great, aren't I" is exactly what we need to tell ourselves -- INTERNALLY.<br />
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If we dismiss it EXTERNALLY, however, we invalidate it inside. Learn to accept validation with grace - a simple "Thank you" does wonders. I often say "Thank you, I really enjoyed sharing it" when accepting compliments for a speech. Look your supporter in the eye when you say it, to make sure you're focused on them at the time, and not busy still disagreeing with them in your head.<br />
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Its amazing how easy it is for many of us to believe criticism and negativity, and, conversely, how difficult it is to accept praise and validation. How we handle it, however, is in our control - we can choose to believe or not believe.<br />
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I've struggled over the years with this, just as I have with wanting validation. It turned into a vicious circle - seeking validation, then dismissing it simultaneously, then feeling like I wasn't getting validation at all. I can trace instances in my past where someone would tell me how great I was, and I would not only disagree with them externally and internally, I would then take actions to prove how wrong they were. Have you ever found yourself in that position? Are you willing to admit it to yourself?<br />
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We can choose to accept validation, and use it to push us upward to our next accomplishment, or we can choose to downplay praise, and spend everyday feeling like we still have to earn a status we've already achieved. Look at it this way - if someone offered to pay your parking by stamping your ticket, how often would you turn them down?<br />
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The Choice, as always, is YOURS.Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-67122841856177201252010-12-14T14:33:00.000-08:002010-12-14T14:49:39.836-08:00Validation - When It Matters Too Much<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AMbJlGygKuaQNxQOE7SENnyjJD2I8glY_9iQ8eiRZfRvfQB1PWStwWTcVWpecYup9-oc69xSZhdj1XvxIW30Zfe24cijjmq-qX128oWKYogK9vRedRRHd7p6f7gkqgVNjXUJ9kT9-TSi/s1600/validate_stamp.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4AMbJlGygKuaQNxQOE7SENnyjJD2I8glY_9iQ8eiRZfRvfQB1PWStwWTcVWpecYup9-oc69xSZhdj1XvxIW30Zfe24cijjmq-qX128oWKYogK9vRedRRHd7p6f7gkqgVNjXUJ9kT9-TSi/s1600/validate_stamp.gif" /></a></div>"Atta Boy!"<br />
"Way to GO!"<br />
"Best Speech Ever"<br />
"What a Great Blog Post!"<br />
<br />
Ah, Validation. Our society thrives on validation, whether it be <a href="http://www.conference-board.org/data/consumerdata.cfm">consumer confidence</a>, TV ratings, performance reviews, or <a href="http://twitter.com/richhopkins">retweets</a>. We're brought up on M&M's as a reward for going potty, gold stars on completed school papers, merit-based bonuses in the workplace, and now, by how many friends and followers we have, and how high our <a href="http://twittergrader.com/richhopkins">Twitscore </a>is!<br />
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But our desire for validation can be more destructive than constructive. In fact, it can stop you in your tracks if you make it too important.<br />
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How can you tell validation is too important? Ask yourself these questions:<br />
<br />
1. Do I always look for the 'atta boy' when I say something I think is funny or profound?<br />
2. Am I always wondering why nobody notices what I'm doing?<br />
3. Do I stop doing something (picking up the house, commenting in meetings, writing blog posts) when it isn't immediately complimented?<br />
4. Do I thrive only in a competitive environment, and even then, only when I'm winning?<br />
5. Do I spend too much time tracking followers, friends, hits, comments, an<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">d bit.ly click</span>s, etc.?<br />
6. Do I spend so much time making sure I'm doing the 'right' thing that I'm actually doing NOTHING?<br />
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Saying yes, even to just a small degree, to any of these are a strong indicator that you are making other people's opinion of you more important than the most important person's opinion - Your Own.<br />
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Compliments, accolades, and awards have their place. But striving for excellence shouldn't be reliant on recognition, and failure to achieve recognition shouldn't stop us in our tracks. Until we learn to become content with our own efforts and results, outside validation will have too strong an influence on our actions.<br />
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Instead of spending an inordinate amount of time waiting for that pat on the back, learn to give it to yourself. A few ideas:<br />
<br />
A. Train yourself to tell yourself "Good Job" regardless of whether anyone else notices.<br />
B. Instead of waiting for accolades to come in, start working on your next project.<br />
C. Choose to stop looking at other people's results for a set duration of time.<br />
D. Actively start complimenting others. This will make it easier for you to compliment yourself.<br />
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Of course, I don't want to invalidate validation, or the value of feedback. Certainly, knowing people like what we are doing can be vital to doing business. But if our desire for it stops us from doing business at all, its importance is out of proportion.<br />
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I'll be honest - I struggle with validation. I have to say I can answer, to some degree, yes to all those questions I posed to you. But I'm getting better - and I'm seeing interesting results.<br />
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The less I worry about validation, the more I receive. So go do what you do, and let the world watch. When they're ready to validate, be ready to deal with it.<br />
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Wanting it too much is bad enough - sometimes getting it can be even worse. Tomorrow I'll talk about what to do next.Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-41091704533984905122010-12-09T12:31:00.000-08:002010-12-09T12:48:25.175-08:00No One Has The Same Truth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVicdvm6rKKLE61eyh3pzIVsesOaF9hlE0rxgcuvtME-lfqhF2Z3iRYO2LG_60eINT2N5mdpBx0U-Eq6x-MzayIqSZJmbyzE8dnKLFLDTHtPn_T3oM846kz4quKwa1Z3W2MepvD3krQmoZ/s1600/math_sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVicdvm6rKKLE61eyh3pzIVsesOaF9hlE0rxgcuvtME-lfqhF2Z3iRYO2LG_60eINT2N5mdpBx0U-Eq6x-MzayIqSZJmbyzE8dnKLFLDTHtPn_T3oM846kz4quKwa1Z3W2MepvD3krQmoZ/s1600/math_sign.jpg" /></a></div>This statement has led me to several philosophical discussions over the last few weeks.<br />
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I shared "No One Has The Same Truth" on Facebook, and it turned into a four hour debate over whether 2 + 2 is four. Interesting, certainly, to battle that particular battle, and a bit pointless. Is 2 + 2 = 4 a 'truth' or a 'result'? If I think of this problem, do I even see it in my head the same way you do, from the font we picture the numbers written in, to the items we're counting, to the method of adding?<br />
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Still, for the sake of expediency, I grant you that the answer is four, and that few people would legitimately say otherwise.<br />
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But does that mean the statement 'No One Has The Same Truth" is wrong? Depends on your definition of Truth. For me, Truth goes beyond a basic fact, and into a realm of greater perception.<br />
<br />
For example, what does 'Fast' mean? Depends, doesn't it? On what you're used to, on the vehicle, on the weather, on the terrain. Assuming you're even applying the term to travel. You might have thought I meant it in terms of work or problem-solving or even abstaining from food.<br />
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No One Has The Same Truth because none of us have shared exactly the same experiences.<br />
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More important than debating this issue is what accepting this as Truth (ironically enough) can do for us as individuals. It frees us to feel whatever way we want to about anything. If something 'bad' happens, we don't have to automatically consider it bad. We can accept that there are other Truths about the event that we could accept and act on accordingly.<br />
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Would that be a helpful emotional tool to you the next time your car battery dies on you, or the next time you get laid off?<br />
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It also allows us to understand other people better. How many times in your life have you dealt with the frustration of thinking "they just don't get it!" or "I can't believe they think that"? How many times have you wondered why someone else was upset with you, and doubted the validity of their feelings once you found them out?<br />
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That anger and frustration can waste a tremendous amount of our time and energy. When we accept that 'No One Has The Same Truth', it becomes easier for us to move beyond a need to change the other person, and move towards changing our own approach with the other person, based on our understanding that we simply don't share the same Truth.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UhJugjXFFjzTHBLJlpnAW3a8P5H5yO7wztHeuLwLH73dk7wBUgnNddKloiJNxomLQeubNc7daKP2zNC7QrCI80-LzJZrKiDuzT0wWvE8E9PFY0G-hSp4yfz73Qr6zWCbyrUox37EDj97/s1600/Baby_at_Window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9UhJugjXFFjzTHBLJlpnAW3a8P5H5yO7wztHeuLwLH73dk7wBUgnNddKloiJNxomLQeubNc7daKP2zNC7QrCI80-LzJZrKiDuzT0wWvE8E9PFY0G-hSp4yfz73Qr6zWCbyrUox37EDj97/s320/Baby_at_Window.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Where it may be most helpful, though, is how we look at ourselves. From the minute we're born, we react to outside stimula - and learn to judge ourselves through other people's Truth. Our entire self-image is dramatically affected by whose Truth we accept in our lives. If you had supportive, positive parents, you likely feel confident and self-assured. If you were beaten or otherwise mistreated, your Truth will likely be one of lower value than others around you. While I hear you thinking "these are generalizations, not Truths", stick with me, because that is exactly the point.<br />
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Once we realize that we control our Truth, we can choose to change it. If we had a lousy Dad and we grew up believing that we weren't worth their love, we can change that Truth to something else - anything else, frankly, that allows us to move on in a more positive direction. Maybe that Truth is that he wasn't mature enough, and that's not my issue, that's his. Maybe it's my parents were better off apart and he wouldn't have been good for me anyway, and that's their issue, not mine. Maybe it's that he was abducted by aliens, and its their fault, not yours OR his.<br />
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Whatever allows us to move on in a direction we want to go is a helpful Truth, as long as it doesn't lead us to hurting others. Depending on your definition of hurting others, I suppose - which brings us back to the circular argument, and where too many of us stay for too long instead of recognizing the power of being in control of our Truth.<br />
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The 'Truth' that 'No One Has The Same Truth' can be used for good or evil. Truth has always served those who so declare it to be Truth.<br />
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All I'm saying, and now applying daily, is that we can use our own 'Truth' to get us where we want to go instead of relying on other people's 'Truth' to validate our lives.<br />
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Do you think you can sell real estate, even in a bad economy? Do you think Internet Marketing is a scam? Do you believe you're not someone who can get in front of an audience and speak? Think about these and other statements, then ask yourself - "Who's Truth is This?"<br />
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There are people making money in real estate right now, and others are going broke. There are those losing money in Internet Marketing, others making a killing. There are people just like you speaking in front of audiences everyday. Whose Truth are you going to make yours? Can you conceive of creating a new truth just for you and your goals?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUisogpEfjgwql-6s5opMRKRmgo_wx2pSrRsA_-sHZNC68U4Fp85GA2pRTJX50faxXcBxMVa7tkSdrqxegFZIziTYgoIPfdWl3tyiFsv5GjjXK1W03CC24ERCpms49TbdG9zfRBaBR317/s1600/127_hours_poster_01-535x792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUisogpEfjgwql-6s5opMRKRmgo_wx2pSrRsA_-sHZNC68U4Fp85GA2pRTJX50faxXcBxMVa7tkSdrqxegFZIziTYgoIPfdWl3tyiFsv5GjjXK1W03CC24ERCpms49TbdG9zfRBaBR317/s320/127_hours_poster_01-535x792.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><br />
I watched four formerly morbidly obese people change their truth by running a marathon on the Biggest Loser two nights ago. Aron Ralston changed his 'Truth' from 'you don't want to cut off your own arm' (a widely shared belief), to 'I must cut off my own arm'. My wife changed her 'Truth' from 'Neurofibromatosis is a family curse sent by God' to '<a href="http://bit.ly/dhKncA">Thriving with Neurofibromatosis</a>'.<br />
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Once you learn to form your own Truths, believe in them, and act on them, your life cannot help but to reflect them. Choose your Truth - and you'll Choose your Life.<br />
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</script> <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" src="http://www.facebook.com/plugins/like.php?href=http%3A%2F%2Fchampionofchoice.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fno-one-has-same-truth.html&layout=standard&show_faces=false&width=450&action=like&colorscheme=light&height=35" style="border: none; height: 35px; overflow: hidden; width: 450px;"></iframe>Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-84815032072663227852010-12-06T10:21:00.000-08:002010-12-06T10:21:04.587-08:00Just Keep Swimming!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tzgzD8KSBhmfIYPmfeDrR7IIOP8s7oRkLUSWcl6xSXyEsaw9wInzpVB6jURhe6wNXjjugMPOgj_CalDvpbsNyUxqW9LYPCVwAL5s8V6lWPZL96knlJuxOxwCY7llyiLWOp010kdd0VOT/s1600/finding-nemo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="328" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9tzgzD8KSBhmfIYPmfeDrR7IIOP8s7oRkLUSWcl6xSXyEsaw9wInzpVB6jURhe6wNXjjugMPOgj_CalDvpbsNyUxqW9LYPCVwAL5s8V6lWPZL96knlJuxOxwCY7llyiLWOp010kdd0VOT/s400/finding-nemo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<br />
Right before I went to Disneyworld on Nov. 14th with my family for a week, I managed to get my email box down to ZERO. An amazing feat for me. <br />
<br />
My habit is to keep 75-100 emails, with a goal of 50, the most I can see on the screen at once in g-Mail with my current settings. I had emails from 2008 sitting in the bottom, filled with testimonials about my speaking coaching that I kept saying I'd get on my website and never did. I still haven't, but I've at least copied the info to another spot on my hard-drive, and filed that email away. I think that was progress.<br />
<br />
So I'm gone for a week, and deliberately didn't check email, blog, etc. the entire time. Not that anyone noticed, because I've been pathetic at keeping up with my blogging for awhile now. I'd say I'm CHOOSING to change that, but I'd rather, at this point, shut up and just do it, and talk about the choice later.<br />
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Coming back from Orlando, I find just over 500 messages in the inbox. The breakdown was about 20 percent Twitter notifications, 20 percent newsletters, 10 percent personal, and 50 percent Internet Marketing opportunities I've been looking into the last few months. I think the most common name was Matt Bacak.<br />
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Two weeks later, I'm still at about 350 messages, because I've told myself I want to pay close attention to those internet messages and take some action. Those two weeks have been filled with so many other projects though - finishing, proofing, and marketing <a href="http://www.thrivingwithnf.com/thrivingwithNFbook.htm">Thriving with Neurofibromatosis</a>, the Thanksgiving Holiday, and staying in the top third of my Fantasy Football pool.<br />
<br />
So now, do I just delete them all and start over? I'm sure in a week I could fill it up again. But what amazing opportunity will I miss? It's amazing how too many opportunities can turn into none when we let them paralyze us, or just overwhelm us.<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">That's probably been my biggest obstacle since declaring the initial Champion of Choice Challenge - too many opportunities. Crazy. Should I pursue speaking, coaching, writing, blogging, marketing - how much of each - or should I take some speaking job with a company willing to fly me everywhere? I made ALL of those choices over the last year, and while I've added a tremendous amount of experiences to my life and helped my wife write her book, I can't say I've done as much as I'd like to, or yielded the results I'd hoped.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It's at this point I feel a bit like Marlin and Dory in their search for Little Nemo - I tell myself "Just keep swimming, just keep swimming..." And I do, and I will. Without swimming, I'd of missed a tremendous amount of opportunites over the last 18 months. I just want to swim with even more purpose than before. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So today, among other things, like my daugter's doc appointment, I'll be swimming through all those emails - and tomorrow, my email account will be back down to zero, and I'll have either found some great opportunities, or I'll at least have a clean box to catch the next ones.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">What are you going to do with all your opportunities today?</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-71325602718632968802010-11-22T05:16:00.000-08:002010-11-22T05:24:13.126-08:00Thriving with Neurofibromatosis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>For the past 22 months, my wife has been blogging about <a href="http://thrivingwithneurofibromatosis.blogspot.com/">Thriving with Neurofibromatosis</a> - a genetic condition that creates tumors externally and internally, resulting in a wide range of issues for those who have it. In some, large tumors grown on the outside, causing physical deformations. For others, tumors do their damage on the inside, affecting their spine, vision or hearing. Tumors can be benign or cancerous. The disorder is progressive, leaving its victims in a state of uncertainty throughout their lives, as they wonder how it will manifest in their bodies from day to day.<br />
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Neurofibromatosis (NF) is one of the most common genetic disorders in existence, yet one of the least talked about. Those with NF often hide the fact when possible, or if they are unable to hide the effects, hide themselves. It can be inherited, or spontaneously mutate at birth, and it affects 1 in 3000 worldwide.<br />
<br />
The Children's Tumor Foundation is devoted to finding a 'cure' for NF - though the only real cure is isolating and altering the gene sequence. They are also searching for effective treatment plans for the many symptoms of the disorder.<br />
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Kristi and our three of our children have NF. Rachel may be losing her vision in the next 10 years. Bailey could lose hearing, and significant muscle control in her face. Braden may never reach a point where he is able to live outside the home without adult supervision. The four of them all have the same disorder, but are all affected in very different ways.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiv0pIMQyAHXXEWq2tpUtVBvUi57o82W3KdXSh8RT_TuXXwjvRc9FDOhOLYK_RECG0qHrvbhf9UGEXmR4ROAcIoMmlP7qYkIvSq8yPhc-D-14Ozt66Se-RzquKz47wRdL0NrGzYKwU4uq/s1600/ThrivingWithNF-big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEiv0pIMQyAHXXEWq2tpUtVBvUi57o82W3KdXSh8RT_TuXXwjvRc9FDOhOLYK_RECG0qHrvbhf9UGEXmR4ROAcIoMmlP7qYkIvSq8yPhc-D-14Ozt66Se-RzquKz47wRdL0NrGzYKwU4uq/s320/ThrivingWithNF-big.jpg" width="276" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://bit.ly/dhKncA"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Click Here to Purchase!</b></span></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>For the last year, and with an intense burst these last three weeks, Kristi has written a biographical account of her life living with NF, and her choice to go beyond living with it, and begin a life of Thriving with NF. She has connected with thousands of people with NF around the world, and hopes to reach out with these words of encouragement for them. Depression is one of the most common factors of this disorder, and is only made worse by NF's unpredictable effects.<br />
<br />
Thriving is an option for all of us, whether we have NF, MS, cancer, amputated limbs, or simply hate our lives. What Kristi has learned goes beyond NF, and has changed her outlook completely as she works to create a Thriving attitude within our family, the NF community, and the world around her.<br />
<br />
This book has been a labor of love for both of us. I have been focused on helping her get her words on paper the last three weeks, as well as designing, editing, and preparing it for publication, which is why I have not been blogging for the last month. Finishing this book, however, was one of my big goals when I left my last position of employment - so it is a victory for both of us to have it now available for sale.<br />
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The book is available now, and will be shipped by mid-December. <a href="http://bit.ly/dhKncA">Click HERE for your copy.</a> NF or no, Thriving is essential to all of us.<br />
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As my wife would say - Thrive On!Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-67343252657496704482010-10-20T13:31:00.000-07:002010-10-20T15:25:36.208-07:00Trust.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SNxNkAkBH_oZul793SQyMx3jzzM23_9jDzELZBdKpo6CX30ETSPvBIKbArmb6Hc1bEUL3ev5sFBcLLfdm7akHqikQ1hjW1B2HuGxQHY6j6U4AgJCtD-1xx8ImFKWX0Ec8rgt-cJgEj5E/s1600/Learn+To+Walk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SNxNkAkBH_oZul793SQyMx3jzzM23_9jDzELZBdKpo6CX30ETSPvBIKbArmb6Hc1bEUL3ev5sFBcLLfdm7akHqikQ1hjW1B2HuGxQHY6j6U4AgJCtD-1xx8ImFKWX0Ec8rgt-cJgEj5E/s320/Learn+To+Walk.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/telachhe/" style="color: #0063dc; text-decoration: none;">Tela Chhe</a></span></td></tr>
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</div>Learning to walk is never easy. As infants, we start with blind trust as we imitate those older than us and attempt to get on our feet. With the first fall, we begin learning NOT to trust.<br />
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Falling hurts. Don't trust the concrete. Don't trust the end table corner. Don't trust whatever it is I just tripped on, leaving my face a half inch deep in blue shag carpet.<br />
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Mommy - I can trust Mommy. She'll catch me. If she's not making dinner, cleaning the table, or running that loud machine in the living room that seems intent on chasing me all over the house.<br />
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Eventually, we learn to trust ourselves, our own strength and balance, and walking becomes second nature.<br />
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For me, I had to learn to walk twice. Once the regular way, then, for the second time, 38 years later. When my left ankle ceased to operate without pain, I took the upgrade option, allowing doctors to lop off my left leg about five inches below my left knee. This meant 6 weeks in bed, followed by the fitting of a prosthetic leg.<br />
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There are a lot of factors involved with learning to walk after a procedure like this. For me, I was relatively lucky. No catastrophic injury, so my remaining leg was healthy, the stump smooth and uniform. I was healthy, if a bit overweight, and I had some incentive - I was due to compete in the 2006 World Championship of Public Speaking 8 weeks after being given my first new leg. I wanted to walk across that stage if at all possible - and walk without worry.<br />
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Just as I did as a one-year-old, I went through a testing process, learning to trust all over again. To trust that my leg wouldn't hurt when I walked. That I was putting the new leg on correctly. That it wouldn't fall off, buckle under my weight, or slip out from under me. I had to take a leap of faith - trust in something that I couldn't verify ahead of time, since I couldn't feel where my new foot was. I spent many days falling forward, falling backward, totally focused on the leg, instead of walking.<br />
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It wasn't until I chose to trust the prosthetic that I began to walk as I had before. To focus on the goal and trust I had the process in place to get me there.<br />
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It's easy to spend life looking for better and better processes. Faster, more reliable technology. The next big thing. The silver bullet, sure-fire system to fame and fortune. Is it easier to focus on the method instead of the goal? Do we feel we have control over methods, but not the results?<br />
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Certainly, finding a good system/process/prosthetic is important. But there comes a point when we need to Trust in the process we've given ourselves, instead of waiting for something better. To focus on where we're going more than how we're getting there. You rarely get where you're wanting to go by focusing on your toes, synthetic or otherwise.<br />
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Trust is a good thing - and remember - after you learned to walk - you learned to RUN.Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-18403727834423132652010-10-18T09:37:00.000-07:002010-10-18T10:16:59.837-07:00If It Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be A Challenge.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7EAguDhuD8O1PXoMPJsYAcff677vT3DjcxzQ7VgAa-z2ofMev1UUfOh5QBb1YkdeQMj7s6zaZVc2lsSR2qL-D66oy6esLRqM97h_n_wrqqM6z2auXlmh7K3EXJnZWOBXSc3oYtrA4ta_/s1600/Tire+Tread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7EAguDhuD8O1PXoMPJsYAcff677vT3DjcxzQ7VgAa-z2ofMev1UUfOh5QBb1YkdeQMj7s6zaZVc2lsSR2qL-D66oy6esLRqM97h_n_wrqqM6z2auXlmh7K3EXJnZWOBXSc3oYtrA4ta_/s320/Tire+Tread.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bkm_br/" style="background-color: #0063dc; color: white; text-decoration: none;">BKM_BR</a></span></td></tr>
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</div>Are you equipped for the Challenge, or is your tread wearing thin?<br />
<br />
25 days ago, I <a href="http://bit.ly/axRQNH">threw down the gauntlet</a>. 12 days ago, I asked for<a href="http://bit.ly/9mnJ4n"> feedback</a>. It's been suggested that The Champion of Choice Challenge is less than powerful, and that I should dump it altogether.<br />
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The beginning of the Champion of Choice concept itself was Spring of 2009 - I was looking for a 'tagline' of sorts to help people know who I am and what I talk about. I wanted to be that "Champion of Choice Guy", since the core of most of my talks is personal choice, power, and responsibility. Turning it into a challenge seemed a logical choice as well, if a bit risky. The original method was daily videos talking about what I wanted to achieve each day, and how well I did. The videos stopped the day I got feedback that my videos were getting repetitive.<br />
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I've had multiple reboots of the Challenge - I'm in the <a href="http://bit.ly/aD1LtU">midst of 4.0 at the moment</a>.<br />
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I've put in a lot of thought over the last 12 days about the future of this blog, and the Champion of Choice concept. From a marketing standpoint, I think I'm better off simply being me - Rich Hopkins. There are very few speakers that are known by monikers other than their names - Scott the Nametag Guy, comes to mind, as does Steve Siebold, the 'Mental Toughness Guy', but only Scott really markets himself that way. Zig is Zig, Jeanne Robertson is Jeanne Robertson, Les Brown is Les Brown. A gimmick simply isn't necessary. If anything, my <a href="http://bit.ly/9Vd0VU">Speak & Deliver</a> brand, which goes with the coaching side of my business, has grown more quickly, and offers more recognition.<br />
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<b>What is the goal of being a Champion of Choice, anyway? What is the goal of the Challenge?</b><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">Success</span>. Personal success, be it spiritual, physical, financial, professional, relational, emotional, or any combination of the above. <i><b>Self-Defined Success</b></i>. Success that relies on our personal definition of it, instead what the world insists success should be for each of us.<br />
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Self-Defined Success is a result I've been pursuing my whole life. Working not to worry about other people's opinions of me, be it kids in school that made fun of me for the way I walked and ran, or pursuing the type of career and family I wanted whether my family or friends understood and supported it or not.<br />
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It isn't easy. Judgments come everyday, both external and internal. Either can freeze us in our tracks, and make us want to ease back into the easy fitting roles that will allow us to be accepted and approved of by others, instead of sticking to our guns and learning to approve of ourselves based on our own criteria.<br />
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It doesn't mean living in a complete vacuum. Feedback is important - and more important is how we handle the feedback. Instead of making my videos more interesting last year, I went to written posts. Instead of trusting my strategy, I took a job that wasn't right for me, despite some of the positives that came out of it. (Even wrong choices can have positive results if you make right choices within them).<br />
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My choices this fall continue to be questioned by the world, and I often find myself questioning them as well, out of fear. This is the same fear that keeps many of us in our boxes, afraid to do what we really want to with our lives, and settling for less success than we are capable of achieving.<br />
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<b>If it were easy, it wouldn't be a Challenge.</b> The Challenge continues. What will not continue is my branding effort to be 'The Champion of Choice'. I've always felt that particular moniker is a bit egotistical sounding, a bit cheesy. Maybe I could have made it a successful synonym for me, if I truly believed in it, but I simply don't. What I really believe in is the concept of being a Self-Defined Success, and that being a Champion of Choice will get us there.<br />
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Self-Defined Success will now be the prevalent theme, combined with Champion of Choice, but headlined by my own identity.<br />
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Why would I put this thought process here for all to see? Same reasons I always have - to be transparent and to potentially help you as you face difficult choices of your own. Besides, some of the fun of four-wheeling is looking at the dirt you've kicked up onto your truck. Self-Defined Success doesn't come always easily, and being a Champion of Choice is a daily challenge.<br />
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Watch for changes here - but more importantly, be willing to make changes in your own approaches, if you find yourself running into rough roads on your way to your goal. You don't have to give up - you may just need to upgrade your tires.Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-62715755013677777622010-10-06T11:25:00.000-07:002010-10-06T11:26:22.173-07:00Champion of Choice Newsletter....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9G2sFGFxyGMO9CjIY22pZRPSNnjrN53PRE-3U2Ioxv3ICAC5FRIIoQibiHNjl5yH7HyNWIfnATUTBv8sditJ6BseqjIMmSPW0hA-4lXmw3CexOGnODhQlg5YKlad19kpZK_RY_02vSla/s1600/Champion+of+Choice+Rich+Hopkins+Hell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9G2sFGFxyGMO9CjIY22pZRPSNnjrN53PRE-3U2Ioxv3ICAC5FRIIoQibiHNjl5yH7HyNWIfnATUTBv8sditJ6BseqjIMmSPW0hA-4lXmw3CexOGnODhQlg5YKlad19kpZK_RY_02vSla/s400/Champion+of+Choice+Rich+Hopkins+Hell.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">photo art by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pss/" style="color: #0063dc; text-decoration: none;">Paul Stevenson</a></span></div><br />
Yesterday I was setting up a newsletter list for my wife over at <a href="http://thrivingwithnf.com/">ThrivingWithNF.com</a>, and the harsh reality hit me - I haven't sent out a newsletter all year, and have only sent 3 in the lifetime of my list.<br />
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The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and in this case hell is a list of people who probably have forgotten all about me!<br />
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There are several choices involved in restarting this newsletter:<br />
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A. One or Two - most of you know that I am a speaker, and a coach. My other blog, <a href="http://speakanddeliver.blogspot.com/">Speak & Deliver</a> has a strong following, and coaching is a primary income stream. As a speaker, I'm continuing to develop on the Champion of Choice theme, building a keynote and a book. Should each have a separate newsletter, or should I have a combined newsletter that covers both?<br />
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B. How Often - Monthy? Weekly? Twice a Month? What can I keep up with? Should it even have a regular schedule? What is valuable to you?<br />
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C. Do I Market - Should I put ads in the newsletter? Should I send marketing letters for various products I involve myself with to this list?<br />
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D. More Readers - While over 200 people are now subscribed, I want to get over 1000 by the end of the year - which marketing methods will let more people know about our crusade to champion choice? Currently people sign up at my website, which also faces the challenges of Speaker vs. Coach. What else can I do?<br />
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E. Content - Should I repurpose the blog? Use guest writers? Offer profiles of great Champions of Choice?<br />
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Lots to think about, but choices must be made.<br />
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Have you been sitting on a project for days, weeks, months? Share it with us, and your fellow Champions of Choice will chime in to help. As for my project? Please - help me help you!Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-9546280424398689962010-10-04T11:41:00.000-07:002010-10-04T11:41:43.389-07:00Is Choice a Decision, or an Action?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcy9cilg1ta5puUPIm4P8Rw2i-COOX7j-IN-_JFYPQAaSzMECIhv5QQKxXKvd52ow_TmvaZGBKVIaarx2GDxEmTIoJa8PF5YfWC5wusfg43JYmCJIoMOaKMa-6BPVYzEP1I0ZJtPEjZ01H/s1600/2254833120_cbd9cb8358_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcy9cilg1ta5puUPIm4P8Rw2i-COOX7j-IN-_JFYPQAaSzMECIhv5QQKxXKvd52ow_TmvaZGBKVIaarx2GDxEmTIoJa8PF5YfWC5wusfg43JYmCJIoMOaKMa-6BPVYzEP1I0ZJtPEjZ01H/s320/2254833120_cbd9cb8358_z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;">by</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/httpwwwflickrcomphotostopend/" style="color: #0063dc; text-decoration: none;">Stephen Barnett</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Three frogs are sitting on a log. After an 3 long hours in the sun, one decides to jump off. How many frogs are left?</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">The answer to this age old question posed by motivational speakers everywhere is, of course, <i>three</i>. A decision isn't the same as an action. Which poses, to me, as The Champion of Choice, another question - is Choice a decision, or an action?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">A Choice, in my estimation, is a selection - an order of sorts. We choose what we want off a menu, and order it. Initially we decide, but until we Choose, we don't get the results we decided upon. I may decide I want a hamburger, but if I don't choose to tell the wait staff, my decision remains the same but my choice is silence and hunger. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">The Secret Movie is often derided for its "Wish and You Will Attract it into Your Life" philosophy, illustrated by the boy wishing for a bike, and the girl desiring a necklace, immediately followed by each getting their desire. What it doesn't show, and presumably doesn't even believe, is the actions taken by the recipients, or the people around them, to make those wishes come true.</div><div><br />
</div><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">It may FEEL like enough: "I wrote down my 6 month, 12 month, and 5 year goals - wow, that was tough", "I know I want the Mercedes-Benz, not the Cadillac, now that I've done all the research and test-driven both", or even "I have had it, I am ending this relationship/job/bad habit" - all can come with a bit of an adrenalin rush of satisfaction for finally verbalizing or writing it out for all to see. Heck, the motivational experts themselves tell us to let the world know, to write stuff down, to know our goals.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">It may FEEL like enough, but it's not. How many of us have reams of notebooks filled with goals we've never fulfilled? One of the jokes I used to use in my speeches was "I'm a great goal setter - my goal for losing weight gets bigger every year!"</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Frankly, it's not even necessary. We take successful action all the time without goals in mind. Results may not always be what we want, but we are capable of action every second. The retail world thrives on impulse decisions/choices, from candy bars to tinted windows and titanium hubcaps. <i>But action successfully taken is not the same as directed action.</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">We can have decisions that sit inert without actions, and actions with a variety of results without clear decision driving them. At the end of the day, a lack of acting on decision OR choice is a decision/choice in an of itself. The Choice is an action, but it is not enough.This is, in general, how the average human lives most of their life, letting their Choices of NOT choosing create their environment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">Perhaps this is just a battle of semantics, and I should be just as happy to call myself the Duke of Decision. But for my intents and purposes, <b>Choice = Decision + Action.</b> </div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;">We can Choose our results, by deciding what they are and taking action on them - Choosing them, plucking them off the shelf ourselves, putting in the order to the kitchen, and jumping off the log to our next destination. Decision and Action must work together to create Choices that build our Self-Defined Life.</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: left;"><i>Time to jump.</i></div><br />
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</div>Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-40857873671014626362010-09-23T20:44:00.000-07:002010-09-23T20:49:40.037-07:00The Gauntlet is Thrown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKf1X4x30Mpqm-VPC2W9ZYttzqTghd2fqh26jEb1lqfHNYte2CML-0rZINe4B443p9cSa5pmFUPHofW5VJ3XrLCHws42kzij0bPU3hxO0czhFdO-jrzprniH25aP55aMCooEDumnRJaSM/s1600/walk+away.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKf1X4x30Mpqm-VPC2W9ZYttzqTghd2fqh26jEb1lqfHNYte2CML-0rZINe4B443p9cSa5pmFUPHofW5VJ3XrLCHws42kzij0bPU3hxO0czhFdO-jrzprniH25aP55aMCooEDumnRJaSM/s400/walk+away.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">photo by </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/" style="background-color: #0063dc; color: white; text-decoration: none;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">DieselDemon</span></i></a></span></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I walked away from my job. The day after Labor Day, I gave two weeks notice, and yesterday was my last official day on payroll. You can read more details on how it all came about at today's <a href="http://bit.ly/9xEkHG">Speak & Deliver post</a>.</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">In a nutshell - I was in a job I didn't believe in, and I was out of town more often than not, with my kids growing up without me. There were financial implications involved as well, but in the end, it was a decision driven by the fact that I was not creating a life I wanted, but a life that was 'more acceptable' in the world's eyes than working for myself (and occasionally struggling, financially). </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">How can I inspire others as The Champion of Choice if I am not true to my ultimate goal of helping people seek their Self-Defined Success? </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I will say that my time with People to People yielded some good results:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">A. I moved to Denver, albeit on my own dime.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">B. I spent two weeks in Europe</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">C. I got a tremendous amount of experience speaking on a nightly basis</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">D. I was part of an interesting form of sales/seminar speaking</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">E. I was able to test my own limitations, physically and emotionally</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I learned a tremendous amount about myself, and what is really important in life. Last post, I discussed our Personal Choice Foundation. For me, family is number one - and nothing that gets in the way of family beyond reason will get in the way again.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">------</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">So now what? Back to speaking, coaching, consulting, writing - and I'll trying my hand at affiliate marketing as well. I am more determined than ever to build the life I want - working for myself, being near my family, and inspiring, educating, and encouraging others in every way possible to take responsibility for their lives, become for effective communicators, and create their Self-Defined Success.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I have some very achievable goals over the next year to track as part of my personal challenge:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">A - Monthly Income - from 0 to 3000/mo. by end of year, 5K/mo by next June, and 10K/month by end of next year. These may be high, they may be low, but they are benchmarks for me to go after - and the more people I help, the faster I will achieve them.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">B - Speaking - putting together three keynotes over the next three months and delivering them to as many audiences as possible. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">C - Writing - finishing Kristi's book within the next 6 weeks, my own book by end of year. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">D - Building set-it-and-forget-it affiliate marketing sites that will generate a large portion of my income.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">E - Coach business professionals to be better communicators both in-person and online</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">F - build a PR presence that puts me top of mind to my market segments as a speaker, coach and marketer (all different segments, to some degree)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">G - Deliver on my promises, past, present and future - there are a few of you out there that know exactly what I'm talking about.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">H - Change my physical condition by losing another 55 lbs to get to 165 lbs, upgrade my Super Deluxe Robot Leg, and start running.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I - and, of course, keep my Family number one - spending time and setting great examples for each one of my six-pack.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Once again, I'll be chronicling my adventures here, drawing back the curtain. I may be selling things more than I have in the past, but I'll endeavor to do it in a helpful, meaningful way. In the end, I want to help as many people as possible through my own talents and insights, and those I've garnered from others over the years.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">-------</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Do you have any choices that have been difficult to make lately? Do you have some choices you're afraid to make? Do you have goals you'd like to make public? Do it here, either in the comments, or by writing a guest blog post. Think I'm nuts? Again, feel free to comment, or write a guest blog post. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I challenge you to keep going after your true successes - even when it seems the most illogical thing in the world to everyone around you. You are the one who has to live with your decisions - and you have the ability to affect your results more powerfully than those in the outside world. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Consider the gauntlet thrown. You don't have to quit your job - but you do need to vigorously pursue the life you want now, before life passes you by. Become a Champion of Choice!</span></span></div>Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-24810347232840847112010-09-14T12:34:00.000-07:002010-09-14T12:34:49.308-07:00What is Your Personal Choice Foundation?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckXtOb6dcbDXeLfRqYfDq_lzLxpDWrMRPtufXTBSOTAAU8wU9q7KElHNl779ID744Xkwv1HdpDbP78_a4iw0w_CZ_dgVGHOZB48D7LonD2vIrL_1aaaVJ5yfjnNnYzxpjc-cseSi56Y0n/s1600/foundation+pour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckXtOb6dcbDXeLfRqYfDq_lzLxpDWrMRPtufXTBSOTAAU8wU9q7KElHNl779ID744Xkwv1HdpDbP78_a4iw0w_CZ_dgVGHOZB48D7LonD2vIrL_1aaaVJ5yfjnNnYzxpjc-cseSi56Y0n/s400/foundation+pour.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #001320; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;">"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #001320; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>(Jesus Christ speaking from the NIV translation of the Holy Bible </i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; line-height: 20px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">(©1984)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> )</span></span></i></span></span></span><br />
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Are your Choices built upon the rock or the sand? How sound is your Choice Foundation? Do you know what your Personal Choice Foundation is?<br />
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Choices are made based on a myriad of different factors, including urgency, cost, emotion, logic, attitude, and physical state. The balancing act is imperfect, and leads to many choices we regret fairly soon after making it. We give one factor too much weight, or forget to factor in something else until its too late.<br />
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Say, when you got that big tax refund, walked into Best Buy, and bought that $3,000 55", flatscreen, high-definition television, and the sound system, PS3, and blueray player to go with it. The money may have created an urgency in you to spend it before you nickel and dimed it away on silly things like bills - a seemingly logical argument your emotions and physical state (which are anxious for the joy, satisfaction, and even physical rush which comes from large purchases) use to get you bypass cost altogether, much less other emotions about your family, your otherwise logical approach to family finances, and instead plays on your attitude of self-deservedness and entitlement.<br />
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None of these factors really went through your mind though, consciously. If they had, you wouldn't be regretting it right now as you look at the family budget, and realize Sally has dance lessons coming up and Bobby wants to join Scouts, and all you can do is tell them to stay home and play Lego Star Wars instead.<br />
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How do you control your choices? By creating a Personal Choice Foundation. By building a conscious list of values in your mind that guide your decisions. A list so strong you think about it BEFORE you choose, not afterwards.<br />
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I can't tell you what your foundation should be - that is YOUR Choice, fellow Champion. What your foundation will be should be based on your needs, your situation, your hopes and dreams - not anyone else's.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQo4p_lTrNbrjQqTYk7pdYx6P_TdYrORy6yPzslKNZu7SXYeyRFJnXpEatsQrQANYzOmPwmWmqgccCzG-H0p9v_8MDffNioiO6k0mHVvkFghg4QZdEkM-snekXcPGtA-0DSWcpzmg_2XDf/s1600/Flatscreen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQo4p_lTrNbrjQqTYk7pdYx6P_TdYrORy6yPzslKNZu7SXYeyRFJnXpEatsQrQANYzOmPwmWmqgccCzG-H0p9v_8MDffNioiO6k0mHVvkFghg4QZdEkM-snekXcPGtA-0DSWcpzmg_2XDf/s320/Flatscreen.jpg" /></a></div><br />
How you build that foundation, however, will also largely determine the overall results of your choices, and how your feel about them after the fact. Perhaps buying the TV, speakers, and gaming system fits your foundation perfectly and you have no regrets. Perhaps your PCF (Personal Choice Foundation) determines that you must go value shopping - finding that TV, speaker system, and game console at a pawn shop instead. <i>(disclosure: I have purchased a $1200 flatscreen, HD TV for less than $400 at a pawn shop, and I still probably overpaid - this satisfied family, emotion, cost, logic, and physical state, while giving me adequate, if not spectacular, results)</i>.<br />
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The critical aspect is not necessarily how your foundation is built, but that it is built at all, and that you are consciously and intentionally building responsibly. The coolest thing about the PCF is that it isn't buried underground - based on the quality of your results, you can shift your foundations materials at any moment in time. While they don't need to be permanently flexible, malleable beyond recognition, you do want to be able to easily patch any cracks, and feel confident in shoring up your materials.<br />
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My own looks like this: family, cost, emotion, logic, physical cost or satisfaction, urgency, attitude, results. Even as I write that, I can see adjustments I might want to make.<br />
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Choose to take a moment now and list for yourself the factors in your Personal Choice Foundation - then actively and intentionally apply them to all all your choices in the next 48 hours. You'll quickly start noticing how your choices become more interesting and focused - whether you're buying a TV, ordering lunch, or even participating in a discussion with your spouse.<br />
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If you want to publicly declare, describe, and even defend your PCF, and share your 48 hour results - please do, in the comments below. AND - if you have additional factors you use in decision-making, please share with the rest of us.Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-17485691963745054792010-09-03T09:30:00.000-07:002010-09-03T09:30:00.368-07:00How Do You Stand?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1161751629"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcDVtS6EqH1u3FKADPYHM7VDc9-h4bHaoi3_7WRtJ4-_rrhRXd3F8X-eImUt1LggN2QBDnl6WeN7Pxc-Y9cHVJcsqWgyrfOVcbpC0-FmTcOOObx25GAzTZbsj2fGcNEirnM08ZijCWwwg/s320/Greg+Tarlin.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.notbadatall.com/stilts.html">Picture credit - Greg Tarlin </a></div><br />
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We live in a world of individual thoughts that are often warped, twisted, directed, and otherwise constrained to think one way vs. another. In fact, that very statement is written with the intent to get you to believe exactly what it says - but you may not! You may vehemently disagree!<br />
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Perhaps you'll comment below. Maybe drop me an email. Or just mutter under your breath 'that Hopkins guy is at it again'.<br />
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Whether its my relatively innocuous sentence above (again, emotional, opinion-charged terminology), or issues such as politics, morals, religion, sports, speaking, entertainment, whatever - I challenge you to actively have an opinion about those parts of life you care about, and be willing to communicate them.<br />
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We choose our opinions, and we can choose how we share them - but if no one know what our opinions are, how will anyone know? We can show them by writing, by talking, by contributing money, by simply walking the walk of someone with an opinion.<br />
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Many of us are great at sharing our opinions, especially the speakers among us. But its also easy NOT to share. To avoid being disagreed with or being proven wrong (which is also an avoidance of learning something NEW).<br />
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Our opinion is just that - but our perspective on the world, especially in today's world of social media, can carry as much weight as President Obama, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, et al, depending on who we're talking to, how we say it, and how we market it.<br />
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Taking a stand, making an outward declaration as a Champion of Choice - someone who knows what and why they are doing something, will separate you from the crowd, and allow you to be heard. Even if you agree with the majority, just by making the declaration, you will be steps above your competition.<br />
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</div>Whether you're a contrarian or a mainstream thinker, choose to take a stand - and HOW to take a stand - within your self-defined life - and watch as your family, your friends, and eventually the world raises their head to hear what you have to say.Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-22885149281381020072010-06-20T08:21:00.000-07:002010-06-20T08:26:19.375-07:00Does Old Success Adage Still Ring True?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAd3eJ029EM9lJ9-t02-6oenLvzQS-Quo4sgvFh8d1P_IJQJkk-YR_GCZNChKlc3cswqNYMOQbQXx7eg57mLvZMIvkfJSJELWBn86sUR3hhVQTeoz_Uj6Rj5o2LzXgC7Zxc64uABVV3Aj/s1600/Happy+Housekeeping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAd3eJ029EM9lJ9-t02-6oenLvzQS-Quo4sgvFh8d1P_IJQJkk-YR_GCZNChKlc3cswqNYMOQbQXx7eg57mLvZMIvkfJSJELWBn86sUR3hhVQTeoz_Uj6Rj5o2LzXgC7Zxc64uABVV3Aj/s320/Happy+Housekeeping.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I was challenged last week about the adage Rory Vaden uses in his Take the Stairs program - an adage that has been around the motivational speaking industry longer than Rory or I or any of us, perhaps, have been living. The saying goes "Successful people do what others will not do." <br />
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The contention was that people in low-level jobs, such as housekeeping, trash collection, waitresses, etc., do things others will not do and they are not necessarily successful. Very true - but a thought process not necessarily in line with the spirit of the adage. Mass-murderers also do what others will not do, and they wouldn't be considered a success by the world's standards. At the same time, some of these people may perceive themselves as wonderfully successful, depending on their perspective of success - whether they're washing dishes or disposing victims.<br />
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The spirit of the adage, in my mind, is "Successful People do things that make them successful that others will not do." Often, we can look at a successful person's life and see that what they've done isn't so far out of our ability to do, but rather out of our comfort zone or the definition of ourselves we've built over the years. <br />
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<em>There are two main thoughts that come to me out of the debate I've been having over this issue in my mind. </em><br />
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1. Success is what we define it as, on an individual basis.<br />
2. Success doesn't come from doing from what others won't in every case.<br />
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<em>Which leads me to this conclusion:</em><br />
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Succes is reached by those who do what others who haven't achieved that success will not do, regardless of what the definition of success is. Which means we must define success for ourselves, then find what it takes to get there, and do those things. The adage itself works in a very comparative sense that way - if two people are faced with an identical task, and one is willing to work in a way that accomplishes it better than the other, the adage fits well. Even in this case, two people with the same task can accomplish it with equal results in completely different ways, which, rather than disproving the adage merely gives it more channels with which to operate.<br />
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What is success to you? Is it based in money? Family? Spiritual meaning? Freedom? Looks? Sex? Joy? Usually its a combination of all of those things and more, to one degree or another. I know I have felt more successful at times when I've made less money and spent more time with my family than the inverse.<br />
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Define your own success. Then do what it takes to get there, whether others are doing it or not. In the end, the only one to judge if you are a success or not, and be right, is you.Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-87921333354410917592010-06-13T14:42:00.000-07:002010-06-13T14:54:15.512-07:00Anne Took the Stairs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOacfYqxAyWaY3V52r7tIr1jFSiULRADtAqcJIKVx-RtqWOu_TyGGJJgQBfueup5nPml0Ki2cnnfV73VwTHWrhwtNrUFhpachIsRymaX_G0pSiEScieL_ZPQiHoNlMozLLuAm1BLl3iYu/s1600/Zi6_0398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZOacfYqxAyWaY3V52r7tIr1jFSiULRADtAqcJIKVx-RtqWOu_TyGGJJgQBfueup5nPml0Ki2cnnfV73VwTHWrhwtNrUFhpachIsRymaX_G0pSiEScieL_ZPQiHoNlMozLLuAm1BLl3iYu/s320/Zi6_0398.JPG" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photo taken by me at Tgeregt Restaurant - our first dinner.</span></div><br />
My friend and fellow speaker Rory Vaden promotes his program <a href="http://takethestairs.wordpress.com/">Take the Stairs</a>, encouraging people to realize hard work is what's behind success, and the more challenging route can be more rewarding. Rory knows his stuff, and I believe in what he's saying<br />
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But for me, taking the stairs means slow arduous treks and gasping for air, which isn't the impression I want to leave once I get to the top. I need to take a few 1000 stair steppers first, drop another 30 lbs, and get my back back in shape.<br />
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Being in Europe this week, I find myself faced with lots of stairs, mini steps, spiral staircases, uneven brick roads, and bicycles, motorbikes, and cars racing along the same track I'm often attempting to walk upon. The Anne Frank Haus has many stairs, narrow, skinny stairs that go forever upwards, it seems. Heading back down on the museum side isn't much better, as they are part spriral themselves.<br />
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I was faced with a choice. I could say I went to the<a href="http://www.annefrank.org/"> Anne Frank Haus</a> knowing all I did was go to the museum, or I could tough it out and head upward, and upward, and upward. And it was worth it. Seeing the artifacts, watching the videos of the times and some survivors, going behind the bookcase that hid them for so long - an amazing experience if you ever get the chance. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WmTu43KUZUBzvzl1G3EhmHMg39pYpFQv4WNNJiIAjpnn2HgFe4vPjaeB4GetMoAEoWyyteooWLbP_y033JDdrUNZO27_tvPs9lryvstbXnBcLHJ8GdmRtHpEIfXQiTVzQqENoGuF5M3g/s1600/AnneFrankHaus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3WmTu43KUZUBzvzl1G3EhmHMg39pYpFQv4WNNJiIAjpnn2HgFe4vPjaeB4GetMoAEoWyyteooWLbP_y033JDdrUNZO27_tvPs9lryvstbXnBcLHJ8GdmRtHpEIfXQiTVzQqENoGuF5M3g/s320/AnneFrankHaus.jpg" /></a></div><br />
What hit me hardest, though, was seeing the room she was in - covered with pictures of movie stars and people she aspired to become like when she grew up. Pictures not unlike any young girl would save, in those days and these days. Anna's diary was one of hope - that she would become a famous journalist. I'm just sorry she never saw how she turned out to be one of the most famous journalists of all.<br />
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Anna chose to take the stairs - she made choices unimaginable for girls her age all in the name of survival. The least I could do was take the stairs to witness it. I'm still not quite willing to choose the stairs 100% of the time. But I'm going to choose not to let stairs be the obstacle between me and my future, actually or metaphorically.<br />
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Do you have stairs to climb?Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-68400208779809205632010-02-23T10:16:00.000-08:002010-02-23T10:16:04.743-08:00Another Month Gone By - Almost<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOBXx7oRceNQAFH9QGGmMqPYpqbZRPZfj5_O7fyA0q9D-Ano85c3UNe6E3dgY2dYO_C4MbNjj6mkLldrX9ZsObR8ScSEilK5LPe-mhgSorrl0DyIu7AAvh46wQcyTUvJW0xdXulCayOBP/s1600-h/ChrisJuggling7FromBelowWeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAOBXx7oRceNQAFH9QGGmMqPYpqbZRPZfj5_O7fyA0q9D-Ano85c3UNe6E3dgY2dYO_C4MbNjj6mkLldrX9ZsObR8ScSEilK5LPe-mhgSorrl0DyIu7AAvh46wQcyTUvJW0xdXulCayOBP/s320/ChrisJuggling7FromBelowWeb.jpg" /></a></div><br />
I'm now fully invested in my new career, having gone through the first six weeks with fair success and a bit of a promotion/vote of confidence from my employer.<br />
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What has gone by the wayside in this time, despite my intentions, has been this blog, Speak & Deliver, my wife's book, my diet, my involvement in Toastmasters, my participation with my mastermind group, and my connection with my friends via blog, Facebook, & Twitter.<br />
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That's a major change, and not one I like. While I was busy trekking around the Midwest, I found myself exhausted when I wasn't in the moments of adrenaline, setting up, speaking, tearing down and doing it all over again the next day. From Jan 29 to Feb 17 I gave 18 presentations in 7 states, stayed in 8 hotels, drove 4 rental cars and took 7 planes on four itineraries.<br />
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Not Guinness Book material, perhaps, but certainly a shock to my system. In addition to all of that, I was dealing with adjusting to a new job, new procedures, new bosses, all while trying to be a long-distance husband and father.<br />
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Whew - I get tired just writing about it.<br />
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So now I'm home - working from home, still adjusting to the new job, planning travels for March and April, figuring out how I'm going to plan my Fall speaking schedule (around 75 presentations in 20 cities over a three and a half month period), and still wanting the be the blogger, writer, speaking coach that defines who I really am.<br />
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While this job is great, and is definitely going to help my bigger dreams in the long run, I don't want it to ever define who I am, beyond someone who puts forth full effort into everything he does.<br />
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Which begs the question - can I put full effort into all facets of my life with the addition of this job, or do I need to let some things go? Do I lessen my involvement in my blogs? I already have, I guess - but really I've just been gone.<br />
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Decisions need to be made - how much time do I have to devote to being who I really am?Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4999843369993218669.post-24826193546986823132010-01-03T06:39:00.000-08:002010-01-03T06:39:56.106-08:00Weekend Update #1The first weekend of the year is packed with activity here at the Hopkins household.<br />
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I've been working to memorize a script for an audition tape as part of one of my 'secret choices' for 2010, a tape that must be made today and delivered tomorrow. A lot more effort than I expected - its been awhile since I memorized anything word for word. A lot is potentially at stake by how well I pull this off, and the results of this choice may be known as early as this week.<br />
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I'm facing one physical issue today, and that seems to be a twisted ankle, or simply a swelled right foot. I can walk somewhat, but I'm in a lot of pain. I'm concerned about the impact this will have on the video, but I am medicating as much as possible. If push comes to shove, I may head to the ER to see if I can get something magic to allow me to perform for an hour or so standing up.<br />
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Kristi, as she's been saying over at her blog <a href="http://thrivingwithneurofibromatosis.blogspot.com/">"Thriving with Neurofibromatosis"</a>, is spending the week out East for surgery at NIH. We braved the 4 am traffic to get her to the airport this morning, leaving me home for 7 days with 6 kids. The week ahead should prove adventurous!<br />
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Today is also my oldest daughter's birthday - she's now 14! She's bummed her mom is gone, and her party is delayed a few weeks, but I'm still thinking up ways to make the day special for her.<br />
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My choices today revolve around getting the script memorized, the video completed, and keeping my kids alive. Perhaps I can get some football watching in as well, but that will have to take a low priority :)Rich Hopkinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08368395405978270849noreply@blogger.com0