Archive for May, 2005

Danica Patrick, a name that was unknown only weeks ago, was emblazoned on the front page of every newspaper on Monday. Her success at the Indianapolis 500 galvanized her name into our hearts and minds as she led the biggest race in the world with only a few laps to go. It was the classic underdog story with this tiny 100 pound woman racing against the men of the Indy Racing League. But to Danica it wasn’t a gender thing at all. She is a fierce competitor and she saw the race as any other driver would. She wanted to win.

Two rookie mistakes almost put her out of contention. She stalled the car on a mid race pit stop, putting her at the back of the pack. Her determination to overcome failure led her through the pack back up to 8th place. She pitted on a caution and restarted the race. Tragedy struck twice as she hit another car with her front wing on the restart. She limped back into the pits missing half of her front wing. The pit crew quickly replaced the front wing, but the lengthy pit stop put her a lap down. She was mad now. Mad at herself for a sloppy restart.

Determination overcame her rookie failures. She was still in the race and she still wanted to win. Being a lap down was just something to overcome. As the race wound down, there was a late caution. Her team decided that she should stay out when everyone else pitted. In mere seconds she went from a lap down to leading the race. Would her fuel and tires last to the end? Over 300,000 fans and the rest of the world wondered that as the race continued.

Everyone was on their feet or glued to their TV sets. Could this woman win the most prestigious race in the world? As the race restarted she pulled out to a comfortable lead. She had done something that no other woman had ever done… she was leading the Indy 500! The laps ticked off one by one and she was still leading. The realization struck… she might win the race. The crowd was chanting, Danica, Danica! She looked forward and raced with steely eyed determination.

With only a few laps to go her car started to surge. She was running out of fuel. She had to lean the car out, saving all the fuel that she could. One by one the men who had been stalking her, passed her for the lead. She ended up fourth and coasted to the line as her fuel ran out on the last corner. Danica finished the race in a higher position than any woman before her.

Determination ruled the day. Her response to her rookie failures put her in the lead. As John Maxwell would say, she “Failed Forward”. What an inspiration and a true story of overcoming failure. With determination like that, she will be in the winners circle soon!

With the huge success of the television show “American Idol”, I wondered what the criterion for success was. I did a little searching online and came up with an article posted last season entitled “The eight do’s and don’ts for idol success” by Kim Reed of MSNBC. After reading the article I realized Kim’s tips for idol success could also be used for “Blog” success. I’ve listed her headings below and how they might relate to the blog-o-sphere. I’ve included some tips I have gleaned from problogger and other blog optimization sites that might be helpful.

1. Pigeonhole yourself: DO fit into a category.

This is so true. In the Blog world reciprocation is necessary for success. You need to fit in with like minded blogs. Share articles and comments with others. Use trackbacks to drive traffic to other blogs. Make sure your “tags” describe you

2. DON’T be the worst in your category.

Get some good blogging software and customize it. Be the best you can be. Make it readable and easy on the eyes. Use large enough fonts for clarity. Put time and effort into your posts and make them interesting. Post often.

3. DO have a smile and a positive attitude.

As with most things in life, a smile and a good attitude go a long way. If all that is ever posted are negative words, readers will slowly drift away.

4. DON’T be overly cheesy.

A cheesy American Idol… a cheesy blog… nuff said

5. DO be quirky.

Some of the most popular blogs are the quirkiest. Find a quirky name or premise and build on that. Quirkiness breeds curiosity. Curiosity drives traffic.

6. DON’T resemble a celebrity of the opposite sex.

Don’t look like a blog from another category. Don’t be a Slashdot clone when you are trying to reach American Idol fans.

7. Cultivate a psychotically devoted fan base.

Write with passion, strike a nerve. Make a difference in the blogging community. Show your talents.

8. The location of your fan base is important

Make sure you get linked on other, like minded blogs. Bring in readers from your town, county, state, country, and world.

I am really learning from others when it comes to blogging. So many of you have shared your experiences and given me helpful guidance. I think Kim’s advice may be as helpful to the blogging world as it was to the participants in American Idol. Just remember to watch out for the “Simon” bloggers!

Comments…

Bert over at “Open Loops” is a real inspiration. He has taken his Open Loops logo and had it emblazoned on T-shirts and all sorts of other products. Sheer marketing genius! I think the Success Quadrant Logo would probably look good on a shirt, but I wondered if there was something that would personalize it better.

I did a little market research with the help of Steve Pavlina and one of his recommended sites called problogger. This site had a listing of popular search words for blogs. In the top 10 was the word Tattoo. Inspiration thru Information! Of course… why not a Success Quadrant Logo as a tattoo?

I did a mock up in Photoshop and I think it will be a hit! I’m not a big proponent of tattoo’s, especially in a business setting, but I think anyone will be a success with this one!

What do you Think?

Comments…

Many readers have asked what the significance of the “Success Begins Today” logo is. I thought I would make a quick post here to describe the different parts.

The four crescents around the outside represent the “Success Quadrant”. These symbolize the four attributes that most all successful people share.

1. Passion: What do you love to do?

4. Conscience: Doing what is right.

The triangle shape in the middle represents the “I-Force”. This is the inspirational force that energizes one to greatness. The three components are

1. Inspiration Thru Information: The power of knowledge

3. Inspiration Thru Imagination: The influence of great ideas

The shape of the crescents in a round formation symbolizes the daily journey to success. The crescent shape going from wide to a point illustrates the hours in the day. We start with 24 and count them down. Each new day starts again and counts down.

This is the genuine power of “Today”.

I’ll discuss the elements of the symbols over the next few weeks.

Success, as the logo illustrates, begins Today!

Steve Pavlina had a post yesterday on his blog about passion vs discipline. His take was that self discipline was more important than passion in the pursuit of success. He argued that you could have success without passion. Passion to Steve is a fleeting, unreliable emotion, that is not necessary for disciplined progress.

I beg to differ!

I have found that almost all successful people share 4 traits. Passion, Vision, Discipline and Conscience. The spark that ignites the other three is Passion! Discipline alone is an assembly line.

1. Without passion you have Yugos. With passion you have Ferraris

2. Discipline is a sugar cube, square, exact and unremarkable. Passion is a Mrs. Fields cookie, oblong, colorful and oh so tasty!

3. With discipline only.. you have “good enough”, The trouble is “good enough never is!” Good enough eventually puts you out of business.

While discipline is a needed component of the success quadrant, it is the least interesting. It’s the Joe Friday of the bunch… just the facts ma’m.

Steve asked “If you were to undergo open heart surgery, would you want a disciplined, dispassionate surgeon or an undisciplined, passionate one?”

My Answer: I would much rather have a passionate, caring doctor with a shaky hand than a slice and dice, assembly line, uncaring HMO surgeon.

Question: Have you ever heard a speech from a disciplined speaker without passion?
Answer: They are monotone… boring… In every speech contest I have ever been a part of, the passionate speaker wins!

So much for my passionate, but undisciplined rant.

I’d love to hear your comments on this!

John

The third tenet in John Maxwell’s book “Becoming A Person of Influence” is Faith. The following is an outline from his book that was used in a small group setting and some topics that were discussed. I’ve included some of my comments. Think back in your life and go over the outline for yourself. You may discover like I have, the traits that make up a real person of faith.

1. Most people don’t have faith in themselves

This is so true. I really struggle with those negative nabobs that always tell me that “I can’t do something”. Its funny how past failures can cloud present actions. Even though I might have a 90% chance of doing something successfully, that negative 10% will always nag at me.

2. Most people don’t have someone who has faith in them

This is a pretty negative world and the naysayers and negative nabobs abound. Negativity and gossip spread like wildfire. In life there are always numerous reasons someone can’t do something with very few positive affirmations. To me a true friend is someone who puts aside jealousy and has faith in another person.

3. Most people can tell when someone has faith in them

When you find that positive, affirming person you know who they are. In my life my dad always had faith in me. He would always come up with some reason that I could do it. When I think back to all of the seemingly impossible things I have accomplished in my life, there was always someone there who believed in me. Sometimes it was a teacher, sometimes it was a friend, sometimes it was a family member. There was always someone!

4. Most people will do anything to live up to your faith in them

When I was in outside sales, the owner of the company (Winzer corp.) had faith in me. He would always set my goals a little higher than I thought I could reach. His distance vision was a little further than mine. He always had a positive but realistic attitude. It was amazing how those distant vistas that he saw came into view at the end of the month. Klaus was an amazing person. He only had one hand, but the one he did have was always patting you on the back, encouraging you to go further. His encouragement led me to the top 5 in sales for the country. What seemed impossible became reality with his vision.

7 ways to become a believer in people.

1. Believe in them before they succeed: Your attitude is contagious

2. Emphasize their strengths: Give them a reason to succeed

3. List their past successes: Point out their positive accomplishments

4. Instill confidence when they fail: Pick them up when they fall

5. Experience some wins together: Be a team player

6. Visualize their future success: Light their path with your vision

7. Expect a new level of living: Expect great things!

When you believe in people, nothing is impossible!