Take the Gold

“Within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.” – Ryan Holiday

New Year’s Eve 2020 was like that frat party in college where the kegs kicked and the police showed up at the same time.

Everyone wanted out.

And we dashed to the exits at midnight full speed.

Good riddance. 

2020 did an amazing job smashing most of our plans. 

But we survived.

Now it’s time to turn the page.

Before we drag 2020 out to the curb with our dead Christmas tree, we need to do one thing. 

TAKE THE GOLD with us.

There’s a saying from Ben Franklin, who was no stranger to challenging years, “The things which hurt, instruct.”

2020 was a fantastic teacher.

It did an incredible job of showing us our weaknesses. 

It tested our mental and physical health.

Punched our daily routines in the throat.

And tried it’s best to cross collar choke our businesses. 

It forced us to evolve or become irrelevant.

But OBSTACLES also have a positive side.    

They not only obstruct, they instruct.

Obstacles show us what we need to change

In The Obstacle Is the Way, Ryan Holiday writes that obstacles can teach us a better way.

“What impedes us can also empower us.”

When we are forced to find new ways of doing things, progress is not far behind.

Here are 3 GOLD NUGGETS I am bringing into the new year:

LESS COMMITMENTS

We stopped trying to be everywhere.

2020 crushed our superficial relationships.

Which is NOT a bad thing.

No driving an hour each way to that party you did not want to attend on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

There was less work travel because we found out that not all meetings need to be live. 

We got to hang out and spend quality time with our number one customer – our family.

We did less and learned to do it better. 

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Fire pits on a Friday night with your friends.

Long hikes with your family on Christmas Day.

Outdoor bike rides in December.

These are no longer just for people in the OC. 

You may need to dress in 6 layers for the Philly winter, but 2020 showed us that the great outdoors is the gym that never closes and never charges a monthly fee.

BUY TIME BACK  

Time is our most precious asset.

No one ever has enough of it. 

2020 taught us that we can delegate out time drains like market trips and Costco runs.   

I never realized how much time was wasted going food shopping. 

Now the market gets dropped off at your doorstep with a few taps of your phone. 

If we save just an hour per week NOT going to the market, that’s over 2 full days you just bought back to do whatever you please in 2021.

Word.

Years like 2020 show us what we need to change.

They show us a better way. 

The new year is in front of us.

Time to turn the page.

Just TAKE THE GOLD with you.

#TakeTheGold

Wish you an amazing 2021!

Joe Ciccarone

www.SalesVibe.Blog

50 Lessons on the Path to 50

50 Lessons on the Path to 50

“If a man looks at the world at fifty the same way he looked at it when he was twenty and hasn’t changed, he wasted thirty years of his life.” – Muhammad Ali

Welcome to The Vibe!

The blog that believes age is a MINDSET.

Each week we discuss an IDEA that helps you live a better life.

This week’s topic is 50 Lessons on the Path to 50.

But let’s keep this “turning 50” thing between us.

Deal?

The Vibe: 50 Lessons on the Path to 50

Here are 50 Lessons on the Path to 50.

Some of these are lessons that have stuck with me since childhood.

Others were realized only after MISTAKES and FAILURES.

These IDEAS can help you live a better life no matter what age they are put into use.

Your results may vary.

#50For50

Joe Ciccarone

www.SalesVibe.Blog

The Enemy Within

“We have met the enemy and it is us.” – Walt Kelly

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I was training Jiu Jitsu with a less experienced partner.

I fooled myself into believing I was better than I really was.

My “less experienced” partner caught me in an arm bar.

Instead of tapping, I tried to fight my way out.

My EGO refused to be submitted.

Big mistake.

I did tap, after I heard something pop in my elbow.

Not fun.

Lesson learned the hard way.

Our worst enemy lives inside our mind.

Our EGO.

Ego is:

  • the false story of our own greatness.
  • the unhealthy belief in our own importance.
  • thinking we are better than we really are.

Ego is arrogance and entitlement.

“The first principle” Richard Feyman wrote, “is that you must not fool yourself – and you are the easiest person to fool.”

It’s the polar opposite of CONFIDENCE.

Confidence is earned.

Ego is not.

Ego is the Enemy within each of us.

Ego has caused BIG crashes everywhere from politics, to sales deals gone bad, to personal relationships.

Nothing will hurt you faster than your own ego.

3 Ways to Keep Your EGO in Check:

Have a Student Mindset

Commit to something hard.

Train Jiu Jitsu.

Take up a musical instrument.

Do something that exposes the massive amounts of skills you do NOT currently possess.

It’s hard to have a huge ego when you are getting smashed on the mat or can’t play Jingle Bells.

Ho, Ho, Ho…

Get Natural

Walk by the ocean.

Look up at the stars.  Get lost in the mountains.

Nature has a way of keeping people grounded.

Know Your History

Look at history.

Chester Arthur, Marcus Aurelius, & Genghis Khan were 3 of the most powerful and famous people on earth.

Now they’re not.

We all do important work.

Value the work you do but stay humble.

There is a sign that hangs over the entrance to our Jiu Jitsu academy.

It’s both a welcome & a warning.

The sign reads,

“Please leave your EGO and SHOES at the door.  Enter with a Beginner’s Mind.”

This is a fantastic mindset to bring on the mat.

It’s even better to bring into your life.

#EgoIsTheEnemy

-Joe Ciccarone

www.SalesVibe.net