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

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad

“Now don’t be sad, cause two out of three ain’t bad.” Meatloaf, Bat Out of Hell

Welcome to The Vibe!

The blog that believes the kids should be back in school while still not letting anyone inside their home.

Each week we discuss ONE IDEA that will help you live a better life.

This week’s topic is your FIRST DOG.  

And why sometimes “Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad.” 

The Vibe: Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad

We adopted our first dog.

She’s was an 85 pound lab rescue.

The experiment lasted 68 hours.  

The dog went back with the foster, ready to be adopted again.

Never Say Never

Rewind 10 years back.

The year was 2010.

It was the year the iPad was released.

The cast of MTV’s Jersey Shore fist pumped on the board walk.

And every mom in the suburbs sang along to Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister”.

That’s about the time I went on record saying I had ZERO interest in doing any of the following: 

  1. Move.
  2. Have a 3rd kid.
  3. Get a dog.

So funny…

Let’s start with the fact that I am writing this while looking out to the back yard of the house we bought two summers ago as my 8 year old is doing cart wheels next to me.

The new home is great.

Having a third kid is awesome.

Getting the dog?  

Well…

Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad.

Pandemic Puppy

I started hearing whispers of us needing a puppy a few days into the COVID-19 shutdown.

Two of our kids talked about it non-stop.

After weeks of them asking, we agreed to start “looking” for a “small, little puppy” on two conditions:

  1. The kids would do the majority of the work.
  2. They would stop asking us about getting a puppy.

We soon found that trying to get a puppy during a pandemic was like buying a house in a seller’s market.

There was very little inventory.

And the good ones went really fast.

We missed out on the first 5 little dogs we applied for.

Then the next thing you know, we are pulling up to a farm about an hour from our house to meet an 85 pound lab rescue.

Her name was Willow.

We spent about 30 minutes petting and playing with her.

Willow was friendly, a bit assertive, and about an 8.5 on the energy scale.

Oh…

And definitely NOT small.

The foster told us there were 2 other families coming to meet her after us.

We got back in the car with a decision to make.

Two of our kids were SO EXCITED.

They were ALL IN.

It didn’t feel right to me.

But I wanted to give our kids an experience I never had as a child.

So I broke the cardinal rule I run decisions like this one through…

“If it’s not “Hell Yeah!”, it’s a definite “No”.

I went along and said “Let’ do it!”

68 Hours

We had a few days before Willow was going to be officially ours.

So we geared up by buying every conceivable toy, leash, and other dog swag at PetsMart.

We also took a crash course in dog training by watching Brandon McMillion’s Master Class.

It was the equivalent of watching a few Jiu Jitsu videos on YouTube before jumping into the Purple Belt division of a BJJ tournament.

Three Words come to mind…

Brace for impact.

The foster, who was fantastic, dropped off the dog to our house late on a Friday afternoon.

To make things extra interesting, our lawn was aerated a few hours before Willow arrived.

We had no idea if we were scooping up dog or dirt.

Willow immediately took to my wife and I.

She wanted little to do with our kids no matter how much they tried to engage her.

We quickly realized our youngest kid, who was the most excited about getting a dog, could not even walk her.

The dog was too strong & energetic.

By the end of the second day, my wife and I were doing the majority of the work for a dog we got for our kids.

By the end of third day, we were realizing that we may have bit off more dog bone than we could chew.

To cap off our third night together, some neighbors started shooting off fireworks.

Uggh.

I heard about dogs not liking fireworks, but now got to see it first hand in our living room.

After the fireworks calmed down, we all looked at each other.

It was time to change course.

We called the foster.

We both agreed it was best if the dog went to another family.

That next day our entire crew played with Willow one last time before the foster picked her up.

Our three days of furry chaos was coming to a close.

When Willow saw the foster in our driveway, she took off, leaped into her car and never looked back.

No offense taken.

As they pulled away I was somewhere between SAD and RELIEVED.

Thank you for being our first dog.

Wish you an amazing life.

#TwoOutOfThreeAintBad

Joe Ciccarone

http://www.SalesVibe.Blog

Home Work

wfh-parents.jpg

“Sorry I couldn’t answer the phone when you called.  I was working from home.” – Anonymous

Welcome to The Vibe!

The only weekly blog that shows up early at the supermarket but doesn’t hoard all the paper towels.

Each week we discuss ONE IDEA that will help you live a better life.

This week’s topic is WORKING FROM HOME.

If you think this post is helpful, please forward to a friend.

Just remember to stay six feet away at all times.

Let’s do this…

The Vibe: Home Work

Week #2 of lockdown in progress.

One of our many new challenges is our new office.

We are all suddenly WORKING FROM HOME.

Just one problem…

Our entire family is home as well.

24/7.

We are taking conference calls in the mud room.

The sounds of Fortnight in the background.

Being asked to make waffles just when you unmute your line to speak up.

Interesting times.

At first glance, working from home sounds amazing.

There are defiantly some advantages.

The commute, dress code and free coffee come to mind.

But home base is filled with DISTRACTIONS.  

It can be one of the most challenging environments to get real work done.

The Harvard Business Review has a video on the best practices from working from home that made the rounds on social media this week.

I think the advice is average at best.

With all due respect to Harvard, I’d like to share some ideas to fill in the gaps.

These HOME WORK ideas are from the busiest and most accomplished people I ever came across.

How To Do Your Home Work:

1) Get Up Early

This is by far the most effective idea on being productive at home.

No one wants to talk to you at 5am.  

The early morning is gold.

It’s distraction free.

You have time to think.

Your mind is fully charged.

You can feel the STILLNESS.

Added bonus: You get to see the sunrise.

Waking up early is THE most time tested way through out history to have a productive day.

Two thousand years ago Aristotle said, It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.”

There is no substitute for getting up early.

2) Know Your ONE THING

If you only could get ONE THING done today what would it be?

That’s your #1 priority.

Author Gary Keller calls this your ONE THING.

Everything else is just a distraction or back ground noise.

We don’t have time to get everything done.

But we always have time for our #1 priority.

Focus is everything.

What’s your ONE THING?

Get focused.

Get going.

3) Set A Schedule

Put your schedule on the fridge.

Have your partner do the same.

Communication is key.

Start the day knowing who and when everyone is on kid duty.

This reduces a ton friction.

4) Take Lots of Breaks.

Go for walk with your kids.

Have coffee with your wife.

Working from home is about being PRODUCTIVE, not punching a clock.

Fresh minds do great work.

4.5) Cut Some Slack

Give yourself (and everyone else) some slack.

This is a new environment for everybody.

Your kids will remember this crazy time.

Our job as parents is to make it a great memory.

All we can do is ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES. 

And let’s cut everyone some slack along the way.

Be well…

#HomeWork

Until next week,

Joe Ciccarone

http://www.SalesVibe.Net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Listen Up

c78826d7-cf9d-4c48-8b2d-7bcfb4e977c7_screenshot.jpg

“The most successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” – Bernard Baruch

Welcome to The Vibe!

Each week we discuss one idea that will help you live a better life.

This week’s topic is the power of LISTENING and how listening is the fastest way to connect and INFLUENCE another person.

Thank you for reading The VIBE.

If you think this post is helpful, please forward to a friend.

Let’s do this…

The Vibe: Listen Up

We all lead something.

Some of us coach our kid’s sports teams.

Others run companies that hundreds of people rely on for their livelihood.

While some are the CEOs of their families.

No matter the situation, LEADERS need the ability to connect and gain INFLUENCE to be effective.

No influence, no nothing.

What’s the fastest way to influence another person?

By LISTENING to them.

Learning to Listen

A few years after I graduated college with an accounting  degree, I realized something.

I was possibly the worst accountant in the state of Pennsylvania (but that has never been verified).

That career path was just not for me.

After deveopling some SELF-AWARENESS and building up COURAGE, I changed careers.

I jumped into SALES.

Overnight I went from struggling accountant to clueless salesperson.

My livelihood now depended on my ability to sell.

Just one problem…

I had never sold anything to anyone ever.

Things were really looking up.

So I decided to read every book and article on SALES I could find.

I attended every sales training course that came through Philly with the urgency of someone who’s career was suddenly in the balance.

Because it was.

What did I learn?

To be great at SALES you need to posses a SUPERPOWER.

That superpower is LISTENING.

Sales, like LEADERSHIP, is an art.

Rock star SALES PEOPLE, like great LEADERS, all have different styles.

But they have ONE THING in common.

They are awesome listeners.

They have the ability to CONNECT with people by asking meaningful questions, then thoughtfully listen to what that person says.

Asking questions and listening shows you care.

Listening forms a bond between you and the other person.

You get bonus points for not interrupting someone speaking, even when you know what they are saying is off base.

Listening is hard work.

It takes PATIENCE and POISE.

But guess what?

It’s worth it.

And LISTENING works.

Listening may be the most powerful way to connect with another human being.

George Raveling wrote, “What people need most is not a brilliant mind that speaks but a special heart that listens.” 

There is no better time to build your INFLUENCE.  

Someone out there needs you to LISTEN.  

And they want you to LEAD.  

#ListenUp

Until next week,

Joe Ciccarone

SalesVibe.net