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.

The first move is always to separate what’s in your control from what’s not.
Control what you can. Adapt or be indifferent to everything else.
Be humble or the world will humble you.
You are responsible for the energy you bring into the room.
Don’t compare yourself to anyone. Just be better than you were yesterday.
The fastest way to change your life is to change your environment.
No need to look back. You’re not heading that way.
When you mess up, own it. Then make it right.
If you want things to get better, you have to get better.
Life is less about brilliant strategy and all about who wants it more.
No struggle, no progress.
Stand up when someone walks over to speak with you. It shows respect.
Clutter steals your physical space and inner peace. No need to save something for a day that may never come.
Take one more piece of trash off the beach than you brought.
Sometimes the best move is to move on.
Find one thing you’re good at. Go all in. An amazing journey will follow.
The ultimate life hack is an awesome spouse.
Have the courage to say “No”. It’s the key to a great life.
If it’s not a “Hell yeah!”, it’s a definite “No”.
What you don’t do is more important than what you do.
How to sell anything in 1 sentence: Show the other person how they win when they work with you.
Good health is real wealth.
If you haven’t failed at something in a while, you’re just coasting.
It’s better to walk away than lose your temper.
How you spend your time and money tells us what you really value.
Wake up early. There’s magic in the early morning.
Reading with your kids at bedtime is one of the greatest uses of time ever invented.
There’s always a next move, even if it’s just acceptance.
Having the ability to think on your feet is no excuse for showing up unprepared.
3 Lessons from My 3 Favorite Books: 1) Obstacles will either crush you or make you stronger. 2) The fastest way to success is by helping others succeed. 3) Never invade Russia.
No trust, no nothing.
How people respond under pressure reveals their true character.
Show me your friends, I will show you who you are.
When you meet someone of influence, ask them for a book recommendation.
Keep pushing, eventually it will break.
An 8-hour delay in the Phoenix airport can either be the longest day of the year or the most productive. Your call.
We don’t control what happens, only how we respond.
You always have more than two options.
In the long run, it’s cheaper and easier to fix the problem than not fix the problem.
Do less and do it better.
Once you figure out what you stand for, the rest gets a lot easier.
It’s better to be kind than clever.
Cut people some slack. Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about.
Worrying is wasted energy. Anxiety makes nothing better.
Self-awareness is a superpower.
I used to think being a parent was about teaching and leading. I now realize it’s about listening and learning.
This too shall pass…
All we ever have is the present moment. Be there.
Keep showing up.
What would I tell my 18-year-old self? Hang around people better than you. Put in the work. Be kind. (PS – Lose the mullet). My 18-year-old self would probably just tell me to “F*ck off”.
Each day is a gift.

Your results may vary.

#50For50

Joe Ciccarone

www.SalesVibe.Blog

Roll With The Punches

“It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.” – Rocky Balboa

Welcome to The Vibe!

The weekly blog that shows up in your inbox while respecting your social distance.

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

This week’s topic is the power of ROUTINES.

If you think this post is VIRAL in a good way, please forward to a friend.

Just Purell your keyboard afterwards.

Let’s scrub in…

The Vibe: Roll with the Punches

There is a haunting Chinese blessing that doubles as a curse.

“May you live in interesting times.”

A fitting phrase for the present moment.

Schools closed, communities self-isolating and our daily ROUTINES KO’d like an early opponent of Mike Tyson.

Not to mention we have to watch that guy in jean shorts carry nine cases of toilet paper out of Costco.

Interesting times.

Epictetus said the most important thing in life is to separate the world into two categories:

1) What we control.

2) What we don’t.

The next few weeks will give us a chance to put this wisdom into action.

We don’t control that this virus is here.

We don’t control our communities are shut down.

We don’t control what that guy wearing jean shorts buys at Costco.

But we have 100% control of our own actions.

We all have some BIG time family bonding on our hands.

A great way to ROLL WITH THE PUNCHES is to establish new ROUTINES.

We are all products of our daily ROUTINE.

Routines create the rhythm for our lives.

Our routines establish our habits.

Our habits determine who we become.

It’s time to create some new ROUTINES for times like these.

Here are 3.5 ROUTINE IDEAS that may help:

1) Take Long Walks Outside

Soren Kierkegaard wrote, “Every day, I walk myself into a state of well-being & walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts…if one just keeps on walking, everything will be all right.”

Long walks outside clear our mind.

They get the blood flowing.

Walks connect us with nature.

Some of our best family conversations happen during walking.

2) Establish a Reading Practice

There has never been a better time to be a reader.

There are some mind blowing, perspective changing books out there.

Gather your crew and have them read for an hour in the same room.

Then have each person share one idea from the book they are reading.

Amazing conversations will follow.

3) Declutter

Use this unexpected time together to liberate your house of all that clutter.

Use your free time to free your home (and your mind).

You’ll BE HAPPY you did.

3.5) Be Kind

Everyone is out of their routine.

This is NOT business as usual.

George Raveling wrote, “This is a good time to be good to one another.”

There is never a need to distance ourselves from KINDNESS.

Ryan Holiday said that the version of you who steps out of this quarantine can be a better version than entered it.

Creating new ROUTINES like these can make that happen.

Finally…

A BIG THANK YOU to all the healthcare care workers holding down the front lines.

To all the SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS that have people relying on them for their paychecks.

Stand tough.

This too shall pass…

#RollWithThePunches

Keep fighting…

Joe Ciccarone

http://www.SalesVibe.Net

Build Your Monument

Deeds, not stones, are the monuments of the great. – John Motley

In RJ Palacio’s book “Wonder”, August ‘Auggie’ Pullman is a 5th grader trying to fit in to his new school.

There’s just one problem.

A chromosome problem.

Auggie was born missing one.

This condition caused his appearance to be unlike anyone else’s in the school.

Palacio describes Auggie as “an ordinary kid with an extraordinary face”.

“Wonder” tells the story of how this 11 year old deals with being singled out, excluded, ridiculed, ignored and noticed everywhere he goes.

All because he doesn’t look like everyone else.

Could you imagine?

The book is INSPIRING and funny.

And at times uncomfortable.

But like all good books, it teaches a LESSON.

Acts of KINDNESS stand larger than stone monuments to the people we help.

One of the fun characters in the book is Auggie’s English teacher, Mr Browne.

Each month Mr Browne inspires his students with a PRECEPT.

Here’s October’s Precept:

“YOUR DEEDS ARE YOUR MONUMENTS”

This quote, which Mr Browne told the class, “was carved on the tomb of an Egyptian Pharaoh”, describes a timeless truth:

Actions speak louder than stone.

What we DO becomes our legacy.

Our DEEDS have a BIGGER impact than anything we SAY or THINK.

Life is about taking action.

And our ACTIONS give us our best chance to impact the lives of others.

This idea reminds us of that great line from Maximus in the opening scene of the movie Gladiator, “What we do in life echos in eternity.”

Every KIND ACT we do is another stone cast into our legacy.

Mr Browne challenged his students to write down what October’s PRECEPT meant to them.

Here’s what Auggie wrote:

“We should be remembered for the things we do. The things we do are more important than what we say or what we look like. The things we do are like MONUMENTS. They’re like the pyramids the Egyptians built to honor the pharaohs. Instead of of being made by stone, they’re made of memories. YOUR DEEDS ARE YOUR MONUMENTS.”

Time to build.