‘Back to school – on the right foot’- Ken McCarthy’s Blog Post
Ken McCarthy’s latest blog post titled “Back to school – on the right foot” is reprinted here. [Blog Post print]
Ken McCarthy’s latest blog post is reprinted here.
Back to school – on the right foot
Maybe it’s because the new school year usually starts in September…
Or the fact that my birthday falls in September.
It could also be the impending change of the seasons (we feel these things in the Northeast)…
But whatever the reason, September always feels like a fresh start for me.
*** Thank God for new beginnings!
If you think about it, a “fresh start” attitude is what makes all success possible.
After all, what else is success, but learning to do things differently – and better – than you did them before?
– A quarterback practices new plays over and over until he knows them cold.
As the new season unfolds, his preparation pays off. Past seasons don’t matter. They’re gone. They’re history.
*** Where are you right now?
The success mind set is very simple.
And it all boils down to one simple attitude.
If you want to buy success CDs and attend pep rallies and hire success coaches, that’s fine. Those things won’t hurt. (At the very least, they’ll keep you out of trouble!)
But when it comes to success, there really is only one essential guiding thought and it’s this:
==================================== “It doesn’t matter where I am today because I am taking action to get me to where I want to be tomorrow.” ====================================
This simple idea trumps any other positive thinking mantra you’ll find.
It even beats “The Secret.”
Why?
*** It clears your mind
It gets you out of the loop of bemoaning your fate.
You know, those not-so-helpful questions like:
* “How did end up here?” * “Why did this happen to me?” * “Why are things so messed up right now?” * “Why am I not where I want to be?”
Here’s my answer:
You didn’t “attract” the conditions you’re in. It’s not part of your “bad luck.” It’s not the result of some secret defect you have.
You are where you are today because… you are.
That’s it. That’s all you need to know.
Imagine you just woke up today for the first time and found yourself in this body and this situation.
How you got there is not the issue. Getting somewhere else is.
That’s the first part of the formula.
“It doesn’t matter where I am today…”
*** Focus on the RIGHT thing
Maybe by visualizing some glorious future, you’ll magically attract it to yourself.
I’ve talked with a lot of people who’ve attained real success in their fields, and unless they sell positive thinking books for a living, they all seem to agree that success is…
“Luck meeting a prepared mind.”
They acknowledge that “luck” (and I’ll define that in a second) is part of the puzzle.
But they also stress that “luck” means nothing without preparation to take advantage of it.
In fact, I think it’s fair to say that preparation is what actually creates so-called “luck.”
Most people get this entirely backwards.
They think they need a “lucky” break to fall on them out of the sky for things to get better.
No, no, no.
You’ve probably heard of the lottery winners who find themselves dead broke, in debt and much worse off *after* winning a million dollars or more.
How can this happen?
“Luck” happened alright. And it met an unprepared mind and destroyed the “winner” in the process.
Here’s the take away…
You create “luck” by developing yourself:
* Learning to think more clearly… * Learning to communicate more effectively… * Turning off the TV… * Avoiding substances (including junk food) that weaken your mind and body… * Improving your social skills… * Confronting and overcoming personal flaws… * Reaching out to and enrolling positive people in your life… * Mastering the skills you need to win in your marketplace…
You do THESE things and “luck” will become your servant.
Thus, the second part of the formula:
“I am taking action…”
Action could be taking a nap when you’re tired… or taking a vacation when you’ve been at it too hard and too long…it’s whatever is needed to day to help move you the next step forward.
We all KNOW what we’re supposed to be doing and we also know what doesn’t help.
Sitting in front of the TV, indulging bad habits, failing to develop our skills and knowledge, wasting time with people who are wasting their lives…none of these things are going to yield a positive outcome.
On the other hand…
Learning new things…trying new methods…experimenting with different ways of thinking…meeting new people… learning to *listen* to people…these are all “luck” magnets.
“It doesn’t matter where I am today…because I am taking action…”
*** The last piece
Successful people are future-oriented.
They’re aware of history and get some of their best ideas from knowing what people have done in the past.
They know how to focus in the present. They know how to unwind and enjoy the moment. They know how to listen. All skills that require being in the present.
But the thing that differentiates them from the historian or the simple happy-go-lucky person living for the moment is that they have a VISION of the future.
They’ve given a lot of thought to where they want to be…they’ve taken the time to harmonize their vision of where they want to be with who they are…and they’ve dedicated themselves to figuring out what it will take to get them where they want to go – and then executing on it relentlessly.
*Positive* future-orientation which means I know the past, I’m enjoying the present, and I’m investing my energy in creating something new (or improving something.)
That’s the third part of the successful life formula:
“…to get me to where I want to be tomorrow.”
*** Why not be great?
People – and nations – become great in proportion to their willingness to conceive of and work towards a better future.
We don’t get there by patting ourselves on the back (or conversely criticizing ourselves excessively) or by “entertaining ourselves to death” (to steal a line from Neil Postman.)
In reality, pursuing a positive goal for yourself is in fact the most entertaining and enjoyable thing you can ever do.
That’s why successful people often continue at their profession or business long after they’ve blown past any financial need to continue working.
Why do they do it?
Because they love what they do and if you boil down what it is they do, it always boils down to two things: making something better or creating something new.
What do you think can and should be improved?
What new thing do you feel the world needs in order to be a better place?
These are the thoughts that lead to success.
*** Taking care of business
To take a business perspective on this…
What’s missing from your marketplace?
What unnecessary hassles and frustrations are your prospects and customers enduring?
What would make things easier or faster or make life brighter for them?
If one of your goals is a bigger income, these are the most productive issues to focus on.
And remember, where you are today says nothing about where you can be tomorrow.
You’re always just one idea, one inspiration, one insight away from a dramatically different life.
If you want to make a big change in your life, decide – right now – to take part in creation instead of standing on the sidelines commenting about it.
And remember:
“It doesn’t matter where you are today…
If you’re taking action…
To get you to where you want to be tomorrow.”
It’s Labor Day weekend in the US. A time to relax and reflect.
You might want to use some of your down time and think about these things:
Where DO you want to be?
And what program of action can you organize for yourself to move you closer to where you want to go knowing that it’s all about taking one step forward each day.
Enjoy the holiday!
– Ken McCarthy
P.S. My new project for the next several months is to spend more time teaching and working with people directly.
I’ve spend so much time in recent years seeking out and helping develop talent and organizing massive training events, that I haven’t spent as much time as I’d like on my first love, teaching.
A typical System Seminar has twenty-five workshops and an equal number of faculty members plus hundreds of attendees from all over the world.
Do the math…that’s a lot of people and events to manage.
Now, in addition to the big annual System Seminar conference, I’m doing small seminars, just me and an assistant. And I’m taking the seminar to you.
We just did our first one in Chicago and the next one will be in New York City on September 15th.
Later in the year, I’ll be heading to Toronto and then touring the Southwest and the West Coast.
At first, my colleagues thought I was crazy.
“Why, when you can get hundreds of people to come to you, would you travel all over the place to teach small groups?”
Here are some reasons that I’m sure you can appreciate:
* Less travel wear and tear on you
* Less expense for you too (no air fare or hotel)
* You’ll have more energy to focus on the content…and you’ll have more money after the training to invest your business
* You’ll be in a better position to shape the direction of the seminar, to customize it to your specific needs because their won’t be hundreds of people in the room
* You’ll enjoy the same advantage that so many of today’s Internet “hot shots” got when *they* were just getting started: learning the business directly from me.
If you’ve read this far and you’re interested in learning more about a completely unique business training that you won’t be able to duplicate anywhere else at any price, visit this site for details:
http://www.SystemIntensive.com
Ken McCarthy
The System Seminar
Ken McCarthy
Ken McCarthy organized and sponsored the first conference ever held on the subject of the commercial potential of the World Wide Web. His company Amacord Inc., formerly E-Media, was one of the first Internet-based businesses in the world.
In addition to working with small and mid-sized business clients since 1993, McCarthy was a consultant to NEC’s Biglobe, the largest online service in Japan, from 1996 to 2001. His book The Internet Business Manual was the first book on web entrepreneurship published in that country. He is also credited by Hotwired magazine with being one of the people responsible for the development and popularization of the banner ad, one of the key underpinnings of commercial Internet publishing.
A graduate of Princeton University, McCarthy came to the Internet industry with a varied background which included technical consulting for two of New York’s top investment banks, lecturing on educational psychology at MIT, Columbia, and NYU, and founding and operating a number of small businesses, including one that helped produce an Academy Award winning documentary. Ken McCarthy is associated with the following blogs: Ken McCarthy’s Blog, System Video Blog and Internet Video Marketing Letter
*IMNewswatch would like to thank Ken McCarthy for granting permission to reprint the latest blog posts.
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