Motivation Minute

Reinventing Jobs: A 4-Step Approach for Applying Automation to Work - The intent of automation should not be eliminating jobs, but achieving the optimum synergy of humans and automation. - Return on Invested Performance is a critical metric for getting the best bang for your buck when choosing systems to automate - Repetitiveness, human interaction, and cognitive load impact if automation is worthwhile

Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days (Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, Braden Kowitz) - Sprints help you fast forward to the future and see customers react sooner - The longer you wait, it becomes increasingly harder to change products - Your product is never “ready” - but a sprint-mindset helps you make time-based releases (instead of feature-based).

- To get into the habit zone, your product needs to be used frequently and provide great utility - The time or money investment users make in services greatly impacts how hooked they are - Changing someone’s motivation is challenging - scarcity and a sense of progress make a big difference

The Proximity Principle: The Proven Strategy that Will Lead to the Career You Love (Ken Coleman) - Being intentional about who you surround yourself with is the key to a fulfilling future - Every career stepping stone matters.  It could become a long-term career cornerstone - You don’t summit Mt. Everest all at once - success is a step-by-step process   Let us know what books you want to hear next on the survey at MotivationMinute.com!

Gorilla Mindset: How to Dominate and Unleash the Animal Inside You (Mike Cernovich) - To get more out of life, you must get more out of yourself. - He who controls how something is framed controls the debate. - Quick mental checklists can be powerful tools for focusing your attention   Keep the great book ideas coming to the survey at MotivationMinute.com

The Simplicity Cycle: The Field Guide to Making Things Better Without Making Them Worse (Dan Ward) - We tend to be drawn towards complexity, when deep down we yearn for simplicity - Simplicity is a combination of complexity (features) and “goodness” (functionality) - True productivity is maximizing the value of existing features   Andrew Smith: Founder of ProRustics Home & Furnishings https://www.facebook.com/prorustics/ Instagram - @ProRustics

Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service (Ken Blanchard) - Satisfied customers aren’t enough.  To thrive your business needs raving fans. - Customers count on your consistency.  After you disappoint them once it’s difficult to rebuild trust. - Focus on improving just 1%.  Tackle less of the problem, but be consistent with that “less”.   Send us books you want to hear featured via our survey at MotivationMinute.com!

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder (Nassim Taleb) - Antifragile systems improve in the face of chaos - Efficient systems are at peak capacity and on the verge of collapse - The barbell strategy (maximizing opposite extremes and avoiding the middle) helps you build an antifragile life   Guest: Mary Miller, Nuclear Engineer and Motivation Minute Listener

Extreme Ownership: How US Navy Seals Lead and Win (Jocko Willink and Leif Babin) - Extreme Ownership is taking full responsibility for yourself. - Learn to lead both down and up the chain.  If you’re boss doesn’t get it, blame yourself first. - The hardest part of taking responsibility is the hit to your ego.  But this pulls your team together.   Keep the book ideas coming!  Send them into our survey at MotivationMinute.com

The Greatest Salesman in the World (Og Mandino) - True wealth is of the heart, not the purse - Approach each day, each situation, and each person with genuine love in your heart - Learn to see obstacles as just detours.  Persisting is the key to success.   Guest: Japheth Mast, Founder of Japheth Mast Photo Website: JaphethMastPhoto.com Blog: JaphethMast.com Instagram: @japhethmast

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (Roger Fisher and William Ury) - Never cave to pressure.  Stick to your standards and persist to find a win-win. - Having a solid BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) makes you a stronger negotiator - Become an empathetic negotiator by listening more and putting yourself in other people’s shoes   We love your book ideas!  Share book with us that you’d like to hear at MotivationMinute.com

The Prince (Niccolo Machiavelli) - To understand the people, one needs to be a prince - to understand princes, one needs to be of the people - Success isn’t a formula.  Adapt your strategy based on the situation around you - Listen to people who know what they’re talking about, who genuinely want to help you   Guest: Niels van den Kieboom, International Business Student Website: BroGecko.com Instagram: @brogeckoshop

Messy: The Power of Disorder to Change Our Lives (Tim Harford) - The random nature of messiness can lead to our greatest inspiration - Improvisation is the ultimate intersection of structure and spontaneity - Adding strategic elements of risk surprisingly can boost safety   We love hearing your book ideas on our survey - MotivationMinute.com

Friend of a Friend: Understanding the Hidden Networks that can Change Your Life and Career (David Burkus) - Don’t fixate on building a network. Instead, learn to better navigate and leverage your current network - Who you know and your conversations with them dramatically impact how you think - Weak ties (friends you don’t talk with as often) have more opportunities and enlarge your perspective more than strong ties. We’d love to hear your book ideas in our survey at MotivationMinute.com

Think And Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill) - Being intentional about how you think is a critical key to success - Harness the power of autosuggestion to make your goal part of who you are - Envision yourself with the money (or desired thing) ahead of time, especially the emotions and experience you will have with it   Guest: David Troyer Instagram: @davidalantroyer

- Break every project down into bite-sized “next-moves”, and treat them as monkeys - Don’t take on a problem that isn’t yours.  That monkey doesn’t belong to you! - Always ensure monkeys has a clear owner, next move, and follow-up time   We love hearing your book ideas, keep those coming at our survey on MotivationMinute.com

The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up To Win (Jeff Haden) - Genuinely savor every small win, every day - Motivation is an active choice where you step out first.  It’s not passive. - Success comes from the process.  Not momentary achievements.   Shout-out to Lou David for recommending this week’s book.  You can send us your ideas too at our survey on MotivationMinute.com

Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending - How, where, and why you spend are more critical than how much - Buying experiences is far more fulfilling long-term than physical things - “Name your money” based on your values for guilt-free spending   Guest: Graham Ewing, Financial Planner - LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/2CbOdZl

Way of the Wolf: Straight Line Selling: Master the Art of Persuasion, Influence, and Success - Selling is everything in life.  You’re either selling or you’re failing. - Connecting with a buyer’s pain can be one of the most effective sales tools - Building trust in you, your product, and your company is essential to winning customers   Guest: David Foote, Bodybuilder - Instagram: @davidfoote_fitness - YouTube: David Foote

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies - You don’t need a great idea to start a company.  Establishing a core vision is far more critical - Be intentional about pushing for “BHAG” - Big Hairy Audacious Goals - Ongoing refinement of your idea is key, just like pruning to shape a tree   We want to hear the books you want featured next!  Check out our survey at MotivationMinute.com

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused life in a Noisy World (Cal Newport) - Digital minimalists focus on activities that directly add their core values - Setting boundaries (like time/location/purpose) is key to taking control of your digital life - Try out the 30-day challenge to declutter your digital life and establish new priorities   Check out our survey at MotivationMinute.com and tell us what books you’d like to hear on the show!

The Compound Effect (Darren Hardy) - Your little decisions every day add up faster than you realize long-term - Rather than making dramatic life changes, you can get ahead with strategic, small changes to your routine - Consistency with the small things is key.  Otherwise you might lose their growth potential.   Guest: Warren Yutzy, Owner of Seamless Roofs - TheRooferHelp.com - Facebook: warren.yutzy.7 - Instagram: @seamless_roofs

High Performance Habits (Brendon Burchard) - You’re achieving high performance when you’re fully immersed, enjoying your work, and confident you can problem solve. - The biggest indicator of confidence is how curious you are.  Not just passionate, but obsessed with what you’re learning - Being enthusiastic is key to generating energy among the people around you   Guest: Bo Muchoki - WhateverItTakesMotivation on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTM7jCqsRx77CO8yKVQho6A - Instagram: @bomuchoki

It Starts With You: Turn Your Goals Into Success (Fred Stuvek) - Positive mindsets aren’t achieved serendipitously - it requires a very intentional decision - The best way to approach obstacles is with an “I’ll figure this out” mindset - You don’t always have control over your positional authority, but you can always grow personal authority   Guest: Fred Stuvek, Consultant and Author - ItStartsWithYou.net - Twitter: @FStuvek - Instagram: @fredstuvek

Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions - Stay “on the bottom of things” (instead of on top), and get ahead again at strategic times - Focus on the most urgent and time-intensive tasks first to keep high productivity - It’s impossible to optimize your life UNLESS you (1) make assumptions, (2) show bias toward simple solutions, (3) consider the cost of your time, and (4) take risks.   Check out our survey at MotivationMinute.com and tell us what books you’d like to hear on the show!

The E-Myth Revisited (Michael Gerber) - The 4-Hour Workweek (Andy Ferris) - Systems are the key to getting your business on autopilot - It’s easy to lose sight of the long-term with everyday, mundane distractions - A selectively ignorant information diet can be the key to pulling ahead   Guest: Dave Powers, Creator of Objective Personality - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DaveSuperPowers/ - ObjectivePersonality.com - Founder of RCPowers: https://rcpowers.com/community/

- Life is not like chess, because there’s not always a right move. - Life is more like poker - where skill AND luck play tremendous roles - Life isn’t all about just skill or luck.  It’s a healthy, in-the-middle combination of those.   Check out our survey at MotivationMinute.com to get your book featured on the show!

- Memorable ideas follow the SUCCESs model.  Simple. Unexpected. Concrete. Credible. Emotional. Stories. - Simple messages are core truths in a compact package.   - “Unsticking” false ideas isn’t impossible, but extremely difficult since  incorrect ideas spread far faster than factual ones.   Guest: Jessica Sena, Natural Resources Advocate - Twitter: @JessicaESena - Instagram: @treasurestatetraveler - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaesena/

Special interview with Gov. Robert Ehrlich (former Maryland governor) on his book “Bet You Didn’t See That One Coming: Obama, Trump, and the End of Washington’s Regular Order”. Takeaways: - Trump’s America-first agenda ushers in new and unconventional tactics - “Hit and hug” and “art of the deal” negotiating is the new norm in D.C. - Entitlements like Social Security, Medicare, and ObamaCare are a challenge to replace.  New strategies will be needed moving forward.   Guest: Gov. Bob Ehrlich Partner at King & Spalding in Washington, D.C. https://www.facebook.com/Bob-Ehrlich-12251529043/ “Bet You Didn’t See That One Coming” - https://amzn.to/2rxmwo8

- The perfect time to jump is always now - Jumping opens up a new realm of opportunities - If you don’t jump, your parachute will never open   Guest: Devin Knight, Motivation Minute listener Fill out the survey at MotivationMinute.com to get your book featured on the show!

- Businesses fail because they want the right things, but measure the wrong things - The greatest assets for fixing a business are the people and tools you already have - Nobody loses when the whole team wins

- The hardest part about running your own business is often just getting up every day and going to work - When you’re cold calling, make the other person hear your smile through the phone - Don’t be afraid of silence in negotiations.  The last to speak loses   Guest: James Jones, President of Answer Tax & Business - www.ATB.tax - https://www.facebook.com/JimmyTheManDotCom/

- Brown cows are boring - succeeding today takes being a purple cow - Appealing to everyone is a lost cause.  Go for a sliver group of “sneezers” - Playing it safe is risky, very good isn’t good enough   Guests: Andrew Smith, Founder of ProRustics Home & Furnishings - ProRustics.com - Instagram - @ProRustics   Austin Groff, Founder of Dutch Country Hand Rolled Soft Pretzels - Instagram - @DutchCountrySoftPretzels - https://www.facebook.com/Dutch-Country-Hand-Rolled-Soft-Pretzels-518236568293529/

- Smell the cheese often so you know when it’s getting old - Instead of asking “Who moved my cheese?”, try asking “Why didn’t I get up and pursue more cheese sooner?” - Give equal value for free to your customers as you expect them to purchase   Guest: Chase Shaw - Provident Payments (ProvidentPayments.com) - Flora Flower Cart (FloraFlowerCart.com) - Instagram (@FloraFlowerCart)

- Patagonia’s top 3 values - restraint, quality, and simplicity - The more you know, the less you need.  Develop skill first, then splurge for better technology. - Prioritize stories over products in advertising, then show how your business fills the gap.

- A magnetic product taps into both emotion and high functionality - There is no average customer.  It’s more ideal to tailor to a variety of customer groups - Previews and samples can improve sales with customers who are still on the fence

See You At The Top - Zig Ziglar - Build your self-confidence by intentionally looking people in the eye - Big shots are really little shots that kept on shooting - The best way to go big with you goals is starting small

Cold Calling Techniques (That Really Work!) - Stephan Schiffman - Every “no” is truly a “yes” on its way, in disguise - Give special attention to next steps.  That way new clients don’t accidentally fall through the cracks - Focusing on personal connection helps push past industry gatekeepers   Guest: Andrew Smith, Founder of ProRustics Home & Furnishings ProRustics.com Instagram - @ProRustics

Start With Why: How great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (Simon Sinek) - Marketers heavily rely on manipulation, not relationship, to generate sales - Comparing features doesn’t help a customer’s decision.  Your story is key. - People don’t buy your what you do, they buy why you do it

The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results - Be like a postage stamp.  Stick to ONE THING until you get there. - Kick off the domino effect by finding today’s lead domino and whack at it until it drops.    - Constantly revisit the focus question: “What’s the one thing I can do, such that by doing it everything else becomes easier or unnecessary?”   Guest: Delores Miller, Student and Musician   Keep the book ideas coming!  MotivationMinute.com/Survey

The Pressure Principle: Handle Stress, Harness Energy, and Perform When it Counts (Dave Alfred) - Move out of your comfort zone to embrace the “ugly zone” - Live like a skateboarder.  Celebrate your “wipeouts” on the way to success - Your outcome is guaranteed when you nail the learning process   Send your book ideas to MotivationMinute.com/Survey

Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success (Matthew Syed) -  There is no fast-track to success.  Iterative growth and 10K hours experience is the key. -  Dedication is the key to creating opportunities for growth -  Don’t over-fixate on specific problems - it’s easy to miss the overarching issue.   Love your book ideas!  Keep sending them in at MotivationMinute.com/Survey

-  Wise entrepreneurs are not purely risk takers - they’re risk managers -  Taking fewer, more calculated risks is a safer way to grow -  Master minimalism daily to wisely steward money in your business Never Bet the Farm (Anthony Iaquinto and Stephen Spinelli)   Send your book ideas into MotivationMinute.com/Survey  

Leaders Eat Last (Simon Sinek) -  Leadership should be about lives - not numbers! -  Tension is common between leaders and followers, often causing an authority vs. information tug-of-war -  Keep relationships real.  Shift away from abstract tools like email and spreadsheets   Guest: Stephan Girod, Founder of Wildcat Wood (wildcat-wood.com)   We appreciate all the book ideas!  Keep them coming to MotivationMinute.com/Survey

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (John Maxwell) -  Leadership potential depends on how much you invest in developing your character -  Momentum is the great exaggerator and enables average teams to perform at above-average levels -  Who you attract is directly related to who you are   Send your book ideas into MotivationMinute.com/Survey

The Icarus Deception - How High Will You Fly? (Seth Godin) -  Problems are waiting for you to solve them - so take responsibility before it’s  given to you -  Perfectionism is lack of confidence.  Grow faster by leaving your comfort zone -  Try cultivating a daily habit of releasing content on a blog or YouTube channel.  Even if it isn’t perfect, just a paragraph or short clip every day   Keep the great book ideas coming!  MotivationMinute.com/Survey

Who’s Got Your Back? (Keith Ferrazzi) -  Cultivate “lifeline relationships” with at least 3 mentors/friends -  Generosity, vulnerability, accountability, and honesty are key ingredients to solid mentor relationships -  With the right support network it’s very difficult to fail     Send us your book ideas at www.motivationminute.com/survey

Thinking Fast and Slow (Daniel Kahneman) -  Our thought process involves two competing systems: emotions vs. logic -  Falling prey to just emotions can create too narrow a frame of reference -  Being the first to make a move in negotiation provides maximum advantage   Guest: Sam Howard (Owner of Desert View Window Washing) https://www.desertviewwindowwashing.com/

The Power of Positive Thinking (Norman Vincent Peale) We have full control over how we view life’s ups and downs To earn the attention and admiration of others, intentionally build them up to become better and stronger Believe in yourself - choose to view life’s situations as for you, not against you Guest: Abigail Coblentz Instagram: @abigailorateabs

Flow (The Psychology of Optimal Experience) Flow results from the simultaneous convergence of skill and challenge Being relaxed fails to produce long-term happiness.  But being stretched in strong flow does Using free time to grow our skillsets is one of the most strategic ways to increase flow

Failing Forward (John Maxwell) The difference between average people and achievers is how they perceive and respond to failure Failure isn’t so bad if it doesn’t attack the heart.  Success is all right if it doesn’t go to the head Failure is temporary.  What makes the long-term difference is how quickly we bounce back Guest: Vlad Russian Instagram: @vladiator360 YouTube: Vladiator Vlogs and Russian Brothers Production