ADDING VALUE IN YOUR BUSINESS

The number one thing you can do to achieve professional and personal success… is to add value to everything you do.

Today I want to discuss how to add value in your business.

But first, here’s the most important thing you need to understand about the value of your business

The value is created by you, but determined by others.

Ultimately, it is up to your customers to decide if your business is valuable and they want to become lifelong customers.

So, how can you get your customers to see your value?

Whether it’s your company, your brand, your products, etc… you need to stand out.

You have to “plus” whatever you are doing so that your customer perceives you and your offering as being superior to that of your competitors.

I encourage you to think about these 3 simple ways to start adding value:

• Do something different, something that makes you unique.
• Improve the packaging or the design or your product or service.
• Simplify the method of use.

Remember, even one idea to benefit your customers in a way that no one is currently offering can be the springboard that launches you into a life of financial success and achievement.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE!

About 2400 years ago, the Greek philosopher, Plato,
was frustrated that life isn't better than it is. He observed
that most of us want life to be richer and more fun, but
life rarely cooperates with our dreams, and that is
incredibly frustrating! Why would life tease us like that?
Plato's theory was that our lives are mere reflections of
an ideal world, a "heaven" that we can glimpse, but never
achieve on earth. Now, I admit that Plato was a very smart
guy, but most of the time I profoundly disagree with him.
I believe we can live wonderful, satisfying lives any time
we set our hearts and minds to do so. With respect to Mr
Plato, I think he was simply confused about how to get
there.
This week, I read the Dalai Lama's book, "Ethics for The
New Millennium" and was reminded that the "good life" is
not achieved by collecting toys or having the biggest house
or the most money. We cannot create a wonderful life by
chasing it; we attract it by the way we live our days.
I also thought about Michael Gerber's distinction between
working "in" your business (working harder and harder,
trying to get ahead) verses working "on" your business to
make it run smoother, more efficiently and more profitably.
I think the same distinction can be made about our lives.
Many of us are working harder and harder, chasing our
dreams. We work for things and for prestige, we work to
pay the bills and we create lives that, in some ways, make
no sense!
I believe it is possible to create and live a life that
comes very, very close to your personal ideal. Whatever
you desire, we live in a time when anything is possible, if
you pursue it effectively. Here are a couple of
preliminary suggestions for working "on" your life to
create what you desire:
1. A Wonderful Life is an "inside job", so start with your
inner world. Find a daily practice that brings you peace,
and follow it with all your heart. Give thanks. Take time
to breath, to smile and be joyful. Practice gratitude.
2. Practice preventive maintenance. Take care of your
body, and your loved ones. No matter what else life
brings, your health and wellness, and the love and
friendship of those around you is essential. Eat well.
Get plenty of rest. Exercise, and hug and laugh with those
you hold dear.
3. Aim high and choose well. In a world of infinite
possibilities it can be difficult to choose the things you
want most in life, but choosing is essential. Choose your
focus. Define your mission. Clarify your values and
priorities and make sure your actions reflect your choices.
4. Work smart. Work on yourself. Learn. Grow. Day by
day, become slightly more effective, slightly more skilled,
slightly more efficient, slightly wiser, and much happier!
This last one is, in my opinion, the most neglected in our
culture of instant gratification. I see people who work 12
hours a day, but "can't afford" to step back, get
perspective and work smarter. I see families frantically
chasing experiences, but unable or unwilling to think
clearly about working "on" the loving relationships they
desire. How foolish. How sad!
Every day, take time for yourself. Take time to relax, to
journal or to pray. This week, review your values, and
make a date with someone you love. This fall, take a
personal retreat to review your goals, to read a book, to
get clear about the life you truly want. And finally,
commit to working less and achieving more. Invest in
yourself, in your skills, in your dreams. Read the books,
attend the seminars, do the work of creating a Wonderful
Life! Why settle for less?

LEARN TO FAIL FAST AND OFTEN?

Generally speaking, you set out on any sort of new venture or activity at least with the hope (if not the outright expectation) of success. If you figured that you were going to fail all along, you probably wouldn’t have gotten started in the first place. If you didn’t think you had at least a chance at “making it,” you wouldn’t have put in the effort. That just makes logical sense.

After all, most people have a natural aversion to failure. They gravitate toward winning and they shy away from losing. As a result, they also tend to shy away from situations, circumstances and opportunities where they probably have a high probability of losing. And that’s why most people aren’t as successful as they probably could be.

Failure Is Inevitable

The hard truth about making money online, just as much as it is true about making money offline, is that you’re probably going to fail. A lot. Your first blog post might not be read by anyone but your mother. Your first set of YouTube videos could get single-digit views. Your first affiliate campaign might not get any conversions at all.
This can be disheartening, to be sure, but you should not be deterred. We all want to win, of course. At the same time, we can’t all win all the time. That’s just a logical and probable impossibility. You will fail, so you need to learn from your losses. Reflect on what went wrong (and what went right), and then apply that newfound knowledge in your next venture.

Billions and Billions of Dollars

Perhaps one of the most incredible examples of this mentality, from a corporate perspective and not just an individual, is Google. We can all agree that Google is a remarkably successful company. Parent company Alphabet is literally worth hundreds of billions of dollars and is well on its way of becoming one of the first companies to hit a trillion dollars in market cap, alongside Apple, Amazon and Microsoft.

We look at properties like Gmail, Android, and YouTube, and it’s undeniable that Google has been very successful. AdSense and AdWords are no joke. But you also have to remember that Google has more than its share of failures too. Remember Google Buzz? Remember how they shut down Google+ too? What about Google Wave?

On some level, it pays to be stubborn when you’re in business for yourself, sticking with something when everyone says that you’re wasting your time. On another level, you need to appreciate when it’s the right time to pull the plug on a project if you’re going to keep chasing risky endeavors, just like how Google has. They’re tough choices, to be sure, but if you’re going to fail anyways, you may as well fail fast. And fail often.

Within every failure contains a lesson. Without every stumble contains an insight.

Useless Machines

And you can even use failure to your advantage.

THE VIRTUE OF GOOD VICES

Winston Churchill is one of my heroes. I've read several
biographies and one of my goals is to visit his home at
Chartwell and see the bunkers where he led England through
WW II. One of Churchill's many famous quotes is an insult he
directed at a Member of Parliament: "He has all the virtues
I dislike and none of the vices I admire."
I love that! One of my mother's less-appreciated admonitions
when I was a mischievous boy (something I've long-since
outgrown!) was, "Behave yourself!" If I was feeling
particularly cantankerous, I'd reply, "I am behaving myself.
Just not the way you'd prefer!"
We've all learned to "behave ourselves." As adults we learn
to "go along to get along." We learn to be polite, pay our
taxes, work hard, be responsible, and to "play well with
others." We learn how things are done and to be sociable.
There's nothing wrong with that. Except when there is.
Sometimes, going along with convention and being "normal"
truly stifles our creativity, our individuality and our
greatness.
I love eccentrics. Eccentricities are simply another way of
describing our individuality. Eccentrics have made all--or
certainly most--of the great advances in history. It's weird
and eccentric to question reality, to doubt convention, and
insist there has to be a better way.
Of all the crazy ideas, those silly Wright brothers thought
they could fly! Edison and Tesla were obsessed with
electricity, and changed our world. Einstein was obsessed
with light and images of trains, and changed our universe!
In the 1930's, a guy named Werner von Braun thought it might
be fun to go to the moon. Madame Currie played with things
that glow in the dark, and an abused kid named Oprah Winfrey
thought she could make the world a better place.
Eccentrics and their ideas are our heroes!
Our eccentricities and, yes, even our vices make us who we
are. They make us unique and when they are deployed in
useful ways, they make us rich while making the world a
better place for everyone.
Now, clearly there are vices that are neither noble nor
useful. Swearing and cursing, having a bad temper or being
intolerant of others probably adds little to the quality of
life. Addictions of all sorts and simply being obnoxious are
not good things. We can all think of vices that rob us of
our freedom, shorten life or deprive it of richness. I doubt
these are good things or worth defending.
But we also have vices that enrich our lives, that make us
who we are, and that allow us to stand tall and speak our
truth. We have passions for things that drive others crazy
or cause them to doubt our sanity. We love golf, or hate
wasting time. We crave knowledge or obsess over art, music,
poetry or nature. We are committed to our politics or to our
spirituality. We are crazy for good food, good health, for
collecting little figurines or for fishing. We dance strangely
or sing off-key. If you're having fun and not hurting anyone,
and especially if you're learning or growing, I say go for it!
To achieve the ultimate success in life, value your vices.
Follow them wherever they lead you. Cling to them, cherish
them and immerse yourself in them. See where they take you,
go boldly through whatever doors they open for you. Few will
follow and some will criticize, and that's alright.
Visionaries have always been misunderstood.
Choose your vices wisely, then value them highly.

WHAT'S YOUR PLAN FOR SUCCESS?

" A goal without a plan is just a pipedream." I've used that
quote many times in my work with hundreds of clients.
Success and achievement are a science. They are the result
of specific methods and tools that anyone can learn, and in
fact, ARE mastered by most of us when we are adequately
motivated. (See last week's article.) Each of us have
achieved extraordinary success in our lives. We have set
goals that were important to us, developed plans and
budgets, learned the skills, devoted the time, energy and
discipline to achieve our goals, and ultimately passed the
test to get our driver's license. We even talked our parents
into letting us borrow the car -- and we did all that as
mere teenagers!
We've learned to ride a bike, date, get into school, perhaps
buy and sell stocks or real estate. We've learned to play
poker or bake a birthday cake for someone special. We've
learned to plan a vacation, mastered the obscure intricacies
of an iPod or assembled a swing set for the kids.
Each of us has a history of specific, methodical success. We
have achieved goals that were important to us, and mostly
we've done it on time and on budget.
And yet. And yet when it comes to the "big" goals or the
"big" transformations in life, many of us remain stuck and
frustrated.
We want to change our personality, save for the future,
start a business, go back to school or move to Australia and we
seem to make little or no progress. From year to year, our
weight, health and fitness levels remain about the same. We
want to up-grade our home, but we stay where we are. We want
more money or a promotion, but find it "hard." What's going on?
The New Science of Success says the likely culprit is an
inadequate plan.
The plan always comes first. Whether we are learning to walk
(the plan is to try and try again…until!) or sailing the
world after retiring at age 50, the key is a plan that has a
high likelihood of success. Adequate plans include a list of
skills to be mastered, and mentors to teach us. They include
a budget for time, energy, money and extra time to recover
from "mid-course corrections."
A goal without a plan is just a pipedream! I recently talked
with a woman who lives in rural Wisconsin. For most of her
life she's dreamed of going to college to becoming a science
teacher, preferably on U.S. military bases overseas. She's
come to our World Class Life conference a couple of times,
invested in other workshops, listened to audio programs, and
even started a MasterMind group, "although it quickly became
just a ladies chat group." And little has changed.
What's going on? She has no plan! There's no budget. She
hasn't applied for scholarships or aid programs. She isn't
taking courses part-time, even though there's a branch of
the University of Wisconsin only a few minutes from her
home. She hasn't systematically borrowed books from the
library to prepare herself. Her husband supports her, but
there is no agreement for him to cook, clean, tend the kids
or allow time for her to study. In short, she's spent time
and money, effort and heartache on a dream, but has no
strategy for success.
No wonder it isn't happening for her! (We've talked and I
have permission to share her story without naming her.)
Compare that to a guy named Kheen, who knocked on my door
several years ago and announced he was going to build a sub-
division on 27 acres across the road. He pointed out where
the roads would be, knew the number of lots, the spec homes
he would build to get the neighborhood started, and how to
get the permits and funding he would need. He had a plan. He
KNEW the future in advance! (And, in about 18 months, he
pulled it off. I estimate he made about 3 million dollars,
although that's a guess.)
There's a wonderful quote from Walt Disney: "If you can
dream it, you can do it." I believe that, but with a vital
caveat -- you need a plan. You need a strategy, a system or
map or a recipe.
Every building project requires blueprints. Every cake
requires a recipe. Every business loan requires a business
plan. Every little kid has a plan to stay up late, even if
the plan is just to whine and argue until Mom or Dad gives
in.
The New Science of Success requires that you have a plan to
achieve your most important goals. Trump Tower is the result
of a goal, a high level of motivation, and a detailed plan.
Oprah and Bill Gates, and that successful cousin of yours,
all have plans, budgets, schedules and benchmarks for every
new project they take on. So should you.

THE POWER OF A SINGLE STEP

This week, I want to talk about one of the simplest,
easiest and most powerful tools for ultimate success I've
ever found. It's based on common sense (one of the least
common things around!) and it always works.
A few yeas ago, a therapist named Bill O'Hanlon wrote a
great little book called, "Do One Thing Different." His
point is that to change our lives, we must start somewhere.
To build a mansion, we have to lay the first brick. To
become wealthy, we must save that first $100. To write a
book, we must get that first sentence on a blank page.
In debate and politics, there is a famous strategy called a
"straw man" where I first accuse my opponent of advocating
some silly position, then attack the weakness of that
position in an attempt to make my opponent look just as
silly. The strategy is based on a "big lie" but sadly, if
often works.
And even sadder, we often do it to ourselves! How often do
we hold ourselves back by going through the following
ridiculous process:
(1) To be rich I must have lots of money. 

(2) I don't have
lots of money. 

(3) So obviously, there's no point in trying
to become rich.

We do that all the time. (All human beings do.) We tell
ourselves that since I can't lose 30 pounds by next Friday,
I might as well have ice cream tonight. Or, since I can't
start my own business this week, there's no point in
thinking about it, planning, reading, talking to people or
gathering information. We talk ourselves out of getting
started! We do it all the time, and if it weren't so sad,
it would be silly.
Thomas Edison didn't know how to make a light bulb until he
figured it out, and most people know it took him thousands
of "failures" before he got it right. The Wright brothers
didn't know how to fly until they figured it out. Amelia
Earhart didn't know how to fly until she took lessons,
practiced and figured it out. No one is born knowing how to
walk, ride a bike, drive a car, read a book, make love or
earn a living, but gradually we learn to do all those things.
The key is incremental learning, or in simpler language, "a
journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Whatever you desire, take some step in that direction every
day. Whatever you desire to learn, or build, or do or have
or become, take some step in that direction TODAY. Of
course, it may seem small! Come on, get real! In terms of
the total journey, each individual step IS tiny! That's the
way life is.
When Donald Trump built his first building, he had to apply
for a loan like anyone else. He had to hire his first
contractor, fill out paperwork, apply for a building
permit, do all the "risky" small steps. And here's a
powerful secret: When he builds a tower today, he STILL
has to go through exactly the same steps! Sure, he has
experience and a staff to help him, but the steps are
still the same. Blueprints, permits, paperwork, and details.
Before you go to bed tonight, take one step toward your
dream. Maybe it's as small as writing a note to yourself,
or re-reading your goals. Maybe it's making a phone call,
buying a book on the subject, or driving past the home you
want to own someday. Whatever it is, take one small step
and remember Neil Armstrong's words when he landed on the
moon: "That's one small step for a man, one GIANT LEAP for
mankind."

TURNING EXPECTATIONS UPSIDE-DOWN

1. MIND THE GAPS

Business Model Change versus Brand-Driven Change
• Has your company produced a new product or service that surprised the market?  If so, what was it and why did it shake things up?  If not, is there a gap in the market you could fill with something new?
• What is the current perception people have of your market?  Is there something you could do to shift that perception? (Think Dove’s Real Beauty campaign.)
Your Market Has a Gap You Can Fill Better Than Anyone
• Within your market, are there dead-end conventions everyone still uses, such as suboptimal practices or poor customer experiences? What could your company do to change things up?
• What are the blind spots within your market?
• Think about how products/services are delivered or an untapped segment of the market – is there a way your company could tap into these areas of potential?
• What is both true and uncomfortable about your market that could be turned to your company’s advantage?
From Gap to Opportunity
• Think about what your market category offers and what those customers accept. Try asking some “what if” questions about how you could transform your customers’ experience.

2. DEFINE THE CHANGE
Putting Your Brand to Work to Drive Change
• What do you consider your company’s greatest assets (those things that make your company great, such as vision, values, heritage, insights behind your products, etc.)?
• How can you use these assets to drive change within your market?
The PJA Change Ladder
• What is a common assumption among your customers that you would like to change?
• Where do you have the greatest chance to influence change within your market?
Brand Role: What Will You Fight For?
• Name one word that encompasses everything your company does.
• Why does your company do what it does? 
• What does your company give the world that wouldn’t exist without you?
The Art of the Experience: Inviting People In
• Think about your most important customers/prospects – is there something that you can give them of value without any strings attached?
• Is there a way you can promote what you and your customers/prospects care about without promoting your products?

3. CO-CREATE WITH YOUR CRAZIES
Mission Stakes: “People Come Alive” • How do you make life better for your customers?
• Are there any bigger problems your company is trying to solve that are connected to what you sell? What are they?
Career Stakes: Personal Risk Makes Us Crazies • We all choose brands that help us succeed. What does your brand do to help your customers succeed in their professional and/or personal life?
Business Stakes: Creating a Band of Bedfellows • Think about your business ecosystem (i.e. channel partners, your general customers, agents, brokers, suppliers, etc.) and focus on one particular group.
• Is there a way you could support them using your business without focusing on building your business? For example, forming an online community where people can discuss issues related to your market.

Reinventing your company (or starting a new one) can be easier than you think. Turn the unexpected into the expected, and you’ll become an Unconventional, too! By seeing things differently, leading brands are able to question the prevailing wisdom and create outsized results and lasting change.

YOUR FIRST AND MOST PROFITABLE INVESTMENT

If there is one investment that ALWAYS returns a generous
profit, it is your investment in yourself. When you invest
in your skills, in your attitudes, or in your personal
growth, you always win, and the returns are tax-free!
There is an old line that "those who refuse to read are no
better off than those who cannot read", and I would say
that those who refuse to read are in a far worse place.
Refusing to grow, to learn or expand your horizons 
strikes me as one of life's ultimate failures.
When I look at successful people, they are passionate
about learning and personal development. When Lee Iaccoca
was bringing Chrysler back from bankruptcy, I heard him
say he read at least two books on business, leadership or
management every week! That impressed me.
Years earlier, I heard Bruce Thieleman, one of the great
preachers of the 20th century, say that a minister "must"
read at least a book a week to adequately care for their
congregation. I've never forgotten that, and for 25 years
I've made it a priority to read at least an hour a day. I
believe that hour has been one of the most profitable
investments I've ever made.
Specifically, what kinds of investments do I suggest?
Here are three key areas:
1. Personal Growth. Read for the fun of it. Go to
workshops and listen to tapes. Learn to play bridge or
chess or backgammon. Rent and watch the great movies of
the past 100 years. Join a club or group, or take up a new
hobby. Do a personal retreat, attend workshops. It
doesn't take time; it expands your life.
2. Social Effectiveness. Yes, I'm talking about classes
on communication, parenting, and leadership. Be the best
parent you can be. Be the best lover, the best friend, the
best manager. Volunteer for committees in your club or
house of worship. The more people you know, and the better
your social skills, the bigger your world will become.
3. Professional Skills. I remember working at a clinic
when budget cuts reduced funds for continuing education,
and some of my colleagues decided that if the County
wouldn't pay for them, they just wouldn't go. How short-
sighted and foolish! Invest in your business, in your
skills, in technology and in your future.
Learn all you can. Grow, expand, stretch. Attend seminars,
learn from experts. Read. Listen. Try.

A COMPLETE TOOLBOX

I am intrigued by the concept of "tool boxes". In the
literal sense, of course, a tool box is used by a carpenter
or mechanic to carry tools to build a house or repair a
piece of equipment, and in a metaphorical sense, EVERY
adult needs a complete and well-equipped "toolbox" to build
the life they truly want.
Frequently, I am challenged by someone who has "tried" a
classic tool for creating the life they truly want. Maybe
they went to a motivational seminar (which is good), but
they complain that it didn't "last" after they got home.
Or they read a book on setting goals, but complain that it
didn't help them with their sales skills. The problem is
they have only one tool in their toolbox!
Imagine you wanted to remodel your kitchen and hired a
carpenter to do the job, but when he arrived he had only
ONE TOOL to work with! It wouldn't matter if that one tool
was a hammer, a saw or a wrench, you'd fire him on the spot.
A one-tool carpenter is simply not equipped to do the job.
And yet that's exactly what many of us do when it comes to
creating the life we truly want. We set goals (which is
GREAT!) but we neglect to learn time management skills.
Or, we work on our communication skills or our parenting
skills, but fail to provide adequate financial resources
for the family.
ANY time we lack the appropriate tool, our chances for
success are reduced. You might be able to "cut" a board
with a hammer, but it will take an awful lot of work and
the results won't be pretty. Creating the life we want
requires that we master a wide variety of tools and use
them appropriately.
This truth came home very powerfully this week. I was
privileged to receive a copy of Shad Helmstetter's
book, "Who Are You REALLY and What Do You Want?" and like
all of Shad's books, it is well-written, easy to read, and
extremely good, but it's unique strength is Shad's focus on
combining MULTIPLE TOOLS to create the life you truly want.
Specifically, the book focuses on three skills that, when
combined, are truly dynamite:
Part 1: Use effective self-talk to "program" yourself for
optimism, action and success. By itself, section one is
extremely powerful and integrates the best ideas for using
affirmations and positive thinking to enrich your life.
Part 2: Understand and USE a powerful process for setting
goals. Shad has a process that is very simple, easily
mastered, and gets at the heart of the matter by defining
goals that REALLY matter and are consistent with your values.
Part 3: Get and USE a personal support team. Shad
emphasizes the benefits of a personal coach, but we all
need to structure our relationships, our environment and
our daily routines to maximize our chances for ultimate
success. Excellent material!
The key to building an elegant home, a thriving career or a
loving family is to have a wide range of appropriate tools
and use them to solve any problem life throws at you. No
one has the talent or ability to master "success" using
only one tool! It can't be done and you shouldn't try.
Instead, assemble a complete toolbox filled with resources
you can use to achieve any outcome you desire.

THE OPPORTUNITY CLOCK

When I was in college, I heard someone say something that has been with me ever since. It was something that demonstrated to me a positive attitude and the choice to take something that most people dread, and change it into a motivating factor.

He called the alarm clock the “opportunity clock.”
When does an alarm go off? When something bad is happening! Well, waking up isn’t bad. Waking up is good! In fact, waking up is an opportunity. Each new day brings with it the opportunity to enjoy our families and other people. It enables us the opportunity to work hard, and earn a living that will enable us in turn to provide for others and ourselves. Each day brings us the opportunity to help others and serve them in such a way to make our communities better places. We get the opportunity again to dream and achieve those dreams. We have the opportunity to bask in the glory at the top of the mountain or learn valuable lessons as we walk through the valley. What opportunities!
It’s all in the perspective and attitude folks. I bet you can’t wait to go to bed tonight and set your opportunity clock for tomorrow morning!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

HOW ARE YOU OLD?

Don't be distracted by age. Age truly is just a number. Don't let it define you. Be positive. Zig Ziglar said, "It's your attitude and not your aptitude that determines your altitude."

Age is an artificial barrier  that too many people use to put limitations on their brain. When one consider the massive list of achievements done by individuals who ignore their age and focus on achieving, producing, and creating, you should be motivated and inspired to do the same in your life.

To put it in another way, "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter."

Whether it's taking up a new hobby, committing to a personal bucket list item, revitalizing, reinvigorating an old vocation, recalibrating one's life, finally taking the vocation, or starting a new career, fulfilling lives are those that keep moving forward, keep dreaming and intently (and intentionally) focus on an ongoing commitment to productivity, progress and achievement.

Regardless of your age and life stage, there is a signal to you that time is running out and you need to focus on your finish. Some of us see it as a wake-up call and face the last lap with great excitement and what has being called a runner's high. Still others became panicked and fearful of what lies ahead. Their fear is often focused on the unknown. Yet just as anyone who has had the unfortunate experience of being chased by a dog knows, fear can be an amazing motivator.

Imagine how many Olympic records would be broken if every sprinter had a vicious Doberman pinscher behind a starting block ready to chase the runner when the starter pistol was fired.

Everyone of us has dreams, aspirations, bucket list, and plans to do something, visit someplace, and subtly or blatantly who we are and what we do. Everything in business and life is five percent ideas and ninety five-percent work and execution. Most of us live in the five percent. We have no shortage of ideas. Sadly, hope has escaped many of us, and dreams have been forgotten. Facing your future boldly and excitedly will motivate you to bring a project to closure, to fulfil a dream, and to be proud of  realizing an important life purpose.

Ah, the search for your individual life's purpose is vital. The realization, then achievement, of that purpose is called fulfillment.

My single favorite saying is, "the two most important day in your life is the day you were born and the day you found out why." Call it your why or your purpose, it's the very same thing.

As Andre Maurois said, " Growing old is no more than a bad habit which a busy man has no time to form." The real achievers in life understand it's not how old you are but, more importantly, how you are old.

Acknowledging and respecting all these represent will lead you a goal-oriented, focused and productive and revitalize your life with yet another new purpose. 

This is all about life fulfilment.

TURN EXPECTATIONS UPSIDE DOWN

What is an Unconventional?

Unconventional companies turn traditional business practice on its head by using the element of surprise, questioning the status quo, and recognizing that both employees and customers want meaning. These rebel companies share a few simple practices that have allowed them to change markets, hearts and minds, and by emulating them, you can too!

Mine the Gaps

Within any market, there are opportunities to shift or reinvent the market because there are areas that need disruption. Think about your market - are there ruts where everyone unquestioningly follows what has always been done? Are there blind spots where everyone ignores a new way of doing something because they're vested in the status quo? Or are there taboos companies are avoiding addressing? Within these gaps lay the potential for revolutionary change. Sounds like a tall order. Yet some companies are delivering on it in spades. So who are the so-called Unconventional? They include; - a "Made in America" fan manufacturer that didn't layoff a single employee during the Great Recession and emerged more profitable than ever - an entrepreneur  who measures her store's success in experiences per square foot - a driving apps that builds a five hundred thousand mapmakers who volunteers countless hours to update maps based on their belief in the company. The evidence is in today's most innovative companies are launching and building companies that couldn't be more different from garden-variety, I-succeed-you-lose- approaches. So whether you want to do for medical patient records what Ancestry did for family trees or simply shake things up in the corner of your market, here is an operating manual for building a brand that goes beyond graphic identity and a logo. We admire the unconventional because they are striving to create something that can not only drive purchases but inspire real cultural change. And what marketer or entrepreneur out there doesn't dream of doing that?