Love and Business

I know you have heard this before. It has been said many times and most of the times I know many of you say "there is no way that they mean it." Well, I am going to say it to you now and I am definitely going to mean it. What is it? Wait for it....it is not about the money! That's right! And this is especially true when it comes to business networking. Now you might say..."isn't the point of getting into business to make money?" Well, yes, but what if I told you that you money is purely a byproduct of heartfelt behavior? Ahhh....yes...now we are getting somewhere.

You see I've been doing business a long time and I've met a ton of people. And in the 12 years I have been in the fitness, health and wellness industry I have been able to see substantial growth in in my financial portfolio. However, I would be a fool to think that it as was because I am the best "business man." Nope, my focus has been and will always be in becoming the best servant and caretaker of people that I can be. Money comes from the investment of love and faith that you have in others. It might not get you money in the short term, but boy does it grow your financial health in the long term.

So, how do you inject love and faith into your business life? You do it by demonstrating consistency in being a caring, kind, generous, faithful, trustworthy and follow through oriented professional. You don't meet people regularly and badger them into a business relationship. You meet people regularly and little by little pull them into a stable, committed and fulfilling partnership. In the end people always do business with people they like. People do business with people they feel truly get their passion and vision for their business. People do business with people they feel like they can have a beer with and just talk about life in general.

I always find it amusing when I meet with people and they try to "sell" me on products or get me to come this meeting or that meeting about this amazing new thing. I could care less about the products honestly. All I care about is YOU. I have to buy into you and anyone who knows me knows that I only work with people who I consider to be GOOD HUMAN BEINGS. That's it. Are you someone who I can love being around? Are you someone who I feel is loyal? That is the barometer. I've made tons more money in loving people than I have ever made in selling people on my businesses.

And funniest thing is why people still don't buy into love and loyalty as a business approach/business model. Zappos and Southwest Airlines are two of the most successful companies in the world and guess what their business models are?

Zappos = Delivering Happiness

Southwest Airlines = Love

Why aren't you buying in? And really what do you have to lose? If the worst thing you get out of loving people and creating loyalty in those you work with is friendship then isn't that a pretty good return on investment?

Until next time....

Dr. D

Thank You Jay-Z

Like many of my blogs, it usually begins with me writing about driving in my car and finding inspiration for my blog entries. Well, this one is no different except that this car intro story to this blog takes place a few years back. One of my favorite hip hop artists is Jay-Z not just because he has created an amazing empire, but because his lyrics many times have great substance and meaning. While driving in my car I remember listening to one of Jay-Z’s songs,“On to the Next One.” During the song Jay-Z had a nice lyric that went like this, “used to rock a throwback, ballin on the corner, now I rock a tailored suit looking like an owner.”

The parallel of wearing throwback jerseys and maturity level is fascinating to me. In reality the putting away of the throwback jersey is simply just a metaphor for understanding an individual’s coming of age. Regardless of the coming of age story, it is important that a person grows and stretches themselves to gain a higher level of responsibility and maturity in life. This leads to better decision making, greater emphasis on what is important in life and gaining a better perspective about the world around you. Jay-Z understood that in order to continue to ascend in the hip hop business and beyond, that he had to change his approach to the game. This meant understanding that how he projects himself is vital to his overall success in business.

The problem with what I’ve seen in our current society is that many people are still wearing their version of a “throwback jersey.” They are wearing the jersey in how they handle their finances, how they deal with personal and professional conflict and so on and so forth. The point is that if you don’t put that jersey away and then lace up your grown man or woman gear then you will continue to falter in your efforts to experience the success you are searching for. Success is definitely about hard work and determination, but it is also about how you modify and manage your approach to becoming successful along the way.

Even with all of this being said, the greatest challenge any person faces when putting away that jersey is learning how to live as the more mature you when others in your life have not grown at that same pace. Or it can be very difficult when those close to you have absolutely no desire to grow and improve themselves. As a good friend of mine stated last week…"some people still play beer pong and it is hard to be in that world when you have moved on to things that are bigger and more important than that.”

In the end, your level of success greatly depends upon your willingness to grow with and exceed the expectations of the times we live in. To be at the top of your game you must transcend the status quo regularly. However, the question is…will you continue to climb the ladder of maturity or will you continue to pull that old jersey out and go along with the crowd?

Until next time…

Dr. D

Kindness Matters

I just couldn't sleep...the hours kept passing by and I kept wondering when I was going to feel like going to sleep. I was pretty wired from a long, demanding yet exciting weekend with the 3rd Annual Connect to Fitness Conference. My mind was racing as to how we could top what we did over the weekend for next year's conference. Well, as my mind was racing I found myself watching a few movies on the lifetime channel. Now, I know what you might be saying...Lifetime...really? The acting is bad and the story lines are thin at best. Ok, ok, you might be right, but in one of the movies I remember them talking about forming an organization at a school called Kindness Matters. For some reason at 1:30am in the morning that really resonated with me.

In my line of work I am constantly confronted with decisions about my own behavior and the behavior of others. How I react and treat people certainly creates a perception of the type of person I am. While it is important to have a range of emotions, it is definitely important to serve people with kindness and dignity. Kindness matters because people matter. Everyday we all have a great opportunity to treat the people in our lives with warmth, compassion and care. As a service provider, a husband, a father, a brother and a son, this is my biggest asset. I know that how I conduct my personal and professional life will directly impact the performance of those ares of my life.

One of the highlights of the Connect to Fitness Conference was listening to Elia Lata, Operations Manger for Zappos. I was so psyched to be able to get Zappos to present at our small yet growing conference. Elia talked about the Zappos culture and how it has helped Zappos become a hugely successful company. What stuck out the most about Elia's presentation was how he kept coming back to core values and aligning yourself with people who share your core values. If you gather a group or crew of liked minded people who truly care about changing the landscape of our culture then that's when sweeping reform happens. In the case of Zappos they have created a tidal wave of positive thinking and doing. That's power, but ultimately that's power that is focused on giving kindness and caring deeply about the people in your lives both personally and professionally.

So, what's the take home message...simple...kindness matters...people matter... and how you behave matters. Give kindness to others and watch how true and genuine things begin to move in your life. Take the time to love and care for other and see how you will receive it back in your life twofold. Giving kindness does not cost anything except for a little bit of your time. After all, if you are too busy to give kindness then you really have to examine the life you are living. What kind of life is that? Not one that will give you kindness back from others. Be kind. Be loving. Be giving. Be present in your life.

Until next time...

Dr. D

The Fountain of Youth

For many, many centuries there have been people looking for the fountain of youth. Looking for a mythical Spring that allowed you to stay young forever once you bathed in it. Specific tales of the search for the fountain of youth have been found in Herodotus, Alexander Romance and the stories of Prester John. And then of course in the 16th century Ponce De Leon became well known for his search for the fountain of youth. What is interesting is that the pursuit of staying young continues on even in our current society. And in many cases you can make an argument that we are more obsessed than ever with staying young as long as possible. Plastic surgery, pills, restrictive diets and more are dominating the landscape of health and wellness these days all in the name of being youthful forever.

However, there is one thing that has been around for thousands of years that we know is the closest thing to the fountain of youth. It has become popularized these days, but still so many people have a hard time accepting that this thing is the key to not only a more youthful look, but also youthful internal functions and peace of mind. What is it? EXERCISE.

That's right. Exercise is truly the fountain of youth. Will exercise help you live forever? Of course not. No one lives forever and you know what? That's ok because it is not about living forever, it is about living well during the time you have. Exercise is a huge component towards that. Current research continues to aim arrows towards the overriding face that exercise is medicine and that the appropriate amounts of exercise will keep you younger in many ways. Exercise is truly a miracle worker or a panacea if you will. Did you know you would have to take almost 200 specific pills to mimic the effects of exercise? It is truly amazing how exercise affects your mood, and well being. And then there's the very concrete positive effects on stroke volume, cardiac output, capillary density, lymph movement, resting heart rate, VO2 max, and so on and so on. Exercise is definitely king when it comes to a youthful feeling both physically and mentally.

So, the question is...why is something that we know is so good for you so very hard for so many people to regularly participate in? Every January people all across the world commit to changing their exercise habits, but we know via research that the drop out rate is at least 50% after three months. One of the easiest explanations for the lack of steadiness with exercise is that this "fountain of youth" is not about bathing in a Spring and relaxing. This fountain of youth requires a steady commitment of very hard work and effort. That's a large part of it. Is time the issue? Not really, there are 168 hours in the week so there is time to make exercise an important part of your life.

The time is now to capture that fountain of youth. It is available to you everyday. You don't have to circumnavigate a continent or cross an ocean to find something that will give you youthfulness and vitality. Nope, all you have to do is move your body and become more knowledgeable about how your body responds to exercise. Exercise...magnificent, amazing, rewarding and life giving in so many ways...exercise...the true fountain of youth.

Until next time...

Dr. D

The Currency of Goodness

As a frequent networker here in Vegas, I get the chance to meet so many amazing and diverse people. Each time I have a meeting with someone it renews my sense of excitement in others. There is so much to learn from everyone you meet. Each person brings a different perspective to life and that in itself is very rewarding for me. However, the biggest reason I love meeting people is because I have the honor and opportunity to invest the currency of goodness between us and hopefully I can do that over a long time.

If you really think about it, there is no such thing as an overnight success in any business or personal relationship. Good things require time, attention, patience and encouragement. Ultimately, it takes a strong investment into others in order to see a strong return on investment. There is where people often make big mistakes. Some people want things so badly that they forget that the path and the journey are far more important than the end result. How can you appreciate the end result of anything if you have no respect or appreciation for what it took to get there?

For example, my wife and I have been married for 7 and a half years and while I enjoy how wonderful our relationship is, I truly value our marriage because of the memories and consistency of love we have created during the past 7 plus years of marriage. I respect, admire and celebrate the time, attention, patience and encouragement my wife has given to me over that time. If we both never took the time to invest into the entity that is our marriage then we would not be together right now. We invested the currency of goodness into the process of marriage and have enjoyed the results because of that. I always tell people...think and focus more energy into being married than the hoopla behind getting married. Weddings are great and I had a blast at mine, but the real investment is in the process of marriage.

Regardless of whether I am talking about marriage, business or friendship, the principles are the same. Great marriages, great friendships and great businesses thrive on goodness based investments in people over a long period of time. You can never give enough goodness to someone. I challenge everyone reading this to shower the people in your life with goodness. Tell them that you want to give them some goodness because they deserve it. Tell them that you want to serve them because they deserve it. Tell them that you will be there for them because you said you would. Tell them, tell them, tell them how good they are because people need to feel good about themselves!! And remember, the challenge is to do it over a long period of time. Be consistent in your behavior of goodness to others and watch your success multiply in ways you could not have imagined.

Until next time...

Dr. D