Cedric Crumbley's Blog, page 2
June 16, 2018
Two bulls on a hill
Two bulls sitting on top of the hill. The younger bull looks at the older bull and says, “Hey, lets run down the hill and get one of those cows.”
Older bull says, “No, let’s walk down there and we’ll get them all.”
Notice the difference?
You can either run into the market hoping to land one customer. OR you can research your target market and build a compelling message that will draw in a large catch.
Landing a whale takes longer than catching a small fish. How long can you eat off of a small fish? How long can you eat off of a whale.
Fish for whales. Not small fish.
Older bull says, “No, let’s walk down there and we’ll get them all.”
Notice the difference?
You can either run into the market hoping to land one customer. OR you can research your target market and build a compelling message that will draw in a large catch.
Landing a whale takes longer than catching a small fish. How long can you eat off of a small fish? How long can you eat off of a whale.
Fish for whales. Not small fish.
June 15, 2018
When the room looks just like you, you have a problem
I completed basic training at FT Sill, Oklahoma. My first week was orientation. The first week is NOT basic training. It’s where you get your uniform and gear before basic actually starts, which was across the railroad tracks. The first day everyone sat where they felt most comfortable. There were pockets of every race known to man. A Sergeant stepped out and one of the first things he said was, “OK, I see I gotta teach ya’ll something. I know back home you only hang around people from your neighborhood or people the same race and color as you, but in the Army everybody is green. So I want ya’ll to move from where you are and intermingle with someone that’s not like you.”
It was uncomfortable. My battle buddy was a white guy 10 years older than me. His last name was Shaw. Man, I remember thinking, “This is going to be interesting.”
Dude, to my surprise having Shaw as a battle buddy helped me get through the tough times of basic. He understood what was going on in basic. He would see me stressing out and would say, “It’s just a mind game. They just doing this to mess with us.” I was freaking out until he helped me understand HELL WEEK wasn’t forever.
Sure enough, things calmed down and basic became a big game. After week six our bodies got used to taking a beating. My battle buddy and I gave each other high fives while the drill sergeant had his back turned. We were getting ‘smoked’ and smiling when the drill sergeant wasn’t looking. It was an interesting experience.
My whole career, people from different backgrounds took me under their wings and showed me the way.
People who helped me and continue to help me come from all backgrounds and races. We’re not all green (I’m black) but understanding we all bleed the same gives a common ground of understanding.
When it comes to making it in life I choose to be color blind.
It was uncomfortable. My battle buddy was a white guy 10 years older than me. His last name was Shaw. Man, I remember thinking, “This is going to be interesting.”
Dude, to my surprise having Shaw as a battle buddy helped me get through the tough times of basic. He understood what was going on in basic. He would see me stressing out and would say, “It’s just a mind game. They just doing this to mess with us.” I was freaking out until he helped me understand HELL WEEK wasn’t forever.
Sure enough, things calmed down and basic became a big game. After week six our bodies got used to taking a beating. My battle buddy and I gave each other high fives while the drill sergeant had his back turned. We were getting ‘smoked’ and smiling when the drill sergeant wasn’t looking. It was an interesting experience.
My whole career, people from different backgrounds took me under their wings and showed me the way.
People who helped me and continue to help me come from all backgrounds and races. We’re not all green (I’m black) but understanding we all bleed the same gives a common ground of understanding.
When it comes to making it in life I choose to be color blind.
June 13, 2018
Learn by Doing
How do you get good at something? The best way is to do the work.
Many years ago I ventured onto a freelance website. After digging around I saw a request for a writer with a military background. I applied and got hired. My job was to write four articles a week.
Up to that point, writing was a hobby. You know, something you do for the fun of it. No aspiration or even a thought you could make money with it.
That all changed the day I saw a freelance posting looking for me. I fit the description, applied and went off to the races.
Once I started working for clients I had a deadline to get work done. The work had to be done a certain way. It required me to hone my writing skills. Under pressure, I would crank out remarkable articles. I learned a lot about writing during that time.
You see, it was all in the doing. Doing the work. By getting clients it forced me to do the work. Clients want one thing. Results.
To get results, guess what? You gotta perform by doing.
Learn by doing.
Many years ago I ventured onto a freelance website. After digging around I saw a request for a writer with a military background. I applied and got hired. My job was to write four articles a week.
Up to that point, writing was a hobby. You know, something you do for the fun of it. No aspiration or even a thought you could make money with it.
That all changed the day I saw a freelance posting looking for me. I fit the description, applied and went off to the races.
Once I started working for clients I had a deadline to get work done. The work had to be done a certain way. It required me to hone my writing skills. Under pressure, I would crank out remarkable articles. I learned a lot about writing during that time.
You see, it was all in the doing. Doing the work. By getting clients it forced me to do the work. Clients want one thing. Results.
To get results, guess what? You gotta perform by doing.
Learn by doing.
June 12, 2018
How to land almost any position you want
Below you will find a simple solution to landing just about any position you are looking for. It’s proven to work.
Several years ago my wife attended a local university. She came to a point in the program where she needed a preceptor. I remember her coming home complaining about not being able to find one.
She was frustrated that the university wasn’t helping. It was getting aggravating so I offered to help. Within a week we found a preceptor who agreed to give her a position.
Here’s how we did it.
First I asked my wife if she would type up an email explaining the position she was seeking and why. She typed up the email and sent it to me. It was five sentences nice and to the point.
Next, I went to Google and typed in the specialty she was looking for. I found people in position who could help her. I decided to spend two hours a day emailing this entire list of people. One hour in the morning before work and one hour at night after I arrived home from work.
My wife was excited when we received an email that week from a clinic offering to be her preceptor. Did you see that? Just a few days of sending a simple email.
I learned this from being a recruiter. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish from just focusing one hour in the morning and one hour at night.
This was before I knew the power of social media.
Cheers.
Several years ago my wife attended a local university. She came to a point in the program where she needed a preceptor. I remember her coming home complaining about not being able to find one.
She was frustrated that the university wasn’t helping. It was getting aggravating so I offered to help. Within a week we found a preceptor who agreed to give her a position.
Here’s how we did it.
First I asked my wife if she would type up an email explaining the position she was seeking and why. She typed up the email and sent it to me. It was five sentences nice and to the point.
Next, I went to Google and typed in the specialty she was looking for. I found people in position who could help her. I decided to spend two hours a day emailing this entire list of people. One hour in the morning before work and one hour at night after I arrived home from work.
My wife was excited when we received an email that week from a clinic offering to be her preceptor. Did you see that? Just a few days of sending a simple email.
I learned this from being a recruiter. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish from just focusing one hour in the morning and one hour at night.
This was before I knew the power of social media.
Cheers.
June 11, 2018
Better Tomorrow
With as little as one dedicated hour a day, you can become a world class expert in just about anything in a year to no more than three years. — Earl Nightingale
What are you doing today that will affect you 3 years from now?
Everyone has to start. That’s the key: To start. It’s even better to finish once you get started. Imagine you wanted to become one of the highest paid programmers. But today you couldn’t program a single line of code if your life depended on it.
Based on observation, everyone that is a programmer today learned by practicing writing several lines of code. There’s a programmer at Linkedin.com that told me that’s how he got started. Just started practicing writing code a little at a time every day.
Imagine that. Practicing an hour or so a day without missing a beat. With a work ethic like that is it any wonder you would become an expert within 3 years?
You can become an expert at most things just by practicing an hour a day. Start practicing. If you do start today, be sure to get back to me 3 years from now and let me know how you did.
What are you doing today that will affect you 3 years from now?
Everyone has to start. That’s the key: To start. It’s even better to finish once you get started. Imagine you wanted to become one of the highest paid programmers. But today you couldn’t program a single line of code if your life depended on it.
Based on observation, everyone that is a programmer today learned by practicing writing several lines of code. There’s a programmer at Linkedin.com that told me that’s how he got started. Just started practicing writing code a little at a time every day.
Imagine that. Practicing an hour or so a day without missing a beat. With a work ethic like that is it any wonder you would become an expert within 3 years?
You can become an expert at most things just by practicing an hour a day. Start practicing. If you do start today, be sure to get back to me 3 years from now and let me know how you did.
February 12, 2018
Every Top Producer Has a Proven System For Selling
A definition is in order.
System– a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized scheme or method.
Do you have an organized method for making sales? If not you should get one as soon as possible. Matter of fact before you finish reading… go ahead and develop your sales system. I guarantee everyone you try to convince to commit to your product or service has a system for saying “No” the moment they disagree with you.
When a salesperson meets someone with a system, the one with the best system wins.
Every top producer I’ve met has a method to their madness. My system is simple. In fact, I used my system so much it became unconscious to me.
My boss was watching me once with a friend of hers. The moment I made a certain move, my supervisor told her friend, “That guy is about to join.” The friend asked my boss how did she know. She said, “Because Crumbley did the move.”
Afterward, she told me I have a certain move that I do and after I do ‘the move’ people join. I don’t know what the move was but I do know I had a system that I used every time I felt the person was ready to commit. I guess I moved a certain way after saying certain words once people were red hot and ready to commit.
Have you ever seen the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street? Now take out all the crooked stuff and pay attention to the system. There was a proven system in place that enabled that company to grow.
If you have a system you have the power to replicate results at will. Having a sales system mindset will free you to build a sales career that’s sustainable.
System– a set of principles or procedures according to which something is done; an organized scheme or method.
Do you have an organized method for making sales? If not you should get one as soon as possible. Matter of fact before you finish reading… go ahead and develop your sales system. I guarantee everyone you try to convince to commit to your product or service has a system for saying “No” the moment they disagree with you.
When a salesperson meets someone with a system, the one with the best system wins.
Every top producer I’ve met has a method to their madness. My system is simple. In fact, I used my system so much it became unconscious to me.
My boss was watching me once with a friend of hers. The moment I made a certain move, my supervisor told her friend, “That guy is about to join.” The friend asked my boss how did she know. She said, “Because Crumbley did the move.”
Afterward, she told me I have a certain move that I do and after I do ‘the move’ people join. I don’t know what the move was but I do know I had a system that I used every time I felt the person was ready to commit. I guess I moved a certain way after saying certain words once people were red hot and ready to commit.
Have you ever seen the movie, The Wolf of Wall Street? Now take out all the crooked stuff and pay attention to the system. There was a proven system in place that enabled that company to grow.
If you have a system you have the power to replicate results at will. Having a sales system mindset will free you to build a sales career that’s sustainable.
February 5, 2018
Meditations on First Philosophy
In the book, Meditations on First Philosophy, Rene Descartes uses the argument of dreams and the evil deceiver to challenge an individual’s ability to know. He does this by suggesting dreams are the same as reality. If something is true in reality it must be true in dreams. When it comes to truth the same is true in dreams as in reality. Truth cannot be divided. Truth cannot be torn apart. Next time you dream, if you remember the dream, try your best to rip it apart. Did you see a square object in your dream? Well, if you saw a square object ask yourself if it had four sides. If a square has four sides, guess what friend, that’s truth and cannot be torn apart.
The evil deceiver can only deceive me by going outside of myself. I am the only thing that cannot be deceived. The evil deceiver can never fool me. I do not believe my senses. My senses can be used as deception against me. It’s a good idea to never put trust in someone who fools you. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Though my senses can be used against me, I know I am sitting here at my computer typing the words for this article. These hands are mine that are doing the typing.
Sometimes I can have a dream where I am about to be late for an Army formation. My heart is beating and I am terrified. Then I wake up and realize it was just a dream. The dream deceived me with the use of my senses. Man, you just can’t trust those senses.
Take my parents as an example. How do I know they are my parents? I have no proof (other than a document which could be false) they are my real parents. The evil deceiver could have fooled me this whole time. My parents could be just an idea. I can put the idea on or I can take the idea off like a shirt. I can freely choose what to believe. Heck, I can even change my name if I want to. My name is just an idea. The evil deceiver could have given me the name Cedric to make me think like a Cedric would think. You know what, from now on my name is Genesis. Because, according to Descartes, I can become a new beginning starting today.
To establish the necessity of the “thinking I”, Descartes uses doubt arguments. There are many opinions I held as true from my youth. I grew up with a lot of false assumptions. It isn’t until I examine those assumptions from foundations that I can discover what is true and what is false. Doubt can always be possible. My only recourse against doubt is being grounded in the fact that I am thinking. I think, therefore I am. Nothing and no one can ever take that away from me. As long as I am thinking I exist. The moment I cease all thinking I no longer exist. As long as I have free will I am existing.
Anything that is complex is doubtful. I can think and I can make things simple. If something is not simple it is doubtful and can be torn apart. Can I doubt that I can think? Just the very fact that I think, therefore I am abolishing all doubt that I exist. Once something is simplified there is no more doubt.
Descartes’s overall argument provides sufficient basis for science. I believe Descartes’ view of science is a positive development for humanity. Descartes is very objective. He is very factual. So factual in fact he is willing to discount everything as false. He starts from the very foundation building up with truth. Everything is tested for validity.
Solid and deep-rooted foundations are established through Descartes. He has a marvelous analysis of testing for simplicity. Taking away, removing and completely dividing up thoughts provides detailed methods for assessing ideas for unity and certainty.
Descartes lays the foundation that anything that is not a thinking thing does not exist. There is no need to feel sad for something that is an object. Objects do not think. Objects do not have free will and can be used for science and further humanity.
Do dogs have free will? Are they real? If dogs do not have free will … they, in fact, do not exist. They are merely objects that we can use for experiments to further humanity. An interesting example Descartes uses is the wax example. You can hit it with your knuckle and it makes a sound. If you smell it you may notice a fragrance. You may even notice the color of the candle. The interesting thing is these are all your senses being used to believe what you are experiencing is real. But if the candle cannot think it is not real at all. Your imagination is playing tricks on you. According to Meditations on First Philosophy, this gives humans the absolute advantage to use objects, which includes animals, to further humanity.
The evil deceiver can only deceive me by going outside of myself. I am the only thing that cannot be deceived. The evil deceiver can never fool me. I do not believe my senses. My senses can be used as deception against me. It’s a good idea to never put trust in someone who fools you. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Though my senses can be used against me, I know I am sitting here at my computer typing the words for this article. These hands are mine that are doing the typing.
Sometimes I can have a dream where I am about to be late for an Army formation. My heart is beating and I am terrified. Then I wake up and realize it was just a dream. The dream deceived me with the use of my senses. Man, you just can’t trust those senses.
Take my parents as an example. How do I know they are my parents? I have no proof (other than a document which could be false) they are my real parents. The evil deceiver could have fooled me this whole time. My parents could be just an idea. I can put the idea on or I can take the idea off like a shirt. I can freely choose what to believe. Heck, I can even change my name if I want to. My name is just an idea. The evil deceiver could have given me the name Cedric to make me think like a Cedric would think. You know what, from now on my name is Genesis. Because, according to Descartes, I can become a new beginning starting today.
To establish the necessity of the “thinking I”, Descartes uses doubt arguments. There are many opinions I held as true from my youth. I grew up with a lot of false assumptions. It isn’t until I examine those assumptions from foundations that I can discover what is true and what is false. Doubt can always be possible. My only recourse against doubt is being grounded in the fact that I am thinking. I think, therefore I am. Nothing and no one can ever take that away from me. As long as I am thinking I exist. The moment I cease all thinking I no longer exist. As long as I have free will I am existing.
Anything that is complex is doubtful. I can think and I can make things simple. If something is not simple it is doubtful and can be torn apart. Can I doubt that I can think? Just the very fact that I think, therefore I am abolishing all doubt that I exist. Once something is simplified there is no more doubt.
Descartes’s overall argument provides sufficient basis for science. I believe Descartes’ view of science is a positive development for humanity. Descartes is very objective. He is very factual. So factual in fact he is willing to discount everything as false. He starts from the very foundation building up with truth. Everything is tested for validity.
Solid and deep-rooted foundations are established through Descartes. He has a marvelous analysis of testing for simplicity. Taking away, removing and completely dividing up thoughts provides detailed methods for assessing ideas for unity and certainty.
Descartes lays the foundation that anything that is not a thinking thing does not exist. There is no need to feel sad for something that is an object. Objects do not think. Objects do not have free will and can be used for science and further humanity.
Do dogs have free will? Are they real? If dogs do not have free will … they, in fact, do not exist. They are merely objects that we can use for experiments to further humanity. An interesting example Descartes uses is the wax example. You can hit it with your knuckle and it makes a sound. If you smell it you may notice a fragrance. You may even notice the color of the candle. The interesting thing is these are all your senses being used to believe what you are experiencing is real. But if the candle cannot think it is not real at all. Your imagination is playing tricks on you. According to Meditations on First Philosophy, this gives humans the absolute advantage to use objects, which includes animals, to further humanity.
February 2, 2018
A Valentine's Day Gift Your Lover Will Remember
Dear Friend,
VALENTINE’S DAY 2012.
My wife and I are waiting for our food at RC’s Pizza. I hand her a Valentine’s gift bag. Inside is a journal I’ve secretly kept for the past 3 months. My wife reads the journal as if she’s glued to the pages. Our pizza is brought and it gets a little awkward as my wife continues to read this journal. I’m getting hungry so I start nibbling at my New York style pizza. It’s good.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she gently looks up from the journal with a sly smile on her face, hands the journal back to me… and says, “I want you to keep writing in this.”
My friend, ever since the day my wife read the words in that journal our marriage has never been the same. It somehow reached a level where we are true lovebirds in every sense of the word.
Good thing because just 6 months before… I paid a $2,000 retainer fee for a divorce lawyer. (Once my wife and I decided to stick together I went back to that lawyer and demanded my money back. Why should I pay him if I no longer needed his service? He reluctantly gave me my $2,000 back.)
Words in a journal saved my marriage. Not just any words. Words that were filled with what a husband secretly observed as his wife went about her day. I noticed she washed my clothes, took care of our kid and occasionally gave me hugs. It would take all day to name everything I noticed but I wrote it all in that journal.
The power of those words expressed my gratitude for what I saw. It was a daily record of events I noticed and the appreciation I felt during that period.
Why is this important to you?
Simple. Because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. You can give your love an average Valentine’s Day gift OR you can give an unexpected gift that knocks her socks off. The choice is yours.
AND it won’t cost a lot of money…
You just have to pay attention.
Happy Valentines, my friend.
Cedric Crumbley
P.S. If you do something out of the ordinary that gets a positive response. Be sure to let me know. Good luck!
VALENTINE’S DAY 2012.
My wife and I are waiting for our food at RC’s Pizza. I hand her a Valentine’s gift bag. Inside is a journal I’ve secretly kept for the past 3 months. My wife reads the journal as if she’s glued to the pages. Our pizza is brought and it gets a little awkward as my wife continues to read this journal. I’m getting hungry so I start nibbling at my New York style pizza. It’s good.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she gently looks up from the journal with a sly smile on her face, hands the journal back to me… and says, “I want you to keep writing in this.”
My friend, ever since the day my wife read the words in that journal our marriage has never been the same. It somehow reached a level where we are true lovebirds in every sense of the word.
Good thing because just 6 months before… I paid a $2,000 retainer fee for a divorce lawyer. (Once my wife and I decided to stick together I went back to that lawyer and demanded my money back. Why should I pay him if I no longer needed his service? He reluctantly gave me my $2,000 back.)
Words in a journal saved my marriage. Not just any words. Words that were filled with what a husband secretly observed as his wife went about her day. I noticed she washed my clothes, took care of our kid and occasionally gave me hugs. It would take all day to name everything I noticed but I wrote it all in that journal.
The power of those words expressed my gratitude for what I saw. It was a daily record of events I noticed and the appreciation I felt during that period.
Why is this important to you?
Simple. Because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. You can give your love an average Valentine’s Day gift OR you can give an unexpected gift that knocks her socks off. The choice is yours.
AND it won’t cost a lot of money…
You just have to pay attention.
Happy Valentines, my friend.
Cedric Crumbley
P.S. If you do something out of the ordinary that gets a positive response. Be sure to let me know. Good luck!
