Ken Poirot's Blog - Posts Tagged "goals"
IMPORTANT: My most important epiphany and message for others...
Epiphany: What Makes Someone Successful?
I had an epiphany last night that will transform your life...
I discovered the most important reason some people are successful and some people are not successful.
There is one fundamental difference, one simple distinction between the most important, successful leaders and historical figures in the world compared to the average person...one common characteristic that made them successful.
The good news is...once you have the answer, you will be well on your path to achieving the success in life you dream about.
Additionally, this answer is simple to implement and act upon. I will walk you through that step, taking action, later here in this blog.
I am even willing to say, this is the one piece of information that will be the reason you finally find success in life, once you take action on it.
Additional 1.5 Years of Thought
It has been almost a year since I published (almost 1.5 years since I completed writing), Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement.
Mentor Me was written to provide a real-world, practical (not just theoretical like so many books) guide for people to take positive action in life. It delivers tools to help people achieve their definition of ultimate success, in a concise, easy-to-read, and easy-to-implement package.
Many deeper themes are also written into Mentor Me in order to stimulate profound thoughts about life...some of these themes are subtle and some are not-so-subtle.
Within its pages are the mindset, exercises, and useful tools to help people on their journey to fulfill their Greatest Achievement (GA).
The Thought Process to The Answer
First a few questions, then I will provide the answer to what makes someone successful.
You deserve to have the answer and to achieve the success you dream of in life.
I will ask you for something in return...share this blog and this information with others.
Please help someone else achieve their dreams and their definition of success in life.
My Question for You
Who are you and what is most important to you in life?
In other words, how do you define yourself and your life?
This seems like a very fundamental question. Yet, if I asked you this question in person right now, could you communicate your answer succinctly and effectively?
Try it right now. Please write down...how do you define yourself and your life?
I am guessing you are just like most of the people to whom I have posed that question...you are struggling with a concise definition of you.
The Answer
Having a deep-rooted knowledge, conviction, and belief of yourself, who you are and what is important to you, is the fundamental basis of focusing your life for success.
This is the biggest difference between those who are successful in life and those who are not.
Think of the most successful person you know...either someone personally or someone you admire; a contemporary or someone from history.
Think of the qualities that person exhibits or exhibited in history. They have a "presence" when they enter a room. People are naturally attracted to them, want to follow them, and to be a part of their lives. Why?
...because this person knows who they are, they can define themselves, and concisely, effectively communicate that definition to others.
They have a direction in life and people want to follow them because it is our human nature to want to be a part of something bigger than us.
We all want to be in the presence of success, greatness, and inspirational leadership. It is our innate constitution to want to achieve, or be a part of something remarkable, earth-shattering, and truly great.
Everyone wants to have a greater purpose in life. Exceptional, charismatic leaders exude confidence and attract followers who believe in them. Their followers believe they will be taken to a place of greatest achievement in life, well above what they could have achieved on their own.
It all starts with defining yourself, having a solid, foundational belief in who you are, what is important to you, and the ability to communicate that effectively to others.
Once you can define yourself, radiate the confidence and belief in who you are, where you are going in life, and concisely, effectively communicate this to others...people will follow you and help you achieve your definition of success.
The X Factor
Last night I realized, that is the difference between great leaders throughout history and the rest of the population.
Some call it the "X Factor." Yet, to my knowledge, no one has succinctly defined the "X Factor" and told you how to construct your own "X Factor"...until today.
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Alexander the Great, George Washington, Mohatma Gahndi, Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ, etc... all the great and historically relevant leaders in the world:
If you asked any of them, they could answer that question, how do you define yourself and your life?
Any one of them could readily define themselves, radiate confidence in their belief of that definition, and concisely communicate that definition effectively to others.
Deliberately I used diverse names from varied backgrounds, such as, innovative business leaders, nation or empire builders, names synonymous with peace and love, and religious leaders in my example above to make a point...you define you.
Whatever defines you and is most important to you is up to you.
Your definition may be with respect to your profession, your business, your community, your family, your religion, etc...
...it can be anything as long as it is yours and you define it. Your definition of you and your purpose of being is yours to decide and yours alone, which leads me to my next point:
Define Yourself; Do Not Let Others Define You
Once you have constructed your definition of you, you believe it with conviction, and you can communicate it effectively to others...then nothing anyone else says can truly harm you.
Your definition of you is like a suit of armor protecting you in the battles of every day life.
Once you have this deep-rooted belief and understanding of who you are and what is most important to you, then anything anyone else says to you outside of this definition cannot penetrate the emotional armor you have donned.
Anything anyone says will bounce off and be discarded by your conscious and subconscious mind if it is not congruent, or in alignment with, your deep-rooted conviction of your definition of you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement, there is constructive and destructive criticism.
When you have a firm belief and definition of yourself, you can easily shrug off any destructive criticism of you, with the true knowledge and belief it is not accurate, or worthy of a second thought from you.
Your definition of you is like an impenetrable tank, protecting you every second of each day from words of jealousy, hatred, bullying, or abuse.
You Will Be Unstoppable In Achieving Success
By establishing your definition of you, you will attract people to you who will reinforce your positive self image.
People will want to help, nurture, and follow you, while you ward off and repel those who want to harm you, or feed you destructive criticism.
Furthermore, your definition of you will provide you the confidence, direction, and focus in life to achieve your greatest accomplishments.
It will be the guiding principal for your life, directing you to success and making course corrections to your targeted goals like an unstoppable, guided missile.
Some people define themselves through their profession, career, family, relationships, affiliation with groups, church, religion, etc... your definition is completely individualized and it will encompass all that is most important to you.
So how do you physically, concisely, and effectively do this? How do you define yourself and your life? How do you write this down in a way that is easily communicated to others?
Define You: The IBT Model
Last night I came up with a model, or framework, to help people define themselves, write it down, and concisely, effectively communicate this definition to others; I call it the IBT Model.
Write down on a piece of paper the following three words, leaving space between them so you can fill in the blanks.
Write:
I
By
Through
Then think about how you will define you and what is most important to you:
"I" is who you are.
"By" states how you accomplish who you are and your life purpose in relation to you.
"Through" states what medium you use to accomplish your life purpose.
So take some time right now, think about you, your life, and what is most important to you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "Something magical happens when we put down what we want on a piece of paper, verbalize it, visualize it, define it, and allow ourselves to experience it…We can program ourselves to have it!"
Your Definition of You in Writing
Write it down, believe it with conviction, and communicate it effectively to others.
I will share what I wrote last night as my definition of me as an example:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
The people I help can be friends, family, a member of a group I am affiliated with, someone in my community, etc...anyone. It is an all encompassing definition of me.
In order to easily share this with others, I created a photo quote which is located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Once you write down your definition of you, refer to it each day. It will be the guiding force for your life, your being, and drive you toward success.
Having this written statement, your deeply-rooted definition of you, is the difference between the greatest leaders and historical figures of all time versus the average person.
You now have the foundation to truly achieve your definition of success.
Help Others and Continue Your Journey
Share this blog with others, help them define themselves, and take the next step...map out your blueprint to achieve your dreams.
In Mentor Me, I assemble the exercises and tools to help people define and achieve their lifelong goal(s), their Greatest Achievement (GA).
After all, you have seen my definition of me:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
Now that you have your definition of you, pick up a copy of Mentor Me and continue your journey:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Continue on your path to achieving your definition of success...your Greatest Achievement (GA).
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
I had an epiphany last night that will transform your life...
I discovered the most important reason some people are successful and some people are not successful.
There is one fundamental difference, one simple distinction between the most important, successful leaders and historical figures in the world compared to the average person...one common characteristic that made them successful.
The good news is...once you have the answer, you will be well on your path to achieving the success in life you dream about.
Additionally, this answer is simple to implement and act upon. I will walk you through that step, taking action, later here in this blog.
I am even willing to say, this is the one piece of information that will be the reason you finally find success in life, once you take action on it.
Additional 1.5 Years of Thought
It has been almost a year since I published (almost 1.5 years since I completed writing), Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement.
Mentor Me was written to provide a real-world, practical (not just theoretical like so many books) guide for people to take positive action in life. It delivers tools to help people achieve their definition of ultimate success, in a concise, easy-to-read, and easy-to-implement package.
Many deeper themes are also written into Mentor Me in order to stimulate profound thoughts about life...some of these themes are subtle and some are not-so-subtle.
Within its pages are the mindset, exercises, and useful tools to help people on their journey to fulfill their Greatest Achievement (GA).
The Thought Process to The Answer
First a few questions, then I will provide the answer to what makes someone successful.
You deserve to have the answer and to achieve the success you dream of in life.
I will ask you for something in return...share this blog and this information with others.
Please help someone else achieve their dreams and their definition of success in life.
My Question for You
Who are you and what is most important to you in life?
In other words, how do you define yourself and your life?
This seems like a very fundamental question. Yet, if I asked you this question in person right now, could you communicate your answer succinctly and effectively?
Try it right now. Please write down...how do you define yourself and your life?
I am guessing you are just like most of the people to whom I have posed that question...you are struggling with a concise definition of you.
The Answer
Having a deep-rooted knowledge, conviction, and belief of yourself, who you are and what is important to you, is the fundamental basis of focusing your life for success.
This is the biggest difference between those who are successful in life and those who are not.
Think of the most successful person you know...either someone personally or someone you admire; a contemporary or someone from history.
Think of the qualities that person exhibits or exhibited in history. They have a "presence" when they enter a room. People are naturally attracted to them, want to follow them, and to be a part of their lives. Why?
...because this person knows who they are, they can define themselves, and concisely, effectively communicate that definition to others.
They have a direction in life and people want to follow them because it is our human nature to want to be a part of something bigger than us.
We all want to be in the presence of success, greatness, and inspirational leadership. It is our innate constitution to want to achieve, or be a part of something remarkable, earth-shattering, and truly great.
Everyone wants to have a greater purpose in life. Exceptional, charismatic leaders exude confidence and attract followers who believe in them. Their followers believe they will be taken to a place of greatest achievement in life, well above what they could have achieved on their own.
It all starts with defining yourself, having a solid, foundational belief in who you are, what is important to you, and the ability to communicate that effectively to others.
Once you can define yourself, radiate the confidence and belief in who you are, where you are going in life, and concisely, effectively communicate this to others...people will follow you and help you achieve your definition of success.
The X Factor
Last night I realized, that is the difference between great leaders throughout history and the rest of the population.
Some call it the "X Factor." Yet, to my knowledge, no one has succinctly defined the "X Factor" and told you how to construct your own "X Factor"...until today.
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Alexander the Great, George Washington, Mohatma Gahndi, Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ, etc... all the great and historically relevant leaders in the world:
If you asked any of them, they could answer that question, how do you define yourself and your life?
Any one of them could readily define themselves, radiate confidence in their belief of that definition, and concisely communicate that definition effectively to others.
Deliberately I used diverse names from varied backgrounds, such as, innovative business leaders, nation or empire builders, names synonymous with peace and love, and religious leaders in my example above to make a point...you define you.
Whatever defines you and is most important to you is up to you.
Your definition may be with respect to your profession, your business, your community, your family, your religion, etc...
...it can be anything as long as it is yours and you define it. Your definition of you and your purpose of being is yours to decide and yours alone, which leads me to my next point:
Define Yourself; Do Not Let Others Define You
Once you have constructed your definition of you, you believe it with conviction, and you can communicate it effectively to others...then nothing anyone else says can truly harm you.
Your definition of you is like a suit of armor protecting you in the battles of every day life.
Once you have this deep-rooted belief and understanding of who you are and what is most important to you, then anything anyone else says to you outside of this definition cannot penetrate the emotional armor you have donned.
Anything anyone says will bounce off and be discarded by your conscious and subconscious mind if it is not congruent, or in alignment with, your deep-rooted conviction of your definition of you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement, there is constructive and destructive criticism.
When you have a firm belief and definition of yourself, you can easily shrug off any destructive criticism of you, with the true knowledge and belief it is not accurate, or worthy of a second thought from you.
Your definition of you is like an impenetrable tank, protecting you every second of each day from words of jealousy, hatred, bullying, or abuse.
You Will Be Unstoppable In Achieving Success
By establishing your definition of you, you will attract people to you who will reinforce your positive self image.
People will want to help, nurture, and follow you, while you ward off and repel those who want to harm you, or feed you destructive criticism.
Furthermore, your definition of you will provide you the confidence, direction, and focus in life to achieve your greatest accomplishments.
It will be the guiding principal for your life, directing you to success and making course corrections to your targeted goals like an unstoppable, guided missile.
Some people define themselves through their profession, career, family, relationships, affiliation with groups, church, religion, etc... your definition is completely individualized and it will encompass all that is most important to you.
So how do you physically, concisely, and effectively do this? How do you define yourself and your life? How do you write this down in a way that is easily communicated to others?
Define You: The IBT Model
Last night I came up with a model, or framework, to help people define themselves, write it down, and concisely, effectively communicate this definition to others; I call it the IBT Model.
Write down on a piece of paper the following three words, leaving space between them so you can fill in the blanks.
Write:
I
By
Through
Then think about how you will define you and what is most important to you:
"I" is who you are.
"By" states how you accomplish who you are and your life purpose in relation to you.
"Through" states what medium you use to accomplish your life purpose.
So take some time right now, think about you, your life, and what is most important to you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "Something magical happens when we put down what we want on a piece of paper, verbalize it, visualize it, define it, and allow ourselves to experience it…We can program ourselves to have it!"
Your Definition of You in Writing
Write it down, believe it with conviction, and communicate it effectively to others.
I will share what I wrote last night as my definition of me as an example:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
The people I help can be friends, family, a member of a group I am affiliated with, someone in my community, etc...anyone. It is an all encompassing definition of me.
In order to easily share this with others, I created a photo quote which is located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Once you write down your definition of you, refer to it each day. It will be the guiding force for your life, your being, and drive you toward success.
Having this written statement, your deeply-rooted definition of you, is the difference between the greatest leaders and historical figures of all time versus the average person.
You now have the foundation to truly achieve your definition of success.
Help Others and Continue Your Journey
Share this blog with others, help them define themselves, and take the next step...map out your blueprint to achieve your dreams.
In Mentor Me, I assemble the exercises and tools to help people define and achieve their lifelong goal(s), their Greatest Achievement (GA).
After all, you have seen my definition of me:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
Now that you have your definition of you, pick up a copy of Mentor Me and continue your journey:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Continue on your path to achieving your definition of success...your Greatest Achievement (GA).
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Memorial Day: Lessons from Soldiers, D-Day, and Success...
Have the Courage to Take Action
How many of us are paralyzed by fear?
The fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, or the fear of getting hurt in relationships, just to name a few fears many people experience.
The result of fear: if we succumb to it and allow it to dictate the direction of our lives, then we are guaranteed to never achieve our dreams.
Taking action requires courage: the courage to commit to a goal or dream. The courage to plan for success and follow that plan. The courage to overcome obstacles along the way to success and repel any naysayers we may encounter along the way. The courage to overcome the inertia in our lives caused by the fear of failure or the fear of getting hurt.
The amazing thing about taking action to achieve your dreams is the reaction from others. You will encounter people along the way who will tell you that you can never achieve your dreams. Or even worse, you may encounter those who try to tear you down or undermine your efforts on the road to achievement.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "The same people who told you what you can and cannot do are only saying that because they gave up on their dreams."
Two Crabs in a Bucket
There are two types of people in this world: those who will support you in your goals and dreams, and those who won't (including those who may even attempt to block or sabotage your efforts).
It is important to surround yourself with people who will give you positive support and cheer you on. Equally important is to separate yourself from those who try to beat you down, hold you back, or undermine you in life.
There is an old adage about crabs in a bucket that illustrates this point.
As the story goes, if you put one crab in a bucket it will easily crawl out.
...but, if you put two crabs in a bucket, the second crab will clamp its claw(s) onto the leg(s) of the crab attempting to crawl out of the bucket. Therefore, the second crab will actively hinder the first crab from escaping the bucket.
The end result is neither crab will be able to crawl out of the bucket.
"Crawling out of the bucket" is a metaphor for getting ahead in life, or achieving your goals and dreams.
The moral of the story: rid your life of any crab(s) who might hold you back and/or keep you from getting out of your bucket (achieving your goals and dreams).
Soldiers Exemplify Taking Action in the Face of Fear
So why do some people take action even though they experience fear, while others are so paralyzed by fear they quit or do not take action in the first place?
...or a better question, how can someone learn to take action in the face of experiencing fear?
I believe the answer to this question is best exemplified by the courage of our soldiers while encountering severe opposition and the real specter of death.
Soldiers come from every cross section of our society and they are taught to take action in the face of fear. They learn to control their panic in war situations which would prevent most people from moving forward; soldiers make decision/take action in circumstances which the average person would be paralyzed by extreme fear into quitting or inaction.
The good news then is this: the average person can learn to take action in spite of fear.
In other words, this is a behavior we can all acquire...the ability to take action in the face of fear!
The D-Day Invasion
First, I would like to take a moment to commemorate and remember all the soldiers, veterans, and our current, active military personnel this Memorial Day. All of these individuals are heroes in my mind.
Anyone who serves our country and is willing to give their life for the United States deserves our thanks and respect.
Likewise, any soldier who has fallen in battle should be honored for giving the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
I am using just one example of the heroism of our soldiers here, the D-Day Invasion, because it is an illustration for which most of us have studied or have a powerful visualization due to all the photos taken of this particular battle.
One cannot imagine the fear and terror soldiers engaged in the D-Day Invasion must have felt while riding in their transport ships to the shores of Normandy, France.
Listening to the seemingly infinite rounds of machine gun fire hitting the ramps of their transport ships, while waiting for those same ramps to be lowered to the sea, guaranteeing death to those stationed in the front of their ships.
As the ramps came down, rows of soldiers were struck and killed before they could even take one step into the ocean.
Soldiers behind them had to crawl over their wounded, dead, and bleeding buddies in order to get into the sea. Then push forward onto the beaches targeted by more machine gun fire, bombs, booby traps, and razor wire.
Sheer chaos and almost certain death enveloped these soldiers in the fog of war, smoke, explosions, and the screams of the fallen. Yet, through all this horror, the pieces of friends and fellow soldiers surrounding them, they still moved forward.
What we forget is, with all the planning that went into the D-Day Invasion and the 160,000 troops that took part in this operation: success was not guaranteed.
The price was high as more than 9,000 Allied soldiers died during this mission.
How can the average person develop courage?
So how can the average person be transformed into an heroic and courageous soldier?
Our soldiers had the courage to take action, to be brave in the face of the unfathomable hell that greeted them on the beaches of Normandy. Against all odds, almost impossible to imagine circumstances, and sheer terror, our soldiers showed unimaginable courage.
What can we learn from our soldiers and their heroism? What can we learn from their courage and how can we use their example to change our lives?
We can break this down into three steps the average person can use to overcome fear and take action in their lives, namely:
1) Commit to the Mission/Commit to No Return (Vision)
2) Implement Training and Practice (Planning)
3) Manifest Belief and Expectation (Execution)
Have Vision and Commit to "Death Ground"
It starts with having a vision and committing 100% to the achievement of that vision no matter what obstacles are encountered.
As General Dwight D Eisenhower said about the D-Day Invasion, "We will accept nothing less than full victory.” This same commitment was communicated throughout the ranks to every soldier under General Eisenhower's command.
This vision and commitment of our leaders/generals to the D-Day Invasion put 100% of those 160,000 troops into harms way with the only acceptable outcome: full victory (the outcome could have been complete annihilation or failure).
Looking back at the invasion it is easy to forget since we were victorious: the outcome could have been much different.
Heading into that day, no one could guarantee victory...failure and the complete loss of all 160,000 troops was one possible result of the D-Day Invasion.
Another illustration of complete commitment was written by Sun Tzu in The Art of War. He wrote of this complete commitment to moving forward and no return as creating "death ground." This "death ground" is defined as a place where an army is backed up against some geographical feature like a mountain, a river, ocean, or a forest which offers no possible escape route.
Per Sun Tzu, without a way to retreat (a complete commitment to move forward) an army fights with double or triple the spirit compared to combat on open terrain, precisely because death is viscerally present. The soldier has no choice except fight ferociously to live or die!
Sun Tzu advocated deliberately stationing soldiers on "death ground" to give them an edge of desperation which transforms people to fight like they never have before.
Our generals undoubtedly studied Sun Tzu and used this principal in the Normandy invasion. Our soldiers were shipped to the shores of Normandy and had no alternative for escape.
There was nowhere to hide in the waves of the sea where our soldiers were sitting targets for German bombs and machine guns. They were placed on "death ground" and they had no choice but to fight their way forward just for a chance to live.
Implement Training and Practice: Planning
So how can you take the average person who becomes a soldier and turn them into a hero who takes action in the face of fear?
For our soldiers it comes down to their training and practice. The constant drills, basic training, and live fire exercises. Getting used to the feel, sounds, sights, and smells of battle. The smoke, explosions, machine gun fire, and even the screams associated with the fallen.
These drills also expose soldiers to the mental, emotional, and physical stress of fatigue and adrenaline experienced in combat. They are designed as a total assault on the senses while teaching soldiers to maintain discipline, follow orders, control their actions, and press on while experiencing fear.
This training and practice helps to condition our soldiers for the terror they will experience in war. In other words, they undergo a great deal of planning for combat.
What we can learn from this is to plan for the fulfillment of our goals and dreams. Whatever your craft, practicing your craft, and training your skills for success are necessary. Also necessary is maintaining the control and discipline to follow the plan through the mental, physical, and emotional stresses along the way.
Above and beyond this practice and exercise, making a written plan (which also strengthens your commitment to that plan) is crucial for success. Additionally, pursuit of any goal or dream requires a total cohesive physical, mental, and spiritual vision and commitment to its achievement; never taking your eyes off the target and continually focusing (and refocusing) your thoughts on the achievement of that vision.
This is why I dedicated various chapters of Mentor Me to information/exercises designed to commit mentally, physically, and emotionally to creating a blueprint for goal achievement, as well as providing tools for garnering support on the path to success.
It is also why these same chapters are constructed to solidify the belief and expectation of success.
Manifest Belief and Expectation: Execution
As stated in the Bible, Matthew 17:20, "Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief: for truly I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you."
The above passage is typically summarized as "With faith you can move mountains." When you have a deep-rooted faith (belief) and expectation of success, you are much more likely to achieve success.
Dwight D Eisenhower, our leaders, Allied generals, and our soldiers were all 100% committed to the vision of success of the D-Day Invasion. They trained, exercised, and planned for victory. Additionally, they believed in the mission and they expected to succeed.
This belief and expectation permeated all who executed this plan, from the leaders at the top down to the foot soldiers who carried out the invasion. All executed this D-Day Invasion plan with a deep-rooted vision, commitment, belief, and expectation of "full victory."
These were the thoughts I had when I penned the phrase, "Take Action: Success is not guaranteed but inaction will guaranty failure." For this reason, I purposefully chose a famous photo from the D-Day Invasion to illustrate this quote, which can be seen here at the link below:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Remember the sacrifice of our soldiers and fallen heroes today, this Memorial Day. Also remember to take action to achieve your goals and dreams on the way to transforming your life. Yes, taking action cannot guarantee success...but inaction will guaranty failure.
Remember, you can acquire the ability to take action to achieve your goals and dreams, even if you experience fear, by following these three steps:
1) Commit to the Mission/Commit to No Return (Vision)
2) Implement Training and Practice (Planning)
3) Manifest Belief and Expectation (Execution)
Have the courage to take action and live your life to the fullest in pursuit of your goals and dreams!
Have a great Memorial Day!
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
How many of us are paralyzed by fear?
The fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, or the fear of getting hurt in relationships, just to name a few fears many people experience.
The result of fear: if we succumb to it and allow it to dictate the direction of our lives, then we are guaranteed to never achieve our dreams.
Taking action requires courage: the courage to commit to a goal or dream. The courage to plan for success and follow that plan. The courage to overcome obstacles along the way to success and repel any naysayers we may encounter along the way. The courage to overcome the inertia in our lives caused by the fear of failure or the fear of getting hurt.
The amazing thing about taking action to achieve your dreams is the reaction from others. You will encounter people along the way who will tell you that you can never achieve your dreams. Or even worse, you may encounter those who try to tear you down or undermine your efforts on the road to achievement.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "The same people who told you what you can and cannot do are only saying that because they gave up on their dreams."
Two Crabs in a Bucket
There are two types of people in this world: those who will support you in your goals and dreams, and those who won't (including those who may even attempt to block or sabotage your efforts).
It is important to surround yourself with people who will give you positive support and cheer you on. Equally important is to separate yourself from those who try to beat you down, hold you back, or undermine you in life.
There is an old adage about crabs in a bucket that illustrates this point.
As the story goes, if you put one crab in a bucket it will easily crawl out.
...but, if you put two crabs in a bucket, the second crab will clamp its claw(s) onto the leg(s) of the crab attempting to crawl out of the bucket. Therefore, the second crab will actively hinder the first crab from escaping the bucket.
The end result is neither crab will be able to crawl out of the bucket.
"Crawling out of the bucket" is a metaphor for getting ahead in life, or achieving your goals and dreams.
The moral of the story: rid your life of any crab(s) who might hold you back and/or keep you from getting out of your bucket (achieving your goals and dreams).
Soldiers Exemplify Taking Action in the Face of Fear
So why do some people take action even though they experience fear, while others are so paralyzed by fear they quit or do not take action in the first place?
...or a better question, how can someone learn to take action in the face of experiencing fear?
I believe the answer to this question is best exemplified by the courage of our soldiers while encountering severe opposition and the real specter of death.
Soldiers come from every cross section of our society and they are taught to take action in the face of fear. They learn to control their panic in war situations which would prevent most people from moving forward; soldiers make decision/take action in circumstances which the average person would be paralyzed by extreme fear into quitting or inaction.
The good news then is this: the average person can learn to take action in spite of fear.
In other words, this is a behavior we can all acquire...the ability to take action in the face of fear!
The D-Day Invasion
First, I would like to take a moment to commemorate and remember all the soldiers, veterans, and our current, active military personnel this Memorial Day. All of these individuals are heroes in my mind.
Anyone who serves our country and is willing to give their life for the United States deserves our thanks and respect.
Likewise, any soldier who has fallen in battle should be honored for giving the ultimate sacrifice for our nation.
I am using just one example of the heroism of our soldiers here, the D-Day Invasion, because it is an illustration for which most of us have studied or have a powerful visualization due to all the photos taken of this particular battle.
One cannot imagine the fear and terror soldiers engaged in the D-Day Invasion must have felt while riding in their transport ships to the shores of Normandy, France.
Listening to the seemingly infinite rounds of machine gun fire hitting the ramps of their transport ships, while waiting for those same ramps to be lowered to the sea, guaranteeing death to those stationed in the front of their ships.
As the ramps came down, rows of soldiers were struck and killed before they could even take one step into the ocean.
Soldiers behind them had to crawl over their wounded, dead, and bleeding buddies in order to get into the sea. Then push forward onto the beaches targeted by more machine gun fire, bombs, booby traps, and razor wire.
Sheer chaos and almost certain death enveloped these soldiers in the fog of war, smoke, explosions, and the screams of the fallen. Yet, through all this horror, the pieces of friends and fellow soldiers surrounding them, they still moved forward.
What we forget is, with all the planning that went into the D-Day Invasion and the 160,000 troops that took part in this operation: success was not guaranteed.
The price was high as more than 9,000 Allied soldiers died during this mission.
How can the average person develop courage?
So how can the average person be transformed into an heroic and courageous soldier?
Our soldiers had the courage to take action, to be brave in the face of the unfathomable hell that greeted them on the beaches of Normandy. Against all odds, almost impossible to imagine circumstances, and sheer terror, our soldiers showed unimaginable courage.
What can we learn from our soldiers and their heroism? What can we learn from their courage and how can we use their example to change our lives?
We can break this down into three steps the average person can use to overcome fear and take action in their lives, namely:
1) Commit to the Mission/Commit to No Return (Vision)
2) Implement Training and Practice (Planning)
3) Manifest Belief and Expectation (Execution)
Have Vision and Commit to "Death Ground"
It starts with having a vision and committing 100% to the achievement of that vision no matter what obstacles are encountered.
As General Dwight D Eisenhower said about the D-Day Invasion, "We will accept nothing less than full victory.” This same commitment was communicated throughout the ranks to every soldier under General Eisenhower's command.
This vision and commitment of our leaders/generals to the D-Day Invasion put 100% of those 160,000 troops into harms way with the only acceptable outcome: full victory (the outcome could have been complete annihilation or failure).
Looking back at the invasion it is easy to forget since we were victorious: the outcome could have been much different.
Heading into that day, no one could guarantee victory...failure and the complete loss of all 160,000 troops was one possible result of the D-Day Invasion.
Another illustration of complete commitment was written by Sun Tzu in The Art of War. He wrote of this complete commitment to moving forward and no return as creating "death ground." This "death ground" is defined as a place where an army is backed up against some geographical feature like a mountain, a river, ocean, or a forest which offers no possible escape route.
Per Sun Tzu, without a way to retreat (a complete commitment to move forward) an army fights with double or triple the spirit compared to combat on open terrain, precisely because death is viscerally present. The soldier has no choice except fight ferociously to live or die!
Sun Tzu advocated deliberately stationing soldiers on "death ground" to give them an edge of desperation which transforms people to fight like they never have before.
Our generals undoubtedly studied Sun Tzu and used this principal in the Normandy invasion. Our soldiers were shipped to the shores of Normandy and had no alternative for escape.
There was nowhere to hide in the waves of the sea where our soldiers were sitting targets for German bombs and machine guns. They were placed on "death ground" and they had no choice but to fight their way forward just for a chance to live.
Implement Training and Practice: Planning
So how can you take the average person who becomes a soldier and turn them into a hero who takes action in the face of fear?
For our soldiers it comes down to their training and practice. The constant drills, basic training, and live fire exercises. Getting used to the feel, sounds, sights, and smells of battle. The smoke, explosions, machine gun fire, and even the screams associated with the fallen.
These drills also expose soldiers to the mental, emotional, and physical stress of fatigue and adrenaline experienced in combat. They are designed as a total assault on the senses while teaching soldiers to maintain discipline, follow orders, control their actions, and press on while experiencing fear.
This training and practice helps to condition our soldiers for the terror they will experience in war. In other words, they undergo a great deal of planning for combat.
What we can learn from this is to plan for the fulfillment of our goals and dreams. Whatever your craft, practicing your craft, and training your skills for success are necessary. Also necessary is maintaining the control and discipline to follow the plan through the mental, physical, and emotional stresses along the way.
Above and beyond this practice and exercise, making a written plan (which also strengthens your commitment to that plan) is crucial for success. Additionally, pursuit of any goal or dream requires a total cohesive physical, mental, and spiritual vision and commitment to its achievement; never taking your eyes off the target and continually focusing (and refocusing) your thoughts on the achievement of that vision.
This is why I dedicated various chapters of Mentor Me to information/exercises designed to commit mentally, physically, and emotionally to creating a blueprint for goal achievement, as well as providing tools for garnering support on the path to success.
It is also why these same chapters are constructed to solidify the belief and expectation of success.
Manifest Belief and Expectation: Execution
As stated in the Bible, Matthew 17:20, "Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief: for truly I say to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible to you."
The above passage is typically summarized as "With faith you can move mountains." When you have a deep-rooted faith (belief) and expectation of success, you are much more likely to achieve success.
Dwight D Eisenhower, our leaders, Allied generals, and our soldiers were all 100% committed to the vision of success of the D-Day Invasion. They trained, exercised, and planned for victory. Additionally, they believed in the mission and they expected to succeed.
This belief and expectation permeated all who executed this plan, from the leaders at the top down to the foot soldiers who carried out the invasion. All executed this D-Day Invasion plan with a deep-rooted vision, commitment, belief, and expectation of "full victory."
These were the thoughts I had when I penned the phrase, "Take Action: Success is not guaranteed but inaction will guaranty failure." For this reason, I purposefully chose a famous photo from the D-Day Invasion to illustrate this quote, which can be seen here at the link below:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Remember the sacrifice of our soldiers and fallen heroes today, this Memorial Day. Also remember to take action to achieve your goals and dreams on the way to transforming your life. Yes, taking action cannot guarantee success...but inaction will guaranty failure.
Remember, you can acquire the ability to take action to achieve your goals and dreams, even if you experience fear, by following these three steps:
1) Commit to the Mission/Commit to No Return (Vision)
2) Implement Training and Practice (Planning)
3) Manifest Belief and Expectation (Execution)
Have the courage to take action and live your life to the fullest in pursuit of your goals and dreams!
Have a great Memorial Day!
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
The Three Keys to Success...
The Three Keys to Success in Mentor Me
I discovered a pattern while working with (and studying) successful people throughout my lifetime, including almost twenty years in the financial services industry.
This pattern revealed successful people use a common core skill set in order to obtain success. In addition, I realized this information could be assembled, taught, and learned.
I call this core skill set: the three keys to success.
So what are these three keys to success and how can you use them to transform your life?
Success is unlocked by the proper implementation of these three keys :
1) Goal Setting
2) Time Management
3) Life Skills
The following graphic summarizes this concept:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Properly use these three keys and anyone can transform their life!
Specifically, the benefits are the following:
- Goal Setting helps people get focused
- Time Management helps people be focused
- Life Skills help people stay focused
With this in mind, Mentor Me methodically walks readers through utilizing these three critical keys in order to create their definition of success.
Over the years I read a myriad of books on these topics, many of which seemed condescending, painfully boring, and/or theoretical. For these reasons, Mentor Me favors a different approach.
It has been described by readers as conversational, interactive, and fun, even with some "smile moments" thrown in for good measure.
Additionally, Mentor Me is designed so readers will benefit as they finish and implement each section of the book, producing an immediate, positive impact on their lives!
Goal Setting: Get Focused
Goal Setting is the first key to achieving success. It is important to define and structure goals, but to do so starting with a completely open mind.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "Let's face it, the more time we have lived in this world, often the more jaded we become. Remember what life was like before someone ever told you, 'No...you can't?""
"...Children know no limits or boundaries. It is only through society and others telling us what we can and cannot do, what we can and cannot achieve, what we can or cannot accomplish in life, that we shrink or compress our beliefs in what we can achieve.
Ask yourself, what really changed in you from that time in your life, your childhood, when you knew no boundaries or limits? What changed in you when you were a child who dreamed and fantasized about the life you wanted someday?
You will find nothing changed except your beliefs, most likely due to what others and society told you. The only thing that really changed was your belief in yourself and what you believed you could do with your life."
"...It is time to believe again, to believe in yourself and the truth.
You have no boundaries in what you can achieve. "
For this reason, Mentor Me is designed to expand horizons once again, opening readers minds to the realization they are in control of their lives and therefore, their ultimate success.
Chapter I is a guide through this thought process, to help readers get focused by covering how to:
- Start with no structure –“…dream BIG like a child.”
- Visualize the life they want (their Greatest Achievement)
- Add structure to define goals (Elements of a goal, SMART)
Time Management: Be Focused
Mentor Me demonstrates how to directly use time management (be focused) in order to achieve the specific goals readers target for themselves.
It also covers time management in a novel way, using time-tested, real-world strategies, including one exclusively devised by me.
In chapter II, readers set up their blueprint to achieve their own definition of success by learning to:
- Focus their Time (T) and Energy (E) with their goals in mind
- Set up a weekly calendar to move one step closer to goal achievement
- Schedule most important activities ("Big Rocks") first
- Avoid burnout (“High Impact and Low Impact Days Strategy")
Life Skills: Stay Focused
Finally, I realized in addition to the first two keys to success, the most successful people have better-developed life skills than the average person.
These highly-developed life skills help successful people stay focused on their quest to achieve their goals.
This section of Mentor Me contains the tools necessary to stay on track, beginning with a chapter titled, "Understanding Personality Styles."
A deeper understanding of one's own personality style, as well as how one can best relate to other people, is a fundamental building block to help gain and keep others' support on the road to success.
Chapter III includes a personality style quiz and information that readers (and a professional reviewer) have said is one of the most beneficial (and fun) chapters of the book.
Within the life skills chapters, readers learn how to:
- Better understand themselves and relate/communicate more effectively with others
- Absorb new information in less time
- Motivate themselves and others
- Cope with life’s unexpected Situations
- Handle conflict and inspire others
Mentor Me is written to keep readers coming back, referring to it as a helpful guide.
For those readers who are searching for more profound themes, many of these have also been woven into the fabric of Mentor Me.
Some of these themes are subtle while some are not so subtle.
This is truly a book readers can enjoy over and over again on many different levels.
Find out why some have called Mentor Me, "revolutionary" and why it has been quoted around the world!
Enjoy the practicality of the three keys to success, how to use them to transform your life, and the book's deeper themes in pursuit of your goals.
Pick up your copy of Mentor Me here today:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Use the three keys to success, based upon a lifetime of work, delivered with practical, real-world experience, packaged concisely into Mentor Me, and live your dreams!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
I discovered a pattern while working with (and studying) successful people throughout my lifetime, including almost twenty years in the financial services industry.
This pattern revealed successful people use a common core skill set in order to obtain success. In addition, I realized this information could be assembled, taught, and learned.
I call this core skill set: the three keys to success.
So what are these three keys to success and how can you use them to transform your life?
Success is unlocked by the proper implementation of these three keys :
1) Goal Setting
2) Time Management
3) Life Skills
The following graphic summarizes this concept:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Properly use these three keys and anyone can transform their life!
Specifically, the benefits are the following:
- Goal Setting helps people get focused
- Time Management helps people be focused
- Life Skills help people stay focused
With this in mind, Mentor Me methodically walks readers through utilizing these three critical keys in order to create their definition of success.
Over the years I read a myriad of books on these topics, many of which seemed condescending, painfully boring, and/or theoretical. For these reasons, Mentor Me favors a different approach.
It has been described by readers as conversational, interactive, and fun, even with some "smile moments" thrown in for good measure.
Additionally, Mentor Me is designed so readers will benefit as they finish and implement each section of the book, producing an immediate, positive impact on their lives!
Goal Setting: Get Focused
Goal Setting is the first key to achieving success. It is important to define and structure goals, but to do so starting with a completely open mind.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "Let's face it, the more time we have lived in this world, often the more jaded we become. Remember what life was like before someone ever told you, 'No...you can't?""
"...Children know no limits or boundaries. It is only through society and others telling us what we can and cannot do, what we can and cannot achieve, what we can or cannot accomplish in life, that we shrink or compress our beliefs in what we can achieve.
Ask yourself, what really changed in you from that time in your life, your childhood, when you knew no boundaries or limits? What changed in you when you were a child who dreamed and fantasized about the life you wanted someday?
You will find nothing changed except your beliefs, most likely due to what others and society told you. The only thing that really changed was your belief in yourself and what you believed you could do with your life."
"...It is time to believe again, to believe in yourself and the truth.
You have no boundaries in what you can achieve. "
For this reason, Mentor Me is designed to expand horizons once again, opening readers minds to the realization they are in control of their lives and therefore, their ultimate success.
Chapter I is a guide through this thought process, to help readers get focused by covering how to:
- Start with no structure –“…dream BIG like a child.”
- Visualize the life they want (their Greatest Achievement)
- Add structure to define goals (Elements of a goal, SMART)
Time Management: Be Focused
Mentor Me demonstrates how to directly use time management (be focused) in order to achieve the specific goals readers target for themselves.
It also covers time management in a novel way, using time-tested, real-world strategies, including one exclusively devised by me.
In chapter II, readers set up their blueprint to achieve their own definition of success by learning to:
- Focus their Time (T) and Energy (E) with their goals in mind
- Set up a weekly calendar to move one step closer to goal achievement
- Schedule most important activities ("Big Rocks") first
- Avoid burnout (“High Impact and Low Impact Days Strategy")
Life Skills: Stay Focused
Finally, I realized in addition to the first two keys to success, the most successful people have better-developed life skills than the average person.
These highly-developed life skills help successful people stay focused on their quest to achieve their goals.
This section of Mentor Me contains the tools necessary to stay on track, beginning with a chapter titled, "Understanding Personality Styles."
A deeper understanding of one's own personality style, as well as how one can best relate to other people, is a fundamental building block to help gain and keep others' support on the road to success.
Chapter III includes a personality style quiz and information that readers (and a professional reviewer) have said is one of the most beneficial (and fun) chapters of the book.
Within the life skills chapters, readers learn how to:
- Better understand themselves and relate/communicate more effectively with others
- Absorb new information in less time
- Motivate themselves and others
- Cope with life’s unexpected Situations
- Handle conflict and inspire others
Mentor Me is written to keep readers coming back, referring to it as a helpful guide.
For those readers who are searching for more profound themes, many of these have also been woven into the fabric of Mentor Me.
Some of these themes are subtle while some are not so subtle.
This is truly a book readers can enjoy over and over again on many different levels.
Find out why some have called Mentor Me, "revolutionary" and why it has been quoted around the world!
Enjoy the practicality of the three keys to success, how to use them to transform your life, and the book's deeper themes in pursuit of your goals.
Pick up your copy of Mentor Me here today:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Use the three keys to success, based upon a lifetime of work, delivered with practical, real-world experience, packaged concisely into Mentor Me, and live your dreams!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Is a Self Help or Personal Development Book Ruining Your Life?
Self Help and Personal Development Books
First of all if you seek out self help and personal development in your life then I applaud you for taking responsibility for your life and for acting on your desire to improve yourself.
Unfortunately, not all information, self help, or personal development books are created equal and some can be downright damaging.
This may be a controversial topic by an author who has written a self help and personal development book, except when you realize that I wrote Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement to solve a problem I saw in the marketplace.
The problem is many self help and personal development books are just not that helpful; even worse, some could completely ruin your health and life.
Books Like The Secret Are Particularly Damaging
Now before many of you become defensive about the premise for the book above, namely, positive thinking and the Law of Attraction, I will say I am a great fan of the power of thinking positively.
Positive thinking can do a great deal to help lead the way towards a successful life, but one cannot simply think, dream, and wish for positive events to occur in life, therefore, spontaneously resulting in massive success.
It is a very sexy dream to do no work and expect the universe to deliver health, wealth, and happiness to your doorstep, just because you wish or believe it into your life.
There was an unfortunate case of this thought process documented on Oprah Winfrey and through the media shortly after Oprah Winfrey spotlighted The Secret by Rhonda Byrne on her show.
Kim Tinkham was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and a month later appeared on Oprah Winfrey stating she was not going to seek medical treatment for her cancer counter to the urging of multiple doctors.
Instead, Kim Tinkham decided to follow the advice in The Secret and "heal herself."
Kim Tinkham later succumbed to her cancer and died.
Yes, following the advice of The Secret instead of her doctor's advice resulted in Kim Tinkham having no chance to prolong her life, versus some chance by undergoing the surgery her doctor's recommended.
Furthermore, if you stringently adhere to the teachings of The Secret one would have to believe we all, including Kim, bring bad things on ourselves strictly due to our thoughts.
Although positive thinking can cause some positive results. a plan is required to channel the positive thoughts putting them into action towards ultimate goal achievement.
However, positive thoughts alone cannot cure cancer, create wealth, and lasting happiness...these things take actual work. Also, bad things do happen to good, positive people and it is not their fault!
Sure, it is very enticing to think one can have everything you want in life without having to work for it, just by sitting home and thinking about it as well as keeping all bad events out of our lives.
Yet, the reality is having the life you want requires devising a plan and taking the steps necessary to achieve that life you envision, by the execution of that plan.
The 4-Hour Workweek...Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Some of you younger folks may miss the comparison of Tim Ferriss' book, The 4-Hour Workweek, to the 1986 Matthew Broderick movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
In the movie, the main character has a knack for cutting school and getting away with it. Similarly, in his book, Tim Ferriss expounds about hacking your life by outsourcing just about everything, including your job.
Now, if you ever tried to actually follow Tim Ferriss' advice you would be fired immediately from your present job and possibly never get another one.
Can you imagine dodging your boss all week using virtual assistants to do so and keeping your job?
I did like The 4-Hour Workweek for its entertainment value, but it is just that...entertainment!
It is a fun book, but if you ever tried to apply and follow Tim Ferriss' advice you would certainly ruin your life.
The 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Meandering Verbiage
Yes, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has become a staple of the business world. Yet, I wonder how many people have actually read the book versus those who can quote Stephen Covey's "7 Habits?"
I ask that question because the book is filled with preaching, patting himself on the back for being a great parent, and a full 58 pages (depending on the version you read) of meandering stories until he even gets to the first habit.
The book is so impractical that a workbook had to be created just to tell people how they might be able to use the "7 Habits" in their lives (that is after you read the 100,000+ word original book).
Mentor Me is born
Having surveyed the landscape of available self help and personal development books, I was not satisfied people were getting what they were seeking.
Namely, a book that would be helpful, actionable, practical, and delivered in a succinct manner that anyone can follow to help affect a positive change in their life.
This is why I wrote Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement.
Along with the practical information, profound messages are scattered throughout for those who are seeking a higher life purpose, in addition to a guide for achieving their goals.
If you have not already read Mentor Me, then pick up your copy at Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/Mentor-Me-Form...
Find out why people have called it "practical," "succinct," and "helpful."
Also find out why Mentor Me has been quoted all over the globe and why I am quoted every single day in social media somewhere in the world!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
First of all if you seek out self help and personal development in your life then I applaud you for taking responsibility for your life and for acting on your desire to improve yourself.
Unfortunately, not all information, self help, or personal development books are created equal and some can be downright damaging.
This may be a controversial topic by an author who has written a self help and personal development book, except when you realize that I wrote Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement to solve a problem I saw in the marketplace.
The problem is many self help and personal development books are just not that helpful; even worse, some could completely ruin your health and life.
Books Like The Secret Are Particularly Damaging
Now before many of you become defensive about the premise for the book above, namely, positive thinking and the Law of Attraction, I will say I am a great fan of the power of thinking positively.
Positive thinking can do a great deal to help lead the way towards a successful life, but one cannot simply think, dream, and wish for positive events to occur in life, therefore, spontaneously resulting in massive success.
It is a very sexy dream to do no work and expect the universe to deliver health, wealth, and happiness to your doorstep, just because you wish or believe it into your life.
There was an unfortunate case of this thought process documented on Oprah Winfrey and through the media shortly after Oprah Winfrey spotlighted The Secret by Rhonda Byrne on her show.
Kim Tinkham was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer and a month later appeared on Oprah Winfrey stating she was not going to seek medical treatment for her cancer counter to the urging of multiple doctors.
Instead, Kim Tinkham decided to follow the advice in The Secret and "heal herself."
Kim Tinkham later succumbed to her cancer and died.
Yes, following the advice of The Secret instead of her doctor's advice resulted in Kim Tinkham having no chance to prolong her life, versus some chance by undergoing the surgery her doctor's recommended.
Furthermore, if you stringently adhere to the teachings of The Secret one would have to believe we all, including Kim, bring bad things on ourselves strictly due to our thoughts.
Although positive thinking can cause some positive results. a plan is required to channel the positive thoughts putting them into action towards ultimate goal achievement.
However, positive thoughts alone cannot cure cancer, create wealth, and lasting happiness...these things take actual work. Also, bad things do happen to good, positive people and it is not their fault!
Sure, it is very enticing to think one can have everything you want in life without having to work for it, just by sitting home and thinking about it as well as keeping all bad events out of our lives.
Yet, the reality is having the life you want requires devising a plan and taking the steps necessary to achieve that life you envision, by the execution of that plan.
The 4-Hour Workweek...Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Some of you younger folks may miss the comparison of Tim Ferriss' book, The 4-Hour Workweek, to the 1986 Matthew Broderick movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
In the movie, the main character has a knack for cutting school and getting away with it. Similarly, in his book, Tim Ferriss expounds about hacking your life by outsourcing just about everything, including your job.
Now, if you ever tried to actually follow Tim Ferriss' advice you would be fired immediately from your present job and possibly never get another one.
Can you imagine dodging your boss all week using virtual assistants to do so and keeping your job?
I did like The 4-Hour Workweek for its entertainment value, but it is just that...entertainment!
It is a fun book, but if you ever tried to apply and follow Tim Ferriss' advice you would certainly ruin your life.
The 7 Habits of Highly Ineffective Meandering Verbiage
Yes, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has become a staple of the business world. Yet, I wonder how many people have actually read the book versus those who can quote Stephen Covey's "7 Habits?"
I ask that question because the book is filled with preaching, patting himself on the back for being a great parent, and a full 58 pages (depending on the version you read) of meandering stories until he even gets to the first habit.
The book is so impractical that a workbook had to be created just to tell people how they might be able to use the "7 Habits" in their lives (that is after you read the 100,000+ word original book).
Mentor Me is born
Having surveyed the landscape of available self help and personal development books, I was not satisfied people were getting what they were seeking.
Namely, a book that would be helpful, actionable, practical, and delivered in a succinct manner that anyone can follow to help affect a positive change in their life.
This is why I wrote Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement.
Along with the practical information, profound messages are scattered throughout for those who are seeking a higher life purpose, in addition to a guide for achieving their goals.
If you have not already read Mentor Me, then pick up your copy at Amazon here:
https://www.amazon.com/Mentor-Me-Form...
Find out why people have called it "practical," "succinct," and "helpful."
Also find out why Mentor Me has been quoted all over the globe and why I am quoted every single day in social media somewhere in the world!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
I lost EVERYTHING…
The Abyss of Emotional Bankruptcy
I could feel the warm, moist trail drip slowly, eventually overcome inertia, then roll quickly down my nose and cheek as each drop struck my pillow.
I do not remember leaving my bed for a month, but I must have as I would eat something from time to time.
I would later write, “The worst feelings are the warm, anxious burning that portends your heart breaking followed by the wave of numbness that asphyxiates your soul.”
An apt description for that month of my life.
I stopped living and I suffered in silence.
Men are not supposed to hurt, cry, and feel emotionally bankrupt; isn’t that what our Western society tells us? We are supposed to be strong and unshakeable; how could I ever tell others I was so dead inside?
How could I share how I felt when no one else would truly understand?
Anything to End the Pain
I just wanted to be alone and I did not want to live anymore.
I thought about running my car in the garage; buying a hose, affixing it to the tailpipe, and directing the exhaust inside my car.
At least then I would be comfortable in my leather cocoon and leave this world while residing forever in the house I built.
It was not just the most recent event that completely emptied my soul, it was a culmination of what transpired over the last five years; this was the final act of betrayal that ultimately drowned me in the ocean of hopelessness.
The Happiest Day of My Life
Just one week before was the happiest day of my life.
I had finally found the love of my life.
We had spent ten magical days together culminating in our announcement that we were planning on getting married, declared during a dinner I hosted for her friends and family.
Everyone was supportive and happy for us.
Yet, the minute I left town, this girl who knew all about me, knew about my hardships, struggles, and all the hurt of my past, the girl who squeezed my hand in happiness when we announced our plans for marriage at that same dinner, abruptly and without warning cut off all communication with me.
Evil Comes in Many Forms
I found she had been playing me the whole time, recruiting her friends and family to help deceive me. They fulfilled their roles well leading me to believe I had just made many new friends.
Instead, they were all lying to me.
They all knew she had a long-term boyfriend, and this was just a game to them. It was not enough for them to just hurt me though.
When I tried to speak to her friends and family, they blocked me on social media and sent me messages laughing at me because they enjoyed the cruelty of torturing me.
She herself told me that she “got what she wanted from me.” In other words, taking out her friends and family multiple times, the gifts, my generosity, warmth, care, and all the money I found out she made off me; all her goals had been achieved and accomplished in her mind.
She had seduced everything she wanted from me, therefore, according to her, she had no need to speak to me again.
I do not know what was worse, the pain I was feeling, the calculating coldness of those who wantonly set out to harm me, or the hurt I could hear in my mother’s voice when I told her the news, simply replying, “She used you.”
My friends and family were expecting to soon be greeting a new addition to our lives; the love of my life whose wedding plans had just been announced to the support of all in her intimate close-knit circle.
No One Understands
When I did talk to people about her, they would just say, “Get over it.” They did not understand the extent of my attachment, the six to eight hours a day of constant conversations for six months, the hole that was left, not just in my life but in my soul.
Nor did they understand the culminating affect the previous five years had on my complete devastation and destruction.
The downward spiral had begun in 2008. My boss, who I had trusted, sacked me in a surprise meeting with HR.
After seven years of loyal service, working my way up to run the department and growing it exponentially by over 83% from $8.5 million to over $15.6 million in revenue, while increasing the profit margin from 27% to 37%, they fired me on the spot.
I had invested wholeheartedly in my career with the company. I had worked tirelessly, even giving up much earned vacation time to drive the success of my department.
I was recognized nationally by my peers; often I was asked to speak at different events across the country, to explain why my department was doing so well at a time when the entire industry was experiencing stagnation or contraction.
It did not matter that my company had a policy of "progressive discipline" that required a verbal warning, written warning, and then probationary period before an employee was fired. My boss and HR threw out all the rules and terminated me right there with no warning. One of the HR managers even sadistically smiled at me as they fired me.
A Career in Ruins
I would sue them and battle them for years through depositions and attorneys.
The three of them who fired me, including my boss, could not come up with a consistent, unified reason why they fired me. In the end, I would stare in my ex-boss’ eyes as she answered questions.
I finally concluded that even though the success I was having in driving growth for our department made her look good, she was jealous of my achievements.
That same department would later fall apart in my absence and the company would settle with me before we went to court.
During that time, I had found another position as a regional manager with a different bank.
My coworkers were supportive and often consulted me on important decisions. I was treated with respect and my boss would seek advice from me on pressing matters.
Unfortunately, that bank did not make it through the financial crisis, and two years later it failed.
We closed as one bank on a Friday and opened as another bank the following Monday; that was how the FDIC handled bank failures during the financial crisis.
Right before Christmas, all of us managers were given our walking papers and I, once again, found myself unemployed.
After landing a new job as a regional manager six months later, enduring the misery of working with and for a bunch of truly nasty people, those positions also disappeared.
My professional career working for others ended at that point.
Left With Nothing and More Betrayal
Unfortunately, as my wife had already left, the financial markets had eroded my lifetime savings, and my money had dried up, I was now facing an imminent foreclosure as I could not keep my house afloat.
To top it all off, I had also recently been betrayed by someone else I had loved.
Unbeknownst to me, my girlfriend had decided it was time to have a baby. She did not tell me, but she had covertly stopped taking her birth control pills. I would later learn from her friends that she had told them she wanted to secretly get pregnant on purpose, to force me into moving our relationship to the next level immediately, per her timetable.
I was happy when she showed me the sonogram and told me we were having a baby. I was going to be a father for the first and only time in my life; it was a glorious occasion.
Yet, this same girl, once she was granted the commitment she always wanted from me, would sneak off into the night and have an abortion. She changed her mind as quickly and clandestinely as she had made her original decision. The news devastated me and ended our relationship.
She would later tell me she regretted what she did and she wanted to get back together with me.
Needless to say, I told her that was not going to happen.
The Final Betrayal and All Is Lost
All the hurt and pain of those previous five years had taken its toll on me.
In spite of this, I was willing to give love and happiness a chance. I was taking the risk to trust again with a girl who professed to have a conscious, moral compass, and who promised to treat me right.
Yet instead, the love of my life, the girl with whom we had just announced our future plans for marriage in front of her friends and family, who knew about all this previous hurt and pain in my life, took great pleasure in lying, cheating, using me, and then tossing me away once she got all she wanted.
After all I had been through, and with the latest blow, I just wanted the hurt and pain to stop.
In addition, at this moment my home was soon going to be at risk. My money was dwindling and I was about to be late on my mortgage for the first time ever.
I called my bank to work with them, but to my surprise, they began an aggressive campaign to try to take my house illegally.
I contacted an attorney and tried to sell my home, but the local housing market was in turmoil.
Per the attorney, the bank finally agreed to leave me alone until a specific date, at which time if my house was not sold, I had to turn it over to them.
Unfortunately, that date came and went without a buyer. I had to get rid of everything: all my furniture, paintings, personal possessions, and anything I could not fit into my car.
I lost my house.
Everything I once had was gone except for a solitary carload consisting mostly of clothes along with my cat. In truth, if not for my cat, as sad as it sounds, I may not be here today.
What did I do next? How does the story end?
Resurrection and Reinvention of Self
There are a few things I decided during this time in my life. I focused on the successes and not the failures I had achieved over the years and I decided to reinvent myself.
I also realized I had a message of hope to share with others.
All I ever wanted to do in life was help other people. With this goal in mind, I began to write.
As I wrote in my first book, which was written at this most difficult time in my life, “At that darkest moment, while drowning in the Abyss of Emotional Bankruptcy, reflect on this universal truth: the difference between success and failure is one more time.”
I took what I learned during these difficult times, I chose to look back at the accomplishments in my life, and to do my best to be a positive influence on others. If you read my book, “Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement,” now you know where I was emotionally and mentally when I wrote it.
My sole purpose was to turn this terrible time in my life into an opportunity to have a positive impact on other people. As I wrote in the book, “I feel the reason we are all here, our purpose of being, is to help others find their little piece of happiness and heaven right here on earth.”
I do not know where you are in life or what you are going through. Some of you have difficulties greater than mine. My wish is that you can get through these hard times in your life and “Be the light that inspires others to dream.”
“Light can devour the darkness but darkness cannot consume the light.”
Once you realize that you hold the power to change your life for the better and that nothing can extinguish your light, you will realize you are ultimately in control of your destiny when you make the conscious decision to move forward.
Everyone Has Hurt and Pain In Their Lives
We all go through tough times in life. No one is immune from difficulties.
Even after everything I endured, I am better now, and more importantly, I am better for it.
Furthermore, I also know that money cannot bring happiness but I know financial problems and the stress it causes can become all consuming.
I understand because I have lived it.
Success and Overcoming Adversity
“Wisdom comes from making mistakes, having the courage to face them, and make adjustments moving forward based upon the knowledge acquired through those experiences.”
I have always been told, and it seems true, no one cares about your story until you finally make it.
When you are down and out not only does the world not seem to care, but unfortunately, there are sometimes those who actively enjoy kicking you and keeping you down.
In the end, "Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement," became a bestseller on Amazon.
Furthermore, I am now quoted every single day in social media worldwide.
Each day my words inspire people all over the world; I achieved my ultimate goal of being a positive influence on people's lives.
Maybe someone, somewhere in the world can relate to my story, hold onto the knowledge that they can and will eventually overcome all of today’s hurt and pain, then have the courage to get up one more time and turn things around.
Whatever the obstacle, you can overcome it and achieve success as long as you just keep moving forward.
I hope by sharing my story that these words find their way to inspire others to rise above their current circumstances and keep going.
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
I could feel the warm, moist trail drip slowly, eventually overcome inertia, then roll quickly down my nose and cheek as each drop struck my pillow.
I do not remember leaving my bed for a month, but I must have as I would eat something from time to time.
I would later write, “The worst feelings are the warm, anxious burning that portends your heart breaking followed by the wave of numbness that asphyxiates your soul.”
An apt description for that month of my life.
I stopped living and I suffered in silence.
Men are not supposed to hurt, cry, and feel emotionally bankrupt; isn’t that what our Western society tells us? We are supposed to be strong and unshakeable; how could I ever tell others I was so dead inside?
How could I share how I felt when no one else would truly understand?
Anything to End the Pain
I just wanted to be alone and I did not want to live anymore.
I thought about running my car in the garage; buying a hose, affixing it to the tailpipe, and directing the exhaust inside my car.
At least then I would be comfortable in my leather cocoon and leave this world while residing forever in the house I built.
It was not just the most recent event that completely emptied my soul, it was a culmination of what transpired over the last five years; this was the final act of betrayal that ultimately drowned me in the ocean of hopelessness.
The Happiest Day of My Life
Just one week before was the happiest day of my life.
I had finally found the love of my life.
We had spent ten magical days together culminating in our announcement that we were planning on getting married, declared during a dinner I hosted for her friends and family.
Everyone was supportive and happy for us.
Yet, the minute I left town, this girl who knew all about me, knew about my hardships, struggles, and all the hurt of my past, the girl who squeezed my hand in happiness when we announced our plans for marriage at that same dinner, abruptly and without warning cut off all communication with me.
Evil Comes in Many Forms
I found she had been playing me the whole time, recruiting her friends and family to help deceive me. They fulfilled their roles well leading me to believe I had just made many new friends.
Instead, they were all lying to me.
They all knew she had a long-term boyfriend, and this was just a game to them. It was not enough for them to just hurt me though.
When I tried to speak to her friends and family, they blocked me on social media and sent me messages laughing at me because they enjoyed the cruelty of torturing me.
She herself told me that she “got what she wanted from me.” In other words, taking out her friends and family multiple times, the gifts, my generosity, warmth, care, and all the money I found out she made off me; all her goals had been achieved and accomplished in her mind.
She had seduced everything she wanted from me, therefore, according to her, she had no need to speak to me again.
I do not know what was worse, the pain I was feeling, the calculating coldness of those who wantonly set out to harm me, or the hurt I could hear in my mother’s voice when I told her the news, simply replying, “She used you.”
My friends and family were expecting to soon be greeting a new addition to our lives; the love of my life whose wedding plans had just been announced to the support of all in her intimate close-knit circle.
No One Understands
When I did talk to people about her, they would just say, “Get over it.” They did not understand the extent of my attachment, the six to eight hours a day of constant conversations for six months, the hole that was left, not just in my life but in my soul.
Nor did they understand the culminating affect the previous five years had on my complete devastation and destruction.
The downward spiral had begun in 2008. My boss, who I had trusted, sacked me in a surprise meeting with HR.
After seven years of loyal service, working my way up to run the department and growing it exponentially by over 83% from $8.5 million to over $15.6 million in revenue, while increasing the profit margin from 27% to 37%, they fired me on the spot.
I had invested wholeheartedly in my career with the company. I had worked tirelessly, even giving up much earned vacation time to drive the success of my department.
I was recognized nationally by my peers; often I was asked to speak at different events across the country, to explain why my department was doing so well at a time when the entire industry was experiencing stagnation or contraction.
It did not matter that my company had a policy of "progressive discipline" that required a verbal warning, written warning, and then probationary period before an employee was fired. My boss and HR threw out all the rules and terminated me right there with no warning. One of the HR managers even sadistically smiled at me as they fired me.
A Career in Ruins
I would sue them and battle them for years through depositions and attorneys.
The three of them who fired me, including my boss, could not come up with a consistent, unified reason why they fired me. In the end, I would stare in my ex-boss’ eyes as she answered questions.
I finally concluded that even though the success I was having in driving growth for our department made her look good, she was jealous of my achievements.
That same department would later fall apart in my absence and the company would settle with me before we went to court.
During that time, I had found another position as a regional manager with a different bank.
My coworkers were supportive and often consulted me on important decisions. I was treated with respect and my boss would seek advice from me on pressing matters.
Unfortunately, that bank did not make it through the financial crisis, and two years later it failed.
We closed as one bank on a Friday and opened as another bank the following Monday; that was how the FDIC handled bank failures during the financial crisis.
Right before Christmas, all of us managers were given our walking papers and I, once again, found myself unemployed.
After landing a new job as a regional manager six months later, enduring the misery of working with and for a bunch of truly nasty people, those positions also disappeared.
My professional career working for others ended at that point.
Left With Nothing and More Betrayal
Unfortunately, as my wife had already left, the financial markets had eroded my lifetime savings, and my money had dried up, I was now facing an imminent foreclosure as I could not keep my house afloat.
To top it all off, I had also recently been betrayed by someone else I had loved.
Unbeknownst to me, my girlfriend had decided it was time to have a baby. She did not tell me, but she had covertly stopped taking her birth control pills. I would later learn from her friends that she had told them she wanted to secretly get pregnant on purpose, to force me into moving our relationship to the next level immediately, per her timetable.
I was happy when she showed me the sonogram and told me we were having a baby. I was going to be a father for the first and only time in my life; it was a glorious occasion.
Yet, this same girl, once she was granted the commitment she always wanted from me, would sneak off into the night and have an abortion. She changed her mind as quickly and clandestinely as she had made her original decision. The news devastated me and ended our relationship.
She would later tell me she regretted what she did and she wanted to get back together with me.
Needless to say, I told her that was not going to happen.
The Final Betrayal and All Is Lost
All the hurt and pain of those previous five years had taken its toll on me.
In spite of this, I was willing to give love and happiness a chance. I was taking the risk to trust again with a girl who professed to have a conscious, moral compass, and who promised to treat me right.
Yet instead, the love of my life, the girl with whom we had just announced our future plans for marriage in front of her friends and family, who knew about all this previous hurt and pain in my life, took great pleasure in lying, cheating, using me, and then tossing me away once she got all she wanted.
After all I had been through, and with the latest blow, I just wanted the hurt and pain to stop.
In addition, at this moment my home was soon going to be at risk. My money was dwindling and I was about to be late on my mortgage for the first time ever.
I called my bank to work with them, but to my surprise, they began an aggressive campaign to try to take my house illegally.
I contacted an attorney and tried to sell my home, but the local housing market was in turmoil.
Per the attorney, the bank finally agreed to leave me alone until a specific date, at which time if my house was not sold, I had to turn it over to them.
Unfortunately, that date came and went without a buyer. I had to get rid of everything: all my furniture, paintings, personal possessions, and anything I could not fit into my car.
I lost my house.
Everything I once had was gone except for a solitary carload consisting mostly of clothes along with my cat. In truth, if not for my cat, as sad as it sounds, I may not be here today.
What did I do next? How does the story end?
Resurrection and Reinvention of Self
There are a few things I decided during this time in my life. I focused on the successes and not the failures I had achieved over the years and I decided to reinvent myself.
I also realized I had a message of hope to share with others.
All I ever wanted to do in life was help other people. With this goal in mind, I began to write.
As I wrote in my first book, which was written at this most difficult time in my life, “At that darkest moment, while drowning in the Abyss of Emotional Bankruptcy, reflect on this universal truth: the difference between success and failure is one more time.”
I took what I learned during these difficult times, I chose to look back at the accomplishments in my life, and to do my best to be a positive influence on others. If you read my book, “Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement,” now you know where I was emotionally and mentally when I wrote it.
My sole purpose was to turn this terrible time in my life into an opportunity to have a positive impact on other people. As I wrote in the book, “I feel the reason we are all here, our purpose of being, is to help others find their little piece of happiness and heaven right here on earth.”
I do not know where you are in life or what you are going through. Some of you have difficulties greater than mine. My wish is that you can get through these hard times in your life and “Be the light that inspires others to dream.”
“Light can devour the darkness but darkness cannot consume the light.”
Once you realize that you hold the power to change your life for the better and that nothing can extinguish your light, you will realize you are ultimately in control of your destiny when you make the conscious decision to move forward.
Everyone Has Hurt and Pain In Their Lives
We all go through tough times in life. No one is immune from difficulties.
Even after everything I endured, I am better now, and more importantly, I am better for it.
Furthermore, I also know that money cannot bring happiness but I know financial problems and the stress it causes can become all consuming.
I understand because I have lived it.
Success and Overcoming Adversity
“Wisdom comes from making mistakes, having the courage to face them, and make adjustments moving forward based upon the knowledge acquired through those experiences.”
I have always been told, and it seems true, no one cares about your story until you finally make it.
When you are down and out not only does the world not seem to care, but unfortunately, there are sometimes those who actively enjoy kicking you and keeping you down.
In the end, "Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement," became a bestseller on Amazon.
Furthermore, I am now quoted every single day in social media worldwide.
Each day my words inspire people all over the world; I achieved my ultimate goal of being a positive influence on people's lives.
Maybe someone, somewhere in the world can relate to my story, hold onto the knowledge that they can and will eventually overcome all of today’s hurt and pain, then have the courage to get up one more time and turn things around.
Whatever the obstacle, you can overcome it and achieve success as long as you just keep moving forward.
I hope by sharing my story that these words find their way to inspire others to rise above their current circumstances and keep going.
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
