Brian Underwood | Peak Performance Strategist and Speaker | Mindset + Attitude = Success!

The Entrepreneurs Christmas List

By Brian · Comments (0)

Monday, December 12th, 2011

As an entrepreneur, I thought it would be fun to put together an entrepreneur Christmas wish list. I have realized that entrepreneurs usually want different things than most. So check it out and feel free to comment and add anything else you think should be on the entrepreneurs ultimate wish list!

1.) Provide an opportunity for someone else
I think it is every entrepreneurs dream to provide as many opportunities as they can to others around them. There is nothing better than hearing someone say you have helped them achieve their dreams.

2.) Freedom
Whether that freedom is financial freedom or just the freedom to make your own schedule. Whatever it is, we as entrepreneurs seek freedom. If we weren’t after some sort of freedom, we wouldn’t seek the entrepreneur lifestyle.

3.) Affordable Healthcare
As an entrepreneur, you have many responsibilities and supplying your own healthcare is one of them. I think we all would like healthcare to be a bit more affordable! Especially since entrepreneurs don’t have a large corporation taking on some of those high costs. Hopefully in the years to come this will become a reality.

4.) A Personal Assistant
I think we all would like this one! Entrepreneurs seem to have 1,000 things going on at once. So to have someone next to you take on some of that is a huge help. It allows for you to focus on what you do best. If there is one thing Santa could bring you this year, I am sure most of you would definitely appreciate this one.

5.) Lower Taxes
I think this probably goes on every wish list but one for entrepreneurs especially! We would all like to pay less in taxes each year

Hope you enjoyed the list! Feel free to add to it in the comments below. I would love to hear what you guys really have on your list this year. Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Categories : Uncategorized

Comments (0)

29 Days Left Before the New Year….

By Brian · Comments (0)

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Yup, that’s correct, there are now 29 days left in 2011. Which means you have 29 days to accomplish whatever goals you set out before the new year kicked off.

Now I’m not trying to scare you or push you to take action these last 29 days of 2011. I actually have a better idea. I recently came across a quote from Steve Jobs, which I posted on my personal Facebook page earlier in the week. The quote went like this, “Would you do what you will do today if you knew it was your last?” This is something Steve asked himself every morning. Pretty good question if you ask me.

So given that, I would like for each and every one of you to forget about what you have or have not accomplished thus far in 2011, and approach each day asking yourself what Steve Jobs woke up every morning and asked himself. Look yourself in the mirror and say “Would I do what I am going to do today, if I knew it was my last?”

Our days make up our years. So if you want to know how to make the most of your years, start by making the most of each day.

Here is to many great days ahead of you,

- BU

Categories : Commitment, Motivation

Comments (0)

Being Thankful

By Brian · Comments (0)

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that each and every one of you are able to spend quality time with loved ones today.

As I celebrate Thanksgiving this year, I begin the day thinking about what I am thankful for. I know this year has been tough for a lot of people, and therefore there is one thing that I am more thankful for this year than most. And that is the freedom to be an entrepreneur. I am thankful that I live in a country that makes being an entrepreneur possible. We don’t realize it, but there are a lot of countries out there who do not offer this privilege.

Being an entrepreneur has opened my life up to endless opportunities. Here are some things, as an entrepreneur, I am thankful for:

- Being able to positively impact others lives

- Having the opportunity to meet so many inspiring people

- Creating a team of successful individuals

- Adding value to someones life

- The support system I have surrounding me (without them, my dream of being an entrepreneur would never have been possible)

- The freedom to spend my time as I please (I am not subject to someone else’s work schedule, and am able to celebrate every Holiday with friends and family)

- Giving me the ability to be the change I want to see in the world around me

- Truly being myself 24/7 (I do not have to live up to someone else’s expectation of me)

- The chance to dream BIG!

- The opportunity to take risks and experience the results, whether positive or negative

- Living everyday with a passion for what I do

- Being able to help others achieve their own dreams (probably one of the most rewarding)

This list would go on forever if I let it. I am truly thankful to have the opportunity to be an entrepreneur.

As an entrepreneur, what are some things you are thankful for?

Categories : Uncategorized

Comments (0)

Discovering YOUR Inner Motivation

By Brian · Comments (0)

Monday, November 14th, 2011

We are all motivated in different ways. Some of us are fortunate enough to be internally motivated while others find motivation externally.

Whatever it is, we are all motivated!

I encourage you to take a moment today and think about what truly motivates YOU. If you don’t know what motivates you, it will be difficult to find motivation during the difficult times when we need it the most. Are you motivated by money? By freedom? Or are you motivated by your family? By helping others?

I am motivated by a number of things but I know that at the root of it all, I am motivated the most when I feel what I am doing and spending long hours on, is providing someone else with an opportunity to succeed and reach their own goals and dreams. There is nothing better than knowing that what you are doing is impacting the life of someone else in a positive way. It is a domino effect!

Whatever it is that motivates YOU, write it down and never forget it!

Categories : Uncategorized

Comments (0)

5 Time Management Tips

By Brian · Comments (2)

Friday, November 11th, 2011

Time management is something I believe we all can improve on. It is something that we will never master but can work towards improving on a daily basis.

There never seems to be enough hours in the day to complete everything we need to get done but if we manage our time a little better and truly make the most of every minute, we can at least end the day feeling as if we made the most of it.

Here are 5 tips to focus on:

1.) Establish what exactly it is you want to get done

Before you even being your day, take 5 minutes and write down what it is that you want to accomplish for the day. If you like making check lists then use the Toodledo app as suggested as a Tuesday Tip this past week. It is great for keeping you on track and organizing your tasks in order of importance. You can access the desktop site here: http://www.Toodledo.com/

2.) Work in increments

No one ever said you have to work the entire day in order to get things done. The important thing is that you are productive during those working hours. If you allow yourself to work for 30 minutes straight with no distractions (and when I say NO distractions, I mean NO distractions) and then take a 5 or 10 minute break, I guarantee you will get more done in those 30 minutes of isolation than you would in 2 hours if you allowed yourself to have distractions.

3.) Check your Email/Facebook/Twitter/Phone at specific times during the day

A huge time sucker and one of your worst enemies is checking your email and social media too often. The second we jump on these sites, we lose all sense of time. They literally suck time out of us. It is important to set out specific times during the day to update and check these sites, and set time limits for each. It may not seem like much time when we are just checking them here and there but it really adds up, just keep track for one day and you will see!

4.) Stay organized

Have you ever noticed how those who are the most organized seem to have more time on their hands? Well it pays off to be organized! When you are organized you spend less time searching for things and more time doing. So if you aren’t organized, take some time to get there. It will pay off in the end!

5.) Make the most of your time

If you find yourself waiting for something or someone else, don’t just sit there and wait, use that time to do something. Whether you are sitting in your car waiting to pick up your kids from school or sitting in your office, make the most of that down time. Make a phone call you have been meaning to make or go online and purchase that Christmas gift you need to buy. Whatever it is, don’t just sit there! DO SOMETHING!

I hope these 5 tips will help you as you strive to improve your own time management. As with all of us, it is a work in progress!

Make the most of your time and always BU.

Categories : Uncategorized

Comments (2)

Not enough hours in the day…

By Brian · Comments (0)

Monday, November 7th, 2011

Yesterday we gained an hour in our day but for most of us it still didn’t seem like enough. When it comes to time, we never have enough of it.

We never have enough hours in our days, days in our years, or years in our lifetimes. It always just seems never enough. It is as if time is our worst enemy even though we all know who our worst enemy is… Our own selves!

Take a moment and think about what you did yesterday. Did you maximize your day to the absolute fullest? Did you really use that extra hour to accomplish something or were you like most of us who sat there thinking “this day is so long.”

The funny thing is that when we do get an extra hour in our day, we really do feel like the day is dragging on. We dont know what to do with the extra time. It is like the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side.” An extra hour may not be what we need in order to accomplish what we want in our day. Most likely what we need is FOCUS.

I want to challenge you to this: Instead of wishing for more hours in your day, like most of us do, to instead take that time and FOCUS on what you really want to do. Once you have this established, break it down into various parts of your day. If you have to, break it down into hours of your day as well. Whatever works for you. But be sure to write out what you want to accomplish.

The thing with time is that it is always working against us. So we have to figure out ways to fight back and be more productive with the hours we do have. Don’t let time be wasted. Instead waste time doing what you want to be doing.

Waste time working towards a goal.
Waste time with your family
Waste time doing something you love.

Whatever it is, JUST DO IT! And just remember BU!

Categories : Commitment, Motivation, Uncategorized

Comments (0)

Finding the Spark of Motivation

By Brian · Comments (1)

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Are there moments in your life where you have felt more motivated to succeed than others? I think it is safe to say that we have all been there.

We have all been at places in our life where we have felt overly motivated and ready to rule the world, then there are other times where we have NO motivation at all; we lost that spark within us. If at this moment in time you find yourself as the overly motivated, ready to take on the world then you probably won’t continue reading this but if you ever get to that point again where you need a little spark, always feel free to come back

Being motivated is not really something that can be taught. But there are ways to help one find it for themselves.

So how do we find that spark of motivation? Finding that spark may be different for all of us but one thing is true, we all experience it (even if it is for a few seconds). Sometimes we just need a little external help to get there.

So right now take some time to ask yourself the following questions:

1.) When I close my eyes and think of myself happy, what do I see myself doing?

2.) When I wake up in the morning, what gets me out of bed?

3.) If I could change one thing in the world what would it be?

One of the keys to staying motivated is having a purpose. If we don’t have a purpose to what we are doing then we get to a point where we feel empty. This is why money can never be equated to success. If we focus on money and use that as our motivation, we are never fulfilled. Money can be a motivator but it should not be your motivation. To keep that spark of motivation going throughout your life, you must feel as if you are doing something with a greater purpose. For me, I am continually motivated by seeing the lives of the people around me changed for the better. I wake up in the morning and go out in search of helping one more person to fulfill his or her dreams. To give them an opportunity that will allow them to live the life they desire. That is what keeps me motivated day in and day out.

It is okay to have external things like money to motivate us on a daily basis but to keep that motivation, dig a little deeper. Find something that will not only change your life but also the life of someone else. Find your passion and remember to always – BU

Categories : Motivation

Comments (1)

Music to Motivate

By Brian · Comments (6)

Monday, October 24th, 2011

Whenever I need a little motivation, I usually turn some music on to pump me up and get me inspired. Here are a few I tend to listen to. If you ever need a little extra boost on a a Monday morning or mid-week, try listening to one of these! Hope you enjoy – BU

1.) Usher – “More”

(This is one of my favorites!)

Know y’all been patiently waiting, I know you need me, I can feel it,
I’m a beast, I’m an animal, I’m that monster in the mirror,
The headliner, finisher, I’m the closer, winner.
Best when under pressure with second’s left I show up.

2.) DJ Khaled - “All I Do Is Win”

All I Do is win win win no matter what
got money on mind i can never get enough
and everytime I step up in the building
everybody hands go up

3.) R. Kelly – “The Worlds Greatest”

I’m that star up in the sky
I’m that mountain peak up high
Hey, I made it
I’m the worlds greatest
And I’m that little bit of hope
When my backs against the ropes
I can feel it mmm
I’m the worlds greatest

4.) Eminem – “Lose Yourself”

You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime yo

5.) Justin Bieber – “Never Say Never”

(I know I am going to take some crap for this one but just listen to the song, it has great meaning. Remember: Never give up on your dreams!)

I will never say never! (I will fight)
I will fight till forever! (make it right)
Whenever you knock me down
I will not stay on the ground
Pick it up
Pick it up
Pick it up
Pick it up up up
And never say never

Categories : Uncategorized

Comments (6)

Remembering Columbus Day

By Brian · Comments (0)

Monday, October 10th, 2011

“Everyone who achieves success in a great venture, solves each problem as they came to it. They helped themselves. And they were helped through powers known and unknown to them at the time they set out on their voyage. They keep going regardless of the obstacles they met.” - W. Clement Stone

On days like today, it is important to remember the great men and women before us who took chances, who set out on paths into the unknown in order to accomplish something greater. Today, in the US we remember Christopher Columbus. The Italian-born who had set sail in 1842, backed by the Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. He intended to chart a western sea route to China, India and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia; instead, he landed in the Bahamas, becoming the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland during the 10th century.

Columbus’ story is quite interesting. Many may read it and see that he too failed to success. He did not achieve his original goal of finding an easier route to the eastern world but his voyage took him somewhere else and allowed for the unknown to happen. His landing opened the door that allowed settlement by the Europeans into the Americas. For the Europeans this was a good thing. For those who had already settled in the Americas, this was a bad thing.

No matter what you think of Columbus and his voyage the key thing to take away from this story is the fact that he took action. He took action and went down a path that was completely unknown. He took a major risk by setting sail into the open waters, having no idea where he would end up but hoping somehow he would sail to the land of Asia. And even though his plan went off course a bit and took him somewhere different, he still gained something from his voyage. This is important to remember in your own life and the voyage you may be on. Too many times we take a step in a certain direction and expect things to go as we have planned but we have to remember that the thing that we have planned may not be what we are supposed to find. We have to keep ours eyes open to everything that is around us and realize that the success we achieve may look different than when we first set sail.

I hope you will take this time to plan out your very own life voyage. What is it that you would like to accomplish? It doesn’t have to be something like sailing around the world to find something new, but take a moment sometime today or this week and write down what action you are going to take to start your very own voyage to success. As I said above, success turns out different for every person and every situation. But in order to achieve success we must define what success is.

Do it. Take Action. AND Always BU.

Categories : Commitment, Motivation

Comments (0)

Success…

By Brian · Comments (0)

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

I recently posted this picture that was sent to me, and got a huge response from it. So I figured I would blog about it since it was something you all responded to. It is such a simple but great concept. For most people, they think that the road to success is an easy one. When we look at successful leaders from Donald Trump to Michael Jordan, we only see where they are at now. We see the lavish lifestyle that they live and the success that they or their companies have had and think that they just had an easy road. That they got lucky.

The truth is, these guys are just like you and I. They have had their own fair share of ups and downs. For example, Donald Trump or companies that bear his name – have declared bankruptcy four times. Would we ever think that Donald Trump and bankruptcy would ever be in the same sentence? Or that Michael Jordan got cut from his High School Varsity basketball team? Most likely not. We fail to understand successful leaders stories and are therefore discouraged when, we ourselves, fail along our journey to success. It is important to remember that in order to succeed one must first decide to overcome failure.

Michael Jordan once said “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Failure is part of life. It is what drives us to succeed. When we no longer want to fail we do whatever it takes to succeed, and that is the mentality you should have. Don’t let the ups and downs of life take over your thoughts. Instead take each failure you encounter and do whatever it takes to get past it. Those who have experienced great success are those who know that failure is part of life but do not let it end there. They work twice as hard to get back up and keep pushing forward.

Remember: Whatever it takes – BU

Categories : Commitment, Motivation

Comments (0)

« Previous Page

The Entrepreneurs Christmas List

29 Days Left Before the New Year….

Being Thankful

Discovering YOUR Inner Motivation

5 Time Management Tips