I recently came across an interesting concept and believe it may help each and every one of you in your daily life. Let’s thinkabout water for a second… Water is just water when it is at anything below 212 degrees Fahrenheit but the second it hits 212 degrees, it becomes more than just water. It now becomes boiling water; boiling water turns into steam and with steam, you can power a train.

You may be wondering why I am telling you this. And here is the thing… applying one extra degree of temperature to water is the difference between something that is simply very hot and something that generates enough force to power a machine. This basic concept should be applied to your daily life.

When you think about doing a task, think about this concept and put in that extra degree of effort. That extra effort you put in, will take you from being just something to being something more. We begin to achieve life results beyond our expectations when we take small steps in everything that we do. This may sound simple, and it is. But the tricky thing is applying this to EVERYTHING that you do.

Water is just water at 211 degrees but when it reaches beyond that, and an extra degree is added, it is something completely different; and you can be too, if you look at your life this way.  The key, is to be persistent. You can’t just apply heat to water once and expect it to continue boiling. You must continually apply heat in order to achieve not only the primary objective you seek, but to also reap the exponential rewards that are possible by applying one extra degree of effort.

Think about this…

How many opportunities have you missed because you were not aware of the possibilities that would occur if you applied a small amount of effort beyond what you normally do?

For more on this concept, check out “212 Degrees the Extra Degree” by S.L. Parker

I recently had the great pleasure of joining in on Muhammad Ali’s 70th Birthday Celebration. There must be something about Louisville, Kentucky breeding great champions If you are ever in the area you should definitely check out the Muhammed Ali Center. It is very inspiring. The man was a true Champion, and not just in boxing but also in life.

Inside the ring, Muhammad Ali was a legend, becoming the first person in history to win the heavyweight champion title three times. In his professional career, Ali had won 56 bouts and lost only five. Of the 56 wins, 37 of them were by knockout.

But inside the boxing ring wasn’t the only place Ali shined. Once his boxing career came to an end, the “Champion” attitude carried on with him. Shortly after his retirement from boxing, Ali was diagnosed with Parkinson’s syndrome.

Since then he has worked to help charities all over the world. He has helped to provide over 232 million meals to the world’s hungry.  He has visited countless numbers of soup kitchens and hospitals, and helped such organizations as the Make-A-Wish-Foundation and the Special Olympics.

He annually participates in “Fight Night,” which generates funds for the Muhammad Ali Parkinson Research Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, in Phoenix, Arizona.

He is also the namesake of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a federal law that regulates professional boxing to protect boxers from unscrupulous promoters and poor health and bout conditions.

For his humanitarian efforts, Muhammad has been the recipient of countless awards.

This man is proof that you are not a “Champion” just once in your life. True Champions continue to be Champions in every aspect of their lives. They never give up.

As entrepreneurs, we have 1,000 ideas going on up in our heads at one time. We have new projects we want to start, books we want to read and places we want to go. You see, many people venture through life and never truly do what they want to do. We set goals, but never truly put them into action.

So today, instead of saying you are going to do something or talking about your plans to do something, JUST DO IT! Before you even talk about what you are going to do, begin taking the necessary steps to put those ideas into ACTION. If we always wait for the right time or for tomorrow, we never actually get around to doing what we want to do.

So stop planning. Stop talking. Stop hoping and just START DOING!

We learn as kids that our actions speak louder than our words. So spend more time focusing on your actions and less time on your words. Your words mean nothing if there are no actions to support them.

Here’s an excellent video from Jack Canfield on “Taking Action.”

As entrepreneurs, we have the opportunity to do something we are passionate about. We wake up every morning to pursue our own dreams. The moment we realize the passion is gone or that the passion was never there, we are in trouble.

Steve Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, “I’d get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about.” That’s how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.

So much can come from ones passion. Not only does your passion give you the drive and determination you need to achieve your own dreams but it also opens doors to those around you.

If you are sitting there wondering what your are passionate about, take some time to figure it out. Life becomes much more enjoyable when you have a passion for something. Explore the world, try something new, find your passion! Invest your time in something you absolutely LOVE.

Christmas time always seem to bring about much certainty for me. Each year, I can expect many of the same things to happen. It is the one time of the year that everyone seems to know what is going to happen and how it is all going to happen. To me, Christmas is full of certainty.

By definition, certainty is:

1. perfect knowledge that has total security from error, or
2. the mental state of being without doubt

 

Unlike daily life, Christmas provides us with certainty. We know that it is going to happen, and we know what to expect year after year. We are even at the point in which we know exactly when Starbucks will begin serving their delicious Holiday blend drinks; it is becoming that predictable. Certainty is something we all tend to cling to and Christmas is a time that is most certain. We look forward to Christmas and all that Christmas offers even if it is the same thing each year. We find comfort in knowing; knowing what we will do,what we will experience, and who we will be surrounded by.


What I want you to think about during this Christmas Holiday is this:
During this time of certainty, how do you feel? Really focus on your true feelings. Everything from how happy you are to how motivated you feel.


When you sit back and really reflect on Christmas, a time that is full of certainty, you will see how you can truly find comfort in the times of uncertainty. How the things around you, which are unpredictable, can help to shape and mold you into a better version of YOU. The important thing to recognize is the comfort you find in knowing. The scariest thing an entrepreneur can feel, is comfort.


When we feel comfortable, we stop learning and growing and pursuing. We allow ourselves to sit back and just float along. And this is what certainty brings you. It brings you to a place of comfort, a place of knowing. When you know what is ahead of you, you don’t work to make it past that. As an entrepreneur, you always want to feel that spark that ignites you and motivates you. Take the time this year to realize the feeling of comfort, and promise to never let yourself get comfortable on your entrepreneurial journey. Be inspired by the uncertainty of what lies ahead!


Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, and I am so thankful to spend this time with loved ones year after year. As predictable and certain as it is, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas!

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!

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

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?

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!

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.