[Audio] live with INTENTIONALITY accomplish and you never fail, you won't ever learn what you're really capable of. 9. Your goal building helps you create the future in advance. I have six pictures that represent a goal for every area of my life. I’m looking at them now. It’s the picture of what I want to do, and of what I want to be in the future. Actually, the writing of this book is a result of putting it on my visual goal map, as a daily reminder of what I’m trying to accomplish. Here’s the way it works: The pictures you create in your head turn into the reality you hold in your hand. Anything that was ever accomplished in this world—the greatest athletic feats, the greatest scientific feats, the greatest romances, the greatest achievements—all started as an idea or a vision or This is me with Scott Rigsby, The Ironman a dream in somebody's mind. _ (whose storyis told on pg. 55-57) after a 46 And they didn’t happen until mile bike ride to raise money for The Scott Rigsby Foundation. | look at this daily as they were written down and _ 4 Visual reminder for my fitness goal and also for inspiration. somebody took action to make them happen. 87. 

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accomplish and you never fail, you won't ever learn what you're really 
capable of. 
9. Your goal-building helps you create the future in advance. I have 
six pictures that represent a goal for every area of my life. I’m looking 
at them now. It’s the picture of what I want to do, and of what I want 
to be in the future. 
Actually, the writing of this 
book is a result of putting it on 
my visual goal map, as a daily 
reminder of what I’m trying to 
accomplish. 
Here’s the way it works: 
The pictures you create in your 
head turn into the reality you 
hold in your hand. Anything 
that was ever accomplished in 
this world—the greatest athletic 
feats, 
the 
greatest 
scientific 
feats, 
the 
greatest 
romances, 
the greatest achievements—all 
started as an idea or a vision or 
This is me with Scott Rigsby, The Ironman 
a dream in somebody's mind. _ (whose storyis told on pg. 55-57) after 
a 
46 
mile bike ride to raise money for The Scott 
Rigsby Foundation. 
| look at this daily as 
they were 
written down and _ 4 Visual reminder for my fitness goal and 
also for inspiration. 
And they didn’t happen until 
somebody took action to make 
them happen. 
87

[Audio] CLARITY 10. You stay on the offensive. Playing life to win is playing offense, not defense. Playing defense is playing not to lose. I meet so many people who play life not to lose. They play defense; they protect themselves, they live in a sheltered world where they don’t step out to see what they’re really capable of doing. [I’ve found that many business people in our volatile economy are stuck in their businesses because they're playing defense, and trying to protect themselves from not losing, rather than playing offense and being creative and taking action to make their product or service more relevant in the current environment. The people who are creative and make their product or service more relevant in this marketplace are the ones who are thriving. Remember, almost 70 percent of the current Fortune 500 companies were started in a down economy. When you play offense, you take control. In sports, a good offense really is your best defense. In the last 15 years, teams with offenses ranked in the top five have won more Super Bowls than teams with top five defenses. Offense is where it’s at. It’s making something happen, being creative, moving forward and—above all—taking action. When you stand up and take action, good things begin to happen. How TO WRITE EFFECTIVE goals So, how do you actually write an effective, clearly defined goal? The S-M-A-R-T acronym is a simple and useful way to break it down. 88. 

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CLARITY 
10. You stay on the offensive. Playing life to win is playing offense, not 
defense. Playing defense is playing not to lose. I meet so many people 
who play life not to lose. They play defense; they protect themselves, 
they live in a sheltered world where they don’t step out to see what 
they’re really capable of doing. 
[I’ve found that many business people in our volatile economy are 
stuck in their businesses because they're playing defense, and trying to 
protect themselves from not losing, rather than playing offense and 
being creative and taking action to make their product or service more 
relevant in the current environment. 
The people who are creative and make their product or service 
more relevant in this marketplace are the ones who are thriving. 
Remember, almost 70 percent of the current Fortune 500 companies 
were started in a down economy. 
When you play offense, you take control. In sports, a good 
offense really is your best defense. In the last 15 years, teams with 
offenses ranked in the top five have won more Super Bowls than teams 
with top-five defenses. Offense is where it’s at. It’s making something 
happen, being creative, moving forward and—above all—taking 
action. 
When you stand up and take action, good things begin to happen. 
HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE GOALS 
So, how do you actually write an effective, clearly defined goal? The 
SMART acronym is a simple and useful way to break it down. 
88

[Audio] live with INTENTIONALITY S pecific: Highly effective goals should be written and specific. If a goal is not written down, and you merely keep it in mind, it does not have the same power as a written goal. W-R-I-T-E (I-T ) down, make (I-T ) HAPPEN. When you write it down make sure it is specific and well defined. Instead of saying: “I want to lose weight,” say, “I weigh 180 pounds and my body fat is less than 20 percent.” Instead of saying, “I want to make more money,” say, “I make $150000 a year.” Your written goal should stretch you beyond your comfort zone. Vi easurable: Highly effective goals are measurable. If you can’t measure your goal, how will you know when you achieve it? Let me give you an example. If your goal is stated as, “I will improve my relationship with my wife,” how will you know if you accomplish it? Instead, if you say, “I improved my relationship with my wife by reading three relationship books this month,” then you will, at the very least, have something to measure. Your goals should also be meaningful to you and motivate you to move toward them. Remember, you must have a compelling reason why you want to achieve a goal. The best way to keep a commitment, to reach a goal, is to understand why you are striving for it. fies one, Highly effective goals are stated positively and in the present tense, as if you have already accomplished the goal. This moves you towards action. You should have an action step for each of your goals; you need to compile the details, make a plan, and write down all of the required activities. Prioritize and time organize them, and rewrite them as often as necessary to make your plan effective. Revise your list of goals, improve it, plan it...but most importantly, put it on paper. 89. 

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S 
pecific: Highly effective goals should be written and specific. 
If a goal is not written down, and you merely keep it in mind, 
it does not have the same power as a written goal. WRITE IT 
DOWN, MAKE IT HAPPEN. When you write it down make 
sure it is specific and well defined. Instead of saying: “I want to 
lose weight,” say, “I weigh 180 pounds and my body fat is less than 
20 percent.” Instead of saying, “I want to make more money,” say, 
“I make $150,000 a year.” Your written goal should stretch you 
beyond your comfort zone. 
Vi 
easurable: Highly effective goals are measurable. If you can’t 
measure your goal, how will you know when you achieve it? Let me 
give you an example. If your goal is stated as, “I will improve my 
relationship with my wife,” how will you know if you accomplish 
it? Instead, if you say, “I improved my relationship with my wife 
by reading three relationship books this month,” then you will, at 
the very least, have something to measure. Your goals should also 
be meaningful to you and motivate you to move toward them. 
Remember, you must have a compelling reason why you want to 
achieve a goal. The best way to keep a commitment, to reach a goal, 
is to understand why you are striving for it. 
fies one, Highly effective goals are stated positively and 
in the present tense, as if you have already accomplished the goal. 
This moves you towards action. You should have an action step for 
each of your goals; you need to compile the details, make a plan, 
and write down all of the required activities. Prioritize and time- 
organize them, and rewrite them as often as necessary to make your 
plan effective. Revise your list of goals, improve it, plan it...but 
most importantly, put it on paper. 
89

[Audio] Ca ASRa ely Rs Highly effective goals need to be realistic and relevant to you. They need to be achievable. Make an assessment of available resources, knowledge and time. Taking an action oriented mindset will attract people and resources that aren't initially visible—you can and should factor this in. Just make sure you aren't confusing achievements with miracles. For example, I could state a goal of wanting to become a professional football player, but I don’t think the N-F-L is looking for a 56 year old tight end right now. ‘This is just not in the scope of my resources. Perak: Highly effective goals are time bound. Deadlines put positive pressure on you to take action; otherwise it’s just human nature to keep putting things off. Strangely enough, we tend to procrastinate on goals that are the most valuable to our long term success. To put it all together, here is an example of a written goal that hits all of the above points: I weigh 180 pounds and my body fat is less than 20 percent by December 31, 2012. Now I have a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Action oriented, Realistic and Time based. That seems S-M-A-R-T to me! taking ACTION, taking responsibility One of my favorite anecdotes about taking action concerns a good friend and client, Bill Bartmann. You may have seen his name on Ine. magazine's list of the “25th Wealthiest Men that Nobody Ever Knew About.” Bill started a business back in the 1980 seconds with a $13000 loan. 90. 

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Ca ASRa ely 
Rs Highly effective goals need to be realistic and relevant 
to you. They need to be achievable. Make an assessment of available 
resources, knowledge and time. Taking an action-oriented mindset 
will attract people and resources that aren't initially visible—you 
can and should factor this in. Just make sure you aren't confusing 
achievements with miracles. For example, I could state a goal of 
wanting to become a 
professional football player, but I don’t think 
the NFL is looking for a 56 year-old tight end right now. ‘This is 
just not in the scope of my resources. 
Perak: Highly-effective goals are time-bound. Deadlines 
put positive pressure on you to take action; otherwise it’s just 
human nature to keep putting things off. Strangely enough, we 
tend to procrastinate on goals that are the most valuable to our 
long-term success. 
To put it all together, here is an example of a written goal that hits 
all of the above points: 
I weigh 180 pounds and my body fat is less than 20 percent by 
December 31, 2012. 
Now I have a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, 
Realistic and Time-based. That seems SMART to me! 
TAKING ACTION, TAKING RESPONSIBILITY 
One of my favorite anecdotes about taking action concerns a good 
friend and client, Bill Bartmann. You may have seen his name on Ine. 
magazine's list of the “25th Wealthiest Men that Nobody Ever Knew 
About.” Bill started a business back in the 1980s with a $13,000 loan. 
90

[Audio] live with INTENTIONALITY He sat down with his wife and wrote his idea down on a napkin. Seven years later he had a 3 billion dollars dollar company. In 2008, Bill and I were working together at a “Get Motivated” event in Roanoke, Virginia, before an audience of about 10000 people. We were scheduled to zip off to the airport to catch our departing flight, right after the presentation. Naturally, as we got out to the parking lot, everybody was leaving at the same time. There was complete gridlock. No one was moving. We knew if we sat there much longer, we were going to miss our flight. Suddenly, Bill jumped out of the car and disappeared into the crowd of people and autos. About five minutes later, cars started moving. As we got closer to the exit of the parking lot, we could see Bill standing in the middle of the bottleneck point, directing traffic! He was the picture of calm authority, pointing, waving and signaling to each driver. In 10 minutes, we were out of the parking lot and speeding to the airport. We made that flight with time to spare. I guess thats why he’s a billionaire, 1 remember thinking. He didn’t let circumstances dictate his fate. He got up and took action. He took responsibility. You can’t do one without the other. When he took action, he took responsibility for changing the circumstances that 10000 people found themselves in. And when he took that responsi bility, he had to make something positive happen. Many people are stuck in their own gridlock; letting circumstances (or their perceptions of their circumstances) dictate what happens to them. They sit there and wait for something to change instead of taking action. Nothing happens until you take action. 91. 

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He sat down with his wife and wrote his idea down on a napkin. Seven 
years later he had a $3 billion dollar company. 
In 2008, Bill and I were working together at a “Get Motivated” 
event in Roanoke, Virginia, before an audience of about 10,000 people. 
We were scheduled to zip off to the airport to catch our departing 
flight, right after the presentation. 
Naturally, as we got out to the parking lot, everybody was leaving 
at the same time. There was complete gridlock. No one was moving. 
We knew if we sat there much longer, we were going to miss our flight. 
Suddenly, Bill jumped out of the car and disappeared into the 
crowd of people and autos. About five minutes later, cars started 
moving. As we got closer to the exit of the parking lot, we could see 
Bill standing in the middle of the bottleneck point, directing traffic! 
He was the picture of calm authority, pointing, waving and signaling to 
each driver. In 10 minutes, we were out of the parking lot and speeding 
to the airport. We made that flight with time to spare. 
I guess thats why he’s a billionaire, 1 remember thinking. He 
didn’t let circumstances dictate his fate. He got up and took action. 
He took responsibility. You can’t do one without the other. When he 
took action, he took responsibility for changing the circumstances that 
10,000 people found themselves in. And when he took that responsi- 
bility, he had to make something positive happen. 
Many people are stuck in their own gridlock; letting circumstances 
(or their perceptions of their circumstances) dictate what happens to 
them. They sit there and wait for something to change instead of taking 
action. 
Nothing happens until you take action. 
91

[Audio] CALTATRELT ¥ ACT ON What You ALREADY KNOW Here’s a rule of the action based life that took me a long time to learn: Stop asking or praying for wisdom and take action based on what you already know. For example, most of us already know that smoking ciga rettes will increase our chances of getting cancer and heart disease. For my part, I already know that if I don’t invest time and effort and energy with my wife and children, those relationships will falter. I already know that if I sit down and eat a pint of ice cream before I go to bed every night, it is not going to be good for my health. I know that if I don't get out and network with the right people every day, my business is not going to have an opportunity to grow. PRAYER HELPS, BUT ACTIONS ALWAYS CREATE results | remember when | first learned how to pray. It was really uncomfortable. My prayers usually sounded something like this: ‘Dear God, gimme, gimme, gimme, help me, help me, help me.” The focus was totally on me. And as | grew in my faith, | started to pray more for others. | might say, “God, please help the Smith family, the Jones family. Please help the people in Haiti who went through the earthquake.” The focus went onto other people. As | continued to grow, it went into the third phase. Instead of just praying, | took action. When you hear about somebody that is in need, instead of just praying for them, take action. In my opinion, God always works through other people. The earthquake victims in Haiti didn’t receive help until others took action. It’s the same way in your local community or in your own small circle of influence. Prayer works, but actions always create results. So pray as if everything depends on God, and work as if everything depends on you. 92. 

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CALTATRELT ¥ 
ACT ON WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW 
Here’s a rule of the action-based life that took me a long time to learn: 
Stop asking or praying for wisdom and take action based on what you 
already know. For example, most of us already know that smoking ciga- 
rettes will increase our chances of getting cancer and heart disease. For 
my part, I already know that if I don’t invest time and effort and energy 
with my wife and children, those relationships will falter. I already 
know that if I sit down and eat a pint of ice cream before I go to bed 
every night, it is not going to be good for my health. I know that if I 
don't get out and network with the right people every day, my business 
is not going to have an opportunity to grow. 
PRAYER HELPS, BUT ACTIONS ALWAYS CREATE RESULTS 
| remember when | first learned how to pray. It was really uncomfortable. 
My prayers usually sounded something like this: ‘Dear God, gimme, gimme, 
gimme, help me, help me, help me.” The focus was totally on me. 
And as | grew in my faith, | started to pray more for others. | might say, 
“God, please help the Smith family, the Jones family. Please help the people 
in Haiti who went through the earthquake.” The focus went onto other people. 
As | continued to grow, it went into the third phase. Instead of just praying, 
| took action. 
When you hear about somebody that is in need, instead of just praying for 
them, take action. In my opinion, God always works through other people. 
The earthquake victims in Haiti didn’t receive help until others took action. 
It’s the same way in your local community or in your own small circle of 
influence. Prayer works, but actions always create results. 
So pray as if 
everything depends on God, and work as if everything depends on you. 
92

[Audio] live with INTENTIONALITY Goals plus Action = Change. ‘The actions we take today will start to change the outcome of what happens tomorrow. And the more you can crystallize your goals into a form that makes them real and tangible, the more compelling they will be. And the better able you will be to achieve them. What action do you need to take right now that will move you one step closer to one of your goals? Don’t wait. Do it now. You'll find more exercises and tools to help you set effective goals at my website, www. VitalVisionsInc.com. 93. 

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Goals + Action = Change. ‘The actions we take today will start to 
change the outcome of what happens tomorrow. And the more you can 
crystallize your goals into a form that makes them real and tangible, 
the more compelling they will be. And the better able you will be to 
achieve them. 
What action do you need to take right now that will move you 
one step closer to one of your goals? Don’t wait. Do it now. 
You'll find more exercises and tools to help you set effective goals 
at my website, www. VitalVisionsInc.com. 
93

[Audio] CHAPTER 4: find YouR GENIUS “Dont ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” HAROLD WHITMAN “Follow your passion, and success will follow you.” ARTHUR buddhold 5 ou have no greater responsibility than to determine what you are meant to accomplish on this earth. Why do you exist? As human beings we need a sense of purpose in our lives as much as we need food, water and oxygen. This sense of purpose provides meaning and significance to our lives. It makes us feel useful, and is a constant reminder that “my life matters.” With a deep sense of purpose or mission, you live from the inside out. You become the force that triggers your actions. Your outer life honestly and accurately reflects your inner life—your values, priorities and principles. You begin living authentically, behaving more freely and intuitively. When you tap into 94. 

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CHAPTER 4: 
FIND YOUR GENIUS 
“Dont ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what 
makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because 
what the world needs is people who have come alive.” 
HAROLD WHITMAN 
“Follow your passion, and success will follow you.” 
ARTHUR BUDDHOLD 
5 ou have no greater responsibility than to determine what you are 
meant to accomplish on this earth. Why do you exist? 
As human beings we need a sense of purpose in our lives as much 
as we need food, water and oxygen. This sense of purpose provides 
meaning and significance to our lives. It makes us feel useful, and is a 
constant reminder that “my life matters.” With a deep sense of purpose 
or mission, you live from the inside out. You become the force that 
triggers your actions. Your outer life honestly and accurately reflects 
your inner life—your values, priorities and principles. You begin living 
authentically, behaving more freely and intuitively. When you tap into 
94

[Audio] find YouR GENIUS your personal mission, you become more creative, energetic and pas sionate. Like a child at play, you become totally absorbed in the pursuit of your goals because your goals are in syne with what you're all about. ‘According to the depth of which you draw your life, Without a deep sense of purpose, life is empty and devoid of true significance or long term meaning. This type of existence is character ized by cynicism, pessimism, apathy and, ultimately, a life of medioc rity where you go through the motions in perpetual survival mode. The 1981 movie Chariots of Fire offers some vivid illustrations of a life lived with purpose. Two scenes in particular stand out to me. In the first, Harold Abram is on a training table, getting ready to run the race of his life: The 100-yard dash in the Olympics. He says, “I am 24 years old, I am constantly in pursuit, and I don’t even know what it is that I am chasing.” Without purpose our lives seem unfulfilled, uncontrollable and tiresome. Contrast that scene with another, in which Eric Liddell says to his sister, “Jenny, I believe God made me for a purpose, the mission fields of China. But he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” When do you feel God’s pleasure? There are four benefits to knowing your life’s purpose: It will give you focus, it will simplify your life because you stay focused on the things that matter and delete everything else, it will increase your 95. 

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GENIUS 
your personal mission, you become more creative, energetic and pas- 
sionate. Like a child at play, you become totally absorbed in the pursuit 
of your goals because your goals are in syne with what you're all about. 
‘According to the depth of which you draw your life, 
Without a deep sense of purpose, life is empty and devoid of true 
significance or long-term meaning. This type of existence is character- 
ized by cynicism, pessimism, apathy and, ultimately, a life of medioc- 
rity where you go through the motions in perpetual survival mode. 
The 1981 movie Chariots of Fire offers some vivid illustrations of 
a life lived with purpose. Two scenes in particular stand out to me. In 
the first, Harold Abram is on a training table, getting ready to run the 
race of his life: The 100-yard dash in the Olympics. He says, “I am 24 
years old, I am constantly in pursuit, and I don’t even know what it is 
that I am chasing.” 
Without purpose our lives seem unfulfilled, uncontrollable and 
tiresome. Contrast that scene with another, in which Eric Liddell says 
to his sister, “Jenny, I believe God made me for a purpose, the mission 
fields of China. But he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His 
pleasure.” 
When do you feel God’s pleasure? 
There are four benefits to knowing your life’s purpose: It will 
give you focus, it will simplify your life because you stay focused on 
the things that matter and delete everything else, it will increase your 
95

[Audio] CLARITY motivation in life because you'll have a clear direction, and it will give meaning to your life. If you recall the letter my father’s friend wrote to my family after my dad had passed away, it stated, “Your dad was ahead of his time in anticipating the needs of others and taking action to meet those needs. He was a counselor and a friend to those who were lost or stumbled. He had personal magic, and gave a lift and brought a smile to those he met each day. In the eyes of God and the eyes of man, your dad lived a successful life.” To me, that illustrates a life lived with purpose and clarity. Even though I didn’t know this about my dad, other people saw him as having an evident sense of purpose. We all share a common purpose of learning and growing, but within that larger purpose we must find our genius. Your genius is your unique path to learning, growing and con tributing to the world. No matter how far you stray from your genius it is always waiting for you, because no one but you can fulfill it. Every life experience, no matter how random it may seem, can be utilized to your advantage. It can fuel your genius. As I like to say, everything you have experienced in life has prepared you for what youre about to do. When you arrive at your genius, you will know it. A sense of destiny will come over you as you come to understand the difference in the world that only you are equipped to make. The more you experience your genius, the more you will be drawn into it. Tinges of dissatisfaction will fade. You will enjoy invigorating surges of self worth as you let go of the need to compare yourself with others. You will be healthier, more prosperous and full of joy. We spend a lot of our lives wishing we could “act like him,” or “look like her,” or “be as successful as him.” When you unlock your 96. 

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CLARITY 
motivation in life because you'll have a clear direction, and it will give 
meaning to your life. 
If you recall the letter my father’s friend wrote to my family after 
my dad had passed away, it stated, “Your dad was ahead of his time in 
anticipating the needs of others and taking action to meet those needs. 
He was a counselor and a friend to those who were lost or stumbled. 
He had personal magic, and gave a lift and brought a smile to those he 
met each day. In the eyes of God and the eyes of man, your dad lived 
a successful life.” 
To me, that illustrates a life lived with purpose and clarity. Even 
though I didn’t know this about my dad, other people saw him as 
having an evident sense of purpose. We all share a common purpose 
of learning and growing, but within that larger purpose we must find 
our genius. 
Your genius is your unique path to learning, growing and con- 
tributing to the world. No matter how far you stray from your genius 
it is always waiting for you, because no one but you can fulfill it. Every 
life experience, no matter how random it may seem, can be utilized to 
your advantage. It can fuel your genius. As I like to say, everything you 
have experienced in life has prepared you for what youre about to do. 
When you arrive at your genius, you will know it. 
A sense of destiny will come over you as you come to understand 
the difference in the world that only you are equipped to make. The 
more you experience your genius, the more you will be drawn into it. 
Tinges of dissatisfaction will fade. You will enjoy invigorating surges of 
self-worth as you let go of the need to compare yourself with others. 
You will be healthier, more prosperous and full of joy. 
We spend a lot of our lives wishing we could “act like him,” or 
“look like her,” or “be as successful as him.” When you unlock your 
96

[Audio] find YouR GENIUS genius, however, your sense of purpose and passion sweeps away your desire for what somebody else has. We each have many different potential paths in life, but we have only one genius. They say “perfect is the enemy of the good,” meaning we should go ahead with a small, useful action instead of waiting for some abso lutely ideal solution. There’s logic in that, but I feel we must often bypass things that are merely good in order to reach what is truly great. Developing your genius is all about this: God had one purpose when He made you. You came into this life with a unique vision or dream. For some this dream will shake the entire world and for others it will soothe just one tiny home. In either case the world is left a better place. Sooner or later, we are all confronted with the internal question of whether we are heeding our call and following our ultimate vision. “Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.” john wooden We each have a unique gift and purpose. Our job is to find it and use it to the best of our ability. Throughout your life you will constantly change and become slightly or extensively different from the previous version of yourself. With each change you will move closer or slip farther from your genius. Most people consider change to be an external event that occurs randomly and haphazardly. We react to life as if it happens like a leaf in a windstorm. This causes us to be thrown off course by our circumstances. As James Allen wrote in As a Man Thinketh, “Circumstance does not make a man, it reveals him.” This is one of the most important laws of human nature. Our circumstances a7. 

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GENIUS 
genius, however, your sense of purpose and passion sweeps away 
your desire for what somebody else has. We each have many different 
potential paths in life, but we have only one genius. 
They say “perfect is the enemy of the good,” meaning we should 
go ahead with a small, useful action instead of waiting for some abso- 
lutely ideal solution. There’s logic in that, but I feel we must often 
bypass things that are merely good in order to reach what is truly great. 
Developing your genius is all about this: God had one purpose when 
He made you. You came into this life with a unique vision or dream. 
For some this dream will shake the entire world and for others it will 
soothe just one tiny home. In either case the world is left a better place. 
Sooner or later, we are all confronted with the internal question 
of whether we are heeding our call and following our ultimate vision. 
“Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but 
by what you should have accomplished with your ability.” 
JOHN WOODEN 
We each have a unique gift and purpose. Our job is to find it 
and use it to the best of our ability. Throughout your life you will 
constantly change and become slightly or extensively different from the 
previous version of yourself. With each change you will move closer or 
slip farther from your genius. Most people consider change to be an 
external event that occurs randomly and haphazardly. We react to life 
as if it happens like a leaf in a windstorm. This causes us to be thrown 
off course by our circumstances. As James Allen wrote in As a Man 
Thinketh, “Circumstance does not make a man, it reveals him.” This is 
one of the most important laws of human nature. Our circumstances 
a7

[Audio] CLARITY are just a reflection of what is going on inside our world of thoughts, emotions and beliefs. PRIVATE THOUGHTS DON’T STAY PRIVATE For long What you think about most frequently will ultimately be revealed for everyone to see. In other words, your private thoughts don’t stay private for long. Human beings are really “human becomings.” As we begin to change, our world changes with us. As we become better our lives become better, and the prerequisite for changing circumstances is that you must first change yourself. To have it any other way is pretending to be the tail and trying to wag the dog. We have two choices when life doesn’t go our way: We can get bitter or we can get better. Regarding our past, we can become bitter and drag that bitterness through the rest of life, or we can embrace it and deal with it, and use it as the means to positively impact others. Staying on purpose requires you to change and grow into the person you were meant to be. To do that you must get in touch with your core desires. It is these high intensity desires, often referred to as the “DNA of success,” that reveal the role you are meant to fulfill. Accept the fact that you have been custom made to serve an exclusive function in this world, even if that role and plan to fulfill it are not yet clear to you. This is your genius, and it’s up to you to find it. your g p toy You might ask, “If this is so compelling, why isn’t everyone doing it?” After working with thousands of people over the years at the 1% Club and undertaking an enormous amount of research, my former partner Tommy Newberry came up with some strong conclusions: 1. We are all born with unique gifts and have a specific purpose to fulfill. 98. 

Scene 12

CLARITY 
are just a reflection of what is going on inside our world of thoughts, 
emotions and beliefs. 
PRIVATE THOUGHTS DON’T STAY PRIVATE FOR LONG 
What you think about most frequently will ultimately be revealed for 
everyone to see. In other words, your private thoughts don’t stay private 
for long. Human beings are really “human becomings.” As we begin 
to change, our world changes with us. As we become better our lives 
become better, and the prerequisite for changing circumstances is that 
you must first change yourself. To have it any other way is pretending 
to be the tail and trying to wag the dog. 
We have two choices when life doesn’t go our way: We can get 
bitter or we can get better. Regarding our past, we can become bitter 
and drag that bitterness through the rest of life, or we can embrace it 
and deal with it, and use it as the means to positively impact others. 
Staying on purpose requires you to change and grow into the person 
you were meant to be. To do that you must get in touch with your core 
desires. It is these high-intensity desires, often referred to as the “DNA 
of success,” that reveal the role you are meant to fulfill. Accept the fact 
that you have been custom-made to serve an exclusive function in this 
world, even if that role and plan to fulfill it are not yet clear to you. 
This is your 
genius, and it’s up 
to 
you to find it. 
your 
g 
p 
toy 
You might ask, “If this is so compelling, why isn’t everyone doing 
it?” After working with thousands of people over the years at the 1% 
Club and undertaking an enormous amount of research, my former 
partner Tommy Newberry came up with some strong conclusions: 
1. We are all born with unique gifts and have a specific purpose 
to fulfill. 
98

[Audio] find YouR GENIUS . This purpose for your life will align with your unique gifts, talents and a combination of other factors. . The activities and pursuits that you find most enjoyable and attractive are the best indicators of strong talent and giftedness. . When you engage in activities that demand your special talent, your brain releases chemicals that trigger within you a sense of satisfaction and significance as an incentive for you to keep it up. It’s a positive reinforcement mechanism that is part of our perfect design. These talents get converted into strengths and eventually genius if we sustain the course long enough. . Your unique combination of talents, life experiences and personality merge together and spark a vision or dream within you. The more you engage in your strengths, the more crystallized your ultimate vision becomes. . With this dream imprinted on your mind, you become very intrinsically motivated, requiring less and less prodding from the outside. You become inner directed, and self discipline becomes effortless. . This whole process is contrarian and countercultural. Instead of competing to max out their potential, most people compete to keep up with each other. They are in the wrong race. Philosophically they tend to desire comfort more than character. Strategically, they often find themselves in the wrong career. Tactically, they've resigned themselves to simply enjoying their evenings, weekends and vacations. That’s the very definition of the rat race. My friend Pat Morley says in his book The Man in the Mirror, “When youre in rat race, even if you win, youre still a rat.” Think about that. “When 99. 

Scene 13

FIND 
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GENIUS 
. This purpose for your life will align with your unique gifts, 
talents and a combination of other factors. 
. The activities and pursuits that you find most enjoyable 
and attractive are the best indicators of strong talent and 
giftedness. 
. When you engage in activities that demand your special talent, 
your brain releases chemicals that trigger within you a sense of 
satisfaction and significance as an incentive for you to keep it 
up. It’s a positive reinforcement mechanism that is part of our 
perfect design. These talents get converted into strengths and 
eventually genius if we sustain the course long enough. 
. Your unique combination of talents, life experiences and 
personality merge together and spark a vision or dream 
within you. The more you engage in your strengths, the 
more crystallized your ultimate vision becomes. 
. With this dream imprinted on your mind, you become very 
intrinsically motivated, requiring less and less prodding from 
the outside. You become inner-directed, and self discipline 
becomes effortless. 
. This whole process is contrarian and countercultural. Instead 
of competing to max out their potential, most people 
compete to keep up with each other. They are in the wrong 
race. Philosophically they tend to desire comfort more than 
character. Strategically, they often find themselves in the 
wrong career. Tactically, they've resigned themselves to simply 
enjoying their evenings, weekends and vacations. That’s the 
very definition of the rat race. My friend Pat Morley says in 
his book The Man in the Mirror, “When youre in rat race, 
even if you win, youre still a rat.” Think about that. “When 
99

[Audio] CLARITY youre in the rat race, even if you win, youre still a rat.” This leads us to... 8. The dream in your heart won't come to fruition by accident. Naturally, there is a price for all of this, one that requires you to surrender the concept of safety and comfort in exchange for the higher and more significant reward of living the life you were intended to live, and leaving your unique mark on the world. You must grant yourself a promotion and escape from your personal comfort zone if you want to become a difference maker. We all have the tendency to get complacent and comfortable. It’s like having a box around you, and as you step beyond the borders of that box, you start to get an uneasy feeling because you don't know what lies beyond that border. As I’ve mentioned previously, you're afraid of what people might think if you try something and fail. You're afraid of failure itself. Yourre afraid of succeeding. You're afraid of the unknown, so you never wander beyond the borders of that self contained box. I have spent most of my life trying to get myself out of that box, and, having learned how, it is now my purpose and passion to help other people and organizations get themselves out of that box. abandon ALL THOUGHT OF retreat All along the path you will face resistance—institutional resistance, cultural resistance, relationship resistance, financial resistance, mental resistance. Often we are our own worst enemy because of the “mind monsters” that inhabit our brain. This is simply part of the dream game. You must press on against the forces of conformity. You must take action that is committed to your ultimate vision, and you must 100. 

Scene 14

CLARITY 
youre in the rat race, even if you win, youre still a rat.” This 
leads us to... 
8. The dream in your heart won't come to fruition by accident. 
Naturally, there is a price for all of this, one that requires you 
to surrender the concept of safety and comfort in exchange for the 
higher and more significant reward of living the life you were intended 
to live, and leaving your unique mark on the world. You must grant 
yourself a promotion and escape from your personal comfort zone if 
you want to become a difference-maker. We all have the tendency to 
get complacent and comfortable. It’s like having a box around you, and 
as you step beyond the borders of that box, you start to get an uneasy 
feeling because you don't know what lies beyond that border. As I’ve 
mentioned previously, you're afraid of what people might think if you 
try something and fail. You're afraid of failure itself. Yourre afraid of 
succeeding. You're afraid of the unknown, so you never wander beyond 
the borders of that self-contained box. I have spent most of my life 
trying to get myself out of that box, and, having learned how, it is now 
my purpose and passion to help other people and organizations get 
themselves out of that box. 
ABANDON ALL THOUGHT OF RETREAT 
All along the path you will face resistance—institutional resistance, 
cultural resistance, relationship resistance, financial resistance, mental 
resistance. Often we are our own worst enemy because of the “mind 
monsters” that inhabit our brain. This is simply part of the dream 
game. You must press on against the forces of conformity. You must 
take action that is committed to your ultimate vision, and you must 
100

[Audio] find YouR GENIUS do this before you have the money, before you have the confidence and even before you have the blessing of those closest to you. The first step is unconditional resolve. You must draw a line in the sand. Then the plan will come, the resources will emerge, and— with all thought of retreat cast aside—you become an unstoppable force. It reminds me of the historical account of De Soto's landing on the shore of what is now Florida. When the Spanish conqueror Hernando De Soto reached the New World five centuries ago, he ordered his troops inland. They marched along as ordered until they came to a rise. Looking back, they saw the smoke and flames of burning ships—the ships they'd arrived on. Now they knew they had no alternative. They could not go back. The only decision they could make was to move forward, do battle, and defeat the enemy and win the cause. What ships do you need to burn so that you don’t have an excuse to go backwards? THE INTERSECTION OF GENIUS Your area of genius is the intersection where what you enjoy doing most intersects with what you do best. This is the specific area where youre capable of making the greatest difference or contribution in the world. Excellence is achievable once you find your genius. You find your genius by first asking yourself what youd do all day long if money were not a factor. Only when you really love what you do will you have what it takes on the inside to generate tremendous results on the outside. A genius is someone who believes and takes action on the ideas and dreams inside them. We all have dreams and ideas. The only dif 101. 

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FIND 
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GENIUS 
do this before you have the money, before you have the confidence and 
even before you have the blessing of those closest to you. 
The first step is unconditional resolve. You must draw a line in 
the sand. Then the plan will come, the resources will emerge, and— 
with all thought of retreat cast aside—you become an unstoppable 
force. It reminds me of the historical account of De Soto's landing on 
the shore of what is now Florida. 
When the Spanish conqueror Hernando De Soto reached the 
New World five centuries ago, he ordered his troops inland. They 
marched along as ordered until they came to a rise. Looking back, they 
saw the smoke and flames of burning ships—the ships they'd arrived 
on. Now they knew they had no alternative. They could not go back. 
The only decision they could make was to move forward, do battle, and 
defeat the enemy and win the cause. 
What ships do you need to burn so that you don’t have an excuse 
to go backwards? 
THE INTERSECTION OF GENIUS 
Your area of genius is the intersection where what you enjoy doing 
most intersects with what you do best. This is the specific area where 
youre capable of making the greatest difference or contribution in the 
world. Excellence is achievable once you find your genius. You find 
your genius by first asking yourself what youd do all day long if money 
were not a factor. Only when you really love what you do will you 
have what it takes on the inside to generate tremendous results on the 
outside. 
A genius is someone who believes and takes action on the ideas 
and dreams inside them. We all have dreams and ideas. The only dif- 
101

[Audio] CLARITY ference between dreams that come to life and dreams that don’t are the actions or inactions of the dreamer. I can’t tell you how many people approach me with ideas but are afraid to take the first step. I always ask them this question: “Are you willing to mortgage your house and every thing you have and invest it in this idea?” Most often the response is, “No, that’s why I came to you.” My response is always, “If youre not willing to invest in it, why should I be willing to invest in it?” The point is, most people aren't really committed to their ideas. Rather, they're committed to the idea of the idea, but are unwilling to follow through and sacrifice and take the steps to make it happen. Suc cessful people follow their dreams by getting them out of their head and down on paper so they can take action on a daily basis. They don’t always succeed, but they learn, they grow and have information for next time. What do you secretly want to do with your life? Can you exercise the courage to honestly identify where you have been uniquely blessed, where you have special talents and abilities? If you don't know, pray about it, ask your spouse or ask your friends. But whatever you do, seek it out. I believe every person has the ability to become outstanding at in at least one pursuit if they are strategically selective and they throw their whole heart into it. Excellence and the abundant opportunities that come with it can only be achieved if you do what you love and love what you do, focusing on your unique strengths to the exclusion of all else. If you're not passionate and excited about what you do, how can you expect anyone else to be? The concept of genius is closely aligned with two major principles of peak personal performance: The Strength Principle, which states that by focusing on your strengths you ultimately render your weaknesses irrele vant, and the 80/20 Principle, which states that 80 percent of your results 102. 

Scene 16

CLARITY 
ference between dreams that come to life and dreams that don’t are the 
actions or inactions of the dreamer. I can’t tell you how many people 
approach me with ideas but are afraid to take the first step. I always ask 
them this question: “Are you willing to mortgage your house and every- 
thing you have and invest it in this idea?” 
Most often the response is, “No, that’s why I came to you.” 
My response is always, “If youre not willing to invest in it, why 
should I be willing to invest in it?” 
The point is, most people aren't really committed to their ideas. 
Rather, they're committed to the idea of the idea, but are unwilling to 
follow through and sacrifice and take the steps to make it happen. Suc- 
cessful people follow their dreams by getting them out of their head 
and down on paper so they can take action on a daily basis. They don’t 
always succeed, but they learn, they grow and have information for next 
time. What do you secretly want to do with your life? Can you exercise 
the courage to honestly identify where you have been uniquely blessed, 
where you have special talents and abilities? If you don't know, pray about 
it, ask your spouse or ask your friends. But whatever you do, seek it out. 
I believe every person has the ability to become outstanding at 
in at least one pursuit if they are strategically selective and they throw 
their whole heart into it. Excellence and the abundant opportunities that 
come with it can only be achieved if you do what you love and love what 
you do, focusing on your unique strengths to the exclusion of all else. 
If you're not passionate and excited about what you do, how can 
you expect anyone else to be? 
The concept of genius is closely aligned with two major principles of 
peak personal performance: The Strength Principle, which states that by 
focusing on your strengths you ultimately render your weaknesses irrele- 
vant, and the 80/20 Principle, which states that 80 percent of your results 
102

[Audio] find YouR GENIUS come from only 20 percent of your input. Over the course of my career, I have seen it time and time again. In business, 20 percent of your clients, 20 percent of your customers, 20 percent of your actions, will produce 80 percent of your results. In relationships, it’s the same way: 20 percent of your input creates 80 percent of what comes out the other side. What exactly is your genius? Your genius is a set of related activi ties that, collectively, produce superior results in the marketplace, whether youre an athlete, a pastor, a business leader, an entrepreneur, in law enforcement or a teacher. Everyone has a marketplace, a group of people they are charged with serving in one way or another. When you operate in your genius, you produce outstanding results. Best of all, these outcomes are generated with an investment of time and effort that is disproportionately small—as long as it’s properly calculated. Your genius is where you are most fully leveraged. This is where you can work less and earn more. This is where you can do less but become much more. This is where you can significantly increase the dollar value of each hour of your time. This is where you're capable of making the greatest difference or contribution in the world and create the most influence on others. “Courage is rightly the foremost of virtues for upon it all others depend.” winston CHURCHILL Almost everyone has experienced brief glimpses of genius, yet only a small percentage have capitalized on their potential and transformed it into their daily operating system. When most people look back on their lives, they don’t regret the things they did as much as the things they didn’t do. How many times have you wanted to do something that you knew would make you and the people around you better off, but you hesitated out of fear? It takes courage to push beyond our fears. 103. 

Scene 17

FIND 
YOUR 
GENIUS 
come from only 20 percent of your input. Over the course of my career, 
I have seen it time and time again. In business, 20 percent of your clients, 
20 percent of your customers, 20 percent of your actions, will produce 80 
percent of your results. In relationships, it’s the same way: 20 percent of 
your input creates 80 percent of what comes out the other side. 
What exactly is your genius? Your genius is a set of related activi- 
ties that, collectively, produce superior results in the marketplace, 
whether youre an athlete, a pastor, a business leader, an entrepreneur, 
in law enforcement or a teacher. Everyone has a marketplace, a group 
of people they are charged with serving in one way or another. When 
you operate in your genius, you produce outstanding results. Best of all, 
these outcomes are generated with an investment of time and effort that 
is disproportionately small—as long as it’s properly calculated. 
Your genius is where you are most fully leveraged. This is where you 
can work less and earn more. This is where you can do less but become 
much more. This is where you can significantly increase the dollar value 
of each hour of your time. This is where you're capable of making the 
greatest difference or contribution in the world and create the most 
influence on others. 
“Courage is rightly the foremost of virtues for upon it all others depend.” 
WINSTON CHURCHILL 
Almost everyone has experienced brief glimpses of genius, yet only 
a small percentage have capitalized on their potential and transformed 
it into their daily operating system. When most people look back on 
their lives, they don’t regret the things they did as much as the things 
they didn’t do. How many times have you wanted to do something that 
you knew would make you and the people around you better off, but 
you hesitated out of fear? It takes courage to push beyond our fears. 
103

[Audio] Cae AG RY IaeY How TO IDENTIFY YouR GENIUS How can you best acknowledge and understand what you were uniquely wired to do? These six clues will help you identify your genius. 1. Be passionate: Your area of genius is characterized by enthusiasm, intent, interest and pure fun. This passion will be difficult to turn offeven when youre away from work. You'll have boundless energy. Working in your area of genius will energize you physically, mentally and emotion ally, and when you do experience fatigue it is accompanied by a powerful sense of satisfaction. On the flipside, non genius activity drains your energy. Norman Vincent Peale shared the story about a trapeze instructor who was teaching a group of people. After getting some basic instruction on the ground, they had to climb way up the pole and stand on a little platform waiting to launch out and jump for the trapeze. One particular young man froze like a deer in headlights. The instructor shouted out to the young man, “Throw your heart over the bar and the rest of your body will follow.” Your heart is your emotional center, the control panel for the rest of your body. Whatever that bar is in your life, being passionate about it is part of the process of understanding your genius. When we started Trillium Health Products, I commuted between Atlanta and Seattle. On plane rides I would ask people about what they were eating, and theyd ask me what I did for a living. My response was, “Well, I have a company and our mission is to educate people about good health and nutrition and provide them with products to live a healthy and nutritional lifestyle.” Inevitably, they'd start pushing their airline food away because I was so passionate about talking to people about what I did. Whether flying to or from Seattle, the person sitting next to me would usually wind up purchasing a juicer after witnessing my passion. 104. 

Scene 18

Cae 
AG RY 
IaeY 
HOW TO IDENTIFY YOUR GENIUS 
How can you best acknowledge and understand what you were uniquely 
wired to do? These six clues will help you identify your genius. 
1. Be passionate: Your area of genius is characterized by enthusiasm, 
intent, interest and pure fun. This passion will be difficult to turn offeven 
when youre away from work. You'll have boundless energy. Working in 
your area of genius will energize you physically, mentally and emotion- 
ally, and when you do experience fatigue it is accompanied by a powerful 
sense of satisfaction. On the flipside, non-genius activity drains your 
energy. 
Norman Vincent Peale shared the story about a trapeze instructor 
who was teaching a group of people. After getting some basic instruction 
on the ground, they had to climb way up the pole and stand on a 
little 
platform waiting to launch out and jump for the trapeze. One particular 
young man froze like a deer in headlights. The instructor shouted out to 
the young man, “Throw your heart over the bar and the rest of your body 
will follow.” Your heart is your emotional center, the control panel for 
the rest of your body. Whatever that bar is in your life, being passionate 
about it is part of the process of understanding your genius. 
When we started Trillium Health Products, I commuted between 
Atlanta and Seattle. On plane rides I would ask people about what they 
were eating, and theyd ask me what I did for a living. My response was, 
“Well, I have a company and our mission is to educate people about 
good health and nutrition and provide them with products to live a 
healthy and nutritional lifestyle.” Inevitably, they'd start pushing their 
airline food away because I was so passionate about talking to people 
about what I did. Whether flying to or from Seattle, the person sitting 
next to me would usually wind up purchasing a juicer after witnessing 
my passion. 
104

[Audio] find YouR GENIUS How often do you talk about what you do fora living? When you're out socially, when you're around other people, when youre having lunch, when youre at the ballpark? I’m not talking about being overbearing and always trying to sell somebody, but the first time you meet people, the first question they ask is: “What do you do for a living?” Do you respond with passionate enthusiasm or do you just say, “I’m a clerk.” Lyndon Johnson was on a tour of nasa’s Mission Control in Houston when he came across a particularly energetic and enthusiastic janitor. Johnson said, “Young man, I just can’t get over it. I never met a janitor who was as energetic and as passionate as you are.” The young man replied, “Mr President, I’m not just a janitor. ’'m part of a team of people that put a man on the moon!” How do you think about what you do? Are you just a janitor? Or are you part of a team of people that put a man on the moon? The way you think about what you do makes all the difference about the passion and energy you exude to other people and if you aren't passionate about what you do, how can you expect anyone else to be? 2. Never stop learning: In your area of genius, you'll notice that learning new information takes little time and comes quite easily. New concepts are easily visualized and quickly integrated into your existing knowledge base. Just as important, the learning process is fun. Never ending improvement comes naturally. Your area of genius is characterized by a_ vivid, clear and almost perfect memory. Facts, figures, dates, names, con versations and key points related to your genius activities are effortlessly recalled when needed. I’m a voracious reader on the subject of health and fitness. I love to read articles and books that talk about the latest breakthroughs. I make it a point to stay up on it, not just so I can share it with everybody else, but so I know for myself and I can take advantage of cutting edge 105. 

Scene 19

FIND 
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GENIUS 
How often do you talk about what you do fora living? When you're 
out socially, when you're around other people, when youre having lunch, 
when youre at the ballpark? I’m not talking about being overbearing and 
always trying to sell somebody, but the first time you meet people, the 
first question they ask is: “What do you do for a living?” Do you respond 
with passionate enthusiasm or do you just say, “I’m a clerk.” 
Lyndon Johnson was on a tour of NASA’s Mission Control in 
Houston when he came across a particularly energetic and enthusiastic 
janitor. Johnson said, “Young man, I just can’t get over it. I never met 
a janitor who was as energetic and as passionate as you are.” The young 
man replied, “Mr. President, I’m not just a janitor. ’'m part of a team of 
people that put a man on the moon!” 
How do you think about what you do? Are you just a janitor? Or 
are you part of a team of people that put a man on the moon? The way 
you think about what you do makes all the difference about the passion 
and energy you exude to other people and if you aren't passionate about 
what you do, how can you expect anyone else to be? 
2. Never stop learning: In your area of genius, you'll notice that learning 
new information takes little time and comes quite easily. New concepts 
are easily visualized and quickly integrated into your existing knowledge 
base. Just as important, the learning process is fun. Never-ending 
improvement comes naturally. Your area of genius is characterized by a_ 
vivid, clear and almost perfect memory. Facts, figures, dates, names, con- 
versations and key points related to your genius activities are effortlessly 
recalled when needed. 
I’m a voracious reader on the subject of health and fitness. I love to 
read articles and books that talk about the latest breakthroughs. I make 
it a point to stay up on it, not just so I can share it with everybody 
else, but so I know for myself and I can take advantage of cutting-edge 
105

[Audio] CLARITY information. You have to be a continuous learner in order to become a continuous earner. The more you learn and the more you can apply your new information to helping other people, the more youre going to be compensated. 3. Maintain unstoppable momentum: When youre operating in your genius, youll be totally immersed in what you're doing and lose yourself in the moment. You'll lose track of time. World class athletes sometimes refer to this as being “in the zone.” Researchers have also called this phe nomenon “flow.” It’s when you're totally absorbed in the present moment and able to shut out everything else. When do you feel “in the zone?” For me, it’s when I’m in front of groups of people (or for that matter just one person) sharing what I’ve learned to help get them unstuck. I get so passionate that it creates unstoppable momentum toward success. 4. Follow your gut: In your genius, you'll naturally tap into your intuition and be inclined to go for it. Let me add: You'll be right most of the time. You will experience a strong, instinctual knowledge that helps you make quick, positive decisions that move you towards your goal. I remember one specific decision I made when we were involved in a lawsuit with another company over a trademark violation. We had already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on this lawsuit, and almost 50 percent of my time was focused on this issue, rather than being creative and helping my business grow. I was sitting with our attorneys one day and I asked, “Well, what does the next four or five months look like?” “We're going to have to spend several hundred thousand more dollars and there are going to be 40 to 50 depositions,” said one. “And what is the outcome going to be? We're going to win this case?” I asked. 106. 

Scene 20

CLARITY 
information. You have to be a continuous learner in order to become 
a continuous earner. The more you learn and the more you can apply 
your new information to helping other people, the more youre going to 
be compensated. 
3. Maintain unstoppable momentum: When youre operating in your 
genius, youll be totally immersed in what you're doing and lose yourself 
in the moment. You'll lose track of time. World-class athletes sometimes 
refer to this as being “in the zone.” Researchers have also called this phe- 
nomenon “flow.” It’s when you're totally absorbed in the present moment 
and able to shut out everything else. 
When do you feel “in the zone?” For me, it’s when I’m in front 
of groups of people (or for that matter just one person) sharing what 
I’ve learned to help get them unstuck. I get so passionate that it creates 
unstoppable momentum toward success. 
4. Follow your gut: In your genius, you'll naturally tap into your intuition 
and be inclined to go for it. Let me add: You'll be right most of the time. 
You will experience a strong, instinctual knowledge that helps you make 
quick, positive decisions that move you towards your goal. I remember 
one specific decision I made when we were involved in a lawsuit with 
another company over a trademark violation. We had already spent 
hundreds of thousands of dollars on this lawsuit, and almost 50 percent 
of my time was focused on this issue, rather than being creative and 
helping my business grow. I was sitting with our attorneys one day and I 
asked, “Well, what does the next four or five months look like?” 
“We're going to have to spend several hundred thousand more 
dollars and there are going to be 40 to 50 depositions,” said one. 
“And what is the outcome going to be? We're going to win this 
case?” I asked. 
106

[Audio] find YouR GENIUS Even though we were correct legally, morally and ethically, the lawyers said we had only a 70 percent chance of winning the case. In other words, we were totally in the right and there was a 30 percent chance that we were going to lose. My instincts said, “This is not right. I've got to stop spending the money and wasting my time.” I announced to the room that I was going to phone the C-E-O of the other company. “You cant do that!” they all said at once. I disregarded their advice and went with my instincts. I called the C-E-O on the other side and said, “I’m spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, and expending a massive amount of time and effort and energy, and you must be doing the same. If you'll agree to a cease and desist order, I will drop the lawsuit.” In five minutes, we had a deal. Because I was working in my genius, my instincts were correct and I regained a vast amount of time and money to use for better purposes. Your instincts will work for you when you're working in your zone and in your genius. 5. Say goodbye to burnout: By operating in your genius, you will insulate yourself from burning out since you'll be working at what you love to do. You will get more done in less time and be happier, healthier and much more balanced. Burnout is the mental, emotional and physical consequence of overwork in an area of weakness, or non genius. In other words when you identify your strength, the more you work in it, the more energy, health and vitality you have. When you work in your non genius areas, it sucks the energy out of you. Burnout is the breaking point result of accumulated resistance to non genius activity. If you're not working in your genius and you yearn to be working in another area, take this as a sign that you have yet to discover your genius. Here’s an incredible statistic—Gallup surveyed more than two million people at companies around the world and asked them this 107. 

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GENIUS 
Even though we were correct legally, morally and ethically, the 
lawyers said we had only a 70 percent chance of winning the case. In 
other words, we were totally in the right and there was a 30 percent 
chance that we were going to lose. My instincts said, “This is not right. 
I've got to stop spending the money and wasting my time.” I announced 
to the room that I was going to phone the CEO of the other company. 
“You cant do that!” they all said at once. 
I disregarded their advice and went with my instincts. I called the 
CEO on the other side and said, “I’m spending hundreds of thousands of 
dollars, and expending a massive amount of time and effort and energy, 
and you must be doing the same. If you'll agree to a cease-and-desist 
order, I will drop the lawsuit.” In five minutes, we had a deal. Because 
I was working in my genius, my instincts were correct and I regained a 
vast amount of time and money to use for better purposes. Your instincts 
will work for you when you're working in your zone and in your genius. 
5. Say goodbye to burnout: By operating in your genius, you will insulate 
yourself from burning out since you'll be working at what you love to do. 
You will get more done in less time and be happier, healthier and much 
more balanced. 
Burnout is the mental, emotional and physical consequence of 
overwork in an area of weakness, or non-genius. In other words when 
you identify your strength, the more you work in it, the more energy, 
health and vitality you have. When you work in your non-genius areas, 
it sucks the energy out of you. Burnout is the breaking-point result of 
accumulated resistance to non-genius activity. If you're not working in 
your genius and you yearn to be working in another area, take this as a 
sign that you have yet to discover your genius. 
Here’s an incredible statistic—Gallup surveyed more than two 
million people at companies around the world and asked them this 
107

[Audio] Ca TAR RG lat ey question: “Do you get to use your greatest strength every day at work?” Amazingly, 8 out of 10—80 percent!—said they do not get to use their greatest strength every day at work. That means that 80 percent of us are yearning to work in our genius, but the environment we work in doesn’t allow it. Companies are losing billions of dollars collectively because people aren't working at what they do best. I realize that at times we all need to do certain things. When you have a boss and youre working for a company, it is very difficult to launch out on your own and do your own thing. But the more you can gravitate towards understanding what you do best, the more positive contributions you'll make to the company. If you run your own business, it will help create more revenue and more downtime for you to spend with your family. 6. Wing it: For a good portion of my life, I would do little prep before I got up and spoke to people. I would just get up and wing it because I really didn’t know any better, and I was amazed that I received great feedback. If there’s something in your life you do well and get great results from without much preparation, pay attention to that. It might be a sign that you are working in your genius. The above are all clues to discovering your genius. What follows are the roadblocks to finding your genius. When you notice these road blocks, go around them or over them or through them. You owe it to your team and to yourself. The foreign concept roadblock: Most people are unaware of the concept of genius and thus are uncomfortable associating themselves with it. It’s simply inconsistent with their self concept. To most of the world, work is something done for the sole purpose of paying bills, and enjoying evenings, weekends and, ultimately, retirement. In that same Gallup poll mentioned above, 86 percent of the people reported that they would 108. 

Scene 22

Ca TAR RG lat ey 
question: “Do you get to use your greatest strength every day at work?” 
Amazingly, 8 out of 10—80 percent!—said they do not get to use their 
greatest strength every day at work. That means that 80 percent of us are 
yearning to work in our genius, but the environment we work in doesn’t 
allow it. Companies are losing billions of dollars collectively because 
people aren't working at what they do best. 
I realize that at times we all need to do certain things. When you 
have a boss and youre working for a company, it is very difficult to 
launch out on your own and do your own thing. But the more you 
can gravitate towards understanding what you do best, the more positive 
contributions you'll make to the company. If you run your own business, 
it will help create more revenue and more downtime for you to spend 
with your family. 
6. Wing it: For a good portion of my life, I would do little prep before 
I got up and spoke to people. I would just get up and wing it because 
I really didn’t know any better, and I was amazed that I received great 
feedback. If there’s something in your life you do well and get great 
results from without much preparation, pay attention to that. It might 
be a sign that you are working in your genius. 
The above are all clues to discovering your genius. What follows 
are the roadblocks to finding your genius. When you notice these road- 
blocks, go around them or over them or through them. You owe it to 
your team and to yourself. 
The foreign-concept roadblock: Most people are unaware of the concept 
of genius and thus are uncomfortable associating themselves with it. It’s 
simply inconsistent with their self-concept. To most of the world, work 
is something done for the sole purpose of paying bills, and enjoying 
evenings, weekends and, ultimately, retirement. In that same Gallup poll 
mentioned above, 86 percent of the people reported that they would 
108

Clarity : how to get it, how to keep it & how to use it to balance your life part 5

live  with  INTENTIONALITY  accomplish and you never fail, you won't ever learn what you're really  capable of.  9. Your goal building helps you create the future in advance. I have  six pictures that represent a goal for every area of my life. I’m looking  at them now. It’s the picture of what I want to do, and of what I want  to be in the future.  Actually, the writing of this  book is a result of putting it on  my visual goal map, as a daily  reminder of what I’m trying to  accomplish.  Here’s the way it works:  The pictures you create in your  head turn into the reality you  hold in your hand. Anything  that was ever accomplished in  this world—the greatest athletic  feats,  the  greatest  scientific  feats,  the  greatest  romances,  the greatest achievements—all  started as an idea or a vision or  This is me with Scott Rigsby, The Ironman  a dream in somebody's mind. _ (whose storyis told on pg. 55-57) after  a  46  And they didn’t happen until  mile bike ride to raise money for The Scott  Rigsby Foundation.  | look at this daily as  they were  written down and _ 4 Visual reminder for my fitness goal and  also for inspiration.  somebody took action to make  them happen.  87

avatar

CLARITY  10. You stay on the offensive. Playing life to win is playing offense, not  defense. Playing defense is playing not to lose. I meet so many people  who play life not to lose. They play defense; they protect themselves,  they live in a sheltered world where they don’t step out to see what  they’re really capable of doing.  [I’ve found that many business people in our volatile economy are  stuck in their businesses because they're playing defense, and trying to  protect themselves from not losing, rather than playing offense and  being creative and taking action to make their product or service more  relevant in the current environment.  The people who are creative and make their product or service  more relevant in this marketplace are the ones who are thriving.  Remember, almost 70 percent of the current Fortune 500 companies  were started in a down economy.  When you play offense, you take control. In sports, a good  offense really is your best defense. In the last 15 years, teams with  offenses ranked in the top five have won more Super Bowls than teams  with top five defenses. Offense is where it’s at. It’s making something  happen, being creative, moving forward and—above all—taking  action.  When you stand up and take action, good things begin to happen.  How TO WRITE EFFECTIVE goals  So, how do you actually write an effective, clearly defined goal? The  S-M-A-R-T acronym is a simple and useful way to break it down.  88

live  with  INTENTIONALITY  S  pecific: Highly effective goals should be written and specific.  If a goal is not written down, and you merely keep it in mind,  it does not have the same power as a written goal. W-R-I-T-E (I-T )  down, make (I-T ) HAPPEN. When you write it down make  sure it is specific and well defined. Instead of saying: “I want to  lose weight,” say, “I weigh 180 pounds and my body fat is less than  20 percent.” Instead of saying, “I want to make more money,” say,  “I make $150000 a year.” Your written goal should stretch you  beyond your comfort zone.  Vi  easurable: Highly effective goals are measurable. If you can’t  measure your goal, how will you know when you achieve it? Let me  give you an example. If your goal is stated as, “I will improve my  relationship with my wife,” how will you know if you accomplish  it? Instead, if you say, “I improved my relationship with my wife  by reading three relationship books this month,” then you will, at  the very least, have something to measure. Your goals should also  be meaningful to you and motivate you to move toward them.  Remember, you must have a compelling reason why you want to  achieve a goal. The best way to keep a commitment, to reach a goal,  is to understand why you are striving for it.  fies one, Highly effective goals are stated positively and  in the present tense, as if you have already accomplished the goal.  This moves you towards action. You should have an action step for  each of your goals; you need to compile the details, make a plan,  and write down all of the required activities. Prioritize and time  organize them, and rewrite them as often as necessary to make your  plan effective. Revise your list of goals, improve it, plan it...but  most importantly, put it on paper.  89

Ca ASRa ely  Rs Highly effective goals need to be realistic and relevant  to you. They need to be achievable. Make an assessment of available  resources, knowledge and time. Taking an action oriented mindset  will attract people and resources that aren't initially visible—you  can and should factor this in. Just make sure you aren't confusing  achievements with miracles. For example, I could state a goal of  wanting to become a  professional football player, but I don’t think  the N-F-L is looking for a 56 year old tight end right now. ‘This is  just not in the scope of my resources.  Perak: Highly effective goals are time bound. Deadlines  put positive pressure on you to take action; otherwise it’s just  human nature to keep putting things off. Strangely enough, we  tend to procrastinate on goals that are the most valuable to our  long term success.  To put it all together, here is an example of a written goal that hits  all of the above points:  I weigh 180 pounds and my body fat is less than 20 percent by  December 31, 2012.  Now I have a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Action oriented,  Realistic and Time based. That seems S-M-A-R-T to me!  taking ACTION, taking responsibility  One of my favorite anecdotes about taking action concerns a good  friend and client, Bill Bartmann. You may have seen his name on Ine.  magazine's list of the “25th Wealthiest Men that Nobody Ever Knew  About.” Bill started a business back in the 1980 seconds with a $13000 loan.  90

live  with  INTENTIONALITY  He sat down with his wife and wrote his idea down on a napkin. Seven  years later he had a 3  billion dollars dollar company.  In 2008, Bill and I were working together at a “Get Motivated”  event in Roanoke, Virginia, before an audience of about 10000 people.  We were scheduled to zip off to the airport to catch our departing  flight, right after the presentation.  Naturally, as we got out to the parking lot, everybody was leaving  at the same time. There was complete gridlock. No one was moving.  We knew if we sat there much longer, we were going to miss our flight.  Suddenly, Bill jumped out of the car and disappeared into the  crowd of people and autos. About five minutes later, cars started  moving. As we got closer to the exit of the parking lot, we could see  Bill standing in the middle of the bottleneck point, directing traffic!  He was the picture of calm authority, pointing, waving and signaling to  each driver. In 10 minutes, we were out of the parking lot and speeding  to the airport. We made that flight with time to spare.  I guess thats why he’s a billionaire, 1 remember thinking. He  didn’t let circumstances dictate his fate. He got up and took action.  He took responsibility. You can’t do one without the other. When he  took action, he took responsibility for changing the circumstances that  10000 people found themselves in. And when he took that responsi  bility, he had to make something positive happen.  Many people are stuck in their own gridlock; letting circumstances  (or their perceptions of their circumstances) dictate what happens to  them. They sit there and wait for something to change instead of taking  action.  Nothing happens until you take action.  91

CALTATRELT ¥  ACT ON What You ALREADY KNOW  Here’s a rule of the action based life that took me a long time to learn:  Stop asking or praying for wisdom and take action based on what you  already know. For example, most of us already know that smoking ciga  rettes will increase our chances of getting cancer and heart disease. For  my part, I already know that if I don’t invest time and effort and energy  with my wife and children, those relationships will falter. I already  know that if I sit down and eat a pint of ice cream before I go to bed  every night, it is not going to be good for my health. I know that if I  don't get out and network with the right people every day, my business  is not going to have an opportunity to grow.  PRAYER HELPS, BUT ACTIONS ALWAYS CREATE results  | remember when | first learned how to pray. It was really uncomfortable.  My prayers usually sounded something like this: ‘Dear God, gimme, gimme,  gimme, help me, help me, help me.” The focus was totally on me.  And as | grew in my faith, | started to pray more for others. | might say,  “God, please help the Smith family, the Jones family. Please help the people  in Haiti who went through the earthquake.” The focus went onto other people.  As | continued to grow, it went into the third phase. Instead of just praying,  | took action.  When you hear about somebody that is in need, instead of just praying for  them, take action. In my opinion, God always works through other people.  The earthquake victims in Haiti didn’t receive help until others took action.  It’s the same way in your local community or in your own small circle of  influence. Prayer works, but actions always create results.  So pray as if  everything depends on God, and work as if everything depends on you.  92

live  with  INTENTIONALITY  Goals  plus  Action = Change. ‘The actions we take today will start to  change the outcome of what happens tomorrow. And the more you can  crystallize your goals into a form that makes them real and tangible,  the more compelling they will be. And the better able you will be to  achieve them.  What action do you need to take right now that will move you  one step closer to one of your goals? Don’t wait. Do it now.  You'll find more exercises and tools to help you set effective goals  at my website, www. VitalVisionsInc.com.  93

CHAPTER 4:  find YouR GENIUS  “Dont ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what  makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because  what the world needs is people who have come alive.”  HAROLD WHITMAN  “Follow your passion, and success will follow you.”  ARTHUR buddhold  5 ou have no greater responsibility than to determine what you are  meant to accomplish on this earth. Why do you exist?  As human beings we need a sense of purpose in our lives as much  as we need food, water and oxygen. This sense of purpose provides  meaning and significance to our lives. It makes us feel useful, and is a  constant reminder that “my life matters.” With a deep sense of purpose  or mission, you live from the inside out. You become the force that  triggers your actions. Your outer life honestly and accurately reflects  your inner life—your values, priorities and principles. You begin living  authentically, behaving more freely and intuitively. When you tap into  94

find  YouR  GENIUS  your personal mission, you become more creative, energetic and pas  sionate. Like a child at play, you become totally absorbed in the pursuit  of your goals because your goals are in syne with what you're all about.  ‘According to the depth of which you draw your life,  Without a deep sense of purpose, life is empty and devoid of true  significance or long term meaning. This type of existence is character  ized by cynicism, pessimism, apathy and, ultimately, a life of medioc  rity where you go through the motions in perpetual survival mode.  The 1981 movie Chariots of Fire offers some vivid illustrations of  a life lived with purpose. Two scenes in particular stand out to me. In  the first, Harold Abram is on a training table, getting ready to run the  race of his life: The 100-yard dash in the Olympics. He says, “I am 24  years old, I am constantly in pursuit, and I don’t even know what it is  that I am chasing.”  Without purpose our lives seem unfulfilled, uncontrollable and  tiresome. Contrast that scene with another, in which Eric Liddell says  to his sister, “Jenny, I believe God made me for a purpose, the mission  fields of China. But he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His  pleasure.”  When do you feel God’s pleasure?  There are four benefits to knowing your life’s purpose: It will  give you focus, it will simplify your life because you stay focused on  the things that matter and delete everything else, it will increase your  95

CLARITY  motivation in life because you'll have a clear direction, and it will give  meaning to your life.  If you recall the letter my father’s friend wrote to my family after  my dad had passed away, it stated, “Your dad was ahead of his time in  anticipating the needs of others and taking action to meet those needs.  He was a counselor and a friend to those who were lost or stumbled.  He had personal magic, and gave a lift and brought a smile to those he  met each day. In the eyes of God and the eyes of man, your dad lived  a successful life.”  To me, that illustrates a life lived with purpose and clarity. Even  though I didn’t know this about my dad, other people saw him as  having an evident sense of purpose. We all share a common purpose  of learning and growing, but within that larger purpose we must find  our genius.  Your genius is your unique path to learning, growing and con  tributing to the world. No matter how far you stray from your genius  it is always waiting for you, because no one but you can fulfill it. Every  life experience, no matter how random it may seem, can be utilized to  your advantage. It can fuel your genius. As I like to say, everything you  have experienced in life has prepared you for what youre about to do.  When you arrive at your genius, you will know it.  A sense of destiny will come over you as you come to understand  the difference in the world that only you are equipped to make. The  more you experience your genius, the more you will be drawn into it.  Tinges of dissatisfaction will fade. You will enjoy invigorating surges of  self worth as you let go of the need to compare yourself with others.  You will be healthier, more prosperous and full of joy.  We spend a lot of our lives wishing we could “act like him,” or  “look like her,” or “be as successful as him.” When you unlock your  96

find  YouR  GENIUS  genius, however, your sense of purpose and passion sweeps away  your desire for what somebody else has. We each have many different  potential paths in life, but we have only one genius.  They say “perfect is the enemy of the good,” meaning we should  go ahead with a small, useful action instead of waiting for some abso  lutely ideal solution. There’s logic in that, but I feel we must often  bypass things that are merely good in order to reach what is truly great.  Developing your genius is all about this: God had one purpose when  He made you. You came into this life with a unique vision or dream.  For some this dream will shake the entire world and for others it will  soothe just one tiny home. In either case the world is left a better place.  Sooner or later, we are all confronted with the internal question  of whether we are heeding our call and following our ultimate vision.  “Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but  by what you should have accomplished with your ability.”  john wooden  We each have a unique gift and purpose. Our job is to find it  and use it to the best of our ability. Throughout your life you will  constantly change and become slightly or extensively different from the  previous version of yourself. With each change you will move closer or  slip farther from your genius. Most people consider change to be an  external event that occurs randomly and haphazardly. We react to life  as if it happens like a leaf in a windstorm. This causes us to be thrown  off course by our circumstances. As James Allen wrote in As a Man  Thinketh, “Circumstance does not make a man, it reveals him.” This is  one of the most important laws of human nature. Our circumstances  a7

CLARITY  are just a reflection of what is going on inside our world of thoughts,  emotions and beliefs.  PRIVATE THOUGHTS DON’T STAY PRIVATE For long  What you think about most frequently will ultimately be revealed for  everyone to see. In other words, your private thoughts don’t stay private  for long. Human beings are really “human becomings.” As we begin  to change, our world changes with us. As we become better our lives  become better, and the prerequisite for changing circumstances is that  you must first change yourself. To have it any other way is pretending  to be the tail and trying to wag the dog.  We have two choices when life doesn’t go our way: We can get  bitter or we can get better. Regarding our past, we can become bitter  and drag that bitterness through the rest of life, or we can embrace it  and deal with it, and use it as the means to positively impact others.  Staying on purpose requires you to change and grow into the person  you were meant to be. To do that you must get in touch with your core  desires. It is these high intensity desires, often referred to as the “DNA  of success,” that reveal the role you are meant to fulfill. Accept the fact  that you have been custom made to serve an exclusive function in this  world, even if that role and plan to fulfill it are not yet clear to you.  This is your  genius, and it’s up  to  you to find it.  your  g  p  toy  You might ask, “If this is so compelling, why isn’t everyone doing  it?” After working with thousands of people over the years at the 1%  Club and undertaking an enormous amount of research, my former  partner Tommy Newberry came up with some strong conclusions:  1. We are all born with unique gifts and have a specific purpose  to fulfill.  98

find  YouR  GENIUS  . This purpose for your life will align with your unique gifts,  talents and a combination of other factors.  . The activities and pursuits that you find most enjoyable  and attractive are the best indicators of strong talent and  giftedness.  . When you engage in activities that demand your special talent,  your brain releases chemicals that trigger within you a sense of  satisfaction and significance as an incentive for you to keep it  up. It’s a positive reinforcement mechanism that is part of our  perfect design. These talents get converted into strengths and  eventually genius if we sustain the course long enough.  . Your unique combination of talents, life experiences and  personality merge together and spark a vision or dream  within you. The more you engage in your strengths, the  more crystallized your ultimate vision becomes.  . With this dream imprinted on your mind, you become very  intrinsically motivated, requiring less and less prodding from  the outside. You become inner directed, and self discipline  becomes effortless.  . This whole process is contrarian and countercultural. Instead  of competing to max out their potential, most people  compete to keep up with each other. They are in the wrong  race. Philosophically they tend to desire comfort more than  character. Strategically, they often find themselves in the  wrong career. Tactically, they've resigned themselves to simply  enjoying their evenings, weekends and vacations. That’s the  very definition of the rat race. My friend Pat Morley says in  his book The Man in the Mirror, “When youre in rat race,  even if you win, youre still a rat.” Think about that. “When  99

CLARITY  youre in the rat race, even if you win, youre still a rat.” This  leads us to...  8. The dream in your heart won't come to fruition by accident.  Naturally, there is a price for all of this, one that requires you  to surrender the concept of safety and comfort in exchange for the  higher and more significant reward of living the life you were intended  to live, and leaving your unique mark on the world. You must grant  yourself a promotion and escape from your personal comfort zone if  you want to become a difference maker. We all have the tendency to  get complacent and comfortable. It’s like having a box around you, and  as you step beyond the borders of that box, you start to get an uneasy  feeling because you don't know what lies beyond that border. As I’ve  mentioned previously, you're afraid of what people might think if you  try something and fail. You're afraid of failure itself. Yourre afraid of  succeeding. You're afraid of the unknown, so you never wander beyond  the borders of that self contained box. I have spent most of my life  trying to get myself out of that box, and, having learned how, it is now  my purpose and passion to help other people and organizations get  themselves out of that box.  abandon ALL THOUGHT OF retreat  All along the path you will face resistance—institutional resistance,  cultural resistance, relationship resistance, financial resistance, mental  resistance. Often we are our own worst enemy because of the “mind  monsters” that inhabit our brain. This is simply part of the dream  game. You must press on against the forces of conformity. You must  take action that is committed to your ultimate vision, and you must  100

find  YouR  GENIUS  do this before you have the money, before you have the confidence and  even before you have the blessing of those closest to you.  The first step is unconditional resolve. You must draw a line in  the sand. Then the plan will come, the resources will emerge, and—  with all thought of retreat cast aside—you become an unstoppable  force. It reminds me of the historical account of De Soto's landing on  the shore of what is now Florida.  When the Spanish conqueror Hernando De Soto reached the  New World five centuries ago, he ordered his troops inland. They  marched along as ordered until they came to a rise. Looking back, they  saw the smoke and flames of burning ships—the ships they'd arrived  on. Now they knew they had no alternative. They could not go back.  The only decision they could make was to move forward, do battle, and  defeat the enemy and win the cause.  What ships do you need to burn so that you don’t have an excuse  to go backwards?  THE INTERSECTION OF GENIUS  Your area of genius is the intersection where what you enjoy doing  most intersects with what you do best. This is the specific area where  youre capable of making the greatest difference or contribution in the  world. Excellence is achievable once you find your genius. You find  your genius by first asking yourself what youd do all day long if money  were not a factor. Only when you really love what you do will you  have what it takes on the inside to generate tremendous results on the  outside.  A genius is someone who believes and takes action on the ideas  and dreams inside them. We all have dreams and ideas. The only dif  101

CLARITY  ference between dreams that come to life and dreams that don’t are the  actions or inactions of the dreamer. I can’t tell you how many people  approach me with ideas but are afraid to take the first step. I always ask  them this question: “Are you willing to mortgage your house and every  thing you have and invest it in this idea?”  Most often the response is, “No, that’s why I came to you.”  My response is always, “If youre not willing to invest in it, why  should I be willing to invest in it?”  The point is, most people aren't really committed to their ideas.  Rather, they're committed to the idea of the idea, but are unwilling to  follow through and sacrifice and take the steps to make it happen. Suc  cessful people follow their dreams by getting them out of their head  and down on paper so they can take action on a daily basis. They don’t  always succeed, but they learn, they grow and have information for next  time. What do you secretly want to do with your life? Can you exercise  the courage to honestly identify where you have been uniquely blessed,  where you have special talents and abilities? If you don't know, pray about  it, ask your spouse or ask your friends. But whatever you do, seek it out.  I believe every person has the ability to become outstanding at  in at least one pursuit if they are strategically selective and they throw  their whole heart into it. Excellence and the abundant opportunities that  come with it can only be achieved if you do what you love and love what  you do, focusing on your unique strengths to the exclusion of all else.  If you're not passionate and excited about what you do, how can  you expect anyone else to be?  The concept of genius is closely aligned with two major principles of  peak personal performance: The Strength Principle, which states that by  focusing on your strengths you ultimately render your weaknesses irrele  vant, and the 80/20 Principle, which states that 80 percent of your results  102

find  YouR  GENIUS  come from only 20 percent of your input. Over the course of my career,  I have seen it time and time again. In business, 20 percent of your clients,  20 percent of your customers, 20 percent of your actions, will produce 80  percent of your results. In relationships, it’s the same way: 20 percent of  your input creates 80 percent of what comes out the other side.  What exactly is your genius? Your genius is a set of related activi  ties that, collectively, produce superior results in the marketplace,  whether youre an athlete, a pastor, a business leader, an entrepreneur,  in law enforcement or a teacher. Everyone has a marketplace, a group  of people they are charged with serving in one way or another. When  you operate in your genius, you produce outstanding results. Best of all,  these outcomes are generated with an investment of time and effort that  is disproportionately small—as long as it’s properly calculated.  Your genius is where you are most fully leveraged. This is where you  can work less and earn more. This is where you can do less but become  much more. This is where you can significantly increase the dollar value  of each hour of your time. This is where you're capable of making the  greatest difference or contribution in the world and create the most  influence on others.  “Courage is rightly the foremost of virtues for upon it all others depend.”  winston CHURCHILL  Almost everyone has experienced brief glimpses of genius, yet only  a small percentage have capitalized on their potential and transformed  it into their daily operating system. When most people look back on  their lives, they don’t regret the things they did as much as the things  they didn’t do. How many times have you wanted to do something that  you knew would make you and the people around you better off, but  you hesitated out of fear? It takes courage to push beyond our fears.  103

Cae  AG RY  IaeY  How TO IDENTIFY YouR GENIUS  How can you best acknowledge and understand what you were uniquely  wired to do? These six clues will help you identify your genius.  1. Be passionate: Your area of genius is characterized by enthusiasm,  intent, interest and pure fun. This passion will be difficult to turn offeven  when youre away from work. You'll have boundless energy. Working in  your area of genius will energize you physically, mentally and emotion  ally, and when you do experience fatigue it is accompanied by a powerful  sense of satisfaction. On the flipside, non genius activity drains your  energy.  Norman Vincent Peale shared the story about a trapeze instructor  who was teaching a group of people. After getting some basic instruction  on the ground, they had to climb way up the pole and stand on a  little  platform waiting to launch out and jump for the trapeze. One particular  young man froze like a deer in headlights. The instructor shouted out to  the young man, “Throw your heart over the bar and the rest of your body  will follow.” Your heart is your emotional center, the control panel for  the rest of your body. Whatever that bar is in your life, being passionate  about it is part of the process of understanding your genius.  When we started Trillium Health Products, I commuted between  Atlanta and Seattle. On plane rides I would ask people about what they  were eating, and theyd ask me what I did for a living. My response was,  “Well, I have a company and our mission is to educate people about  good health and nutrition and provide them with products to live a  healthy and nutritional lifestyle.” Inevitably, they'd start pushing their  airline food away because I was so passionate about talking to people  about what I did. Whether flying to or from Seattle, the person sitting  next to me would usually wind up purchasing a juicer after witnessing  my passion.  104

find  YouR  GENIUS  How often do you talk about what you do fora living? When you're  out socially, when you're around other people, when youre having lunch,  when youre at the ballpark? I’m not talking about being overbearing and  always trying to sell somebody, but the first time you meet people, the  first question they ask is: “What do you do for a living?” Do you respond  with passionate enthusiasm or do you just say, “I’m a clerk.”  Lyndon Johnson was on a tour of nasa’s Mission Control in  Houston when he came across a particularly energetic and enthusiastic  janitor. Johnson said, “Young man, I just can’t get over it. I never met  a janitor who was as energetic and as passionate as you are.” The young  man replied, “Mr  President, I’m not just a janitor. ’'m part of a team of  people that put a man on the moon!”  How do you think about what you do? Are you just a janitor? Or  are you part of a team of people that put a man on the moon? The way  you think about what you do makes all the difference about the passion  and energy you exude to other people and if you aren't passionate about  what you do, how can you expect anyone else to be?  2. Never stop learning: In your area of genius, you'll notice that learning  new information takes little time and comes quite easily. New concepts  are easily visualized and quickly integrated into your existing knowledge  base. Just as important, the learning process is fun. Never ending  improvement comes naturally. Your area of genius is characterized by a_  vivid, clear and almost perfect memory. Facts, figures, dates, names, con  versations and key points related to your genius activities are effortlessly  recalled when needed.  I’m a voracious reader on the subject of health and fitness. I love to  read articles and books that talk about the latest breakthroughs. I make  it a point to stay up on it, not just so I can share it with everybody  else, but so I know for myself and I can take advantage of cutting edge  105

CLARITY  information. You have to be a continuous learner in order to become  a continuous earner. The more you learn and the more you can apply  your new information to helping other people, the more youre going to  be compensated.  3. Maintain unstoppable momentum: When youre operating in your  genius, youll be totally immersed in what you're doing and lose yourself  in the moment. You'll lose track of time. World class athletes sometimes  refer to this as being “in the zone.” Researchers have also called this phe  nomenon “flow.” It’s when you're totally absorbed in the present moment  and able to shut out everything else.  When do you feel “in the zone?” For me, it’s when I’m in front  of groups of people (or for that matter just one person) sharing what  I’ve learned to help get them unstuck. I get so passionate that it creates  unstoppable momentum toward success.  4. Follow your gut: In your genius, you'll naturally tap into your intuition  and be inclined to go for it. Let me add: You'll be right most of the time.  You will experience a strong, instinctual knowledge that helps you make  quick, positive decisions that move you towards your goal. I remember  one specific decision I made when we were involved in a lawsuit with  another company over a trademark violation. We had already spent  hundreds of thousands of dollars on this lawsuit, and almost 50 percent  of my time was focused on this issue, rather than being creative and  helping my business grow. I was sitting with our attorneys one day and I  asked, “Well, what does the next four or five months look like?”  “We're going to have to spend several hundred thousand more  dollars and there are going to be 40 to 50 depositions,” said one.  “And what is the outcome going to be? We're going to win this  case?” I asked.  106

find  YouR  GENIUS  Even though we were correct legally, morally and ethically, the  lawyers said we had only a 70 percent chance of winning the case. In  other words, we were totally in the right and there was a 30 percent  chance that we were going to lose. My instincts said, “This is not right.  I've got to stop spending the money and wasting my time.” I announced  to the room that I was going to phone the C-E-O of the other company.  “You cant do that!” they all said at once.  I disregarded their advice and went with my instincts. I called the  C-E-O on the other side and said, “I’m spending hundreds of thousands of  dollars, and expending a massive amount of time and effort and energy,  and you must be doing the same. If you'll agree to a cease and desist  order, I will drop the lawsuit.” In five minutes, we had a deal. Because  I was working in my genius, my instincts were correct and I regained a  vast amount of time and money to use for better purposes. Your instincts  will work for you when you're working in your zone and in your genius.  5. Say goodbye to burnout: By operating in your genius, you will insulate  yourself from burning out since you'll be working at what you love to do.  You will get more done in less time and be happier, healthier and much  more balanced.  Burnout is the mental, emotional and physical consequence of  overwork in an area of weakness, or non genius. In other words when  you identify your strength, the more you work in it, the more energy,  health and vitality you have. When you work in your non genius areas,  it sucks the energy out of you. Burnout is the breaking point result of  accumulated resistance to non genius activity. If you're not working in  your genius and you yearn to be working in another area, take this as a  sign that you have yet to discover your genius.  Here’s an incredible statistic—Gallup surveyed more than two  million people at companies around the world and asked them this  107

Ca TAR RG lat ey  question: “Do you get to use your greatest strength every day at work?”  Amazingly, 8 out of 10—80 percent!—said they do not get to use their  greatest strength every day at work. That means that 80 percent of us are  yearning to work in our genius, but the environment we work in doesn’t  allow it. Companies are losing billions of dollars collectively because  people aren't working at what they do best.  I realize that at times we all need to do certain things. When you  have a boss and youre working for a company, it is very difficult to  launch out on your own and do your own thing. But the more you  can gravitate towards understanding what you do best, the more positive  contributions you'll make to the company. If you run your own business,  it will help create more revenue and more downtime for you to spend  with your family.  6. Wing it: For a good portion of my life, I would do little prep before  I got up and spoke to people. I would just get up and wing it because  I really didn’t know any better, and I was amazed that I received great  feedback. If there’s something in your life you do well and get great  results from without much preparation, pay attention to that. It might  be a sign that you are working in your genius.  The above are all clues to discovering your genius. What follows  are the roadblocks to finding your genius. When you notice these road  blocks, go around them or over them or through them. You owe it to  your team and to yourself.  The foreign concept roadblock: Most people are unaware of the concept  of genius and thus are uncomfortable associating themselves with it. It’s  simply inconsistent with their self concept. To most of the world, work  is something done for the sole purpose of paying bills, and enjoying  evenings, weekends and, ultimately, retirement. In that same Gallup poll  mentioned above, 86 percent of the people reported that they would  108