The World Laughs with You

James and his family moved to Las Vegas when he was 9 years old.  Most of his time was spent running around the neighborhood, playing sports, building clubhouses, and occasionally getting in fights because of his big mouth.  It wasn’t that he was looking for trouble – he just couldn’t keep from saying the funniest thing he could think of, no matter how much bigger and meaner the target of his verbal assault might be.

James was a class clown in high school, and his early-developed humor morphed into a passion for pranks.  He and his friends would spend hours crank-calling strangers and restaurants. They’d send pizzas and taxis to their neighbor’s house late at night.  Their young existence revolved around practical jokes, and if James thought something was funny, he was confident everyone else would find it funny, too.

When James was 16, a co-worker who DJ’d on the local college radio station invited him to try broadcasting.  James knew that his hero, David Letterman, had started on radio, so he immediately took to the idea.  He created a Sunday night interview show on which he would talk to local oddballs.  After the show, he’d come home to find that his parents and friends had all been listening, which only increased his excitement.

While in college in Arizona, James got his first job on a professional radio show, and loved it so much he decided to pursue it full-time.  But pursuing his chosen career path wasn't always easy.  During the next few years, James was hired by radio stations in Phoenix, Seattle and Tampa, but was fired from all of them after only a few months at each.  After a stint as the host of a radio show in Palm Springs, where he famously tortured his sidekick by forcing him into endless embarrassing situations, James was hired away by a larger station.  Things finally seemed to be happening, but then, once again, he was let go before a year was up.

The truth, he finally admitted to himself, was that his practical jokes weren’t always received with laughs.  He was a prankster, and always felt that people would appreciate that he was joking.  He’d do things he thought were funny, like calling his boss’s wife and asking personal questions about him on the air.  Unfortunately, pranks like these made more than one boss genuinely angry, and contributed to his repeated dismissals.

James continued to find opportunities to stay in the industry, often as a producer if not on the air.  He helped several friends land gigs that would eventually rocket them to desirable gigs as MTV program hosts, and while he was happy for them, he felt a bit left behind as his former protégés became famous.  He continued to work hard, and remained passionate about moving up in the broadcast world.  Nevertheless, he wondered when – or if – he would get his big break.

Finally, a TV producer who was a fan of James’ on-air antics helped him land a job as the host of a game show on the Comedy Central network.  He had made the leap to TV; however, the pay was so low that James had to keep his radio job as well.  He would work at the radio station beginning at 5:30 in the morning, then drive to the television studio in the evening.  It was a punishing schedule that left little time for anything else. 

Before long, James came up with the idea for his breakout hit.  Despite critics being divided about the program’s indelicate humor, it was the highest-rated series premiere in Comedy Central history, and its six-season run made James a hot commodity.

By the age of 34, James “Jimmy” Kimmel, co-creator of The Man Show, had fulfilled his decades-old ambition of becoming the host of a late-night talk show on a major network.  Moreover, he’d done so with his sometimes sophomoric but always contagious humor intact.  And this past June, for the first time ever, Jimmy Kimmel led in the ratings over both the iconic Tonight show, as well as the legendary program of his idol, David Letterman.

Your imagination is a powerful tool that lets you visualize your dreams coming true, and you don’t have to be a kid to close your eyes and let your imagination run wild.  Just remember, though – once those eyes are open, it's time to take action.  Play this game often, and soon enough you'll be laughing all the way to the bank!

Until Next Week,

Live Your Dreams!

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Whistle While You Work

The CEO of CareerBliss says, “Being truly happy at work is one of the keys to being happy in life.”  CareerBliss is a company that ranks The 50 Happiest Companies in America each year, and it’s a list every business wants to be on.  Why?  Well, a study by the prestigious Wharton School of Business showed that being in a good mood at work helped encourage employees to be more flexible and precise in their decision-making, which of course is good for the company.  Also, renowned research company The Gallup Organization found that disgruntled employees cost the American economy up to $350 billion a year in lost productivity.  Wow!  All of this makes it worthwhile to hear the story of a company that has done its best to remain one of the best places to work for over a century and a half…

As a young man in Germany, Karl was educated as an apothecary’s apprentice.  This taught him the names and uses of various herbs and chemicals for medicinal purposes.  He completed high school and came to the United States in his early twenties, and decided to go into the pharmaceutical business with his cousin, a confectioner named Charles.

The two men were able to purchase a small brick building in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn in 1849.  To establish their business, they got to work immediately on their first product, a new version of a medicine called Santonin that Charles, using his confection expertise, infused with an almond-toffee flavor.  The improved taste made the anti-parasite medicine very popular, and set the stage for innovation and forward-thinking in the world of medicinal research.

Over the next several decades, their business grew steadily.  During the 1860s, the Civil War created increased demand for painkillers, preservatives, and disinfectants.  The cousins raised their production to meet the needs of the Union Army, and it more than doubled their earnings.  In addition to medicinal drugs, the company also began work on some of the chemicals used in another important new industry:  photography.  And in the 1880s, the company became America’s leading producer of citric acid, a key ingredient in popular new soft-drinks like Coca-Cola, Dr. Pepper and Pepsi-Cola.

The first half of the 20^th century saw the company begin to produce citric acid without depending on foreign growers, become the dominant manufacturer of vitamins, and develop a process to make penicillin on a large scale.  Penicillin had only just been discovered, and it was modern medicine’s first major defense against bacterial infection.  Mass-producing it was a critical way to support US troops during World War II, and it was a turning point for the company and for humankind as well.

When confectioner Charles Erhart and chemist Karl “Charles” Pfizer founded Charles Pfizer and Company in their modest Brooklyn building, they couldn’t have imagined that the company would be one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies in the 21^st century, nor that in 2013, Pfizer, Inc. would be ranked #1 on CareerBliss’ Happiest Companies in America list.  More than 100,000 employees were surveyed, discussing key job factors such as work-life balance, relationships with bosses and co-workers, growth opportunities and company culture.  Pfizer’s happy workplace is maintained through commitment to perpetual improvement, supporting employees in achieving goals, and by letting them fail and learn from those failures.

When employees stretch themselves and strive to achieve new levels of personal and professional success, they’re embracing the Everything is Possible Mindset.  When they not only work together, but also seek ways to empower one another, they are exemplifying the We Are Connected Mindset.  When every employee understands that mistakes are an integral part of success, they are leaning into the 100% Accountable Mindset.  And when leadership in an organization encourages a healthy dose of risk-taking so its people will learn from their inevitable failures, they will collectively succeed.  This is what I call a 7 Mindsets company culture.

Do you own or manage a 7 Mindsets type of company?  Do you work for one?  If so, congratulations!  Your company supports the 20% of people who say that they’re passionate about what they do for a living.  If not, when would be a good time to do something about that?  As we say at my company, The Time is Now.  My personal mission is to create a mindset revolution among students, families, and even businesses and organizations of varying sizes.  I’m looking for others to join me, all over the world, so send me an email, or message me on Facebook or Twitter if you are interested in joining the Mindset Revolution.  Together, we can positively change the world!

Until next week...

Live Your Dreams

A Simple Formula

Every week I search for stories that I find inspirational.  Instinctively, I look for recognizable personalities and accounts of how they pushed through adversity and beat the odds to achieve their goals.  However, perceptions of success can vary greatly from one person to another, especially between different cultures.  Success is often measured by fame, but far more frequently, it’s the stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things that inspire us to act with more intention in our lives. Here’s the story of a young man who found success just by trying to help keep his community healthy…

Kenya's people are one of the most struggling populations in the world, in large part due to water scarcity.  Only a small portion of the country's land is suitable for agriculture because of the desert climate, and many populated areas are without clean, fresh water.  During the wet season, rainwater is collected in reservoirs, then stored for use during the driest part of the year.  But the country's nearly bankrupt government can't afford to run pumping stations nor maintain the systems for keeping the collected water clean.

Living in Kitale, an agricultural town in western Kenya, Joel caught dysentery at the age of 16 from drinking contaminated water provided to his community.  His recovery from the illness was slow, giving him time to think about the problem.  If something didn’t change, there was no reason he and others would not be infected again and again.  He decided that he should do something, and began thinking about solutions.

When he got out of the hospital, he started working on a plan.  With the help of some volunteers, Joel dug a borehole on community farmland to get to the fresh water underground.  Still in high school, his life savings totaled around $95, but he decided to invest all of it to buy the pumping equipment needed to extract the water.  The project was a success, and subsequently provided clean drinking water to hundreds of households in his village.

Later that year, while walking in the rain, Joel spotted a water tank next to a closed yoghurt shop.  The tank was collecting the rainwater from the gutters on the roof.  He suddenly had the idea to trap rainwater, store it in a reservoir, purify it and then sell it to the public at an affordable cost.  Despite having no money, he convinced the owner of the yoghurt shop to lease him the tank.  Then he set out to find a purifying machine.  It was an expensive piece of equipment, and Joel spent three months presenting his idea to every local bank and funding organization in the region.  They all declined.  Finally, his thoughts turned to his family land.  It had been lying fallow for years, and Joel persuaded his mother to let him sell it.

Selling the land financed Joel’s purchase of a water purification machine and the operational costs needed to begin production.  During the wet season, the company would harvest rain, then purify and bottle it, and they would market the product in the dry months.  Though it took time, the company eventually gained a foothold against more established competitors by offering clean, locally-produced drinking water throughout Kenya and Uganda at half the normal market price.

The success of that company, Skydrop Enterprise, brought Joel MWale international recognition, several awards and grants, and a place on the Forbes list of Africa’s Best Young Entrepreneurs.  It also brought him to the world stage.  After hearing Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg describe a hypothetical start-up that would arise and grow from zero to 200 million users within two years, Joel decided that he would be the person to launch it.  He sold Skydrop for $500,000 and began his newest venture, Gigavia.com, an educational social network that brings social media into classrooms, transforming it from a distraction into an educational resource.  In its first 5 weeks online, more than 1 million people signed up as Gigavia users.

Joel’s story reminds me of a simple formula that has been repeated throughout time.  Find a need in the world and fill it.  Most often, the need is something you can personally identify with.  To live a life full of purpose and meaning, examine where your personal interests, skills and passions intersect with the needs of others.  Once you identify this unique intersection, seek ways to organize your life around those commonalities through employment, entrepreneurship, and even charity.  This is the path to everyday happiness, and very likely will lead to living your own extraordinary life.

Until Next Week,

Live Your Dreams!

One Man’s Trash

Independence Day is this week in the United States.  It’s a time when we celebrate freedom to live the lives we want, which certainly includes the ability to pursue our dreams.  July 4^th is also a special day for my family.  My dad was born on the 4^th, and this year he celebrates his 70^th birthday.  In his honor, I’ve decided to share one of his favorite weekly stories with you, which happens to be one of my favorites too…

Harry stood out from the other kids.  He had more street smarts than book smarts, but perhaps that’s what growing up poor produces.  Harry’s grandfather was in the garbage removal business and many people looked down on him for it.  Even Harry’s own father didn’t want anything to do with it.  Harry was different.  He liked everything about big trucks, and he didn’t mind getting dirty.

Very few people aspire to become garbage men, and so Harry tried college first.  To help pay for school, he pumped gas at a local station and drove a dump truck part time.  But he soon decided that he wasn’t cut out for college.  At the beginning of his sophomore year, Harry decided to drop out.  He joined the Army, but after a few years, he still felt lost.  It was time for him to pursue his passion, no matter what others thought about him.

At the age of 25, Harry began working in garbage removal in South Florida, a region that was experiencing significant growth.  Harry had recently gotten married and didn’t have much money left, but he saw an opportunity, and wanted to go into business for himself.  He approached the owner of the garbage company and asked if he could buy just one garbage truck and a small collection route.  The owner agreed to sell him one of the oldest trucks in the fleet and a route in a lower income part of town.  Harry was able to borrow $5,000 from his father-in-law to make the deal, and, suddenly, he had become his own boss.

One of his high school friends saw Harry driving the garbage truck, and thought that he must’ve hit rock bottom.  Harry would drive the truck from 2:30 in the morning until noon picking up garbage.  Then he spent the afternoons knocking on doors trying to get new customers to sign up for his route.  His hard work paid off.  Little by little, he would add customers until there were enough to buy another used truck and hire another driver.  Within a few years, Harry had accumulated over 40 trucks, and merged his business with another garbage removal company in Chicago.

Then he had an even bigger idea.  He decided to buy smaller garbage companies all over the United States and join them into one big company.  Over the span of twelve years, he acquired over 150 garbage companies, and by the time he was 37, Harry Wayne Huizenga (pronounced High-zinga) was a multi-millionaire.  His company, Waste Management, Inc., was the largest garbage removal business on the planet, and its stock was being traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

A dozen years later, Wayne (he prefers to be called by his middle name) ventured into a new business but used the same strategy.  He bought a small video rental chain for $7 million, then began acquiring hundreds of mom and pop video stores.  In less than 10 years, Wayne owned over 3,700 stores and his company, Blockbuster Video, was valued at over $4 billion.  Blockbuster was the second company Wayne took to the New York Stock Exchange, and he later sold Blockbuster for over $8 billion.

When I met Wayne, he told me about his latest venture, the first national chain of car dealerships that he’d named AutoNation.  He eventually grew AutoNation to 370 stores, and it became the first car dealership to go public on the New York Stock Exchange.  Wayne also has the distinction of having owned three professional sports teams:  football’s Miami Dolphins, baseball’s Florida Marlins, and hockey’s Florida Panthers.  A friend of ours joked that Wayne did pretty well for himself, especially for a garbage man.

They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and there was never a truer example than Wayne’s story of turning actual trash into a fortune.  How often do we let outside opinions get in the way of our dreams?  It’s time to embrace the 100% Accountable mindset and stop getting bogged down by other people’s ideas of what you can or should do.  Clear away the refuse, find what you love, and pursue it with everything you’ve got.

Until next week…

Live Your Dreams