A life worth living..... Is a life worth recording: The digital version

As some of you reading this may know I'm a fanatical supporter of Tony Robbins and his Personal Power series (both the tapes and the books) and in fact when I originally started on my own 2.0 journey will readily give credit to Tony's program for giving me the impetus to take my life to the next level.  One of the key concepts that Tony espouses is the title of this posting and as I've gotten more involved in social media over time, I've become an even stronger supporter of this position.

I now have a little over 5000 followers on Twitter and while the number is gratifying (and is frankly amazing to me) I'm much more interested in the fact that I've developed some real relationships as a result.  The other key I've found is not only being consistent and persistent (more on that in a future edition), but in being relentlessly positive.  Now don't get me wrong.  I have bad days too, but frankly folks have enough on their minds without me pouring gas on the "negative Nellie" fire that so many folks want to stoke.  

By always sticking with the positive (and never....ever being a troll) I've found that I've collected a following that expects me to share great content cheerfully and thank those that share mine (a practice that I know is nearly impossible for folks with huge followings which is why folks like Ann Tran, Glen Gilmore, Mark Schaefer, and Ted Rubin among others always amaze with their engagement).

So why does this tie into a life worth recording?  Because at its core... That is what social should really be.... A platform where you share your life. I'm deeply fortunate in that I have been given the gift of an amazing life and while I'm slowly building what will be a business on the social platforms I've curated to date... By being my authentic self and simply sharing that which I find compelling puts me in a unique position.  

If I build a business that's great.. But if I don't... I've recorded in a compelling way everything that was truly important to me... And make me who I am and hope to be.  The next time you're inclined to criticize someone or think they "over share".... Think about that.. And think as well about what your story might do for others.

Here's to you.. And another day in a Life Well Led.

Thanks for reading.

The art of the "personal offsite"

So we've all done them right?  We take time out with our Team, coworkers even sometimes the entire company and invariably we find ourselves asking "why don't we do this more often" right?.... or at least I hope you do.  I've been a big fan of these events and in my reading in recent weeks ran across a concept that I'd been practicing for some time...I just hadn't come up with a cool enough name for it...and that is the personal offsite.

For a number of years my wife and I have held what we have come to call 'goals retreats' where we head off to some exotic locations (at least exotic for us) and plan the next year.  In the last 60 days I've switched over to using a new goal setting methodology - The 12 Week Year (which if you haven't heard of it take a moment and check it out HERE) - which has altered both my approach to goal setting in general as well as the way I approach our annual planning.  It also fit perfectly into my renewed focus on reviewing goals constantly.

This week I'm in the midst of weeks 8-12 of my first "12 Week Year" (more on that journey in future editions), but suffice it to say that I've had an epiphany about both my work and the life that I've been fortunate to build and expand on since my "new" journey began from the nadir of 2001 (you can learn more about where my personal philosophy got its start HERE).  I now have a system - which this blog will seek to document - without which my life would have turned out quite differently.

Personal offsites are now a part of that effort.  Held at the beginning/end of each 12 week planning cycle, these checkpoints are crucial to ensure that I'm proceeding towards my larger goals... One major one is to share the wealth of what I've been fortunate enough to collect and put into practice over time.

As you think about how setting aside time every couple of months to think about how you can get more from your life, ask yourself this question - My company thinks that its important enough to the future of our business to spend time "thinking about the future" without distractions... Is my personal life and career any less important?

Some food for thought and would love to hear your thoughts.  Think personal offsite (or even planning) are a waste of time?  Have a great story about how planning and goal setting have made a difference for you?  Drop me a line directly at donegalhold@yahoo.com or leave a comment below.

Here's to you.. ..And another day in a Life Well Led.

Thanks for reading.

Selfless Sharing: The real power of social media

One of the quotes from Tony Robbins that has stuck with me for a long time is “a life worth living is a life worth recording”.  When I first read these words a number of years ago, Facebook didn’t exist (although I’m sure Mark was starting to think about it) and the concept of being able to share your life with others in the way that we do today was probably not on Tony’s mind.... or maybe it was ... he's a pretty smart guy.

That said, the power of that simple sentence is even more pertinent in our “hyper-connected” world today where it seems with each passing day there’s another opportunity to join a platform that lets you share more of your life with those around you.  

I joined Twitter over 2 years ago, but the “original” social media site that I was a part of was LinkedIn.  As a result, most of the “sharing” that I’ve done over time has been with an eye towards my business life.  Over the course of the last several years though, I made an interesting discovery (which was supported by a terrific piece written by the eloquent @AnnTran_ which I’ve included below) in that people who are successfully connecting with others around them aren’t just talking about themselves… and in fact the most powerful of these “connected networkers” are nearly selfless.

The Power of Give & Take in Social Media:

http://ann-tran.com/2011/11/social-media-karma/

I’ve discovered this myself in recent months.  I started blogging a year ago and only began writing on a consistent basis about the middle of 2011.  When I started, I talked a lot about solutions that I had for clients or content that I thought focused on putting me and my company in a perfect light. The result was very little traffic and writing for what I like to call the “audience of one” (or two in my case since my wonderful wife not only tolerates all my habits, but supports me like I’ve never been supported before).  All that changed in November when I focused on giving people content that they could immediately apply and use in their business… all with no strings attached.  The fascinating part of this was that it also altered the manner in which I shared across all of the platforms I’m on.  It also had the impact of getting me to think about just what a great life I’ve got… and you can see the proof right in front of you.  

A great example of that is photos taken from my phone (in fact I’m flying over the Rockies right now as I write this) and the picture here that I took with the sole intention of putting it in this blog as a reminder….. you only get once chance to live a life well led…. You might as well make the most of it!

Here’s a question for you.  How has social media and “public sharing” impacted your life?  Do you know “too much” about those around you or do you find – as I do – that these platforms have brought me closer not only to the friends and family around me that I care for the most…. But they’ve also helped me forge stronger bonds with friends both new and old.

I look forward to your thoughts

A life worth living.... is a life worth recording

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Ten years ago this week, I was in one of the most challenging periods of my life.  My marriage was coming to an end, I'd been laid off from my position with a private equity firm and was struggling to find my way in the world.  Several months (and I would add a great deal of heartburn, angst and soul searching later), I was laying awake one night trying to determine how I was going to get out of the rut I was in... and who should I see on TV?  None other than Tony Robbins. 

Over the course of 2002 - and in no small part due to the Tony Robbins program - my life began to turn around and today I find myself in a position where I have not only "arrived" (at least in the sense that my goals for "phase 1" are complete) but am now in a position to truly start to "pay forward" what I learned not only from Tony, but from a number of other mentors and inspirational figures over the course of the past decade.










This blog is the third that I have started in the last year:  JRB Tech Daily - http://buckontech.blogspot.com/ and Eating with the Buckley's - http://eatingwiththebuckleys.blogspot.com/ and all are targeted at being true to something that Tony inspired me to do... document my life.... as my life IS worth living AND recording.


This blog will take that effort to another level as one of my goals for 2012 is to write and publish a book about what I've learned on this journey of life thus far... and truly "pay it forward" in terms of lessons that I think have made my life what it is today and hopefully can help to make other people's lives a little bit better as well.  As Zig Ziglar likes to say "You can get anything in life you want.... if you help enough people get what they want".  I look forward to working together with my readers... to do just that.


An additional feature of this blog will be to draw your attention to products, books and other content that has helped me achieve the terrific life that I've been fortunate enough to create.  Since the core of today's theme comes from Tony Robbins, I'll focus today on him.  The links below are NOT paid links... they just connect you to Tony's website (as well as Amazon) and give you a chance to view some content that made a huge difference in my life.  


If you're just "getting started" with Tony, I'd recommend that you purchase Awaken the Giant Within.  Although this book was written in 1992, the core of the concepts are just as sound today as they were when Tony first wrote them.  

If you're ready to "jump in" as you start 2012, I've also enclosed a link to Tony's Personal Power II program.  It's not cheap ($299) and it doesn't work if you don't "work the system", but believe me when I tell you that the ROI I've personally gotten from that small investment over the course of the past 10 years... is incalculable.

Tony Robbins:  Personal Power II
https://www.tonyrobbins.com/products/personal-achievement/personal-power-2.php


Tony Robbins:  Awaken the Giant Within
http://www.amazon.com/Awaken-Giant-Within-Immediate-Emotional/dp/0671791540/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325511040&sr=1-1


Hopefully, you'll be able glean something useful out of this blog and in the coming months will enjoy this next phase of my own personal journey as much as I know that I will..... and that you find some useful and helpful content here.


Photo credits:  Tony Robbins photo -Twitter.com public profile  /  Tony Robbins products - TonyRobbins.com