Happy Monday!

A few days ago I spent a day-plus in New York City with three icons of the entrepreneurial world:  Seth Godin, Dave Ramsey and Gary Vaynerchuk.

Some of you know them or one or two of them; or maybe you’ve never heard of any of them.

If you, like me, have a big dream and want to be better and do better in this world, each one of these inspiring men is worth knowing and listening to.

Each has gone through the fire – the fire of doubt, loss, embarrassment, mistakes, fear, failure, unknowing — and each one uniquely blazed a trail that transformed their own dreams into success.

After my colleague Sebastian Kaupert and I spent time with these men, I walked away from Business Is Personal remarkably filled and inspired and I couldn’t wait to share with you some of their wisdom.

The bottom line is that we allow so many things to stand in our way and hold us back from our success. If the lives of these men are proof, it’s time to “crush” what holds us back and get on with it!

But first, let me briefly introduce them…

Seth Godin is a world-class thought leader on marketing, and author of a popular and very useful blog as well as 17 books, many best-selling, including Tribes,Linchpin and All Marketers Are Liars (Story-Tellers). I’ve written about Seth in pastSparks!

Gary Vee, as he is nicknamed, is a 38-year-old entrepreneur and podcast host, best known for growing his parents’ wine business from $3 million to a $50 million enterprise. He’s authored several books including my favorite Why Now Is The Time To Crush It. Today he owns VaynerMedia with more than 400 employees in three locations.

I knew the least about Dave Ramsey and I ended up riveted by his life, work, warmth and wisdom.  He hosts the 3^rd most popular radio show in the United States, on 546 stations, with 10 million listeners.

After becoming a millionaire from scratch and then going bankrupt, Dave applied new ideas to his life for getting and staying out of debt.

He then began to share what he learned with others who needed hope and strategies. Today his inspiring programs are responsible for helping millions of people to get out of debt and to become financially solvent.

“If you help enough people, you’ll never have to worry about money,” Dave told us.

I’d like to condense the time I was so fortunate to have with these men into a few nuggets that I think you might find helpful and enjoy as you pursue your own big dreams:

From Seth Godin:

•  There are a lot of ups and downs on the path to making something.
•  The point is not the ending; the point is the journey.
•  If you’re not willing to not be perfect, you won’t make magic.
•  There’s a reason you have toxic people in your life. If you’re willing to give up that thing you’re getting from them, you’ll do better.
•  Human beings are good at connecting with other human beings. Connection is coming back!  Together, we are all smarter than any of us.
•  There is a huge difference between being ready and being prepared. You’ll never be ready (for whatever endeavor you’re embarking upon) but you can be prepared (by being in the right mindset and learning).
•  Is the work you’re doing worth living in the tension for a while? Most people cannot live with the tension.  But the tension is what gets you to the art.
•  Show up with passion to make it work!

From Gary Vaynerchuk:

• How do I get through tough times? Happily. When you stop caring about what other people think, it gets easier.
•  Who do you want to be? The person who calls when there is a problem – or the person who is called to solve the problem?
•  I stay in my own swim lane. I know what I’m good at and I know what I’m bad at.
•  The second you’re looking backwards, you’re finished. Pick a focus and don’t look back.
•  Invest in yourself — take every dollar you need to live and all other dollars to bet on yourself.
•  I am so uninterested in spending time with negative people. I just don’t.
•  White wine is better at room temperature!

From Dave Ramsey:

• People matter.  You have to think and believe people matter.  When we have friends who are transactional, we run the other way.
• Don’t ever treat your customers as units of revenue.  Vendors are people; treat them like family.
•  I want to know how someone’s been crushed in life; not where someone went to college.
• It’s said that your income is the average of your 10 closest friends.
•  People are sick of people who are inauthentic. Be who you is! Don’t be the squirrel who can’t make up his mind.
•  Be obsessively, compulsively pre-occupied with the needs of others. Money will come to those who serve.
• Higher calling matters. Why you are doing the business you’re doing matters more than what you’re doing. Operate from your soul.
•  Being generous is the hallmark of people who are successful.

I hope you found even just one piece of gold in their wisdom to guide your week!  Have a great one.

I’ll see Women on Fire monthly members on Tuesday night for our Live Chat!  The topic will be “Understanding Conflict — And Ways To Resolve It To Live in Peace and Harmony.”

If you’re not yet a member, it’s never too late to join our ever-growing circle of inspiration, strategies and support.  Thank you for being here!

Love,

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