It Doesn't Matter Where You Start

On January 6, 2016, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Griffey enters as the only No. 1 overall draft pick ever elected to the Hall. He was the No. 1 overall choice in 1987, drafted by the Seattle Mariners. The son of a successful major league great, and no doubt the top prospect entering the draft, his selection was a surprise to no one.

Piazza enters as the lowest draft pick to ever gain election. He was the 1,390th choice in 1988, going to the Dodgers in the 62nd round. This selection was more a favor to Piazza's dad, who was friends with Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, than anything related to his ability.

I love to study successful people, to learn more about their path to the top and find nuggets to use in my own life and for those I mentor.

Reaching the Hall of Fame, there is obviously a wealth of lessons in the stories of Griffey and Piazza. A fan of baseball myself, I remember their entry into the major leagues and followed both of their careers. (And of course, I have their rookie cards!) From a baseball perspective, there is no question both are worthy of this honor.

As I begin to reflect on this latest milestone for both, though, I am drawn to their starting point. Drawn to day 1, when they were drafted by their respective teams.

For Griffey, part of the lesson is more in the fact that no other number 1 pick has yet made it to the Hall of Fame than the career of Griffey himself.  I do believe that two years from now, in the 2018 election, first overall pick Chipper Jones will be eligible for the Hall and deserves selection on the first ballot!

But starting with Rick Monday as the first pick in 1965, there were 22 players selected in the number 1 slot prior to Griffey. Each player was deemed the top prospect available to their respective teams that year. For most, you could see at least the potential for a Hall of Fame career.

It’s as if all of these players were put on third base with nobody out, with a myriad of ways to score.

Why, then, was Griffey the first and only to make it home?

For Piazza, I was amazed by his story when he made it to the majors in September of 1992, and into his first full rookie season of 1993. Yes, he had the favor of Tommy Lasorda on his side from the start. But the effort was all his. He had to switch from first base to catcher, learning a whole new position (and in my mind the most difficult) for a better shot at the majors. He needed significant improvements to his hitting.

He had to rise from the obscurity of almost 1400 others selected that year - and a similar number of prospects in the years prior and thereafter - to earn his shot in the major leagues.

Like so many others, it was as if Piazza was constantly at the plate down two strikes against the best of the best. But he took his swings, and no matter the result he learned from each at bat and stepped up to the plate again. And again. And again.

Making it to the majors as a 62nd round pick? Seriously? And then, to have a Hall of Fame career? Who does that?

There are plenty of lessons in the careers of both Griffey and Piazza, and I’ll continue to reflect on each in the days ahead. But given the fact that they were the only two elected this year, as far removed from each other as possible, my first lesson is fairly obvious.

It doesn’t matter where you start – it’s all about what you do with the opportunity you have been given.

(Photo courtesy of Paul Howe/SN Illustration Getty Images)

A Plan for Financial Success

This second commentary was originally posted March 9, 2009.

The nation was firmly entrenched in the recession but by no means headed for depression. I remember the little quip: a recession is when your neighbor loses his job; a depression in when you lose yours.

When asked by a Senate subcommittee, Ron Blue provided a straightforward “plan” for financial success given the current economy. Think long term, spend less than you earn, maintain emergency savings, and minimize debt.

In reality, Mr. Blue simply provided four sound, timeless financial principles. They were true going into the depression, in the midst of it, climbing out of it, into today and far into the future.

Those who followed these principles thrived. They thrive today. They will thrive tomorrow. Are you following them?

If you are in crisis, there is no better time to start then now.

 ----

What if you had a plan for financial success?

Ron Blue recently testified before a Senate subcommittee conducting hearings on “Solutions for a New Era: Jobs and Families.” Mr. Blue was appearing based on his solid reputation of financial expertise.

A Senator asked him what the average American family should do in the current economy. Ron Blue said that the American family could benefit from following a four-part financial plan:

• Think long-term with goals and investing
• Spend less than you earn
• Maintain liquidity (or emergency savings)
• Minimize the use of debt

Think Long Term: The longer term your perspective, the better financial decisions you will make.

Spend Less Than You Earn: You need to know what you are earning, what you are spending, have a plan and monitor it. Over the long term, this will contribute to financial success.

Maintain Emergency Savings: A reserve will help you ride out the surprises of life and avoid debt.

Minimize and Eliminate Debt: Debt may allow you to have more now, but it reduces your ability to have more in the future. Debt is an obligation on your future income, and because of compounding, it may represent the single most important factor influencing your future financial success.

These four principles work in concert. Together, they represent a formula for financial success.

These principles are so timely to today’s economic climate. Perhaps because they are timeless. They are by no means new; they trace back for thousands of years.

The principles have endured the test of time. They are independent of the economy - recession or boom. They are insensitive to oil prices and the real estate market. Many rich people, and likely many more poor people, can attest to them.

Those that have followed this path in recent years are comfortably surviving - some thriving - in the economic concerns of today. If you have been following them, continue. You will continue to thrive.

If you are in crisis, there is no better time to start then now. You cannot establish a strong financial foundation without them. They will lead you out of your crisis, and help you prevent them in the future.

Note - reference source “Surviving Financial Meltdown” by Ron Blue and Jeremy White.

Our Deepest Fear

Watching the movie Coach Carter, I was struck by a short speech given by the character Timo Cruz.

Throughout the movie, Coach Carter asks Cruz, "What is your deepest fear?" Cruz never gives him a direct answer, though the course of events in the movie clearly show us that his fear is embodied in his struggle between the different directions his life can take. Finally turning to Coach Carter and the hope that his principle-based approach provides, Cruz's own life takes a hopeful, purposeful path.

In what I considered the climactic scene of the movie, where Coach Carter’s message is finally realized, Cruz steps up and delivers his answer. His inspiring quote is actually paraphrased from Marianne Williamson’s book A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles. The full Williamson quote is provided here.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Looking for even more inspiration? Check out this 8 minute clip montage full of the best motivational and inspirational movie moments.

Inspiration for the Battle

I've assembled several of my favorite quotes - those that inspire my pursuit of a self-directed education. I hope they serve as inspiration for you as well!

“What we do on some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self discipline.”

- H. P. Liddon

“You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons or the wind, but you can change yourself.”

- Jim Rohn

“Everyone is looking for a quick fix, but what they really need is fitness. People who look for fixes stop doing what’s right when pressure is relieved. People who pursue fitness do what they should no matter what the circumstances are.”

- Kevin Myers

“You want to set a goal that is big enough that in the process of achieving it you become someone worth becoming.”

- Jim Rohn

“The time to prepare isn’t after you have been given the opportunity. It’s long before that opportunity arises. Once the opportunity arises, it’s too late to prepare.”

- John Wooden

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the things you did.”

- Mark Twain

“The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”

- Michelangelo

“More often than not, the only thing between you and your dream is a rational excuse.”

- Mark Batterson, In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day

A Self-Directed Education – Your Greatest Investment

I had always thought that my education ended with the formal "school system" process; information that someone else delivered, a curriculum leading to a diploma that someone would bestow upon me. Information that would prepare me for life.

Sure, I would eventually learn the skills required to succeed in my profession, and perhaps different skills from job to job. But I truly thought that the core of my education was over.

What I learned (pun intended) was that it had never ended. Instead, it was stronger than ever. I discovered that every day, often many times a day, I was learning from someone. Perhaps it was someone from the radio, television, or movies. Perhaps it was a co-worker, a buddy, or even a stranger. I was absorbing information. I was absorbing different ways of thinking. That information, repeated over time, formed my guiding principles and my life roadmap. Bottom line, it defined my worth.

My worth? Hold on, that one was a bit of a stretch. My diploma drove my worth, and my natural movement up the corporate ladder would drive my future worth. I'm not sure where along the way I learned that, but over time I found how untrue that would be.

What I instead learned was a critical guiding principle... that we are all compensated based on the size of the problems we are able to solve. Seriously? Yes. And by coincidence, I discovered it by reading new materials intended to develop such expertise.

The problem? The current information that represented my "education" was teaching me negative thinking, poor habits, lack of discipline. I was listening to complaints about the company and the inequities of the system. I was hearing that I was doing pretty good - certainly good enough. I had no time or concern for addressing the areas that were holding me back. That was lowering, not adding to, my value.

From the neck down, we are all minimum wage. That's a strong statement. The first time I heard it, it was a very convicting statement. While going about my work, I had never contemplated my value. I never contemplated my potential value. In my current position, I was being compensated based on the worth of the job I was performing. Indeed, for the size of the problems I was solving. It was my value in that role. But what was I doing to enhance that value, whether applied in that role or a future opportunity? What was I doing to exert value outside of my assigned role?

Added value comes from critical thinking, from knowledge put into action, and from the ability to influence. Even greater value comes from leverage and duplication. That added value produces profit and growth. Most often, it translates to the "soft skills." Leadership skills, if you would.

John Maxwell contends that "Leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less."

One of my mentors shared a quote attributed to Charlie "Tremendous" Jones that, for me, made the ultimate connection: "Leaders are readers."

Critical leadership and personal skills, attributes that differentiate our value and drive our ability to influence, are rarely provided within our formal education. They are seldom delivered in a tidy seminar thereafter. More than anything, they are found through an investment of time, hard work, and perseverance.

Hard work, geared towards improvement, applied over time, leads to high achievement. An intentional self-directed education is where you learn the guiding principles that drive the greatest accomplishments.

Said another way, daily discipline, over time, produces change. Depending on the information, that can be a positive change or a negative one - the principle works the same in either direction.

Looking at the lives of successful people I studied - historical through the present day - I've found that anyone with high achievements was a voracious learner, constantly consuming positive information. In almost all cases, that learning was outside the formal education process.

What I learned was that, for me, my best chance for lasting growth and success was to constantly develop my skills in key areas - character, behavior, critical thinking, and positive attitude, just to name a few. I had to maximize my personal gifts, as well as develop and enhance a wealth of key skills, to truly compete, influence, and lead.

Almost a decade into this journey, with a lifetime of learning still ahead, I can honestly say that this pursuit has been the highest contributor to the successes I have enjoyed, the most significant source of the value, influence and impact that I provide, and the greatest reason for the hope and promise of my future.

"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." - Benjamin Franklin

A self-directed education is indeed the greatest investment you will ever make.

A Plan for Financial Success

What if you had a plan for financial success?

Ron Blue recently testified before a Senate subcommittee conducting hearings on “Solutions for a New Era: Jobs and Families.“ Mr. Blue was appearing based on his solid reputation of financial expertise.

A Senator asked him what the average American family should do in the current economy. Ron Blue said that the American family could benefit from following a four-part financial plan:

Think long-term with goals and investing
Spend less than you earn
Maintain liquidity (or emergency savings)
Minimize the use of debt

Think Long Term: The longer term your perspective, the better financial decisions you will make.

Spend Less Than You Earn: You need to know what you are earning, what you are spending, have a plan and monitor it. Over the long term, this will contribute to financial success.

Maintain Emergency Savings: A reserve will help you ride out the surprises of life and avoid debt.

Minimize and Eliminate Debt: Debt may allow you to have more now, but it reduces your ability to have more in the future. Debt is an obligation on your future income, and because of compounding, it may represent the single most important factor influencing your future financial success.

These four principles work in concert. Together, they represent a formula for financial success.

These principles are so timely to today’s economic climate. Perhaps because they are timeless. They are by no means new; they trace back for thousands of years.

The principles have endured the test of time. They are independent of the economy - recession or boom. They are insensitive to oil prices and the real estate market. Many rich people, and likely many more poor people, can attest to them.

Those that have followed this path in recent years are comfortably surviving - some thriving - in the economic concerns of today. If you have been following them, continue. You will continue to thrive.

If you are in crisis, there is no better time to start then now. You can not establish a strong financial foundation without them. They will lead you out of your crisis, and help you prevent them in the future.

Note - reference source “Surviving Financial Meltdown” by Ron Blue and Jeremy White.

No Regrets

The older I get, the more I hear people express regret for the way they’ve lived their lives.

Sometimes it traces back to what they have done. An action. A choice. A mistake in judgment. Perhaps a blatant, intentional decision fully knowing the negative consequences. One event that changed the course of their life, or a chosen course that slowly defined their life.

More often, though, the regret is for something left undone. Mark Twain put it this way. "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do." If you ask me, this one is tougher. But it hits home all the same. Call it comfort or complacency, fear or ignorance. No matter, we will always miss the shots we didn’t take.

“Do I regret how I have lived my life?” Actions taken or failures to take action. As I write, and as you read, the question must be asked. Someday we'll be called upon to give an account for our lives. Will we like the answer? I don’t think I’ll have regrets for missteps or mistakes. I believe my greatest disappointment will be the day I learn what could have been. My full, unrealized potential. When I learn all that I was capable of doing that I simply ran from, avoided, or just let linger without a response. Things I stepped around. Wherever I set the bar, the understanding that I set it too low.

We all have the same 24-hour day. We all have a dream, a passion, planted within us. We all have skills and talents that support that passion. We all have resources that support those skills and talents. No, we don’t all have the same talents, skills or resources. Sometimes it takes a stretch, some extra effort, to make something happen in the midst of our circumstances. Still, we all have the opportunity.

I believe the differences, though, are not the limiting factor. We are far more limited by our thinking. Our beliefs, our attitudes and our self talk. The information we have on hand, and the new information we pursue. The actions we choose to take based on that information.

Beliefs drive decisions. Decisions determine direction. And every direction has a well defined destination.

I believe that each and every one of us are called to greatness based on the unique talents and skills that have been planted in us. They were planted in us for a purpose. They were planted in us for our mission.

The beauty in all of this? No matter where you have been, and no matter where you are now, you can choose a different path. You can tap into your passions and pursue a life void of regret. You can maximize every moment, every day and every opportunity. If you don't like the direction your life is taking, and the associated destination, you can step back and address the beliefs and decisions that are driving you there. But you must take action.

You were meant for something great. Step out and chase a mission worth every breath you’ve been given. Armed with passion and determination, you will create a valuable, abundant life. Stretch yourself! Dream BIG! Leave it all on the battlefield, with no regrets.