Posts Tagged ‘Heart’

I Never Get Sick, No I Never Get Sick, Noo I Never Ever…!

Posted: August 15, 2014 in Posts
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I say and hear this from my fellow entrepreneurs and committed workaholics quite often and we all believe it’s true even better we believe it’s true right in the midst of a cold or flu…no matter how bad the symptoms are.

BUT last week wow I was and am still a bit sick and it sucks and why did it happen, what caused these stages of symptoms to run through my body and basically kick my ass for the past 5 days?

I mean really kick my ass it was like food poisoning X 10 I pulled muscles in my throat and entire upper body just from puking so much for 4 days. I had a client dinner one night with my favorite as well as largest client so I pulled it together for the dinner came home and just continued puking but for those 3 hours of dinner I had to go into Superhero mode and wanted to (a lot of people would have cancelled, that’s a luxury that doesn’t come with this job).

Even some real Superheroes that were sick and couldn’t go out to save the world came back after healing to win:

1. Superman

2. Batman

3. Spiderman

One of my all time favorite examples of an entrepreneur being sick and still fighting on is Pete Sampras at the US Open in 1996 when he was throwing up his intestines in the middle of match against Alex Corretja in the 5th set and they were going to disqualify him…he pulled it together and HE WON!

1996 Sampras Video Clip 

(Yes I do believe athletes are entrepreneurs as well, we can talk about that in another post)

He used mind over matter and the passion of his moment he was in to switch into Superhero mode. At the end of the Open the entire world was cheering but Pete he probably didn’t even realize nor did he care what he just accomplished HE WAS SICK! He just wanted to go home and puke more and sleep and when that was over he would be able to sit back and realize what a champion he became that day.

Since I started being an entrepreneur at 19 I believed and still do sometimes it is mind over matter and I can mentally beat whatever illness I have, get my work done, make that dinner appointment and all is normal. Of course not considering the people everywhere I go that I am possibly infecting with a deadly virus (well it can feel deadly) and then they are infecting others and even worse their wife/husband and kids.

Way to go Brian you are so considerate you just possibly killed a small percentage of the population of NYC or wherever it is I am traveling to. Oops sorry…I NEVER get sick!

I remember around 2001 (I am horrible with tracking time) I was sick in a few ways, I was also scared really scared of the real world so I took a 3 month break from work, I had been going nonstop for 6 years to build the company…I was tired. I decided I would travel the world a bit, I would start dating again, and I was going to work on my foundation more. You know what I did, I stayed in my house for about 95% of the time and thought about everything in my life too much that I felt I screwed up in some way or just could have handled differently…total waste of time.

What pulled me out of this? Well for years I would tell people I didn’t have a choice I was called in for a meeting with one of the biggest record label owners in the world that I was trying to get as a client and I had to be at the meeting in 2 days…2 days I thought oh no I look like I a mess I need a month but well his ego was not hearing that so I had NO choice.

I realize now I could have said NO, you always have a choice and he didn’t pay his bills anyway so I actually lost money working with him, but I was back and ready to work. I went to my office, sat at my desk, read some reports and called a full staff meeting I was ready again and I wasn’t scared. After all what was there to be afraid of, to this day I have no idea except stuff I would make up or just think the worst possible outcome for. I was exhausted and making myself sick.

There are major diseases I will not consider/include in this but when it comes to a cold, flu, exhaustion or depression it’s a message from our mind and body to take it easy, what does it mean to take it easy:

-Get some sleep (try for 8 hours a night)

-Surrender to your body and rest, it is telling you it needs it, take a day off!

-Put an Auto-Responder on – I AM SICK! As the subject line

-Take a lot of deep breaths throughout the a day

-If you’re like me call your Mom : ) always makes me feel better

– Don’t drink alcohol or drink as little of it as possible

– Drink lots of tea and water

I have learned 99% of what I do now to stay healthy in mind, body and spirit from the help of my friend James Altucher and his creation of “The Daily Practice,” I have made additions and iterations to it for myself, you can do the same but do follow the key recommendations and concepts for optimal performance of self.

The Daily Practice By James Altucher

So I will leave you with this advice that you will not take from me so…LISTEN to your body and mind when they come together to send a message to you. I know you will take their advice because they know what is best for you.

We all get sick and tired and need a break and we get stronger from it, it’s not a sign of weakness and you will not be less of a Superhero by resting a few days you will be a better and stronger one for it!

Google Doesn’t Have The Answer…The Game Of Love

Posted: March 13, 2014 in Posts
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My heart skips a beat then causes knots in my stomach
My mind races and takes from me the energy I need to succeed
My hands shake more than before as I notice how much you balanced me
You held my hand

My body feels weak as it remembers who I no longer am and can no longer embrace
No lie yes my pride is hurt but I have little pride to open up to  you and just be me
I made mistakes, we made mistakes but I know I need and want to change to be your B
And I know how much you love me

My days are really hard to understand what do I do, where do I go and who can I give my happy energy to
I get lost in the moments of you being so sweet so supportive and the moments  of seeing you’re gorgeous smile, feeling your warmth and being best friends

The future I envisioned is now missing from my vision, remember I said I want to spend as much of life with you as I can! The small things the big things you have done  to support me, love me and bring me such joy all the worries would dissipate

I know what my errors were and how they continued after promises they wouldn’t. I am human as you are and we often would act or do similar things. We are a lot the same, come on we both cover our eyes during the gruesome parts of moves and TV.

No woman can compare or make me feel how important it was to have you as my girlfriend…an honor actually. I zone out on our super fun days from doing nothing to a beach far away. Then you started beating me in bowling it was still fun and our thing.

I have after searching no happier feeling than making you happy and excel in life. I want to see you fly and reach all the things you thought you couldn’t because I know you cam.

But yes love I am sad, I have to wake up without you and rush to start my day so I don’t stay in bed

They always say time will make these feelings pass. So is it wrong of me to not want them to pass, to not want to love anyone but you?

So maybe it’s you that needs to teach and help me, I’ve spent much time asking everyone but only you know. Or do I?

You know who you are and my wish is we don’t lose each other when finding each other was hard enough.

Don’t Take It Personal…Bollucks

Posted: July 22, 2013 in Posts
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“Just let me be great, let me be great.” – Jay Z F.U.T.W

Last week like many days in my business life something didn’t go exactly how I wanted it to and I got truly upset. It was early in the day but I needed to just go home and hide and take in what happened and yes do a bit of sulking.

I have been an entrepreneur since 20 years old when I started my first company a call center that pivoted to a data list broker and multi compiler. Business has been my college, my personal life and my source of great energy. Up until my most recent start up Gocella all of my companies were funded by myself and business partner Sev, also my best friend since I was 17 and we are still at it together.

Even Gocella was 1.5 years funded by us until we were introduced to Ryan Moore at Atlas venture who decided to lead a round that we didn’t even have planned…real boot-strappers. Smart guy : ) Thanks Ryan and Atlas and all our investors, rest assured we are building and working from the brain and the heart.

So yes I take it all personally I don’t know how not to because I feel that is what drives my passion to create successful companies and happy clients. I want everything I do to be great and that takes more than a brain and innovation…it takes heart. Well things involving our hearts are very personal.

I do know this makes things at times more difficult, overwhelming and quite exhausting. However it’s my formula and I refuse to change it, no matter how much sleep I lose sometimes, or tears I shed, or worries I create and amplify. It’s who I am and it is the way I am outside of work as well.

I want to not only make my clients happy but my friends, family and the special person in my life. All the same side effects though come with being so personal and unfiltered in my personal life just like I mention in business.

What if I didn’t take it all personally? I would feel like I wasn’t giving my all and if I didn’t have my heart in something and also I would feel like I was lying to myself, to people, prospects, investors, clients, friends and loved ones. This I will not do. My principles on lying are pretty crazy…yes I get the whole white lie thing but I just hope if I stick to this code, this formula, well it will come back to me from others.

Taking things personally means caring, appreciating, being grateful and trying my hardest to do great work, be a good person and you know what just being great. Let’s be great!

I try more now to at least not amplify the little things that happen to all of us, I try to let go so I can move on and make something else work out versus focusing on the negative or unexpected “let down”

But no matter what it’s all personal, it’s my life and it all affects me. Unfortunately I need to remind myself more often that I am not the only one going through these types of emotions and giving my all at any risk necessary…I am getting a little better at this from the help of great friends.

So the way I see it is, take it personally and people will know you really care, you really want to  be happy and make others happy and I don’t know how that can be done without putting your heart into your work and wearing your heart on your sleeve.

So for those that feel the same way, live the same way and struggle because of it…I say keep up with the struggle, confide in great friends and trusted advisers because in my opinion nothing will ever be great without someone’s heart being on the line and involved.

Take it personal, it’s your life we are talking about here it’s how you want people to view you and trust you.

Trust is what it’s all about!

So again let’s be great!

My Flower

Posted: May 20, 2013 in Posts
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Today feels different and only I and a few know why I am not the same Brian I was last Monday when I woke up, had my coffee, did some reading chatted with my girlfriend and then began my work day.

Today I feel a bit frozen and I am trying to get into a routine but I just don’t feel that inner strength that all entrepreneurs need to begin their day. I want to just sit on the couch, watch some TV and think through why I am feeling less inspired than usual…even though I know why.

I will probably then just watch the clock and wonder if something that probably won’t happen will because I am thinking not only for myself but for others as well trying to send signals and solutions to them that I feel are not selfish just come from experience…from the scars I have of life. That should bring happiness to both of us versus us both wondering what the outcome of some space alone may bring.

I am in a situation that I have somewhat limited abilities to help the outcome other than remaining distant and quiet and allowing a flower to grow on its own versus nurturing it a bit more, I’d rather give that flower a bit more care to help it blossom to where I would like it to be but then that flower may not feel it blossomed on its own and that’s what seems to be what this flower needs.

No matter how much I think about that flower and not go about my day probably not much can change so I should be aware that my life must proceed and trust that this flower knows I am here whenever it needs me…so much easier said than done. In fact my flower may grow more by knowing that I am still strong and will be through it all.

We are all very different but yet all very the same we want to be cared for, we want to be held and we want to not be lonely. Labels have led us to believe a person can only be this to us when they are labeled a certain way especially in relationships but unfortunately these labels come with other baggage.

They remind us of past relationships and what went wrong or right with them, they make us feel we need to change things about ourselves for another person, give up parts of our lives that we feel make us happy or question if our own goals have now been altered.

This a I disagree with, to me a relationship is supposed to be the enhancement to who we are and how we live to make us better inside and out and be proud to be cared for. We are able to surrender ourselves as ourselves so that we have at least one person that cares about us no matter what we are going through, how we look one day versus another and believe in us from close and afar.

Maybe it’s time for me to change this label to something as simple as you are my flower and I am yours, will this change maybe the outcome of together who we are I don’t  know but I do know this label can just be ours.

The good thing is this flower knows it is the most beautiful flower I want to see grow

This poem inspired me…

Woman With Flower

By Naomi Long Madgett

I wouldn’t coax the plant if I were you.

Such watchful nurturing may do it harm.

Let the soil rest from so much digging

And wait until it’s dry before you water it.

The leaf’s inclined to find its own direction;

Give it a chance to seek the sunlight for itself.

Much growth is stunted by too careful prodding,

Too eager tenderness.

The things we love we have to learn to leave alone.

Some Of What Makes Me

Posted: January 11, 2013 in Posts
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It seems like yesterday no wait stop

I know the past is how the future become but
There is so much I have to let go so I need to start again
Open up my heart let all thoughts come and go
I will find what I need as history and the future pass through my brain sometimes at lightening speed
So I let those thoughts pass and even get at me but the present is all I need just these moments not much more
It’s been so long and I saw all I want but I still want more
This time I have had it’s been fun but not enough
Call myself greedy then I reflect and know what I want more of what makes me happy
So here we are I needed inspiration from a source I could trust
I needed to be in someone’s arms so I could keep going strong
This is not weak I can’t be wrong it takes a smile, some care and then my mind goes on
I must admit because it’s heart it’s passion and it can’t be stopped
So tell me I can’t think this way and they are wrong it’s a good woman for me to charm
If I have someone that I can trust then she trusts me and look what I and she  can be
For all that think being this honest is too risky you’re right but I like being wrong
My dreams and what I want I will get as long as I stay this way and so do they
I keep them close because they take care of me and I got them taken care of we
As for karma I respect you sir I know I get what I deserve so bad with good but good will win
Simply because I got me first and with me you are
I speak of one and a few more the circles small and I know where I belong
So thank you to you all you know who you are

The Power Of A Smile

Posted: December 15, 2012 in Posts
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It doesn’t take very long when someone gets to know me a bit to learn I’m pretty unfiltered and honest about just about anything…I hope this is a good thing.

So recently more people are telling me I look happy, I’m smiling more.

If you remember the Patch Adams film with Robin Williams there is a great scene when he is testing and demonstrating his smile theory:

As Patch and Truman wander around smiling and greeting strangers, we as viewers smile, too.

patch

For some time I had been extra sensitive about letting anyone into the inner circle of me, we have all been there when someone has hurt us, betrayed us, or just turned out to not be the person we thought they were, or things just didn’t work out and the hurt that comes from this discovery. A hurt that feels like it may never go away. This is not just in a relationship it could be anything we had high hopes and expectations about and it didn’t turn out positive, things just didn’t work out.

I wasn’t sure how much time it would take or what it would take to allow me to open up and listen to my heart versus being so over protective of myself and not having the opportunity to let someone be closer to me and for me to enjoy me more. Then it happened and It was a smile!

Well that’s where it started and now is still one of the biggest reasons I have opened up to caring aout and trusting someone. I know just a smile doesn’t seem to be enough but there is more to a smile than one immediately thinks. So much more.

Her smile melted me, then her kiss opened me.

For me in the beginning it was the ability to see her smile with just a close of my eyes, then it was being able to feel the sincerity of her smile and how much more it was saying, most importantly when someone smiles and looks you in your eyes they are telling you something only meant for your eyes and heart…it’s doesn’t need to be said.  There is a special connection forming when this starts happening it’s usually when you realize you care about this person, how they feel, if they are OK  if they are happy, you want to make them happier, you want them to know you care.

I’m not saying two people need to be falling head over heels in love, could be dating, seeing each other or some other kinda label to have this connection this could be just a moment, but a moment that you want to last for as long as you choose to want to keep smiling, be happy and trust. Two people can form their own unique relationship around just being happy on each other’s personal terms and honesty no rules need apply. Just keep making each other smile inside and out.

I’m happier and I’m smiling more and happy with me and I notice other parts of my life family, friends, and work are progressing and evolving all positively. I hope it’s for the simple reason of I’m smiling and someone is smiling at me, because it can and should be that simple we don’t have to over complicate it.

My work is a major part of my life and my time so it’s usually the people I work with that pick up quickly that I wear my heart on my sleeve and I hope notice that I do this so that it defines me and I am someone who can be trusted and stand behind my words.

“You must look inside you, Sure books can guide you, But your heart defines you” Jay Z

I’m not exactly walking into meetings and anywhere with a kool-aid smile on my face…I’m smiling inside as well, that for me is when I know I’m really happy with me and feel I can accomplish so much more and give so much more of me to someone special, my loved ones, good friends and the things in life that enjoy my happiness and I look forward to making happy. This is part of my own personal definition of feeling successful.

As Mary Poppins said,  “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun.”

mpoppins

Life is work, we work to be smarter, to have more freedom, to be successful however we define success, we work to make the people we care about know how much we care, and we work on being a better us. We can choose to have fun doing this and see the fruits of our labors in our smiles and the smiles we inspire in others.

We should stay open minded and have an open heart for the smiles around us from that special someone, friends, family and total strangers and the moment that you notice the smile you can immediately feel a need to smile and feel good things in your life with that smile. Call it smile inspiration, get and give smile inspiration and good things come, anxieties and worries will go away and you get to enjoy YOU more and more.

So thank you, you know who you are bella!