2Weeks2aBreakthrough

Breakthrough Podcast with Music with Guest Perry Devine

Over on Management Craft, I just put up this podcast. But since it is all about breakthroughs, I am posting it here too!

In this inspiring 23 minute podcast I chat with singer/songwriter Perry Devine, who used the processes and techniques found in my latest book, Two Weeks to a Breakthrough to create a song about generating breakthroughs. I think that music can inspire and serve as a powerful catalyst, so I am thrilled to have this song all about breakthroughs. As you can imagine, I was doubly thrilled when Perry told me that he used many of the suggestions offered in the book and experienced several breakthroughs while writing and recording this song. During the podcast, Perry tells listeners how he applied the book's concepts to the writing and recording of the song and which techniques made the greatest difference - catalyzing breakthroughs. At the end of the interview, you will hear the song "Breakthrough," by Perry Devine.

Join us in making this the year of the breakthrough!

By the way, I am happy to tell you that Perry is my brother. It was better than an ice cream sundae to work with him on this project. I cannot tell you the delight and humble pride I felt when I first heard the song and when Perry told me that my book was helping him push his music and process to new heights. Very cool. Thanks, Perry, for doing this with me! Here's a pic of my guitar pickin' brother in action.

Want to know what Perry means by the ultimate breakthrough catalyst? Listen to this podcast!

Oh, and by the way, stay tuned for the Breakthrough visual presentation - coming soon!

You can listen to my podcast with Perry Devine by clicking here:

You can also download an MP3 version of the podcast here: MP3 Download

Here is the Podcast Feed for the entire Fireside Chat podcast series:

To see the complete list of podcasts in this series, select the Podcasts and Webcasts category on this blog or see the list on my main website here.

You can also find this series on iTunes (and several other podcast sites), just search under my last name for Fireside Chat.

Breakthrough Quotes

“Sometimes a breakdown can be the beginning of a kind of breakthrough, a way of living in advance through a trauma that prepares you for a future of radical transformation.” Cherrie Moraga

“The person who can combine frames of reference and draw connections between ostensibly unrelated points of view is likely to be the one who makes the creative breakthrough” Denise Shekerjian

“The most exciting breakthroughs of the 21st century will not occur because of technology but because of an expanding concept of what it means to be human."  John Naisbitt

“All personal breakthroughs being with a change in beliefs. So how do we change? The most effective way is to get your brain to associate massive pain to the old belief. You must feel deep in your gut that not only has this belief cost you pain in the past, but it's costing you in the present and, ultimately, can only bring you pain in the future. Then you must associate tremendous pleasure to the idea of adopting a new, empowering belief.”  Anthony Robbins

More Year of the Breakthrough

I am loving referring to the Year of the Breakthrough - that's this year, 2007 by the way. I have mentioned it at least a million times in various conversations this past week. I find that when I mention that this is the Year of the Breakthrough, I instantly step up my game. I can't speak about the Year of the Breakthrough and be "same old same old."

Try that with your goal or mantra. For the next week, tell absolutely everyone and insert your goal into conversations. Notice how that changes how you feel and act in these moments.

One of the three cornerstones of my breakthrough system is sharing your goals.
Step 1. Share.
Step 2.. BAM!
Step 3. Repeat

This is very powerful. Share your goals - the goals that mean a lot to you and give you the chills just thinking about them - share them several times every day.

Here I go again, I'll share my intention: I have declared this the Year of the Breakthrough. I endeavor to catalyze more breakthroughs and help people zoom forward. And they will inspire others, and so on and so on. I would like everyone to experience many powerful breakthroughs this year.

Yeah, that sounds right. Breakthroughs all 'round. You too, can use and be a breakthrough catalyst. It's fun! Here's a post a did last year about catalysts and another I did about being a catalyst.

Breakthroughs are Breakthroughs - not Oridinary Things

I love thinking about breakthrough generation. Sometimes I need to remind myself that a breakthrough is something amazing - it's like stepping on the turbo engine of an older (Swedish) Saab. Vroom.

A to D
A to G
A to R

Not A to B. Breakthroughs can be wee surges forward, but they are surges. Here are 10 things you can do today to facilitate a breakthrough:

1. Make a big request (you knew that would top the list, right?). Make more than one.
2. Take the opposite approach.
3. Ask for crazy ideas that just might work.
4. Tell everyone you come in contact with about your goal - everyone!
5. Volunteer for a new organization or otherwise help someone new.
6. Take the plunge - commit in a new way.
7. Team up with someone or a small group.
8. Make a list of 10 actions and do them all without interruption.
9. Air conduct to your favorite music, then brainstorm new ideas for 15 minutes without stopping or second guessing yourself.
10. Take on the persona of your goal state - be your end goal today.

I like this post from Decker Marketing called Career Tip #13 - Take Bigger Risks. Here's a snippet:

Whether you’re an executive or not, I suggest you take bigger risks to move your career forward (and for fun). Make big plays. Take initiative for change at a strategic level. Bigger risks help your career because you stand out, differentiate, and accomplish great things. Whether you’re an individual contributor or manager, anyone who takes initiatives and risks can become a leader. They are the ones who are break through the next level. Their reputation is lasting and their contributions are recognized and rewarded over the long haul. Plus, the accomplishments create great soundbytes.

You go.

Sass it Up Baby!

We are all so polite, you know? Well, perhaps not everyone is polite, but I think that most people walk around with a nice polished exterior.

We try not to offend.
We try not to stand out.
We hope we don't ruffle any feathers or step into someone else's sandbox.

It's all very tiresome, don't you think? Sure we want peace, joy and love - but I only want it if it is REAL. If  someone wants to step in my sandbox, I say come on in and make me defend my territory! I might find that it's the best thing that happened today.

I like authentic sass. Sass means we are alive - it means we are provoked - it means we care. Sass is fun.

I know there are cultural differences, but try sassing it up relative to what works for you. Sass brings forth the out loud and animated version of you.

Sass will look different based on our behavioral tendencies. My sass can be a bit jarring because my unsassy state might seem quite sassy to others. I have friends who are so reserved in their expressions that their sass can only be detected with a magnifying glass.

Sassy.

The dictionary defines sass as cheeky or rude. Some sass is rude, but I think sass can also be a beautiful thing.

My favorite bloggers get sassy and the posts that seem to get the most hits and comments are those where I get sassy. You must like sassy too.

We all like sassy even if it's a pain in the rear sometimes - a lively pain. Hey, got a meeting later? Sass it up and be the hero/heroine of the day. Sass up your dinner conversation.  Sass up with your boss.

What does the animated YOU look like and what can you do right now to enliven him/her?

Oh how I long for more conversations with sass!

2007 - Year of the Breakthrough

I declare 2007 the year of the breakthrough!

Breakthroughs for you, breakthroughs for me, and breakthroughs for those who we touch. Breakthroughs for the world.

While in New Zealand, I came in contact with one of nature's most beautiful fractals - the fiddle-head. In overly simple terms, a fractal is a shape that continues itself whether you zoom in or zoom out. I love fractals.

The fiddle-head is the sprout of a fern leaf.

This curly wonder is the inspiration behind the Maori (New Zealand indigineous people) symbol called the Koru. The Koru symbolizes new growth, beginnings, harmony, and peace.

It's the symbol that makes up my website logo, too. And this is somewhat by serendipity. I have always loved spirals and their fractal nature, so I asked my graphic artist to work up logos using a spiral. I never consciously thought of the fiddle-head or meaning of the koru, though - until my trip to New Zealand. My logo was everywhere (and in basically the same color)!

So it is with this symbol of new beginnings that I declare 2007 the year of the breakthrough. This ties into my personal genius, which is catalyzing breakthroughs (Dick, I know you don't think this is  my fully baked genius, but I am still here at the moment). This focus also ties into my mission to help managers and leaders produce amazing results and build great companies. How I will punctuate the year of breakthroughs:

• I have reopened the Two Weeks to a Breakthrough blog (this post is being posted both places). Several of you were disappointed when I put it on the shelf (thanks for that). Also, after what seems like an eternity, the book is finally coming out at the end of February. Looking back at why I shut down the blog, I think I needed a break from that and now I am ready to play full out again. Promise: I am going to go deep on this blog. Request: Put the Two Weeks blog in your aggregator or subscribe to it's feed. Thanks!
• I will be asking all my podcast guests about the breakthroughs they wish to generate and how they will do that (I don't really intend to prep them about this, I will just launch into a mini coaching conversation after the main topic is discussed).
• I will be focusing on writing more provocative posts that have the potential to catalyze breakthroughs.
• I will challenge myself to think bigger and bolder - my thoughts have been a bit small recently.
• And many other projects that I have not yet conceived. Feel free to share your ideas!

Join me in embracing breakthrough generation in 2007 (or what's left of 2006 - no time like the present!). Define a breakthrough goal for January. What could happen in January that would make a big positive difference to your life and to others with whom you interact?

One personal breakthrough I hope to acheive aside from my work in business arena is to develop a more successful (emphasis on quality) creative writing practice. To that end, I started a new blog called Essay a Smile. If you enjoy essays or poems or posts about writing, check it out.

The Importance of Play

This blog has been suffering from a bit of neglect recently. It's odd because I am experiencing a lot of insights and breakthroughs, but I don't want to be repetitive to messages in earlier posts.

Then again, this is NOT rocket science and the basics are the basics.

I am traveling right now, doing research for a book in New Mexico. Solo travel is a great time to play with new ideas and be spontaneous. And it is a great time to observe our natural behavioral tendencies.

Here's my theory. If you are uptight, you will be uptight at a Zen retreat too. So instead of waisting your money going to a Zen retreat, you might first want to solve the issue of being uptight.

Do you know if you are uptight? That's an interesting question. Perhaps many people don't know that they have a behavioral tendency that is likely getting in the way of their success and happiness.

Some business schools and awful shows like Trump's Apprentice (the WORST role models) promote and give kudos for uptightness and other over the top styles. This is too bad because young people are looking for role models and I don't see many great ones in the news. There are more stories about corruption and poor behavior than genuine success stories, that's for sure. And even some of the bad stories are enticing. Some of these guys will get out of jail and still be millionaires. They will also likely get a big book deal for a tell all book - advance in the seven figures.

What's my point, I am rambling a bit.

I am coming to really appreciate moments of play. Real play, not the stuff that's supposed to be play but then our uptight selves overmanages it and it becomes just another task. Play. Whatever play looks like to you. To super-geeks, play will look totally different than to non-geeks.

A little play goes a long way.
Take two minutes to play and call me in the morning.
The play must go on.

We can't be both uptight and in genuine play. Think about that. Chances are that you have some neurotic behavioral way about you - we all do. But I think that it goes away when we engage in play.

And play open up parts of our brain that get lonely when we are uptight. Breakthroughs will happen because new thoughts are possible.

How will you play today?

David Byrne on Learning from Other Artists

I love this post from Talking Heads lead singer David Byrne. He describes a recent concert he went to and what he learned from the artist. He's a great role model for openness and coachability.

The Secret to Making Money

I like this post from Fred over at The Lazy Way to Success called, The Secret to Making Lots of Money. Fred talks about two kinds of luck and shares his thoughts for how to focus your time on the actions that will yield the greatest payoff. Here's a snippet:

I like the kind of luck that is predictable and can be structured so that it is an expected component of daily life. This kind of luck I call support of Nature and it is a necessary ingredient to becoming successful and generating wealth.

To understand how to gain this support, we first must be clear on what we have control over and what we do not.

We have control over our actions.

We do not have control over the fruits of our actions. The fruits of an action are Nature’s domain, not ours.

And here's another:

When we focus on money, no matter how much we think we need it or want it, it is an empty focus. We are focusing on a fruit we have no control over. In fact, focusing intently on money (or any fruit) is a retarding focus because it drains us of our power. When our focus is on the fruits, Nature isn’t impressed, isn’t amused, and isn’t inspired to be generous. As a result, any fruit that comes will be pedestrian and/or incomplete.

Want to read his answer? Check out and enjoy the post.

Just do it - Nike Sport Music

I was looking for something in iTunes and found that Nike has a whole series of music collections designed for sports. Here are a few examples:

• Treadmill Training: Mixed Terrain 1
• 10k Powerplay
• Improve your Endurance
• Build your Strength

And my personal favorite - Run Like it's 1985. It features ten 80's songs to get your legs, heart, and head moving.

This is a cool idea! A great exercising hack. Go to iTunes and and select the "Nike Sport Music" genre in the menu on the top lefthand side of the page.

Or create your own mix. And not just for sports. Think about the music that helps you relax, work, plan, or write.

Speaking of "Just Do It," the reason I found the Nike music is I was searching for a song that I thought was called Just Do It. The song is a perfect lyrical kick in the butt. The song is actually called Whatever it Is by Ben Lee. Pay your 99 cents and get a wee infusion of motivation. A few lines:

Just do it, whatever it is.

Awake is the new sleep. Awake is the new sleep. So wake up....Wake up

And do it, whatever it is.

Whatever it is, just do it.

Whatever it is, go do it.

And your dancing and your looking kind of crazy....