Toronto, 10pm, February 4 2010

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Hi this is Mike Lipkin and I hope that February is flowing well for you, especially if you’re a Pisces or an Aquarius. From everything I see around me, we’re definitely going to need help from above. 2010 is going to be another year of crises, opportunities, chaos, and change. In other words, it’s going to be exactly the same as 2009. It’s also going to be exactly different.

It will be exactly the same because dramatic change is the only constant. And that’s the same reason it’s going to be exactly different. Every year brings a new kind of dramatic change. In 2010, it’s the kind that will crush you or catapult you. It will grind you to nothing or grow you into the next new thing. It will build you or bust you. In other words, this is the year that will erase mediocrity from the vocabulary. If you’re middle of the road, you’ll get run over. If you’re fair or average, you’ll barely earn enough to eat. If you’re good, you only qualify for the struggle. Even if you’re excellent, life is going to be hard, really, really hard.

So what’s it going to take to make 2010 the best year of your career? That’s my mission. I want to help you achieve professional Nirvana no matter what your external circumstances. My definition of Nirvana is when you’re free of worry, performing at your best, doing what you love, making a powerful contribution to people you like being with, and earning great money. Does that sound like the kind of year you want to have? Then enjoy this message and listen for the breakthrough that you need to hear. That’s why you’re listening right now. I’m about to say the one thing that will spark your personal resurgence and renewal.

Through my work as a global researcher, motivator and coach, I talk to over a hundred thousand people a year. Most of them are incredibly smart and successful. They have to be – just to make it to my sessions. Seriously, it’s only the best and the brightest that bring me into their enterprises. So I probably have one big advantage over you: I hang with more people. I see challenges from multiple perspectives. I’m also a media addict who reads, listens and watches everything I can access 18 hours a day. That’s all I do – I consume and produce insights that are designed to make people magical. Even when I’m sleeping, I’m plugged into some celestial station, conjuring up new ideas and phrases to boost people’s mojo.

So are you ready for some motivational magic? Then let’s explore the Top Ten Drivers of Success in 2010. These are the game-changers that will help you and your stakeholders win. As you listen to me, think about how you can share them with others as well. Pay it forward, and you’ll get paid very well.

1. Preeminence – Be Recognized as The Best or Be Forgotten: In a tight market, everything is on sale – even the best quality. Clients can afford to buy the best. Why would they settle for anything less? So ramp up your skills. Develop your capacity to be remarkable. Out-train, out-study, out-plan, out-perform your competition so you can be out-standing. And let everyone know. Broadcast your superiority from every angle – just like I’m doing now. You’re listening to me because, at this moment, I’ve convinced you I’m worth it. That’s my moment of private Nirvana – thank you for granting it to me.

2. It’s about Discipline – Focus on The Fundamentals: Barack Obama told you to put away those “childish things”. I’m telling you to shelve the bells and whistles. Avoid the bling that can blind you to the things that really matter. Concentrate on the core. Make every conversation count on the matters that count. Become known as someone who keeps the main thing the main thing. Get the right things right. And be relentless. Repetition is the mother of success. Talk about what matters and you will too.

3. It’s about the Customer Experience – Differentiate or Die: It’s not good enough just being the best. It’s about being Uniquely Rewarding. That means giving others the kind of pleasure they value deeply and can only get from you. It’s not just about being different. It’s about being indispensable to their well-being. It’s about becoming a constant, welcome presence in their professional lives. What would that take? Who would you have to become to deliver at that level?

4. It’s about Execution – Accelerate, don’t Predict: We’re all operating in a permanent fog of extreme volatility. A plan is only as good as the assumptions it’s based on. As things change, so must your plan. Whoever responds first, wins. “Instantaneity” is the new expectation – no lag time between events and your actions. The big don’t eat the small. The fast eat the slow. And remember: it doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be damn good.

5. It’s about Simplicity – Response-ability, not Bureaucracy: We’re all suffering from the new global plague – apocalyptic anxiety & overwhelm. We all have to manage unprecedented complexity with unprecedented penalties for getting it wrong. We’re drowning in data but we’re starving for wisdom. We’re desperately looking for people who will help us navigate our way through the storm, not hide behind a wall of policy and procedures. What kind of person are you?

6. It’s about Constraint – Do More With Less: You don’t need me to tell you there’s a lot less funding around. Everything is becoming smaller, except for government. So daring and imagination must replace money and manpower. Constraint and austerity must become your call to action. Scarcity is a beautiful thing. It liberates your internal abundance. Bring it on.

7. It’s about Authenticity – Be Real or Be Ridiculed: After the shocks and shattered hopes of the past two years, people are having a hard time trusting other people any more. Skeptism and cynicism are the twin filters through which we’re processing anyone’s promises to us. We don’t want smoke and mirrors; we want real people with real benefits that will make a real difference. We want to see people sweat on our behalf and we’ll do the same for them. The absence of authenticity is a guarantee of failure and rejection.

8. It’s about Individual Ingenuity: Every Person Makes The Difference: The best organizations are looking to every one of their people to create a better way. There is a direct correlation between corporate success and individual contribution. Positions don’t count, ideas do. There are no passengers or spectators any more; just players who love to help their teams win. Are you one of them?

9. It’s about Interdependence – United, We Win; Divided, We Lose: This is the driver that defines all the others. Everything can only be achieved through other people. It’s about magnifying others’ talent. The ultimate winners in 2010 will be “Force Multipliers” – they will multiply the impact of the people around them. They are the reason why the team plays at a higher level. What would it take for you to be that person?

10. It’s about Daily Renewal – Fly Light, or Sink Heavy: Every day is a new beginning. Every day is our entire life in miniature. Every day is a decisive pivot around which our careers could turn. So live every day like it’s your finest hour. Treat it with that kind of reverence and that’s how you’ll treat everyone around you as well.

This is Mike Lipkin and it’s been pleasure and a privilege lighting you up. Pass the torch on…

Orlando, Florida, January 9 2010, 11pm

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Happy New You, no matter how old you are!

Congratulations! You made it through 2009. Take a bow. I’m serious. I want to give you props. You endured a cataclysmic year. You rolled with the punches. You came back from the brink. You kept your faith. You’re ready for another year of drama, excitement, tragedy, comedy, wonder, discovery, contribution, heartache, loss, profit, pain and pleasure.

The purpose of 2009 was simple: to prepare us for 2010. It was a year of extremes. From the low of March to the relative high of December, the world was introduced to a whole new level of volatility. But despite the lingering shell-shock, and the inevitable future-shocks, the signs are bullish. Growth is returning. A cautious confidence is emerging. But it’s inside a more brutal reality. Abundance has given way to tightness. There is still massive opportunity but it’s not hanging low off the ground. To succeed in 2010, we’re going to have to go way out on a limb – where others are afraid to go. Where others see fear, we need to see opportunity.

In the Chinese zodiac, 2010 is The Year Of The Tiger.  The Tiger is said to be lucky. The Tiger is also said to be incredibly brave, evidenced in his willingness to engage in battle or his undying courage. Maybe he’s so brave because he is so lucky. Or maybe he’s so lucky because he is so brave. The bottom line is that in 2010, Luck will favour the Brave.

I have been a motivator and coach for almost seventeen years. I make a living sensing the environment, scanning the trends, and intuiting the winds of change. I believe that 2010 will be a Big Year for people who are willing to be Tigers. Why? Because the majority of people are running scared. The shocks of the past two years have wedged themselves deeply into the collective psychology. “Safety First” is the filter through which the vast majority of people will process their world in 2010.

And you know what? They’re wise to do so. It’s brutal out there. The ice is a lot thinner than it used to be. One wrong move could sink you. The price of failure is much higher and the probability of failure is much greater. Avoiding failure is a sane strategy to follow. But avoiding failure doesn’t equal success because success demands failure. Hmmm, what do I mean?

Success in 2010 requires exhaustive exploration and experimentation. The world is being reconstructed. The rules are being rewritten. The game is being reinvented. New players are entering the game. Existing players are either becoming better or they’re going bust. Everything is being redefined, all the time. Every industry, including mine, is being shocked and rocked by crises that cannot be anticipated because they’re so new. It’s not the circle of life; it’s the circus of life.

So, in this new environment, you can’t play it safe if you want to win. You have to risk yourself in the pursuit of the unprecedented. The best insurance comes from being the best. And being the best demands that you imagine, dream, design, visualize, or strategize a better way- beginning now. That’s what I’m doing with these words. I writing them for you but, as importantly, I’m writing them for me. I’m crystallizing my own philosophy for success in 2010. I’m galvanizing my mental resources to magnetize massive success.

I’m serious. As you read these words, you’re thinking about how you can win, right? You’re becoming conscious of your need to succeed and how you’re going to meet it. And who is helping you do that? Me, of course. I’m becoming your go-to guy for inspiration in 2010. And who are you going to tell? Everybody, right? And how is that going to benefit me? They’re going to read these words. And the cycle will continue. The more people I reach, the more successful I become. What’s your plan?

Here’s the core insight of this blog: in an environment of constraint, you have to set yourself free. When there are fewer resources, you have to become resourceful. The winners in 2010 will use constraint to create abundance. Internal resources such as imagination and daring will replace external resources such as money and manpower. Look around you. I mean really look. Look in places you’ve never looked in before. Talk to people you’ve never talked to before. Read things you’ve never read before. Listen like you’ve never listened before. Become a detective of opportunity. It’s all there. It’s waiting for you. It’s just hiding. It will show itself when you’re ready.

But there is a price to pay. Right now, the possibilities are incubating inside of you just like these words were incubating inside me. The fact is I had to invest the time and energy to write them. I had to stop procrastinating. I had to face the bogeyman of the blank page. I had to wrestle with my own doubts. I had to find the words you needed to read. You decide whether I succeeded.

If you want to have a phenomenal 2010, be a Tiger…

Toronto, November 14 2009 11.05am

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We’re almost at the finish line. That gorgeous Christmas break is just a few short weeks away. I can smell the holly. I’m exhausted. No I’m not. I’m excited. No I’m not. I’m happy. No I’m not. I’m doing my best work. No I’m not. I’m anxious about the future. No I’m not. I’m healthy. No I’m not. I’m loved and appreciated. No I’m not. I’m a Champion. No I’m not. I’m going to win. No I’m not.

Feel familiar? Feel like every day has been an emotional yo-yo? Feel like Courage and Fear are playing hide and seek in your head? Feel like Control slips in and out your grasp like greased jelly-babies? That’s how I feel. Hour-by-hour. What’s happening on the outside massively magnifies what’s happening on my insides. I meditate. I pray. I exercise. I focus. I talk. I vent. I share. I declare my mantras. I hug my family, my friends and my dogs. But still, my emotions imbalance me. Just when I think I’ve got it all sorted out, it all comes apart.

That’s the way it is for me. My constant buddy is the little tension between my stomach and my heart. It reminds me to stand on guard for everything. It also alerts me to everything marvelous. It calls me into gratitude and it goads me into action. It’s the reason why I love my life and it’s the reason why I’m scared I could lose it all. It’s always been there. But this year it’s become tighter and sharper.

That’s how I feel in the final few days of 2009. And here are the Seven Key Lessons this magnificent savage of a year has taught me:

1. There is no such thing as seen-it-all-before. This time it’s truly different, even when it’s not. Even when you think you’re seeing what you know, sense what you don’t. New doesn’t always confront you head-on. It’s often sheathed in the illusion of the familiar. Same-old, same-old has become all-new-all-the-time. Your clichés will kill you. Your naiveté will set you free. So look, listen and learn like you’re always being confronted by the unprecedented. If you’re open to everything, everything becomes and opening to the next thing.

2. Pandemic and contagion are breeding the New Resilience. H1N1 and The Great Global Financial Crisis have been the two overarching catastrophes in 2009. Both were hailed as potentially fatal in their own way. Both hurled the world into bouts of panic and despair. And yet, as we near the year’s end, we’re still standing. H1N1 is turning out to be milder than the hysteria escalated it to be. The markets are recovering strongly. Nine out of Ten People still have a job. Reality may be a little grimmer. But people are toughening up. They’re building their capacity for challenge and change. The paralysis lasted for about six months – from September 2008 to March 2009. Then people were galvanized into action. The fabulous few are leading the desperate many. The Few will become many. They always do.

3. Results are exponential but causes are incremental. Collosal breakthroughs are created one value, one thought, one action, one habit at a time. The Great Ones understand that grind leads to genius. Sweat runs into inspiration. The winners in 2009 worked their guts out. They’re willing to pay the price that super-success demands. But their actions are guided by awareness. They think while they work. They never default to automatic pilot. They always seeking a better way that’s why they’re way better. Giant leaps are always a series of small steps invisible to those on the outside.

4. Real, live, face-to-face, human contact is as important as oxygen. It’s the great technological paradox. The more technology enables remote communication, the more people crave closeness and connection. All the Big Wins I’ve witnessed this year were initiated by up-close-and-personal interactions before they were amplified by digital connections. Humans are designed to be together. Isolation leads to alienation. Creativity is a collective activity. That’s why meetings are coming back. People need to be around other people. United, we win. Alone, we shrink, struggle and suffer.

5. Belief is more important than information. Faith is making a comeback. I’m not talking religion here. I’m talking about belief in oneself, belief in one’s cause, belief in one’s colleagues, belief in one’s community, and belief in action. Every one of my clients is operating within an information-deficit. We can never know everything we want to know before we act. There is always the moment when someone decides to commit the resources, the people and the time to the mission. How do you know when that moment is the right one? Believe it

6. The winners are making an acute effort for health and vitality. 2009 was brutal. It pushed all of us to the edge. But it’s just the first period in a whole new game. We may all aspire to being masters of the universe but we’re all just bundles of skin, muscles, organs, bones, nerves and blood. And we’re all aging. In North America, half of us are over 40. And the older we get, the more maintenance we need. One of the biggest trends tracked by Environics is “Effort for Health” – the pursuit of the mindset, activities and nutrition that maximize personal wellness. We all know we should make this effort. The winners actually do it – every day, in every way. No alibis. No excuses. No retreat. No surrender. Are you one of them?

7. Reputation is everything: Philanthropy will get you a lot more than you give. What began in 2008 will extend deep into 2010. The global recession has a long way to go. It was caused by rampant self-interest and magnified by infinite ingenuity. Greed was exacerbated by self-delusion on a cosmic scale. We all teetered on the brink. Now that we’re on our way back, we’re acutely aware of how precarious the recovery is. Governments have fuelled the beginning, but it’s up to every one of us to take it to the next level, and then the next, and then the next. I depend on you and you depend on me. I’m declaring my interdependence with you. I promise to give you all I can because I need you to pay it forward so we can all get paid back. It’s the New Philanthropy: a powerful concern for human welfare and advancement because we’re all a function of each others’ well being. If you want to thrive in 2010, give away your time, your money and your ideas while you let the world know exactly what you’re doing. A reputation for philanthropy will make you a lot of money.

That’s it. Those are the lessons I’ve learnt. What about you? Let me know. In the meantime, relish the last few weeks of this magnificent year. Suck up the final few challenges it will most certainly throw your way. Be so awesome that the people around you are inspired to do the same. If you can, they can. Reach out to them so they can reach the finish line with pride and gusto. It’s the Festive season. Be the reason why others celebrate.

Las Vegas, Saturday, October 3 2009 10.40pm

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It’s almost Halloween. How scary is that? We’re on the cusp of 2010. 2010. It sounds like a movie – a cross between science fiction and a reality show. In fact, it sounds like my life. It’s getting more fascinating all the time. But it’s also getting more brutal. I’m raising my game every day, but my clients’ expectations are rising even faster. Have you noticed that even Great isn’t good enough any more?

Even being the best may not be good enough if someone else has reinvented your industry. Everything is mutating so fast that direct comparisons may be impossible. Success doesn’t automatically accrue to you because you’re best-of-breed, especially if your breed is becoming extinct. I know. I make a living with my mouth – the oldest technology in the world. I’m a communicator in a world where communication is the super-solar energy driving everything else. I’m in competition with any other form of communication through any media by any person competing for my audience’s bandwidth. Yeah. I can go insane just thinking about it. There are so many magical people creating so many magical breakthroughs every second that I have to become my own Personal Alchemist.

What’s a Personal Alchemist? It’s someone who has the power to transform something of little or no value into the substance of Great Value. It’s someone who has created the secret sauce that entices, enthralls and spellbinds others. It’s the amalgam of preparation, mastery and imagination. But it’s also much more than that. It’s a touch of the divine. It’s the moment when you know you’re experiencing something as close to perfection as it can be in that moment. Those are the moments I chase and cherish. And here’s the big AHA: I find them because I’m looking for them. Tens of times a day. My life is not defined by the breaths I take. It’s defined by the moments that take my breath away. They’re all around me. And they’re all around you. In fact, you may be a Personal Alchemist waiting to happen.

Think about the people with whom you live and work. How many Personal Alchemists do you know? Think about the services and products you consume every day. How many are delivered to you at the level of Leadership Alchemy? Think hard now. There are more than you think.

And here’s the biggest question of all: How many people have you enticed, enthralled and spellbound today? Maybe more than you think. Give yourself credit. Modesty is not always the best policy. Unplug yourself a little, or maybe a lot. I don’t care what you do for a living. I care what you do for others’ lives.

I know the concept of being a Personal Alchemist may be a little extreme for some of you. But let it breathe. It’s your success channel. In fact, it may even be your lifeline for survival. Someone, somewhere is creating the new chemistry of success for your customers. So how can you guarantee that your customers only have eyes for you?

Hmmm. It’s a big audacious ask. It may even be impossible. But today’s impossible is tomorrow’s ho-hum. Now is a good time to begin. And here are ten ways to accelerate your progress because your competitor is right behind you. Maybe she’s even overtaking you. You’ve got much less time than you think to discover the universal elixir of your business.

Lipkin’s Ten Ways To Become a Personal Alchemist:

1. Make Reality Your Friend: your world is conspiring with you to help you win. It’s your laboratory of success. Everything is a base metal waiting to be turned into gold. Everyone serves a purpose. Crises are there to clarify your thinking and electrify you into inspired action. Even the bad times are good for you. You have to believe this truth because the alternative will shut you down.
2. Focus Will Set You Free: whatever you focus on, you move towards. And whatever you focus on moves towards you. In every situation, there’s always One Main Thing at the source of everything else. What’s your One Main Thing? Are you looking for all the right things in all the right places? What are they? I’m looking for inspiration, elegance, wisdom, beauty, generosity, ingenuity, and eloquence – to name just a few of my favourite things. They’re all the raw material for my One Main Thing: Exciting People.
3. Travel Light: Heavy people can’t soar. The past is heavy, man. Let it go. Your grudges, biases, fears, certainties, attachments resistances, doubts, ideologies and self-righteousness are weighing you down. Opportunity cannot land in cluttered places. So create the space for genius to breathe. Discard everything that doesn’t liberate you. The past is a great servant but a shocking master. Be light. Delight. Enlighten.
4. Play From Your Sweet Spot: Leadership Alchemy is attracted to inner congruity. That’s where you are fully integrated. It’s the confluence of your What, Why and How. What is the unique compelling value that you deliver to others? Why are you so passionate about delivering it? How are you delivering it every day? Here’s mine: I electrify people into powerful action. I love to see people get big results by playing big. I train, I learn, I share, I give, I explore, I love, I dream, I write, I talk, I thank every day. How about you?
5. Be Open To Everything: Frustration is not an option. Nothing is wrong, unjust, unfair, shouldn’t-be-happening, or stupid. If it’s happening it’s meant to happen. There is a reason. Find it. Use it. Don’t be resentful or resistant. Don’t complain. Don’t fight it. It may be the opposite of those things you think it is. And all those people who are bugging you? They may all be your teachers. They may be giving you the answers if you choose to listen. Remember: be open to everything and everything will be an opening to everything.
6. Courage Is The Right Side Of Fear: Courage without fear isn’t courage. It’s recklessness and stupidity or, even worse, insanity. Fear is the gift that sharpens your senses and immunizes you against complacency. Fear protects you against inertia, provided it’s the right kind of fear. It’s the kind that adrenalizes you, not paralyzes you. October may be the scariest month. That’s why I like it. I’m addicted to my fear. It’s what driving me to write this blog on a Saturday evening in Las Vegas before I go out to play. My fear is my friend. It’s what will keep me forever young. I’m serious. My fear motivates me to learn more, be more, do more. How about you?
7. Declare Your Compassionate Commitment (All The Time): We are living in times of apocalyptic anxiety. The one thing that others want from you more than anything else is certainty – the certainty that you will help them win against all odds. So declare your commitment to their success. And follow through. All the time. If people trust your intent, they’ll forgive you for the mistakes and breakdowns that will inevitably happen. So talk, then act. Then talk, then act. The word precedes the action and the action validates the word. Everybody wants a champion to help them win. Be one.
8. Embrace Heterarchy: It’s the opposite of hierarchy. It’s a belief that leadership should be flexible and fluid. It’s the principle that teamwork is more effective than autocracy and that leadership must be earned. Are you earning yours? How are you winning the followership of the most valuable people in your life? And are you being a great follower? Destroy your title. Build your reputation as someone who leads, follows or gets out of others’ way.
9. Model What’s Possible: Look around you. Others are waiting for you to go first. They’re depending on you to show them the way. Just as you’re relying on them to do the same. We’re all angels with one wing, we can only fly while embracing each other. So be conscious of yourself, but don’t be self-conscious. Inspire others with your actions. Be the reason why they do those things they otherwise would not have done. And keep your worst to yourself. Form your inner circle to which you can turn in your darkest moments, just as they can turn to you. But to everyone else, shine brightly so they can see where they’re going. And remember: either you will be a model of what’s possible, or you will become a warning of what could happen.
10. Discipline Yourself: Make your priorities non-negotiable. Leadership Alchemy is mercurial. It will get away from you in a  heartbeat and you may never get it back. So procrastinate later, do them now. You owe it to yourself. You cannot give what you do not have. The you of tomorrow is totally dependent on what you do today. Do the right things right and the results will follow.

That’s it. Thank you for reading. Tell me what you’re thinking. All power to you and yours. And happy Halloween!

Toronto, 5.21pm, Sunday, August 23 2009

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It’s always hard conjuring up the right thoughts to enable my readers to be remarkable. No matter how often I write these blogs, it never gets easier. The blank screen is always an intimidating sight. Finding the relevant words and organising them into compelling sentences and paragraphs gets more difficult every time.

Surely, it should be simple by now?  Surely, the words should just flow?  Surely, the process of writing should be quick and smooth? Or surely not. Last week I realized it’s meant to be hard. It’s meant to challenge and stretch me. The greater the resistance, the greater the benefit. Without the barriers and blocks, my mind can’t develop itself. It’s the very hardship that makes the effort worthwhile. There’s a direct correlation between exertion and excelling.

It’s called gravity. Without it, we become weak and stupid. Our minds, muscles and bones waste away. Literally. According to the Globe and Mail (08/20/09), fit and robust people blast into space and return six months later a much frailer version of themselves. They are prone to dizziness. Their muscles are thinner and weaker. And listen to this: their bone density has decreased by up to 12 percent – around eight times faster than it would have on earth. Scientists say it’s like aging at warpspeed.

What’s the moral of the story? Intensify your personal gravity. Take the path of maximum resistance. Take on impossible tasks. Be unreasonable in your expectations of yourself and others. Celebrate your crises. Bless your barriers. Love your losses. Marvel at your mistakes.  Make friends with your frustrations. Honour your opposition. Embrace your enemies – both inside and out.

Here’s what I’m discovering: happiness is not about plain-sailing or easy-riding. Those moments are there merely to prepare us for the next monumental challenge. It’s not about the pursuit of expedience by evading problems. It’s about the pursuit of mastery by seeking them out. Run towards the bear. Remember Napolean Hill’s immortal words, “Within every setback or obstacle or disadvantage there is the seed of an equal or opposite or greater advantage or benefit.”

By the way, I’m not just talking about raising your mental game here. I’m encouraging you to increase your physical exertions. If zero gravity wastes away your muscles and bones, the opposite must also be true. Go push against some resistance. Let them see you sweat. The season of leisure is almost over. Game on…

7.10am, Friday, August 7 2009

We’re into the Dog Days of August. Long, slow, humid, hot days washed down by cold beers is the way it’s supposed to be. This is a time for languid movement and luxurious reflection. It’s summer time and the living is easy. It’s the hiatus before the storm as we prepare for the action that explodes after Labour Day. Or is it?

August is the new September. All around me I see the signs of commercial awakening. On both sides of the border, I see more than green shoots. I see bursts of colour as the green shoots begin to flower. Financial services, Health-Care, IT, Energy, Automotive, Government – they’re all coming back. New businesses are being ignited, older businesses are reinventing themselves, the best are getting ready for a Great Fall.

I’m having my busiest August since I arrived in Canada in 2001. I’m running with a pack of clients who have adapted to the new realities. They know it’s tough. They know their markets are tight. They know their margins are sliced. They know their Customers are hurting. They know the competition is intense. But they also know this is the best time for the best to bring out their best. Anything less means oblivion. I’m serious. Survival and winning are becoming the same thing. Either you demonstrate your superiority or someone else eats your breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Have you noticed that even the Celsius levels have dropped? August isn’t hot and slow any more. It’s cool and fast. So if you’re on vacation, enjoy. Kick back and relax. But think about how you’ll kick your game up a few notches next month. Plan your moves. Imagine the possibilities. Relish the opportunity to think not do. Prepare to be preeminent – that’s where you become the benchmark by which all others are judged. What would that take? Who would you have to be? What would you have to create? How far would you have to go? And how can you get there with passion and grace?

Some things to think about on this first Friday in August. Let me know your thoughts as well.

Rest Easy Today. Hunt Well Tomorrow…

Toronto, July 16 11.20pm

Last weekend, I attended the Paul McCartney concert in Halifax as a guest of my friend, Barb Stegemann.

From 9.00pm to about midnight, McCartney wowed the audience of 50,000 people. He looked lean, fit and tanned. He is 67 years old but he looks younger than me at 51. For three hours, he sang, chatted and charmed his way through almost five decades of hits. He didn’t rest, he didn’t pass off the load to anyone else. He worked intensely for his audience’s love and respect. He seemed to relish every moment and by the end of the night, he looked like he could carry on until morning.

That’s why I want to be like Paul. Not because he’s a global, ageless icon. Not because he’s supernaturally talented. And not because he’s been gifted with Peter Pan genes. I want to be like Paul because of his hunger for more. I want to be like Paul because of his need to work. I want to be like Paul because he craves adulation and adoration just like everyone else I know. I want to be like Paul because he’s living proof that adolescent possibility never goes out of style. Yup, I want to be like Paul because he has never fallen out of love with his gift. He hasn’t succumbed to the siren call of self-destruction. He seems oh-so normal as he practices his craft with enticing insouciance.

Age does have something to do with it. We’re all temporary phenomenons. But while we’re here we can live each day as though it were a concert aimed at thrilling a small city. That’s what I got from Paul. Work it as hard as you can. Let them see you sweat. But let them also see your mastery and hear your voice. It’s about the show. And it always goes on…

Toronto, Sunday, June 21 2009, 12.20pm

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With everything on your plate, it’s amazing that you found the time to read this. And with all the voices in your head, It’s even more amazing that you can actually focus on what you’re reading. The ultimate prize for me is to keep your attention long enough to share my gifts with you. That means this blog better be remarkable. So here  goes…

Your hopes, dreams, goals, desires depend on one factor above all else: Presence. That means your ability to capture others attention long enough to give them what they want. It’s that simple. And it’s that impossible. But impossible is temporary. Today’s impossible is tomorrow’s no brainer. Today is a good time to take on the challenge.

Whose attention do you need to capture? What do they want? How can you give it to them? And why you,  rather than anyone else who is desperate for the attention of the people whose attention you’re desperate for? It’s a dogfight. It’s a struggle. It’s the new defining moment, one moment after another.

It gets even more interesting: your competitors are becoming more interesting. They’re becoming more charismatic by the day. They’re inventing better, cheaper ways to give your customers what they want. What’s more, your customers know it. They’re comparing your offering even as you read these words. It’s a beauty contest and it’s getting ugly, unless you’re winning. Are you? Do you own their imagination? Are you the segue to their hopes and aspirations? Are you their edge, their secret sauce, their silver bullet? Or not?

Are you even trying? And I don’t mean just doing your job well. That’s so not enough. I mean consciously turning your promise into something breathtaking. I mean designing a pitch that brands you as a special talent with the wherewithal to make your clients famous? And by the way, this blog isn’t just for sales or marketing folk. It’s for anyone who serves or lives with anyone else. That’s right. You have to bring this level of Presence to the people with whom you live, work and play. Because if you don’t, someone else is guaranteed to fill the gap.

So what does it take? How do you become your own idol of the silver screen? How do you unleash your star within? How do you shine brighter so others are attracted to your glow? A lot of things. Things you’re already doing. Things you need to begin doing. Things you need to stop doing. I’m literally writing a book on this subject. This blog is an exclusive preview of what’s to come. But here are the first four things for you to contemplate as you pursue your own preeminence:

Be damn good at what you do. Without raw competence, nothing else matters. In extreme times, damn good is the new acceptable. Anything south of that standard makes you vulnerable. It means your survival is a function of your clients’ ignorance. When they find someone better, you’ll be history in a heartbeat. What’s more, they’ll tell hundreds of other people how you duped them. Your reputation may never recover. Am I exaggerating just a little bit? Maybe, and maybe not. But act as if what I’m saying is the truth. Paranoia can be a powerful driver of success.

Believe in yourself and what you do. Without intense self-belief, Presence will escape you. Others will believe you if they believe that you believe. Doubt, hesitation, self-deprecation will block out your light. The current realities conspire to make us all question our worth. Engage in the question, but find the answers that support your passion. Confidence is attractive. Uncertainty is not. Tell yourself whatever story you need to believe. Become your own best coach because the alternative is an opponent who will crush you. It’s self-destruction. I see it every day. I battle with it every day. This blog is one of the ways I use to immunize myself against it. In fact, of all the blogs, I’ve written, this may be the best. To me, my words seem more muscular and masterful. And that belief inspires to me to write even more words. The fact that you’re still with me means that I’m not entirely delusional.

Help others believe in themselves and be damn good at what they do. Everyone needs a champion to help them win. We’re all looking for the Yoda, the Gandalf or the Lombardi to transform us. We crave the wisdom that delivers the perspective that sets us free. Every breakthrough moment is preceded by something another person has said or done with us or to us. So be the bearer of empowering news. Don’t go spewing your advice indiscriminately. But offer it with sensitivity and discretion. Even more importantly, take the actions that lead to others success. Build a reputation as a force-multiplier and others will be attracted to your cause.

Always be communicating. Seize every opportunity to talk, write, share, broadcast, call, present, blog, tweet, or upload. Before others are drawn to you, they have to know about you. Then, they have to know you. Then they have to trust you. Then they have to believe in you. Then, they have be re-recruited every day with insights and messages that inspire them. It’s a tall order. It’s an unreasonable standard to live up to. But thousands of people are living it. They’re the vanguard. The rest will follow. Where are you? At the vanguard? Or buried in the mass of people who follow.

Hmm, that’s it for now. Let me know your response. I need your reciprocation. Help me help you live at the vanguard. Until the next time, do something remarkable that excites someone else to do something remarkable. Every act is a cause set in motion. And the chain of consequences never ends.

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Toronto, Sunday, May 31 2009, 8.30pm

I`m a little ashamed. Actually more than a little. It`s been four weeks since my last blog. I`m the champion of disciplined consistency, and I`m the one who falls off the wagon. Typical. How many people do you know who used to be disciplined, but they lost their passion? Or how many people do you know who used to be great, but they faded into mediocrity? Or how many people do you know who complain about how they could be great if only there weren’t so many people getting in their way? Too many, right?

I was on the verge of becoming one of those people. I could tell you that I’ve been too busy. I could tell you that I’ve had to put out too many fires. I could even tell you that I needed to take a break. But whatever excuse I gave you would be just that – an excuse. The truth is that I began to drift. I ran into roadblocks that frustrated me. I lost engagements I should have earned. I lost deals I should have won. I lost an edge I should have kept. I procrastinated on doing the important work because I told myself I had to do the urgent work. And I caught myself just in time.

When you don’t do what you know you must do, it prevents you from doing anything else well. Why is that? Because you’re constantly thinking about what you must do that you haven’t done. It interferes with every other activity. It’s the discordant thought that gets in the way of the masterpiece. You know it. Other people feel it. And the more you procrastinate, the more discordant the thought becomes. Sometimes it becomes so discordant, it’s painful. And that’s where the great decision must be made: take action and resolve it. Or do nothing and succumb to it.

I see it all the time: people who have resigned themselves to do less because they’ve lost the will to do more. How about you? What have you put off? Where have you drifted? How have you let yourself down? Think about it. This could be a defining moment for you. It’s the moment you choose effort and application over inertia and regret. It’s the moment you reclaim your self-purpose over self-pity. Maybe most importantly, it’s the moment you shine a light for others rather than disappear into the darkness. Pretty heavy, man. But that’s how I’m feeling.

The time is always right to do the right thing. So It’s 8.30pm on Sunday, May 31 and I’m setting myself free. I’m reclaiming my purpose. I’m taking action. I’m baring my soul as I scour my mind. I’m plunging back into what I love to do: communicating with you wherever you are. That’s the irony: I love to write. But it’s always hard. It always takes a few hours before the words begin to flow. It always involves a showdown with the white space of nothing before the words come out to play. I sort-of, kind-of, semi-know what I’m going to say before I say it. But the words always emerge differently. It’s an act of will, but it’s also an act of faith. I can push myself only so far, then I need the inspiration from a higher source to go further. If you invite it, it will come. The point is you have to be serious about your invitation. The muse only appears when she knows she’s deeply desired.

“To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow, Creeps in this petty pace from day to day” said Shakespeare. A minute turns into an hour, turns into a day, turns into a week, turns into a month. That’s’ what happened to me. It seems like in the blink of an eye, I lost a month. I can’t change that. What I can do is renew my commitment to my self-purpose in June, beginning now. I will make the time to make the message to make the impact on the people who have made the time for me.

It’s a privilege to talk to you. It’s also a necessity. If I don’t talk to you, I don’t live my purpose: I don’t excite you into action. And if I’m not exciting you then I’m disappointing myself. But not tonight. Tonight, I’m stepping up. I’m recharging my mojo. I’m going from slumped to pumped. And I hope I’m doing the same for you.

Being Inspired is never a solo activity. It’s a dance between willing partners who trust each other to make the right moves. These words are mine. What are yours? Seriously, How are you going to reciprocate? For my sake and for yours. I crave your kudos. I love every call. I vicariously experience every breakthrough.

It’s one thing to feel pumped now, it’s another to sustain it later. So here are Lipkin’s five ways to be on-purpose through the clutter, the noise, the complexity and desire for distraction.

1. Beware by being-aware. Stand guard. Catch yourself drifting. Think about who you need to be and what you need to do. Keep it front and centre. Make it a priority before it becomes a penalty. Anticipate the ecstasy of action and the agony of remorse. Intensify both emotions. Dramatize the pleasure of fulfilment, magnify the pain of wimping out. Tell yourself whatever story motivates you into action. My story is that keeping you on-purpose is my reason for being. If I don’t do that, I have no reason to be there. And that’s about as painful as it gets for me. On the other hand, just one call from you makes it all worthwhile.

2. Don’t worry about the result. Fear of failing is one of the biggest causes of failure. Focus on the game. Trust in the outcome. It may be different to what you expected, but it’s always what it is meant to be. Failure is never failure unless you become the failure. What do I mean? Failure is always an event. It’s a result you didn’t want, but it may be exactly the result you need. My biggest successes have come from my biggest “failures”, including six months of clinical depression sixteen years ago that inspired me to become a Motivator. It’s only when you say the fatal words – “I am a failure” that your prediction will come true. Understand?

3. Act boldly. The best thing to do is the right thing to do. The next best thing is the wrong thing.  The difference between right and wrong is often miniscule. Every action creates its own momentum. Be on-purpose. If you act with courage and conviction, the world will conspire with you to succeed. The mark of today’s winners is a personal confidence that is not grounded in the data. It can’t be. Too much is changing all the time for anyone to be fully backed by the facts. Big steps require huge leaps of faith. So act like you mean it. And if at first you don’t succeed, do it again. But incorporate your learning from the first time.

4. Collaborate with the Best. In the last week, I’ve had conversations that have stretched me to the max with leaders from Novartis, Pfizer, DHL, Canada-Goose, Dynamic Mutual Funds, Syntegrity, Bydolan, Environics, The BC Civil Service and Deloitte. Everyone of them contributed to these words. I’m coaching them, but they’re enabling me by bringing me into their world. I’m becoming part of them and they’re becoming part of me. Who are you becoming? What kind of company are you keeping? What kind of conversations are you having? Are you being exhausted, excited and unsettled by your conversations? How are you contributing? And what are you getting back? Remember: all wealth is a reciprocation of the contribution you make to others.

5. Condition yourself like an athlete. If you want to win, you have to prepare to win. So what is your training program? Mentally, Physically, Emotionally, Socially and Spiritually, how are you achieving your peak state? Being the best is never easy, but it can be enjoyable if being the best is what you enjoy being. I’m at my happiest when I’m playing at my best. I’m in Nirvana when I’m recognised as being the best. It’s also how I make a living. Anything but the recognized standard of motivational excellence doesn’t cut it for me. Seriously, if I’m not the best, why would anyone want to learn from me? That’s my standard. What’s yours? See yourself as the best. Train to be the best. Then trust in the plan coming together just the way it should. I’m living proof that it usually does.

That’s it. Thank you for your attention. Go be Great.

Toronto, May 5 2009, 11.OOam

Here’s Lipkin’s Paradox: The quieter the times, the louder you need to be. In quiet times, the majority of people go quiet. When demand is low, their morale is low. Crushing times crush people’s spirits. The work isn’t diminishing but people are being diminished by the work. Just look around you. Listen to the prevailing dialogue. You won’t hear the language of freedom and possibility. You’ll hear words of desperation, complaint and blame. So here’s our choice: follow the crowd into oblivion. Or lead them into opportunity. What are you doing? What better time than now? What better place than here? And what better person than you?

So what does it take to create your own mojo? How do you continuously conjure up your own magnetism to attract the best and the brightest to you? How do you build your resilience so you can take it to the next level when others are giving up or caving in? Those are the questions that inspire and torture me all the time. As the world’s self-appointed Chief-Motivator, I have to be up almost all the time. Every conversation, every call, every meeting, is an opportunity to create a WOW or succumb to same-old-same-old. It’s a conscious choice and it’s an acquired skill. But most of all, it’s the ultimate hallmark of Champions. It’s Resilience & Idealism beating Fatigue & Cynicism not just sometimes, every time.

Resilience and Idealism go together like white on rice. Resilience, rhymes with Brilliance, is defined as “the power to return to the original form after being bent or stretched; elasticity; buoyancy; ability to recover readily from illness or adversity”6. Idealism is simply the pursuit of one’s ideals, those things that inspire you to be your best. That’s when you’re playing from your “original form” – the way you’re designed to play. Idealism puts the buoyancy and elasticity in Resilience.

Without Idealism, you’re simply Cynical. You still carry on – because you have no choice, but you’re jaded and negative. You distrust the motives of others because you distrust your own motives. You disbelieve in generosity and extraordinary possibility. You’re tired of it all. You’ve given too much too often with no reciprocation or return. Now you’ve gone too far to come back again. It’s just too damn hard. And people are just too damn unreliable, unpredictable and self-centred anyway.

There’s no buoyancy or elasticity in Cynicism. It dries up the spirit and replaces it with Fatigue. Check it out: observe people who aren’t idealistic. See how much of an effort everything seems to be. Taste their bitterness as they reluctantly take on tasks that require great effort. It’s like gravity multiplies itself against them. They create their own resistance and then they complain about it. Their condition becomes chronic and they die a little more each day. Cynicism is fatal but it is treatable. It requires the discovery of a cause or the reconnection with an ideal that has the power to inspire the cynic into action.
That’s the Main Thing: to find the one thing that makes your life worthwhile.

Nelson Mandela declared his Main Thing in his statement from the dock at the opening of the defense case in the Rivonia Trial in Pretoria, South Africa on April 20 1964:

“During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die”

What’s the Ideal you live for? What’s The Main Thing that inspires and sustains your Resilience every day? In your own way, how are you living with the conviction of Nelson Mandela. I’ll tell you mine: I want to excite people into action. Through my stories and my insights, I want to light the fire within everyone I meet so they live their Ideal Lives. That’s the Ideal I live for. And that’s why I live in Toronto, Canada. It’s energy, openness, civility, tolerance, diversity, and resources make it the perfect space in which to spread my message. I’m in the right place at the right time doing the right thing to create the right results.

Here’s another reason why you want to be an Idealist: Idealism is one of the fastest growing trends tracked by the Environics Social Values Monitor. The pursuit of meaning, fulfillment and contribution is fashionable. And so is talking about it. It’s the theme of the decade. So get with it. The people who are thriving on the cusp of change are experiencing a new sense of drive and vitality, as well as a heightened sense of adaptability. With so much at stake, the new Champions are putting their stake in the ground. They are choosing to stand for something – their Main Thing.

Let’s wrap this up with Lipkin’s Five Ways To Sustain Your Resilience and Idealism:

1.    Take the hits. Every day is an experience in extremes. The Highs are exquisite and the Lows are exquisitely painful. Every person goes through them. No-one escapes unscathed. How you handle each experience determines what kind of experience you have next. So savour the Highs, tolerate the Lows. Learn from both. And remember: whatever you’re going through is what you were destined to go through because that’s what you’re going through, so go through it.

2.    In good times, prepare for bad. In bad times, prepare for good. This too shall pass. And it shall pass quickly. When times are good, be mindful. Harvest the learning and save the resources you’re creating. When times are bad, see things that others cannot see. Look in the right direction. Trust that you’ll find what you’re looking for. Keep The Faith. Stay The Course. Fight The Good Fight.

3.    Be Idealistic. Find the Ideal that makes you great. Focus on the Main Thing that empowers you to live the life that’s right for you. Stand guard against Cynicism. Strengthen your buoyancy and elasticity by constantly re-minding yourself why your life is an extraordinary gift. Be great-full.

4.    Declare your commitment loudly with your words and actions. In darker times, shine brighter. Voice your optimism. Do the things others are afraid to do. Say the things other are afraid to say. Step into the space of opportunity. Be bold, not stupid. Be swept away by your enthusiasm. Showcase your relish for the challenges at hand. If your style is quieter and low-key, then whisper your passion. And amplify it with action. Others are counting on you to go first.

5.    Practice deliberately. Break through your awkwardness by doing the things you’ve never done before. At first, it will seem unfamiliar and difficult. The result may not be what you want. The temptation will be to refrain from trying it again. But you must – over and over until you achieve mastery. Switch off the automatic pilot. Practice with a heightened awareness of what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, what’s working and what’s not. It may never get easier, but you will get better. I believe easy is your wake-up call. If it’s too easy, it’s time to kick it up a notch.