I love my dad.

He might be the kindest and most compassionate person I know. He’d give you the shirt off his back, even if that meant he’d be shirtless.

Other people love him, too. Of course, they love him for those reasons. But they also love that he screams at the TV when the Giants fumble, or when the ump blows a strike call. They think it’s hilarious when he calls someone a jerk because they have an ugly haircut. And that he insists on telling the same story about “nickel drafts” at Shady Brady’s bar, over and over and over again.

The very things that drive me up the wall. A wall of insanity. Again, Dad? Again, really?

I proceed to get pissed and banter with him, back n’ forth. And at the end of the day, I’m frustrated and exhausted. But I always come back for more bickering. Why do I do that? Why do WE do that?

If someone wrote you a check for $1 million today, what would you do with it?

New car? New home? Pay-off debt? Maybe a vacation?

Damn, this would be exciting. And it would definitely relieve some pressure. No denying that. Shiny objects are fun. And pressure sucks.

Me? Not sure. A few years ago, I'd have said, new Benz maybe. Definitely goodbye mortgage. Forget a vacation—a new vacation pad in Miami sounds more my appetite. I mean, it does sound amazing.

Okay, so after that, what would you do the next day?

I’ve heard some people say, “Easy, I’d quit my job” or “Tell my boss to go screw himself.” Surely these all might be good options. And fun ones, too.

But, for a moment, even if it’s just right now, think about this question a little deeper.

It’s 6 o’clock in the morning. Your alarm is screaming at you, and you think to yourself, WTF, already!?

SLAM. Your hand hits the nightstand as you reach to find the snooze button just so you can twist n’ turn for nine more minutes. It’s your average Monday morning.

Just the thought of Betty telling you what to do when you roll into work and the monotony of daily tasks that lay ahead make you want to curl up in a ball and cry.

Ring, snooze. Twist n’ turn. Ring, snooze. Finally, with one eye open, you grab your phone to turn that freaking alarm off.

Do I need to tell you what happens next? The force is strong with this one.

“Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or you will find your customers buying from them, not you.” - Mark Cuban

Every business owner and salesperson in the world needs to recognize the demand for max transparency has changed the game, forever. And quite honestly, there’s no looking back. 

Your customers don’t have time to talk to you, don’t want to talk to you, and don’t need to talk to you.

Information isn’t the problem anymore. We live in the information age. Information has always been limited by your desire to learn. Now, it’s accessible to anyone, when they want it and how they want it. Information has been democratized, and options are limitless for today’s consumer, making transparency required.

The role of selling in the 21st century has been completely flipped on its head.

Happy New Year! I wish you nothing but health, happiness, good fortune, and everything that comes with it in 2018. And, thank you, thank you for all the support in 2017. In just two weeks, January 16th 2018 - The Salesperson Paradox: A Strikingly Simple Way to Provide Solutions Your Customers Can't Say No To – will be available on Amazon! Yes, I'm excited.

Okay, here's my December 2017 Reading List...

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” – Steve Jobs

If you like complex stuff which I doubt you do, but if you do, then you probably shouldn’t buy my upcoming book, The Salesperson Paradox: A Strikingly Simple Way to Provide Solutions Your Customers Can’t Say No To. Or read the rest of this article. Well, maybe you should. Then, you might want to buy it.

I believe simplicity is the secret. It’s the secret to reproducibility, engagement, performance, and potentially happiness. It’s the secret for the most “successful” companies in the world, people in the world, for you, and for me. That's why I will always strive for simplicity. I won’t always obtain it, but I’ll try.

Below are 18 examples of simplicity from people who also think it's pretty important.