The DV Weekend Pickup #8

On the heels of all this diet talk, well, I figured why not?

Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy by Walter C. Willett, M.D.

What I like best: This is actually the first nutrition I ever read. It set the domino effect for what would end up being permanently changed eating habits and I can't not applaud the first "domino." In a nutshell this book sums up pretty much everything you need to know about general nutrition. It deconstructs myths like the food pyramid, what you think you know about fats, carbs, and sugar, and why you can probably still drink/eat what you enjoy. Asking questions like what is the best time to eat fruits? vegetables? Why are some fats good or bad? Why is some protein better than others? Dr. Willett remains surface level for those who just want key takeaways but gives enough content to allow you to dive in and get granular if you desire. Above everything else this is a reputable resource that uses 20 years of Harvard Medical School based research to support and provide nutrition facts. In an industry with so many "pretenders" this isn't always easy to find. Bottom line if you want to improve your nutrition IQ then this a good, reliable place to start.

Best Quote: "Coffee is a remarkably safe beverage...it is low on the totem pole of health risks and even has a number of benefits."

It's hard for me not to love that quote, yes, I am a slave to coffee. I love you coffee.

DV

Diet of a Sales Consultant

Okay so let me preface this post by saying I am not a nutritionist, doctor, or food expert. In fact I have absolutely no professional training in food at all. My nutrition training simply comes my own personal experience, curiosity, and research.

In 2009 I dropped from 225lbs to 185lbs and  I've maintained that approximate weight for the last 7 years. My metabolism is fast but only because I've trained it consistently to be that way. I reserve a 24 hour period from Saturday 8pm to Sunday 8pm where I eat whatever I want - pasta, pizza, ice cream - you name it if I want it, I eat it! I thought it would be fun to share my daily diet because I do feel it helps me perform at my best day in, day out.

*Note - There is slight variation when I go to dinners, events, holidays, or travel but the diet below is what I eat most days. 

• Breakfast (2 options)

  • Protein shake (Always)

  • (1) 1/4 cup steel cut oatmeal with 1/2 cup apple sauce

  • (2) 2 eggs over easy, side of dry wheat toast, and cup of fruit

• Mid-Morning Snack

  • Protein bar (300 cal - high protein, high fat, mid carbs, low sugar)

• Lunch (3 Options)

  • (1) Grilled chicken (8oz) with cold bean salad (8oz) & veggie side

  • (2) Sushi and shashimi (Watch quantity)

  • (3) Grilled chicken (10oz) salad loaded with greens, avocado, peppers, fruit, etc. (Oil & Vinegar Dressing)

• Mid-Afternoon Snack

  • Nuts (300 cal - Almonds, Peanuts, Cashews, etc.)

• Dinner

  • Grilled chicken (8-10oz) with 1 cup brown rice & 1/2 bag of green veggies.

• Nighttime Snack

  • Two scoops of peanut butter

Use at your own risk!

DV

Grilled Chicken

6 Things Salespeople Should Never Do

Personally I always found it useful to consider things I should NEVER do as much as things I should ALWAYS do AND since I love you I figured I'd share my personal "never" list with you! So avoid doing these things at all cost, ha! These are easy ways to prevent you from both growing and winning consistently.

1. Never allow yourself to feel someone else's success inhibits your success. There is no shortage on success.
2. Never allow failure to be viewed negatively. Link failure with learning.
3. Never act for today with disregard for tomorrow.
4. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
5. Never assume people understand. Always explain. (Personally I struggle with this one but I try to combat this with a high level of transparency, its a battle!)
6. Never EVER forget to follow up. Super, super important.

I like putting together takeaway lists. Let me know if you find this list useful and impactful. If so I will try to incorporate more lists into the blog. Crush the day!

DV

Quickest Way To Lose An Audience Of One

Over the weekend I came across this tabloid article about Kelly Ripa throwing Michael Strahan under the bus live on air regarding his past divorces. Much has been made in the media regarding the recent riff between the two since Strahan's announcement to move on from Live! to a full time spot on Good Morning America. She is making her feelings of hurt and betrayal known through a series of low blows and unflattering actions. Only time will tell if this will or will not affect Ripa's future endeavors or image. Chances are she'll hire great PR people and in time it will all go away EXCEPT for one person, her next co-host. It would be impossible for him/her to not have this in the back of their mind especially at first sign of any adversity between the two.

I couldn't help but take this as an opportunity to remind us that we must win and LOSE gracefully. It shows character and real concern for your audience. In the real world with only you as your PR being a sore-loser guarantees you nothing except MORE losing and a bad reputation. The hard reality we all face is that we cannot control everything despite our efforts. 

Losing is learning and learning is growing.

DV

Keep It Simple, It's That Simple

What makes Stephen Curry great? The answer is: SIMPLICITY. He has mastered the most common basketball skill - shooting. Greatness is achieved by mastering simplicity. I can name thousands of examples. Apple has done it with the iPhone. Google has done it with search navigation. Instagram has done it with social media. The list goes on and on...

Simplicity doesn't mean easy. Simplicity means it's easy to use, understand, or deal with. Simplicity allows you to connect with ease. The freedom from complexity is of the highest importance in business.

Simplify the problem. Simplify the solution. Simplify your focus. Simplify your energy. Simplify your message. Simplify your investments. Simplify your goals.

Keep it simple. It's that simple.

DV

The DV Weekend Pickup #7

Since I post my reviews every Friday I decided to change the name to "The DV Weekend Pickup." It just feels more natural. Anyway...

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

What I like best: This is the FIRST business book you should ever read, hands down. The fact that it was written in 1936 and still revered and purchased regularly (30 million copies sold) is amazing. Carnegie shares timeless anecdotes, examples, and techniques to simply become a better person. I always felt the title of this book should have been "How to Treat People Right" because essentially that is what this book is all about. It is recognized as the relationship bible for business and I will argue it will have equal impact on your personal life. "It changed my life," says Warren Buffet. He is just one of thousands of famously successful people throughout the years who have touted this book for it's ability to have lasting IMPACT. In 2011 it was listed by Time Magazine as #19 most influential book of all time! Pick it up, highlight, take notes, and learn from a literary legend.

Best Quote: "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in you."

*Note - This book is PACKED with excellent quotes and one-liners.

DV

groundupSALES Quote #5

This is one of my BIG 3 absolute musts if you want to be successful in business and sales. It is essential! If you want to experience growth, change, or success you CANNOT live in your comfort zone. Timothy Ferriss says it best, "a person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have." He nails it. We MUST get use to being uncomfortable, daily!

DV

An Amazing Display of High Quality Consistency

In case you're living under a rock Game of Thrones season 6 premiered this week. The wildly popular, for good reason, TV show kicked off in true Thrones fashion by killing off characters, introducing new ones, and keeping everyone on their toes - again! I say "again" with purpose because of how incredibly consistent the writing (and acting) has been throughout each season. Typically my biggest knock on any of these super TV series are that the writing falls off after season 1 or 2 albeit most times slowly but surely. A 6 season TV series means close to 60 hours of material vs say one movie which is only 2 hours of material. It is just incredibly hard to churn out hours of HIGH QUALITY material with tight plots. Thrones does it - consistently!

As always it makes me consider and correlate this on a personal level. We all write and tell our own life story on a daily basis. What IS our story? Are we consistent with our thoughts, actions, and words? Are they all in harmony? How consistent are we at telling that story? Have we lost the audience?

DV

First Commit THEN Figure It Out

Last night I had the pleasure of seeing one of my favorite musicians Langhorne Slim at the City Winery in NYC (great venue by the way.) I will keep this post brief because my adoration for Langhorne could keep me writing for hours. Beside the fact that I think he's simply that good, he's also a badass who wears really coot hats, what's not to love.

However what I love most about him is his ability to 100% commit to EVERY moment then figure it out. He doesn't worry about anything except just going for it on every song. He is the epitome of PASSION. Some say committing THEN figuring it out is ludicrous, I say it's a must. If you want to connect - personally or professionally - with people then get your hands dirty, get vulnerable, and just go for it.

DV

Note - In the video below he is playing for a crowd of maybe 70 as if they were a crowd of 10,000. Check it out. Great song as well.

groundupSALES quote #4

Quite possibly the best piece of advice I've ever heard or could ever give in regards to building strong relationships whether it be business, friendships, or romantic. Without a doubt this is a constant battle BUT being vulnerable is the heart of healthy relationships - you need it to exist. It is only viewed as a weakness to those who merely see it for it's literal meaning.

Vulnerability is not what you think it is, vulnerability is much more. Vulnerability is vital.

DV

PS - For more on vulnerability check out Brene Brown's TED Talk. It's one of the most watched TED talks of all time. A true testament to the power of vulnerability.