You're WRONG! Maybe.

Anytime you do anything publicly - action, art, ideas, opinions - it becomes open for interpretation. It's just reality. That we need to accept. You have to be prepared for negative and positive responses. The key question then becomes how do you know if you're getting feedback or criticism.

Let's take the worst case - a negative know it all who kills you for just being WRONG offering no additional solution. I'm not saying be that person because your better than that but don't discount it - there is value to be had everywhere. Is it possible, internally you KNEW that action/idea/opinion would offend that type of person? CONFIRMED. Is it possible, you didn't KNOW that action/idea/opinion would offend that type of person? CONFIRMED. Get the point? Viewing it as a GAIN situation is way better than letting it piss you off and put you in the gutter.

So what's the difference between feedback and criticism...

In my eyes not much. It's simply the way YOU hear it.

Crush the day!

DV

Mark Cuban's 12 Mantras for Success

Happy Monday! So I thought about it over the weekend and I am just going to hook you up with Cuban's 12 from last week's DV Weekend Pickup. There is just too much gold right here! If you want to dig deeper, READ the book, ha! Anyway here you go...

  1. Time is more valuable than money.
  2. Commit to random acts of kindness.
  3. No balls, no babies. You have to go for it.
  4. Work hard, play hard.
  5. Don't let fear be a roadblock.
  6. Expect the unexpected. Always be ready.
  7. It's okay to yell and be yelled at.
  8. Everyone get's down; the key is how soon  you get back up.
  9. It's not whether the glass is half full or half empty. It's who is pouring the water.
  10. It's not in the dreaming, it's in the doing.
  11. Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. 
  12. You only have to be right once. 

*Bonus* - Here's his rationale on #12, "I have been fired from more jobs than people have had. I have started a stupid business doomed to fail (selling powdered milk.) I have dated more girls than I wanted to. The beauty of success, whether it's finding the girl of your dreams, the right job or financial success, is that it doesn't matter how many times you have failed, no one keeps score, you only have to be right once."

Crush the day!

DV

The DV Weekend Pickup #17

Short week, it's already Friday! So here we go...

How to Win at the Sport of Business by Mark Cuban

What I like best: This book is packed with RAW information. Would you expect anything less from the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavs? Mark Cuban probably familiar to most of you as being one of the judges on ABC's hit show Shark Tank so as you know he isn't one for sugar coating. He takes the same style to a mini book (84 pages) and gives you only his best "shots." At the very least and if for anything else you should read the mini segment - Twelve Cuban Mantras for Success - it is super impactful. One of my personal favorite's is his reminder that in business, to be a success, you only have to be right once! In general Cuban lives by the business mantra, "Sales cure all." I mean, how can I not support him, ha. Bottom line if your looking for a short, direct, punch you in the face style business "tips" book then look no further - FULL of one liners. Plus you can pick it up for like five bucks. No excuses.

Best Quote: "What makes a good salesperson? Let me be clear that it's not the person who can talk someone into anything. It's not the hustler who is a smooth talker. The best salespeople are the one's who put themselves in their customers shoes and provide a solution that makes the customer happy."

DV

The Most Important Thing You'll Read All Day, I PROMISE

I am not sure how society has gotten to the point that time alone is worth money. It's what you provide to time that is worth money - information, action, and RESULTS. Therefore should it matter if somebody completes a task in 10 hours or 2 hours, 30 minutes or 2 minutes, etc.

If I gave you a map to a million dollars, would you complain that it's only one page long?

Provide value to time. Solve the problem.

Crush the day!

DV

An Interesting Thought on the Value of a Dollar

I'm back! It was a nice a little break in the action but I'd be lying if I didn't say I am happy to be back into the swing of things. One morning over the weekend I was up before everybody else so I decided to catch up on some blog's I was behind on. I came across an interesting thought by our friend Seth Godin on the value of a dollar.

A dollar more (vs. a dollar less)

He uses the price war between Uber and Lyft to illustrate an interesting point about pricing. Asking us, "what kind of person buys the cheap ride, the ride with the angry-stressed out drivers?" Is there more value than you think in a dollar more? Some people always want the cheapest despite any sacrifice. Perhaps we shouldn't always be blinded by bottom line cost.

Crush the day!

DV

 

 

The DV Weekend Pickup #16

This will be my last post until after the holiday so everyone have a happy and safe 4th of July weekend! In honor, this weeks book review might come in handy for you. You'll also notice I subbed out best quote with best suggestion - just for this week!

Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine by Mark Oldman

What I like best:  First, this book came highly recommended from a friend of mine who is a retired wine sommelier - naturally his opinion I respect a great deal. So I must admit this is the only wine book I've ever read so I don't have much to compare it to in that regard. However there is a lot of things to like about the book. For starters don't mistake this book as a "wine snob" book, it's great for beginners. Additionally Oldman give's you tons of excellent wine suggestions in EVERY price range.

It's super easy to read because Oldman uses 108 mini segments to layout the book. He uses quick lists, quotes, and illustrations to really "dumb" down an otherwise challenging topic - especially for wine novices. He discusses the important differences of grape variations, region differences, and vineyard nuances.  Lastly, he takes you around the globe touching down in - France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, and Chile - discussing everything you need to know about their respective wine game!

Best Suggestion: I am slowly falling in love with Beaujolais, a wine region in central-east of France (located just south of Burgundy and north of Rhone.)  Beaujolais is made with the grape variety Gamay. It is the PERFECT summertime red wine - light, slightly sweet, fruity, with low tannins - it's delicious! Give it a go this weekend and let me know what you think!

DV

A Thought On Time

Time is the most valuable thing in life, right? Wait...but why? Common thread would seem to suggest because it's definite and we never get more it. Doesn't that also suggest we are forfeiting control of our most valuable thing in life.

Surely, I never get today back but what about tomorrow, it's a brand new 24 hours to do whatever I want. Time is not a variable, it is a constant. Is that why it's so valuable? Or wait does that make it less valuable? I mean after all it is what it is.

Here's an interesting thought to consider. Place higher value on what you can control, the variable. Variable by you, ha. Consider the constant to make sense of it but don't worry about it. Like the amount of action you take, how happy or positive you are, etc. Looking at it this way may indicate that the variable is actually MORE valuable to the equation, right?

Which could also be a reminder not to take things out of context BUT that's whole 'nother thought! Haha.

Crush the day!

DV

What About The Giants?

As of yesterday I took the giant leap...I cancelled my cable, ha. I know it might not seem like a big deal and it probably isn't. If you've always had cable though, it's a weird feeling releasing control of the option. I am choosing the unknown as opposed to the known.

The benefit of ridding myself with time wasting, low value TV watching was just too great to ignore. Yes I still place high value on the entertainment I get from HBO/Showtime series but with modern technology you can still watch through a variety of different streaming options. 

And what about the Giant games this year? Interestingly when I stopped looking at this as a problem, I saw it more as a solution. Although I can't watch the Giant games at home it forces me to go watch them somewhere, engage with like minded fans, and enhance my enjoyment. Prior I would take the easy road, well because it was easier. 

Force your own hand. Remove temptation. Reduce options. Create a breakthrough.

DV

5 Women Who Are Crushing It

Wow! Game of Thrones Season 6 finale last night was quite the episode. It surely is a woman's world now! In honor I made a short list of my favorite women who are taking massive action in real life as well. 

*Holmes has had a rough year but her action is undeniable! I still say she's Daenerys-like, ha.

Crush the day!

DV

The DV Weekend Pickup #15

The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss

What I like best: Tim Ferriss is a human guineas pig and quite possibly the most interesting man in the world, ha. New York Times has been cited as calling him a cross between Jack Welch and a Buddhist monk - hmm. It's also worth noting that Ferriss believes highly in the 80/20 principle, which happens to be a groundupSALES stalwart! This book has done extremely well since it's release in 2007 with over 1.3 million copies sold. Interestingly it was denied by 27 publishers making it a great example of perseverance - oops, missed that one. Ferriss also hosts the # 1 iTunes business podcast The Tim Ferriss Experience which as of 2015 had over 70 million downloads - yup, you read that right. 

Anyway, back to the book. Ferriss uses a 4 step process to free your life from the norm. If you've got the guts, give it go, the process is laid out well in the book, but if not that's okay too. Either way it's an extremely enjoyable read. He takes you step by step on how he went from $40,000 a year in a 9-5 to $40,000+ a month with a sports nutrition start up. He puts a high focus on being productive rather than simply busy. He contends all you need to do is DEAL - Define, Eliminate, Automate, and Liberate. He gets granular with his methods. Ferriss is a real wealth of knowledge if your willing to let your mind consider possibilities outside your normal thought patterns. Sure, 4 hours seems like a farce and it probably is BUT that's okay it's the ideas that matter, they're invaluable. 

Best quote: "What we fear doing most is usually what we need to do...people will choose unhappiness over uncertainty."

DV