Sometimes Change is Good!

I am intrigued by people that are changing careers. Maybe it's because that's what I have done, but nonetheless I find it fascinating. Today I had a lengthy discussion with Becky Hooman. When I first met Becky, she was a financial advisor and today she is a professional speaker. As an advisor she did presentations helping people understand their dreams and goals. She is now turning to a new career helping business professionals get the most out of their life and their business. She realized that her passion was not putting together the financial plan, but the motivational aspect of getting people to change their life. Her business is Return on Life, LLC and she can be reached at hoomreb@aol.com.
But back to why I am fascinated by people like Becky. We choose a career path for a lot of different reasons and sometimes it's the wrong reason. I chose mine because my father was a Sheet Metal Worker, so that's what I did. Sometimes we choose a career path because somebody says,” Do this or that because there's a lot of money in it”, so we try it. Some people go to college and take a career path based on the idea that in the future there will be a great need in a certain field. I would be willing to bet that most people are not in a career that brings out their true passion and that's what brings the most reward. There's one problem with this and it is the fact that it takes time to find your true calling. I think that it is rare to know what it is at a young age. It takes the aging process where our thoughts and concepts are sharpened on the Whetstone of life. I admire Becky for taking the steps to change her career, to make her life more fulfilling. I can honestly say that spending two hours with her today helped me in my commitment to my new life.
Whatever career you're in, I hope that it is the right one for you. Maybe you're not sure, maybe you ended up where you are for a reason you don't quite understand. Keep an open mind, explore new options and most of all understand that just because you've always done it doesn't mean you have to always do it.

Let's Talk about Storytelling

I was having a meeting yesterday with a new person that I met. His name is Dale Mancini and he is a new insurance representative in my BNI chapter. Now, this was the first time the Dale I had met, and the purpose of this was to get to know each other. Dale asked me to tell him a little bit about myself. Of those of you that know me, you know that I do like to talk about myself. I shared with Dale some of the process that I went through to go from a blue-collar construction guy to a businessman helping blue-collar construction guys. After I shared with Dale my story I asked him to tell me his story. The first thing he said to me was “Emil your story is so much like mine it's amazing.” Dale started out as a technician, went to college, got a degree and moved into corporate America. Now he is an independent insurance agent with MetLife dmancini@getmetagent.com.
But here's what was interesting: I can remember being a blue-collar guy and feeling maybe just a little bit inferior to the guys in the suits. There was times when I thought “I'm just a construction guy.” But here's what I've learned. The guy in the suit is just as important as the guy in the rags. We all need to be the best that we can be and that is what's important. It's not what you do for a living; it is how you do your living that counts.
When you share your story, people see your passion for what you do. They understand what makes you tick and how you work and that is what makes them want to do business with you. The world is full of people with skills but what it is not full of is the people that are willing to share their passion and open up, so that others can see inside.
Learn to tell your story, understand that that is really what people want to know about. If you're a blue-collar guy, we want to know why you're a blue-collar guy and your story is just as important as anybody else’s.

Are you in a rut?

Saturday morning was a beautiful day here in Pittsburgh. It snowed about 4 inches on Friday. Saturday morning it was cold, clean and crisp so I went for a hike. Usually on Saturday mornings I go tothe gym, but I was reading some information from my friend Weston Lyon http://www.westonlyon.com/. He was talking about the value of going outside exercising getting fresh air. Since I was thinking about the fact that spring is around the corner I did exactly what Weston advised, I went for a hike.

(I ran across this picture and of my inlaws one of their hikes and I posted it because I miss them.)

It's easy get into a routine of going to the gym and being indoors because it's simple, it is consistent and comfortable. I actually had to stretch a little bit to be outside as it's not in my routine. I walked hard, the snow was crunchy, and there were no trails. I have to admit that my legs are a little bit sore. It made me think of a few things, one of them being that spring is coming and I will be outside riding my bicycle very soon. The other thing I thought of was the fact that even though I exercise on a regular basis I still was in a rut. It is so easy to do that. No matter what we are doing the more we do something, the harder it is to do something different.

So, my lesson for the day is to get out and do something different, stretch your mind, or your work practices or your body. Take a look at what you do, day in and day out and ask yourself if you're in a rut. If you are, get out try something different. If it's something different for your business, it might not be easy. If it's something different in your personal life you might think that you don't have the time and if it's physical your muscles might be sore. I am glad that I got my nudge from Weston, it stretched me, as Weston tends to do. What are you doing to get out of your rut? Try something different, you might like it.

The Symphony Orchestra and the Construction Industry

I'm so proud of my daughter!
Of course I am proud of my daughter, as parents, we all are proud of our children and all of things that they do. Every once in awhile we get surprised and out of nowhere things happen, let me share.
My daughter, Erin, is a musician, literary freak and all-around very bright woman. All through high school she was a very artsy and unique young lady. She went to college and got a degree in music and business and had a bright future in front of her. She played viola, loved costumes and theater and had a direction in her life. When she got out of college she got a job with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and was having the time of her life. One day she had a mishap at the costume shop and severely broke her left wrist. She was devastated! Her left wrist and fingers are needed to play her instrument and she couldn't do it. At the age of 23, she felt lost.
Five years have passed and she hasn't played, and she got out of the orchestra and theater arena and tried some different things for employment. I could tell she was not happy but the person that had to realize it was her.
This week she started a new job with Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, http://www.westmorelandsymphony.org/ in the marketing department. She is back in the arts and she told me that she is going to play her viola again. I am so proud of her!
Erin had a dream and a vision, when she was young, about something she wanted to be and as life would have it, some obstacles got in the way. It took awhile, but I think she's back! She hung in there and kept her vision and her dream. I believe that this week, this new job, this new opportunity, is the beginning of something great for a person that always had greatness within. How lucky she is, how happy am I!

So how does this tie in to the construction industry? I think of that very typical construction contractor at a young age having a dream and of being self-employed, having skills and talents and wanting to apply them. The idea of having one's own business and being able to apply the skills learned from trade school, a parent, or from on-the-job training, is a driving force. There are many obstacles that get in the way of success and sometimes it seems as though it is out of reach. But here's the commonality; it's the clear vision. If we don't have an absolute clear vision of where we want to be we will never get there. The only way to overcome the obstacles is to know what you want and never give up.

I think of my daughter and her skills and talents and I know that a young age she had a clear vision. It takes more than skills and talents, it takes an absolute burning desire along with the wisdom to know that you must make changes in your life in order for that vision to come to fruition.

Is your vision clear and if it is, are you willing to make the changes necessary to accomplish your goals?

Preparation for a keynote speech

I am a member of BNI Network Connections and my keynote speech is on Monday. As I'm preparing for this speech I was thinking about the process that I went through. I came up with the idea, I started taking notes and I honed the concept in my mind. Today I sat down and put it all together. A lot of preparation goes into making a 10 minute speech, especially if you want to be really good.
Now here's what I want you to think about, I know my subject so that I could just stand up and talk and probably do a pretty good job but I want to do more than just a pretty good job, I want to be excellent.
What do you want to be in your business? Do you want to be pretty good or do you want to be excellent? Those of us that want to be excellent realize that what goes in to doing a presentation or running a business is all the same. It takes a lot of research, and a lot of extra effort, a lot of review and it takes a clear vision. I believe that my vision is clear, for the first time in three years, I know exactly what I want. Now I need to have a plan and a clear message so that my vision is understood. What are you doing for your business, is your vision clear, do you want to good or excellent?

Trading Talents Networking

Today was a great day!
The second training talents networking event was a huge success. The buzz in the room was an indicator of the way the contractors felt. It was so exciting! For those of you that where there I thank you for coming. There was no doubt in my mind that you enjoyed the networking and the chance to learn about the importance of having a business plan. Pat Putnam you are outstanding! You provided value and insight, what more could we ask for? For my wife and I, the meeting after the meeting was even better.
It is so exciting to me to see a group of blue-collar professionals interacting in a natural environment, sipping a beer, with a smile on their faces.
The feedback was much appreciated and very positive, we will do it again.