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CTLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
CTLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY
Image Source: http://diytoolkit.org/media/Business-Model-Canvasb.jpg Today I had lunch with a great, humble man named Randy. He is a private investor and is currently one of the creators for an app called Skipio that allows small businesses to share their contact information with others instantly without having to type info into the phone. He is personal friends with Oprah Winfrey and Mitt Romney along with hundreds of other influential people from across the country. While talking with him he taught me the power of tweaking a certain section of business model--how businesses can literally transform from a million dollar company to a billion with a switch on the focus of what to bring customers. It’s called the Economy Experience. He learned about it while he attended Harvard and here is a summarized article on the subject: hbr.org/1998/07/welcome-to-the-experience-economy When he presented the experience model he basically summarized how a company can increase the value of what they are selling by changing their standpoint of what it is that they are selling. In other words, rather than focusing on an item solely being sold as a commodity; the business team needs to consider the customers needs and wants in order to heighten the customer's desired experience that he or she will get out of the item. A business's revenue will increase not only because an experience is valued more than a commodity. A business will grow more when it is the correctly desired experience. (Image Source: bettycrocker.com) One example he gave was the Betty Crocker company. At the beginning, Betty Crocker wanted to sell pre-made instantaneous food that one could have by just adding water. Through trial and error, Betty realized that customers (mainly housewives) hated the idea of not having to do any work when preparing the meal. This lessened the value of what Betty was selling because it wasn't the experience they desired. Instead of including pre-cooked powdered eggs into the cake mixes, Betty allowed her customers to crack their own eggs. This gave her customers the experience of cooking which is what they wanted with the cake mix in addition to easy, quick home- cooked meals. He also talked about what makes an individual stand out from the crowd when it comes to promotions. He explained the difference with a story. The CEO of Kodak -Jeff Clarke- (and a good friend of Randy’s) told him about a test that he ran with his executive team. He purposely ran the clock twenty minutes ahead and he wanted to see what his team’s reaction what going to be. At the beginning of the meeting, he scowled at everyone. He couldn’t believe his whole team was late Image Source: kentuckyfertility.com for the first meeting of the year. One of his executive spoke up and told him that the clock was wrong, he was right on time and he was 100% sure the clock was behind. Another spoke up and told him that on the 11th floor the clock was slow as well and that there may be something wrong with the clocks in the building. This brought up the whole team talking about how they can fix the problem. It wasn’t until the youngest person in the team; a graduate intern, sighed really loud and grabbed a chair. She stood on the chair and corrected the time. Jeff laughed and promoted her there right on the spot. The lesson here is don’t just plan but actually execute your idea when you need to think outside of the box. Randy then asked us which was more important execution or planning? I yelled out execution and a lot of other people did too. Until a girl in the back scoffed at us and beautifully stated, “Planning and execution are like night and day- you can’t have one without the other,” and there is the answer. Again, like Randy stated in the beginning what separates million dollar companies from the billions is finding the correct direction you want to go and executing the idea to the best form you can place it. He also talked about the dangers of separating another set of twins that go hand in hand: possibility and probability. Possibility tends to be better understood by CEO, innovators, and R&D players. Probability leans more of the mindset of accountants, financiers, and a majority of stockholders. When a company wants to transform themselves apart from the norm the CEO needs to obtain a team that can believe in the “impossible” while creating their business from the scrappiest resources. What does scrappy mean? It means to the cheapest, most accessible items the company can get a hold of. When a team like that is conjured, the business model will fly. I hope this post will help you in your business endeavors whatever they may be. Sincerely, Connie Tinoco I was very surprised to find out what Steve Jobs’ reason was for dropping out of Reed’s College. Especially since his story is so similar to my own. After high school graduation I was accepted to UC Berkeley. Attending there was eye-opening in so many ways, I will never regret going there. I loved every minute of being at Berkeley. Although I didn’t go through the hard trials of adoption, I had the same realization as Steve. My own hard-working parents were struggling to pay for me to go there. Even though I had all of my tuition paid for, my parents still needed to help me with room and board- that was $14,000 left of the bill to pay for each semester. I consulted with my professors, mentors, and alumni. I told them my struggle and asked for their help to guide me in the decision. Some told me it was crazy to leave. Others told me I will still succeed with my endeavors despite my departure; I just had to have faith in myself and listen to my heart. After my first semester, despite keeping a top GPA, I decided to drop out and move back to Utah. It has been the best decision of my life. The experience transformed me into a patient, humble, and realistic person. It was my own trial of having to start over again. When I returned to Utah my family frankly told me they couldn’t afford to pay for my tuition at all. I needed to work for myself and raise my own tuition if I wanted to return to college. As soon as they told me that I knew I had to find a l job that was in the realm of what I already wanted to do. Instead of wallowing in despair I decided to stay optimistic and see the event as an opportunity to grow even further. I have always loved the medical field and it was time to dip my toes and really get into it. I buckled up and studied surgical technology for a year while working as a cashier on the side. Then later working in cleaning and processing medical instruments. Learning surgical technology has been extremely useful for me. I have not only gained work experience, but the act of consistently working in the field has kept me motivated daily to continue learning medical terminology, anatomy, and other concepts I will need to learn for graduate school. Since I am fully paying for my studies, I am in full control of what I can study. Like Steve, I took classes my parents probably would have considered useless but were interesting for me. I was lucky that in Berkeley, I decided to drop-in at some business classes. In a particular one I befriended a professor who gave me a book called, “Mindset,” by Carol Dweck. This books was life changing for me. It helped me understand the appreciation of failure and that growth takes effort. Back in Utah I decided to double major in business. Business has always fascinated me and I have always had to a desire to grow a business of my own. Taking on this other major has helped me grown even more. It has really taken me out of my shell since I am an introvert. Time and time again whenever I fumbled in my social skills I have learned to appreciate growth, pick myself up, and laugh it off. I know that social skills are not innate but acquired. I’m a testimony of that to myself. From these experiences I have learned to stay optimistic, patient, and open-minded to new opportunities. I also agree with Steve on the point of living each day as your last. While I was studying surgical technology I simultaneously worked on my CNA. During my internship as a CNA, I got the opportunity to work at a hospice center at an Alzheimer's clinic. The realization of death facing me anytime has helped me grow a sense of urgency and to live in a way I genuinely want to live. Like Steve, I also ask myself everyday if what I am doing is really want I want to do. For a time I was interested in coding but I found out that wasn’t for me-- and that is okay. The pressure of trying to charade as someone else just to gain prestige or power isn’t a bait for me anymore. Realizing everyone will meet their end creates a sort of bittersweet key towards freedom. Here is another great commencement speech relating to living each day as your last. I truly don’t care what others think about me and I live it in the way I want to because in the end does it really matter what other’s reactions may be? I’ve grown to be my own person and I’ve grown to love who I really am.
I leave you with this article that helps sum up the top important lessons I have learned from my hospice experience. The writer, Bronnie Ware, types it up in a clear concise way. It also summarizes her best-selling book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by the Dearly Departed. Here is the link: www.happywivesclub.com/top-5-regrets-from-the-dying/ I hope you all have wonderful day! "Stay hungry. Stay Foolish." XOXO, CT One of my favorite inspirational speakers is Mateusz M. He is a 23 year old video editor from Lublin, Poland. He immediately got my attention when I read his reasoning for what drives him to make motivational montages, “I want the world to be better because I was here.” Here is my favorite montages that he has created: The background story Mateusz mentions at the beginning of the following link is about a lion and gazelle. He uses this parable to explain the vicious cycle society places on itself in order to motivate itself. Many of us use outside influences to push us to where we want to go but it can only push us so far. At the end of the day whatever we may be doing seems to suck the life out of us and pulls us towards sitting down next to the T.V. It seems like the only good thing to do until we jump on our feet and realize how much time we have wasted. I placed myself in this situation many times before whenever I got anxious or nervous about an assignment, social gathering, or anything that made me feel uneasy. Luckily, back when I was studying at BYU in high school, I met a professor who taught me how to reach pure enjoyment with my goals no matter how hard they seemed. First, he explained what another professor, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi had taught him- the difference between enjoyment and pleasure. Csikszentmihalyi wrote, “When considering the kind of experience that makes life better, most people first think that happiness consists of experiencing pleasure: good food, good sex, and all the comforts that money can buy. We imagine traveling to exotic places or being surrounded by interesting company and expensive gadgets…” My professor wrote to me, “He suggests that PLEASURE is a feeling of contentment that results from meeting biological or social desires. Csíkszentmihályi recognizes that pleasure is important, but he also recognizes that it cannot bring happiness and does not promote emotional or psychological GROWTH.” Well then what does? To be honest when I first heard this I scoffed at it. At the time when I heard this-prestige, power, and money were ALL my main motivators for why I worked so hard. And just like Mateusz tells the viewer in his montage, DESIRE, “It’s about character.” My teacher tells me the difference about enjoyment. By the way, here is a clip to know more about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Enjoyment comes from overcoming a task that made you venture out of your comfort zone. It is an event that pushed you beyond your programming. “Enjoyment is the result of learning something new or performing at a higher level than we once believed possible. We seek and gain inspiration or spiritual fulfillment from confronting mental, physical, and social challenge,” Enjoyable experiences may not seem “fun” or pleasurable at the time they are happening, but when they are over, we typically look back and are proud at ourselves. In return:
“These experiences help us better understand our abilities, our interests, and our personal characteristics. These experiences cause us to change and grow. Flow experiences are not necessarily pleasurable, but they are enjoyable. To produce flow, it is necessary to make considerable effort beyond what we are programmed to do. ” he said. To be honest I consistently feel ALIVE ever since learning this type of mindset. I may not be happy allthe time but I feel proactive and conscious about my day to day decisions more and more each day. I hope you decide to take the initiative to change as well. I leave you all with this comic piece by TruthSeekerDaily.com featured on ifunny.com (Click the picture to start the comic slide.) Much Love, CT Being an introvert has stopped me from heading to the gym many times- not to mention a dislike for my body image that happens once in a while. It seems every time I crawl out of the pit of laziness I get discouraged or too busy to continue working out. If it hadn't been for one of my best friends last year, I probably would have been paying for an unused gym pass. It's a new year, it's time to continue the progress. Before my best friend and my thirst to workout- I really needed to motivate myself to move. I follow this ritual every time I don't have the desire to move: 1. Find your favorite dance routine. I LOVE to dance. Whenever, I hear Hip-hop, Latin Hits, or Techno. I move. It doesn't matter how tired I am, I move. I have space where I can rock out to my jam and I feel so happy. I get so pumped up I want to move more and my desire to workout turns on. * **If you share a room with a roommate, have iffy landlords, or can't wake a baby put on some headphones and dance. (I take it one step further though, I open up Youtube and search for a random Zumba routine. I do about 1-3 of these routines before I move on to workout sets.) 2. Listen to your body. The thought, "Workout till something hurts." IS WRONG.! Not only are you possibly heading for a knee, shoulder, or spine replacement in the future, but your morality and desire to continue working out will go down the drain. Don't push yourself to the point of exhaustion. You will most likely NOT head back to the gym or workout at all at home. Take your time. Athletes are not made in a day. If you admire someone at the gym or have a picture of what you desire to look like in the future ingrained in your mind; YES, use it to motivate you. However, remember that he or she is at a WHOLE DIFFERENT LEVEL than you and PROGRESS TAKES TAKE TIME! And there is nothing wrong with that! If you worry you won't have that bikini body with slow progression you are wrong! Here is some proof to back it up: www.livestrong.com/article/386405-how-much-weight-can-i-lose-in-a-year/ 3. Don't forget to warm up and cool down! 4. Remember posture and form are waayy more important than how many workout sets you do. If you do an exercise move correctly, you will strengthen those involved muscles more with that one movement than if you hastily worked on an excerise move incorrectly. *** Also, you're less likely to put incorrect weight and strain on ligaments or joints. 5. Take time to stretch rigid areas before, after, or DURING a workout.
Again, listen to your body. If you feel rigid in a certain area of your body. Stop what you are doing and take care of your body. (I placed the Youtube Link above for those who feel they need to stretch their necks. It's my number one area that I need to watch for constantly.) 6. Remember to mix it up! It's important to incorporate cardio, strength training, and flexibility exercises into your workout. Why?
If you don't know how to incorporate these three vital types of exercise, here is a link to help you. (It's a forum where many put their input as to how they incorporate these three): www.ideafit.com/answers/how-to-schedule-weight-training-cardio-and-yoga-in-a-weekly-workout There are a lot of ways to mix it up. I currently do: Cardio first to dance and wake myself up, strength training mixed with cardio, and then yoga to cool down. If the next day I feel really sore, I do yoga first before the cardio and strength training. Or just yoga for the day and rest. As I said before, listen to your body and don't feel guilty for resting. Stay optimistic and say to yourself that you are taking care of your body. If you are getting really bored with a routine, move on from it and try something new. I don't fully agree with this blogger but he has a point. Keep everything in perspective. Don't mix up your routine to the point where it's too frequent that you don't need to change it: www.aworkoutroutine.com/when-why-how-often-should-you-change-your-workout-routine/ (Note: Even though I have failed to fully follow through with my exercising schedule in the previous years I HAVE seen progress. Two years ago I tried Crossfit and trained with Tommy Hackenbruck, the owner of Ute Crossfit. I saw amazing great results. Unfortunately I have moved to an area that is far from his facility and with time I have gone back to old habits. HOWEVER, this last year I trained and worked out with my best friend Barbara Mesquita. Her routines are pretty advanced. There are times I have to catch my breath but it's a testimony to myself to how much I have progressed since I am able to keep up with her most of the time. ) Don't give up. You can do it! Much Love, CT It's a New Year are you ready to tackles your main goals and get closer to your ideal lifestyle? Many around the world have made plans, rituals, and goals to help them start anew and progress towards their unique goals. However, in the American society there seems to be a confusion of what progress and change mean. THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROGRESS AND CHANGE. I recently learned this while watching Tony Robbin's clip before the New Year, here it is below: There is a difference between progress and change. Change happens instantly, you can’t control it. You can control progress but it happens with time. The first step in taking control of your own progress is to create a vision. A realistic, specific vision. Not a wish list. A vision where you take steps; small goals compiled to help you reach point B from point A. Warren Buffet stated this a while ago during an interview regarding focus. He said to find focus you need to do the following four things: 1) Write 25 things you want 2) Circle the 5 things you most want. 3) The other 20 are distractions that are veering you off the path of completing the 5 things. 4) Whatever you do, don't lose focus on your top five. Consistently remember why you want to finish these top 5 things in your life. If you are having trouble finding your passion I recommend this blog post: Inspiration . (http://ctlifetravel.weebly.com/inspiration) These are your 5 top goals in life. They should be large, lifetime goals. You have found your point B's but now you need to create your checkpoints for getting there. This is where realistic, specific goals come in. These goals should involve decent deadlines that are attainable for your schedule. It's at this part where I have applied what I learned from Tony Robbins.
(Having a journal is useful for this activity to keep track of your progress for the year. If you need help and are new to planning. I highly recommend this planner a friend of mine created. Here is the link: www.passionplanner.com/about-us) To rephrase Tony Robbins, he states that pushing requires willpower and willpower never lasts. What lasts is a pulling effect- attraction- to the desires of what you want to accomplish. Again, for this reason you need to have attainable, realistic goals that are small enough for you to be able to reach without frustration and effective enough to get you closer to your all time goals. Let me know if this post has been useful for you! Much Love! XOXO CT |
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tackle a dream of yours. A dream you have been itching to achieve. Maybe even just trying to reach for it first since you haven't taken the initiative to start. You feel you need a push. I have been there. I'm still there. I'm consistently hunting for motivational gurus, video posts, links, and books to keep me fired up. So let me help you find them. In this blog I post about the latest inspirational thrills I've witnessed and learned from via the web & my own personal life. ArchivesCategories
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