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Veggies Of Banking

If benefits are the meat of a sale.

Objections are the veggies.

They’re perhaps the most important part of the meal.

But they’re most often avoided.

Left On The Table

Us humans hate hearing no.

No man wants to be “rejected” by a woman.

No person wants to be told they can’t have what they want.

And too novice salespeople most want to avoid hearing no.

So they do everything they can to dance around it.

Like those banker meetings, consuming all the oxygen in the room, leaving no space to hear no…

Also means leaving with no idea what stands in the way of yes.

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Stop Doubt Being Redoubtable

Redoubtable was Dictionary.com word of the day.

With my third grade vocabulary I didn’t know what it means.

But I took it in with great meaning.

Being Redoubtable

When you see “Re” at the front of a word it often means to do it again.

e.g. Remember. Reuse. Redo.

But here it means the opposite of doing doubt again…

Redoubtable—that is to be feared; formidable, especially as an opponent.

Great word, right?

Why again doubt when you can have…

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My Greatest Moment At Carlyle—Quitting

It was the most magnificent surprise.

Friday, mid March.

Bonuses were due to hit our bank accounts Monday.

For some reason I had an instinct to check.

Woo-hoo!

My bonus landed early.

10 minutes later…

I Walked In And Quit

I’ll never forget the look on his face.

Priceless.

I wandered into his office.

Stood in front of his desk.

And started to explain that my bonus hit my account early.

Looking up to me as if to say, OK why are you in my office telling me this?

“So I came in here to quit.”

I turned around and walked away.

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Why So Serious?

Really, why do we take our lives so seriously?

Of course we’ve got bills to pay.

And kids to raise.

And all those responsibilities at work and in our lives.

But why for so many of us does it all seem so hard?

Why Can’t It Be More Like Play?

You know that quote about all the world’s a stage…

I interpret it to mean it’s a play.

Like a lucid dream we’re directing this life on our own stage.

Here to play.

Believe me, for many years, well, basically, all but this one…

I couldn’t live this way.

I was king of…

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“relive making love from memory”

Is a search that landed someone on my website.

Do you think that might be fun?

OK, let’s play with it.

Time Machines

Our minds are fabulous time machines.

Just by thinking you can travel anywhere in time, can’t you?

Like some time you were a kid running around playing.

Or an adult doing much the same.

Any time you enjoyed in the past.

Or see yourself enjoying in the future.

In fact anything you can imagine enjoying right now in your mind.

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2:53

That’s how long an average worker is productive each day…

Out of an 8 hour day, 2:53.

That’s a yield of 36%.

64% Waste

Imagine a production line that was operating at 36% yield.

Where 64% of the inputs were wasted.

That’s the average workday.

The average life.

It’s not just routine jobs either.

In fact, someone sitting answering phones all day is certainly far more productive than most professionals.

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Victoria Keeps Her Secrets

Epstein…

No comment.

People are better off that way.

Those of us without eyes wide shut know where the stink hole goes, don’t we?

How quickly our society forgets.

Predators Everywhere

For a while we’re outraged when another Weinstein snakes around.

But quickly we get back to our little screens forgetting like Spacey we demand a constant stream of beautiful boys, and girls.

We pretend not to know how they do it.

That the casting couch existed long before the latest crop of pervs and pedos.

In our society that vehemently fights for women’s rights…

We tune into the fashion shows ogling our super women prancing around in their shiny heels and underwear.

No care how they got there.

Nor how many others were picked over and left elsewhere.

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Bye Buy Morgan Stanley…

You’re meeting with a potential client.

They love the team.

Are really into what you’re talking about.

You’re delivering them massive value but something stands in the way.

“Our House Bank Is Morgan Stanley”

What do you say?

How do you blow out that “objection?”

There’s lots of ways to get it wrong.

You start talking about how much Morgan sucks…

When everyone knows they’re great and your not-client is already invested in them.

You talk up yourself and how much better you are…

When your not-client already thinks they work with the best.

So, what do you do?

How do you blow out the objection?

And perhaps Morgan too?

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“Bankers Aren’t Valued For Efforts”

Back in San Francisco I worked with a rockstar associate.

This guy would crank all night.

Be in all the details.

Leave rapid fire, all over it sounding voicemails.

15 years later he’s a middling senior-ish banker.

Bullet Points Aren’t The Job

When I was the Business Unit Manager (yes, BUM, aka staffer) at Goldman…

I got the inside scoop on what the business is really about.

In that one year by far I learned more about the banking business than the rest combined.

Stepping back from the day-to-day of being a banker…

I was responsible for managing bankers seeing clearly what was valued.

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Technology Setting Free Boobs

You may have seen an article on the app DeepNude.

Another massive leap in technology the app uses an artificial neural network…

To remove the clothing in any photo of a woman.

Turns Out They All Have Boobs

It doesn’t take artificial intelligence to see women have boobs.

But with enough computing power you can better imagine what they look like.

No longer do we have to so desperately await the next iPhone hack to see celebrity boobs.

Or go to strip clubs.

With 50 bucks and the press of a button, all boobs are free.

Boobs, Promised So Much

Push up bras ruined boobs.

Promising so much, revealing less than.

Technology ruined them more.

Fake boobs.

Sexdoll boobs.

Insta “model” boobs.

Porn infested, boob injected Internet.

Technology promised so much, yet what boobs we’ve become.

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Another Glorious Fakebook Birthday

My Fakebook birthday is always a nice surprise.

It’s like some of us men on our anniversary.

We completely forget until we wake up to the well in that case less pleasant surprise.

Just Like Any Other Day

I’m getting on with my day.

Making it ultimate.

And then it starts…

With a text message, “Happy birthday!”

Then I remember, ha, of course it’s my Fakebook birthday.

I punch the air.

Celebrate

After all these years you’d think I might remember my Fakebook birthday.

Maybe even do something about it, like change it.

But I let it go on.

As I wrote about on my last Fakebook birthday I gave up telling people, “No it’s just my Fakebook birthday.”

Birthday wishes bring so much joy to people.

And of course I love people celebrating every day.

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Free!!

I’m not yet American.

But I feel it through and through.

There is much wrong with this country, but no other place on Earth stands for what we do.

Kiss The Ground

When my Dad first visited America he dropped to his knees and kissed the ground.

Born in England, having migrated to Australia, he felt he was meant to be born here.

Since I landed nearly 20 years ago I haven’t imagined living anywhere else.

It’s easy for others to find fault with America.

Easy for those of us living here to imagine better ways it could be.

But there’s still no place on Earth that stands for more of what it means to be free.

Metrics Aren’t Free

There are plenty of studies that show America is far from the most free.

Upward mobility. Infant mortality. Education rates. Incarceration. Standard of living, etc.

You can tick down a list of the things that are wrong with this place.

But still no other country in the world is more free.

With more diversity of thinking, and being.

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“I Can Have Any Man I Want…”

“With my phat house and cool car,” my gay buddy said.

“You might be right,” I responded, “But why?”

“Obviously because we’re attracted to rich and successful people.”

“Perhaps, yet, why?” I pushed him deeper.

What REALLY Drives Attraction?

Why does rich and successful attract men and women alike?

Well, first of all, it doesn’t always.

Plenty of rich and successful people are bad at attracting men or women.

But when it does work, why?

“Rich and successful is a criteria, like red paint on a car,” I said to him.

It tells you nothing about why it stimulates our biology.

And when you get to the heart of why it works, to the principles of attracting, you see many ways to create attraction.

The Laws Of Attracting

Rich and successful works because of what it connotes.

“One you might call positive,” I said to him, “It implies you are a person of high status, or high value.”

This is principle number one, the first Law of Attracting in my Meeting Wonder Woman Masterclass.

“Ah, which is why waving around your Ferrari keys fails,” he quickly grokked.

Because as soon as you are broadcasting high status, well, you’re no longer high status.

“And, so what’s the potentially negative reason it attracts?” he asked.

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This Dying Hollywood Titan Tells You To Live Now

You spend your life driving success.

Are a massive winner in Hollywood.

Live in a 13,000 square foot mansion in Bel Air.

You end up living your final days forgetting your life in a 500 square foot bedroom in a nursing home.

Terry Semel’s ending might not be yours or mine, but we can be sure…

We’re Driving To A Dead End

No matter how you exit this world, assume it will be a worse day than this one.

If you go fast, well, you’ll never know when that is.

Here today, gone tomorrow.

And if you go slow, no matter how you exit, your body and mind likely go first.

You can’t live your life like you’ll get hit by a bus today, but you also can’t live like you won’t.

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D-Day = Death Day

When will be enough?

When will us humans have had enough killing?

Slaughtering, maiming each other, for what?

Different beliefs? Our little imaginary gods?

Fighting for dirt? Imaginary lines on a map?

When?

Will we stop sending young men and women to kill…

Other men, women, children?

To watch their friends get slaughtered?

To end the killing we must do more than remember the “great” wars.

We must resolve to evolve.

This song makes me think of this cycle of madness:

Focus, Living In The Flow

Sometimes find yourself unable to focus on what matters most?

Procrastinating? Resisting? Avoiding? Seeking distraction?

How would you be if you got beyond those things that hold you back?

Unleashing your best performance.

Feeling amazing at will absorbing in your highest-value tasks?

Living The House of Flow

For nearly a decade I’ve been honing in one goal—

How do you live in the flow state?

The peak state for happiness and performance.

Back in 2015 I released this 30 minute podcast of my method, The House of Flow.

Over some 4 years I’d built the tech, but I still couldn’t live inside.

These days it’s much more my home.

Using systematic methods like my System for Ultimate Days, and my super-secret Ultimate Solution, flow is baked into every minute of my day.

And having done it many thousands of times, I’ve much more conditioned living here in the flow.

This may be the greatest “achievement” of my life…

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De Blasio Will Thrash Trump…

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

A bold prediction.

2 baker’s dozen Democrats throw their hat in the ring.

A crowded field of equally unremarkable, indistinguishable candidates.

They confuse the electorate.

They all offer the same solution.

The only way they stand out is tearing each other down.

The one left standing is already beat.

Trump easily finishes them.

It doesn’t matter who it is

It’s hardly a bold prediction.

It’s just straight up obvious.

Nothing is certain but you can be certain…

You don’t win this game making the same noise as everyone else.

And you certainly fail when you have zero skills of winning.

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“Focus Can’t Be Trained In 5 Minutes”

That’s right.

The mind is a muscle.

You wouldn’t expect to get strong doing 5 push-ups a day.

Nor doing 5 minutes of meditation, when the Dalai Lama does 5 hours!

Yet, what if you had a focus tool that you could use in 5 minutes?

That is easy.

Fun.

You can use it all day every day.

That makes you feel more calm.

Relaxed.

Alert.

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Yes! Bad Focus Is Our Phones Fault

This silly article blames our phones for ruining our lives.

Obviously, the way many of us use our devices is busted but it’s unfair to blame our poor phones.

They’re just doing their job.

Obviously We Have Focus Problems

Walk down the street it’s obvious.

Watch so-called friends / lovers in a restaurant on their devices, it’s obvious.

Obviously us adults are attached to our phones like a terrorist to an IED.

Kids are obviously raised on the distraction they provide.

Obviously they make our lives better in many ways.

Obviously, they waste our lives in many others.

Less Obvious: Stop Blaming

We blame guns for killing people.

Food for our ever growing waistlines.

Distractions on our lack of focus.

Near everything in the world for our lack of satisfaction.

But the only ones to blame are…

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Looking For Not Purpose

Many people are seeking more purpose.

It’s not just a buzzword of the era, but us humans have always been driven by a deeper sense of meaning.

A problem for many of us is that we don’t know where to look to find it.

And this leaves many of us stuck…

Looking In The Wrong Place

Purpose is one of those funny topics in our society.

Like sex, purpose is talked about all the time, but nobody ever teaches us how to get it.

How do you even know what it means?

Where do you find it?

Under that rock over there?

Shake the tree and more purpose / passion / meaning might fall out?

Maybe, but what’s for certain is where it’s not found.