So as soon as you get your greenlight, you're gonna do it, right? You'll register that business, get that professional photo taken, sign up for that course, talk to a travel agent, get your passport, do a hot yoga class, go to the community theatre meeting or write that donation check. As soon as you're sure. As soon as you have permission. 

Here's the deal. Read more »

Why do you think we need a National Speak Up & Succeed Day? I think it's because we spend too much time hiding behind email and texting. Seriously. Speak up. Get on the phone. Go to Mrs. Big's office. Speak up at the meeting, even if it is boring. Sit next to the leader of the meeting.

People who speak up are seen as more competent, even when they're not. Read more »

"It's not the medium or the oil or the price or whether it hangs on a wall or you eat it. What matters, what makes it art, is that the person who made it overcome the resistance, ignored the voice of doubt and made something worth making. Something risky. Something human."  Seth Godin

Today was the first day of a huge project. Quite a profitable and strategic project. Nevertheless, a project that doesn't feel very much like art.....I wonder if Van Gogh would have been encouraged with money from a side gig painting houses, or taking commissions just for the money. Did Picasso ever paint just for the money? It's said he was a marketing genius. Does your workplace ever feel like a red light should be hanging by the door? (Meaning the work involves going through the motions and doesn't feel creative.) Here are some thoughts on the matter. Read more »

Here is a 2-page study guide created from the talk "Positive Thinking, Positive Profits" based on leading success research. Enjoy!

Successful leaders establish their persona not by describing their attributes and values to us, but by simply living them." Frank Luntz

Expecting other people, degrees or events to deliver your happiness in response to what you say or do is as effective as burning a book when you don't like what it expresses, instead of going to talk to the author of the book. It's like hitting the movie screen when you don't like the movie. Read more »

Regardless of the sport or profession, people hire coaches and trainers to improve their performance. Duh. In the world of business, wealth creation, or even the arts, more performance usually means bigger impact on the community or tribe being served. You know you're only using a small part of your brain, what's more challenging to figure out is how to use more of your own potential for achievement. To paraphrase Albert Einstein, whatever level of thinking that got you where you are today, you can never move forward unless you think at a higher level. One way to do this is to ask probing questions (and answer them!)

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Happy New Year from Mixonian Institute!! Rest assured that 2012 will be remarkable. Here's a brief outline of what I know to be true about goal setting.(True confession: I wrote my first goal list at age 16 and it has framed the life I have lived thus far.) This post is written from the perspective of one who hangs on the belt loops of the giants of human potential research and the mega-successful all over the world.

In a nutshell. Read more »

One quarter of an inch. Yesterday I watched Christina and Clara's tennis class and the coach told Christina she needed to change the angle of her racquet by one quarter of an inch (or a couple of millimeters.) Tiny change, big impact. You usually see difference between success and failure in a myriad of small details. Applying this to your language, you can make small changes in your vocabulary for a much bigger impact. It's still true that how you say something, who says it, how the sayer dresses are all important, but the words themselves are tools. Below I'm sharing a sneaky word that looks almost noble, but it's usually a total energy drain. Read more »

 If you think about it, our education system pretty much runs as this enormous processing factory. It produces, however imperfectly, millions of somewhat educated high school graduates each year; young people who jumped through all the right hoops to get that high school diploma. Our system encourages them to show up at the job, listen to and follow instructions, and learn the material according to the institution's rules, AKA academic norms. It's a fairly successful system that produces an average workforce. Whether this system is preparing young people for a truly global knowledge-based economy is an interesting topic. The thing is, our education system teaches everyone this: follow our rules and everything will be fine. Read more »

"Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art." Andy Warhol

I love this perspective on art and business. Here's a great way of defining an artist: "Artists are people with a genius for finding a new answer, a new connection, or a new way of getting things done." Seth Godin, Linchpins. Using Godin's definition of an artist, I know you're one. Maybe not 24/7, but sometimes. Like when you close the deal. Or when the boss is excited about your proposal. Or your kids thank you for something. 

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