“Damn! That went bad,” my new client, Marina, said.
“What bothered you the most?” I asked.
“I could see it. Many people in the audience disconnected,” she said.

This began a significant conversation.

I mentioned how people have different styles of hearing. Some people lean toward hearing the positive. The negative details bounce off them.
Other people want to “hear the bad news first.” They claim that they want the realistic view, and they can take it.

Here’s an example. When I speak on the topic of Darkest Secrets of Scaling, I help business owners face essential truths that assist them to expand and upgrade their businesses.

I reach the audience members in two ways.
I share the tough realities — what some may call the truths that bring up “negative” impressions.

The Darkest Secrets of Scaling:

1. You can lose all trust in a moment.
2. It’s easy to make people afraid to tell you the truth.
3. If you don’t have a reserve now, how can you handle more?

Secondly, I share related positive actions.

Positive Actions:

1. Communicate your actual trustworthiness.
2. Appreciate people who tell the truth.
3. Work daily to improve your reserve*.

* I speak of your reserve in terms of a “stored capacity” of calm, positive energy, and ability to perceive the overall situation. Your reserve helps you respond well to people and make excellent decisions.

During our coaching session, I guided Marina to develop her presentations and casual remarks that include both the “negative” and “positive” so people can hear her and understand the meaning of her material. This is how you can effectively lead and persuade people. You cover both the positive and the negative.

Do you speak in ways that reach people who lean toward the positive? And, do you have material that brings up relevant “negative” details for people who respond better to the tough realities?

As the Communication Sage and Spoken Word Strategist, I have seen my clients do well when they expand their “toolkit” of ways to communicate. When you talk about a tough reality, share positive actions that can be used to improve the situation. Even better, ask for responses of your audience about their ideas of actions that can contribute to improvements. Truly engage the listeners.

How can you say your most important points in positive ways and also include tough-minded details that acknowledge real-world problems?

May these insights support your great moments.

Call to Action

To connect with your creativity and build for the future … Go deeper and take my online courses:

Darkest Secrets of Persuasion and Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself and Turn the Power to Good

Success Secrets: Confidence and Skills to Handle Toxic People

How You Can Believe in Yourself, Write and Complete Your Novel

How Lucky People Get Lucky—Maximize Your Luck ….Access the Hidden Abundant Universe: How You Can Overcome Limits (“Darkest Secrets”) and Use Timeless Wisdom, Science and Spirituality — in Business & Life

Darkest Secrets of Film Directing: How Successful Directors Overcome Hidden Traps

Be Fearless with Your Home-based Business — Unleash Your Hidden Wealth

Darkest Secrets of Making a Pitch for Film and Television: How You Can Get a Studio Executive, Producer, Name Actor or Private Investor to Say YES to Your Project

Your Secret Charisma: More Confidence and More Sales

 

---

Tom Marcoux, Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach
CEO, International Speaker-Author of 50+ Books on Amazon,
including the book Convince Investors to Fund You: The Insider’s Guide to Avoid Deadly Mistakes and Gain Real Success with Your Startup Business

GetTheBigYES.com

“What you don’t know can kick you in the teeth,” I said, coaching my client, Susan.

She was stepping up into a new chapter of life. Instead of remaining a graphic artist, she sought my coaching. I helped her rise to the level of director for a department. As she made progress, she said, “This is so helpful. It’s like you’re the Communication Sage.”

I smiled. For years, I had been known as the Spoken Word Strategist. More importantly, another client was stepping into her power. How? By using communication secrets for excellent leadership.

How do you want to upgrade your leadership skills? What do you want to get done?

When I speak on the Darkest Secrets of Scaling, I share these Essential Truths. When business leaders want to scale up their business, they need to focus on core ideas and core disciplines.

Essential Truths

· You can lose all trust in one moment.
· It is easy to make people afraid to tell you the truth.
· “If you don’t have a reserve now, how can you handle more?”

(I remember this with “T.T.R.” — Trust, Truth, Reserve.)

1) You can lose all trust in one moment.

Here is an example of trust. At Pixar, there is an open environment where everyone can suggest a new idea. It doesn’t matter what your position is. Pixar’s leadership says, “The script is just the starting point.”

My friend Jon shared the experience that his friend Steve had. Steve confirmed the Pixar philosophy.

But then Steve went to another animation company that gave lip service to the idea of “we want to hear everybody.”

Steve offered a great idea, and the whole room laughed.

The so-called leader said, “What is your name? What do you do?”

“I’m a storyboard artist.”

“Well, then stick with that,” the so-called leader said.

This was an example of not living the philosophy you give lip service to.

That’s losing trust in one moment.

2) It is easy to make people afraid to tell you the truth.

It’s reported that Steve Jobs said on various occasions, “That’s the stupidest idea I ever heard.”

How many ideas did Steve Jobs never hear?

Are you going to stick your neck out for someone who kicks you in the teeth?

My question is: How can you lead if you don’t know what’s really going on?

Make sure you have patterns in place in which people can tell you the truth about various situations.

Avoid “beating up” somebody in front of other people.

Everybody watches.

3) “If you don’t have a reserve now, how can you handle more?”

How can you expand your business and scale up, if you’re already upside down?

Do you have a reserve of patience so you can handle all the disruptions of daily business life?

Do you have a reserve of time so you can think clearly?

Here are other reserves that empower you as a leader:

· Energy
· Health
· Sleep
· Recreation

Holding Reserves involves disciplines that keep you strong and cheerful.

Every day, people watch you. Can I trust this leader to hold his or her calm? Can I trust this leader to make great decisions?*

In summary, let’s remember these words: Trust, Truth, Reserve.

Essential Truths

· You can lose all trust in one moment.
· It is easy to make people afraid to tell you the truth.
· “If you don’t have a reserve now, how can you handle more?”

How will you implement patterns and actions to strengthen yourself and your leadership?

Many great moments on your path.

**********************************************

As a bonus, I’m sharing this set of questions that I wrote and use to help my clients make great decisions:

* 6 Golden Questions of Great Decision Making

1. Will I learn, grow, and form alliances?
2. Am I listening to fear or intuition?
3. What do I say are meaningful measurements?
4. What do I call “peanuts” or “coconuts”? [Small considerations versus big trouble. A coconut can break your nose.]
5. Can I make money all the while?
6. Am I blinded because I want this too much? [Wanting doesn’t make it true.]

Call to Action

To connect with your creativity and build for the future … Go deeper and take my online courses:

Darkest Secrets of Persuasion and Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself and Turn the Power to Good

Success Secrets: Confidence and Skills to Handle Toxic People

How You Can Believe in Yourself, Write and Complete Your Novel

Untold Secrets to Maximize Your Luck — Access the Hidden Abundant Universe: How You Can Overcome Limits (“Darkest Secrets”) and Use Timeless Wisdom, Science and Spirituality — in Business & Life

Darkest Secrets of Film Directing: How Successful Directors Overcome Hidden Traps

Be Fearless with Your Home-based Business — Unleash Your Hidden Wealth

Darkest Secrets of Making a Pitch for Film and Television: How You Can Get a Studio Executive, Producer, Name Actor or Private Investor to Say YES to Your Project

Your Secret Charisma: More Confidence and More Sales

Success Secrets: Confidence and Skills to Handle Toxic People

How You Can Believe in Yourself, Write and Complete Your Novel

The Work From Home Solution — Unleash Your Hidden Wealth

Your Secret Charisma: More Confidence and More Sales

 

---

Tom Marcoux, Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach
CEO, International Speaker-Author of 50+ Books on Amazon,
including the book Convince Investors to Fund You: The Insider’s Guide to Avoid Deadly Mistakes and Gain Real Success with Your Startup Business

GetTheBigYES.com

“Hard profit comes from soft skills,” I replied to my client, Helen. Her question had been “Isn’t it true that soft skills are secondary?”

When I addressed two audiences for the Corporate Innovation Summit* in Bangkok Thailand, I emphasized the power of soft skills that create trust. I delivered material from my book, Convince Investors to Fund You. In that book I reveal 3 Soft Skills that create hard profit.

[*Igniters teamed up with RISE for this summit. Igniters ran the associated Pitch Competition.]

I call these skills “The 3 C’s”:

• Connection-building
• Coachable
• Conflict-skilled

Investors will not invest and simply will not trust the startup leader who does not have these 3 Soft Skills. Team members and customers will drift away when they cannot trust you. Instead, you can use the 3 C’s.

1. Connection-building

“I don’t invest anymore in entrepreneurs who don’t have charisma.” — Barbara Corcoran, investor on TV Show “Shark Tank”

In my book, Darkest Secrets of Charisma, I describe what I call Warm Trust Charisma. The leader with Warm Trust Charisma knows how to build connections with investors, team members and customers.

I emphasize:

Soft skills create trust and connection.
Hard profit comes from trust and sustainability.

An organization will die on the vine if the leader does not know how to make excellent connections with investors, team members and customers.

A sale begins with trust. Trust begins with connection.

2. Coachable

Investors and customers will not put their money into a product or service if they cannot trust the leader or the organization. I recall hearing a friend saying, “I’m not going to buy that product. That company was caught doing [some horrible thing].”

Customers will trust a company that has team members who will learn from their mistakes. The process starts from the top. Is the leader coachable?

To create hard profit, you need to be flexible and fast moving in the marketplace. You need to build and adjust quickly. How is this created? The leader gets coaching in perspectives that are beyond the scope of one human mind. As part of my own circle, I have 15 people who I can run ideas with. We’re able to consider ideas, explore and discard those ideas that won’t create sustainable solutions.

As I mentioned, hard profit is based on trust and sustainability. Human beings and organizations go through tremendous struggles. I developed a term I call: Lifelines of Hope. I’ve noticed that in intense times of struggle, you can experience an important difference. You can have people you can trust and who can coach you to better outcomes. You’ll feel like you have Lifelines of Hope.

By the way, as a side note: When you receive support and coaching, you feel gratitude. That provides inner peace and hope.

I’ve written about 3 Type of Hope:

· Wishing-Hope (just sitting there, waiting for something good to happen)

· Action-Hope (you’re coachable, and you adjust your actions and move forward)

· Faithful-Hope (for many of us, this has a spiritual dimension)

My point is that being coachable is one of the great Soft Skills that makes you extraordinary as a leader and human being.

3. Conflict-skilled

Investors can trust a leader who is conflict-skilled. Effective organizations are able to adapt because different points of view are heard, considered and, at times, incorporated. An investor can ask the question: “Tell me about a problem. What did you do about it?”

Effective leaders respond to this question with a targeted story. They express details about how they skillfully worked with team members or even customers who were generating conflict.

In summary…

Soft skills create trust and connection.
Hard profit comes from trust and sustainability.

As the Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach, I have worked with leaders of companies, coaching them with skills that I have expressed in the books Confident English, Convince Investors to Fund You, and Shape the Future, Lead like a Pro.

Additionally, I guide people with my 8 online courses that include Success Secrets: Confidence & Skills to Handle Toxic People.

So, we answer Helen’s question: “Isn’t it true that soft skills are secondary?” The answer is if you want hard profit, Soft Skills are side by side with hard skills.

Many great moments on your journey.

success and happiness.

Call to Action

To connect with your creativity and build for the future … Go deeper and take my online courses:

Maximize Your Luck — Discover Your Hidden Strength:
How You Can Overcome Limits (“Darkest Secrets”) and Use Timeless Wisdom, Science and Spirituality — in Business & Life

Darkest Secrets of Film Directing: How Successful Directors Overcome Hidden Traps

Darkest Secrets of Persuasion and Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself and Turn the Power to Good

Darkest Secrets of Making a Pitch for Film and Television: How You Can Get a Studio Executive, Producer, Name Actor or Private Investor to Say YES to Your Project

Success Secrets: Confidence and Skills to Handle Toxic People

How You Can Believe in Yourself, Write and Complete Your Novel

The Work From Home Solution — Unleash Your Hidden Wealth

Your Secret Charisma: More Confidence and More Sales

 

---

Tom Marcoux, Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach
CEO, International Speaker-Author of 50+ Books on Amazon,
including the book Convince Investors to Fund You: The Insider’s Guide to Avoid Deadly Mistakes and Gain Real Success with Your Startup Business

GetTheBigYES.com

As a first-time feature film director, I watched an actor wreck a scene. At this pivotal moment in the film, the character, John, confronts his past and expresses something he has told no one.

But the actor was playing the whole scene with one emotion, despair.

I didn’t know what to do. But then I thought of something. Bringing the actor to the side, I said, “You’re getting the sadness part. You, as the actor, read the script. You know how the scene ends. But the character does not know. At the beginning, he’s telling the story. He’s in the moment. He’s found her — the love of his life — in a refugee camp. So, he feels — ?”

“Happy. Relieved,” the actor said.

“Yes!”

The actor nodded.

“So, you have somewhere to go. Soon, he will lose her. That will be a whole different moment.”

We rolled the camera and ran the scene again.

Afterward, the actor dashed up to me. He grinned. “Tom, that was a great note!”

My chest filled with happiness. That’s how I became an “actor’s director.” It’s also how I became a better leader.

This experience gave me clues to 3 Unexpected Secrets related to Success and Happiness.

We’ll use the W.I.N. Process:

W — Wake up to contentment

I — Intensify your growth

N — Nurture Your Personal Energy Buffer

1. Wake up to contentment

To experience happiness and the energy to do what’s necessary for success, you need to connect with the present moment. The problem the actor faced was not being in the moment. The actor was playing the whole scene with only one emotion, despair.

Instead, when you are in the moment, you’re able to experience contentment. This became so clear when I heard the actor, Tony Hale, say this:

“When I got Arrested Development (TV show)… It was my dream… But it did not satisfy in the way I thought it was going to satisfy. Most of my life I had not practiced being present. If you’re not practicing contentment where you are, you’re not going to be content when you get what you want.” — Tony Hale

So how do we practice contentment? We shift our thoughts back to the present moment. What is good about your life at this moment? See if you can focus on something to be grateful for — in this moment.

Practicing contentment and gratitude enhances your personal energy. From that strong foundation, you can rise and do the strenuous things that support your true success.

2. Intensify your growth

“We are happy when we are growing.” — William Butler Yeats

Have you noticed that the times you felt enthusiastic or joyful were times when you were growing?

At times when I was growing, I felt better. I learned new skills. I explored and followed my intuition. When I look back at directing my first feature film, I know it was strenuous and terrifying at times. But I was happy. I shifted to focus on the present moment. Then I could be supportive of the actors and crew so they could do better work.

The idea we are happy when we are growing relates to the truth that we don’t need to feel comfortable. When addressing audiences from New York to New Zealand, I say, “Confidence is not comfort. Confidence is a toolkit, and you work it.” (Learn more about confidence, success and improving your luck and relationships, in my online course Maximize Your Luck.)

Many people discover they feel exhilarated as they stretch and rise up. You leave the valley and rise to new peaks in life where you see new options.

3. Nurture Your Personal Energy Buffer

Have you noticed that when you have a bit of extra energy, you can do better?

To perform at your best, you need a reservoir of energy or a Personal Energy Buffer. Then you’ll be able to observe things in the moment. You can be flexible and adapt quickly.

People who are depleted can truly feel miserable, and they share it. Some say misery loves company. I add: Misery creates company.

Do what’s necessary for your personal renewal, rest, and recreation. Then you can lead yourself and others to create positive outcomes.

As a feature film director and as a leader, I’ve found that with reserve energy I can guide a team member to shift to something positive and hopeful. This demonstrates the vital connection between success and happiness. When I take good care of myself and nurture my personal energy buffer, then I can be strong enough to lead and to support team members.

In summary, we have three important secrets that reveal a connection between success and happiness:

W — Wake up to contentment

I — Intensify your growth

N — Nurture Your Personal Energy Buffer

When you take action to practice contentment, focus on growth and nurture your Personal Energy Buffer, you open the door to new opportunities. You can act with flexibility. You can adapt in the moment. In that precious moment, you can perform at your best.

Call to Action

To connect with your creativity and build for the future … Go deeper and take my online courses:

Maximize Your Luck — Discover Your Hidden Strength:
How You Can Overcome Limits (“Darkest Secrets”) and Use Timeless Wisdom, Science and Spirituality — in Business & Life

Darkest Secrets of Film Directing: How Successful Directors Overcome Hidden Traps

Darkest Secrets of Persuasion and Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself and Turn the Power to Good

Darkest Secrets of Making a Pitch for Film and Television: How You Can Get a Studio Executive, Producer, Name Actor or Private Investor to Say YES to Your Project

Success Secrets: Confidence and Skills to Handle Toxic People

The Work From Home Solution — Unleash Your Hidden Wealth

Your Secret Charisma: More Confidence and More Sales

 

---

Tom Marcoux, Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach
CEO, International Speaker-Author of 48 Books on Amazon,
including the book Convince Investors to Fund You: The Insider’s Guide to Avoid Deadly Mistakes and Gain Real Success with Your Startup Business

GetTheBigYES.com

Imagine performing at your best in the moment. Several years ago, in a theme park, I helped my mom by pushing her wheelchair. My mom had been a strong woman, but at this point, she needed her wheelchair and me to get her around. In this Universal Studios theme park, an actor portrayed a feature film director, complete with beret and riding pants. He called out to park attendees, “Okay. All you extras stand over here.”

The “film director” took one look at my mom in the wheelchair, and he said, “No more stunts for you.”

My mom, dad and I laughed. What a joy!

This is my go-to example about any of us being in the moment and performing at our best. You can uplift your life and get a boost to success. It’s about making the most of the moment.

I’m hoping that actor identified his delivery of the line and his making us laugh as a Moment of Victory.

This leads into my first of two powerful methods to Get the Boost to Success.

With my clients, I focus on the D.O. Process:

D — design your Personal Victory
O — optimize “The Sacred 9”

1. Design your Personal Victory

During the current health crises and other crises in the world, several people I know have reported that it has been hard to get out of bed in the morning.

Instead, when you design a personal victory — an action to take first thing in the morning — you can bound out of bed.

For example, I’m currently working on my fourth novel in my “Jenalee Storm” series of books (an urban fantasy series which I write under a pen name. See the fun video.)

For my daily, morning personal victory, I write a minimum of 300 words. By setting the bar low, I’m not intimidated. Even better, I often write 450 words, 821 words or 917 words.

Later in the day, I read a portion of what I’ve written to someone in my inner circle of friends and loved ones.

Each day I get two joyful sessions focused on my progress with writing.

What can you do for 15 or 20 minutes in the morning to jumpstart your day?

2. Optimize “The Sacred 9”

Many of us feel blocked by fear when it’s time to do something new.

I developed a process I call “The Sacred 9” as I created an online course, The Work From Home Solution — Unleash Your Secret Wealth. I wanted to develop material that was fresh, compelling, and valuable.

Here is The Sacred 9:

· 3 Essential Elements
· 3 Deadly Mistakes
· 3 Countermeasures to the Deadly Mistakes

The Sacred 9 is a process to help you hone-in on the most important elements of a new course of action.

Some people get caught up in small things and a sequence of tasks. Instead, it’s vital to identify the 3 Essential Elements. This is a springboard that guides you to discover what is most important that leads to success.

Here’s an example from my online course The Work From Home Solution. To gain a new client, one essential element is: Engage Their Trust. We do this by listening well and asking well-considered follow-up questions. That’s how the prospective client knows that we care and that we’re fully engaged with what concerns that person.

Here is a different example (again from The Work From Home Solution). A Deadly Mistake when you seek to gain a client is: Let an objection twist your emotions and get you to skip steps.

Often a prospective client will object to your process of getting to know them. This person will say, “Just tell me what this is going to cost.” He or she is pushing for you to skip steps. Instead, it helps to assure the person with something like: “I’ll get to the cost estimate as soon as I can. I want to make it accurate and useful for you. So how about I ask a couple of questions, so you know I really understand your current situation. You can let me know what really bothers you and what you feel a solution will create for you. Sound good?”

For example, a new client came to me with his first guess: He wanted three 30-minute videos. Fortunately, I asked effective questions and ultimately the client was delighted with three 5-minute videos that were true showcases for his three team members. With skillful editing, I made three people, who were not professional speakers, come across as compelling and trustworthy. The viewers would feel their expertise and hire these three experts.

When you engage a new person’s trust, you’ll be able to deliver what they really want. A new client wants hope and certainty.

They want the hope that you are going to solve their situation and handle their pain-points. They also want to hear your certainty that you will serve them on a level where they feel delighted.

In summary, when you nurture your personal energy with a Morning Personal Victory and when you use The Sacred 9, you open the door to unprecedented success. You’ll enjoy a Boost to Success.

Call to Action

To connect with your creativity and build for the future … Go deeper and take my online courses:

The Work From Home Solution — Unleash Your Hidden Wealth

Darkest Secrets of Persuasion and Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself and Turn the Power to Good

Maximize Your Luck — Discover Your Hidden Strength:
How You Can Overcome Limits (“Darkest Secrets”) and Use Timeless Wisdom, Science and Spirituality — in Business & Life

Darkest Secrets of Film Directing: How Successful Directors Overcome Hidden Traps

Darkest Secrets of Making a Pitch for Film and Television: How You Can Get a Studio Executive, Producer, Name Actor or Private Investor to Say YES to Your Project

Success Secrets: Confidence and Skills to Handle Toxic People

Your Secret Charisma: More Confidence and More Sales

 

---

Tom Marcoux, Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach
CEO, International Speaker-Author of 48 Books on Amazon,
including the book Convince Investors to Fund You: The Insider’s Guide to Avoid Deadly Mistakes and Gain Real Success with Your Startup Business

GetTheBigYES.com

In a moment, the lamp would explode. The little seven-year-old girl didn’t know that, but she felt something in her chest. It told her, “Get out of here!” So, she ran from the kitchen to the patio.

In the next moments, the explosion of the camping lamp caused a fire in the kitchen which sent her brother, with third-degree burns, to the hospital.

As a seven-year-old, she found that her thoughts didn’t count to her family. She only received a message in a brief time before the explosion. She didn’t know what was going to happen. She only received a cryptic warning.

This was the experience of a friend of mine. Decades later, she looked on that instant as a moment when her intuition had warned her.

Here are three insights:

1. Find out where in your body your intuition speaks to you.

My friend found that her intuition speaks to her in a particular location in her chest. Many of us feel our intuition talk to us in our gut. Others notice that they feel tension in their shoulders or neck.

How can you reliably access our intuition? An important step is to locate, in your body, where your intuitive impressions show up.

Where do you feel the intuitive impressions in your body?

When you understand exactly how your body interfaces with your intuition, you have more opportunities. You can benefit from the warnings or even the positive invitations that your intuition can give you.

2. Provide your intuition enough time to speak to you.

Do you deal with situations that require you to bring creative solutions?

I relate to this because I’m involved in many creative projects: Feature films, my novels and nonfiction books, book covers, online courses and more.

Have you found yourself wanting an immediate intuitive impression? Do you want an intuitive answer now?

Perhaps, you noticed that your intuitive impression just shows up “when it wants to.”

Make sure to take a break or go for a walk or get an nap or night’s sleep — so you can come back and look at a situation with fresh eyes.

How will you take a break and give time for your intuitive impressions to show up?

 

3. Design your life so that you allow intuition to elevate your luck.

I’ve learned that intuition operates like a friend. If your friend offers you some guidance and you take action with it, your friend will more likely offer you more guidance.

Intuition can be like a friend who does not tell you the whole story. Your intuition will tell you what Steps 1, 2, and 3 are. Still, you really want to know the whole journey up to Step 20. But once you arrive on Step 3, then your intuition reveals Steps 4, 5, and 6. It just keeps on flowing along. It’s as if you’re climbing up a mountain. The higher you rise, the more you can see.

The connection of your intuition to luck exists in choosing the places where you can be lucky.

Do you rely on intuition to guide you to make decisions that put you in the right place for a lucky break?

Recently, I have pulled together so many insights that I’ve learned about luck from my mentors and life experiences directing feature films and traveling the world, speaking to various audiences. Additionally, I added material that is timeless wisdom plus scientific observations into an online course called Darkest Secrets to Improve Your Luck.

To really improve your luck, warm up your relationships.

I noticed that to really improve your luck you need to warm up your relationships. Then, people want to see you win, and they want to offer you more opportunities.

Here’s where intuition comes into this process. Your intuition can guide your decisions.

Your intuition can guide you as to when to call a new friend or contact. I made sure to include in my online course topics: “Make Great Decisions When Under Risk” and “Secret of Success: Your Art of Asking” — and much more.

With warm relationships, you experience great luck.

When you make time and space for your intuition to communicate with you, you open the door to truly improving your luck.

Many great moments to you.

Call to Action

To connect with your creativity and build for the future … Go deeper and take my online courses:

Darkest Secrets to Improve Your Luck: How You Can Overcome Limits and Use Timeless Wisdom, Science and Spirituality to Elevate Your Luck — in Business & Life

Darkest Secrets of Persuasion and Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself and Turn the Power to Good

Darkest Secrets of Film Directing: How Successful Directors Overcome Hidden Traps

Darkest Secrets of Making a Pitch for Film and Television: How You Can Get a Studio Executive, Producer, Name Actor or Private Investor to Say YES to Your Project

Success Secrets: Confidence and Skills to Handle Toxic People

Your Secret Charisma: More Confidence and More Sales

---

Tom Marcoux, Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach
CEO, International Speaker-Author of 48 Books on Amazon,
including the book Convince Investors to Fund You: The Insider’s Guide to Avoid Deadly Mistakes and Gain Real Success with Your Startup Business

GetTheBigYES.com

Standing at Mayan ruins with a video camera on me, I realized I was stuck. I had no words. I had no title for the book that I was supposed to describe at this extraordinary location.

With little time to get this video recorded, I felt baffled and even embarrassed. I paused for a moment and took in several deep breaths. This helped me connect and become flexible. I then realized that I could just refer to “the book.” Later, after more reflection and testing, I could come up with the name of the book. At that point, I’d have the title of the book superimposed on the video image.

Learn to Release Yourself from Limited Thinking and a “Fixed Identity”

When I searched for a solution while on camera at the Mayan ruins, I needed to have real flexibility. I’ve learned that getting stuck and having a focus on looking good or hanging onto an old, fixed identity can stand in the way. You can put up a barrier to your new chapter of life. You may hold yourself back from unprecedented success.

Additionally, when we release ourselves from limiting beliefs, we can radiate enthusiasm that makes us attractive to people and opportunities.

With clients, I use the word “FUN” as part of bringing these ideas to their attention.

F — Free yourself from a fixed identity
U — Uncover “Creative Energy”
N — Name 3 Focal Points

1. Free yourself from a fixed identity

Have you noticed that life is a series of chapters? Some of us get to the end of a chapter, and we experience a bad surprise. For example, when my father stopped running marathons, he lost a huge part of his identity. From that moment forward, he became truly bitter. He was lost without his identity as a marathon runner.

I’ve been fortunate to have a series of experiences like having different lifetimes. I’ve been a feature film director, lead singer of a band, song composer, educator, professional speaker from New York to New Zealand (including Thailand, Silicon Valley, Calif. and more).

It helped when I let go of a fixed idea that I was only a feature film director. I realized that I’m a communicator in various media. I learned to step forward with courage — into the unknown.

What opportunities are in front of you that are new and different? Do you need to step forward with a bit of courage?

2. Uncover “Creative Energy”

One of my mentors said that people get caught up with “who they are” and become overly protective of that “who.”

Carol Dweck talks about having the fixed mindset and how young people who are told that they are talented start to limit their actions. These fearful young people want to avoid proving themselves “untalented” in some area. So, they avoid taking appropriate risks.

On the other hand, if you think of yourself as “Creative Energy,” then you have no particular fixed identity to protect. You can try something creative like songwriting and think of it as an experiment. Perhaps, you can go from songwriting to screenwriting. Maybe, you’ll find that you’re more adept at screenwriting than you were at songwriting. But you develop your creative skills all along the way. You free yourself of holding onto a fixed idea like “songwriter.” You just look on yourself as Creative Energy.

What possible creative things can you experiment with now?

3. Name 3 Focal Points

Have you been surprised by how much people who have no experience with something still push their opinions on others? These people make pronouncements of what a person should not do.

Some people proclaim: “You should specialize in only one thing.”

Instead, if you only focus on one thing, you might become too afraid to take appropriate risks with that one thing. I’ve learned about the Power of Identifying 3 Focal Points.

When you identify 3 Focal Points, you have more freedom. This goes hand-in-hand with having flexibility and letting go of a fixed identity.

Additionally, having 3 Focal Points helps you avoid being scattered. Still, you’ll have more opportunities. Sometimes, the 3 Focal Points will combine in ways you had no idea might happen.

What 3 Focal Points seem to be attractive to you at this moment and at this chapter in your life?

In summary, you’ll find more freedom when you take action related to this F.U.N. process. You may have more fun, which will make you more attractive. Why? Because people like to be around others who are full of enthusiasm and creativity. They want you to succeed, and they offer you opportunities.

Many great moments to you.

Call to Action

To connect with your creativity and build for the future … Go deeper and take my online courses:

Darkest Secrets of Persuasion and Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself and Turn the Power to Good

Darkest Secrets of Film Directing: How Successful Directors Overcome Hidden Traps

Darkest Secrets of Making a Pitch for Film and Television: How You Can Get a Studio Executive, Producer, Name Actor or Private Investor to Say YES to Your Project

Success Secrets: Confidence and Skills to Handle Toxic People

Your Secret Charisma: More Confidence and More Sales

 

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Tom Marcoux, Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach
CEO, International Speaker-Author of 48 Books on Amazon,
including the book Convince Investors to Fund You: The Insider’s Guide to Avoid Deadly Mistakes and Gain Real Success with Your Startup Business

GetTheBigYES.com

The stuntman on the jet ski attempted the “submarine trick” for a scene of a feature film I was directing. He wiped out amid a huge splash. He was unable to dive the jet ski underwater and then pop up like a dolphin.

We were running out of time to film the scene because we were “burning daylight.” That means the daylight was waning.

I had a choice: Send him back out to re-attempt the stunt or use an “editing trick.”

Using my mind’s eye, I edited the scene in my imagination. I had my answer. I said, “Go out there and make a huge splash like you’re recovering from the submarine stunt.” He did the motion.

In the final cut of the movie, the first shot is the stuntman causes his jet ski to dive underwater, and the second shot is a closeup of the lead actor emerging from the waves. The sequence ends with the big splash that simulates that the character successfully completed the submarine trick.

When the stuntman failed to complete the submarine trick, it felt like a disaster.

Fortunately, using my intuition and imagination, I solved the problem.

My point is: It may look like a disaster, but with imagination you can find your solution.

Here’s an example. Some time ago, I hired someone to edit a writing project for me. When I saw the mistakes left in the project, I was shocked. When you create a written work, the whole point is to serve the reader. This so-called editor did not watch my back.

I needed to find someone I could trust to help me.

Looking for a solution, I next talked with Daniel, a friend, who complained, “I don’t get relevant feedback from my writing group.”

I paused and let my imagination flow toward originating a new solution.

I innovated something I call “5 for 5.”

Later, I described “5 for 5” in this post I placed on Facebook:

#LeverageTip: Here’s a way to share kindness. I call it “5 for 5.” You read something you’re working on — for 5 minutes, and your friend gives helpful comments. Then, your friend reads something of their own for 5 minutes, and you provide supportive comments. (I just went through 800 pages with 15 friends in this manner … in 54 days). I helped people with LinkedIn profiles, sales emails, web pages, first novels and more. This deepens friendships and creates empowering energy, momentum and progress. many blessings

What difficulty are you facing?

Can you do something like “5 for 5,” in which you offer support and receive support, too?

Recently, I watched the series Into the Unknown: Making of Frozen 2. I noted that even on the highest levels of film production, team members face huge unknowns and problems. The solution requires caring people teaming up and supporting each other as they stretch and innovate solutions.

Now you have another tool you can use: “5 for 5.”

May your projects go well.

Call to Action

To connect with your creativity and build for the future … Go deeper and take my online courses:

Darkest Secrets of Persuasion and Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself and Turn the Power to Good

Darkest Secrets of Film Directing: How Successful Directors Overcome Hidden Traps

Darkest Secrets of Making a Pitch for Film and Television: How You Can Get a Studio Executive, Producer, Name Actor or Private Investor to Say YES to Your Project

Success Secrets: Confidence and Skills to Handle Toxic People

Your Secret Charisma: More Confidence and More Sales

 

---

Tom Marcoux, Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach
CEO, International Speaker-Author of 48 Books on Amazon,
including the book Convince Investors to Fund You: The Insider’s Guide to Avoid Deadly Mistakes and Gain Real Success with Your Startup Business

GetTheBigYES.com

I didn’t know that the key to a better life was in the 39-year-old book in my hand. I had not seen this book in two decades. I only found it because during the coronavirus crisis, I was dealing with some materials in storage.

Opening the book at random, I discovered an idea that has stayed with me. The book is Isaac Asimov on Science Fiction. I wondered what I might learn from viewing this author’s words. I found his story about a woman named Peg, who was the wife of the famed science fiction editor John W. Campbell, Jr.

John Campbell and Isaac Asimov fell into a big argument. Their dispute escalated and became worse. They even wrote letters that hammered at each other.

Peg read the letters from both men and told them, “Any more and the friendship will be destroyed, and this argument is not worth a friendship.” John Campbell and Isaac Asimov dropped their argument and talked about other things. The friendship was saved.

Years later, John Campbell died. Asimov ended his chapter of the book with: “Then [Peg] died, too, in 1979. But I remember her.”

“But I remember her.”

For weeks, this phrase resonated in my mind like the chorus of a song.

Why did Asimov remember Peg? She was the peacemaker who saved his friendship with her husband, John.

My question for you is: How will you be remembered? As a friend? As a peacemaker — as someone who did the most important things? Or someone who got caught up in small things in anger and in arguments?

Recently, a friend on Facebook invited people to describe themselves in Three Words.

This brings us back to Peg and “But I remember her.”

I think of Peg as peacemaker, friend, memorable.

What is most important to you?

Have you noticed that our energy is being drained by the coronavirus crisis and upheaval throughout the world?

To stay strong, do something each day that nurtures your spirit and your well-being. Then, you’ll have the energy to have a positive impact on people and the world around you.

Strength rises in focus.

How would you describe yourself in three words?

… and how would people, who are important to you, describe you in three words?

Call to Action

To connect with your creativity and build for the future … Go deeper and take my online courses:

Darkest Secrets of Persuasion and Seduction Masters: How to Protect Yourself and Turn the Power to Good

Darkest Secrets of Making a Pitch for Film and Television: How You Can Get a Studio Executive, Producer, Name Actor or Private Investor to Say YES to Your Project

Success Secrets: Confidence and Skills to Handle Toxic People

Your Secret Charisma: More Confidence and More Sales

Darkest Secrets of Film Directing: How Successful Directors Overcome Hidden Traps

 

---

Tom Marcoux, Spoken Word Strategist and Executive Coach
CEO, International Speaker-Author of 48 Books on Amazon,
including the book Convince Investor to Fund You: The Insider’s Guide to Avoid Deadly Mistakes and Gain Real Success with Your Startup Business

GetTheBigYES.com