When opportunities knock on your door: becoming a VoiceAmerica Radio Host!

Sometimes you can really expect the unexpected. In my case, I have had such an amazing journey over the past six years I cannot believe it somehow.

It all started back in February 2009 when I went to my (back-then) boss and told him I was going to resign after being at the company for almost 7 years. If you could have been there with me, you would have seen his shocked face, as I was the CFO and GM of his group of companies. His first question was why? Immediately came his second question, what will you do? My answer was a simple one: I want to do something different.

How many times have you had that thought or feeling that you want to do something different? As I was not prepared to answer exactly what I would do, so for him that conversation “never existed”; well, at least on his mind as for me it was just a matter of time. In 2010 I went to become the CFO of a large multinational corporation - something we finance people of course like very much – only to have that thought come over many times until late in 2012, when I decided it was time to do the something different I wanted to do, which was helping others but was not sure how.

My fields had been corporate finance, franchising and entrepreneurship and I knew I would do some managerial and entrepreneurial related activities; and my decision was in 2013 to become a business performance coach with FocalPoint Coaching. And my life changed. I have met incredible people like Brian Tracy, Jack Canfield, Dan Sullivan, and Michael E. Gerber among many other; I am a business coach and do have my very own business coach (thank you Margaret!) as we all need to continuously improve. I write in Spanish since the late 90’s (started my blog www.motivandoelfuturo.com in 2010) and have since published two books on Franchising. And then I was invited to write a chapter for a book in English (and yes it is really very different). And after that first chapter, came another and another and I have already co-authored six books with amazing people from all over the world; and of course, soon after I started an English blog on Leadership and Entrepreneurship (which you can read at www.entrepreneurperformance.com ).

And then a few other things followed. I was invited to speak to amazing audiences in Latin America and in the US and then to appear at the America’s Premier Experts TV Show which led to other incredible opportunities, such as being invited as a guest on a few radio shows.

I never had thought that I would write books or be on radio or TV; even less was I prepared to what happened last February. I was contacted by VocieAmerica Network to have my own radio show; really? Remember that I wanted to do something different? Well, all is different but it is the same. It is my way of still helping others but now doing what I like, working on management and entrepreneurship; with business owners and empowering teams. My clients range in age, industries and geography; but they all have something in common: are looking for new ways to do things in a better way!

So what do you do when you have a dream or a thought? You act on it, make decisions, start implementing a few ideas and put your mind into making it work. All takes time; all costs more than what you expect; everything requires effort, hard work and dedication. And still

you need to find the energy to continue forward, regardless of the circumstances. You need to be constantly inspired and motivated and do that for others, as leaders inspire people and visionaries motivate everyone. It is never easy, but all is worth it.

When opportunity knocks on your door, open it; if it doesn’t knock, go out and find it.

Never say I have never done it (you will someday);

never say I do not know how to do it (go out and learn);

never say it is too difficult (even less if you have not tried).

Never say no to an opportunity, and

never back down from a chance to do some incredible act and start a new adventure.

And after four months of design, preparation, weekly conferences, and decisions and now in training, this is what I will also do starting next week. On June 2^nd I will be the host of an incredible new radio show at VoiceAmerica’s Business Channel. Just the name of it might be intriguing to some: “Performing at Your Best: Mindset Evolution with Luis Vicente Garcia”.

This has been a family event: my wife and kids commenting on every single item related to the show; form the image, to the show’s name to the pictures and images. From my wife helping me to choose the right music, to my eldest son learning Photoshop and making all the show banners, to my youngest son making design suggestions (he even asked me why I included the word ‘Evolution’ on the show’s name; interesting question). And working with an executive producer for the network every week was also a first and as always, a learning experience (and of course, thank you Winston).

So I invite you to join me every Tuesday starting June 2^nd at 3 pm Pacific time or 6 pm Easter time, on the new show “Performing at Your Best: Mindset Evolution with Luis Vicente Garcia” . It will be an English radio show for a native Spanish speaker; a show on Internet which might be new to many people; a show on Performance and Mindset. And at the end, it will be the new beginning of that idea to do something different. Just how different you will never know, until you try, until you start, change, adapt, and see things with a different perspective. I invite you to follow the link to the show’s page at http://www.voiceamerica.com/show/2462/performing-at-your-best-mindset-evolution-with-luis-vicente-garcia

This is what the show will be about, but it will also be about you and about me, and about business and empowerment; and about being positive, motivated and on changing our mindset. And my goal with the show is that you will also find that ‘something different’ that you want to do and take the necessary steps to start doing it. Simply said, as Brian Tracy wrote on the book The Ultimate Success Guide, a book we both co-authored, when he dedicated a copy to me:

“LUIS, YES YOU CAN!”

Here is to all of you who are doing that ‘something different’, as you are already the “Change you want to see in the World’ (Gandhi)

To Your “Motivated” Success!

Luis Vicente 

It's Sunday... it must be Raining!

Spring is a beautiful time of the year; for some, the most beautiful season of all. This has been my first spring in Houston and actually, my last weekend here before heading back home; and I was expecting a beautiful season as well. But instead, we have had the worst torrential rains and floods in Harris County, Texas in over 35 years and today is Sunday, and as it has been over the past four weeks, it must be raining.

We have all heard the phrase ‘Spring Showers, May Flowers’; well, yes it’s true. But after April showers came May rains, thunderstorms and floods; so the flowers came and then, they drowned. I do not want to sound drastic or dramatic, but I have never seen or heard so many warnings for floods and river overflows as have this past month. So May has been a wet and rainy month. In fact, we have had an above average rain month this May and then of course our forecast for today is 100% rain with thunderstorms and now the usual flood warning; so yes indeed, it is Sunday and it is raining.

However, there are no excuses to stop you from doing the many wonderful things you can do on a rainy Sunday; especially when you could take the time to relax and do every single thing you never have the time to do. So here is a short compilation of some of the many things we can do today:

-          Finish reading the book you are reading or start reading a new one;

-          Sit down and write a short story, a novel, a poem;

-          Start cooking; be creative;

-          Do some exercise, inside or outside (I just finished my 10 Km Sunday walk and of course came back all wet, but really enjoyed it);

-          Plan your summer vacation or a long family weekend, if you are planning one;

-          Talk; yes, simply talk;

-          Talk to your family and friends, it is still one of those nice things we can all do;

-          Call someone you have not talked to in a long time;

-          Finish that long overdue project you have postponed (and yes we all have such projects);

-          Finish working on your idea, that prototype you have been thinking about for so long;

-          Play chess or any nice table game with your kids; they would learn much form it;

-          Have a puzzle? Nice day to do it;

-          Plan your week ahead;

-          Do part of your homework so you do not have to do it during the week;

-          Go to a Museum, yes that one you only visited years ago;

-          Get that much deserved rest you know you need; or simply,

-          Relax and enjoy the rain.

People complain all of the time. If it rains too much, if it is too hot, too dry, too cold; well, it is what it is and we cannot do anything, as it is Mother Nature calling on us.

So make the best of it. If it rains, read or listen to music; if it is sunny, go out and play. Make the best of your life; it depends on your attitude. And even if it is Sunday and it must be raining, enjoy life, be happy and keep motivated.

Do not complain, see this with a new attitude and a different perspective; have a different approach and even though it is Sunday and yes, it is raining, decide to enjoy it and have a wonderful Day!

Luis Vicente

Is there a Future for Optimism?

I have been an optimist all my life!

I have worked and strived for giving every person that I meet and have worked with, a reason to be happy, to be motivated and inspired and always to look forward to a better future. It is with hard work and determination that you make it right. And yes, it is not an easy task and I wish more and more people do and act that way, but it is something that is everybody’s responsibility. This is not a single act or someone else’s job. It is our job.

But where is it all going? Will we get somewhere with this crazy and strange idea that we can all be happy and positive?

I was privileged to be invited to a private screening of the new Walt Disney Pictures movie, TOMORROWLAND. For all of us who grew when you needed single tickets to ride on the monorail at Walt Disney World or needed to buy extra tickets to get on the rides again, it was an experience like no other. Yes it was during the 60’s and 70’s when many of us went for the first time to Adventureland, Fantasyland and to the future world of Tomorrowland. We read or were told by our parents about the New York World’s Fair in 1964 and about Disney’s Carrousel of Progress and the It’s a Small World attraction. And they, and maybe we, were part of a kind of fairytale.

But as stories start to fade, so was our hope for the future. At some point in time “our” future did not start to be seen so bright and wonderful; and no more happy endings as the world entered a series of critical issues, from wars, to conflicts, sickness and disasters; to natural catastrophes, to an uncertain future. At some point in time, our future looked positive, full of ideas and innovation and optimism. But we let it go; we did not give it all our best, or did we?

There was no more a “… hope-filled future like the ones promised us in the 1950’s”, as Robert Ito wrote in his “Back to the Future for ‘Tomorrowland’” article on the New York Times[1].  But, when did this change? And Why? No one is certain of when and why our moods became negative and our vision about the future changed. Our positive view of the future dimmed and over the years, and as a result, more and more adults see the future more difficult for their children.

However, we have lived in an era of unprecedented change, growth, research, new vision, and of course, future oriented developments. It is true that we need to cope with the realities of our complex world and try to solve its major issues and conflicts, but there is hope. When we see what organizations and institutions are doing for an improved educational system for all children; what companies are doing for the conservation of our planet Earth; when we look forward to space travel and exploration beyond Mars or the research that goes into the future of medicine; or that still inventions created by da Vinci, Edison, Verne, Eiffel and many others are yet to be perfected and improved upon, we can see a better future; a new Tomorrowland.

Walt Disney envisioned a park where all the family could - together - spend a happy day; he created lands for adventure, frontier exploration, and fairytales; and of course, for a new tomorrow. He envisioned a prototype city for the future. And we can still work to create a future, our future, based on what we want and how we see it: positive and optimist. 

In the movie there is a very interesting character, ATHENA, played by Raffei Cassidy who believes that “it is her mission to recruit DREAMERS energized to realize the promise of a better world.” Is that only her belief or could it be ours as well?

As Tomorrowland’s Screenwriter Damon Lindeloff said in an interview: “The future is what we make of it.” We can still create our future how we want it to be; we can build our “Tomorrowlands” filled with the hopes we had before and better yet, with more optimism and enthusiasm.  We just need to work together on making it work, seeing the future not as it could have been, but as it can actually be.

And if we do so, we can start building our Tomorrowlands the way we want them to be; and yes, we can still create a future for Optimism.

"Be Inspired to Motivate". 

Luis Vicente

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[1] Robert Ito, “Back to the Future for ‘Tomorrowland’”, The New York Times, Sunday May 17, 2015, p. 25, 28.

Excellence in Entrepreneurship!

Have you ever wondered what makes an entrepreneur and their companies excellent? or for example, why do you always seem to use the same companies as examples as having the best products or services or management practices?

One feature that all these companies have is that they are always looking to innovate to meet the growing and changing needs of their customers; and behind them there is always an entrepreneur who has the will to make it possible. In other words, it is the entrepreneur who always strives for excellence.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to give a lecture on strategies for growth to a small group of entrepreneurs. During the lecture I spoke about successful people, amazing companies developing new ideas and also, about transformational leaders. And always one refers to the most innovative companies. We talked about Disney and Disney Institute; on Amazon and its founder; I talked about Peter Diamandis and the X-Prize or the Zappos Culture. And we discussed about the characteristics of successful people (if you want to obtain my PDF on the Characteristics of Successful People write to Info@luisvicentegarcia.com ).

Often when talking about great products we refer to Apple or Sony. When we speak of excellent services they have emerged as companies like Zappos or Yahoo in the digital age that have stood out far above the others for the service they give. And there is a long list of companies including The Walt Disney Company, IBM, BMW, The Coca-Cola Company, TOMS and many others that are always in our minds when we think if excellent service. Each of us has our favorites, from movie theaters to restaurants or places we think when going on vacation. And, what characterizes them all? Why, that when we talk about something we use a company or a person as a reference? The answer is simple but complex at the same time: all these companies and all these people are in continuous search to improve the quality and excellence of their products and services, and thus, our lives.

Make a list of what you think that makes people and their companies successful. Make separate lists and see the characteristics and qualities of both, and look for similarities even though you will be talking about people or companies. In doing so, see what calls your attention and start understanding why they have been successful. It is a mix of desire and decision, creativity and innovation; and of course, continuous work - in addition to always have a good work team which makes them excellent.

And after all that, see how each of you, as individuals and professionals, along with your own companies can do to follow the path of Excellence!

Luis Vicente Garcia

Best Quotes for Entrepreneurs

I must admit I love quotes. They give you insights into other people’s minds and thoughts. So looking for quotes to motivate, inspire and teach us is something we all need to do. They can also suggest different perspectives at particular times.

Recently I read Tanya Prive’s Forbes article (@TanyaPrive1) on the 32 best quotes for #entrepreneurs which, with her permission, I present to you today.

Use them, allow them to guide you, and learn from them.

To your success,

Luis Vicente

Top 32 Quotes Every Entrepreneur Should Live By

(http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2013/05/02/top-32-quotes-every-entrepreneur-should-live-by/)

Tanya Prive

CONTRIBUTOR

The nature of being an entrepreneur means that you fully embrace ambiguity and are comfortable with being challenged regularly. Choosing this career path is completely irrational because the odds of succeeding are dismal, but most succeed because of their unwavering belief, laser focus on delivering and persistence.

Starting a company is a riveting roller coaster of emotions with tremendous highs and at times, difficult lows, but one thing that always helps me through the ups and downs is to connect with some of the greatest minds. Below are just a few of my favorite quotes:

1. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” - Peter Drucker

2. “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” - Vince Lombardi

3. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” - Steve Jobs

4. “My biggest motivation? Just to keep challenging myself. I see life almost like one long University education that I never had — everyday I’m learning something new.” - Richard Branson

5. “Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.” - Oprah Winfrey

6. It is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” - Bill Gates

7. “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” - Warren Buffett

8. “One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you.” - Jeff Bezos

9. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” - Thomas Edison

10. “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” - Albert Einstein

11. “As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big.” - Donald Trump

12. “Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” - Winston Churchill

13. “ Genius is 1% inspiration, and 99% perspiration.” - Thomas Edison

14. “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

15. “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” - Vince Lombardi

16. “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.” - Napoleon Hill

17. “I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” - Bill Cosby

18. “Success is not what you have, but who you are.” - Bo Bennet

19. “Entrepreneurship is living a few years of your life like most people won’t so you can spend the rest of your life like most people cant.” - Warren G. Tracy’s student

20. “To win without risk is to triumph without glory.” - Corneille

21. “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” - Mark Twain

22. “There is only one success- to be able to spend your life in your own way.” - Christopher Morley

23. “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.” - Napoleon Hill

24. “Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” - Albert Schweitzer

25. “What is not started will never get finished” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

26. “When you cease to dream you cease to live.” - Malcolm Forbes

27. “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” - Jim Rohn

28. “The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake- you can’t learn anything from being perfect.”- Adam Osborne

29. “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”- John C. Maxwell

30. “The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.”- Ralph Nader

31. “Choose a job that you like, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”- Confucius

32. “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”- Bill Gates