learning | Michael Weening: a few pictures

I had a friend tell me a funny story. He was interviewing sales people and asked one lad: “What is the best sales course you have ever taken?”

The response: Tony Robbins. End of interview.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I think he is great. But he does not teach sales, he teaches personal motivation. What that interviewee did not realize was that … he was being sold.

Quick fact: Did you know that Tony Robbins owns many of these $14,000 USD exercise machines because he is a time maximization guru. Yes, for only $14,000 you too can stay fit in only 4 minutes per day!

http://www.fastexercise.com/

Like this 4 minutes work out – people believe that motivation is something that can be quickly fixed – the 4 minute motivator – and in my experience, that is not the case. Most people come out of these events pumped, and for a short period change until their situation brings them back down and they settle into old habits.

For me, motivation ebbs and flows, that is normal. But when it is ebbing more than flowing, I don’t look to a guru – I look at myself and say what is going on. I heard this the other day and believe that it is something we should all ask ourselves:

Do you get up in the morning excited about going to work? And when work is done, do you go home excited to be getting home?

Something to ponder.

Ever sit in your car while commuting home, listening to the radio and thinking “My mind is going numb, I am so sick of the radio”. Well, the radio was once described to me as “bubble gum for the brain”. This was when cell phones were still really expensive (so not everyone had one). The time in the car was truly dead time – you could not use the time to return business calls, check voicemail or chat with friends.

I was told – either listen to the radio and melt your brain or do something with that time: so I started listening to sales tapes (I just threw them out finally, I had hundreds). I attribute that attitude to my success and now – it is even easier. You can download books at a fraction of the cost.

I personally subscribe to the following (I have been a member for 2+ years): www.audible.com

For $14 per month I get 1 book and 1 periodical (I listen to Harvard Business Review) and a free MP3 player (I gave it to my kids – I listen on my tres cool Pocket PC phone).

Bubble gum for the brain or leverage the time to learn? Your choice. PLUS – this way, when I get home and after the kids are in bed, I don’t feel the need to read, I can watch TV …. (LOL)