Creativity Archives - Yanik Silver

The Power of Play

July 2, 2017 by April Reyes 2 Comments

I have a little secret way of tapping into deeper wisdom…

You see, I love the serendipity of writing questions, doodling, or jotting little notes to myself a few pages forward in my journal. Then, when I “land” on that page, something magical usually comes together….

In the Evolved Enterprise book, one of the questions I shared that can help you dig deeper into your meaning is “What would my 111-year-old self tell me?” (It’s a question inspired by Tal Ben-Shahar and his work on happiness.)

This question brings forth a profound inquiry of tapping into elevated wisdom from an extended point of view.

Fact is, I love questions.

I believe our questions dictate our answers and this is definitely one worth thinking through.

However, I have a totally different direction for you….

The other day I came to the page in my journal where I had written the question “What would my 11-year-old self tell me?”

Hmmm…

First, I had to bring myself back to that time and place. It was 1984, and I played Dungeons and Dragons, loved eating Fruity Pebbles, and collected Smurfs.

And from that viewpoint of a slightly nerdy and unsure of myself 5^th grader, here’s the first answer I wrote in my journal:

“Have Fun!”

Makes sense. I realized that at age eleven I was a little more carefree. There was still an innocence to my life at this moment as it was 2 years before my parents got divorced.

Okay, “have fun” is a good start, but I want to explore more deeply what message is hiding under the surface. So what else would my little dude tell me? I continue writing:

“I know my magical child loves to draw, laugh, and play. And living in a more magical way, you get to write ANY script you want. That means including all the pieces that fill me with joy. And I certainly know what those ingredients are.”

Better.

I’ve realized your first answer is not usually your “real” one. There is a deeper, more profound knowledge to be found by continuing to ask again and again.

You Might Laugh When You Try This

Here’s a process to go further….

I have my friend Bill Donius, author of Thought Revolution, to thank for this. He taught Mavericks about one of the most connected ways you can get guidance from a different part of yourself or open up new ways of thinking

You can tap into your full creativity by writing with your non-dominant hand. It feels odd when you start and maybe even totally silly or completely illegible, but it works.

Now, with my left hand, I wrote this message back to myself:

“It’s easier than you think because your heart always has your answer. You might not like the answer or it’s inconvenient, but it’s truth. If choosing between 2 choices – which one brings out more play? More joy?

Not just “fun” only because that can change – but your deepest self is discovered through play. You’re making it harder on yourself too. Just laugh a bit more. Oh yeah, your turtle says “hi”… – 11-year-old enlightened Yanik

—

Random side note: Funny that using my left hand brought up my pet turtle I had for a short time as a kid. When I went away to the beach, my best friend Jamie was supposed to watch him, but the turtle (slowly) ran away.

—

I attributed this insight to the “11-year-old enlightened Yanik” because that’s exactly how it feels.

Kids provide some of the most amazing insights if you let them, and your own 11-year-old self probably has a message for you too.

Think back to what you loved to do when you were 11 and what gave you joy. Now how can that be brought back into your life in a fully integrated way? Where can you mix this into your business or life in some way again – but now from a new, expanded perspective?

One big thing for me was drawing. I actually thought I wanted to be a professional hockey player and then a cartoonist in the off season. I loved to draw and doodle and created my own characters, like “Meteor Mouse” and “Big Nose Fred.” I even created a comic book with my buddy Jamie under the imprint of “Silver Dragon Comics.” (His last name was Dragon, as you might have guessed.) It wasn’t really a profitable venture as we only sold 2 copies – to my parents and his – but I guess technically it was the start of my publishing career in a way.

Years later, I started drawing and doodling again in my journals.

I realized how much I loved it and actually included all my own doodles into my new Evolved Enterprise book, on blogs, and even in some of our marketing. One hint you’re doing something you love is when time stands still or it generates more energy for you as you’re doing it. I remember writing the final draft of the Evolved Enterprise book and was totally beat at 3 a.m. and ready for bed. But at that moment, I realized I wanted to include my own doodles in there. Bam! It was a huge blast of inspiration, and I kept drawing for another two hours.

My 11-year-old enlightened self also said to focus on play…

Your Greatest Joy Revealed

Play is one of our most natural expressions of who we are in our perfected state, and it’s an incredible way to connect to anyone in your life.

The other night, we had a dad and sons barbecue at my neighbor’s house. It was good food and wine (for the parents), but the real highlight was playing together. We played dads vs. boys in street hockey, basketball, and soccer with a quick S’mores break in between the final match ups.

Simply playing together is one of the greatest joys we have together (and it didn’t hurt that the dads beat the kids 5-4 in a wild soccer match thriller!).

The book, Play, by Dr. Stuart Brown covers why play is invaluable for relationships, learning, working together, and socializing as mammals.

I like playing with words too, and there’s a reason “recreation” is another word for play – because it “re-creates” our world.

Play is what we’re naturally drawn to if we simply give ourselves the permission to explore how we want to play within our lives and work. Sadly, most people believe work is in direct conflict to play, but that’s not the case.

As Dr. Stuart Brown says, “The opposite of play is not work – the opposite of play is depression.”

Have you ever been around someone who is simply playing? There’s an uninhibited joy that takes hold. There’s a loss of time, and we feel totally in the moment. Play is such a simple concept, but how much time do we even allow ourselves to explore what play really looks like?

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.” – James Michener

The Virgin Billionaire at Play

One of the characteristics I’ve seen up close many times from being around Richard Branson so often is his playful side. He is involved with serious projects, but he makes sure he doesn’t take himself too seriously. In fact, one of the rules on Necker is that there’s no work in the afternoons. Seeing Richard do this, I think he gets more productive time by focusing it all in allotted blocks and by continually rejuvenating and refreshing himself from playing more.

It’s not uncommon to have Richard instigating the party, dancing on tables, or generally mixing things up.

I love showing up on Necker and having some sort of silly surprise for him or a small prank. This year, in support of ocean conversation, we both donned mermaid (or merman!) tails for our Q&A.

And last year we surprised Richard by having everyone on the island wear lemur suits for our “serious” brainstorming meeting. When he walked in, he just laughed and gladly jumped into his own lemur outfit.

It’s funny to see this picture continuing to get out there in his social media posts. I get a kick out of seeing it pop up again and again, like on Richard’s Instagram, with the caption: “Don’t take yourself too seriously. Nobody else does.” (My daughter Zoe responded to the picture by asking how her lemurs are doing.)

I always believe a good costume adds to the play and fun of any kind of event. Making more of your work feel like play leads to big results. That brainstorming session that started with lemur suits actually turned into one our most impactful projects to date – sinking an old WWII ship and turning it into a marine conservation platform. (Read about the project here – http://www.divethebviartreef.com/)

And putting that together was definitely fun!

Quite frankly, our work doesn’t need to feel like, well, work.

So often we discount what comes easily to us that actually feels like playing simply because it comes so easily and seems like such fun to us. For me, part of how I play is helping brainstorm better business ideas that can have a greater impact on the world. I love thinking of the unique positioning, the hooks, marketing angles, cause elements to bake in, and so much more. It’s so alluring for me to map all aspects and facets and how to create more leverage beyond what many others might see. To me, that’s fun! I love it!

I love engaging in a potential problem like that and then figuring out the pieces to build something really meaningful using the Evolved Enterprise framework. I get a kick of asking the right questions to trigger the answers that move the needle. Or intuitively diagnosing the real buried issue that these entrepreneurs don’t even realize is hiding behind what they think their problem is.

When I get out of my own way, I realize how valuable this really is for others.

But since it feels like play, it’s too easy to discount it. To not value our own worth and our unique expression of our work… Why does it have to be hard? That’s some sort of belief we’ve inherited somewhere along the way. It doesn’t have to be that way if you incorporate the belief that our work can be inter-meshed with our play.

“The richest and fullest lives attempt to achieve an inner balance between three realms: work, love and play.” – Erik Erikson

Play is one of the great unifiers to have all levels of people, no matter how successful, drop their walls. That’s why, at many of our Maverick experiences and retreats, you’ll see there are opportunities to play. There are deeper connections, opportunities, and friendships that develop when you’re randomly together on Tuesday night and have been transformed into zombies by a Hollywood make-up artist than when sitting around a conference room.

Actually, one of my favorite playful events we put on is Camp Maverick, which is coming up. It’s absolutely a chance for the inner child to come out and play. Imagine heading to sleep away camp with a group of exceptional entrepreneurs to learn, play, and make a difference.

Basically, they’ve removed all the boring parts of going to a seminar and replaced them with summer camp awesomeness on a full 400 acres that we have all to ourselves. I don’t think I can quite do it justice, so watch the video here – www.GoCampMaverick.com.

My mentor, Frank McKinney, says he can always spot when an adult has let their inner little boy or little girl die. They just don’t have that same spark in their eyes. And that spark is lit by playing more by adding more play into your work and your life.

Think about what you loved to do when you were a kid and what your 11-year-old self would tell you.

Coincidences, byproducts, and standing United

January 22, 2017 by Yanik Silver Leave a Comment

Was flying home from Denver on Friday, and while in the boarding line, I struck up a conversation with a remarkable woman, who just attracted me for some reason.

I know why now…

First, she had a silver, vintage butterfly pin, and I told her how much I liked it. The gal behind us in line, who was also part of our conversation, mentioned that butterflies always remind her of her grandmother. For me, it’s my mom, who transitioned 11+ years ago.

Instead of a typical response, this woman with the pin said butterflies were symbolic of transformation and rebirth.

Hmmm…

Okay, so who was this person?

In further conversation, she mentioned she was a Jungian analyst. No way! My eyes lit up as I’m a huge Jung fan. We talked for only a few moments in line about her work, her coming to DC for a women’s march, and that she’s been an advocate for women’s rights for a long time, etc. She mentioned writing several books, including her latest, called Artemis.

As we parted, I felt compelled to hand her a copy of Evolved Enterprise. It was the only one I just happened to have in my bag. I said I was involved with helping entrepreneurs make a difference in the world and thought there might be something in there that might connect us.

As I sat in my seat, I felt a little silly as I looked up Artemis and then saw her extensive work. She had authored numerous books on female & male archetypes, symbolism, changing the world, activism, etc. Her name is Jean Shinoda Bolen.

To give you a sense of the depth of her work, here’s part of her latest book description: Artemis: The Indomitable Spirit in Everywoman, a groundbreaking new book that explores the archetype of the activist. Indomitable means untamed, unsubdued. It is the one-in-herself quality in girls and women who will not be victims, no matter what.

I had followed my intuition, but I thought maybe I had missed a turn here.

I felt like I had “pushed” my work on her without truly establishing a deeper connection for why. She was sitting a few rows up from me, and I walked up before the flight to say I didn’t have any attachment to her reading the book and that she could just leave it in the seat—truly, whatever. And that was it.

**
Quick side note: After our Maverick Hawaii Summit, I’ve been working a little with ho’oponopono practices. It’s a remarkable Hawaiian healing practice that I’m just really starting to feel into. There’s actually another pretty remarkable coincidence on how this came into my life too. A few weeks ago, I had toured the U.S. Capitol because I’m intensely intrigued by the fresco underneath the dome, entitled “The Apotheosis of George Washington.”

In my research on the Capitol, I knew about the statue of Columbia on top of the building and much of the symbolism, but I never knew about how the statue came to the U.S. and its remarkable storied past.

And part of that story involves Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona, a Kahuna responsible for bringing the ho’oponopono practice into much wider use around the world. Simeona was so connected to the statue of Columbia that she dedicated her resources and energy to restoring the original plaster model after bringing it out of storage and then installing it at the U.S. Capitol for visitors to appreciate. (Read the full story about how the statue talked to Morrnah—it’s pretty cool!)
**

I did the ho’oponopono process on myself for the feeling of “wanting to be recognized,” and a few moments later, strolling down the aisle toward me is Jean.

She said she skimmed through my book and realized we actually are a lot more connected than she realized. We had an empowering conversation about her advocacy work of helping create women’s circles. We discussed the combination of Malcolm Gladwell’s concept of Tipping Points and Rupert Sheldrake’s work with collective consciousness and how this is THE tipping point coming now with consciousness.

And then we talked about her favorite subject—synchronicity—and one of my favorite Jung concepts as well. I asked her how she knew the difference between a real synchronicity and something our ego wanted to be a meaningful coincidence. She explained that usually it’s lighter and even more whimsical but always in alignment with your higher purpose. Then Jean said we’ll wait to see if this is a synchronicity or not. 😉

I was so moved by all the women on my flight wearing their “cat hats” for the march. And the flight attendants asked everyone wearing the hats to get up so everyone could get pictures.

Then Jean led a quick chant on the plane of “Rise up…rise up…rise up!”

I actually started tearing up seeing someone leading in her full voice, not embarrassed to be doing that on an airplane with others. Just pure heart-centered leadership.

And the magic didn’t stop there, because I asked my seatmate if she was coming for the march too. After answering affirmatively, I pointed out a little “wink” from the Universe that we were on a “United” Airlines flight. I loved it.

United is, unfortunately, not the story the media wants portrayed. They want an enemy to continue dividing up people in one camp or another. The march “against” Trump. It’s unfortunate the media has to continue the story line of labeling this as a “protest” instead of choosing words that would create more solidarity.

The energy and feeling I got talking to different women coming in on the flight to Denver was more of a sisterhood of unity, not against something but standing in unity and solidarity as sisters, ensuring we do not go back. Couldn’t agree more.

I’ve talked to several friends who marched in DC and who have never been “political.” I always believe there are powerful byproducts that arise from anything that seems “bad” or “good.” It’ll be interesting to see which byproducts are catalyzed from these defining moments happening now.

How Entrepreneurship Can Be The Ultimate Expression of Love

June 27, 2014 by Yanik Silver 16 Comments

Everybody has heard the advice do what you love and the money will follow, right?

Unfortunately it’s not quite true. In fact, I’ve got a $400,000.00 lesson that I’ll share with you later on. However, running your enterprise from the fullest expression of love can and WILL create the meaningful success that matters. Yes, we’re moving into some slightly uncharted waters combining the words ‘love’ and ‘work’ together but stick with me.

What does the ‘fullest expression of love’ look like?

Like anything and everything it always starts with you. Our responsibility is always on our shoulders first. And looking at the Evolved Enterprise diagram the founder (you) is at the center:

That’s because a business is always a reflection of the leader’s evolution.

Sleep walking

The wild thing is even if someone appears to be successful, they still could very well be existing in a slumbering type of half-hearted state. Frankly, I’ve made a lot of money without totally applying myself fully.

And that’s not because I don’t care about my ventures or customers. If you get the mechanics around delivering exceptional value correct – you will be rewarded. But I think you can take it to another level. I’ve seen it over and over again with individuals seeming to have a great business but they are not fulfilled at a deeper level. They think business is just business and don’t consider how it could be their art. And that’s why so many people start looking for creative (or sometimes self destructive) outlets to compensate for not being totally engaged. Then that lack of energy carries over to your team, your work, and your customers. Truly everything.

I know because I’ve seen it first hand…

About 7 years ago, I made a significant transition. I went from ‘just’ being an Internet marketer teaching and helping others sell their knowledge online to my next evolution. I couldn’t see doing what I was doing for another decade or more. This wasn’t a complete 180. There were still so many parts that were fulfilling in what I was doing and that left clues for a bigger, more expanded version of where I thought I’d like to play.

The idea for Maverick was rolling around in my journal for a long time and it really hit on so many things that lit me up; working with innovative entrepreneurs who not only wanted to grow themselves and their business, but also having a genuine impact in the world – while having some fun in the process. Truly changing the way business is played.

Of course, I could have easily decided to continue doing what I’ve always done and let those ‘golden handcuffs’ get tighter and tighter.

To me, it was almost like an awakening in a sense, and everybody goes through it at their own time and in their own way. The best way to think about this was an example my 6-year old daughter, Zoe provided. She really, really wanted a ‘wiggly’ tooth so bad. She kept checking her teeth but nothing was going on. Then finally she lost her first tooth a few months ago and 4 more followed in quick order.

Everything comes at the right time.

We can either resist this ‘cosmic alarm clock’ or lean into and embrace the transition into something bigger and better.

Granted it’s not always a frictionless transformation. But those thoughts you have of ‘there’s something bigger I could be playing at’ or rationalizing work as just work. Those are all indicators that change is coming. Part of my evolution was truly deciding if I was really committed to what I was building with the Maverick Ecoverse or not. And that commitment was a bit trickier after my personal income took a nosedive sinking about $400,000.00 into the venture before figuring it out.

This is where following what you love becomes a huge double-edged sword by simply and blindly following a passion without an established business model. Plus, if you have a pretty much carte blanche checkbook that doesn’t help either because you continue to throw more and more cash into it instead of thinking of creative solutions. (Yes, this was one of those times I didn’t follow my own advice with Maverick Rule #16 Bootstrap. Having too much capital leads to incredible waste and doing things using conventional means.)

So what happens?

Well you’ll continue getting bonked on the head with increased severity if you don’t figure it out. For me, it took finally selling my Aston Martin to cover payroll in order to make the changes we needed to get profitable. But I’m thankful for those experiences because it forced me to truly decide if the vision for what we were building was worth it or not. And that’s where passion really helps you with perseverance. Of course, you’re going to encounter set-backs and any venture is a zig-zagging process. And it was my love for the bigger mission – and that kept me going to figure out how to make it work.

One of my favorite questions during this period has been, ‘What would you do even if you knew it would fail?’

I believe I heard this from Brene Brown inside her awesome book Daring Greatly. It makes you think if whatever you’re doing is worth your life’s energy or not?

It’s an even better question than one you may have heard before, ‘What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?’ The refined version forces you consider putting in your full heart & soul regardless of the outcome. This is something I’ve been practicing more and more after studying it through one of my favorite recent books The Great Work of Your Life: A Guide for the Journey to Your True Calling by Stephen Cope.

Putting in the work (if it’s from a true place of meaning) is enough reward. Sometimes that concept may be difficult, but if we’re awaiting outside praise or recognition we’re always beholden to it.

So if you can truly awaken from the autopilot nature of where you are – you can start to stir a deeper sense of direction. And that inner guide has the key to what you can be doing to re-invent or re-work your company or yourself.

And at the highest expression is LOVE.

Loving yourself and honoring yourself shows up in many ways. It takes time and it’s an ongoing process. I’ll recommend my friend, Kamal Ravikant’s book, ‘Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends On It.

It’s a very personal story Kamal took as CEO of a venture-backed company in Silicon Valley and he went from depressed and blackness to fully engaged and living at an optimal level. You’ll have to challenge yourself to do the exercises in here for significant results.

Lately I’m seeing a lot of Maverick members and colleagues in a state of transition. Maybe it’s because I’ve personally gone through this and come out the other side that I’m seeing it more and more. But I’m not so sure that’s why it’s showing up more. It truly feels like accomplished entrepreneurs want to know ‘What’s next?’ And the same thing that got them to where they are now won’t necessarily take them to a higher place. But you can get there by continually expressing your deepest and most honest love for yourself and your gifts. (These are some of my favorite conversations with Maverick1000 members.)

When you’re fully utilizing everything you were designed to do there’s a complete sense of divine inspiration and time stands still. The more you can truly ‘know yourself’ the better you can recognize where your sweet spot is. I’ve taken multiple personal assessment tests and would recommend Wealth Dynamics, StrengthsFinder, Kolbe and even the Enneagram. I don’t know why we’re wired this way, maybe it comes from when you were a kid and brought home your report card with all ‘A’s’ except one ‘C’ and your parents focused on the ‘C’. But for some reason we don’t really focus and develop our strengths that come naturally. Those are the sweet spots that bring more joy and energy into everything we do.

Aligning With Your Shadow

Part of my journey has also been going deeper and exploring my ‘shadow’. This is a Jungian concept for a part that we want to repress and hold back typically from the light. And many times it comes up in all sorts of ways. It could be road rage and yelling at other people in traffic in front of your kids, it could be sexually acting out, it could be continually beating yourself up for not being good enough. One way you can often recognize a shadow is a behavior you see in others that elicits a charged reaction in you that really bothers you.

Essentially, everyone around you can be a mirror for yourself and if there’s something that bothers you – usually it’s because you have this behavior and haven’t acknowledged it. Many times just bringing awareness to your shadow is a fast step forward to integrating it more fully into who you are.

Personally, one of my shadows was recognizing I was not ever giving 100%.

I could see an interesting pattern looking back on my life. For instance in college, I’d go out the night before a big exam, come in late into the lecture hall smelling like bourbon, borrow a pencil and be the first one out. Even with that – I’d still get a solid ‘B’. And with my businesses, I’ve always done well and over-delivered but I’ve never given my everything. If I’m being totally honest, it’s probably because that leaves a little room to justify results if they are not what you hoped for.

As I mentioned before, echoing the Great Work of Your Life book – by putting your full essence behind something, you let go of the outcome because your full effort is reward by itself.

Loving yourself is also about taking care of yourself. One of my very astute friends, Richard Rossi, likes to ask ‘How would you treat a million dollar racehorse?’ Would you feed them junk? Would you let them not get enough rest? Would they get training whenever they felt like it? Or instead, would there be consciousness and intentionality in what you do? Of course there would. And you can probably guess where Richard was going with this – you’re the million-dollar racehorse. Actually I’d bet you’re worth significantly more than a mil.

But how are you treating yourself?

The Daily Return Path to Joy, Happiness and Bliss was part of my experiment to see how I can purposely work on making sure I’m the best I can be each day.

Am I perfect? No, not at all but I know I’m consistently evolving and growing.

Loving yourself fully changes the dynamics of how everyone around you reacts to you too. Because if we’re honoring your authentic vision there’s no time to say ‘Yes’ when you really should be saying ‘No’ to things that don’t support this. So many entrepreneurs I know are wired to be giving but they don’t make space for themselves.

One of my most recent practices to create space for myself has been meditating. So far I’m at 20 minutes per day in the morning. I know quite a few entrepreneurs who meditate and it’s becoming bigger and bigger. In fact, it came up in a big way as I was prepping to interview hip-hop mogul, Russell Simmons for a private Q&A with Russell and a Yoga session for Maverick members.

Russell Simmons sharing success practices on the mat

Going through his latest book, Success through Stillness, the entire work is really devoted to meditation, yoga and a deeper stillness applied to business. I decided to make a commitment right there to try it in my life.

His deep conviction for these pieces helped take his game to a whole new level and really impressed me. (The funny thing is Russell will candidly admit he only started going to yoga to check out hot ladies!) Also, I’d been paying attention to more and more research about the scientific benefits of meditation – so I decided to go for it. I can’t say it’s been a light switch type moment where my world has completely changed, but it’s a practice and one that I look forward to now each day. In these moments of stillness, I feel like I get centered on what’s important and what’s not.

I see working on your own evolution as holographic for your business since we know everything really stems from you as the leader. Meaning a change to ‘you’ creates a change in your business too. It really does work that way.

And it’s this full expression of love that shows up in different facets of your company, team and customers.

Company:

By law, a corporation is its own entity, right? So as an entity (AKA a ‘body’), the analogy would continue that there is a ‘Soul’ inside. It might sound really odd but I think that’s true. Your business can stand for something more and just like we evolve, your business’ purpose can evolve too.

A venture could be created with the purpose of simply maximizing bottom line profit, or it could be upped one level by having a distinctive mission or big ‘Why’. (Though I truly believe they are not mutually exclusive. In the Evolved Enterprise framework your bottom line is actually enhanced by a bigger mission.)

An conscious business is a catalyst to enhance every area of the business starting internally with culture…

Culture:

Regardless if you set an intentional culture or not, there’s always a culture internally within your company.

Your employees could be showing up just for their paycheck at the lowest level of engagement, coming together for the culture one level up or because they truly believe they’re playing a part in something bigger.

And what if your goal as the leader was to help everyone on your team become the fullest expression of themselves? Same as your personal evolution, right? Your company becomes the container and catalyst for growth, learning and complete expression of their gifts & talents. Not everyone is wired to do their own thing but when you can give your team a ‘sandbox’ to build their dreams, they win and you win. Zappos is a well-praised poster child (for good reason) lately for taking their culture of happiness seriously. Just one of the perks there is having a ‘dream manager’ who helps their team figure out their dreams (i.e. owning a house, etc.) and making it happen. That’s huge. Starbucks has just raised their commitment to their team members by reimbursing them for online education.

On our team we start with strengths testing and then through some trial and error help members experiment and move into roles best suited for them. We’re not perfect at this but we’re continually growing. And you can see changes in engagement when people feel they could bring their full selves to work. It makes a big difference.

I’m really proud of this note I got from a Maverick Team Green member just the other day:

“I just want to say thank you for listening to my ideas and giving me the space to grow them. I have never experienced this type of freedom in my job and cannot even begin to express how much it means to me. I am very passionate about working towards positive change in our world. There is nothing I aspire to more than to be in a place where I can really help people. So once again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to realize my dreams. I love Maverick – the team and the members.”

Let’s look at a few other facets…

Sales:

If I’m just selling something without a bigger meaning, I’m simply selling to sell no matter what. But raising the intention up a level is a consultative sale. But still on a whole different level is falling in love with your prospect. And if you’re in love with them that means you could do what’s in your customer’s true best interest. Which sometimes means no sale – but other times it means you must do everything in your power to get them to buy because you know the positive results they’ll have.

If you love your prospect, you would be doing them a disservice to not get them to purchase, right? It’s a subtle but dramatic difference. And if there’s true love with the product or service that also creates a higher-level engagement with your customers/members/clients.

Customers:

On the lowest level of our triangle people are simply getting a need met. Your product or service is their solution so it’s transactional. At the next level there is a community being built with a true identity tied in. (I shared an entire segment on Community Code 2.0: Building Beloved Brand Builders at the last Underground® event.) And finally at the highest level of expanded love, your customers see it as their responsibility to actually ‘convert’ others. Yes, almost evangelical.

Don’t get me wrong about everything I’ve just covered. I think business is already a value driver and server or else it would be out of business, but by truly adding a genuine element of love it could be so much more. It can move from transactional, to transformational or even transcending business as usual. It could be an Evolved Enterprise.

What do you think? What have you seen that reflects a fuller expression of something bigger through business?

66 Must-read books for Impactful Entrepreneurs

December 30, 2013 by Yanik Silver 14 Comments

The other day, Maverick1000 members were asking about book recommendations on our private forum. I typically read 1-2 books per week (minimum) so this forced me to sort out some top recommendations by category.

I’ve always believed your life is changed by the books you read, experiences you create and the people you meet.

Think of this as the start of your Maverick MBA with 6 of the most important categories for evolved enterprises and impactful entrepreneurs in the 21^st century.

1) Success Thinking/Foundation

2) Marketing & Sales

3) Strategic Thinking & Innovation

4) Operations/Systems

5) 21st Century Orgs & Modern Entrepreneurship

6) Action & Productivity

* * *

I. Success Thinking/Foundation:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Not really a business book but probably one of the biggest influences for top CEOs and entrepreneurs who have cited this numerous times. I’ve read this several times and even threw out calling our daughter Dagny – but Missy didn’t go for that. I loved Atlas Shrugged for instilling the philosophy that productive value should be compensated and revered instead of these individuals being coerced into self-sacrifice because of their talent and other’s “needs”. It really cemented the argument in my mind that the more laissez-faire approach to governing is ultimately best for a free marketplace and productive society. Yes, this is a thick read but well worth it.

Winning Through Intimidation by Robert Ringer

I know the title of this book is a bit off putting and that’s probably why Robert renamed the latest edition. I love the way Ringer objectively looks at other people’s success advice in here. For instance, the advice of “work hard and you’ll succeed”. He asked himself what “working hard” really means since one person’s definition of working hard is a 18-hour shift while someone else might have a totally different notion. Ringer threw out typical advice like this to work on his own theories for figuring out success. Plus, there is one chapter in here “the Leapfrog theory” that is essential reading. It explodes the myth of “working your way to the top”. Basically this is a waste of time to keep the status quo. You can leapfrog over any competitors by proclaiming yourself at their same level – but you’ve got to be able to back it up with the goods. For some reason people are always waiting to be anointed the “expert” – it doesn’t happen. And Ringer’s book is packed with even more hard-hitting realities for street-smart entrepreneurs.

Lead the Field By Earl Nightingale

I can’t even begin to count the times I’ve listened to these programs. Earl was really the first person who game me ‘permission’ to think and behave differently. He talks about how the top 5% of achievers don’t do the things ordinary people do and that’s why they are extraordinary. Or they are willing to do the things the other 95% aren’t willing to do (like read/listen for hours per day honing my expertise)

Rich Dad’s Cashflow Quadrant by Robert Kiyosaki

A lot of people might say “Rich Dad/Poor Dad” is more influential but I would argue this second book in the series really hits the concepts explained there harder. If you’re looking for a book to shake you or someone who needs it out of the typical 9-to-5 mindset – this will do it. The Cashflow Quadrant is all about creating enough passive income to pay for your needs and truly creating financial independence. It’s a simple concept explained by Kiyosaki’s drawing depicted on the cover. On the left-hand side are the people who trade time for money. That’s the “E” or employee quadrant and the “S” or Small business quadrant. Then on the right-hand side are the people creating passive wealth by being “I” – Investors or “B” Business owners (who work on in their business not in it). While Kiyosaki’s books are pretty short on specific details – I think the philosophy and mindset is way more powerful and important.

THE LAW OF SUCCESS IN SIXTEEN LESSONS by Napoleon Hill

I like this even better than the more popular Think and Grow Rich because you get the full lessons Napoleon Hill uncovered with interviews spanning 20 years with the biggest tycoons and empire builders of his time.

59 Seconds: Think a Little Change a Lot by Richard Wiseman

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success: A Practical Guide to the Fulfillment of Your Dreams by Deepak Chopra

The Practice of Happiness by John Kehoe

John is not super well known but this is a great book to get you attuned to some of the most important elements in a joyful life.

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown

Wow! This is a powerhouse of a book dealing with shame and vulnerability, something every leader needs to hear and work with.

Choose Yourself by James Altucher

James is one of the most transparent and wonderfully vulnerable people I have met (and read). James has made and lost millions and he provides a valuable paradigm for anyone to get their thinking straight.

Make it Big: 49 Secrets for Building a Life of Extreme Success by Frank McKinney

Frank McKinney builds mega multi-million dollar mansions on spec (meaning – no buyer before he builds). This is his first book that really shares his all encompassing philosophy for living a full life in every sense. I’ve spent extended amounts of time with Frank in Haiti helping build self-sustaining villages and Frank has immense integrity in everything he does leading from these principles.

The Great Work of Your Life by Stephen Cope

My #1 book of the last year. It’s a little (okay a lot) different than any business book because it’s about your Dharma. A Buddhist concept essentially meaning your path or truth. If you’re considering what you really should be doing with your life and how to integrate your deepest purpose and meaning into everything you do – this is the book to read. Mine is massively highlighted with notes all over.

Love Yourself Like Your Life Depends on It by Kamal Ravikant

I love, love, love this book! Written by a CEO of a venture backed company in Silicon Valley, it’s a totally transformative book to go from depressed and dark periods of burn out to full engaged and living at your optimal level. Try the exercises in here for big results.

II. Marketing & Sales

Influence: The psychology of persuasion by Robert Cialdini, PhD

I’ve read it at least 9 times and it will truly help you understand the psychological triggers to a sale. Very powerful stuff. Written by a self-proclaimed “sucker” and professor of psychology to help consumers avoid being taken “in” by marketers – this instantly became a classic for us marketers to apply each of the psychological tactics to success. This truly is a power that should only be harnessed for good. If I was to start at zero again and if you stripped away all the knowledge from every book I’ve read – I would start by reading this one and get it all back!

How to Make Millions with Your Ideas: An Entrepreneur’s Guide by Dan Kennedy

Yes, even though this was published in 1996 and some of the new-fangled technology sections like broadcast fax are out-of-date – this is a top ten for sure! I’ve spent probably $150k or more with Dan and every product or resource I buy from him gives me back at least a 10-to-1 return. This is one of my favorite Dan books (along with #7 on the list) but you really can’t go wrong buying any of his books. When I first stumbled onto Dan I was so excited because he finally provided more of the true ‘nuts & bolts’ I was looking for. Sure, he’s grumpy and not the most sociable guy – but his information is priceless no matter what type of business you are in

Brains on Fire: Igniting Powerful, Sustainable, Word of Mouth Movements by Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church and Spike Jones

One of my favorite newer books on creating an identity and community for the customers you serve.

Primal Branding: Create Zealots for Your Brand, Your Company, and Your Future by Patrick Hanlon

Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got: 21 Ways You Can Out-Think, Out-Perform, and Out-Earn the Competition by Jay Abraham

I like his Mr. X book a lot more, but it’s not as widely available. Jay is the very first direct marketing expert I ever encountered when I was 17 and his fundamental thinking for leverage and uncovering hidden assets is unparalleled.

Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples

An absolute classic for any direct marketer or anyone that doesn’t want to waste a dime on untrackable ads. Devour this one and also look for Caples’ other books that are out of print. A true professional who generously published his directly-traceable results for everybody to benefit from. Many people might think there’s nothing to be gained from a book written decades ago – WRONG! Everything Caples reveals applies online in spades.

Scientific Advertising by Claude Hopkins

Yes another “old time” marketing book but the gems in here are absolutely brilliant if applied today. Remember, human nature does not change – just the ways to activate our buying does. This is a short read and available online for free in many places since it’s in the public domain. Hopkins was one of the true advertising pioneers and this little guide really distills the essence of why you cannot use conjecture or opinion but actual tested, scientific methods to discover what your customers/prospects want.

Magic Words that Bring You Riches by Ted Nicholas

There are 3 main people I’d give credit for opening my eyes to the enormous power of direct response marketing and helping me achieve financial independence before I was 31. And one of those is definitely Ted Nicholas. I cannot begin to tell you how many dozens of times I listened and read Ted’s material over and over again. He’s one of my all-time marketing heroes. Ted took the guts of his $197/year newsletter on direct marketing and distilled it into this single book. When I checked this morning there were a few used copies available on Amazon but you can now find it as an ebook or real book on TedNicholas.com.

Pow! Right Between the Eyes: Profiting from the Power of Surprise by Andy Nulman

IF you want to create some memorable that your customers MUST talk about – this book gives you the formula. Warning: The only problem with surprise elements is you must be constantly re-inventing.

The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes

Chet a proven blueprint for creating a sales and marketing machine in your business.

Double Double by Cameron Herold

Cameron built 1-800-Got Junk from $3M – $100M+ as the COO. This is the process.

Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business into a Sales Machine with the $100 Million Best Practices of Salesforce.com by Aaron Ross

Aaron Ross presents his ‘cold calling 2.0’ strategy for creating predictable and scaleable selling. This is the personal account of creating a $100M pipeline for Salesforce and multiplying yourself and your team.

The Ultimate Sales letter by Dan Kennedy

Easiest to follow formula for creating sales copy (letters) that work.

Advertising Secret of the Written Word – Joe Sugarman

I love Joe Sugarman’s material. He’s the first person that used 800#s to market products and he’s responsible for blockbusters like ‘Blu Blockers’. Joe is first and foremost a copywriter and you’ll get some of his best thinking on this valuable subject.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath

Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff

A great book about creating the right ‘frame’ for having others qualify themselves and turn the tables on selling.

III. Thinking/Innovation:

Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim

Blue Ocean is a pretty easy concept to understand but difficult to implement. It can lead to some big innovations and really owning a category that you invent – but it’s imperative to combine with something like Little Bets (below).

The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures by Dan Roam

Even if you don’t think you’re an artist in the least, this book is a really powerful application of using simple pictures to sell.

The Mind Map Book: How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximize Your Brain’s Untapped Potential by Tony Buzan and Barry Buzan

A good primer on using Mindmaps. One of my favorite tools for creating new ideas.

Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky

Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries by Peter Sims

Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd by Youngme Moon

Written by one of the most popular Harvard Business School professors, Different is exactly that. It’s a good take on how to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace by being different. Most businesses talk about being ‘different’ but so many fall into the trap becoming mediocre because they look at their competitors and try to copy some of their strengths. This only leads to being average across a bunch of different aspects instead of being unique in just 1 or 2 differentiable points. This book is a fairly easy read and not a dull, boring college textbook. And as one reviewer on Amazon said, just skip the Harvard MBA and get this book!

IV. Operations:

Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less by Sam Carpenter

Excellent book by Maverick member, Sam Carpenter detailing how he went from nearly bankrupt and totally having a business out-of-control to a smoothly run ‘machine’.

Get A Grip: An Entrepreneurial Fable…Your Journey to Get Real, Get Simple, and Get Results by Gino Wickman and Mike Paton

One of my favorite books that has a lot of actual application to help you work on what’s most important and get all your team members in alignment with your vision.

Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish

Make The Noise Go Away: The Power Of An Effective Second-In-Command by Larry G. Linn

A short but profound book on grooming a “2nd in command”.

V: 21st Century Organizations & Modern Entrepreneurship:

Screw Business as Usual by Richard Branson

Richard is my biggest business hero and I’ve been privileged to spend several weeks with him on his private island. This is his manifesto for a new way of doing business and I really think there’s a tipping point that’s been reached. It’s an idea to look at new models for entrepreneurs.

4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

Tim and I met over our love of marketing and living life to the fullest. There’s a reason this book has literally taken on a life of its own and achieved best-seller status so quickly. To me, it’s because the concepts in here are so compelling. I’ve given away a ton of copies of this book and a lot of people have actually gotten pissed at me for giving to them. One of my hockey teammates said that to me again a few nights ago. He’s gets really mad when he looks at it on the nightstand because he’s not living his life the way it could be using the ideas in this book. This book is designed to get you to stop and think if you are really putting the right things in the right priority. Tim has a concept of the “New Rich” and that’s people who have time to do the things they want & they’re passionate on. There’s some exciting concepts about life design, dumping the email habit, outsourcing and creating online “muses” that pay for it all. Tim started a revolution with this book and it’s still pertinent.

Start Something that Matters by Blake Mycocskie

I love what Blake has been able to do with TOMS shoes and his buy-one, give-one program is truly a remarkable and impactful business model.

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh

Tony is incredible with what he’s been able to do with Zappos and now the Downtown Project. If you want to consider how happiness is integrated into your profitability for 21^st century organizations, this is your book.

Unique Ability: Creating the Life You Want by Catherine Nomura, Julia Waller, Shannon Waller

This is my absolute favorite book about simply focusing on what your unique abilities are and then bringing in others who are strong in areas that are not unique abilities. Now “Unique Ability” is different than simply finding your strengths like the book “Now Discover Your Strengths” (which is also quite good for their online test). Unique ability is not only about something that is a strength for you but something you love and that gives you more energy when you do it! Critical difference. You could have a strength but you don’t necessarily want to keep doing that activity. This book walks you the process of discovering your own unique abilities. Highly recommended. (At some point I’ll do a post just on this concept and share with you my own ‘unique ability’ statement I’ve come up with from this.) This book is put out by Dan Sullivan’s company “Strategic Coach” and they have an excellent group of other ‘knowledge’ products. If you can find it the CD set “Pure Genius” is remarkable.

The Business of Happiness by Ted Leonsis

Former Underground® keynote presenter, Ted Leonsis shares his 6 secrets for building a business that increases your happiness.

Conscious Capitalism: Liberating the Heroic Spirit of Business by John Mackey, Rajendra Sisodia and Bill George

All part of the ‘tipping point’ going on with business serving a higher purpose. I really like the idea of an evolving consciousness for business serving all stakeholders (customers, employees, suppliers, investors, etc).

A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Building a Great Business by Ari Weinzwieg

Huge thumbs up for me on this book! You must get this one from Ari’s training site (ZingTrain.com) and you’ll be absolutely impressed. One of the key books I always recommend.

PEAK by Chip Conley

One of my favorite books about creating a higher PEAK state for everybody in your organization based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses… by Eric Ries

Ries has quite a following in Silicon Valley and for good reason. This book lays out an excellent methodology for ‘testing’ new business ideas and getting traction fast.

Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers by Alexander Osterwalder

A really nice visual way of looking at and thinking through your business model.

The Startup Owner’s Manual: The Step-By-Step Guide for Building a Great Company by Steve Blank and Bob Dorf

A really nice step-by-step guide to go from idea to roll out.

Business Stripped Bare by Sir Richard Branson

The best ‘nuts and bolts’ out of any Branson book I’ve read. Plus, I love seeing some of his journal entries on the inside cover.

Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson by Mark Ford

Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal

One of the best books to get you thinking about using ‘gamification’ (the hot term) to help everything in your organization.

Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright

How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis

A totally tell-it-like-it-is recap from the founder of Maxim magazine.

Maverick Startup by Yanik Silver 😉

Yes, I’m biased but still makes the list.

VI: Action/Productivity:

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

The best book out there about the difference between a professional and an amateur to beat down procrastination.

No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs by Dan Kennedy

Yes, Kennedy makes the list again. Let’s face it, for entrepreneurs we’ve got no greater asset than our time. And even if you’ve read a 100 other time management books I guarantee you’ll get something out of this one. Here’s Dan’s unique & ruthless approach to time management that might give some people pause. I don’t follow all of Dan’s advice here because I’m a little too nice at times but reading this book will really let you understand that you create the rules at all times. You decide how you want customers to work with you, people to contact you, etc. Fact is, if you don’t set the rules – then someone else will for you by default.

10 Natural Laws of Successful Time and Life Management by Hyrum Smith

This book has probably had one of the most profound effects on my inner values starting in 1998 when I got introduced to Hyrum’s company, now-called “Franklin Covey”. This book really made me examine what my value was and most importantly in what order should those values be. I look at them nearly every day when I get up to make sure my decisions are on track with my inner compass. This isn’t a half-hour read and then you’ve ‘got it’. I spent some time really considering what type of values and life legacy I’d like to leave. Excellent exercises

The Power of Less by Leo Babauta

The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz

Getting Things Done by David Allen

Some people swear by this – it’s not something I always use but principles are solid

Strengthfinders 2.0 by Tom Rath

This is one of the assessment tests we use when we hire new team members and work with new partners. Very insightful.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Dan Pink

Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson

Nice work from the founders of 37signals dispelling some beliefs about business.

Freeing your Inner Child to Unleash More Joy, Happiness and Creativity

July 19, 2013 by Yanik Silver 7 Comments

What is it about “adults” that some of them (notice I didn’t say “us”) get so tied up in being “grown up”?

Each year I co-host an Impact trip to Haiti with Maverick member, Doug Doebler and one of my mentors, mega real estate entrepreneur and philanthropist, Frank McKinney.

We take a group of Mavericks, entrepreneurs, leaders and other extraordinary individuals who each donate the cost of a house to be built. We immerse ourselves in the culture and work going on to help transform the country including working with some of the local micro-entrepreneurs in the region. (For more about Caring House Project’s work, please visit the site.)

So this year before I left, my wife Missy asks, “Are you excited about the Haiti trip?”

Hmm… it’s hard to say you’re excited going to the world’s poorest country but I was certainly looking forward to it. Every time it’s a bit different and this was my third time there. Each year I walk away with new insights. Whether it’s from the Haitian people I meet, off-hand conversations or a totally unique and meaningful experience.

Keeping Your Inner Child Alive

Last year one of my favorite parts of our Maverick Impact trip was seeing Frank climb to the top of our bus and start tossing a basketball 20+ ft in the air to a horde of children trying to catch it. There were a few who got bonked on the head but it was all part of the fun.

I’m always pretty playful by nature but this gave me “permission” to really step up.

So this year I knew just what to do…

Our first stop on this trip was a new orphanage run by Hope to Haiti and our guide, Scott Bonnell. This year we had an expanded amount of time to spend with the kids. After a bit of a welcome and engagement, we got into action.

I climbed up on the top of our bus with fellow Maverick, Ben Roy, and we started throwing out all sorts of footballs, bouncy balls, etc from the toys we brought.

The kids went crazy!

We played with the kids at the orphanage for hours. Soccer, Frisbee, whatever. It was great to lose ourselves in that play – it’s an example of the universality of kids everywhere. They simply want to play, laugh, have fun and get some of your attention. Our guide, Scott Bonnell, said many of the visitors are older so they don’t play with the kids.

“Yukking” it up with a new friend

The kids just being kids playing football.

Frank and I had a conversation about that while heading back to the bus and it was one of the topics in our evening reflection.

On our walk back to the vans from the orphanage he said, “You can really tell if someone has let their inner child die or go dormant. You can just look into their eyes and know if that little boy or little girl is not there anymore. And it’s a shame…”

I couldn’t agree more.

It’s certainly easy to lose that inner child, but once it goes dormant or dies, you also lose that creativity and spark for life. Frank believes he can look into the eyes of an audience or a person and see if that little boy or girl isn’t in there anymore. I think “adults” get so tied up in being grown ups – it’s easy to lose the playful, fun side. That’s definitely part of the entire ethos of Maverick: to keep that inner child going strong!

Being present

Even though I went full-out in playing with the kids, I realized I wasn’t stretching that much of my comfort zone. Playing for me is pretty easy. That’s my nature and I love it, but I wanted to experience something even deeper if possible. The first night at our reflection, one of the attendees mentioned how he cried when an orphan put his head on his shoulder. I do my fair share of high-fiving and things of that nature, but never have a really deep and meaningful one-on-one.

The next morning I was mindful and attentive of what I wanted to be open to.

We trekked out to the opening of a new village that Caring House and Mavericks had contributed to. The villagers welcomed us with big hugs and warm greetings. There were 50 concrete houses built and a community center. Everybody dispersed and did their own thing for awhile.

There was music playing and that was my opening…

There was a grandmother dancing by herself in complete joy and just enjoying the moment. I’m not normally a dancer but I realized the less I care about how I look, the better I dance (or I keep telling myself that anyway). I grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes and started dancing. We did a few twirls and then I simply watched to follow some of her steps. At this point I’d usually be looking around to see if anybody was watching and I might do something a little bit goofy or silly. But this was just for her and I. I didn’t care who watched or what else was going on. It was really a sublime moment and I loved it!

I don’t even think there is a picture of it (I wish there was), but I didn’t do it for the photo opp. I did it to authentically connect in a different way than I might normally do things.

Later one of our translators told us that the grandmother was doing the wedding dance with me – so she was having some fun with me!

That was a breakthrough for me because one of the important things I’ve been working on this year is being present in the moment. Too much of any strength can actually turn into a weakness (i.e. flipside of the coin). I have a strong “identity” tied up and attached to being fun. At the worst, this can turn you into a character playing a role.

There’s a personality profiling system called the Enneagram. I’m a type 7, known as “The Enthusiast” profile.

The healthiest part of that personality type is being joyfully content and grateful for the abundance of things experienced. We’re bold, vivacious, spontaneous and pursue life’s adventure. In the unhealthier version of this personality – we are always scattered and leaving unfinished projects and ideas in our wake.

Now part of that personality type is “stirring the pot” and getting the energy going. I’ve always said that I like to instigate the instigators. But I’ve noticed when I do it for myself, there’s a great sense of joy versus looking for a reaction from anyone else. There is fun there too, but not if it’s done just for others.

Cold and Crazy

A few months ago in Sweden (the same Maverick trip where we had the mission conversation I wrote about in the last post) all of this really came forward for me.

The Ice Hotel has been on my Ultimate Life List ever since I heard about the remarkable “hotel” where you get to sleep in a balmy -5° and everything is built from snow and ice each year.

Nearly all the Mavericks that came enjoyed sleeping in an ornate and totally unique art suite created by artists from all over the world. Each suite has an entirely different design and look with amazing sculptures and other cool features. My art suite was called “Cold and Crazy” which was pretty perfect for me at the moment.

It was a beautifully whimsical expression of the fun and joy associated with snow and ice. Here’s the official photo from the Ice Hotel’s website:

I had multiple snowmen in my room with different designs. My favorite was one I could pop behind and stick my head into so it looked like I was a snowman.

As a kid I always loved the snow but then as an adult, sometimes you no longer have that same sense of awe and wonderfulness that comes with snow days. As an adult, it’s making sure the driveway gets shoveled and the kids are dressed warm and dealing with boots, snow clothes, etc. etc.

Even I need that reminder sometimes…so I got the message when I saw Mavericks, Mykola and Tatiana Latansky pushing each other into snowdrifts while walking home from the restaurant.

That sense of fun and goofiness is something at the center of my being and this experience was a perfect way to re-connect to part of my core essence. That’s why I loved the name of the room “Cold and Crazy” – I couldn’t have picked a better room for myself. It almost doesn’t matter what your surroundings are. If you are stuck in your head thinking about something else – you are not enjoying that moment and not experiencing the joy you’re meant to have here.

Now you might wonder about what it was like to sleep there. Basically you are sleeping on a big block of ice with a mattress and a reindeer pelt on top. You crawl up into a sub-zero sleeping bag – everything really isn’t so bad except for any part not covered. My nose was freezing and the tip stayed red for a few days so I was slightly worried, but all was good. I woke up at 4am and had to pee. Then it was decision time. It’s pretty hard to continue sleeping when you really need to go, but then again, it was so damn cold! I got my boots on and stomped over to the warm section of the hotel to go to the bathroom. Once I got back to my room, I couldn’t sleep again so I simply hung out in my room, journaled and appreciated the intricate work these artists did in my suite.

Here’s a quick video I filmed of my room:

My “wake up” call came at 7am and she told me I was the only person who she has ever walked in on that was wide awake for the hot lingonberry cocktail. (Side note: lingonberries definitely seem to be placed in just about everything over there!)

I think you can discover your own sense of fun (done for you) but that also spreads to others – that’s when it’s infectious and wonderful! If you’ve attended the Underground® seminar, you know we add a few surprises and sometimes silly components. (Note: next year is the 10^th anniversary of Underground and a big celebration year so it’s worth registering early!)

This past year we used the Inspector Gadget theme and had the stage created so that there was a chair that mechanically turned around and the evil Dr. Claw and his cat would tell the speakers to do something. It would give them silly instructions to find a hidden window behind the set. We had different things lined up like notes to read to the audience, random objects and even silly string. We also had a bunch of steam and smoke we could blow up on stage to screw with some of our ADHD speakers.

We also created a ‘flash mob’ of sorts for one of the Maverick’s speaking, Joey Coleman. I had all these over-sized ‘Joey’ head cutouts created. Here’s Zoe modeling one:

A few moments into Joey’s presentation, all of the lights went out so he thought there was something wrong. Then the song Cotton Eyed Joe(y) started playing and fellow Mavericks rushed the stage. Here’s the pic I snapped of the chaos:

Ha!

Funny enough, in the comments and surveys we did after the event, we had one person complain there was too much silliness and pranks pulled on the speakers. Oh well, can’t please everyone.

Keep alert for ‘Adult-ness’ creeping in

I love upping the fun quotient for just about anything I do. Here’s a post I wrote several years ago about adding tweaks of more fun to your life if you feel like you’re being too “adult.”

Stay vigilant and see if you’re growing up!

In Charleston for our Family Freedom event over July 4^th – I regrettably acted a little too grown up by refusing to go jump into the public fountains with my kids. I didn’t have a towel and didn’t want to get wet. Blah.

Do whatever it takes to keep that inner child alive and well cared for. It’ll repay you back multiple times over.

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