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Making Money or Making A Difference?

May 19, 2016 By kwmccarthy

“Making money or making a difference” captures the crux of the dilemma where many a business person lives. It isn’t an “either or” question. It is a “both and” matter. But, when push comes to shove, which way do you lean?

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Early in my career I was largely driven to make money. I actually made lots of money at different times, but I lost lots of dollars, too—thanks in large part to an ugly business partnership divorce. My dealings with other money hungry people created a series of get-rich quick efforts that rarely panned out. Finding myself in a couple of ethically compromising situations, my spirit was disturbed and I was not at peace with myself.

I decided that my long-term best strategy for peaceful sleep and health was a wide margin from all borderline business dealings. That was in 1987.

Since the late 1980s, I’ve faithfully nourished the message of purpose and pioneered being On-Purpose^® only to see many others leverage (often poorly) the labor and reap the fruit. I’ve held, however, to the scripture that teaches, “The harvest is plentiful. The workers are few,” so I’ve welcomed my co-laborers.

With the release of On-Purpose Peace Fellowship Edition (Christian) and My On-Purpose Folder now I’m sharing my tools with the co-laborers. The live video-conference facilitation I’ll be hosting digs deeper. Come join me and be an on-purpose person in creation.

Back in the late 90s, however, I swung too far to the extreme “making a difference” side of the equation for too many years. I placed at risk my business, finances, and capacity to grow. It made it difficult for my team members. My generosity had personal and family implications as well.

The #1 Non-Fiction Book on Kindle Free!

Good News! My investment in others eventually had a “pay day.” The week of April 24–28, 2012, the fruit of my decision came to life in a humbling manner. At On-Purpose Partners we launched The On-Purpose Person on Kindle (http://www.oppkindle.com) with a free promotion, along with a free webcast called The Power of a 2-Word Purpose Statement.

Wow! My family, fans, friends, and clients came through with an outpouring of returned generosity and support. In the first 48 hours, over 13,000 souls downloaded The On-Purpose Person in the Kindle free market. 72 hours later over 32,539 souls had downloaded The On-Purpose Person during the campaign. This rocketed the message to the top of the Kindle free charts:

#5 in all categories
#1 in non-fiction
#1 Business
#1 Leadership
#1 Personal Growth
#1 Transformation
#1 Self Help
#1 Religion and Spirituality
#1 How to & Advice
And more!

At the time Julie Holzmann (Discovering Beauty) and I (Being On-Purpose) had worked together for over ten years. She sent me the closing clip of George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) from It’s A Wonderful Life. In the scene all of George’s neighbors learn he may have to close the bank and they all pool their money to help. Now I knew what George felt like.

That day on April 24, 2012 as the Kindle e-book download count mounted past 1,000, then 2,000, then 5,000, and Wednesday climbed to 10,000 and 11,000 our George Bailey moment, as Julie so aptly called it, came to life. A few tears have been shed in appreciation and awe since. I could never have imagined that 32,539 souls would ultimately download the e-book.

Our small team here deserves so much credit. Julie works with me on communications. Cheryl helps with the office and keeping track of my easily distracted nature. Mary Tomlinson, my business partner, has taken this message into companies for more than 12 years. Mary Dominguez recognized how to leverage the opportunity with Kindle and brought needed energy and social media effort to the equation. We’ve partnered with technologies from Kudu Publishing, Constant Contact, Xiosoft Instant Teleseminar, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Amazon.com, Apple Inc., 37 Signals, Copyblogger, and more to pull off this launch. My intercessor, Mary R., brought the ultimate in “high” tech—prayer.

The likes of Seth Godin, Rick Radditz, David Bush, Greg Voisen, and Sandy Shugart and more shared the promotion with their email lists. What a team effort.

The generosity of others is the gift that pushed the launch into the 5-figures and top ranking. Too many people to mention here. You know who you are and how your contribution counted.

I pray that you too will have your “It’s A Wonderful Life Moment” and you’ll see the richness of your relationships and how you’re making a difference.

Thanks all for your trust! Be Yourself. Prosper. Make A Difference!

Be On-Purpose!
Kevin

Can You Put It Into Words?

May 17, 2016 By kwmccarthy

Is it time for your On-Purpose leadership experience?

Join Kevin W. McCarthy as he facilitates On-Purpose Peace, a 7-week live video conference small group using On-Purpose Peace. Learn more at the On-Purpose Peace website.

Meet Hamlet, our family’s standard poodle who died back in October of 2015. Hamlet was scary smart and we kept expecting him to talk. Looking at me with his big brownish/gold eyes it was as if he was asking for permission to speak. I’d say to him, “Hamlet, use your words!”—the same statement I would make to our kids in their terrible twos to thwart a temper tantrum.

Hamlet, of course, didn’t talk. Imagine what his and our lives would be like if he could have put it into words. Thank you very much, Dr. Dolittle.

Words are powerful. The most powerful are personal, intimate, informative, revealing, insightful, meaningful, and offer definition and clarity. God created the world by speaking it into being with words (see below). It doesn’t get much more powerful than that!

When reading the writings of others, I so appreciate a turn of phrase that captures exactly what I’m feeling but I couldn’t express in words as succinctly. There’s something refreshing to the soul when a song, poem, or book articulates our spirit and reveals a rare glimpse at ourselves, yet through the eyes and words of another.

Consider the cost of ill-suited words. Words are the sword of the tongue and spirit. This gives rise to wise counsel such as, “Think before you speak.” Words can be hurtful and mean.

Medically speaking, an undiagnosed illness is the absence of the right word. A disease can’t be treated properly or as effectively until it can be identified. Symptoms may be managed, but the cure remains a mystery. To put it into words makes a big difference.

Consider the gains to be had using the right words. The sense of understanding and completion is richly satisfying to the soul. Right words enable right action, productivity, and accomplishment.

The Meaning of Life and The Meaning of Words Are One

Of everything in the universe, the ultimate question of life can only be explained in words. The meaning of life is understood in words because God used words to create the world. The Gospel of John tells us that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

What Are The Words of Your Life?

Writing your personal purpose statement may seem like it is the act of putting your life into words. In fact, it isn’t that at all. Writing a purpose statement is the audacious attempt to articulate and then harness the supernatural mystery and link between the spiritual and physical realms.

Your purpose, like Jesus, is fully spiritual and fully physical. When the revelation of your purpose comes to light, your sense of your self, your life, your experiences, and more come into an extraordinary focus and context. It is the power of words made personal and authentic.

A true highlight of On-Purpose Peace is writing a 2-word personal purpose statement. This is the beginning of being on-purpose. Imagine what your life would be like if you, unlike Hamlet, could use your words that are written on your heart.

How’s Your Self Talk?

May 10, 2016 By kwmccarthy

Have you ever tried to break a habit? At best, it is an awkward experience because we take ourselves off of “autopilot” and go into a “manual” mode. Things we didn’t think about … now we do. And when it comes to breaking bad habits, the bad habit can preoccupy our thinking. As a result of this heightened tension, our discomfort is more apparent to us.

Athletes learn to expect that performance may get worse before it gets better when they’re creating a new habit. Progress, not perfection, is the healthy standard of measure. Staying optimistic can be difficult in the midst of change. Remaining positive, however, is a matter of choice. Decide to stay upbeat and you will! You’ll also benefit by focusing on learning instead of “loss.”

Try the AAA Method: AAA = Awareness + Alternatives + Act on it!

Awareness, developing alternatives, and acting upon your better/best intentions (AAA) is preventive medicine for the sanity of the soul.

Habits are defined as acquired behaviors. The implication here is that if we acquire new habits, then we can also dispose of and replace bad ones. Now there’s hope!

It’s easy to imagine our life with the benefits of our new habits. Here are some examples:

Smoking cessation brings savings of money; no smoky smelling breath, clothes, car, and home; and better health.
Getting to a healthier weight resolves or mitigates a host of weight related conditions and diseases, such as Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Joints and backs with less weight are happier and less creaky.
Centering prayer, meditation, or deep breathing can reduce stress and free the mind to think more clearly.
Tracking your spending helps you plug wasteful expenditures and impulsive buys. You can increase your savings.

Envisioning new life is easy. Making it happen is not so easy! The underlying premise is that we’re capable of far more than we understand or we will push ourselves. That’s why so many people turn to coaches to assist them for accountability as well as training.

I’m a fan of the Discovery Channel series, Surviving the Cut. While each branch of the U.S. military is training its soldiers for different missions, one consistent theme comes across — these soldiers have very real probabilities of facing life and death situations in the field. They need to understand that they are far more capable than they know and understand. Learning to manage fear is part of their job. Rarely are the cadets in real danger. Therefore, to a large degree the mental challenges exceed the physical hardship.

Your self talk matters. If you identify yourself with words like failure, slob, worthless, insignificant, wasteful or stupid, then you’re pronouncing lies into your present and carrying them into your future. To what benefit is this? Now that you’re Aware — Stop!

Come up with a list of Alternatives for your identity: successful, neat, worthy, significant, thrifty, and smart.

Now Act on them. If you don’t act on them then they’ll never develop and be fully assimilated in your life. This is the essence of personal leadership — the ability to turn it around by yourself or by having the humility to get the help you need.

Purpose and Passion

Personal motivation — a compelling reason, a why, a purpose — combined with a willingness to pay the price — passion — defines the outcome. That said, extraordinary moments of truth emerge in the midst of the ordinary that test our purpose against our progress. Positive thoughts may get us started but will they sustain us? We choose!

No matter the outcome, you’re learning about you! Knowledge is powerful when put to good use, such as your self talk. So even if you don’t accomplish what you set out to do, you’re learning something new about yourself. Use your Awareness to develop an Alternative strategy that you Act upon (The AAA Method).

Moments of truth appear in our self talk: good and bad. Let’s not go down the self-deceptive path of mindless affirmations, positive talk, or positive mental attitude. Be real with yourself.

Get to the guts of the matter, the real inner conversation. The ones haunted by doubt, fear, anger, discouragement, disappointment, and hopelessness. Be equipped to choose to win which is why I encourage you to put the AAA Method to work when your self talk becomes self-defeating.

Cover via Amazon

It is like there’s a debate team living inside you. Who will win? How’s your self talk coming along? Use the AAA Method to intervene on behalf of your new, better habit. You’ll be on-purpose and better for it.

Recommended Reading: Read Pat Pearson’s book STOP Self Sabotage. I like the way this lady thinks. She brings great depth to the topic. She’s a casual business acquaintance so I can personally say that I have respect for her work.

Sales Growth? How Do I Improve it?

April 28, 2016 By kwmccarthy

Sales growth challenge?

What if you had a volunteer sales force spreading the word about your goods and services? Would your business grow? Of course it would. Unfortunately too many of us who are small business or solo owners aren’t clear in our minds about who we are, our ideal on-purpose customer, and our value proposition. In fact, we may not even have a workable mechanism to get paid for our goods and services.

You’re a few short questions away from having a sales force of people recommending your business and getting the sales growth you want. Write out your answer to The 3 Knows:

Know who you are — identity.
Know who you serve.
Know how you profit or add value to your clients.

Equip people to help you build your business and be willing to ask for their help.

Try this sales growth exercise to see how on-purpose your team is. Ask your sales team and sales support to respond to The 3 Knows above. Compare results and candidly assess how much alike or different the responses are. This will help you gauge just how clearly communicate the core sales growth strategy is for your business.

Another option is to ask five customers or clients to respond. You’ll learn a lot about how easy it is for people to refer or recommend you.

Participate in the economy, but don’t go to the pity party.

A sure way to kill your sales growth (and business) is to blame the economy. Here’s an easy target for slumping sales. The only problem is that it is a distracting and useless exercise. Blame is a losing strategy. You don’t control the economy. U.S. Presidents think they do, but they don’t. Instead focus on items that are under your control and that help to increase sales growth. You do have a degree of control over your economy. Answer The 3 Knows.

Tough times are even tougher especially when we allow ourselves to get distracted from what we do best. In my engagements with business owners, sales persons, entrepreneurs, and executives with P&L responsibility, their greatest challenges are almost always self-inflicted. They just don’t know what they don’t know.

That’s the value of a business advisor, especially one who isn’t an industry insider. We see your business differently. We ask questions. We don’t assume to understand. We’re curious to find out what’s working, what isn’t, and why.

A poor economy reveals what boom times hide.

Use the season of a sluggish economy to strengthen the business by focusing on what is on-purpose. Again the 3 Knows matter big time here.

Test the first of the 3 Knows. Ask someone what they do. Chances are they’ll offer up their title or role, e.g. “I’m a banker,” “I’m a salesperson,” “I’m a health coach,” “I’m a business owner.”

So what?

This lazy response reflects an underlying strategic issue of identity confusion. Don’t expect people to understand what it is you do.

Create your DoDo Dialogue. Here’s a fast, easy way to more rapidly and meaningfully engage a volunteer word-of-mouth sales force to send you referrals and recommendations. All because you “bothered” to make their understanding of what you do easily memorable, relatable, and frankly, more exciting. Don’t network for business. Instead, go to equip your volunteer sales force. By the way, be sure to ask them about their 3 Knows first. You’ll have your turn to share.

Watch your sales grow as you equip and inform rather than network and hand out business cards.

Which Team Experience Would Best Serve Your Business and Life?

March 30, 2016 By kwmccarthy

This On-Purpose Business Minute originally aired in September of 2009 when I was trying to help my daughter, Anne, decide about college sports opportunities. This week I was speaking with a long-time friend about an almost identical dilemma his daughters face so I thought it was appropriate to reach out for crowd wisdom, especially those of you who might have had college sports experiences.

This On-Purpose Business Minute invites your wisdom in the comment section. Help my friend’s daughters and other high school and college athletes better ponder their decisions about college sports programs. Share your perspectives and insights by answering this question:

Which Team Experience Would Best Serve Your Business and Life?

To be the 26th player on a national championship caliber team? Or
To be a four-year starter at a smaller college?

Learn more about the UNC Women’s Soccer Program by watching the video trailer to Winning Isn’t Everything. This is a great example of an On-Purpose Team!

By the way, Anne decided to focus on her academics while at UNC Chapel Hill and not play soccer. She graduated in three years and has a great job with Automattic, the creators of WordPress, the platform for this website as a matter of fact.

As fate would have it, she arrived on the UNC campus as a freshman and on activities day discovered there was a women’s rugby club team. Fascinated, she joined the club, excelled and took to it. In fact, because of her promise shown in the fall of her freshman year, she earned an invitation to attend the College All-American & National Team training camp. She played rugby for a couple of years until she tore an ACL in her knee at a match at the University of South Carolina. Judith and I were at that match and I saw her go down on the field after making a tackle. I thought her shoulder was hurt, not her leg.

While recovering from the surgery she better realized the physical risks of rugby along with the demands of being a college athlete. She elected to stop playing her last year to focus on her studies. Today, she plays pick up soccer, her sport where she was an All-State Player in Florida; and she remains an avid fan of rugby.

Are You Making Half-Hearted Attempts?

March 29, 2016 By kwmccarthy

Seven years ago, the decision to quietly add Health Coaching to our services at On-Purpose Partners was made, and it has been eye-opening for our traditional On-Purpose^® coaching work with clients. The difference is the “BS Factor” is so much easier to detect with health coaching — either the client is gaining health or not. It is literally right out front and easily measured.

The scales don’t lie, but we do. Recently, one of our clients shared that he came to realize he would look in the mirror and see himself as thin. At 6′ 2″ and over 340 pounds — and NOT playing in the NFL — he was deceiving himself. Therefore, with high integrity, he could “lie” to others about his growing health problems because he didn’t “really” have one. Denial is dangerous to our health and well-being.

I was just as guilty gambling with my health! For too many years, I would look in the mirror and see all the “muscles” I had gained over the years. Who was I fooling? Today, I’m soooo thankful for my health that I can’t NOT share good health with others. Ah, the making of a zealot!

I still battle with a tendency to eat unhealthy because I, like so many of us, find that food = comfort, legal pleasure, and “control.” Sweets, especially carbs in the forms of ice cream, chocolate, candy, and bread are my old coping mechanisms. I can’t afford to be half-hearted about my health.

Half-hearted attempts reflect delayed decisions and unproductive rationales.

“I’ll get around to being healthy.”
“That hot fudge sundae won’t kill me.”
“If I don’t call that client today …”

God gave us a whole heart so why make half-hearted attempts with it? Your purpose is symbolized by your heart.

Here’s the essence of the problem: when we don’t know who we are, why we exist, where we are going with our lives, and what’s important, then we’re not right with ourselves.

This being out of personal integrity stirs unhealthy emotions. The vast majority of us “drug” ourselves to dull the pain. My drug of choice is sweets. For others it may be alcohol, shopping, gambling, exercise, drugs (legal and illegal), sexual activities, gaming, sports, and so forth. Running from ourselves only gets us lost further from where we started.

The result: we’re half-hearted, too busy, and spread too thin even as the spread is widening between who we are and who we’ve become.

Get in touch with your identity via your purpose, especially. Invest the time to also clarify your vision, mission, and values. You’ll be prepared to be more fully engaged in your life. When you better know who you are, you’ll discover half-hearted attempts are episodes in your life, but they no longer define your life. You are literally a better person!

When you more regularly have the benefit of whole-hearted living, then half-hearted attempts are seen for what they are — a waste. Either make a decision to go for it or not. Dithering is destructive to body, mind, and spirit. Choose your battles to win.

Show Up

I’m low on the shrewd scale. I too often take what people say at face value. It wasn’t until we had the health coaching business that I realized how much people say that they will do but don’t actually do it. Many are highly regarded colleagues, thought leaders, coaches, leaders, and professionals. It has been eye-opening for me to come to terms that it is about 50/50 between the dos and don’ts on commitments.

A friend taught us an expression years ago that Judith and I still use today. Here it is: “Mr. Say am here. Mr. Do ain’t showed up.” There it is in a nutshell! We’re overworked, stressed, getting fatter, and whatever other pennies we earn, we pay in pounds packed on the waist. When we don’t show up, the weight gain shows up.

Personally: Are you making half-hearted attempts to get healthy?

If a health coach forwarded this message to you then ask him or her for their help. Learn how easy it is to get healthy when you have a professional health coach guiding you. And then make the commitment whole-heartedly.
If you need a Health Coach, then email me and I’ll get you a free 30-minute consultation with one of our Certified Health Coaches.

At work: Are you frustrated with your half-hearted work?

Do you dream of starting a business where you can give meaningful and profitable expression to who you are?
Please email me to set up a time to visit so you can be more fully engaged in your life and work.

Be On-Purpose!
Kevin

One Love

March 16, 2016 By kwmccarthy

Thanks Anne McCarthy for this challenge to post the look of One Love:

Our dog Hamlet provided our family with deep and abiding unconditional love. Since dog is God spelled backwards and God is unconditional love, then I nominate Hamlet as God’s living stand-in for the years he graced our lives. Yes, I know that the challenge is to make this “about people” but dogs are family members too — often the nicest, most loyal and forgiving member of the family. And when he died on Oct. 5, 2015 his One Love has yet to be replaced in our home, but mostly in our hearts!

I learned yesterday that Maggie, one of his best doggie playmates, died last week. Her owner and I stood in the neighborhood consoling one another and counting our blessings for the One Love, respectively, we had in our homes each for over a decade.

Four-legged love aside, being On-Purpose is another way of expressing One Love: It is the ability to see and feel another person’s heart in such a way that our preconceived notions and impressions melt away as the shell relents to the soul of the person.

The Stone Catcher by Mel Kaufmann

March 15, 2016 By kwmccarthy

(Click to enlarge.)