The Basis for All Success is…

January 14th, 2013

Derick Van Ness

If you can’t figure out why you’re unsatisfied with life and not more successful, this is for you…

There’s an old saying that states “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” and you probably it’s true… as long as it doesn’t apply to you.

Only it does apply to you, and probably more that you’d care to admit.

I consider myself a kind hearted, good person and you might too. But all of my kind heartedness hasn’t done a thing to save the rain forests, feed the kids in Africa, or stop global warming – has yours?

What I’m getting at is that most of us suffer from the disease of “self justified inaction” rather than living by the cure of “creating solutions” – and we’re paying a terrible price for it.

You see, the world doesn’t reward your intentions, it’s rewards you for actual results you’ve achieved, the difference you’ve made, or impact you’ve accomplished. Dreams, “should be’s”, and “almosts” don’t count.

Too many people inaccurately believe that being a good person, showing up to work on time, and having heavenly intentions are enough. So as a way to “reward yourself”, every night you sit down and watch 5 hours of TV until you go to bed and then wonder why you’re frustrated with life.

For your life to be worth something to you (or anyone else) you have to make the choice to PARTICIPATE and DO SOMETHING. There, I’ve said it. Anything short of accomplishing something that affect others in a positive way won’t get you the results you want out of life.

If you want a better relationship, be a better person to have a relationship with. If you want a better job, become so valuable at what you do that someone would have to be crazy to not pay you handsomely. If you wish your community, industry, or government was different become involved and lead the charge! Watching TV or reading Facebook for hours on end doesn’t help you live the life you deserve.

Yes, it takes work, but once you get that life is about what you can put into it, NOT what you can get away with, then you discover that laziness is a sorry substitute for productive action and it’s rewards.

Here’s a quick test: What difference have you made in people’s lives in the past 90 days?

Is anyone’s life different than if you hadn’t shown up? Sure, you may have pushed some papers at work or tucked your kids in at night – those don’t count. I’m talking about transforming someone’s life, creating an experience they’ll never forget, or changing the course of a group of people for the better?

If not, why?

The key element that determines the quality of our lives is how much we impact the lives of others for the better.

This single thing creates our income, makes people want to be a part of our lives, and gives us something that only genuinely helping another human being can – true fulfillment.

The new year just started, and you’ve probably already given up your resolutions for the year, so you’ve got time. Pick a difference you want to make, and instead of watching the entire season of some HBO series, channel your energy into taking action toward your cause.

Nothing will make you feel better or help you reap the greatest rewards life has to offer.

January 5th, 2013

Derick Van Ness

We all know that Steve Jobs was a visionary.

He changed music, he changed movies (with Pixar), and he reinvented and entire generation of technology through Apple.

So what made Steve Jobs think differently? How did he see that world that allowed him to so brashly challenge those who have gone before him and win?

This short video gives incredible insight into how this great visionary perceived what was possible, and why he wasn’t afraid to challenge the norm:

July 18th, 2012

Derick Van Ness

Whether it is in business, relationships, health, or some other aspect of life, I’ve noticed that the most successful and fulfilled people I meet have created their own little piece of the world.

What do I mean?

I mean rather than using the status quo or the norm as their baseline, these people adapt and create the world to fit and support their needs.

For example, I have many friends who are dancers and artists, but the ones who excel have brought those passions into every area of their lives. They have a studio on their homes, they surround themselves with artwork they’ve created or photos of dancing – they are in their own authentic environment.

In business I have some friends who have entire sections of their home devoted to the business or their office is specially designed to help them perform at the highest levels. Some have multiple computers – each specially set up for a specific purpose. Other have a special area designed for reading, thinking, or meditation.

I personally have a radio in nearly every room of my house because music gives me inspiration and energy. I also have so many of my own paintings and photographs in my home that I sometimes think I live in a 3rd grade classroom… but they inspire me… they support me… and most of all they remind me of who I truly am.

All too often making a living gets in the way of creating a life, and it robs us of the joyous reason that we are here in the first place!

I’ve learned that it’s very difficult to get people to change (yes, I’m talking to you), but if we change the environment, people are REALLY excellent at adapting. So why not use this to our advantage?

If you want to have more fun in life, create a fun & light hearted living space.

Want to be more professional? Dress like it, decorate your office like a professional, or spend time in places that support that image of yourself.

You have the infinite potential to transform your world and make it a place that supports you… to make it an place you can be authentic… to make it a true HOME for your Best Self (and your Soul Purpose).

So why not try this idea on and create your own little piece of paradise today?

It is something that nearly everyone highly successful individual in my life does, so why not you?

May 31st, 2012

Derick Van Ness

For the past 4 days and 5 nights I’ve been having fun and changing my life for good… and you can too!

Most of us think of making changes as a really difficult and gut wrenching process, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact the best kind of changes are the changes that happen because you’ve become a different person – not because you’re ‘trying’ to be a different person.

You see, only through heightened awareness can lasting positive change take place. In other words, when you see the world or your circumstances differently, then you will act differently without effort – it will just make sense to be different because of your different perspective.

So you’re probably thinking this whole idea sounds great, but still wondering “How do I make this happen?” The answer is very simple…

You have to experience new and inspiring things as often as possible.

If you continue to have the same experiences, eat at the same restaurants, go on vacation in similar destinations, or hang out with the same people all of the time – it’s nearly impossible to make life altering changes.

I have my regular group of people that I spend time with and care about, but sometimes I need to immerse myself in a different setting or with people who think and see the world differently that I do… And when I do, I nearly always come away with a new appreciation, insight, or way of seeing the world.

For example, this past weekend I was camping at the Kerrville Folk Festival here in Texas. This festival brings many of the best song writers and musicians together for 18 days of music, creativity, and inspiration.

What makes this so interesting for me is that I’m not a musician (in spite of my dreams of one day being a rock star). That means I see the world completely differently that these people because they live and breathe music & storytelling, and I can literally feel my world changing as I listen to them sing, jam, or converse.

This is just one example, but it illustrates the point.

So if you’re looking to get better, excel, and find new and innovative ways to run your business, build your relationships, or be more loving – seek new experiences & people.

Yes – this means doing stuff that might not ‘be you’ or that could be uncomfortable.

Visit museums, try new places, watch documentaries, read a book that is highly recommended but isn’t in your usual genre of reading.

Go to places where interesting people hang out. Coffee shops, meetup groups, frisbee clubs at the park, try zip lining, write a poem with a friend, go on a photo shoot, take a cooking class… anything to take you out of your typical state of mind and challenge you. (I recently attended a nude sketching class with a live model, and it changed the way I see the human body)

Ask yourself these questions, make a list, and start doing them immediately:

1) What have I always wanted to do but was intimidated?

2) What book(s) have been recommended to me multiple times, but I am yet to read?

3) What are the tourist activities in my area that I’ve never done? (Go do them)

4) What are 3 places / groups that seem really interesting to me that I’ve never visited?

5) What type of performance might inspire me that I’ve never seen? (A concert, ballet, theater, sporting event, etc)

If you’re struggling, get online and dig around. Use sights like Stumble Upon, Yelp, Groupon and others to give you ideas.

Next, make a list, begin planning when and where to do the activities, and participate fully.

Then watch what happens to your awareness, happiness, and confidence. Once those have increased, the rest of your life will follow (often unpredictably) in that positive direction!

NOTE: Yes. That is ME in the picture above taken this past weekend. If you haven’t already, but sure to Subscribe to this blog and never miss a thing!

May 9th, 2012

Derick Van Ness

Whether we realize it or not, we all use ‘conventional wisdom’ as a guideline for how to live our lives, but is that helping or hurting us?

I’ve been through a lot of phases in my life. First I thought everything my parents and teachers taught me was true – even the story about the stork bringing babies. Then as a teen rebel, I thought they were full of it no matter what they said.

Still later, as I grew into my twenties, I could see that these authority figures were right about many things (like saying that maxing out a credit card I couldn’t pay for was a bad idea), but also off the mark on some things that are really important.

This has lead me to come to a point in life of always challenging conventional wisdom because many times even if it was right for someone else, it hasn’t been the right fit for me.

You see, I believe that each of us is incredibly unique in what makes us happy, what drives us, and what makes up our specific Soul Purpose. That doesn’t mean that challenging the norm has been easy for me, but it has brought a level of happiness and the creation of a life that I can’t imagine without getting clear on what works for ME.

Now, let’s get something clear, I don’t have it all figured out…

But I do know the rewards of looking at each situation, opportunity, or challenge and asking, “Is this in alignment with my greatest happiness, or not?”

If you are clear about works for you, and make decisions in alignment with that knowledge, you will increase production immensely. Want proof? I recently ran across a great video by Shawn Achor that sums this up and calls it the ‘Happiness Advantage‘. (Which happens to be the name of Shawn’s book)

Here are a few statistics that I believe would be classified as unconventional wisdom:

**Only 25% of job successes are dictated by IQ, but 75% of job success is predicted by ‘Positivety & Performance’ (Hom & Arbuckle 1988) or ‘Happiness & Intelligence’ (Estrada, Isen, & Young 1997).

**Your brain in a positive state is 31% more productive than in a state of negative, neutral, or stressed.

**You are 37% more effective in sales when in a positive state.

**Doctors are 19% faster and more accurate at coming up with the correct diagnosis in a positive state.

What’s even better? These statistics don’t even talk about quality of life, health, relationships, financial success and everything else that matters most…

How much are those differences worth?

So back to what I was saying earlier. How much of your life is being lived according to conventional wisdom that isn’t right for you?

** I learned while living in Los Angeles that having a 60 minute commute twice a day wasn’t a good fit for me, so I changed it.

** I discovered that spending time with people I don’t trust, no matter who they are, destroys my quality of life – so I’ve stopped.

** I realized that working out in a gym drains my energy so I started exercising out doors because it fuels my creativity, gratitude, and energy levels immensely.

** I also learned the being wealthy and having money were two different things for me, that being completely transparent and up front with people (even when I feel vulnerable about it) builds relationship depth, and that if I trust my own intuition it’s never lead me wrong.

Now it’s your turn…

What have you accepted as the ‘norm’ that doesn’t work for you?

I was coaching someone the other day, and for the past month she’s been walking on the beach in Florida for an hour every morning. She loved it, but told me, “Derick, I know I won’t always be able to walk on the beach…”

When I asked her why not, she couldn’t believe it. She realized there was no reason she couldn’t if she wanted to… and has been doing it guilt free ever since.

Imagine your life if you focused on what works for you, not what’s ‘supposed to work’ for you. What would you change?

Your job?

Your friends?

How you spend your time or money?

You’ve been taught conventional wisdom by people who thought they knew what was best for you, but now it’s time for you to decide for yourself.

Use these 3 steps:

1) Make a list of the things you do but don’t serve you.

2) Decide what would serve you better.

3) Responsibly go about making the changes to create your life by design, rather than by following conventional wisdom.

(NOTE: If you don’t like what has been taught to you as conventional wisdom about money, finances, and investing – that’s my specialty – so email me and we can talk.)

Also, if you haven’t already, but sure to subscribe to this Life & Financial Success Blog and never miss a post!

May 3rd, 2012

Derick Van Ness

One of the most important elements in being truly successful is finding fulfillment and cultivating meaningful relationships. In this powerful video visionary Simon Sinek goes in depth on the topics of where fulfillment and purpose come from, how to develop trust, and even how to ask for what you want without jeopardizing your relationship with others.

This is truly and outstanding and cutting edge idea who’s time has come. You owe it to yourself to check this out (and be sure to watch the Q&A session.) There are is literally as much good information in this presentation as I get at a high quality $2,500 weekend training or seminar… Enjoy!

You can find out more on Simon’s site www.StartWithWhy.com

May 1st, 2012

Derick Van Ness

Throughout the ebb and flow of life, I’ve found a common tread that ties together the times in my life when I’ve been hyper-productive versus the times when I seem to have “fallen and I can’t get up”. This applies not only in my business, but also in every single area of my life – and I have a feeling it can apply to yours too.

I first learned this concept while playing sports as a young boy. Most games came down to the last few minutes of competition to see who would be the victor and which team would go home disappointed. Having been on both sides of those outcomes, I noticed something very interesting.

In the end, if a team was ahead, they would often try to ‘hang on’ or go into a ‘prevent defense’. This means that they changed the style of play that had gotten them ahead and they become more conservative.

The logic that drove this behavior was the belief that if they didn’t make a big mistake, they could hang on and win the game. The irony is that this approach almost always caused the team that was leading to perform poorly and many times they blew the lead and lost the game.

What happened?

Why did a team that was winning the whole game suddenly fall apart?

I believe they change happened when they started playing to ‘not lose’ instead of playing to ‘win’ – and it makes all of the difference in the world.

Think about your own life. Are you pushing to be in great shape, or just to be ‘not overweight’? Are you looking to maximize your success in your career, or just collect a paycheck? In your relationship have you been being the best possible partner, or seeing how much you can get away with?

Playing to win is a positive, innovative, powerful mindset that says ‘I am taking control of my destiny and giving it all that I’ve got!’ Whereas the ‘playing to not lose’ attitude of fear, getting by, and doing the minimum possible to survive.

So it’s time to fess up… which game are you playing?

If you’re not playing to win in every area of your life, why not? What fear is holding you back?

Where did the shift occur that stole the fire that fueled you when you were younger and excited about life?

Have you been let down? Has life kicked you in the shins? Has something mislead you into believing that your life isn’t worth all of the effort?

That’s ok. It’s happened to us all… I repeat – everyone has some tough breaks. But if you’re playing to win, you just turn right back around and score some more points to get back on track. You know that no matter what happens, you can get through it and get back on top – even when it’s really tough!

So now it’s time to be honest with yourself.

Check these 5 areas and see where you’re playing to win, and where you need to step up your success:

Physical / Health

Mental / Educational

Spiritual / Awareness

Financial / Career

Social / Relationships

Commit to being a ‘Winner’ in these areas and not only will your production increase, you’ll begin to believe in yourself more and open up even more potential! Try it for 30 days and see if I’m wrong… and if not, you can thank me later!

(If you want to go even further, make GOALS in each of these areas and watch them grow.)

Also, if you haven’t already, but sure to subscribe to this Life & Financial Success Blog and never miss a post!

April 10th, 2012

Derick Van Ness

Do you ever wonder why it seems like some people keep making progress toward their goals while you’re constantly running into obstacles, setbacks, and distractions?

If so, I can relate.

I’m not sure how, but I truly believed that each of us has been bamboozled when we were very young. I’m not sure if the bamboozling took place in the Saturday morning cartoons, in the water of our hometowns, or was in a secret microchip that was implanted in our heads at birth – but it’s definitely happened.

What I’m talking about is the false belief that we have all bought into about how ‘normal life is supposed to be’…

You see, I grew up believing that life was supposed to run smoothly and that if I worked hard, ate my spinach, and minded my P’s & Q’s – life would come off without much of a hitch.

But where did I get such a RIDICULOUS idea as that?

What I’ve discovered (initially to my utter dismay and later to my delight) is that life isn’t a smooth, flat, easy road to where ever I think I’m headed. In fact, rather than being the perfectly leveled and maintained ‘super highway’ I imagined – life is more of a ‘dirt road’ to success.

Here’s what I mean…

I’ve coached hundreds of small business owners, and if there is 1 thing that ALL of them have in common it’s that life has thrown a whole lot of curve balls their way. They’ve experienced failed marriages, sick family members, more ‘child emergencies’ than you can count, financial meltdowns, natural disasters, embezzlement, and the list goes on…

But here’s what separates those who live in failure from those who are incredibly productive, find happiness, and live in the bliss of creating their life by design.

The productive one’s have realized that the road to success isn’t a flat super highway like I grew up believing. It’s actually a dirt road full of pitfalls, unexpected adventures, and a constantly changing set of challenges – and they’ve figured out how to make progress where others would have thrown in the towel.

Rather than letting their reasons be bigger than their results or falling back on their ‘trump card‘ as an excuse, they’ve understood that there’s always going to be and reason to give up or not succeed – but they’ve chosen to always move forward anyway – and life has rewarded their efforts.

If you’ve been mislead into thinking that everything should go smoothly in life, this is a wake up call.

Everyone has challenges.

Everyone gets spooned some tough medicine in life.

Everyone has dozens of chances to give up on their dreams, let themselves down, or stop believing they deserve to live their Soul Purpose and experience rapturous joy.

So which is it going to be for you? It’s time to pick a camp.

Do you believe progress can only be made when the road is smooth & easy? Or are you now in the group that finds success because you know that there has never been a road to the pinnacle of the mountain without some rocks, ruts, and rascals along the way?

The choice is yours…

March 28th, 2012

Derick Van Ness

Have you ever stayed up at night and run across one of those commercials that looks more like a game show than a real TV program and promises to show you the ‘Short Cut’ to getting rich? If you have, did you ever stop and think to yourself, “Hmmm… I wonder if there is something to what this crazy guy on TV is yelling about?”

If you have, it’s OK. We all want to find the short cuts to success and the modern world has programmed us to think that if we only knew that one magical success secret – we could have it all too!

I’ve got good news and bad news. The good news is that there is a ‘secret’, but the bad news is that there isn’t a short cut.

In fact, short cuts don’t actually exist, and if they appear to, you’re being bamboozled.

Here’s what I mean. The shortest distance between you and your goals is a straight line, right? That would be the direct route. By definition, anything shorter than that distance cannot exist or IT would be the direct route. However, the danger is that there are MANY longer routes dressed up in ‘short cuts clothing’ – these are the ones you want to avoid.

So here’s the not-so-magical secret to getting what you want:

1) Figure out EXACTLY what you want (which is related to your Soul Purpose).
2) Make a concrete plan with action steps.
3) DO THE WORK.

It’s really that simple. (NOTE: ‘Simple’ and ‘Easy’ are not the same thing) But most people spend so much time looking for a short cut that they don’t do the work, and they don’t see the results.

Has this ever happened to you….?

There is a task that you know needs to be done, but you find every excuse, reason, and distraction to get out of doing that task. Ironically, after you’ve put more effort into getting out of doing the task than it would have taken to complete it in the first place – you still end up having to do the work and complete the original task.

Why do we do this?

Because we falsely convince ourselves that there is another ‘shorter’ way to get the results we want without doing the ‘dirty work’ that we are shying away from… And who doesn’t love a short cut?

So here’s the truth. Short cuts don’t exist. There is no such thing as getting something in return for nothing – it violates the laws of nature. In other words, for every result there must be a cause, and if you think you’re going to get the result without paying the price to create the cause – you are mistaken.

How many times have you seen someone rise to meteoric success only to crumble and fall a few weeks, months, or years later? It happens all the time because people have tried to take a short cut, haven’t done the appropriate work to build a solid foundation, and eventually the whole thing collapses under their feet. I’ve had it happen to me (and it’s painful) so don’t let it happen to you…

Make this commitment right now. Raise your right hand and repeat after me:

“I solemnly vow to stop believing in the mythical beast known as the ‘Short Cut’

I will instead discover the direct route and follow it’s path without deviation.

I will do the necessary work, and reap the results of paying the price for what I want.

I know this is the only sustainable way of creating success.

My emotions and wishful thinking will not derail me because I know the truth,

In order to have what I want, I must take off the white gloves and do the work,

But I will then be able to truly enjoy the fruits of my labor knowing

I have lived in integrity with natural law, cheated no one, and rightfully earned my reward!”

Great job!

From here forward, remember this pledge every time you are tempted to take an alleged ‘short cut’ and instead do what you know is right – follow the direct route. It may appear harder up front, but it is the only road to true success. One of my favorite quotes is this (I don’t know who said it, but it’s good):

“Behind every overnight success is 10 years of hard work”

You can’t cheat the system (in spite of what I thought when I was younger), but if you do what is necessary the road to creating your own success isn’t nearly as long as you might think!

Share your ‘short cut’ stories with us so that everyone can learn from the mistakes or insights you’ve experienced – comment below…

Also, if you haven’t already, but sure to subscribe to this Life & Financial Success Blog and never miss a post!

March 6th, 2012

Derick Van Ness

If you like to play games, then you already know what a ‘Trump Card’ is, but you may not know that yours may be costing you the game of life rather than helping you win it.

Life is like playing games in the sense that we are each given a starting point, and we then seek to achieve certain results in order to “Win” at our game. If you’re playing cards specifically, then your trump card is something that will usually help you have an advantage in achieving what you desire – but does that hold true in life?

Here’s what I mean…

Just like in games, in life we each have certain ambitions that we want to achieve. It could be getting rich, having a family, or even wanting to become a circus performer (who knows?).

However, to achieve those goals you’ll have to accomplish certain tasks, acquire specific skills, or pay some sort of price in order to obtain the reward. If you’re honest with yourself, you’ll probably recognize that at least some of the time (and for many people, most of the time) we get in our own way by not applying ourselves, we can’t stay focused, or how we even outright sabotage ourselves.

The trump card applies to all three. One of the best ways we undermine our own success (and we’re all amazingly talented at this) is through not taking accountability for our results through fooling ourselves when we play our trump card.

What is the ‘Trump Card’?

Your trump card is the excuse you tell yourself to make it okay to not be accountable. It usually sounds like “…but my situation’s different…” or “…you don’t understand…”, “I don’t have time…” or a million other variations of justification.

Here’s an example: Part of our core coaching process for entrepreneurs is based on living your Soul Purpose so that you can be the best version of YOU. Better at work. Better at home. Better at happiness. The list goes on…

To accomplish this “Better You”, one of the primary tools we use to help people become better is called the Power Hour. The Power Hours requires that they to take time to better themselves every day through: exercise, education, and enlightenment. (Note: Nearly every highly successful person alive has some sort of ‘Power Hour’ routine.)

For most people this is no small undertaking because they haven’t worked out, studied, or practiced their Spiritual disciples consistently for most (or all) of their lives.

This kind of commitment immediately brings out people’s best excuses: their Trump Cards.

Most people tell me that they are too busy, or that they can’t get up in the morning, or that because they have kids – they can’t take care of themselves and do their Power Hour.

In the end, those who can’t see through their trump card myths get the same results as someone who is just plain lazy. They both make no progress toward their goals.

Here’s the trickiest part about trump cards – they allow you to feel good about lying to yourself.

At least the guy who’s just plain lazy knows it. When you use your trump card, you believe it’s true, so you do nothing to change. Its a subtle lie, and difficult to identify, but it’s even more damaging than the blatant lie because it allows you to continue your bad habits and suffering.

So what is your trump card? C’mon. We all have them, and it’s time to figure out yours.

Right now…

What is it that you tell yourself so that you can live with mediocrity in some (or all) areas of your life?

Do you believe you’re not good enough?

Don’t have enough time?

Could never do THAT?

Your family’s more important than you are?

Your spouse is holding you back?

Your friends will hate you if you’re successful?

What is it?

And, more importantly, what new belief (based in truth) do you need to adopt to throw away your trump card for good?

Figure it out and write it down. This one thing will change your life. Promise.

You see, life IS a game of sorts, and it’s winner take all. That means you CAN have it all, but first you need to be honest with yourself and begin taking NEW action to honor the best version of YOURSELF. Today.

So retire your trump card myth, and like Nike says, “Just Do It”.

The Basis for All Success is…

The World Through Steve Jobs’ Eyes…

Creating Your Own Piece of Paradise…

A Fun Way to Change Your Life… For Good

Unconvetional Wisdom That Works…

Increase Production by Increasing Relationships…

Are You Playing to Win?

The Dirt Road to Success

Are Your ‘Short Cuts’ Making Things Longer?

What is Your Trump Card?