The most powerful question you can ask: “How can I help you?”

I just read an article on MSNBC titled, “Today’s college kids lack empathy,” (http://bit.ly/dCSAAs) and I found it really interesting. Generation Y, my generation, has also become know as “generation me.” This didn’t settle well with me.

For those that don’t know, I’ve been doing a lot of work recently with Keith Ferrazzi (best selling author of Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your Back). One of the reasons I think Keith and I get along so well is a principle so important to us both: “Lead with generosity.” Think about it…it’s really quite simple. Stop what you’re doing for a second, take yourself out of the picture, and really focus on the other person FIRST.

I think this principle is so important, especially for the Gen Yers that MSNBC’s article talks about. So here’s my suggestion, when you meet new people, or are connecting with current or old friends, ask them, “How can I help you?” and really mean it! Put them first. Why? Because no one wants to be around people who are selfish and only in it for themselves. Gone are the days when we should be competing to see who can make the most money the quickest. The new game is who can help the most people, period!

And DON’T KEEP COUNT! (another Ferrazzi principle from NEA). Seriously, keeping count doesn’t do any good. It’s not tit for tat, you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours. Listen, I’ll scratch your back all day long as long as it’s helping you and I can. Stop worrying about who bought lunch last time. If you can afford to buy your friend’s lunch and you want to, then do it because you want to and it brings you happiness to do it.

So, don’t keep count, and always ask, “How can I help you?” Try it out and let me know how it works for you. I think you’ll be pleased.

MBM Recap and Update

First and foremost, the last Meeting of the Big Minds that I just hosted in early October was AMAZING! Not only were the attendants incredibly inspiring, but we all became close friends so quickly, I think everyone was amazed. The power of peer to peer support though is HUGE! For those that don’t know, each person at MBM get’s a 19 minute spotlight to share with the group what they are working on, where they are struggling, and where they need help. It’s really an amazing experience to see a group of people laser focused on an individual, and actually CARE and GIVE A DAMN about them. If you haven’t already, definitely check out www.meetingofthebigminds.com. More to come on Peer to Peer groups on a future post.

Quick update from NYC, I want to give a huge shout-out to Charles Best, Founder of DonorsChoose.org. I just interviewed Charles and he’s an all out rockstar. The idea behind DonorChoose.org is quite simple actually. Teachers post projects or things that they need funded to enhance the classroom experience, but aren’t covered by their yearly budgets. Individuals can then search through various projects and donate to the ones that they are most connected to. You can search for certain sports or subjects and it’s really an amazing organization. Since they started, they’ve helped teachers raise over $20 million, which has directly impacted well over 1 million students. It’s been written about as the first big success for peer to peer philanthropy, and I highly encourage you to check out their website and teacher proposals if you haven’t already. Congrats Charles on all the success thus far!

Meeting of the Big Minds

So I’m getting ready for the Meeting of the Big Minds that I host twice a year at my family’s ranch, Fox Creek Ranch, NW of Houston and I’m really excited. Many people have asked me what the Meeting of the Big Minds (MBM) is all about and how I came up with the idea to start it, so I thought I’d write more about it here.

I believe (and many others agree) that a big component to following your passions, no matter what they might be, is having a strong support network of mentors, coaches, peers, and mastermind groups. If you want to start your own company and do big global things with it, it would really help to connect with other entrepreneurs who focused on taking their company’s global so that you could share best practices, and help hold each other accountable along the way.

So, the MBM is my mastermind group. It’s a collection of global visionaries from all over the country who are doing amazing things. We all get together for a 3 day weekend and that focuses on three main things:

1) Relaxation: we all run so hard in our lives, it’s important to remember to relax every now and then.
2) MBM Spotlights: each person has a 19 minute spotlight (we are a bit more generous than Ted Talks) to talk about what they are currently working on, where they are experiencing challenges, and where can the group help.
3) One on Ones: a big part of mastermind groups for me is building quality relationships, so there’s plenty of time to strike up a good conversation on a one on one basis to build stronger more intimate relationships.

In a nutshell, that’s the MBM. So I’m off to Texas tomorrow to get ready and prep the ranch for everyone’s arrival on Thursday. I’ll do a post MBM recap next week to fill you in on all the highlights. Until then…

Back from NYC, and Tool/Resource Update!

I’m back from a fantastic 8 days in New York City where we filmed interviews with 8 amazing individuals. Definitely check out Pushing Beyond’s updated Episode Guide to see who’s coming up. From a young executive chef, to amazing entrepreneurs with strong interests in social and human rights, to an international attorney who put together the war tribunals against Saddam Hussein, it was a very passionate group.

Now that I’m back in Atlanta, I’ve committed to a new schedule of trying to get vlog posts up weekly, so keep an eye out for those.

For the past 2 months or so, I’ve been writing what I call a workbook curriculum, which I talk more about in the above video. Basically, it’s a number of questions and exercises to help you get better aligned with your passions. I’m hoping to finish it in the coming weeks, and I hope you’ll find it helpful.

Have a super fantastic week, and go out there and follow your passions!

Off to San Francisco

I’m about to head off to San Francisco tomorrow morning. I’ve got some really cool interviews scheduled and I’m also attending Tony Robbins’ Unleash The Power Within so I’m really looking forward to that.

Things at Pushing Beyond are going great. The end of our 1st month is rapidly approaching and it looks like we’ll have over 1,000 visits in the 1st month to the site which is really exciting. We’ve got some amazing interviews in the pipeline, so definitely check back to pushingbeyond.com often.

That’s all for now…short and sweet. Have a super fantastic week!

Hello World

Hey everyone and thanks for checking out my new vlog. I’m going to try to use a combination of both video and text for this vlog but the majority of the content will be focused on my newest venture, Pushing Beyond.

Pushing Beyond is all about helping people follow their passions. We’ve all heard the following:

“If you follow your passions, the money will come.”

“If you love what you do, you’ll never spend a day working.”

Yet for most of us, it’s pretty difficult to find the tools and resources to make these reality.

To help on your journey, Pushing Beyond just launched a nationwide interview series entitled, “Follow Your Passions,” which interviews people all over the country who are following their passions and doing amazing things as a result.

Enjoy!