Live on Results Food
Published February 21, 2012 | 
Hard work and consistent effort are important parts of success, but they are nothing without results. At some point a winner has to stop being satisfied with “activity food” and start craving “results food.” I examine with this idea in my new book, “The Voyage of a Viking,” due out in April. I hope you enjoy this excerpt.
At the heart of winning comes a hunger to succeed. Something inside us craves a big victory. There has to be a gnawing, aching feeling in your gut that things must be made right for us to feel content, and that we’ll get out there and “do what it takes”. This is a pretty noble feeling and I applaud people with the guts to try. But trying is not enough.
I once heard about a motivational speaker who invited an audience member up onto the stage to help him demonstrate a point. On the stage was a fold-up chair. The motivational speaker pointed to it and asked the volunteer to “try to pick up the chair.” The man looked puzzled at the request, because this seemed like a pretty easy request! The man reached over and picked up the chair.
The motivational speaker said “No, no, no, I’d like you to try to pick up the chair. Don’t pick it up; I want you to only try to pick it up.”
Confused, the man picked up the chair again, and once again the speaker said, laughing, “No! Don’t pick up the chair; just try to pick up the chair. You keep doing it wrong! You keep picking it up! I want you to just try to pick it up!”
This went back and forth a few more times with the volunteer getting increasingly confused and frustrated. Finally, the motivational speaker said: “To quote Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back, ‘Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try.’”
Missing a goal hurts inside. If someone has a gnawing aching feeling in their gut that demands that they succeed, the pain is too great to ignore. We must feast on some sort of food to try to get rid of that pain. But the type of food that satisfies us is a big key to what happens next. You see, if we just simply “try hard” to reach our goal, if we feel ok about running around, only being busy, then we are attempting to satisfy ourselves with what I call “activity food.”
A winner eventually loses his appetite for mere “activity food.” There comes a point when people who become successful find that “activity food” starts to taste pretty bland; it lacks any nutritional value in the diet of achievement. We have to reach a point where we get sick and tired of simply working hard, and getting nothing to show for our effort. We are on the path to success when we are no longer satisfied with “activity food”; but instead we crave “results food.”
Robert Fritz said, “All too often people fail to focus their choices upon results and therefore their choices are ineffective. If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise.” These are great words of wisdom. We have to decide to be satisfied, not just with effort, but with results.
A “Thank You” to the “Founder of Founders”
Published February 16, 2012 | 
I was deeply humbled by the recent blog that Orrin posted regarding Amy and myself; humbled, because I owe so much of my success to the sacrifice and commitment of Orrin and Laurie Woodward. As all world-class leaders do, Orrin constantly shines light upon others and celebrates their success, lifting them up and cheering for their victories. Since Orrin has written this blog post celebrating me and Amy, we feel that it is only appropriate to return the favor.
Orrin Woodward grew up in Columbiaville, Michigan, a town where the word “vision” wasn’t something you’d hear pop up at the average dinner table. His brilliant mind and work ethic were quickly noticed by his superiors at work, and his amazing engineering genius resulted in four engineering patents to his name by the age of 25. He was on the fast track to corporate “success”. But he was eventually exposed to some new business information, and he decided to go against the grain. He ignored the 95% advice of his friends, family and co-workers, and he plunged head-first into his first entrepreneurial venture.
Success didn’t come easily to Orrin. We might watch him speak on stage today in front of thousands of people and forget that he failed a public speaking class in college. We might read the chapter on conflict resolution in his incredible book RESOLVED and puzzle that this great man describes his younger self as a “no-people skills engineer.” We might see the tens of thousands of people at a Major function and forget that he struggled for several years to build a business community past 200 people. And we might look at his lifestyle, his homes in Florida and Michigan, and his yacht, and not realize the massive battles that Orrin and Laurie have waged behind the scenes on our behalf.
Simply put, if it weren’t for Orrin and Laurie Woodward, there wouldn’t be any TEAM or the LIFE business, period. When we faced a battle against our former supplier, Orrin and Laurie bore the brunt of the attacks. I know that he has dipped into his own pocket for multiple seven-figures to cover legal expenses, possible only because he lives a debt-free lifestyle. I know that he has been the target of terrible lies and attacks on his character from nameless critics too cowardly to reveal their identity. I know that he and Laurie have put many of their personal dreams on hold, including denying themselves the building of their dream home in Florida for the last four years, in order that you and I may have a business to bring our own dreams to life.
Building this business, both TEAM and now LIFE, is not about the money for Orrin and Laurie. If it were, they would never have gone through all they’ve endured. They would have sat back and collected a check from our former supplier. But they would not. Orrin could have sailed off into the sunset as a motivational speaker and author, leaving us on our own. But he would not. Orrin and Laurie could have begun this great fight, buckled under the pressure and quit. But they would not. For Orrin and Laurie, building this business is about creating a community of a million people, of saving marriages, freeing people from financial bondage, and affecting our culture in a positive way.
I don’t personally know any other man who could have endured what Orrin has gone through and had the grit to stay the course. I’ve seen Orrin with tears in his eyes as we watched our friends suffer personally and financially. I’ve watched his heart break as people whom he had poured his love and energy into would fail to keep their commitments to him, only to see him think upon them with a forgiving heart, knowing that they are just fallen men, as he is. I’ve watched him suffer the sting of terrible lies, and because he holds his character so high he refuses to gossip about the liars. I know people who quite simply are telling lies about Orrin. If Orrin ever decides to go public with all that he knows (and can document) about these slanderous attacks, they will be embarrassingly exposed.
Like any man, Orrin has experienced moments where he has been down in the dumps. But he is an uncommon man, and because he has RESOLVED to have a high Adversity Quotient, he always gets back up and leads.
Orrin has been there for me countless times when I felt broken, praying with me in times of deep personal crisis. Laurie has done the same for Amy; as I was frantically criss-crossing the country during the height of our battle with our former supplier, Laurie was the bedrock friend and mentor that Amy needed in some of our darkest hours. Thank you, Laurie Woodward.
Most people have to go to the movies or read great books to be exposed to heroes. Amy and I are blessed to know some real-life heroes and count them among our best of friends for life. Orrin and Laurie Woodward, thank you for your leadership, your commitment, your pledge to serve and reach a million people. None of us would have anything if it weren’t for the sacrifice you’ve made for us.
Tim and Amy
Are You Willing to Win?
Published January 29, 2012 | This weekend, Amy and I had the privilege of joining Orrin Woodward, Chris Brady and the other members of the LIFE TEAM business in Visalia, California and Columbus, Ohio for our annual Winter Leadership Conventions. One thing I tried to emphasize as I spoke to groups of people who are committed to becoming leaders was the importance of the will to win.
The will to win says, “I will do it, no matter what.” Of course, “no matter what” involves a lot of hard work. In fact, it’s critical to winning that you be willing to work – and usually, that work begins with working on you! The will to win comes from looking honestly at where you are and deciding where it is you want to go.
I suggested seven questions that a leader should ask of himself, to evaluate where he is and how much he really wants to win.
1. Do I blame others for my lack of success? Every leader will find some kind of failure in victory. Do you blame yourself or others when things go wrong?
2. Do I have to be continually motivated or fired up? There is nothing wrong with being encouraged, but leaders don’t require others to build them up before they get into action.
3. Am I driven more by looking good and recognition than I am by doing good and being good? Growth in integrity is more important than growth in business, or being recognized for an accomplishment.
4. How do I spend my discretionary time?
5. How do I spend my discretionary money? Where you invest your time and money exposes what things are most important to you.
6. Who are my heroes? Who do you look up to and why do you look up to them? Watch what is going into your mind, because that’s where your heroes come from.
7. When I am alone, what do I dream about? If you dream about the things you claim are valuable, then that will shape your actions. These thoughts will help you become the leader you want to be and develop your will to win.
How do you measure up when you go through these questions? Are you willing to work, and to win?
Measuring Success: Life Coaches vs. LIFE Coaches
Published January 19, 2012 | With 2012 rolling around it seems like everyone has started in on those new year’s resolutions. Maybe you plan to lose weight, save more money, get out of debt, work on your marriage, travel to Europe or start your own business. Whatever the goal may be, you may have thought about getting some help along the way. Maybe you’ve even considered hiring a life coach.
So what should you look for in someone to help you? After all, today just about anyone can become a “life coach.” In fact, I did a little research and found out that one program will certify life coaches after just a 16 hour course! It’s so simple a process that many certified life coaches are not qualified to coach.
Of course, I’m not saying the entire life coaching industry is bad, but it’s not as good as it could be. Why is that? Well it all depends on what’s the most important component – certification or real success. Lack of success in any given area in life doesn’t automatically make a bad person, but it does disqualify someone from giving good advice. Someone who knows successful life principles well enough to teach them ought to live them as well. It just makes sense that to be a successful coach you must first have SUCCESS!!
It wasn’t that long ago that I was broke, my marriage was falling apart and I needed some help. Thankfully, a friend introduced me to the guy who would become my mentor, Orrin Woodward. Orrin coached me to a seven figure income in 31 months and more importantly coached me in all areas of the 8Fs. (Faith, Family, Friendship, Fitness, Finances, Following, Freedom and Fun) Why did I listen to him? Well he already had the results I was looking for – in his business, his marriage and so many areas.
In November 2011, Orrin and I along with six other men founded a revolutionary new company dedicated to helping others develop and change their lives. Orrin either directly or indirectly coached all of the LIFE founders, all of whom have helped many other people do the same.
That’s the kind of success we should be looking for in a life coach – not certification, though there is nothing really wrong with that, but someone who not only has success in one area of life, but in many. After all, why would anyone take marriage, financial or business advice from a “certified life coach” who broke up with his girlfriend, has student loans, or whose only business experience is working at the local carwash during summer break?
As you’re looking for help in the new year, seek out someone with the knowledge you want and the personal success to back it up. LIFE coaches measure their effectiveness in personal growth and results – that’s the kind of person you want to follow.
IAB Leadership Award goes to Orrin Woodward!
Published January 6, 2012 | I want to extend my congratulations to my mentor and friend Orrin Woodward for winning the Independent Association of Businesses Top Leadership Award. His website, orrinwoodward.com, was chosen as the 2011 Top Leadership Website.
The IAB website lists the following criteria used to determine winners:
- Originality of ideas
- Practicality of ideas
- Presentation style
- Testimonials
- Impact of ideas
- Quality of web content, publications and writings
- Ranking of website in America
Orrin’s teachings on leadership and LIFE are always original and practical and have certainly had a huge impact on many people over the last year. Congratulations Orrin on this well-deserved recognition!
Leadership in Action – Tim Tebow
Published December 24, 2011 | Please watch this Tim Tebow video. Like him or not I think you will see why he has influence with his team. A true sportsman and Christian.
Merry Christmas everyone.
If We Aren’t Humble, We Will Be Humbled
Published December 14, 2011 | My mentor, Orrin Woodward, says leaders should value excellence over ego. I couldn’t agree more – in fact, I’m convinced that humility is an essential quality of a great leader. I included a section on humility in my upcoming book, The Voyage of a Viking. I hope you enjoy this excerpt.
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” – Luke, 14:11, ESV
Defeat can be a blessing. Many times it is. Defeat forces us to face reality and admit our weaknesses. If we are in the process of becoming a leader, defeat is used to prepare us for that responsibility. It’s better to make a mistake leading a small group of people and improve yourself then, rather than NOT learn the lesson and make that same mistake when you are leading a large group of people.
Maybe we are harsh with people, as I was and sometimes still have to be on guard against. Maybe we are disorganized. Maybe we are moody, or unpleasant to be around. Maybe we are negative. Whatever we need to improve, defeat usually has a way of pointing out our “area of opportunity.” As Tommy Newbury says, “We often don’t realize it, but we frequently come face to face with the exact obstacle we need at just the right time to sharpen us where we need it the most.” Hopefully, we can swallow our pride, admit we need to grow in a certain area, and say, “I need to overcome this weakness.”
One area of character that defeat really helps us manage is arrogance and pride. If we aren’t humble, we will be humbled – count on it! I know when I started having fast success in building my leadership business I made the mistake of “reading my own press clippings.” I listened to those who were praising me and cheering for me, and I started to get a big puffed up chest, thinking I was “all that and a bag of chips.” Well, God corrected me on that one pretty quickly by causing my business to slow down until I faced my arrogance. In fact, any time my pride has gotten out of hand, He sends me a gentle little reminder to knock me back into place.
I’m amazed at how we struggle with arrogance and pride, because a lot of the time we look pretty goofy to the people around us. It might do us some good to stop trying to look good all the time and just come down to earth. C.J. Mahaney, author of Humility: True Greatness, suggests one way to manage pride. He says, “First, play golf as much as possible. Yep, golf. In my athletic experience, I don’t think there’s a more difficult or humbling sport. Rather, humiliating – because if you play at all, you know all about those shots that result in laughter from you partners and humiliation for you. No one escapes them.” I think we could all benefit by loosening up and allowing ourselves to look silly more often.
Read RESOLVED
Published December 1, 2011 | Have you read RESOLVED: 13 Resolutions for LIFE, the new book by Orrin Woodward? If you 
haven’t I strongly encourage you to go out and get it today. Though this book just hit the shelves, positive reviews from top leaders are already pouring in.
The book outlines Orrin’s personal resolutions which he followed on his path to becoming a New York Times bestselling author, one of the World’s Top Leadership Gurus, and a founder of the incredible new LIFE business. Not only is he incredibly qualified as a leader of leaders, but he is my personal friend and mentor.
I’ve mentioned before how important it is to follow a great leader. In my upcoming book, The Voyage of a Viking, I expand on that thought -
If you are blessed to have access to a mentor, my advice is to chase them down and do whatever you can to earn their time. If they encourage you to read a book, buy it and read it! If they encourage you to attend a seminar that will help you learn to improve your life, I recommend you follow their advice. A simple rule in life is to find someone who has done what you want to do, and follow in their footsteps. If you do that, you are sure to achieve your goals.
Let me add to that now – If your mentor writes a book, get it and read it! And recommend it to others so they can benefit too.
Have you read RESOLVED? Share how it has impacted you in the comments below.
Your LIFE – Five Years from Now
Published November 17, 2011 | I while ago I mentioned a way of thinking about LIFE that I’ve learned from my mentor, Orrin Woodward. It was a simple, three step pattern called Define, Learn, Do.
Just to recap, that’s -
- Define what you want out of LIFE
- Learn from someone who has what you want
- Go out and Do the same thing they did
When you are committed to this process and getting it underway there are some questions you should ask that help in narrowing down the Define step. The biggest question would be, “What do I want to accomplish in LIFE?”
You can get even more specific and ask, “What do I want to accomplish…
- in the next thirty days?
- in the next six months?
- in the next twelve months?
- in the next five years?”
In five years what do you want to be? Maybe you are a nurse practitioner and you’re going to school to be a doctor. You want to be a doctor in five years, so set that as your goal and go make it happen.
Maybe you’re just getting started in business and want to be a millionaire in five years. Great. Find someone who is a millionaire in your business and learn from them.
Figure out what it is that you want out of life and find out how to do it. Break it down into smaller parts. Go from five years to four years to three years. Figure out two years, one year, six months, thirty days. What do you need to do to move slowly toward that goal?
Orrin and Chris Brady (who co-authored the book Launching a Leadership Revolution), spent years just getting better themselves and trying to build a business. It was five or six years before they really made any income or started to see the fruits of their labor.
Most people aren’t willing to work that hard for that long, because they lack long term vision. They can’t move past the first step in the Define, Learn, Do process because they don’t stop to ask themselves, “What do I really want out of LIFE?”
The saying at the top of this site sums it up well – “If you don’t know where you are going, you are probably already there.”
Figure out where you are going. Where do you want to be in five years? What is it that is going to Define your LIFE?
“Viking” Sets Sail in Early 2012
Published November 12, 2011 | 
Just a few days ago, my mentor and friend, Orrin Woodward, posted an announcement on his leadership blog about a soon-to-be-released book. I’m also excited to add my confirmation that The Voyage of a Viking, which chronicles my own journey in leadership and many of the things I’ve learned along the way, is due out early next year. Orrin graciously agreed to write the forward, which you can read here.
Great Goals
Published October 27, 2011 | One thing my mentor, Orrin Woodward, has helped me develop is the habit of setting goals. G-O-A-L-S, goals. Goal setting not only helps me structure where I want to go in LIFE, but it gives me a way to keep score.
Great goals only come out of great dreams, but once you have a big dream you’ll be more apt to get some goals together. Of course, there is more to goal setting then just sitting down and thinking them up. There is a little bit of strategy to it. Really great goals need to be three things: written, specific, and scheduled.
- Written – In Launching a Leadership Revolution, Orrin and his co-author, Chris Brady, underscore the need to have written goals. If they’re not written down we’re tempted to think that our goals are not important or we might even forget what they are. Write your goals down – that’s step one.
- Specific – Be specific about your goals, because when you focus on specific goals you tell yourself, “I am going to keep score.” When your goals are specific then you know exactly what you’re aiming for. This works for me and I’m sure it will work for anyone else. I perform differently when I am keeping score. Make your specific goals aggressive yet realistic. This is where a mentor can be a big help. Just like Orrin and I work together on goal setting, get with someone who can help you come up with some specific, realistic goals.
- Scheduled – Great goals are set on a time-line. There needs to be an end date set for getting things done, and it should be something that is sooner than 3012. Having a time-line in mind will get you moving rather than spending all your time planning. This makes all the difference in the world. As Stephen Covey says, “A mediocre strategy well executed is infinitely better than a well executed strategy that sits on the shelf.”
Now some people look at goals and say, “I don’t want to have a goal because what if I miss it and then I won’t feel good?”
If you have a big enough dream, then your goal is going to be something that will fire you up, even if you miss it. I don’t hit that many of my goals the first time I set them. I still rarely hit them the first time. I think I’ve only hit one or two in their original time frame. That does makes me mad! But if I don’t hit it, I just say, “Here’s an opportunity for me to get better.”
You are going to miss goals along the way, but I can tell you this, if you have an expectation that you’ll hit a goal, then your mind will find a way to make it happen. So get with a mentor and set some written, specific, and scheduled goals – then get out there and execute them!
Ready to Launch – the-life-business.com!
Published October 21, 2011 | Starting this evening, Orrin Woodward and the leaders of 
the TEAM will gather in Columbus, Ohio to prepare for the launch of something that will change the face of our business for the better forever. The LIFE business is a merger of four difference industries. It’s community building meets self improvement, and life coaching meets network marketing – all combined in a way that will bless and change the lives of those involved.
It’s history in the making this weekend in Columbus. Are you ready? Here we go!
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