Richie Norton

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The 10 “In” Verbs: How to Get In (and Get Out)

10 ways to get “in” on something new (read: improvement) and “out” of something old (read: limited potential)—relationships, habits, thought patterns, circumstance. . .

1. IN-fluence others for good

Someone I admire once asked, “How far will your influence go?” This question wasn’t really a question at all; it was a challenge. This challenge led me to writing The Power of Starting Something Stupid. Influencing others for good has become a personal mission of mine that has taken me on some amazing adventures—starting a cashmere company in Mongolia, consulting a microfinance organization in Nicaragua, speaking to a group of entrepreneurs in the Domincan Republic and so on. Striving to influence others for good has blessed my own life for good tenfold. My challenge to you: proactively seek for ways to influence others for good, and see where it takes you.

“Think twice before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another.” ― Napoleon Hill

2. IN-itiate projects

Projects are great because they have a beginning and an end. You can do anything (yes, ANYTHING) when you break your big picture dreams down to small, manageable projects. If you don’t have the time, or education, or money, or experience you think necessary to realize your dreams, a project will allow you grab hold of the part of that dream that IS accessible to you right now—it also provides the opportunity collaborate with others who do have the time, education, money or experience you feel you lack. When you initiate projects surrounding the things that matter most to you, everyone wins.

“Start doing what you want to do and everything else will be revealed to you.” ― Paulo Coelho

3. IN-novate

Get into something new. Make stuff up. You’re a creation, and you were born to create. Innovation stems from the Latin root words “in” or into and “novus” or new—literally meaning to get into something new. Innovation is in your blood. Let your creative juices flow and start acting on your “stupid” ideas.

“I believe you have to be willing to be misunderstood if you’re going to innovate.” ― Jeff Bezos

4. IN-sist on yourself

You can. Yes, you can. You can do the work. You must do the work. The world needs your unique talent and contribution.

“Insist on yourself; never imitate. Your own gift you can present every moment with the cumulative force of a whole life’s cultivation; but of the adopted talent of another you have only an extemporaneous half possession. That which each can do best, none but his Maker can teach him.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

5. IN-vest in yourself

At the end of the day, if you’re wasting your time by not investing in yourself, you’re going to waste away—and that would be the greatest waste of all.

“Invest three percent of your income in yourself (self-development) in order to guarantee your future.” ― Brian Tracy

6. IN-spire others

Information is power, but unless information inspires someone to do something, the power lies dormant. Make it your goal to combine information with inspiration to change the world around you.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” ― John Quincy Adams

7. IN-trigue

“Don’t be boring.” ― Seth Godin

8. IN-volve others

Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” If this statement is true, it’s either really exciting or really depressing for you. Whether this human “average” is fact or fiction, it’s obvious that the people we hang around influence our thinking, and thus our actions, and thus, eventually, our overall circumstance. Make it a point to involve people in your projects who you respect and admire—people you hope to become just a little more like.

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” ― Benjamin Franklin

9. IN-k it

Ink your goals on paper. Nearly every day, I’ll whip out a piece of paper and write down the top five things I’m going to get done that day. I also set goals for the week, month, year and consistently do some vision work on what I hope the next three to five years will look like. The important thing is to get those goals and aspirations out of my head and on to paper. Thus far, this has made all the difference in regards to any measure of success I have achieved.

“Write it down. Written goals have a way of transforming wishes into wants; cant’s into cans; dreams into plans; and plans into reality. Don’t just think it – ink it.” ― Anonymous

10. IN-tensify your efforts

Double them. Triple them if you have to. You have one life to live, and this is it. Make it worth your time.

“The excellency of every art is its intensity, capable of making all disagreeable evaporate.” ― John Keats

Written by on May 29, 2013 | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) Topics:

Goal Setting

Inspiration

Lifestyle

2 Comments post a comment
  1. Annie May 30th 7:18 am

    You never cease to inspire me!
    I’m IN!!

  2. Shelly May 31st 5:14 am

    SO excellent! Thank you!

Dare, Dream, Do by Whitney Johnson

MAKE A DOWN PAYMENT ON YOUR DREAMS

The following questions really got me thinking about how I spend my resources on dreams:

  • “Do a quick review of the money you spend each month: How much is spent on your children’s dreams? Your spouse’s dreams? The dreams of your extended family, friends, the world? How much is spent on yours?”
  • “How can we harness Charles Dickens’ advice to make a down payment on our own dreams?”
  • “If you do not currently generate paid income, are any funds in your household budget allocated to you? Are you comfortable with the arrangement you have?

These power-questions come from the incredible book Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen when You Dare to Dream by Whitney Johnson.

Warning: Reading DARE, DREAM, DO will unleash your pent-up potential, feed your hungry dreams and dare you to do something about it.

Whitney is the co-founder of Clayton M. Christensen’s investment firm Rose Park Advisors–aka–the “Disruptive Innovation Fund.” (Clayton is the author of the legendary book The Innovator’s Dilemma.) She is also a former Institutional Investor-ranked sell-side analyst on Wall Street, a regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Senior Advisor to the Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards, and a TEDx speaker. Whitney also generously did an amazing book review on The Power of Starting Something Stupid here.

About DARE, DREAM, DO, the Amazon blurb explains, “Johnson directs her attention to teaching women, in particular, a three-step model for personal advancement and happiness.” However, I found the stories, examples and principles apply not just to women, but directly to my life personally and to everyone universally. DARE, DREAM, DO is endorsed by both influential women and men including Brené Brown, Gretchen Rubin, Moira Forbes, Barbara Corcoran, Marcus Buckingham, Clayton Christensen and Kent Hatkoff.

I’m going to follow Whitney’s book review style and give you a taste of this amazing book through tweet-able quotes that I found inspiring.

WHITNEY JOHNSON-ISMS FROM DARE, DREAM, DO

“Dreaming is an inalienable right.” @johnsonwhitney

“The act of writing down our dreams allows us to own them and eventually act on them.” @johnsonwhitney

“When there’s something we want to accomplish, the power to achieve that dream often comes from facing our most wrenching sadness.” @johnsonwhitney

“In order to find another piece of who we are, we may need to discard a little bit of who we are right now.” @johnsonwhitney

“Be the hero of your story.” @johnsonwhitney

“Throw out your conventional planning, because dreaming is discovery-driven.” @johnsonwhitney

“Go ahead and date dreams, lots of them–you don’t need to commit to every dream you date.” @johnsonwhitney

“By taking on our challenges, we teach our children to take on theirs, and give them the ability to dream.” @johnsonwhitney

“It’s only when we move beyond what we know we can do and take a risk–or double-dog dare–that we can make our dreams happen.” @johnsonwhitney

“What one thing, one small thing, will you do to dream today?” @johnsonwhitney

BOOM!

Written by on May 14, 2013 | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) Topics:

Book Review

Goal Setting

Inspiration

Quotes

1 Comment post a comment
  1. aMBER May 31st 4:29 pm

    i LOVE THESE QUOTES! I NEED TO CHECK OUT HER BOOK!

10 Quotes to Live By

What is it about quotes that get people moving? I love them. To me, quotes are food—bites of knowledge that can fill our hungry souls. I’ve carefully collected these ten quotes to help inspire me to live a little better. I hope they inspire you too.

1. BELIEVE THE BEST OF YOURSELF

“You are what you believe yourself to be.” — PAULO COELHO

2. BE COMFORTABLE GROWING OLDER

“Know that you are the perfect age. Each year is special and precious, for you shall only live it once. Be comfortable with growing older.” — LOUISE HAY

3. OWN YOUR HAPPINESS

“Don’t waste a minute not being happy. If one window closes, run to the next window—or break down a door.” — BROOKE SHIELDS

4. MAKE WAY FOR POSITIVITY

“Just can’t live that negative way… make way for the positive day!” — BOB MARLEY

5. CELEBRATE!

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” — OPRAH WINFREY

6. DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE

“You can’t live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.” — JOHN WOODEN

7. SPEND YOUR TIME ON THE THINGS THAT MATTER

“Every moment you get is a gift. Spend it on things that matter. Don’t spend it by dwelling on unhappy things.” — UNKNOWN

8. RECOGNIZE YOUR BLESSINGS

“Look for the blessing in all situations.” — DR. WAYNE DYER

9. CHANGE YOUR THOUGHTS

“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” — NORMAN VINCENT PEALE

10. BE YOU

“Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.” — DR. SEUSS

Written by on March 1, 2013 | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) Topics:

Inspiration

Quotes

2 Comments post a comment
  1. Mark s Mar 01st 2:51 pm

    thanks for the great message!

  2. kasteler Mar 25th 2:41 pm

    great list of quotes. particularly love the first one…believe in yourself

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