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ageofideas

Unlock Your Creative Potential
Podcast - Book - Platform By @Alan_Philips
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Famous people pass often, but Kobe’s sudden pass

Famous people pass often, but Kobe’s sudden passing hit me real hard today. I am not sure if it’s because he is so close to my age or the deep admiration I have for his indomitable competitive spirit. Or maybe it was how much respect I had for his desire to work harder than everyone at everything all the time, while remaining an appreciator of family and culture. He gave us everything he had to give and yet he was still cut short. Kobe was an incredible talent and person. It was my observation that he wanted his competitors to know he was never going to stop and he was going to do anything to overcome the obstacle in front of him. It was a rare fire that burned inside him. He inspired me in so many ways. May his energy live on in all of us. My heart and prayers go out to his family. #kobebryant #goat

It’s been a while. Loved this one from #tonyfad

It’s been a while. Loved this one from #tonyfaddell #ageofideas #alanphilips #somedayconsulting

When I graduated college and commenced my professi

When I graduated college and commenced my professional journey I quickly realized there was a lot I did not know. While I lightly considered continuing my education, I was earning good money and was tired of traditional schooling. I wanted to get to work. So I began to round out my skill set and teach myself through reading, and the trial and error of experience. I rapidly consumed books, many times late into the night. My choices ranged from Public Relations for Dummies, to historical business chronicles like Barbarians at the Gate, to business philosophy books, including The Dip by my rabbi Seth Godin. None of these books, though, have had the ongoing impact of Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t, by Jim Collins. Not only did it have one of the most amazing titles in the history of books, Good to Great provided a reliable blueprint for what it took to go from average to awesome.

Good to Great is based on a research study in which Collins and his team identify “companies that generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times over fifteen years, better than twice the results delivered by the companies considered the world’s greatest, such as Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck.” Keep in mind this book was released in 2001. Once the companies were identified, Collins and his team studied the practices of each organization and extracted seven key competencies the companies shared. Over the last fifteen years I have continually returned to this book to check myself against those competencies, and ensure that I am doing my best to make decisions aligned with these findings. With this in mind, I felt compelled to share these competencies with you, as it seems this great business book no longer has the visibility it once had.

The Seven Key Competencies of Good to Great Companies... MORE AT LINK IN BIO #goodtogreat #book #ageofideas #jimcollins #alanphilips #someday #consulting #strategy #inspiration #entrepreneurship

Apple, America’s most prized corporation, recent

Brand marketers are the soul of an organization. T

“We are not making these changes because Marketi

We all have two options when things get hard. We

We all have two options when things get hard. We can bring people closer and depend on them or we can push them away. Self-preservation often leads people to isolate and protect themselves. We do this to cut off negative stressors and threats, but in the process we also eliminate the positive inputs and opportunity. While most of us do this unknowingly, just trying to survive, isolation is a significant strategic blunder. It weakens us and limits the amount of joy, opportunity, and healing that can come into our lives.
Remaining open and increasing connection when you experience challenges—both personal and professional—is a far better approach. Your openness will help you find a way to release your pain and discover a new path. This is how you overcome challenges, achieve inner peace, and encourage growth. Not only that, these connections are expansive, the bonds formed through sharing your struggles with people who care, and attract more joy, opportunity, and possibility into your life.
When we lose our way or go through pain, the only true way back is to combine personal bravery and insight (knowing, for example, that because one thing was a negative experience doesn’t mean everything will be) with the loving persistence of someone who truly cares enough to see through the barriers you have built, so that you remain open. While this approach may be counterintuitive, you must not close yourself off in the face of a challenge. Instead, rise above your challenges through deeper connection and you can transform into something greater. MORE AT LINK IN BIO #ageofideas #someday #coaching #consulting #book #inspiration #creativity #entrepreneurship #48lawsofpower

“Desire is a contract you make with yourself to

“Desire is a contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want.”
- Unknown
Someone once told me that I had big desire. I was proud. It was a compliment. I want to accomplish a lot, see a lot, do a lot, and have a lot. Therefore I am ambitious. Does that mean I am unhappy with what I have? That I am unhappy in the moment? Technically it does. But I didn’t feel unhappy at the time the observation was shared with me. I was on a path, I reminded myself. I had goals. I knew where I was going. But did I? How can you enjoy the moment, if you are always focused on a future moment? “When someone seeks,” said Siddhartha, “then it easily happens that his eyes see only the thing that he seeks, and he is able to find nothing, to take in nothing, because he always thinks only about the thing he is seeking. Because he has one goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: having a goal. But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal.” Desire is a tricky game. Choose yours wisely. MORE AT LINK IN BIO #ageofideas #someday #inspiration #creativity #coaching #entrepreneurship

Someone once told me that I had big desire. I was

Someone once told me that I had big desire. I was proud. It was a compliment. I want to accomplish a lot, see a lot, do a lot, and have a lot. Therefore I am ambitious. Does that mean I am unhappy with what I have? That I am unhappy in the moment? Technically it does. But I didn’t feel unhappy at the time the observation was shared with me. I was on a path, I reminded myself. I had goals. I knew where I was going. But did I? How can you enjoy the moment, if you are always focused on a future moment? “When someone seeks,” said Siddhartha, “then it easily happens that his eyes see only the thing that he seeks, and he is able to find nothing, to take in nothing, because he always thinks only about the thing he is seeking. Because he has one goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: having a goal. But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal.” Desire is a tricky game. Choose yours wisely. MORE AT LINK IN BIO #ageofideas #book #newsletter #someday #coaching #inspiration #creativity #entrepreneurship

Humans are tribal beings. We organize ourselves i

Humans are tribal beings. We organize ourselves in groups. These groups include families, companies, sports teams, and many other assemblages. From a young age we tend to take on roles within these groups. Some people are leaders, some are followers, some are rebellious, some silently seethe, and others spend their days loudly celebrating the success of others. We assume these roles and use them to define ourselves. It’s a phenomenon that engenders obedience toward hierarchy. Many of us develop a habit of respecting others based on their title, wealth, beauty, or reputation. We often unquestioningly do the things we are asked by another with a higher rank. Eventually, we judge ourselves in the same manner we judge the outside world. An inner monologue develops, generated by our ego, which tells us, repeatedly, that who we are is based on our position, what we possess in terms of money and property, and what others say about us. Aware of this pattern and its consequences, spiritual philosopher Eckhart Tolle says, “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” And it’s the ego supplying those thoughts.

When external ego-boosters fall away, as they all inevitably do, you are left with just you, the person. At this critical point an opportunity presents itself: you can either dwindle and withdraw, or you can rise up. I call rising up stepping into your awesomeness.
Your awesomeness comes to be when you merge your internal and external selves into one—crushing the ego—and leaving in its place a secure, authentic, and whole person.
You become a person who feels who they are, in their bones, rather than someone who talks about who they are, or lets others do the defining. MORE AT LINK IN BIO #ageofideas #someday #consulting #coaching #alanphilips #book #newsletter #inspiration #creativity #entrepreneurship

You? Do It. #ageofideas #book #newsletter #inspira

You? Do It. #ageofideas #book #newsletter #inspiration #someday #consulting

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord.

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord. And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord. #ageofideas X #philcollins #ha #someday #consulting

Bitter or Better? I think it’s a pretty clear c

Bitter or Better? I think it’s a pretty clear choice. #ageofideas via @gelarehmizrahi #someday #consulting #inspiration #creativity #motivation

There is a lot of noise made about the end of reta

There are three factors that combine to create bra

Post a picture, get a like. I just wasted my time

Post a picture, get a like. I just wasted my time for a bit of dopamine, how about you? Let’s focus on time on things that matter, build better things, get better prizes. #ageofideas #book #newsletter #someday #consulting #alanphilips

“Really great entrepreneurs, they deliver on you

“Really great entrepreneurs, they deliver on your expectations, they deliver on your desires, but the thing they get right is this thing on the peak of the pyramid—meeting the unrecognized needs of whoever your customer is.”
- Chip Conley, Hospitality Entrepreneur & Author
There is a famous quote from Henry Ford about the invention of the automobile: “If I’d asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” Ford’s point was later reinforced by Steve Jobs, who remarked, “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” The essence of both statements is that there are businesses and products that will alter peoples lives and achieve mass adoption, even though customers (and often experts) have no idea they need a better solution, and thus your job as an entrepreneur is to uncover this unrecognized need and provide that solution.
But it is really not that simple…

While personally I find the concept of foretelling the future in a way that changes people’s lives an exciting challenge, I can see how this concept could be very intimidating to potential entrepreneurs. Since such foresight involves sensing what people want or need before they know themselves, it might sound like you need to be a mind-reader to be a good entrepreneur. Let’s start by dispelling this concept.

Most entrepreneurs don’t actually read people’s minds. MORE AT LINK IN BIO #someday #consulting #ageofideas #book #newsletter #inspiration #creativity #entrepreneurship #unrecognizedneeds

Choose what you desire very carefully. Make sure

Choose what you desire very carefully. Make sure whatever you choose is worth your energy and the lack you will experience. Via @navalravikantquotes #navalravikant #ageofideas #book #newsletter #someday #consulting #alanphilips

Formula for Success. Stop Overcomplicating It. #

Formula for Success. Stop Overcomplicating It. #ageofideas #book #newsletter #someday #consulting #alanphilips

Happiness expert Paul Dolan, a professor in behavi

Happiness expert Paul Dolan, a professor in behavioral science at the London School of Economics, recently released a report saying, among other things, that you will be happier and healthier if you don’t have kids. Dolan points to women who are single with no kids as the happiest subgroup in modern society. While his findings are thought-provoking and possibly scientifically valid, the report feels highly misleading. Yes, having children is difficult. Yes, marriage is difficult. But what worthy pursuit is not difficult? Maybe I’m biased since I have kids and a wife, but does something being difficult make it bad? Does it make you less happy? If you wanted to be technical, you could probably conclude that difficulty makes you less happy in the moment, but I am quite certain that the avoidance of difficulty—the avoidance of challenges—would make you significantly less happy in the long term.

For instance, when I am in Barry’s Bootcamp there are moments I feel less happy. But afterward I feel incredibly energized and clear-headed for the rest of the day. When my wife and I are fighting, do I feel less happy? Of course I do. But without question my life has been and continues to be enriched by our journey together. Or when my son wakes up at 5 AM and asks me to bring him a glass of water while I am deeply sleeping, am I less happy? Damn right I am less happy at that moment. But he is my son and his mere presence in the world enriches every moment of my existence.

I would counter Professor Dolan’s findings with the statement that living a life worth fighting for requires substantial sacrifice and the acceptance of short-term difficulty and challenges. MORE AT LINK IN BIO #ageofideas #someday #consulting #book #newsletter #inspiration #joy #light

You can be happy today. Be selfish. Take care of

You can be happy today. Be selfish. Take care of yourself. Go to a spa, have a nice meal, buy yourself some new clothes, go on a trip. Amp it up, get a car, a house, a boat. These are all wonderful things to do to make yourself happy today, for a moment. But these things provide only short-term satisfaction. And they have an addictive quality. If they are your main source of happiness, you soon find yourself craving bigger, better, more. The idea that a life without deep attachments and ongoing challenges would make for a happier man or woman is absurd and irresponsible to spread. The exact opposite is true. When you take on challenges today—when you decide to raise children, have a deep connection with your partner, strive to build a business or a career that positively impacts the lives of others—you will be more fulfilled and joyful for many years to come. And while difficulties encountered now may make you a little less happy in the moment, I promise you, that is a life worth fighting for. MORE AT LINK IN BIO #ageofideas #someday #consulting #book #newsletter #inspiration #selfimprovement #davidbrooks #secondmountain

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