Are You Sucking Up To The Right Pack?

Okay I will admit it...I am a huge NASCAR fan. I was introduced to the sport by my former operations manager and best friend Wayne "White Tiger" Henderson back in 1993. He introduced me to the sport and I have been an Earnhardt and Earnhardt Jr. fan ever since.

In NASCAR, especially at the big tracks there is a term called "drafting" that is very important. It basically means that one car aligns itself with one or more cars ahead and it can actually travel faster and more efficiently around the track. It happens because the cars in front actually reduce the wind resistance of the car that is following and an excess of power and speed actually gets build up and can be used to propel both cars literally making them both faster. The car that is sucking up however is building power in reserve that eventually can be used to sling shot around the car it is following when the time is right. A car that can attach itself to another car does so by "sucking up."

This past Sunday as I watch Junior and a few of my other favorites travel around the track at Michigan it planted a seed that I thought was worth sharing. No matter what race track these guys drive on, the cars in the middle to the rear of the pack always tend to be the poorer running cars. Yes they suck up to the cars ahead of them but for some reason they never seem to collectively make any headway; the better running cars who week in and week out always seem to run better.

Occasionally you will see a driver who normally resides at the front of the pack start at the end of the pack say at the start of the race. But a driver like Dale Jr. or Tony Stewart rarely stay back there in the back long because they find a way to get up to the better cars quickly and suck up to the right pack of cars that when the checkers fly give them the best chance to win. They know which cars they suck up better to and they seek those cars out and like a crafty old frog leap frog from one car to the next until they reach the front of the pack. It is fascinating to watch and it happens every Sunday.

Now what in the world does this have to do Rippling or building your network you might be asking yourself? Everything!

Bad cars that suck up to other bad cars never seem to win races. Good cars that leave the bad cars in their rearview mirror seem to always find the faster cars to suck up to and collectively they all increase their chances of winning the race. However, like in life, only the best of the best on that particular day will actually win. But the good cars almost always finish in a good spot and more importantly place themselves in position to win...week in and week out.

Your relationships are the same way. You have good people who are going somewhere you could surround yourself with and attach to (no real sucking is needed or allowed in most states) or you have bad (or not so great) people who aren't going anywhere that are happy to welcome you into their pack. Good people are going to make things happen; like in NASCAR because they are out in front tend to stay out of the wrecks or you have bad people who like bad drivers cause wrecks or get caught up in them. Which is a better option for your personal or professional bumper to be attached to and pulled along the race track of life by?

The trick is to evaluate which people you need to "suck up" to (not literally) and find a way to run with them. Show that you bring value to the people you need to run with and they will have the confidence to run with you and bring you along to the front of the pack. Understand where you can make people more efficient and add value to their life and make the moves on and off the track that will help them and you too will be a position to win when the checkered flag goes a flying.

Rippling your way to the front of the pack isn't hard...it just takes time, patience and desire. Which pack are you sucking up to right now?

Ripple On!!!

Steve

Create The Life You Want By Rippling - Lesson Four

I was being interviewed for a Podcast interview recently when my 8 year old son Zachary came into my office and plopped down in one of the chairs and just watched me. Ordinarily having him be in the same room during an interview would be a distraction to me but I was in my groove and so I didn't mind him hanging out.

I have to admit that I am a visual talker and use my hands a lot. I use them to illustrate or emphasize my points and it appears it doesn't matter whether you are sitting in front of me or talking to me from a thousand miles away, my hands are always going. My son finds this particularly amusing and has been known to make fun of me for using them so much when I am on the phone.

On this particular day I was talking about the tendency of people to approach life from a myopic point of view as opposed to looking at people with a wide view. I apparently circled up my hand with my forefinger and my thumb and put it to my eye....still unaware that the person on the other side of the line could not see my physical example. Zachary smiled as if to say there he goes again and left the room.

After I finished my call I immediately returned to my laptop to return some emails and in walked Zachary and he was holding an empty toilet paper roll. I was certain he was going to ask me to retrieve another roll of toilet paper from the upstairs closet for him but he plops it down and says one of the most profound things I have ever heard him say....

"You know Dad, people can't see you do what you do when you are on the phone. But when you made the circle I thought when you speak that you could use this as a better example." He took the tube and put it over his eye. "Don't you think this would give people a better idea of what you are talking about?"

It is funny how my boys are my best teachers.

So in honor of Zachary, the smartest 8 year old I know and a guy who is wise beyond his years I share today's lesson with you.

If you want to create the life you want you must absolutely, positively follow lesson number four which says.....don't look at the people who cross your path in life myopically. Don't narrow your focus on someone, widen it.

True Ripplers take it all in. They notice the little things that make a person unique and they drink them in like a fine wine. You see when you and I go about looking at someone through a small window of prejudgment or more to the point, the narrow view of the proverbial toilet paper roll, we only see a small part of a much bigger picture.

Keep your eyes, your mind and thoughts wide open and the world and the people in it, can and will amaze you.

Ripple On My Friends!

Steve Harper

Create The Life You Want By Rippling - Lesson Three

One the biggest things that will affect your ability to Ripple and Ripple well is your attitude. One of my favorite quotes on attitude puts it into perspective:

"Attitude is the little thing that makes a big difference."

-- Winston Churchill

A simple lesson today but a powerful one! Attitude is the "little thing" that people pick up on and perceive when they encounter you. It is this little thing that has the ability to positively or negatively affect those around you. Top Ripplers understand this and they intentionally focus on always having a positive upbeat attitude. Guess what, it's infectious.

Cynthia Treglia a good friend of mine is a Top Rippler. Her attitude is infectious. Every time I am around her, despite my mood, she has a way of infecting my brain with her attitude towards life. Despite being down or angry about something, I always leave each encounter with her with a much happier mood and a far better attitude. I suspect you know someone in your life that is like this right?

Cynthia has a thirst for life and because she does it envelopes her existence. Now I know she can't possibly have an upbeat and positive attitude all of the time; I doubt any of us can. However she chooses to have the positive attitude more often than not and because of that I believe she creates Ripples in abundance for her life, her marriage, her friendships and yes, her business.

Check your attitude people! Focus on your attitude. Take mental checkups throughout the day to make sure that your attitude is firing on all possible cylinders. Be infectious and watch the Ripples you create and those that come to you.

Until next time.....

Ripple On!

Steve Harper

Create The Life You Want By Rippling - Lesson Two

You learned in yesterdays lesson one of my important mantras in terms of motivation behind Rippling. Now let me share with you my main Treasure Chest mantra that makes reaching out to others to create those Ripples possible.

"People are an unbelievable treasure chest of opportunity. You just have to take the time (and make the effort) to pick the lock, lift the lid and look at what's inside."

Most of us are really bad at connecting, not only with strangers but people we might see every day. One of the reasons we are so bad is because we allow our past experiences, filters, emotional baggage, fear and a myriad of other things cloud our judgment and block our path.

Donna Karlin an amazing friend and mentor of mine has a great example of how our filters a.k.a. garbage gets in our way in her BLOG today. Check it out by clicking here.

When I started looking at people for the world of possibilities they offer, not just for what they could do for me or my career, the doors of opportunity really started to open for me in all areas of my life. I began to see that it wasn't all about me; which as the youngest of four kids, I must admit was somewhat shocking to learn. No, I am as you are, simply a passenger on this train and no matter how much we might like it to, the world is never going to revolve around either of us. We are all in it together so I believe we should all make the most of it.

I do believe that everyone you meet, everyone who crosses your path is placed there for a reason. Some have a very distinct purpose while others simply pass through our lives like grains of sand slipping through our fingers. However the purpose everyone serves comes down to what you do with the opportunity.

Who is glaringly in your life right now that you don't spend the time with, don't make the effort with? What untold opportunities riches might this person bring to your life if you would only take the time and make the effort to unlock their treasure chest?

We all have filters, we all come with baggage. The law of the Ripple says you have to set those aside to truly experience and enjoy the riches the power of the Ripple can and will bring. Take the time. Get to know them. Explore why they are in your life or have crossed your path. Look for opportunities to create Ripples for them.

I truly believe if you look at people as a treasure chest of opportunity you will find you will have taken a significant step towards creating a Ripple-centric life. Let me tell you, that is the kind of life you really want!

Until next time.....

Ripple On My Friends!

Steve

Create The Life You Want By Rippling - Lesson One

I often get asked by people as to what the secret to my success has been. It would be easy to say, "Read my book" in a meager attempt to convert more people into readers of The Ripple Effect. Or I could say come hear me speak or hire me to consult or mentor you or your team.

That kind of response would likely hold no immediate benefit for me and likely would give pause to anyone who might consider using the Ripple for their life and business. So I follow one of my mantras that has served me pretty well through the years and ironically is my first lesson in creating the life you want by Rippling:

"The most self-serving thing one can do is live their life selflessly. Selflessly give of their time. Selflessly give of their knowledge. Selflessly give of what ever they have to give."

So I give. The knowledge and insight that I hopefully impart I believe is the truest example of the Ripple in motion. I have this knowledge, this way of life and I believe it is God's purpose for me to share it and share it often. Help those who need help period!

Will my efforts always be directly rewarded? Depends on how you look at the answer I suppose. Will everyone who asks for and receives what I have to give repay me? I must admit that may not happen. But that really isn't the point. I have a strong belief though I may not get repaid directly by the person I am helping; the law of the Ripple will always pay me back in other ways. Call if luck, call it Karma or call it the strengthening of my heart, the Ripples always return to me and are often more abundant and more rewarding than I could ever imagine.

Who needs something today that you either posses the knowledge, the skills or the contacts that could help them? Take the first step and create the Ripple for them. Expect nothing in return. In fact, ask for nothing in return. Like NIKE says...."Just Do It."

You will find that you just took the first step to creating the life you want by Rippling!

Ripple On!


Steve Harper