Progress Is Process
We tend to think of progress as something visible, measurable, and impressive. A milestone. A finish line. A before-and-after photo. But real progress—the kind that actually changes your life—is quieter than that. Progress is process. It’s the act of staying consistent with your activities—your plan—even in the face of life. Business chaos. Good days. Bad days. Vacations. Celebrations. Long meetings. Unexpected setbacks. Progress isn’t the absence of disruption; it’s what you do despite it. For most of us, progress isn’t about chasing one perfect outcome. It’s about working a plan across multiple areas of life, at the same time. Your…
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Are You Negative… or Are You a Realist?
Let me ask you a question that sounds simple, but has the power to change your relationships, your leadership, and your quality of life: Are you negative… or are you a realist? Because if you ask someone who’s negative, they’ll almost always tell you the same thing: “I’m not negative. I’m just being realistic.” And listen—I get it. I really do. I know one of those people. She’ll tell you everything that’s wrong.She’ll tell you everything she’s not happy about.She’ll point out flaws in people.She’ll point out flaws in processes and events.She’ll spot the cracks in the foundation before anyone…
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Your Disadvantage Becomes Your Advantage—If You Let It
For a long time, I never fully understood what Tony Robbins meant when he said, “Life is happening for you, not to you.” It sounded nice. Optimistic. Maybe even a little dismissive when things were genuinely hard. Now I get it. He wasn’t saying hardship is pleasant. He was saying it’s useful. Because the very thing you think disqualifies you often becomes the thing that qualifies you most—if you’re willing to do the work. Ed Mylett puts it another way: “You are best equipped to help the person you used to be.” That line hits because it’s true. Your past…
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Stop Pitching What You Do—Start Talking About the Problems You Solve
Most business owners, entrepreneurs, and professional service providers are taught—explicitly or implicitly—to explain what they do. “I’m a fractional CFO.”“I’m an attorney.”“I run a marketing agency.”“I help companies with IT solutions.” The problem?Nobody wakes up excited to buy a service.They wake up worried about a problem. People don’t take action because of a clever description of what you do. They take action because something hurts—financially, operationally, emotionally, or strategically. If you want better conversations, stronger connections, and more qualified prospects—especially in networking, referrals, and first meetings—you must shift your framing: 👉 From pitching your solution👉 To uncovering their pain One…
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Stop Asking for Easy. Start Training for Strong.
I stopped praying for my problems to get smaller and started praying—and planning—for myself to get stronger. That shift didn’t come from a mountaintop moment. It came after a long stretch of months that were hard personally and professionally. The kind of season where you keep asking “God, when is this going to get easier?” Around that time, I was reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson, and one idea hit me like a ton of bricks: It’s not supposed to be easy. That sentence changed how I look at resilience forever. The Lie We’re Tempted to Believe We admire…
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A Little Bit Better Every Day
📘 A Book for Kids 📘 Big growth doesn’t come from big moments.It comes from small choices—made again and again. I’m excited to announce the release of my new children’s book, A Little Bit Better Every Day—a story designed to help kids build resilience, confidence, and perseverance when things feel hard. Meet Cayson, an 8-year-old learning what all of us eventually have to learn: frustration is part of growth. Whether he’s struggling with homework, losing a game, or watching someone he loves feel disappointed, Cayson leans on a simple reminder: “If I keep trying, I’ll find a way… ’cause I’m…
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🍌Go Bananas! 🍌
What Jesse Cole & the Savannah Bananas Teach Us About Success, Persistence, and Doing Work That Actually Works Most people love big ideas. Very few people love the part where the idea doesn’t work—yet. That’s why the story of Jesse Cole and the Savannah Bananas matters so much. Not because it’s flashy (though it is), and not because it went viral (eventually), but because it’s a masterclass in persistence, follow-through, and staying committed when your heart believes but the evidence still says, “What the heck are you doing here?” Dream Bigger Than What Makes Sense Jesse Cole didn’t set out…
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When You Don’t Feel Like It
One of my colleagues, mentors, and friends, Dave Brown, coined a phrase years ago that has stuck with me ever since: WYDFLI — “When You Don’t Feel Like It.” It sounds simple. Almost too simple. But I am convinced that WYDFLI is the single biggest difference between those who are successful and those who are not. Because everybody—everybody—can do the right things when the mood strikes. When motivation is high. When the calendar is clear. When the results are visible. When the work feels exciting, glamorous, or at least mildly satisfying. That’s the easy part. The real separation happens when…
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Success by a Thousand Sacrifices | Issue 10
There’s a quote by Fr. Mark Beard that hits harder the longer you sit with it: “If you do not sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice.” Read that again—slowly. Most people don’t fail because they lack talent, intelligence, or opportunity. They fail because they’re unwilling to make small, unglamorous sacrifices consistently. Not heroic sacrifices. Not dramatic, movie-scene sacrifices. The quiet kind. The daily kind. The ones no one applauds. We talk a lot about “death by a thousand cuts.” Tiny mistakes, neglected habits, and small compromises that quietly add up to regret. Success works the…
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Relentless Pursuit: The Discipline & Resilience Behind Extraordinary Results | Issue 9
As the year begins to wind down, there’s a familiar tension many leaders and entrepreneurs feel. You’re tired—but you’re not done. You’re reflective—but still hungry. You know what you’ve built matters—but you know there’s more ahead. Extraordinary results are rarely the product of motivation, inspiration, or a perfect plan. They are the outcome of something far less glamorous and far more powerful: discipline and resilience practiced consistently over time. That’s what I mean by relentless pursuit. Being relentless isn’t about working nonstop or burning yourself out. It’s about refusing to coast. It’s about maintaining standards when no one is watching.…
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Checkmate! Winning Communication Chess♟️| Issue 8
I’m learning to play chess with my 8-year-old son (shoutout to chesskids.com!!) And let’s just say we are, uh, very much just beginning. If you’ve played before, you can clearly see what I missed, which is when the black Queen swooped in and snatched my Pawn, I was toast. I didn’t know it yet because I couldn’t see it! But the only move I had–King to F2, where the black Queen currently resides–was no move at all since that put me in Checkmate and that means GAME OVER. It got me thinking how often communication is like a game of chess. Here’s a few…
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Are You A Leadership Shapeshifter? 🔵🔶🟪🟡 | Issue 7
Oftentimes I hear leaders acknowledge that leadership isn’t “one size fits all” in one breath while in another they say things like “well, I didn’t need that, and I was a top performer” or “they are adults, they should be able to hold themselves accountable / figure it out themselves / make their own way, like I did.” And I get it, we see what worked–and what didn’t work–for us and easily slide into the mindset that a particular style of leadership is what works. But that isn’t really the case, is it? I mean, if it were, everyone on…
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Comparison Doesn’t Have to be the Thief of Joy | Issue 6
Teddy Roosevelt said Comparison is the Thief of Joy. I’ve repeated it often, myself, until I recently got a fresh perspective. In reality, the only time comparison is the thief of joy is when we are comparing fixed traits, or uncontrollables. Interestingly, though, comparing actions, habits, methodologies, systems, and in short, controllables, is actually quite advantageous! But that’s not usually what we are comparing are we? I know, if I am being honest, I am usually looking at someone’s outward traits or results when I’ve compared myself. Feeling frustrated that I haven’t hit their level or don’t have what they…
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No Need to Wait for the 🎆New Year🎆for a New You | Issue 5
[This article originally appeared in an email newsletter to clients on 1/2/25; the message of making change or setting goals any time seemed just as pertinent today.] There’s always a ton of New Year’s marketing gibberish around things like “New Year, New You!” and setting resolutions that will most likely be forgotten over the next couple weeks. I’ve never really connected to that concept, I think mostly because there isn’t something radically different between December 31 and January 1. There’s no magic catalyst–not any different than a catalyst that could transpire on February 22 or August 13 or October 18.…
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Is Stress Stealing Your Best? 😟😬😰 | Issue 4
We talk a lot about LODI: The Law of Diminishing Intent, which simply states that the longer you put off doing something you “should” do, the less likely you are to do it; especially if there is no real, material deadline as is the case in activities like prospecting (sales or recruiting), going to the gym, or following through on that last great business idea you had. What we haven’t talked about is another even more insidious law of human nature: The Law of Increasing Stress. In short, this law recognizes the fundamental truth that a problem delayed is a problem multiplied.…
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The Cost 💰 of the Coast 📉: A Challenge to Finish the Year Strong 💪 | Issue 3
[Originally sent out on 11/4/24 via email to 100-ish clients and business partners] Let’s start with first things first: we can’t change–or prevent–that which we don’t acknowledge. So here we go! This time of year, after Halloween, right about the time sales people have just been getting some momentum following the back-to-school chaos, I start to hear a cancerous little epithet trickle in. Maybe you have heard it, too… It sounds something like this: Everybody wants to meet after the holidays… 😭😭😭 I call it The Coast. The Coast is not a reality, it’s a mindset. Sure, as with any…
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Consistency is King | Issue 2
[Originally sent out on 9/20/24 via email to 100-ish clients and business partners] I kid, I kid… Mostly… But as they say: 👑 Consistency is King 👑 I’ve seen exceptionally talented sales people have a business that more closely resembles a coaster at Cedar Point all because they haven’t mastered the art of consistency. I’ve seen consistent sales people rise from dead-last to top- or near-top of the pack because they stayed the course like water cutting through rock. Consistency–or lack thereof–almost unanimously seems to be a theme when I am talking with leaders about what their team needs “more of”.…
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AMBITION | Issue 1
[Originally sent out on 8/29/24 via email to 100 clients and business partners] Happy Friday! I thought of you as it’s my mission: to be a “hope dealer” 😉 and Southwestern Consulting’s mission: to help people achieve their goals in life. For those reasons, I wanted to send out a little bonus content, a couple ideas, some tips and/or tools, a valued book recommendation and otherwise highly curated content that I think you will enjoy and be able to use immediately. I promise to never over-email (aka: spam) you; just excited and grateful to be partnered with you on growing your business by developing people. Thanks…
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What if Hope IS a Strategy
They say “hope is not a strategy” but… what if it is? Don’t get me wrong, it can’t be the only strategy; but what if it’s the beginning? What if it’s the starting point? Heck, what if it’s the main point? Stay with me here. As I was thinking about my goals, I kept asking myself what my single, solitary main purpose in life actually was. What was the thing that was going to get me out of bed in the morning even when I didn’t want to? What was the thing that was going to help me push through when I…
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Skill x Will x Systems: The Key to Increasing Your Return on Productivity
Success in any area of business–however you choose to define it–is simply a function of our skill multiplied by our will multiplied by our systems. Skill is how well we execute the elements of our role. It’s continuing to sharpen the saw and a humility to admit that I can always get better–I want to always be getting better. I think about professional athletes who win championships in their respective sport and the idea that even the best of the best choose to watch game film, look for areas to improve, and continuously practice, drill, and rehearse. We can too!…
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The Road(trip) to Vision
One of the people I admire most about his ability to create and maintain a clear vision about what he wants and where his business—our company—is going is our CEO, Dustin Hillis. He articulates the vision, he shares it appropriately, he generates enthusiasm around the vision from key-stakeholders and implementers, and no matter what, he maintains a “find a way, not an excuse[1]” mentality. You should have seen our company pivot in March of 2020 when the world seemed to be turned upside-down with no end in sight. At any rate, I admit, I sometimes struggle with clarity of vision.…
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Upstream vs. Downstream Habits
Habit formation is my life-long quest. I wasn’t aware of it until my 20s when I was selling books with Southwestern Advantage and I was introduced to The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino (see it here on my Best Books list as well as many others that I consider life-changing). One of his scrolls (lessons from the book) writes “I will form good habits and become their slave. And how will I accomplish this difficult feat? Through these scrolls it will be done, for each scroll contains a principle which will drive a bad habit from my…
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Are You Letting Your Muscles Atrophy?
Muscle atrophy is the wasting (thinning) or loss of muscle tissue.MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia Oct 6, 2019. What are you wasting? What is thinning? What skill is becoming weaker by you not using it? What gift is getting stifled by you not sharing it? What habit is degrading because you neglected to maintain it? I’m guilty of this. Maybe you are too. And while I’d love to say to both of us “2022! New Year, New You!” I know that’s a lie*. But… BUT! I also know this crazy journey called life is about progress and not perfection. I know—I KNOW—I…
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Game On: How to use gamification to buy yourself more time
Discipline doesn’t mean that we never have fun, or down time, or ROI-less moments; simply it means we choose those things after we have earned them—or in this case, bought them.
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How to use Visualization to get what you want
Affirmations are important, journaling is important, planning and strategy are important. But visualization is critical.
In this video I explain how to incorporate visualization into your goal achieving strategy.
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Getting Over Call Reluctance… Why A Caveman Couldn’t Do It (but you can)
caveman copy 2
Lately, I have been hearing from people who are terrified—really terrified—of prospecting; more than public speaking, more than jumping out of a plane, more than death. One client shared with me how many prospecting calls he needed to make to get his start-up business going but explained he didn’t have enough time to make them. He then spent hours (probably tens of hours) planning an event instead. The event was easy. Picking up the phone was hard. His inner caveman helped him plan a party but insisted he avoid a most-certain death-by-rejection.
Another client admitted he still…
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How to Win at Communicating: Why focusing on being right is wrong
Frankly, humans are difficult. We are nuanced, unique beings with a complex make-up of rational and irrational thought; a mixed bag of 21st century adaptation and stone-age reflexes. And to make matters worse, communication (with other humans, specifically) is one thing many of us are never taught.
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Pre-Order the Goal Achieving Workbook Today!
The workbook is coming, the workbook is coming! I have been remiss in posting my speaking schedule or any articles on here for quite some time because I have been dialing in the Goal Achieving workbook. It’s 20+ exercises designed to take you from here to there [there is YOUR goal] at a self-managed pace. Tried and true and based on my five steps to change your life including Power Hours, Success by Osmosis, and more! It’s in the final editing phase (and I still need cover art!!!) then we will be off to publish. Expect it in both print and…
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Fifty Shades of Nay
Are you tired of getting Fifty Shades of Nay during your sales process?
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Social Media Posting Guidelines
The other day I got to thinking how I really want to implement some guidelines into my personal social media posting. Mind you, this is the regarding the accounts I use for my friends and family, not what I use for my professional marketing. But nonetheless, if you have a public persona, or if you…
How to find your purpose in a seemingly purpose-less career
We’ve all seen the Venn diagram that shows us that our purpose is somewhere in the sweet spot of that which we love, that at which we do well, that which the world needs, and that for which we can receive decent payment. It sure is great—in theory. Not all of us get to find…
100 things to do besides Facebook
My name is Marjorie, and I’m addicted to Facebook. It’s a true story. I can get sucked into social media better than just about anyone I know. Not a good thing when you have big goals you are trying to reach. Especially not a good thing when you tout the benefits of “living intentionally” like…
Do. Be. Get.
So often we want to get something before we will be the person who will do what it takes to earn it. I heard this sentiment recently in a training I was giving when I asked the group “what are some of the goals you want to achieve?” One participant said “make more money” as…
In the Know
It’s amazing how telling people why you did something a certain way—or why you need something done—does so much to diffuse resistance and resentment. My favorite coffee shop switched from paper towel to an air dryer in their rest rooms—not a big deal to the average patron, I know, but I suppose I am not…
Less is More.
Less resentment, more love. Less bitterness, more thoughtfulness. Less fear, more humility. Less finger-pointing, more forgiveness. Less pressure, more inspiration. Less technology, more interaction. Less scarcity, more abundance. Less aggression, more compassion. Less judgment, more introspection. Less fighting, more embracing. Less is more. Let’s hold up the mirror, folks. Will you join me?
Want to help ALS? Stop dumping water on your head, and…
Here’s why I think you should stop dumping ice water on your head…
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