I knew I was tense, but surgery?  I never imagined it was possible to be so stressed that it would one day bring me to surgery.  As a full-time drummer, I play drums more than just the weekend warrior.  I play for more than the enjoyment of the instrument, I play to pay my bills.  My story of stress is impossible to document medically, but from a logical standpoint, I am justified in making these claims.  I remember like it was yesterday laying on the flour before a concert in Indiana thinking my left arm hurt more than usual and there was a numbness in my fingers that wasn’t there before.  I never had an accident or other experience that caused me to have a neck injury.  Fast forward a year, and I was on the operating table getting a discectomy by the “Best” neurosurgeon in Mobile, AL.  He told me I had one of the worst neck bulges he had ever seen in his office.  WOW!!!!!  How was I walking around?

I had the surgery and was back at the drums 11 days later, following Dr’s orders.  However, it never seemed right.  Was I still supposed to be experiencing this much pain?  I didn’t think so, and from talking with others and reading online I was convinced there was something wrong.

At least once a day I would experience some pretty severe pain and about once a month I would get a pulled muscle in my neck.  This would put me out of commission for a few days.  This is never a good thing when you travel with a band for a living.  I knew I had to get some answers soon before I started to feel sorry for myself.

I made an appointment with the same doctor to find out what was wrong with me.  After he listened to my story, he looked me square in the eyes and told me nothing was wrong and I didn’t need to worry about it anymore.

Well, that was a blessing and a curse.  On one hand I was glad, but on the other hand I needed answers and that wasn’t the answer I was looking for.

So I prayed and came to realize what the problem was.  Stress.  As a “Stressed” person, I found myself walking around most of the day with my shoulders raised up around my neck without even knowing it.  When I did realize it, I would stop, take a deep breath and lower my shoulders to their “normal” position and feel instant relief.  I made a point to do this every time I thought about it, which happened to be about 30 times per day.

Did it work?  Yes!  It did and continues to this day!  That was in November and I haven’t had a flareup since.  The point I want to make is simple:

Are you stressed and don’t realize it?  Is your body responding to stress without you even knowing it?  I came to realize the majority of medical issues many people face are rooted in stress.  Every aspect of our bodies are connected to each other, including our brain.  You cannot separate the mental from the physical.  It’s impossible.

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Tips to get rid of stress:

• Realize where the stress is coming from.  Once you identify it, ask yourself the question:  Is this something I can change?  If you can’t change it, then let it go as best you can.  It’s not worth it.
• Are you naturally uptight?  I am.  Knowing that, you have to be proactive in fighting stress.  Even as you read this, notice your shoulders.  Are they raised?  Lower them and take a deep breath.  Do this constantly until it becomes a more natural state of being.
• Pray and ask God to help you let go of your burdens.  You were not meant to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Leave a comment below.  Here is the Question:

Do you find yourself overly stressed?  Has it affected your body?

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For more ways to have a successful life-

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I live with a consistent sense of guilt.  Am I the only one out there?  I doubt it!  It’s not a guilt for something I have done, but rather a guilt for things I have not done.  I am a true optimist.  I believe life can truly be great.  I believe I possess the tools and skills to make it great.  This is not a post that denies the power of God in your life to bring about great things, rather a post about following through with what God has entrusted you with.

As a small business owner and consummate entrepreneur, I know what it means to have dreams.  Sometimes I feel my whole life is a dream because I am so hopeful of things to come.  That being said, I often live in a mild state of depression because I haven’t fulfilled those dreams.  I recently listened to a podcast by my new virtual mentor Michael Hyatt on setting goals and learning how to fulfill them.  That podcast single handedly changed the way I see my future.  I realized what my problem has been all along.  Not a lack of goals, but a lack of follow-through.  Like many of you, I feel like I am only living up to a small portion of what God has created me to do.  If I died today I would feel bad for not having achieved the many things that were within my reach.

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Michael Hyatt’s podcast:  The Relationship Between Vision and Productivity and  The Seven Steps to Thinking Bigger

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What’s next?  This is going to be a great display of faith.  I am beginning next week.  On Monday I will be going to hear one of the world’s best motivational speakers.  Andy Andrews is speaking in my hometown at a fundraiser for a local prep school.  A $50 ticket is a small price to pay for a chance of a lifetime.  Tuesday will be my in-town retreat.  I will be laying down the phone, computer, and anything else that will keep me distracted from making my goals a reality.  Wednesday is when the fun begins.

I am 38 years old and I am beginning to get gray hair in my beard.  The evidence shows I am not getting any younger.  Where do I want to be in 5 years?  What do I want to be doing?  These are just a few questions I will answer on Tuesday.

Do you struggle with the same thing?  Not a lack of goals, but a lack of fullfilment?  I challenge you to listen to these podcasts and join me as we journey to our potential.

Question:

What is something you have done to help in doing what you know you are capable of?  Motivational tips, etc…

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It’s very simple.  Statistics!

Afterall, how many doors can be shut in your face?  Eventually you will get the sale, make the deal, secure the contract, etc…

Persistence is the key!

You may have heard the saying, “Hit the pavement.”  Well, trust me, it works.  I did exactly that last month when I was in Las Vegas with my band Big Daddy Weave playing a concert.  I didn’t have to be back at the venue until around 4pm, so I hit the pavement.  I wanted to get some more clients for Custom Stix and I figured there wasn’t a better place than Vegas.  Several bands were playing on the strip that day so I started out walking with a backpack full of drumsticks at 9:00 am.  Two weeks prior I had researched the live music ads and found out who would be there on that day.  My backpack was full of samples I made for several bands.  It worked!

Why does persistence really work?

Here are a few reasons that will hopefully motivate you to stay strong in tough times, when you feel like giving up:

• The more the door gets shut in your face, the stronger you become
• You learn new techniques of selling from being told no over and over again
• You learn more about your product
• You are forced to think outside of the box.  If it were easy, everybody would be doing it!
• When the payoff comes, the reward will be great.  Often, we don’t truly appreciate something unless we really work for it.

If you are a salesman, you know what it is like to be told no, but you also know what it is like to win the prize.  That is what it’s all about.  Working hard for something and getting to experience the payoff.  What could be more gratifying than that?  Ever heard of the band 311?  Here is a post about the band that joined my team while in Vegas. Click here

I want to challenge you to stay focused on persistence.  As long as you believe in what you are selling, other will eventually catch on.

Question:

What is something you have learned from being told no by a potential client?

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For more ways to grow your business:

After being an entrepreneur for several years, a traveling musician, recent author and aspiring public speaker, I have learned the secret to success.  Here it is:

DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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The greatest obstacle to anything I want to do in life is myself.  I know I can do just about anything I want to do in life if I will only DO IT.  The problem is often I am too comfortable in my current situation to do anything about it.

Recently I proved this to myself by over-coming my addiction to soda.  I used to drink an average of 4-5 sodas per day.  I watched the doc. “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead” and I instantly put them down.  That was Sept of 2011 and since then I have had a grand total of 11 sodas.  Why only 11, and why do I count?  I only have them on special occasions when water just will not do and it reminds me to stay focused.

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What is holding you back from your potential?  I know my answer:  ME.

This morning I found myself sitting at the computer around 7:30 am and worked until around 11:00 am.  All of this for drumsticks?  Yes!  Things are growing, but I still have to do a lot of the detailed task myself.  For a moment I thought about what I was doing and found it to look similar to what anyone else might be doing sitting in a cubicle working for “the man”.  The main difference is I get to experience a direct impact in my paycheck based on what I do.  If I don’t do the work, I don’t get paid.

If I stay this way for too long, I will get burned out and won’t want to continue doing this simply due to the amount of detail work I have to process everyday.  My goal is to have the ability to hire someone overseas to handle the details while I spend most of my time generating outside sales and getting new touring band clients.  That is what I am good at.  That is what I love to do.

My challenge for you today is to consider this:  Though you may be self employed, do you still have a JOB.  If so, what is the point?  My goal in being self employed is for freedom.  I want the freedom to do what I want to do when I want to do it with whom I want to do it with.  I feel in those circumstances I am best utilizing the gifts and talents God has given me.

****What steps are you taking today to move you from your JOB to the lifestyle you want.  I highly recommend a book by Tim Ferriss called The Fout Hour Work Week.  It is a game changer.

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For more tips on how to grow your business from the inside out, click on my podcast below.

photo credit here.

I want to write a book called, “Lunch Your Way to Millions”.  I’ve always seen the value in taking others to lunch, but recently I have experienced it on a personal level that is more convincing than ever.  The first thing to keep in mind is the question Why?  Why would I want to take someone to lunch as a way of learning.  The answer seems obvious, but the short answer is this.  Everybody loves a free lunch.  Everybody loves talking about themselves, and everybody loves to have their ego stroked.  By taking someone to lunch that you admire and aspire to, you are doing all of the above. 

I often wonder what college will be like in 12-15 years when my daughters will be of the age to attend.  I can’t imaging them going, unless of course they want to be a doctor, teacher, engineer, etc…all of which requires a degree.  I would much rather take the multiply thousands of dollars and invest it in a mentor program getting them experience doing something they want to do with someone who is already doing it. 

Lunch with someone you admire and aspire to is the easy way to gain real world experience.  Take the time to do the research and be strategic about your approach. 

***Below is an example of how I did it while in college as I was preparing to enter the work force. 

I wanted to be a Licensed Professional Counselor.  I knew of a counselor in town who was reputable and shared my same values.  I made a phone call to his office, referenced several mutual friends and told of my aspirations and asked if he would be interested.  A short while later I got a return call with a time and place.  Simple.

I know it won’t always be that easy, but there are other methods that you can use to be creative.  Remember, you are playing with someones ego and greed.  A captive audience and free lunch.  As the mentor and expert, what more could you ask for.

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To hear more about my journey as an entrepreneur, click here to check out my new book, “Drumming Up Business to the Beat of My Own Drum”  or you can visit  Amazon.

I would love to hear your stories of taking others to lunch and how it has impacted your future.

Jeff

You may not have known it, but today is National Personalized Drumsticks Day!  Yep, it’s the 1st annual event, sponsored by Custom Stix™.  Actually, I made that up if you couldn’t tell, but I am excited that the countdown has begun.  Only 16 more days til Christmas.  Being the dad of small children makes this a very special time.  Being the owner of an internet business also makes this a special time.  I always look forward to this time of year when I get swamped with customer service emails wanting to know about my company Custom Stix™ at www.Customstix.com.

I am very excited to offer the worlds only 2 pair minimum custom graphic personalized drumsticks with Free shipping for only $29.99.  I began this website just over 2 years ago and it has grown beyond my wildest dreams.

If you know of a musician or a drummer who would like a one-of-a-kind gift under the tree this year, I’ve got you covered.  Below are a few pictures of our most popular designs.

We still have plenty of time for them to arrive for the big day.  Check out our Testimonial page to see what others are saying about their sticks. 

You can visit our artist designed graphics here and make someone very happy on Christmas morning.

*We also do custom graphic drumsticks for bands and corporate clients.  Some of our clients include Casting Crowns, Toby Mac, Newsboys, Mercyme and many more.

Question:  Do you have any suggestions for other designs that are not on our personalized page, or any suggestions for bands who might love to have our sticks with their logo on them?  Here is a sample of our current and past client list.

And…if you order some, Don’t poke your eye out!

Have you ever noticed people get really active on Linkedin when they are about to lose their job or have just lost their job?  They start to connect all of their social media outlets as fast as they can, almost as if their life depended on it.  Could it be any simpler?  That is the answer to most of our entrepreneurial woes.  Most of us wait til we “have” to do something and don’t act when we “should” do something.  I am guilty of this in many areas but I am becoming more aware of it, so I am committing to fight against the tendency to be complacent on a daily basis.

If you have ever experienced any success at all you know what I am talking about.  When things are going good it is easy to take a back seat to innovation and action.  When things take a turn toward the unknown, you get busy doing what you “have” to do.  How much better would our life and business be if we would view everyday by doing what we “should” do and not be forced into positions of doing what we “have” to do?  When this happens, we ofter struggle with the wrong motives.  The only driving force becomes money because we are desperate.  Obviously we have to have money to survive, but we should treat others with respect as a person and a potential relationship, not just a potential sale.

Question:

What could you be doing today that would put you ahead of the game if you were placed in a bad situation next week?

It seems everywhere I travel with the band I meet aspiring musicians who are longing to “make it” in the music business. I hear them tell me about their desire to play music for a living.  My band, Big Daddy Weave usually gets a few Cd’s a week from people who want our opinion of their music.  Some of the music is good and some of it is not so good.  Regardless of the music quality, the dreams are all the same.  Passion is interesting to say the least.  It would be pointless for me to write a detailed list of all of the things one needs to do in order to “make it” in the music business.  There is no formula!  I don’t believe in luck so we can throw that out, but I do believe in divine intervention.  There is a problem that could be debated for years, but for now I will only touch on it.  The problem is this:  Why are there so many “bad” musicians who have made it and why are there so many “good” musicians who haven’t made it?  If I knew the answer to that, all of the “bad” musicians would have a warrant out for my arrest.  So for now I will tell you what you can do in the interim on your way to the top.

Ask yourself the following question: Am I waiting on something to happen or am I making something happen?  I believe God gives all of us gifts and talents.  Jesus talks about what we are to do with what we have been given in the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30.  When I talk about how our band got our start I always share how all five of us were active in our worship band at church.  We were faithful in the “smaller” things.  We weren’t doing it for fame or fortune but because we knew God had called us to be a part of the local church body and be good stewards of our gifts and talents.  While we were busy doing that the phone began to ring with other opportunities.  The point I want to make is we were not sitting around waiting on things to happen; we were busy doing what we could to use the talents that had been given to us.  It’s ironic today how many of the conversations I have with traveling musicians tell of how they long for the time when they were active on their worship teams at church.  The “grass is greener” syndrome is alive and well in the music business and will always be. 

Keep in mind we all make up the body of Christ.  If everyone is the same part of the body, then the body will be off balance.  There is a certain appeal and attraction to being a “professional” musician who tours around the country and has music on the radio.  Many people describe this as glamorous or high profile in nature.  There is some truth to that, but most people are not willing to make the sacrifices it takes to live this type of life.  Most people don’t know what is involved in the daily life of a “professional” musician.  Life on a bus can be a challenge.  Sometimes we are gone for extended periods of time from our families.  Having small children and spending long periods of time on the road can be very difficult.  You have to really count the cost involved in being a “professional” musician.  It’s a lifestyle.

Does this fit into the life you want?  What about your spouse?  Do they support you?  Are your children going to remember you for the times you were away and not the times you were there?  I have to be very careful with the time I have at home.  It has to count in every way.  When you are on the road, there is a tendency to feel as though reality is on hold until you get back home.  Your spouse and children are going to work, school, dance class, ball games, etc… while you are playing concerts all across the country.  I might be gone for 10 days at a time.  During that time I might travel through 12 states, sleeping through the night in my bunk on a 45 foot bus.  We usually eat breakfast on the bus, lunch in the green room, a quick shower at the hotel, dinner in the green room, play the concert, and then back to the bus to go to the next location.  Again, I ask the question, Is this the life you want?  If it is, then hold on.  If it is not, then there are many other ways for you to fulfill the calling you have on your life. 

Question:

Do you long for greener grass?  When you get there, are you willing to make the sacrifices in order to stay there?

For years I have heard people talk about the up-sale or the Add-on purchase.  Most people recognize you have two ways to grow a business.

1. Get more customers
2. Get more from your current customers (You should have the attitude of actually giving more to your clients, because they are going to benefit from what you are selling them)

I have a very loyal client base, and for that I am thankful, but I know the limitations of their market and know they won’t be doubling the size of their drumstick order per month anytime soon, unless they suddenly land a song in the top 10 on Mainstream radio.

I am faced with a problem if I want to grow my business.  I can either get more clients, which is something I am constantly working on or I can get more from my clients.  I am doing both, but sometimes that is not always possible depending on your situation in the market place. 

I recently made these ink pens for a few of my clients as a free gift.  They will be getting them in the mail this week much to their suprise.  It cost me very little to produce this gift, but the value of the gift is huge for the client.  It says to them I want them to make more money as a group or organization.  It also adds value to my company because it shows I took time on my own and incurred cost to do something totally out of the norm of what other companies do. 

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Can you think of any ways you can extend your product base to include more options? 

Leave a coment below if you already do or are considering offering more than what you have been in the past to your clients.