I’ve noticed something over the past two weeks … Karma smiles down on those who invest time & energy in their relationships Take this story, for example: Yesterday, I sent a Facebook message to an ex co-worker just to say ‘hi’ and reminisce about an old work joke we used to tell He responded with your standard ‘great to hear from you’ note … along with a mention that he had some business to send my companies way Just for taking 30 seconds of my time to send him a message, I ended up with a hot new business lead The point of the story is that you should take more time to connect with friends, colleagues and connections that have fallen by the wayside Think this is just a one-time example? Lightning in a bottle? Well … By travelling through Japan solo this past January, I was able to make new friends that literally span the globe. When I re-connected with one of these friends last week, we began planning a trip through southeast Asia for early 2013 While attending a house warming party for my friend’s sister last weekend, I met someone who was actively searching for online marketing help and asked for my card so we could connect I’m not connecting with these people with selfish, self-serving results in mind — I’m simply dropping by and saying ‘hello’ Every week, I challenge you to go out of your way and connect with an old friend, ex co-worker or acquaintance and ask them one simple question: How have you been lately? — Aside from being the CEO at MKG Media Group, Mike is a dark beer aficionado with a healthy appetite for travel and pushing personal boundaries. A proud graduate of Washington State University, Mike currently calls San Francisco home. Twitter // Google+ //...

  So, I encourage everyone to end each day with … What’s the best thing that happened today?     — Aside from being the CEO at MKG Media Group, Mike is a dark beer aficionado with a healthy appetite for travel and pushing personal boundaries. A proud graduate of Washington State University, Mike currently calls San Francisco home. Twitter // Google+ //...

Sometimes, you have ignore conventional wisdom and press ‘Go’ It rarely makes sense at the time, but sometimes you just need to have the guts to pull the trigger and make a tough decision. Recognizing points in your life that are ‘Go’ times is a skill one acquires over time. You just have to experience the ‘Go’ button enough times to recognize when you’ve struck gold or found bear scat. So do yourself a favor and hit lifes ‘Go’ button.  You’ll thank me later. — Aside from being the CEO at MKG Media Group, Mike is a dark beer aficionado with a healthy appetite for travel and pushing personal boundaries. A proud graduate of Washington State University, Mike currently calls San Francisco home. Twitter // Google+ //...

Sometimes, running your own business can chew you up and spit you out. It seems like the entire world is against you (it is), that you’ll never get anything done (you will), and that you are slowly but surely losing your mind (you are — that’s why God invented Evernote). So, to help you fellow / potential / aspiring entrepreneurs out there, I wanted to share a great piece of advice that a friend told me a few weeks back. This very wise person told me that “All you can control is …” My positive attitude The way I present my product / service to others The amount of effort I put into presenting my product / service to as many potential customers as possible Everything else, according to him, is beyond your realm of control when finding new customers for your product or service. So next time you’re feeling down, ask yourself … What traits or feelings do I experience when I’m in a positive mood? Who can I lean on to help turn my frown into a smile? What support system do I have in place? Without fail, what can I do to make myself smile under any condition? Otherwise known as “If someone was pointing a gun at me, what action could I take that will guarantee a smile?” If none of the tips above work, then I’d recommend a steady stream of Johnny Walker Black Label, a comfortable couch and the movie Out Cold. — Aside from being the CEO at MKG Media Group, Mike is a dark beer aficionado with a healthy appetite for travel and pushing personal boundaries. A proud graduate of Washington State University, Mike currently calls San Francisco home. Twitter // Google+ //...

“Fear is for people who don’t get out very much”  The world is a terrifying & amazing place that will chew you up and spit you to the curb in the blink of an eye. How would I know such a thing? I’ve failed more times in the past four weeks than I have in my entire lifetime. I’ve gone from the highest of the highs to the lowest of the lows, having mood swings comparable to a pregnant woman who’s just been told that Whole Foods is out of pickles and peanut butter (hint: don’t ever tell a pregnant woman that). Then why do I keep going? Well, that’s fairly simple … Drive: Getting so close to winning the gold (numerous times) over the past four weeks has made me even hungrier to hold it in my hands. I’m hungry — I want it so damn bad that I won’t stop until I get a taste of it. Stubborn-ness: Don’t tell me I can’t do something — forget you. I can do whatever I set my mind to. And because I’ve got the drive to prove everyone and their mothers wrong, I won’t give up until I do. Winning is Everything: Say what you will about Charlie Sheen, but that dude was really onto something with his whole #winning mantra; it’s all the matters. Read biographies by Lance Armstrong, Michael Jordan or Peyton Manning and they’ll all tell you the same thing. Second Best = Last Place: There’s no prize for second best in this world — either you bring home the hardware or you don’t. Who cares if you were second/third/fourth best … You still didn’t close the deal. There’s no one to wipe away the tears — you simply need to get back on the bike and ride. In the immortal words of Ricky Bobby, “If you’re not first, you’re last.” What keeps you moving forward? How do you motivate yourself to bring the house down? — Aside from being the CEO at MKG Media Group, Mike is a dark beer aficionado with a healthy appetite for travel and pushing personal boundaries. A proud graduate of Washington State University, Mike currently calls San Francisco home. Twitter // Google+ //...