Owner: Average Joe to CEO: Brian Lett URL:www.averagejoetoceo.blogspot.com Join Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 15:28:25 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: I have been selected for the cast of Season One, of the first reality show of it's kind, "Average Joe To CEO". Watch me as I go from an Average Joe to the CEO of my own successful business. While being mentored by success coaches, I will be Site statistics:Click here
65% of Americans Are Overweight!: Part Two 2007-11-23 13:26:00 Recently, I posted a discussion on www.blogcatalog.com stating, "65% of Americans
Are Overweight
: Why?"While I received close to ninety (90) responses to this question, I will post some of the most interesting responses which I received during this discussion below. In bold parentheses, I will surmise which problem(s) each comment was illustrating:-We drive too much. If every American spent more time walking or riding a bike, consumption. (Lack of Activity).-Most Americans eat poorly, the government subsidizes corn products not vegetables making it much more expensive to eat healthy, so the lower you are on the socio-economic scale the more likely you are to be overweight. Very few exercise enough. I had a man behind me in the supermarket yesterday with a box of sugary donuts, a box of sugary cereal, two liters of soda, another box of some kid of coffee cake, bacon , eggs and what looked like ten pounds of hamburger...I wanted to vomit. (Poor diet, economic factors, lack of activity).- Read more:Part Two
65% of Americans Are Overweight!: Part One 2007-11-19 08:01:00 To this point, I have focused the majority of my writing on the debt problems which we are facing as a society, and how to take control, and eliminate debt.The reality show, Average Joe to CEO, will focus on showing people how to take control of their lives. Debt is part of many people's lives. I have illustrated what I have learned about debt and its elimination from my Average Joe to CEO mentors. The show will go into greater detail, execution, and interaction. By interaction, I mean that the show, Average Joe to CEO, was designed by its producers, to allow the viewer to become involved, and take control of their lives.The business which I become the CEO of, on Average Joe to CEO, is focused on wellness. As mentioned previously, the Wellness Industry, will become the fourth trillion-dollar industry in the USA, within the next five years.Wellness is very relevant to us, because, in addition to debt, we are facing another epidemic. As the title to this entry states, 65% of Americans
A Read more:Overweight
Must Do #4 2007-11-15 16:46:00 Remain focused on the goal of being debt-free. No exceptions!If anyone has ever read the book, or watched the documentary, "The Secret", they will tell you that, "The Secret", is the, "Law of Attraction". As set out in the film, the "Law of Attraction" principle posits that people's feelings and thoughts attract real events in the world into their lives, from the workings of the cosmos, to interactions among individuals in their physical, emotional, and professional affairs. "The Secret", also suggests that there has been a strong tendency by those in positions of power to keep this central principle hidden from the public.Let us take a step back and look at what, "The Secret", is actually saying. "The Secret", is saying that events become reality through the way that we think and feel.If we apply this to debt, what the "Law of Attraction" states, is that if we constantly think about, and focus on the feelings which the negative aspects of being in debt invoke, we will attract more de
Must Do #3 2007-11-14 10:08:00 Identify our legitimate vehicle to bring in additional income.This could be anything from working overtime at your current job, to a second job, to freelance work, to a home based business. However, as I said before, 75% of home based businesses fail. Make sure that you thoroughly analyze any home-based business which you may be considering, up against the top five reasons home-based businesses fail. These were illustrated in the post entitled, "Habits: Eliminating The Debt Cycle (Part 3)". Also, please keep in mind that I am not attempting to deter you from starting a home-based business. In fact, on "Average Joe to CEO", I will actually be starting a successful home-based business. However, for me, the risk has been eliminated. For instance, the company which has been chosen has been in business for more than two decades, there is no financial risk, their products are in line with the next trillion dollar US industry (ie. The Wellness Industry, which will join the Computer Indu
Must Do #2 2007-11-12 11:59:00 Recognize that we will temporarily lower our standard of living, since living beyond our means has gotten us into debt. Remember, earlier in this blog, I said that this is not going to be easy. If you choose not to get out of debt, that is your choice. However, if you make that choice, keep in mind that you are making the choice to continue on the same path which has you in the situation which you are in.However, if you recognize and accept that becoming debt-free will be challenging, and will call for changes in our spending habits, it will allow you to remain focussed on the end goal. In other words, the end will justify the means. The purpose of "Must Do#2" is to make us fully aware that our changes in spending patterns will force us to act counter to the personality traits which were discussed in "Must Do #1". This will take us outside of our comfort zone, until the new spending patterns, become spending habits.
Must Do #1 2007-11-10 10:13:00 Eliminate the habits which lead to our debt, such as trying to keep up with the Jones', who are actually broke themselves.Eliminating this habit requires that we understand why we possess the habit in the first place. As humans, for the most part, we possess two personality traits which lead us to debt.Personality Trait #1) An inability to defer gratification. In other words, wanting things now, instead of waiting until we can actually afford them; andPersonality Trait #2) Placing an artificially high value on what others think.Now take a moment to think back. Have you ever exhibited these traits? If so, these are normal traits, which are accepted by our society. However, a close relative to these traits, is debt, which is also accepted by society.Let's take a closer look at each personality trait, and why and how we need to change each.Personality trait number one, "an inability to defer gratification". Ever since we were children, we have wanted things "now". However, as children,
Habits: Eliminating The Debt Cycle (Part 4) 2007-11-08 13:14:00 Please keep in mind, and I cannot stress this enough. Eliminating the Debt Cycle
will be hard work, and will not happen over night. I repeat, eliminating the Debt Cycle will be hard work and will not happen over night.We must do four things:1) Eliminate the habits which lead to our debt, such as trying to keep up with the Jones', who are actually broke themselves;2) Recognize that we will temporarily lower our standard of living, since living beyond our means, has gotten us into debt;3) Identify our legitimate vehicle to bring in additional income;4) Remain focused on the goal of being debt free. No exceptions!If you lose focus, you may as well get a Visa tattoo on your midriff, and pay for it with your MasterCard.Not to worry, I will go over each of the four things which we must do, to become debt free, and stay debt free, in detail.
Habits: Eliminating The Debt Cycle (Part 3) 2007-11-07 09:42:00 As I mentioned in Part 2, you are now at the point where you will have to look for a second source of income, through either a second job, or a home-based business, so that you can pay off your debt, step-by-step.Look at your skill-set, and determine if there is anything of value which you can offer to the public. For example, if you are a full-time Web Designer or Web Developer, find freelance work on venues such as http://www.scriptlance.com/.Unfortunately, most of us do not possess skills which we can charge fifty-dollars an hour for, so we have to look elsewhere. Even if we do possess such detailed skills, we need to develop unique marketing strategies in order to differential ourselves from the vast array of competition on sites such as http://www.scriptlance.com/.Now we are looking at two potential obstacles to even beginning our elimination of the debt cycle, 1) A unique, in demand, skill; 2) Effective marketing of that skill.Do we now give up on our dream of one day becoming de Read more:Cycle
Habits: Eliminating The Debt Cycle (Part 2) 2007-11-06 10:47:00 DEBTMost people have debt, but unlike what we are raised to believe it is not a necessary part of life. This is clearly illustrated by fact, the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States today, is, in fact, credit card debt. The second leading cause of bankruptcy, are medical bills. Both are forms of debt, both can be eliminated or avoided.The most difficult task which people have to face in the debt elimination process, is looking at their debt, straight in the eyes. This step requires that we gather all of our monthly statements, and tabulating our balances on each debt. While this may seen more frightening than stepping on the scale on December 26th, it is a necessary and essential step, which cannot be passed over. This step will determine the course of action which we need to take in eliminating our debt.As stated above, the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States is credit card debt. Naturally, this will be the debt that we will want to pay of first and foremost, Read more:Cycle
Habits: Eliminating The Debt Cycle (Part 1) 2007-11-05 19:50:00 In the last post, I went through a lengthy discussion of how our habits are the first thing which we need to change, in order to make lasting changes in our lives. The reason why I went into such great detail regarding habits, is because essentially, our habits play a large role is dictating the course of our lives.You will notice that the name of this post is, "Debt Cycle
vs. Wealth Cycle". Prior to entering the working world, whether we know it or not, we have a choice as to which cycle we become engaged in. The disadvantage which we face, is that commonly, we enter into the, "Debt Cycle" before we even have the opportunity to be in a position to enter the, "Wealth Cycle".How does this happen?Generally, it happens in our freshman year of college, or sometime shortly after reaching the age of majority. We are faced with student loans, and are showered with credit card offers. We are given the opportunity to build debt from a young age, but not wealth. This leads to a cycle of debt, in
The Science Behind Changing Our Bad Habits 2007-11-05 05:52:00 Anyone who wishes to go from an Average Joe to a CEO must concentrate on changing their habits prior to expecting any lasting changes. I have learned this from my mentor, and am conveying what I have learned to you, the reader, so that you can make changes in your life.A habit is the prevailing disposition or character of a person's thoughts and feelings : mental makeup, which results in a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary).The first thing which we identify in Average Joe to CEO, is that when we change our habits, our thoughts and feelings are the last thing to change.How does this make sense?According to the definition of the word habit, our habits are a direct result of our thoughts and feelings. Essentially, this is what makes it so difficult for people to change their detrimental behavior or, habits.For example, most people know that smoking leads to:-Emphysema-Cancer-Heart Attack. Smoking causes around one in five deaths from heart disease. Read more:Science
, Changing
Mighty Mice vs. Access® Bar 2007-11-03 10:41:00 The reason why I have added the below study to this blog is because there exists a patented product, invented by Dr. Lawrence Wang, Ph.D., from the University of Alberta, named "Access
® Bar". "Access® Bar" allows us humans to utilize our stored fatty acids, rather than the stored glucose in our muscles, for energy during intense aerobic exercise, by blocking the effects a human by-product, called adenosine. Adenosine is produced by the human body during aerobic activity, in order to protect our stored fat from being utilized as energy, as a result, our bodies burn the glucose which is stored in our muscles, leading to the build up of lactic acid, and muscle fatigue.This is the only product of its kind on the market, and the patent is owned by the company which I will be working with for, "Average Joe to CEO".Read the study below to see how Access® Bar gives us the ability to utilize fat as energy, during aerobic activity, just as these genetically engineered mice have been bred to d Read more:Mighty
Interesting Phone Call 2007-10-31 04:06:00 Last night I participated on a phone call with another "potential" cast member for "Average Joe To CEO", name Nicolas. This young man is 24 years of age, and had recently had a negative experience with an unscrupulous real estate "professional". As a result, he was skeptical of the sky being blue and grass being green. This is understandable.It was interesting to talk to Nicolas, because it made it clear to me how much our past experiences can skew our present perception. Nonetheless, this is how we learn. If an individual sees a hot stove for the first time ever, touches that stove and gets burned, they will draw on that experience the next time that they come in the proximity of another stove, whether it be hot or room temperature.The interesting thing is that he reminds me of me, about a month and a half ago. He sounds a lot like I did. As a matter of fact, Craig Davies, the producer of, "Average Joe to CEO", forwarded to him, a copy of my September 21, 2007, e-mail, containing a fu
How I was cast for, "Average Joe To CEO" 2007-10-30 15:01:00 In September of 2007, after having encountered several negative experiences in my former home-based business, I opted to look into other business ventures. Upon my search, I came across a casting call for an upcoming reality show named, "Average
Joe to CEO".I inquired about the post, and received an e-mail referring me to a website, where I filled out an application. Within two days, I received a message stating that the producer of, "Average Joe to CEO", Craig Davies, was interested in speaking to me further.After some detailed discussion between Craig and myself, I gathered my thoughts, and tried to determine if this was an opportunity which I wanted to pursue. Don't forget, to become a CEO, you have to change your way of life. Your habits, your hours, your way of thinking. Was I really ready to commit to such a drastic life-style change? How would I balance this between friends and family, which, if you read, "My Interests", these are very important to me.Nonetheless, I had faith t
The Premise Behind The Show: Average Joe to CEO 2007-11-28 12:44:00 As I stated in the beginning of this blog in October, its purpose is to document my experiences during Average
Joe to CEO, including, but not limited to, what I have been learning from my mentors. To date, the experience has been great. The more that I learn about the direction and purpose of this show, the more excited I am about being a part of it in its initial stages. I have taken the following text from the the vision which producer of Average Joe to CEO has for the show, and how it will benefit the masses."Average Joe to CEO, which is made for Internet broadcast, will document the stories of average people as they change their current circumstances. The average family is overwhelmed with debt, and have nowhere to go. Mothers and fathers are both working, however, their debt continues to grow. Furthermore, single parents need to be super human to even attempt to keep up. The cost of cars has now surpassed what houses used to cost only a few years ago. The housing market is in
Proven Habits for Success 2007-11-25 17:41:00 To date, I have focused these blog entries on the debt problems, and weight problems in America. I view these problems as the two of the most wide spread problems in America, with two of the most readily available solutions. The solutions are readily available, because they are within us, and our ability to change our habits.However, when it comes to changing habits, most people have no idea where to start and how to be successful.While completing a JD/MBA (Juris Doctor/Master of Business Administration) program a few years back, I was required to read a book called, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", by Stephen R. Covey (1989). I highly recommend this book, and will outline the seven (7) habits below.1) Be Proactive. At this point, the author emphasizes the original sense of the term "reactive" as stated by Victor Frankl. We can either be proactive or reactive when it comes to how we act regarding certain things. Being proactive, means taking responsibility for everything Read more:Proven
, Success
Average Joe to CEO Mentor: Dave Ramsey 2007-12-06 10:51:00 Another mentor who will be a part of Average
Joe to CEO is financial coach, Dave Ramsey. Dave Ramsey is the author of the New York Times Best Seller, "The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness". This is a book which I have read, and highly recommend, regardless of your current financial position.Dave Ramsey has also been the host of The Dave Ramsey Show for several years, which is a radio show with three million listeners each week. Further, the Fox Business Network has recently named Dave Ramsey as their prime-time host, to give viewers practical financial advice.While Dave Ramsey is on top of the world today, at least from a financial perspective, Mr. Ramsey himself will tell you that this was not always true. At a point in his life, the Dave Ramsey which people know today as one of America's favorite financial coaches, was ironically in an even worse financial state than many of the thousands of people to whom he has provided the blueprint for financial fitness. Read more:Mentor
Average Joe to CEO Mentor: Gary Coxe 2007-12-04 07:19:00 The time for the launch of filming Average
Joe to CEO is drawing nearer, and I have been preparing diligently. It is hard to believe that we are only a month away from 2008, but I welcome the new year with open arms. Part of what I have been doing this morning, has been learning more about some of the mentors who will be on Average Joe to CEO. In particular, an individual named Gary Coxe. Gary Coxe has a website at, www.garycoxe.com. The first thing which I noticed about Gary, is that he and my mother are natives of the same country, Jamaica. While Mr. Coxe is widely recognized as one of the world's most powerful mental coaches today, his story is even more impressive.Gary Coxe was born in Kingston, Jamaica, but his family was dismantled when his parents divorced. He and his sister moved to the United States with his mother, while his two brothers stayed in Jamaica with his father. His mother remarried, to whom he describes as a mentally abusive step-father, who was jealous of the Read more:Mentor
Six Degrees of Separation Down to One? 2007-12-17 14:43:00 There is little doubt that at some point in your life, you have been exposed to the theory of Six Degrees
of Separation
. Six Degrees
of Separation refers to the idea that, if a person is one step away from each person he or she knows, and two steps away from each person who is known by one of the people he or she knows, then everyone is no more than six "steps" away from each person on Earth.However, since this theory has been originally hypothesised, the world has changed. We have seen through the advent of world travel, e-mail, the world wide web, satellites, and online communities, that the world is becoming smaller and smaller, as new technology continues to emerge.As a result, I have taken it upon myself to conduct an experiment. One of the most popular online communities, if not the most popular online community, which emerged in 2007, is located at the url named http://www.facebook.com/.As of December 11, 2007, there are approximately 57 million people on Facebook. This is very
Average Joe to CEO Hero: Ryan Hreljac 2007-12-10 13:47:00 When I originally read about this young man several months ago, and his selfless acts, I was simply in awe. Prior to his seventh (7th) birthday, Ryan Hreljac was considered a normal kid from Kempville, Ontario, Canada. However, at the age of six (6), Ryan's actions proved that he is anything but normal. What Ryan Hreljac's Grade One (1) teacher, Mrs. Prest, taught him in January of 1998, changed his life. Mrs. Prest explained to his class, that people in Africa, including many children Ryan's age, were dying because they did not have access to clean water. Mrs. Prest went on to explain that people had to work for several miles daily, just to access something that we take for granted daily, clean drinking water. In fact, in excess of three-hundred million (300,000,000) people in Africa lack access to safe drinking water. This often leads to a variety of water-borne diseases, such as typhoid and intestinal worms. Deeply bothered after learning of these facts, at the age of six (6) Read more:Average
The Around The World In 80 Days Experiment: March 1, 2008. 2008-01-02 12:29:00 Well, we are back from the holidays. I'm glad to be back. Happy New Year to everyone! Prior to the holidays, I mentioned the fact that I had just began to conduct an experiment, using the highly powered, and ever so popular social network, Facebook. I am happy to report that as of today, January 2, 2008, at 12:40 p.m., CST, the group has exploded to 6,421 members. One thing that I found interesting, which is very relevant, and I will explain this in more detail in a further post, is that once the group achieved 5,000 members, it took on an accelerated rate of growth. I expect to see an additional acceleration at 10,000 members, as well as 15, 000 members. I am anticipating that the group will reach 10,000 members by Saturday, January 5, 2008, and no later than Sunday, January 6, 2008. Read more:World
, Experiment
, March
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