Dan’s Philosophy
Success in life is not determined by your circumstances, but by your actions. It’s not what you know but what you do with what you know that has transformative power. Most people already know what they should do, yet for various reasons, they do not follow through. They fail to take action in a way that has long lasting success.
My mission is to help people to bridge the gap between what they know and what they do, empowering them to create a life abundant with achievement, rewards and fulfillment. I accomplish this by changing the way people view themselves and their responsibilities. This new orientation is what I call Success in Action.
Success in Action is a mode of operation and interaction that keeps you engaged and focused on what you need to do. It’s an action-orientation that gives you power to more effectively manage your internal and external life. It enables you to take control and responsibility for your success, exactly as you define it.
Every week, I work with clients who are struggling to cope with new circumstances. Change comes in many forms- company mergers, expanded responsibilities, down-sizing, new competition and parenthood, to name just a few. If you live your life thinking that you’ll finally get to a place where you are peaceful and content- because you have achieved some level of success, you will be forever frustrated. Because, the only way to find peace and contentment in life is to find it in the process of living, and that means changing your “pattern” on a daily basis.
Defining Your Pattern
I began my entrepreneurial career at the age of twelve as a professional juggler. The practice and performance of juggling enabled me to start a business, pay for my college education and travel to a vast array of interesting places. But, more importantly, it taught me the mind set for handling many tasks simultaneously.
The key to juggling is that you never look down at your hands. You must always look up. The key is to synthesize all of the objects in a way that enables success. Instead of focusing down on each throw and each catch (a strategy which will bring instantaneous failure), you expand your focus to see the pattern of how all the objects fit together.
When I first learned how to juggling three balls, it felt fantastic. I was so excited that I immediately tried juggling four, and had no success whatsoever. I was trying to juggle the four balls in the pattern I had learned for three. They repeatedly crashed into one another and ricocheted in every direction. When I asked my mentor what I was doing wrong, he gave me profound advice. “When you add the fourth ball, you need to learn a new pattern. You’re not just piling on to the way you already know how do three. The addition of one more ball changes the entire pattern.”
The addition of one more object, or one more objective to our life indeed changes everything. We are a synthesis of what we experience, and each aspect of our life influences everything else that we do.
People tend to focus on their hands. They focus on the day-to-day, moment-to-moment frenetic bombardment of tasks they encounter. They hone in on the obstacles that stand in their way and the numerous potential challenges that face them.
I believe that we need to look up. By defining our pattern and taking responsibility for the objects (objectives) we are handling, we can see and shape the pattern. We begin to focus upward on the fluid integration of all of our goals. Then, you can evaluate your life from a higher point of focus and ask essential questions, including: How many objectives am I juggling right now? What are they? Which ones are most important? What am I adding to the pattern? Do I need to take something out of the pattern first? Do my objectives support one another, or are they on a collision course with other aspects of my life? A clearly defined visual image of your “life pattern” will keep you focused on priorities and help you take action with confidence.
Speaking with Visual Impact TM
Most of us are visual learners. While we can appreciate and understand something we read or hear, we are most likely to remember what we see. Furthermore, we will never forget the ideas and experiences that impact us emotionally.
This is why, when I became a professional speaker, I decided to experiment with a new way of delivering the message. The result is a unique style I call Speaking with Visual Impact TM . Because my message is all about action, it is not enough for me to speak about the subject. I demonstrate my points using all my favorite pursuits- speaking, entertainment, gymnastics, juggling and physical comedy.
I illustrate my concept of taking action with the execution of a tumbling series. I teach people how to more effectively handle multiple priorities with principles of high level juggling. I tell people how to take on new challenges with success, and then test my theory by having a member of the audience challenge me to juggle any three objects atop a six foot unicycle. In my live seminars, these demonstrations create energy and excitement that peaks the audience to the proper emotional state. The routines serve as visual and emotional “trigger points,” connecting the audience, intellectually and emotionally, to the material and message of my program. These emotional triggers create increased involvement during the presentation and significantly increase audience members’ long term retention of key concepts.
Contact Dan to create a program customized for your organization. Email Dan or call 770.982.2664.
