The dictionary definition of the word acronym gives us a noun that means a word formed from the initial letters of a name, or by combining initial letters or parts of a series of words. Its short hand for things with long and usually hard to say names.

Leaving Active Duty and getting into broadcasting didn’t save me from a new slew of acronyms that I am now forced to live with. But jumping in the world of training and consulting (I hate calling it coaching, but that is basically what it is) has overexposed me to a batch of acronyms that every time hear them said aloud, I want to throw the first self-help book I can get my hands on at the head of the person who said it.

That’s because they are not actual acronyms. They are just regular words that people have turned into overused and overplayed fake acronyms in place of a motivation speech or a real mantra.

Like EGO, which is supposed to stand for Edging God Out. This was a new one I heard today, and the point of frustration that pushed me to work on this post (I originally thought to write ‘the straw that broke the camel’s back,’ and wanted to smash my own head through my computer monitor. You understand why in a few paragraphs).

The list also includes the horribly overused FEAR, which we all know is just False Expectations Appearing Real.

And then there is my wife’s personal favorite FROG, or Fully Relying On God.

These mnemonics (a noun that means a device, such as a formula or rhyme, used as an aid in remembering) are meant to help. But they really don’t.

All of the acronyms I spouted out in the Air Force were meant to be used as a quick version of what a thing was really called, so you could call that thing by something with just one word and not in the form of a complicated sentence while you were in the middle of a combat scenario, since you were usually pressed for time in the middle of a combat scenario. But problems start to form when a generation or twelve adopt that acronym as a part of their common language. Most people will forget what the acronym was meant to stand for, if they ever really knew at all (I would guess that 40% of my standard language of acronyms could not be explained to me when I learned them). They know what it is and what it does (example would be radar) but not what it actually is (as in a radio detecting and ranging device).

The not-quite acronyms have become the standard of self-help books written on a basic level, but sold as advanced mastery thinking. Repeat enough of them and you’ve got a mantra that should get you out of any mental jam you can think of.

Like all clichés, using these mnemonic mantras are great for shorthand to share common problems and experiences, but are in the end, are tragically old, tired, and, well cliché expressions. They don’t even work well as a placebo to real advice or real focus and meditation on a problem because you already know they don’t mean anything.

I don’t want to knock your use of acronyms and mnemonics to trigger a quick boost of happiness. Okay, I really do want to knock your use of acronyms and mnemonics to trigger a quick boost of happiness, because you really don’t need them.

By the way, I truly hate the word frenemy more than the false acronyms.

You could start a fire in a multitude of ways. You could rub two sticks together. You could make a spark with a flint and steel. You could pull a match out of your pocket. You could even push a button on your portable gas powered grill that you somehow managed to bring with you deep, deep into the woods.

But you don’t have to invent fire. You know the concept exists. You just need to master a few techniques to make it appear when and where you need it.

You also don’t have to invent a means of transmitting picture and sound from some point in the nation to wherever you are if you want to see a live presentation of a sporting event. You just have to buy a television, pay for your choice of subscription service, and make sure that the sporting event you want to see is on a channel you are willing to pay for.

I won’t even insult your intelligence with a scenario that has a need for re-inventing the wheel . . . but I will ask you why you are so damned determined to run your business like Prometheus himself handed you a flaming torch and said, “Here, I think you have the ability to transform your mom & pop company into a multinational enterprise someday, but you have to start with figuring out what to do with this thing Zeus calls fire…”

Whatever you are doing, I’m willing to bet that 99% of the work could be modeled off something else. You don’t have to hand craft every process of your process. Even if your process is obscure, it had to come from somewhere. Find someone from that somewhere and find a way to get that someone to work with you to show you the way.

The path to your success has already been cleared; you just need a guide to help you map out a good path to follow, and then to follow that path. Ask for help, and someone will be willing to grant you assistance.

And I’m right here. Ask me anything, and we’ll see what assistance I can be.

For this lesson, you have to first come to terms with your failures. Yes, something you were working on did not work out, and it is considered a failure. That is a good thing. And while you may have failed, you yourself are not a failure.

But the fact that whatever you were working on did not work out as planed is proof that you need to take a different approach. Even if you were a minor adjustment away for making all of your dreams come true, you’ve still got to make that minor adjustment.

And if the circumstances surrounding your failure were completely beyond your control, that would be even more proof that you were doing something wrong. Being left to the whim of another for your full success is a serious no-no. And while your fate may not be totally in your own hands, you will need to try again with an added factor of ‘something’ that you have some control over. That little control that you do have could mean a world of difference. If it still doesn’t work, add a few new things that you can control to the mix.

This is a key to keeping your sanity. You will never know when ‘things’ will happen. You will never know when ‘things’ will change. But you can be guaranteed that lack of flexibility will be a hindrance when ‘things’ eventually don’t go as planned. Sometimes it’s a good thing, more often it will probably be a not so good.

In 2011 a major change of plans occurred, and with that change an opportunity turned my world upside down and that literally scheduled me out of my the work I was producing for my personal online efforts. Being flexible kept me relatively sane.

Was there frustration? Yes. Would I do it all again? Not all of it? Will I be better prepared next time? I hope so.

Will I always have flexibility built into my plans? Absolutely!

She thought her problem might be her organizational structure. All the ladies that have worked for her in the past worked essentially as independent contractors, and they were treated as business women running their own business. The older women got it and worked hard to hustle to make better commissions for themselves and greater profit for their boss, but the younger women she was trying to hire now didn’t get it at all.

This scenario is something I see just about every day as an independent contractor for my business, and as the guy who nobody really knows what’s on my job description at work. And I personally hate the selling myself part of the business. In my youth, I had the sad misconception that once people got to see me do my work, it would sell itself and me with it. And I had to learn that that line of thinking is wrong on so many levels.

After some thought (and after being reminded by Mrs. Payne I was falling behind on my pledge to write enough content for 4 book projects this year) I came up with this list of 4 Be’s that I use personally for getting and keeping clients:

Be Confident – No one knows exactly what you are capable of until you are asked to deliver. Not even you. So if you can instill confidence in others in your abilities before your first deadline–and then deliver–you should have no problem portraying yourself as confident in the future. Even if you are extremely nervous about an outcome, it is important to show that you have complete control of the situation. Besides, you know you got this.

Be Competent – It is very important to remember that all the confidence in the world is useless if you cannot deliver the goods. In fact, you will find yourself having to fake your confidence a lot less if you are actually competent in what you are doing. Make sure you do possess the skills that you have advertised, and always be on the lookout for additional training opportunities to keep those skills sharp.

Be Consistent – Deliver on time, every time, and you’re likely to be crowned a king in your industry. Erratic and unpredictable deliveries will likely get you fired from a job, and leave you with very few clients if you are working for yourself. There are so many unreliable entries in the world, regardless of what your field of expertise is; it should be easy to stand out as a leader if you just consistently show up. Your reputation and possibly your livelihood is dependent on people knowing that what you can give them is what you will give them without fail every time they come to you.

Be Smoking Hot – I am only being slightly sarcastic with this piece of advice, but being blessed with being an attractive person doesn’t hurts. If you weren’t blessed with dashing good looks, take notice of what hard work it takes to look good, and make sure you do that. This is what I have to do, since there is no way you can possible hate me because I’m beautiful. Also make sure that you add on whatever it takes to be an attractive vendor, supplier, broker, shipper, processor, promoter, or whatever it is that you plan to do for you clients. It might not be my personal style, but if it’s an important client, and they like to work with ‘guys in suits,’ I can pull it off. If the client is comfortable with t-shirts and jeans, I’m already ready to go.

I have a renewed life for blogging, new life for podcasting, the new Fast Forward Media Network (coming soon of course) and a new look at trying to make things work at work (I am reading
Jon Acuff’s Quitter and it is reinforcing a notion that the best way to find a way to advance in the world of broadcasting is from within the world of broadcasting, although there seems to be a case for going to law school to eventually become a TV news anchor). I also have a weekly MBA program that begins at the end of this month and a baby on the way in about four months (via my wife of course, my initial work in this project was turned in 5 months ago). I already have no real free time, no real time to pursue anything new, and never really had time for sleep, so I don’t even have that to give up.

But ideas are always coming. And writing has always come natural to me (spelling and grammar are far from mastered skills for me however). Time may not exist for getting as much done as I would like, but I am doing all my fingers possible can, and the time allotted will allow. As far as I can tell, I’m writing my best material ever.

As soon as I figure out the magic of monetizing my craft I will finally be on the path to filling the world with the riches of words to print, and hopefully filling my bank account with enough cash to keep the bills paid.

It took about two minutes to click and create the new blog (using the account I have on 1and1.com, and this is an affiliate link) and ten minutes to find the theme that I am going with (for the moment at least). Plugins and tracking and Feedburner take a lot more time that you think, but can be completed over a period of hours if it is early in the day, and days if it is late and you have other things to get to. For all the whining and complaining people do about not getting starting into blogging, I seem to find plenty of time for starting new blogs on a whim within a few empty moments I have in an afternoon, even if I can’t find the time to sustained writing (and proper spellchecking). Anyway, since I want this blog to be a centerpiece of a career in commentary, I intend to put in the work to keep this one going, even if I have to drop the bulk of what I have going on.

So what else do I have going on? Four projects that are still going fairly strong are the Far From Gourmet Blog, Mobile Motivation Daily, The Internet Tool Box Twitter feed, and the Oh By The Way email newsletter. Plus, look for the mid-January release of my personal development program, This Is The Time, and we’re still not giving up on the Ten Minute Life Coach podcast.

But I do want to start off the new year with a new gift for all of you. The first productivity product I’ve created this year, literally. It’s a very simple tool, a Check List Template to help you eliminate some of the excuses that you may still be using against getting a few more things done.

Happy New Year, and remember that 2012 has 366 days. Make every single one of those days count.

- Check List Template

You’re going to hear me repeat often that 2012 has 366 days. What are your plans to use the 364 you have left to the fullest?

Early in 2011 I came across what we called in the military an ‘opportunity to excel.’ This ‘opportunity’ quickly turned into a full time commitment. I now have all of the full time responsibilities that go along with the job of co-hosting one of the morning shows in the radio cluster that I work for. But I didn’t lose any of my other responsibilities. In fact, I am technically doing my hour of prep and 3 hours of live radio for free, but having to cram 8+ hours of work into 5 hours of time on the clock. And I have to wake up at 3AM so that I am properly functioning at 6AM.

I love the work I am doing, am honored to have the opportunity, and am proud of the growth I have made in my on-air presence. I am not too happy about having the extra commitments and extra stress, and the loss of the having early morning work hours to complete project, loss of any spare time that would have gone to expanding my business, and the loss of sleep.

My grand opportunity meant adding extra working hours to my schedule and not adding any extra cash to my paycheck. It came in a state of emergency, so I did not get the chance to transition out of work I would have been doing otherwise. It seems to have no exit strategy, so there is no way to transition in a lot of work I really want to do but that time and energy isn’t going to allow.

One thing I figured out early on, as great of an opportunity my ‘opportunity’ really is, it was not on my list of goals I had prepared for the year. It did not allow me to work toward my big goal of moving forward in 2011. It has in fact kept me in a not so happy holding pattern. And the extra hours have made me cranky, and the wife isn’t definitely not happy with that.

I had a very successful launch of my Ten Minute Life Coach podcast at the tail end of 2010. So successful, it was ranked #1 in iTunes at the beginning of 2011 in the Self-Help category, getting over 1,500 downloads of each new episode each week. I had planned on writing an ebook to document the steps I took to take the top spot, and saw a bright future in consulting others to reach great heights in podcasting.

Then the bottom fell out. Just 3 months later, I was barely getting 150 downloads each week for the new podcast episodes. Even worse, there was no dialogue with the people who apparently were still downloading. I was burning myself out to keep it going, and ended up dropping it before I met a 52-week milestone. The show has been on-again and off-again since, and even after 15 months of life it still hasn’t reached the 52 episode mark.

It was a little hard to believe that the podcast would do so well, but I went along with it, and some very lofty plans to expand into coaching and monetize the effort. It was really hard to believe it was falling apart in front of me. And the speed in which it was disintegrating was maddening.

A quick burst of success sounds like a problem we all would love to have until we actually have it. The sudden success of my podcast made me believe that it was a great podcast. The sudden lack of sustained success of the podcast didn’t mean it was a bad podcast, but that the expectations of having a great podcast made it hard to evaluate whether it was good, bad, or great. The momentum needed to be sustained because the podcast had to live—period.