Author Archives: Steve
I finally got a new car. Well, it’s not a new car. It’s actually a kind of old car — a 1995 Volkswagen Jetta — but it’s new to me and has a lot less miles than you’d think.
It’s not my dream car, but I got a good deal on it. As a matter of fact, I got a real good deal.
Unfortunately in this case, the deal wasn’t quite as good as it seemed. The car actually broke down on me on the way home after I bought it. I had to get it towed to my mechanic’s shop.
First, he fixed a small oil leak. Then he cleaned out a clogged screen that was keeping oil from getting to the engine. Thankfully, it wasn’t near as expensive as I feared.
My mechanic tried, but couldn’t fix the transmission that was slipping a little. He suggested another mechanic who worked on transmissions.
I took the car to him and initially got good news. A broken part was keeping a filter from doing its job.
He fixed that, but unfortunately, it didn’t correct the problem. He told me the repair would cost more than I paid for the car.
But he also told me a way to work around the problem by starting off in low gear. When I do that, the transmission shifts much better.
The mechanic told me there’s no telling how long the transmission will last. So far, I’ve driven the car more than 500 miles with no issues. I expect I either keep driving it like that or just sell to someone who’s willing to get it fixed.
When I picked the car up, he mechanic told me something that struck me. He said that more than likely the transmission is in such bad shape because the person who owned the car before me didn’t fix the smaller issue.
In other words, if that person would have paid less than $150 to get it fixed then, it wouldn’t be needing a repair costing nearly 10 times that much now.
At first it frustrated me a little, but then I realized that there’s nothing I can do about it now. Moreover, if I’m smart, I can learn something from that person’s mistake.
I thought of all those things in my life that need fixing. I can ignore them and let them get worse, or I can work on making them better now.
It’s the same way in business. The key is finding the right path to success and staying on it. When we see we’re off track, the sooner we get back on the right road the better off we are.
Steve DeVane
I was reading an article the other day on the Sports Illustrated web site about Larry Bird.
The article was an excerpt from “When March went Mad: The Game that Transformed Basketball,” a book about the 1979 NCAA basketball championship between Bird’s Indiana State team and the Michigan State team lead by Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
The article focuses on Bird and how he came to play basketball for Indiana State. He had originally signed and attended Indiana University, but went back home to French Lick, Indiana, after having a bad experience at the school.
Later, Bill Hodges, an assistant coach at Indiana State, went to Bird’s town to talk to him about coming to that school, according to the article. Hodges was talking to Bird about needing good players when Bird suggested a player from French Lick who had graduated from high school a few years earlier.
“He would have been a really good player if he had gone to college,” Bird told the coach.
Hodges replied, “You know, Larry, someday they’re gonna say the same thing about you if you don’t go to school.”
The article said that for the first time that day, Bird looked Hodges straight in the eye. He said nothing.
As you probably know, Bird went on to play for Indiana State where in 1979 he led them to the championship game that is the focus of the book. He went on to become one of the great NBA players of all-time.
Later, I couldn’t quit thinking about the comment the coach made to Bird. I thought of all the people who go through life in their own personal French Lick. They realize later they should have taken some chance in life to become who they were meant to be.
If that thought hits you, consider these questions:
• How are you still holding yourself back? Loosen up on the reins a little.
• What kept you from doing what you think you should have done? Make sure you don’t make the same mistake again.
• What feelings arise when you think about missed opportunities? If you feel bad, realize that it’s never too late to do what you should do.
Get in touch with your dreams, then focus on reaching them. Start today.
Steve DeVane
I was in a study group the other night when the leader pointed out that the spiritual life is a paradox, requiring both solitude and contact with others. He was, in effect, encouraging us to spend some time in quiet meditation between our weekly sessions as a group.
Good advice. Every once in a while everyone needs to get away from the chaos of daily life. I think burnout is in large part caused by the way we keep our engines revved way too high for much too long.
Of course we can’t stay shut off from the world for too long, either. We need to stay connected to other people. The relationships we form with other people enhance our lives.
Business can work much the same way. We must look inwardly and become comfortable with ourselves. As one of my mentors likes to say, “You do not have to change who you are to have success in your life or business.”
At the same time, we need a team of people behind us and around us. When a group of people works together for a common purpose, great things happen.
One key to success in life is finding a balance between introspection and interaction.
Steve DeVane
I’ve been finishing a major project over the last week or so. I’ll be writing more about it in future posts, but first I thought I’d share a lesson learned during the process.
During the early and middle stages of the effort, there were a number of times, I thought about details that needed to be done. I kept telling myself that I’d do them later. I thought it’d be easier to work on them all at the same time during the final phase of the project.
Wrong.
As you might expect, many small details turned into a major hassle as I was trying to get the project completed. I had a tough time doing all the tiny tasks that I had to finish first.
I thought back on all the times I put off doing small, simple stuff. Later, I paid the price for procrastinating.
In business, I’m often faced with similar choices. I’m learning that it’s never a good idea to say to myself, “I’ll do that later.”
Steve DeVane
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my thinking. Specifically, I’m trying to have more positive thoughts.
That’s why an ABC News feature on a German spiritual thinker caught my attention. Eckhart Tolle has sold millions of books and was the subject of a 10-part online series by Oprah Winfrey, according to the network.
Tolle teaches people how to “shut off the noise in their heads and be happy,” the article said.
In answer to a question from ABC’s Dan Harris, Tolle said it’s important to use our minds rather than letting our minds use us.
“Psychologists found that 98 or 99 percent of our thinking is repetitive. And also a lot of our thinking is very negative,” he said. “People tend to dwell more on negative things than on good things.”
Tolle said the mind becomes obsessed with the negative things, leading to judgments, guilt and anxiety.
Then Tolle said something that really got me thinking.
“Many people live habitually as if the present moment were either an obstacle that they need to overcome in order to get to the next moment, and imagine living your whole life like that, where always this moment is never quite right, not good enough because you need to get to the next one, that is continuous stress.”
It occurred to me that, while I don’t really think of the present moment as an obstacle, I often tend to either focus on the future or the past.
Don’t get me wrong. I think we ought to learn from our past and plan for our future, but fixating on either can get us off track.
So, I’ve decided to try to focus more on the here and now. I want to be present in the present.
Steve DeVane
Since my car died, I’ve started looking for a new one. Well, not a new one. I prefer to get a used car because I drive a lot and new cars lose value quickly when you put a lot of miles on them.
So I was looking at craigslist yesterday, focusing on the two areas closest to where I live. I saw a few possibilities, but nothing real promising.
Then I decided to look in a region of my state that’s a little farther away. Not sure why, but I thought it was worth a look.
On there I saw a car that I’ve wanted for more than 20 years — a Honda CRX. For those of you unfamiliar with the CRX, it’s a sporty little car that gets great gas mileage. It’d be perfect for me since I drive so much.
The ad said the fellow was selling the car because he had bought another one. The CRX was just sitting in his yard so he was selling it for $500. He said he was going out of town for the weekend and wanted to sell it by the time he returned on Tuesday.
I immediately replied to the ad, sending an e-mail asking if Tuesday was the first opportunity to see the car. If not, I asked when I could see it.
The car was about a three-hour drive from my house, but I was willing to make the trip.
Last night, I got an e-mail reply from the guy’s wife. She said “a kid” had seen a “For Sale” sign on the car and stopped to look at it. She sold it to him for $400. Later, she checked her husband’s e-mail and realized after seeing all the interest that she probably shouldn’t have sold it.
I replied, thanking her for her response. I told her I was sorry that she’d sold it, because I would have driven up and paid at least $500 for it based on what it looked like in the photos. But then I told her that the way I looked at it, that kid must have needed a car more than I did.
Later, I thought about how bummed I could be since I missed out on a great deal on one of my dream cars. But then I thought about some kid riding around happy as all get out over his good fortune. Thinking about his joy is a lot better than sulking over my missed opportunity.
And another good deal will come along.
My car’s dead.
Kaput.
Done.
Finished.
What’s worse is I’ve only had it a couple of months. I bought it after my last car got totaled in an accident last year.
It was a good car while it lasted. It just didn’t last long.
First the water pump went. Got it fixed.
Then the head gasket started leaking.
Now it won’t stop overheating.
It’s not worth fixing. That’s what the mechanics tell me.
It’s been suggested to me that I call the fellow who sold it to me. Ought to give him a piece of my mind, they tell me.
Not going to do that. I don’t know if he knew the car was about to die or not. Doesn’t really matter. Wouldn’t change the fact that the car is dead.
And my mind is much too valuable to be given to someone who may or may not have sold me a lemon.
Steve DeVane
We all need help sometimes.
My car has been in the shop more than two weeks, so my family of five, including two teenagers, had to get along with one vehicle. We were managing, but it was challenging.
Over the weekend, a friend insisted that we borrow her car. Her family had a truck and a van they could use and she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
So for the last couple of days, I’ve been driving a red VW Beetle convertible. I’m extremely grateful for my friend helping us out.
It’s helped me realize that it’s OK to ask for help. You can’t do everything on your own.
The same thing happened in my network marketing business. About a year and a half ago, I was really struggling — getting nowhere fast. Then I found someone who showed me a way to success.
I could have kept doing things the same way I had to years, but it hadn’t worked before so why would it have all of a sudden started working?
Instead, I got the help I needed. If you’re not where you want to be, find someone who’s done what you want to do and learn from them.
Steve DeVane
Earlier today, I stopped by the school where my teaches and my three kids attend. When I saw my wife she asked me to take a fund-raising form to my son and tell him that he needed to find teachers to sponsor him if he wanted to participate in a jump-rope event.
When I found my son, he initially said it was too late because today was the deadline. Then his teacher said he could still turn in the form tomorrow. My son took the form and said he’d try to find sponsors after he finished his homework.
Less than three hours later, my son came into my wife’s room and told her he’d raised nearly $50. My wife looked at him and said, “See. All you had to do was ask.”
That statement can also apply to life and business.
I run my network marketing business in a very non-pushy way. As a matter of fact, I use a system that’s designed to be non-threatening. It’s built around the principle that if you help everybody you can, those that are supposed to join you in business will.
That’s where my wife’s statement comes in for me. All I have to do is ask people if they need help. And when do, I help them.
Whatever business you’re in, I expect there comes a time when all you have to do is ask.
Steve DeVane
I’ve been thinking today about how my busyness seems to get in the way of my business.
Sometimes I just think I have so many things to do that I don’t get anything done. I was reminded of this watching a clip from one of the morning TV shows this morning. It focused on traffic and included a section comparing how efficiently ants got around to traffic jams on major highways.
The ants it turned out, get around much better even though there are a lot more of them than there are cars in the traffic jam.
Later, I thought about how my life sometimes seems like the traffic jam. All the things I want or need to do are stacked up behind each other.
As I pondered what to do about it, it occurred to me that I need to set priorities and do the most important things first. I also need to set aside a certain amount of time for each area of my life.
I have a feeling that getting my priorities in order and honoring a time schedule will help me stay on the fast lane to success.
Steve DeVane