Maybe you get tired of me saying this, but I lived a blessed life.  I have an amazing family, and a group of friends and business associates who encourage and inspire me everyday.  Jim Rohn was known for saying, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” There may be some debate in that, but I remember the first time I heard this quote–it absolutely resonated with me and I instantly became more aware of my friends and business associates.  I finally recognized that who I was hanging out with would eventually have an impact on who I would become.  It wasn’t just the time I spent with my closest friends that I began to scrutinize, but even the amount of time and types of people I chose to have brief encounters with for coffee, lunch or business meetings.

Since I’ve put boundaries around my self and my time, I’ve found virtually every area of my life to have simplified, improved and become more harmonious.  One of the great people I’ve chosen to spend more time with this past year is my friend Brian Goodell.  We met at a conference last year, and I was immediately drawn to his humble, approachable, positive, transparent, self-confident nature.  I seem to like these qualities in people, and I liked Brian immediately.

As it turns out, Brian has an amazing back story that I’d encourage you to learn more about (watch this video).  I’ll plant the seed with this–he has an inspiring come-from-behind story, winning two Olympic Gold Medals in 1976 in swimming, has had a successful entrepreneurial career, and is a highly requested speaker and success coach for athletes and business folk (check out his website here, and his slideshow here).  During one of our lunches this past week, we were discussing the speaking engagements we have on our calendars, leadership practices we’ve witnessed (good and bad ones), the importance of positive mental imagery and hard work, how we could assist each other towards meeting our goals, and diets (we were eating sushi).  As I returned to my office from lunch, I realized that I always leave my chats with Brian feeling inspired, uplifted, and blessed.  Shouldn’t every day, and every interaction be like this?

We also chatted briefly about Brian’s ‘76 Olympic teammate, Gold Medal decathlete Bruce Jenner--what a hero he became to the nation.  I had to chuckle though, because I was reminded of the classic John Belushi SNL skit, Little Chocolate Donuts. You’ll grin just watching this, but take particular notice of the lit cigarette at the end.

Who do you want to become, and who are you spending time with?

I just confirmed I’ll be a keynote speaker at the largest gathering of young entrepreneurs in the country at the Identity Conference this November.  It’ll be a high-octane, powerful convergence of next generation, like-minded entrepreneurs gathered together to exert influence on a generation. http://www.IdentityConference.com/conference

Entrepreneurs are life changers and world changers.  I’m honored to be included among this warrior class.

If you’re a young entrepreneur, or know a young entrepreneur, this is a must-attend event.  Come to Orange County, CA and be transformed.

FINALLY! Here is the video trailer for Tools For Success, an exciting project I have been working on for entrepreneurs and business folks who want to defy the odds and find enduring success.  It’s for the entrepreneur who aspires to create significant lasting legacies with their family, business and community. Thanks go out to my partners Ryan Inlow & Ken Inlow for their hard work on the project.  In this video trailer you’ll see Mindee Doney & Julie Pickens from Boogie Wipes, Vicki Norris from Restoring Order, and Vail Horton from Keen Mobility–each one with inspiring stories that we’ll share later.

I hope you’ll visit www.ToolsForSuccess.com and stayed tuned for exciting updates…we have a FREE Building Significance Pack for you that includes three action tools (personal purpose tool, significance assessment, and sphere of influence tool), plus video bonuses valued at $39.99…and you get it for FREE! This pack will help bring you closer to building an entrepreneurial legacy of significance.

To stay updated with info & the launch date, visit www.ToolsForSuccess.com. Let me know you thoughts on the video, please.

Jan Norman of the Orange County Register featured news of Bandera Hospitality’s expansion in yesterday’s paper (although it ran on-line last week).  It’s great coverage for us, but our “business model” seems to be in question by at least one of the on-line readers.

OC Hotel Group Expands

January 24, 2010

Broughton Hospitality Group in Newport Beach is expanding its reach beyon ownership of boutique resorts to managing hotels owned by others.  Broughton’s subsidiary Bandera Hospitality recently signed on to manage the Holiday Inn & Suites in Fullerton and Holiday Inn resort in Palm Springs.

Of the Fullerton hotel, Broughton and Bandera Chairman Larry Broughton said, “The sleek new look and premium services offered by the Holiday Inn & Suites rival those offered by some boutique hotels, so it’s crucial that staff and management at the property understand the unique psychographics of the boutique hotel customer and can develop and deliver the type of services that will exceed expectations and build…(read entire story here).