Jacob S. Paulsen.com

Wives just don’t get enough credit in general and mine is no different. 2010 was an interesting year for us. I started working for Matchbin Inc in December of 2009. I learned a lot from the great people there and the company introduced me to my future employer. The work required a lot of travel and over the course of the year I boarded exactly 90 planes and visited 16 different states (not including airports). Traveling is glamorous at first. All the hotels, sites, airports, people, etc were really fun at first. Eventually it wore me down and I just wanted to be home with my family but the real sacrifices were never made by the road warrior. They were made by my wife. During Ami’s first trimester she spent over a month bed-ridden. When I say she was stuck in bed I mean it. The nausea was so bad she had to have IVs from house visiting nurse people. Luckily my family was able to fill a gap and my mom was able to move in with Ami during my trips and my sister made frequent stops to clean our house (despite being pregnant herself).

There are many more untold pains and sacrifices that come to a family when the father/husband is gone all the time. Its a lifestyle that I understand can work for some but really wasn’t working for us. Through it all Ami was extremely supportive and grateful that I was able to secure good employment during such a rough economy.

Now I live in Denver. The word I being the key. On December 5th (22 days after Lucy was born) I left to start my new job with Entravision Communications in Denver. I left a recovering wife alone with a 3 year old and a 3 week old. Its worse than it sounds. Dealing with a crazy and demanding child is tough while you are trying to nurse a newborn but there are other responsibilities that Ami was forced to assume. In trying to sell our house in this type of market we have to take full advantage of every house showing we have. This means that Ami is forced to keep the house in absolute perfect cleanliness because you never know when the agent might call and ask to show your house in 3 hours. Mix this in with the Holiday decorating, cooking, shedding dog, and family gatherings and its a miracle she doesn’t pull her hair out.

2011 has started with better hopes for our future than we have had in a long time. Hopefully we will be able to sell our house in the next few months. As Ami joins me we will be able to pick out a home in the very state where we have dreamed of moving since we were married in 2005. In 2009 I did a half marathon. In 2010 I competed in a Triathlon relay with my family. This year I will be running a full marathon. In 2012 I still have to convince Ami but I want to climb Mt Rainer (with a guide:).

Our other goals include going to Disneyland and finalizing our 1 year of food storage and our emergency cash fund. I am also going to read 50 new books. Last year I think I read around 20 but many of those were books I had read once before.

Self-reflection is very healthy and these are among my favorite blog posts to write. So a huge hug and kiss to my wonderful wife and children, and if any of you are in Denver… look me up!

Jacob S Paulsen

In March of 2009 Ami was very much so wanting to re-decorate our bedroom and she went out looking for bedding at a variety of stores. One particular comforter set stuck out to her and she sent me the following image via text message.

This particular set was marked at almost $300 at that time and she knew we were not prepared to buy it but hey… she can dream right?

Friday night Ami spent at least an hour looking online for a new bed set. We decided the time was right to make a purchase and she had been looking in stores and at a variety of websites for just the right thing (Naturally I was no help).  The bed set in the above picture was out of her mind (or was it) having been 10 months ago that she saw it. Yesterday we decided to go out shopping. Ami requested we stop by the store where she had seen the bed set of her dreams and when we got there…. you guessed it. There it was. We were informed by the store staff that it had been discontinued and discounted. We got the very last one at 20% off and my wife is one happy lady.

Its amazing what good things really do come to those that wait. I learned early in my life to plan ahead for big expenses and to keep from making spontaneous purchases on a whim. This new year set clear goals in each aspect of your life. As to your financial plans write down a budget and set expectations for savings, vacations, and large purchases. Make 2010 the very best year of your life!

Goals are a big part of any business. Over time we have been taught a lot about setting effective goals including the power of written goals. What a lot of people don’t understand is the importance of an action plan. Without a step by step plan to reach your goal you have nothing more than a wish.

Action Plans generally have 3 parts. Each action plan should reflect your goals, the steps you must take to accomplish them, and what will be required of other third parties to make it happen. Third parties may include a business partner, your spouse, or even your creator. In your MLM business this most often includes your upline leadership or company executives.

Your action plan should be written down and signed by all the parties involved. Display it in a place where you will see it regularily and if possible a location where you are in a position to take the most action such as your desk or office.

I have built a simple MLM action plan that you can download here.

Jacob S Paulsen

I know this might come as a shock but Nike was not born to give Micheal Jordan something to wear. Nike was born to fit the shoe of running legend Steve Prefontaine. Running sports have never had a large following perhaps because they just aren’t as much fun to watch or because they tend to be individual efforts instead of a team sport. What you need to know is that Steve Prefontaine was to running as Tiger Woods is to golf.  Legendary…

Steve Prefontaine wasn’t only famous because he held the National record in 7 different track events but more so because of the way he raced. He liked to give people something to watch and make a show out of it but what you have to understand the most about Steve is that he was a “front runner.” Front running is a term used to describe the foolish runner who leads the pack in a race. The lead runner takes battles up to 70% higher wind resistance than the runner who runs in his wake. Even olympic team members will take turns leading the pack while their star runner stays behind until the final moments. The thing about Steve isn’t that he ran in the front on ocassion but that he always led every single race from the start to the end.

He did it for one simple reason. He understood what running is really all about more than any other human in history. He understood that the only way to finish as a true winner is to give it everything that you got every single step of the way. He didn’t pace himself and he didn’t believe in strategy… he believed in winning out of pure guts…. and he did it almost every time.

His college track coach Bill Bowerman was the founder of Nike. He was famous for his waffle iron, home-made running shoes that he made for each of his runners. He founded Nike under the ideals that Steve Prefontaine lived. Next time you slip on your Nikes remember Steve Prefontaine and how he raced.

Jacob S. Paulsen

Action: Consider what you can do to step up to the plate. What are you afraid of and what is holding you back? What are the best people in your industry doing that you are afraid of doing?

Action: Watch the movie “Without Limits”

Steve Prefontaine Quotes:

A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more. – Steve Prefontaine

I run to see who has the most guts. – Steve Prefontaine

I’m going to work so that it’s a pure guts race at the end, and if it is, I am the only one who can win it. – Steve Prefontaine

Somebody may beat me, but they are going to have to bleed to do it. – Steve Prefontaine

Something inside of me just said ‘Hey, wait a minute, I want to beat him,’ and I just took off. – Steve Prefontaine

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. – Steve Prefontaine

What I want is to be number one. – Steve Prefontaine

You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement. – Steve Prefontaine

Every year I listen to the Harry Potter books. Something about the epic story really captivates me. As I am moving through the books right now I intend to post a series of posts on personal development lessons we can learn from Harry Potter and his stories. Here is the first installment.

Lesson 1: “Well, well . . . I’m impressed. That suggests what you fear most of all is — fear. Very wise, Harry.” -Professor Lupin

The above quote comes from book 3 in the series and has had me thinking all day. Most people set there fears on specific things such as spiders, heights, water, death, and even commitment.

Harry Potter, as is suggested, fears most of all fear itself. Someone who fears fear is most likely to confront and overcome anything they suspect might scare them. Is this wise?

I am suggesting that our friend Professor Lupin from the story was right, and that this practice/attitude is wise. Why? What is to be gained by confronting and overcoming things that scare you? There are a few simple and logical answers.

1. Overcoming fears will mean that you are scared of less things. This can only be a good thing.

2. The process of confronting fear will only strengthen your character, giving you more power to deal with the conflicts that life gives us.

3. Fearing fear itself gives you a strong understanding of reality and thus gives you more freedom in life to take action and pursue happiness.

People who struggle with fears but are too weak to confront them, face two very large problems. First is that they are bound to live life in constant fear. Second being that their ability to deal with conflicts is generally weakened as they continue to “run” away from the things they fear.

It certainly works for Harry in the story. Although Harry sometimes plunges into dangerous situations unwisely, it is foolishness and not a lack for fear than often puts him in danger. His ability to confront fear instead of dread it however proves to be a helpful trait. It allows him to think logically when under stress, and to do what is frankly necessary regardless what the consequences might be. Harry Potter fans will mistakenly notice this reoccurring pattern throughout the literary saga.

I suggest we all follow Harry’s example and confront our fears head on. By fighting them we increase our own ability to live life to its fullest and function within a true reality of our environment.

Overcoming fear does not mean we need to put ourselves in danger to prove we can handle it. If you are scared of lightning it may not be necessary to stand on top of a hill in a puddle of water during a thunderstorm. It does mean you need to learn the true reality of how lightning works and live in caution but not fear.

I leave you with this final thought; Fear Not. Fear is a tool used to keep you at bay, controllable, and weak. Confront it and overcome its power over you. This will make you both free and strong!

Ask yourself this question… what would your bugart transform into?

Jacob S Paulsen

The first weekend of June I had a unique opportunity to do some executive protection work (bodyguard) for some well known people visiting Salt Lake City for a convention. Many of you may not know that while I’m an internet marketer and a network marketer, by trade I’m a security professional.

The company convention was that of a relatively new MLM named Zrii. The CEO and owner is Bill Farley, owner of the White Sox and he and his family’s safety were my primary concern throughout the three day convention but we also had a guest visit from both Deepak Chopra and Anthony Robbins for whom we were also responsible.

While I of course don’t mean to promote Zrii in this post I do want to share some insights that I learned from these great speakers and people both on stage and backstage.

Deepak Chopra. Deepak when you see this article in your google alerts email on your blackberry you will remember that I’m the guy that followed you around in Salt Lake that weekend. The content that Deepak delivered was great and I admit that even though its my job to not pay attention to him but instead the crowd, I struggled.

I think the general theme of his speech was understanding the “soul” of the man and how it is connected to the mind and body. Very intriguing and and I must say very original. There was no question to his credibility and while he wasn’t exactly full of energy I still felt like the audience was very connected and aware. It made me want to buy some of his books!

What was he like backstage? Deepak was very in the zone before he went on stage. He wasn’t annoying or stuck up but just focused. Despite him wanting to be truly alone he accepted every visitor who came back to make his acquaintance. That having been said he was generally quiet and reserved.

I think I would have seen a more lively side of him if he hadn’t had a cold. He wasn’t able to stay on site very long and on the way back t

o the hotel from the venue he spent most of the time reviewing his google alerts on his blackberry. When he finished he asked me about Salt Lake. He either was sincerely interested in Salt Lake, felt awkward in the silence, or just wanted to chat with me a little. Either way we had a nice little chat on the way back to the hotel and I felt his transparency in his character. I liked him.

Anthony Robbins. Anthony Robbins does somehow seem to live a life of the constant passion for which he is so well know for on stage. He doesn’t travel alone and on this trip had his own stage assistant, sound manager, and “handler.” I also understand that he is rarely away from his wife but this was one of those rare occasions.

On stage he did a great job of delivering what I suspect he normally would consider his 3 day signature seminar in about 4 hours. Once again I wasn’t supposed to be paying close attention but a couple of the key things I will remember were his phrase, “motion creates emotion,” which effectively means that we can control how we feel by our own body posture and movement. He demonstrated this by inviting the entire crowd to do several 90 second role plays.

What was he like backstage? Best put, he was friendly. He just seemed to like people and everyone around felt that. He agreed without question to take a picture with me and the other security guys and that was super cool.

In talking to a member of his staff I also learned that his travel schedule is extreme. He is constantly going from one place to another and due to his tendency to stay on stage until he feels he is done he is often cutting it really close to the wire. To be quite frank I don’t know how he keeps it up. It seems exhausting.

Oh and also just a quick note that I met Thurl Bailey at the convention and he is AWESOME!!!

Do you have goals? Of course you have goals, and so do I. Despite how public you make them or how often you think about them we all have goals. What separates people is the question of achieving those goals. Right now I’m training towards running a 1/2 marathon on August 8th. This will be about 10 miles longer than any run I have run in at least 8 years and probably (though I can’t be sure) the longest run of my life. Lets outline some of the principles that play the BIG roles in your success or failure at acheiving your goals.

1. Making it public: You will never achive anything great or big without becoming accountable to all those around you. Since my post on March 15 I have made it quite clear and public what I intended to do in running this 1/2 marathon. Not only do all of my blog readers and online friends know about it but I’ve already committed local friends and family to be present physically to chear me on.
2. Recruit a support team. You can’t do it alone. My wonderful wife Ami is also running everyday even though she doesn’t intend to run the 1/2 marathon and I did convince my oldest brother to run the 1/2 with me. As silly as it sounds my dog is also now counting on me to get out and run every day to satisfy her need for exercise. I have a support team and to make it all the more strong I have recruited someone to join me in my goal.
3. Keep track of your progress. Find a system to measure your progress. Some things can be done automatically and other goals will have to be measured manually. As for my running I use a GPS enabled Android (G1) phone with the buddyrunner app to keep track of my progress.
4. Publish your progress. Nobody will be as passionate about your goal as you are but the more you talk about it and keep everyone informed the more accountable you will be and the more people that will flock to you. Every time I go for a run my phone automatically uploads my run to an online dashboard at http://www.buddyrunner.com/jacob where it can be viewed publicly. It also automatically updates my status on facebook, twitter, and freindfeed with my latest run stats and a link to my online dashboard. (Thank you to the buddy runner team for making my accountability so automatic.
5. Plan on it being difficult and encountering barriers to your success. Anything worth acheiving won’t be easy to acheive. Something will get in the way. Plan on it and be ready when it comes. Recent injuries have threatened to slow my progress but with the help of my friend Erskien Lenier I have continued plowing through.
6. Celebrate your success. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do (still have some time to plan) but on August 8th I’m going to have to have a party or something seriously AWESOME to celebrate.
7. Set a new goal and follow the pattern again. Life is about extending yourself and becoming more. Don’t stop moving forward!

And to any other runners out there who might be local I encourage you to consider the Provo River 1/2 marathon as a noble goal. There is still plenty of time to get in shape!

Sometimes we have to stretch ourselves a little. How often do we really stick out our own necks to perform? In an effort to both make the goal and publicly declare it I am writing this post. On August 8^th, 2008 I will run a half marathon here in Provo, Utah. The Provo River Trail ½ Marathon is an annual event along the Provo River in the canyon. Even though I’ve always been a runner this will be by far the longest race I’ve ever run. Up until now my morning runs consisted of 2-4 mile jogs and my longest competitive race was a 5K.

I’m pumped. I’m not excited about running 13.1 miles but rather I’m excited about doing something audacious. I’m pumped about bending my own limits and pushing it past the comfort zone. What I’m wondering is what each of you are going to do to stretch yourselves this year? What are you willing to publically declare?

Here is a picture of a stretch of the trail where I will be running my 1/2 marathon!