If you’re a long-time reader of ours, you probably know we’re not fans of the concept of work-life balance.

We feel that the term work-life balance is a mislabeling. It implies that work is not a part of life.

Listen to this post! Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast. (Duration 6:40)

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We like the term life sync. Strive for harmony by syncing up the various areas of your life.

And always look for synergy, the BIGG idea behind BIGG success.

BIGG success is life on your own terms. You create your own custom life blend. It’s the perfect mix of both your personal and professional lives, along with all the various parts of each of them.

So let’s talk about 5 ways to have a winner’s weekend. BIGG goal-getters are givers. But today, we want to focus on YOU.

You need to make sure you’re taking care of you too. It’s how you stay invigorated and energized for the BIGG work you’re doing. So we’re going to use an acronym to describe the winner’s weekend:

RELAX!

R is for Read

Don’t read the stuff you always read. Winners open themselves up to new ideas and escape to different worlds.

So relive a great moment in history through the words of an author. Read a great work of fiction to expand your mind to things you’ve never experienced.

E is for Experience

Get out and enjoy the wonderful world around you, and experience nature in all her majesty. Whether it be sunny or rainy, take a moment to be awed. Go for a walk along a river, lake, or ocean.

Admire some great works of art. Study them. Get inside the artist’s head.

And don’t forget the music – take in some awesome music that stirs your soul.

L is for Love

We said this weekend was largely about you. But you won’t be whole if you don’t share some of yourself with others.

And don’t forget that love is also a verb. So show the people closest to you how much you love them.

Love grows when you give it away, at least if you love the right people. So give your love to expand your heart and the hearts of the most important people in your life.

A is for Activity

Get out from behind your computer. Turn off the TV. Go do something you love to do.

Better yet, do something you loved to do when you were a kid.

Get out your Frisbie. Play some wiffle ball.

What did you do when you were a kid? Bring back your child-like nature to expand your creativity and exercise your body.

X is for eXorcise

(Yes, we know – we cheated a little here. But c’mon – X words are tough!).

Take some time to exorcise those things that will hold you back.

Are you angry with someone about something? Forget about it. If you don’t, they win.

Holding a grudge? Forgive them.

Do you have regrets? Stop thinking about it. If you don’t, you’ll have more to regret tomorrow.

Also take this time to get rid of your inner demons. You know – those things that you tell yourself when things don’t go as expected. Fight them now while you’re strong. Remind yourself of your strengths and your successes.

You may have noticed as you read this post – the winner’s weekend is good for your mind, your soul, your heart, your body, and your humanity.

So RELAX for your BIGG success!

What invigorates you? How will you RELAX this weekend?

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00811-052412.mp3

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It’s National Small Business Week here in the United States. It has us thinking about the state of small business.

According to an article on Portfolio.com, small businesses failed at record rates from 2008 – 2010. Interestingly though, startup rates have been climbing since 2006. In fact, the number of new businesses hit highs not seen for a decade in 2009 and 2010.

It’s an interesting paradox. Why would so many people start a business when so many others are failing?

Many people get stuck. They want to start their own business. But the key word is “start” – they just can’t seem to do it.

You need a reason to start and it has to be one that will push you over the edge. So let’s look at five reasons for starting up a small business.

1) You’re driven by a dream

You know what you want to do. You’ve thought about it and thought about it. You’re tired of just thinking about it. You have to do it. If you vision is compelling enough, it will push you off the fence.

2) You want to take control

We live in a tumultuous world. Companies hire…Companies fire. Your fate may be in the hands of someone hundreds or thousands of miles away who doesn’t even know you. Your desire for control may help you make the leap.

3) You know you have so much more potential

You feel stagnant. You know you’re stuck. You’ve gone as far as you can with your company and in your industry. But it’s beyond that – it’s not just about career advancement. It’s also about personal growth. You know you could do so much more. It’s time to show the world your true potential.

4) You have a cause

A vision is one thing. A mission is another. You have a compelling “why”. You feel it with every ounce and inch of your being. It’s ingrained in your soul.

You have a cause and you’re afraid that if you don’t work for it, no one will. So you must start today to do the good work you were born to do.

5) You have “winner’s fear”

Losers are afraid to fail. So they can’t bring themselves to risk being embarrassed or hearing “I told you so.” On the other hand, winners are afraid of not trying. They just can’t accept not knowing if they could have done something more and been something greater. This winner’s fear drives them to move forward.

These are a just a few of the reasons for starting a business. What’s yours?

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Catherine Morgan over at the PointAtoPointBTransitions blog recently wrote a great post about using your “lens” in your decision making process.

When evaluating opportunities, she encourages us to use our “lens” to find the right fit and to filter out those that aren’t.

Click a player to hear George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast. (Duration 6:00)

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Our lenses

We thought we’d share our lenses with you because it will help illustrate the recipe for success in your relationships.

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I look for win/win and have the courage to walk away when that doesn’t end up in the equation. I take time to consider the opportunity. I weigh out the good and the bad. I’m careful to not inject “good” where it isn’t simply because I want it to be there. I’m equally cautious to not put something in the “bad” column because it takes me out of my comfort zone. In the end, my decision is based on what is right for me, and I’ve learned this through past decisions that were both correct & incorrect.

___

I’ve learned the hard way that I’m terribly optimistic. So I look at the downside of opportunities. The faster I can get to “No”, the better. If the risk can’t be reduced to an acceptable level, I pass. If the risk is tolerable, then I weigh it against the financial and non-monetary rewards.

___

The power of different lenses

So, we both see opportunity through very different lenses. You can see I bring more emotion into it, while George is highly logical.

___

So you might think the two of us would have a challenge coming together when we’re making decisions as a married couple or as partners in BIGG Success.

But the opposite is actually true. The two approaches help us make better decisions.

They’re part of the recipe for success with your partner and other key people in your life. And that’s the point we want to make today.

In your quest for BIGG success, you need to align yourself with people who approach challenges and opportunities from a different mindset.

But you can’t leave these critical ingredients out…

Now, we hasten to add – you need a shared vision and values with these key people in your life and your business. Otherwise, it won’t work.

But once you have that foundation to build upon, differences create more value.

Now, it can lead to some pretty spirited discussions. Arguments even!

But healthy ones at that. As long as you add one more vital ingredient to this recipe for success – respect.

You have to respect where the other person is coming from and what they’re saying even if you don’t agree.

So mix a little respect with a shared vision and values and then spice it up with some differences. It’s the recipe for BIGG success!

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00810-051812.mp3

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Today we want to talk about an incredibly inspiring success story. More importantly, we want to talk about the people who hate the janitor.

Graduation season is always full of high hopes and BIGG dreams. We always enjoy hearing or reading about all the great convocation speeches.

But this year’s biggest inspiration didn’t come from any of the high-powered speakers. It came from a janitor.

You may have heard about Gac Filipaj. He’s the 52-year old graduate from Columbia University.

What a success story – he fled to America to escape civil war and ethnic cleansing in his homeland. Like so many first-generation immigrants, he sought opportunity.

And opportunity – just like the success it leads to – comes with a price. He thought nothing of this; he was willing to pay it.

He discovered that Columbia offered its employees 14 credit hours of classes every year for free. He wanted an education. So he took a job as a “heavy cleaner” at Columbia – mopping floors, cleaning toilets, and taking out the garbage.

After learning to speak English, it took twelve more years to get his degree in the classics. He attended classes in the morning followed by a full day of work from mid-afternoon to 11 PM. Then he would crack open the books to study, occasionally pulling an all-nighter to study for an exam or write a paper.

Now he plans to continue on to get his PhD. He wants to teach. And he hopes to get promoted to supervisor.

It’s the American Dream alive and well!

But what really struck us is the attitude of the haters. And there are plenty of them, visible in the comments on the various stories we read.

You know these people. They are so miserable that they can’t feel good about themselves unless they feel like they made others feel bad.

They don’t see any value in this amazing man’s accomplishment. They assert that a janitor’s job is menial. They decry his degree as useless. They say it was a waste of time.

We couldn’t disagree more.

We believe there is dignity in every job. Every job is an opportunity to learn about yourself and become a better person.

We don’t profess to knowing anymore than they do. But from what we know, we think he made a great decision. He’s living his life on his own terms. Who cares what they think?

In the meantime, what are they doing? Commenting on his life and mocking his choices.

We ask you – who’s wasting time?

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Last time, we talked about why ability isn’t the reason many people don’t feel successful…it’s money.

In this segment, we talk about his GCS (Goal Cards System), a simple yet effective way to achieve your goals.

Click a player to hear Josh talk with George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast. (Duration 4:50)

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• What makes Josh’s system unique.

• How following this system can help you get keep moving forward toward your goals.

• The important thing BIGG goal-getters need to do, but often don’t.

• What inspired Josh to create this system and how it helps him.

You can get a sneak peak of Josh’s book now for FREE here.

Listen to the other segements:

How to Live Big Part 1

How to Live Big Part 2

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00809-051212.mp3