On The BIGG Success Show today, we wrapped up our conversation with Whitney Johnson. Whitney is the author of a great new book, Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream.

In Part 1, we talked about why high achievers shy away from their dreams. Last time, we discussed why you don’t have to marry your dream.

Listen to this post! Click a player to hear Whitney talk with George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast (Runtime 5:42)


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• who is more risk averse – men or women
  
• what entrepreneurs are since they aren’t risk lovers
  
• how Whitney perseveres when she faces obstacles
  
• what her deeply held beliefs are
  
• some inspirational pins that she’s posted on on Pinterest and Facebook
  

You can also find Whitney on her DareDreamDo Facebook Page.

We thank Whitney for sharing her time and expertise. And thank YOU for checking in with us! Until next time, here’s to your BIGG success!

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00796-032912.mp3

On The BIGG Success Show today, we began a 3-part interview with Whitney Johnson. She’s a popular Harvard Business Review blogger with a goal: to help you identify and achieve your dreams.

She believes you can be happier by focusing on both your dreams and the other people in your life. She explains all of this in her fantastic book, Dare, Dream, Do: Remarkable Things Happen When You Dare to Dream.

Listen to this post! Click a player to hear Whitney talk with George & Mary-Lynn on The BIGG Success Show Podcast (Runtime 6:12)


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• why she directed her book to women in particular
  
• what she discovered about women while working on Wall Street
  
• what inspired her to write her book
  
• how she found her own dream
  
• interesting tidbits from a study about women and ambition
  
• why high achievers tend to shy away from their dreams
  

You can also find Whitney on her Dare Dream Do Facebook Page.

Please join us next time when Whitney shares her three-step model for personal advancement and happiness.

Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/00794-032712.mp3

Way back in 1940, Albert E.N. Gray delivered an inspirational speech at the annual convention of the National Association of Life Underwriters (NALU).

It was met with such overwhelming enthusiasm that it was turned into a pamphlet.

We’ve summarized the main points of his 3,000 word essay here for you.

The most important habit

He notes that people came into the industry with “every apparent qualification for success.”

They turned out to be “our most disappointing failures.”

Others “achieved outstanding success in spite of many obvious and discouraging handicaps.”

He concludes, “The common denominator of success – the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful – lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.”

The primary difference between winners and losers

Why don’t all people do these things?
Because these activities are unnatural.
They make people uncomfortable.

So why do successful people do them? He notes the primary difference between those who succeed and those who fail:

“Successful men are influenced by the desire for pleasing results. Failures are influenced by the desire for pleasing methods and are inclined to be satisfied with such results as can be obtained by doing things they like to do.”

The underlying reason behind all great achievement

But we still haven’t gone far enough. We don’t have a motive.

What motivates high achievers?
A strong purpose.
A purpose that is practical, not visionary.
But one based on emotion, not logic.

A purpose built on adding value in the lives of others while creating value for yourself. That’s BIGG success!

Image in this post from stock.xchng

“Any man can be a father, it takes someone special to be a dad.”
 - Author unknown

Here are three things we each admire about our dads:

Mary-Lynn

Dad’s love for my mom.
Toward the end of her life, mom was very sick. Dad would go to work, drive to the hospital (which was about 45 minutes away) to be with mom after work, and then go home and get ready to go back to work. Dad was always there for mom.

Dad gives respects and gets it in return.
Before he retired, he worked for the Department of Corrections, as a prison guard and then a Captain. Dad was respected by his co-workers. He was also respected by the prisoners. When there was an issue with an inmate, dad was often the one who they called in to calm things down.

Dad encouraged me, but let me make my own mistakes.
I remember one time I was hanging out with a crowd that wasn’t exactly a group of high-achievers. I finally realized that I needed to move on from this group. I discussed it with my dad, who told me he was proud of my decision. Then he said,

“You can’t fly like an eagle if you hang with turkeys.”

George

Dad’s love of family time.
I remember sitting in the living room with dad. The rest of the family was dispersed throughout their house. I can still see dad sitting in his recliner with that “cat that got the mouse grin on his face.” He said, “I just love it when the whole family is together.”

Dad’s pride in his workmanship.
My dad was a bricklayer. I worked for him when I was in high school. By noon one day, we were almost finished with one particular job. He decided to break for lunch. When we came back, dad spotted a brick that he said was “upside down.” It was the second brick he had laid that morning. Dad ripped them all out and started over.

Dad gave everything he had to everything he did.
He expected the same from me. One day, he was pitching the baseball to me. He got frustrated because I wasn’t hitting the ball like he knew I could.

“Swing like you mean it,” he said.

Well, on his next pitch, I did just that. The ball rocketed right back at him, hit him on his shin, and knocked his feet right out from under him.

As he got up, he looked at me and said, “Now, that’s what I’m talking about.”

George’s unforgettable breakfast with his dad
One Monday morning, I walked into my office at about 7:30. We were coming off our busiest month of the year. I had been away from the office a lot and was excited about getting caught up in the office.

Within a few minutes, my dad dropped by and said that he had a meeting at 9 and wondered if I’d like to grab some breakfast before then.

I told him I had so much work to catch up on … that I better pass. He said, “Okay.” and asked if he could use my copier. I said, “Sure” and started working, but this little voice in my head said,

“Why in the world can’t you take the time to go have breakfast with your dad?”

So I went up and said, “Hey, dad, I will take you up on that breakfast offer.” That made him happy. We went out to breakfast and I don’t remember another thing about it.

But that was the last time I saw my dad before he passed away. I’m so glad that I took the opportunity that was made available to me. 

So tell us … what do you admire about your dad? Share your dadmirations by leaving a Comment below.

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(Image by vivechugh)