Staying Positive in Challenging Times

One of my favorite stories about staying positive in challenging times is from a few years ago when I sold my house.

For over a decade I owned a multi-family house and lived on the first floor.  It was great at first, but after a few bad tenants I decided that I didn’t want to be a landlord anymore and put my house up for sale.

This was a tricky situation because my second- floor tenant at the time was very manipulative and I knew that she would give a hard time with showings.

So, I decided to be proactive and offer her $50 off of her rent for the month if she would just clean her apartment before the showing.  She agreed to the deal.

That’s a win-win for both of us, right?  You would think.

Fifteen minutes before the showing, the realtor went upstairs to verify that she had cleaned her apartment.  She hadn’t. It was a wreck.  

But several people were already on their way over to the showing so it was too late to do anything about it.  

I left the house so the showing could happen, hoping for the best.

But the result was a nightmare.

After I left the house, the realtor showed the first and third floor, but when he got to the second floor, she didn’t answer the door.

He called to tell me, but I didn’t hear my phone ring.   By the time I called back the showing was over and everyone had already left.

I was so mad I wanted to scream!

There was some kinda-good news, though. 

Three offers were made on the house- conditional to seeing the second floor.

The realtor scheduled another showing for a few days later so they could come back and see it.  

But I was worried that this tenant would pull another fast one and try to sabotage the sale of my house.

Then I remembered that I had power over the situation and I wasn’t going to let her run the show.

I know worry is a prayer for chaos.  So that was the first thing I had to change.

I chose instead to focus on my favorite mantra which is “Only good can come out of this.”

So, for those next few days, I decided to stand in my power and believe that only good would come from this situation.

Every time a doubt tried to creep in, I didn’t let it.  I instead reverted back to my mantra which eventually became automatic.

I also created a fool proof plan.  

I made it clear to my tenant that whether she opened the door or not, the apartment would be be entered and shown.

And instead of leaving my house for the showing this time, I went next door to my neighbor’s house, so I’d be available immediately if she tried to pull anymore stunts.

And sure enough, by the end of it- my mantra rang true!!!

During that second showing of my house, a new viewer who hadn’t attended the first showing joined the group.

And he loved my house so much, he offered me more than my asking price!!!

We had a total of 5 offers on the table, including this new one which was the best one!

We accepted that offer and the buyer was super cooperative through the whole process because he loved the house and couldn’t wait to move in.

Not only did good come out of it, the result was much better than I even imagined.

And to this day- I am thankful that she didn’t let them in that day, because her resistance resulted in a 5 figure profit for me!!!

So, whenever I have a moment of challenge, I always remember this story! 

It’s a powerful mantra, that’s why it’s a favorite of mine.  I encourage you to use it!

#onlygoodcancomeoutofthis

Why Trump should be Impeached for Terrorism

What has happened this past week has been a long time coming.

Months before the election, Trump made it clear publicly that he feared he would lose the election and if he did, he’d do whatever it took to overturn the results.

And there was good reason to believe that he’d lose.

The polls showed that he was significantly behind Biden from the beginning of the race.

And in the first race he received less than 50% of the popular vote.

The concern was valid.

Knowing that the majority of mail in ballots would not be in his favor, he defunded the post office.

Then he fabricated rumors of mail in ballots being an unreliable way to vote despite the fact that he and his wife have been voting this way for years and there has never been any indication of a problem.

He had republicans plant fake drop off ballot boxes in democratic areas.

He had treasonous phone calls with other countries looking for dirt on Biden.

And when speaking to his base on his campaign trail- he suggested to them that violence would ensue if he did not win.

His subsequent tweets over these past few months have nurtured those suggestions by telling his followers directly and indirectly to fight the system.

And this is exactly why- at the debate- when he was asked to denounce white supremacists, he instead told them to stand by- because he knew that he was their ideal candidate and would need their support if he lost.

He has been validating and energizing white supremacists starting back before he was even nominated.

He questioned the validity of Obama’s birth certificate- which implicitly suggests that brown ppl are not really American. 

Then he created a campaign called “Make America Great Again” centered around building a wall and tightening immigration policies to keep non-whites out of the country- which fertilizes the seed that he planted- in questioning Obama’s place of birth.

Then he broke laws to permanently separate over 700 migrant children from their parents.

He banned Muslims from coming to our country.

He called for the death penalty of the Central Park 5 who were found innocent.

He has told tan and brown senators who were born in the US to go back to their country.

And he has called white supremacists “very good people”.

And that’s just a few highlights.  I could go on and on.

It’s not just a few questionable acts.  This is his pervasive pattern.

And it’s why he is the white supremacist dream come true.  

No previous presidential candidate has ever had the audacity- or should I say caucacity- to exude such bigotry and create such a hateful movement.

And yes, this movement is hateful.

If you’ve ever read emails from the campaign you know that it’s true.

Their emails say things like “The Left Hates You and what you stand for”.

And they subtly suggest that Trump’s base is a militia that must keep him in power at all costs.

So, when Trump told his followers to ‘come and be wild’ on January 6, they came ready for aggression and violence.

In his speech to them that day, he gassed their heads up telling them to “fight harder” and that they “are allowed to go by very different rules”.

Therefore, none of what happened was an accident.  It was precisely calculated.

The current president of the US is a terrorist of his own country.

And he has been banned from inciting further terrorism by private businesses who had rules in place against terrorism long before he was president.

We should be GRATEFUL that these companies have guidelines to protect us.

If a business thinks it’s ok to endorse terrorism- THAT is what we should have a problem with.

Not the other way around.

This has NOTHING to do with free speech.

And it has NOTHING to do with censorship.

It has EVERYTHING to do with respecting rules.

It has EVERYTHING to do with not inciting violence and terrorism.

Every company has rules in place to protect people and the company itself.

And they have every right to have these rules.

Any other day of the week, Republicans would be FOR businesses being able to make their own rules and policies.

They want businesses to have the right to do whatever they want.

Until they don’t like it.

That’s a double standard.

It’s the equivalent of being the kid who changes the rules of the game bc he’s losing.

It’s not a mature or healthy way to operate.

If you go into a restaurant and try to incite a riot, you will be kicked out fast.

And getting kicked out is not violating your right to free speech.  They have a right to not allow violence in their establishment.

As does any business.  Social media platforms included.

This is not the time to get paranoid about censorship.

Yes, things do get censored sometimes, but it doesn’t apply here.

When you violate rules or laws, there are consequences.  

That’s what is happening here.

Period.

Arresting a felon is not a violation of their rights.

It’s a consequence of their behavior.

My hope is that this felon gets arrested.

This has gone way too far.

The Entrepreneurial Dance: How Owning a Business & Dancing Salsa go together… and why everyone should do both

In November of 2008, I started my own business. 

One month prior to this new venture, I started dancing salsa and it became my favorite hobby.  

And looking back on it, I don’t think it was a coincidence!

I’ve since realized that they have much more in common than you might think.  In fact- I believe that they go together hand in hand and every business owner should dance salsa.  Here’s why.

Getting Started

Whether you’re starting your own business or starting to dance salsa, most people have no idea what it will take to become good at either one so they start off by taking shots in the dark.

New business owners envision themselves growing their empire rapidly and in simplicity.  The infamous “if you build it, they will come” is the mantra that speaks their truth.  

They create products or programs, build a pretty website, make business cards and put out a few Facebook posts, expecting people to come running in their direction with their wallets out.  But the chances of that actually happening are about the same as winning the lottery!

Similarly, in salsa, people think that the way to become a fabulous dancer is to just go out to a nightclub and start dancing.  They think that they can just teach themselves as they go along and everyone will be impressed.

But that never works! 

Salsa dancers (or ‘salseros’ as they are frequently called) rarely attend nightclubs.  That’s because salsa is a very technical dance, and only a tiny percentage of nightclub attendees actually know and understand the techniques.

In other words, when you go to a nightclub and hear salsa music come on, very few people on the dancefloor are actually dancing salsa!

Salseros are trained dancers and they don’t usually go to night clubs.  They go to dance socials.  

On rare occasions, a social will take place at a nightclub. But the majority of them happen at dance studios.  

Salsa Pro Tip: Hang out at a dance studio instead of a club!

The Entrepreneurial Dance: Carlos Gonzalez of Mambo Pa Ti

Location: Metamovements Dance Studio in Boston

 Gaining Momentum

In order to gain momentum, be it in business or salsa, you need to be willing to learn and get feedback.

The amount of learning and feedback you’ll need depends on your goals.

For example, if you’re just dipping your toe into the business world, a pre-recorded class for a hundred bucks might be enough to get you started with your first few clients or customers.

But if you’re serious about growing your business to 6 figures or more, you’ll need ongoing customized feedback from at least one mentor.  And you can’t get that from a pre-recorded class.

Business Pro Tip: Have at least one coach for every area of your business.

Similarly, with salsa, if you’re just testing the waters, you can get away with taking some classes at a night club.

But if you’re serious about wanting to become a good dancer, you’ll need to find a reputable studio and take classes ongoing so you can further develop your abilities and evolve as a dancer. 

Refining Your Skills

After you’ve built the foundation of your business and are generating income, the next steps are to tweak and refine.  

You’ll need to examine the primary components of your business to determine the areas that are strongest and weakest.

That means- checking in with your mindset, ideal client avatar, messaging, marketing strategies, conversion rates and other key performance indicators.

In the areas that are substandard, you’ll need to determine whether you’re able to make the improvement on your own or if you’ll need a professional to help you.

The same is true in salsa!

After you’ve taken some classes (probably a few months’ worth) you’ll want to start refining your dancing.

You’ll need to look at your technique, execution, musicality and your connection to your partner. 

Get feedback and recommendations from your instructor and partners who are more advanced than you then adjust yourself accordingly.

Salsa Pro Tip: Attend Latin Dance Festivals world-wide to learn from the highest-level instructors!

The Entrepreneurial Dance: Mambo Pa Ti Dance Company

Location: Boston SalsaFestival 2016

Standing Out in the Business Crowd

If you own a business, chances are that there are many others on the market providing the same service that you provide.  

Some might call these other companies your “competitors”.  

But the truth of the matter is, there really isn’t any competition in business.  The people who go elsewhere just aren’t your people.

Here’s why:

Of all the businesses that offer what you offer- no one else does it like you do!

Every business has a soul, character, personality and specific results that they deliver.  This is your brand.

The better you know and fully express your brand, the more soulmate clients you will naturally attract toward you.

How do you figure this out?

Look at yourself.  You are your business.  

One of the biggest spiritual lessons you will learn on the journey of entrepreneurship is authenticity.  Your business will not survive without it.  So be authentic!

Business Pro Tip:  Reflect- What is standing in your way of becoming more authentic in your business than you are right now?

Standing Out in the Salsa Crowd

When you go to a salsa dance social, you will usually see a lot of people.  Sometimes hundreds.  

But no two dancers are alike.  

Their energy, style and technique are unique to them.

Some of the dancers you see will stand out to you.

And some will inspire you. 

Others will be the ones that you feel called to dance with. 

The dancers that inspire you are reflecting back to you your own potential as a dancer and as a human.

The ones you want to dance with reflect your own energy for dance and life back to you.

Dancing is about authenticity too.

Truly dancing means making an authentic connection to the music, your partner, your body, your movements, your freedom, your creativity and all of the joy that you feel as you experience it all!!!

The dancefloor is like a playground…for adults!!!

And yes, it really is as thrilling as it sounds!

Salsa will bring out more of the real you- the fun you- that is the perfect complement to your entrepreneurial nature!

Salsa Pro Tip: Train with a dance team and take private classes so you can play full out on your playground- aka the dancefloor!

Mambo Pa Ti Dance Company at Boston Salsa Festival 2015

Why Business and Salsa are Best Friends

Owning a business you love will bring you autonomy, freedom, fun, growth and unlimited opportunity for expansion.

But at the end of the day, your business will bring you many challenges as well.  Which means- it’s very important for you to balance your energy! 

If you don’t balance your energy, you’ll end up feeling burned out and your business will suffer from your energetic depletion.  Not to mention, your health will suffer also.

Dancing- especially salsa- is a way to completely unleash all of your challenges and responsibilities and live carefree for as long as you are dancing! 

If I’m having fun at a salsa social, I literally forget that anything else in the world exists! And I’m not a unique case!

Dancing is a way for you to play full out in a dreamland that is completely care-free!  

That’s why I see business and salsa like the yin and the yang!

Final Conclusions

Business and salsa are both alike in many ways and also complimentary.  

The learning curve to mastering each one requires a similar process.

Both will encourage you to grow and expand in new ways that will thrill your soul!

So if you own a business, you should take up salsa!

And if you dance already, think about starting a business!

 Thank You for Reading! If you enjoyed this post, please share it with a friend!