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| Life and Times of JWN |
"The Go-Zone"
I would like to briefly discuss the concept of getting in "the zone" this week. It is an essential component of finding "success" in your pursuits in life. If you can put yourself in this trance of focused energy, your efforts will be more fruitful and fulfilling. This week a friend of mine sparked an intense session of "zone time" with some of her words. When I get in this state I do my best to not let its power slip through my fingers. In fact, I ended up writing for hours, finally going to bed in the wee hours of the morning. This particular evening was what I dubbed a "Really Think" moment, a concept which I will feature in more depth in a later issue. NOTABLE: There are multiple "zones." The most common is the "Go-Zone," and the one I will discuss today. It is characterized by a focused, positive energy directed towards your current activity. The other zone is the far less common and deeply reflective, "Really Think" moment, where the world takes on an incredible vividness. Both zones have meaningful places in our lives. "So Joseph, how do I get into the "Go-Zone?" When I have a particular task to accomplish, I tap into the "Go-Zone" by immersing myself in its content. For example, if I have a series of important phone calls to make, I will first list who needs to be phoned and the purpose of the call. This includes notes or homework I've done on each person, as described in my article, "Make a POWERFUL Impression." Then, I visualize how each conversation will go in a very positive way. This step is essential because it gets you ready to succeed. If you do not truly believe it will happen, then it won't happen. QUOTABLE: "If you think you can do a thing or you think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford Then, once I've put myself into the right mind set with these initial steps, I just do it! I make the calls and I make it happen. The "Go-Zone" can be tapped into for every task you embark on. Let's review the process: 1) Immerse yourself in the content. Know what you need to accomplish, how you're going to get there, and why. 2) Prepare yourself for success by visualizing a positive outcome. 3) "Just do it!" Make it happen for yourself. If you prepare yourself for important activities by getting into this mind set, your tasks will be accomplished quicker and with higher quality. It all comes back to my philosophy on "being present," whether that is during a conversation or completing a task. When you're there, be there! Check back for more insight on "Really Think" moments, the "Go-Zone's" deeply reflective cousin. "Really Think" moments create the concepts and ideas that change the world. Always my best, ~JWN |
Monday, August 13, 2007
Letter from the Editor
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Joseph Norman
Joseph Norman
Slightly outdated bio below... :)
“To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Personal Philosophy
Make a consistent positive influence on the people and communities I associate with every single day and have fun doing it!
In a Nutshell:
Joseph graduated in the Spring of 2008 from the State University of New York at Geneseo with a Bachelor of Arts in English and from the College Honors Program. He is currently a writer, real estate investor and entrepreneur in Rochester, New York.
Joseph is Co-Founder of Bigger Impact Weekly. Through this publication he has established relationships with countless community leaders, and developed and refined his written voice on leadership, personal and professional development. In addition to his writing and private sector work, Joseph remains connected to the Non-Profit community through his work with Melissa’s Living Legacy Teen Cancer Foundation and the Freedom First Real Estate Investment Association.
Leadership & Personal Development:
Since about 2001, Joseph has been a personal development and leadership junkie. A frequent attendee of leadership conferences all over the nation, he has developed his unique skill set through practice and self reflection. He is fueled by an infectious positive attitude and a passion for getting the most out of himself and the people around him.
On June 20, 2008, Joseph graduated from the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce’s ten month leadership development program, Leadership Livingston. He is the first student in New York State to graduate from a program of this kind.
Cynthia Oswald, Chamber President, Joseph, & Carl Lutz, Chairman of the Board
An avid reader, some of Joseph’s favorite authors include; John C. Maxwell, Hal Urban, Napoleon Hill, Ken Blanchard, Dale Carnegie, Stephen Covey, Daniel Goleman, Robert Kiyosaki, Jeffrey Gitomer, Timothy Ferriss, Jim Collins, Lance Armstrong, Donald Trump, James J. Cramer, and Keith Ferrazzi.
For the most current articles I'm writing visit:
Writing & Public Speaking:
Joseph began to refine his voice on personal development through the production of The VIP Profiles which is now Bigger Impact Weekly. Since its inception, he has published numerous articles and has delivered workshops on Effective Networking, Personal Finance, Leadership and Personal Development. In the Fall of 2007, Joseph was the Keynote Speaker at the FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) District 8 Conference. In the Spring of 2009, he delivered the Keynote at the Windsor Central School District National Honor Society Induction ceremony.
Global Citizen:
Joseph sparked his initial interest for world travel when he took advantage of an opportunity offered by his alma mater, Windsor Central High School, to live with a family, the Santamaria’s, in San Ramon, Costa Rica for three weeks. This experience taught him the importance of developing a global perspective.
Since this time he has continued his international adventure! In the fall of 2007 he traveled with a group of community members from Livingston County to Ghana, Africa. Their goal was to begin establishing an international relationship with the New Juaben municipality in the Eastern Region of the country. On that trip he became an honorary citizen of the Town of Effiduase and was a guest of honor at the Akwantukese Durbar, a tremendous cultural celebration!
In the spring of 2008, Joseph voyaged with a group of fellow graduates from SUNY Geneseo to explore Switzerland and Northern Italy.
Personal:
Joseph currently resides in Rochester, New York. He grew up in Kirkwood, New York, graduating from the Windsor Central School District in 2004. After four years in Geneseo, he now holds a B.A. in English & Comparative Literature from the State University of New York at Geneseo.
Hobbies: Reading, writing, real estate investing, running, weight-training, quotes, entrepreneurship, mentoring, and building and maintaining his network of relationships. Previous activities that he pursued and needs to get back into his life include singing and acting; although he does still enjoy a good Karaoke Night.
Joseph is the son of Deborah and Jack and the youngest of three men. Jack, 30, is a Software Engineer in Orlando, Florida and Chris, 29, lives in Greenwich, Connecticut and is a Clinical Care Nurse at Yale-New Haven Hospital – both are successful and inspirational in their own ways!
Contact Information:
Joseph can be reached at Joseph.W.Norman@gmail.com.
Personal Mantras:
“Our words will always do one of two things, build people up or tear them down.”
“Proper preparation leads to powerful performance!”
“Dress the part you want to play and speak it too!”
“Make it happen!”
For the most current articles I'm writing visit:
Articles:
Reconnect
Competitive Advantage
First, Best, Only
Success is a Choice
How to Nail Your Interview
What’s Your Self Image?
Small Talk for a Big Effect
Mike Raszeja
Mike Raszeja:
A Café Conversation
By: Joseph W. Norman
Mike Raszeja is a Western New Yorker with a wide range of experiences. He served in the Army during the
VIP Fact Sheet: Mike Raszeja
- Has a lovely wife and two children; a son, 33, and a daughter, 27
- Thanks to his daughter and her husband, his wife and he are expecting their first grandchild in February of 2008
- Is an avid golfer – his first exposure was for a physical education requirement in college
- Attended the
- Worked a little over twenty years for Kodak
- Purchased and ran Aldon Corporation in
- Loves to travel the world
- Enjoys studying investing and finance; is involved with the American Association of Individual Investors (AAII)
- Has a penchant for politics
- Chaired the Public Policy Committee for the
- Has a great sense of humor and enjoys some good joking around
Mike on his experience in sales and marketing for Kodak:
“What was interesting is I would go on sales calls with people. A lot of times I think people would think, “Oh boy, here comes another sales guy.” Then, we would get into a conversation about what their chemical needs might be and all of a sudden as we were talking they realized that it wasn’t another sales guy talking, it was another chemist. So, we were having a technical conversation and then their expectations of what I, and what Kodak, could do for them was raised. It was interesting on Kodak’s part that they took the chance on moving a technically trained person into that kind of environment. In this particular case it worked out for them and for me. That was a great opportunity.”
Mike on tragedy:
I always marvel at people who experience a tragedy, because you have two choices when that happens. You can rise above it and learn from it and really accomplish stuff, or you can just wallow in it for the rest of your life and say, “Oh, woe is me.”
Mike on business ownership:
As a business owner, if you get there at 6 AM and there is a truck that needs loaded and nobody is there, you load the truck. If the floor needs swept and nobody is there, you sweep the floor. There are no limits to how many hours you work when you run your own business.
So, if you are going to run your own business, you have got to have a good work ethic.
The good part is you end up having good people working for you. It is interesting to help them in their lives by paying them a decent salary and ensuring that they have a good job. You also get to learn a little bit about their families along the way – which is fun too.
JWN: What was your experience like at the
MR: I served under Steve Newvine. I have an interest in politics, so I led the sub-group on public policy. We got to go to
We discussed micro verse macro economics. At the state level, they chose to disregard long term debt, so it was one of our more memorable meetings.
I really got a kick out of working with the Chamber.
Mike on playing golf:
I’ll give you several recommendations on playing golf,
1) Make sure that you take lessons
2) Don’t listen to your friends
3) Make sure that you buy golf clubs fit to you
Your friends will try to teach you how to play golf. They think that because they’ve played for five or ten years they know how to play – but they don’t.
The number one is to take lessons though.
JWN: What was your experience like at Kodak?
MR: I was there when they were in their hey-day. There were 62,000 people working there. It was a wonderful company to work for because they truly rewarded people in a positive way. If you did a good job or things over and above the ordinary, they would do such positive, special things for you.
I worked in product development for many years, and then I got an opportunity to get involved with management. I began work for a subgroup that was responsible for selling chemicals. You can trace back to George Eastman’s time, selling chemicals outside the company.
I worked in a management position in marketing for this subgroup. It was really wonderful. Right about that time, our part of Kodak was being downsized and the assets sold to Fisher Scientific. I had the opportunity to work at a different part of Kodak, but at the same time, two guys who ran a chemical company in
Mike Raszeja
Former Kodak Employee
Former Owner and CEO of Aldon Corporation
Former Board Member of Livingston County Chamber of Commerce
Avid Golfer
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