National Breast Cancer Foundation - Hamden Plaza Fundraiser

On the last weekend of October, we hosted our fundraiser for The National Breast Cancer Foundation in the Hamden Plaza. It was an awesome event in which we surpassed our goal. We had 15 volunteers help out and talk to people in the Hamden Plaza about Breast Cancer, raising awareness and money. We had volunteers strategically scattered in pairs around the plaza; catching people as they came out stores, stopping traffic, and surveying the parking lots. People of all ages donated what they could.

I’d like to specially thank The Pacific Bar and Grill who allowed us to set up our station outside of their business. The staff at The Pacific Bar and Grill also helped out by each individually donating money to the cause. The Saturday of the event, inconveniently coincided with the huge snow storm that caused record breaking power outages in Connecticut, but that didn’t stop our volunteers from toughening it out and serving.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer once said, “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know: The ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

Here are a few cell phone pictures from the event.

Setting up the table outside The Pacific Buffet and Grill

Decorating our station and preparing for the day.

Braving some of the inclement weather conditions.

Ryan and Volf standing their post (in the middle of the road).

The Volunteers.

Caribbean Sun

Two weeks ago, The Maine House Group enjoyed some fun in the sun at the El Conquistador Resort in Puerto Rico. We arrived at San Juan International Airport around 9am and caught the shuttle to the resort which was about an hour away. The resort was on an ocean cliff with breathtaking views. The resort had everything from restaurants and shops to a golf course and water park.

On Friday night we enjoyed a buffet pirate-themed dinner on Palomino Island. The following morning was the charity dodge ball tournament. Despite being heavily favored to win, our team unfortunately was humbled in the first round on some questionable line calls. But, no excuses, the best team won the tournament and we’ll be back next year. It’s always nice to have a little break from all the hard work and enjoy a little relaxation time in the Caribbean. Check out some of the pictures.

The view from the room. There were three pools over looking the sea, one with a volleyball net.

Palomino Island on Friday night for the pirate themed dinner on the beach. 

Part of the team posing for a picture in the corridor after a few meetings.

The dodge ball teams gearing up for a Four-peat. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

Inside the connecting shuttle to the waterfront rooms.

Arriving on a boat to Palomino Island for some swimming and some lunch on the beach. Aside from a few jelly fish, it was a near perfect afternoon.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

“Five, Four, Three, Two, One, at the buzzer…  Score!!” These words have probably been uttered in hundreds of languages by millions of children over the course of centuries. It’s the back yard triumph in which you envision yourself in the big game, with the fate of history resting on your shoulders, the enemy of time winding down, and finding a way to prevail in the most dramatic fashion. As we grow older we lose that. We lose that sense of vision, the big dream, the imagination. We get sucked into a world that we learn to be reality and get stuck in it without ever figuring out how to expand it. The way to build your reality into something larger is by continuing to think, talk, and act big.

Why can’t we take the same attitude we had at age seven, and apply it to our lives today? Why don’t we dream of landing the large account, or handing in the Pulitzer Prize winning column seconds before the deadline, or performing a successful organ transplant to save a life? That mentality can be applied to any field and could be the difference between stagnation and rapid advancement.  This past weekend, a group of young women reassured me that thinking big isn’t just about a pipe dream you have growing up in your driveway. Watching the U.S. Women’s Soccer team defeat Brazil on Sunday (which by the way was a 10 on the goose bump scale) was a great reminder that larger, seemingly unrealistic levels can be achieved with focus and belief.

Here is a link to a great article about the team’s triumph on Sunday. http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6756058/a-summer-fairy-tale  

You Can If You Think You Can

From Dan Bird's morning meeting on The Winning Mentality:

You Can If You Think You Can
A poem by C. W. Longenecker

If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't
If you like to win, but you think you can't,
If you think you'll lose, you're lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow's mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise,
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.

The Underestimated Foundation

Often times as we look to improve our businesses, we tend to focus on the skills necessary to do it. We discuss the mentality that is necessary to carry a heavy load and persevere; we talk about the planning and preparation required to execute a game plan. One thing that is frequently overlooked is the importance of character. In order to excel in anything, we must be constantly looking to improve our character and live our lives with the utmost integrity. Here are some points regarding character that we can use to reflect on and remind us of the foundation of successful people. This is from a California based radio segment called “Character Counts.”

A person of character values honesty and integrity and pays whatever price is needed to be worthy of trust, earning self-respect and the pride of family and friends.

A person of character plays fair even when others don’t and values no achievement unless it is attained with honor.

A person of character has strong convictions, yet avoids self-righteousness.

A person of character believes in the inherent dignity of all people and treats everyone with respect, even those whose ideas and ideologies evoke strong disagreement.

A person of character deals with criticism constructively and is self-confident enough to take good advice, admit and learn from mistakes, feel and express genuine remorse, and apologize graciously.

A person of character knows what’s important, sacrifices now for later, is in control of attitudes and actions, overcomes negative impulses, and makes the best of every situation.

A person of character willingly faces fears and tackles unpleasant tasks.

A person of character is consistently and self-consciously kind and empathetic, giving generously without concern for reward.

A person of character feels and expresses gratitude freely and frequently.

A person of character is not defeated by failure or dissuaded by disappointment.

A person of character seeks true happiness in living a life of purpose and meaning, placing a higher value on significance than success.

Winning in Eastern Standard Time

The other night, I was flipping through the channels confused as to why I couldn’t find the Lakers game on NBAtv. The game was slated to start at 10:30pm eastern time, so I subtracted three hours as usual and started searching for the game at 7:30pm. About 45 minutes after completely losing my attitude, I realized that I relocated to Eastern Standard Time about four months ago, and 10:30pm actually meant 10:30pm. Good times.

With a little over two hours left until the game started, my wife and I started watching The Biggest Loser on NBC. The Biggest Loser is a show where people who’ve become obese over the course of their lives for various reasons, compete to lose the most weight, and in turn, save their lives. Often emotional, the contestants fight week after week to survive on the show and continue their quest to be the “biggest loser.”

During this particular episode, the group of roughly twenty contestants were broken into two teams of ten. As the teams sat down for their meetings, I was intrigued as to how the leaders of the team would rally the troops.  One of the teams was made up of about four or five parents, and the other four of five were their children, most of which were in their 20’s. As they began talking, the parents became emotional at the thought of their children being sent home in defeat. They all decided to sacrifice for their children and intentionally “throw the weigh-in” by gaining weight. By doing this, they secure a spot for their children to stay on the show in the event that they end up as the losing team for that week. This was supposed to be a great act of sacrifice, something to be praised and respected. So then why was I squirming in my seat as I watched this travesty? It was because this group of “competitors” was so willing to accept defeat. Why enter an arena of competition if the stakes are too high for you to handle? Vince Lombardi said it best, “if you can accept losing, you can’t win.” Simple, and to the point.  

As I sat there trying to convince myself that what the parents did for their children was inspiring, I couldn’t help but think of the countless times I’ve read The Law of Victory, heard “winners find a way to win,” and watched Kobe Bryant rally the Lakers from a fourth quarter deficit to victory. Winning is everything.

I envisioned putting myself in the shoes of one of the parents on the show. I could teach my child one of two lessons. I could teach them that no matter what, I’m always here for them to help them get through tough times. Or, I can teach my child that no matter what you do in life, you do it to the best of your ability. You lay everything you have out there on the floor, and do everything in your power to succeed. You give 100% effort night in and night out, so that despite the outcome, you can lay your head on the pillow at night with no regrets. This winning mentality makes all the difference in business. When it’s all said and done, the battles we endure to reach our vision will leave the floor that we play on drenched. The winning mentality will be the difference between it being drenched with tears or drenched with champagne.

“There is one thing that can erase doubt and alleviate fear; one way to end rhetoric and settle disputes. It’s the sole means by which promises are kept and legacies live. It’s not money; it’s not love, either. It’s not hope, not heart, not drive and not talent. It’s winning.”  -- Unknown Author

Attitude and Mandela

Last week, Declan O’Donnell ran a morning meeting where he discussed Nelson Mandela’s 8 Lessons of Leadership. Since it is Black History Month, I thought it was a very fitting subject. When you hear a story of a person numerous times it can lose its luster, until you put everything into perspective again. In our business, the two most important things that will drive an individual to success is their work ethic and their ability to consistently maintain a positive attitude. It’s very humbling, almost embarrassing to see how badly we struggle at times at maintaining our attitudes and persevering through tough times, when you hear stories of great leaders in history such as Nelson Mandela. Here was a man who stood up against apartheid, which legally implemented racial segregation in South Africa. Mandela led a non-violent group that protested the government. He was sentenced to life in prison for treason in 1962. After serving 27 years in prison, Mandela was released in 1990. With every legitimate excuse to be bitter, hostile, or give up on the vision he had three decades earlier, Mandela picked up right where he left off. Apartheid was abolished three years after his release. Mandela won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 and was elected President of South Africa a year later. Now, what were we saying about the bad day we were having at work yesterday? You see where I’m going with this. Hearing about these great leaders in history is always inspiring and can help us put our day to day struggles in perspective. Here is the link to the 8 Lessons of Leadership by Nelson Mandela. Thanks to Declan for running a great meeting last week.