Dessauer Group

A few months back I was in Aruba (I know, I know, tough life…) speaking to a group of real estate investors. My talk was mostly spent on delivering ideas that will help their business in the coming year. I also did an exercise called a SWOT analysis.  This is an exercise that helps business owners discover strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. It is a powerful exercise that helps the business owner and entrepreneur.  The analysis helps to develop a blueprint for exploiting strengths and opportunities, improve weaknesses, and prepare for threats.  Going through the exercise, I have noticed that other things typically arise that may be holding the entrepreneur back. The one thing I noticed in Aruba was self-confidence.

I have noticed that even though people are in business, or are going into business, they may not have the self-confidence that they should. Self-confidence is nothing more than being o.k. with some degree of failure. A person without self-confidence may ask, “what if I look stupid, or what will they think of me?” A confident person should be asking questions like, “What is the worst that could happen?” OR, “Will I ever see these people again if I fail?”

By the way, if you do see those people again, they probably have taken some pleasure that you have failed. It is unfortunately, human nature. These aren’t the kind of people that you want to be associated with anyway. That is the essence of where confidence is built, with the main ingredient being experience.

Experience teaches us that the stepping-stone to confidence, like success, is failure. My advice? Fail fast, early and often. Failure is your quickest way to self-confidence. If you have no self-confidence, you simply haven’t failed enough. I know that it seems backwards from how we should act, but trust me; failure is where I have cut my teeth.
Not only have I failed, but I also take full responsibility for it. I have trusted the wrong people, I lost money (a lot of it), I have made bad real estate deals, brought on the wrong partners, made bad decisions with my children, I let my health go, and the list goes on and on. But through it all, I have gained a lot of things through learning from those failures.

For instance, I am married to the absolute best person in the world. This is something that would not have happened had I not failed. Our companies are not only growing and thriving, but they are financially stronger than ever before. I watch what I eat and am exercising regularly (okay, don’t get too excited about that one, I started October 1st!). Finally, I am more confident about our future than ever in my existence.  Through it all, I am pretty sure that there are people out there that want me to fail. They are not achieving in their lives and don’t want to see anyone else do well either. There lies my fuel…

Three things I would like to have you think about with regard to what other people think. Other people’s thoughts are the corrosion to self-confidence, unless you use it to your advantage.

1. Respect yourself enough to walk away from anyone or anything that doesn’t serve you, grow you, or make you happy.

2. I believe we are who we choose to be. Nobody is going to come and save you. You have got to save yourself. No one is going to give you anything. You have got to go out and fight for it.  Nobody knows what you want but you, and nobody will be more upset if you don’t get it than you. Don’t let anyone come between, or interfere, with your dreams. By letting them do that you give them power that they currently do not (and should not) have.

3. The entire water of all the oceans of the world can’t sink a ship if the water can’t get inside. Just as all of the negativity of the world can’t bring you down if you don’t let it take over you!

A lack of self-confidence is an internal thing. It is internally based on external conditions that you assign value to. Take other peoples thoughts of you for instance…Forget about people that are going to judge you with your failures.  Their thoughts don’t and never will matter. They don’t know that you and your self-confidence are under construction. Believe in yourself and change the world.

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you make It.” – John Dessauer

Part of my daily routine is to make sure that I listen to people that not only motivate me, but empower everything I do. These are people like: Jim Rohn, Tony Robbins, and Wayne Dyer to name a few. I try to listen to a podcast or program from them daily for at least an hour. I find that it is time well spent as I find a lot of things they say I use on a daily basis.

Anyway, one of the things they seem to always talk about is the Law of Attraction. It is a subject that I am not unfamiliar with myself. In my second book, The Alchemy of Wealth, I talk about that quite a bit. But I have noticed some things lately that I want to make clear to you.

First, you cannot control the world. What people, governments, economies do are none of your concern. Who cares?! You shouldn’t worry about what you can’t control. For example, the economy is messed up. Who cares, I cannot control that. But, I can prepare, and take advantage of what the poor economy brings as far as opportunities. Stop bitching and take action! What you can control are your thoughts and actions. Focus on that, and only that and you will be fine no matter what happens.

Second, negativity is contagious! Remove all aspects of negativity from your life. Negative people, ideas, and talk, spawns more negativity. As one of my favorite books, The Science of Getting Rich says, don’t concern yourself with problems, concern yourselves with solutions. Negative people are lazy, and associating yourselves with them will cause you to be as “diseased” as they are.

Negative people are not hustlers. That is why they take the easy road. Are you hustling or being negative? Hustlers don’t have time to be negative because they are busy achieving and not letting “other” influences affect them. That means that your responsible, nobody else. There is no one else to blame for failures but yourself. I’ve noticed unsuccessful people don’t get how failures, used correctly, are the seeds to success. It’s not what happens to you that’s important.  It’s what you do with what has happened to you.  Remember, you control your own destiny.

Finally, as you start to become successful or achieve success, people will come after you. Prepare yourself for that. Protect and defend against the malicious and ignore and brush off the ignorant. Success and the road to it will attract people that will try to tarnish, harm and ultimately destroy what you are achieving. Focus, and you will find that the best way to get even is to use their acts as fuel to drive yourself to the next level. Success is not a destination, but a progressive lifestyle. Now go out and just kickass!

“Remember, wealth has nothing do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you make it!” – John Dessauer

September 27, 2012

Haiti is a place that I have been to many times before. I wanted to keep a journal this time to record our daily activities, so that I could share them with you. I went to Haiti with Martel Alliance and Hope for Haiti. I am honored to be involved with both organizations.

My Trip to Haiti
10:00 AM: Flight from O’Hare International Airport, Chicago, IL to Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

On the flight I was thinking about the fact that I was missing my college homecoming this weekend. I particularly wanted to not only go to the parties and football game on Saturday, but wanted to see Dr. Cornell West speak Friday night on Social Injustice. He was speaking there because, not only was it part of a year long program about Race and social equality, but it was also the 27th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s acceptance of the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award that he received on that very campus.

I thought about that a lot on the plane and how ironic it was for me travelling to one of the most impoverished nations on the planet. I thought about how Dr. King might have treated the situation in Haiti today, and others areas of the world, which are victims of social injustice in their own right.

12:30pm: Arrive in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

I have two beers with the leaders of the team at the hotel lobby bar. We make plans to meet up with the other 16 people (all Canadians) for dinner in the lobby at 6:00pm

3:00pm: Listen to a 1 hour talk given by Jim Rohn on the principles of success…then take a 90 minute nap.

6:00pm: Meet the team from Canada down in the lobby and have dinner, going over the schedule and planning for the next 48 hours. We then coordinate all the school supplies that we brought down for distribution for the kids. It’s close to 10:00pm, I head upstairs to my room, answer a few emails, call Heather, and go to bed. The alarm goes off at 4:00am

September 28, 2012

4:00am: Wake, Shower and get down to the lobby with my backpack, ready to go to the airport to fly to Port Au Prince, Haiti.

6:30am: Scarf down some fruit and coffee and board the plane to Port Au Prince, Haiti. On the Plane, I listen to more Jim Rohn regarding the principles of success. Wondering how what I am listening to could apply to the Haitian people.

8:30am: Land in Port Au Prince Haiti. The newly built terminal since the earthquake in 2010 is a vast improvement from what I remember (my last trip was 2008). Our three armed bodyguards escort us, and the rest of the Canadians, out of the airport to our passenger van. If you have never been to the Port Au Prince airport, it is a little overwhelming. As you leave not only are hundreds of people asking if they can carry your bags for money, but they are almost desperate in their begging.

We loaded the vans and started our journey to Gonaives, Haiti; this is about a five-hour trek.  The trip is only 100 miles, but the condition of the roads makes travel more difficult than what we are used to. We had several stops, and went through some very desperate areas of Haiti. The several “tent cities” that we passed were mind-blowing. The country is still affected by the 2010 earthquake that killed about 800,000 people. After the earthquake, many charity groups, news teams, etc. rushed to help.  Now, they were gone. It is almost as if the Haitian’s were forgotten about, just because the newness of the situation was over.  Much was still to be done…

2:00pm: Arrive at an orphanage built by Hope for Haiti.  Hope for Haiti was started by our good friend Scott Bonnell.  This particular orphanage houses about 25 children, most which were left alone after the earthquake. Martel Alliance, headed by Steve Martel, donated money to the orphanage to finish building the facility.  This included a roof, railings and a few buildings (one used for cooking, and a small first aid center. We ended up touring the facility (when I say facility I mean four cement block walls with a tin roof), serving the kids lunch, and then eating ourselves.  I had an inner battle accepting and eating the food that they provided for us.  Knowing that they are so poor, and yet so proud to serve us lunch (which was delicious). It was a very cool experience as we sang songs, and watched the children open their gifts.

5:30pm: Exhausted from our day, we arrive at our hotel (Hotel Paradise; Gonaives).  This is not a hotel like we would find here in the United States.  It is clean, but only has the bare essentials. I shower, take a short nap, and try to call Heather several times with no avail. The cell coverage and Internet service has been skittish at best. I head downstairs at 7:00pm to meet the others for drinks and dinner.  Their drinks included their Haitian beer and Rum.  Options for dinner included chicken, goat, rice and plantains.

7:00pm: We head to the hotels 12-foot high fenced-in courtyard. We drink a Haitian beer called Prestige and rum called Barbancourt. While we are waiting for dinner to be prepared, we review the day and discuss how things could change in Haiti. We discuss things like the local government, lack of Internet service, and how to create jobs and opportunity for Haitians.

11:00pm: It’s now getting late, and after eating I head to my room for a good nights rest.  My alarm clock will be sounding at 6:00am for yet another day in Haiti.

6:00am: Alarm goes off. Shower, get dressed, have a banana, energy bar, and a bottle of water.

7:00am: Jump into the van and head out for our 2.5-hour journey to Anse Rouge, Haiti. It is a very rough journey, as we cross mountain ranges on paths that in no way resemble our modern roads. These are basically paths mostly used by people on Enduro off-road motorcycles and jeeps.

During the way, I noticed how much Haiti has to offer with respect to biomes. It goes from desert to jungle then back to desert and finally to beach. It is very cool and diverse. We passed through many towns along the way also illustrating Haiti’s extreme poverty.

10:00am: We arrive at Anse Rouge where we are building a comprehensive village. There will be fishing cooperative and homes. Our first phase is 40 houses. Thirty have been completed since June. This is pretty impressive for an operation so remote with not a lot of resources. As we drive up to the villages, the new houses out shadow, the old shanty’s and huts, that the people were living in before. The first to come running out are the children. They are clapping and singing songs.

As I get out of the van, I have goose bumps. It was worth the trip for just that moment. I pause, soak it all in and for a moment; everything seems to be good in Haiti. But, that moment quickly subsides when I consider, we are making a small dent in the massive need that Haiti, and frankly other areas of the world need.

We walk through the construction of the homes, check their progress and make plans for the rest of the fishing cooperative. We figure that we can make the village sustainable if we can “teach them to fish” in a way as they can sell these fish as enterprise to other parts of Haiti. An enterprise that on the surface seems much easier than it really is. Haitians work to survive, not for business success. However, the thing I like that they have is a hard work effort, pride and passion. Long term, I feel they will not only survive, but also thrive.

12:30 pm: We leave the fishing cooperative village and head to the Good Samaritan Orphanage in Anse Rouge. This was a facility that was just discovered by our good friend Scott Bonnell from Hope to Haiti. They have 34 kids that share seven beds. The seven beds are basically pallets with sheets. Quite jarring.  The children have one meal, three times a week.  Again, quite jarring. A lot of the orphanages have popped up as a result of the massive casualties of the earthquake in 2010. You can find these types of situations all over Haiti.

Our next mission is to help the orphanage to get beds and provide meals on a regular basis. We strategize as far as budget and monies needed. It takes about $1500 per month to support an orphanage properly like that. The beds will cost around $10,000 to outfit the facility properly for all of the children.

The children sang songs and we handed out different colored watches for them to have. Their eyes and faces changed as they had just been given a gift of prestige in their eyes. That is the glimmer of hope that I have for Haiti.  It is “that look” when they see their new house, or receive a small gift. That is the opening for the future. It was almost as if the watches were a symbol for “time for change”.

We toured the rest of the facility as it was getting late. We would now be driving back in our van the 7.5 hours back to Port Au Prince. Part of our journey back would be in the dark, when safety becomes a little more of an issue. We stopped a couple of times for gas and water without issue. We finally arrive at our hotel that was built for the UN Soldiers by the airport.

10:00pm: Arrive at UN Hotel by Airport in Port Au Prince, Haiti. We had a large table where we gathered for dinner. We discussed the things that Haiti desperately needs for change. We came up with three ideas.

1. Clean Water – Water is Life.

2. The Internet (Country Wide) – Look what that has done for countries like China, India and the Philippines. The Internet would provide: expression, knowledge, communication and maybe most importantly, a business platform.

3. Governmental Change – Not an easy thing given the country’s history. Nothing sustainable as far as growth can happen without a good leader. While it seems like the government is improving, it has to stay that way for future success.

12:00am: Finish my sandwich and head to my room. Wake up is coming at 6:30am for our flight back to the US.

6:30am: Alarm goes off, shower and head to the restaurant to meet up with others. Drink a bottle of water and eat a banana.

8:00am: Check in for the flight to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Port Au Prince International airport has 5 screening points, not just one. It does take some time to get through to board the plane.

10:00am: Plane takes off to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

12:00pm: Arrive in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.  After going through customs, and saying goodbye to most of the group, we head to the Hilton in Dania Beach to have lunch and debrief from the trip. My flight isn’t until 9:30pm to head back to Chicago. We talk about the successes of the trip and make plans for the future and what our action plan is. We break and I am left at the hotel until my flight.

3:30pm: I take a nap until 5:30 where I wake, shower and write about the trip. I check and reply to emails until I head to the airport for my flight to Chicago.

9:30pm: Board my flight to Chicago O’Hare airport.

11:30pm: Land and finally get to see Heather. I hugged her until she popped. Realizing what we, and I have with life.   When you go to a place like Haiti that has nothing, coming home is jarring.

My final thoughts…

I can’t help but go back to the thoughts I had about social justice going into the trip. I feel like I have played a part in that. Social justice should not be a scenario that you turn on and turn off. It is a constant thing. My advice? Pick an issue, and stand up for it. There are so many. Animal rights, hunger, clean water, gay rights, race, etc. Picking an issue makes your human experience more vibrant. It makes your time here on earth more valuable.

In business I would ask you if you add value to the marketplace? With social justice, I would ask you if you are adding value to the people or animals that are deprived of basic rights? And it doesn’t have to be in Haiti. There is opportunity in every part of the world for social justice, and probably even in your own backyard.

I think the world needs more people to make a difference in not everything but in something. Together all of these “something’s” become everything! After all, it’s time for a change!

I’ve taken some videos and photos, Please click the links to view!                                 Orphanage in Anse Rouge, Haiti or Fishing Co-op in Anse Rouge, Haiti

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you make it!” – John Dessauer

How to Analyze Apartment Building Financials

When you first look at a property, especially a multi-unit or commercial property, you will usually be given a list of income and expenses. This is a good place to start but should be only a starting point for several obvious reasons. Before you commit too many resources to any due diligence, you should ask for a full income statement from the seller. Oftentimes the list of income and expenses can be deceiving, either for intentional or unintentional reasons.

If the seller does not have an income statement (and small real estate investors do not have monthly, quarterly or even annual income statements) then suggest the seller give you copies of their income tax returns for the last 2 years. The income tax return is probably the most reliable source of financial information. Most sellers will not provide tax returns until after a contract is signed because they want to know the buyer has at least committed to signing the contract.

When you do sign a contract, you should insert a provision that within 10 days of signing the contract, the seller has to provide copies of the two most recent years of income tax returns for the property. Of course, if the seller is an individual, the return will be a Schedule E from his IRS Form 1040. If the seller is an S corporation, it will be an IRS Form 1120S; and if the seller is a partnership or LLC, it will be an IRS Form 1065. Do not be afraid to ask for a signed copy.

It is important to cross-check the income statements you received before you sign the contract to the tax returns you receive after the contract is signed. If there is a difference, you obviously must ask the seller about the difference.

How do you analyze a tax return? You will probably only get specific pieces of a tax return. If you are dealing with a sole proprietor you will probably get a Schedule E. It is really important to get more than one year so you can make some comparisons. If you are dealing with an LLC or an S-Corp you want to obtain IRS Form 8825, Rental Real Estate Income and Expenses. Schedule E and IRS Form 8825 are very similar.

What should you look for? First, start by looking at Gross Rents. Compare last year’s rents to this year. Did the rents go up or down? If the rents went up was it due to an annual increase in tenants’ rents or were there fewer vacancies? If rents went down, were there additional vacancies or are tenants no paying their rent timely? You should find out when tenants’ leases are going to expire.

Next, you should look at expenses. Was there an increase in advertising? This may be an indication that there were vacancies attempting to be filled. Look at all the expenses. Do any of them jump out at you as being excessive? If so – which ones? Pay close attention to repairs. Were there any major repairs? What about maintenance? Are there any large items in maintenance? If so you need to prepare a list of questions for the seller. Do not be afraid to ask questions, it’s the only way you are going to find out what’s going on. Do not try and guess as to what happened.

How do you determine the cash flow from looking at a Schedule E or IRS Form 8825? You start with the net income or net loss on the forms. It would be line 26 for Schedule E and line 21 for IRS Form 8825. To this number you want to add back depreciation, amortization and interest expense. This sum will be a good indication what this property’s cash flow is before debt service. Next you need to determine what your monthly payments are going to be and if you need to borrow the funds to buy the property. Banks generally require you to come up with 20% as a down payment. The term of a rental real estate property loan is usually 20 years. If the loan payments are less than the cash flow then this property should produce a positive cash flow. If the loan payments are greater than the cash flow you will know to walk away from this property.

Making the decision to purchase an apartment building is a large commitment. You need to make sure that what your being told as to what the numbers are actually in reality what they are. Do not go by someone’s word or what they have written down. Getting good at analyzing apartment financials takes practice. In time, you will be able to go over the numbers with ease.

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you make it!” – John Dessauer

Net Operating Income (NOI) seems to be the buzzwords that people talk about when they are talking about a particular real estate investment. I just wonder if most people know what it is or how to calculate it? In either case, it is one of the most important things to consider when investing in real estate.

NOI is the residual that is left after you take the operating income (rents, laundry money, fees) and subtract out the operating expenses (taxes, insurance, maintenance, management, etc.).  Investors sometimes make mistakes when considering what should be included in the operating expenses. Because the value of commercial real estate is established by using the NOI, including items that should not be in there is detrimental. Novice investors make two very common mistakes:

1. They Include Debt Service: Investors should not be including their debt service, or annual mortgage payments in their operational expenses. Mortgage debt is not an operational expense and if included minimizes the NOI which could lead ultimately to a lower value.
2. They include Capital Expenditures: Capital expenditures are basically “one time” costs that are not included in the operations of the asset. One time costs are things like, new windows, a new roof, or a new parking lot.  By including capital expenditures in the operating expenses, you are lowering the NOI, hence lowering the value.

NOI is important in analyzing properties because it is used directly or indirectly in some key formulas. Formulas such as Cap Rate, Cash Return on Investment, Total Return on Investment, and Debt Service Coverage Ratio all use NOI in some form or fashion. It is not only used in establishing value, but also in building strategies to increase value.

Increasing value in real estate, on purpose, is called forced appreciation. When you force the appreciation on an asset you are doing specific things to drive its value. In commercial real estate, that is done by increasing the NOI and there is only two ways to do that.

One, raise the overall income by raising rents, fees, etc… Two, you can lower expenses. In either case, you increase NOI. It is something that investors need to continually do throughout the life of the asset. If you focus on NOI, you will not only increase the value of the property, but increase your cash flow as well.

When looking at NOI of a property that you are considering buying, I would analyze for the previous three years. Make sure that you look at the trends with the NOI, such as, is it increasing or decreasing and why. Make sure you look at the strategies that you are going to be using to increase the NOI compared to what was done historically at the property.

Finally, look at the NOI of properties that have sold in your area of focus. Notice the things that make up the NOI with those properties compared to how you will operate yours. NOI is the sleeping giant of real estate facts. Make sure you don’t under estimate how important it is!

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you make it!” – John Dessauer

I was speaking recently in South Florida when I realized that maybe the very topic I was talking about was on greater proportions than just the audience I was speaking to. I was speaking about the idea of competition versus creativity. This topic is not new to me.  I covered it in my second book, The Alchemy of Wealth.

The whole idea of competition is that of comparison. Unfortunately, comparison doesn’t go far in solving problems or getting past upcoming challenges. We often utilize competition as a way for us to motivate individuals in an academic arena, athletics, and business. I think we inherently lose the ability to grow when we expect to provide results by competition.

Instead, I believe our world today, needs  a large dose of creativity instead of competition. Being creative instills in us a need for true strategic thought. Results by creativity are a great way for academics, athletics and business to invent new pathways in order to achieve goals. Competition only breeds comparison. Creativity sparks innovative ideas that aid in things like research, the winning of championships, and even producing a new world economy. In business, here are three ways that creativity will help you:

1. Creativity Re-Invents You. I can’t think of one individual who hasn’t been challenged by the downturn in the economy. I certainly have experienced my share of challenges and have had to be creative in my approach to things like debt, real estate, business development, sales, etc. Heather, my wife, and I have implemented a creative approach to those challenges and it has made a significant difference in handling challenges. Creativity can mean the difference between survival and thrival! Ask yourself, how could you get creative to propel yourself, or your business, past current challenges? If you don’t have that answer your mission is to find someone that does.

2. Creativity Provides More Energy to the Business Owner. Creativity is something that is unique in our universe. Although un-measured, I believe it actually creates energy, or better put, it actually gets new energy from reserves (since energy can be created or destroyed for all you science buffs). Competition is energy draining and something that most businesses see through increased expenses and reduced profits. There is no better example of creativity in business and how it benefits them financially than with companies like Google and Apple.

3. Creativity is fun. I struggled with this one somewhat. I have been competing all of my life and have had some really great moments. Through collegiate athletics, business, and life I have had some great times competing. However, it’s not until I truly think about the most fun and rewarding times in my life that I realize they happened through creating!  These include my children (no pun intended), writing books, starting businesses, and having the absolute best time of my life creating the relationship with my best friend and wife, Heather (I didn’t just do that for the brownie points:) )

The next time your stuck in business or do not know what to do to solve a problem, go into think tank mode. Create your way out, and into a new stage of prosperity. You might just find yourself among the great creators of our time.  Now that would be an accomplishment!

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you want to make it!” – John Dessauer

I have wanted to write this particular blog for a while. I think that most entrepreneurs are interested in what things will make them successful. I have comprised my list of 3 tips for a Successful Business.

First, forget about being an expert. You need to understand that business is separate from the very thing you are an expert on. Business skills are critical to your success. Most people think that they will be a success if they just focus on what they are an expert on. Well, if that happens, typically any venture would be short lived.

Make good use of your team. While you’re at it, make sure your team is good. Set up an annual budget and stick to it. Stay out of debt as much as possible and know where your money is going and how it is coming in. Focus on your business, not what you’re an expert on (shoes, consulting, real estate, etc.).

Most of my mistakes that I have made in business, and there have been several, have been because of this principal. I did not, or the people that I had in place did not, focus on good business strategies. This is one item that I have changed in my business life, and it has made a huge difference.

Two, expect a level of difficulty that you’re not familiar with. Most people when starting a business do not expect the level of difficulty that usually comes. You must stay the course and continue to take action in working toward your goals. That is easier said than done.

When you are just starting out as an entrepreneur, you get hit with all kinds of challenges. Those challenges typically overflow into your personal life. To overcome this, you must be committed to staying the course, have balance through healthy stress relievers and stay positive through it all.

Try to eliminate all sorts of negativity in your life and you will notice that your challenges dissipate quicker. Your stay at the level of difficulty is up to you. Remember, what doesn’t kill you makes you and your business stronger!

Finally, Make what you do enjoying and fun.  If you don’t enjoy what you do QUIT NOW. Life is too short to not enjoy what your doing. Life is a gift, why destroy the opportunity to be happy by enslaving yourself to a routine that makes you miserable.

That last paragraph is something that stops most people from being happy. It’s not that you can’t be happy, it’s that you won’t be happy! And that my friends, is the scoop to success not only in business, but also in life!

“Wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure, and life is as simple as you make it”! – John Dessauer

I had the opportunity to work with some colleagues a few weeks ago in Florida. They were a husband and wife team from Russia. Throughout my trip I found out a few very interesting things.

They were brought up in a country very different than mine. But was it really that different? As I shared with them the idea of tornado drills we had as a kid, they shared with me the idea of the preparations they had with regard to nuclear bombing.

I explained the idea of fallout shelters and the hope that if the Russians had bombed us, we could somehow survive underground until it was safe to go out. The Russian government had propagated that we were “evil” because of capitalism.  I explained that there was a fear that because the Russians were “evil” we would be wiped out by them. We had one caveat however. We could launch just enough bombs to annihilate them. As we were discussing this absurd idea, Oksana was making a chicken dinner.

When you are eating chicken, it is most efficient to eat it with your hands. It was there as we were all eating with our hands and doing the almost barbaric things that you do when you eat chicken (the techniques and noises that you create as you are getting all of the meat off the bone) with your hands, I realized an important thing. We are the same.

How could that be? Here in America we were given information that our ideals as a country and a people were so different. Over two decades after the cold war officially ended, people still carry some curiosity of Russia regarding their people, governments, and beliefs. Well, one of the shocks for most people after meeting Russians or anyone else for that matter is that we are more alike than we are different. That realization comes with tolerance and perspective.

Tolerance and perspective as we grow older seem to be traits that we lack in two things: government and everyday people. Tolerance is the art of accepting people for who and what they are. Understanding our differences is the art of applying diversity that we all possess as humans, in order to solve the worlds problems. Perspective is looking through the eyes of that diversity and understanding that those differences usually highlight our similarities. We do not do that enough.

I hope that as we continue to make strides in business, healthcare and world hunger we not only identify our differences, but our similarities. As we discover news ways to treat some of our most troubling diseases, such as Cancer, we know that we are treating human kind and not just one particular group of people.
In addition, we need to keep these ideas in mind when we are considering race, National origin, religion, and/or sexual orientation, among others. I see us continuing to not use tolerance and perspective when considering groups of people.

Remember that as you are creating your new plans for business or your career. It probably goes against the grain of what many people think about to use tolerance and perspective, however, it may be the best tool you can you to create a business that thrives. A path less traveled that will bring you different results!

As dinner was ending, I had mentioned to Gary (Igor), Oksana’s husband, that I had a birthday coming up. He mentioned he did to. We found out that we were born on the same day and the same year. The only difference: Gary in Russia and me in the United States. I knew I had to write this blog.

Remember, “wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to with failure and life is as simple as you make it!” – John Dessauer

It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.

“Remember, wealth has nothing to do with money, success has everything to do with failure and life is as simple as you want to make it.” – John Dessauer

A Guest Blog By: Heather Dessauer

A few weeks ago John and I had the pleasure of traveling to Phoenix, Arizona for work.  While we were only there for about 5 days, upon my return home I realized that it had become Fall.  The leaves had not only changed, but had also started to fall off of their branches.  The smell of Barbeques and sun tan lotion was now replaced by that “Fall” smell (everyone in the Midwest, or East knows what I’m referring to.  If you haven’t ever smelled “Fall”, it should be bottled and sold!).  Now it’s very possible that this change had been happening for weeks before I left, but sometimes when we remove ourselves from a situation, everything becomes more evident!

I was born and raised in NW Indiana, and although in my early 20’s I saw that as a curse, I now understand the blessing of growing up here.  The ability to enjoy the four seasons is a real pleasure.  When I was younger it meant being able to swim in a pool or lake, and a few weeks later to be jumping into piles of leaves.  It wasn’t a few weeks difference that we (my brother and I) were sledding down hills and having snowball fights (mostly my dear brother throwing snow in my face!).   When I was young, the season change meant I better find a new way to keep myself amused!  As I have gotten older, it means so much more.

I lost my Father on November 8, 2004.  I was 24 years old.  For about two months my life came to a screeching halt.  When you lose someone that is such an integral part of your life, nothing is ever the same.  This was the first year that I didn’t enjoy Fall.  I didn’t enjoy the leaves changing colors.  I couldn’t see the beauty in the first snowfall.  It was, by far, the worst couple of months of my life.  Although by the age of 24 most people feel that you should “have it together”, I did not.  Losing my Dad made me realize that I better get it together, and start getting some things done!  One of the lessons I learned very quickly was how valuable life is and how fast it can be taken away from you.   Floating along taking things for granted and waiting for things to happen was no longer going to be acceptable.   It was from then on that the seasons took on a different meaning for me, and so did life.

John and I have the pleasure to travel all over the world and meet all sorts of incredible people.  I absolutely love to meet new people, and talk to them about what they enjoy.  I am often saddened to hear about what makes my new acquaintances happy.  I hear a lot about material purchases, or new business ventures.  I don’t hear nearly enough about how they have found “success” in having a happy family, or a providing a loving home.  So many people are so consumed with keeping up with their neighbors, or just surviving, that they don’t take the time to sit back and realize everything that is important is already right in front of them.  I do understand that everyone finds pleasure different ways, but in my opinion there is nothing more important than family and love .

So from 24 on, my life changed.  Now, I love deeper, appreciate more, and work harder.  I realize that any day could be my last.  I work harder for what I want, and don’t take for granted what I have.  I forgive more, and forget less.  I love my family so intensely that I truly don’t know how I could breathe without them.  I never go to bed mad.  I never, ever, ever say the word hate (my Dad raised us that it was far too intense of a word to use for anything, saying “hate” in my house was as good as cussing).  I am thankful for every person that is in my life.  I donate to every animal shelter I can.  I’m always willing to help someone, no matter what that entails.  I embrace the simple pleasures of life.

So as the season changes again, I want you to look at this as a new beginning, both personally and professionally.  Let this be a new start for you to spend more time with your kids, or proceed with your new business venture.  This can be a time for you to “start fresh”.   Take a different road, or even a different turn.  Forgive yourself for mistakes made, and find solutions instead of problems going forward.  Appreciate all that you have, and understand how valuable it all is.  What are you thankful for?