The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Gandhi’

Interviewee Name: Tracy Matthewman

Company Name: Tracy Matthewman, Network Marketing Sweetie

Website: http://www.TracyMatthewman.com, http://networkmarketingsweetie.com

 Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Tracy Matthewman: I come from a corporate IT background, so I worked in IT for 15 years. After I had my daughter I had an opportunity to stay home and work for myself so I jumped at the chance. I started off doing web and graphic design and within a year or so I quickly moved into the internet marketing realm. Marketing has always been a love of mine, and the fact that it was mixed with internet and technology was right up my alley, so that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Tracy Matthewman: I brand myself so my website is TracyMatthewman.com which is my name. You go on that site and you basically see a picture of me at the top and in the content I create, every thing that I do, I am basically just myself. I make videos and when I write I don’t worry about whether it’s perfectly grammatically done. Obviously I try to make it sound proper so people can understand it, and I pay attention to spelling errors, but when I write or go on video I talk as if I am talking to someone one-on-one.

As an example, I did a video on a tip that keeps my blogging regular, and my daughter was in my office with me when I was making the video. She was very quiet, over the other side sitting in a chair. Toward the end of the video she came and sat in my lap and I could have stopped the video and started again, but it’s really about me and part of me is that I have a daughter and I work from home, so I allowed that part of the video to continue. I continued to speak, I gave her a hug and she was in the video. It was bringing my personal life into my business to some degree. People know I’m a real person and they get to know and relate to me better. 

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it? 

Tracy Matthewman: My down time is on the weekends, Thursday and Friday nights. Weekends in the summer, most of the time we spend at our cottage, so I’m in the woods by the lake. I’m living in this little house that doesn’t have all the luxuries of a traditional house, so I am living more in nature, so that’s one thing I do in my down time. I read a lot of business books, which doesn’t seem like downtime but for me it is because I love learning, so if I’m learning something, I’m really happy.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Tracy Matthewman:

1. To be present. This is a hard one because we are always busy. My brain is always on overdrive, so when I’m talking to somebody, when I’m doing something, I’m trying to train myself to be in the present moment. So right now I’m in this interview, I’m focusing on my words, and I’m focusing on your words. I’m being present in this interview trying to give everything I can. When I’m talking to friends, I really listen to them. I pay attention and try to give as much good feedback or energy back into that conversation as possible.
2. Having balance is one I mentioned before, spending equal amounts of time in all areas.
3. Setting goals that aren’t too big. I have struggled with this one. I set a goal that’s huge because Donald Trumps says to think big. Thinking big is great but when you set a goal that’s so big and you don’t accomplish it, and you do it again and again you get really discouraged. So I’ve started to set smaller goals that are achievable but still a reach for me, but not so big that when I don’t get it I become disappointed because after a few times you start to think of yourself as a complete failure. So it’s important to set smaller goals whether they are weekly monthly or even yearly. If you are only making $50,000 and you want to make a million dollars by the end of the year, that’s probably going to be a stretch. Set realistic goals with a certain amount of reach that will make you stretch a little bit.
4. Choosing to be happy which I mentioned already. When you’re feeling miserable, one of the tips I heard from someone is to look up to the sky, or if you are not near to a window, look to the ceiling of your room and smile as big as you can. A big, huge smile on your face and just stare at the ceiling for five or 10 seconds and that will help you to instantly feel better. Choose to be happy instead of waiting to be happy is important.
5. Saying no to things that are just going to distract you. Pick one or two things to focus on, and this is in terms of business, anything else that comes up you have to say no to, so you focus on the one or two goals and get them to where you want them to be. Learning to say no is a huge life lesson for people to learn.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Tracy Matthewman: One thing I do is communicate with my audience quite a bit, and I also ask them questions. I can do surveys or I can just look at their feedback. I always encourage comments on my blog, and so with that I get ideas. I also look at trends that are happening in the market place, and I listen to what other people are saying, and what other people are doing, and I look for trends in those types of activities.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Tracy Matthewman: “Be the change you want to see in the world” by Gandhi. This is ultimately my favourite quote because there are so many things in the world that I wish I could change, and the first step to changing them is by changing my own actions.

Avil Beckford: How do you define success? And in your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Tracy Matthewman: Success to me is the three areas that I previously said. In the wealth area, you have to be happy with the amount of wealth you have in your life. It’s not the first thing or the priority. In this country that we live in, this area of the world, if you don’t have a lot of money you may struggle, and a lot of money is relative. But if you do not have a lot of money, you’re unable to help other people as well. One thing I truly believe in is that if you have the capacity to make more money to help more people, I feel it’s the obligation of the individuals who have the capacity to do that – to put out into the world what they can, to get back so they can help people who may not have the opportunities that you or I or other people listening may have.

We have a lot of capabilities and just sitting back and watching those talents go to waste, you’re not helping anybody, and you’re not helping yourself, or the planet. Health is also a big thing because if you have all the wealth in the world and your health is terrible, what kind of life is that? But if you have your health and no money, that’s not much fun either. The last one is happiness and that’s where other aspects come in like balance, less stress, being emotionally and mentally stable, being spiritual and giving back, all those other things that are more for the soul. I think those are the three main things we should focus on in balancing our lives and when we do that our lives will be filled with abundance.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Tracy Matthewman: Ongoing learning and doing. I’m a doer and usually when I go to any training program, or buy a new training program, I’m drooling at the mouth to start learning it and then when I’m done, and usually before I am done, when I’m going through chapters and modules I usually implement things right away. The step is to first learn how to do something and then implement it right away. If and when you fail, learn from your failures and implement again. That’s the only way you’re going to get better.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Tracy Matthewman: Find something you love doing and figure out a way to make an income from it. And incorporating that with giving back to the world, we should be helping people or helping the planet. If I look at my own story, I love marketing and I love technology, and I’m a logical thinker. I come from a programming background, to take that element of my natural talent, combine it with marketing which is something that I really love, and combine that into a business that helps people. It doesn’t matter what your love is, somebody is out there being successful doing it, so it’s just a matter of figuring out what that is and how to do it.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Tracy Matthewman:

• Albert Einstein because he was one of those people who was looked at by society as a little bit crazy, yet he turned out to be brilliant and changed the course of humanity.
• There are some other people who again when they first came out with ideas they were often looked at as out of the norm of society and those are the types of people who create revolutions and transformations on the planet. I would say something to those types of people and it would be, “Thank you for being you! Thank you for being unique because your uniqueness changed the world.”

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Tracy Matthewman: There has been a lot just looking at my library right now. One book which had an impact on me is UnMarketing: Stop Marketing, Start Engaging by Scott Stratten. That was an excellent book and I realize that today’s marketing arena is so much more personal. It’s not the advertising it’s more based around a relationship experience or a personal touch. That book brought that home for me.

Another book I read a long time ago is The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: A Fable About Fulfilling Your Dreams & Reaching Your Destiny. That book started me on the personal development road and it made me think differently because before that time in my life I was brought up as an average thinking person who didn’t have any sort of personal thoughts going on in her head. I led a fairly normal life. My parents weren’t necessarily all that encouraging of me to do whatever I wanted to do in life. It’s was “why don’t you become a secretary?” There was nothing really inspiring in my life. That book completely changed the way I think and the way my life was responding to my thoughts.

Avil Beckford: You are one of the 10 finalists on the reality show, So, How Would You Spend Your Time? Each finalist is placed on separate deserted islands for two years. You have a basic hut on the island and all the tools for survival; you just have to be imaginative and inventive when using them. You are allowed to take five books, one movie and one music CD, and whatever else you take has to fit in one suitcase and a travel on case. What would you take with you and how would you spend the two years? T he prize is worth your while and at this stage in the game there really aren’t any losers among the 10 finalists, since each are guaranteed at least $2 million? 

Note from Avil: I have changed this question a lot, so Tracy’s response is to one of the many iterations of the question.

Tracy Matthewman: I would make a little hut, have camp fires every night, eat coconuts and bananas, make friends with the monkeys, braid my hair, soak up the sun, walk barefoot on the sand, make or build something that took a long time because if I’m going to be there for two years I need something to keep me going for a while so I don’t get bored – something intricate and detailed.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Tracy Matthewman: What excites me is change. I love change and one of the things that I definitely want to do before 2014 is to move to another country. I have set that date for myself. To me, that’s a big change, and it excites me. For some people, those types of change are way too scary. So I love change and I love new things, and obviously those are closely related.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Tracy Matthewman: Recently with meditation and reading books that help me to get to know myself better, and also taking part in activities that are helping my personal mission in life. I mentioned my favourite quote, “Being the change you want to see in the world,” so I nurture my soul by being that change.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Tracy Matthewman: I would use it to change the dream of the Western world because the Western world right now is into consumption, and we feel like we have to have all this stuff, and because of that huge demand for stuff, it’s actually destroying our planet. And if I could change one thing it would me that dream that everybody have this idea in marketing that tell us we have to have all these things. So if we could change that dream of consumption to something that would help the planet, that would be great.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Tracy Matthewman: At the cottage in the hammock looking at my daughter barefoot playing in the sand.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed

Interviewee Name: Warren Salmon, CEO

Company Name: First Fridays & Black Board International

Website: http://www.firstfridays.ca, http://www.ashaware.com/home.html

Warren Salmon – Your Invisible Mentor

Avil Beckford: Tell me a little bit about yourself.

Warren Salmon: I was born and raised here in Toronto, from parents of Jamaican and Scottish descent. I went to Ryerson and studied computer science. I also went to York and UBC and took business courses. I am self-employed from I was in university in the technology field. I currently have a software company called Black Board International. I also run a networking event called First Fridays, which I have the trademark for in Canada. I have First Fridays in Toronto and Montreal and looking to expand to other cities as well.

Avil Beckford: How do you integrate your personal and professional life?

Warren Salmon: They are quite integrated. The events I do for example are events if I wasn’t holding them I would be going to. It allows me to be exposed to a lot of things that are going on in the community, and around the city that are of interest to me on the social side of things as well. I’m able to mix business with pleasure.

Avil Beckford: What’s a major regret that you’ve had in life?

Warren Salmon: Nothing major comes to mind but I could have taken a few more risks, gone out on a limb for some business opportunities.

Avil Beckford: What are five life lessons that you have learned so far?

Warren Salmon:

1. Integrity is very important so don’t do anything that’s going to compromise your integrity.
2. Be truthful.
3. Work hard.
4. Treat people with respect.
5. Be humble when it comes to accomplishments when dealing with people.

Avil Beckford: When you have some down time, how do you spend it?

Warren Salmon: I spend a lot of time with the family. I’m a father of two children, so I spend a lot of family time. I attend different events that are going on in the community, socialize a bit. I pay attention to my health so I like to work out and I enjoy the outdoors as well.

Avil Beckford: What process do you use to generate great ideas?

Warren Salmon: Reading, and observing society in general. Living life certain ideas will jump out at you and if I’m observing people noticing things that could be done better generate new ideas, better ideas and also seeing things that are going on in different cities. That’s how I got the idea for First Fridays, I came across it while doing business in the US and we didn’t have anything like that in Canada so I thought this was something we could use here.

Avil Beckford: What’s your favourite quotation and why?

Warren Salmon: “Winners never quit” because it speaks to what it takes to be successful. It takes hard work to be successful, and also when you face adversity and challenges and the only way to be successful is to overcome that adversity and not quit.

Avil Beckford: How do you define success?

Warren Salmon: I define success in terms of happiness and I would also say adding value to people’s lives. I think that’s the biggest form of success, whether you are teaching people or contributing to their lives in a positive way, I’d say to me that’s the biggest form of success.

Avil Beckford: In your opinion what’s the formula for success?

Warren Salmon: Finding something that you’re interested in, your passion, and doing the best that you can, whatever task that is, or business or service and I’d say working hard and having a goal and working towards meeting that goal.

Avil Beckford: What are the steps you took to succeed in your field?

Warren Salmon:

• I got a fairly decent education, going to university helped me to think and learn how to approach things.
• Coming up with a vision and in my case it was different products and services, and working hard to develop those products and services and continually working on improving them, and sticking to the plan and continuing to work and grow those businesses.

Avil Beckford: What advice do you have for someone just starting out in your field?

Warren Salmon: Education is a key component, so get as much education as you can. Look at people who have succeeded in that field whether they are mentors or role models and look at how they got to where they got to. So look at what path they followed, what steps they took and operate with integrity, believe in yourself, and work hard.

Avil Beckford: If trusted friends could introduce you to five people that you’ve always wanted to meet, who would you choose? And what would you say to them?

Warren Salmon: I would ask them similar questions that you are asking me.

1. Barack Obama
2. Martin Luther King
3. Malcolm X
4. Jesus
5. Gandhi
6. Nelson Mandela

Avil Beckford: Which one book had a profound impact on your life? What was it about this book that impacted you so deeply?

Warren Salmon: The Autobiography of Malcolm X As Told to Alex Haley. Quite a few people have mentioned that book as having a profound impact on them – like Spike Lee. The book was very eye opening and it talks about looking at things from a different angle, and it puts a lot of things we see in society into perspective. It causes you to think and rethink a lot of things we’ve been taught about what we see in society.

Avil Beckford: If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are five books that you would like to have with you and why? Summarize the book in two sentences.

Warren Salmon:

1. The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley
2. I would take a book on survival about how to survive on a deserted island
3. The Bible
4. The Quran
5. Humorous book to help me keep my sense of humour
6. Book on meditation

Avil Beckford: What one music CD and movie would you like to have with you (on the deserted island) and why?

Warren Salmon: My favourite music growing up was Parliament Funkadelic and the movie I would take is Cast Away with Tom Hanks.

If you cannot view the YouTube video of Parliament Funkadelic click here.

If you cannot view the YouTube Cast Away trailer click here.

Avil Beckford: What excites you about life?

Warren Salmon: Beside stuff relating to family, it’s meeting interesting people like yourself and other people who I am fortunate to come across through the journey of life.

Avil Beckford: How do you nurture your soul?

Warren Salmon: I meditate. I’ve been meditating for over half of my life and it’s very grounding and calming.

Avil Beckford: If you had a personal genie and she gave you one wish, what would you wish for?

Warren Salmon: Peace on earth. I wish we would treat each other better and in a more positive way. There is so much waste of life, in so many ways, in so many societies. I wish we would be better people to each other.

Avil Beckford: Complete the following, I am happy when…..

Warren Salmon: Spending time with my children, and watching their happiness.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Book links are affiliate links.

I was watching mind movies on You Tube and in one of the videos I saw a great quote by Gandhi, which I have included below. If you cannot view the video click here.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

I thought what a great quote and decided to share it with you. When you read that quote what does it mean to you? And how can you live that quote? For me, I have to learn how to live more fully, but I have the second part of the quote covered. Anyone who reads this blog regularly know that I am a great supporter of continuous learning.

Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please comment. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

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