Find A Way

When we try we can always Find A Way to make it happen.  

Take a few moments to read these verses, 

‘Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.  - Luke 5:18-19

These men were carrying the paralytic, probably 6-10 men.  They tried to get through the crowd so this guy could be healed.  But they could not get through.   

Then they started looking for another way to get him in front of Jesus.  All of a sudden one of them said, “Let's take him up on the roof and lower him in!”  

That's when doubt started to fill some men's hearts.  They said no it will never work.

Now there were only 4-5 men left to help.  One went up on the roof and started making a hole. While a few others rigged up a way to get the paralytic up on the roof. Yet another was working on making a way to lower him down. 

I’ll bet that one stayed by the man telling him what was going on.  Kind of like a sports announcer, “Jim made it up on the and has found the perfect area.  Now he’s starting to remove the covering. Oh, Ben and Mike found a couple of long poles and they’ve got them in an A to lift you up.  Here comes John with some rope.”

Can you feel the excitement of what's happening?

All of these people are working together for a common cause!  

Here’s what I see that you might not have noticed, or maybe you did.  None of these men who are left would take no for an answer.  

When the crowd wouldn’t let them in they looked for another way.  Then after that didn’t work, they kept looking and kept looking, and kept looking. Until finally they found a way that worked.  

Too often when things get tough we give up.  We throw in the towel and say, “I can’t do it.” or, “It can’t be done.”  

The truth is that it can be done!  

If you have faith that God is working through you then you can do anything!

Today we want to encourage you to never give up.  When things get tough you have to get tougher and Find a Way to make it happen.  

Never Give Up!

With God all things are possible. 

Prayer:

Lord God, we come to you today to ask for strength.  Strength in staying strong even when things don’t go as we plan.  Strength when we can’t seem to Find A Way.  God we know that you are great and we know that all things are possible as long as we have you in our lives.  Know that you are using us to help you and we are so grateful that you chose us for your mission.  Help us to know that you are here to help us.  Just like the stonecutter who took 101 swings at the stone and nothing happened, then on the 102 swings, the stone shattered and you gave him an amazing geode. What would have happened if he would have stopped at 50, 75, or even 101 swings?  He never knew how close he was until it broke open.  Help us to have that same strength to Find A Way to never give up.  Lord thank you for everything that you have done for us.

Amen

Getting out of Your Comfort Zone

When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone on purpose?

For me, it happens almost every day.  Not always in huge grand gestures, like the first podcast I was on, or the first newsletter I created, or the first person I hired. 

Some days it's as simple as making a new recipe for dinner, or changing the pen I use to write with or wearing different shoes.  

You get the point.  

Every day I step out of my comfort zone, on purpose.  

You're probably asking why would you do it, Dan.  What’s the point of making yourself uncomfortable?

The truth is that when you step out of your comfort zone you are MAKING yourself grow.  And when you do it on purpose you get to determine where you grow.  

Think about it.  If you want to get better at speaking in public the best thing you can do is get on some other platforms, go get interviewed, or go out and talk to a group like toastmasters.

If you want to get better and introduce yourself to new clients you might start by saying “hi” or, “how are you today?” To complete strangers in the store or on the street, or in the restaurant.  The next time you go out to eat tell the waiter a little about yourself.  Work on your introduction with complete strangers.

When you don't take action on purpose, then you might get uncomfortable in a direction you might not want to go in.  

Either way, the good Lord has a way of pushing us out of our comfort zone every once and awhile.  

One question I get a lot is, “Dan why are you always pushing your comfort zone?”  

My answer is fairly simple. I push my comfort zone because I want to grow. I like to always be moving forward.  The best way to move forward is to push yourself.  

Here are some tips to help you get out of your comfort zone

• Make a list of something that you would like to be able to do in the next year.  This helps because if you don’t know what you want then it's extremely hard to start moving in the right direction.  

Some ideas are: be able to talk to strangers, start a podcast, be able to go live on Facebook or IGTV, talk to the opposite sex, create amazing presentations, speak in front of 50,000 people, ect…

• Start small.  If you want to be able to speak in front of people don’t start in a high-pressure situation.  What I mean is that if you've never been able to talk in front of a group don't organize a huge event and throw yourself into it as the keynote speaker.  

Start smaller, like a group of 2-5 people having drinks.  Then move up to a small group of non-judgmental people in a local organization (like a Grange meeting), next do a presentation for some kids (like your local school on your career, or a group of 4-H kids), then organize your own event and invite a small group of people like 10-25, then get on someone else's platform/event and speak to their group.  Last is to get in front of larger and larger groups until you are comfortable with it.

• Don’t wait, start today.  One of our biggest issues as humans is that we allow our fear to rule our actions.  

When we are afraid to make a video and publish it, we have a tendency to put it off until we tell ourselves, “oh well I guess we just weren't meant to make that video.”  instead of that do it right then and there.  

When I first started recording videos on my phone it was terrifying!  I mean to tell you I was scared out of my freaking mind.  It was so hard to hit the record button.  Then after I shot a few, it was even harder to post them.  

After I posted them I started to get feedback.  Some peers commented on the videos encouraging me to keep spreading the knowledge.  Fast forward to now, a year later, I am fairly comfortable making those videos and don't even think twice about posting them.  In fact, I would really encourage everyone to follow my youtube channel.  

• Share your struggles.  It's tough to share where we struggle.  For some reason, we are hard-wired to think that others don’t have the same struggles as we do.  

We think that our older brother has it all together when really they depend on us to help them, and we depend on them to help us.  When you share where you're struggling it frees your mind to focus on what you need to do to move forward.  

I remember after we finished building our house, my brother, a great diesel mechanic, told me how much he admired that I could just design something and go build it.  It wasn’t a skill that he had, but he wanted. 

So what did we do?  

We started by working together to build a tack room in his barn together.  I took lead on the project, making sure he knew exactly what was going on.  

We sat down together and designed the room, made a material list, got the materials, and started building.  He was WAY out of his comfort zone the entire time and nervous until he could see the end in sight.  Then we knew he could do it.  

You wouldn't believe what happened next.  

He called and said, “Hey I need to build a deck and stairs out of my back porch, I have the plans drawn up. Would you come to look them over?”  

He gained so much confidence by stepping out of his comfort zone one time that he was ready for more!  When you share your struggles it's easier for others to help you.  

If you never share them how will anyone know what you need!

• Before and after pictures and comparisons.  For the longest time, I didn't believe in these.  Until one day my wife, unknowing to me, took a picture of our craft area in our house before we started organizing it.  

Then she snapped an after picture when we had completed the project and got the workstations built and it was all organized.  

WOW, what a difference we made in just a few short days.  By having something to compare so you can see just how much better you became by stepping out of your comfort zone.  

Those before and after comparisons give you encouragement to keep stepping out, again and again.  When I look back to the first videos that I shot a year ago to now, what a difference!  I learned where to look, when to shoot, lighting, and so much more.  

Never compare yourself to anyone other than who you were yesterday!

• Find an accountability partner/group.  When you have someone else that knows your plan they can help you keep moving in the right direction.  

A good way is to set up a zoom call weekly with a group so that you can all help keep each other accountable for where you want to be. 

This one scares a lot of people. 

If you handle it right, it's not a bad thing at all.  In our group, we never judge.  When someone doesn't meet their goals for a week for stepping out of their comfort zone.  

We all ask what we can do to help, or simply give them support by helping to see how far they have come and that they can do it because they have done so much more in the past.

Hopefully, these tips will help you take uncomfortable action in the very near future.  

Let me know if you want to join our accountability group I would be more than happy to chat and see if you would be a good fit for our group.

Accepting Recognition

One of my worst traits is that I’m not good at accepting recognition when I actually deserve it. 

I know you’re thinking wait, what, how can you not accept the recognition you deserve? It’s not always that I don’t accept the recognition but I don’t let others know about the recognition that is deserved.  

I’ve never been good at bragging about myself or my own accomplishments. I know this is the exact opposite of the norm. Most people end up taking credit for someone else’s hard work. I’ve just never been able to do that. In fact, I’ve tried so hard not to do that I end up not getting recognition for what I’ve actually accomplished.

One example in a recent meeting with a new manager I was asked what is it that you do when you travel? My answer was simple, “I talk to the drivers about their Hours of Service and see what issues they are facing. This helps me to determine the real issues we are dealing with in the field.”  

What I should have said was, “When I travel I do my best to spend time with every driver to see what concerns they might be having and how I can help.  It’s great to spend time with them around the job site so I can personally see what issues they are facing when it comes to compliance with regulations and policy. I like to have the employees in the field help determine several solutions to any concerns that we might have found. After the drivers, foreman/superintendent and I find a couple of possible solutions I bring them to the division managers’ attention over a casual meeting.

I also take advantage of the time in the field to give the drivers vital training that they might be missing. This includes Hours of Service, Telogis, and other DOT related facts they might need to know.  

By being in the field I can see their equipment and what kind of condition they keep it in.  If there are any issues that need to be addressed, I address those while on the job site. I have found many different concerns as severe as employees who were not authorized to drive a company vehicle, who were driving, to something simple. Without going to these job sites there’s no way we would have ever caught these issues until they were stopped by law enforcement. 

Last, of all, I do my best to build relationships. This is helpful because in the future when I need something from that division they are more willing to help. Also when they have a question they are more likely to call and ask. These are just a few of the items on my checklist when I travel”

What do you think, which answer is better? The second one of course. It gives a full explanation of what I’m doing and what I’m accomplishing or attempting to accomplish while I’m out there.  It gives me the full credit for what’s actually happening.

So why didn’t I say that during the meeting? Who knows. The real question is how do I fix the issue? I have started utilizing these 5 simple steps to help me.

1.    Pray before, during, and after. I have started asking God to help guide my conversations, this has helped me immensely. Before I would finish a conversation and think, oh man I should have brought this or that up. Now I know that my conversation went exactly how it was supposed to. 

2.    Listen to Listen. I have been working on this myself for quite some time now.  When someone talks all too often we listen only to answer.  I suggest that we listen to the whole question, take a deep breath, and then answer. When I try to compose the answer while they are still talking I might miss an extremely important part of the question. Also, they might be giving me acknowledgment for something that I’ve done and I miss it because I’m not really listening.

3.    Take a deep breath. I pause for a few seconds before I answer the question. This helps me to get my thoughts put in the right order and helps me to take the credit that’s due.

4.    Be honest. I don’t exaggerate my answers at all, if I’m not doing something I don’t lie and say that I am. On the other hand, if I am doing something I make sure to mention it in detail. 

5.    Tell them everything. If I feel that it’s not important I say it anyway, that one simple detail might be what sets me apart from my colleagues. Or even better it might spark an idea in someone on the team.

Don’t be afraid to take credit for what you’ve done. That doesn’t mean that you brag about it every time you get the chance, or take control of every meeting so that you can boast about every little detail.  When you’re asked don’t be afraid of the truth, you’ll be surprised exactly how much recognition you already have just from what others have seen you accomplish. Keep in mind that you are not THE team you are a vital PART of the team!

Thanks

Have a Blessed Day

Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse

No, I’m not talking about the clearinghouse where they show up at your doorstep and give you a giant check for 1 million dollars.  This is the FMCSA Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse that took effect just over a year ago.  

On Jan 6th, 2020 the FMCSA started the clearinghouse, and every company that has CDL drivers had to start pulling annual queries on all of the CDL drivers.  

A TON of companies have already done this for the drivers, but if you’re not one of those, then you are already out of compliance and there’s no way to fix it.  

Here’s what you can do.  Don’t wait another day to get this done.  Head on over to https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/ and get started by setting up your company and also pulling a limited query on all of your drivers today.  

Some of the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) are:

• What is the Clearinghouse?

The clearinghouse is one of the last items passed during Obama’s last term as president.  It took effect 1/6/2020 and is set to remain in effect until further notice.  It is a database where all drug and alcohol violations are stored for all CDL drivers.  When a CDL drivers fail a drug test the results are then entered into the clearinghouse and that driver will not be able to operate CDL vehicles until they have completed a Return to Duty drug test with negative results (meaning that the test comes back negative for drugs and alcohol in their system).

• Why do I have to pull a query?

Because it is now a federal regulation that you have the results of a full query before any CDL drivers may operate a CDL vehicle for your company.  It is also federal regulation that you need to pull an annual limited query for all current CDL drivers for your company. 

• How much does it cost?

Both a full query and a limited query will cost $1.25

• Can I do it myself?

Of course, you can do it yourself.  It is fairly easy and you get the results back almost instantly.  If you need more help don’t hesitate to reach out to us so we help get you set up and ready to go.

• What’s the difference between already employed drivers and new drivers?

There’s not much difference except for with the existing driver you run a limited query and with new drivers, you need to run a full query.  

The limited query only requires a consent form to be signed and in the driver file.  While a full query requires the driver to log into the clearinghouse and give the company permission to view their results.

• What are the penalties if I don’t do it?

The Penalties are pretty steep.  They are treating any clearinghouse violation as though it is a drug and alcohol violation.  This means that if you don’t have the query back in your hands before allowing the driver to operate a CDL vehicle then it is the same as if you didn’t conduct a drug test and get negative results back before allowing them to operate a CDL vehicle for you. 

Fines usually start around $5,000 for those types of violations.

• How much should I pay to have this done?

Honestly, if you use our driver file service we include the clearinghouse pull for free.  You only get charged $1.25 for the query itself.  We have seen a lot of companies charging anywhere from $7.5 - $25 per employee to run the query.  

• Can you help us with this?

Of course, we can help with this.  The best deal that we have is utilizing our driver file service.  You get all the forms you need to get your drivers set up, we monitor expiration dates and give you at least 30 days’ notice before anyones’ documents expire.  This service runs a meager $10 per driver per month.  No hidden fees and or charges ever.  

If you don’t want to use that service then we can pull your clearinghouse queries for $10 per driver, this does not include the $1.25 required for the FMCSA.  By federal regulation, you must purchase those for your company.

I sure hope that this helps.  If you have any questions or want more information about our services don’t hesitate to reach out to us at info@eclipse-dot.com 

Set your goals high this year!

 It seems like every year about this time we start setting “New Year's Resolutions”.  

This year I want to encourage you not to set any “Resolutions.”  Instead, I want you to set audacious goals!

That's right you heard me, AUDACIOUS goals.  I want you to set goals that would make Bill Gates, Tony Robbins, Mark Zuckerberg, & even Donald Trump said, “Wow I wish I had goals that big!”

Here’s a couple of key reasons you should ditch the resolutions and go to big, huge, scary GOALS.

First, let’s start with how long do you stick with your resolutions? Resolutions are easier to break than a goal.  A Goal is something that we work towards. Guess what if we don’t make it all the way to our goal then we are still further ahead than if we never started. 

The second is that resolutions are usually not as specific as goals are.  When we make a resolution to get into better shape, that's awesome.  But how long do you actually go to the gym, or workout at home?  When we set a goal, we like to be able to do 50 pushups or 100 sit-ups or jog for 30 min straight. Then we are making more than a resolution. We are getting specific therefore making it easier to see our progress. 

The third reason to ditch the resolution and switch to goals is that you hold yourself more accountable with a goal.  When you head back to work the “water cooler” talk usually has everyone talking about their resolutions and how long they lasted.  

Believe it, not hearing about how your peers didn't hold their resolutions makes it easier for you to ditch yours too.  Subconsciously, you are allowing yourself to drop the resolution because they did.

When you set goals instead your mind doesn't link them not holding to their resolutions, because you don't have a resolution, you have goals.  In your mind goals are different than resolutions. Making it harder for you to quit early or give up. 

Some tips to setting GREAT goals that you can actually achieve.

1. Don't hesitate to set BIG, SCARY GOALS.  If you don't dream big you will never succeed BIG.  Do you think that Steve Jobs thought that Apple would only have one product, the Mac Plus (an old desktop computer)?  NO!  He knew that Apple was going to grow. His vision was to bring creativity to the whole world.

2. Set Reward Levels.  A reward level should be something that you can measure success off of.  Let's say that you want to lose 20 pounds.  You need to give yourself something when you hit 5, 10, 15, 17.5, and 20.  

Remember that what you give yourself shouldn't be anything that will deter you from your ending point.  Like giving yourself a cake for losing 5 pounds probably isn't the best idea.  Like giving yourself a 1-month vacation when you get 5 new customers. Those are more like end rewards.  

Each reward you set should have a “prize” that is suitable for the accomplishment.  A good example would be that when you hit 5 pounds you get to go out to buy a healthy lunch, 10 pounds would be you take 1 day off of exercise, 20 pounds could be that you reward yourself with a new bike (the one you wanted but could never bring yourself to buy).  

By making rewards you are encouraging yourself to stay motivated and on track to success.

3. Tell the world about your goals!  One of the best ways to stay motivated to achieve your goals is to tell others about them. 

Let's face it if no one knows about your goals then who will ever know if you don’t achieve them?

When you let others know about the goals you set and when you want to achieve them it will help to keep you motivated and moving in the right direction.  

What I do is start by discussing all of my goals with my wife.  Without your spouse, girlfriend,or significant other on board, you can be sure that you will never get off the start line of your goals.  When you include them, then they are always the first ones there to help encourage you when you hit some rough waters.

Next, I tell my kids.  You’d be surprised how helpful it is to hear, “daddy are we still going on that vacation when you hit 20 clients?”  Or, “How many clients did you say the business had to have before we could go to Disney world?”

 After that, I talk to my circle of influencers.  When they know about it then you are sure to succeed.  If you have a good circle they will make it their goal to help you get where you want to be.  Your circle makes a HUGE difference in your success

4. Lastly, I tell the world through Social Media about my goals.  Keep in mind that I hardly ever share my financial goals there but I do share many other goals.  Usually, I share my BIG HUGE SCARY GOALS with the world because those are the ones that I need the most help with.

Well ladies and gents, that all for now.  I hope that you take what you read here to heart and ditch those resolutions and start setting some AUDACIOUS GOALS!

Get out there and make a difference.

PS one of my biggest goals is to grow the reach of our brands and businesses to over 1 million people in the next 5 years.  My reward is to take my entire family on a trip of a lifetime that all of them will enjoy. (I don't know where yet, or what we will do, but when we get closer to that mark you can be sure that I will let you know!) 

Email me with your biggest goals Dan@Eclispe-DOT.com