Alchemy For Life Author Mark Bradford

Phrases and mantras







We all have phrases we can readily repeat. Some of us have important phrases that have made an impact on us. Some of us (like me) even have a mantra we live by.







The most impactful







Doing an inventory, I came up with three phrases that have had the most impact on me. There are others, but these seemed to be a good collection—and I thought it would be fun to put them all in one podcast.







Your phrases







Let me know if you have a phrase that’s helped you in life—protected you from harm, kept you on track, enlightened you, etc.







Rating







If you’re enjoying these free podcast episodes, gosh, I’d really appreciate a review… on whatever platform you’re listening on.







Please and thank you.







PS – Stay tuned for a beta reader offer next week!

Have you ever been stood up?







The origin of the term has many folksy definitions. I encourage you to look it up as many are sort of saucy, But we recognize this meaning someone did not show up as planned for a meeting, and usually includes them not reaching out or responding to queries.







We’ve all had this happen, right?















Switching Gears and the Element No One Talks About.







If someone stood you up, that means their location in time didn’t match yours. But what is life made of? That’s right—Time, Energy, and Resources. When you go to a meeting you are not just occupying the same physical and temporal location, you are also bringing energy. You may have a lot of prep work, and research. You may have to become extroverted when you are introverted (a monumental task for some). And you may have to prepare emotionally, especially if what you do for a living is taxing (therapy, etc) or you are meeting with a difficult client, or you have an emotional meeting with friend or family.







That’s all energy.







And we can’t just flip a switch.







Check out multitasking and the glue that holds it together. That applies to energy too.







So when was the last time you were stood up, and how did you react?

The right and the wrong way to approach a networking event







Most of my episodes are about experimental psychology, how to deal with and manage time, energy and resources, or a unique concept I’d like you to consider.







Sometimes the episode is a purely business-related show. This is one of them.







The excruciatingly hilariously wrong way to handle a networking event.







The wrong way to approach a networking event









* Go to networking event







* Collect as many cards as you can from people you regard as meat puppets handing you mailing list data







* Wait two weeks







* Send a three paragraph boilerplate text message to them at 2pm on a Sunday with a sales pitch about wha you can do for them







* Sit back and wait for all that cash to roll in









The right way to approach a networking event









* Go to networking event







* Meet other people, engage with them to learn about them







* Listen to what they do, why they do it, ask questions because you want to learn more







* Use this information moving forward to decide who they would be a good connection for, and who would be a good connection for them







* Suggest a one-on-one to learn more if you think it is prudent







* Arrange a one-on-one with them, give a deeper dive to their business, and if appropriate, their hopes, dreams, aspirations and their human experience.







* Hire them, or get hired by them if applicable







* Continue to consider who they would be a good connection for from now on

Advice







Who doesn’t like giving advice? Who doesn’t like receiving it? Wait, put your hands down, that was rhetorical.







In all seriousness sometimes we need to ask for advice (we can’t all be in a bubble) and we are lucky that someone values our wisdom enough to ask us for our advice. I certainly am honored when that happens and it makes me feel validated (see The Status Game II). But advice is a tricky thing.







Teleporting vs. empathizing vs. your way







If someone asks for advice you have three ways to answer:









* You can teleport into their life, AS YOU and then just react. All of your history, experiences and personality comes with you but you are stuck there for the rest of your life.







* You can just answer the issue as if you’ve been given a test (then move on with no ramifications)







* You can empathize with the person, understanding what it must be like to be them, having to deal with issues that may be foreign to you, having their flaws and strengths that are different than yours









Which way do you think is best?







Which way announces itself with four special words?

The olden days of voice only







In the olden days when people wanted to collaborate they would jump on a conference call vs. jumping on a video call. It was extremely common to have a number of calls during any given week, and the larger the business the more conference calls there were.







How many is too many?







There is an upper limit to how many meetings you can constructively have, and it’s not equal to the free space on your calendar.







That’s because a few things are in play:









* You need time to do the things







* It’s not just about the time, it’s about the energy (i.e. you’re not just promising time)









Conf calls and multitasking







What do you do when you are on a video call? Are you more likely to multitask if you’re on a audio call than video? If you want to know my thoughts on multitasking then check out the episode called multitasking. You might be surprised.







My experience







🤣 Does my experience in the corporate world of calendars and conference calls mirror your own experiences? Let me know!

Sometimes you get the chance to see something from two perspectives.







Sometimes both perspectives come from the same person.







Sometimes that person is you.







The fun part







Here’s a quick 10-minute episode on how and why this happens, and how you can use it not only on yourself but to understand others (and maybe help them understand you!)