Bob Parsons is my Mentor

Hi Gang

I just moved into an office in my house which is much needed by me these days. I was working in a high traffic area, at home, for the past two years and there were way too many distractions! I mean, I love my kids and I do enjoy them being outside and active, banging the basketball on the driveway, constantly slamming the front door, inches away from my work space, in and out for drinks of juice, water, snacks, brother being mean, sister complaining of brother playing too rough... You get the picture?

Anyway, after a bit of a shuffle round and after installing my eldest, he's 10, into the guest bedroom, which is only ever used for about two or three weeks in the year, normally by my favorite in-laws, I was ready to install Dad, (me), into one of the former bedrooms. I went into town, to my wifes office and brought back the desk that I had, foolishly, taken there just this last year. Foolishly, because I have secretly planned moving in to one of the kids bedrooms for a while and when I took said desk into town I had to take the door off my wifes office to get the desk in. Therefore, I had to take the door off to get the desk out in order to bring it back to the house it was in originally. Then I had to remove the top, breaking it a little, to get it round the bend, which I was heading round as well by his point, and get the thing into my new office... Ahhhhhh...

Desk in, office furniture from back wall of living room in, i Mac in, laptop in, new printer, (because old one had a mind of its own, totally bizarre), in, new internet connection in wall, new fax line in wall, same number! All moved in to my office. I very happily started to take the fishes, dolphins, turtles, stickers of spacemen, spongebob squarepants and a rather colorful mobile down off the walls so I could hang my very elegant pictures in my new space and I went to the gym, formally garage and another story all together, to retrieve my Bob Parsons life poster to put on the back of my office door. The Bob Parsons life poster is the whole point of my post so lets get on with it.

Bob Parsons is the founder of Go Daddy, the domain name giants and Danica Patrick endorsers. He lives by "Bob Parsons 16 Rules for Success in business & life in general." I decided to adopt this strategy, amongst others, about two years ago and I would like to share it with all y'all:

1. Bob says, "Get and stay out of your comfort zone." I agree with this statement and it's one that we hear time and time again in business, especially true if you are a self starter and rely on your own efforts. If it's too comfortable your not out of your sleepy zone far enough. You don't have to move so far out in order to make some big differences.
2. Bob  says,  "Never Give Up." How many times have you heard that one? You have to analyze it a little to get the benefit though. If it's not working then maybe it's just not working the way that you are doing it, maybe you need to change. I have personally changed to a more workable strategy from being off the mark in the past If it was easy everyone would be doing it and there wouldn't be an opportunity!
3. Bob says, "When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think." I love this statement from Bob. I also wonder how many people have quit in the past not knowing they were so close. Bob takes from Chinese philosophy and teaches me the proverb, "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed." That's a valuable lesson.
4. Bob says, "With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be."  What Bob is saying, is the fact that no matter how bad you think things could get, once there it is never as bad as you imagined.
   
5. Bob Says, "Focus on what you want to have happen." Bob and a million other motivators have this one down. If you can believe it, you can achieve it!
6. Bob says, "Take things a day at a time." Sometimes I have to break it down to the hour and, on rare occasions, even the minute. I think re-group with this statement, if it's so bad don't look too far ahead, break it down into manageable chunks and re-group.
7. Bob says, "Always be moving forward." We breath because we need to in order to survive, if we stop breathing we die . If you stop breathing life into your organization it will die. Always keep learning, investing your time, keep pushing ahead and don't stop. Bob includes Japanese culture and the concept of Kaizen here, "Small daily movements eventually turn into huge advantages."
8. Bob says, "Be quick to decide." Bob calls on General George S Patton who said, "A good plan violently executed is far and away better than a perfect plan executed tomorrow. I concur.
9. Bob says, "Measure everything of significance." If you pour money into a strategy you have to measure the results. This is the only way you can be sure of a decent outcome, measure and if you are not happy, tweak then measure again. Measure, watch, improve.
10. Bob says, "Anyhting that is not managed will deteriorate." Similar to always moving forward but with an attitude towards having an eye on your business. Re-visit certain areas you haven't seen for a while and you will uncover problems.
    
11. Bob says, "Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing." Sometimes we can get too wrapped up in what our so called competition is doing. We can become envious, jealous and think that they are better then we are. Big mistake. They face challenges like we all do, it just looks good from a distance. Ever done Google Earth and gone really far out. Doesn't our planet look so peaceful from space!
12. Bob says, Never let anybody push you around." It's a no brainer really but Bob puts it out there. We have laws in this society and it's an even playing field to do what you want to do, as long as it's legal.
13. Bob says, "Never expect life to be fair." Life isn't, we see it everyday. Better to make our own breaks.
    
14. Bob says, "Solve your own problems." A competitive edge is developed by finding your own solutions. It's easy to sit back and let someone else solve your problems. Masura Ibuka, co-founder of The Sony Corporation, said this, " You never succeed in technology, business or anything by following the others."
15. Bob says, "Don't take yourself too seriously." At least half of what we do is given up to luck. When you are comfortable with that statement you can lighten up. None of us are in control as much as we like to think.
16. Bob says, "There's always a reason to smile." Bob suggests we find it! Live is short, it's for living and we should listen to his little brother who says: