Today, that vision becomes reality with the launch of Good Life Project™ (GLP) and GoodLifeProject.com.

So, what is it?

GLP is a movement. A set of shared values. A community. A creed, bundled with a voracious commitment to move beyond words and act. First, as a manifestation of your soul. And then as a quest to have the adventure of a lifetime, and to leave the world around you changed.

Good Life Project™  is based on a simple proposition…

People who embrace the 10 Commandments of Epic Business create legendary stories, build world-shaking businesses, earn whatever they need to live well and give well, have way more fun, cultivate high-levels of freedom, touch more lives, leave bigger legacies and, straight up, live better lives.

To build what we’re here to build, we need three things:

1. Knowledge.

We need to learn how to:

• Build a peak-state mindset
• Align who we are with what we do
• Craft hyper-effective business models & growth strategies
• Master the psychology of influence and behavioral change
• Re-envision service, sales and marketing from the position of delight
• Hand craft a deliberate culture of joy and embrace soul as a business ideal
• Do a deep dive into the 10 Commandments of Epic Business

2. Hands-on, Individualized Mentoring.

We all need regular, direct access to a mentor with a proven track record, both of success in business and success in teaching, guiding and mentoring, who takes a deep interest in your success, not just in business, but in life. Someone to provide honest feedback, insights, deep knowledge, hold you accountable and speak truth when everyone around you won’t. And, maybe most important, someone who defines success not just in money and power, but in bigger “good life” terms (joy, fun, presence, lightness, impact, connection and, yes, enough money to live well and give well).

3. Circle of Champions.

We all need a close-knit, like-minded group of people with a deep, enduring connection who agree to support, rally behind, teach, help, inspire and serve as powerhouse sounding boards, collaborators and confidants.

What if you could experience these 3 critical pieces of the puzzle right now?

The mindset and business strategies needed to flourish like never before. The direct input of a trusted mentor. And the support of a small group of driven, compassionate world-shakers and friends?

And what if you could do this while traveling to some of the coolest locations in the Western Hemisphere? Immersing yourself not only in knowledge and support, but a whirlwind of transformational experiences and challenges in some of the lushest and most adventurous places on the planet?

What might your business look like a year from now? After you’ve filled your tank with the knowledge needed to build business on a whole different level, encoded a visionary mindset, and had the adventure of a lifetime with an intimate group of friends that have become your biggest champions? How will that affect not only your business, but your life?

If this sounds even remotely interesting, I’ve made something very cool & fun for you to watch…

And it all starts with a man, a trampoline, and a single question, the answer to which may well determine your success and happiness in business and in life.

Click here to learn all about it out now

(Even if you have no interest at all, head on over and watch the first 20-seconds, it’ll leave a giant smile on your face for the rest of the day!)

Big love, big happiness & big success!

Pin drop…

Beyond the fact that a good percentage of the eyeballs in the rows in front were rolling, it was my first official keynote heckle. I was talking about mindset and entrepreneurship. More specifically, how we need to embrace uncertainty and recognize the creeping emergence of decision-making based not on optimism and opportunity, but on fear and the desire to prevent loss.

My friend in the audience was bothered because he’d assumed that, in a room full of successful entrepreneurs, this simply wasn’t an issue. They all got where they got by taking risks. They were the ones without fear. The idea marauders, innovators and envelope pushers.

And, indeed, when they started, nearly every person there was. But what about now? What about a few years into their ventures?

One of the biggest misses in the entrepreneurial process and mind is the assumption that mindset and willingness to embrace risk and creativity are fixed traits. In fact, the more successful most people become, the more they abandon the very mindset that fueled their success.

I call this the Entrepreneur’s recoil. Here’s how it works…

When you are just starting out, especially if you’re earlier in life and you don’t yet have significant responsibilities, it’s much easier to be hyper-creative, to innovate, put everything you have on the line and take risks. Because you have very little to lose. At least very little that isn’t fairly easily recoverable.

So when you start a business, you adopt a do or die, all-in mindset. You come up with and are open to crazy ideas in the name of creating breakout businesses. And you’re willing to act on them. Because, beyond ego, even if you fail, the fall really won’t cause that much pain.

But, then something happens. You succeed.

You begin to build a real business. You have offices, assets, overhead, inventory and employees. People, families, are counting on you to pay their rent and send their kids to school. Your own family begins to expect a certain lifestyle. And so do you. You get comfortable. And, along with your success, you now have the perception of so much more to lose if you fail.

So, instead of continuing to take risks, your mindset begins to shift into what famed psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize for behavioral psychology, Daniel Kahneman, calls loss aversion mode.

Rather than being driven by what you can build, create and have, you are overwhelmed by  a fear of losing what you’ve already amassed. Being an entrepreneur, and innovator, an artist or a creator does not make you immune to the often irrational pull of loss aversion. Because, as Kahneman’s research points out, it’s simply a part of human nature.

Two problems with this when it comes to creators and entrepreneurs…

One – The switch from seeking gain to loss avoidance cultivates a strong negative creativity bias that makes us say no to innovative ideas. Ones that come from our own minds, as well as from those around us. And ones that, embraced, could have been key drivers of innovation and growth.

Two – Because we set the tone as entrepreneurs, when we pull back, stop innovating ourselves and rebuff innovation and creativity from employees, we create an idea-killer emotional virus that destroys the very culture that got us where we are. It breeds loss-aversion, fear and scarcity, which is death to innovation and expansion.

So, what do we do about it?

If you’re an entrepreneur, or you work with an entrepreneur or a team charged with innovation, create a monthly mindset circuit-breaker check-up. Take a step back, preferably leave the office and take a few key creators with you. Maybe get out into nature and ask a big question -

“Am I operating from a place of creative opportunity or loss aversion?”

Be honest, and task your team with a “no-repercussion” opportunity to call you out on a shift to a prevent-offense when they see it. Because very often the person least well equipped to notice this shift is you.

Most important, never assume that the mindset that got you here is the same as the mindset that guides your efforts today. It may be. But, for many, once you’re sitting atop a mountain of success, possibility long ago morphed into fear.

When you see that, own it. Then do something about it.

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P.S. – I survived the heckling, shared the concept of the recoil, moved on and, after the keynote, spent nearly an hour fielding questions from a healthy crowd of attendees who thanked me for “opening their eyes” to this and other creative mindset phenomena and myths.

Then, I promptly went home, hugged my wife and daughter, meditated…and took a foam Kaboom bat to my couch.

Kidding…kinda!

“10 Commandments of Biz”

The 10 commandements were about doing business a different way. One that was designed to lead to not just a great career that changed lives, but to the ability to love the work you do in the world, the business you aspire to build and the life you want to live.

And, in the context of the Annual Report, it was a bit of a parting bonus gift, a quick little slice of fun to leave you thinking about how you bring yourself to the world.

While the entire Annual Report took off online (more on that soon, still humbled and grateful, btw), the 10 commandments, themselves, got quite a bit of feedback, and I had a bunch of requests to release them as a standalone graphic to share.

So, for those who missed it and those who asked for it, here ya go…

Because…

Business ain’t just about business, it’s about life!

Chip Conley survived, but this experience was a bit of a wake-up call. One that set in motion a different path. For years, Conley had been a deep student of human behavior and the psychology of success. That interest, along with two decades building his company, led him to write the New York Times bestseller, PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo From Maslow.

Now, having sold a controlling interest in Joie de Vivre to Hyatt, Conley is back with more thoughts on the human condition, sharing a bit of a radical approach to cultivating the mindset needed to succeed in business and in life. And he’s combining math with emotion in his new book, Emotional Equations.

So I sat down with Chip to find out what this science meets mood approach was all about. Here’s what unfolded…

[FTC Disclosure - You should always assume that pretty much every link on this blog is an affiliate link and that if you click it, find something you like and buy it, I'm gonna make some serious money. Now, understand this, I'm not talking chump change, I'm talking huge windfall in commissions, bling up the wazoo and all sorts of other free stuff. I may even be given a mansion and a yacht, though honestly I'd settle most of the time for some organic dark chocolate and clean socks. Oh, and if I mention a book or some other product, just assume I got a review copy of it gratis and that me getting it has completely biased everything I say. Because, books are like a drug to me, put one in my hand and you own my ass. Ethics be damned! K, you've been warned. Huggies and butterflies. ]

Inspired and humbled by the legendary annual reports of Berkshire Hathaway founder, Warren Buffet, I decided to expand my exploration into a full-blown 2011 Annual Report and give it a theme—”Serve, aspire, transcend.”

As you read the Annual Report, I’ll bring you deeper into my life and what I call my “business engines.” I’ll also share something that’s more personal than ever before. Not so much because I want to, but because to omit it would leave a gaping hole in the context around many of my recent business and life decisions. It’ll also provide answers to questions I’ve been asked, yet have never answered publicly.

So, get yourself a latte and some dark chocolate, this craft is taking flight…

Click here to download and read

And if you find it compelling, I’d be grateful if you’d share it around.

P.S. – The report is formatted as a PDF document, and designed to read easily on an iPad or a computer. It’s very visual, so the file a little bigger than a regular document (around 4MB). It’s also 35 pages long, so if you’d like to print it, just remember to check the box when you print to shrink it to fit the page size you are printing on.

As I write this, the TinyBuddha account on twitter is closing in on 240,000 followers and it’s adding some 230 new followers…a day!

The rapid uptake on twitter led Lori to launch a wildly popular communal blog, TinyBuddha.com, a Facebook page with 70,000 likes and now a hot-off-the-presses Tiny Buddha book.

I was fortunate enough to get a review copy and really enjoyed it. But I was also curious about the progression of the Tiny Buddha brand, what led Lori to make to leap into booklandia and what’s driving her these days.

So I did what I normally do. I asked her. And here’s what unfolded…

1. You’ve been building a tremendous community on twitter and your blog, and at a pace that pretty damn stunning. Why a book? And why now?

I knew from the beginning I would eventually write a book, and things fell into place nicely when publishers started contacting me to review some of their other titles.

I wanted to write this book specifically because it touches upon almost all of the themes that writers (and I) explore on the site.

I’ve published stories from more than 175 contributors, and I’ve read comments from thousands of people who also communicate what they’re going through and struggling with. They always come back to the same universal issues—letting go of pain, finding meaning in life, choosing happiness, creating positive change, maintaining healthy relationships, living life to the fullest, and accepting uncertainty.

I thought it would be interesting to ask questions about these topics on Twitter and then shape the book around those insights—so that’s exactly what I did.

I also shared my own experiences in grappling with these big issues. I did that because anyone could write a book about these topics theoretically. My reflections come from my experiences, so it seemed fitting to share them.

2. Why does Tiny Buddha, the brand, exist? Who is it here to serve and how?

When I started the community blog, my main intention was to write and publish stories about applying wisdom to everyday life, especially since we live in an information-overloaded world where it’s much easier to gain knowledge than it is to utilize it.

My hope was to create a space where we all feel comfortable being open about what we’ve been through and what we’re going through, what we’ve learned and what we’re learning, so we can help ourselves and each other.

Tiny Buddha exists because we all have something to teach and something to learn. It’s a place where we can know that we are not alone—and that if we’re willing to be honest, we make a tremendous difference in each other’s lives.

3. What about for you? What does it do for you?

Tiny Buddha does exactly that for me! As I explored in my book, I spent years isolating myself in shame, thinking there was something wrong with me. Now I know we all have a choice: to hide alone or heal together.

The quote that best embodies my mission with Tiny Buddha is “If you light a lamp for someone else, it will also brighten your path.” Tiny Buddha brightens mine.

4. You get incredibly revealing in the book, at times sharing stories about your life that are gut-wrenching. Yet, you don’t go to that same place on the blog or anywhere else I’ve seen online. Why? And why was it important for you to do it here?

I’ve actually touched upon many of these stories on the blog. It’s just spread in tiny pieces over two and a half years of posts!

I’ve shared my stories this way, in bits and pieces, because I’ve tried to shape Tiny Buddha around the community, so that it’s about all of our stories, not just mine. For this reason, I didn’t detail any of my personal experiences on the About page, which explains the site’s mission. However, I realized pretty early on with the blog that I wanted to be vulnerable in my writing.

Vulnerability can connect us on a powerful level, because there are so many feelings we all experience, but might be hesitant to discuss. When we don’t open up to each other, we hold the weight of these experiences alone—and there’s no reason to carry that burden when we can instead come together to help ourselves and each other.

Not everyone will relate to my specific experiences, but everyone can relate to the universal struggles—and that’s really what my book is about. We all live our lives around the same questions, and we all need to be able to identify and utilize the answers that make sense for us individually. We can do that most effectively if we’re willing to be honest with ourselves.

5. One of the unique things in the book is how you weave answers to questions shared by your twitter tribe. So, there’s a bit of a crowdsourcing/co-creation element to the book. How was this experience for you? And how do you feel about the notion of content crowdsourcing and co-creation?

It was an amazing experience, though I have to admit it had its challenges! I collected nearly 1,000 tweets—and then I had to narrow them down, categorize them in a way that made sense, and contact all of those people to verify I had their permission to publish their responses.

I love the idea of crowdsourcing in this way because I believe it gives any work a greater sense of depth. It becomes more than just one person’s stories, opinions, or research; instead, it’s shaped by a community of people with varied perspectives and sets of experiences.

That’s one of things I enjoy about running Tiny Buddha a community blog. Many of the posts explore similar topics, but different perspectives resonate with different people.

6. What’d I miss? What should people know that I didn’t ask?

You didn’t miss much! The only other thing I’d like to share is the “Life’s Hard Questions” contest, which I’m running until January 15,2012. Anyone can enter by submitting a photo of themselves displaying the hardest question in their life at lifeshardquestions.com.

The winners will be chosen at random, though there will be a special prize for the most creative. The prizes include a Canon DSLR camera, two Kindles, and 10 free copies of my book. It’s just another opportunity for people to get involved and share a little of themselves.

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[FTC Disclosure - You should always assume that pretty much every link on this blog is an affiliate link and that if you click it, find something you like and buy it, I'm gonna make some serious money. Now, understand this, I'm not talking chump change, I'm talking huge windfall in commissions, bling up the wazoo and all sorts of other free stuff. I may even be given a mansion and a yacht, though honestly I'd settle most of the time for some organic dark chocolate and clean socks. Oh, and if I mention a book or some other product, just assume I got a review copy of it gratis and that me getting it has completely biased everything I say. Because, books are like a drug to me, put one in my hand and you own my ass. Ethics be damned! K, you've been warned. Huggies and butterflies. ]

But, the deeper you get into life, the more you’ve got going on, the more you need to schedule time to not have anything scheduled.

Ritual is important. So it routine. They help create certainty anchors in your day, moments where you know what’s coming next and you can get into a rhythm that allows creativity and productivity to flow.

But, without fail, the biggest ideas, the most endearing connections, the world-changing insights come not when you’re engaged in the process of trying to make them happen, but when you step away and give your mind a bit of space. When you let your brain breath.

That’s when data coalesces into genius. Conversations blossom into love. And the playful side of life swirls through you.

The busier you get, the more important it is for you to exalt and even schedule time to be unscheduled. To pause.

As John Lennon once shared -

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

Schedule spontaneity and plan to live.

What do you think?

I recently had the chance to interview my friend and Money Magazine’s Online Career Expert of the Year, Alexandra Levit, about something she calls career blind spots and the book she just released on the topic by the same name. Here’s what unfolded…

In Blind Spots, you explore the ten biggest myths of business success.  What made you decide to write this book?

I decided to write Blind Spots because I was tired of reading silly theories and platitudes dispensed by business and career authors who sell their work by giving these myths credibility and by telling readers what they want to hear.  I wanted to be honest with people about what will render them successful in today’s business world, not yesterday’s.  I wanted something out there other than overly provocative advice that hasn’t worked for anyone I know, like quitting your job tomorrow and starting your own business the next day, or marching into your boss’ office and announcing that he should appreciate your individuality.

What’s your favorite myth and why?

I have personally experienced most of the book’s myths myself, so they are all favorites in a way.  But overnight success is the first myth I debunk in the book because it’s one of the most widely held beliefs.  It’s also hugely misleading, and adopting this idea that you can easily become an overnight success could actually be quite damaging for your career and life.  The truth is simple.  There are very few – if any – genuine cases of overnight success. The majority of successful people have dedicated themselves to a goal and persevered for a long time, experiencing several setbacks before reaching a high level of achievement that is finally noticed and talked about by others.

What do you see as the greatest obstacle facing employees over the next 1-2 years

The greatest obstacle is finding meaning in their work – up to 80% of the employed are currently unhappy with their jobs.  This dissatisfaction can be an opportunity because it prompts you to take action to learn a new skill or take on a new project through your job or volunteer work.  People have to remember that finding one’s passion takes time and a lot of exploration, and you have to be motivated to undertake that journey.

You say that your goal is to help people hone their positive traits like authenticity, perseverance, and self-awareness.  What’s the first step to take in this regard?

The first step is to recognize what you don’t know, and where you can improve.  A lot of what it takes to be successful is already a part of who you are, and with a little self-reflection and the course-correcting offered in Blind Spots, you absolutely have the power to cultivate the skills and attitude that will take you wherever you want to go.

What is your best advice for prospective entrepreneurs?

If you want to start a company, the motivation fueled by being bored with your work or hating your boss won’t be enough.  You’ll have to think hard about the marketplace need your product or service addresses and be prepared to work at a variety of tasks to bring it to fruition.  Also, you’ll want to really consider whether the entrepreneurial lifestyle will work for you personally, as it requires a certain type of personality and mindset.

If all the platitudes are wrong, then why do people keep writing them and why do other people keep buying into them?

An incredible overnight success story (for example) is rare, but very sexy, and like an urban legend, it is easily talked about and passed down. And people love to consume these stories because it’s like thinking they might win the lottery. They figure that the rare scenario has to happen to someone, even though they know deep down it probably won’t be them.

The title of your book – Blind Spots – literally means something that’s in front of your face, but you cannot see it. What can we do to better see what’s in front of us on a daily basis?

We can pay more attention to the immediate and long-term results of our attitudes and behavior, and pick up on cues from other people. And when the cues are too subtle, we can ask for more feedback outright. It’s scary to come face-to-face with our own flaws, but this is the only way to improve and grow and rid ourselves of troublesome blind spots.

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[FTC Disclosure - You should always assume that pretty much every link on this blog is an affiliate link and that if you click it, find something you like and buy it, I'm gonna make some serious money. Now, understand this, I'm not talking chump change, I'm talking huge windfall in commissions, bling up the wazoo and all sorts of other free stuff. I may even be given a mansion and a yacht, though honestly I'd settle most of the time for some organic dark chocolate and clean socks. Oh, and if I mention a book or some other product, just assume I got a review copy of it gratis and that me getting it has completely biased everything I say. Because, books are like a drug to me, put one in my hand and you own my ass. Ethics be damned! K, you've been warned. Huggies and butterflies. ]

But, this post isn’t about the book, it’s about what happened during the 3 1/2 hour live-streaming book launch party that brought me back to what matters.

People were hanging out, bantering and connecting from all over the world. At points, close to 200 were at the party. That alone is amazing. That I could throw a launch party for a book, sitting in my friend, Lewis Howes’ apartment in New York City, yet be partying, goofing around and talking to people from all over the world.

But, that’s still not what this post is about…

At some point during the live-streaming launch party, we started to give away prizes. They started small, things like $25 or $50 gift cards for Starbucks or iTunes or Barnes & Noble. Then, at some point, someone in the chat room asked if they could buy books for us to give away to others at the party. Then someone else joined in. Then another.

By the end, Julia Roy, Rudy Nelson, Erik Proulx, Lisa Johnson and Baker had donated enough money to buy copies of Uncertainty for dozens of people.

Not because there was something in it for them, but because they thought it’d be a cool, nice thing to do. Both for me, and for the other folks at the party who would love a copy of the book, but maybe didn’t have the money right then.

That. Is. Amazing.

Then, we decided to do something really cool as the final giveaway. We had a Color Nook and an Amazon Kindle Fire (the one just announced on Weds) to give away to two people who created a video about a time they embraced uncertainty and posted them online.

Here’s the winning video from Wendy Thomas. It made this dad melt…

How powerful is that? The second place, btw, is this one from James Hagarty

Then, you add to this the fact that during the 3 1/2 hour live-streaming bonanza, my friends Lewis Howes, Clay Hebert (pronounced A-bear, in case you were wondering), Derek Halpern and Marie Forleo not only jumped in and out as guests, but were monitoring the lightning fast chat and twitter streams, interacting with guests, feeding me questions.

All the while, tons of other friends stopped by our virtual gathering, my wife even jumped in and out of the chat. And rumor has it, my daughter and mother-in-law tuned in at the local Apple store for a few minutes, even.

That, alone, is amazing. I love these people. But, then, in the final 30 minutes, Lewis, Derek, Marie and Clay all offered an hour of their consulting time in exchange for purchases of books. When these guys consult, and they rarely do, it’s usually for around $1,000 an hour and they were offering it up at a massive discount in exchange for people at the party helping their friend. There was no other benefit.

This day was amazing on so many levels.

Yes, my book came to life. But, in the moment, that seemed so dwarfed by the realization that I was surrounded by people I cannot get enough of. Who are kind, who treat me well and often ask nothing in return.

The people in your life. The ones you choose to surround yourself with.

They matter. Heck, they’re everything.

What an incredible day it was.

What an incredible tribe.

You. All. Amaze. Me.

And I thank you.

It was a point of inflection. I remember being terrified to hit publish even though, honestly, there weren’t a whole lot of people reading my blog back then. Still, it made me nervous to own the fact that I was very much “in the process” in such a public way. I knew people would want to know what made me write it. Truth is, the emotions behind it have been there my entire life. I still don’t really understand why they came pouring out on that day. It was just time.

But I also always wanted to revisit the words, to bring them to life in a more multi-sensory way. It’s taken some time, but I’ve created this video for you. If you connect with it, I’d love if you’d share it around.

I’ve also added the words below. Enjoy…

Have a Little Faith

To all those who want desperately for me to succeed.

To all those who want me never to experience the pain of failure.

To all those who watch and wonder if I really know what I’m doing.

To all those who stand in judgment, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

To all those who look to me for proof of what’s possible.

To all those who only want the very best for me.

To all those who love me, unconditionally.

I share these words…

Have a little faith.

Have a little faith that I’ll make mistakes, but be able to recover.

Have a little faith that, more often than not, I DO know what’s best for me.

Have a little faith that I have within me the will to rise against adversity.

Have a little faith that I’ll know when to soldier on and when to walk away.

Have a little faith that I will not put myself at unjustifiable risk.

Have a little faith that my heart is in the right place.

Have a little faith that the mainstream path isn’t always the right path.

Have a little faith that I will succeed beyond my wildest imagination, even where those before me have failed.

Have a little faith…and a lot of love.

Now…PASS IT ON!