Toby Martini

Better Business & Better Speaking through Improv!

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Thinking vs. Creating – A tale of brothers

April 15, 2012 by Toby Martini Leave a Comment

Once there was a person that had amazing ideas, fantastic flights of fancy, creative whims, and invented wondrous things but kept them all locked up inside.

And there was a sibling that had some interesting ideas, not sensational or wildly creative necessarily, but workable. The difference is that the sibling spoke about the ideas, wrote them down, and shared them with others. The ideas grew and people began to make them into reality.

And the world was changed.

Thinking about great things is wonderful, but essentially useless until they are spoken out into the world and action is taken.

So, don’t wait for the Perfect Idea. Don’t wait until everything is ready. Go out now and Create something. Others will help you improve it, build it, distribute it, whatever needs to be done.

Circumstances are NEVER perfect.

Start now; where you are, with what you have and create something for you, your family, and for the world!

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Always on

March 28, 2012 by Toby Martini Leave a Comment

All things considered, we all have an equal chance at becoming succesful, rich, famous, powerful… whatever.

There are thousands of examples of people that are disadvantaged in some way that turn it around and become a champion in the very field that they have a disadvantage in.

Barabara Walters, with a lisp, becoming one of the highest paid tv reporters. James Earl Jones, a whispering stutterer, becomes “The Voice.” (Darth Vader and hundreds of commercials have brought him relative fortune.)

So, what keeps everyone from becoming everything that they dream about? It’s the dichotomy in the brain, the split that somehow has You talking to You in betweeen your ears.

Sit quietly for 60 seconds and just listen to how that voice tells you things; how it describes the room to you; how it tells you that it’s dumb to sit quietly for 60 seconds; how it says “Why would you do anything this guy tells you to do? Who is he anyway? And why are you so easily led?”

Well, that right there is the reason that so many people do not achieve their dreams. The voice says, “You couldn’t…” “Who would listen…” “That person has an advantage and its unfair, so you can’t…”

Listen. it’s talking TO you. It is is you and it’s talking To You.

It’s whole purpose in life is to keep you safe. “Don’t touch that stove! Remember when you were five and you did that and you got that scar and it HURT!” So, yeah. Staying alive and relatively unscarred is good.

But…
Safe, to this voice, also includes “Don’t look bad.” And if you would be willing to look truthfully and insightfully at why you do so many of the things that you do, you would probably find that at the root of them all lies some version of “Don’t look bad.”

You don’t want people to laugh at you, belittle you, yell at you, be superior or be right more than you. All of those hurt a little; and sometimes hurt a lot, especially when you’re young.

So, the little voice constantly coaxes, whines, wheedles and pushes whatever buttons it needs to push for you to act right, be smart, be quiet, be aggressive, be withdrawn or whatever else you can do to keep from being hurt emotionally, mentally and physically.

The problem is that it has no sense of scope or of future rewards.

To it, someone laughing at you because you answered a question wrong can be as bad being punched in the face. Something to be avoided at all costs. So, instead of taking a chance, you hold back. “Better to be thought the fool….” it quotes, reassuring you of your right-ness.

It doesn’t understand that getting out of bed today and going running is good for you in the long term. It’s says, “Run tomorrow. You were up so late.” “Skip one day. What’s it going to hurt?” It doesn’t quite understand that the slight discomfort now is worth the longer, healthier life.

It’s a different part of the brain that does those equations. This part just knows that the bed is warm and safe. “Running hurts and you could be more hurt, pull a muscle, get hit by a car!” Better to rest comfortably.

So, do me a favor. Go out today and do something you’ve wanted to do for a long time. Something you’ve been wanting to start, but have found just so many reasons why today is not the day.

Well, today is the day! Go now. Get prepared. Listen for the voice. Listen carefully. It’s there talking to you, telling you all of the things that it knows will work on you. And they would have worked yesterday, but now you’re listening and you can hear it for what it is.

It’s the simple, primitive monkey brain that only wants the best for you… in the short term.

Listen to it. Hear what it has to say. (Telling it to shut up Will Not Work)

Then go out and scare and amaze yourself at your power!

You really can do anything. People do astounding things every day and they are really no better than you. They just did it!

Love you!

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We all have needs

March 10, 2012 by Toby Martini Leave a Comment

Abraham Maslow wrote the Hierarchy of Needs, which has been used in many disciplines to explain, justify, or analyze people’s actions. He also wrote “8 ways to Self-Actualize.” My personal Favorite? #8

Find out who you are, what you are, what you like and don’t like, what is good and what is bad for you, where you are going, what your mission is. Opening yourself up to yourself in this way means identifying defenses — and then finding the courage to give them up. — A. Maslow

Self Actualization is the topmost part of the Hierarchy of Needs. This is where you remove your limiting beliefs, quiet the voice in your head, and become fully expressed in the world.

Identifying defenses is sometimes hard because it’s not so easy to see how you are. It’s often very obvious why other people do what they do, and with some examination, you may be abe to show them. But, it’s quite another thing to do that for yourself. You need a coach, an outside observer to watch you, listen to you, and to question you.

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Limitations

February 27, 2012 by Toby Martini Leave a Comment

The only things that can sway me off course or halt me in my tracks are the limitations of my own mind.

The only way to fail is to quit.

How much will a tree grow? Always, as much as it can. It knows no internal limits. Of course, things happen; they get cut back or something looms over them. What do they do? Say, “Poor me” and die? No, they change angles and keep on growing.

A baby learning to walk falls down 5 times in a row. Does he just say, “Forget about it. Walking sucks anyway?” (or do his parents put him in a crib and say, “He can’t do it. We’ll try again next year”?)

Most resistance is in your mind. Let it go. Just do what needs to be done to achieve your dreams!

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The other side of perfect

February 14, 2012 by Toby Martini Leave a Comment

You Are Perfect
Even When You Are Not

Others Are Perfect
Especially When You Are Not

Life Is Perfect
When You Finally See That It Is

 

I believe these are from Thomas Leonard.
Either way, it’s an awesome mantra to get through your day and your dealings.

Much Love.

 

Filed Under: Your Brain

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