It saddens me to know end to hear about his passing and the loss of his battle with depression. Having had a taste of depression myself, I can contest that it is no fun. My bouts of depression were mild but to many it is completely debilitating. For me, I can use focus, exercise, and correct amounts of sleep to keep depression away. That is one reason personal development teachings are such a big part of my life.

Five years ago I lost one of my best friends to depression. Dave and I were childhood friends growing up and then roommates in Colorado and Montana as young men. He was a fisherman at heart, but I taught him how to fly fish. As soon as he learned how to fly cast he could out fish me in a heartbeat. He became a Montana fly fishing guide. He was a sharp and funny guy with a quick wit like Robin Williams. He battled depression for years but did not really acknowledge it to many other people but me. Because he did not use the tools I did to combat his depression it was easy for me (and many others) to feel like he was not trying hard enough. He ended up relying on alcohol to subdue his demons and one night, alone on his couch, he drank himself to death.

I have always felt somewhat responsible for his death. Sure he would have been better off if he spent more time listening to Tony Robbins and less time drinking alone on his couch, but in retrospect I feel like I should have helped him find medical or professional assistance to combat his depression.

Part of the reason I created the Animal Leadership system is help people who are struggling with life. Sure Animal Leadership helps those who are thriving get to the next level, but it also is a fun way for people to learn their strengths, find passions, and turn their lives around. Dave would have loved the animal stories and unconventional approach to personal development. It may have helped him. Unfortunately some people may be past the point where they can use personal development to overcome their depression and chemical dependencies. I wished I recognized this and had gotten Dave medical help for his situation.

Everyone lives in their own reality. Someone like Robin Williams may be perceived as having everything, yet they are feeling trapped in their lives. Others may be perceived as having nothing and are feeling blessed. There is no one way to help someone move from one point of view to another. If you know someone struggling, pointing them to personal development might be the right answer, but remember that some people will need more than that, maybe even medical assistance. Combating this terrible disease may require a combination of support systems, and if you are a part of that system you may need to get assistance yourself because it is a big responsibility to bear, one that you ultimately have no control over.

It is a strange irony that one of Hollywood’s funniest funnymen can help shed light on this serious topic. We will miss you Robin. Thanks for the laughs.

So I have really come in late with this weeks blog, and those who are serious bloggers tell me that is a bad thing! Here is the deal. I have excuses, although I am not going to hide behind them, I will just say that I have been busy and I made other things a priority. That is what we do when we neglect things in our life. Ask yourself what you have been prioritizing while you neglect excessive, family time, or whatever your goal maybe? Seriously, ask yourself.

I have been working on developing new tools for you guys to help you implement Animal Leadership. One of these tools is a recorded leadership training I just did this last week. The training was about two and a half and the whole thing was recorded both audio and video. Later in the week I have been working with editors and cutting things down. This is part of what ate up my time this week.

Now when I coach someone and they tell me they did not reach their goal, I always ask why? What stood in their way? Just like I asked you above. Then I ask what they could do in the future to keep this from happening?

One thing you can do to help you efficiently achieve your goal is learn a lesson from the wolf. This lesson is USE YOUR PACK! That is look around you and see who can help you or what tools you may be able to use.

Working with the guys at the TV studio is a tool for me, and ultimately is saving me time during these busy days. I might still be behind, but not as far as I would be if I were going it alone.

Check out the video blog and make sure you get the lesson of the wolf! Be sure to share this link with a friend if they are trying to do it all alone, and encourage them to use the tools around them. Be part of their pack!

See you next week,
Rad

Anyway, this video blog is going to give you many details about how to introduce change to horse people. It is probably worth mentioning that horse people are the most common type of people.

I hope you enjoy the blog and learn something about how to be the leader of your own life, and the type of leader that other people are working for these days.

All my best,
Rad Watkins

P.S. Keep scowling down to see the video

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG3oFLBQff0

Ari belonged to my wife before we ever met. My wife had sort of rescued Ari as a puppy because some friends found out they could not handle the wild energy of a husky. For me living with Ari took some getting used to. Ari was a free spirit! She had no “master”. Living with her was very much like living with a wolf. I grew to admire how Ari was true to her natural character. She was a noble animal.

I am posting this video I shot with Ari, but sadly you will not be hearing more from her as I promised when filming. I hope we can all learn something from Ari and be true to who we really are.

In honor of Ari I am going to donate a percentage of the proceeds from every book I sell in the next 10 day to the Humane Society of the United States. I will also be offering a 2 for 1 special, so that when you order your copy of Animal Ledership: Leadership Lessons Learned from Wildlife for Leading Yourself and Others by Rad Watkins, I will throw in an extra copy with no extra shipping charge. You can get your copy at http://animalleadership.com/products/

Ari was not much of a reader but definitively a teacher. She helped me understand how much animals make decisions like us. She will be missed.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1396b1Bn7Gg

There is an American Indian story about a woman who gets lost and meets a handsome man just before it gets dark. He takes her back to his home and introduces her to his family. The woman is happy amongst his people and marries the man. One night she wakes up and looks around her home to discover that all her new relatives are really bears. Eventually the woman’s brothers, who have been looking for her for years, get close to the den of bears where the woman has lived. Her husband tells her that he will go out in his bear form and meet the brothers. This surely means that her brothers, who are excellent hunters, will kill the husband and the woman asks him to consider this. The husband knows this and asks his wife to teach her brothers how to remove his coat and keep him in a sacred way with its head facing east. This sacrifice is the beginning of a respectful relationship between these people and the bear. The bear was rarely hunted for meat, was known as the first medicine man, and ended up with a clan (or family group) named after it.

by Rad Watkins

We all have people we would like to have a positive influence on, whether we are a leader, salesperson, spouse, employee… you get the idea. We also all have occasions where we are trying to persuade others to get on board with our ideas, often times for their own good. BUT, many times we fail to connect with others because we don’t understand what they want.

Imagine you want to convince your spouse that a vacation to Jamaica would be a good bonding experience for the whole family, or you are trying to get someone to start using a nutritional product that you know will benefit them, or you are offering a home study course that will change lives for the better. As we all know, sometimes this works out just fine and others times it explodes in our face and people doubt our intentions.

Why is it that sometimes we don’t connect, and people don’t understand our purpose, or agree with our logic? The simple answer is that there are different kinds of people in the world and they differ in terms of what they associate with pleasure and what they therefore want. As I explain in the book Animal Leadership: Leadership Lessons Learned from Wildlife for Leading Yourself and Others, by Rad Watkins, people’s wants are akin to one of the four great animals of power: the bear, wolf, eagle, or horse. Each of these animal personalities has different pleasures that drive their wants.

This is VERY important to remember when connecting with others and presenting any sort of offer. Here is what you need to know about naturally relating to people’s animal personalities so that you can connect, influence, negotiate, and build relationships.

As the book explains, bear people are independent, result-seekers. They are not focused on the niceties of a presentation, but rather the bottom-line results being offered. Wolf people are fun loving and social. They are most concerned with knowing that the process will be fun, playful, and will involve others. Eagle people are interested in making the right decision, and they want a proven system or plan in place before they take action. Finally, the horse people value security and the companionship of their herd. They want to know things will work out, and they will look to the actions of those around them to determine if an appeal is appropriate to act on.

You can see that what might help you to connect with a bear person, does not necessarily make a negotiation appealing to a horse person. What often happens is we assume everybody is just like us, and base our pitch (if you will) on the same benefits that we ourselves find attractive. This is a HUGE mistake, but one you can correct.

If you are appealing to a group, you MUST make sure there is a little something for everybody in your presentation. As a public speaker I keep this in mind as I am up in front of an audience asking people to believe in the natural secrets that will allow them to be the leaders of their own lives, so that they will be the kind of people who are capable of serving and leading others. I hit on all the animal aspects of pleasurable associations, and you should too. Remember to present the benefits in terms of results, an enjoyable process, a proven system, and in a way that makes people feel secure.

My friend Ed Rush is excellent at this. He offers a done-for-you internet marketing program. In his presentations he lets people know that his clients are now making good money, many over $250,000 a year – Results! Ed goes on to describe how internet marketing can make you money while you are on vacation with your family – Fun! He lets people know that his system is based on the techniques he learned in the military when he was a trainer of fighter pilots – a Proven System! Finally, he uses lots of testimonials and offers a guarantee – Security!

Whether appealing to a speaking audience, or some other group, you MUST CONNECT with as many members as possible, especially if you are trying to sell something, and let’s face it, we are all trying to sell! As a speaker I sell life-style changes, as an agency employee I sold environmental policy, and as a parent I sell values. Selling just means presenting something you believe in to someone in a way that you hope they will buy into, whether literally or figuratively. We all sell people on ideas we ourselves believe in and hope to turn others onto. Hopefully we are not negotiating for something we don’t believe in, and I honestly rarely see this as a problem.

This lesson of Animal Leadership will serve you. Use it to connect with people in your life so that you may lead others to the life of their dreams.

There are two parts to this approach, and it is the second that I would like to discuss with you today. The second part is to incorporate the pack and use all the tools around you to your advantage! Kicking off the New Year everybody has lots of goals, resolutions, desires, what have you. The fact of the matter is that people who are really successful and fulfilled in life always have a lot of goals and desires. Another fact is that no one really succeeds alone. This is why it is important to incorporate your pack and use your tools.

So, whatever your ultimate desire is, make sure you share it with those who can help you achieve you desires. Steer clear of the naysayers and don’t think twice about their opinions, but embrace those who can support you and see how you can involve their energy and knowledge. Also use books, audios, classes, and trainings to support you in achieving your  desire.

The very easies way to achieve your dreams is find someone who is dedicated to your success. This could be a coach, accountably partner, mentor, trainer, or consultant. Some one who can support you and perhaps show you the techniques that have worked for them in the past. You will be surprised how fast this can make you the leader of your own life. If you are working on a team, you will be surprised how fast this will make you the kind of leader who is there to support others as they achieve their goals.

Don’t work in quite frustration, trying to go it alone. Be smart and use those around you to support you in life. Use the pack and use your tools. No matter what animal you may be mostly associated with, learn this lesson from the wolf.