HAPPY NEW YEAR

2018 is almost in the history books. For me personally, this past year can best be summed up by Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Among the best being my daughter Carolyn's wedding to my awesome son-in-law Patrick. The worst of times being the death of my beloved godmother, Char Raimondi, and the passing of the great Ray Taliaferro. As Johnny Carson said on his final Tonight Show, life does what it's supposed to do and you go on...

If you're like most people, you're probably making resolutions for 2019. DON'T. They don't work. Instead, create goals that are measurable and come up with a plan to accomplish them. Keep it to three goals that are personal to YOU. Write them down with a deadline in the present tense. For example, if you want to lose twelve pounds in the next year, you'd write, “I am twelve pounds lighter by December 31, 2019.”

Using the weight loss example, to create a plan, you'd break the goal down into monthly and weekly mini goals. Twelve pounds over a year is one pound per month and a quarter pound per week. Focus on dropping a quarter pound per week and the monthly and yearly goals take care of themselves. Looking at it this way also makes major goals seem less daunting. You can use this formula with just about any big thing you want to accomplish. The biggest and most important thing is that you make a plan. A goal without a plan is a daydream.

This being the last Copie's Choice of the year, I'm going to do something a little different with my recommendations.

READING

If you are a regular consumer of this blog, you know that I read a lot of personal development and motivational books. Here are some recommendations for books that I think will help you get in the right mindset for accomplishing the things that you want to achieve in 2019.

THE PERFECT DAY FORMULA BY Craig Ballantyne
As I've written in this space before, this book changed my life. It helped me become better at time management and productivity. I can't recommend it highly enough if you want to get things done and still have the time to spend with the people who are important to you.

THE COMPOUND EFFECT by Darren Hardy
This book teaches you how to accomplish big things through small, seemingly inconsequential daily actions. It's perfect for folks who have goals but are too intimidated by them to actually begin working on them.

HABIT STACKING by SJ Scott
This is another great time management and goal achievement book. It teaches you how to combine small actions to save time and to achieve a large cumulative result.

THE 10x RULE by Grant Cardone
This is an AWESOME read. The idea is that if you have a goal you want to accomplish, multiply it by 10 and perform the actions necessary to hit the expanded goal. You'll not only hit your original goal, you'll almost always surpass it. For example, if you need to raise $1000, make your goal to raise $10,000 and put in the effort necessary to raise the bigger number. Even if you don't get the $10,000... you'll definitely surpass your original goal of $1000.

KEYS TO SUCCESS by Napoleon Hill
I first came across this personal development classic back in 2002 when I was writing NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN. It was in large part by following the lessons in this book with little deviation that GENUINE became what it became. I reread it every few years.

CRUSH IT and CRUSHING IT both by Gary Vaynerchuk
If you want to know to most effectively use social media to start a business, enhance your brand or just create a community around your favorite hobby, pick up these books. Great reads!

PODCASTS

I listen to a TON of podcasts. Here are a few that I think you'll enjoy both for fun and motivation.

BUILD YOUR TRIBE hosted by Chalene Johnson
Chalene is a fitness expert and life coach who gives great tips in this weekly show on improving the quality of your life as well as enhancing the awareness of and participation in your business.

OPTIMAL HEALTH DAILY
OPTIMAL FINANCE DAILY
OPTIMAL BUSINESS DAILY
OPTIMAL LIVING DAILY
These are some of my favorite podcasts and I listen almost every day. Five days a week, a moderator spends five minutes reading from various blogs on health, wellness, finance, business and organization. They find great blogs that I hadn't even heard of and I can listen in the car or at the gym. Check them out!

ENTREPRENEURS ON FIRE hosted by John Lee Dumas
This 15-minute podcast drops a new episode seven days a week featuring interviews with entrepreneurs ranging from Tim Ferris and Tony Robbins to the little old lady in Idaho who had fun quilting and turned the hobby into a multimillion dollar business. It's one of my absolute favorite podcasts and Dumas has become a friend in recent years.

EATS

Still on a quest for the Bay Area's best cheeseburger so, keep your recommendations coming to me at copie@briancopeland.com. 

THEATER

NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN RETURNS TO LOS ANGELES!
I'm really excited to announce that I'll be bringing GENUINE to The Actors Group Studio in Burbank on Saturday nights from January 12 through March 30, 2019. If you're in the area, please come out and support the show. If you aren't, please send this info to your friends and family in the Burbank area. There is limited seating available and I'd love to sell the shows out!
Tickets are available at BrownPaperTickets.com or by calling 1-800-838-3006. You can purchase half-price tickets by using the password GENUINE until 1/1/19.

If you or your friends are unfamiliar with the play, take a look at this wonderful profile CBS did on the work a while back and send it to them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opdbMDIZNyY

NOT A GENUINE BLACK MAN RETURNS TO THE EAST BAY FOR ONE NIGHT ONLY
Not A Genuine Black Man, the longest running solo play in San Francisco Theatrical history, returns to the East Bay for one very special performance on Friday, January 25 at the Douglas Morrison Theater in Hayward before I take it down to Burbank for an extended run. Find out why my personal tale of laughter, tears and sociology continues to endure!
For tickets, go here.

LIGHTEN UP FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE
I'm back at the San Leandro Performing Arts Center on December 31st with a great line-up of 10 (and counting!) of the funniest standups around to say goodbye to 2018. Showtime is 7 PM and we finish by 9:30 so you have time to go elsewhere for midnight or, just get off the road before the drunks come out.
For tickets, go to: lightenupforlaughs.brownpapertickets.com
Or call 1800-838-3006

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

Copie

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