Focus The Fire

You’re good at your job, or you’re making serious progress toward becoming one of the best. Unfortunately good work alone doesn’t automatically mean you will get paid more money. This year we are not being cute about it. It’s time to get you skilled up AND paid up. Here are seven (7) tactics for you to implement before you even walk into a salary negotiation. Details on the inside so listen up!   Question of the day: Which tactic will you work on first? (Comment below or on twitter) Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

Hello January!  Yep, it’s that time of the year when many people feel inspired to start crushing fitness goals and diets. Hello February, most of the new fitness enthusiasts have faded like the colour on cheap jeans. When it comes to health and fitness we often focus on the cosmetic reasons to get in shape, but what if Will Smith told your fitness level is linked to your success level?  Would you believe it? Tune in to learn more about this connection.   Question of the day:   What’s your fitness goal for this year? (Comment below or on twitter) Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

Here’s a special new year message from Dalan and the team. How to get your mind right for 2019 and insights to what you can expect for the fire squad this year!    Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

2018 Review! This year some things went well, and others could have been much better. There are important lessons on both sides and we want to help you learn these for free. We already paid the price in 2018, so here is a cheat sheet for next year. Tune is as we take you behind the mic and share the biggest regret and win of 2018, and how you can leverage this for a powerful 2019.   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

Each year around this time people are busy making plans and setting goals for the new year. You know the usual suspects: fitness, diets, saving money, reading books. But what about your career?  On this episode we share some practical tips to help you be more intentional about what your career will look like 1 year from now.   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

100 SHOWS!   Yes, it’s hard to believe. Today we’re celebrating a HUGH milestone. After months of planning we finally launched this little podcast idea in March 2016 from a tiny basement studio apartment in the British Virgin Islands. I think we recorded episode one five times before creating something we weren’t too ashamed to release. None of this would be possible without your support, so today, we also celebrate you!   On this special episode we take a tour around some highlights from the past 99 episodes, including some classic shows you may have missed if you’re new to the community.   Here’s to 100 more high value shows! Thanks for listening.      Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

The first step to making someone fall in love with you is learning their name! Whether you're networking at a party, leading a team, meeting with clients, or building rapport with other influencers, names are crucial. When it comes to building influence and a career that leads to more time, money and freedom, this skill is a tool of titans! Today we are teaching you practical easy tactics to up your name game in a rush.    Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

Overcoming fear is crucial for many things, especially your career growth. I came a cross something recently that made be realise that what we think is fear, may really be confused with shame or pride. In think short video I offer some useful reflections on a point Brendon Burchard made about being ashamed of small beginnings. Learn what to do while you’re small, to excel when you’re big.   Question of the day: What is one thing stopping you from doing “that” thing?       Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

Your career should move you in the direction of more time, money and freedom.  The combination is important, since any one element by itself leads to an unbalanced life. Think of that person who fights to the top of the corporate ladder, and get’s paid a great salary.  The dark side may be that the company practically owns all their time and the don’t have the freedom to decide when and where they work. Today we take a closer look at freedom.      Question of the day: What does freedom mean to you?       Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

When approaching a task or building a career we are inclined to spend a long time creating the perfect plan. Then, we try to execute this plan cautiously making sure each step is done perfectly.  What if perfection and excellence is actually found through taking a bunch of imperfect steps?   There is evidence to suggest that people who take more action, even those actions are at the highest desired quality, reach their goals faster than those let fear of imperfection hinder their output. Let’s look at the positive side effect of taking massive action.     Question of the day: What are you going to take massive action on this week?       Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

Making the jump from working within an organisation to being an entrepreneur is can be a tough decision. On this episode we discuss the reality of being an entrepreneur and what you need to consider in making this decision. Freedom comes at a stiff price. Are you ready to pay?     Question of the day: What are some reasons why you would, or would not become an entrepreneur right now?     Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

We get trapped in our heads planning, thinking and overthinking. The challenge is that the more time we spend walking in these circles, that harder it is to get started. It’s a vicious cycle, but we are here to help you break free and make progress. Even the smallest bit of action can set you on a path to more satisfaction and accomplishing your goals.     Question of the day: What’s one thing you want to get done before this year is over?     Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

If you’re just trying to have a little fun, make a little money, then burn it at the mall, this may not be for you. But if you have major goals you want to accomplish that will ripple so hard that they affect you, your family and community, then stay tuned.  Big dreams require help, especially if you want to get them done faster. The key to this is realising that collaboration is a two way street and it’s not always about money. Think value! Consistently seek ways to add value to other people’s journey and be humble enough to accept or seek help when you need a hand.   More on the inside so press play.   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire  

We live in a world that iis conditioning us to believe that we can have anything we want, as soon as we want it. For many simple things this is true, but when it comes to building a career and lifestyle filled with sustainable success, the microwave approach often falls short.    Question of the day: What’s one thing you wish you had right now?   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire

Here’s the situation. Like me, you may have met many people who are unhappy with their jobs. They go to work each day but it’s a chore. Maybe that’s you? Recently I heard a story of someone who simply refuses to work until they can do something that makes them happy.    Let’s explore two questions: 1. Should your job make you happy? 2. Must you be happy to do good work?     Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire

People who speak multiple languages can almost always bring a extra layer of value to every situation, especially in business. So if you want a shortcut to gaining an edge on the competition in your career THIS IS IT!  I’m not suggesting that this is easy, but I will say that it will give you massive and immediate returns for the time invested.  This single addition to your communication repertoire will boost your confidence, likability, value and even your bank balance if you apply the steps we teach in this episode.    Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire

So you think you’re ready to take on a leadership role in the company, but you’re having trouble getting the right people to notice that you have what it takes. It this article I will share 8 strategies you can use to signal that you are a leader. This advice comes from a combination of study, personal experience in the corporate world over the last 10 years, and more importantly from top level executives who shared their candid responses on how to become a leader.   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the mechanics of building a career and forget that it’s all temporary, that is, unless you make it perpetual. The truth for most people is that if for what ever reason they don’t show up for work for an extended period of time, that stream of income will quickly stop flowing. Let’s learn how to use your career as a vehicle for building a legacy that will last for generations.   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire

This episode is dedicated to every one of US who is hiding behind perfection and using it as excuse to avoid making our attempts to grow public. If there is something in your head, an idea, goal, project, career move, whatever, and you’ve been talking yourself out of it because you’re afraid it won’t be good enough, this 10 minutes will change your life.    If not, it was only 10 minutes so listen anyway. Ha! Fail out loud and let’s close the gap between you and your dreams today.    Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire

Similar to the rise of the internet over the past 20 years, blockchain technology is about to transform the way we do work, business and life. This mean exciting new opportunities and challenges for your career. If you’re curious about how technology can allow you to work remotely in a dynamic team stay tuned. Joseph Snyder (CEO) and Chris Brown (CTO) of Lannister Holdings are on the mic to get us ready to thrive in this new world.   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire