Category Archives: Welcome to the Defining Success Podcast

DSP Chosen by Inc. as a Podcast That Will Make You Smarter, Better, and Wiser

Several very cool things have happened to me recently:

  • Held a successful golf tournament, the Southern California Charity Golf Classic where we raised $7,591.81 for charity.
  • Named Chairman of the Board for the Chino Valley Chamber of Commerce.
  • And became a dad to my amazing son, Sebastian.

I’m a lucky guy.

Southern California Charity Golf ClassicChairman of the Board CVCCMy Son, Sebastian

 

In addition, Lolly Daska from Inc. Magazine included The Defining Success Podcast as the #9 podcast in her list: 100 Podcasts That Will Make You Smarter, Better, and Wiser.  Lolly says, “Listen to these 100 podcasts and you will become wiser, smarter, and better at business and life.”

In the number 9 spot is The Defining Success Podcast:

9. Defining Success
Zeb Welborn talks with successful people about what makes them successful and why some succeed when others fail.

We’re honored to be included in an article with some people whom I appreciate, admire and respect greatly, podcasters like:  John Lee Dumas, John Corcoran, Seth Godin, Michael Hyatt, John Jantsch, Derek Halpern, Amy Porterfield, Lewis Howes, Pat Flynn, Erik Fisher, Tim Ferriss, Michael Stelzner, Chris Ducker, Jaime Masters, Michael O’Neal and Gary Vaynerchuk were all included on the list.

So many podcasts on this list inspired me to start the Defining Success Podcast. And the people leading these podcasts inspire me to work hard helping others, to do what I love and to find success while doing it each and every day.

Defining Success Podcast featured in INC MagazineCheck out the entire post: 100 Podcasts That Will Make You Smarter, Better, and Wiser

Recommended Episodes for New Listeners

If you’ve been drawn to our website from Inc. Magazine we recommend listening to these episodes to get a good sense of what The Defining Success Podcast is about.

Our Top Ten Episodes are:

Episode 115: Hit the Ball as Hard as You Can | Larry Welborn

Larry Welborn had a 43-year career as the legal affairs reporter for the Orange County Register, in which he covered many high-profile cases and showed a high level of enthusiasm and dedication in every story he covered. Since 1981, he has also been the chairman and president of CSPA, which is preparing for its 64th-annual high school journalism workshop on the campus of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Episode 33: Be of Service to Others | Chris Brogan from Human Business Works

Chris Brogan has been in the online world for sometime now and he’s learned that in order to be successful online you must be of service to others. If you’re willing to go the extra miles to help others, you will be successful in the online world. Chris Brogan is CEO and President of Human Business Works, an education publishing and media company dedicated to helping professionals work better, do the work they want and to be brave. He is the NY Times best-selling co-author of the Impact Equation.

Episode 54: The Little Voice Within | Shelly Ehler from ShowNo

Shelly Ehler is the passionate and inspiring owner of the ShowNo Towel. In her interview Shelly shares the lessons she has learned through her journey as an entrepreneur and how they have impacted her and continue to foster success in other professional and personal aspects of her life. Shelly’s product the ShowNo Towel has been featured on the Today show and on the hit T.V. show Shark Tank.

Episode 46: Real-Time Marketing | Author David Meerman Scott

David Meerman Scott is a marketing strategist, advisor to emerging companies, best-selling author of eight books including three national best-sellers, and a professional speaker on topics including marketing, leadership, and social media. In Episode 46 of the Defining Success Podcast, David shares his ideas on real-time marketing and how you can use it to help your business grow.

Episode 87: The Importance of Body Language | Dr. Nick Morgan, Owner of Public Words

Dr. Nick Morgan is one of the top experts on body language and how to make sure it conveys the message you are trying to convey. Dr. Nick Morgan owns Public Words, a company that is helping to create strategies for people who want to become professional speakers.

Episode 117: How to Use Help a Reporter Out (HARO) | Michael Kawula

Michael Kawula talks about Help a Reporter Out, also known as HARO. He has bought and sold several different businesses. The last two companies Michael has started have both grown to Million Dollar plus businesses in under three years.

Episode 110: Feed a Starving Crowd | Author Robert Coorey, MBA

Robert Coorey is the author of Feed a Starving Crowd, More than 200 Hot and Fresh Marketing Strategies to Help you Find Hungry Customers.  The book covers more than 200 ways businesses have become successful marketing their products or services in today’s economy.  Learn how to feed a starving crowd in Episode 110 of the Defining Success Podcast.

Episode 99: Going After Your Goals | Jake Bramante from Hike734.com and National Park Guide Creator

In this interview Jake and I talk about going after your goals. Jake Bramante traveled all 734 miles of hiking trails at Glacier National Park in one year, 2011. He shared the experience of going after his goals on his blog Hike734. We discuss what it means when you cross the finish line. When you set out on a goal and you do something, what that means for you as a person and what happens when you don’t.

Episode 73: Connect with Influential People | John Corcoran, Host of the Smart Business Revolution Podcast

John Corcoran knows how to connect with influential people.  He has worked in the White House, has met presidents, has his own law firm, there are so many different things this guy has done. He’s great at networking with very important people. He has lots of tips and information on how we can network better.

Episode 62: Don’t Get Attached to Outcomes | Creativity Coach & Author Dr. Eric Maisel

Dr. Maisel shares his thoughts on creativity and how developing a process and sticking to it regardless of outcomes can help you become creative. The struggle with many creative people is they expect something to happen when they create and when the outcome doesn’t match their expectation they get discouraged. Don’t get attached to outcomes. Learn how to explore your creativity in Episode 62 of the Defining Success Podcast.

Upcoming Episodes

We have several interesting guests coming up on the Defining Success Podcast including:

Dr. Rob & Janelle Alex
Ryan Levesque
Dorie Clark
Rory Vaden
David Frood
Thai Nguyen
Jon Lee
Beau Hodson

If you use iTunes, subscribe to the podcast: The Defining Success Podcast on iTunes
Listen on Stitcher: The Defining Success Podcast on Stitcher



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Cornell Thomas is a basketball coach, trainer, motivational speaker & author. He just came out with his brand new book “The Power of Positivity.”  In Episode 58 of the Defining Success Podcast Cornell shares how he overcame adversity by looking at the brighter side of things.  He now motivates others to think, “What Now?” instead of “Why Me?”

His career has been a long and winding road that now has him coaching, training and motivating kids to be the best that they can be and motivating others with his message of power and positivity. The lessons he’s learned through basketball have played a crucial role in helping him through the adversity he’s faced in his life.

Cornell Thomas

Cornell began playing basketball in high school and proclaims that he was absolutely horrible at it, after putting in his 10,000+ hours he improved and earned a full basketball scholarship to Minot State University in North Dakota., subsequently obtaining a contract to play professional basketball in Portugal. Two weeks before setting out for Europe, Cornell suffered a career ending injury.

Cornell describes this incident as a crossroad in his life regarding the options he was to choose next: “Am I going to work my way back?, Am I going to sit around and feel sorry for myself? Or am I going to try and find a different career path?” What he encourages others to do in similar situations where they are to overcome adversity or a set back is to remain positive. His motto is: “Everything happens for a reason.” a firm believer of this popular quote, especially since that is what his Mom, a single mother and strong female role model in his life always reminded him of since childhood.

Cornell admits to encountering difficult times and having negative thoughts at times, including while recovering from the devastating injury that ended his professional basketball career. He says: “It’s not like I’ve never had a negative thought before… I’m not a robot.” He describes these moments as “snowball effects”, if you dwell in negativity it begins to grow, build up and overwhelm. His approach towards avoiding the pitfalls of dwelling in failure is to address the issues immediately. He acknowledges and firmly believes in the power of self-reflection and asks himself a series of questions, for example: “Is this a life or death situation?” “Is this a situation that can’t be fixed?” and usually the answer is no and then he asks himself: “Now that it happened, what are you going to do about it, what is your solution?” and the last and most important: “Is there anybody going through something worse that you?” and the answer almost always is yes. “There is always someone, somewhere going through something a little worse than you.” He states that when he is able to honestly answer those questions to himself, he is better equipped to brainstorm a solution and power through obstacles.

Cornell also encourages those that are experiencing negativity or self-defeating thoughts when they encounter failure to not think: “Why me?” and instead ask themselves: “What now?” The significance of this thought pattern was inspired while Cornell was a basketball coaches event, where he heard a great speech by Assistant Coach for the Clippers: Kevin Eastman, about the new generation of basketball players. Coach Eastman said something that caught Cornell’s interest, he said: “A lot of players, when bad things happen to them, say: Why me? Why am I not getting playing time? Why am I missing all of my shots? etc.,  instead of saying: “What now?!” It was a light bulb moment, realizing that that this is not only a question applicable to basketball players on the court, but applicable to us all in life. For example he states: “When bad things happen, we immediately curse the heavens, and think why me? instead of saying, “Well what do I have to do now to fix it?” His belief is that life is “10% of what happens to us the other 90% is how we deal with it.” If you apply this mindset, you will be able to overcome adversity and problems better.AboutCornell-300x157

This power of positive thinking equipped him with the tools to make assertive decisions and to reflect instantly, realizing that through the most devastating adversity, he had found his true calling in life. Cornell was resilient enough to rapidly choose Coaching Basketball and obtained a job as Men’s Head Coach at Sussex County Community College. Cornell’s life purpose is to help people. Shortly after accepting the job as Head Coach he started Crossroads Basketball LLC which has developed into the perfect way for him to fulfill his dream of reaching out, motivating and inspiring others. When he started the program he had 1 basketball player and 5 coaches. Through word of mouth the program has grown to over 200 kids involved. Many of the guys and girls he has mentored, trained and coached are coaching for him now. He sincerely enjoys coaching and motivating kids to reach their unlimited potential on and off the basketball court.

Cornell describes his synchronistic journey as an author as beginning with his Facebook page and taking notice that he and most of his friend’s mostly posted to negative complaints about their lives. He made a choice to begin posting daily motivational, inspiring and uplifting quotes and the response and feedback from his friends was positive. Then he got a suggestion to begin blogging, which led to his initiation in to book writing.

Cornell enjoys seeing the growth, accomplishments and success of the kids he coaches, especially as they obtain scholarships and experience success doing what they love to do through the game of basketball and pursue their dreams along their journey. Some of the most memorable things to happen to Cornell since choosing the path to coach and mentor kids is to witness the growth and development as they progress and increase their skills especially when they have difficulty at the beginning and then they end making they’re high school team, playing college basketball or professionally. For example I have two girls right now, one is playing in England and the other in Germany “To see the joy they have and to see them accomplish their goal of playing professionally, I would sacrifice my dream of playing professional to see them play. The main thing is seeing kids live their dreams.”I call it: active dreaming, dreaming with you’re eyes wide open.”

On regrets, Cornell states that he regrets nothing about the path he has chosen or the circumstances he’s encountered, and that every step of the way has provided him with valuable life lessons. When asked if he could go back in time, before the injury and talk to his younger self. What would advise would he give young Cornell? His words of advise: “First, change your haircut!” and the second thing “Just start giving back more to other people and don’t loose your passion to write.”

Cornell defines success as “doing whatever you do everyday and being happy and giving back to others.” …”Success to me, is waking up everyday being happy and doing what I do, be it training kids, speaking, giving back to others, and affecting lives other than my own.”

When asked if he considers himself to be successful, Cornell answers with a resonating YES. He absolutely considers himself to have achieved success and states “There is not a day I don’t wake up excited for life!”…”I may not be in the tax bracket of the upper usher line, but I can say one thing, in terms of the tax bracket of the happiest people on the planet, I would put my happiness against mostly anybody’s, because everyday I wake up excited to tackle life!”

To learn more about Cornell visit the Power of Positivity website and blog at: powerofpositivity.net or follow him on twitter: @cornellthomas his book is available on Amazon: The Power of Positivity: Controlling Where the Ball Bounces.

In todays episode with Cornell you were able to capture that he is a very positive guy and always looks on the bright side of things. One of the things that I wanted to focus on was these questions that people ask when they face adversity. Like I mentioned at the beginning of the episode, Cornell had a career ending injury as a professional basketball player and he could have taken that and simply said “Why me?!” However, he was fortunate enough to have had a mother who always influenced him with positivity and reminded him that “Things happen for a reason.” and that there is a reason why this had happened to him and he understood that it was up to him to find out what that reason was. As you can tell his mission and his message of positivity flows from him and is based on his experiences. Experiences which he has been able to take from and mold towards his new career, to impact his students and everyone else interested in hearing his unique message of not asking themselves “Why me?!”, “Why is this happening to me?”, “What I have done?!” Instead look at the positive and ask “What can I learn from this?”, “How can I grow from this?” and “What do I do now?”

On the Defining Success Podcast we have interviewed a lot of people who have been on the show: Shark Tank, and we’ve also interviewed a lot of people who are involved or with the Shark Tank Show. One of those people has been Ray Ibarra who has recently written his book called “Conversations with Shark Tank Winners.” and he invited me out to the book launch of his new book, it’s a multi media book, it’s not just text, there’s video and there’s audio files as well. So I attend his book launch, it’s in Downtown LA, in a tall skyscraper at a banking institution. It was an very fancy place, everyone at the event was well dressed. The book launch event room was huge and the were people who had been on the show “Shark Tank” and were also promoting the book and there were people that were there wanting to learn about the experiences and had also been involved with the book. It was a great experience and I really want to thank Ray for inviting me to attend his book launch and I really have to say I had a blast!

I wan to thank you all for listening to the Defining Success Podcast it has been a real pleasure, definitely go on our Facebook page, comment, share, Like and communicate with us. We want to hear from you, what your thoughts are about our podcast and how we can make things better. Lastly, I want to leave you with one more thing which is: “Go out there and find your success!!”

Engaging Discussion Questions:

  • “What is your life purpose?”
  • “What is specifically your doing to help other people?”
  • “What is one of the most memorable things that has happened to you?”
  • “Looking back on the things you’ve done in your life, is there one thing that you regret or a mistake that you would like to share with us?
  • “If you could go back in time and give a younger version of yourself advise, what would that be?”
  • “What is your definition of success?”
  • “Do you consider yourself to be successful?”

Links to Great Stuff:

  • The Power of Positivity – “The Power of Positivity is not just Cornell’s story of perseverance; it serves as a how to guide that offers a practical approach to dealing with adversity, pushing past “CAN’T”, and focusing on solutions not problems. The ball is in your hands-you control where it bounces!!”
  • Crossroads Basketball – Crossroads Basketball was started in 2004 by Cornell Thomas. Cornell was two weeks away from playing professional basketball in Portugal when he suffered a career ending injury. Soon after the injury Cornell decided to devote his life to coaching the game of basketball. In 2004 he was hired as the head men’s basketball coach at Sussex County Community College.

Successful Quotes:

  • “Everything happens for a reason.”
  • “Don’t ask: Why me?! ask yourself: What now?”
  • “There is always someone, somewhere going through something a little worse than you.”
  • “10% of what happens to us the other 90% is how we deal with it.”
  • “Living your dreams is: active dreaming, dreaming with you’re eyes wide open.”
  • “Success to me is waking up everyday being happy and doing what I do, be it training kids, speaking, giving back to others, and affecting lives other than my own.”
  • “I may not be in the tax bracket of the upper usher line, but I can say one thing, in terms of the tax bracket of the happiest people on the planet, I would put my happiness against mostly anybody’s, because everyday I wake up excited to tackle life!”

Special Requests:

Rate and Review the Defining Success Podcast in iTunes

 

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Thank You for Visiting the Defining Success Podcast Website!!!

Hi everyone!  Thank you for coming to the Defining Success Podcast website.  My name is Zeb Welborn and I’d like to personally thank you for visiting our page.

We recently changed the format to our show, Episodes 1 through 115 focused on people who:

  • Loved What They Did
  • Were Helping Other People
  • Were Good At Their Work

Episodes 116 and on will be focusing on a particular skill, trait and/or ability that has led to someone achieving success.  These are learnable skills which you can quickly implement and apply to your career, your personal life, and/or your business.

Podcasts are great to listen to on your computer, while you’re working out at the gym or driving to work. By interviewing successful people who are helping others and who love what we do we strive to show other people that dreams can be achieved through hard work, commitment and passion.

Please download, subscribe and rate our podcasts on iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-success-podcast/id619459909.

The more you download, subscribe and rate our podcast the more people we will be able to reach and, hopefully, inspire.  We also would like to ask you to please share our podcasts with your friends and help us get the word out through social media and word of mouth.

Thanks again for visiting our website.  If you have any questions or if I can do anything to help you don’t hesitate to contact me anytime.

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