1. I come home and get a heck of a lot more work done from 8-10pm after a CrossFit workout than I do after going to happy hour.
2. I sleep significantly better at night, which allows me to be well rested and ready to hit the ground running the following day….  Probably because I usually can’t feel my arms, legs, back, core or in most cases, any of them.
3. It is easier to build a professional network in a small group class than it is when everyone is lined up doing bicep curls in front of the mirror at GloboGym wearing iPods.
4. As someone who works from home, it oftentimes breaks up my day and allows me to talk face to face with people, which is helpful during some very long days.
5. As a speaker, I feel much better in front of an audience when I’m in shape, my clothes aren’t tight and I’m moving around easily.
6. When I have a great workout, I eat healthier, have more energy, get more done and ultimately grow my business faster.
7. Because it is a small facility, you can’t hide or disappear without getting called out for it by coaches and classmates.  Accountability is a great thing and we all need to have it in our lives and careers to be successful.

Is there anything I left off?  I’d love your feedback!

As a young professional, the potential living situation can take you to one of three places – the home you grew up in, living on your own in a city you are familiar with or relocating to a brand new city that you may or may not have any connection to whatsoever.  Before looking at each of these three, let’s talk for a minute about the decision making process.  You really need to evaluate what is truly important to you and there simply is no easy answer.

The main factors in a young professionals decision about where to live include one or more of the following, each with varying degrees of importance:

People – Do you want to be as close to your family as possible?  Did you make a pact with your high school friends that you would all move back home after college?  Are you and some college friends all moving to a certain city together?  Is your boyfriend/girlfriend already living somewhere?

Money – Are you at a point financially where you feel as though your only option is to move back home?  Do you want to move to a big city but can’t afford to even split a studio with your income?  Are you being offered twice as much money to start your career in a certain city?

Location – Do you need to be near a beach?  Or can you not live without the lights and sounds of a big city?  Do you need to be on the mountains and ski as much as possible?

Education – Does a school 1,500 miles away have the best program in the country?  Is your field of study only offered in certain parts of the country?

Industry – Is it easier to become an actor in Los Angeles than it is in Omaha?  How difficult is it to be a ski instructor in Miami?  Are you at an advantage to choose one location over another based on your industry?

What is important to you may not even be a factor in someone else’s decision and vice versa.  We all value different things in life and those things can often change significantly and quickly.  The bottom line is that no matter what you decide to do, put yourself in control of the decision making process.  Make sure to consider all of the above factors and not only one.

As I have found out over the past couple of years, the bigger risks you take in life and the more “differently” you do things than other people, the harder it is to find people that truly support you.  Whether it has been to study abroad, relocate to Arizona, start my own business or any of my other crazy ideas over the years, my Mom has always supported me 100%.  She has never doubted me, questioned my abilities or told me that I couldn’t accomplish something – she only ever asks one question and its always the same one…  How can I help you?  It is so rare to have people like this in your life and I’m so blessed that my Mom is one of those people.

Happy Mothers Day Mom…  I love you!

“Tom Healy has a life-changing message that makes a huge difference in the lives of students and young professionals!”
- Joe Theismann, NFL Network Analyst, former Super Bowl Champion and All-Pro Quarterback of the Washington Redskins

FIND OUT THE SECRETS TO SUCCESS AS A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL

Do you feel like you missed out on the college course that prepared you for the real world? Would you like to learn the easy way to make big money, have fun and love life? Let this book show you how to get the absolute most our of life as a young professional and beyond!

In this book you will discover:

- How to choose the perfect place to launch your life and career
- How to search for and earn a great professional opportunity
- How to manage your finances the easy way
- How to build positive and profitable relationships
- The personal and professional characteristics essential for your success
- Challenges, regrets and learning experiences from young professionals and established individuals
- Stories of success from those that achieved greatness as young professionals

For a special discount, signed copy and free shipping, purchase the book off of my Facebook Fan Page!

Tom Healy is a 2006 graduate of Ohio University, where he was an active leader of the fraternity and sorority community, serving in leadership roles for the Interfraternity Council and Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity. He remains actively involved with SAE in a number of volunteer roles. Tom has spoken at colleges across the country, published multiple books for students and young professionals and advised students on marketing/branding their student organizations through social media.

“Adding Tom to our CAMPUSPEAK staff is a big win! His creativity and energy will enliven the RBC program in so many ways. He is a great speaker and facilitator and will be able to communicate our proven techniques of values based recruiting in a most effective way,” said David Stollman, CAMPUSPEAK partner and creator of the RBC program.

“Tom’s ability to develop books, online resources and other educational products will add new dimensions to Recruitment Boot Camp offerings. We are especially excited for the upcoming rollout of our online skills training and our coaching program,” Stollman said.

Recruitment Boot Camp has helped hundreds of fraternity and sorority chapters across North America master proven strategies for dramatically boosting recruitment results. After attending RBC, some chapters have doubled, tripled and even quadrupled their memberships in just one semester. Some communities have increased their bid acceptance by 50-percent in just one year.

RBC provides recruitment education strategies for schools, chapters and national organizations. For more information about how RBC can help your organization, please visit http://www.recruitordie.com. To reach Tom Healy, please email him at healy@campuspeak.com.

In addition to choosing the right work environment, here are a few other ways that you can learn:

• Building relationships with successful co-workers
• Having mentors
• Reading industry trade publications
• Purchasing books on subjects that will help you become successful
• Searching for relevant articles on the internet (tons of great FREE information!)
• Attending seminars and workshops
• And many others!

If you are constantly learning, you will improve yourself in the areas most relevant to your success.  If you combine a strong work ethic with a desire to quickly learn and get better, you will be unstoppable!

To keep things simple, focus on three things when you move to a new place:  have great living arrangements, meet lots of people and make sure you give it a fair chance.  You can control each of these factors and they will give you a better chance of immediately finding happiness in your new place.

Great Living Arrangements

Make sure to live in a place that is safe.  Spending slightly more than you would like is worth allowing yourself to live in a nicer place that will make you happy.  Be sure to choose an area that is home to the types of people you want to be around, such as young professionals. Be sure it’s a part of town that you will enjoy, perhaps in close proximity to nightlife.  If you are new to an area, it is typically better to rent as opposed to buying, so that you are able to get a good sense of the entire city.  Once you become an expert on the different neighborhoods and sections of town by living there, you’ll be in a better position to consider buying a place.  You will also want to make sure you are committed to living in the area for at least a couple of years so that it makes financial sense to purchase a place.

If possible, try to find at least one other person to live with. Having a roommate will substantially lower your cost of living or allow you to spend the same amount of money but live in a much nicer place.  It will also help you to have a more active social life and to meet more people since a roommate usually comes with a new set of friends to hang out with.  Finding a good support system is crucial.

In terms of your living arrangement, it is important to bring some pieces of home with you.  This may include picture frames, memorabilia and furniture that bring the familiarity of your comfort zone to your new place.  In a new environment, you will want to feel ties to your life from the past.  As you continue to grow, it’s important to remember where you’ve been.

Meet Lots of People

One great thing about relocating is that you will have countless opportunities to surround yourself with people from all different walks of life.  If you grew up in one city and attended a school nearby, then you probably haven’t met many people from the opposite side of the country.  You can learn a lot about yourself and other people if you are able to surround yourself with diversity, and relocation allows you to do this.

Meeting new people who you’ll actually want to spend your time with can be difficult.  You must make a strong effort to meet new people, especially because it will be more challenging than it probably was for you at any other point in your life.  In high school, you had class with lots of people your age, many of whom you grew up with and lived nearby.  In college, it was even easier to meet people.  You lived in a dorm room when you started college and had a couple hundred people your age within a couple hundred feet of you at all times.  You met people through the dorms, classes, clubs and organizations that became some of your best friends.  However, in the “real world,” meeting people is more difficult.  You will probably need to make a stronger effort than ever before, but by doing so you will build new and enduring relationships that will make you a happier person in your new place.

Once you move, make a commitment to yourself that regardless of your other responsibilities, you will make every effort to meet new people.  You can do this by getting involved in the alumni association of the college you went to, watching sports games with other fans of your favorite team, volunteering at the local Boys & Girls Club, joining professional networking groups or joining a softball league.  There are thousands of ways to get involved, and they’ll allow you to build a network of friends, professionals and maybe even to start a relationship with the love of your life.  Meeting new people is difficult and can be uncomfortable at times, but doing so will expand your horizons.

Give it a Fair Chance

A common mistake for those who make a big move is to hit the “panic button” too soon when the initial feeling of un-settlement is still lingering.  Many people’s first reaction is to return to their comfort zones when this challenge arises.  Moving to a new city can be extremely difficult, but you must give yourself every chance to succeed.  At first, it is easy to complain – you’re too far from home, you are unhappy professionally, you don’t know anyone, the place is different from what you are used to.  Most of the problems you will have at first are easily fixable if you truly want to fix them – you can always meet new people, move to a different part of town or change your career.  Challenge yourself to persevere through the initial difficulties and give yourself every chance to succeed.  If you decide to move back to your comfort zone too quickly, you may regret it later on in life and always wonder what would have happened if you had just stuck it out.

Keep in mind that moving to a new city and successfully becoming independent will make other big decisions and moves in your life much easier; you will be more confident and more successful in the future because of your experiences.  If you can pack up your life, move far away and become successful in a new place, then most of the other challenges you face in life will seem less intimidating.

The first thing you need is a calendar that has everything you do scheduled on it.  On the first day of class when you are handed a syllabus, immediately put all important dates on your calendar.  All of your exams, projects and other due dates should be placed in the appropriate dates.  Also put the dates/times for all of the other activities you are involved with, such as weekly meetings, intramural sports games, the un’versity’s football schedule and anything else that you know you will be doing.

As you’re building your schedule, make sure that you are in control of it. Don’t let it control you.  In other words, get all of your obligations out of the way as early as possible so that you can spend the evening going out or relaxing.  Don’t schedule a group meeting for 10pm if you can all meet at noon – the longer you drag out your obligations, the longer your day will feel and the longer it will take to accomplish the same results.  Managing your time effectively means scheduling things back-to-back as much as possible so that you don’t have a bunch of wasted time in the middle of your day.

At the end of each day, take 5 minutes to plan out the following day.  You can use a notepad, a note card or blank place in your calendar to list the following:  times you need to be places (class, meetings, gym, etc) and the tasks you need to accomplish for the day (prioritized by importance).  The more specifically you schedule your day, the more you can accomplish.  If you plan on taking a nap then put it on the agenda; the more you can plan the better.  Imagine how good it will feel every morning to wake up and know exactly what you need to accomplish for the day to be successful – meanwhile, your friends will be stressed out, annoyed, overwhelmed and confused because they don’t have a clue what they need to get done first every morning when they wake up!

The Bottom Line: Anyone can wake up and work hard all day, but the truly successful students are the ones who have a plan and can produce results each day.  The better you manage your time, the more you can accomplish in a certain amount of time. When you combine a hard work ethic with a well planned day, you will be unstoppable and feel in control!

“Lastly, and this is a mandate, team. It is critical for success in today’s game.  I mandate, I urge you, never, ever, stop dreaming. That will be the biggest change in your life when you walk out of this locker room door today. It’s one of the things I love about working with younger people, in the business that I’m in. When you’re young, you dream and you dream wildly. You do. And it’s awesome.

Make the conscious daily decisions to take action to make those dreams a reality.”

The above portion of Tomlin’s speech does a terrific job of hitting five key points that you must keep in mind as you dream big and develop your vision.  Below are quotations to illustrate those key points, as well as an explanation of each.

“When you’re young, you dream and you dream wildly. You do. And it’s awesome.”

Let’s stop for a second, and think about what your dreams were at 8-years-old; possibly you saw yourself making the winning shot in Game 7 of the NBA Finals for your favorite team.  Perhaps you were the lead role on Broadway in your favorite show.  Or maybe you were the biggest movie star in Hollywood.  Regardless of what your dream was, there was one theme that was universally common – the dream was big.  Actually, the dream was huge, and there was nothing in the world that could stop you from imagining that feeling.  Never once did you think to yourself that maybe you weren’t talented enough to achieve that dream, or that it would take too long to reach it.  Your 8-year-old imagination was innocent and not crowded with the negative thoughts that most people carry with them in their adult lives.

Why is it that as people get older, they all of a sudden start to have doubt in their minds?  One day, you may suddenly feel you are not smart enough to get into graduate school.  There is no way that at 8-years-old you would have told yourself that being your own boss and running a highly successful company would be too difficult and that you didn’t have the time or money to do it.  The older people get, the more likely they are to find excuses and reasons why they can’t accomplish something.  The key is to block all of those excuses out of your mind and truly believe that you are capable of doing anything and everything that you can possibly imagine.

Do you think that at your age it is possible to dream like you once did?  If you concentrate and focus, is it possible to have wild dreams about success and happiness without worrying about the obstacles you may face?  Make the commitment right now that at the end of this book when you develop your personal vision you will dream like you used to as a child.

“The dreams are limitless. They know no bounds.”

Refuse to set the bar low for yourself when you develop your personal vision of success.  Don’t settle for less than your potential will allow.  Too often people are content with “just getting by” when they are capable of accomplishing so much more.  Just because someone else has not achieved something, doesn’t mean that you can’t do it.  Don’t try to simply match others’ successes, but surpass the accomplishments of others and create even higher standards for success.  When you create your dreams, there is no limit on how big and creative they can be.  The only limits that you face are the ones that you create in your own mind, from either your thoughts or the negative thoughts of those around you.  Make a commitment to have no limits or boundaries for the dreams that you create.

“I come across people that are successful in every walk of life. It’s one common bond that I notice that they all have… they’re ridiculous dreamers.”

Be a ridiculous dreamer; in fact be so ridiculous that everyone else around you thinks that you are crazy.  When Fred Smith wrote an economics paper on a concept for an overnight delivery service in a computer information age, his professor gave him a C grade and told him the idea was unrealistic.  In his 20s, Fred Smith turned this concept into FedEx, and his net worth is currently over $2 billion.  His professor thought his idea was crazy, and guess what, that’s the whole point.  Make the average person think you are absolutely insane because your visions and dreams are so much larger than everyone else around you.  Average people will only ever accomplish average things.

Right now, think of one of your dreams for your life that is absolutely ridiculous and that most people would think you are crazy for even thinking you could accomplish.  If you cannot think of one, then you will need to by the end of this book.  You must have at least one ridiculous dream that the average young professional would think was unattainable.  A person who dreams obnoxiously is better than someone who is scared to do so.  Be a ridiculous dreamer for the rest of your life.

“The difference is, what separates our dreams from the ones we all shared when we were children, is that we have to make daily choices, to take action.”

By setting the bar high with large dreams comes the responsibility to also align your daily actions with those dreams.  You cannot just say you want to do something without developing a specific plan and then sticking to it daily.  It is one thing to say that you want to be in the top 10% of your law class; it’s a completely different thing to actually study an hour longer each day than the others do in your class.

As an adult, you need to identify on a daily basis what it will take to reach your dreams, and then you must make the commitment to consistently do those activities necessary to be successful.  The difference between a dream and an actual success is the ability to persevere through the difficulties and accomplish everything necessary to reach the goals you set for yourself.

Having a strong daily routine that aligns with your vision is crucial.  If you have no routine, it’s easy for weeks, months or even years to pass before you realize you have done nothing to move closer to your vision.  If you identify what you must do daily to be successful, hold yourself accountable to that plan and consistently follow through with the necessary activities, then you will be successful.  If you do the necessary daily activities most of the time, you may eventually get there, but probably not as quickly or easily as you would have liked.  If you only do the necessary daily activities some of the time, then your chances of accomplishing your goals are even slimmer.  The bottom line is simple – if you develop an effective daily plan and stick to it, you will be successful.  Your actions will determine your fate.

“Don’t let the realities of the world that awaits you on the other side of that locker room door, diminish those dreams.”

You are an ambitious, hard-working individual who wants to be successful in this world.  If you weren’t, then you wouldn’t be reading this book right now.  The reality of this world is that most people aren’t built like you.  Do not let those people diminish your dreams, and do not let them ever tell you what you can and can’t do in this world.

In school, if you get 95% of the assignments right you will always get an A.  In the real world, however, you can get 100% of everything you do right, be absolutely perfect and still walk into work one day and find out that your position is eliminated.  You could also find out that you were passed over for a promotion by someone who is younger than you and not nearly as productive.

The point I’m making is that you need to create your own path and the more opportunities you can recognize and take advantage of to advance yourself, the quicker you will become successful.  If you work hard, build positive relationships with the right people and constantly display a positive attitude, opportunities will come to you much faster than they do to the average person.  Your opportunities will also be bigger and better because people will see the value that you bring and will want you to be part of their organization.