Coffee Break Guru: (Brian Buggé – Professor of Prosperity)
“Life
Deserves
to
Taste Better - Splash Some Color on the Canvas of your Life.”
THE
BASIC FRAMEWORK:
Change Belief (3 B’s)
Our Results (3 R’s)
Focus ↔ Elevating Experiences (3 E’s)
For Action (3 A’s)
Extraordinary Knowledge (3 K’s)
Effectiveness
The 3 B’s
stand for: Bio, Bias, Blessed
The 3 R’s stand for:
Resolve, Refocus, Re-Emerge
The 3 E’s stand for:
Enthusiasm, Energy, Emotion
The 3 A’s stand for: Aim,
Apply, Achieve
The 3 K’s stand for:
Keystone, Karma, Kindness
THE
ADVANCED FRAMEWORK:
Culture Belief
Of Results
Financial ↔ Elevating Experiences
Freedom Action
|
|
Equality
C O F F E E: {Basic and Advanced
version}
I
would like you to think about this acronym from now on every time you have a
cup of coffee or see someone with a cup of coffee (or even simply pass a
Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, etc.). Let
it serve as a trigger to help you recall this framework I developed, which
illustrates the traits and characteristics needed to design and live an
extraordinary life. The COFFEE acronym
changes as you go from basic to advanced, indicating that it evolves from an
individual effort to a group effort. You empower yourself by empowering
others. It all starts, however, by becoming skilled at the “basic version”
of what I refer to as COFFEE (“Change Our Focus For Extraordinary Effectiveness”).
Once you master the basics, or the fundamentals, then you can go on to use
those skills to design and live an extraordinary life and create and maintain a
culture of prosperity and affluence, not only in your own life, but in the
lives of those you care about, and in your community, your business and
ultimately your country. That becomes the “advanced version” of COFFEE (“Culture Of Financial Freedom Empowerment, Equality”). It’s a powerful strategy
illustrated in an easy to grasp framework.
B
R E A K: {Belief, Results,
Elevating experiences, Action, Knowledge}.
The
right side of the chart, the side spelling out BREAK does not change as we evolve from the basic to the advanced. These
traits and characteristics depict the individual side of the equation (“If it’s
to be it’s up to me”). Although it starts with the individual, it needs to
expand to the group in order for it to realize its full potential. You will
notice the double arrow in the middle of the chart between the two words. It
signifies that this is a symbiotic relationship. It’s a holistic, seamless, integrated
and dynamic ecosystem that feeds off itself. Once you understand how it works
you will be able to create and maintain a culture of prosperity and affluence
anywhere in the world. “Life Deserves
to
Taste Better - Splash Some Color on the
Canvas of
your Life.” Check out my free “Coffee Break Guru” videos on my YouTube Channel at: www.youtube.com/provocativeideas.
___________________________________________
I
have been involved in community organizing, community revitalization and
empowerment efforts, and personal development and improvement programs for
individuals, municipalities and private industry for over 30 years. As a
result, I have a pretty good notion of what works and what doesn’t work, and
more importantly, why. I also have a well established track record of success.
That track record led to numerous awards, accolades and invitations to testify
before the New York State Senate and Congress as to what works and what doesn’t
work, and how they could replicate my successes in other locations.
So
let’s start with the first letter {B} in the acronym BREAK:
BELIEF (the 3
B’s- Bio, Bias, Blessed):
There
is an old saying, “You will see it when you believe it.” Henry Ford said, “If
you think you can or you think you can’t you are right.” So the basic building
blocks for positive change and momentum starts with a strong belief system.
It’s that strong belief that enables you to pour a lot of energy and action
into making things happen. That massive infusion of energy and activity usually
results in a desired outcome, which reinforces your original belief system and now
makes it even stronger and more resilient. The opposite can also occur, which
is why Henry Ford’s quote was so accurate. If you start out with a weak belief
system you will probably only give things a half-hearted or mediocre effort,
leading to poor results, which now serves to reinforce your original weak
belief system (“See, I knew I couldn’t do it”).
Bio
stands for your “biography.” We’ve all developed a certain paradigm (or world
view) on how things are or how the world is based on our age, gender, race,
education, socio-economic status, religion, family dynamics growing up, life
experiences, etc. We instinctively draw judgments and interpretations about
things based on that world view. That becomes our bias. A dictionary definition of bias is “prejudice.” If you look up prejudice it says, “an opinion
for or against something without adequate basis.” This is a good description of
what we do to ourselves. Because of our biography,
we draw inferences not only about life and other people, but about ourselves
too (and without adequate basis). So we can have a bias against ourselves. Sometimes that bias can be positive, but most often it’s a negative one. We tend
to think that our biography
determines who we are, what we can and cannot do, what aspirations are
realistic for us to have, etc. Our bias
puts our life in a neat little box. Our Bio
can lead us to believe that the world is our oyster or that the world is a
tuxedo and we are a pair of brown shoes. Fortunately, what can overcome this
limited thinking is a feeling that we are blessed.
Blessed simply means we have a
spiritual component to our lives. We believe in a higher power. It doesn’t
matter what your religion is because all religions have a commonality when it
comes to “principles.” All religions carry with them the concept of being
blessed or cursed in some form or fashion. The trick is to feel “blessed” and not “cursed.” For some,
their bias is so strong based on what they perceive to be such a lousy bio that they begin to actually feel
cursed. As a result, what the COFFEE
BREAK teaches is that we need to “change our focus.” If you change your bias and you change your interpretation
about what your bio means for your
future self, and you add to that a feeling of being blessed, you will strengthen your belief system and start
developing a clear path to becoming “extraordinarily effective.”
Starting
out with a strong belief system allows you to develop strong “Resolve.” That
leads to solid “Results.” The two of them together (Belief & Results) give
you “References.” References are experiences that are locked in your memory
that sculpt your self image. References help determine your view of yourself
and your capabilities, or what’s possible for you. If you have references to
being wealthy, successful, athletic, kind, healthy, spiritual, social able, smart,
etc., then that helps you form a strong belief system, which helps you achieve
results. Again, the opposite is also true. If you don’t have those types of
references in your life history then your belief system will start out weak and
insecure leading to poor or mediocre results, which reinforces your already
weak or fragile belief system. It can become a vicious cycle. So you must begin
by using my “Building Blocks” outlined in my COFFEE BREAK framework. This is how you start the process of achievement
that bolsters your self-esteem and gives you solid references, which
strengthens your belief system – leading to even more achievement and success
(a much better cycle to repeat).
Let’s
move on to the second letter {R} in the acronym BREAK:
RESULTS (the 3
R’s- Resolve, Refocus, Re-Emerge):
The
3 R’s are elaborated on in more detail in my book What You Won’t Learn at
School: Unless You Take My Class. They are: Resolve, Refocus and Re-Emerge. As everyone knows, results are
the name of the game. As stated above, Results and Belief go hand-in-hand.
Together they form strong references about what’s possible for you. But it’s
difficult to achieve the results you’re after without first forming strong resolve or strong reasons why you want
this result. Once you have developed that resolve, the next stage is to refocus your energies and attention on
this thing you want. The final stage is after you’ve received the results you
wanted. You will now re-emerge with
a different outlook on what’s possible for you. You will now have a stronger
belief system and more references. All of this feeds into the third letter {E}
in the acronym BREAK:
ELEVATING EXPERIENCES (the 3 E’s – Enthusiasm,
Energy, Emotion):
Examples
of “Elevating Experiences” are: Enthusiasm
+ Enjoyment, Euphoria, Ecstasy, Exhilaration, Exuberance, Enchantment,
Enlightenment, Endurance, Epiphanies, and Excitement. These are experiences
that give you Energy and help keep
you elated and engaged. That’s a lot of “E’s and here’s one more “Emotion.” When we get into “Action”
below, you’ll see that emotion creates
motion. All of this is a seamless, holistic, integrated eco-system that, if
done right, is self-sustaining, it feeds off itself. One expert even said that
he felt the word “excitement” was a synonym for the word happiness. He asserted
that people really crave excitement, and that’s what makes them happy. Leading
a mundane and boring life can mean you died at 30 and were buried at 80. The
difference between a rut and a grave is only a few feet. Joseph Campbell said,
“I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are
looking for the experience of being alive.” So we need to embrace these
Elevating Experiences in order to feel alive. Without them, developing those
strong reasons why that you’ll need to achieve goals you’ve set for yourself will
be very difficult. Elevating Experiences also help you sculpt a lifestyle for yourself, your family and
your community. You have this strong belief system, which helps you achieve
results, which creates positive references in your mind and spirit. So now you
go on to embrace elevating experiences that give you energy, a positive attitude, a nice disposition, a feeling of hope,
significance, meaning and purpose in your life. What we do with this healthy
attitude is we sculpt a lifestyle. We use all this to design and live an
extraordinary life. For a more detailed tutorial on all this check out my CD
set and online training titled, “Provocative Ideas on Designing and Living an
Extraordinary Life” (www.provocativeideas.com). You can also get a free copy of my eBook titled, What
You Won’t Learn At School: Unless You Take My Class.
ACTION: (the
3 A’s- Aim, Apply, Achieve):
One
book title said it all, “Action: Nothing Happens Until Something Moves.” We can
have strong beliefs and a positive mental attitude, but nothing happens until
we take Action. There are many things
that can prevent us from taking massive action, some of the more common causes are:
weak belief system, poor results in the past, fear of failure, and
procrastination. But action is integral to success in any endeavor. We break
through the inertia by taking small actions that start the ball rolling, “Inch
by inch anything is a cinch.” A journey of a thousand miles starts with a
single step. Many people won’t start, however, because they think they need all
their ducks lined up in a row first. That is not true. Good enough is good
enough. So it’s not your perfection, it’s your direction. Don’t wait for things
to be perfect before you start. As the Nike slogan says, “Just Do It.” Once you
break through the inertia and start moving then things will start to fall into
place. It is easier to gets things done on the fly than it is from total
inertia. Just remember that if you go through life casually you will become a
casualty. You cannot stroll to your goal. Results may be the name of the
game, but it’s through action that you achieve those results. The
most effective way to start is to take “Aim”
(have a specific goal you want to achieve that is meaningful for you).
Remember, the more “Enthusiasm,”
“Energy,” and “Emotion” you can bring to the task the better. “Apply” what you have learned from this
training and you will give yourself the best chances of “Achieving” your desired outcome. You will now “Re-Emerge” with a slightly different outlook on life, but this
slightly different outlook begins to “Change
Your Focus.” Once that process begins to take hold there is no stopping it
and no going back. You will now become “Extraordinarily
Effective.”
KNOWLEDGE (the 3
K’s- Keystone, Karma, Kindness):
Knowledge
means all you have learned from both formal education and self education. As a
result, our quest for knowledge never ends. It’s a life long journey. I find
that the more I know the more I begin to realize how little I know. Our
knowledge also shapes our personal philosophy, or our view of how things are.
Everyone has a slightly different paradigm, or world view. But it is through
our beliefs about things, our results in life, our actions (or inactions), our
attitude, lifestyle and elevating experiences that we form this personal
philosophy. As such, knowledge is the “Keystone”
to the archway we have built. It is that last wedge shaped stone that slips
into the top of the arch that keeps it from crumbling down. Knowledge is the
glue that binds this entire COFFEE BREAK
strategy together. Our personal philosophy is our roadmap that we follow
through life, sometimes unconsciously. If we have a poor or incomplete roadmap,
then it will be difficult to arrive at our destination on time. We will either
miss our destination entirely, or arrive through so much turbulence that our
attitude will have been damaged and we will not experience joy, happiness or “kindness” as a result. It is
imperative that we arrive at our destination with our elevating experiences
intact. Success needs to be enjoyed by you, your family and your friends or it
is no success at all. Knowledge allows us to understand that crucial piece of
the life puzzle. The best way to insure this happens is to practice and embrace
a true feeling of gratitude and kindness.
Success does not make people cruel, bitter, resentful, petty,
jealous, cynical and/or negative, failure does. In fact, knowledge can help
you see repressed resentment and help you replace it with love, patience,
tolerance, goodwill and kindness,
thus allowing your resentments, anger, remorse, guilt and fear (which can eat
away at you) to disappear. In addition, kindness
and proper karma prompts you to be
of service to others, and our rewards in life will equal our service. One
person said it best, “If you help enough people get what they want, you will
have everything that you want.” So if you think you are alone, you are not; if
you think it is impossible, it is not; if you think you know it all, you do
not. Just remember that Ignorance is NOT bliss, and what you don’t know WILL
hurt you. Last, remember that “Karma”
means “Action.” But it means taking the right action that helps guide you
toward your destiny. If you take the wrong actions because you are out of sync
with your purpose then you will pay a price for that. So do not let yourself
become a wandering generality. Knowledge allows us to follow a better path. But
knowledge by itself is not power. Knowledge is only potential power. There are
many examples of smart people who are not happy or successful or fulfilled. We
need to apply knowledge wisely to
design and live an extraordinary life. Following the COFFEE BREAK framework and strategy will enable you to do
that.
___________________________________________
This
leads us to the left side of the chart, or the “COFFEE” acronym. This
represents the group – the community. That community can be your family, your neighborhood,
your city, or your business or the business community in general. Here is how
we take the individual and insert him/her into the “bigger picture.” Here is
how they “serve.” It is through this service to others that your belief, results,
elevating experiences, action and knowledge will be strengthened and
solidified.
A
community is made up of individuals. If we improve the health of those
individuals (mind, body, social/spirit) then we improve the health of the
entire community. That’s how you create and maintain a culture of prosperity
and affluence.
I
included the World Health Organization’s definition of “Health” on p. 3. The
WHO definition states that a person needs to be in a “state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being” in order to be considered truly
healthy. The term “social” includes environment
and lifestyle. So true “health” really
is a matter of mind, body and spirit/social. It’s all connected, just like we
are all connected.
Some
people don’t do well simply because they don’t feel well. As a result, some
communities don’t do well simply because the people inhabiting that community
don’t feel well (mind, body and spirit/social). Following the COFFEE BREAK strategy and framework will
heal that malady and empower individuals, families and entire communities to move
away from a culture of poverty, violence and despair and move toward a culture
of prosperity. That reduces inequity and helps everyone achieve and enjoy The American Dream.
COFFEE {Change
Our Focus For, Extraordinary, Effectiveness}:
We
start with the “Basic” version of the acronym and evolve into the advanced
version. Both are integral to the strategy. The strategy “evolves” because we
go from something that is transformational (the basic version) into something
that is transcendent (the advanced version). Once we change our focus and
become extraordinarily effective we are transformed. We now have clarity of
purpose. That clarity of purpose, meaning and significance allows us to
transcend myths and disempowering beliefs and positively affect those in our
sphere of influence. We become an agent of change. We now go on to teach others
how to create and maintain a culture of prosperity and affluence. Now that we
are empowered we empower others. If reducing inequity is indeed the highest human
achievement, which I believe it is, we now have the resources and the skills to
make that happen. We can make a dent in the universe by making our personal and
professional lives our ministry. Aspire to inspire before you expire!
“Human
life, by its very nature, has to be dedicated to something.”—José
Ortega y Gasset
“We are
engineered as goal-seeking mechanisms. We are built that way. When we have no
personal goal which we are interested in and which ‘means something’ to us, we
are apt to ‘go around in circles,’ feel ‘lost’ and find life itself ‘aimless,’
and purposeless.’ Get yourself a goal worth working for. Better still, get yourself
a project.... Always have something ahead of you to ‘look forward to’ – to work
for and hope for. Look forward, not backward.”-—Maxwell
Maltz
“Seek above
all else a game worth playing and play it as if your entire life and sanity
depends on it, for it does.” —Robert S. de Ropp
COFFEE {Culture
Of Financial Freedom, Empowerment, Equality}:
Money
is important, but financial freedom
is more important. In order to develop a Culture of Prosperity and Affluence we
must first shed this misguided notion that money is the root of all evil.
That’s not what scripture meant. What it meant was “The Love of Money is
the Root of All Evil.” So nobody is endorsing that we get obsessed with money
and fall in love with money to the exclusion of everything else. But money is
important. Sometimes we dismiss it out of a fear that if we go for it we’ll
fail and be disappointed or miserable. So we badmouth it and we badmouth people
who have it. It’s an affliction that can be disempowering and prevent us from
designing and living an extraordinary life. With that mindset we now begin to
repel money and prosperity rather than attracting it to us.
I
go into developing a culture of
financial freedom in depth in my CD’s and online training, but here are the
important takeaways we must practice as an individual, a family and a community
or business: we must focus on Multiple Sources of Income. We should not
restrict or limit ourselves to just one source of income, especially if that
income source is earned income (usually a job). If that source dries up, gets
reduced or ends (lay-off, termination, illness, etc.) then you have nothing to
fall back on. That is not financial freedom. So no matter what your occupation
or profession, relying on one source of income for your livelihood is fraught
with danger, which produces anxiety and stress. I’m sure you’ve heard the
lament, “I can never seem to make ends meet.” Well, ends don’t meet, that’s why
they’re called ends. They stop. If they met they would be called a circle.
You
must stop chasing money. If you are chasing money that means it is running away
from you. You should be attracting money to you. Think of it like a stream that
flows toward you, which is why they call it currency. You attract money,
successful and high performing people, and prosperity and affluence into your
life by becoming an attractive person yourself. You become an attractive person
through your own skills, talents and connections. That comes from the Knowledge portion of the BREAK acronym described above (Who You
Know and What You Know).
Once
you no longer have to worry about money, you can now focus your attention to other matters, the first of which is to empower your family, community and/or
business. Empowerment is the engine
that creates and maintains a culture of prosperity and affluence. If we only
empower the individual but the family and community remain disempowered and
marginalized, that individual will either leave for greener pastures or lose
their strength and endurance and fall back into the same culture of poverty, violence
and despair they were trying to escape from. Neither scenario is beneficial. If
they leave for what appears to be greener pastures, they lose their home field
advantage. Also, it’s always greener on the other side of the fence, but that
can be an illusion. It’s better to first learn how to create and maintain a
culture of prosperity and affluence in your own community first; grow where
you’re planted. If you want to leave afterwards that’s up to you, but you might
not want to after you see the results you can achieve.
EMPOWERMENT:
About Brian Buggé:
Sometimes
referred to as the “Professor of Prosperity,” Brian Buggé is a professional
consultant, speaker, trainer, author and coach. He has also been an Adjunct
Professor for over 30 years. He’s been recognized and praised as someone who
can turn academic theory into real life application. He has taught college
courses as varied as “Management Information Systems,” to courses on “Critical
Thinking,” “Human Relations,” and “Cultural Diversity.” He originated the
concept of the 5 P’s (Philosophy, Process, Programs, Problem-Solving and
Partnerships) which, through practical application, have garnered him the
following accolades:
·
Three (3) separate National Association
of Counties “Achievement Awards.”
·
Newsday’s first ever
“Civic Spirit Award.”
·
NOVA
Award from the American Hospital Association.
·
Presidential “Excellence in
Education” award from the U.S. Department of Education.
·
“Certificate of Merit” bestowed
by the Mayor of New York City.
·
“Supervisor of the Year” award
from the VFW.
·
“Meritorious Service” award from
the Nassau County Legislature.
·
Inclusion in Marquis’s Who’s
Who in America.
·
Having his work highlighted in a
Pulitzer Prize winning story.
·
Editorial in the Wall Street Journal touting his work
helping to increase the success rate of students in twenty-two (22) of the
lowest performing public schools in Philadelphia.
·
Commended for helping to
stabilize families, businesses and communities in the wake of both Hurricane
Katrina in Louisiana and Super Storm Sandy in NY/NJ.
·
Invitation to appear before the NYS
Senate & Congress to advise them how they could replicate his successes in
other organizations or municipalities throughout the country.
Brian has taught at New
Jersey City University, Nassau Community College, Southwestern College, and the
University of Phoenix. He has lectured at Brown University and has performed
consulting projects for Columbia, Harvard and Princeton Universities. As the
former chief evangelist for Inner City
Competitiveness in America, he has written several books and magazine
articles and appeared on radio and TV and he’s been quoted or had articles
appear in prominent publications such as: Harper’s,
Playboy, Newsday, and the Wall Street
Journal. He has also been a
keynote speaker and/or breakout session presenter at various national
leadership conferences throughout the country.
His unique insights on brand
building, competitiveness, problem-solving, risk mitigation, community
revitalization, and human, social and organizational innovation will prompt you
to perform (with Brian’s guidance and advice) an in-depth assessment of how you
currently do things in your personal and/or professional life. He will then
suggest slight adjustments that will make a huge difference and reap immense
rewards in a relatively short period of time.
Having worked in both the
public sector and private industry over the years, Brian’s assignments have
brought him into contact with high level government leaders, influential
Fortune 500 executives, sports and entertainment celebrities and high net worth
individuals from around the world. No matter who it is Brian has been able to
offer practical guidance and advice that has enabled them to save and/or make
millions of dollars. In some cases, money was not even the issue, and the
solutions sought and received were on a personal level.
‘Ah
ha’
moments come from focusing on one critical factor – mindset! Your personal
philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life (or business)
turns out. The wind that blows blows on all of us. While you can’t change the
wind, you can change the set of your sail. Whether it’s a business that is off
course or a personal life trajectory that is off course, both can be
recalibrated and brought back on course with just small adjustments in your
personal philosophy (adjusting the set of your sail). Get in touch with Brian
and let him show you how to do that. You’ll be glad you did [NOTE: don’t forget to get a copy of
his new book, What You Won’t Learn At School: Unless You Take My Class].
You
can contact Brian at {24 hr.
voicemail/fax} 718-356-6537, {C} 917-596-8512
{E} provocativeideas@aol.com and/or visit his website at: www.provocativeideas.com or www.youtube.com/provocativeideas or www.facebook.com/provocativeideas
Testimonials:
There’s a good reason they refer to Brian Buggé as “The
Professor of Prosperity.” If you want to
succeed in your personal and professional life read this book and listen to
Brian’s CD set and then take massive action based on his advice. I am now
financially independent by following the same principles and techniques
outlined in this book. I am living proof
that it works, not only in matters of wealth creation and prosperity but in the
more important matter of happiness.
-
Chris Brogna, Real Estate Investor (NY/FL)
Through Brian’s guidance and advice I got the motivation
(and more importantly the inspiration) to finish my book. I also went on to
become one of the top online sellers in my state with “Teachers Pay Teachers.”
I incorporate Brian’s philosophy on a daily basis when teaching my students in
elementary school. It’s all about learning the basics - or the fundamentals as
Brian calls it. But then it’s about turning that theory into practice. Read
this book and listen to his CD’s and he’ll teach you how to do that. Students
have to know that you care before they care what you know. It’s obvious that
Brian cares!
-
Dawn De Lorenzo, Educator (NJ)
Author: Peanut Butter &
Jelly Possibilities
Any professional airplane pilot will tell you that you must
adhere to the basics. We incorporate those basics into a “checklist.” That
checklist becomes our Bible. We follow it religiously. Most people would be
surprised to know that planes are always going a little off course during
flight. We bring them back on course through small changes and adjustments. If
you want to bring your personal and professional life back on course, and with
only small changes that Brian suggests, you need to read this book. Consider it
your checklist. You will arrive at your destination in life with a minimum of
turbulence.
-
Michael Slipstein, Commercial Airline Pilot
(North America)
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