Author Archives: David

Managing Stress on The Hunt

Stress is a killer.  It causes inflammation, weight gain, wrinkles; it has a way of multiplying and invading every aspect of your being.  This time of year, full of love and gifts, folly and merry-making is also a hot bed of rushing and trying to pack a full schedule with more: meetings before the end of the year; family time; parties; more everything. 

I face this myself, every year around this time.  Once Thanksgiving hits, it is a major crush to get everything else in before the long winter break.  Just this week, I had a major speaking event in NYC at IBM, meetings all over the city,  commitments to family and friends; and in order to do that, I had to miss an all-team meeting in my Southfield offices and a holiday party at Farbman Group.  And I was torn and stressing myself out, knowing I could not be in two places at once.  And I have help: an amazing executive team to run things at HealthRise, a fantastic wife taking care of my home and our boys, support staff that makes sure I am where I need to be to make the most of my time.  I can’t imagine how I would do it without them and I realize that everyone is not as fortunate as I am.

When things start to get stressed, I remind myself to get above the noise and focus on my Desired Outcome.  I like to take five minutes in the morning to picture in my mind the events of the day and formulate a plan to stay on schedule.  I factor in how I can take a break after each meeting or event to absorb the details and see how it will ultimately help me on the way to hitting my target.  And then I let it go.  Not every meeting turns out how I imagine, but there is always something to learn that will help me on future hunts.

I also have to remind myself that there are things I cannot control.   The universe has a way of taking things out of our hands and there are times when it is best to give in to the traffic and the noise and just go with the flow.  As with most things that sound very Zen, this is easier said than done.  Who doesn’t rail at the congested mall traffic and say “What are these people doing?  Don’t they know I need to… fill in the blank?”  And odds are they don’t.  And if they did, they wouldn’t care. 

So here is my holiday stress-busting advice:  Turn up the radio.  Stay warm.  Hydrate.  Exercise.   Appreciate what you have.  Keep your focus on your target.  Stay above and clear.  Know that the greatest gift you can give someone is a good memory.  Acknowledge all the blessings you have.  Let the lights and sounds and the spirit of the season wash over you.  Embrace your hunt for the things you want most in life.  And be good to one another out there.

Five questions with David Farbman & Josh Linker

I love sharing the hunt everywhere I go, with everyone I meet. I thought I would ask the hunters I admire to share what success means to them so we can all learn from the amazing people I am fortunate to know. In this space, you will hear from politicians, outdoors enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs – each of whom is hunting down what means the most to them.

Meet Josh Linkner. You might know him as the New York Times best selling author of “Disciplined Dreaming” and “The Road to Reinvention.” I know him as an above & clear hunter who sees blue sky and opportunity everywhere. He accepts the reality of the work he needs to put in to achieve his long-term goals, but never stops dreaming. He harnesses the power of his creativity and turns it into success.

1) What does success mean to you?  Reaching your full potential.  This, of course, is different for each of us.  For me, I enjoy helping others find success.  I also enjoy taking risks and creating.  If I can build or create something and end up brining it to life against the odds, I find it very rewarding.

2) How do you set goals?  I’m a big fan of goal setting.  I start with my long-term goals and work backwards.  Starting at the end – how do you want to be remembered – and then backing into the steps that are needed to get there.  I do this all the way down from 20, 10, 5, and 1-year goals to 90-day sprints.  The more you track, measure, and visualize, the better you’ll be able to deliver and hold yourself accountable for reaching the goals you set.

3) What was your break out moment?  For me, it has been a series of moments, not a single event.  I find big breakthrough usually occur as a result of small wins, which are driven by a combination of creativity + discipline + focus.   Also, by the way, many setbacks and mistakes that were painful at the time ultimately led to future accomplishments.  Every bull’s eye is the result of 100 misses, as the saying goes.

4) Who was your greatest influence?  My grandmother.  She gave me the drive to push for being the best and the confidence to do things in non-traditional ways, to stand out from the pack.  Also, the jazz musicians of the bebop era in the mid 1940’s.  They showed what could happen when you ignore the rules and truly push the boundaries.

5) How do you influence others? I try to be generous with my time and share the things I’ve learned, good and bad.  I try to help empower people to be their best, focusing on them and not on me.  I find when you really care and sincerely want to help with no expectations in return; the influence and impact come without much effort.

Practicing Gratitude on The Hunt

My boys, Hunter, River and Fischer, have all brought home their “thankful” worksheets in celebration of Thanksgiving. They are thankful for Mom and Dad and trains and trucks and iPads and Legos. When you are a kid, it’s easy to make a list of things, big or small, that make your day happy and your heart light. As adults, we often lose sight of those everyday moments of gratitude as we seek the big absolutes, defined by our “ifs” and “whens” – “when I get that promotion, I’ll be happy then” or “if this company takes off, I’ll be so grateful then.”

Daily gratitude is a tough practice, especially when you are on the hunt for the things you want most. But gratitude is an investment you cannot afford to miss. It pays off in spades, in unexpected and rewarding ways.

Gratitude puts you in the tree stand. When you can see the small ways you are achieving your goals and can express your thanks to the universe, you have already put yourself in a better place for achieving more.

Gratitude takes on the Judge and wins. The Judge is the voice in your head that points out the reasons why you will fail, pushing you towards negativity and incapacitating you. Being thankful immediately puts you in a place of positivity and allows the Scout to come to the forefront, seeking out opportunity and positioning you for success, moving you forward on the hunt.

Gratitude is like air. It’s all around you, easily accessible yet frequently unnoticed. But once you start paying attention to it, it grows by leaps and bounds and becomes a jet stream that you can leverage constantly.

Gratitude creates flow. By aligning your actions and decisions with your gratitude, you put yourself in the most powerful position possible for achieving results. That’s how you live in the Hunt. Positive energy generates positive results.

You will be well served by pursuing gratitude as avidly as you do the targets you have set for yourself. Say it out loud to the universe, share it with a stranger who is kind to you, and express it fully to the ones you love.

Let me take this moment to say I am grateful this year, and every other, for the love of my family, for the success I work towards every day, for the beauty of the sunrise, for the glory of nature and for the friends who make my days brighter and more joyful for their presence. I’m a lucky man.

And thank you, for reading, subscribing and sharing The Hunt.

XO –
D Farbz

Managing Time + Energy on The Hunt

When I’m on a hunt, I measure time from before the sun rises to the last 30 minutes of daylight. Time can be very elastic when I’m in the blind, the minutes watching a buck as he crosses my sights stretch and play out in slow motion. The hours sitting with friends fly by (especially now that we have heaters in the blind!) and some hunts feel like the day is a lifetime unfolding before me.

My day-to-day management of time is far more complicated, as I have to accommodate more factors that just deer and weather and allotment of snacks. But if I’ve learned anything from hunting it’s this: the better I manage my time and energy, the more successful hunt I will have.

I meet with my executive team every Tuesday. This is typically a very condensed, every-minute-matters meeting. But on a recent Tuesday, we were all distracted: by office decorating decisions, by holiday party details, by “I want this and so-and-so wants that.” This went on for eight minutes or so before I realized that our Desired Outcome for this meeting was slowly slipping away as shiny objects distracted us. The minute we latched back on to the DO, the team focused on our agenda, and got to work on the core metrics model that is going to drive our company.

Guarding your time requires that you rise above your ego and get clear about the purpose of your hunt. You can target your actions on hitting those DOs, rather than getting caught up in useless time wasters with no real return. If you are hunting whitetails, for example, you’ve got one great morning sit – those first few hours when the deer are up and active. If daylight hits and you aren’t ready, you may as well stay home. When you are clear and honest about what you really want to get out of your time and energy, managing the things you can control becomes a priority.

Here are my “Last 30 minutes of daylight” on time management:
• Stay focused on your DO.
• Don’t get distracted by email, gossip or other shiny objects.
• Be honest about why you’re doing what you are doing.
• Know how to say “no” – to yourself and others.
• Let everyone know when you are unavailable and then be unavailable. (Easier said than done, I know. I am the absolute worst at this one and it drives everyone crazy.)

Your time is a non-renewable resource and the only way to make more is to use the time you have wisely. Invest your most precious resource in the things that matter the most to you: family, community, relationships, love, health…your list will be different than mine, but knowing what matters makes it easier to drop the things that don’t. Make a list; set your priorities and keep your eyes on the prize and you will find you have more time to hunt.

Five Questions with David Farbman & Stacy Goldberg of Savorfull

I love sharing The Hunt everywhere I go, with everyone I meet. I thought I would ask the hunters I admire to share what success means to them so we can all learn from the amazing people I am fortunate to know. In this space, you will hear from politicians, outdoors enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs – each of whom is hunting down what means the most to them.

Meet Stacy Goldberg. She promotes a “free from” style of nutrition, hunting down delicious and healthy allergy-free snacks and sharing them with clients such as HealthRise Solutions and Quicken Loans, as well as acting as the nutrition consultant to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Stacy’s tenacity, drive and positive outlook are what define her as a hunter. She has an incredible ability to pivot and change tactics mid-hunt. She is a queen of real-time execution and above all, she truly cares about having a positive impact on her clients and the world around her. Love you, Stacy!

1) What does success mean to you? To me success means developing a vision, a mission, goals and a plan for your business then executing on them efficiently. Once you have achieved those goals and see your vision and plan come to life, you know you are successful. I do not believe success is measured in numbers, dollars or awards.

2) How do you set goals? I strategically set goals each quarter for my business. I use a system based on a book titled “Traction” by Gino Wickman, which was given to me by one of our Savorfull board members. It helps me to determine what my goals are each quarter, then evaluate or modify them, as needed, based on the status of our business. I also set goals based on our clients—if we don’t listen to our clients, we will not be successful.

3) What was your breakout moment? I do not think I have had one significant breakout moment but rather a series of them over the course of the last few years. When I hear clients tell me how much our work at Savorfull has changed their life, changed their eating habits, made a difference in their day, or provided them with knowledge they did not have before, I feel that we have made a break through! When I reflect on the list of clients that we have such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, and I sit at the Cavs games watching how our work influences such an organization, I feel that impact for sure. Pretty awesome!

4) Who was your greatest influence? My greatest influence has been my family, specifically my mom. She is my partner and Chief Operating Officer at Savorfull (Phyllis Canvasser) and she provides me with the strength, courage, motivation and determination to keep going even during the hardest times. Building a business is not easy, not glamorous and not always rewarding most days. My mom has supported me in more ways I could imagine and her work ethic, skills and background help influence who I am each and every day.

5) How do you influence others? I try to influence others by sharing my story, my life experiences and my knowledge with them. I am honest, transparent and frank when sharing my background and business history. I communicate this message so hopefully other entrepreneurs can learn from my mistakes. I feel lucky to mentor students (especially women) from across the country and aim to influence them to be entrepreneurs, business owners, health and wellness professionals and overall great people!