I promised you the rest of a hunting story…

I closed my eyes for a couple of hours but didn’t sleep much that night. The morning brought a stiffer wind and to make matters worse; it was swirling all over the place. The animals were far more spooked than the day before. Due to some scheduling conflicts, I needed to head home the next morning, so this day was do or die for me or for the elk (at least I hoped).

From daylight, the bulls were on the move and making lots of noise. Within an hour, we were calling back and forth with them, and it seemed like a dream morning. By noon, we had called four bulls into less than 50 yards but not the one we wanted. It was one of the most amazing mornings spent hunting of my life. I barely noticed the 11 miles I put on my legs climbing up and down the mountain. With elk, you hunt them higher in the morning as they head back up the mountain and lower nearer the pastures in the evening as they move down the mountain to feed.

The afternoon was quiet and offered no good chances and quickly dusk was approaching. Al and I decided to bail on the current spot and set up near a wallow a couple thousand feet down the mountain and try our luck in the last 30 minutes of daylight. As we split up and sat down, we knew this was it.

Almost immediately upon calling, cows began to respond. Then off in the distance, we heard a deep, loud, powerful bugle. It came closer and closer, and we realized the big guy was coming in – the one we’d been waiting for all day. I stood up slowly and nocked an arrow. There he was! Directly above me, coming down the trail. As he came closer, I drew my bow and held it tight for what seemed like an eternity. Time slowed as I waited patiently for him to provide me the broadside angle I needed and then just like that, I let my arrow fly. It hit him perfectly right in the center of his vitals, and he staggered off and fell not far away. I sat, stunned, caught between crying and exploding with happiness and excitement.

Al and I danced around a bit and then I spent the next several hours quartering him out and packing the meat away. As I lay down that night, I felt blessed; I felt fulfilled, and I felt ready to come home and hug my family!

Some hunts we take the trophy and some we don’t. The important thing is never to stop hunting and always stay in The Hunt. When you hunt smart and hunt hard, success is always in season. You just got to be ready for it!

I don’t know what you all think about when September hits, but I think about hunting season!  As the cooler days set in and the leaves begin to turn, the blood in my veins boils for hunting season. Over the past few years, this means chasing the majestic bull elk with my stick and string. Nothing beats bow hunting out west where every muscle burns, your heart pounds right out of your chest, and you might just close the distance on one of God’s most beautiful creatures.

As I boarded my flight to Denver, I could barely contain my excitement. It’s hard to focus on a book or a movie when I knew in just a few hours I would be in Colorado with my friend Al Fisher on the hunt for elk. After a long night of travel, we arrived at camp to a bright full moon sky and the sounds of bugling elk all around us. I felt like a kid right before a big game, knowing I needed to sleep but not even able to imagine settling down. Of course, that clean mountain air took the choice right out of it for me.

That morning, I woke like a shot. I got dressed in my new Sitka gear (and I hate to be a name-dropper here, but that gear is totally DFarbz approved.  It’s incredible!). I fired up some breakfast for my hunting tribe and walked out into a morning that looked like this:  

That was just the start. I will share the rest next week, but for now, my hunters, I want to hear what fires you up in the fall. Is it the kids heading back to school?  The cool evenings?  The changing leaves?  Email me with your answers!

I love culture and know it is the key to longevity in business.  This week, the team from HealthRise has been on a 2-day retreat at Otsego Club.  It’s events like these that recharge us and remind us of the mission we are on together.  Check out this 90-second Fuel video on building a strong culture.  Enjoy!

A good friend and fellow entrepreneur, Josh Linkner, is firing up people around the world with his Daily Fuel videos, interviewing thought leaders and sharing their tips for hunting down success.  I was honored this week to be the one caught on tape.  Here is my video about modalities and understanding how people communicate and receive information. 

There are many incredible leaders sharing their thoughts and what fuels them on their hunts; I hope you will explore and share with your tribe.

Happy hunting!

Taking a risk is one of the most validating moves you can make in business, relationships or any aspect of your life.  It empowers you to make things happen, not wait for things to happen to you.  Even risk can be managed or leveraged with setting clear goals and following through on them.

This summer, Nintendo took a huge risk: left their devices behind and launched Pokemon Go.  You might be wondering, how was this a risk, Farbz? Let me explain.  Nintendo had a very specific business plan built around hardware and licensing agreements.  The games had to be played on the consoles; the characters didn’t leave the games, and everything was great.  But then they started losing market share to the app creators and games that could be played on any device.  This moment raised the question of whether or not to branch out and embrace the app market.

The risk Nintendo took was exponential.  Not only did they leave hardware behind, but they also took the app up a notch by adding movement and real-time adventure to the game.  The game got angsty teenagers, young kids, Millennials, Gen Xers, introverts, extroverts all out into the world, exchanging tips and looking each other in the eyes.  (When they weren’t trying to catch an elusive Pikachu and staring at their screen).  The game not only improved Nintendo’s market share, but it also changed the way developers will approach design from this moment forward.

Nintendo is a big company that took a huge risk.  You can do the same and open yourself up to innovation, new markets, new relationships, even a new way of looking at the world.  Remember these few tips, hunters:

Jump with your eyes OPEN.  Know the risk you are taking, look at the worst case scenario if things don’t work out.  Then think of the cost of not taking the leap.  Can you afford that?  Life is worth taking a chance, taking a shot, getting into the game and catching ‘em all.  GO!

We’ve talked here before about the Judge, that voice inside your head that questions everything you do.  With the end of summer here and a fresh autumn breeze approaching, I thought we could take advantage of a new season to do a little internal house cleaning.  Through many conversations on warm summer nights over a crackling fire and a cold beverage, I noticed the same triggers that power the judge seem to be pushing so many of us to second-guess our actions.  Conversely, the scout keeps you above and clear, focused and open-minded, ready to act without distractions.

Let’s discuss how the judge is getting in the way on our hunts:

Keeping up with the Joneses: There is a powerful quote from Theodore Roosevelt: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”  When we compare ourselves to others, to our expectations or even to our own past experiences, we cut ourselves off from present joy.  So ditch the “it’s not like it was” and appreciate things for what they ARE.

Overscheduled and exhausted: we are all so fricking busy!  The judge likes you to be busy because busy is a distraction from the real issues affecting us.  Take the time to be still.  Find that stillness you use when tracking a deer (or a deal) and you will be surprised by how quickly the judge quiets down.

Worrying like it’s your job: A friend of mine was sharing the idea of how negativity cuts a river bed through your mind. Each time you have a negative thought, it follows that carved path to the same negative conclusion – EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.  Your scout has to be positioned like a lifeguard, ready to intercept and challenge those thoughts, change the flow of the river and get you back to dry land.

I hope this Labor Day weekend you will take the time to get to know your scout.  Ditch your phone, find some peace and stillness, give yourself a break.  You are a hunter, you know how to tap into your internal wellspring of self and find the true you.  Some days are harder than others, that I know.  But I believe in you, the power of nature and the strength of the human spirit.  Here’s to the scout in all of us!