In today's tenuous business climate, employers and employees alike are glued to the ground, unsure of the path they should take or whether they have the freedom to move forward; in other words, they can't get clear, get free, or get going to achieve their goals. Master networker Joe Sweeney, who's delivered nearly 150 keynote talks to large corporations like General Electric, Wells Fargo, and Northwestern Mutual heard a consistent refrain from CEOs, vice presidents, businessmen and business women, military personnel, and college graduates following his presentations: "Can you help move the needle at our company and improve performance on a consistent basis?" What Joe noticed was that these companies and their employees were having a hard time getting clear, getting free, and getting going in their professional as well as their personal lives. Sensing a vital need, Joe has written Moving the Needle for anyone looking to work his or her way out of a wagon rut or make key transition in life.

JOE SWEENEY is the New York Times bestselling author of Networking Is a Contact Sport. Over the course of his 30-year career, Joe has built successful businesses by combining his love of business and his passion for sports.

MIKE YORKEY collaborated with Joe Sweeney on Networking Is a Contact Sport. In addition, he is the author or coauthor of more than 85 books with over 2 million total copies in print.

A portion of the proceeds of this book will be donated to the Navy SEAL Foundation and the transitional programs they support.

Foreword Dave Winfield xiii
Acknowledgments xv
Introduction Why This Book? xvii
SECTION I Get Clear
1 When It Comes to Getting Clear, First Get Quiet 3
Our Obsession with Busyness 6
The Sound of Silence 7
Have an End Goal in Mind 8
1. Set Concise and Realistic Goals 8
2. Ask Why--Of Yourself and of Others 9
3. Don't Wait around for Something to Happen--Take Action 11
4. Manage Momentum 12
5. Secure Support by Building an Army around You 13
6. Last, Be Thinking about Game Changers 13
See All Obstacles in Your Way 13
2 Life Balance and the Life Decision Wheels 17
Another Way to Look at Life Balance 25
Balance or Fulfillment and Satisfaction 26
3 Get Clear with Your Life Mission 31
A Winning Formula 34
Passions 34
Strengths 35
Service to Others 37
The Big Eight Questions 39
1. Why Are You Here? 39
2. Who Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up? 40
3. What Is Your Life Mission? 40
4. Do You Take Full Responsibility for What Happens in Your Life? 40
5. How Do You Differentiate Yourself from Others? 41
6. How Can You Do a Better Job of Building and Serving the Community You Are a Part Of? 41
7. Will You Take Action to Make Any Necessary Changes? 43
8. Are You Ready to Make Mistakes? 43
Getting There? 43
4 Understanding People's Needs 47
The Need to Belong 48
The Need for Love 50
Taking Care of Those Closest to You 51
5 Clarity in Differentiating Yourself 55
The Four-Step Process to Differentiating Yourself 58
6 Getting Clear by Creating Your Ideal Day and Ideal Life 64
Planning Your Ideal Week 67
Planning Your Ideal Month 67
Planning Your Ideal Year 69
Planning Your Ideal Life 69
Have, Do, and Be 73
SECTION II Get Free
7 Get Free by Taking 100 Percent Responsibility 89
A PhD in Entitlement 91
The 200-Year Rule 92
Every Day Is a Bonus 95
8 Your Perspective Determines Your Freedom 100
A New Gift of Freedom 101
9 Freedom and the ZAP Concept: Zones, Alignment, and Paradoxes 107
Getting into the Zone 108
Alignment and Freedom 112
Managing the Paradox 113
10 Habits and Getting Free 119
Moving from Unhealthy to Healthy Habits 122
Taking Inventory 125
Staying on the Straight and Narrow 125
Education versus Entertainment Habits 127
Habits of Attitude 129
Habits to Begin and End the Day 130
11 Get Free with Energizing People and Activities 137
The Rule of Three 140
Taking a Look Around 141
12 Get Free with Your Money 147
Dealing with Debt 151
Credit Cards: A Form of Modern-Day Slavery 152
A New Way of Looking at Money 153
SECTION III Get Going
13 The 5/10/15 Plan 159
The Value of a Great System 161
Making the Right Connections 162
The Plan 163
Get Going on Building Your Client Base 165
The Personal Touch Never Goes out of Style 166
14 Wingmen and Bird Dogs 170
Your Circle of Friends 174
Round Up Your Bird Dogs 177
The Value of Mentors 178
15 Mindstorming Ideas 183
Seeing Results 186
Lawyers, Accountants, and Bankers (LAB) Nights 187
Final Thought 189
16 Differentiating Yourself with the Sweeney 22 193
The Sweeney 22 199
The Wow Factor 200
17 Putting It All Together 204
Conclusion 25 Key Takeaways 213
Notes 219
About the Author 223
Invite Joe Sweeney to Speak to Your Company or Organization 224
The Winning Game Plan 227
Index 229