Claw Your Way To Success

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the greatest change agents this world has ever seen. It changed people, and the world, in a blink of an eye. And Thom Singer was not exempted from this tragedy. As a professional speaker and master of ceremonies for corporate events, his career went from robust to almost zero when the pandemic hit. So what did he do to claw his way back to success?

"If you're going to be out there, you're going to face some crap along the way. You just need to get scrappy." - Thom Singer.

Be scrappy

Months before the pandemic broke out, Thom was taking up Taoism. And even though he admittedly said that he hasn't fully understood all its wisdom, he adapted meditation practice. Little did he know that this is the thing that will help him from what's about to happen next. 

 When the shutdown happened, it wasn't easy for Thom or anyone else for that matter. Thom was devastated and depressed as he saw his career go down the drain. Meditation was the one thing that helped him calm his mind and accept the new reality. He then started going back to his roots. 

Even as a kid, his father has always taught him to be scrappy. And this has always been one of his core principles to success. No matter what life throws at you, fight and never give up. 

After two weeks of sulking, he made it his mission to talk to one smart person every day. He knew he didn't have all the answers to his problems, so he actively sought help and suggestions from his vast network of friends. 

And after months and months of calling people, this eventually led him to revitalize his career. He now has a career in hosting four podcasts and landed a job as the director of Stanton Chase, Executive Search, and Leadership Consultants. 

Be trustworthy

Thom's second principle to success is trustworthiness. He firmly believes that trust solves most problems in business. If you have a problem with sales, he thinks it could be a trust problem. Same as the problems with your employees, family, and friends, it could all be trust problems. And more importantly, people will choose to do business with people they know, like, and trust.

"Embrace everything around being trustworthy" - Thom Singer.

His passion for trust doesn't stop there. He recently got his coaching certification from the trust edge institute based on around 20 years of research by David Horsager. In this institute, they teach the eight pillars of trust. 

1. Consistency: people will trust you if you're consistent
2. Clarity: people will trust you if you are clear
3. Compassion: people will trust you if you care
4. Character: people will trust you if you are exemplary
5. Contribution: people will trust you if you contribute something
6. Competency: people will trust you if you are good at what you do
7. Connection: people will trust you if you are within their network
8. Commitment: people will trust you if you are committed
   

Have fun

Thom works hard, but he also plays hard. He is determined to have fun. And in the interest of having fun, he entered stand-up comedy at the age of 52. How many people do you know who can say that? 

"Life is short. I'd rather have days that are fun than days that are sitting around crying." - Thom Singer.

So whatever it is that you're doing, make sure that you are having fun like Thom. The best thing that you can do is be trustworthy while you claw your way to success and have fun while doing it.