What outdated beliefs are keeping you from accomplishing what you want to make happen? Bruce Turkel dives into self-referencing criteria that could be holding you or your business back.
Four blind Indian Fakirs are wandering down a path through the jungle when they bump into something blocking their way.
You know the old story:
The first Fakir grabs hold of what he thinks is a tree trunk. “We have wandered off the path into the forest,” he said. “We are being blocked by too many trees.”

The second feels across the rough, curved surface blocking his way. “No, no,” he disagreed. “There are giant boulders in our way.”

The third grabs hold of the thick, rope-like thing in his way. “No, you fools. We're being blocked by giant vines.”

And the fourth grabs what he thinks is an enormous leaf. “I don’t feel any vines, but there’s a big leaf in my way.”

As you already know, none of the Fakirs were correct. The reason they couldn’t continue down the road was that they were being blocked by an enormous elephant. The elephant’s legs were the tree trunks, his body was the boulder, his trunk was the vine, and his ear was the leaf. 
Not only did each of the Fakirs have a different experience, but they were all wrong.

A few blocks from my house is a restaurant run by two local chefs. My wife and I had gone there for a special event where a group of us took a cooking class and learned and ate in the kitchen. Since that time, we’ve thought about the restaurant as a place to go for special events. We never think of it as a place to grab a quick dinner on a weeknight. 
I was talking to a good friend of mine who told me he and his wife go to the same restaurant all the time. They often meet there after work, sit at the bar, and have a casual dinner when neither of them feels like cooking. Ed and Daniella have never thought to go to that restaurant for a birthday or anniversary. Gloria and I have never considered eating there during the week. Same place. Very different understanding. My client Paul just got back from an enviable tour through France. One of his favorite spots was the Champagne region. When he was there, he tasted his way through all his favorite vintages. At one of the wineries, the tour guide asked Paul when he drinks champagne. “Special occasions,” Paul answered. 

“And what do you eat with along the champagne?” the guide continued. 
“Strawberries, of course” Paul responded. 
“Next time you’re having spicy food -- Cajun, perhaps, or Thai -- wash it down with champagne instead of beer. The heat and the effervescence balance each other out. You’ll love it.”
These situations are all examples of the same thing -- our dependence on self-referencing criteria.
That is, the way we use what we know, what we’re experiencing, and what we’re comfortable with to determine how we see the world.

But as these examples also show, our dependence on our understanding of things doesn’t push us to discovery or innovation.

Believing “the world is flat” kept European sea powers from finding the New World until someone challenged that assertion.

Believing the sun revolved around the earth was so entrenched in 16th century Europe that Galileo was nearly burned at the stake for the apostasy of suggesting the opposite was true. 
Believing that no one would buy an electric car kept mainstream manufacturers from pursuing that technology. Today, Tesla has a larger market value than General Motors.

Perhaps it’s time you removed the “self” from the self-referencing criteria that defines your life and your brand.

A few years ago, I wrote a book titled "BrainDarts". Because of the meaningful text and beautiful pictures, I thought it would sell itself. What I discovered was that no one was interested in my book because they didn’t know why it mattered to them.

When I wrote my next book, I asked two friends who were very successful authors how I could write a best-seller. The first said, “write a better book” even though he hadn’t bothered to read the book I was talking about.

The second friend gave me much better advice. He told me to keep in mind that “it’s called the ‘bestseller’s list, not the “best writer’s” list.”

What outdated self-referencing criteria is holding you back? 
What outdated beliefs are keeping you from accomplishing what you want to make happen?
What’s blocking your way? An elephant or a boulder? A special event restaurant or a nice place for a quick meal? Strawberries or spicy nam pla prik?
Who Is Bruce Turkel?
Bruce Turkel. Useful, Valuable, Enjoyable.
Whether creating brands, books, or explaining brand strategy on national TV, Bruce’s energetic creativity makes brands more valuable. He’s created campaigns for AMEX, Miami, Discovery, Hasbro, Bacardi, and more.
Simply put, Bruce is a brand builder, keynote speaker, TV personality, and author. Bruce appears regularly on Fox, MSNBC, CNN, and CCTV. He’s been in Fast Company, The New York Times, and Forbes and has authored five books on branding and creativity.
http://www.BruceTurkel.com

CAVA is all about healthy eating
 CAVA, a fast casual Mediterranean eatery has oened at the Bergen Town Center in Paramus.
The restaurant, open seven days a week, serves customizable meals where diners pick and choose their own base (i.e. salad, pita, grains, etc.), then add dips protein, toppings and dressing.This is the second New Jersey location for the chain; it is also in Jersey City.. Go towww.cava.com/ for more details or to their Paramus Facebook page HERE ​

​The Garden State Plaza is getting a makeover — and tons of new eateries and family activities are included, NorthJersey.com reports.
Work will begin early February and is expected to wrap up within the year and is expected to wrap up in the fall, the article says.
According to NorthJersey.com, new additions include:
​ ​​Amazon Books

•  Kate Hudson's Fabletics
•  Mighty Quinn's BBQ
•  Nespresso (coffee)

 Marc Cain (European designer opening first U.S. store)
 Jersey Shore-themed play area
Delaney Chicken is expected to open next to Shake Shack in the spring.
The Paramus mall has confirmed that it is remodeling its food court into a dining hall with an “urban bistro” atmosphere; and making other improvements New Jersey’s largest mall is preparing to begin its latest makeover, designed to give the 60-year-old shopping center a fresh look and improvements that will carry it into an increasingly digital age. Westfield Garden State Plaza confirmed Wednesday that it is remodeling its food court into a dining hall with an “urban bistro” atmosphere; adding an interactive play area; and placing state-of-the-art digital media screens and art displays throughout the Paramus mall. A new valet parking area is being planned as well, as are new entrances to the mall. The project will include upgrades to the heating, cooling and energy systems, security operations, and technology, including improved WiFi, beacon and communication technology. Sections of the roof will be replaced. “This revitalization will allow us to be on the forefront of creating truly unique and memorable shopping experiences for our customers,” said Bryan Gaus, senior general manager of the Plaza. ““This revitalization will allow us to be on the forefront of creating truly unique and memorable shopping experiences for our customers."” Bryan Gaus, senior general manager, Westfield Garden State PlazaWork on the makeover for the 2.1-million-square-foot mall is scheduled to begin in early February, with completion expected before the end of the year. The new dining hall is slated to open in October. Mall officials did not disclose what the project would cost. Constant reinventionThe mall, which opened in May 1957, is the second-oldest in North Jersey and six months younger than its next-door neighbor, The Outlets at Bergen Town Center. But Westfield Corp., which has owned the Plaza since the mid-1980s, is continuously reinventing the retail experience there. In 1996, the mall nearly doubled its size with a luxury addition that added Neiman Marcus and a Lord & Taylor. In 2007, it added a 16-screen movie theater and entertainment wing. In 2013, it rebuilt a parking deck to carve out space for a new “fashion district” that added upscale retailers. The Plaza is one of 16 centers that Westfield calls its “flagship” properties, and one of nine Westfield malls around the world with annual retail sales greater than $1 billion. The Plaza’s sales figures beat those of most of the other Westfield malls, and the majority of U.S. shopping centers, even though it is closed on Sundays because of Bergen County blue laws. The complex draws 20 million visitors a year. Ahead of the competitionBut the Plaza is always looking over its shoulder at competitors that could steal sales. Right now, the largest potential rival looming is the long-delayed American Dream entertainment and shopping complex in the Meadowlands. The developers of that project say it will be ready to open in late 2018, but it still faces possible setbacks. The Plaza also announced that it is adding a number of retailers this year, in addition to the previously announced Amazon Books. Others opening locations include Fabletics, the athletic-leisure brand by actress Kate Hudson; the barbecue restaurant Mighty Quinn’s BBQ; and coffee brand Nespresso. European designer Marc Cain plans to open his first U.S. store at the mall.
Food is the new fashion as dining halls meet the mall Reserved parking debuts at Garden State Plaza
Interactive gaming comes to Paramus mall High-end furniture store opens in Paramus By reinventing its food court, the Plaza is following in the path of other Westfield malls, and other shopping centers, that want to replicate the success of the dining halls at the Brookfield Place and Westfield World Trade Center malls in lower Manhattan. “Westfield is upgrading the food courts in a number of ‘A’ malls that they own,” said mall expert Paco Underhill, founder of research and consulting firm Envirosell and author of “Why We Buy.” “There are other Westfield properties in other parts of the world that have magnificent food courts that tie into local cuisine,” he said. A rendering of the new hall at Westfield Garden State Plaza (Photo: Submitted) Those food courts often have a view, he said, something not possible at the Plaza, where the food court is located on the lower level. The mall, Underhill said, may be trying to compensate for the lack of a view with art installations and digital screens.
Underhill said the addition of more valet parking “makes a lot of sense” and can be used in conjunction with the Westfield shopping app to build customer loyalty. The digital screens, he said, are a way to “take a page from the billboard industry, which is, there are ways of leveraging traffic other than just selling them stuff; it’s leveraging eyeballs.” Jersey Shore-themed play spaceThe new play area next to the remodeled food court will have a combination of digital and traditional play spaces, and will have a Jersey Shore theme, said Lisa Herrmann-Srednicki, senior director of marketing for the Plaza.
Herrmann-Srednicki said the remodeling work will take place in the evenings, after the mall is closed for the day, and be designed to have minimal impact on shoppers. The current food court will remain open during the remodeling. The entire mall will get a fresh look, with new seating, painting, and lighting, plus new exterior landscaping. New security operations systems will add what the Plaza described as “ultra-modern back-of-house access control systems,” which would monitor the non-public parts of the mall.
Underhill said Westfield and the Plaza deserve credit for constantly attempting new things. “They’re not afraid to try,” he said.