Zuma Dogg Attempts to Empower The City of Los Angeles Like The Guy on Page 29 of LA Weekly

ZD has attempted to write in the style of Dr. W. Edwards Deming in previous threads.

Let's see how I with this copy and paste job of material I wrote for the mayor and Los Angeles City Council, in the style of Tony Robbins. (5000 words)

I'm not saying I did it, or even came close...I just tried to channel his spirit to try and give an example of some ways the mayor and City Council can help improve the quality of their speeches as they help improve the productivity of the city.

And I believe every person who reads this material will experience some level of increased quality and productivity throughout their day. It's not political and it's not gonna ruin your day. Make a print out. It's not meant to be read in one sitting, unless you want to be. It's ZD's success conditioner for anyone any everyone. And you don't have to even be able to follow it. Just read it and the embedded commands will do the rest!

contact: zumadogg@gmail.com and click READ MORE.


Dear Los Angeles City Council,

We all know a big part of your job involves a lot of legislation, administration and agenda items that takes up a good amount of your time, whether ZD shows up that day, or not.

And I’ve spent the past year and three months focusing on that aspect of the process.

However, there is much more to being an elected official than your “yes” or “no” vote on an agenda item.

I know you recently spent two days at a retreat, allowing you the opportunity to roll up your sleeves, loosen your ties and discuss your district’s needs and goals for the next year.

I think it would be exciting if Council took the equal amount of time and spent two meetings, televised live across the city, to address the citizens of Los Angeles and use the opportunity to directly address their constituents with a “State of the District”.

Use the opportunity to let people know about new services being provided to them by the City, what services are on the way and what problems you are aware of that you will be addressing.

COUNCILMEMBERS: TAKE TURNS READING INFORMATION LIKE THIS:

And I’d like to remind everyone watching, that as gas prices increase, and traffic congestion increases, look for occasions where the bus makes more sense. Maybe you drive part of the way, and jump on the bus the rest of the way. If you are going to the beach on the weekend, try taking the bus for the first time. When you factor in the price of gas, parking and the stress of driving, sometimes the bus makes more sense, even if you drive a Rolls Royce or Mercedes Benz.

Parents: School is starting again, before you know it and you may have heard the mayor will be working more closely with the new LAUSD school board and new superintendent David Brewer.

It’s going to be a long, uphill battle. The school system didn’t break overnight, and it can’t be fixed overnight. However, we can get started, right away. And we have gotten started.

The school board is going to do more to make sure the students who need the most special attention will be getting that added attention. More resources will be spent making sure teachers are best prepared to do their job through additional training and re-educating. Children who need more attention learning English will receive the attention. And information is being gathered and measures are being put in place that will allow the school district to better evaluate future results that will lead to higher teacher and system accountability.

But the school administration isn’t the only part of the system that needs fixing. Parents need to do more to better prepare their children to allow the schools to do their job of education.

Too much time is spent each day on discipline and basic skills and behavior problems that result from parental neglect.

Parents can help fix the school system without leaving home.

Simply accept and added level of responsibility and become active participants in their children’s lives. You can judge what a young kid says, and how they behave by the standards imposed on them by the parents. It’s tough to say “no” to your kids, when other parents say, “Yes”, or don’t say anything at all, because the kids are left un-attended.

Too many parents think it is the schools and teachers job to instill dignity, respect and discipline into their kids. BUT IT IS NOT. That is the parents’ job. The schools job is to educate kids. Help fix LAUSD by fixing your kids, so the school can do its job. (Teach them how to read, write, add, etc.) Asking your kid, “How was school today? Did you do your homework?”, is not taking responsibility for your child’s education.

I know it’s tough to be a parent to your kid, these days. The high cost of housing, taxes and gas makes it hard to make ends meet, and both parents (if there are even both parents at home) have to work long hours, and travel through long traffic-jammed commutes, for not enough pay, at the end of the day.

And at the end of that day, It’s much easier to say, “yes”, than argue a long protracted battle over how late a kid can stay out, or how many hours they can use myspace, youtube, ipod, xbox, or even regular old TV. And it doesn’t help when other parents refuse to do a thing to help instill discipline, morals or standards in their kids.

But you must rise to the challenge and be the leaders and role models in your kids’ lives. Parents don't rely on the City to be your kids’ babysitters after school. Rely on each other. Spend more time talking to each other about after school activities. Do more for each other. Talk about what your kids are and are not allowed to say and do. Try and convince other parents to go along with the higher standard, so all the kids that play together lift each other up, instead of drag each other down.

So that's ONE thing the community can do to fix the schools (besides reducing classroom size, paying teachers more so we can recruit new ones, after school programs, safer streets and other things that are out of your control):

Take on more responsibility to do the job you asked for when you had a kid. Be a mentor -- to your own kids. You cannot leave the job of raising your kids and teaching them responsibility and values needed to keep them in school, graduating and productive members of society we need them to be to a school system. That’s not THEIR job, it’s YOURS. Take on the challenge. It will be almost as enriching and rewarding of an experience as myspace or YouTube.

By city council taking a retreat, it allowed me to reflect on what I would have said at the retreat.

I think Councilmembers are missing out on a real opportunity to take the power of those City TV 35 cameras and use it for more than dog and pony show photo opportunities and campaign grandstanding. Councilmembers are sounding and looking like Top 40 deejays, during the grunge rock era. A little corny and no ones buying it.

So from here on out, in order to try and provide you with the example of the type of leadership talk that is needed to transform our community and help bring it out of the crisis; every time ZD steps to the mic, for general public comment (and whenever possible during agenda items, he hopes to use the opportunity to try and out Tony Robbins, Tony Robbins. In other words, try and use the two minutes to run a citywide hypnotherapy session that replaces old, un-empowering beliefs that preventing people from making the positive contributions we need as a community and replace them with the new, empowering beliefs. And once the viewers have been reframed to allow their subconscious mind to congruently communicate with their conscious mind, you eliminate the mixed signal you send to yourself and others. Then add a little emotion down the neuro-superhighway and you create the passion that drives you and triggers you into taking action.

And I challenge my media cast mates, all fifteen members of City Council and Mayor Villaraigosa to join me in the challenge.

Thank You,

Zuma Dogg
Public Advocate of the Community

More Effective City Hall PR
by Zuma Dogg

Of course it is an elected officials job to put the best spin on the city at all times. I think Councilmember Richard Alarcon does the best job of representing his position during public discussions. (He passes the ZD/Robbins litmus test. And ZD says Richard is very, very good. And that’s not a slam. I may disagree with his politics, and I’m not saying whether I do, or do not; I’m just saying whether the guy has practiced NAC/NLP or not, he instinctively “has it”.)

But City Council and the mayor is constantly making ZD’s head explode with terrible linguistics. These dear, sweet politicians are trying so hard to put the best foot forward, but they always end up putting it in their mouth, without even knowing.

The most important thing I learned from mi amigo Tony Robbins, that I am able to use on a day to day basis, is the stuff on language patterns.

For example, if a kid is going up to bat you can shout from the stands, “Don’t strike out!!!” Or, you can say, “Go get a hit!!!” Both exhortations are well-intended comments to try and produce the same result (success).

However, by saying, “Don’t strike out”, all the kid does is get nervous, worry about striking out, imagines himself striking out and has a higher chance of striking out. By saying, “Get a hit”, the mind sends a different picture, and therefore different signal to the body, and you increase the chances producing the desired outcome (of a hit).

Similarly, I know the mayor and City Council are always trying to put the best face on the city and try and prove to the constituents that a solution is on the way.

However, it’s all in how you frame the issue through proper wording.

And I’ll change the names to protect the offenders:

CM 1: “Los Angeles is the gang crime capital of the world.” Now, I know the CM was trying to get people passionate about the issue to try and trigger the community into action. However, this “don’t strike out” version never should have been uttered. How about (and you have to make it a little negative/real sounding, can’t make it sound like Disneyland, or you lose credibility, so how about), “We all deserve the right to feel safe in our own neighborhoods.” (And take it from there.)

CM 2: “I know we have some people who are very apprehensive in the Valley. “What does it mean for us?”

Don’t set up the positive things you are about to say, with a negative suggestion (embedded command). It makes people say, “Oh yeah, it’s bad for the Valley.” The proper “framing” would be to simply say the good things it means for the Valley and the people who were asking the questions will know you are addressing their concerns – and all the less observant will simply feel good about what you are saying. That’s not to say you should hide the fact that a hospital is going to be built on toxic quicksand. But don’t embed a negative image when even ZD doesn’t think it is necessary.

CM 3: And one of the reasons that I support this and I am voting for this today, is not just on the project…I’m voting for this project because we need affordable housing in this City; and that is even a higher priority.
Uh oh…CM just embedded the message that something isn’t congruent in CM’s message…something is fishy…plus you are saying, “WE NEED AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND IT IS EVEN A HIGHER PRIORITY” while approving a very expensive luxury project. There’s no need to say all that. How about, “The great thing about this project is that it includes some of the affordable housing that is such a high priority for the city, so this was one way to get some built.”

CM 4: “You know, Downtown gets beat-up a lot”. (Who paid you to say that, San Diego Chamber of Commerce?) There was no need to add that superlative.

FUTURE PUBLIC COMMENT
by Zuma Dogg

Good morning Los Angeles, my name is Zuma Dogg. There are a lot of important people watching this; both here in Council chambers, on both sides of the ropes; from both political parties.

People watching on TV in City Hall; people watching throughout the City who work for the city in one capacity or the other; all the news and media reporters watching; and of course, the most influential leaders of the community watching right at home.

Because if you are watching the City Council meeting on TV 35, then you obviously value your mind and your time beyond what Spike TV or even “quote unquote” news channels are willing to offer.

You are taking the time to stay informed which is a good thing to do since you also have the right to vote.

And we all have one thing in common, right now. We are all living here together, in Los Angeles, among each other and we all have an important role to play within the community, even if you aren’t sure what it is.

But one thing I’m sure everyone can agree on: Wouldn’t you like to have the best day of your life today? And if it can’t be the “best” day of your life, wouldn’t you at least like to have today be the best possible day, better than it is currently set to be?

I know you ALWAYS wake up and strive to make today the best day it can be…FOR YOU!

But then somehow, something always seems to interfere with the plan. When you are stuck in rush hour traffic, it’s human nature to get mad everyone else stuck in traffic who is making you wait.

But those are the people who have to do their job, so you can do yours. And some of those people had to be in that traffic, so you could go see the Lakers at Staples Center or go see a movie.

So I guess we’re really all on the same team. One team. Cause the kinds of problems we are stuck with, we experience together; no matter what political side you are on, what media outlet you work for, or no matter what you socio-economic class.

If the ship sinks, we are all going down together. And if the City moves in the right direction and becomes a much better place, then we will all be dancing in the streets together, enjoying the quality of life improvements.

And there always seems to be a little disagreement, now and then as to how to achieve the goal.

But there are some things we can all do in the meantime to help improve the quality of all our lives, because at the end of the day, that’s what all of this is supposed to be about.

You see, too many times people wait for that perfect magic moment to take action, or start a project or decide to start making a difference.

I just have to wait until they overturn AB 2007. I’m waiting for them to pass that ordinance. Hire more people in that department first. Wait till the next elections. Add that amendment. Prevent that measure. Lock up the bad people, first. Put up the fences, first. Pass a law to stop this. Repeal the law that prevents that.

NO WONDER TRAFFIC IS IN GRIDLOCK…THE SYSTEM IS IN GRIDLOCK.

But as you go about your day, I know there are things that catch you attention that you can quietly do to make a difference and help uplift the community and society throughout the day.

Common sense is a good place to start. I know a lot of people are frustrated because they see the problems, but their bosses don’t want to listen because they are too busy, or think you are too stupid.

Zuma Dogg is empowering all people in the City of Los Angeles to simply start using your own good common sense to get the job done correctly, even if your boss is an idiot who caused the problem in the first place.

I know there are a lot of people watching who have all the answers and know what to do. Just start doing it. If you see the clock at Van Nuys is broken, don’t wait until the clock repair guy makes his annual clock repair rounds, pick up the phone, call 311 and say, I’ve been watching the council meeting for three weeks and the clock is still broke at van nuys.

Let’s just say the city council passed an ordinance to make today the best possible day it can be in the city of los angeles.

And no matter what, everyone had to play along with the game to see just how much better the city of los angeles could be for all of the people working and living in the city simply by becoming aware of all the things you can do to help improve the quality of your life and others as you go about your day.

What about all the things you can easily be doing better on the job if you just decided to start using common sense to get the job done, even though it is your bosses fault in the first place?

Imagine everyone else around the city at the exact same time, thinking of all things they can do in on the job, in their position as an elected official or resident of the community that could easily make a noticeable difference throughout the course of the day and maybe we’ll all end up getting home ten minutes earlier and a little less stressed out than the day before, because not only easier for you to do a job more efficiently using common sense, but the person on the receiving end benefits as well, so both people’s stress level goes down, the job gets done more quickly and efficiently and everyone gets to start doing what they really want to do, a little bit sooner, and a little bit longer.

And I’m sure if you look around you can think of someone who you admire for all they have achieved in the timeframe they have achieved it. Be it an Olympic athlete, your favorite guitar player, award winning actor or best-selling author. I have a feeling they are making very productive use of their time. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a lot of the people I have admired over the years (mostly musicians, executives and authors) and they all have one thing in common…

They all make very productive use of their time. And there is a difference between feeling that you are busy (swamped) and making productive use of your time.

Something that really helped get some leverage on ZD was seeing his actor and rock star friends start and complete projects, go on tour, win the awards and buy the new house, while I was sitting at home watching on TV.

So you can laugh at ZD for not having any money, but at least I don’t sit around watching Wheel of Fortune or play Xbox or watch sports on TV all weekend. That’s why I started to do the public access show, that led to the community activism that has been quite a rewarding experience.

I was trying to make some contacts in the entertainment industry to approve the ideas I had for a show, which would therefore validate the creativity with the official “green light” seal of approval.

Meanwhile, after waiting one day too many for a return phone call, I took the camera to Venice Beach and just started filming and airing it on public access.

If I had waited for someone to give me permission to express myself and validate my comedy, I would still be at home waiting to film the first segment. Meanwhile, although Comedy Central will still reject me to this day, did that make them right? When you look at the level of recognition I have enjoyed over the past six, seven years – well that’s a train I’m glad I didn’t miss because I was waiting for an official “Green light”/ validation for some executive who has had a million flops since rejecting Zuma Dogg.

I’m sure there are some things you have been waiting to start until someone gives you official permission to be the most awesome person you can be.

Just because someone says you are not right for the job, or aren’t good enough for the team or the cast, doesn’t mean they are right. Just because someone tells you that you are wrong, doesn’t mean that you are wrong.

So I know there are a lot of people who aren’t being all that they can be and are dragging the system down instead of helping to move it along, because they are mad at the system and are waiting for that magic moment when the starts line up with the moon to start having the best day of their life.

Man…I let years pass by waiting for that magic moment. There hasn’t been a good day yet for me to take a trip downtown to city hall for public comment. Man, I’m still not ready for my first comment. There’s more to research, I’m not rested enough, the traffic is too bad, I’m too hungry, I’ m not getting paid, it’s only five minutes for a several hour trip, what if no one is watching today and of course, I simply just don’t feel like it:

But as I look back a year and three months later, I’m kinda glad I didn’t’ wait for that perfect moment and just started.

There are people sitting in this room who are waiting and could be doing more. And I know we have differences on many issues, but I know there are people in this room who could be doing much more in their own community. There are people who are hiding behind others and not stepping up and being the leaders they know they can be. Everyone holds back and tries to keep from being wrong, instead of rising to the challenge of being an innovative leader and being right.

The city is in a crisis situation and there is no time for the type of walking on eggshell, lack of common sense, hiding behind the next guy, don’t ask me it’s the other person's job mentality.

As you go about your day, imagine that it is make today the best day it can be day, then act accordingly.

If everyone does it, it will be.

A TESTIMONIAL
by Zuma Dogg

Anonymous said..."I'm not a sucker for gurus...those of us who think for ourselves never are."

Just because you take in knowledge and information from outside sources (consultants, research, education, training) does not mean you do not think for yourself.

And besides providing the private consulting session (in the group/event setting), he is also "coaching" the event and making sure everyone does all the reps on all the machines.

Is there anything wrong with people using coaches and trainers? Michael Jordan had a coach. Olympic athletes need coaches to help them get to the finish line as quickly as possible.

If you feel like a sucker and feel someone is trying to tell you what to think, well I see how fear and ignorance has probably prevented you from some of (even higher) success and achievement you should be currently enjoying.

Your "emotional trap" has sabotaged your success in the past, and has directly or indirectly, prevented you from being where you really wish you were, hasn't it.

You can say I am calling the kettle black, and I will go as far as to say, "it takes one to know one".

But I got over that one, a long time ago. Long enough that the first time I attended one of his events, I bounced from the seminar (unemployed at the time) to a NYC radio station within a week or too. It turned out to being the experience of a lifetime that I had always dreamed of...and it was as much fun as I could have possibly had.

So that was worth $500.

Then, at another of his seminars a couple years later -- the "behind the scenes, sealed-lipped, off mic, off camera by choice executive; who wasn't in the mood for all the diversionary "Robbins happy, happy...joy, joy community non-sense" for suckers.
[I WAS THERE FOR SERIOUS BUISINESS REASONS...NOT SOME WARM AND FUZZY SING-SONG B.S.!!!]

But, somehow that day, he used the force against me, unleashed the outgoing public performer and I've been singing Whitney Houston, on-camera, inside the Santa Monica library -- and willing to express myself, publicly, in over-the-top ways that most people would rather die than be forced to do in public ever since. [We're only talking about singing, dancing and acting like a fool. But most people would still choose death than risk/fear of such public humiliation.]

So now, it would be nice to get into the room for a little Robbins hypnotherapy to help me take the congruent actions to improve the quality of my life in some other areas ZD has been neglecting that has been preventing me from being where I would like to be.

[And we all know what those things are.]

However, the past six years on public access as "comedy" ZD, and even more so, the past year and three months in community activism has topped the experience of my radio career. (So THAT was worth $500.)

You know the way a lot of people get to laugh their ass off at that sucker Zuma Dogg; who knocks himself out to show up at City Hall and blog and call radio -- and we get to sit back and be entertained by his "tap dancing ass" while he drives himself into the ground? Well, ZD GETS TO USE TONY ROBBINS LIKE THAT!!!
I'm laughing my ass off at that sucker Tony Robbins. Do you know what a HUMUNGOUS PAIN IN THE BUTT IT IS TO PULL OFF THESE EVENTS?

Don't be fooled...he hasn't pulled on off yet that didn't force him to use all his "state management" on himself.

And LOL!!! Especially all his staffers and management that are running around, working round the clock...trying to keep the event running on time, when you are dealing with all these people, and the operating costs are always more than Tony would like, at the end of the day, I would imagine.

MEANWHILE...

ZD gets to stroll right into the room, soak it all in...the crowd, the music, the excitement...

Then Tony has to stand there...for hours and hours on end, knocking himself out...trying to top his last performance because that's the human nature that drives Tony to do one more seminar, or ZD to do one more public comment/radio call even if you don't feel like it, inside.

Meanwhile, he can't leave the stage. He can't leave for lunch ten minutes early. He can't come back into the room a half hour late.

He can't appear to be dis-associated to the event and appear to be running through the performance, even though it's his 8 millionth seminar and the logistics have been especially challenging at that location. (Same with Springsteen or Justin Timberlake)

So I hope I can be in attendance in Long Beach to watch Tony have to knock himself out for all those suckers who don’t know any better.

Because again, ZD likes both levels...the seminar for the content and coaching/training/group hypnotherapy session itself (and all those benefits)...

and the "show behind the show" of the super-hard sell that is going on at all times that most people are not even aware of.

And once you realize this (usually through a "jedi master" telling a young luke skywalker, like in City politics)...you get to leave the kitchen with the cookbook.

You may have heard me mention Tony among Deming, Ries and others a few times, but I never really went into it, and revealed in depth how TR unleashed ZD...and although it is fun to tell that story and give him a lot of credit for being such a great "coach" (i like to call it clinical hypnotherapist) -- but I shouldn't give him too much credit, and he doesn't want too much credit.

After all, he could never sing and dance as good as me!!!

But daaaaaaaaaaamn, can't Kelly Clarkson thank American Idol and give them some credit for her (personal and career) breakthrough. No one's trying to say that Simon Cowell sang the songs for her...Kelly Clarkson would have been just as talented and as good of a singer, with or without American Idol.

But look at all the benefit that both parties enjoyed when Kelly decided to show up for the auditions. I’m sure there are at least one or two other people just as good, or better than Kelly Clarkson, who had a lot of reasons (limiting beliefs) that kept them away from the auditions that day. They were home watching on TV complaining how they are so much better than Kelly Clarkson and would easily beat her.
You’re so worried you’re gonna walk into the room, Tony’s gonna “tell you what to thing” and “force you to hand over all decision making processes to him”, and give ten percent of your money to him, and put “Robbins For World Leader” signs in your window and force you to push his agenda.

When all the guy is trying to do is make you feel so good about getting a shot in the arm, that you don’t even notice what happened. And while he’s at it, he gives you a lollipop on the way out, so you will remember you had a good time and will want to come back for an oil change.

contact: zumadogg@gmail.com