Merry Christmas, Remember the real reason of the season

My hope for you, and me, is that the spirit of the Christ Child, Jesus, makes the Holiday season special. We can spend every week talking about being better.  Better performance, better marketing, better managers, however without the foundation of Jesus in our heart, we can never be the best.

Some will say that I should not say that in my blog.  Some will say that it is too personal.  Yes, it is personal.  For me, I believe that a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven. 

We will take a break until Monday, January 3rd.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

PS, relax a little this year.  This will be the first Christmas without my dad, if I had known that last year was going to be my last with him, there would have been a lot more visiting and a lot less rushing.  Merry Christmas!

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Do you know the answer?

 Lack of reality is dangerous.  The lack of reality is responsible for a number of problems, ranging from poor sales performance to the sale of too many stretch pants.  How in touch with reality are you?

As the year comes to a close, lets take a look at reality.  Why is reality so important?  Without reality, real change can never occur.  Until you are honest with yourself, the ability to lose weight, become a better employee, spouse, parent, or leader will remain the responsibility of others.  Make reality your friend and you will be able to answer the question, what do I need to do to improve my performance?

I know it is an overused, cliche of sorts statement, at the same time it is very important to remember that the most important conversation you will have is the one with the person in the mirror.  For example, do you know the answer to these questions:


What is my goal?  I am not talking about making a lot of money....being famous, etc.  Exactly, what is your goal?

What is stopping you from your goal?  Here is a hint.  It is not another person or the fact that you do not have the money, etc.  If your goal is based on reality, then the ball is in your court to make that happen.  Hard work, determination, and sacrifice will help you get that goal.

How can I improve my performance?  You might need some help with this one.  Find someone you can trust, tell them your goals, and ask for their input.  Your response and reaction to that find will determine whether they will want to help you next time.

Reality keeps the focus on you and not others.  If you are in sales, be real with yourself, how much of your time do you spend in front of your clients with customer focused presentations that will help their business? How much time are you just safely "building relationships."  If you are a manager, do you lead your people and create systems that will allow them to grow or do you micromanage them?

Spend some time in reality thinking this week.  Take the blinders off, throw away the magic mirror, and have a reality based conversation with yourself.  Have a great week, I will see you later.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Right is Right

We live in a technological age.  Communication is instantaneous, a small companies website can put them on the same stage as a major company.  YouTube can create a "celebrity" in a matter of minutes.  Even in a technological age, right is still right.

As a Christian, I want to be clear that my source is Jesus  Christ.  The Biblical phrase would be "Do unto others"  I like the phrase What goes around, comes around.  I have some examples -- some small, some big.

Take care of the earth:  On three separate occasions this week, I have watched people litter.  From cans, to sacks, to cigarette packs.  There is no bigger example of laziness and lack of self discipline than littering.

Be polite:  Technology will never replace the need to say Please and Thank you.  The inability to be polite is a sign of weakness and fear.

Take responsibility for yourself and your job.  The most important earthly conversation you will have is with yourself.  You have to be in charge of yourself.  You have to understand that you need to make things happen.

Honor your mother and father.  Parents make mistakes, parents are not perfect.  If, like me,  you are blessed with loving parents who have sacrificed for you, loved you and given you opportunity, and you can't honor them, you can not be trusted.

We can read the books, take the classes, work out, and do all the things that we need to do for success.  Bottom line, right is still right.  Have a great week, I will you later.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Eliminate Failure as an option

There are 33 days left in 2010.  Have you allowed the fear of failure to hold you back this year?  Get busy changing that right now.

 1.  If failure was not an option what would you do?  (I know not exactly an original question)  But here is why it is such a great question.  If you immediately have an answer, you have probably found your passion. When you are alone with your thoughts, you are probably dreaming about accomplishing this goal.  Why not take it further?  Why not eliminate the option of failure.  Here are some suggestions.

 A.  Don't worry about failing.  Don't worry about looking bad.  As Nike would tell you, "Just Do It."  Remember, there was a time that the concept of going to the bathroom was very confusing.  But with experience, you have it under control.  If you are truly passionate about something, you have to be willing to do it badly.

B.  Don't worry about getting paid right now.  I understand that everyone needs money.  A few sacrifices in your schedule will provide you time to gain your experience.  Jim Schwartz is the head coach of The Detroit Lions.  He got his start in the NFL by accepting a jack of all trades, non paying job with Bill Belichick, then head coach at Cleveland.  He worked hard, completed his assignments, and impressed his bosses.  You can do the same thing.

C.  Re-define failure.  The movie "Back Draft" has a great line that says, "If you have a bad day here, someone dies."  For most of our jobs that is not true.  Failure is much worse in our minds than in reality.  Never let the fear of failure deny you  the sweet taste of success.  Feel the fear and do it anyway.

332 days ago, everything was new.  A new year, a new month, a new beginning.  Maybe you had a new goal.  I encourage you to examine your mindset, your habits, and your desire.  If you allow your mindset to see yourself hitting your goal, you have a direction.  If you change your habits to mirror the habits of the people who have obtained what you are trying to obtain, you are moving in the right direction.  If you increase your desire, you will push through those days when you don't feel like keeping the habits you need to keep to be successful.

You do not have to wait 33 days to get started, do it now.  Have a great week, I will see you later. 

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Thankful? Really??

This week is Thanksgiving, a time set aside for us to take time and celebrate all our blessings.  So are you thankful?

 I know, you answered yes.  Very few people, if any, will say no.  Allow me a second to challenge you. 

 When someone talks about blessings, what comes to your mind?  Money, house, car, health?

 This is the week of Thanksgiving, spend some time focusing on your (credit to Zig Ziglar) "Attitude of Gratitude"

If you are reading this, you have access to a computer and the ability to read.  To the illiterate, you are blessed.

If after reading this, you plan on going for a walk or run, you are blessed.  To the lame, you are blessed.

If after readying this, you can come and go as you please, you are blessed. To the prisoner, you are blessed.

This thanksgiving is going to be different for my family, and a lot of families, who have lost family members this year.  Take some time this week and truly count your blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving, have a great week.  See you later.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Sparky Anderson

Sparky Anderson was a baseball man.  He was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds, a team called the Big Red Machine.  Later, he became the first manager to win a World Series in both the National and American Leagues.  A feat that was later repeated by Tony La Russa.  He passed away 11/4/2010.

Anderson was know for a number of  great quotes. One of my favorites is "Baseball is a simple game. If you have good players and if you keep them in the right frame of mind then the manager is a success."  In honor of Sparky, that will be the bases of this week's blog.

A few years ago, I became a much better manager.  We hired two new sales people that instantly made me better.  So the players really do make a huge difference in your ability.  As you look at 2011, what improvements do you need to make in your personnell?

If the answer is, "nothing, my team is the kind of caliber to hit our goals and complete our mission."  Then how can you improve your performance of keeping them in the right frame of mind.  Here are some suggestions:

1.  Understand that as manager, it is your job to adjust to your team, not the other way around.  Find out what your team needs and do your best to give it to them.

2.  Lead by example.  If you are constantly having to remind people that you are the manager, you need to do a better job of leading.

3.  Find out what drives your people and use that to motivate them. Phrases like "Have you made me any money today?" or "As manager, I need you to do...."  Instead, show them how doing this activity will help them achieve their goals.

So this week, spend some time with Sparky's quote and see how you can help your team stay in the right frame of mind.

Have a great week, see you later. 

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Edgar Renteria

It has been quite a couple of weeks for Edgar Renteria.  Renteria is the 35 year shortstop for the world champions, San Fransisco Giants.  He was hurt most of the year, he knew this was probably his last year in the league, but he had no idea that he would hit the game winning home run to clinch the series.  Then, a few days after the series, his contract was bought out.

This week is about his attitude and work ethic.

Renteria was benched because he was hurt and non productive during the season.  His response, to keep working and stay focused.  During post game interviews, teammate after teammate talked about Renteria's work ethic.  They talked about his professionalism and dedication to the team.  In fact, during a late September team meeting, Renteria tearfully told the team that this may be his last opportunity to play and he was going to do everything possible to help them win it all. He then went out and did it.

So what can we learn?

1.  If you stay focused on your goal, you don't have time to feel sorry for yourself.  Renteria could have said, I am a veteran ball player, how dare they bench me?  As a veteran ball player, he went back to the basics and continued to do his work and be ready for the next opportunity.  When that opportunity presented itself, he was ready.

What about you?  When you are presented with an unfair situation, do you just do your work? Or do you feel sorry for yourself and focus on the negative?

2.  You never know when opportunity will present itself.  Always be prepared.  There is a formula for luck it is, O + P  = L.  Opportunity and preparedness equals luck.  If you are going to be prepared, you don't have time to complain and feel sorry for yourself.

 3.  Know what your work is.  Renterias' teammates talked about how he kept doing his work.  What is your work?  Are you working out?  Reading?  Preparing for your next opportunity takes work on your part.

Spend some time this week thinking about your attitude and how you can be prepared when opportunity presents itself. 

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

It's all in the attitude!

I had an interesting Saturday.  Derinda and I spent the weekend with my in-laws.  I found myself at a flea market of all places going booth to booth seeking treasure.

Most of the booth owners were sitting in a chair a good distance from their customers, speaking only when asked a question.  Then I approached a different kind of booth.  The worker approached me, thanked me for being there, and explained to me his pricing system.  As soon as I looked at his merchandise, he gave me the price.  I left his booth, without buying anything and he thanked me for shopping with him.

The attitude was much better than 98% of the other booth owners. He really stuck out in a positive way.  It reminded me of a story that I heard about a cab driver in New York City.  When he picked up his customers, he went through his routine, which included:

1.  Getting out of his cab and opening the door.
2.  Offering them a complimentary drink, bottled water or various soda.
3.  Asking them what type of music they preferred on the radio.
4.  Presenting them with the current edition of the major papers or the current business magazines.
5.  He would then present his customers with his business card, including his cell number, so they could call him when they needed a cab.
6.  He always kept his cab immaculately clean.

When asked why he was so different, he explained that there was a time that he hated driving a taxi.  Then, he decided to make the most of his job and look at it as a way to serve.  Once he started this routine, he never had to wait in line for a fare.  His clients would call him and make appointments.

What is the common thread?  Attitude.

 So what about your attitude?  As you get ready to start this week, think about your attitude.  Are you like my two examples here?  Are you thankful for your blessings and go about your day looking for ways to serve more?  Are you focused on the things in your control?  You can control your attitude, your action, your focus.

 My dad used to tell me that you will never earn the money, unless you do more than what you are getting paid to do.

Think about your attitude this week and go make yourself more valuable.  Have a great week, have fun, I will see you later.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Click here to see my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Colby

I had a really cool experience this past week.  I was able to meet Colby.  Colby was born last Monday, his mom and dad are like my kids and his paternal grandparents are some of our closest friends.  On Wednesday, I got to meet Colby.

So what can we learn from Colby?

1.  Attitude:  I can't wait until Colby goes through the "I can do anything stage."  I have always thought it interesting that God gives us the mind-set that we can do anything we want to do.  Kids are very open about what they want to be when they grow up.  It is not until we allow others tell us that we can't do something, that we start doubting ourselves.

 2. Willingness to allow others to help.  Obviously at a week old, Colby has to rely on his parents.  Many years from now, he will be the dad taking care of his child. We can learn from Colby by allowing others to help us.  There are people who can help us achieve what we want to achieve.  Then, we can help others achieve their goals.

3.  Don't worry.  Colby is not worrying about things, that is not his job.  Obviously it is a lot easier for Colby not to worry than it is for you.  At the same time, how much of what you worry about is totally out of your control.  Focus on what you can handle and forget the other stuff.

I understand that this is a different type of entry.  It is a way to salute Colby and welcome him to the world.  At the same time, there is something special about the attitude of a baby.  Jesus talked about the spirit and faith of the little ones.

Have a great week, look for ways that you could have child like faith and improve your week.  Have fun, see you later.
The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Managing a Killer Whale

We have spent some time this weekend visiting our son in San Diego.  Of course, we wanted to do some tourist things, so we went to Sea World.  If you go to Sea World, you have to see Shamu and it got me thinking about management challenges.

During the show, there is a time for questions and answers.  One of the questions was very obvious, "how do you train a killer whale."  The answer was very insightful, here are the main points of the answer.

1.  The trainers earn the whale's trust.
2.  The trainers always show respect.
3.  The trainers never make them do anything, they ask them very nicely.

Let's talk about these answers.

Trust:  Like anything else in life, if you want to earn trust - you have to trust others.  People will never trust you as a person just because you are the manager or the boss or the parent.  Those amazing killer whales couldn't care less that "the trainers" are the trainers.  But once they learned that the trainers would feed them,  care for them, and actually wanted what was best for them, they built trust.

What about you?  Are you a leader or just a manager?  If you were paid by the number of people who would really follow you, would you like your paycheck?  If trust is a the first part of training a killer whale, it seems like a good place to start in managing people.

Respect:  The trainers always show respect.  Now, it is not hard to understand why you would show respect to a killer whale, but what about the  people you lead?  Respect is a key part of getting the most out of their ability.  Here is the best way to show respect.

1.  Explain to them why they need to do something. Give them why it is in their best interests to do what you are asking them to do.  One hint,  if you are saying to do it just because you are the manager, there is not a lot of respect or trust being built with your team.


2.  The trainers take care of the whales by feeding them.  Take care of your team.  (Chances are you won't need to feed them - but you do need to keep them motivated)

3.  Listen.  You can learn a lot about your team by listening to their questioning and point of view.  Additionally, always remember, you are the leader.  It is up to you to adjust to your team, not for them to adjust to you.  Your team will always be made up a number of different personalities.  Work with those personalities.

4.  Always have their best in mind.  At the same time, explain how their best benefits the company.

Ask nicely:  This one is tricky.  There are times to be direct.  At the same time you can be direct and nice.  Nice is a good thing and always remember you can destroy a lot of trust very quickly by not being nice.

Training, leadership, and being "the boss" can be very tricky.  It takes a lot more than just having your title printed on a business card.  However, if you want your company to grow and build a foundation, it is up to you build trust, show respect and be nice.  After all, if it works on killer whales - it should do great with your team.

Think about the team that you are trying to lead....your family, your division, your team....and learn from the people who train killer whales.  Have a great week -- I will see you later.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo.   Then call me at (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

He never gave up.

Sometimes we concentrate on the negative sports stories.  Let's start our week focusing on the one of the good ones.

Ten years ago, Rick Ankiel was going to be a star pitcher.  His body of work during his rookie year earned his manager's confidence and Ankiel found himself starting a playoff game.  It was during that game, that he lost it.  He could not throw a strike.  I mean he was so wild the catcher could not catch the ball.  All of a sudden, Rick Ankiel's career was in jeopardy.

He kept working.  He went back to the minors, he had surgery, he made it back to the majors.  But, he never became the pitcher that he was, so he decided to become an outfielder.  He worked some more.  In 2007, Ankiel was promoted back to the big league club.

Rick Ankiel started the 2010 season as a Kansas City Royal.  He was traded to Atlanta.  Then Friday night in the top of the 11th inning in a tie game, Rick Ankiel hit a game winning home run.  As he ran around those bases, you have to wonder what he was thinking.  All the work, all the doubters, all the setbacks, but it was all worth it.

So what can we learn from Rick Ankiel?

1.  It takes work.  Whatever you want to do in life takes work.  I have told you before, we sometimes rob the successful people by not giving them credit for their hard work.

What about you?  Are you working as hard as you need to be working?  Are you investing the time on your dreams?

 2.  It takes perseverance.  We can only imagine how many times Ankiel thought about quitting.  You have to be able to work through the tough times and you have to have faith in yourself.

 3.  You have to be able to change.  Ankiel wanted to be a pitcher.  When he saw that dream go away, he changed his goal to become a major league baseball player.  He changed his goal and he worked hard.

 As we start another week, spend some time thinking about your career, your goal, your dreams. What can you learn from Rick Ankiel?  Who knows, you might be hitting your home run soon.  Have a great week - have fun - see you later.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Click here for my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

It is here!

Welcome to October.  The 10th month.  The start of the fourth and final quarter.  How did this year fly by so fast? It went by just like how you are going to achieve your goal, minute by minute, day by day, week by week, month by month, quarter by quarter, etc.

Sometimes we make a mistake by measuring the year by big events.  For example,  Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  If we set our goals based on holidays, we can become too relaxed. In January, Memorial Day seems like a long way away.  So all of a sudden it is June, but we think, "well I have a long time till Christmas."  Then all of a sudden the year is gone.

On the reverse, if we broke our goals down to what we need to do everyday, a couple of things happen.

1.  We see progress and become more excited about our goal.
2.  We develop a discipline.

 So the next time you talk about how fast time flies by, think about how your are measuring time.  Then focus on what you can do today and go make that happen.

I am not suggesting that we should not plan for the future or have a vision of what we want to achieve.  However, we sometimes focus so much in the future, we forget to make the most out of today.  Today is a gift, go live it and have fun.  See you later.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group.
Click here to check out my video demo. then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

See you later!

Labor Day will never be the same for me.  Labor Day 2010 was supposed to be a day of rest and relaxation, it was supposed to be the final day of my vacation.  Instead it was the day that my mother lost her husband of 55 years and I lost the man who was always there for me, my dad.

Tragically, dad was killed in a car accident leaving my house.  So in his honor, here are some random thoughts of what we can learn of dad's passing.

We all know that life is a gift.  Sometimes, we start taking gifts for granted.  We allow things to get in the way of our life.  Instead of treating life as a gift, we say, I will be happy, "when."  When I get married, when we have kids, when I get this job, that job, when the kids are out of the house, when I retire, etc.  Live life to the fullest every day, protect the gift by using your life to it's fullest.

Say what needs to be said.  My sisters and I had a choice, the doctors could tell mom about dad or we could.  There was no indecision, we knew that we had to do it.  In the future, when I have to have a tough conversation, I will always think about this conversation.  If you need to have a conversation with someone, go have it today.

 Do your job.  Dad ran service stations, drilled wells, owned his own construction company, ran construction for a major development.  Later in life, he was a maintenance man.  He worked just as hard as a maintenance man as he did when he owned his own construction company.  He always said, you knew what you were getting paid when you took the job, do your best.  If you are employed, go do your job and be thankful.

Dad was a man.  He would give you the shirt off his back.  Advice, even if you didn't want to hear it.  And as a younger man, if you were a threat to his family, he would handle the situation.  If you are a leader, lead.  If you are a parent, be a parent.  As politically incorrect as it is today, if you are a man - be a man.

Never say Goodbye.  Dad hated goodbyes.  In fact, I never heard him say the word -- unless he was telling you not to say goodbye, instead he always said see you later.

So in honor of Raymond Howard (RH) Willoughby, I will see you later.  Go live life this week and have fun.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group.  Check out my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Build your own!

We were at a very popular restaurant in Nashville Tn on Saturday Night.  As we were giving the hostess our name for the waiting list, a representative from another restaurant approached us and exaggerated the wait time and told us that we should go a couple blocks further down to his restaurant where there is no waiting.  When we asked the hostess how long of a wait it would be, she said fifteen minutes as opposed to the half hour to 45 minutes he had told us.

Since I was sure that he did not want to be spreading wrong information,  I went back outside and interrupted one of his presentations and told him that he was in error and the wait was only fifteen minutes.  He did not seem to appreciate the extra help. The truth was about an 18 minute wait.


 What can we learn:

1.  If you work harder on building your own business, you will not have to use such tactics to steal others.

2.  Once you have built a successful business, be prepared to protect it on all fronts.  When you are successful, you have a bulls eye on your back.

3. When your competition is so successful and your are not, chances are good the problem is you.


Take a look at your competition this week.  Have fun.
 
The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Do you still have the love?

It is one of the greatest times of the year for a sports fan.  Major League Baseball's race for the play-offs are heating up, The NFL and college football are just weeks away, and The Little League World Series is underway.  I love the Little League World Series and I think it gives us an opportunity to learn.  Here's how:

The kids still love the game for the game.  No salaries, no hype, just a pure love of the sport.  There is always passion, emotion, and the desire to win.  So how about you?  Do you still have the love?  Let's examine three areas.

 1.  The love of life.  These kids love life and play hard in everything they do.  You might be saying, "but if they had my bills, my job, my situation, they would not have that love."  What would happen if you turned that around, and asked the reverse.  What would happen if you took their love of life and put it into your work, your relationships, and your everyday habits.  I bet you would see a big improvement.

2.  They love to compete.  All of these teams are winners or they would not have made it this far.  Yes there are winners and losers in The Little League World Series, but they are all competitors.  When they face difficult situations, they look at how they can succeed.  Sometimes with "maturity" we lose that trait.

3.  The love of their families.  I have met a former player in the series.  I talked to his aunt about the whole experience and she explained how the players are kept safe and secure in a very fun dorm type environment.  But they do not have contact with their families during the time they are still in the series.  Yes they are big time baseball players -- but they are still little boys who need their families.  They realized that very quickly.

What about you?  Have you realized that no matter how old you are, you need a support system around you.  Somewhere inside there is still a little kid.

Just a few things to think about as you start your week.  Go find your love of life.  Have fun.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Schools in session. Is yours?

Some schools have already started.  A number of college freshman have already reported.  It is that time of year.  What about your school, is it in session?

I once interviewed a very successful high school football coach about the schedule that his players went through.  He talked about preseason workouts, watching videos, in season workouts, etc.  I shared that schedule with my sales team and then challenged them that if a group of high school athletes could be that dedicated, why couldn't they step up their own training schedule.

One of team members approached me after the meeting and told me that he had worked that hard during High School and College but he wasn't willing to do that as an adult.  What about you?  Are you willing to train to get better?  Or are you too old?  Here is my challenge this week.

1.  Invest in yourself.  Education and training are as easy as going to a bookstore, going online, or to a library.  Turn your commute time into learning time.

2.  Learn with an open mind.  Too many times, people are critical of the lessons instead of learning from them. The presenter might have a strange delivery or you don't agree with everything they say, just listen and see what you can pick up.

3.  Be an active listener.  Rewind the interesting parts, listen over and over again, you will always pick up different things.  Put a game plan into action to make sure you turn your education into action.  As Chris Lytle says, "Education without action is merely entertainment."

4.  Stop worrying about what you already know.  Ask yourself if you are doing what you know.  If you are not, what you know really doesn't matter.

School is back in session, I encourage you to enroll in classes and learn, then do.  Have a great week.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group.  Check out my speaking video then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Do you say "it" enough?

You can learn a lot about people when they are enjoying success.  Do they share the spotlight?  Do they thank the people who help them succeed?  Saturday Night's NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony offered one of the best examples of how to do say thank you I have ever seen.
  
Emmitt Smith is the all time rushing leader, Pro Bowler, Super Bowl Champion,  and Saturday night he was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but his acceptance speech is a highlight that I will never forget.   Read Emmitt's speech.

Two items really stood out.

First, he shared the spotlight with his teammates.  The tears offered evidence of his sincerity.  His words were thought out, honest, and full of emotion.  There was another portion of this speech that offers a great example to all of us.  When Emmitt was six years old, he told his dad that he was going to play in The NFL.  His dad supported his dream.  Here are this week's points.

How often to you thank the people who have helped you succeed?  I don't believe in self made people.  There are always people who help you, serve as an example (good or bad), and support you.

Are you saying thank you to those people?  In addition to saying thank you, I believe that you honor those who helped you, when you help other people achieve.  Spend some time this week thinking about people who helped you and let them know what they mean to you.

Please, please, please never tease a child about what they can't do.  Joking and teasing around with youngsters can be fun.  But, never discourage them, even in a joking matter, about not being able to accomplish something they want.  Joking is a big part of my family, which I enjoy.  At the same time, do not joke about what they can't achieve.  How things could have been different if Emmitt Smith's dad had not supported his son's dream.

Are you living out your dream?  Why not get started?  Until your habits reflect the goal, your goal will never be a reality.  You have the ability, now change your routine, be thankful, and help others hit their goals.  You too will become a Hall of Famer of life.

Now, go make it happen.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo  and call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Neglect always comes with a high price

I hope you had a good weekend.  I spent my Saturday morning paying for neglect.  It was a high ticket price.

In the spring, I had the bank behind my house mowed and trimmed.  For a couple of months, I keep it maintained.  It usually took me about an hour to mow it.  Then something terrible happened.  Nothing.  I started saying, I will get it next time.  Next time didn't come around for about six weeks.  Saturday, I paid the price of neglect with four and half hours of hot, tough yard work.

I don't tell you that story because I think you are interested in my yard work chores.  But, I do hope it will get you thinking about an area or areas of your life that you are neglecting.  Here are some common areas that we neglect.

1.    Our Spiritual Life.  If we spend time learning and developing a strong foundation.  Our spiritual lives will be stronger and have more impact, personally and for others.

2.    Our Families.  It is always easy to continually put our families behind others.  This is a area of neglect that is very dangerous.  From date nights to phone calls, our family need us.

3.   Our Bodies.  Usually, we take better care of everything else than we do our bodies.  The price for this kind of neglect is very high.

4.   Our Continuing Education.  From formal education to just spending time reading a book, you are either growing or dying.  Neglecting the need to continue to learn and grow is very dangerous.

 Whether your area is covered in our famous four or not, most people have neglect in their lives.  So what do we do about it?

1.  Admit it.  Spend some time thinking about neglect and prioritize the areas that you want to work on.
2.  Get started on improvement.  No need for major announcements, just quietly reverse the trend.
3.  Like my yard work, know that there will be a price.  Be willing to pay it.
4.  Spend some time making sure that once you pay that price, you do not repeat the offense.

Neglect is consistent and sneaky, if you give it a chance it will grow big time.  Have a great week and stay focused on your fight against neglect.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Are you trying this hard?

This weekend, I watched an ESPN special, "Homecoming with Rick Reilly."  Reilly's guest was the all-world skater, Tony Hawk.

Hawk was one of the key reasons  ESPN created the X games.  This entry is not about ESPN, Skate Boarding, or The X games.  This blog is about perseverance.  Tony Hawk worked on one of his key tricks for 10 years before perfecting it.

Ten years of work.  Let's break that time period.

1 decade
120 months
520 weeks
3650 days

Can you imagine how many times he got discouraged?  How many times he wanted to quit?  How many times he wondered if it was really worth the effort?  I don't know the answers, but I do know that he kept going, he pushed through, and he overcame and made it happen.

Now, the question is to you.  What have you put off doing, because it was to difficult?  What have you put on hold because you got discouraged?  Let me challenge you.

Get to work.  Revive that dream,  start working and forget about the negative self talk.  If it takes you longer than you think it should, does it really matter?  Keep working, make everyday count, stay focused on your dreams.

Go have a great week.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. See my speaking demo.  Call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Let's do some math and become more productive!

There are 168 hours in a week.  Go ahead and check my math, 24 hours per day x 7 days =   ?

Working schedules vary, some people work 40 hours, some people work 80 hours.  For our purpose here, let's say you work 60 hours per week.  How can you make that time more effective?

Bryan Dodge introduced me to an interesting concept.  Quality of time at work - Quantity of time at home.  According to Dodge, when you are at work -- work.  When you are at home be at home.  He goes onto say that our kids need to know that we are home.  Even if they are in another room of the house, the simple fact that they know that Mom and Dad are there for them is very important.  So how can we become more effective  at work.

1.  Have a plan.  When you have a plan for the day, you are more excited and focused. With focus, comes execution.

2.  Do the worst thing first.  Brian Tracey, a time management expert, has authored a book, "Eat that Frog."  If you have a frog to eat, eat it first.   That way you won't be worrying about it the rest of the day.  Do it and move on.

3.  For me, real successful days always mean having some fun while you work.  Life is to short and too unpredictable not to have fun.  But you can have fun and still have a focus.  I have received email forwards that I have enjoyed and on occasion I send them on -- but be honest, if you are forwarding several emails every working day, you are robbing your company.  If that doesn't mean anything to you - you are robbing yourself and your company too.

4.  Be ready to work when you get to work.  If you spend the first 20 minutes of each day at the coffee pot,   you have wasted an hour and half per week

So if you work 60 hours per week, what are you doing with the other 108 hours?  Okay you need to sleep.  Let's say on average people sleep 8 hours per day that is 56 hours; that leaves us 52 hours.   Again, we have church, family, school and various responsibilities.  However, if we are dedicated and determined to get the most out of our time, we can reach our goals.

This week, do the right thing at the right time and enjoy your productivity.  Have a super week. 


The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo.  Call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Is it time to "make it happen?"

Goals.  They are important.  They are the road map for your life.  Some people have their goals taped to their mirror.  Some people visualize themselves hitting their goals.  Goals are vital to success.

At the same time, a road map, like goals, is only useful when people are in motion.  People have to get in (or on) a vehicle and put it in action for a road map to be useful.  The same is true with goals.  We can cover every mirror in our house with goals, we can visualize every success we want to achieve -- but if we don't get off the couch and make it happen, it will never happen.  Here are some suggestions:

1.  Do not misunderstand this blog -- goals are important and you should have them.
2.  Keep a list of all the things that you do every day to achieve your goals -- work to accomplish four daily tasks that will help you.
3.  Understand that without action, nothing happens.
4.  Make a list of all the habits that are stopping you from hitting your goals - create a game plan to establish more productive habits.

Action is the key.  This week work to create a game plan for action.

Now, you can follow me on Twitter, Click Here.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo.  Click Here   Then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Do you have it?

A few years ago, my parents had their 50th wedding anniversary.  Yesterday, we attended a party in honor of my bosses 50th.  Is there a better example of commitment?  Let's take a deeper look at what it means to commit.

C:  The C stands for confidence.  You can't commit to any person, company, or dream unless you first of all have confidence in yourself and them.  When it is a relationship, you have to be able to look at the other person and know that they will be there for you and know deep down that you will always "have their back."

If there is ever a breakdown and one person (Spouse, boss, owner) does not have any confidence in the other, the foundation of the relationship is in trouble.

O:  "Openness" You have to be open and communicative.  There is no committed relationship without direct dialogue where each is open to say what they need to say.

M:  Maturity.  This is not age related.  There are a number of young people who commit to their sport, school, religion, etc.  You have to be mature enough to know that there will be hard times and the key to any relationship is working through those issues.

M:  Motivation.  In any relationship, there will be times where it doesn't seem possible to continue.  The only thing that will help the relationship continue is good old fashion "want to" or motivation.

I:   Integrity.  Integrity is all about the type of person you are when it is just you and God.  And only you and God know how hard you are working on any relationship -- especially your relationship with Him.  As they old saying goes -- I don't have to like you, but I need to be able to trust you.

T:  Time.  One of the problems of we face today is as a society we don't want to invest the time into our dreams.  We spend years getting fat and we want to take a pill to lose weight.  We want to call an 800 number to get out of debt.  And if our relationships are not how we like, we go get new ones and don't even think about investing our time to make it better.

Spend some time this week thinking about how you commit to your relationships, goals and yourself.  Have a great week.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Today is special - but aren't they all?

If you are reading this entry on it's published date, it is June 21st.  June 21st, 2010 is:

Monday.
The first day of summer.
The day after Father's Day (I hope you had a great Father's Day)
It is the 172nd day of the year  (By the way, there are 193 days left)

So today is special.  But have you figured out yet that they all are special.  This past Saturday, I spent the afternoon with my wife, my daughter and my son.  My wife and I will celebrate our 23rd wedding anniversary in November.  Our kids are grown, with my daughter in St. Louis and my son serving in the United States Navy.

We visited my family and then drove about thirty minutes to visit my in-laws.  It was a blast, we talked about everything, we joked, we laughed, and we shared.  It got me to thinking....how many times had similar trips occurred. Did I enjoy them as much?  Was I as patient?  Did I cherish it as much?  Sadly, probably not.

So as you take on your week, here are a couple of suggestions.

1.  Be thankful for the day.

2.  Be proactive.  Goals and dreaming are important -- but until you take the steps to make those goals and dreams happen, they won't.

3.  Stop wishing it was another day -- every time you say on Thursday that tomorrow is Friday, you are wasting time on Thursday.  Before you know it, you will wish you had that time back.

There are people who have had tremendous loss in their lives.  The death of a child or watching their spouse or child go through cancer or any life threatening illness.  Count your blessings and know that no one is promised tomorrow -- you make it happen today.   

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

It is how you say it.

A couple of weeks ago, some close friends and I went on a motorcycle ride.  When we entered our choice for breakfast, a nice lady said....

A. Smoking or Non?
B. Booth or Table?
c. Or do you want to sit with the firemen?

Now, we respect firemen.  In fact, there is a young man that is like a son to us that is a firefighter.  But why would we sit with the firemen?  We choose a non-smoking table.

It turns out that the firemen were there to raise money for MDA.  Somehow that really got lost in the translation of the hostess.  This entry is not about criticizing the hostess.  It is about helping your business grow. 

Three questions to ask yourself about your business.

1.   Do you have a message that is "getting lost" in the translation to your customers?
2.   Have you worked on improving the clarity of the message?
3.   How will your business grow by improving the clarity of the message?

Some thought starters to help you improve your message.

A.  Start with the end in mind.  What do you want your clients to do after they get their message.

B.  Is your goal clear to the clients?

C.  Have you tested your message?  The best way to test your message is asking your best customers.  How do they see your business?  What are the reasons they count on you?  Take those comments and edit your statement.

D.  Role-play your message with your team.  (I know most people hate role-playing)  But, it is a great way to use the best of everyone to focus your message.

Think about all the things that you want your clients to know about you.  Take this week to add laser focus to your message. 

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Perfection in Mistake

I am sure that you have heard about Major League Baseball umpire Jim Joyce's mistake that cost Detroit Tiger pitcher Armando Galarraga a perfect game.  In case you haven't, Galarraga had pitched 8 and 2/3 of a perfect game.  The final batter grounded to first base, the first baseman fielded the ball and threw to Galarraga about a step and half ahead of the runner.

All that we needed for the third perfect game of the season was an out sign.  Instead, Joyce signaled safe.  Later he would say, I thought he was safe up until the time I saw the replay. "I just cost that kid a perfect game."   Galarraga was equally gracious in his attitude in forgiving Joyce.  As one ESPN reporter said, there was no perfect game tonight, but we had a lot of perfect moments.  What can we learn?

1.  Mistakes are going to happen.  I believe that there has been one perfect man walk on earth 2000 years ago.   That means that the rest of us will make mistakes.  How we handle those mistakes goes a long way to determine our legacy.

Now Joyce really did not have much of a choice because of the re-plays that game footage offered.  At the same time, he immediately owned the mistake and faced Galarraga and his teammates, the crowd, the media, etc.  You and I don't have instant replay to spotlight our mistakes.  But I am willing to bet that we have all had that moment when we realized we were wrong, our reaction talks about our character.  Do we own our mistake or do we try to rationalize?

2.  What about when someone else makes a mistake?  Last week we had a small issue around the station.  I asked the person who was in charge of the situation what happened?  She looked me right in the eye and said, I made a mistake and it is fixed.  As a leader, that is really all you can ask.  She owned the mistake and fixed it.

3.  Put the mistake in perspective.  I think Jim Joyce's mistake was actually good for baseball.  I know it sounds weird.  But give me a second here.  The sport, I love by the way, has had a lot of bad press. Steroids, former stars lying to congress, and tell all books, just to name a few.  This story is about character, honesty, and doing the right thing.  The next time a mistake is made on your team, look for the learning opportunity.

Remember, if you have a team who is afraid to make mistakes, you will have team who is under achieving.  Have a great week. 

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Have you ever had one of those weeks?

It seems like nothing is going right.  One thing after another goes  in a direction that you didn't want it to.

Then you react by expecting things to go wrong.  Then you feel sorry for yourself.  Then you start talking negatively to yourself.  Ultimately, you start talking negative to the people around.  What can you do?

1. Stop.  Be quiet.  Think.  Stop and realize all the blessings you have been given.  Be quiet and think about your opportunities.

2.  Look around at other people.  This week on the radio show, we had the Relay for Life co-chairs in to the studio.  Janet handled the interview, I listened to a high school young man who was diagnosed with cancer talk about how there are so many people who have cancer, that if he has it - he is saving someone else from having it.  Huh?  Can you believe the amazing attitude of this young man? Think about him the next time you think that you are having a bad day or week. His attitude is simply amazing.

Remember the power of self talk.  Negative self talk can turn a bad moment into a bad week.  Don't let that happen to you.  Go have a great week.



The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

How old is to old?

I had a birthday yesterday. I am proud to say that I am 46 years old. What does that mean? It means whatever I want it to mean. Let me explain.

First some things to think about:

My high school basketball coach used to tell us that if we wanted to win, we had to start strong in the first half and early in the second half. 46 is not as old as it just to be :) At the same time, if I live to 92, I am right now at half time. And according to my coach, I need to have a strong third quarter to win.

Have you ever heard anyone talking about how long it will take them to do something? Sometimes, they say -- "do you know how old I will be when I get done?" Of course the correct response is, how old will you be if you don't do it? Take Nola Ochs.

Nola Ochs is 98 years old and she just got her Masters Degree. No surprise for her, she got her college degree at the age at 95. Wonder what she will do at 101.

So where are you in the game of life. 1st quarter, 2nd half, overtime? Here are the facts:

1. We are blessed to have life, it s a gift.  As the old saying goes, what we do during that life is gift back to God. How is your gift coming along. Are you living your life in a way that shows your appreciation for the chance in this wonderful opportunity.

2. Regardless of the economy or political unrest, no other generation has ever had the opportunity that we have today. We have information at our finger tips, anyone, who puts their mind to it, can become an expert in their chosen field. How are you doing at taking advantage of those opportunities?

3.  Time happens.  We can't stop it, control it, or get more of it.  We can look back at the key points in our lives, high school, college, when our kids where younger, etc, and say "I wished I would have done things differently."  But until we change what we do every day, our "wishes" are never going to happen.

Regardless of your age or stage of life.  Take it seriously.  Take advantage of the opportunities, look for the things to be thankful for and stop focusing on what you perceive as negative.  In ten years, those of us who are lucky enough to be living, will be ten years older.  What really matters is what you do everyday during that decade.  Go make it happen.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at my Branson Business Blog  then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

You are in control!

Aristotle said We ARE what we repeatedly do. So what do you repeatedly do?

Let's go to the good list first. Think about your habits that are good for you. Answer these questions:

1. Is there a way to extend those habits?
2. What is your mindset when you are doing those habits? What drives you to continually do the right thing in that certain area of your life?
3. How do you feel when you are done?

Now let's think about the habits that are not taking us where we want to go in life?

1. What could you do to replace that habit? For example, I still struggle in working out and running as I should. It is vitally important for me to come straight home from work, change clothes, and work out immediately. If I sit down to do anything once I get home, the chance of working out diminishes greatly.

Repeat two and three from the good habit questionnaire.

Life is a series of habits. Habits will always take us places, but not always where we want to go. Breaking habits and creating positive habits can be difficult, but the harder something is to do, usually the bigger reward. I have created a list of five habits to think about, please allow me to challenge you to look at the list and pick one to start working on. If you don't like my list, mark your own.

1. Diet. Pick an area and cut back. If you drink too many sodas, cut back one a day. Stop eating 15 minutes earlier than you usually do.

2. Exercise 5 minutes more per day than you did last week. Continue you that time frame for 12 weeks and you will be exercising an hour a day.

3. Write/call/email/smoke signal three people this week who mean a lot to you and thank them for being an important part of your life.

4. Read 5 minutes more per day than you did last week. Continue for 12 weeks.

5. Pick a habit that you know is bad for you and taking you to a place that you don't want to go and cut back 10%.


Life happens. If we manage ourselves and our habits, we can be in more control. If we don't, life still happens. There will come a time when we wished that we had taken better care of our bodies. It won't be out of vainness, it will be because we realize that we aren't able to play with our grandkids, or travel with our spouse, or walk outside to get the mail.

Are today's bad habits worth that kind of tomorrows? We are what we repeatedly do. What are you repeating?

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

What is your Legacy?

Saturday was a very cool day in Ozark Mountain Country. Two big celebrations lasted the entire weekend. Hollister celebrated their Centennial and Silver Dollar City had their 50th birthday party. What can we learn?

Sacrifice: The Herschend Family is one of the wealthiest and most successful families in the country. However, they do not get the credit they deserve for the sacrifice and hard work in the early days. Hugo, Mary, Jack and Pete left Chicago, where they were comfortable and enjoyed most of the conveniences of the day. When they moved to Stone County, they did without the conveniences of indoor plumbing, running water, electricity, etc and they worked. What do you need to sacrifice to reach your goals?

Hard work: The Hollister and Silver Dollar City communities have worked hard in their history. Jack Herschend tells the story of carrying sacks of concrete into Marvel Cave. Similar stories could be told of the Hollister pioneers. Are you willing to work hard to achieve?

Regroup: Not every decision made by Hollister or The Herschends worked out the way that they wanted them to. Mistakes were made. But each seemed to admit those mistakes and get back on course. It always amazes me how some people will allow mistakes to embarrass them to the point that they are afraid to move forward. If you are not making mistakes, you are not doing anything. Admit the mistakes, realign, and recommit.

As you look at your life and the legacy you want to leave with your family, will your day to day actions lead you to success?
Will they talk about how much TV you watched, how you were focused on your computer all the time or will they talk about you being a get it done type of person? Your call and you can change it starting today.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Has it been that long?

Last month, my daughter turned 27. Today, my son is 20. I have two quick questions. Where did the time go? Is it true that the next 20 years will seem like 10?

Let me answer my own questions. The time went by one minute, one hour, one day, one week (etc - etc) at a time. In those moments, the questions went from daddy do you want to play ball with me to why can't I stay out until one am?

Yes the next twenty years will seem like ten and there is nothing we can do to stop father time. Accept it, enjoy it and make the most of it. Have you ever noticed that most of us keep time in years, quarters, and months. But the real champions track time in hundredths of seconds. Olympic Gold is usually determined in time that is quicker than a blink of an eye. Some things to consider:

1. Stop worrying about making this be your year. Make today be your day. If you put enough of "your" days together, the year will take of itself.

2. Have your goals and work hard to achieve them. But always remember, if you can't be happy striving to hit your goals, you won't be happy when you hit them. Enjoy the journey.

3. Don't ever forget that little kids will soon be big kids. Don't ever take for granted the question "Daddy, do you want to play with me?".

Happy Birthday to my son. I am very proud of you and your sister. Love you both.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Do you see yourself as successful?

I am not a golfer. I have never played the game. But I enjoy magical moments in sports. None were more magical than watching Phil Nicholson win The Masters earlier in April. As I heard Jim Nantz make the call, I remembered something that I read in Jack Canfield's book, "The Success Principles."

It seems that Jim Nantz and Golfer Fred Couples were suitemates at The University of Houston. Both had major goals. Nantz wanted to be the lead announcer on CBS and Fred Couples wanted to become a professional golfer and win The Masters. They actually playacted the event.

Fast forward 14 years to a magic moment. Couples won The Masters and he was interviewed by CBS's Jim Nantz. After the broadcast, both men shed a tear as they had reached a milestone goal. Here is what we can learn.

1. What is your goal? Nantz and Couples had clear goals of what they wanted to acheive.

2. Allow your sub concious to see yourself reach that goal. See yourself winning the award, making the speech. Think about what you will do and how you will celebrate.

3. Be willing to work for it. Couples did not win The Masters because he had a goal. He won it by having the goal and working hard to prepare for it. The same with Nantz.

4. Allow yourself the emotion once you win. Emotion is a God given thing, stop fighting and feel it.

Life is too short not to have goals; too long not to take chances; to hard not to enjoy your successes. Have a great week.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Take it or leave it!

KRZK 106.3 FM had two events this past week that gave me an idea for this week’s blog. The latest one was our giveaway trip to Vegas. (You can find out more at www.hometowndailynews.com)

During the giveaway, we played “Take it or Leave it.” Contestants had a chance to take the sure prize, which meant they would forfeit on the big prize of going to Vegas for The Academy of Music Awards Show. Most people wanted to stay in for the big prize; we did have two folks that took the sure thing.

Earlier in the week, we had a loyal listener night at The Paul Harris Show. (I should note that this is my perception of The Paul Harris Story and, although I consider Paul a friend, I did not interview him for this entry and he did not pre-approve it)

Paul Harris has been a star in Branson for a number of years. When you mentioned comics, Paul was at the top of the list. When people talked about the shows that Paul was in, the conversation was usually about Paul. Paul played take it or leave it, he left it and he has won big time.

Paul dreamed of having his own show, he got it. However, he knew he wanted more and he was willing to put in the work for it. A few years ago, he moved to Nashville and focused on his skills. He put in the time, he always believed in himself, and he was willing to “feel the fear” and do it anyway.

Recently, Paul was a co-host on the Steve and Janet show. That weekend he opened for Jeff Foxworthy. He was a hit and the producer of the show continued to hold him over asking him for more time. This is a brief look at The Paul Harris story but here is what we can learn from it.

1. You have to decide if you want to keep what you have or go for more. Success in a job or career that is not your dream can hold you back. Paul could have always been a comedian in about any show he wanted but he knew he wanted more.

2. Wanting success and working for success are two different things. You have to be willing to do what you need to do. These are dirty words to some like sacrifice, work, become a student, be willing to fail.

3. You have to believe in yourself. Many people, frankly including me, questioned why Paul would want his own show. When uneducated fools question your goals and aspirations, you have to follow Paul’s example and belief in yourself.

I am proud of Paul and I am proud to call him a friend. I hope that you can learn from his example of hard work, dedication, and follow his example for success. Perhaps you need to play Take it or Leave it.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Can they speak the language of success?

Recently, my sister and her family came in to visit us. My brother-in-law has done a lot of business travel. He told us about being a vendor at a trade show in Russia. Out of the four day show, there were only 10 people who spoke English. His company had paid for one of their major customers, who was originally from Russia, to work the booth and communicate with their prospects.

Think about how frustrated my brother-in-law would have been to see all the prospects at the trade show and not be able to communicate with them. It is the same frustration that we can feel when we are trying to hit a goal but we can't seem to understand how to do it. We just need to take my brother-in-laws lead and find someone who can speak the language of the success you are trying to reach.

You want to be financially secure. Go find someone who can speak the language, who has achieved that goal. Many have written books; many give seminars; many may be your friends. Find one that wouldn't mind talking about the concepts that helped them achieve.

The same can be true for losing weight, being a better spouse, parent, manager, salesman, etc - etc. If you think about it, most people don't mind talking about their successes. So ask them. (One word of caution -- if people are constantly talking about their success without being asked, they may be working hard to convince you of their success)

This week go find someone who "speaks the language you want to obtain" and talk to them. Have a great week.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Where you are and where you are going!

Something a little different this week. Please be patient, I don't have plans of starting to copy other articles as an entry, but this will make a point.

You, like me, probably have people who forward you so many emails that you just delete them or block them. But hopefully, like me, you have at least a couple of people who forward you emails that you know, if they are forwarding it, it will be good. This week, I got such an email from a friend. This is an entry about the power of our brain -- as you can see this work is credited to Cambridge University.

More Brain Stuff . . from Cambridge University

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on

I believe that the same is true for our goals and our lives. If we know where we are and where we want to go, we can get there. Consider these points.

1. What are you goals? If you know your goals and you write them down, you have created the desired end result. (The last letter of the word)

2. If you will honestly describe where you are right now (the first letter) you can begin seeing what you need to change to get to your goals. For example:

A. To hit your end goal you need better time management. So you might set aside some weekend time to make sure you are ready for the week to reduce the stress of getting ready everyday. Perhaps, you start getting up earlier in the morning.

B. To hit your end goal you need to become an expert on a subject. So you might reduce the amount of TV or computer time and read more. You could buy an audio series on the subject and turn your drive into learning time.

C. To hit your end goal you need to get into better shape. You go to the grocery store and buy healthier food, you set aside exercise time, and you begin the walk to a healthier you.

Once you know where you are and where you want to go and start the walk there, your powerful brain will figure out what you need next. If you have no goals, then life just happens and life is too precious to just happen. So how about it? Why don't you spend some time this week figuring out the details? Take the first step and engage your brain and subconsious mind and you will be amazed on what happens.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Did you enjoy winter?

This week brings Spring. Everybody seems to love spring, the sun, the warmer temperatures, the countdown to days of summer. But my question remains, did you enjoy winter?

Life is a great teacher. One of the many lessons that it takes awhile to learn is to enjoy the trip. When we were younger, we couldn't wait to be older. Now that we have a few more years on us, have we learned to enjoy the moment, regardless of the season?

We know that life is precious -- but have we learned to treat everyday as a gift? This week, I challenge you to:

1. Enjoy the day. Regardless of how your day is going, it would not take very long to find someone who would love to have the opportunities that you are enjoying. Be in the moment and love it.

2. Tell someone how special they are to you. If life is a series of special moments, what are you doing to make these moments special? Think about your family, co-workers, the person behind the counter at the store, how do they make your life better? Why don't you tell them?

3. Do something nice for a total stranger. Look to do something extra nice for a complete stranger this week. It will blow their mind and you will have no idea what kind of impact it will have on them. Who knows, they might just pay it forward.

My point this week, if we are always just waiting for the weekend or vacation or the next season to get here, we are missing opportunities to live life. We can all agree that life is too short to wait. Go live!

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

What can we learn from The NAIA Basketball Tournament?

For the past ten years, the NAIA Divsion II National Basketball Tournament has been held on the campus of The College of The Ozarks in Point Lookout, MO. It is truly an event that the entire area gets behind. I believe that we can learn two major business lessons from the tournament.

1. Cooperation. The business community, the schools, and the college all work together to make this event happen. Their entire focus is on making the tournament a great event.

What would happen if, as an area, we had the same kind of effort for all our events? The stronger we become as an area, the stronger we will become indivdually. One of my main concerns for the area is the "somebody should do that" attitude that seems to be developing. We could learn from the efforts put into this tournament.

2. The one thing is the one thing. The tournament is about basketball. Everything points to what happens on the court.

Everytime you split your focus, you jeopardize the quality of the product. The more focus that you can bring to your customer, the better chance you have to improve your product. As a business, you need to know what you do and do it better than anyone else.

Spend some time thinking about how you can apply these lessons to your business. Have a great week.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Are you a duck?

A friend of mine owns a successful excavation company. This past week, he did us a huge favor by repairing our driveway. Afterwards, in a older brother kind of way, he told me to stop being like a duck and driving the same path down the drive way; that it is better for the driveway if I vary my path.

It got me to thinking. How many other things in our lives are we like ducks?

1. Personal Life: What if we have a "positive" surprise this week with something totally out of the ordinary? A mid week date night or flowers.

2. Work life: I believe a lot of the problem that we have at work is our unwillingness to try new things. This is the way we have always done it, this is the way we are always going to do it. This week try a different path, listen to a training tape, stop worrying about being the manager or the boss and allow the team to make some decisions, put away the cell phone, blackberry, and email for a day and just go see customers.

3. Spiritual Life: Sometimes we get in a rut here too. Our prayers sound the same, are at the same time and there is nothing personal about them. This week, get personal, get real, turn everything over to Him.

Try not to be a duck this week. Take a different route to work, meet someone new on the job, go forgive that person that you have been holding a grudge. If it works for driveways, it's has to be good for humans.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

Dancing, my comfort zone, my self coach

Be patient with me on this one. It may start out as a diary entry, but it will make a point, I promise.

Have you ever felt like you were getting a sign? A number of people had challenged me to get out of my comfort zone. Then, I was asked to participate in Dancing with The Branson Stars. My first two thoughts – I ain’t (I often think in poor grammar) a star and I can’t dance. Even with that, I got reinforcement from my wife, Derinda, and I said yes because there is no better way for me to get out of my comfort zone than dance, or try to dance.

Derinda and I met Kelly (the professional dancer) at our home, we talked about what we were going to do, and she taught me a few moves. We met a couple of other times at the house and I began thinking, okay this isn’t going to be too bad.

Then Kelly wanted to meet at a dance studio. So the Sunday before the Friday night event, we met at the Dance Studio. Did you know that a dance studio has many mirrors? The mirrors are so you can see what you look like on the dance floor. I did not want to see what I looked like on the dance floor. I thought I looked bad – but I had no idea. I walked out of that rehearsal thinking about ways to get out of this commitment, ideas included staging my own kidnapping, but I thought a felony might be a little much.

On top of the dance event that week, I had a speaking engagement on Thursday and it was the last week of the month, which is always a busy time at the station. Sunday, I was feeling sorry for myself. I decided that I needed a meeting with myself to discuss a few things. It was a three item agenda.

1. I had made commitments and I was going to hold to those commitments.
2. Kelly had worked hard to help. I needed to shut-up and stop telling myself that I could not do this and listen to her and get this dance down.
3. I did not want to embarrass Derinda or let Kelly down.

The event happened. It was a fun night – I got through the dance without embarrassing Derinda or letting Kelly down. My points this week:

1. Now that it is over, it was fun to be that nervous again. When I speak, I need a couple of butterflies to keep my on guard. Friday night was more like dinosaur type butterflies.

What about you and your business, how long has it been since you tried something so new that you get butterflies.

2. Now that it is over, Sunday night was important to the process. Having to watch myself dance was not fun, but it was important.

What about you and your business, when was the last time you held a mirror up to see how you are doing?

3. Now that it is over, having to learn the basics was an interesting concept. Kelly had to keep reminding me about the simplest of dance moves, like not letting my arms flop – be strong, etc.

What basics have we all forgotten in our businesses? In a down economy, basics are more important than ever.

4. Now that it is over, I will have more self-meetings. I always talk to myself, but this was a hard core, door closed meeting that I had to have with myself on Sunday Night. It was time to cowboy up, lock and load, get focused, etc, etc.

What about you, need to have a sit down with yourself? I believe that we all have a coaching spirit deep down inside. Mine has a Bobby Knight attitude and he really let me have it on Sunday night.

Are you taking care of yourself as you should be? Are you too busy telling yourself you can’t do something to actually go out and do it?

Do not misunderstand me; I realize my strong limitations as a dancer. Nevertheless, going through the process was interesting and exciting and I am glad I did it. I would encourage you to find a way to get out of the comfort zone this week.

Have a great week.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

What is your contingency?

We are living in a time that provides more questions than answers, more risks than security. Are you prepared?

Football is a great analogy of life. From High School to the pros, most every team has a detailed game plan. And in every football game, there is at least one (usually many more) plays where that detailed game plan fails. The great teams are able to see the failure then quickly look for opportunities to overcome. The great quarterbacks can audible. An audible is a change of the called play to take advantage of the defense.

Are you prepared to audible in your life? Do you have a contingency plan? If not, I encourage you to prepare a list of what you would do if you lost your job.

1. Have a list of people you would contact, ask for letters of reference, use your network to get the word out that you are available. Now, is not the time to hide.

2. Go for a run, work-out, do something to clear your mind. Yes, there will probably be anger - but anger is not going to serve you right now. Chances are, your company did not want to make this move either, stay calm and let them help you as much as possible.

3. Read your "atta boy/girl" file. If you don't have one of these, you need to start keeping one. When you get a thank you card, a job well done email, etc -- keep it in a file. When you start doubting yourself, pull out that file and read it.

4. Keep up your routine. Sleeping and lounging all day is not going to help you. Keep up a schedule, go volunteer, stay moving, stay focused, and stay active.

5. Keep your resume updated. (I would do this on your own time and your own computer)

Having a contingency plan is like a smoke alarm, I hope you never use it, but it just makes you feel more secure. Good companies make tough decisions every single day and it is vital that the companies remain strong. To do that, at times there has to be cuts. If you happen to fall victim to those cuts, you are going to bounce back quicker if you have a plan.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

What is the bigger tragedy?

By now you know of the tragic death of Nadar Kumaritashili in a practice run just before the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Kumaritashili was a 21 year old luger from the republic of Georgia.

This sad story once again points out that life is a gift, a very delicate gift. Like many people, I had never heard of Nadar Kumaritashili until his death on Friday. Admittedly, I am making one big assumption in this entry, that Kumaritashili was doing what he loved to do. We know that he was performing on the biggest stage that his sport offered. Even with that assumption, this week's entry offers us all something we can think about and learn.

Life is a gift, use it. My mom used to joke with me whenever I got clothes as a little kid, she would smile and say, "we will save those for good." It could be anything...socks, underwear, blue jeans, everything was "for good" Luckily mom was joking.

Sometimes though, that is how we live our life, waiting for good. What about you? Are you using your gift? Are you living everyday with the attitude that it is a gift and it might be my last?

Life has an expiration date. It is not something that we spend a whole lot of time talking about, but we are all going to die some time. Which one is more tragic, the death of a 21 year old that lived life to the max or an 80 year old who never got out of their comfort level, never dared to dream, never worked on their gift? That is a question each of us need to answer for ouselves.

This week I challenge you to spend some time thinking about this gift called life. What have you always wanted to do? What have you always dreamed of accomplishing. What is stopping you? Go for it, no need to save it for good.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

The not to-do list

I like lists. And even though I am thankful that I live in the computer age and use a computer every single day, I like to hand write my lists. I like my lists to be neat, printed, and numbered. I enjoy drawing a line through the items as I complete them. I have been known to accomplish something that was not on my list, then put it on my list, just so I can draw a line through it. Lists are good.

Bryan Dodge, a great speaker and author, wrote in his book, "Good Life Rules" about the not to do list. I agree with Bryan that a not to do list is important to have on hand.

Each one of us will have our own items on it, and for the most part, the items are not as important as just having the list to keep control of your life. We have all met people who can not say no. But saying no is vital to a well balanced life.

So this week, spend some time thinking about your priorities and beliefs. Then based on those stamdards, create a not to do list that will help you say no. It is a great tool to stay focused and keep your priorities in line.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

His priorities are straight, are yours?

Recently, I talked to a man who, at a young age, hit his goal. He had spent more than a decade working his way up the company ladder and he was in control of a division. From that position, he did not like the view.

The view was many hours at work and very few hours at home. The view was missing ballgames and other family moments that he knew he would never get back. He decided it was not worth it. So he stepped down from that position and got a job, with much less pay, and much more time. As he put it, he has never been happier.

I am not suggesting that you need to follow his footsteps. But, I think it is important for all of us to take a step back and assess our priorities. A readjustment of priorities will always come with decisions and trade offs. More time with family could possibly mean less things. For the man in our example, it was simple and his family supported his decision.

This week, find some quiet time and just think. What are your priorities? What is important? Remember, we have one shot on this earth, make sure that you give it your best. And your best usually does not mean things.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

When will your Idol moment come?

Several thousand people traveled to Chicago to stand before the American Idol judges and get the pass to Hollywood. 13 made it. It is my perception (which in my head makes it reality) that a number of people just wanted to act like a fool on TV, some really think that they can sing and can't, and some are pretty good, but judged not good enough. My question this week; are you ready for you idol moment? When you get your shot at your goals, will you be ready to make it happen?

Here is what you need to be prepared:

1. A goal. Goals, dreams, and aspirations will drive you for success. Goals will help you get out of bed in the morning and keep you motivated.

2. Determination: A goal without action towards that goal is a pipe dream. Goals are achieved by making mistakes, correcting those mistakes, and constantly moving towards the desired outcome. That will not happen without determination.

3. Balance: A lot of people have hit their goals and are still very unhappy. How? They are out of balance -- hitting a goal with no one to share the joy with is not worth it to me. Keep a balance in your life.

4. The willingness to fail: Most successful people have "failed", learned from the failure (see determination) made corrections and gone onto success. That education does not happen if you are unwilling to fail in the first place. If you want to be great at something, you have to be willing to be bad at first.

So hats off to the people who are truly going after their dream at American Idol. The long lines, the nerves, the willingness to be judged. We can all learn from them.

This week, think about a forgotten dream and ask yourself, why you allowed it to die. That book, the Broadway play, the business, the *insert your dream here* is still in you -- just apply determination, balance, and the willingness to fail and your idol moment could be happening before you know it.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.

What are you about?

Last Friday Night, January 16th, I was honored to be The Master of Ceremonies for The Branson Believer's annual awards banquet. There are a number of reasons why this night is so cool.

1. The recipients are people that the majority of folks probably would not know. It is not a "kiss-up" opportunity to the well known. It is truly an award to highlight how people live their lives.

2. The recipients do not know they are receiving awards. In many cases, they are there thinking that they are going to award someone else. The emotion is amazing and the honesty is real.

Many of the recipients talked about their passion, how they are lead to serve, and they know that they are doing the right thing. How about you? What are you about?

I think it is important to follow their lead and all of us ask ourselves those types of questions. What is our passion? What are we about? How are we making our community a better place to live.

Our Journey on this earth goes fast, even faster when we distract ourselves with things that are not our true passion. Spend some time this week, asking yourself some questions. Start with, "what am I really about?" Have a great week.

The next time you need a speaker, make it easy on yourself and call me. I will inspire, motivate, and entertain your group. Check out my speaking demo at www.bransonbusiness.blogspot.com then call (417) 339-6568 for availability. The only way I look good is making you look good for booking me.