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.