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.