What would you be?

What would you be if you could be anything you wanted to be?

If you didn't think about status, money, peer pressure, spouse pressure, or anything of the sort, what would you be?

Have you ever considered this question?

Lighten Up!

I love the name of this boat: Lighten Up!

Kelly participants in a Mom to Mom group at our local Church in Austin TX (Lake Hills Church! A WOW church by the way). She was telling me about one of best lessons she learned was to just Lighten Up! I couldn't agree more. With our kids, with our life, we our careers, most of us take things way too seriously. Our ego's get in the way and many of us think we are so important, we are so critical, we are so in demand. Wrong!

Temper the ego. Put your "selfishness" on the back burner and just LIGHTEN UP! The message is essential in today's marketplace filled with daily chaos. In these times of manic and panic, we just need to lighten up! As the song as, "everything will be alright..."

• Lighten up: When the kids make a huge mess
• Lighten up: When sales are not exactly what you want them to be
• Lighten up: When the garage is dirty
• Lighten up: When things don't go according to your plan
• Lighten up: When an employee is a little down
• Lighten up: When your spouse is a little crabby
• Lighten up: When your To Do list isn't all the way done
• Lighten up: When the house cores aren't 100% perfect
  

Take My Shoes

My friend Alan at MLF...

This is why you should donate today to MLF!

Isn't this what life is really all about?

MBWA

MBWA

Management by Walking Around....now more important than ever.

In these times of uncertainty, we need to be out in front of our people more than ever. They need to hear you and they need to see you.

Don't sit in your office with the door closed. Be intentional about getting in front of your people.

MBWA! today:

• A ton of time walking around with your people
• Intentional
• With positive energy
• Messages of encouragement and hope
• Laser Focus
• Contagious infectious VIBE!

By the way, your competition is doing none of this!

Interesting and Entertaining...

The 2008 World Series starts tonight between TB Rays and Phillies. If you work at FOX or your name is Ruppert, you are bellied up to a bar in a salon, drinkin' the blues away. Or I should say, drinkin' the ratings away. Why? Because this World Series will have record low ratings. Nobody is going to watch this World Series....not going to happen.

Why? Because its not interesting! What sells in the marketplace is Interesting and Entertaining. This series doesn't have it. Now put the Dodgers vs Red Sox and the ratings would have set records. That's the power of interesting and entertaining. Manny vs old team...East coast vs West coast...Torre vs old rival Sox....Interesting story lines all over the place. That's the secret sauce. Look, why do the rating for golf set records every single time Tiger Woods is in contention to win and if Tiger is not playing, ratings are horrible...Why is that? Because TIGER is interesting and entertaining! Same in business. The family doctor doesn't make all the money...fixing colds and sneezing is not interesting. Who gets the money in medicine? The heart surgeon and the orthopedic specialists! Why? Fixing my heart is more interesting than fixing my sneeze.

In your business; in your career, the point is to be Interesting and Entertaining. Because:

• That sells.
• That gets business.
• That gets noticed.
• That gets big $$!
• That gets market share
• That gets huge contracts
• That gets your phone to ring!

Intentional on surroundings....

Surround yourself with the conditions and outcomes of which you want to produce!

• People (Which People do you need to surround yourself with?)
• Things (Which Things do you need to surround yourself with?)
• Places (Which Places do you need to surround yourself with?)
• Environments (Which environments do you need to surround yourself with?)

Be intentional!

Be intentional about your surroundings to ensure the end result that you wish to achieve.

I am in San Ant tonight and speaking at two times at a convention tomorrow. If you have never been to the riverwalk, it's worth the trip. Very cool.

Key Relationships...be intentional

Those people that fill your tank...that energize you...that motivate you....that are an absolute pleasure to be around; make sure you intentionally grow those relationships.

1. List those people out ...and then make an
2. Intentional plan to connect and grow those relationships.

They are simply priceless!

Power of Kindness....

Today: a true story from Dr. Wayne Dyer's new book, The Power of Intention, in which he uses an example of physical activity in describing the importance of belonging, one of the most important aspects of human existence. It's a touching story that demonstrates how a simple act of acceptance can make such a tremendous difference in one child's life and in one father's life."

In Brooklyn, New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-disabled children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school career, while others can be mainstreamed into conventional school. At a Chush fundraiser dinner, the father of a Chush child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After praising the school and its dedicated staff, he cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son, Shaya" Everything God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?" The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's anguish, and stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the world, the perfection that he seeks is in the way people react to this child." He then told the following story about his son, Shaya.

One afternoon, Shaya and his father walked past a park where some boys Shaya knew were playing baseball. Shaya asked, "Do you think they'll let me play?" Shaya's father knew that his son was not at all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team. But Shaya's father understood that if his son was chosen to play, it would give him a sense of belonging. Shaya's father approached one of the boys on the field and asked if Shaya could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his teammates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and said, "We're losing by six runs, and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team, and we'll try to put him up in the ninth inning."

Shaya's father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was told to put on a glove and go out to play in center field. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shaya's team scored again, and now had two outs and the bases loaded, with the potential winning run on base. Shaya was scheduled to be up. Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give away their chance to win the game?

Surprisingly, Shaya was given the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because Shaya didn't even know how to hold the bat, let alone hit with it. However, as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya could at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came in, and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya's teammates came up to Shaya, and together they held the bat and faced the pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shaya. As the pitcher came in, Shaya and his teammate swung the bat, and together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shaya would have been out and that would have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw it on a high arc to right field far beyond the reach of the first baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shaya, run to first. Run to first." Never in his life had Shaya run to first. He scampered down the baseline wide-eyed and startled. By the time he reached first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shaya, who was still running!!

But the right field understood what the pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over the third baseman's head. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to second!" Shaya ran toward second base as the runners ahead of him deliriously circled the bases toward home. As Shaya reached second base, the opposing shortstop turned him in the direction of third base, and shouted, "Run to third." As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him screaming, "Shaya, run home." Shaya ran home, stepped on home plate, and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him the hero, as he had just hit a 'grand slam' and won the game for his team.

"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of God's perfection"

Life Plan First....then Business Plan after

Life Plan First...Then Business Plan

With the chaos in the marketplace, I get calls daily from businesses on what they should be doing. Profits have evaporated, gross margins are slim, and revenues are shrinking. Many are in a pure panic. And every time, without exception, the panic is a result from lack of vision and strategy. In these difficult times, most are froze and paralyzed because they don't know what to do. They don't know what to do because they don't have a good enough strategy and vision.

But we need to take a step back. First, before you can have a business plan, you need a life plan. In my work, I find that over 90% of people (and some are temporarily successful) don't have a LIFE PLAN. They have ideas in their head, but nothing written down or worked on in terms of a life plan. Business is a tool to make life better for you and your loved ones. It's a means to the end. That's it. Don't get confused. Business should not define you. It should be a part of you but not define you. So many people are out there consumed with their business...it's their life and defines them. That's wrong. There is so much more to accomplish in this life other than business. What you ask? RELATIONSHIPS I say. Anything regarding a relationship is more important than business. HELPING OTHERS I say.

I have made this mistake. In my first career, I put business ahead of my life. Thank you God, for the shock to my system to get my priorities straight. Now, it's my LIFE first and then business. And by the way, my calendar and how I spend my time is 100% consistent with this.

So first things first. GET A WRITTEN DOWN LIFE PLAN. I found this example and love it for its simplicity. It doesn't need to be elegant. A simple pen and paper will do. But you need to define your life before you define your business. And then once you have one started, you need to work and re-work it. It's a living document.

With my life plan I am reminded of a poem that says we need to endure the hammer and chisel to be the masterpieces God wants us to be...With your life plan, you must endure the hammer and chisel to continue to improve.

Ready....FIRE....Aim

Ready...

FIRE!

Aim.

Now is not the time to go into a hole and hide.

Now is the time to FIRE AWAY!

Make it Happen! Today!

Postive. Today!

Go For It. Today!

I can't fix others attitudes!

I can't fix other peoples attitudes! This fact hit my over the head with a fryn' pan last night.

I had a sleepless night last night. In the thousands of people I have trained and spoke to, I can't remember the last time I flunked in a participants eyes. Well, yesterday my streak came to an end. I had a terrible review (only one). It really bothered the heck out of me. I was heartbroken and discouraged.

I so want every single participant to improve and better themselves and their business. I take this 100% personally and own that responsibility. If a person is generous enough to give me their time, then I owe it to them to give them everything I got for them to improve. Yesterday, I gave my heart, soul and effort but I had one participant who said I flunked.

Now the number one rule for speakers is that you can't and won't please everybody. It's the nature of the business that some will not like you. But that doesn't make this easy. Especially for me, that wants everyone to improve so much.

But this morning at 5 a.m., it hit me over the head...again...slow learner. Chris: You can't fix others attitudes. Those who are negative will always find more wrong than right! I got it...No matter what you do, you can't please people are who grossly negative!

Back on track today...And I am so thankful the rest of the class got some ideas and improved!

Change seminar Oct 23rd..Sign up today!

We are hosting a 3 hour awesome seminar on CHANGE! Given the recent craziness going on in the world, I think CHANGE is more than appropriate topic to teach on. Simply, those companies and people that change are going to last....those that don't change are going to be in serious trouble. Simple as that.

So if we all have to change, shouldn't we understand how to change and how to lead through change? I think so....sign up today for Oct. 23rd.

One of the things we are going to talk about is this:

• Have you ever written down what real change looks like in your life or business?

If you are like the great majority, you would answer this in the negative. Most have not thought about and then written down what real change looks like and describe real change in great detail. Not change for the sake of change. Not little change. Not superficial change.

But Real Change. Powerful and positive change. Deep meaningful and course altering change.

That's what we are looking for! Today, write down what deep soul level, mountain moving change looks like in your business, career, and life!

Starting your own business..negatives to expect

When people start their own businesses or take risks in their life, they think about all the positive potential results. And I think that is great. But there is another story that entrepreneurs don't think about and guaranteed to be there. That story that is not talked about is the negatives and pitfalls of owing your own business. I have, and always will, own my own business. There is no other way to live for me. But that doesn't mean it's always "rosy". I owe it to all of you to warn you of real life feelings and negatives that will come up. Then when they do, you won't panic but can identify them and address it head on. So many businesses go out of business when these events and feeling come up because they didn't expect it. They only thought about all the "perfect" circumstances and never the negative.

Here are dangers and warnings you can expect when starting your own business:

• Lonely
• Sacrifices (you better like mac and cheese)
• Misunderstanding
• Not so popular
• Abandonment
• Dis-respect
• Others close to you will give up (on you and your dreams)
• High Stress
• Tense communications

But in the end, don't ever give up on your dreams! I'm not and you are not either....