Lately, I’ve been trying to take a long look at life. Seeking to step back and get a wide-angle shot of what I’m doing and where I’m going. This thinking brought to mind a saying one of my college professors had. He taught a course on how nations related to each other. Every once in a while he’d point out that a country’s leaders had focused too much on details and failed to see the big picture. “They couldn’t see…
The other day I got out my keys to unlock the door at my office. While looking for the key to the door, I noticed an old GM car key. I don’t remember where I got that key. I suppose it went to one of our old cars. I have no idea which one. Why is it still on my key ring? Don’t know. Perhaps at some time it held some special meaning to me. But if it did, I…
I’m leaving soon for a mission trip with my church. We’re going to another country to help build a room for a church and lead a Vacation Bible school for the children. In preparation for the trip, one of our leaders talked about some ways we could make the trip a success. It occurred to me that her suggestions also made good advice for life. First, we’re supposed to realize that we’re the outsiders. We’ll be in a different culture….
Is it possible to be a marketer and have no agenda? That question has been on my mind lately. At first it seems the answer is no. After all, isn’t a marketer’s agenda always to market his product or service Doesn’t marketing something mean you’re trying to sell it? And if you’re trying to sell something, that’s an agenda, right? Dictionary.com defines marketing as “the act of buying or selling in a market” or as “the total of activities involved…
My wife makes this great hash brown potato casserole that is out of this world. She takes some hash browns and mixes in some butter and other stuff, then puts them in a pan, tops them with bacon bits and cooks them in the oven. They are good. I mean, they are real good. She often cooks them for family reunions. When we’re going through the line, one of the first things I look for is those potatoes, because I’m…
Several years ago, someone I trusted in network marketing suggested that I buy some leads to help build my business. It seemed like a good idea at the time. Earlier, I had made the list of family and friends as I was taught to talk to about the business. When that didn’t work, it sounded good to have a list of “pre-qualified” people to call. So I bought leads. And I made calls. And I bought more leads. And I…
I was reading a thread on a personal development forum about Dean Karnazes, an endurance runner. He gives his advice for pushing athletic performance to its limits. A lot of what he says is great advice for our business life. Karnazes says to be audacious. Any goal worth achieving involves risk, he says. We networkers often get stuck in what is called “analysis paralysis.” We find something we think will work, but we want more information. We want to be…
A few weeks ago, I bought a box of Louis L’Amour western novels. He’s one of my favorite authors, and I was happy to find several of his books that I had not yet read. In the box were several books by other authors. As I was looking through them, I noticed one from a series of books called, “Choose Your Own Adventure.” I had never heard of the series, so I took a closer look. The cover said there…
Earlier tonight, I was reading Steve Pavlina’s personal development blog about switching to a 100 percent raw diet. I admire his commitment and the general reasoning behind his move. Two sentences in a section on dealing with social issues struck me. “Every time you stretch beyond the social conditioning, risking the rejection of your peers, you simultaneously serve as a powerful example to them,” he said. “You help other people awaken to the knowledge that they can exceed their current…
I heard a story the other day about two owners of horse-racing stables. Seems the two had been heated rivals for years. One of the two had the idea to hire a professional jockey to ride one of his horses in a big race. When the race started it was clear the horses from the two stables were far superior to any other horses in the race. They opened a huge lead over all the other horses. As they neared…