The other night I met with a man who a friend who connected me with. We don't know the 'why' behind our connection yet. We're figuring that out. He could become a friend, a mentor, a business opportunity... We'll see. We enjoyed a 3 hour conversation about business, life, and Spirit. For most of the night, the conversation was spontaneous and authentic. We were honest and real with one another. At around the two-hour mark, we started talking about the church that Jen and I started in … [Read more...]
Trick or Treat? Both please…
November 1, 2010 by
Halloween is big business. Five Billion Dollars big! Wow! And guess what? It's not a kids holiday. More is spent on adult costumes than for kids ... by a lot! The market is booming. Here's a question... WHY? What has driven a holiday that was for kids into an extravaganza for adults? For 364 days a year adults play grown-up. We put on the brave faces of ... husband, wife, employee, customer, boss, father, mother, friend, Christian (I'm writing from Texas). This is the … [Read more...]
Tattoo You – How are you leaving a mark?
October 28, 2010 by
I was listening to a message a couple of weeks ago about our innate need and desire to leave a mark. Whether it's carving our name in a tree or donating enough money to fund a hospital wing ... we all look to create something to remember and be remembered by. Tattoos are a reflection of our desire to leave a mark. Tattoos give people the power to leave a mark ... a mark that will last a lifetime. A mark to be seen ... depending on where we put it. They give people a sense of control. … [Read more...]
Make Strong … Encourage!
October 28, 2010 by
When's the last time you gave specific, meaningful encouragement from someone? What does encouragement mean to you? Encouragement has come to be seen as a touchy-feely word. That's interesting. It means: To Make Strong. To fortify. When steel is forged, it is encouraged. When rubber is vulcanized, it is encouraged. My wife and I send each other an encouragement email every Wednesday. In five years we've forgotten fewer than 5 times. We have over 500 emails encouraging one … [Read more...]
What color is your wristband?
October 27, 2010 by
I see a lot of yellow wristbands everywhere. Then there's the pink ones, the blue ones, the purple ones, etc. So many people are supporting worthy causes. That's pretty cool. Marketers figured out painless ways to sell charitable support. Give a little money, get a wristband. Wear the wristband, show that you're good, kind and giving. For little commitment, we buy belonging while contributing to a cause we think might be important. For a little commitment, a charity just earned a … [Read more...]
There’s no ‘Y’ in Business!
October 25, 2010 by
No profit, no business. Business is about delivering one result ... Profit. Many key results contribute to delivering a profit. Do you have a paying job? There's a good chance you are responsible for delivering some of these key results. Do you know what they are? If not, you might not be doing your job! Oops. It's easy to confuse 'doing' with 'delivering'. Busyness is about doing activities. Business is about delivering results. Are you confusing busyness with business. The … [Read more...]
Move the Heat Around
October 19, 2010 by
To light a fire, light kindling in different places. This increases the likelihood that the fire will catch. As a fire is lighting, we may reposition the heat. We move the kindling around to expand the reach of the heat. A quick review - Fire requires heat, oxygen and fuel. Your message is the heat. The visibility of the message is your oxygen. People are your fuel. Your kindling is your Innovators and Early Adopters. Identify who they are. Light them with your message. Want to … [Read more...]
Read the Kindle
October 12, 2010 by
It's hard to change the world all at once. If we start with a few key people we increase our chances. The few are our kindling. People in organizations can be broken down into the following group: Innovators, Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority, and Laggards. Check out the graphic for the breakdown. When we want to light a fire, we can throw matches on to a log or we can choose the right kindling to light and let the kindling catch the logs on fire. Find your … [Read more...]
Should I Kindle?
October 12, 2010 by
Have you ever tried to light a log on fire without kindling? I've made this mistake. It's hard to light a log on fire without kindling. I'd light some paper. The paper goes below the log. The paper burns out before the log catches. At best, I char the outside of the log. Want a toasty, roaring fire? Lighting a fire requires layers. This is why people who are good with fire use progressively larger fuel elements to get a fire going. Lighting paper is easy. The paper can light twigs. … [Read more...]
Smoke on the Water… Fire in the Sky
October 8, 2010 by
I was sitting near the fire pit. I was excited to start the fire. An hour later I was frustrated. We had wood. Lots of it. But it was not in the condition to light. We struggled to light anything. After 45 minutes of fighting smoke, we gave up. It takes fuel, oxygen and heat to start a fire. The fuel must be the right kind for the job. It must be in the right condition. Not all fuel is in the right condition to light. When the wood is wet, we get smoke. When the gasoline is … [Read more...]
