by Jim Rohn
While most people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller number seem to have everything going their way. Instead of just earning a living, the smaller group is busily working at building and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. And here sits the much larger group, wondering how life can be so unfair, so complicated and unjust. What's the major difference between the little group with so much and the larger group with so little?
Despite all of the factors that affect our lives - like the kind of parents we have, the schools we attended, the part of the country we grew up in - none has as much potential power for affecting our futures as our ability to dream.
Dreams are a projection of the kind of life you want to lead. Dreams can drive you. Dreams can make you skip over obstacles. When you allow your dreams to pull you, they unleash a creative force that can overpower any obstacle in your path. To unleash this power, though, your dreams must be well defined. A fuzzy future has little pulling power. Well-defined dreams are not fuzzy. Wishes are fuzzy. To really achieve your dreams, to really have your future plans pull you forward, your dreams must be vivid.
If you've ever hiked a fourteen thousand-foot peak in the Rocky Mountains, one thought has surely come to mind "How did the settlers of this country do it?" How did they get from the East Coast to the West Coast? Carrying one day's supply of food and water is hard enough. Can you imagine hauling all of your worldly goods with you . . . mile after mile, day after day, month after month? These people had big dreams. They had ambition. They didn't focus on the hardship of getting up the mountain.
In their minds, they were already on the other side - their bodies just hadn't gotten them there yet! Despite all of their pains and struggles, all of the births and deaths along the way, those who made it to the other side had a single vision: to reach the land of continuous sunshine and extraordinary wealth. To start over where anything and everything was possible. Their dreams were stronger than the obstacles in their way.
You've got to be a dreamer. You've got to envision the future. You've got to see California while you're climbing fourteen thousand-foot peaks. You've got to see the finish line while you're running the race. You've got to hear the cheers when you're in the middle of a monster project. And you've got to be willing to put yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable.
Because that's how you realize your dreams.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Skills of Extraordinary Leaders!
by Chris Widener
What? You don’t think that you are a leader? You are! Everyone influences others to some degree. Now, you may not be a very good leader… but that is altogether a different story! Even if you are in need of some help in the leadership department, and we all are, here are some skills you can work on immediately to help you become the leader you want to be. Then you can influence those around you like never before!
1. Good Communicator. Extraordinary Leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internal, and own. Then, and only then, can they carry it out! So focus on speaking and writing more clearly, and with the passion that you have for the vision you have. Use different ways of communicating, including different ways verbally and non-verbally. Above all, communicate often!
2. "Sees" the End Result Long Before Others. I think the greatest compliment on my leadership skills I ever received came from a gentleman who told me that “you see things about 6 months before the rest of us.” Without tooting my own horn (okay, a little bit maybe…), that is a skill of a leader. They are always looking out ahead of themselves and their situations. Followers are worried about what happens today, while leaders are thinking about and strategizing about what they see for tomorrow. Be constantly looking ahead. Practice making projections. Get good at “seeing” the future. When you can do this better than others, they will look to you for leadership!
3. Ability to Define Goals for Self and Others. Do you know what your goals are? Can you define them? Can you articulate them clearly (see number one)? Can you do this for those who follow? Can you define and set their goals? A Extraordinary Leader works at clarity and definition of goals so that they can be internalized and acted upon by others. Work hard at this skill and others will follow!
4. Ability to Set Strategy and Course of Action. What will you do to reach the goal? Many people can say where we should go, but it is the Extraordinary Leader who can lay out a plan for everyone to get there! Work at laying out a plan for you and your followers. Remember that there are people with different skill and passion levels, and take this into account! Get good at this and when people want to get to their goals in a hurry, they will call on you to lead!
5. Ability to Teach Others. One of the greatest leadership development companies in the world has been General Electric. This is because their CEO, Jack Welch, has always emphasized the need for current leaders to teach others. He himself spends what others would consider an extraordinary amount of time in the classroom teaching. But remember, he is an Extraordinary Leader and he is developing Extraordinary Leaders to follow behind him. Work hard at your teaching techniques, and be sure to use as many situations as possible for the opportunity to teach those who would follow.
6. Ability to Inspire Others. You may have a great goal, but if you want to be an Extraordinary Leader, then you will have to put a little oomph under your followers! This is the ability to inspire! Work at helping them to see the big picture, the great end results, and how good it is going to be for them and others. Above all, make it exciting. If it is a good goal, it should be exciting. If it isn’t exciting, then dump it and get a goal that others can get excited about! (See the next article, the MFS Classic, for more on inspiring others).
7. Delegates. An Extraordinary Leader is rarely a person who is doing everything him or herself. Extraordinary Leaders get there job done through others. They figure out the way, communicate the way, and inspire the followers to go that way, and then they get OUT OF THE WAY! Delegate to your people. Empower them! Set them free to soar! This is what an
Extraordinary Leader does. Leaders who do it any other way are just extraordinarily tired at the end of the day with very little to show for it!
Chris Widener is a popular speaker and author who has shared the podium with US Presidents, helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Join subscribers in over 100 countries for a weekly leadership & success eZine by clicking here. Enjoy motivational audio programs from Chris Widener & other top speakers including Zig Ziglar & Brian Tracy by visiting www.MadeForSuccess.net.
What? You don’t think that you are a leader? You are! Everyone influences others to some degree. Now, you may not be a very good leader… but that is altogether a different story! Even if you are in need of some help in the leadership department, and we all are, here are some skills you can work on immediately to help you become the leader you want to be. Then you can influence those around you like never before!
1. Good Communicator. Extraordinary Leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internal, and own. Then, and only then, can they carry it out! So focus on speaking and writing more clearly, and with the passion that you have for the vision you have. Use different ways of communicating, including different ways verbally and non-verbally. Above all, communicate often!
2. "Sees" the End Result Long Before Others. I think the greatest compliment on my leadership skills I ever received came from a gentleman who told me that “you see things about 6 months before the rest of us.” Without tooting my own horn (okay, a little bit maybe…), that is a skill of a leader. They are always looking out ahead of themselves and their situations. Followers are worried about what happens today, while leaders are thinking about and strategizing about what they see for tomorrow. Be constantly looking ahead. Practice making projections. Get good at “seeing” the future. When you can do this better than others, they will look to you for leadership!
3. Ability to Define Goals for Self and Others. Do you know what your goals are? Can you define them? Can you articulate them clearly (see number one)? Can you do this for those who follow? Can you define and set their goals? A Extraordinary Leader works at clarity and definition of goals so that they can be internalized and acted upon by others. Work hard at this skill and others will follow!
4. Ability to Set Strategy and Course of Action. What will you do to reach the goal? Many people can say where we should go, but it is the Extraordinary Leader who can lay out a plan for everyone to get there! Work at laying out a plan for you and your followers. Remember that there are people with different skill and passion levels, and take this into account! Get good at this and when people want to get to their goals in a hurry, they will call on you to lead!
5. Ability to Teach Others. One of the greatest leadership development companies in the world has been General Electric. This is because their CEO, Jack Welch, has always emphasized the need for current leaders to teach others. He himself spends what others would consider an extraordinary amount of time in the classroom teaching. But remember, he is an Extraordinary Leader and he is developing Extraordinary Leaders to follow behind him. Work hard at your teaching techniques, and be sure to use as many situations as possible for the opportunity to teach those who would follow.
6. Ability to Inspire Others. You may have a great goal, but if you want to be an Extraordinary Leader, then you will have to put a little oomph under your followers! This is the ability to inspire! Work at helping them to see the big picture, the great end results, and how good it is going to be for them and others. Above all, make it exciting. If it is a good goal, it should be exciting. If it isn’t exciting, then dump it and get a goal that others can get excited about! (See the next article, the MFS Classic, for more on inspiring others).
7. Delegates. An Extraordinary Leader is rarely a person who is doing everything him or herself. Extraordinary Leaders get there job done through others. They figure out the way, communicate the way, and inspire the followers to go that way, and then they get OUT OF THE WAY! Delegate to your people. Empower them! Set them free to soar! This is what an
Extraordinary Leader does. Leaders who do it any other way are just extraordinarily tired at the end of the day with very little to show for it!
Chris Widener is a popular speaker and author who has shared the podium with US Presidents, helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Join subscribers in over 100 countries for a weekly leadership & success eZine by clicking here. Enjoy motivational audio programs from Chris Widener & other top speakers including Zig Ziglar & Brian Tracy by visiting www.MadeForSuccess.net.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Attitude Quote
by Chuck Swindoll
"Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, gifted-ness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that, is our attitude."
"Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, gifted-ness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day.
We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have and that, is our attitude."
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
11 Powerful Ways to Expand Your Life This Year
Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE is founder and president of Cathcart Institute, Inc. and one of the most widely recognized professional speakers in the world. As the author of 13 books and scores of recorded programs, his students number in the hundreds of thousands.
1. Define your future.
Describe the life you'd like to live. The future you see defines the person you'll need to be. Identify the traits and qualities you'd like to acquire. Think bigger than yourself. An acorn that only thinks as an acorn will never become a mighty oak. Stretch yourself. You are undoubtedly capable of more than you ever dreamed is possible for you.
2. Become the person who would achieve your goals.
As you develop the skills, knowledge, relationships and demeanor of the 'future you,' your goals will be the natural byproduct of your growth. Spend an extra hour each day in the study of your chosen field.
3. Give more than you must.
Nothing advances until somebody does more than they are paid to do. Always deliver more value than others expect. Don't require others to acknowledge your generosity. Give with 'class.'
4. Make time for what you love.
If you don't live fully, you deny the world your potential contributions. Your 'play' sometimes contributes as much as your 'work.' What you love reveals the value you bring to the world.
5. Refine your Inner Circle.
We define ourselves through our key relationships. Explore the mix and depth of those with whom you spend most of your time. Release those who limit you and connect with those who can help you live more fully.
6. Resolve your unfinished business.
Either deal with it or discard it. Say your apologies, face your fears, pay your debts, express your gratitude and get on with living. Don't let yesterday drain value from today and tomorrow. Break out of the limited world of your past and start to grow.
7. Rethink existing habits and routines.
Describe your typical day and then reconsider every aspect of it. Change or expand the places you go, people you see, things you do, and the time you devote to each. Try new things. Learn a new language, go someplace different, do some things you'd typically pass by. Find out what your possibilities really are.
8. Lighten up.
Stop stressing over things that only matter to you emotionally. When life isn't fair to you, get over it quickly. Take your misfortunes as 'course corrections' rather than 'catastrophes.' Let go so you can grow.
9. Tighten up.
Sloppiness in life allows more variables to creep in and spoil your plans. Stay on target, increase your self-discipline, master the art of self-motivation. Sometimes details matter a lot.
10. Profile yourself.
Keep a journal of your goals, concerns, fears, and dreams. Review it at least once a year. Look for patterns that reveal your core values, natural velocity, natural intelligences and recurring situations. Realize how life ebbs and flows for you. Notice the natural cycles of life. Know yourself.
11. Invest in yourself.
Set aside a portion of each year's income to acquire new tools and teachers to increase your potential. Refine your systems, get expert coaching, attend special conferences, cultivate a study group, appoint a board of advisors. You are your only true asset. Send part of today ahead to the person you'll be in the future.
1. Define your future.
Describe the life you'd like to live. The future you see defines the person you'll need to be. Identify the traits and qualities you'd like to acquire. Think bigger than yourself. An acorn that only thinks as an acorn will never become a mighty oak. Stretch yourself. You are undoubtedly capable of more than you ever dreamed is possible for you.
2. Become the person who would achieve your goals.
As you develop the skills, knowledge, relationships and demeanor of the 'future you,' your goals will be the natural byproduct of your growth. Spend an extra hour each day in the study of your chosen field.
3. Give more than you must.
Nothing advances until somebody does more than they are paid to do. Always deliver more value than others expect. Don't require others to acknowledge your generosity. Give with 'class.'
4. Make time for what you love.
If you don't live fully, you deny the world your potential contributions. Your 'play' sometimes contributes as much as your 'work.' What you love reveals the value you bring to the world.
5. Refine your Inner Circle.
We define ourselves through our key relationships. Explore the mix and depth of those with whom you spend most of your time. Release those who limit you and connect with those who can help you live more fully.
6. Resolve your unfinished business.
Either deal with it or discard it. Say your apologies, face your fears, pay your debts, express your gratitude and get on with living. Don't let yesterday drain value from today and tomorrow. Break out of the limited world of your past and start to grow.
7. Rethink existing habits and routines.
Describe your typical day and then reconsider every aspect of it. Change or expand the places you go, people you see, things you do, and the time you devote to each. Try new things. Learn a new language, go someplace different, do some things you'd typically pass by. Find out what your possibilities really are.
8. Lighten up.
Stop stressing over things that only matter to you emotionally. When life isn't fair to you, get over it quickly. Take your misfortunes as 'course corrections' rather than 'catastrophes.' Let go so you can grow.
9. Tighten up.
Sloppiness in life allows more variables to creep in and spoil your plans. Stay on target, increase your self-discipline, master the art of self-motivation. Sometimes details matter a lot.
10. Profile yourself.
Keep a journal of your goals, concerns, fears, and dreams. Review it at least once a year. Look for patterns that reveal your core values, natural velocity, natural intelligences and recurring situations. Realize how life ebbs and flows for you. Notice the natural cycles of life. Know yourself.
11. Invest in yourself.
Set aside a portion of each year's income to acquire new tools and teachers to increase your potential. Refine your systems, get expert coaching, attend special conferences, cultivate a study group, appoint a board of advisors. You are your only true asset. Send part of today ahead to the person you'll be in the future.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Dare to Dream
by Chris Widener
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."Teddy Roosevelt
Do you remember when you were a child and no dream seemed too big? Some of us thought we would walk on the moon; some dreamed of riding with Roy Rogers; others imagined stepping to the plate in a big-league game. Every one of us, when we were young, had a common trait - we were dreamers. The world hadn't gotten to us yet to show us that we couldn't possibly achieve what our hearts longed for. And we were yet still years from realizing that in some cases we weren't built for achieving our dream (I realized about my junior year of high school that I was too short and to slow to play professional basketball. The dreamer is always the last to know).
Eventually we started to let our dreams die. People began to tell us that we couldn't do the things we wanted. It was impossible. Responsible people don't pursue their dreams. Settle down, get a job, be dependable. Take care of business, live the mundane, be content. Do you know what I say to that? Hooey!
It is time to dream again!
Why? Here are just a few reasons:
Avoiding regret. The facts are in, and someday we will all lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. I for one don't want to regret what could have been, what should have been. So I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.
Making the world a better place. All of the great accomplishments that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the nay-sayers and said to themselves, "This can be done, and I am the one who will do it." And in many instances they changed the world for the better. It isn't just the Martin Luther King's and the J.F.K's either. Think of all the people we have never heard of who have started things large and small that help people world-wide every day. The world needs people like you to dream of something great and then to pursue it will all of your heart. Maybe you belong to a business, school, or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled into the same ol' same ol'. Shake them up and remind them of how they could really help people if only they would dream!
Personal and family fulfillment. One of the things that happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and we become disheartened, if only in that area of our lives. Stepping up and pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the capacity for and lets us experience fulfillment. Having a purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our emotions!
Leaving a legacy. How will your children remember you? As one who sought all that life had to offer, using your gifts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family with a zest for life, or as an overweight couch potato who could have been? Our children need to see that we dream; that we search for something better. They in turn will do the same!
So where do we start? Here are some ideas:
Reconnect with your dream. Set aside some time to let yourself dream. What have you placed on the backburner in order to live the status quo? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. Don't come up with too many. That will only deter you further.
Decide that you will do it. This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it.
Tell others that you are going to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:
1. A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
2. Action steps. Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do them.
3. Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
4. An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
5. A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!
I have found that there is no better time than now. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."Teddy Roosevelt
Do you remember when you were a child and no dream seemed too big? Some of us thought we would walk on the moon; some dreamed of riding with Roy Rogers; others imagined stepping to the plate in a big-league game. Every one of us, when we were young, had a common trait - we were dreamers. The world hadn't gotten to us yet to show us that we couldn't possibly achieve what our hearts longed for. And we were yet still years from realizing that in some cases we weren't built for achieving our dream (I realized about my junior year of high school that I was too short and to slow to play professional basketball. The dreamer is always the last to know).
Eventually we started to let our dreams die. People began to tell us that we couldn't do the things we wanted. It was impossible. Responsible people don't pursue their dreams. Settle down, get a job, be dependable. Take care of business, live the mundane, be content. Do you know what I say to that? Hooey!
It is time to dream again!
Why? Here are just a few reasons:
Avoiding regret. The facts are in, and someday we will all lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. I for one don't want to regret what could have been, what should have been. So I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.
Making the world a better place. All of the great accomplishments that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the nay-sayers and said to themselves, "This can be done, and I am the one who will do it." And in many instances they changed the world for the better. It isn't just the Martin Luther King's and the J.F.K's either. Think of all the people we have never heard of who have started things large and small that help people world-wide every day. The world needs people like you to dream of something great and then to pursue it will all of your heart. Maybe you belong to a business, school, or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled into the same ol' same ol'. Shake them up and remind them of how they could really help people if only they would dream!
Personal and family fulfillment. One of the things that happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and we become disheartened, if only in that area of our lives. Stepping up and pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the capacity for and lets us experience fulfillment. Having a purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our emotions!
Leaving a legacy. How will your children remember you? As one who sought all that life had to offer, using your gifts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family with a zest for life, or as an overweight couch potato who could have been? Our children need to see that we dream; that we search for something better. They in turn will do the same!
So where do we start? Here are some ideas:
Reconnect with your dream. Set aside some time to let yourself dream. What have you placed on the backburner in order to live the status quo? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. Don't come up with too many. That will only deter you further.
Decide that you will do it. This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it.
Tell others that you are going to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:
1. A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
2. Action steps. Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do them.
3. Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
4. An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
5. A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!
I have found that there is no better time than now. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Bad Luck, Bad Choices, and Bad Habits
Another great article by Chris! Enjoy!
by Chris Widener
We were at some friend’s house the other day and the wife mentioned some other acquaintances of ours. “It sure is too bad, all the bad luck they have,” She said.
My first thought was, “Bad habits, not bad luck.”
My second thought was, “Or is it bad choices?”
You see, there is a difference. What we many times call bad luck is merely bad choices.
Let me explain:
If you work hard, buy a new car, keep it up with regular maintenance and blow a tire driving down the road, that is bad luck.
However, if you drive on your tires until they are almost bald and drive at speeds higher than they are recommended for, and keep them at the wrong inflation level, and then the tire blows, that is not bad luck but bad choices. The tire blew because you chose not to buy new ones. The tire blew because you chose not to take the time to check your tire inflation level the last time you filled up the tank.
It is bad luck to leave your house on vacation and while you are away the gas line breaks and the house blows up.
It is bad habits to not tend to taking care of your house, replacing the roof, painting, etc until it is a junk pile.
It is bad luck to be let go from a company that goes into meltdown because the CEO acted unethically and the stock tanks, forcing layoffs.
It is both bad choices and bad habits to be late to work everyday, display shoddy workmanship and have a bad attitude to the point that the boss fires you.
If you choose to frequent shady parts of town or risky establishments, and you get mugged, is that bad luck or bad choices?
You get the point.
How often do we call something bad luck when it is really the result of bad habits or bad choices?
This really boils down to a matter of ownership of our lives and actions. Do we take full responsibility for our lives or not?
I know of a gentleman who was recently passed over for a job. It would have paid him $13,000 for a week’s worth of work. The person who passed him over told me why. Knowing this gentleman, I said, “It is too bad, because with a few good choices, that guy could be living in a nice house, driving nice cars, and having very few financial problems.”
What about you? Do you experience bad luck? Or bad habits? Or bad choices?
The next time you hear someone say, “He’s down on his luck,” perhaps you ought to ask, “Or is he down on his choices?”
I have found that those who have good habits and make good choices tend to experience the best luck!
So, if you want a little good luck, make some good choices and develop some good habits.
by Chris Widener
We were at some friend’s house the other day and the wife mentioned some other acquaintances of ours. “It sure is too bad, all the bad luck they have,” She said.
My first thought was, “Bad habits, not bad luck.”
My second thought was, “Or is it bad choices?”
You see, there is a difference. What we many times call bad luck is merely bad choices.
Let me explain:
If you work hard, buy a new car, keep it up with regular maintenance and blow a tire driving down the road, that is bad luck.
However, if you drive on your tires until they are almost bald and drive at speeds higher than they are recommended for, and keep them at the wrong inflation level, and then the tire blows, that is not bad luck but bad choices. The tire blew because you chose not to buy new ones. The tire blew because you chose not to take the time to check your tire inflation level the last time you filled up the tank.
It is bad luck to leave your house on vacation and while you are away the gas line breaks and the house blows up.
It is bad habits to not tend to taking care of your house, replacing the roof, painting, etc until it is a junk pile.
It is bad luck to be let go from a company that goes into meltdown because the CEO acted unethically and the stock tanks, forcing layoffs.
It is both bad choices and bad habits to be late to work everyday, display shoddy workmanship and have a bad attitude to the point that the boss fires you.
If you choose to frequent shady parts of town or risky establishments, and you get mugged, is that bad luck or bad choices?
You get the point.
How often do we call something bad luck when it is really the result of bad habits or bad choices?
This really boils down to a matter of ownership of our lives and actions. Do we take full responsibility for our lives or not?
I know of a gentleman who was recently passed over for a job. It would have paid him $13,000 for a week’s worth of work. The person who passed him over told me why. Knowing this gentleman, I said, “It is too bad, because with a few good choices, that guy could be living in a nice house, driving nice cars, and having very few financial problems.”
What about you? Do you experience bad luck? Or bad habits? Or bad choices?
The next time you hear someone say, “He’s down on his luck,” perhaps you ought to ask, “Or is he down on his choices?”
I have found that those who have good habits and make good choices tend to experience the best luck!
So, if you want a little good luck, make some good choices and develop some good habits.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Remember it on 3x5 Cards
Great idea!!!
By Sean Silverthorne
I have an unhealthy interest in learning how great people organized their daily lives. Did Einstein carry a To-Do list? Is the Dalai Lama an iCal guy?
So it was interesting to learn that Ted Levitt, one of the stellar pioneers of marketing at Harvard Business School, carried around a pack of blank 3×5 cards to write down what came to him during the day.
According to Alan Webber, who worked with Levitt at Harvard Business Review, Levitt would write down the kernels of conversations and observations that ultimately could lead to new story ideas. Webber decided to go 3×5, too. This practice made him not just a better observer, but a better listener, Webber writes on Harvard Business Publishing.
“When you keep 3 x 5 cards close at hand, you don’t just listen to what people are saying; you listen into their ideas. You pay close attention to the way the words work — or don’t work — to capture an idea or an argument. As an involved listener you help others frame or reframe an idea so it clicks into place: you become an idea chiropractor. You find yourself using your conversations strategically, listening to learn, and learning to make sense of the world. And each day, as you assemble that day’s collection of 3 x 5 cards, you discover new lessons that help you develop your own understanding of how the world really works, your own rules of thumb that comprise your guide to work and life in a time of unrelenting turbulence.”
Sounds like a pretty powerful payoff for such a low-rent solution. How do you keep track of thoughts and ideas during the day? Moleskine? Digital notepad? Paper scraps?
By Sean Silverthorne
I have an unhealthy interest in learning how great people organized their daily lives. Did Einstein carry a To-Do list? Is the Dalai Lama an iCal guy?
So it was interesting to learn that Ted Levitt, one of the stellar pioneers of marketing at Harvard Business School, carried around a pack of blank 3×5 cards to write down what came to him during the day.
According to Alan Webber, who worked with Levitt at Harvard Business Review, Levitt would write down the kernels of conversations and observations that ultimately could lead to new story ideas. Webber decided to go 3×5, too. This practice made him not just a better observer, but a better listener, Webber writes on Harvard Business Publishing.
“When you keep 3 x 5 cards close at hand, you don’t just listen to what people are saying; you listen into their ideas. You pay close attention to the way the words work — or don’t work — to capture an idea or an argument. As an involved listener you help others frame or reframe an idea so it clicks into place: you become an idea chiropractor. You find yourself using your conversations strategically, listening to learn, and learning to make sense of the world. And each day, as you assemble that day’s collection of 3 x 5 cards, you discover new lessons that help you develop your own understanding of how the world really works, your own rules of thumb that comprise your guide to work and life in a time of unrelenting turbulence.”
Sounds like a pretty powerful payoff for such a low-rent solution. How do you keep track of thoughts and ideas during the day? Moleskine? Digital notepad? Paper scraps?
Golf’s Colorful Language Goes With Any Green
You have to be a golfer to understand!! Enjoy!!
By BILL PENNINGTON
Do you speak golf?
Do you play for Barkies? Or Arnies? Do you avail yourself of the breakfast ball and love a good game of Bingo, Bango, Bongo?
Have you found yourself dormie, stymied, plugged or in the cabbage?
Have you dubbed it, shrimped it, shanked it, dinked it or duck-hooked it? And do you know the difference? Have you hit a scooter? How about one in the side door?
Are you a sandbagger? A pigeon? A player? A hooker?
Do you know who lovingly called his putter Billy Baroo?
In other words, are you conversant in the dialect of golf? Do you not only play golf but also revel in all of its idiosyncratic, peculiar lingo?
I hope so. It’s the code of the tribe, sometimes the best part of being in the weird golf fraternity. Nothing can assuage the misery of a poor shot like a good, self-deprecating idiom for your idiocy.
Golfers could say, “Oh, that’s a bad shot.” But why, when they can say they chunked it, skulled it or smothered it?
And golf linguistics are not just for your bad shots. In fact, most of the terms deal with making fun of your partners’ shots. Because theirs are never simply in trouble, in a pond or out of bounds. They are in jail, rinsed or Oscar Bravo.
This vernacular is centuries old, passed on and continually abridged and expanded, especially with references that are amazingly relevant to pop culture. There are sayings linked to Rush Limbaugh and Nancy Pelosi (think of shots going right or left), Osama Bin Laden (think of all the bunkers on a golf course) and Paris Hilton (think of anything). O.K., many of these references are too risqué to be repeated here, but it makes me feel good that golf — a so-called stodgy game invented five centuries ago — can stay current.
It also proves to me something nongolfers often fail to grasp: old-fashioned golf is at its heart an old-fashioned social exercise.
“Golf lingo developed because the golf course is a place where people get to know each other, and the game is so hard it especially leads to teasing, joking and ragging on each other,” said Randy Voorhees, the author of “The Little Book of Golf Slang.”
“The lingo has persisted because golf is a game you play for a lifetime,” he said. “So parents pass the terms on to their children, or older players use this colorful vernacular around younger players, and it becomes a natural way of speaking on the golf course.”
The first time you hit a ball on the green and someone calls for it to “sit,” does that not perfectly describe what you want the ball to do? If you hit a ball in the water and someone says it is “wet,” does that not forevermore seem like the best portrayal of its position and your disposition?
“A lot of golf terms actually evoke an image of what is happening out there,” Voorhees said. “You can carve, feather or gouge a shot, and once you learn to perform those shots, they are words that exactly describe what you’re trying to do.”
The golf lexicon has not developed by accident. David Normoyle, the assistant director of the United States Golf Association Museum, cited three primary reasons.
“One, golf is played over such a vast, irregular surface, we need a myriad of descriptions for play on a golf course,” he said. “Two, golf is truly a global game and has many local variations and flavors. Lastly, and perhaps more than anything else, golf has had great poets, and they have tried to capture the essence of the game.”
Who knew that having “the shanks” was meant to be literature?
Now if you’re a beginner or a casual player, you may find golfspeak to be another intimidating barrier to feeling comfortable on the course — a verbal version of golf’s code of behavioral etiquettes. But don’t fret.
There are no secret passwords in the pro shop or trick questions posed on the first tee. People are engrossed in their own games. Don’t play slowly or throw your clubs, and no one will care much about your golf vocabulary.
“Keep your ears open; you’ll learn it all as you go,” Voorhees said. “Soon it will flow out of your mouth naturally.”
I would make one suggestion: visit the local municipal golf course. A lot about golf can be learned there in general, but without question, it is where you will hear the richest, most saucy golf phrases.
But please, don’t be a mute out there. You may come up with a new term for our treasured golf glossary.
Speaking of which, I don’t have time to give definitions for every piece of golf slang used in this article. If you really need translations, they won’t be too hard to come by.
But I can’t leave anyone hanging about Billy Baroo, because “Caddyshack” references are sacred in the cult. The great Ted Knight, as Judge Smails, called his lucky putter Billy Baroo. Years later, that commendation held such merit that it became the name of a line of real putters.
If you are new to golf, understanding the Smails character’s role in the American game is pivotal. Watch the movie some Saturday night after a great, or horrible, round. You’ll feel better — and understand the lingo a bit better.
It also may help explain why you’ve seen someone stand on the first tee and pause to announce, “Gambling is illegal at Bushwood, sir, and I never slice.”
Next time, you’ll be able to bet a hundred bucks they slice it into the woods.
In Layman’s Terms
NASSAU A group game with three bets: low score on the front nine, back nine and for the full 18 holes.
BARKIES A bet won for making par after hitting a tree.
ACEY DEUCEY A group betting game in which the low scorer on each hole (ace) wins money from the other three players and the high scorer (deuce) loses money to the other three players.
BINGO, BANGO, BONGO A points game awarding a point to the first player on the green (bingo), a point for being closest to the hole when everyone has reached the green (bango) and a point for being the first in the hole (bongo).
By BILL PENNINGTON
Do you speak golf?
Do you play for Barkies? Or Arnies? Do you avail yourself of the breakfast ball and love a good game of Bingo, Bango, Bongo?
Have you found yourself dormie, stymied, plugged or in the cabbage?
Have you dubbed it, shrimped it, shanked it, dinked it or duck-hooked it? And do you know the difference? Have you hit a scooter? How about one in the side door?
Are you a sandbagger? A pigeon? A player? A hooker?
Do you know who lovingly called his putter Billy Baroo?
In other words, are you conversant in the dialect of golf? Do you not only play golf but also revel in all of its idiosyncratic, peculiar lingo?
I hope so. It’s the code of the tribe, sometimes the best part of being in the weird golf fraternity. Nothing can assuage the misery of a poor shot like a good, self-deprecating idiom for your idiocy.
Golfers could say, “Oh, that’s a bad shot.” But why, when they can say they chunked it, skulled it or smothered it?
And golf linguistics are not just for your bad shots. In fact, most of the terms deal with making fun of your partners’ shots. Because theirs are never simply in trouble, in a pond or out of bounds. They are in jail, rinsed or Oscar Bravo.
This vernacular is centuries old, passed on and continually abridged and expanded, especially with references that are amazingly relevant to pop culture. There are sayings linked to Rush Limbaugh and Nancy Pelosi (think of shots going right or left), Osama Bin Laden (think of all the bunkers on a golf course) and Paris Hilton (think of anything). O.K., many of these references are too risqué to be repeated here, but it makes me feel good that golf — a so-called stodgy game invented five centuries ago — can stay current.
It also proves to me something nongolfers often fail to grasp: old-fashioned golf is at its heart an old-fashioned social exercise.
“Golf lingo developed because the golf course is a place where people get to know each other, and the game is so hard it especially leads to teasing, joking and ragging on each other,” said Randy Voorhees, the author of “The Little Book of Golf Slang.”
“The lingo has persisted because golf is a game you play for a lifetime,” he said. “So parents pass the terms on to their children, or older players use this colorful vernacular around younger players, and it becomes a natural way of speaking on the golf course.”
The first time you hit a ball on the green and someone calls for it to “sit,” does that not perfectly describe what you want the ball to do? If you hit a ball in the water and someone says it is “wet,” does that not forevermore seem like the best portrayal of its position and your disposition?
“A lot of golf terms actually evoke an image of what is happening out there,” Voorhees said. “You can carve, feather or gouge a shot, and once you learn to perform those shots, they are words that exactly describe what you’re trying to do.”
The golf lexicon has not developed by accident. David Normoyle, the assistant director of the United States Golf Association Museum, cited three primary reasons.
“One, golf is played over such a vast, irregular surface, we need a myriad of descriptions for play on a golf course,” he said. “Two, golf is truly a global game and has many local variations and flavors. Lastly, and perhaps more than anything else, golf has had great poets, and they have tried to capture the essence of the game.”
Who knew that having “the shanks” was meant to be literature?
Now if you’re a beginner or a casual player, you may find golfspeak to be another intimidating barrier to feeling comfortable on the course — a verbal version of golf’s code of behavioral etiquettes. But don’t fret.
There are no secret passwords in the pro shop or trick questions posed on the first tee. People are engrossed in their own games. Don’t play slowly or throw your clubs, and no one will care much about your golf vocabulary.
“Keep your ears open; you’ll learn it all as you go,” Voorhees said. “Soon it will flow out of your mouth naturally.”
I would make one suggestion: visit the local municipal golf course. A lot about golf can be learned there in general, but without question, it is where you will hear the richest, most saucy golf phrases.
But please, don’t be a mute out there. You may come up with a new term for our treasured golf glossary.
Speaking of which, I don’t have time to give definitions for every piece of golf slang used in this article. If you really need translations, they won’t be too hard to come by.
But I can’t leave anyone hanging about Billy Baroo, because “Caddyshack” references are sacred in the cult. The great Ted Knight, as Judge Smails, called his lucky putter Billy Baroo. Years later, that commendation held such merit that it became the name of a line of real putters.
If you are new to golf, understanding the Smails character’s role in the American game is pivotal. Watch the movie some Saturday night after a great, or horrible, round. You’ll feel better — and understand the lingo a bit better.
It also may help explain why you’ve seen someone stand on the first tee and pause to announce, “Gambling is illegal at Bushwood, sir, and I never slice.”
Next time, you’ll be able to bet a hundred bucks they slice it into the woods.
In Layman’s Terms
NASSAU A group game with three bets: low score on the front nine, back nine and for the full 18 holes.
BARKIES A bet won for making par after hitting a tree.
ACEY DEUCEY A group betting game in which the low scorer on each hole (ace) wins money from the other three players and the high scorer (deuce) loses money to the other three players.
BINGO, BANGO, BONGO A points game awarding a point to the first player on the green (bingo), a point for being closest to the hole when everyone has reached the green (bango) and a point for being the first in the hole (bongo).
Friday, May 22, 2009
The Hole in Obama's Leadership Style?
Excellent Leadership article!! Enjoy!
By Sean Silverthorne
He delivers great speeches. He paints a vision. He can mediate, motivate, consensus build and compromise.
But what we don’t know is whether Barack Obama is tough enough to enforce the difficult decisions he is laying out for the country.
Leadership expert Michael Watkins, writing in his blog on Harvard Business Publishing, wonders whether Obama is really the best type of leader for a turnaround.
Watkins says his own research on power transitions shows that leaders entering a situation where storm clouds are still on the horizon requires a much different leadership style (the “steward”) than what is required in the Obama situation, where the storm has already broken (the “hero”). Writes Watkins:
“In turnarounds, the situation demands heroism, by which I mean a visionary, charismatic, and often-highly directive form of leadership. Think of Shakespeare’s King Henry the Fifth at the Battle of Agincourt sprinting forward, sword in hand yelling, ‘Once more into the breech, dear friends.’ Think too of Henry’s willingness to execute the traitors who opposed him.”
Does that sound like the Obama style? Watkins wonders.
“Does our new President have the heroism within him to force (yes force) the nation to swallow some very bitter medicine? Because he strikes me more as a steward than a hero. This is potentially a big problem because consensus-building-on-steroids simply isn’t going to cut it.”
Another look at Obama’s early challenges comes from Barbara Kellerman of the Harvard Kennedy School. While Watkins sees Henry the Fifth as role model for the current challenge, Kellerman thinks a master juggler might be a better analogy.
“The most obvious leadership skills President Obama will need to demonstrate are a sense of clarity and purpose, and the ability to sort through competing demands, both domestically and internationally. The multiplicity of decisions that he’s going to be required to make immediately is possibly unparalleled. So above all, he will be asked to be reasonably calm in the face of particularly critical and tense times. That suits him very well because he happens to have a calm nature, but at the same time he will need to convey a sense of urgency.”
As Obama rolls into the second week of his presidency, how do you think he is doing as a leader? Where is he strong, and where might his leadership style be lacking?
By Sean Silverthorne
He delivers great speeches. He paints a vision. He can mediate, motivate, consensus build and compromise.
But what we don’t know is whether Barack Obama is tough enough to enforce the difficult decisions he is laying out for the country.
Leadership expert Michael Watkins, writing in his blog on Harvard Business Publishing, wonders whether Obama is really the best type of leader for a turnaround.
Watkins says his own research on power transitions shows that leaders entering a situation where storm clouds are still on the horizon requires a much different leadership style (the “steward”) than what is required in the Obama situation, where the storm has already broken (the “hero”). Writes Watkins:
“In turnarounds, the situation demands heroism, by which I mean a visionary, charismatic, and often-highly directive form of leadership. Think of Shakespeare’s King Henry the Fifth at the Battle of Agincourt sprinting forward, sword in hand yelling, ‘Once more into the breech, dear friends.’ Think too of Henry’s willingness to execute the traitors who opposed him.”
Does that sound like the Obama style? Watkins wonders.
“Does our new President have the heroism within him to force (yes force) the nation to swallow some very bitter medicine? Because he strikes me more as a steward than a hero. This is potentially a big problem because consensus-building-on-steroids simply isn’t going to cut it.”
Another look at Obama’s early challenges comes from Barbara Kellerman of the Harvard Kennedy School. While Watkins sees Henry the Fifth as role model for the current challenge, Kellerman thinks a master juggler might be a better analogy.
“The most obvious leadership skills President Obama will need to demonstrate are a sense of clarity and purpose, and the ability to sort through competing demands, both domestically and internationally. The multiplicity of decisions that he’s going to be required to make immediately is possibly unparalleled. So above all, he will be asked to be reasonably calm in the face of particularly critical and tense times. That suits him very well because he happens to have a calm nature, but at the same time he will need to convey a sense of urgency.”
As Obama rolls into the second week of his presidency, how do you think he is doing as a leader? Where is he strong, and where might his leadership style be lacking?
The Golf Lesson
Another great life story told through Golf!!!! Enjoy!
by Michael T. Smith
Michael lives and works in Caldwell, Idaho with his beautiful wife Ginny. He writes in his spare time and is currently working on a collection of his stories to be called, "From My Heart to Yours." To read more of Michael's stories go to: http://ourecho.com/biography-353-Michael-Timothy-Smith.shtml#stories or go to: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1101828445578&p=oi to sign up and receive his stories.
"Do you golf, Mike?" Jim asked.
"Not much, but..." I began to tell him three stories I never tire of telling.
***************************
Except for a few birds, the course was quiet. It was a great morning for golf: no one ahead to slow me down, no one behind to rush me forward. I looked down the hill. The fifth hole of the nine-hole, par 3 course lay below and one hundred and seventy yards away. The flag hung limp in the still air. A small knoll at the front of the green hid the cup. I checked my score card again. It was definitely a good day. After four holes, I was only six over par. I grabbed my seven iron, approached the tee, placed my ball, glanced at the flag, and positioned myself. After another look at the flag, I drew my club back and swung. The iron whistled through the air, struck the ball at an angle, and drove it spinning through the air. It started toward the hole, but the spin and aerodynamics took control. I watched helplessly as the ball sliced to the right, away from the hole, and head for the tall grass that separated the fairway from the forest. It slipped between the blades of grass, disappeared, bounced off something hard, and reappeared. I stood in shock. The ball bounced across the fairway, jumped over a sand trap, leaped onto the green, and headed toward the flag. It disappeared behind the small knoll. I waited for it to reappear. It didn't. "That must be close to the hole." I thought. I grabbed my clubs, walked down the hill, and approached the green. My eyes remained focused on the area around the flag. My ball was nowhere in sight, but the cup was still hidden by the knoll. I climbed to the top of the knoll. The cup came into view, but my ball didn't. The green was empty. I didn't think the ball rolled fast enough to go over the edge of the green, but I walked around to the back anyway. My ball wasn't there. I turned and look at the cup again. "It couldn't have?" My heart began to pound as I walked closer to the hole. There was my ball, nestled close to the pin at the bottom of the cup. It remains the only hole-in-one I ever got. There were no witnesses to my feat.
***************************
Jack and I stood at the tee-off to the first hole of an eighteen-hole, par-three course. My best friend took his first shot and came up short of the green. I teed off and watched my ball land a little short and slightly to the right of the green. Jack's second shot put him on the green, a few feet from the hole. I grabbed my wedge, stood by my ball, and judged the distance. My light swing lifted the ball from the grass in a smooth arc toward the green. It hit the rough at the edge of the green, bounced, rolled smoothly toward the flag, and plopped into the cup for a birdie. On the second hole, it happened again. I chipped my second shot into the hole. After double-bogeying the third hole, I chipped another one in on the fourth - three birdies in four holes. My game returned to normal. A double-bogey was something to get excited about. At the eighteenth hole, my first shot placed the ball at the edge of the green. My second shot bounced the ball across the green and into the cup for my fourth birdie of the day.
***************************
Don, my neighbour, looked at my ball. "You can take a free lift from there."
"You're right, Don, but the ground is level. I think I'll just shoot it from here."
I swung and lifted the ball in a high arc. I silently cursed. The ball appeared to be headed deep into the brush behind the green. I watched as it climbed higher and lose momentum in the wind. At the highest point in its arc, it lost speed, and dropped straight into the hole, rattling the flag as it did. Don was shocked. "In my more than forty years of golfing, I have never seen anyone drop a ball into the hole like that. What a shot! It's a birdie too." I smiled. "Thanks, Don."
***************************
I finished the last story. Jim looked at me. "You sound too good for me to play."
"Actually, I suck at golf." I smiled. "I just told you the best." What I didn't talk about were all the balls that landed in the woods and didn't bounce out. I didn't mention the trophy I won for the most lost balls in one round. Jim doesn't know I lost the hole-in-one ball in the woods on my next shot, and he doesn't know that the day I got four birdies, my final score was twenty-two over par. If someone asks me about my life, I tell them I had to move seven times between provinces, countries, and states. I talk about my wife, who died too young, the numerous jobs that ended before I thought they would, and I whine about the money hardships. It's all negative. It's time for me to tell the golf story. I loved and married a wonderful woman and shared the rest of her life with her. In the process, we created two children. I moved seven times and got to meet wonderful people and experience things that most can only dream about. I remarried to an amazing woman and we share a beautiful life together.
Life is hard - life is good. It's how you tell the story.
Now "that" is a golf lesson!
by Michael T. Smith
Michael lives and works in Caldwell, Idaho with his beautiful wife Ginny. He writes in his spare time and is currently working on a collection of his stories to be called, "From My Heart to Yours." To read more of Michael's stories go to: http://ourecho.com/biography-353-Michael-Timothy-Smith.shtml#stories or go to: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?m=1101828445578&p=oi to sign up and receive his stories.
"Do you golf, Mike?" Jim asked.
"Not much, but..." I began to tell him three stories I never tire of telling.
***************************
Except for a few birds, the course was quiet. It was a great morning for golf: no one ahead to slow me down, no one behind to rush me forward. I looked down the hill. The fifth hole of the nine-hole, par 3 course lay below and one hundred and seventy yards away. The flag hung limp in the still air. A small knoll at the front of the green hid the cup. I checked my score card again. It was definitely a good day. After four holes, I was only six over par. I grabbed my seven iron, approached the tee, placed my ball, glanced at the flag, and positioned myself. After another look at the flag, I drew my club back and swung. The iron whistled through the air, struck the ball at an angle, and drove it spinning through the air. It started toward the hole, but the spin and aerodynamics took control. I watched helplessly as the ball sliced to the right, away from the hole, and head for the tall grass that separated the fairway from the forest. It slipped between the blades of grass, disappeared, bounced off something hard, and reappeared. I stood in shock. The ball bounced across the fairway, jumped over a sand trap, leaped onto the green, and headed toward the flag. It disappeared behind the small knoll. I waited for it to reappear. It didn't. "That must be close to the hole." I thought. I grabbed my clubs, walked down the hill, and approached the green. My eyes remained focused on the area around the flag. My ball was nowhere in sight, but the cup was still hidden by the knoll. I climbed to the top of the knoll. The cup came into view, but my ball didn't. The green was empty. I didn't think the ball rolled fast enough to go over the edge of the green, but I walked around to the back anyway. My ball wasn't there. I turned and look at the cup again. "It couldn't have?" My heart began to pound as I walked closer to the hole. There was my ball, nestled close to the pin at the bottom of the cup. It remains the only hole-in-one I ever got. There were no witnesses to my feat.
***************************
Jack and I stood at the tee-off to the first hole of an eighteen-hole, par-three course. My best friend took his first shot and came up short of the green. I teed off and watched my ball land a little short and slightly to the right of the green. Jack's second shot put him on the green, a few feet from the hole. I grabbed my wedge, stood by my ball, and judged the distance. My light swing lifted the ball from the grass in a smooth arc toward the green. It hit the rough at the edge of the green, bounced, rolled smoothly toward the flag, and plopped into the cup for a birdie. On the second hole, it happened again. I chipped my second shot into the hole. After double-bogeying the third hole, I chipped another one in on the fourth - three birdies in four holes. My game returned to normal. A double-bogey was something to get excited about. At the eighteenth hole, my first shot placed the ball at the edge of the green. My second shot bounced the ball across the green and into the cup for my fourth birdie of the day.
***************************
Don, my neighbour, looked at my ball. "You can take a free lift from there."
"You're right, Don, but the ground is level. I think I'll just shoot it from here."
I swung and lifted the ball in a high arc. I silently cursed. The ball appeared to be headed deep into the brush behind the green. I watched as it climbed higher and lose momentum in the wind. At the highest point in its arc, it lost speed, and dropped straight into the hole, rattling the flag as it did. Don was shocked. "In my more than forty years of golfing, I have never seen anyone drop a ball into the hole like that. What a shot! It's a birdie too." I smiled. "Thanks, Don."
***************************
I finished the last story. Jim looked at me. "You sound too good for me to play."
"Actually, I suck at golf." I smiled. "I just told you the best." What I didn't talk about were all the balls that landed in the woods and didn't bounce out. I didn't mention the trophy I won for the most lost balls in one round. Jim doesn't know I lost the hole-in-one ball in the woods on my next shot, and he doesn't know that the day I got four birdies, my final score was twenty-two over par. If someone asks me about my life, I tell them I had to move seven times between provinces, countries, and states. I talk about my wife, who died too young, the numerous jobs that ended before I thought they would, and I whine about the money hardships. It's all negative. It's time for me to tell the golf story. I loved and married a wonderful woman and shared the rest of her life with her. In the process, we created two children. I moved seven times and got to meet wonderful people and experience things that most can only dream about. I remarried to an amazing woman and we share a beautiful life together.
Life is hard - life is good. It's how you tell the story.
Now "that" is a golf lesson!
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