I was riding the bike trails with my neighbor, Mike, at Fort Yargo State Park on a beautiful November afternoon in 2008. I hate to admit it, but Mike must have been in a lot better shape than I was, because after only five minutes of riding with him in the lead, I noticed that […]
Some Kidding Aside – Fulfilling Your Potential
My first job after I graduated high school was working in the snack bar at Forrest General Hospital. My responsibilities primarily consisted of pouring fountain drinks and selling candy. For eight hours each day I stood in a hot little room, barely larger than a closest, and fetched candy, cigarettes (back when they still sold […]
Some Kidding Aside – What is Vision?
The United States fundamentally changed on June 29, 1956, the day the Interstate Highway System was established by the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956. It’s hard for anyone born in the last 50 years to imagine travel in the U.S. before the interstate system. You just couldn’t get there from here, or […]
Some Kidding Aside – You Owe It to Me
A number of years ago I sat in a Shoney’s restaurant with Joey and Herb discussing the challenges of running a non-profit organization. Both Joey and I had started charitable organizations but neither of us was very successful at getting contributors. The mood at the table was sour at best. I sensed that Joey was […]
Some Kidding Aside – What success is
I believe success can best be defined as the process of fulfilling one’s potential. It’s really the only definition for success that makes any sense. Since all of us come into the world with different external and internal gifts, the only fair way to evaluate one’s success is to measure one’s growth. By “external” gifts, […]
Some Kidding Aside – Choose your attitude
Choose your attitude The very first thing you have to choose in life is your attitude, your disposition, the way you view the world. Most people allow their circumstances to dictate their attitude, never realizing they have any say in the matter. If the sun is shining, then they feel great. If it’s raining, then […]
Some Kidding Aside – Community Transference
Community transference is the transferring of one’s primary community, along with all its corresponding values and mores, to another community, with its alternative values. Ask almost anyone you meet about the origin of their values, and he will tell you that he is the author of his own life philosophy. Most people feel the reason […]
Some Kidding Aside – Five things about purpose that your personal success coach might not tell you
1] There is no such destination called “purpose.” If success is defined as the process of fulfilling your potential, then as you grow, your direction in life will change as your purpose molds to fit your growth. Think of purpose as a transitional state or a journey, rather than a place you arrive and camp […]
Some Kidding Aside – What We’re Up Against
A serious man in a dark laboratory contemplates a small vial of liquid briefly before upending the contents into his mouth. Almost immediately after swallowing the concoction, his face contorts in spasms of unthinkable pain. Slowly, his countenance begins to contort, transforming by degree into a grotesque mask of evil incarnate. Dr. Jekyll has once […]
Some Kidding Aside – Man up, own up, climb up
One of the most important things I can communicate to you about character is this: Your character is not determined by whether or not you ever make a mistake, but by what you do about it. Let me say it again. Your character—or the character of your company or organization or family—is not determined by […]