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 […]
Archive | Inspiration
Some Kidding Aside – Are You Trying to Go Out of Business?
It really isn’t what you say, but how you say it, isn’t it? I just received a letter from the Post Office notifying me that it is time to pay my annual bulk rate mailing dues. I was expecting the letter but what I wasn’t expecting was the verbiage it contained: Dear Charles Marshall, Your […]
Some Kidding Aside – Choose your family dynamic
Choose your family dynamic There is a little Mexican restaurant near my house that has a great all-you-can-eat Sunday brunch bar. So, the other day, right after church, I took my wife and kids over to see how much damage we could to the owner’s bottom line. As we ate our lunch, I noticed the […]
Some Kidding Aside – What success isn’t
Several years ago, I sat at a table surrounded by teens and young adults as we all stuffed envelopes for one of my direct-mail campaigns. Since nobody seemed to be interacting much, I thought I’d get the ball rolling. “So, what do you guys want to do when you get out of school?” I asked. […]
Some Kidding Aside – What your customer is thinking but won’t tell you
When I arrived, it turned out that there was a huge disconnect between the car size that I had reserved on their website and the car that the rental location actually had for me. It was important that I get a larger car because I had my family with me, and the only cars that […]
Some Kidding Aside – Five things about purpose that your personal success coach might not tell you
The beginning of the year is a great time to evaluate your purpose. Here are a few things about purpose that you don’t normally hear: 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 […]
Some Kidding Aside – Motivational blog -Taking initiative and taking control
There are two types of people in the world–those who take initiative and those that don’t. Usually, those that don’t will do what they’re told to do, nothing more, nothing less. They show up and perform adequately. They punch the clock, watch the clock, and then punch out again. If, however, you are a person […]
Some Kidding Aside – Get a vision, make a plan, take a step
What is your vision for your company, career, and relationships for this coming year? Do you have a clear idea of what you want? It’s hard, if not downright impossible, to get to your destination unless you have an idea of where it is. The difference between a dream and a goal is a written […]
Some Kidding Aside – When a person chooses poorly, they are, in effect, choosing the bad consequences that come bundled with their decision
Quite often the easiest choice is the decision that is based on an emotional bias, rather than intellectual reasoning. Take a moment and think about all the bad decisions you have made in your life. Think about the wrong turns, the bad relationships, the money mismanaged and misspent. Is it not true that the great […]
Some Kidding Aside – While it might be true that you cannot change those circumstances, you can choose your attitude…
You say if you really had your choice, you would be wealthy, happy, and fulfilled, and yet you are not. Therefore, you reason, you could not possibly have chosen your present situation. Certainly, there are many things that people cannot, and do not, choose. The loss of a loved one, a debilitating disease, a sudden […]