Enthusiasm

My new Best Friend is Tom Peters. Buy any of his books you will know what I mean.

In his latest book he writes about Dog Days

You might think given my language ... that I am always "up". A walking WOW

But no: I do have totally crappy days when I can barely get out of bed. On those days I force myself up and go on long rambles with my dogs. For me, dog experience beats even the best psychopharmaceuticals.

Then ... I get on with it. I force my all-down self back into the fray - not to 'finish a project' or 'prepare a speech', but to transform a project or a speech into a (potentially) transforming experience for someone else.

My greatest fear is that I will not have done the stuff that mattered. That I won't have made the world ... a little better place.

So between my dogs and the possibility of producing 'experiences that matter' (that scintillate), I muddle through. And a funny thing happens: When I re-ignite my enthusiasm, other folks invariably respond in kind.

Message: Enthusiasm begets Enthusiasm

'Uncle Dick' Died Today

‘Yes; after a long life of service to God and man, Envoy Richard Collett OF, of the Preston Corps was ‘Promoted to Glory’.

There will be many people who will write the official eulogy for this great man, but there are very few who will know everything about ‘Uncle Dick’. For me that does not matter it’s what I know and remember, that will sustain me in the times of discouragement and encourage me in the times of excitement and when all is well. ‘Uncle Dick’ had the unique ability to put people at ease and just by his manner show them what they could become. Since he went to the retirement village I called in when I could and he used to say that I came in like a whirlwind with enthusiasm and energy, but I just so appreciated his ability to foster in me the overwhelming emotion that I want to be like him. He truly was the consumate ‘Christian Gentleman’ and despite all the people that I have met and had contact with he is possibly one, among a small handful, who I want to be like.

When I go to the funeral next week, I will be full of emotion and will represent my family who knew him and loved him also. I am sure that there will be tears, but my overwhelming emotion will be one of joy for this man who did more for me than all the sermons that I have ever heard. By his very presence, he made me feel far more important than I ever could be, and opened my eyes to the possibility of being more than I could even hope to be.

In my ‘middle age’ I used to say to my kids I have two ambitions and they are to be ‘Old and Wise’, and almost unconsciously, I now think that my ambition was based on what I knew of the life of Uncle Dick. And the Scripture that talks about Job’s death as being ‘old and full of years’, or ‘aged and satisfied with days’.

Farwell Uncle Dick! The sadness of your passing is going to translate into a burning desire to be like you. There will of course be only one Uncle Dick but you have built positivity into so many lives that your influence will never die. The Faith that you exuded in your diminutive frame was legendry and belonged to the giants of our faith.

Of all the accolades that any of us can have poured over us is that we simply ‘knew Uncle Dick’.

If you haven’t got an ‘Uncle Dick’; go and find one; better still you need to be one.

You can read minds easily

Have you ever wondered what people are thinking when you first meet them? What are they thinking about you? What are they expecting and how can you be ready to deal with their expectations. Its possible that every time you meet someone for the first time you can literally read their mind. There is no doubt that there are three questions that they want answered in the affirmative before they do business with you.

They need to know the answer to three questions:

1. Can you be Trusted?

2. Are you committed to excellence?

3. Do you care about me as a person, or is it just my money (or business) you want?

It comes from the story of Lou Holtz. He was a National Football League Coach in the States a few years ago. He took three (?) bottom teams from the bottom to the Super bowl with basically the same team personnel.

He credited his success on his emphasis to the team members to;

1. Do the right thing.

2. Be the best that you can be.

3. Follow the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated

So there you are! Now when you meet people for the first time you will be able to read their minds, even if they are not aware of their own thoughts; but you are aware and you can react appropriately.

It really is possible to read peoples minds.

Two Cups of Coffee

Those people that know me will know that I am a big fan of 'Coffee Shop Culture'. In those times when I have talked about it, many people will express that they like a brand or variety of coffee but for me it is not about the coffee. I read this a long time ago and I feel that it was time to get it out for another read.

When things in your lives seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favourite passions---and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else---the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

Learn the lesson and never forget that a cup of coffee with a friend, or a colleague, is never just a cup of coffee, its a means to connect, deepen relationships, grow your own life and make a difference in someone else's life. If someone asks you if you would like a coffee be aware that it is not about the coffee, but about a need that they feel you can meet in their life.  'Fletch'

Always say YES!