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One of the incredible things I learned from my mother was to “Enjoy the process.” Now she did not come out and say “Bobby, you have to learn to enjoy the process.” No, she taught me through her actions and words. It is just unfortunate that it took me over 50 years in order for me to understand- let me explain.

When I was young, I learned how to fly fish. Between my Grandfather and my Dad, I learned quite slowly, mostly by watching and, when nobody was looking, by practicing. There were many occasions that I was fishing the hook out of the back of my leg and many occasions that my time fishing consisted only of untangling a snarled line, yet I learned. It was not too long that I had the rhythm and the patience to be able to let that line flow so softly onto the water. It was a majestic thing to see and it felt so good that I was the person making it happen.

So when I would go out to fish, my mother was always my biggest fan and coach. Her last words to me going out the door were always “have fun” and her first words coming back were always “Did you have fun?”. Notice there was never any talk about catching fish! Usually, in our conversation following, I would hear things like “You really love fly fishing don’t you?” or “It looks like you enjoy being out on the lake like that.” We never discussed the catching of fish unless I brought it up…and I never really did. I would talk about the sounds, the calmness of the water, or just the beauty of the evening.

A few years later, when I got serious about playing golf, I noticed the same type of banter with my mom. Before I would go out her last words were usually something like “Have fun; enjoy yourself”, and when I came back her first words were “Did you have fun?”. I do not ever remember my mom asking me what my score was or what I shot. Her questions and conversations were always about the enjoyment of the sport and the beauty of the course. It was always a conversation that I loved having and one that stuck with me throughout my life.

Years later, when my children were born, I did not know it at the time, but I instinctively said and did the same things I learned from my mom with my own kids. Winning and losing were not the end all and be all; I concentrated more on the enjoyment of the activity. Whether it was sports, reading, or working on chores, my goal was to make it fun so that they would enjoy themselves. It is funny that I remember this one incident. After my kids’ mother and I were divorced, I went to watch my son, now about 20, in a wakeboard tournament. As I was sitting there watching him, his stepdad came up to talk to me and proceeded to lecture me on how I had been too tough on my son. I did not say a word, out of respect to my son, yet the guy had no clue. He had never talked to me in his life, had never known a thing about me, other than what others spoke of, and he was lecturing me. Then he went on to tell me that my son had a great work ethic, he enjoyed practicing and doing the things that were needed to succeed. It seemed to me that he had learned to enjoy the process.

My daughter was the same way. We always loved to read, and we all read a lot. We talked about books, about writing, about stories and I can never recall either of her parents ever telling her that she MUST read. She just naturally learned to enjoy the process. She went on to get her degree in Journalism at The University of Florida, and to my knowledge, continues to enjoy reading even now in her early 30’s.

Yes, that is what my mother taught me, to enjoy the process. If she would have asked me if I caught anything when fishing, which most of the time I did not, then I would have judged my fishing on catching or not! Instead, she taught me to have fun, enjoy the beauty, and, because of that, I got better and caught a lot of fish. When golfing, if my score was the only marker on how well I was doing, I would have gotten discouraged and quit when I was shooting around 120. Yet, she helped me to learn the process- to enjoy the practice and the beauty of the game- and the results were that later in life I was a single digit handicap golfer and had many rounds in the 60’s during my life. Not bad for a guy that took the game up in college and never had a lesson. Oh, I take that back, my lessons came from my mom- mentally.

So what does this all mean to you? Whatever you choose to do in life, learn to enjoy the process and you will be better at what you do. I can hear the sarcasm out there now- the naysayers and the doubters- let their words fall on deaf ears and forge ahead. When you learn to enjoy the process you will look at things as less of a task and more as an enjoyable activity. When I read about great athletes, they enjoy the game that they are in and, what’s more, they enjoy practicing to hone their skills. They get it; they enjoy the process.

As I sit here writing this blog, I am taken back to my youth once again, to recall how my mother used to buy me books, take me to the library, and encourage me to read. She never told me I had to read, yet someway she helped me to LOVE reading, which I do to this day. I do not know how many books I read in a year, yet I find myself always searching for new stories or styles. Some people just smile no matter what their job in life is, I am sure that they are thoroughly enjoying themselves and the process.

I was fortunate enough to have been able to play some major college baseball back in my days at The University of Detroit. It gave me the opportunity to go to college and to meet a lot of interesting people. About five years ago, I met up with one of those interesting people who I had not spoken to for over 3o years.

When my teammate and I spoke on the phone it was very pleasant. We shared work history, family history, and talked about friends and family we had lost. Then, one thing totally consumed our conversation- an event that happened at the University of Michigan in 1978. I was a graduate assistant coach for the team that year, and was closely involved in ALL aspects of the game. My friend was totally consumed by every little detail about this event, where as I had absolutely ZERO recollection of that day at all. I mean, I remember not one thing he discussed, and he assured me, I WAS there….

Now, what happened that day 37 years ago now is not important, as a matter of fact, I still do not remember it. What is important is how one person can be effected by an event and another person experiencing the same event is phased so little that they do not remember it all. Why can some people see the beauty of an incredible rose and the other see nothing but thorns on a stem? Where one can smell the incredible fragrance of the flower and the other can only smell the pungent odor of the fertilizer- the manure that was used in the flower bed?

All this brings me to Mr. Carnegie’s Human Relations principle #17: Try HONESTLY to see things from the other person’s point of view. This does not say to walk in the other person’s moccasins, though many align those together. That can only make your feet hurt if their shoes do not fit you. What this says is to SEE things HONESTLY from that person’s point of view, because, as the story above shows, we can experience the same stimuli and come away with a completely different take.

In life and in business, we are subject to events on a constant basis- little incidents that make up every day of our lives. We experience those incidents with many others, yet too often we judge them solely through our own eyes. “Why doesn’t she want to buy my product?”, “Why does that cost so much?”, “What does that person think they are doing driving so slow?” It is a constant barrage of decisions that need to be made, of thoughts that stream through our brains like the crawl at the bottom of the Weather Channel. So why do some of us react so differently than others?  I cannot answer that, and yet, I write a blog about it. Herein lays my point.

It is NOT important to know the why; it is important to try and see the point of view. We need to use our minds to see life from someone else’s vantage point, much like viewing life from that person’s GOPRO camera. The key is to do it HONESTLY. Don’t just look at their point of view and immediately decipher it through your view, spend some time thinking and pondering the reason they may have had that reaction or response.

I am approaching 60 years of age really quickly and I work with people in their mid 20’s. If the only way I saw what we were doing was through my BABY BOOMER view, I would be lost! The 20 something millennial has a completely different take on the same stimuli. I must spend time looking at their point of view. Do I have to agree? No, just try hard to understand their way of seeing life.

So, when you see things from the others point of view, and you do it honestly, the benefit to you will be that you may have a better understanding of the other person’s view on the issue at hand. You also might inspire that person to spend more time trying to understand your point of view. As Mr. Carnegie said, “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion.”

Working as a Business Consultant for Dale Carnegie Training, I run into this question time after time. People are too busy or have too much on their plate to set aside time for personal development or employee training.

I am sure the number of reasons for delaying training would surprise you, but the simple fact is, those reasons are why you SHOULD be entering a training program. More often than not, I find that the reasons that are spoken are really just masking the unspoken (and true) reason: fear, specifically, a fear of stretching themselves. People want to have the results, yet they do not want to open themselves to the process.

Setting aside three and a half hours, one night per week for eight weeks is not a mountain that cannot be climbed. When I look at the individuals that participate in our programs, I see Accountants, Nurses, Sales Managers, Line Managers, Human Resource Directors, IT Professionals, Engineers, Project Managers, Students, Doctors, Lawyers, Building Contractors, Bankers and a long list of other professions. Each one of these people are busy and their time is extremely valuable, but they see the rewards at the other end of the line. They see the significant performance shift that is available to them and they seek that end-goal instead of dwelling on the amount of time needed to reach that goal.

People change for one of two reasons: you either feel the heat or you see the light. It may be your supervisor, a poor performance review, or just a slump in your production, but there is a pressure compressing your time and efforts and making you seek a change. This is what I mean by “Feeling the heat”- you are looking over your shoulder and some outside force or an inner feeling is pushing you, often negatively, to make a change. Then there are individuals who “See the light.” These people see the opportunities that are stretched out in front of them and their mission is to be proactive and seek those opportunities. They are attracted to a power, like a magnet that pulls them toward their dreams. Isn’t that what we are all trying to obtain in business? The ability to move forward, to achieve the goals we have laid out in front of us? Why let anything else get in the way?

So my answer to that simple question is NOW. Yes, now is the right time to prepare for success! Now is the best time to invest in your team, your employees, yourself! It is now, when we should get the ball rolling and make a proactive move to add more weapons to our professional tool belt. Improve our self-confidence; enhance our people skills; sharpen our communication skills; develop our leadership skills; improve our attitudes. These tools empower us to overcome the stress and worry that life is throwing at us. Now is the time to make the move to toward becoming the best person that you can be, to build a better team and, in-turn, to build a better company and a better bottom line.

Find a Dale Carnegie program in your area and enroll. Invest in YOU and build a better future for yourself and your family.

According to Wikipedia No pain, no gain (or “No gain without pain”) is an exercise motto that promises greater value rewards for the price of hard and even painful work. Under this conception competitive professionals such as athletes and artists are required to endure pain and pressure to achieve professional excellence.

No Pain No Gain, a widely respected point of view in many areas of life. It seems to be also one of those sayings that gets overlooked or taken for granted too. Let me explain.

We seem to be in an age where many people who succeed in life are not given the credit for what they have gone through to have their success. We see a guy with an incredible build and our first reaction is “He must have used steroids”. We see a successful business person and we can be skeptical on how they achieved their success. We hear musical geniuses and assume that they are just gifted. We rarely consider the time and effort that is invested in order to reach the level of expertise or success that they have reached.

I knew of two young men back in the early days of my radio career whose families both owned radio stations. The one was made to work from the ground up, learning every nuance of the industry and spending time in every department. When all was said and done, he had become a very successful business man himself and one that people loved working for. The other never really worked a day in his life and was given excuses by his parents for every obstacle that he encountered, he never really earned the respect or recognition of his co workers or anyone in the industry. In the end, the family ended up selling off the company and the son went to work for somebody else. No Pain-No Gain.

I marvel at the athletes who participate in the Iron Man competitions. If you have not heard of an Ironman, here is what you must do to participate, swim 2.4 miles, bike 112 miles and then run a marathon (26.2 miles) in that order without a break! Imagine the training that would go into that? The dedication, the discipline to change your lifestyle to participate in an event like that? Amazing!!!

Now imagine if you will a world that is created where we instill in our children the desire to work that hard at their education? Or a place in the business world where employees had that same desire to excel in the workplace? Outstanding students are not just born, no more than every successful business person is handed their success. It comes with a desire to succeed, a desire to learn and a work ethic that brings about the NPNG philosophy.

We seem to overlook the hours spent reading and studying, the sacrifices made or the academic focused attitude of the Valedictorian at your local high school. Too many of us only see the big beautiful house, or the fancy car or yacht that the successful business person owns and we do not think of what went into that persons life to accomplish what they have. How about the callused and bleeding fingers of the guitarist who plays all day trying to perfect their craft? Yes, some people started with a head start maybe, but most earn it with hard work and effort.

As I get older I notice that I ask more questions. I try to find out more behind the person, the “What makes them tick?” part of their lives. I am curious to find out how they got to where they are, what went into that chiseled physique, or how much studying they did to be #1 in their class? I remember how much studying my daughter Rebecca did going through High School, the dedication, the sacrifice. Even with that, she did not end up at the top of her class. I wonder where she would have been without the effort? She ended up with a wonderful education and a foundation for future success that she has been achieving in the business world. NPNG

No Pain No Gain is a figure of speech, in some cases, just a metaphor for perseverance. Yet we can learn from the premise. If you want to be a great salesperson, there is a road paved with a lot of fundamentals in order to get there. The ones who endure, seem to succeed, and the ones that cannot endure, find new lines of work. If you want to be a great teacher, there is a level of sacrifice that is needed, a point to service above self that must be maintained. Again, some see that and achieve it, while others change professions.

It seems that anything worthwhile in life comes with some effort, it also comes with many trials and tribulations too. As we carry ourselves through life and as we encourage others, we must remember that things are earned, not given to us in the real world. So when our children struggle or when our employees struggle, do not be so quick to bail them out. Let them discover for themselves that in order to gain, you may have to endure a little pain.

Ahhh, one of my favorite lines in any song, taken from the Don Henley classic, ‘The Last Worthless Evening’. Last Friday as my wife I and I were driving over to the Tampa area for the weekend, this song came on Spotify. It was also very timely, because last Friday evening Spring of 2015 came into our lives, and as that song played on, it reminded me of so many Springs of my past. Which of course got me thinking.

It is true, we do only have so many summers and so many springs. When we compare the number of springs that we get to spend on the earth, it is not that many and we need to learn how to enjoy the simple things in life. If I were to give you 100 pennies, you would have a dollar. 100 of some things seems a lot, 100 cars or 100 houses would be quite extravegent for even the wealthiest of people. On the other hand, the above mentioned, 100 pennies seems worthless in our world. So where do we rate each and every spring that we get?

My mom is celebrating her 93rd spring this year, quite a feat at that, yet in pennies, 93 is not even a dollar. If you are in 25th or maybe 55th or whatever spring this year, how well do you cherish them? As Mr. Henley said, we only have SO MANY!

I think many times we start wishing time away for some better happening. I had a gentleman come to a preview session once and when we went around and said things about ourselves he said, “I can hardly wait till my youngest graduates from college, then we can ENJOY life” Oh my! This seems to be the mantra of so many, I WILL________, WHEN! You can fill in that blank. Yes, many of us put off living until all the stars are aligned perfectly, but too often our stars NEVER align. This gentleman had 7 or 8 years before that date, so much life to enjoy and cherish.

I have caught myself often living this mantra. “I will buy a new suit when I lose X amount of pounds”. Meanwhile, I will wear old suits and put off feeling good about myself until I do something that I really do not have a great record at being successful in, losing weight. Why not go and get the new suit and enjoy the time of wearing it while you fight that never ending battle? Live your life and enjoy your life in the moment!!

I love listening to people plan a vacation. Most are wonderful at picking the destination, each place they want to go, yet they fail to enjoy the process of traveling. Most of us plan our travel so that it is last second at every stop. There are so many beautiful places, happenings and people that we rush by without seeing because of our haste. I was talking to a friend about his travels to Disney World, and how Disney has taken so much special care to make each moment of your visit an experience! Yet, so many people that go to Disney rush from line to line just to get on the rides, never seeing the attention to detail and the beauty all around the park.

So you are thinking, ‘Okay Ganzak, where are you going with this?’

So many things we do in our lives are wished away without us enjoying the process. As children we cannot wait for the summer, we cannot wait to graduate, we cannot wait to go off to college, etc. Too often we do this without enjoying the process. Education is not something that always brings smiles to our eyes, yet many of us OLDER folks would love to go back and do some of it over again.

Then we go into a business career and we start climbing the ladder, our attitude might be. “When I get to here, when I get this raise, when I get this promotion” …and on and on…until one day we look back and 20 years got behind us and we did not really enjoy the process.

My favorite season is spring, it always has been. I try to enjoy each one, knowing that there are just so many and when the Spring of 2015 is past, it cannot be brought back. I challenge you this spring, squeeze every ounce of life out of it, every ounce of family, of beauty of fun. Know that the journey of education, of a career, of LIFE can be an experience to be enjoyed…. ENJOY THE PROCESS

Last Friday night my wife and I were out to dinner on a perfect evening in St. Augustine Florida. We had taken our youngest daughter and her friend downtown to walk around and shop while we walked to a nice restaurant near the water to relax for a bit. Sitting outside on a cloudless evening with temps in the low 70’s, it was ideal. It was truly a Chamber of Commerce Day.

Soft music played from a guitar, the food was wonderful, the ocean breezes were gentle and I just could not have asked for a better night. I happened to be wearing a ball cap, my lack of follicles on top of my head can lead to early spring sunburn, so sitting out in the open air it was a good choice. My hat of the evening happened to be one that carried the University of Michigan logo, and with that, we get to where the evening got interesting.

Seated at a table next to us were two retired couples, who we later found were from Michigan, I could kind of tell that before we spoke. Both men were carrying the colors of the University proudly and loudly. We carried a brief conversation with them and found that they were on a three week trip of Florida. We talked about the new football coach and how the basketball team had lost a tough game earlier in the day. That was really the extent of our exchange and we went on with our dinner as they received their menus.

My wife and I were having a great conversation when suddenly we were shaken out of it by one of the men next to us complaining loudly to the others at his table. He had ordered a bottle of wine and it was NOT at his table as of yet. I will interject here that this was one of the first NICE days of the year and the place was very crowded and you could tell that the waitstaff had not gotten used to the outside environment. The inside restaurant is quite quaint, when you open up the outside, well I am sure it puts some pressure on the service. I will also add, our service was great and we had not heard one complaint all evening.

So this gentleman, using that term loosely, called over another server and began to berate her and pointed out on the menu something that could not be made out, the only thing was, he did it LOUD! He continued to belittle the young lady with apparent joy as the others at his table slumped in their chairs. Just as he finished his dousing of the beautiful evening, his bottle of red wine arrived. If he would have waited ONE MORE minute before lambasting this waitress, he would have had his wine.

It was at that moment I turned to my wife and said, “Don’t let that be me”. “Please do not ever let me act like that” You see, I know that HAS been me before, I just never saw it. I know that there are times that I have gone off half cocked about something that in the end is really no big deal. It also reminded me of a saying;

WE TEND TO JUDGE OTHERS BY THEIR ACTIONS AND OURSELVES BY OUR INTENTIONS.

Think of that, let that rumble around for a moment. Judge actions, see our intentions. Yes sir, that is me. Now my mission is to never be that man again, it was as if I watched myself in the mirror.

I am reminded often that Mr. Carnegie also wrote a book called ‘How To Stop Worrying and Start Living’. In it he tells many wonderful stories of stress related actions and counter actions. Two that came to my mind that night were to live in daytime compartments and to analyze how much worry  something is worth. Not getting his wine when he thought it should have been there caused this man fly off the handle, which is stressful in itself. So the wine is delayed? How much anxiety is that worth? Is it worth risking a friendship or how someone views you? To me it is not.

So where do the day tight compartments come in? Well, there are times that other stresses from totally unrelated activities can fester just under the surface, then any little trigger can fire them off. When they get fired off they tend to come out ugly and angry. These short little temper tantrums can cause a lot of damage. When we learn to compartmentalize our worlds, we can leave the angers or emotions from one place AT that place, and carry on our our lives in much less stressful manner.

So what is the message? Well, there a few here, the one that means the most is to see how other people act, or I should say REACT, when stress gets them. See how they look in these moments, how they sound and see the impact it makes on those around them. Then check your own emotional currents and see if that is you, at times, and realize how others see you when you decide to show your ugly side. It is not pretty  for most of us, not something that we want to carry as a badge.

Treat people with respect, if they make a mistake help them get past it, help them see that their mistake is easy to correct. Encourage them and people will see you in a completely different light.My goal is to never look like the man I saw last Friday night.

Somewhere in the year 1973 I was introduced to the music of Bruce Springsteen and immediately became a fan. Over the last 40 plus years I have seen him so many times in concert that people might think that it might be my vice, I think it is. I am addicted to those 3 1/2 to 4 hour concerts and find it difficult to go watch a band play for and hour or two. Even with that said, it is his ATTITUDE that has really captured me, let me explain.

I read an article about Bruce in the early 1980’s in which he was asked, “Why do you play for four hours each night?” , his answer changed my world. I am paraphrasing here, but to my recollection, his answer went something like this. ‘Each night I play as if people are seeing me for the FIRST time and I want them to WANT to come back again and make their night special’.

How many of us approach out jobs, our careers, in that manner? If you do, congratulations, I applaud your efforts. I happen to teach classes that are 8 weeks in length, with each week being a specific topic and curriculum. After you have done the programs dozens of times, you can start doing it in your sleep and some people might just do that. If I ever get that feeling I think of Bruce, think of how many times I have seen him sing Born To Run, and how each time it sounds like the first time he ever played it concert. The passion, the energy, the emotion, top notch each and every time, as if someone was seeing him for the FIRST time. So I mentally approach each class KNOWING that this is the first time these students have seen session 1 or session 6 or whatever session we are on. I try to give them everything I have that night, and prepare with that attitude.

If you are in sales, can you say that you approach every call with the same passion? Think of your world and how you can approach the people you work with, do you have that same attitude, that same focus that same passion with each and every day? There are many bands today and many famous bands from the past that must wonder why a man approaching his 66th birthday still plays with the passion and energy he does for 3 – 4 hours every night! It takes total dedication, and hard work. He lifts the bar for everyone!

You may not be a fan of Mr. Springsteen, you may not agree with his politics or like his music, that really does not matter. If you are in business, starting a career or a veteran of the business world, we can all learn from his attitude. We can all approach our business day as if we are seeing someone for the first time. I challenge you over the next 30 days, evaluate your efforts, your approach and see if you might have a little (Or a lot) that you leave in the tank each day. If there is, how can you improve the effort to give it your very best. 40 plus years at the top of his game, very impressive, and something to aspire to.

DEDICATION        PREPARATION      ENERGY

So many of us have aspirations to be successful, to make it to the top and to excel. Many of us reach those dreams through education, hard work and maybe even a break or two along the way. Many of us reach that dream by sheer will and discipline. So when we do reach that level, how do we stay there? Or better yet, how do we grow.

Over the years I have heard a lot of interesting quotes on the subject matter, two of which stand out to me over time.

The first being:

Whatever got you to where you are is no longer good enough to keep you there.

and..

You either get better or worse, nobody stays the same.

As we look through the history of business, sports, music or just life in general, these two quotes seem to live out as truths year after year. When we think of one of the greatest guitarists of all time, Eric Clapton, actually having a guitar coach, we know that he is trying to improve every time he plays. Tom Brady won the Super Bowl for the fourth time with his New England Patriots a month ago, yet in his entire career he has never let the grass grow under his feet when it comes to improving. He is a dedicated student of the game, even though he is considered by many as the greatest quarterback ever to play the game. Maybe that is the reason why.

So what is it that you do in order to improve and move forward? How can you stay at the top of your game and continue to grow. Everyday there are people out there that are vying for our success in the business world. They are attempting to take our place or take our market share. If you are in sales, remember, your top account is your competitors top prospect…and they will be doing everything they can in order to gain the business for their own. So it is imperative that you continue to hone your skills, that you continue to grow and reach for the next start, the next level, the next improvement in your game.

The world is changing ever so quickly each and every day. Sharpening your skills can keep you competitive and it is NOT a guarantee of success. We have people from all walks of life signing up for our classes. Doctors, Attorneys, Moms, Dads, Students, Engineers, Mechanics, Salespeople, CEO’s, and all kinds of individuals. Why? They are trying to improve their skills, get out of their comfort zone, add another tool to their tool belt of success.I personally learn from every class I teach. I read everyday to add something to what I do. I search the internet for ideas and successes, always trying to find what makes the successful, successful!

So my challenge to you is this: Do not rest on your laurels! Do not take where you are as being the place you will always be! Push yourself to the next level, push yourself to improve everyday, in your business life, your personal life and in your social life. If you are feeling down, lift yourself up, find an inspirational story or better yet, go lift someone else up. The greatest way to inspire yourself is by inspiring others!

Last week while teaching a class, I was handed a small piece of paper that had the headlines, “Networking the GT Way”. I quickly perused it and put in my briefcase to read later. Sunday afternoon I picked it up and went through it more thoroughly, what came out of it was some good advice to all of us. Though this is a GT Alumnus piece, the lessons are for anyone that would like to better themselves in this world.

Here they are, with my thoughts added below each one:

* Always be professional in dress, language and manners

We would like to think that this is a given in today’s world, yet all we have to do is look around and see that it isn’t. I was fortunate that my parents taught me that and INSISTED that we follow that line, though I even find my self compromising the rule at times. I feel that we show appreciation to others by dressing appropriately and carrying ourselves in a professional manner.

* Set expectations and stick to them, e.g.. keep a 20 minute coffee to just that.

So many times in our lives we want or desire to do something, yet we are not disciplined enough to carry it through. It can be the small things, just like the note says, “A 20 minute coffee”. We get into a good conversation and we let the time go…. yes, there are times that we should cut ourselves some slack, yet there are also times to stick to the plan…so stick to the plan!

* Develop a short :30 second introduction. Mention your Tech degree, related experience and career goals.

An elevator speech is what most people know this as. A short little story about what you do and give it some credibility  by stating an actual fact. Here is mine: “Hi, my name is Bob Ganzak and I am a Performance Consultant with Dale Carnegie Training. We improve the performance of companies by improving their number one asset, their people. For example…. ” Then I would go join and give them a short real world example of how we did that. An elevator speech is a great tool when meeting others and growing your business world.

* Strive to be positively memorable by  sharing relevant details about your past.

Hard road or smooth road, there are many sharable stories that we all have. That defining moment, that key moment that turned you into the person you are today. Our lives are like a mosaic, many little moments that make up the entire picture. Do not be afraid to share relevant moments with others…it is that reality that can open you up to new possibilities and successes!

* Be optimistic about your future.

People like to do business with positive people. When I took my motorcycle class to get my license years ago, the instructor always stressed that where you look is where you go. If you look down, you will go down. If you want to turn right, look in that direction and your hands and bike will follow. I have found in my life that where I look is where I am most likely to go. Be realistic, be humble and be positive. Always thinking the worse will happen might just be a prophecy too….

* Show genuine appreciation for what contacts do for you. Send them Thank You emails or handwritten notes.

Yes, I sometimes forget, though I always try to do this. I am not sure of the percentages, I am pretty sure that if you do this religiously you are far in the minority. In todays busy world with the ability to communicate on a moments notice, we should all be doing this. Alas, we do not. The key here is to be GENUINE, people will smell the manipulator from a mile away. Be sincere, be specific and be genuine. The idea of a handwritten note can really make you stand out also…

* Pay it forward. Assist other Tech alumni and students who want to network with you.

It is a nice thought to think that we would all take the time to do this, no matter what walk of life we are involved in. To help others is one of the richest parts abut my life. To do something for others without the expectation of a thing in return, can be the most rewarding parts of my day…even if it is just holding the door for a perfect stranger.

Some final thoughts:

When I read this I could not help to think that this is something to share with young adults. Without the Tech title, it would be nice if young teenagers were able to adopt some of these habits. To be professional in their dress. Set goals and expectations that are realistic and stick to them. To develop an honest appreciation for their accomplishments and have the ability to communicate that to others in a concise manner. To be positively memorable to others. To be realistically optimistic about their future. To show GENUINE appreciation to others. Finally, to pay it forward so that others can benefit from you.

Everyday we have the opportunity to inspire others, yet so many times we pass it by. Sometimes it is just a smile or a hello, and at others it is just to listen and not respond. Search for ways to inspire those around you and your life will be more rewarding also.

I started this blog a few years ago and then let it drop…I did not post anything for years, and now I have resurrected the ideas and thoughts. As I read back through some old posts that I had, this one piece that I had posted in 2012 struck me as very current for today. So forgive me for copying an old post, the words are just so strong…

Here is that piece that I had found online:
Birth Certificate shows that we were born
A Death Certificate shows that we died
Pictures show that we live!
Have a seat. Relax . . .
And read this slowly.

I Believe …
That just because two people argue,
It doesn’t mean they don’t love each other.
And just because they don’t argue,
It doesn’t mean they do love each other.

I Believe …
That we don’t have to change friends if
We understand that friends change.

I Believe …
That no matter how good a friend is,
they’re going to hurt you
every once in a while,
and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe …
That true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I Believe …
That you can do something in an instant
That will give you heartache for life.

I Believe …
That it’s taking me a long time
To become the person I want to be.

I Believe …
That you should always leave loved ones with Loving words.

It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe …
That you can keep going long after you think you can’t.

I Believe …
That we are responsible for what
We do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe …
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe …
That heroes are the people
who do what has to be done,
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.

I Believe …
That my best friend and I

can do anything or nothing
and have the best time.

I Believe …
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe …
That sometimes, when I’m angry,
I have the right to be angry, but that
doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe …
That maturity has more to do

with what types of experiences you’ve had
And what you’ve learned from them,

and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I Believe …
That it isn’t always enough
to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn
to forgive yourself.

I Believe …
That no matter how bad
your heart is broken,
the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I Believe …
That our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are, but,
we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe …
That you shouldn’t be
so eager to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.

I Believe …
Two people can look at the exact same thing
And see something totally different.

I Believe …
That your life can be changed
in a matter of hours
by people who don’t even know you.

I Believe …
That even when you think
you have no more to give,
When a friend cries out to you,
you will find the strength to help.

I Believe …
That credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe …
That the people you care about
most in life
are taken from you too soon.

I Believe …
That you should send this to
all of the people that you believe in.

Yesterday, February 2, 2015, I had a chance to meet with a very special man, Francis Lott. Mr. Lott is a wonderful man that has done so much for so many others, and he said to me the following. He said “The best thing that you can give to others is not writing a check, it is easy to write a check, the best thing you give to theories is your time. Your time is the hardest thing to give, yet it is the most valuable thing that you can give to others.” He continued, “We all have the same amount of time available to us, giving of your time is what can make a difference”

Mr. Lott, that is so true…and so well said!!!