And now a Diversion...

I just read these from the Monday Morning memo from Roy H. Williams...

Ahh, so true...

Step 7: Don’t become an insider.Only an outsider can be objective. Get too close and you’ll no longer see the big picture, only the details. You lose credibility the moment you begin to look, think and act like an employee.

Step 9: Maintain at least 12 clientsYour value as a consultant is that you see more successes and failures than your client. This is why you must consult a lot of different people. If one client ever represents more than 10 percent of your annual income, you no longer have a client, you’ve got a boss.

GOAL POST 5

I liked this thought over at TopAchievement

Develop goals in the 6 areas of life:

Family and Home

Financial and Career

Spiritual and Ethical

Physical and Health

Social and Cultural

Mental and Educational

AND:

A goal you set cannot contradict other goals you set...example - don't set a goal for a $750,000 house if you only make $50,000!

Read more here

GOAL POST 4

SMART Goals:A useful way of making goals more powerful is to use the SMART mnemonic.

While there are plenty of variants, SMART usually stands for:

S Specific

M Measurable

A Attainable

R Relevant

T Time-bound

For example, instead of having “to sail around the world” as a goal, it is more powerful to say “To have completed my trip around the world by December 31, 2015.” Obviously, this will only be attainable if a lot of preparation has been completed beforehand!

Excerpted from MindTools...Its a pretty good article over all...

GOAL POST 3

GOALS SHOULD BE BIG HAIRY and AUDACIOUS!

GOALS SHOULD BE SCARY AND EXCITING!

GOALS SHOULD AIM FOR THE IMPOSSIBLE!

Read all about it here - its another post from a while back on Cultivate Greatness

GOAL POST 2

Over at Cultivate Greatness...a post on Goal Setting says there are 5 proven principles for Effective Goals

They Should be...

1. Challenging (we accomplish more when we challenge ourselves)

2. Specific (Challenging and Specific - best combination)

3. Set with Daily Progress in Mind (they should encourage Daily Progress, step by step)

4. Controllable ( Not I will lose weight today, Because I can't control that - but I will eat healthily today, I will excercise today)

5. Positive ( strive toward positive outcomes, rather than avoiding negative outcomes)

read more

The article was written by Stephen Kraus at ChangePlanet

GOAL POST 1

People looking to motivate themselves or their team members should decide on their goals and get them down in writing. In order to get properly motivated people should know what their goals are. After getting their goals set, people should plan short-, medium-, and long-term goals. The goals chosen need to be practical and attainable. The goals set should not be so high that they prove to be out of reach. Goals should be written down and should be placed in a spot where they are clearly visible.

from Motivation Secrets

WRITING GOALS!

I am not the best at the whole GOAL WRITING thing...or even knowing what Goals I should be keeping track of....!!!!!

So in the next couple posts, I am going to go hunting for what folks are saying about goal writing...and maybe we can all learn together!!!!

"Misused" Quotes

I stumbled on this great post at Mental Floss about Misused Quotes, so I went to the website to check it out...





I about fell out of my chair I was laughing so hard.





Here are a couple of my favorites:





This was on a homemade sign at a flea market: all swimsuits are clean and "sanitized"
At least they're clean!





Seen on a van this morning: Casa Bonita. Taking care of your "beautiful house"


Yeah, they must have seen my house lately.





My mother sent my husband and me a Valentine's Day card. Printed on the front was: To a special daughter and "son."


I'm sure my husband really felt like one of the family after that.





Maybe I just have a weird sense of humor, but I can imagine someone saying these things, and using air quotes to make their point!





If you imagine someone using airquotes you'll appreciate the humor too!





Have a "Great Day"!

Great Quote

"Blame is about the past: A plan of action to fix the problem is about the future"

- from David Niven's Book The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People that I mentioned in a previous post

ps - its tip number 48 (if you were wondering)

NIKE IS RIGHT - JUST DO IT

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it! — Goethe

There is power in the FIRST STEP.

How many times have you had a great idea, but just let it sit in the stagnating pool of sludge in your brain, until it grows fungus, and becomes part of the sludge?

I have done that too many times to count. My journal is full of ideas gathering cobwebs.

Sometimes I feel like I don’t’ have the resources to begin something. Like I don’t have enough knowledge, talent or skill.

I heard Steve Sjogren talk about the “French Method of Teaching/Learning” one time. He was talking in terms of applying it to Evangelism, but I think it might just be applicable here too. Here is how it goes:

DO the “thing” that you want to do

Regroup and TALK about the “thing” you did

RESEARCH the reasoning behind why you did the “thing”

Here in the states, we get together and Talk about what we want to do…we research and find out all the reasoning and methods and ways to do what we want to do.

We spend a lot of time in research and talking,
AND NEVER DOING THE THING WE DESIRE TO DO.

The French folks (if the model is still in use)…

DO THE THING FIRST.

Then talk about it, and research it.

BE BOLD!

DO THING THING YOU WANT TO DO.

TAKE A STEP!

DON’T FALL INTO THE PARALYSIS OF ANALYSIS!!!!

MY NEW FAVORITE PLACE TO STAY

While Vacationing over the weekend in the ATL, we decided to stay at a Country Inn. I noticed on top of the TV a flier for a new program that Country Inns were offering called “READ IT & RETURN”.

Its really simple.

You check in.

You check out the library that the hotel has right there in its lobby.

If you see a book you would like to read, you borrow it.

You Read it.

You return it to the next Country Inn you stay in.

VERY COOL.

I just thought this was the best thing EVER! (but I AM a reader)

I went down to the lobby to check out the books. Needless to say, at this particular Country Inn, the books were all children focused – from Treasure Island to Lemony Snicket.

I still thought this was a GREAT idea.

During the trip, we had to switch hotels, and stayed in another Country Inn. I decided to try out their library.

This time I hit the Jackpot.

The 100 Simple Secrets of Happy People by David Niven

I am reading it, and will return it on my next visit to a Country Inn!

(I might have to just find a Country Inn here in the area to return the book – I don’t know how soon I’ll actually be traveling again!)

This is a cool idea - promoting reading (which is always a plus in my book)(pun intended) - and it makes the hotel feel like a safe cozy place to stay!!

Dawson McAllister Live Calls it Quits

Its a sad day round here, after more than 15 years, Dawson McAllister will be leaving Christian Radio.

I actually put together a promo to run on Dawson McAllister Live (the Christian version of the show) During the Month of June. June 24th will be the last night for the Christian show.

The show will continue on CHR stations (top 40) on Sunday nights, but the Christian version of the show will no longer be available.

I know Dawson is very grateful for the support of Christian radio, and loves them dearly. This has been a difficult decision to make!

POST IT QUOTES THOUGHTS AND NOTES

Recent Quotes that I have found that I write on Post It notes around the office:

“We fail when we get distracted by the tasks we don’t have that guts to quit” – Seth Godin

“ Quit or be exceptional. Average is for Losers.” – Seth Godin

“Average feels safe, but it’s not. It’s Invisible.” – Seth Godin

“If at first your idea does not sound absurd, there is no hope for it.” – Albert Einstein

“Your best EXTRA job is MORE of the SAME.” – Dave Ramsey

“The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts” – Marcus Aurelius Antonius

Are you doing the most productive thing possible right now? – MANY

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle

Accentuate the essential, ignore the obvious. – Vincent Van Gogh

The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas – Linus Pauling

Creativity is blocked by our falling in with other peoples plans for us – Julia Cameron

poems from a while back

let us run together rampant
over streams fields and shores
let us take the tops of mountains
by love not by force

show the power together in love
a force to be reckoned
together we will stand
for days, years, hours on end

from 021307


Remember Rain?

rumble grey cotton rolls in to
swallow the misty blue late afternoon
the air turns steely green with
scent of damp and blanket of wet

course hairs take a stand in
the nostril. the smell, the feel.
God rolls in the rain; remember
racing thru dew
drop plop plop

as a silly munchkin child drip
drop, hit a sloppy puddle.
clumsy spin ,
dance,
grin
look heaven-ward

catch a glistening sparkle
in the palm

from 031607

copyright stu gray 2007

Just Found

WOW!

I just found Steven Furtick online. He is the Pastor at Elevation Church.
Just in quickly reading over some of his latest posts He really made me think!

Looks like I am going to become a reader of his!

I am hopping on the Make it your Drink Brigade from Starbucks.

I dont' even go to Starbucks that much!

New Beginnings...AGAIN

I had a conversation with a good friend of mine... BRIAN

Who said I should write more often. I agree. I always begin, then fade away.

SO TODAY

I BEGIN

AGAIN!

The Wizard

Recently I have taken a likening to the Wizard of Ads.

Roy H. Williams.

In reading his three "Wizard" tomes on Advertising, Business and Life, I have really gained new insights on communication and healthy lively persuasion.

Good stuff!

STUDIO 60

I think I might have a new Favorite TV show.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

We’re only two weeks in, but really have enjoyed it so far.

Weird – I like looking at the behind the scenes stuff – since most of my work is behind the scenes in a “creative environment”, on a weekly show for radio.

::Unrelated – but related::

Last night, I spent way too much time watching tv – yet I felt I wanted to watch Heroes – I was kind of underwhelmed.