Do You Have All The Pieces?

Today I spent roughly four hours at the kitchen table with my 10 year old son, and varying combinations of the other 5 kids, putting together one of his birthday gifts - Techno Gears Marble Mania EXTREME - with over 330 pieces.

It's one of those gifts Grandparents buy to exact revenge on their kids - or in this case his son-in-law!

"Over 330 pieces" means they don't really know how many pieces, I suppose. Like every good father, we looked at the instruction book, and began to count out the pieces - and came up 3 short. But with "Over 330 pieces" all over the table, there was no going back.

Throughout the afternoon, the masterpiece was built - corkscrews, ramps, levers, gears, and so much more! Up and up it climbed, until we were almost done, almost perfect, and the piece we needed wasn't there. The final ramp, the coup de grace, cannot be installed. We can still put marbles on the next level down, and it works. It's still cool - just not as cool as it's designed to be!

When you speak, do you have all the pieces? Do all the stories fit together to drive your points home? Does your humor mesh with the audience, and not take away from your content? Is your close as strong as your opening?

Sometimes, like my son's Marble Mania EXTREME, it's the small pieces that can take away from the ultimate "coolness" of your presentation. Gestures, eye contact, movements on stage, poor outfit selection - even these 'small' things can take a great performance and knock it, and your image and profit potential, down a notch.

I've got to wait a few weeks for replacement pieces - but after a quick inventory, you can fix your speeches in seconds!

What IS Your New Foot Smell?

Among other things, its a book I am working on of compiled stories that illustrate the benefit of being willing to let go of something for something better.

In both our personal and professional lives, there are portions that are good, but not great (my apologies to Jim Collins). Sometimes issues that bug us, but not enough to do anything about them.

Last year, my left ankle stopped bearing my weight. I was given several options - keeping the leg and using crutches or a wheelchair for the rest of my life, surgery with a low probability of success, and no chance of LONG-term success, or the most extreme: amputation.

I didn't HAVE to cut off my leg. Plenty of people live in wheelchairs and have a great life. I didn't have diabetes or any other condition that would have spread the pain to the rest of my body. I could have lived with it, and stayed whole. Having surgery seemed like using fix-a-flat - temporary at best. Amputation, while extreme, has given me greater freedom than I've had in a decade. No pain, and the bonus of wearing regular shoes!

I traded in something that I could have kept for something better. I could have lived with it, I could have kept hoping it would get better, but by being willing to let go, and being willing to wobble before I walked, I have improved my quality of life tremendously.

Do you have something in your life that you just "live with"? Something that you wish worked better, but it doesn't annoy you so much that you MUST deal with it? If you run a business, do you have employees, departments, or methods of doing things that don't work incredibly well, but don't work badly enough for you to do something about them?

We spend much of our lives attacking life and death decisions - reacting quickly to ward off certain destruction. But when life is calm, take a look at what you are settling for, and just living with. Consider letting go of something in favor of something completely new - even if you have to wobble for awhile. Even rose bushes need pruning to allow branches to grow stronger, and new branches to appear.

When you become willing in life to let go of the acceptable in pursuit of what is exceptional, you will find you OWN new foot smell!

PS: Have a great story? Send it to me and you might be published by February!

Are You an Expert?

We have a plumbing issue in our house. As I type this, the water is off, and if we turn it back on, we'll flood the house. This issue has been going on for the past 3 days. My answer on Monday? Call a plumber.

But someone who will go unnamed felt differently - "I can fix it - I'll just go to Home Depot". Unwilling to battle, I let it go on, and watched the back and forth struggle. "Oh, wrong part. Oops, don't have the right tools. *%$# I think I twisted the pipes".

The plumber is coming this afternoon, two days, $40, a tank of gas, and endless frustrations later.

We pay for experts because they can do something we either can't or don't want to do, or they can do it faster, or, HOPEFULLY, they can end up with a better finished product.

As a speaker, are YOU an expert? Do you position yourself as such? What do you have to offer that others with your information do not? There's nothing truly new under the sun, just varying shades of gray. But what we add to the information is why people hire us. When they see you as an expert, they will pay you more, and more often.

Don't just be a speaker - be an expert!

Passionate Gore wins Nobel Prize

8 years ago, Al Gore had no passion, no charisma, and no brother in Florida to push him into the Oval Office.

Today, his passion has brought him the Nobel Prize. Political speech writer Doug Wead talks about political speakers accused of being lackluster as victims of a system aimed at offending people the least.

Since tackling the Greenhouse Effect, Al Gore could care less who he offends, and doesn't need money from big business to support his cause. If you haven't seen him speak lately, take a look at this, or check out "An Inconvenient Truth".

With the world seeing who he really is, could he now insert himself into the presidential race, pushing between Hillary and Barack to be the new frontrunner? Some experts think so.

Who do people see when YOU speak? Do you portray you the "speaker", or you the Person? While it can be important not to offend, don't water your speeches down to the point that you lose your passion, or you will soon lose your audience as well!

Passion vs. Anger

Passion is a word thrown around rather cavalierly these days. Passionate love in a relationship. Passionate love for an interest or career or brand of ice cream. Passionate demonstrations in sports. We question the passion of those around us, from political candidates to spouses to bosses.

Sometimes, people use passion as an excuse to go over the edge. Crimes of passion, emotional outbursts excused by passion, hard hits in football explained away by losing oneself in the passionof the game.

Anger and Love go hand in hand - the opposite of love is not hate, but apathy. If we don't care about something, we would not waste our energy being angry about it.

But should passion truly be an excuse for bad behavior? For saying more than what should be said, for being disrespectful, for emotional or physical abuse? Said here, it feels clear that it should not, but everyday experience would say otherwise.

Passion should always be tempered with love. Not just passionate love, but the highest form of love - unconditional. When we take the high road - put others needs ahead of our own passions - we put into action that part of ourselves that separates us from the pack.

Should we play, work and love passionately? Absolutely. But Passion should be a driving force, not a cure-all excuse.

The Perspective of Respect

"If you were any good, you'd be pitching for the Yankees!"

This quote, as reported by Ken Rosenthal at Fox Sports, comes from Cleveland Indians pitcher Paul Byrd's son - at the age of 7. Mr. Byrd was the winning pitcher this week ushering the Yankees out of the playoffs in the first round yet again.

Funny how a combination of marketing by the Yankees and the old concept of "familiarity breeds contempt" can taint someone's image. Paul Byrd has pitched in the major leagues for a decade, has a 97-81 record, and had a terrific year this year at 15-8. Not STELLAR, but pretty darn good, and worthy of respect.

Of course, the average 7 year old would be thrilled to have a father in the Major Leagues, but they come from the perspective of NOT having their father playing baseball for a living. For the Mr. Byrd's progeny, his perspective is that it is the norm, and why isn't his father the BEST - as we all try to push on our heroes in life?

They say respect is earned and not given. But what contitutes earning it is different for everyone. What are YOU demanding from those looking for your respect?