Posted by Grant on March 31, 2008 – 8:18 pm
Often times we are scared to venture out and try new things because we have this fear of the unknown. We fear we may fail but we also fear that we may succeed. But part of living life is trying new things and being willing to fail.
So when you’re faced with the opportunity to jump off the dock or sit on the shore and play it safe, ask yourself…
What’s the worst that could happen?
I don’t know about you but I live my life with the mentality that I would rather be involved with a train wreck of an experiment and know at least I tried than sit on the sideline and always wonder, what if?
If you’ve got something stirring around in your head and you’re not sure what you should do, again ask yourself…
What’s the worst that could happen?
Posted by Grant on March 29, 2008 – 5:05 pm
So there’s this new country song out that my wife sings all the time. Now I need to first make the disclaimer that I am not a country music fan at all. If you are that’s great, but that’s just not me!
But this song she’s big into is a song by Trace Adkins called “You’re Gonna Miss This.” I know nothing about Trace Adkins except that we watched him on Celebrity Apprentice and he just seems like a very genuinely nice guy. While it didn’t make me like country music anymore, I hate to admit it but the song is pretty good.
If you haven’t heard the song, it is basically about taking the time to enjoy life and slow down long enough to not let it all pass you by. So now every time our daughter Sydnee acts a little crazy or gets a massive shot of energy or adrenaline, we just remind ourselves that someday, “we’re going to miss this!” When she moves out, when she goes away to college, when she gets married (she’ll be 40 by then), we’ll look back and miss those days when she would run around the house screaming her little head off!
So I have to ask you the same question…what is it in your world that you’re going to miss someday that you may be missing right now? You’ve got one shot to live life so don’t let it pass you by.
Posted by Grant on March 29, 2008 – 5:04 pm
I’m just getting ready to leave Tulsa and head back home after finishing up here at the Oklahoma FBLA State Conference. The event went really well and there are really some outstanding people that made it happen.
I’m always impressed by how much the advisors truly care about their students. These are people that volunteer to give up their weekend, endure a several hour bus ride with crazy teenagers, stay up late to make sure they don’t break anything or kill each other, and work hours and hours with their students to make sure they are prepared for their events. And maybe the craziest part of it all…they’ll do it all again next year and they love every minute of it.
Just an around great event with some amazing students and leaders!
Posted by Grant on March 28, 2008 – 8:01 am
I’m getting ready to head down to Tulsa where I’m speaking this evening at the Oklahoma State FBLA Conference. We have some family in Tulsa so my wife and daughter are coming with me for this little field trip. It is definitely more enjoyable when my girls are with me!
I’ll try to post some pictures in the next few days from the event. I can’t wait!
Posted by Grant on March 26, 2008 – 8:47 pm
Is it just me or does anyone else get a kick out of the “free” offers that various companies and business provide?
Today, my wife took our daughter to a photo studio to get her pictures taken (that’s what you do at photo studios). She had a coupon for a simple package deal but then of course they try to sell you the ultimate, super, deluxe, premium, this-will-change-your-life package. And I love how they start throwing in “free” stuff. If you buy this $9,000 package with 14,000 different pictures we’ll give you “2 free wallet pictures!” But are those “2 free wallets” really free if I pay $X for everything else?
You see this all the time don’t you?
For example, “at our hotel, we’ll give you a free wi-fi and a free breakfast!”
Or “Your kids eat free (when the parents purchase regular menu items)”
Maybe I’m just cynical or something but is it really free if I’ve already paid for it? I know you’re not losing money by providing me two “free” wallet pictures, “free” breakfast, or letting my kid eat “free”.
Call me crazy but it’s not really free if I have to pay for it.
Posted by Grant on March 26, 2008 – 2:59 pm
I don’t know if I’m just cursed or something but I’ve never had good luck with cars. Here’s a list of the various cars I’ve owned and how they did for me…
- 1986 Honda Accord - had more problems than I’ve got time to list. If you’ve heard me speak before, chances are you’ve heard about this car. First the transmission went out and eventually the engine died.
- Isuzu Truck - owned it for a short while and had only 90k miles on it when the engine cracked and needed to be replaced.
- Ford Contour - this is the only car that I’ve ever had that never had any major problems with it. Traded it for a Grand Prix and so far haven’t had any problems. Knock on wood…
- Chevy Prizm - this is the most recent car I owned that began having problems. The engine decided to start consuming oil like it was going out of style. My mechanic told it’s days were numbered and that it could die any day. That’s great news.
So we got rid of the Prizm and now we are in car shopping mode. I don’t know what it is about me but cars just look for ways to die on me. I keep telling my wife, let’s just sell all the cars and move somewhere we can use public transportation. She doesn’t like that plan…
Posted by Grant on March 24, 2008 – 7:13 am
I don’t know how your bracket is doing in the NCAA basketball tournament but mine is quickly spiraling into a disaster. It’s the catch-22 of the tournament that you like seeing upsets but every time an upset happens, it just further screws up your picks.
Surprisingly I still have all my final four teams in it so that provides a little beacon of hope.
At the very least, I’m still beating my wife which is good for my self esteem. I dread the year when not only she beats me but my daughter, Sydnee, beats me as well.
Posted by Grant on March 21, 2008 – 8:18 pm
If you’re even remotely a sports fan, you’ve probably found it difficult to be productive over the last 48 hours. Yesterday kicked off the NCAA basketball tournament and the games are just addicting. Every game matters. Every game is do or die. Every game is win or go home.
Ok, I’m out of clichés.
But with March Madness comes a lack of productivity. I work from my house, so it’s been difficult to get much done yesterday and today. But that’s alright. I’ve been traveling a fair amount lately so it’s alright to have some of those down days that aren’t quite as productive as others.
Posted by Grant on March 20, 2008 – 1:13 pm
I recently wrote a blog about “How To Become An Overnight Success.” The nutshell of it is this: it’s not possible.
Nothing Beats Hard Work.
How do I know? I guess part of it is because I’m self-employed! Nobody hands me a paycheck each week. I only get a paycheck if I make it happen myself.
So again, you can look for the shortcuts and try to find the magic formula or the latest get rich quick scheme but success comes from just bucking up and making it happen yourself.
I guess part of the reason I’m writing this is because I’m starting to see the fruits of my own labor. As someone who has started a business and is trying to generate various bookings as a speaker, nothing happens unless I make it happen. I work very hard at what I do and as a result the bookings are starting to come in. But the truth is, most of them have come as a result of me knocking on someone else’s door, not the other way around.
If you want something in life, the magic formula lies within yourself and your ability to make it happen. Because regardless of what your goal or dream is, the secret comes down to how hard are you willing to work at it?
Nothing Beats Hard Work. Period.
Posted by Grant on March 18, 2008 – 1:00 pm
I came across this site, www.globalrichlist.com, and was amazed at what I learned. Put in what you make each year and it will tell you where you rank in terms of wealth across the entire world.
Are you working part time at McDonalds and pulling in a “measly” $5,000 a year? Congrats…you’re in the top 15% of the world’s richest people!
Pretty crazy huh?
I guess life isn’t too bad after all huh?
