Posted by Grant on July 30, 2008 – 4:17 pm
As I type this, I’m sitting in the airport in Providence, RI getting ready to head home. It was a quick trip out here, but I had an incredible time. I spoke at a great event on Tuesday in Providence, and had a killer time with some awesome students!
Then I drove out to the Cape Cod area and hung out with fellow youth speaker, Jeff Yalden. We had a great time! Last night we went for a drive along the coast, had some incredible seafood, drove around and enjoyed the gorgeous evening, and then went back to his house and played cards with his family. It was just a really relaxing and fun night.
I was reminded about how valuable it is to share life with people. Speaking can be very mentally and emotionally draining and often times after an event, speakers enjoy just going back to their hotel room and going to bed (not real exciting huh?!). But as tired as I was, I enjoyed sharing my life with Jeff and his family and allowing them to share their lives with me.
Who are you sharing your life with and who is sharing their life with you?
Posted by Grant on July 29, 2008 – 7:05 am
I have gotten in the habit this year of writing lots of handwritten thank you cards to people. I use them at events I speak at for hosts and students. I mail them to people who have helped me out in some small way. I try to be on the lookout for a reason to send someone a thank you card.
I’ve just tried to be in the habit of showing my appreciation towards others. And for some reason, people find a lot of value in something that is handwritten.
You can tell there was thought and effort put into showing thanks and it went a step beyond just a simple, verbal “thanks.”
Who could you send a handwritten thank you card to today?
Posted by Grant on July 27, 2008 – 2:36 pm
Filed under Events, Travels
It’s been nice to be home for a few days, but I head back out tomorrow. I fly out tomorrow night and travel to Providence, Rhode Island. I will be speaking Tuesday morning at an event for MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving).
After that, I’m going to drive out to Cape Cod and hang with fellow youth speaker, Jeff Yalden. Jeff is a true veteran in this business and has been in the industry much longer than I have. He’s invited me to come visit for an extra day, so I’m looking forward to chilling with him but also to seeing the Cape Cod area (which I hear is gorgeous!).
I’ll then fly back home Wednesday afternoon. I’m sure I’ll have some pictures to post from this trip…
Posted by Grant on July 25, 2008 – 4:45 pm
My book, Reality Check, has been loaded onto Amazon, and it’s ready for pre-order!
I have to admit, it’s kind of surreal to see it up there. But it’s very cool!
You can check it out here.
You can certainly go ahead and pre-order it if you would like but actually, I’m going to be doing a special the first week the book is out so you can get the book a little cheaper than what you could on Amazon. Just for one week though so keep an eye out for that!
Posted by Grant on July 25, 2008 – 6:38 am
I got to hang out with a friend from high school last night. This guy is a crazy talented musician and is out here in Nashville pursuing his dream of music. We spent a lot of our time talking about how incredible it was that we were both pursuing our dreams and to have things begin to play out in the way we hoped for.
It was a simple reminder of how many people play it safe and never go after their dream. You can come up with any number of excuses for not pursing your dream, but I have to ask you:
What’s your other option?
Are you going to play it safe the rest of your life? Wow…that sounds exciting.
We’re both living the dream and wouldn’t have it any other way.
On a side note, he is getting ready to come out with a new CD that I know is going to be killer. Check out his website and hear some of his music at www.ClaytonRisner.com. You can also look him up on MySpace…the dude has nearly 60,000 friends!
Posted by Grant on July 24, 2008 – 6:00 am
Filed under Events, Travels
I haven’t had much of a chance to blog this week so I wanted to check in with some updates…
- I spoke Monday in Springfield, IL to a group of state officers from various student leadership organizations around Illinois. I had a great time being a part of the event, but was bummed because I had leave so quickly after the event to catch a flight out of St. Louis. I love meeting students, so I hate it when I leave immediately.
- I flew into Knoxville and picked up my rental car. All they had for me was a bright, cherry red Mustang. It is the kind of car that begs (a) to be driven fast and (b) to be pulled over. I drove over to Nashville yesterday and tinkered with option (a) and thankfully avoided option (b).
- I’m really missing my girls…for some reason, it’s extra bad this week.
- In Nashville, I’m staying at a Double Tree hotel. I like checking in because they give you a free cookie. Wow, how sad am I?
- I’m going to dinner tonight with a buddy from high school who is building his music career here in Nashville. Really looking forward to hanging out with this dude…
- Did I mention I really miss my girls? Only one more night away and then I fly home. Being gone for 1 or 2 nights isn’t a huge deal for my wife or I but when you’re gone for 5 night in 3 cities, it starts to wear on you.
Posted by Grant on July 21, 2008 – 5:48 am
Filed under Books, My Book
I just got back my book manuscript completely laid out in the book format. I must say it looks killer, and I can’t wait to get it printed up. I made a few more copies at Kinkos for myself and a few others to make some final changes and then we will go to print in the next few weeks!
I’m also in the process of uploading the book to Amazon.com, so I’ll let you know when it’s up there.
We’re so close!
Posted by Grant on July 20, 2008 – 12:16 pm
Filed under Events, Travels
I’m getting ready to leave in the next hour or so to hit the road again. I’ve been home for several weeks with the new arrival of little Emilee Beth. It’s been nice to be home for a while, but Daddy has to go make some money!
I’ve got a 5 hour drive to Springfield, IL where I’m speaking at a student leadership event Monday morning. Then I’ll drive to St. Louis and catch a flight to Knoxville, TN where I’ll be speaking on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then, I’ll drive over to Nashville, TN and speak there Thursday and Friday. Friday night I fly back to St. Louis and then will have a 3 hour drive back home.
Just seeing that schedule makes me tired!
But I love what I get to do, so I’m looking forward to being at some great events this week! Plus, my wife just got a new laptop, so we can talk with a webcam and I can see all the girls back home.
I’ll keep you updated on the travels this week!
Posted by Grant on July 18, 2008 – 10:31 am
In my opinion, one of the best ways we learn is by asking questions of others. There is no sense in reinventing the wheel so part of what I want to do is figure out what successful people do…and do that. Not rocket science here.
Anytime I am trying to learn about a particular subject, a business idea, or anything in general, I want to find someone who knows more than me and ask them.
Take advantage of the knowledge that others already have. Ask questions and soak up anything you can from others.
Posted by Grant on July 16, 2008 – 2:09 pm
Filed under Books, My Book
We just added a new page to the website for the upcoming release of my book, Reality Check. On the page, you’ll find out how you can keep up-to-date on how and where you can pick up the book when it is released, tell others about it, and also get a sneak peak into the book.
You can now download a little preview that includes the cover, table of contents, introduction, and five FREE chapters! I’d love for you to check it out and let me know what you think. Visit www.grantbaldwin.com/realitycheck.php or you can download the file here!
