Grant Baldwin's Blog » Uncategorized

Happy Thanksgiving From The Baldwins!

Grant — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:47:18 +0000

The Importance Of Remembering Peoples’ Birthdays

Grant — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:45:51 +0000

2008 Blog Stats…

Grant — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:08:35 +0000

Through the power of Google Analytics, I can get a crazy amount of data regarding traffic to my blog and website. Here are some stats from 2008…

Top 5 Blog Posts of 2008

10 Things NOT To Do When Sharing A Hotel With The President of China – This was by far the most viewed blog post of 2008. I wrote this while speaking at a conference in DC where the President of China was staying. It was one of the bigger events I spoke at with over 2,300 students in attendance, so when I announced the post, traffic went sky high!
De-Motivational Pictures
8 Lessons Learned From The Election
Behind The Scenes Pics of the Obama Family on Election Day
I’m Glad I Had A Camera Phone For This Moment…

Busiest Traffic Days of 2008

BLOG: November 17, 2008 – this was the day I posted the blog about the President of China, which got lots of attention!
WEBSITE: December 3, 2008 – I posted a free e-Book for teachers and advisors called “I Just Wanted To Say Thanks” which has been downloaded over 1,000 times.

Top 3 Traffic Sources

43% – Direct
20% – Google
9% – Facebook

Where Are Visitors From?

93% – United States (Top 5 US States: Missouri, California, Illinois, Florida, & Virginia)
1% – Canada
1% – United Kingdom
We had traffic from 86 countries and all 50 states

Browser Choice:

57% – Internet Explorer
35% – Firefox
7% – Safari

Mac Vs PC

86% – Windows
12% – Mac
1% – iPhone

Random Stats

Average time on site – 2:10 minutes
Average pages per visit – 3.01 pages
Users on Dial Up - 2.54%
New Visitors – 69% / Returning Visitors – 31%

All in all, it was a great year on the website. It was my first full year doing a blog, and I found it to be a rewarding experience. I look forward to a great year in 2009!

“Reality Check” Review in “417 Magazine”

Grant — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:32:30 +0000

If you’re in southwest Missouri, be sure to pick up the latest edition of 417 Magazine and turn to page 43. There you’ll find a great review for my book Reality Check. Good stuff…

My Backstage Pass To NASA…

Grant — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 01:54:08 +0000

I really lucked out today.

I’m speaking at a Student Council conference in Florida that happens to be held at the Kennedy Space Center. So I was invited to come in early and take a private tour of the Space Center prior to the event.

Let me just say…that was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done. Here are some pics…

This is called the Vehicle Assembly Building where they actually assemble the shuttle before taking it to the launch pad. It is the 3^rd largest building in the US based on volume. There is a US flag on the other side of the building that is as big as a football field….that’s insane.

When you look at a space shuttle, it has that big orange tank in the middle…this is one of those tanks that will be attached to the Shuttle Discovery for their next mission. The top 2 white tubes coming out is where the tank actually attaches to the shuttle.

While it’s tough to tell, this is the nose of the Shuttle Atlantis. It was in a very concealed building that required major security clearance to get into….pretty cool.

Once the shuttle is upright, it rolls on this gravel road up to the launch pad. They had a launch about 3 weeks ago, so these tracks are pretty fresh.

This is the back side of the launch pad. It is a concrete slope that shoots out all the white smoke you see during a launch.

Travels to Florida…

FREE e-Book Now Available For Download!

Grant — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 23:24:57 +0000

Throughout this year, I’ve been trying to think of a present I could give to advisors, teachers, and administrators to show appreciation for all the hard work they do. And I realized, who better to say thank you than the students themselves, whose lives have been impacted.

So I worked with 30 students from across the country and collectively, we wrote an e-Book titled, “I Just Wanted To Say Thanks…” It is a series of short messages from middle school, high school, and college students who wanted to say thanks.

You can download the e-Book for FREE at this link: http://grantbaldwin.com/extras.php.

If you know of any teachers or advisors who have made an impact in your life, feel free to forward this on them as an early Christmas present. Like I said, it is completely free to pass around and share with anyone you would like.

7 Things I Wouldn’t Miss If They Disappeared…

Grant — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:06:49 +0000

I know this week is Thanksgiving, and we’re all supposed to be sentimental about what we are thankful for. And if you read my post yesterday called 11 Things I Can’t Live Without, then you know I have plenty to be thankful for!

But today, I’m going to flip the script and share with you 7 Things I Wouldn’t Miss If They Disappeared…

Taxes – they are a necessary evil in life, but I still hate sending big chunks of cash to them.
Country Music – I don’t understand it, but my wife loves it. Pray for her.
Cooked Carrots – this is one of the only foods that completely disgusts me. I’m fine with raw carrots but cooked carrots are repulsive…
Starbucks Coffee – I’m not a coffee drinker, so I haven’t experienced this “Kool-Aid” that everyone else drinks…
Political Ads – I know we’re past that season, but I think we were all a little sick and tired of them.
Dirty Diapers – I change my fair share of these, but on more than one occasion, my life has been in danger due to the smells they produce
Car Repairs – someone should invent a car that has the ability to heal itself. That’d be awesome…

What would be on your list?

Stop The Comparisons…

Grant — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:07:52 +0000

One of the most dangerous games you can get into is the “comparison” game.

And Monopoly.

Because when you begin comparing yourself to someone else, you begin to limit your own value. Let me just state the obvious here…you are not nor will you ever be _________. I’ll let you fill in the name of that person/company/school/organization or whatever it is that you are comparing yourself to.

You are you. (Thanks for stating the obvious, genius)

Quit trying to be that person. Quit trying to mimic their actions or lifestyle. Quit trying to be something you’re not.

Be you. And be the best you that you can be.

New T-Shirt Now Available!

Grant — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 23:01:29 +0000

We just got brand new t-shirts in for some of the upcoming events I will be speaking at! My sister designed them and did a killer job!

If you’re interested in getting one, shoot me an email at grant@grantbaldwin.com and I’ll let you know how you can get your paws on one.

A Crazy Story From Life On The Road…

Grant — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 23:47:19 +0000

As you know, I spend plenty of time on the road and in hotels, so I’m sure I’ve got my share of strange hotel stories. But I’ve never experienced something like what happened to a friend of mine last night.

Check out this guy’s blog for what happened to him. Let’s just say the swat team got involved!