Kissing Princess Leia

It was one of those father and son moments that I am certain will stick with me forever. Last night as I drove Zachary home from soccer we were talking about school and what were the "haps" in third grade kidom. He chatted more about recess than anything else but then out of no where Zachary revealed why he likes to read so much. The kid has adopted my love for reading, choosing to do it almost as much as television these days. Anyway, it seems he loves reading especially before he goes to bed because he has figured out that if he concentrates really, really hard that he find himself as part of the story in his dreams at night.

Totally cool observation if I do say so myself.

He asked me if that's why I read so much. Sadly I admitted no. Not sure I could handle having someone like Malcolm Gladwell showing up in my dreams. Scary!

Then he asked..."So Dad, what did you dream about when you were my age?"

I immediately was eight years old again and my thing was Star Wars. I told him without really realizing that I had done exactly what he was doing with his books, I used to think about all the characters and the movies and hope that the movies would magically replay for me in my dreams each night. I was a huge Star Wars fan I can still remember doing this little mind exercise...a lot!

He asked, "So you imagined yourself being Luke Skywalker and battling Darth Vader?"

"No, no probably by the age you are now, I was more likely to be dreaming about kissing Princess Leia."

That was it....for the next ten minutes Zachary was doubled over laughing and recalling my exact words over and over again to his amusement and mine. By the time we turned the corner of our street we were both almost in tears from laughing so hard.

"That's was a good one dad," he said as he grabbed his gear and climbed out of the back of my Explorer. "But I bet now, you dream of being a famous author don't you?"

I stopped in the middle of the garage.

"You been reading my dreams haven't you?" A big smile sheepishly washed over his face.

"We'll no, but I just know how big you are going to be because your Steve Harper" he proudly exclaimed. "And then when you get big and famous maybe that girl that played Princess Leia will know you and want to kiss you," to which he started busting up again and walked inside.

"Maybe," I quietly said to myself. Maybe.

Ripple Connection Question of the Week

Ripple Connection Questions are a unique way to engage people in conversation. Whether with a complete stranger or someone you already know, but want to know better, using Ripple Connection Questions (RCQ) accelerate the dialogue and deepen the connection. The questions are by design fun to ask and fun to answer and can take your connection to an entirely new level. Come on, break out of that shell yours and start Rippling.

Trust me you will be glad you did!

In keeping with the Lottery Ticket theme...this week's Ripple Connection Question is....

Who is the most amazing person you discovered
purely by accident or random connection?

I can't wait to hear the answers to this one!

Ripple On!!!


Steve

Walking Lottery Ticket - Part Two

So you remember yesterday we talked about my giving you a lottery ticket every day without any financial obligation on your part and the only real expectation was your need to come meet me every day to pick up the ticket. One tiny little action that you had to take every day in order to pick up the ticket that gave you a chance at millions of dollars was all that I asked. All it took was investment of a little bit of time and effort on your part...every day without fail.

You got excited. You couldn't believe someone would be so kind and generous at first. You found yourself fantasizing about what the money would do for you and how it would absolutely change your life right? Plus when you won, I wouldn't expect a thing from you....not one red cent of the money would you have to share. What a bargain right?

But then the excuses came. You had this going on or that going and now that golden ticket, the one that could change your life forever, somehow took a backseat to your procrastination, to your excuses, to your laziness. You began to bargain...to make deals for me to watch the ticket, to hold on to it for you but all the while still hoping, still praying that the ticket would payoff. You hoped that even though you didn't have to do a thing (literally) for it that your lottery ticket would finally cash in. I think you and I both know that life doesn't work that way.

I took my time explaining this scenario over two days for a reason.

This happens every day, though the lottery tickets you are given are walking up and down the halls of your office, standing in line with you at Starbucks, will be at today's Chamber luncheon, is the person you rode up with in the elevator this morning and is that person whom you've yet to meet...but will. Your walking lottery tickets are the people whom you know and don't know. They are the ones that literally have the power and capability to do far more than six numbers on a piece of paper could ever do for your life, your career and for your own personal psyche. No, these lottery tickets have the power to effect real change in your world.

And....there's good news!

Every day you and I have the opportunity to meet one of these walking lottery tickets. Yes it takes effort. Yes it takes time. No I can't do it for you...neither can anyone else. It takes you and only you. But just like in our scenario it takes your willingness to show up (and do it every day) wherever the ticket might be to have any shot at cashing in on the opportunity.

People are like a lottery ticket. You have absolutely no idea what you might get when you meet someone new or make that extra effort to get to know someone better. The possibilities are truly endless.

Many of you who've heard me speak or read my book understand that my willingness to go the extra mile, to seek out the walking lottery tickets in my life enabled me to become an entrepreneur and find real success in my life. Those lottery tickets weren't just going to land in my lap...I had to go seek them out and make the effort to find them. But let me tell you it was worth the effort!

No I won't give you any daily lottery tickets but I will tell you that if you would take a different view of the people who cross that path in your life you might just find that your life is filled with tons of potentially winning tickets. The question then becomes, are you going to let the excuses control your destiny or are you going to rise above it all and seek out your winning numbers?

Give it a try because the odds are so much better than any real lottery. Life, by design, works in our favor. You just have to know how to play the game. But just like with a lottery, you have to pay to play.

Good luck and good Rippling!!!

Steve

Walking Lottery Ticket - Part One

So imagine I decided to give you a lottery ticket every single day. No strings attached and the only level of expectation that I would ask of you is your willingness to take one small detour each day to meet me to pick up the ticket. Some days you will have to meet me at my son's soccer practice. Other days you might have to meet me at the some coffee shop. Still other days, you might have to track me down at some painfully boring networking luncheon that you will, by the look on my face, know I went to under some obligation or duress.

Every day, we would have to meet somewhere other than where you are accustomed to going. Yes it might be a pain and yes it might take a little bit of time but the lottery ticket, oh the lottery ticket, could be worth so much more than the time and effort. It could completely change your life. You know that right? The odds just need to work in your favor....just once!

Oh and here's the kicker....when you win (notice I didn't say if) you won't owe me a dime. Now is tracking me down and going out of your way worth the time and effort? Would you be willing to make it priority enough to make sure you leave a little time in your schedule every single day to meet me?

Would you think about that lottery ticket every day? Anticipate how it would feel to meet me on that one special day to pick up the winning lottery ticket? How it feels in your hand and the explosion of excitement as you discover the numbers that are being called to announce the winner are yours. You can imagine it right now can't you?

So here's the question. Would you do exactly what I asked you to do, meet me exactly where I asked you to meet me and do it every single day until the lottery Gods aligned and called your numbers? You can't imagine how many people would commit to me right now that they would do it but then....The car won't start or the kids get sick. The wife is angry because you had to work late. You had a bad day and need to hit the bar instead of driving all the way over there to meet me.

The excuses start to flow as to why you simply can't make it. The bargaining begins. You call me and say "Steve, brother man I am so sorry but I have this or that going on and I simply can't meet you. Can you watch the ticket you have for me and let me know if WE have a winner?" You want me to watch your ticket that you can't make it over to where I am to pick up? What if WE win? Will you have a since of entitlement to the money you didn't actually do anything, literally anything, to earn? Will it still be OUR winner?

Part Two Tomorrow.....