My Dad's First Podcast

Brian Oates from www.daxle.net interviewed me a few months ago regarding my book and my motivations behind writing it. Brian and I got along swimmingly and he has become a regular reader of my BLOG. As a reader of my BLOG, Brian has gotten to know a little bit about my dad's amazing story of losing his eyesight due to Macular Degeneration and his amazing battle to regain his vision to the point that he is back driving!

Brian was kind enough to approach Dad and myself about doing a three-way podcast to let Dad's story be told by the man himself. It was an honor and privilege for me to have this opportunity to hear my dad in his own words tell his amazing story. He truly is an inspiration to me and continues to be my greatest hero.

So thanks to Brian, I wanted to share this amazing podcast with my Ripple audience. Thank you Brian for bringing this great idea to fruition and for giving my dad and myself the opportunity to share his story. Talk about a Ripple!!!

www.daxle.net/imprint/media/JimHarper.mp3

Comments are welcome and I know my dad would love to answer any questions or hear any comments you might want to offer. He provides his contact information at the end of the podcast.

Poor Pumpkin

"Ripple Rocks"

So last week I spoke at The Contingent Workforce Summit presented by Staffing Industry Analysts in Dallas, Texas. To say the conference was a success for me would be an understatement. I have literally been overwhelmed by the positive response to my keynote remarks and the 8 Minute Ripple which I facilitated as part of my overall program.

I was excited to bring my unique approach of discovering, creating and building connections to this audience which was filled with some of the nation's leading companies. I just knew that given the opportunity to show what the Ripple could do, it would get the attention of some of the powerful people who were in attendance. Boy was I right!

From the time I left the stage following my session to walking out of the hotel the following day, I had so many people come up to me and literally thank me for exposing them to a new way of connection. Being thanked after a big presentation like that is a huge validation for any speaker that their presentation has hit a cord. But maybe even more cool was hearing how eager people were to share their individual stories of connection and engagement and how "they Rippled." It humbled me and filled me with an amazing sense of pride.

It was clear that many of them had never seen nor felt the kind of experience the Ripple offers. I loved hearing everyone's comments and unique takes on how surprised they were to see just how powerful this form of connection could be. It was even more exciting to hear how many of them recognized just how impactful the Ripple might be if they brought it to their own companies, trainings and conferences.

"It was so amazing to see how easy you made it to connect with complete strangers," said one executive immediately following my session. Yes, I know the Ripple is a powerful way to meet new people but it still never gets old to hear a new Rippler say it!

So yesterday my phone rang. It was a executive from a leading investment firm who had attended my session. He said, I just have to tell you, "Your Ripple concept so rocks!" It seems that several of the people he had met at the conference have already turned into amazing connections for him and he simply wanted to say thank you and to let me know he was still Rippling a week later.

All I can say to that is.....

Ripple On!!!

Who Is There When You Really Look?

There are people in our lives that we think will always be there.

Our parents.
Our siblings.
Our best friends.
Our spouse or significant other.
Others that means something to us.

We look at them as fixtures in our lives. We expect them to be there like the old pair of slippers under the bed; seldom used but nice to wear on a cold winter's morning.

We know they are always going to be there so we don't necessarily look for them do we? I mean really look for them.

We don't necessarily appreciate them like we should.
We take them for granted.
We don't tell them how we really feel.
We don't tell them what they mean to us.
We don't share all that we could share with them.

We justify it in our minds by saying to ourselves, "They know. They understand. There is always going to be time."

But time, at least in your life and mine, is not infinite. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, it is all too short when in it comes right down to it. And those people will not always be there.

So who do you need to look at and appreciate that they are here and now?

Who needs to hear from you? And not just a "Hi how ya doing?" But something significant. Something meaningful.

Who needs to be with you? Really feel like they are with you when you are both together.

Who needs to not feel like they are that old pair of slippers? To understand and appreciate by your thoughts, words and actions how much they really do mean to you.

Who?


Ripple On!!!


Steve Harper