Are You Giving A Gold Medal Performance?

Was this week your best effort? Seriously. Did you give your absolute all to the work, projects or commitments you had before you this week?

This week many of the sports I have been following like soccer, tennis and volleyball concluded their competitions. Watching the teams and individuals alike put their hearts on the line for a chance to win gold is simply inspiring to me. You know as the athlete walks out on that field or court for that gold medal opportunity it's a culmination of a lot of hard work, personal sacrifice and gritty determination. Heck just to be on that stage has to make all the effort, all the struggle and all the countless hours of preparation for that particular moment, that shot, so absolutely worth it.

Sure not everyone will walk away with gold; someone always has to lose. However its better to take your shot and give yourself the opportunity to win than to never be there at all. Pick any athlete in these Olympic games and ask them if they thought they had put themselves in the very best possible position to win. I bet without a doubt even those who lost at their particular event would say I had my chances and gave myself at least the opportunity to win. In the end that's all they could ever ask for.

So you might be thinking what in the world does this have to do with me and my work? To which I would say everything. We all have the opportunity before us to take our lives to that gold medal level every day. Through out actions, our efforts and the connections we make each of us has a chance to put in our very best performance. Some weeks we'll come out on top. Other weeks not so much. But just like an Olympic athlete, you never get that gold medal shot unless you are putting yourself squarely in a position to go and take it.

So I ask you again....

Was this week your best effort? Seriously. Did you give your absolute all to the work, projects or commitments you had before you this week?

If not, why not?

The good news is you have an entirely new week ahead of you. Don't waste it.


Ripple On!!!

Get The Back Story

One of the things I have enjoyed about this year's Olympic games is hearing the back story of the athletes. I find myself enjoying the stories almost as much as the games themselves. Whether it be the overwhelming odds that an athlete has had to overcome or the passionate pursuit of an Olympic dream, each athlete has a back story. It's the back story that allows you to see them for who they are as individuals, not just as the athlete.

NBC has done a great job of sharing a wide variety of stories about athletes from across the globe. Whether it be the former Russian gymnast Oksana Chusovitina who left her country to get her son treatment for Leukemia and now competes for the German team or our own Dara Torres who at age 41 is defying odds and winning medals. It's the stories that grab your attention, tug at your heart and make us invested as an audience. The human drama of which each athlete has had to endure at some level to get to the Olympics is not only fascinating but is inspiring and motivational.
Point To Ponder:

We all have a back story ya know? Every single person you have in your life has hopes, dreams, personal triumphs, etc.. In order to be an effective connector it's your job to dig deeper and discover the back story. It's the back story that often gives you the biggest insight into the people you want to get to know or just get know better.

Ripple Formula

Photo by Hypergurl

Stone. Water. Action.

You throw the stone.

The stone hits the water.

The splash that the stone creates is the direct result of the action you just took.
The Ripple Effect of the water fanning out is the sometimes unpredictable result of the action.

Simple right?

For the sake of this BLOG, my book and of course the countless speeches and trainings I give all over the country the same exact formula can be applied to your life and career.

Think of someone you want to make an impact on.

What is important to them? What might they need? What are they possibly missing?

Figure out that and you have your stone.

Now take that stone and turn it into action. Create a splash and in turn a Ripple for them.

Maybe that means opening a door to a new job or new connection for them. Maybe that means helping them gain access to information that only you can provide. Maybe it as simple as buying them a cup of coffee to let them know you are there to talk if they need someone to talk to.

The Ripples we create by taking the time to create the action for others is where the unpredictable and often incredible Ripples come back to us; often in was we could never imagine or foresee.

I met a very nice young lady a few months ago as a favor to another friend of mine. My friend knew this gal was struggling with her new business and couldn't necessarily afford an executive or personal coach but knew she needed help. She knows that I am always a sucker to help a new entrepreneur in a pinch so she made the call and I agreed to a meeting.

It turns out the woman I met with had a great business but basically needed to be pushed and prodded on a few market strategies and ultimately needed a few doors opened for her (stone). I helped her validate what she was thinking in terms of strategy and took action and opened a few doors for her (action). She was incredibly grateful for the Ripples that I started for her and made some immediate inroads she likely would not to have made on her own (Ripple). She shared my philosophy with her husband who works for a major company that just so happened to be a company I wanted to get into. He was so impressed with what I had done for his wife's confidence that he wanted to learn more about what I did and how it might be applied in the work is company does. Today we are exploring ways to bring the Ripple concept into his company (Ripples extending out and returning to me).

Not all Ripples you create for others will automatically return to you but that isn't the point. The simple fact that you are willing to take the chance and create a Ripple for someone stacks a significant portion of the odds in your favor that something good will come out of your efforts. Whether that is a Ripple that buoys your personal or professional agenda or not, the simple feeling of satisfaction of helping another human being in my opinion is the ultimate reward.

Stone. Water. Action.

Are you ready to Ripple?

Well then.....Ripple On My Friends!!!

Launch Pad Monday

What if you were to start off today with the mindset that this Monday was going to be the start of the best week ever? Do you think your attitude would be at all affected? You bet!

Most people approach this day with pained trepidation. Ask almost anyone and Monday is one of the most hated words in the English language. It symbolizes the dragginess (another Steveism) that I believe inevitably holds many, if not most, people back. It's a trap that whether you realize it or not it affects your whole attitude and will last well beyond Monday and will permeate the remaining days of your entire week.

What if you were to stop. What if today you said no more! What if you decided Monday wasn't the enemy? What if you decided that Monday was going to be the best day in the week? That's right...you just plain decide that this Monday, the one here and now, is the one that is going to launch you into a week full of super successful days that culminate in a fabulous week?

I hear many of you right now. "But Steve, I can't have a great attitude about Monday because I have to much to do, the kids are driving me crazy, there's too much to do, etc." Or "Steve that sounds good but work sucks and no matter how much I fire myself up the results will always be the same."

Excuses are for people who are willing to let life not only roll over you but pass you by. That kind of attitude is guaranteed to keep you squarely where you are right now. For many....that means just plain stuck and going no where fast.

If that sounds like you try something different.

The choice is yours. You can approach this Monday with the same old attitude and get the same old tried and true results or you don't have to. You can take control! You can decide to make this day your day. It isn't your job's Monday, it's yours. You can decide that Monday works for you, not the other way around.

You have the power you know?

Make this the Monday that launches you into the week you know you want to have. Allow this day to propel your attitude and ultimately your happiness into a whole new orbit.

Come on you can do it! It's Monday! Rejoice. There is much to be accomplished out there for you. There is much to be explored. There is a whole world waiting for you.

The countdown is at zero. Time to take off!!!

Ripple On!!!

Be Your Own Cheerleader

I was honored to learn that one of my wife's closest friends started reading my BLOG recently. Kathy mentioned that her friend asked how I maintain such a positive outlook and if I really followed all that I suggest here. Kathy said she told her that I am human and I do slip up (sometimes more than I would like) but that she's always there to give me a good smack in the right direction to get me back on track. .

The truth is....I am human and I don't always have the most positive outlook on life. It's hard to have a positive attitude all the time especially living in today's society. We are bombarded with negativity in the media. Society has lost its ability to connect. People are miserable at the jobs they work in. The economy is very rocky and unpredictable for most. Hollywood prefers to give us dark stories rather than the inspirational feel good movies they once did. I could go on and on...but I won't.

Life is negative. It would be easy to pack up the tent and join the bandwagon of negativity and call it a day. I won't. Why? Because if I did, I think the overwhelming sense of nothingness would kill me.

Single individuals can change the world. You right now have the power to affect another person - your kids, your parents, your spouse, your co-workers...a complete stranger. That power can be used for good or bad depending on the outlook you carry with you. In order to have the right outlook you have to be willing to pick yourself up when things look glib. It's in those times that you not only find what drives you but it's how you become the example from which all others learn and follow.

I have learned to stay positive most of the time because I have become my own cheerleader. I realized pretty early on in my entrepreneurial career that no one was going to be waiting for me at the end of a long day or at the conclusion of a big deal to pat me on the back and say, "great job kid!" No one was going to be there to encourage me to try harder when the chips were down. Nobody was going to pick up the ball from where I dropped it and drive it across the goal line for me.

The only person in the end I can honestly count on is me. I have to be my own motivator. I have to be my own coach. I have to be willing to let my heart override my mind when I think the impossible can't happen. I have to be there to pick myself up, dust myself off and cover those scrapes and bruises and push myself back into the game despite the score.

Sure I am lucky to have an amazing support structure with my wife and kids, my parents and the literally hundreds of people who have become Ripplers since I started this thing. However it's me that I am most dependent on. It is me that has to listen 24/7 to the negative thoughts that my brain likes to dish out constantly and overcome them. It is me that is alone in that car driving to that important meeting and my heart is pounding because I am scared of being rejected. It is me that has to pick myself up out of bed and take on the challenge of a new day.

If I can't listen to myself being the loudest cheerleader and motivator of my actions then most assuredly I would never listen to anyone else. I have to take point in all aspects of my life - attitude, motivation, drive, desire, friendliness...and of course all things Ripple if I don't want the negativity of life to invade my very soul.

And so do you.....pick up the pom poms and get to work!

Ripple On!!!

P.S. New 8 Minute Ripple Scheduled for July - Sign up at www.ripplecentral.com

Security With Service

His welcoming smile seemed to say it was going to be okay and the stress of getting through security was almost over. He extended his hand and said, "Good morning my name is Lance, where to Stephen?" His kindly use of my formal first name shook me awake from my early morning haziness and desperate need for coffee.

"Nice to meet you Lance. Headed to Las Vegas," as I gave him my boarding pass and driver's license.

"Excellent. Lots of things going on in Las Vegas this week it seems. Have seen off quite a few passengers going there this week. Are you going up for a little fun," he impishly asked as he completed his check of my boarding pass and driver's license.

I answered him that my trip, unfortunately was all business; a quick up and back in fact. He simply smiled and said, "Well you'll be walking through here tomorrow afternoon with a smile having not lost what you didn't put down." With that, Lance TSA Agent # 25082 gave me another big smile and said, "Do try and have a little fun while your up there won't you? Have a safe flight Stephen."

If you read my BLOG with any regularity, you know I am big on customer service. So imagine my surprise when I found this rather unique example of customer service occur right before my eyes and in one of the most unlikely places....the security gate of an airport!

As I meandered through the remainder of the line I continued to watch Lance interact with other passengers as they progressed through his check point. Each time he had something unique and different to say to each person. He would comment on the uniqueness of a person's last name or remind the person when their driver's license was going to expire. He wished one young woman a happy 23rd birthday a week from the next Tuesday which, as you can imagine, made her smile big time. I think she may have been in her early thirties which seemed to help strengthen her glow from the special attention that now other passengers were giving her.

Whoever the passenger/customer was, Lance made his point to do what he could to make the experience of going through his place in the security hierarchy just a little bit better. I wished I could have stayed there a little bit longer and watched him work his magic as there was no doubt Mr. Lance was creating a positive Ripple in the hearts and minds of the otherwise stressed, rushed, irritated and not yet awake morning travelers. That's good customer service in my mind.

I found myself looking for Lance TSA Agent # 25082 this past Friday as the family and I made our way through the security line at the airport to head to El Paso. Unfortunately he was no where to be found and the two encounters we had with separate TSA agents were not nearly as memorable. Unlike Lance, neither seemed to relish their job or their customers with nearly as much enthusiasm. Sad, but true.

We are all in the business of serving a customer each and every day (see my other posts on customer service). We can choose to simply do the deed and get the job done or we can take a page from Lance's book....and we can simply choose to do it better.

Which choice do you think a Rippler would make?

Only You Control Your Mojo

As I was preparing to speak to a sales conference last week something happened that could have easily taken me off my game and shattered my confidence. A lady came up to me minutes before I was to go on stage and said she had seen me speak before. Though she thought I was very entertaining or so she said, she found very little value in the concept of Rippling. So much so she felt compelled to say, "It sounds great in theory but serious business professionals don't have time to wait to get to know someone and connect like you propose. Time is money ya know and we have business to earn."

We offered a polite rebuttal but realized that it was somewhat falling on deaf ears. Her mind was made up. She wished me good luck and the said something that absolutely blew my mind but made me smile big time. She said she was amazed at how many people were talking about my concept and how many different areas around town she had heard my name. She told me that as if she were truly impressed and even said how glad she was to come up and shake my hand again. She may not have meant her first comment the way it sounded but clearly she was so missing the point by revealing what she shared. Rippling obviously does so work....maybe for her she just needs to find some bigger stones to throw...who knows.

The point is I was there to speak about Rippling. I could have easily mentally rewritten what I was about to speak on to validate and defend my core message and show exactly why it does so work for serious business professionals. I could have taken away my quirky stories and focused on hard nosed facts and figures about why traditional networking will never get these people the results they want because the sheer process is fundamentally flawed. I could have changed my entire message to make the Ripple appear more worthy of their time and attention and thus try and force feed the message to each of them.

But that's not my style.

A couple of years ago, a comment like that would have seriously compromised my mojo. It would have shaken me to the core and left me quivering and exceptionally nervous before getting up on stage before an audience of any size.

Not any more. Why?

Because, like you, I am in complete control of my mojo. No one controls my mojo but me. The only way I could let someone take my mojo away or alter it in any way would be if I give them permission to do so....and I don't. You shouldn't either.

Everyone is going to have critics. Sometimes people will say things to you that if you let it, will absolutely cut you to the core. Notice I said if you let it. It's very important for you to not let those things cut you so. I know, I know its hard when it happens but like with everything, it comes with practice.

For me I end up finding that I use a little mental affirmation when faced with negative feedback or a critical opinion. I simply smile and say to myself, this person's words and opinions do not control you. Stay your course and you'll be fine.
Incidentally the lady came up to me after my presentation was over. I had a line of people waiting to meet me and after patiently waiting her turn handed me a book to sign and said, "I still don't get it but you sure were funny. This is for my boss, he likes this kind of stuff."

I smiled and simply said, "Thank you. What's your boss' name?"

Ripple On!!!

Ripplers Know How To Be There

I don't know what it is but recently I have been faced with several situations where people have had unusually bad things happen to them. A business acquaintance who can't seem to land a job and the money is getting tight. A fan of my book and now good friend who just learned that their company will be making some job cuts and she is likely to be the next to go. The friend who just learned that his spouse has reconnected with an old flame and their marriage is on the rocks. Or a good friend who just this morning I learned had lost both of his parents and his father-in-law in an incredibly short amount of time and it had obviously taken its toll him.

It's in those moments when faced with the raw emotion and the fear of another person's predicament that many people retreat. Part of it is insecurity. Part of it is out of one's own fear. Part of it is out of some people's pure inability to empathize with another's plight. Part of it is people's inability to handle other people's stresses, personal or professional tragedies. They retract into the inner comforts of their own shell leaving the person in real need of an ear, a open heart or simply a hug, out in the cold alone and hurting.

I believe when faced with those kinds of moments it's a personal gut check for you. Do you have the power to elevate yourself beyond your own life's troubles to open your heart and mind for someone else. I for one can say that I haven't always had that ability. In fact there was a time in my life that I was downright selfish and almost petulant when faced with such situations. I had my own problems, my own issues and felt that polluting my own being with another's problems was impossible for me. Heck I couldn't find the answers to my own troubles, how on Earth would I be able to help someone else?

Until I did.

It began with a friend who was going through a divorce and simply unloaded one night over beers. I focused entirely on him and what this cocky self confident individual was really being reduced to because of his impending divorce. I just listened and was there for him. Maybe it was my willingness to stop and listen and just be there with and for someone who was facing a traumatic situation in their life that was the wake up call I really needed for my own life. I often think back to that moment and many others since and realize they were every bit the gut check moments that they are intended to be. Life was challenging me to help someone else fight through their situation and the only real question was...I am going to answer the bell or not.

Well I did and I since then I have realized that my heart has plenty of room to take on more. There is always room to welcome someone else into it and to simply be there when there is a need. I think Ripplers naturally know that the world is a bigger place then just themselves and the power to really be there for another in their hour, day, month, year or decade of need is one of the most incredible gifts we can offer.

So next time you are faced with the life opportunity of being there for another, simply ask say this:

"I am here for you. How can I help?"

You may just find that the bell that calls you into the fight has more to teach you than you ever expected. The good news is, your heart has plenty of room and can take all comers!

Ripple On!!!

Inspirational Story To Get You Thinking

Fellow Author and professional colleague, Tim Sanders, tells an amazing story that will really make you think about just how important it is to create Ripples for those who cross your path in life. Whether it may be a co-worker, employee, customer or friend, you just never know what your actions might mean to another. After hearing this story, I am most certain you will appreciate just what kind of power your Ripple might hold.




Check out Tim's Book by clicking here!

Super Bowl Determination

Today is SUPER BOWL Sunday. For two teams today is the culmination of a road filled with hopes, dreams and gritty determination. And at the end of the day there will be one team who will stand up and will hold that coveted Super Bowl trophy and will be forever called Super Bowl Champions.

Beginning each September, every team in the NFL begin their competitive campaign with the exact same record. The New York Giants and the New England Patriots both started at square one with no wins and no losses. Somewhere along the way both teams found something that the other thirty teams in the league simply didn't. They found their stride, their will and ultimately the drive to succeed and best every one of their challenges and of course, opponents along the way.

Their teams started out not really any different than you or myself. Though we don't necessarily start with a football record of 0-0, we do all start with the same exact amount of time in our days, the same amount of days in our months, the same amount of months in a year...you get the picture. Though our lives can't be compared to that of a football season, we are in fact in a much more exciting position. We have the opportunity to demonstrate the same kind of commitment, the same kind of passion and the same kind of drive and best those challenges and competitors we face along the way.

I have said it before and I will say it again. You can sit the bench in the game of life and just let things happen to you....or you can decide to take your shot and be an active player and ultimate drive of it.

Which game would game would you rather be playing in?

Enjoy today's game (even though The Dallas Cowboys aren't playing in it) and tomorrow...get off the bench and go find your stride, your will and your drive to succeed. And maybe, just maybe, we will one day soon be saluting you, a coveted champion in your own right. Forget that, I am already saluting you....because I already believe in you!

Ripple On!!!

Mid-January Self-Check

So you ended last year thinking about all that you had accomplished and all that you want to achieve in the new year. You sat down and wrote out your list of goals, resolutions or commitments to yourself and at the end had this satisfying smile on your face of all that you were going to achieve in the coming year.

So you started off this month with a bang doing all the things you needed to do to stay on track and take the new year by the tail right? Yup...no doubt, this is going to be your year. 2008 is the year that everything is going to change for you right?

But now a few weeks have gone by. The routine of going back to work and having to stay for a full week (damn I miss the holidays) has started to sink in. Those lofty aspirations of hitting the gym several times a week and getting up at the ass crack of dawn to go running now suddenly seems less exciting and romantic. It looked so much better on paper didn't it? Those important contacts you were going to make now seem a little more intimidating. Those great events that you just knew you had to go to, to make the best connections, now all seem to fall on days that something more appealing (like a new episode of ER or a hot bath) or important (beer with the buddies) is happening.

Welcome to mid-January.

This is where the men are separated from the boys. The women are separated from the girls. The weak from the strong. The fun and exciting from the simply boring. The destiny makers from the destiny takers.

You get the picture right?

Where are you? Where do you stack up compared to all the lofty goals, dreams and aspirations you held for yourself a mere 17 days ago? Are you still approaching the new year like it's gonna be your best one yet or are you settling in to another year of mediocrity?

Where are you? Why aren't you doing more? Why have you given up already?

It's time for a self-check.

The good news.....it's only day 17. There are 339 more to go.

Don't waste them.

Ripple On!!!

Random Acts of Kindness

So for years and years I have been trying to get Kathy, my wife, to go to Starbucks. She wouldn't do it...mainly because she doesn't care for coffee and I think out of protest for what I "spend on a cup of coffee!" (have to hear her say it to get the full effect). Then one day she discovered they sell iced tea and that was all she wrote. If coffee is my legalized drug of choice then iced tea is hers. Now months after discovering this little factoid she goes to Starbucks more than I do...which for those of you who know me..is a lot!

Anyway the other day I was at the office and my phone rang. It was Kathy. I could tell she was excited about something. She proceeded to tell me about how she just encountered something amazing while sitting at the drive-thru of Starbucks. Apparently she was down to her last two dollars but really needed that iced tea so she steered her car into the line at Starbucks. As she scrounged for some change to insure she had enough she pulled up to the window and the Barista handed her her iced tea and said the car in front of her had paid for hers. I would have paid for the next fifty cars to have been there to see her face!

She was certain that she didn't know the person. They left no indication with the Starbucks worker that they knew Kathy either. They simply did a random act of kindness and boy did it make her day. Kathy immediately called my dad who, if you read my BLOG regularly, has experience his own random acts of kindness (search Breakfast Fairy on the BLOG search tool) and I am sure they both went to town on the Ripple Effect of what had just happened.

A simple act of kindness like buying someone's coffee (or iced tea), breakfast or whatever can have the biggest impact on another person. My question to you is how many Ripples are you willing to create anonymously just for the sake of making this world a better place?

That many huh?

Ripple On!!!


Steve

P.S. Here's a neat article on the Starbucks Pay it Backwards concept.

ALL IN

She stood at the door to the conference room. The biggest presentation of her career was about to begin. She thought to herself, I can't do it. They will see right through me. But she knew in her heart of hearts that simply wasn't the case. She was made for this moment and she was going to take what belonged to her. She deserved to be here and both the team and their client would see that too.

It was now or never and there was no looking back. She was going to give the presentation of her life and leave nothing in the tank. She was going ALL IN and in the end would be a better person, personally and professionally, for it.

She opened the door and over the threshold into destiny.

Could this be you? Do you have something big coming up? Perhaps an opportunity to take advantage of a defining moment in your life or career.

Are you ready for it? Are you 100% prepared to give it your all and take it?

Just like the guys you see on television that play those big poker tournaments, you too will eventually reach a point where the only play is to push all the chips towards the center of the table and go ALL IN.

Are You Ready With Arms Wide Open?

2008 is finally here!

As many of us return to the normal routine of work, school and regular (unabbreviated holiday) every day life, it will be so tempting to let this day become no different than any of the days you had in 2007. And if today is going to be like all of the other days you had last year, it becomes easier and easier to let tomorrow, and the day after and the day after that become the same.

Is that what you really want?

Is that what is going to make 2008 your best year ever?

I think you know the answer to that....but just in case you don't....NO IT IS NOT.

In order for 2008 to be the best year of your life you need to be ready to take on each new day with an increased sense of purpose. Don't remain a passenger in this bullet train of life. No, be the conductor.

I love the opening lines of this song by one of my favorite bands Creed. Take a listen. Seems your life is about to change also. Are you ready to embrace it with arms wide open?

Go Big or Go Home

"Go Big or Go Home."





It was 1998 and I was coaching my girls under sixteen soccer team in the Capital Area Youth Soccer Tournament semi-finals. We were down two scores when the halftime whistle blew. Every girl looked dejected when they came to the sidelines. Heads were down and hearts were broken.

We were a young team. The core group of my girls were younger than sixteen, our team had played up an age division that season. Now as the scoreboard seemed to loom, each of them were feeling the age difference and looking way out of their element. I never will forget the look they had in their eyes and just how sad and broken each of them looked.

I am a fiery personality. Bet you couldn't tell that from how I write right? Well this fiery coach was also feeling a bit dejected but not because of the score but because I knew that these girls had one shot; one half to make a difference that could and would forever impact their little lives and their individual self-confidence forever. And it was my job as their coach to not make it easy for them to give up on themselves. So I didn't.

I pulled the girls together and I asked each of them to look at me. Look in my eyes. Did they see my fire? Did they see my passion? Did they see my pride? Did they feel it? Did they understand? Could they appreciate that they were the reason that it was there. I had coached a lot of soccer teams but none that had showed the heart and determination these young ladies had showed. I smiled big and for the first time, probably spoke much softer and with more caring than the girls were accustomed to seeing in one of Harp's halftime sermons.

We didn't belong in that tournament. No one gave us a shot at the beginning of the season. We were nobodies but through the course of the season we became somebodies. We did that. We shocked the world (or at least our little soccer community) because we never gave up and we believed in ourselves....when no one else would. I reminded the girls of all that they had accomplished and that they did it all as a team.

I asked one simple question. Were we going to let the other team take that from us? Were we really prepared to say, "Oh ya'll were right, we don't belong. You just need to look at the score to see that."

That got a laugh. Then two. Then my motley crew of young girls were all laughing.

Surrender? No way!

I then settled them down as the referee's whistle went off to call the teams back onto the field. A noticeable calmness settled over all of us and I said, "Ladies we either go big or go home! It's your choice but each of you have to make it. Oh and ladies, its alright to go home but going out big, regardless of whether we win or lose, is so much more fun don't you think?"

That was the loudest team cheer we probably ever did. Loud enough to announce to the other team we weren't going away. No far from it.

We won that game in a shootout. To this day likely one of the greatest games I have ever been a part of.

Why do I share this with you? Because the statement is true and is particularly relevant as each of us find ourselves facing a brand new year ahead. Are you prepared to make your 2008 a bigger, better, more successful, more rewarding, more financially lucrative year than 2007 was?

Are you prepared to Go Big or Go Home?

The whistle is going off and it's time to start the next half of your life. Are you ready?

Ripple On!!!

Steve

Give Thanks Forward

First of all Happy Thanksgiving to all of my BLOG readers. When I sit before my Thanksgiving table tomorrow, I will be saying a little prayer of thanks for bringing so many of you into my life and work. I have truly been blessed this past year and I can thank so many of you for that.

As I was reflecting earlier this week on the concept of Thanksgiving I found myself caught up on the concept of giving thanks for what I have already received. I think Thanksgiving of course gives us all an ideal opportunity to look back, to reflect on all that has happened this past year and truly give thanks. I have done it for as long as I remember. But tomorrow I challenge you to do something a little bit different.

Instead of just giving thanks for what you have already received...Give Thanks Forward for all that you are about to receive in the coming year.

Imagine all that you would like to achieve, accomplish, earn, discover, learn, etc. in the coming year and give thanks as if you have already received all of it. I am a strong believer that if you open your heart and mind to all that is possible and act as if you are fully expecting that which you want to happen it will. Or at minimum, you at least put yourself in a better frame of mind to receive it should it come. Does that make sense?

I am not going off on one of those Law of Attraction ramblings. Just because you think it won't make it so. There is a lot of work involved in obtaining that which we really want and the only time success comes before work is in the dictionary. But getting yourself clear on what you want to be looking back on this time next Thanksgiving and truly giving thanks for can't be a bad way to prepare yourself for the upcoming year.

So I Give Thanks Forward for.....

Focusing on drinking up every moment of preciousness with my boys.
Getting into the best physical shape of my life.
Taking my speaking, training and my writing to a whole new level.
Being an all around better man, motivator and contributor to this world.

You get the picture.

Use the old noggin noodle a bit tonight in preparing for your moment of giving thanks tomorrow. What will you be giving thanks forward for?

Just a quick side note...If you really want to make an impact on someone else's perspective of Thanksgiving....try forwarding this BLOG post to them! Who knows what Ripples might come from this way of thinking.

Happy Thanksgiving to you my Ripple Friends!

Be safe and good to one another.

Ripple On!!!

Steve

Visible Leadership

Austin recently hired a new police chief and his name is Art Acevedo. Chief Acevedo came to Austin from California where he was the assistant chief of the California Highway Patrol. He takes over a police department that in recent years has been mired in controversy and has a significant public perception problem.

From the first day that Chief Acevedo took over he has been visible. A trait apparently that won him much fan fare within the Los Angeles community. Chief Acevedo pledged to earn the trust of the Austin public and so far he appears serious about this commitment. Most recently making public a video where a police officer stepped over the line and used excessive force to show both the police department and the public that this kind of action could and would in the future, be avoided. Furthermore, he took what I perceive to be a publicly embarrassing situation for the department and choose to use it as a training opportunity and a public omission that his officer's don't always get it right.

Visible leadership enables those that you lead to watch and see how you respond publicly. They get to see the rhetoric and motivational mumbo jumbo that is often retorted behind closed doors put out there and tested in the stern eyes of public perception. That takes guts and a real belief in one's own ability that the changes that they as a leader are expecting to make, can and will work.

Listening to the morning drive time news the other day there was a half minute story about Acevedo's desire to show more of a police presence during this upcoming holiday season. Statics have shown that alcohol related incidents increase during the holidays and that an increased police presence makes people think twice before drinking a little too much and jumping behind the wheel.

What impressed me most about this story was the fact that every available police office would be out on patrol throughout the holidays and that included the Chief himself. If I was one of Austin's finest and the boss was asking me to work and be away from my family during the holidays I might tend to be a little less upset when I looked across the parking lot and saw the big cheese himself jumping in a squad car to join the fight. That's truly putting his money where his mouth is if you ask me.

Visible leadership is more than just big words and big promises. It's about moving people enough to want to move the football from point a to point b. And yes as a leader, sometimes it means calling the play and keeping the football yourself just to show the team you can and you will. Real leadership isn't "do as I say or else." Well maybe it is by perceptionary (another Steveism ) and that's why so many organizations are seemingly mired in perpetual failure. But I contend that many a CEO and organizational leader could learn from the good example that Chief Acevedo's visible leadership is offering.

I suspect Chief Acevedo's visible leadership is creating a pretty big Ripple Effect. Not only is he getting the attention of the entire police force but it has to be getting noticed by the criminal element as well. Maybe they will think twice before deciding to pick Austin as a place to do their crime. The police officer that will catch them may very well be the Chief himself.

Welcome to Austin Chief Acevedo. I hope our paths cross one day....in a purely good way!

Ripple On!!!

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.....

New 8 Minute Ripple Video

Mitch Lobrovich with Channel You Productions has created another fantastic video for me that really helps explain the power of what The 8 Minute Ripple can do and all the various ways it can be used. Whether it be for a corporate team or workgroup function, executive board retreat or organizational gathering, conference or convention, or simply to aide in the recruiting process to help a company find and discover the talent they most want to be interviewing, The 8 Minute Ripple philosophy is incredibly adaptable and amazingly powerful.

I invite you to check out this new video by clicking here!

If you want to learn more about what the Ripple can do for you, your organization or your next conference, let's chat! Or if you know of an organization or upcoming event that could use a little Ripple added to their agenda or workplace environment, I would be happy to share the wealth and pay you a referral fee for any Ripples that I may book. Email me at steve@ripplecentral.com

Thanks to each of you for your continued support and interest in all things Ripple. The connections and relationships I have made through The 8 Minute Ripple, the book, this BLOG and my speaking appearances and trainings mean the absolute world to me!

Ripple On!!!

Steve Harper