My Thoughts

My Annual Holiday Wishes Email—Go Big with Chaos

Twas the night before a kindergarten field trip, when all through the house…

…not a creature was stirring…

Oh, who am I kidding?  My wife was out of town and the place was frantic—all the creatures in the house were stir crazy. My 8 year old is blasting Taylor Swift tunes.  My 3 year-old thinks he’s a reincarnation of Tyrannosaurus Rex. And, my 5 year-old is pleading for “a special lunch” to take on her field trip.  Add to that, two crotchety old wiener dogs who bark incessantly, a 100 lb golden retriever puppy who’s bursting through the house after playing in the rain, a cat who teases all the dogs, and my brother is belly-laughing because he thinks the whole scenario is hilarious.

Frantic.

“What do you want in your special lunch for your field trip?” I asked my 5 year-old, fearing that she would request something out of my culinary skill set. (Let’s be real.  I’m great at making hard-boiled eggs.  That’s about it.)

“A jelly sandwich,” she replied.

“Nice,” I thought.  “Looks like dear old Dad can handle this ‘special lunch’ in a snap.”

Out comes the jelly.  Out comes a brown paper bag. Out comes a butter knife.  I’ve got this one mastered.  And then, I realized we have no bread.

“Sweetie,” I said carefully. “We’re out of bread.”

She paused.  Her facial expressions broke my heart.  And, I realized that I was in big trouble—because now she would surely ask for something complicated.

“Daddy, I know what we could do!” she screamed, beaming with excitement.  “Instead of using bread to make my jelly sandwich, we could use toast!”

Umm, I’m toast.

But, how many of us have felt a little overwhelmed this year—in situations where there are no simple answers?  The economy is shlumped.  The job market is frumped.  And, we’re all getting asked to make toast, when there is no bread.

Here comes 2010. What happens next?

The irony of this holiday message (compared to all my letters in years past) is that resolutions mean new things to all of us this year.  And, if history can teach us anything, we should understand that true progress, success, and relevance is achieved in tough times—when our backs are against the wall, and we’re forced into creative survival.

“But, I wanted a jelly sandwich,” she said.  “We don’t have toast?  We don’t have bread?”

I looked around the room.  My oldest daughter was punching through her ipod playlist like it was typewriter—a new blaring song every 10 seconds.  My son had the cat cornered—he was roaring at it, just like a dinosaur.  My dachshunds were barking at the wind.  My golden retriever was apparently seeing how much water he could ‘shake’ onto all the furniture. And, my brother was now curled on the floor in laughter.

My patience was crumbling.

“Do you want a hard-boiled egg in your lunch sweetie?” I asked, knowing that to a kid, it was like I was trading a trip to Disney Land with a trip to the drycleaner.

Her lower lip extended. Her forehead trembled. And, out of the corner of her eye, a teardrop began to form.

“You said I could have a special lunch.”

Panic ensued.  I froze. The room became silent. And, then, there it was. The moment I had been waiting for all year.  There on the corner of the kitchen counter I saw my defining moment—it shimmered and sang to me (really).  I wouldn’t be stumped—not me.  And, I wouldn’t make my sweet little girl go to her field trip with a hard-boiled egg.

“Oh, you want something special,” I said.  “Well, then you don’t want just any jelly sandwich.  You want a Jam-Dog.”

Her eyes lit up—her face filled with wonder.  “What’s a Jam-Dog?”

One hotdog bun filled with strawberry jam coming right up—along with a smile from a 5-year-old that made the invention one of my proudest moments of the year.

BE WARNED: This is where I fly off the hook into a visionary quest for the future.

This year, let’s make more Jam-Dogs—it’s not about inventing something new, it’s about perceiving something new.

This year, let’s all learn to value our challenges for the opportunities they can inspire—because without hurdles, we’d never even think about jumping.

This year, let’s improve, re-engineer, rename, and revitalize those things we already are—because we’re all a “special lunch” waiting to become spectacular (Yes, I’ve had requests for Jam-Dogs since that night).

This year, let’s all find creative brilliance—not to just to challenge our situations, but to make someone else smile in the process.

And, this year, let’s all take a step backward, or forward, to immerse ourselves in chaos—the noise (whatever it may be for you) that leads us to pursue a purpose.

I say it every year. And, every year I mean it.  This year, even if the muck is taking its toll on reality, don’t let it take it’s toll on your dreams.  In 2010, Go Big!  Grab yourself a Jam-Dog!

Happy Holidays, again.

Todd 

Yikes, are we through the muck yet?  Apparently not.

Within the last few months, I’ve been talking to a lot of people–some of them personally, some of them in my speaking engagements, and a ton on webinars that we host through Life 2.0.  And, let’s face it, I can ramble with the best of ‘em.

What’s the topic?I’ve been steeped in a ton of research–of course a lot with my co-author Dr. Dwight Lundell, and a lot with my business partner, Matt Look, CEO of Life 2.0–all touting the benefits of wellness.

I know, “Ho-Hum”, most people hate to hear or talk about health.  But, here’s why I can’t ramble enough–health is the number one factor of your life-long success. 

Whoa!  Yep, research reveals that the average health risk reduces your performance capability by approximately 3 to 5%.  Not a big deal?  You’re too smart to let health stand in your way, right?

Apparently, not many of us truly get this concept.  We should.  Think about the last time you were sick–how much did you accomplish?  Not much.  And, right now the average person in America has 9 to 12 health risks.  That means the average person is performing at about 50% capacity.

Cool research?  Only if we respond.  And, we must.

It’s time to change the world–because you can. 

www.salusliving.com
www.thecureforheartdisease.net
www.healthyhumansfoundation.org  

The kids were really excited for watermellon.  But, who isn’t?

Slice.  Seeds? 

“What are these black things?”

The seedless watermellon has been around for quite some time.  It was a novel idea when it was first introduced.  It was one of those “luxury” items that left us with a feeling of, “well, we won’t eat seedless watermellon all the time, just on special occasions.”

The internet was kind of the same feeling.  It wasn’t that long when a lot of companies still were existing without a web presence.  Today, the thought almost seems silly.  And, those organizations who were late-adapters suffered…because Google was already going to the races with all their competition.Why not learn from watermellon?  The internet?  Once technology stakes its plot of land, it’s very difficult to go back to the old ways…seeds, phone books, memos.Be an early adapter.  

Twitter?

You ever need a funny?   Check out Scott Christopher’s blog…how much fun can this guy have? And, how do we jump into that sanbox?  Click it!  You need it today!  Click IT!http://levityeffect.com/blog/ 

I’m addicted to changethis.com–manifestos from some of the, well, change-initiators.If you never click through, now is the time to change…YOU MUST READ this from my friends Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton.http://www.changethis.com/57.05.RecognitionMicroscope 

Okay, so I’m building BizRibbon.com…and wondering….who’s your favorite Biz Author and what’s your favorite Biz Book?  And, why? 

Send me your answers to: Editor@bizribbon.com.

And, if you haven’t subscribed, do so now. It’s free!www.bizribbon.com 

What’s sooo much fun? 

I remember being a kid and going to watch high school basketball games with my dad.  The players, to me, were heroes. To an 8-year-old kid those guys were famous—they were superstars. I recall playing basketball on the playground—pretending to be one of those players.  And, my friends and I would argue over who got to play the role of each player.

Sure, some of you may have actually watched high-school players become superstars…but not me (no offense to the guys who played at my high school).  I grew up in small town, northern Minnesota.  Sure, we’ve had our share of professional athletes, but mostly on the ice…not on the court.  

So, what’s the point?

BizRibbon.com is launching as I write this post.  Today, I’m a fan of the people who have come to realize that their purpose is to help others find their dreams—in business, and in life.  And, because of the tremedous feedback I’ve already received, every day is like a new adventure—and I’m like an 8-year-old kid again, playing with my heroes.

Subscribe to www.bizribbon.com now.  

I’m going to practice my jump-shot.  Ooops…missed the backboard altogether.   

You don’t have to listen to my babble anymore…get real insight, real advice, and powerful strategy from the best thinkers in the world! Subscribe today at www.bizribbon.com 

What don’t we know? 

I was driving with my four-year-old the other day. 

“Daddy?” she asked.  ”What would you do if I were lost in the woods?” 

“Oh, sweet pea,” I said.  ”I’d never let anything happen to you.” 

“But what would you do?” 

“Well, I’d hunt day and night, and get all my friends to hunt day and night until we found you.”  

She started crying. “No.” ”What’s wrong?” I asked. 

“You’re supposed to hug mommy in the kitchen and feel really sad,” she said through her tears. “Cause that’s what they did on TV.” 

Of course, I thought her comments were cute—summarizing her tears as “that’s all she knows, because she saw it on a television show.” 

But, then I wondered…where does my comprehension of possibility end?  It’s easy for me to talk about potential…except, I don’t know what’s possible either. Plato had a pretty solid philosophy explaining the difference between what we know and what think we know in his Allegory of the Cave.  But, does that mean we’re only limited to a potential we can visualize?

Imagine your wildest dream…your furthest goal…and then ask yourself to imagine it as just  a silly step on the way to whatever is next.  Just because you haven’t seen it on TV, doesn’t mean it’s not possible. 

Ever wonder who your number one fan is?

Okay, so it sounds kind of pompous to assume any of us have fans…especially if you’re a scatterbrain like myself.

My wife—she’s a fan, but she quit reading my writing years ago.  Somehow those little love-letters she admired so much got the ax as acceptable gifts—because people were paying me to write.

My kids—my girls already think I’m just plain silly, mostly because I am.  They think the cool people dance like Hanna Montana…and I can’t quite define my dancing style as fitting…even though I’m learning the moves from a 7 and 4 year-old.  My son, only 2 years-old, thinks I’m still pretty cool…but only because I think he admires my dinosaur roaring impersonations, and I can still jump higher than him—that’s big stuff to guy who’s 2.  Vertical counts.

My parents—eh, parents don’t count.  C’mon, they cheered for us when we used the big potty—any cheering after that kind of loses its zeal.

No, I understand that I have a number one fan who lives in Idaho.  She is a woman I have yet to meet.  And, I must say, I’m flattered by her appreciation of my work.  It’s great to be appreciated…sincerely.

So often in life we appreciate the talents of others.  We look to those we admire.  We seek their approval.  Yet, we never stop to realize that someone out there—sometimes across the country, or even across the world—could appreciate our talents.  And, we should.  We should all know our #1 fans…and at the same time, we should let the people we admire know that we’re their #1 fans.

The world could use a little more appreciation between strangers.

And, FYI…my dancing isn’t so bad…is it?  Well, if nothing else, I’ve got the dinosaur roar mastered.