The Secret to Creating a Habit

It is now February 4th and I have not taken the elevator to my 4th floor office yet this year.  I made a commitment on Jan. 1 to take the stairs and to park far away – two very easy ways to get a little bit of extra exercise every day.  Why have I kept this commitment?  Because, as I describe in the book, I’ve tied this activity to “something bigger.” 

Since we’ve had kids, Jeanne and I have always tied exercise to being around for them later in life.  We want to meet their kids…and be upright when that happens.  So, I’m thankful that I literally have to walk past the door that goes to the elevator to get to the door that leads to the stairs.  Why?  Because, in that moment in time – virtually every time – I think about my future with my family…and I take the stairs.

What are you doing about what you aren’t doing?  Is there something that you just know would be a good thing to do that you aren’t?  Maybe it’s blogging more (ok, that’s mine but it could be yours as well) or running regularly or reading.  Once you tie it to something bigger, you’ll do it and it won’t feel like a burden.

Holy IT! – Book Signing & Discussion

Please join us on February 9th at 7pm.  You will hear from people like Pam Saulsby from WRAL-TV – and others who have read Holy IT! – about the lessons they’ve learned from it and how it has affected their lives. I will
give a short talk and read a few of my favorite passages as well.

The Healing Place of Wake County is a facility in Raleigh that serves
homeless men and women who are suffering from addiction. Lisa
Rousseau, an employee there, is featured in my book and has been kind
enough to offer to host this event. I’ve been to a similar event at
The Healing Place in the past and it was incredibly moving because the
residents participate, not only by listening to the speaker(s) but in
another surprising and fun way that you can only fully appreciate by
being there!

Find me on Facebook and RSVP there or comment on this post.

How God Works

He works in really cool ways, that’s how He works. 

So I started the journey of writing my book and starting my mastermind groups right after a really eye-opening experience a couple of years ago.  Ella Newmiller, the 5yr old friend of my then 5yr old daughter, also named Ella, was diagnosed with an inoperable, malignant brain tumor on her brain stem.  The experiences that followed her diagnosis – being involved with the planning of her kick-butt birthday party and a fundraiser for her family – changed my life.

One of the ways they changed my life is by causing me to wear a pink bracelet on my arm (to this day) in support of her and her family.  On the bracelet it says, “Behold, I will do a new thing…   Isaiah 43:19  Ella’s Miracle”   This passage was adopted by all when it was determined that we all needed to pray for a miracle for Ella (which He is still working on).

Sitting in the sauna at the gym today, I looked at my bracelet and realized that my book fully describes a process for people that will help them to “Do a new thing.”  That is essentially the purpose of the book – to get you doing what you know you should be doing, but aren’t – A NEW THING.

So, I guess that’s how God works – He links everything around us together, but leaves it to us to live our lives in a way that, if done “correctly,” allows us to see all of those links.  Like I said, He works in really cool ways!

Goal: Be Out of Breath

I listened in on an educational conference call today.  The presenter was Daniel Harkavy, CEO of Building Champions.  Daniel was talking about the importance of creating, and owning, a Life Plan.  I won’t use this post to extol its virtues, except to say that I am a believer in having a Life Plan and mine has changed my life. 

What struck me about this call was Daniel’s passion for what he does.  At various points during the call, he sounded like he had just climbed a flight of stairs.  He cared so much about what he was saying and the importance of getting his point across for impact that he was out of breath when he spoke.

What do you care so much about that you are out of breath when you talk about it?  If you don’t have an answer, give it some serious thought and consider using some resources to find that thing that will get you all jacked up when you talk about it.

How to Prepare for Being on TV

So I just did my first TV interview to promote my book.  Just as has been the case with this whole journey I am on, I had all the people around me that I needed in order to get prepared for this event.  It’s just incredible that, as soon as you start telling people what you’re doing, you find that the people that can help you – that want to help you – are right under your nose.  You have immediate cheerleaders, presuming that your cause, muse, project, etc…is one that they can get behind.

I talked to a former PR professional, a former reporter, a former TV executive and a friend who has done numerous interviews – all in preparation for a 2.5 minute spot.  All of the input they gave me was valuable and helpful and the interview went relatively well for a first-timer, but there is still some serious room for improvement.  Here are some tips for you if you happen to find yourself with an interview opportunity:

• You probably won’t have a ton of guidance from the people at the studio.  They are busy and you are probably not going to send their ratings through the roof.  I’d venture to say that you need them as much as they need you – you need pub and they need to fill air space.  The fix – prepare not only your talking points, but ask questions about what TV studios are like.  Pose these questions to people in your network and/or the producer you’re working with.  Also, arrive early.  I got to watch about 45 minutes of the newscast prior to going on air.  This helped me get comfortable with my surroundings and see the who, what, when, where, how of a newscast and of that set.
• You may not be face-to-face with your interviewer.  I can talk to just about anyone about anything, but I was talking to a camera and I think that stifled my personality a bit.  The fix – ask if it’s possible to sit beside the anchor.  If that’s a no-go, know that you’re going to need to eat the lens and pretend that it’s the person you’re talking to so that you can feel, and come off, like you’re having a normal conversation.
• Don’t expect their questions to match your talking points.  I knew what I wanted to get across, but my manners took over and I wanted to answer the interviewers questions, too!  The fix – give short, yet valuable answers to the questions and then segue into the points that you want to make.

A great book about getting attention for whatever you’re doing is Step Into the Spotlight by Tsufit.  Happy TV’ing!

Catch me on WRAL-TV in Raleigh

UPDATE – Had a great interview about the book today.  Pam Saulsby stepped in for Bill Leslie and it went well.  I look forward to having another TV interview so that I can use the lessons I learned!  Here is the link to the video – http://www.wral.com/entertainment/video/6590491/

Let the promotion begin!  Bill Leslie at WRAL-TV in Raleigh has been kind enough to offer to interview me about my book.  We’ll be talking about Holy IT! at around 12:40pm on Thursday, December 10th.

I’ll update this post with the video once it is available.

How Did You Write a Book?

So I’ve just finished my first book, Holy IT!   As I’ve started to get the word out about it, a lot of people have asked me how the heck I managed to write a book while working full-time as the sole breadwinner for my young family and dealing with all of the curveballs of life at the same time.  The short answer is, “I found the right thing – the thing I truly needed to be doing.”

The longer answer is that it wasn’t done quickly, it took a lot of discipline and perseverance and it required the help of others, big time.  The key is to find your ‘IT’ – you’re “right thing.”  If you’re floundering around and not taking action on something, you probably haven’t found IT.  If you’re finding excuses to not do something, you probably haven’t found IT.  If you start something, then get bored with it and start something else, you probably haven’t found IT. 

When you keep coming back to something, over and over – no matter what life challenge gets in the way or diverts you - you’ve probably found IT.  That was my experience – I determined that I am here to “Help Others Achieve’ and writing the book was my big, audacious way of doing just that.

You’ll find yours after some exploration, input from others and a couple of times when you realize it’s back in your lap…again and again!

What’s the Deal With the Acorn?

The acorn is a symbol for your “IT” – that thing you know you should be doing, but you’re not.  At some point in our lives, we all face the shoulda, woulda, couldas.  “I wish I had done this” – “Someday I’ll do that” — “If only I could”

Introducing my blog about finding and doing your ‘thing’ in life as well as doing right by others.  I will share information from my first book, Holy IT! to help you get from idea to execution.  We’ll also talk about the power of groups and coaching.

I know that your time is precious – thank you for spending some of it reading what I have to say.