November 2012

I’ve Got Hundreds Of Followers, But I Lost My Wife To Her iPhone

A little boy wants his mom to come outside and watch him do a trick on his bike.

In high school, he wants her to watch him play ball, but what he really wants is to impress a girl.

In college, mom has fallen off the radar, but there is a girl. He’s desperate for her to pay him some attention.

Marriage doesn’t change any of that.

He wants his wife to pay attention, but unfortunately, his tricks may no longer be worth watching. Much.

From our childhood to the grave we’re all craving attention. It’s the stuff of building relationships.

Not just at home, but at work. In our social circles. Even online. Only the lonely know the way I feel.

Years ago my wife and I stepped out one evening to grab a bite to eat. Across the way was an older couple. Yeah, even older than us!

They were already sitting down when we walked in. We were there for just under an hour. The entire time – and I mean, the ENTIRE time – she was on her cell phone talking while her husband sat in silence.

Their food arrived and she ate while holding the cell phone to her ear. Quietly, her husband ate his meal while she was apparently fully engaged with whomever was on the other end of the line. As they exited the restaurant, she was still talking on the phone, leading the way out the door, with her husband quietly in tow. My wife and I marveled at it and wondered a few things. Who was she talking to? What kind of cell phone plan did she have? Serious questions.

I was reminded of a John Prine song with these lyrics, “How the h-ll can a man leave home in morning, come home in the evening, and have nothin’ to say?” (You’ve likely heard the Bonnie Raitt version, but John wrote it)

It’s now very common among people of all ages. It happens in restaurants. It happens at the table in our own homes. Electronic connections have disconnected us physically.

It’s getting tough out here though. Much tougher than it used to be. Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate what we’re doing…and more importantly, what we’re failing to do.

Meanwhile, in my ears ring the lyrics to Angel From Montgomery.

P.S. No, I didn’t lose my wife to her iPhone, but I do often have to compete with Words-With-Friends. 😉

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You Can’t Dabble Your Way To Success: The Power Of Going All In

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Every child has been asked that question. A lot.

The answer seems easy when we’re small. A fireman. A football player. A teacher. A nurse.

By the time we leave elementary school our likely answer is, “I don’t know!”

I marvel with envy those people who say, “I’ve ALWAYS wanted to be _________.” How cool would it be to have always known what you wanted to be, what you wanted to do?

I wasn’t that lucky. Or astute.

I’ve had to figure it all out on the fly. It is hard work. Very hard work. You know, right?

And then…there’s the urge to dabble. We all do it. We do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. All in the hopes of finding success. The problem is, you can’t dabble your way to success!

Today’s show is super short, but the message is among the most powerful lessons I’ve learned. I know it’s true. I believe it. But, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do it.

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Episode 148 – Lessons From The TV Show, The Voice

NBC’s hit show, The Voice

Four celebrity singers. Each with his own team of 6 singers. Now, they’ll compete for top honors on NBC’s hit TV show, The Voice.

During Tuesday night’s show the competition completed the “Battle Round” or “KnockOut Round.” Each coach pits two team members against each other. The coach decides a winner, who will advance, leaving the loser to go home.

Four lessons emerged from these battle rounds. I’ve watched all four teams go through this round and every single time these elements enter into the equation to determine the winner — and the loser!

We can apply these same four things to our business building. I’ll give you one hint: song selection is critical.

P.S. Subscribe to the podcast at iTunes and while you’re at it, leave me a 5-star review. It’ll help other people find the podcast. Thank you!

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Cool Hand Luke – 45 Years Ago Today

Donn Pearce wrote the novel in 1965. He also wrote the screenplay made famous by Paul Newman’s brilliant portrayal of a man who refused to be broken.

Even in his personal life, I always thought of Paul Newman as “cool.” Cool Hand Luke. The movie was released on November 1, 1967. That was 45 years ago today. From them to now people often use the phrase made famous by Strother Martin.

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