Here's Your Stone

Let's Do This Thing!

2008-12-22T14:40:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a while since I have posted to this site. Yes...a year is a while!!!

I have been dabbling...positiontioning...learning...reading...thinking this past year. And what I have come up with is that I LOVE presenting and presentations. Now I am not talking about those boring old presentations where some overweight middle aged man with an ill fitting missmatched suit stands up and reads his powerpoint slides that have about 100 bullet points per slide. THAT IS NOT WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!!!

I LOVE presentations that make you jump up afterwards and say WOW! That move you...that tell a story...that challenge...excite...initiate!

You know they are out there!!!

So I am changing focus a little bit. My "Here's Your Stone" blog is still going to be committed to to giving you the resources (stones) you need to face your giant. But they will be focused on presenting...making your point...FINDING YOUR VOICE!

All of my future posts will be geared related to:

1. Discovering Your Voice - Knowing what your purpose in life is.
2. Developing Your Voice - Finding the main point your are trying to communicate and telling your story
3. Designing Your Voice - Creating a visually stimulating presentation
4. Delivering Your Voice - Interacting with your audience to get them engaged and passionate about what you have to say.

This is where we are going. If you are interested follow me!!!

Purpose Power

2007-12-10T22:44:00.000-08:00

Purpose is a powerful thing. If you are not ready to see yourself in a maximized state, don't activily persue the discovery of your personal purpose. Because it is a powerful thing. Thoughts change, actions change, confidence change, goals change....LIFE CHANGES when purpose is understood, defined, and embraced.

In 2005 I had my second great day, the day I discovered my purpose in life. It is to teach, develop, and focus myself and other leaders to encourage Christ centered success. As a result of focusing on this individual and personal purpose, I have created this audio training. January 2008 my FIRST (yes I plan on having others) CD seminar will be published and ready for you to purchase. Isn't self promotion wonderful?!?!?!

There is power in purpose. If you are not ready to experience that power, then don't change a thing. But if you are ready, buckle up, hold on to your seat, and let's go!!!

All Purpose

2007-12-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

Why are we so concerned with things being all purpose? Are we afraid to admit that what we do, the product we have, the group that we are involved with has a very specific purpose?

I typed in "all purpose" into a search engine and found 530 million listings and .16 secs!!! But you know what I noticed, ALL of the "all purpose" products has a specific purpose...all purpose cleaners, all purpose fertilizers, all purpose pink sleeper chair (really? sounds specific to me)

Why are we afraid of our purpose??? Grab a hold of it...maximize it...amplify it!!! We have a purpose...deal with it...enjoy it!

Quote: Dreams

2007-10-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

"If you're big enough for your dreams, then your dreams aren't big enough for you."
Edwin McManus

The Legacy Problem

2007-10-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought leaving a great legacy could be a problem? I never really thought of it that way. I thought leaving no or a negative legacy…yeah that’s a problem, but leaving a good one? What in the world could be a problem with that?

This Friday my wife’s grandfather (“granddaddy”) turns 80 years old. We are having a huge get together for him. Family from all over the country is rallying in Robinson to celebrate this soft spoken man that has had a huge impact on each of our lives. This wonderful man will at some point in time give each of his family members a huge hug and whisper in their ear, “Welcome home!” You can’t beat that feeling.

You know what the biggest problem is with the weekend? Too many people. That’s right…where in the world do we put everyone!

That’s the problem with a life lived well, a legacy that can not been contained. How’s it looking for you? Are you going to have a space problem?

DEFINATLY Laugh

2007-09-28T05:44:00.000-07:00

There are very few things in life that you DEFINATLY have to do. So when you DEFINATLY find something that you DEFINATLY have to do then you DEFINATLY have to share it. One of the things I DEFINATLY have to share is that I have been laughing so hard at myself over the past couple days because I DEFINATLY spelled DEFINATLY wrong in my inaugural survey on this blog. And I DEFINATLY just found out that when you spell DEFINATLY wrong in the survey, you DEFINATLY can’t change it.

Life is too short to be too serious. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Take the time to laugh. And I would DEFINATLY love to hear about some of the times you had to laugh at yourself!

Quote: Gray Twilight

2007-09-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” --Theodore Roosevelt (April 10, 1899)

Look Out World…I Have a Disability!

2007-09-25T19:59:00.000-07:00

Dan Pink recently pointed out that people with Dyslexia are four times more likely to be a millionaire than those who don’t have it. So all of us out there with Lexdysia REJOICE!!! My friend Dave Rendall called me with that tidbit because he knows that this is something that I struggle with. And now he wishes he had it!

Dave uncovered this little piece of info while he was working on his next book. A must read called Freak Factor: Discovering Uniqueness by Flaunting Weakness. Seriously you all have to read this book…oh yeah when it is finally published. I will let you know when it is. But to wet your appetite a bit check out his Freak Factor Blog, very worth while.

Ok so what were we talking about…focus Mike focus. Oh wait that is exactly my point. Why is it that this disability actually gives the possessor an advantage? Pink goes into the fact that it is related to the usage of the sides of the brain, could be. I have a different theory…FOCUS! No really, I think having a disability, something that you have to overcome can be an advantage. It can make it so that the only way you can be successful is to focus. And a focused person has the advantage. So look out world…I have a disability!

Turn Your Sign Around

2007-09-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was driving back from a weekend away. I was heading through Chicago, one of those cities I always enjoy seeing through my rear view mirror. As I was attempting to drive through, had the opportunity to take part in the cities most beloved summer past time…sitting in construction induced traffic.

As I was sitting there I noticed up ahead one of my favorite construction crew jobs…the sign holder upper! You know who I’m talking about. The team member who it’s hard to tell if they are holding the sign up or if the sign is holding them up. Yeah that’s the one!

This person was a little different than most sign holder uppers. She was holding the slow sign and waving a big orange flag. And as I got close to her I noticed that she was getting more and more frustrated as each car pasted her. You could see it by the look on her face. When I got right next to her, I heard her yelling…STOP!!! Now that really threw me.

So as I got past her I looked back. And sure enough my memory was correct. The back of her slow sign had a sign with big, bright, white letters S-T-O-P. This sign holder upper was holding a stop sign!!!

She could have easily stopped traffic. She had the tools. Why didn’t she use them? Why didn’t she turn her sign around???

As I drove along shaking my head at this sign holder upper, I realized wait a second do I ever fail to turn my sign around? Use all the tools, skills, or abilities I have? And I had to admit yes I have done that!

So the next logical question is why? Why do we fail to turn our sign around?

· Fear of failure?
· Don’t value the task?
· Lack of understand of our skills and abilities?

What ever the cause, don’t miss the opportunity to be successful. Use your gifts…turn your sign around!!!

Welcome, Here’s Your Stone

2007-09-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

First of all I want to thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I have to admit this whole blogging thing is not something I have been very interested in. I know the next reasonable question to that statement is “so why have you created one?” Great question…thanks for asking it! The reason I have started this blog is because it is a tool to and end. You see one of my passions in life. Actually not just a passion I feel my purpose in life is to teach, develop, and focus myself and other leaders to encourage Christ centered success. And I see a blog as a wonderful tool that you and I can use to accomplish this. So all that being said, I am now an official blogger. Hold your applause please!

Speaking of focus let me get to the point of this blog. I whole heartily believe that everyone has value. Yes I did say EVERYONE. You might be thinking Mike I know this one dude that you have to meet because he would buck your theory. Despite that I truly think that even that dude has something to offer someone. There is value in all of us. We have all had experiences, posses skills, or have made observations that has value to another. We might need help identifying what our value added points are but I promise you they are there!

I feel so strongly about adding value to others and helping encourage others to do the same that I am or have, depending on when you are reading this, started a company to help me accomplish this very task. In the Fall of 2007 SMOOTH STONE Resources has been created to help people develop and focus so that they can encourage success for themselves and others by sharing what they posses that is valuable.

This value I have been talking about comes in the form of tools that we have or can create and ultimately give to other people. These tools come in all shapes, sizes, and functions. That’s what makes it fun! The tools I have to give could be VERY different than the tools you have to give. Isn’t that a beautiful thing?

I picture this “tool exchange” being similar to a powerful tool transaction between God and David. See David had a huge problem. Ok so his problem was about 9 foot tall, with bulging muscles and bad breath. You got it, Goliath! So here we have David with a giant of a problem. And in the face of that mammoth man he was given and unlikely tool, one smooth stone! This was all he needed to succeed and face his giant. Isn’t that a powerful thing to see how a river rock given by the right person, in the hands of the right person, at the right time encourage generation changing success? A similar “tool exchange” could be between you and me!

So I encourage you to keep checking back on my blog as we both travel on this journey of encouraging success. Come on…let’s go, we ALL have lots to learn from each other! Yes even from that dude!