Personal Development Archives

Introducing the Thrive. Connect. Contribute. Podcast

March 18, 2020

Introducing the Thrive. Connect. Contribute. Podcast Positive stories of people who thrive in life, connect with others, and contribute to the world in the face of adversity. Who do you know who is modeling resilience during difficult times? Have you heard any good stories lately? In this critical time, we’re surrounded by acts of heroism, both large and small. For example, I heard a story today about an employee at Buzzfeed who gathered the houseplants from the cubicles of her coworkers and placed them in one area. That way she can come in during the shutdown and water the plants, so that the plants will be waiting for her coworkers…

What I Learned by Drowning

February 28, 2020

https://youtu.be/mGp01YfNZls?t=25 “I’ll race you across the lake.” When Tom said this to me, it took me a second. I was so surprised that he was talking to me. It should have made sense that he was talking to me. He’s 16 years old and I’m 14. We’re standing ankle-deep in Lake Williamsville, in Williamsville, Illinois. The shore is straight in front of us. Tom is brown and muscular like a good Eagle Scout. I’m 5’10, and 125 pounds. And about 5 pounds of that is pimples. With my thin pale body and red face, I looked like a matchstick standing at the edge of the water. As we’re looking across…

My Year of Personal Bests

January 1, 2019

My Year of Personal Bests Last November, I turned 60 years old. So, my big question for 2019 is, “What does my personal best look like for this new decade of life?” Let’s take running for example. The last time I set a personal record (PR) for any running distance was several years ago. Let’s be honest. I’m just not going to beat my time in the marathon that I ran in 2003. Over the last few days, I went back through several years of daily running logs to put together a chart of my PRs. You can see my PRs below. Personal Records (PR) 1 Mile, 6:55 Medtronic TC…

What I Learned from a 60-Day Sabbatical

November 29, 2017

Earlier this year, a dear friend passed away from breast cancer. Lynn and I were knocked back on our heels. We have had a desperately busy year. So far in 2017, I have interviewed 82 guests. We ran a successful crowdfunding campaign. We wrote a book, Crazy Good Advice. And the year isn’t even over yet! We decided to follow the very advice that we gave in the book and put on our own oxygen masks. As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty vessel.” So, we made the decision to take an extraordinary journey, a 60-day sabbatical. It has been the trip of a lifetime: Portugal, Spain,…

Shhhhhh

October 17, 2017

For October 2017, I’m going to be quiet. Very still and quiet. I’m putting on my own oxygen mask before assisting others. I’m practicing self-care. Don’t look for me on social media. Don’t expect a reply to your email. I’m only taking calls from family and friends. I love and appreciate you. I enjoy sharing my journey online and learning about your journey, too. You have responded and commented on the content I share. You have cheered me on and sent well-wishes. I feel your love and support. The podcast and radio program will continue. I have prerecorded some amazing episodes that will appear every Monday. I have automated the…

Work and Travel with Purpose, Ann Davis, Venture with Impact

September 18, 2017

Venture with Impact exposes professionals to new cultures, people, and ideas so that they may be more informed and emphatic world citizens, and in the process, provide a positive social impact. There is a saying, often attributed to Saint Augustine[i]: The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. Ann Davis understands the value of travel. She traveled to Chile for a study abroad experience with Tulane University. She lived with a local family. “I fell in love with Latin America,” she recalls. She saw the cultural differences between her and the local community, but she also saw the commonalities that connected them. After…

The Social Entrepreneur podcast is now available on Mondays

Why Social Entrepreneur is a Weekly Podcast

May 29, 2016

Social Entrepreneur is now a weekly podcast with new episodes every Monday! As a regular listener of the podcast Social Entrepreneur, you know that we have been releasing three episodes per week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. When I ask listeners like you to provide feedback, you tell me that you love the stories, but you don’t have time for three episodes every week. I get it. This is an incredibly time-consuming effort on my part, and the last thing I want to do is overwhelm you with content. Based on your feedback, we’re moving to a weekly podcast with new episodes on Mondays. The content and format will be approximately the same….

How to Receive 360-Degree Feedback When You’re a Solo Entrepreneur

April 6, 2016

360-degree feedback is an important tool for self-development. We know the benefits. It can increase our self-awareness. And self-awareness is the root of all relationships. When we’re better at relationships, we’re better at, well, everything. 360-degree feedback can reveal our blind spots. It helps us to target our development areas, and points out our strengths so that we can leverage them. And 360-degree feedback can provide a balanced view by providing multiple perspectives. The evidence is fairly clear that 360-degree feedback is a useful tool. But, what if you’re a solo entrepreneur? How can you receive 360-degree feedback? Solo entrepreneurs don’t have a boss, peers or employees. You don’t have an HR…

What Will You do With This One Short Amazing Life?

February 3, 2016

Impact: There is Precious Little Time I don’t think about it often, but there is one universal truth all humans share. We have precious little time to make an impact. Do you ever think about that? If you’re anything like me, every once in a while the universe comes along, taps you on the shoulder and whispers in your ear, “Remember why you are here.” Whether we are going to plant a tree, write a book, be a good parent or change the world, we’d better hurry. Of course we want our lives to matter. Who doesn’t, right? But once we understand our place in time, we sense that, if we are going to make an…

My Journey

November 28, 2015

This is my journey. Care to join me? There is a lot in my story that would not predict success. I was born in Arkansas in fairly simple circumstances. In high school I graduated 250th of 259. I drove a truck and worked as a janitor. I did not obtain my college degree until my mid-thirties. There were some significant turns in my river of life. At the age of 15 I had a near drowning accident. It helped me to realize how short life is, and how important it is to make an impact while we may. I had an amazing corporate career as an executive with Fortune 500 companies…

Personal Development

The best leaders know themselves the best. They create habits that enable them to sustain their efforts over time. They care for themselves as physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social beings. They learn, stretch and grow. They also reflect, relax and recover.

Introducing the Thrive. Connect. Contribute. Podcast

What I Learned by Drowning

My Year of Personal Bests

Shhhhhh

Why Social Entrepreneur is a Weekly Podcast

How to Receive 360-Degree Feedback When You’re a Solo Entrepreneur

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