AchieveMax® Blog

For most of us, March marks the end of winter and offers hope for a pleasant Spring. However, blustery, windy days are as frequent as warm, sunny days. For hoop fans March Madness is also in the air as basketballs can be heard bouncing from coast to coast and Spring Training springs forth for baseball fans. The Easter holidays bring the family together early this year, and St. Patrick’s Day honors the Irish while giving everyone else a good reason to party in preparation of warmer days and summer fun.

• March is National Women’s History month.
• March is Optimism Month.
• March is International Ideas Month.
• March is Employee Spirit Month.
• March is American Red Cross Day.
• March 1st is St. David’s Day.
• March 2nd is National Reading Day.
• March 2nd is Dr. Suess’s birthday (born in 1904).
• March 3rd is Alexander Grahm Bell’s birthday (born in 1847).
• March 3rd is the anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner, written by Francis Scott Key, as our National Anthem (1931).
• March 8th is International Women’s Day.
• March 9th is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time.
• March 10th is Employee Appreciation Day.
• March 12th is Girl Scout Day (1912).
• March 14th is Albert Einstein’s birthday (born 1879).
• March 15th is Ides of March.
• March 16th is Palm Sunday.
• March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day.
• March 18th is Anniversary of Campfire Boys and Girls Founded in 1910 — co-ed in 1975).
• March 20th is St. Joseph’s Day.
• March 20th is the first day of Spring.
• March 21st is Good Friday.
• March 23rd is Easter Sunday.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

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Very seldom does this subject not come up at some point during our “I Hate Time Management” or “Stress: The Ultimate Paradox” seminars. Someone in the audience always seems to experience that epiphany that seems to stop us in our tracks and causes us to ask: “Why am I working so many hours?” or “Why am I away from home so much?” or “Why am I focusing only on earning money for a family I never see?” Kind of ironic, isn’t it? We get so caught up in striving for a better life that we miss much of the life we have in the process.

Sometimes we merely need to pause for a moment to enjoy the more simplistic but rewarding moments in life. The benefits can’t be measured. They shouldn’t be. They should be enjoyed and treasured. That thought brings us to our next generational gem.

Magic Marbles

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn’t help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

“Hello Barry, how are you today?”

“H’lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus’ admirin’ them peas. They sure look good.”

“They are good, Barry. How’s your Ma?”

“Fine. Gittin’ stronger alla’ time.”

“Good. Anything I can help you with?”

“No, Sir. Jus’ admirin’ them peas.”

“Would you like to take some home?” asked Mr. Miller.

“No, Sir. Got nuthin’ to pay for ‘em with.”

“Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?”

“All I got’s my prize marble here.”

“Is that right? Let me see it” said Miller.

“Here ’tis. She’s a dandy.”

“I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?” the store owner asked.

“Not zackley but almost.”

“Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble,” Mr. Miller told the boy.

“Sure will. Thanks, Mr. Miller.”

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said, “There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn’t like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.” I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man.

A short time later I moved to Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles. Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community, and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them.

Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could. Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts … all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband’s casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband’s bartering for marbles. With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket. “Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim ‘traded’ them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size … they came to pay their debt.”

“We’ve never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,” she confided, “but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho.” With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three equisitely shined red marbles.

The Moral: We will not be remembered by our words but by our kind deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

It’s intriguing how easy it is to find examples of creativity in our everyday lives. We’re surrounded by evident situations which have evolved from creative thinking; however, we, for some reason, simply neglect to recognize and/or acknowledge them.

Consider the simple M&M. Yes, the candy. When most people hear “M&M,” they immediately visualize a very small round candy-coated piece of chocolate candy, available in a small variety of colors, in a small, somewhat bland, brown bag. M&Ms taste great, they’ve been around for what seems like forever, and the most creative thing about them seems to be their slogan informing us that they melt in our mouth—not in our hands. Can you imagine being given the task to be creative with something as simplistic as an M&M? Well, my friend, it’s been done, and done very well, proving that creative thinking can be applied to just about anything.

Now move with me from the visual of a single M&M in your hand to this picture of one of three, yes three, retail stores operating under the name “M&M’s World.” This is the storefront of the Las Vegas location situated right on the Strip next to the MGM Hotel and Casino. This is a 28,000-square-foot, 4-story monument to chocolate … a great family excursion featuring more than 4,000 one-of-a-kind gifts and souvenirs designed solely for M&M’s World.

They have another similar location located on Broadway in the center of Times Square in New York City. This is a 25,000-square-foot, 3-story sensory immersion into the world of chocolate, featuring an interactive kids area, full-size Ford Fusion NASCAR and a 17-foot Green M&M character of Lady Liberty.

The newest location can be found in the Florida Mall in Orlando, Florida, not too far from Disney World. This 16,000-square-foot spectacle features similar attractions to the first two and certainly fits into the magic of the Orlando area.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit the New York City and Las Vegas locations and I can attest to the fact that when you walk through the door your jaw will drop, your eyes will widen, your mind will wander, and you’ll feel as though you should be looking for Dorothy because you know you’ve somehow arrived in Oz.

You’re going to find M&M’s in every possible size, shape, form, color, price, and container you can imagine. You can actually create a multitude of color combinations of your choice and you can have personal names or slogans placed on each M&M. Corporate logos and slogans on each M&M are also available on site or you can also do this once you return home via their web site and have them shipped directly to your home or office.

In each of these mega stores, you can find just about everything. In the clothing area, you’ll find T-shirts, hats, jackets, shorts, socks, head wear, and a variety of sports wear available in Mens, Ladies, youth, and infants/toddlers sizes. The choice of logos, slogans, pictures, etc. is unlimited.

You’ll also find bags and luggage, greeting cards, key chains, jewelry, watches, pins, home decor, bed and bath products, kitchen gadgets, magnets, office accessories, keepsakes, dispensers of every size and shape, figurines, seasonal ornaments and snow globes, a variety of toys and games, a large assortment of plush, a full line of pet accessories, footballs, baseballs, basketballs, soccer balls, golf balls and golf accessories, glass wear, and even car accessories. In short, it would take less time to list the things you CAN’T find in these mega stores.

Now let’s go back to my request that you visualize a single M&M in the palm of your hand. Someone was charged with the challenge to get creative and come up with a number of ways to support and promote that single little piece of candy in such a way that millions of people worldwide will remember it. Mission accomplished. It is true that these creative souls belong to the larger MARS family … proud creators of such favorites as Snickers, Starburst, Skittles, Dove Bars, Twist, Mars Bars and Uncle Ben’s Rice. However, the thousands of products, ideas, promotions, packages, strategies, etc. came from  individuals … creative individuals.

The next time you’re facing a creative block, think back to that mental image of the single M&M in the palm of your hand. Then remember what’s evolved from something as basic as an individual piece of candy. If not for creative people with no-limit imaginations, open minds, and “get-er-done” attitudes, none of what I mentioned above would have become reality. As a result of these creative minds, millions of people have been pleased, surprised, entertained, and inspired beyond their wildest expectations. You can do the same. The choice is yours. Raise your own expectations, set goals, find mentors, benchmark, research, continuously challenge yourself, never stop learning and most importantly … enjoy your journey. 

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: creativity, out of the box, out-of-the-box thinking, innovation

If you are interested in creativity, you might also enjoy ...

• Creativity Training Seminar: Creative Innovation - Out-of-the-Box Thinking Seminar
• Creativity Keynote: Get Back in the Box - True Creativity
• Creativity Keynote: Tennis Shoes and Blue Jeans - Back-to-the-Basics Approach to Creativity and Innovation
• Creativity Speakers and Creativity Training
• Top Creativity Books
• Words of Wisdom on Creativity
• Innovation Posters
• Creativity for Success
• Tapping Your Creative Spirit at Botsford General Hospital
• USA TODAY Shares Eureka Moments
• Low Cost of Creativity
• Creativity Reigns Again
• Out-of-the-Box Thinking
• Tapping Potential
• Where's My Pizza?
• Are You Creative?
• How the Cookie Crumbles
• Individual Creativity
• Got an Idea? Passionately Pursue It!
• Grilled Cheese?
• Time to Flip Flop?

In the spirit of C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement), here are this week’s new facts—one for each day of your coming week. Pass them on to others to keep the spirit alive or invite your friends and family to visit our blog where they can also view previous entries.

• The bottom of the Grand Canyon is above sea level.
• There are more than 60,000 acres of shopping malls in the U.S.
• The Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota, is the size of 78 football fields.
• Cyndi Lauper’s 1984 hit “Girl’s Just Want to Have Fun” was written by a man.
• American’s use more than 4.8 billion gallons of water flushing toilets. An estimated 976,000 U.S. homes have no flush toilets. By the way, most toilets flush in E flat.
• The American Automobile Association (AAA) has more members, 48 million, than any other U.S. organization.
• Goldfish were originally green. The Chinese bred them to be many different colors.  Gold stuck.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: facts, learn, life-long learning

Free for the Taking − Help Yourself and Pass It On

This feature shares wisdom from some of the world’s greatest minds representing every walk of life … along with suggestions for application to many of today’s growing challenges. If you’d like to contribute a personal favorite, please do so by sending your offering to: 

Today’s Subject: Change
 
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”
 
Charles Darwin shared that wise observation one hundred and thirty-nine years ago. It’s still very relevant today when applied to organizations as well as individuals. We can find evidence of its authenticity in the news almost daily.
 
You’ll probably hear more references to the necessary concept of change during this politically charged year than at any other time in our history. Take a moment to openly discuss Darwin’s assertion with your fellow staff members as it applies to your organization and employees.

• Are we responsive to change throughout the organization?
• Are we timely with our response?
• Do we have pockets of change reluctance among our staff?
• Do we initiate change or revert to it as a response?
• What issues are ongoing that we have yet to manage?
• What changes must be made to manage those issues?
• Why haven’t we addressed these issues yet?

This exercise may very well provide you with some valuable insight as to the possibility of future success or the inevitable lack of it. Open discussion is the first step in a very value process.

• Where are we now?
• Where do we want and need to be?
• How do we get there?

Try it. You may be amazed where it may lead you!

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Most Expensive License Plate

A wealthy Abu Dhabi man shelled out $14 million for a vanity license plate with just one number on it − 1 − shattering the previous record of $6.8 million paid for a plate with 5 on it. In total, 90 license plates were auctioned off for $24 million.

Meg Whitman Steps down as CEO of eBay 

Margaret C. “Meg” Whitman has announced that she is stepping down as CEO of eBay. Whitman, who has been the President and CEO of the online marketplace since 1998, will remain on the Board of Directors. When she joined eBay, it had 29 employees and operated solely in the United States; eBay is now a global organization with over 15,000 employees. She led the company from a few customers to nearly 50 million; revenue jumped from a few dollars to nearly $6 billion.
 
This charismatic leader has long been admired in business circles as her many accomplishments have distinguished her in many areas. To learn more about her exalted career, check out her profile right here on our blog at Little-Known Facts About Well-Known Leaders - Meg Whitman.

Largest Beef Recall in History

A California meat company, Westland/Hallmark based in Chino, California, recently issued the largest beef recall in history, 143 million pounds, some of which was used in school lunch programs.
 
The historic recall comes after a widening animal-abuse scandal that started after the U.S. Humane Society distributed an undercover video that showed workers kicking sick cows and using forklifts to force them to walk. The video raised questions about the safety of the meat, because cows that cannot walk, called downer cows, pose an added risk of diseases including mad cow disease. The federal government has banned downer cows from the food supply.

Sharper Image Files for Chapter 11

Struggling electronics and specialty gifts retailer Sharper Image Corp. recently filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code. In a statement, San Francisco-based Sharper Image said it will continue to conduct business as usual while it develops a reorganization plan. Chief Financial Officer Rebecca L. Roedell said the company plans to close 90 of its 184 stores as soon as possible after it sells their inventories.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

I think I’ve lost track of the number of organizations that have made the claim that their people are their greatest asset. That sounds noble. It could possibly be a monumental strategy. It has the potential for striking great pride into the hearts of every employee. It offers the probability of enhanced productivity. Of course, all of these benefits evolve only if the organization “walks their talk.” Sadly, for a variety of obvious reasons, far two few companies invest the time and effort to properly do so.

If you truly believe your employees are an asset, it’s best to treat them as though they are exactly that. Coach, mentor, train and develop them to their fullest potential. Sometimes that will mean allowing them to experiment, struggle and even fail to a certain extent. Those elements are critical to the evolution of a productive staff. This process is exemplified by today’s generational gem.

A man found a butterfly’s cocoon. He observed it regularly and one day noticed the appearance of a small opening. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared stuck. 
 
The kind man decided to help the butterfly by cutting open the cocoon with a pair of scissors. The butterfly then emerged easily. However, something seemed strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man watched the butterfly expecting it to take on its correct proportions. Unfortunately, nothing changed.

The butterfly stayed the same. It was never able to fly. In his kindness and haste the man did not realize that the butterfly’s struggle to get through the small opening of the cocoon is nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight. Like the sapling which grows strong from being buffeted by the wind, in life we all need to struggle sometimes to make us strong. When we coach and teach others, be it children or employees, it is helpful to recognize that people sometimes need to do things for themselves.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

When I created this new feature to share current real-life examples of Out-of-the-Box Thinking, I had no idea that I would discover so many examples so rapidly. I have a new-found faith in that old adage: “Seek and ye shall find.” It also proves the power of “focus.” Have you ever noticed that shortly after buying a new car, you see dozens of others just like it on the road every day? You didn’t see them yesterday. Did everyone buy their new car last night? I doubt it. It’s simply a case of our not focusing on that particular make and model before we got ours. So it is with the many obvious examples of creative thinking emerging around us every day. If you want to find them, simply begin to focus on that goal.

For instance, Domino’s, the pizza-delivery kingpin, recently unveiled a new technology and came up with a very adequate name of “Pizza Tracker.” Now customers can track their pizza from the moment they place their order until it leaves the store en route to their homes. In addition, Domino’s vows that its online tracking system—for phone or online orders—is accurate to within 40 seconds.

The system is now available at 3,400 Domino’s outlets and will be in all of their stores by June of this year. It even gives folks the first names of the workers who take their phone order and deliver their pizza—and asks customers to rate them. Domino’s promises to investigate any customer comments about inappropriate behavior by order takers or delivery staff.

Now, let’s see how creative Domino’s really is. They have over 9,000 stores in 54 countries. Can you imagine the price tag of installing this new technology chain wide? Do you really believe that they’re doing this because there are millions of customers who have nothing better to do with their time than sit in front of their computer as they keep tabs on their pizza for the 30 minutes it takes to arrive at their front door? Come on!

Consider the benefits of their recent announcement:

They introduced this unique headline-grabbing technology the week of the Super Bowl. According to the folks at Domino’s Pizza, Super Bowl Sunday is the largest sales day of the year for Domino’s and about 42 percent more than on a normal Sunday. The company’s drivers will cover 4 million miles delivering on that day. The press release is being reported on radio, television, the Internet, newspapers and magazines across the nation, if not world-wide. Pretty good timing, wouldn’t you say? By the way, an announcement such as this is considered news and is reported as such. Therefore, all of the publicity mentioned above comes with no price tag. Add that free publicity to Domino’s Super Bowl advertising strategy and they’re going to be getting a lot of coverage at the busiest time of their year. (Note: I put “Domino’s Pizza Tracker” into Google and discovered 16,100 references in less than one second!)

There are additional benefits as well. Even though most customers will never waste time shadowing their pizza purchase, they know they can if they want to. They know that Domino’s was the first to offer this technology. They’ll discuss the pros and cons around the water cooler (free word-of-mouth advertising regardless of public opinion). Domino’s appear to be cutting edge in the industry.

They’re also offering a new method of feedback for their customers … even though most will never use it.

They’re also sending a message to their own employees that customers now have a way of rating their performance.

In the event this technology doesn’t catch on, Domino’s can always change their strategy long before they expand it to their remaining stores. If that happens, I doubt whether there will be a major press release. In the meantime, they certainly seem to taking advantage of their initial press campaign!

Let’s face it, here’s another example of creativity evolving from a product that is somewhat of a staple to many of their customers. In addition, you have to admit that it’s somewhat of a challenge to creatively promote a product such as a pizza in a way which we have not seen in the past. Domino’s found a way to do just that. Let’s watch to see how successful it is.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: creativity, out of the box, out-of-the-box thinking, innovation

If you are interested in creativity, you might also enjoy ...

• Creativity Training Seminar: Creative Innovation - Out-of-the-Box Thinking Seminar
• Creativity Keynote: Get Back in the Box - True Creativity
• Creativity Keynote: Tennis Shoes and Blue Jeans - Back-to-the-Basics Approach to Creativity and Innovation
• Creativity Speakers and Creativity Training
• Top Creativity Books
• Words of Wisdom on Creativity
• Innovation Posters
• Creativity for Success
• Tapping Your Creative Spirit at Botsford General Hospital
• USA TODAY Shares Eureka Moments
• Low Cost of Creativity
• Creativity Reigns Again
• Out-of-the-Box Thinking
• Tapping Potential
• Where's My Pizza?
• Are You Creative?
• How the Cookie Crumbles
• Individual Creativity
• Got an Idea? Passionately Pursue It!
• Grilled Cheese?
• Time to Flip Flop?

In the spirit of C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement), here are this week’s new facts—one for each day of your coming week. Pass them on to others to keep the spirit alive or invite your friends and family to visit our blog where they can also view previous entries.

• Beatle Paul McCartney wrote “When I’m 64″ when he was 15.
• There are more than 7,000 hotel rooms in the Las Vegas Venetian Hotel—more than can be found in all of Venice, Italy!
• According to John Hopkins University astronomers, the color of the universe is beige.
• The Nike company was founded with $1,000.
• In China, schools run from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• The scientific term for left-handedness is “sinistrality” … right-handedness is “dextrality.”
• There are about 500 species of fish capable of producing electricity.

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Technorati Tags: facts, learn, life-long learning

Free for the Taking − Help Yourself and Pass It On

Over the ages, we have indeed been blessed with a bountiful gift of wisdom from some of the world’s greatest minds representing every walk of life. Sadly, far too many of us either take their words for granted, are too busy to recognize the wisdom, obviously ignore the valued messages, or clearly feel it doesn’t apply to today’s intense circumstances. Some of us simply have yet to be exposed to these insights.
 
For those very reasons, this new series will share some of that wisdom along with suggestions for application to many of today’s growing challenges. If you’d like to contribute a personal favorite, please do so by sending your offering to

Let’s get started …
 
“When the student is ready, the teacher shall appear!”

This ancient Buddhist proverb has weathered the storms of time and progress to be as applicable today as it’s ever been. How many times have you heard veiled words of wisdom that simply never really clicked − just didn’t make sense at the moment? Then, all of a sudden − days, weeks, or even years later − you hear it again and experience one of those “Ah-Ha” moments. It suddenly clicks! The clouds part, the brilliance of reason shines through, and you wonder why you didn’t comprehend the obvious much sooner. The rationale is evident.
 
YOU weren’t ready until now! You are the student. Students never graduate as they’re open to continuous learning throughout their career. If you’re open-minded and eager to learn, the teacher can be anyone or anything. It may very well be a person but can also be a book, magazine, newspaper, TV or radio content, Google, a billboard, or just about anything at all.
 
As a life-long student … always be ready! Stay ready! Be open-minded and eager. Be the beneficiary of this ancient Buddhist wisdom. There’s a reason this advice has weathered the ages. The choice is yours!

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.