AchieveMax® Blog

Last month, I had the privilege of speaking to a group of young people who were preparing to move on to the next plateau in their lives after graduation. On my return trip home from the Florida panhandle, I had a layover in Atlanta. My plane was delayed due to local storms so I grabbed a bite to eat. Like most airport restaurants, they had several TV monitors mounted on every wall. Waiting for my meal, I checked my e-mail on my laptop while glancing at the news headlines on the TV monitor.

For some reason, I happened to catch a commercial from start to finish. I’m not what you would call a commercial-lover. In fact, whenever possible, I fast forward through the majority of them. I obviously didn’t have that option in the airport, and I’m actually thankful for that fact. I watched a one-minute commercial which left me with a tear in my eye, a smile in my heart, and a valuable lesson on my mind.

It was so captivating that I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. There was a young boy about 7 or 8 years old standing at home plate on a deserted baseball field. He had a big smile on his face and a baseball cap askew on his tiny head. He held a bat on his shoulder with one hand and a baseball in the other. With enthusiasm he yelled, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world,” as he tossed the ball into the air, swung the bat, missed the ball completely and fell to the ground. He jumped up, replaced his dusty hat, picked up the ball off the ground, repositioned his bat and said, “Strike one.”

Again, with enthusiasm, he yelled, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world,” as he tossed the ball into the air, swung the bat, missed the ball completely once again and fell to the ground. Again, he jumped up, replaced his hat, picked up the ball off the ground, repositioned his bat and said, “Strike two.”

Again, with a little less enthusiasm, he yelled, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world,” as he tossed the ball into the air a third time, swung the bat with all his might, and once again missed the ball by a country mile as he fell to the ground. This time he got up a little bit slower, replaced his dusty hat, left the bat in the dirt and sadly said, “Strike three!”

He stood there at home plate dusting himself off with a sad look of shame and disappointment on his face. Then, as the camera closed in on his face, you could see his frown change to deep thought as he raised his eyes to the clouds in the bright sunny sky.

His facial expression quickly changed from deep thought to total joy as he tossed his hat high into the air and screamed as loud as he could, “I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!”

Now there’s a young man who has obviously learned the true value of a simple “reframe.” I wonder how many times, we, as adults, could share that same joy if we’d just put forth an effort to look at things differently … a simple “reframe.”

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 on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Here’s our second installation of a new feature designed to assist you in your efforts to save some time and effort in your day-to-day quest for success. As we locate valuable resources, we’ll post them here for your convenience. Browse the listing, identify potential assets, make a quick trip to those sites you chose to see if they may be worthwhile to add to your Favorites.

If you happen to have resources you feel might be valuable to others, please feel free to send them to me at the e-mail address listed here, and we’ll certainly consider posting them as well.

Tap the Power of Wise Geeks to Answer Your Questions

wiseGEEK allows you to search over 22,100 (and growing) articles, providing answers to common questions everyone seems to have but no one can find. It is maintained by a team of writers and editors dedicated to providing clear and concise answers to common questions. Currently, there are more than 50 active, qualified contributors, and profiles are provided. Readers are also permitted to “comment on this article” if they have additional information to offer. Every comment is researched and implemented where appropriate. Their qualified writers along with the army of readers ensure that the information is as accurate as possible.

Categories are numerous and you can expect to be overwhelmed with the number of answers you’ll discover on this site. Categories include: Technology & Gadgets, Home & Garden, Manufacturing and Industry, Internet & Computers, Health & Wellness, Crafts and Do-It-Yourself, Finance & Investing, Science & Engineering, Cars-Boats & Airplanes, Business & Economy, Sports & Hobbies, Food & Cooking, Travel & Entertainment, Art & Music, People, The World, Animals & the Environment, The United States, Language & The Humanities, History & Government, Miscellaneous, and others.

U.S. National Debt Clock

While the U.S. National Debt Clock is a very interesting site, you might want to be sure you’re sitting down before you actually make the visit. You’re in for a real shock! This site continually updates our outstanding National Debt, our estimated population and each citizen’s share of that enormous figure. By the way, the answer is yes—that total figure is in the trillions! It’s a real eye-opener and even tells you how to voice your concern to Congress and the White House.

The Outstanding Public Debt as of July 9, 2008, at 07:30:00 PM GMT is: $9,496,827,721,239.56

The estimated population of the United States is 304,325,087 so each citizen’s share of this debt is $31,206.19.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $1.72 billion per day since September 28, 2007! Concerned? Then tell Congress and the White House!

By the way, they even provide a link to another site that answers all of your questions about the U.S. National Debt Clock and even shares questions and answers of previous visitors.

U.S. POPClock Projection

The U.S. population clock is based on the national population estimates. The U.S. Census Bureau produces national population estimates annually using the latest available data on births, deaths, and international migration. Each year, we recalibrate the population clock when we release the new set of population estimates.

According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the resident population of the United States, projected to 07/09/08 at 19:33 GMT GMT (EST+5) is 304,556,518.

COMPONENT SETTINGS FOR JULY 2008

• One birth every 7 seconds.
• One death every 13 seconds.
• One international migrant (net) every 30 seconds.
• Net gain of one person every 10 seconds.

The MightyCool Atomic Clock

If you need to set your clock to the actual current time, a quick visit to this site will provide you with precise time. The MightyCool Atomic Clock is calibrated several times per day with the U.S. Naval Observatory Atomic Clock, which maintains the official time standard for the United States of America as mandated by law.

You can find the time for each of the Pacific/Mountain/Central/Eastern time zones here at home as well as select International Times.

You’ll find a button on the page labeled RELOAD. Simply click on that button and the Atomic Clock updates to the current second.

Stress Relief

Time for a unique combination of both fun and stress relief. Go to this site and the page is nothing but a full screen duplication of a sheet of bubblewrap. You know how relaxing and mind-numbing it can be to simply sit there and pop each bubble on a full sheet of bubblewrap.

This site has several advantages compared to the real experience:

1. It requires much less effort than the real thing inasmuch as all you have to do is move your mouse across the page clicking on each of the 140 bubbles to hear each relaxing “pop.”
2. When you’ve finished, simply hit the “Fresh Sheet” button, and you immediately have another 140 bubble to pop. This can go on for as long as it takes to totally relieve your tension and stress.
3. Having a really tough day? There’s another button at the bottom of the page labeled “Manic Mode.” Hit this button and your page is transformed to deal with your increased level of stress. You no longer have to use your mouse to click on each bubble. Simply move your mouse all over the sheet as fast as you can, and you’ll pop every bubble you pass over—no clicking required. This, of course, increases the speed of your “popability.” Exhaust yourself! I know—get a life! On the other hand, this site may just prolong the one you have!

Bureau of Labor Statistics

If you’re looking for stats for any reason at all, this is the site to meet your needs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is the principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics. The BLS is an independent national statistical agency that collects, processes, analyzes, and disseminates essential statistical data to the American public, the U.S. Congress, other Federal agencies, State and local governments, business, and labor. The BLS also serves as a statistical resource to the Department of Labor.

Stats are organized in the following categories for quick reference and ease of discovery:

• Productivity
• Business Costs
• Safety & Health
• Demographics
• Publications
• Occupations
• International
• Industries
• Research
• Geography
• Other Statistical Sites
• Kid’s Page
• Employment & Unemployment
• At-a-Glance Tables
• Inflation & Consumer Spending
• Wage, Earnings & Benefits

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 on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Everyone claims to understand the significance of communication and the critical role it plays in any successful venture. Why then do we see so many disasters attributed to the lack of or poor communication? Marriage, politics, warfare, negotiation and business success all hinge on the ability to converse with one another.

There are many aspects to productive communication, but the following two are essential factors which have the potential to make or break any situation: respect and empathy (identification with and understanding of another’s situation, feelings and motives).

Think about the following Generational Gem the next time you want a positive communicative outcome based on respect and empathy.

A man and his wife had been arguing all night, and as bedtime approached neither was speaking to the other. It was not unusual for the pair to continue this war of silence for two or three days. However, on this occasion, the man was concerned; he needed to be awake at 4:30 a.m. the next morning to catch an important flight, and being a very heavy sleeper he normally relied on his wife to wake him.

Cleverly, so he thought, while his wife was in the bathroom, he wrote on a piece of paper: “Please wake me at 4:30 a.m. I have an important flight to catch.” He put the note on his wife’s pillow, then turned over and went to sleep.

The man awoke the next morning and looked at the clock. It was 8 a.m.! Enraged that he’d missed his flight, he was about to go in search of his errant wife to give her a piece of his mind, when he spotted a hand-written note attached to his pillow right next to his head.

The note said: “It’s 4:30 a.m. Get up.”

RESPECT and EMPATHY!

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 on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

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.

• Philadelphia, York, Lancaster, Baltimore, Annapolis, Princeton, Trenton, and New York City were the cities serving as the seat of government for the fledgling United States of America before Washington, D.C., became the nation’s permanent capital in December 1800.
• President Nixon was the first U.S. President to attend a regular season National Football League game while in office.
• Roughly a quarter of the world’s people live in China.
• Seventy percent of household dust is made up of dead skin flakes.
• The height of the 984-foot-tall Eiffel Tower varies, depending on the temperature, by as much as 6 inches.
• The largest movie theater in the world, Radio City Music Hall in New York City, opened in December, 1932. It originally had 5,945 seats.
• The largest stained-glass window in the world is at Kennedy International Airport in New York City. It can be seen on the American Airlines terminal building and measures 300 feet long by 23 feet high.

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 on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

This article is the fourth in an occasional series on project creep. The focus of this article is on feature creep, something closely related to scope creep.

Our custom-designed “Project Management: From Concept to Completion” seminar contains many basic tools for project managers. A topic area that seminar participant can easily relate to is project creep.

There are many excellent books on project management available in the marketplace. One particular book, Effective Project Management by Wysocki, Beck, and Crane, very clearly addresses the project creep area and focuses on the topic of feature creep.

In the previous article on project scope creep, you will see a brief description of scope creep. Feature creep is the same as scope creep except that feature creep is initiated by the provider rather than the client. When I was involved in a software design project, the programmers or systems analysts would think of a new feature or service not indicated in the project requirements. One of the team members decides to include a little extra feature because it adds value to the project and the end user. The client didn’t ask for the feature or service but they get the feature anyway.

Jeffrey W. Drake, Ph.D., is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a firm specializing in custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Jeff has made presentations ranging from leadership to empowered teams and project management to communication styles for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, and manufacturing. For more information on Jeff's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

If you are interested in project management, you might also enjoy ...

• Project Management Training Seminar: Project Management: From Concept to Completion
• Project Management Speakers and Project Management Training
• Top Project Management Books
• Managing Projects Effectively
• Project Management: A Winning Strategy
• Five Tips for Wedding Project Management
• Project Scope Creep
• Project Hope Creep
• Project Effort Creep
• Project Feature Creep

The following short test should cause you to pause and hopefully think about one of the more important things in your life. Grab a pad and see if you can answer these questions. You might be surprised.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress. 
6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is none of us remember the headliners of yesterday … and these are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields! But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name two friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name three people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you.

Easier? The lesson? The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.

They are the ones that care. If at all possible, take a moment from your busy schedule and offer them your thanks and appreciation—while you still can.

Then proceed to attempt to get yourself on someone else’s list … mentor, teach, share. You’ll feel as good about your effort as they will.

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 on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

What comes to mind with you think July? Vacations? Heat? Lemonade? Picnics? Grill? Fireworks? Boats? All-Star Baseball game? Correct on every count!

July is, on average, the warmest month within most of the Northern hemisphere and the coldest month within much of the Southern hemisphere.

July was renamed for Julius Caesar, who was born in that month.

Weekly Celebrations and Observances:

• Hug Week
• Freedom Week
• National Salad Week
• Nude Recreation Week
• Great Circus Parade Week
• Take Charge of Change Week
• National Laundry Workers Week
• National Unassisted Homebirth Week
• Freedom from Fear of Speaking Week
• National Therapeutic Recreation Week

Monthly Celebrations and Observances:

• National Hot Dog Month
• Read an Almanac Month
• National Blueberry Month
• National Ice Cream Month
• National Hitchhiking Month
• National Baked Bean Month
• National Fireworks Safety Month
• Hemochromatosis Screening Awareness Month

July Daily Celebrations and Observances:

• 1 Canada Day/Dominion Day
• 1 Creative Ice Cream Flavor Day
• 1 Financial Freedom Day
• 4 Independence Day
• 4 National Country Music Day
• 5 Anxiety Day
• 5 Work-a-holics Day
• 6 National Fried Chicken Day
• 6 National Cherry Festival Day
• 7 Chocolate Day
• 9 National Sugar Cookie Day
• 13 Barbershop Music Appreciation Day
• 14 National Nude Day
• 20 National Ice Cream Day
• 21 National Junk Food Day
• 21 National Hot Dog Day
• 23 Vanilla Ice Cream Day
• 24 Cousins Day
• 26 Aunt and Uncle Day
• 27 Parents Day
• 28 Accountants Day
• 29 National Lasagna Day
• 30 National Cheesecake Day
• 30 Father-in-Law Day

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 on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

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.

• It took Leonardo Da Vinci 10 years to paint Mona Lisa’s lips.
• Levan, Utah, is “navel” spelled backwards. It was so named because it is in the middle of Utah.
• On average, twins are born 24 days earlier than single babies.
• Men are six times more likely to be struck by lightning than women.
• More Hollywood films have been made about boxing than any other sport.
• New York City has the largest black population of any city in the United States. It is followed by Chicago and Philadelphia.
• Ninety percent of U.S. households have at lease one remote control for the television; 8 out of 10 report losing it.

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 on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.