I’m on the left coast this week … Los Angeles to be exact. It’s always a pleasure to make the trip west from my home state of Michigan to the much warmer climate and always intriguing culture of California. Every time I venture to this area, I learn something new and always meet very interesting people. California is indeed the epitome of the term “melting pot.”

While so many things out here differ tremendously from my local stomping grounds, there are also many similaries that appear to have nothing to do with geography. I make that same observation on each visit to the deep south or any one of our east coast metropolises such as NYC, Boston, D.C. or Philly.

One commonality which never seems to change is the issue of AGE. Regardless of your locale, AGE has already been an issue of concern for the majority of us. Interestingly enough, this issue affects us regardless of our current age.

For example, I can remember many of us waiting very impatiently to reach a certain age which would allow us certain privileges:

• drivers training
• “sweet 16″
• privilege to vote
• opportunity to drink
• opportunity for military service.

It seemed we were always too young to do so many things we yearned to do.

Then, almost over night, it seemed we were too old to do many things:

• compete competitively in many sports
• have children
• qualify for certain jobs
• wear certain clothing styles proven time and time again over the ages.

There’s a valuable life lesson to be learned here if we can merely handle the critical re-frame. It’s actually very simple but also challenging for many. In short, forget your age! It’s been proven time and time again as revealed in the pages of our history books. Clearly it’s what you do, not when you do it that really matters!

Consider the evidence:

At age 7 Mozart wrote his first symphony.

At age 14 country singer LeAnn Rimes won her first two Grammy awards.

At age 16 swimmer Shane Gould won three Olympic Gold medals.

At age 17 Joan of Arc led an army in defense of France.

At age 20 Debbi Fields founded Mrs. Fields cookie company.

At age 21 Fred DeLuca co-founded Subway with just $1,000 in the bank.

At age 43 John F. Kennedy ran for the U.S. Presidency and won.

At age 45 boxer George Foreman regained the heavyweight championship of the world.

At age 46 Jack Nicklaus won his sixth Masters tournament.

At age 54 jockey Willie Shoemaker won the Kentucky Derby.

At age 57 Ray Kroc founded McDonald’s.

At age 62 Colonel Sanders devoted himself to Kentucky Fried Chicken.

At age 78 Grandma Moses started painting and was still participating in one-woman art shows well into her nineties.

At age 83 architect Frank Lloyd Wright was asked which one of his masterpieces was the best. “My next one,” he said.

At age 86 Ruth Rothfarb ran the Boston Marathon in just over five hours. “You lose a lot of speed between 80 and 86,” she joked.

On his 104th birthday Cal Evans was interviewed by a Denver reporter. “Have you lived in Denver all your life?” asked the reporter. Cal laughed and replied, “Not yet, Sonny.”

Whether you’re five or 105, you have a lifetime ahead of you—so renew your dreams!

It doesn’t matter which part of the country you live it!

What are you passionate about?

What is something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t done?

Right now is a good time to start.

It’s never too late to begin your Bucket List! Give it a shot!

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Scanning cable news channels after midnight last night led me to believe that far too many people are willing to blame current business woes on poor economic conditions. In many cases that leads to a strategic plan of WAITING for things to get better on the economic front. Are you willing to chance that approach?

Realistically, we must admit that our poor U.S. economy certainly does negatively impact productivity and profitability. You simply can’t ignore that reality. Regrettably, there’s very little we alone can do about this harsh reality in the short term. However, the poor economy is far from the only reason performance is declining.

How do you account for the fact that so many businesses, across industries, are experiencing increased performance, profits, and growth at a time when so many others are falling by the wayside as helpless victims?

The answers may well lie in the study of GAP-ology! You may not be aware of this term as it’s seldom mentioned in the annals of management and leadership. However, it’s a process that we, the AchieveMax® team, have been focusing on for several years now and the benefits have been indeed plentiful.

Let’s begin with a simple definition of GAP-ology: It’s simply the consistent process of closing any and all gaps existing between the current status of your organization and the desired performance required to attain the success you seek.

Working with your staff, our team evaluates your current status in a number of gap areas … most of which you may not have identified as possible barriers to productivity, profitability, and growth within your organization.

We then develop an action plan to begin the closure of any gaps we may have identified. It’s been our experience that several of these negative gap areas exist simultaneously in many organizations and have never been successfully identified much less dealt with.

Take a look at a number of the gaps we’ve identified and closed for so many of our clients. Be totally honest as you consider the possibility of the existence of any one or more of these cancerous gaps.

• Expectations Gap
• Communications Gap
• Generation Gap
• Staff Development Gap
• Engagement Gap
• Empowerment Gap
• Creativity Gap
• Technology Gap
• Service Gap
• Execution Gap
• Accountability Gap
• Consequences Gap

Once identified, how do you Close the gap?

1. Awareness
2. Knowledge
3. Application
4. Creativity
5. Strategy
6. Involvement
7. Action
8. Persistence
9. Follow Up

Don’t take my word for it. Do some research. Consult your favorite business magazine or periodical, and you’ll quickly discover that every industry boasts successful leaders who have overcome the many obstacles we all face today. How do you think they’re doing it? You can bet that it lies in Gap Closure. Are you closing your gaps? We’d be more than willing to successfully assist you in that effort. Give us a call at 1-800-882-2629 TODAY!

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

As many of you may know, I’ve reviewed 200+ books in a variety of subject categories. I’ve always been an avid reader, but my increased travel schedule has made it more and more difficult during the past few years.

However, due to the wonders of technology, we now have choices in which we can deal with chaotic schedules and time restraints. Audio tapes, CDs, and electronic book readers such as the Kindle have been a tremendous asset for those who realize the importance of continuous learning and the key role that books play in doing so.

I can remember a time when book stores offered a foot or two of shelf space to display a very limited selection of audio books. Today, there are entire audio book stores and an unlimited number of books can be downloaded from the Internet. This technology now permits us to gather information through a variety of books while driving every day, flying for business or pleasure, or spending time in airports waiting to do so.

If you put only 12,000 miles per year on your car, you have the same time invested as one full college semester. That 12,000 miles is the equivalent of ten 40-hour work weeks, assuming an overall speed of 30 mph which is certainly more than attainable when you consider stopping, starting, traffic and speed limits. Can you imagine what you could learn by reading solidly for ten 40-hour weeks!

One university study says that the average American will spend 19,000 hours in a car during his/her lifetime. That’s the equivalent of FOUR Ph.D programs!

There is, of course, a catch. You must skip the typical music, negative news reports, or talk radio that the average driver automatically tunes into upon entering the car. Discipline yourself to listen to audio books and you’ll easily complete one full book per week! That’s 52 books per year or more than 500 books over the next 10 years!

Ask around and see how many people you can find that are reading a book a week? I think you know what you’ll find. Want an edge in today’s very competitive, chaotic, and ever-changing environment? This is certainly one way of getting and maintaining that edge. NOW DO IT!

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Loyalty appears to be going the way of the dinosaur or the dial telephone. Think about it. Loyalty has changed drastically in so many areas of our lives.

Loyalty from employer to employee and vice versa. Loyalty among family members. Loyalty to teams in most every sport. Loyalty to products, services, and brands. Loyalty to home cities and states. Loyalty to spouses and significant others.

The reasons are numerous and varied … many of which probably can’t or won’t be changed. It’s the evolution of progress. However, as an individual, you might want to pause a moment and ponder the consequences of this tragic loss of loyalty. While it affects everyone in different ways, few take the time or make an effort to examine those crucial consequences which affect them in so many aspects of their lives.

Consider this story as an illustration of potential outcomes resulting from the loss of loyalty.

There once was a blind girl who hated herself just because she was blind. She hated everyone … except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her—unconditionally! She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she could see everything, including the loyal boyfriend she loved so much. Her boyfriend asked her, “Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” The girl was shocked when she discovered that her boyfriend was blind too … and she refused to marry him!

Her boyfriend was heartbroken and devastated, walking away in tears. He later wrote a letter to her saying, “JUST TAKE CARE OF MY EYES PLEASE!”

This is an example of how people often change when their status changes in life. Very few remember what life was like before … who was always there for them when times were most difficult … what was important to them at that time … promises they made under those circumstances.

This was an extreme status change. However, similar results have been observed as a result of a job promotion, inheritance, move to a new location, lottery win, job loss, death in the family, new career, etc. Why not take a moment and examine the many aspects of your own life to determine the importance of “loyalty” to your personal success. It might be an eye-opener!

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Again, I find myself in my prime time (midnight to 3 a.m.), working on a project. I have the TV on cable for background noise and can’t help but notice that every station is streaming the same constant negativity we’ve been exposed to for far too long now.

They sound enthused to report on the economy, the oil spill, immigration, the war, political scandals, gun bans and the list goes on and on. Plenty of reporting—very little emphasis on solutions.

I’ve been talking about the “knowing-doing gap” for quite some time in my seminars and keynote presentations. There seems to be a growing need for this strategy in today’s chaotic environment … more so than ever before.

Tom Peters, noted author and speaker on business management practices, says “motivation and positive thinking is like spray paint on rust. It simply doesn’t last long!” I’m afraid I have to agree with Tom although I’m a firm believer in both motivation and positive thinking. However, I think Tom is saying that those dynamic forces are only 2/3 of the formula needed to solve the many challenges we face today! The third, and critical, element is ACTION.

The key to success is to STOP TALKING … get motivated, think positive, and then, as a result, DO SOMETHING!

As of late, Tom has encouraged personal responsibility in response to the challenges we face today as individuals, organizations, and a proud world-leading country.

Stop rehashing, complaining. justifying, explaining, and sharing your problems. Little of that energy contributes to solution. Research, network, synergize, evaluate, plan and TAKE ACTION. What if you fail? Evaluate why you failed, start all over again, and don’t stop until you’ve solved the problem.

Great advice for us personally, small companies and Fortune 500 giants, political parties and countries world wide.

Tom, himself, sums it all up much better than I do, and he does it in just 1:29. Watch his message, absorb it, and then DO IT!

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

We recently lost a genuine hero. The majority of you probably won’t recognize his name. He definitely doesn’t fit the usual depiction of what we consider a “hero” … but he more than fills the bill!

His name was Ernie Harwell, and he was the longtime voice of the Detroit Tigers on radio and television. But wait … this is NOT a baseball story. Not by a long shot. It’s the story of a very unique 92-year-old man who spent the majority of his life loving the world of baseball like no other could possibly do. Note that I didn’t say the game of baseball. I instead used the word “world” … and for good reason.

I’ve watched the city of Detroit and its proud citizenry lose a lot over the past few decades. The Motor City lost thousands of jobs, Motown Music, the Pistons, Tiger Stadium, a corrupt city hall, prestige among the Big Three, and a sense of pride … and now, Ernie Harwell, the “Voice of Summer.”

Yes, Ernie was a very unique man. He loved everything that had anything to do with the game of baseball: holdouts, lockouts, strikes and steroid scandals … fans, stands, stadiums and beer … players, managers, umpires and bat boys. Ernie loved it all. And, as a result, the world soon grew to love Ernie as an intricate part of the world of baseball. That’s why strange things happened in Detroit last week.

Tens of thousands of fans of all ages lined the sidewalk outside of Comerica Park in downtown Detroit to pay their final respects to this cherished broadcaster. The large groups included past and present ball players from many different major league teams, government officials, several rock stars and movie stars, children and seniors.

Hundreds of fans began lining up before midnight the night before in order to view the open casket bearing their Tiger “hero.”

Ernie was dressed in his signature hat … his casket positioned behind metal barriers just inside the stadium’s front gate.

The casket was placed near a life-sized statue of the Hall of Fame broadcaster, microphone in hand and several large portraits and memorial bouquets adorned the area.

Three city parking lots offered free parking for all of those paying their respects. That’s unheard of in Detroit.

Restaurant and theater marquees all over the city spelled out farewell messages to this special “Detroiter.”

Both the Tiger general manager and owner greeted mourners for hours after they paid their respects.

A half hour after the viewing began, the cool morning air was filled with plaintive tones of a trumpet outside the stadium, pointed in Harwell’s direction, playing taps. Nary a dry eye could be seen.

Ernie’s family and Tiger officials promised the stadium would remain open until the last Tiger fan paid his/her respects. It was a beautiful day in Detroit … for so many reasons, including the weather.

Why was this man so beloved by so many? It actually had little to do with baseball and much to do with the fact that Ernie was a “class act” who loved his team, his fans, his city, and his state with deep pride and great respect!

I could ramble on for pages sharing the many stories of this legend. Instead allow me to briefly state a few of the many reasons Ernie was cherished by so many for so long.

• The man possessed a humble sweetness appreciated by all who knew him or even heard his voice on the radio.
• Young Ernie Harwell had a speech impediment which he corrected by taking weekly lessons with an elocution teacher.
• Ernie is the only announcer in baseball history to be traded for a player!
• He was a Hall of Fame radio and television broadcaster who entertained millions of fans for 60 years for five different teams … 42 years for the Tigers.
• Ernie was a songwriter, producing 46 songs that have been recorded.
• He was a poet who would talk about baseball the way Thoreau talked about the woods.
• Ernie was a member of your family as you were growing up.
• He was the voice of your imagination when you couldn’t see the game.
• Ernie was your own special connection to baseball’s glorious past.
• Ernie was a man of devotion, sharing 68 years of marriage to his lovely wife, Lulu.
• Ernie possessed an unshakable belief in every good thing baseball wants to believe about itself—the game as a metaphor for life. He believed life began anew with Spring Training, and would quote the Song of Solomon before the season’s first pitch.
• His voice was rich and grew richer with time. His diction was precise, a smooth Georgia drawl, with a near-exaggerated articulation.
• Ernie was cherished not simply because he was part of fans’ lives, but because the fans were part of his.
• Millions of fans everywhere knew Ernie, and felt like he knew them.
• Ernie was a symbol of America—an America of unaffected optimism, and quieter, more confident heroes.

It’s sad indeed to think that generations to come will more than likely never experience a baseball game as millions have with Ernie. His “class act” has brought joy, happiness, content and memories to his legion of faithful fans who will miss him dearly. Having lived in Michigan most of my life, I can’t remember the last time Detroit has shed this many tears.

Maybe Ernie’s death will remind those in Michigan what unites them and why saving the spirit that Ernie endeared is so important. He was indeed a “hero.”

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Isn’t it odd how some things catch you totally off guard when you least expect them to? As many of my friends know, I work late into the night every night … that’s my most productive time. No phones, no visitors, quiet time to ponder and produce.

I was doing just that last night when I received an unexpected e-mail from a high school classmate. Over the past few years, he has taken on a project of creating and updating a newsletter for graduates of our alma mater. He began by focusing on his own particular class, but it has since rapidly grown in popularity to include well over a decade of graduates. He sent me two newsletters to browse along with an invitation to join the mailing list.

To be honest, I planned on glancing at the newsletters and pretty much forgetting about the invitation as I’ve never been much of a “class reunion, good-ole-days, let’s-get-together-and-share-a-beer-as-we-recall-ole-times” type of guy. I’ve always focused more on the future than the past.

However, as I began browsing through the newsletter, I felt as though I had been struck between the eyes with a two-by-four swung by the 250 lb. fullback I played football with in the “good-ole-days”!

There, on those pages, I saw current pictures of old classmates and somehow they had changed to resemble what I recall as the appearance of parents and grandparents back in the day. Some looked only 10 years older—but still obviously older—while others looked as though they had aged 40 or 50 years! These were my friends, neighbors and classmates in high school! I couldn’t believe my eyes! They all looked fine—just a lot older! What happened?

Then it suddenly dawned on me that there’s more than a very good chance that I, too, resemble a grandpa. In fact, I am one—9 times over! I have children who have children who are nearing the age to have children! OUCH! Isn’t it amazing that we don’t see or feel ourselves aging every year because we do it so slowly. It’s only when you haven’t seen someone for a while that you noticed they’ve aged!

Anyway, I was far from finished being amazed. I then came across a page listing names of those classmates who are no longer with us … and the list was l-o-n-g! I can’t explain the empty feeling I experienced as I browsed that list! I saw names of girls I danced with at the after-game school hops. I saw names of guys I played baseball, basketball, and football with year after year after year. And now they’re gone! I found myself challenging what my eyes beheld.

A thousand thoughts ran through my mind. Astonished at those old friends who have left us. Grateful that I was still enjoying a wonderful life. Fear that I may be the next to join that list. And it’s not just an age thing here. You read every day about 25-year-old heart attack victims. You just never know.

I’m certainly not trying to be morbid here—that’s far from my style. However, these two newsletters provided me with a very strong dose of reality. Made me review how I’m spending my time. Made me wonder if I’m saying what I need to say to those I need to say it to. Made me rethink my priorities.

I’ve always been a big fan of a scene from Robin Williams’ portrayal of a college professor in Dead Poets Society. In fact, not long ago, I wrote a blog article about the movie and the theme of the phrase “CARPE DIEM” (Seize the Day!). That article contains a short video clip of Robin explaining this powerful phrase to his class. It’s a classic that everyone should see at one point in their lives! While it’s always been very dear to my heart, it now takes on an entirely different meaning to me. It forced me to question my life in hopes of assuring myself that I’m doing all I can do to “Seize the Day.”

Examine the two graphics above and appreciate the powerful message each provides. The sands of time are rapidly slipping through our hands and an approaching wave will soon dissipate the message in the sand. Think about it!

As a result of that midnight e-mail, I revisited that video clip, I’ve reordered a few priorities, I’ve gained a valuable perspective, I continue to respect my “Midnight Muses” … and I signed up for my high school alumni newsletter!

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Again, it’s my most productive time of the day—after midnight. Tonight I’ve been researching an age-old topic which has been discussed and debated for centuries … TEAMWORK. So much has been written on this subject, and yet it continues to be an elusive reality for so many organizations. Management gurus and authors alike have encouraged us forever to tap the enormous potential and never-ending benefits of TEAMWORK.

We constantly hear so much about the importance of “Walking the Talk” and yet the book Work Abuse reveals that 95% of today’s managers continue to practice autocratic, dictatorial behaviors in a world that constantly talks teamwork. 95%! That is mind-boggling!

Yet historians will reflect back on these times with reports that the leading organizations in every industry were well-known for the focus, training and support of TEAMWORK and that it, indeed, was a crucial factor in their success.

Why can’t less successful companies observe and acknowledge the power of TEAMWORK as demonstrated by leading organizations from coast to coast?

In the book From the Ground Up, the author states that only 5% of the organizational leaders in the U.S. today will implement the “best practices” pioneered at today’s most admired companies. 5%! Again, mind boggling!

Consider the number of companies, in every industry, that have simply fallen by the wayside, no longer existing, forgotten by everyone … because they couldn’t function, produce and succeed as a team! It became a “life and death” issue for them and will be for many more in the future.

Speaking of “life and death” and TEAMWORK … I can’t think of a better example of both than the Navy’s world-renowned Blue Angels that have dominated air space since 1946. They are currently the oldest flying aerobatic team in the world. The six-plane squadron performs 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year and has entertained more than 427 million spectators worldwide.

While I haven’t been fortunate enough to be a passenger in one of those Boeing F/A-18 Hornets, I did have the privilege of meeting a few of the talented pilots and actually sat in a cockpit for a few minutes. The dedication and discipline of these well-trained pilots is critical to their success. Their moment-to-moment TEAMWORK is a life and death issue each and every day. The Blue Angels share and demonstrate nine key principles of teamwork which can easily be adapted to any organization that seeks success and growth in today’s chaotic business environment. Take a look at this short video and think about how your team can benefit from adopting these powerful principles.

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

There’s a funny thing about change. It never will.

As is often the case, I find myself once again at my computer in the early hours of the morning. This time I’m researching material for an upcoming seminar. A portion of that day-long program will focus on the subject of change. This particular subject seems to arise in a vast majority of our program offerings of late. In fact, our most requested seminar and keynote for the past few years has been “Productive Chaos: Riding the Wave of Change!” I think people want to learn more about coping with change because we have so little choice in the matter. We’ve been riding that wave of change for as long as I can remember.

In the midst of my research tonight, I stumbled upon some interesting data that provided me with a different take on this powerful subject of change. We often hear concerns from clients that dealing with constant change is a true challenge for their staffs today. Many seek new coping skills and strategies as chaos seems to increase in today’s challenging world.

The simple truth I realized tonight is that the majority of us already have those skills and strategies and have been using them successfully most of our lives. If you would pause long enough to realize how many changes you’ve experienced in your life thus far, I’m certain you would first be somewhat shocked and then very proud of your ability to cope and adapt.

Although a majority of these changes have been small, they have been numerous and constant. I was so overwhelmed at my discovery that I felt it crucial to share some of it with you. For most of your life, you have been faced with constant change, and the pace is rapidly increasing. For those of you who may fear or dislike change, you really must realize how often and how successfully you’ve dealt with change in the past.

In this article, I’m going to share some examples of the changes you’ve witnessed over the years. However, I can only scratch the surface in this format. Therefore, starting tomorrow I’m going to provide additional examples every day on Twitter and my Facebook page for what I’m sure will be many weeks.

Although these examples may seem insignificant at first, realize that each is one of hundreds, if not thousands, of changes that you’ve dealt with in the past and survived quite well. Each may very well have strengthened your tolerance and ability to deal with constant change. Remember these changes … relish each for its value … and take great pride in your growing strength to cope and conquer.

Do you remember these national brand stores?: Montgomery Wards, Kresge’s, Woolworth’s, Cunningham Drugs, Shopper’s Fair, Topps, Korvette’s, Zayre’s, Mervyn’s, Steve & Barry’s, Circuit City, Gimbels and Arlan’s … to name just a few.

How about airlines? Remember any of these?: Eastern, Pan American , Frontier, Ozark, Braniff, Piedmont, Republic, Western, AirCal, ValuJet, ATA, TWA, and North Central.

Remember those popular car brands?: DeSoto, Hudson, Packard, Pinto, Studebaker, Dodge Dart, Nash Rambler, Gremlin, Corvair, Edsel, K-cars, Trans Am, Plymouth, Dodge, Mercury, Delorean, Pontiac, Buick, and the Oldsmobile.

Watch Twitter and my Facebook page starting tomorrow for examples from other categories such as fashion, fads, expressions, people, edibles, toys, books, TV shows, sports, dances, music groups, pop culture, ad slogans, electronics, technology, medicine, transportation, environment, places, and politics. I think you’re going to be overwhelmed at the number of changes you’ve been required to deal with in your lifetime. You’re quite the pro … you just weren’t aware of it until now!

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

I was just sitting here at my computer talking on the phone to a friend when something interesting came on the television. It was a documentary piece on the wonders of today’s technology. It really made me stop and think. The facts were overwhelming in their simplicity and yet spoke to the power of the individual. Take a glance at just a few of these overwhelming facts.

• Statistics show that there are more than 350 million active Facebook users on the Internet social site and that number continues to grow rapidly ever day!
• The average Facebook user spends at least an hour a day on the site.
• The average user uses the Like button 9 times a month and writes 25 comments each month.

There were many more interesting facts about Facebook, but let’s move on.

• MySpace has more than 40 billion page views monthly!
• MySpace is available in 15 different languages.
• Twitter has enjoyed a 1,382% growth rate in the last year!

Now we could talk forever about these three social sitess. Are these sites GOOD or BAD? The obvious answer is YES. You could easily compile a very long list of both pros and cons about each of these three sites. Maybe we’ll do just that in a future column.

Right now I want you to focus on just one aspect. Review the facts above. Put a few of those numbers into a calculator in hopes of determining how many hours a week are spent on those three sites. Now let’s be courageous and consider adding the hours spent on Google, Yahoo!, and eBay. We’ll overlook the dozens of other search engines available today. In addition, we won’t even consider the time we spend on cell phones or watching television.

Your answer will more than likely easily be in the billions of hours per week. My question is this: What were we all doing before we discovered these technologies? What did we stop doing in order to utilize these technologies? This isn’t a criticism in the least. It’s nothing more than an observation and question. The next time you find yourself complaining about not having enough time to do something … look back at these facts and figures. Then review your priorities and realize that you can find time to do anything if it’s something that has to be done or something that you really want to do. Just a pinch of reality here. Gotta go now. I’ve got something I need to google!

Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management.  For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.