AchieveMax® Blog

We’ve added still another category to our growing list of Words of Wisdom subjects … bringing our current total to 20 categories.

We chose this particular subject due to the growing number of empowerment seminar requests we’ve received in recent weeks. Apparently many organizations have realized that, at a time when economic pressures restrict the indulgence of additional personnel, the focus must now evolve to tapping the existing potential of current staff members.

Empowerment is one of the critical strategies in doing just that. However, claiming this powerful tool and executing it are totally different actions. It’s been our experience over the years that many leaders are unfamiliar with the actual process and how to best administer it with their people.

Our empowerment seminar examines in great depth the nine critical elements that define this strategy in its strongest sense. Each element is indeed essential in separating empowerment from delegation while revealing a tremendous asset to achieving increased productivity and success for any organization … and doing so with no additional payroll investment!

True empowerment is a powerful challenge but indeed a rewarding venture … one which most organizations can hardly afford to overlook. Think about that concept as you enjoy these powerful quotes on such an important subject.

Also feel free to check out our in-depth offering of quotes on many subjects should you be in need of a refreshing thought, idea, slogan or profound nugget for an upcoming meeting, presentation, or lunch room bulletin board.

We offer interesting quotes on the subjects of leadership, teamwork, customer service, time management, goals, change, motivation, sales, potential, gender, creativity, repetition, enthusiasm, employees, attitude, networking, fear, sense of urgency, passon and now empowerment.

Click on “Words of Wisdom” in order to review our entire offering.

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.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed or subscribe via e-mail. Thanks for visiting!

Mark Twain once said: “The person who does not read good books has absolutely no advantage over the person who can’t read. At all!”

Reading is a primary source of new knowledge and skills for more success in life.

This is the “Information Age.” Half of what we know today, we did not know fifteen years ago.
       
The amount of knowledge has doubled in the last fifteen years and is said to be doubling again every eighteen months.

95% of all the books in America are purchased by only 5% of the people. The other 95% of the people purchase the other 5% of the books. (They probably don’t read them; they don’t have the time; they give them away as gifts.)

The average person reads at approximately 200 words per minute.

The average person, reading just 15 minutes per day, can read one book per month, 12 books per year.

The average person retains only 5% of what is read once, after 30 days. Therefore, take notes, file your data for easy access at a later date.

We receive more information in one day than people in the early 1900s received in their lifetime. So if you feel you don’t have the time to read, try “driving a book.” You’ll be amazed at how productive this method can be.

Commuting distances and times are still growing each year, with the average commuter now spending about 90 minutes per day in the car, just getting to and from work … 45 minutes each way. Therefore:

90 Minutes a Day is:
Approximately 7.5 Hours a Week
X 50 Weeks a Year (two weeks vacation) =

 375 Hours Per Year Or
 47 8-Hour Days

Today, you can find a wide variety of books on audio cassette or CD, providing you with the opportunity to listen to your favorite book while driving to and from work every day. Consider how many books you could listen to in 47 eight-hour days! That’s how you gain a competitive edge rather than falling victim to the stresses of your daily commute!

For those of you who would rather read your book than listen to others read it to you, there is still another choice for you. Remember the very helpful Cliff Notes we all used in high school as we denied their existence? Well, today there are several companies who are doing the same thing with current best sellers. Check out www.summaries.com and www.bizsum.com for examples!

Today’s typical 200- to 300-page book can cost you anywhere from $20 to $40 and can take up to 20 to 25 hours to read! These new services have condensed the content to no more than eight pages which take about an hour to read and can cost as low as $1.92 per book when purchasing in quantity and even FREE on other sites!

Increasing reading speed and comprehension is an essential tool in today’s competitive environment, and it is the most immediate and easiest time management tool to increase your career success. As our challenges change so do our opportunities to cope with them. Take a moment to do a little research, and you’ll certainly reap some great 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, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

May is always a beautiful month inasmuch as the snow and ice have melted, and summer’s intense heat has not yet begun. The first garden crops begin to sprout in May. The trees and grass are green, and wild plants are in bloom.

Some people consider May as a “racy” month as we focus on the Kentucky Derby, the most famous horse race in the United States, on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, as well as the Indianapolis 500 auto race on the Sunday before Memorial Day in Indiana.

For those involved with the Military, May provides several special occasions: Memorial Day (aka Decoration Day), Armed Forces Day, and V-E Day.

May Monthly Celebrations and Observances:

• May is Better Sleep Month.
• May is National Photo Month.
• May is National Salad Month.
• May is National Egg Month.
• May is National Barbecue Month.
• May is National Hamburger Month.
• May is Better Hearing & Speech Month.
• May is Huntington Disease Awareness Month.
• May is Asparagus Month.
• May is Asthma & Allergy Awareness Month.
• May is National Flower Month.
• May is National Mental Health Month.
• May is National Strawberry Month.
• May is National Older Americans Month.
• May is Transportation Month.
• May 1st is May Day.
• May 1st is National Day of Prayer.
• May 1st is Stepmothers’ Day.
• May 1st is School Principals’ Day.
• May 1st is Mother Goose Day.
• May 2nd is Holocaust Remembrance Day.
• May 3rd is the Kentucky Derby.
• May 4th is International Firefighters’ Day.
• May 5th is Cinco de Mayo.
• May 5th is Halfway Point of Spring.
• May 5th is National Hoagie Day.
• May 6th is National Teacher Day.
• May 6th is National Nurses’ Day.
• May 6th is National Beverage Day.
• May 8th is V-E (Victory in Europe) Day.
• May 8th is World Red Cross Day.
• May 11th is Mother’s Day.
• May 11th is Pentecost.
• May 13th is Leprechaun Day.
• May 14th is Receptionists’ Day.
• May 15th is International Day of Families.
• May 15th is National Police Memorial Day.
• May 15th is National Clergy Day.
• May 15th is National Chocolate Chip Day.
• May 17th is Armed Forces Day.
• May 21st is National Waitstaff Day.
• May 25th is National Missing Childrens’ Day.
• May 25th is the Indianapolis 500.
• May 26th is Memorial Day.
• May 28th is National Hamburger 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, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

In today’s stressful world, picking up the newspaper, turning on the TV, or going to the Internet can cause tremendous stress. There are simply too many issues affecting us today which are beyond our sphere of control. As a result, stress levels are soaring.

However, fear not, as recent research by the Association of Critical Stress Factors has produced a long-awaited strategy which guarantees not only a reduction in your stress level but also actually provides a certain level of personal satisfaction and joy.

Sit in a comfortable chair.
Turn on soft, soothing music.
Relax as you close your eyes.
Visualize yourself near a refreshing country stream.
Feel the warmth of a radiating sun on your face.        
Enjoy the cool, refreshing afternoon breeze.
Imagine birds singing in the crisp, cool mountain air.
Know that nothing can bother you in this safe, pleasant location.
No one on earth knows this secret place.
The soothing sound of a gentle waterfall fills the air with a cascade of serenity.
The cool water is fresh and clear.
You can easily make out the face of the person whose head you are holding under the water.
There now, feeling better?

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.

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

• Stress Management Training Seminar - Stress - The Ultimate Paradox
• Stress Management Keynote - Stress - The Ultimate Paradox
• Stress Management Speakers and Stress Management Training
• Top Stress Management Books
• Stress Posters
• Finding Balance in an Unbalanced World
• A Proven Strategy for Reducing Stress

We’ve added still another category to our growing list of Words of Wisdom subjects … bringing our current total to 19 categories.

These quotes all speak to the subject of “Passion” … a characteristic we find so often in great leaders in every field. It also seems to be an attribute sorely lacking in today’s society.

Where does one develop “passion” … at what stage of life does one begin this momentous journey? Do we discuss it at the family dinner table? Is it addressed in any way in our school classrooms? Is it emphasized in Church? When we’re fortunate to witness an example of true passion in the media, is it recognized, appreciated, and emulated?

This is certainly an area of focus which should be seriously considered by parents, teachers, clergy, and leaders in every sector of our society today. If true passion is so instrumental in achieving success in any endeavor … why aren’t we, as a society, emphasizing and educating those who could so dearly benefit from it? Think about that challenge as you enjoy these powerful quotes on such an important subject.

Also feel free to check out our in-depth offering of quotes on many subjects should you be in need of a refreshing thought, idea, slogan or profound nugget for an upcoming meeting, presentation, or lunch room bulletin board.

We offer interesting quotes on the subjects of leadership, teamwork, customer service, time management, goals, change, motivation, sales, potential, gender, creativity, repetition, enthusiasm, employees, attitude, networking, fear, sense of urgency and now passion.

Click on “Words of Wisdom” in order to review our entire offering.

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.

We’ve added still another category to our growing list of Words of Wisdom subjects … bringing our current total to 18 categories.

Sense of Urgency is our new category, and it certainly seems very appropriate. As I write this article, the U.S. National Debt stands at:

$9 Trillion, 395 Billion, 785 Million, 222 Thousand, 922 Dollars and 81 cents!

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $1.63 billion per day since September 29, 2006! Therefore, by the time you read this, the number above will have increased a great deal. If you’d like to see what the debt has grown to as of today, simply go to U.S. National Debt Clock at www.brillig.com/debt_clock/.

The estimated population of the United States is 303,701,043 so each citizen’s share of this debt is $30,937.62.

Our National Debt is just one of the myriad of issues discussed in the media, at conferences and in elevators across the country and around the globe that would indicate the need for an immediate Sense of Urgency … which seems to be lacking at the moment.

If you’re making a list of such issues you might want to add immigration, social security, energy, mortgages, veterans, inflation, recession, building starts, trade balance, education, jobs, health care, foreign policy, military, global competition, abortion, affirmative action, the budget deficit, tax reform, oil prices, campaign reform, crime, death penalty, drugs, foreign relations, war, gay rights, guns, labor unions, unemployment, the environment and our obvious lack of strong Presidential candidates as we approach November.

Now you can understand why we added quotes addressing Sense of Urgency to our growing list of “Words of Wisdom.” Feel free to check out our in-depth offering should you be in need of a refreshing thought, idea, slogan or profound nugget for an upcoming meeting, presentation, or lunch room bulletin board.

We offer interesting quotes on the subjects of leadership, teamwork, customer service, time management, goals, change, motivation, sales, potential, gender, creativity, repetition, enthusiasm, employees, attitude, networking, fear and sense of urgency.

Click on “Words of Wisdom” in order to review our entire offering.

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.

Things start getting busy in April. Think, for a moment, about your psychic to-do list:

Be alert on day #1 … April Fool’s Day! It’s time to start refreshing your lawn and garden. Baseball season starts. The birds head north. Golfers are almost back to their regular schedule. Preparation begins for Passover observance. Hibernating animals seek the sun. April showers. Lawns need to be mowed. Spring cleaning looms inside and out. Tax pressures mount as the 15th nears. Spring break madness. Buckle your seat belt … here it comes!

April Monthly Celebrations and Observances:

• April is International Customer Loyalty Month.
• April is Stress Awareness Month.
• April is National Poetry Month.
• April is Autism Awareness Month.
• April is Cancer Control Month and Occupational Therapy Month.
• April is Animal Cruelty Prevention Month.
• April is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month.
• April is National Smile Month.
• April is Books to Brighten Young Minds Month.
• April is Community Spirit Month.
• April is Spring Break Month.
• April is Keep America Beautiful Month.
• April is Couple Appreciation Month.
• April is Keep America Beautiful Month.
• April is Lawn and Garden Month.
• April is Mathematics Education Month.
• April is School Library Month.
• April is Spring Break Month.
• Week 1 is Library Week.
• Week 2 is Garden Week.
• Week 3 is Organize Your Files Week.
• Week 4 is Medical Labs Week.
• Week 4 is Administrative Assistants Week.
• April 1st is April Fool’s Day.
• April 2nd is Children’s Book Day.
• April 2nd is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day.
• April 7th is World Health Day.
• April 10th is Golfers’ Day.
• April 10th is National Siblings Day.
• April 15th is Titanic Remembrance Day.
• April 15th is Tax Day.
• April 16th is National Librarian Day.
• April 16th is National Stress Awareness Day.
• April 19th is Passover, which begins at sundown on the 19th and ends at nightfall on the 27th.
• April 21st is Patriot’s Day.
• April 22nd is Earth Day.
• April 22nd is National Jelly Bean Day.
• April 23rd is Administrative Professionals Day.
• April 23rd is Professional Secretaries Day.
• April 24th is Take Your Kids to Work Day.
• April 25th is Arbor Day.
• April 29th is Greenery 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, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox (the Spring Equinox occurs March 20). That means little or nothing to most of us. We just know that Easter comes every April − last year it was on the 8th.

However, this year Easter will fall on March 23rd. This is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! Only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!) Moreover, none of us has ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Kind of shocking, isn’t it? Even more so, it’s historic!

Here are the facts: 

• The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). I’m going to miss that one.
• The last time it was this early was 1913. I missed that one as well. In fact, you’d have to be 95 years of age, or older, to have been around for that one.
• The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. Therefore, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Change seems to be impacting just about everything. I hate to say “nothing is sacred” because Easter certainly is … but change doesn’t seem to care.

Be sure to take time to enjoy your Easter Sunday with your loved ones. Time flies.

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.

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.

For the first time, we’re adding to an existing category of our expanding list of “Words of Wisdom” on our web site. 

Due to the recent media focus on change in most every aspect of American life, we’ve added 21 additional quotes to that category.

Feel free to check out the “Words of Wisdom” should you be in need of a refreshing thought, idea, slogan or profound nugget for an upcoming meeting, presentation, or lunch room bulletin board.

We offer interesting quotes on the subjects of leadership, teamwork, customer service, time management, goals, change, motivation, sales, potential, gender, creativity, repetition, enthusiasm, employees, attitude, networking and fear.

Click on “Words of Wisdom” in order to review our entire offering. 

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.