Try Giving Yourself Away

I grew up in the 60’s with only three TV channels and not too many things to do on a rainy day other than read.

There was one book in particular I read several times that was life changing. It was titled Try Giving Yourself Away. Best I remember, it was story after story where someone would notice little things and find ways to compliment people for their work or creativity. I remember a story where someone noticed a great display in a store window and asked to meet the person responsible.

The clerk was brought up and front and shocked to receive a compliment instead of criticism.

That stayed with me.

I have tried to find ways to offer words of encouragement to people I meet and those in my life.

One thing I do is when I have to call my cell phone company, cable TV provider or some other vendor and they handle my problem, I ask for their name and to put the supervisor on the phone. I then tell the supervisor how pleased I was with the service and commend the employee to the supervisor.

They supervisor is stunned and employee grateful. The supervisor is effusive in their thanks and comment how unique and refreshing it is to hear something positive.

Let me suggest you try it and see what happens. Three people will be blessed: the employee, the supervisor and you.

Go ahead, try giving yourself away.

Response to Haiti

The earthquake in Haiti has provoked strong reactions and responses throughout the US.

One formerly sane tele-evangelist says it is because God is getting after the country for making a pact with the devil 300+ years ago. What God was so backed up on things to destroy he could not get to Haiti’s destruction until now? Why is Vegas still standing then?

The news media is flooded with news for some of the right and wrong reasons. Until the networks stroke a big relief check I will suspect their motives to be”if it bleeds it leads”.

One response I like is that of Larry Winget. For those not familiar with him he is not a motivational speaker but an irritational speaker. He is brusque, uncompromising and his presentation is saturated in sarcasm and irony.

On his Facebook post yesterday he made an incredible offer. If anyone would give at least $35 to Haitian relief through Feed the Children, Larry will give the donor a CD/DVD combo. I jumped on that right away. It does not matter what combo it is, anything Larry puts out is priceless when applied.

Also, it supports a group that sends 91 cents of every dollar donated to direct aid as opposed to huge administration and fundraising costs.

For those who want to help Haitian people, have the money well spent and be enriched with ideas from Winget go to this link, http://www.feedthechilden.org/ make a donation of at least $35 and then email your receipt and mailing address to info@larrywinget.com.

Let me know when you do.

Also, once you receive and enjoy the Winget material tell me what you think.

Better still, tell others how you like Winget.

Lessons from Leonard...cowboy done good!

I love many things about Facebook.

Just this week I heard about a friend from high school named Leonard Cherry. I remember having classes with Leonard and what a good ole boy he was. He embodied all the best of a country boy…hard working, polite, sense of humor and humble manner. He was President of FFA and was proud of that blue jacket he and his members wore. Yes, he wore cowboy boots almost every day to school.

Leonard’s family had a business called Cherry Housemoving. They did not move houses that already had wheels, but houses that sat on blocks. They moved houses through the streets of Southeast Houston.

They weren’t the wealthiest or most refined people in Easthaven. They were however some of the most honest, diligent and hardworking. To move houses would take creativity, patience and tremendous problem solving ability.

It must have been passed down to Leonard.

We recently got an update on FB that Leonard had been named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year!

There was a video link to when he won the award and how joyfully and humbly he accepted it.

I Googled Cherry Companies and was impressed and glad to see how Leonard has gotten into 4 other types of firms and has over 200 employees. He has had the vision to see opportunities where others saw problems and did something useful and profitable because of it.

Diana and I spent the next hour recalling what a good guy Leonard was, the reputation of his family and how he went beyond some naysayers who did not think they were the "right kind of people".

I think Leonard was too busy building his companies and hiring people he did not have time to pay attention to the critics.

I will get in touch with Leonard this week to congratulate him.


When people think there is no opportunity left to do well and help others and make money doing it…learn from Leonard. I did.

Part of my Heart Moved Out Today!

It has been a long time since I was upstairs in a girls’ dorm at college. Actually until today, I had never done it.

Today, Diana and I drove Grace, our oldest daughter to Hammond to find her room and get the first part of her thing to the room. She is attending Orientation tomorrow morning and this is better to go now than have to drive a 6:30 in the morning.

Thanks for the consideration Grace.

The one who needs orientation is me. Good thing there were only two other cars on campus at the time we driving around to find her dorm. Grace knew the name but not the location of the dorm. Instead of GPS we had the calm voice of her roommate guiding us to the right location.

Her roommate's name is named Patience. (Grace and Patience in same room..sounds like a spiritual connection to me!)

We drove in and out of 4 different driveways to get the right spot.

My daughters all have the unerring sense of direction of their mother. When you say “Turn right here” there is a 50-50 chance they will get it right. So, finding a 4 story dorm among 20 others similar buildings was going to be quite a chore.

We found the dorm, unloaded everything on the sidewalk and then began to relay it upstairs. Thank God for working elevators.

The room is huge and offers lots of opportunities to move the furniture around to find the right fit. They did so when I foolishly thought we were done. I waited in the lobby for 30 minutes while they sought the Southern Living arrangement that would surely make the cover of the next issue.

Finally, surprise of all surprises…we had to make a last minute trip to Wal-Mart! (I do not even want to know what we had to buy!)

Do you know how many residents of Hammond shop at Wal-Mart on Sunday afternoons? All of them! This would have not happened if the Saints had been on TV!

Finally, back to the dorm to drop off Grace and her roommate, Patience. A lingering look in the mirror as we pulled away. What did I see?

Empty air…Grace did not linger for a look. She was gone faster than the Road Runner.

Though we still have two kids at home, the house is a little emptier…quieter…less joy filled.

It is the parents who need Orientation. It is wasted on the kids.

My LIfe Changes Today

Our lives change forever today. Diana and I are taking Grace, our oldest daughter to college. It will be to begin her sophomore year, but her first time to live on campus and essentially out of the house. In unfamiliar surroundings, eating God only knows what at the university cafeteria and being around so many strangers.

I am not ready.

She has most of her dorm stuff packed and is champing at the bit to get on down the road and on with the rest of her life. Al the things that would worry me are the very things she is excited about! Doesn’t she understand what torment she is about to put her mother and I through?

Therein lies the root of the problem. It is not her confidence, but mine that is struggling. It is not her faith, but mine. She is ready to climb and conquer mountains; I am telling her to watch out for the uneven sidewalk in front of our house.

I think deep within the heart of every parent is the same nagging feeling when their children leave home? Can’t I get some more time to teach them or train them to prepare them for the adult world and to make their own way?
It is like life is cycling through again. There is something familiar about this. First time to leave her with a babysitter…first day of public school…heading out the door for Senior Prom.

Though Grace is going just 40 miles west to Hammond, Louisiana it is a separation and a change of life.

She leaves as my little girl and will continue to develop into a confident, amazing young woman.

That is why we named her Grace…God told us she would be amazing.

Love you baby. I think I will go watch Steve Martin in “Father of the Bride”.

Success

Success is about making a difference…not just about making money
If you do research into people who have built over billion dollar net worths this is a common characteristic. Need an example…

Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team is a huge hoops fan. He missed hearing his beloved Hoosiers game broadcasts when he lived out of state. So, he found a way to choose and hear a variety of sports broadcast via the internet. Others loved the idea and began to follow their teams. Eventually, Cuban sold his firm for $5 billion.

Why?

He found success when he wanted to make a difference…the money followed.
My favorite is Sam Walton. He wanted to see how much he could reduce the cost of soing business and selling to the public. He began in neglected areas with populations below a certain threshold. Finally, he got so good at what he did and found ways to bless millions of people everyday with good products at great prices.

The results?

His heirs share a fortune of $100 billion.

Why have I been a minister and now llife insurance salesman?

Because in both cases, I have been used to help people and make a difference.

So, don’t get swayed by society’s definition of success. Seek to make a difference in what you do, who you are and how you give yourself to others.