Look and Learn

Today I had some time to look around my favorite blogs.

Firstly, Dave Wheeler (Division A Governor, District 53 Toastmasters), keeps his blog up to date on developments for our upcoming Fall Contest. If you are a Toastmaster, then I urge, encourage and expect you to attend this conference. We will "Set a New Standard"

Secondly, I indulged myself on Laura's blog. I did not know that Google docs is running, and I expect Google docs will blow our minds, just as Google Earth did.

Check out these two blogs - You will add them to your favorites, I am sure.

Please comment, and post your favorite blogs about public speaking, Toastmasters, and presentation skills for all of us to enjoy.

Crafting Stories

I finally got a chance to type up my scribbled notes from the Story Telling Champ Camp in Vegas two weeks ago, with Patricia Fripp, Darren LaCroix and Craig Valentine.

Typing up my notes refreshed the fantastic training in my mind. Here are just some of the juicy lessons we discussed:

1. When describing your characters in a story, what did they feel? What did they hear? What did they taste and smell?

2. You can give characters Zodiac signs to help describe them. For example, Joe was a Taurus. He was always very patient and slow to anger, but a bull in a china shop when he hit boiling point. And you should have been with me when he hit boiling point on June 19, 2006, when tattoo-man rear ended Joe's antique Red Porsche 911.

3. Learn to breathe. Take yoga lessons.

And so it goes on. I am glad that I invested my time and money in this course. You should also attend this course, if you are serious about telling stories in public. Click here to join the Edge program, and sign up for the next Story Telling Champ Camp. If you can't wait to get started, purchase the Story Telling Home Study Course. Tell Craig I sent you.

Throwing stones

Have you searched the Internet lately looking for tips and techniques to improve your PowerPoint presentations? I happened to search today and was astonished at the number of sites complaining about bad PowerPoint presentations, but without offering practical advice on how to address the complaints.

We all know (or should know by now!) that excessive text, transitions and special effects on slides nauseates audiences. Yet despite the sites that throw stones at these practises, I did not find many sites advocating principles to avoid these practises. It seems that in cyberspace, as in real life, people find it easier to throw stones than to be part of a solution.

And you? Are you willing to be part of the solution and take the time to learn how to craft slides and present effectively with PowerPoint, or are you one of the stone throwers? I dare you to take up the challenge and be part of the solution with well-thought out slides that communicate effectively.

Lest I fall into my own trap, below are practical tips to reduce the volume of text and special effects on your slides. These are only some of the strategies described in my new book Dodging the Bullet Points:

1. Follow the 10/20/30 Rule from Guy Kawasaki - no more than 10 slides in a 20 minute presentation and no smaller than 30 point font.
2. Replace text with images wherever possible.
3. Do not read your slides to your audience.
4. Less is more. Use only the transitions and special effects that you need to use. No more than what is essential.

That's it. You are now armed to present with Pow'R.

Is a public speaker an entertainer or expert?

What do you think? Is a public speaker primarily an expert or primarily an entertainer? Your answer guides the training and coaching you pursue to improve your skills.

If you believe that a public speaker is an entertainer then you will pursue training in drama and acting.

If you believe that a public speaker is primarily an expert who communicates then you will pursue training that increases your expertise in your chosen field.

I believe that a public speaker is both an expert and entertainer. As experts we have specialized knowledge to share with our audience. We communicate better by adding skills from entertainers such as humor from comedians. Both of these skills need to be used to communicate effectively from the platform.

How do you plan to increase your skills in your area of expertise and as an entertainer?

Hilarious Area E2 Contest

Just returned from the Area E2 Fall contest for Toastmasters in District 53. It was hilarious. I met more nice people and experienced great responses to Table Topics as well as four very Humorous stories.

Next week is our Area B2 Contest, with ten contestants scheduled to entertain us as they compete for the Table Topics and Humorous speech trophies.

'Tis the season to be picking...

It is apple picking season in Connecticut. We went picking for the first time on Sunday even though we have been in Connecticut for six years. Last year we found out that it is a tradition. With our desire to keep local traditions, we went to Lyman Orchards on Sunday. My wife and I knew that we need to limit our pickings to prevent the usual course of events. What usually happens is that we purchase too many apples/oranges/pears and they eventually go rotten back home when no one wants to eat them. We have fallen victim to impulse buying in the past, and are learning our lessons.

Even so, we ended up with more apples than we need. They are very good. Juicy and so fresh when compared to store bought apples. But still, we need to consume three apples a day per person so that we don't waste them. Does this mean we keep 3 doctors away, per day. (I wish it did, as I just received two medical bills that our high-deductible insurance plan doesn't cover)

How about you and your family? Do you over-purchase on impulse even when you prepare yourself for the situation and try to limit your purchase? Do you end up throwing food away afterwards?

Eye Charts

Do your PowerPoint slides pass as eye-charts?

Consider the average age of your audience. If your audience is approaching middle age (like so many of us), do you think they mind having font sizes a bit bigger than expected? Or would they appreciate it?

Liz Trendowski and I realized early this year that many of us prefer a larger font size even though we can still read small font sizes. That's why we decided to use 14 point fonts in our books. Why make it hard for your audience to see what you are communicating?

Do you appreciate a presenters thoughtfulness by using a larger font size? How can you show this same thoughfulness to your audience? As Alan Weiss says - you are there to improve your audience's condition, so I propose that you use a font size that helps your audience receive your message.

1% Improvement a day

Two quick topics today:

Topic #1.
It was a lazy Sunday in our house. I got up early and spent most of the day in my home office, sorting through stuff that has piled up over the past three weeks. Then we went to pick apples. I have spent more time at Toastmasters meetings and related speaking activities than at home for the last 21 days. This crazy schedule resulted in a backlog of stuff on my desk and futon and various tables in my office. (Oops! Did I feel Patricia Fripp slap my hand? Stuff? Sorry, darling. No, I meant to be more specific. I meant to say that to-do tasks, action items and general notes from the Story Telling Champ Camp with Craig Valentine and Darren LaCroix have piled up on my desk and surrounding areas). I am glad to report that after investing solid time yesterday and today in my home office, I am starting to see the desk again.

How do you deal with too many action items and to-do lists? How do you keep your desk clean and keep your life in balance when you are very involved with Toastmasters activities?

Topic #2.
Pursue Progress, not perfection. I have heard Alan Weiss say "Improve by 1% every day, and in seventy days your will be twice as good as your are right now". I did not understand how to measure a 1% improvement, or how to reach it every day. After reading Dan Coughlin's explanation of Alan's advice, I understand, and will implement improvements every day. It may only be 0.5% every day, but 0.5% is still better than 0.zero %. Read all about Dan's Lesson #3 here.

Then think. How can you improve yourself today? What one thing can you change each day this week, to improve your skills and knowledge?

Accountability Partners

Have you ever heard of accountability partners? Do you have an accountability partner?

Here is how this amazing concept works. And it does work extraordinarily well.
1. Find a person who is working towards the same goals as you are.
2. Meet with your accountability partner every week, for an hour, in a neutral location such as a coffee shop.
3. Discuss your future goals and ideas. Laugh and joke about your mistakes. Catch up on gossip.
4. Set one or two goals to reach by next week that will move you towards your long-term goals.
5. When you meet next week review your progress towards the goals and discuss why you were each successful or not in reaching the goals for the week.
6. Repeat steps 1 through 5.

My accountability partner and I meet on Friday evenings at Panera Bread in Glastonbury, CT. We have had such success with our meetings that we are brainstorming ways to share these techniques with Toastmasters throughout District 53 and the surrounding Districts.

This is not a unique concept. In fact, Ed Tate gave us the seed of the idea when we attended a champ camp in January 2007. We have refined the idea and enhanced techniques that will speed up the benefits for others to enjoy when starting the process now.

If you can choose an accountability partner, who will it be? What do you think you should you look for in an accountability partner, to make your partnership a success?

How do you fake it?

What do you do if you need to say a few words in front of an audience? You are likely very nervous about speaking in front of others if you don't have much experience in public speaking. So what? We all are either afraid of public speaking, or were afraid of speaking in front of others at some time. It is not a sin to be afraid of saying a few words in public.

So how can you say a few words in front of others without totally embarrassing yourself? By faking some confidence with these easy tips:

1. Write out the key points you want to cover on note cards. (Don't staple them together)

2. Practise by reading the cards out loud five times, to learn the flow and improve your confidence in your ability.

3. Read the cards if you need to, especially the important points that you need to convey word-for-word, such as your company's mission statement.

4. Tell your personal stories while looking at the audience and not reading your cards. You know the stories because you lived them. Your audience understands your fear of public speaking (that is what is keeping many of them in the audience and not on the stage!), and warm up to a speaker sharing a short personal story while looking at the audience. Don't worry if your story comes out a little different to the way you wrote it out.

Many professionals are called on to say a few words at a company event. Sure, you are not as energetic and polished as Tony Robbins. But you are also not getting paid the same amount of money for the event. Don't be too hard on yourself. Follow the three simple tips above, and you will fake confidence so that you do your company proud as an ordinary professional doing extraordinary things.

What's worse that text on slides?

If you subscribe to the Pow'Rful Process, and the accompanying philosophy of images in presentations, then you know that text on PowerPoint slides is bad. Very bad. What could be worse than text on slides?

What do you think? What could be worse that having text on slides? The presenter reading the text to the audience perhaps? Maybe having text on slides with the font too small for the audience to read?

These are bad slide design techniques, but I came across a new low-point today. Acronyms on slides. The slide read something like this "AG's in BU are now TLI for DEG".

Wow!! Text on slides is bad but at least your audience can re-read the slides at their own leisure. Unless your audience knows what these acronyms stand for in the context of your presentation, I propose that you work hard to find a simpler way to communicate your message.

So many presenters, so little time

I just sat through two PowerPoint Presentations by two distinguished speakers at the Southern New England Chapter of Project Management Institute.

Sigh!! The audience got the usual experience that we are accustomed to when PowerPoint is used. Too much text, too many slides, presenter reading slides to audience and no audience involvement. It is such a pity as both speakers were well intentioned and have incredible information to share.

I wonder how we can get the word out to presenters and encourage all PowerPoint speakers to study the art of presenting with PowerPoint. I would love to get a copy of "Dodging the Bullet Points" into the hands of all presenters, one week before they go on stage so that they can implement some of the proven strategies in the Pow'Rful Process.

Do you have any ideas on how supporters of the Pow'Rful Process can spread the word?

I think we can start by advertising the benefits of Toastmasters to all members of the Project Management Institute (PMI), and will submit an article to our local newsletter.

Contests are fun

We held two Humorous contests in Toastmasters District 53 Area B2 today. Both contests were very good. I cannot wait to see the level of competition at our Area Contest on Oct 1st, 2007. I am looking forward to it.

How do you apply what you learn?

How do you apply what you learn? After you have invested your time (and perhaps your money) into attending a course, how do you apply what you have learned on the course? Are you like most people who file the notes away after the course with the intention of applying the lessons one day, or do you start right away by applying one lesson?

I got back from the Story Telling Champ Camp this morning. It was a marathon weekend. I left Connecticut on Friday evening, flew overnight to Vegas, attended two outstanding, remarkable and captivating days with Patricia Fripp, Darren LaCroix and Craig Valentine. Then flew overnight from Vegas to put in a full day at the office on Monday in Connecticut.

I know that if I put away my notes with the lessons that I learned over the weekend, I will probably not find time to ever review them. How often do you attend a seminar and then never get around to practising what you learned? To start getting benefit from the champ camp, I will implement at least one lesson in my speech at a Toastmaster club on Tuesday night. I will also keep my notes on my desk until I have had a chance to type them up.

OK - Enough said. I cannot hope to implement every lesson that I learned this weekend. There was just so much good information. But I will definitely implement as many of the lessons as I can. How will I do this you ask? One lesson at a time. I started today at the office by describing things in more detail. We no longer have "stuff" on my team. We now have detailed plans and documentation. One key to memorable story telling is to describe your characters and the settings. How can you describe the details of your characters and settings? Think about.

Back from Story Telling Champ Camp

If you could be sitting with me right now, in McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, you would feel the energy. I have just completed two fun-filled days of learning at O'Sheas Casino at the awesome Story Telling Champ Camp with Darren LaCroix, Craig Valentine and Patricia Fripp.

We crafted ideas into masterpieces. We met Toastmasters from Canada and across the USA. We studied the Story Telling process, learned it, and applied it to our stories in real-time.

When you realize that your stories are not getting the results that you want, (and you will realize it at some point in your Toastmasters career) then sign up for a Story Telling Champ Camp. Tell Darren or Craig that I sent you. You won't be sorry.

Growing food for Mars?

I saw a video today of an experiment taking place on the International Space Station. Scientists are researching ways to grow plants that will thrive on Mars. These plants will supply food that will support humans when we occupy Mars, allowing people to grow their own food supplies.

I wonder how many US Tax Dollars go into this experiment. We are paying mega-bucks for trips to the space station, shuttling astronauts and supplies through the atmosphere to conduct nonsensical experiments like this? Hello? Planet earth calling! Hungry people on earth, dying of cancer and aids, and we are investing millions of US Tax Dollars to grow plants on Mars?

Don't want to sound materialistic here, but where are our priorities?

Can I have just a little comfort, please?

Raising the bar, pushing the envelope and whichever is your favorite cliche applies. I am off to Vegas tomorrow afternoon, to attend a Story Telling Champ Camp. I am fascinated by story telling and am looking forward to improving my skills over the weekend.

However, I am feeling uncomfortable again. Darren LaCroix says we must grow and push ourselves to achieve higher levels of results. He says that in the process we will feel uncomfortable.

This makes sense to my logical mind, but my body says "Can I have just a little comfort, please?" This year I have grown and learned from two champ camps, produced an audio CD and "Dodging the Bullet Points" and given countless speeches in and outside of Toastmasters.

I felt uncomfortable while growing and accomplished after mastering the tasks. While I look forward to the Champ Camp, I feel uncomfortable about hours on a plane again, flying all the way to Vegas where I have never been before. Oh well, uncomfortable or not, here we come !!!

P.S. Blog postings may be scare for the next few days...

Judging Contests, Writing on the wall

Today we held the CIGNA Lunchtime Toastmasters Club (#9617 - District 53) Table Topics contest. It was very well run. Our Contest Master kept the mood light and we had all the forms and certificates we needed.

Well run contests don't happen by accident which you can testify to, if you have participated in more than a few contests. Our club used to start contests late by trying to find out what forms we need and with somebody running off to find a copy machine. The last year or so we are lucky enough to have a handful of dedicated and organized members who plan ahead, leading to well-run, well attended and enjoyable contests.

A strange thing happened at the contest today as well. Three years ago I attended a club contest and thought "How can the Chief Judge and Contest Master be so cool, calm and collected under the tremendous pressure". These people are superhuman. I never imagined I could fill the role. In the last eight days I have been honored to be Chief Judge twice and Contest Master once.

Like so many Toastmaster experiences, you first stand in awe of people doing it, then with sweaty palms realize that you are being asked to perform the role, and then come to realize you have mastered the task and are ready to take on a new challenge. This is the heart of the Toastmasters experiential program, and it works.

I was poking around Alan's site today. Alan Weiss that is. I came across his "Writing on the Wall" videos. I Dare To Believe that Alan will cause you to sit back and ponder as you watch his thought provoking messages. Do yourself a favor and watch them all. But only if you are able to handle the truth.

9/11 - 6 Year Anniversary

It has been 6 years since Sept 11, 2007. I was incredibly busy today so the anniversary passed with only a few thoughts back to the 9/11 events when I wrote down the date on a document. On 9/12/2001 we did not know what to expect, but for many of us life goes on without much disruption. Nevertheless, my thoughts go out to the families affected by this tragedy and the families affected by the war in Iraq.

I have a light schedule tonight, and no Toastmasters meetings today. CIGNA Lunchtime Toastmasters (#9617 - District 53) that normally meets on Tuesday, has our Table Topics Contest on 9/12. I am speaking on Wed night 9/12 (South Windsor Toastmasters Club) and will finish my 2007/2008 Triple Crown on Thursday evening.

And Friday = Off to Vegas for the Story Telling Champ Camp - Yeahoo!!

What do Backhoes, World Peace and Customer Service have in common?

I have just returned from the Fall 2007 contest at Bloomfield Toastmasters Club - #4745. We held the Table Topics and Humorous speech contests. Contestants spoke about Customer Service (or lack thereof), World Peace and wishing for a backhoe. A backhoe? You needed to have been there to see the gestures of our female winner operating a backhoe to landscape her garden.

This contest season is the best one so far in my Toastmasters Career, because it is my privilege to serve as Area B2 Governor in District 53 this year.

As you read this snippet, think - which is your best contest season, and why? Oh wait, this is a great question for the Table Topics speech at the next level :)

One Story Telling Champ Camp coming right up

I am still struggling to get over the flu, cold, whatever thing that started on Tuesday.

Planning the week ahead, I realize this will be a busy one.

Monday night - I am Contest Master at Windsor Toastmasters club (#4745 - District 53).

Tuesday night - Bloomfield club (#7139 - District 53) kicks off a Speech Craft program.

Wednesday noon - Chief Judge at CIGNA Lunchtime Club (#9617 - District 53)
Wednesday night - Speaking at South Windsor Community Toastmasters.

Thursday night - prepare for my first trip to Vegas, ever. Why am I going to Vegas you ask? To attend the first ever, brand new, StoryTelling Champ Camp. I am looking forward to the learning experience, but not looking forward to the travel in the miniature airline seats. I expect to get a lot of work done on the plane trips.

Friday afternoon - Leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I will be back again.... Unsure if there will be blog postings over the weekend.

Frippnotized

I have been Frippnotized. I invested my time today at the New England Chapter of NSA in Natick, Mass today. Patricia Fripp taught us "How to take a speech from good to Great". I wish you could have been there to absorb the experience. My head is still spinning from the wealth of information and experience that we shared in the meeting today. Patricia shared techniques, principles with us. Patricia also coached a few speakers. I was impresssed with Patricia's abilities.

We learned about skinny and fat (Phrases and words, that is). We learned the value of your life timeline and the importance of specificity in your speeches.

Also met great people at this event. It was the first time that I attended an event at NSA New England chapter, and I will visit again. We had great table conversations about my favorite topic - Presentation Skills when using PowerPoint.

Here is a new paraphrase to help you follow the Pow'Rful Process "Show an image on your slide show when you cannot describe the object". For example, show a photograph of the Mercedes-Benz badge rather than describe a silver-three pointed star. We instantly recognize the badge, but will take a few moments to visualize the badge if the speaker describes it to the audience.

When is the risk worth the reward?

How do you decide when to not use PowerPoint in your presentation? What criteria do you use?

No doubt about it. You run the risk of having technology problems when you present with PowerPoint that you would not have if you presented without PowerPoint. Some risks are that your projector is not compatible with your laptop, your projector breaks during your presentation and your images do not project the same as they look on your computer screen. These are real risks that can inconvenience your presentation.

We know that the power of presenting with PowerPoint is that "A picture is worth a thousand words". But what is the tipping point? I don't have an answer, and am pondering this question. Please post your comments on the issue?

When deciding to use or to skip PowerPoint in a presentation, I take into consideration:
1. Have I presented at this location before, and do I know that the equipment works?
2. How good is the lighting in the location?
3. What other unknowns can I run into in this presentation?

I will post comments and the results of my research when available.

So easy, Even a Caveman can do it...

Dave Paradi's newsletter of Sept 4, 2007 arrived in my mailbox this week. Sign up for this informative newsletter right now, by clicking here.

Dave and I subscribe to the same philosophy when presenting with PowerPoint. You slides should be used to display photos and customized images, and your presentation is supported with stories.

Dave points out in this newsletter that cavemen implemented this philosophy 5,000 years ago with vivid cave drawings. Cavemen added to the drawings with stories of their hunting quests.

If cavemen were able to communicate with drawings on rock walls, imagine what cavemen would have been able to communicate if they had PowerPoint at their disposal. How do you "Undo" a mistake on a rock anyway? I guess you had better get it right the first time :)

Getting back to the point - 5,000 years ago cavemen proved that the best method of communication is customized images with supporting stories. I believe we should continue to use this philosophy.

Thanks Dave Paradi for sharing this piece of communication history with us.

How to merge slides from a team of presenters?

I face a challenge that I don't have an easy answer to. I hope that someone can post a response. Do we have any Toastmasters from District 53, or other Districts who can help me out here?

I am sharing the stage with other Project Managers at a presentation in two weeks time. We have each created our slides and submitted them. The meeting planner is consolidating our slides into a consistent template. We are likely going to have a consistent template with more text than I would like to have.

You know how I preach that slides should have photos, and no or little text? Well, my co-presenters have varying levels of PowerPoint Presentation skills. The challenge I face is that although I advocate photos, stories and thorough preparation, I don't know how to convince my fellow speakers to follow my lead so that we have a consistent presentation.

What are you thoughts? Have you been in a similar situation, and how have your resolved it?

Planning, Preparation and Photos put Power in PowerPoint

Today I presented a speech from the Toastmasters Successful Club series at my home club - CIGNA Lunchtime Toastmasters. This is a scripted speech from Toastmasters International and I took some liberties with the presentation instead of just reading the script.

I created a slideshow for my presentation using, of course, Microsoft PowerPoint. I followed the 5.5 steps laid out in Dodging the Bullet Points because it these are the correct steps to follow when presenting with PowerPoint.

Afterwards, I completed the final 1/2 step of the Pow'Rful process with a review of the presentation. If you follow the results of my research, you know that bullet points and text on slides are bad, bad, bad. Well, not having bullet points or text on your slides forces you to prepare better. You are forced to present your speech because you cannot rely on the slides as a crutch. Ideally, you only have photos on your slides, which means that you speech has to bring the presentation to life. Although powerful supporting props, photos on slides don't communicate your message. You communicate your message.

No text on the slides means that you have to put more planning and preparation into the presentation. The slides take more time to create and you will invest more time rehearsing your presentation.

The payoff for your planning and preparation is huge. Believe me. As I presented today I again experienced the joy of knowing that high-quality photos set the right atmosphere for my message and all eyes were on me because there was so little text for the audience to read. This is also known as a Pow'Rful Presentation.

Bottom line: Look at the slides that you plan to use in your next PowerPoint Presentation. How much text do you have? How can your replace 75% of your text with photos that get your point across? How many bullet points do you have? How can you remove them, while increasing the effectiveness of your communication at the same time with a photograph?

Remember - "Planning, Preparation and Photos put Power in PowerPoint". Not bullet points. Keep on Dodging the Bullet Points, my friends.

Celebrate successes with your loved ones

As I wrapped up this very productive long weekend, my wife stopped by the desk in my home office and asked about the "Best Speaker" trophy on my desk. I explained that I won the trophy at CIGNA After Hours Toastmaster Club where I am a member. She asked why I did not mention it to her.

Good point. I explained that it is not big deal because I frequently win Best Speaker and Best Evaluator awards at Toasmaster clubs.

With our busy lives, this trophy did not make it onto the list of priorities to discuss. I did not think to mention it to her as it is less important than making sure bills are paid, etc. This situation makes both of us wonder if our current crazy schedules are worth the financial returns when we are at the point of not celebrating each other's successes. Did someone say work/life balance? What's that?

Are you sometimes in a similar situation? Are you so busy working and reaching goals that you forget to celebrate your successes with the most important people in your life?

I reached most of my goals for the weekend. We relaxed as a family, made breakfasts together and I cleared the backlog of "To Do" items off my desk. We made Boerewors on Saturday morning and we are binging on the fresh sausage. "Watertand Lekker wors" we call it. Grocery stores that boast "fresh food" cannot compete with this freshness in their sausages. :) If you wonder why we make our own sausage - it is because South African sausage is not available in Connecticut and being from South Africa we quickly figured out that a "'n Boer maak 'n plan".

I have a light schedule this week, with only one Toastmaster Meeting, namely the CIGNA Afterhours Club Table Topics contest on 9/4. I will enjoy the light schedule because next week the killer schedule starts again. The bulk of Area B2 District 53 Toastmasters contests will be held over the next few weeks and I will attend most of them. It will be a blast. If you are not currently signed up to compete in your club's Fall 2007 Contest, then sign up. Remember that somebody has to win, and you cannot win if you are not in the contest!

One of my weekend goals was to select my next product to develop. Dodging the Bullet Points is selling beyond expectations. I am getting feedback that indicates a need for a publication that guides a newbie PowerPoint user through the steps to create slides. Dodging the Bullet Points assumes that presenters are already proficient in PowerPoint, which appears to be an oversight on my part. Stay tuned as I develop a publication to fill this need and help presenter get started to use PowerPoint and develop Pow'Rful Presentations.

As a bonus, on top of the long weekend, this is a short work week. Only four days until Saturday. Yipee!! Enjoy your short week...

Reflections. Define your "WHY" then "HOW" will follow

We had a relaxing, restful family day today. We got up late and had breakfast at 11 AM. Relaxing like this gave me time to reflect on current goals and my numerous priorities. Weather is perfect. We no longer need the A/C, windows are open, and we don't need the heater yet.

Have you ever heard the saying "Define your WHY, and the HOW will follow"? If you can define WHY you want to do something, such as get your law degree, then you are sure to find out HOW to make it materialize in your life. The strongest WHY is usually emotional. When you want to reach a goal to prove to a disbeliever that you can do it, your WHY is stronger than if "think it is a good idea".

For example, let's say that in high school your are seen as a below average student. This may give you the WHY to study laboriously and excel in college and obtain the satisfaction of proving that you are not the below average student others think you are. In other words, "to prove them wrong". Another example of a strong WHY is when someone says you are overweight and it strikes you so deeply that you vow to find out HOW to take the actions that you need to take and lose the weight. I find it helpful to occasionally stop and reflect on WHY I am pursuing the goals I am pursuing, knowing that WHY is more important than HOW.

Darren LaCroix's Get Paid to Speak by Next Week Program starts off by helping students to define WHY you want to follow the program. Once you have written down the WHY, you refer back to your WHY if you later get so tied up in the minutiae of preparing speeches, writing articles and studying the craft that you seem to lose focus. Again, if the WHY is strong enough, then the HOW comes on its own to help you reach your goals.

Speaking of Darren - It was his birthday yesterday. Read his blog here. If you ask me, it is
Party Time, Party Time, Party Time :)

Determine some WHY's in your life. Write them down. WHY do you want to get a promotion? WHY do you want to finish authoring your book? Why do you want to get your child through college? Remember that the HOW will follow if the WHY is stong enough.

10 Year Anniversary of Princess Di

Where were you ten years ago? Do you remember hearing the news that Princess Di had died? Do you remember the press coverage in the preceding months, including speculation that she was going to divorce Prince Charles, and the supposedly secret weekends of Princess Di without Prince Charles.

We were visiting my wife's mother in Sannieshof, South Africa for the weekend when we heard the news. We were stunned at first, thinking that it was a mistake. We saw it on TV, but it was not in the newspapers because the Sunday papers were already printed on the night that Princess Di died. At that time, my wife and I only had a desire to live in the USA, and we had no feasible plan to move here.

Now, ten years later, in Connecticut USA, our TV channels are flooded with news of memorial services and documentaries of Princess Di.

Brian Tracy says that we overestimate what we can achieve in one year, but underestimate what we can achieve in five years. What can you do in the next five years? Finish your PhD? There is enough time if you start now.

Here is today's point. What were you doing ten years ago when you heard the news about Princess Di? How much have you changed and grown in the past ten years? Given that you have had the opportunity to grow in the past 10 years, what have you done in this time,with these opportunities? Now ponder - What do you want to achieve in the next five and ten years. When we remember Princess Di's anniversary in the future, will you reflect back and be content with your efforts, or dissapointed?