If It Sounds Like Crap …

Don’t put it in your mouth! Discard it, don’t share it.

How often have we been guilty of saying or doing things that we have regretted later? Far too often I would guess. Yet, I still see numerous personal attacks in Tweets, Facebook posts and articles every day, not to mention the constant barrage of negative (and fake) news reports. This leads me to believe we’re not learning anything from our missteps.

So why do we do it?“People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy.” – Oliver Goldsmith

Why do we feel so compelled to hurt others through our words and our actions? Let me set the record straight, it is not a result of genetic programming. It’s learned behavior and as such, we can all do better. Continue reading…

10 Life Lessons from Holiday Cooking

This year ‘The Boys’, my son Daniel and I, decided to do most of the Christmas holiday cooking. It was our way of giving ‘The Girls’, my wife Laura and daughter Melanie, a much needed break to relax and enjoy the holiday. My crazy idea!!

Sweets & Treats All Done

We had no idea what we were getting ourselves in for when we started, but 11 recipes and 12+ hours of meal preparation, cooking and cleaning up our messes later, we had learned a lot from this experience. Here are some of the life lessons we took away from our holiday cooking adventure: Continue reading…

Leadership: Coming to Faith

With the holiday season upon us, we tend to make a religious connection when we read the words “coming to faith”. However, for the purposes of this article I want to move the conversation in a slightly different direction.

What is faith? By definition, it is the “confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea or thing”. Applied to leadership, faith in this context can be viewed as the confident belief in our ability to lead and our capacity for leadership.

How confident are you in your ability to lead and your capacity for leadership? Continue reading…

Special Gift Offer Expires October 31st

I need your help.

As you may know, for the entire month of October I am offering my new online course, Discover YOUR Formula for Success, for only $20 (normally $37). All proceeds from this special gift offer will go to Build International Ministries to help support their extraordinary mission work abroad.

Give Her Hope

Discover YOUR Formula for Success is a journey of self-discovery. It provides the overall framework and resources needed to create a comprehensive personal plan for success. The course includes 21 lectures and 2+ hours of video content, in addition to e-books, articles, exercises, templates and tools. (Would also make a great gift for a loved one this upcoming holiday season).

Sandy Anderson, president of Build International Ministries, and his daughter Sabrina returned last week from Nepal and India on their latest mission trip. Please help me surprise Sandy and his team with our donations to help support the continuing work of his ministry.

Click on the link to register for the course: https://www.udemy.com/discover-your-formula-for-success and include the gift coupon code BDAYGIFT.

This special offer expires on October 31st, so please register today! By doing so, you will be making a global difference in the lives of many others.

Thank you for your support.

John Carroll

 

COPYRIGHT © 2013 John Carroll

My Birthday Gift to You – Pay It Forward

Well, I have finally put the bow around my surprise birthday gift to you. Last week was great fun. We traveled to Saint Louis for some much needed R&R to celebrate my big day with family and friends, and to attend Laura’s (my wife) high school reunion.

Now this week, we’ve planned a family outing with our adult children for the second leg of the birthday activities. I know, I know. That’s not why you are here. You want to know what your surprise birthday gift is, don’t you? Well, I can tell you this – it’s something out of the ordinary. But before I tell you any more, you must agree to pay it forward. Okay?

So, what exactly is my surprise birthday gift to you? Continue reading…

Discover YOUR Formula for Success

Wanted to share some exciting news with everyone. I published my first course on Udemy this week!

Discover YOUR Formula for Success, is a journey of self-discovery. It provides the framework, resources and a step-by-step approach to help participants create a comprehensive personal plan for success and achieve their goals in a balanced way. The new course includes 21 lectures and lots of great content.

Discover YOUR Formula for Success

Much of the content is derived from my work with business owners in our coaching practice and business leaders in our 12-month strategic mastermind program. The course resources include e-books, articles, exercises, templates and tools designed to help participants discover what they really want out of life, and how to get it.

NOW for the really exciting news …

If you’re one of the first 50 people to register, you can order my first course for only $10 (normally $37)!!! Just click the link to register: https://www.udemy.com/discover-your-formula-for-success and include the coupon code BLSLIVE. Please feel free to share this information with others who would benefit from the course content.

Thank you in advance for your support. I look forward to your future success and to helping you Discover YOUR Formula for Success.

Enjoy the journey!

John

Whose Normal Are You Challenging?

Whose normal are you challenging? Or better yet, what is normal? Interesting questions, let us explore further.

What is normal or the definition of normal that you are living by today?

According to Dictionary.com, normal is defined as, “conforming to a standard, usual, typical or expected”. However, the Urban dictionary has a totally different viewpoint. It defines normal as, “a word made up by this corrupt society so they can single out and attack those who are different”.

Legacy of Hope

Be careful with stereotypes, judging others, or attempting to live by someone else’s definition of normal. Remember this, “People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they are not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.” Continue reading…

Make Continuous Improvement a Priority

Where does continuous improvement rank on your list of priorities? If it is not at or near the top, then it should be.

Continuous improvement is essential to growth in all of the critical ‘Five F’ areas of life – faith, family, finances, fitness and fun. However, for this article, let’s focus on continuous improvement within the context of the business community.

Start out by asking yourself this question, “What would your business look like if Jack Welch, or Warren Buffett, or Bill Gates were running it?” Continue reading…

Marketing Secrets for the New Economy – Part 2

In Marketing Secrets for the New Economy – Part 2 we will explore why globalization has become a key strategic imperative for sustainable business growth and survival in the new economy.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you’re thinking. There he goes again, beating that globalization drum. Doesn’t he understand that I own a small local business and have no plans to expand globally?

Yes, I get it … but that is today’s reality. We are talking about the future opportunities for growth in the new global economy. Your opinion may change after you have read Part 2 of the article and had time to consider the following chart in more detail.

Global Wealth Distribution Chart

Let us start the globalization discussion by acknowledging the fact that there is no such thing as a local business in today’s rapidly changing economy. Millions of “eyeballs” around the world can gain access to your business from your web site, social media, email lists and other sources, and vice versa. As such, our world has become interconnected, interdependent and open. Continue reading…

Marketing Secrets for the New Economy – Part 1

Marketing Secrets for the New Economy – Part 1 overviews the opportunities we have as entrepreneurs and business owners to dramatically increase revenues and profits in the ‘new economy’. Part 2 will address the importance of globalizing your business for sustainable long-term growth.

We have all heard many times over that most millionaires have a total of seven income sources. In the first part of the article, you will see examples of how you too can systematically create multiple income streams for a business around your greatest asset – YOU.

The image below reflects what these multiple income sources might include for a typical emerging business. I refer to this chart as the “Circle of Life” because it also provides an evolutionary path for scaling a growth business through the various life-cycle stages.

YOU

Now let’s explore each of these potential revenue streams in a little more detail, so you have a better idea of how applicable they may be for your particular situation. Continue reading…