I am thankful for the unconditional love of my wife.
I am thankful for my step children.
I am thankful for eight grandchildren.
I am thankful for my brothers and sisters and extended family.
I am thankful for the health I enjoy.
I am thankful for the employment which my hands find to fill my days.
I am thankful for agencies that care for the needy.
I am thankful for volunteers who give unselfishly in volunteering their time to these agencies.
I am thankful for generous benefactors who give so that agencies can do their work.
I am thankful for an abundance of friends around this country.
I am thankful for food and clothing.
I am thankful for wisdom to make healthy choices.
I am thankful for eyes to see the beauty of our land.
I am thankful for ears to hear the words “I love you.”
I am thankful for a tongue to speak the words “I love you.”
I am thankful for the gift of music that sooths my soul.
I am thankful for the Love of God, The Supreme being in my life.
I am thankful for a church fellowship from which I gain strength and support.
I am thankful for a roof over my head.
I am thankful for daily needs that are being met.
I am thankful for mentors who have contributed to my life.
I am thankful for books that have taken me places I could not have otherwise visited.
I am thankful for computers, email and cell phones that keep us in touch instantly.
I am thankful for a government that still believes in individual rights of a human being.
I am thankful for the protection of our military on a national and international level.
I am thankful for local and state law enforcement agencies. You put it on the line daily for us.
I am thankful for teachers who have taught me skills.
I am thankful for the human touch that is soothing, comforting and reassuring.
I am thankful for sunshine and rain, snow and wind, mountains and valleys.
I am thankful for fishes and animals in a vast variety that staggers the imagination.
I am thankful for medical technology and those skillful in these arts.
I am thankful for medical professionals and researchers.
I am thankful for those in the service industries who give quality with a smile.
I am thankful for professional sales people who perform their jobs with style and grace.
I am thankful for public transportation professionals who safely transport us daily.
I am thankful for newscasters who intelligently and clearly give us good information.
I am thankful for honest statesmen and women who serve with dignity and a conscious.
I am thankful for more blessings than I can recall.
I am thankful for a chance to say, “Thank you. I give thanks, I appreciate, I adore, I esteem, I recognize, I honor, I love.”
Happy Thanksgiving One and All!
HOPE~ENCOURAGEMENT~INSPIRATION
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Focus, Part Four
Welcome to “Focus” Part Four. In preparation for this series of articles my photographer friend, Larry Curfman, from Centralia, WA provided some fine examples and metaphors to use as analogies.
BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND
A good photographer knows the purpose for any given picture. He has a good sense of the end result he wants to accomplish before he focuses his camera lenses on the subject at hand.
Steven Covey wrote about this in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. “Begin with the end in mind.” When it’s all said and done, how closely does your enterprise resemble the original idea?
In a writing class that I took once I mentioned an idea I had been working on. I told the instructor that I felt the idea was good but that I had gotten lost in writing it and felt boxed in with the story.
The instructor wisely asked, “Do you know how your story ends?” What about you? What does your enterprise look like when it is finally all put together and launched? Can you see your location? Can you see your customers? Can you see your inventory? Can you visualize your expansion and growth? Can you predict some of the changes that will naturally occur for your growing business?
Begin with the end in mind.
POSITIONING AND COMPOSITION
Larry also talked about composing the picture. Composing has to do with the elements used in a photograph and how they are positioned.
What is your company position? What is your angle on your particular target market? What do you offer that no one else offers? What do you offer that is better than your competitors? Are there added values you can bring into focus in your business to enhance your positioning in the market place?
Let me encourage you to create your own questions and expand on the ones offered here. This exercise will refine your focus as you create your enterprise.
__________________
Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. Michael’s business experiences include Director of Sales and Director of Marketing for three music publishing companies, Regional Director for Sylvan Learning Centers, and success in sales in retail, insurance and real estate. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.
BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND
A good photographer knows the purpose for any given picture. He has a good sense of the end result he wants to accomplish before he focuses his camera lenses on the subject at hand.
Steven Covey wrote about this in his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. “Begin with the end in mind.” When it’s all said and done, how closely does your enterprise resemble the original idea?
In a writing class that I took once I mentioned an idea I had been working on. I told the instructor that I felt the idea was good but that I had gotten lost in writing it and felt boxed in with the story.
The instructor wisely asked, “Do you know how your story ends?” What about you? What does your enterprise look like when it is finally all put together and launched? Can you see your location? Can you see your customers? Can you see your inventory? Can you visualize your expansion and growth? Can you predict some of the changes that will naturally occur for your growing business?
Begin with the end in mind.
POSITIONING AND COMPOSITION
Larry also talked about composing the picture. Composing has to do with the elements used in a photograph and how they are positioned.
What is your company position? What is your angle on your particular target market? What do you offer that no one else offers? What do you offer that is better than your competitors? Are there added values you can bring into focus in your business to enhance your positioning in the market place?
Let me encourage you to create your own questions and expand on the ones offered here. This exercise will refine your focus as you create your enterprise.
__________________
Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. Michael’s business experiences include Director of Sales and Director of Marketing for three music publishing companies, Regional Director for Sylvan Learning Centers, and success in sales in retail, insurance and real estate. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Focus, Part Three
Welcome to “Focus” Part Three. In preparation for this series of articles my photographer friend, Larry Curfman, from Centralia, WA provided some fine examples and metaphors to use as analogies.
PROBING QUESTONS
In order to help sharpen our focus on the project at hand, let’s ask some probing questions and give frank and honest answers.
Why should I pursue this idea/dream?
Why should this business exist?
How might this business reflect my mission statement?
What skills and talents will I personally need for success in this venture?
What resources do I need in order for this venture to succeed?
Where will the business be located? Where will I live?
How will I market the business and my skills?
Where do I envision this business to be in three years, five years, and ten years?
I’ve asked and answered these questions and more during the launching of Up-Words. If you are like me you’ll find that the answers change as you grow into this business.
STRENGTH-BASED FOCUS
Depending on the scope of your plans and venture, you might involve a business partner and assign them one area of your plan for their specific focus. Match the responsibility with their individual strengths.
I’ve been listening to “The E Myth Revisited” by Michael E. Gerber. In it he uses the example of a widget company started by two men who were best of friends. After a shaky start the men realized that they needed to reorganize their thinking, sharpen their focus and redefine what their widget business was all about. They divided up the tasks and job descriptions according to their strengths and interests. Their efforts to refocus created a business that was stronger, more viable, and ultimately more successful.
Recently, I met with a web designer to begin the process of refining and redesigning my website. I included my wife as a part of this discussion because of her keen insights and analytical thinking skills. Our collective ideas for this site created a stronger internet presence.
Be open to allowing people you trust within your sphere of influence to contribute their expertise to your cause. It’s a good idea to spell out the parameters in which you want their help.
USE A CRITICAL EYE
In preparation for the web meeting I spent a lot of time perusing the web to get ideas for layout, color scheme, verbiage, and the overall feel that I wanted my website to represent. This helped focus my thoughts.
When I enter my office at home, I focus on one or two tasks at hand. Is today a research day, or is this an article writing morning? I first decide what the most important task is for this block of time, and then begin on that task.
My photographer friend Larry said he always asks, “What is the focus of the photo”? That becomes the object of his focus. If he is shooting an outdoor scene, there may be an impressive waterfall nearby, but he is there to capture a beautiful butterfly, so that becomes his focus.
I’m reminded of a time when I was discussing several writing projects with a friend of mine who is a published author of twenty-six books. I had ten ideas for projects to write about but had not begun writing any of them.
Harold wisely said, “You need to narrow your focus, Michael. You need to identify one or two of your best ideas and write about those first, then move on to the others.” That was great advice!
FOCUS IS: Single-mindedness, identifying and zeroing in on the main point, unwavering attention to the important, attention to the primary, discipline, paying attention, and making choices.
__________________
Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. Michael’s business experiences include Director of Sales and Director of Marketing for three music publishing companies, Regional Director for Sylvan Learning Centers, and success in sales in retail, insurance and real estate. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.
PROBING QUESTONS
In order to help sharpen our focus on the project at hand, let’s ask some probing questions and give frank and honest answers.
Why should I pursue this idea/dream?
Why should this business exist?
How might this business reflect my mission statement?
What skills and talents will I personally need for success in this venture?
What resources do I need in order for this venture to succeed?
Where will the business be located? Where will I live?
How will I market the business and my skills?
Where do I envision this business to be in three years, five years, and ten years?
I’ve asked and answered these questions and more during the launching of Up-Words. If you are like me you’ll find that the answers change as you grow into this business.
STRENGTH-BASED FOCUS
Depending on the scope of your plans and venture, you might involve a business partner and assign them one area of your plan for their specific focus. Match the responsibility with their individual strengths.
I’ve been listening to “The E Myth Revisited” by Michael E. Gerber. In it he uses the example of a widget company started by two men who were best of friends. After a shaky start the men realized that they needed to reorganize their thinking, sharpen their focus and redefine what their widget business was all about. They divided up the tasks and job descriptions according to their strengths and interests. Their efforts to refocus created a business that was stronger, more viable, and ultimately more successful.
Recently, I met with a web designer to begin the process of refining and redesigning my website. I included my wife as a part of this discussion because of her keen insights and analytical thinking skills. Our collective ideas for this site created a stronger internet presence.
Be open to allowing people you trust within your sphere of influence to contribute their expertise to your cause. It’s a good idea to spell out the parameters in which you want their help.
USE A CRITICAL EYE
In preparation for the web meeting I spent a lot of time perusing the web to get ideas for layout, color scheme, verbiage, and the overall feel that I wanted my website to represent. This helped focus my thoughts.
When I enter my office at home, I focus on one or two tasks at hand. Is today a research day, or is this an article writing morning? I first decide what the most important task is for this block of time, and then begin on that task.
My photographer friend Larry said he always asks, “What is the focus of the photo”? That becomes the object of his focus. If he is shooting an outdoor scene, there may be an impressive waterfall nearby, but he is there to capture a beautiful butterfly, so that becomes his focus.
I’m reminded of a time when I was discussing several writing projects with a friend of mine who is a published author of twenty-six books. I had ten ideas for projects to write about but had not begun writing any of them.
Harold wisely said, “You need to narrow your focus, Michael. You need to identify one or two of your best ideas and write about those first, then move on to the others.” That was great advice!
FOCUS IS: Single-mindedness, identifying and zeroing in on the main point, unwavering attention to the important, attention to the primary, discipline, paying attention, and making choices.
__________________
Michael Biggs is a speaker, writer, speech coach and vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, “Offering Hope, Encouragement, and Inspiration One Word at a Time”. Michael’s business experiences include Director of Sales and Director of Marketing for three music publishing companies, Regional Director for Sylvan Learning Centers, and success in sales in retail, insurance and real estate. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at michael@up-words.net.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Focus, Part Two
Welcome to “Focus” Part Two. If you are just discovering this series of articles on “Focus”, I want to remind my readers that my photographer friend, Larry Curfman, from Centralia, WA provided some fine examples and metaphors for this series of articles.
We ended our discussion last week with this thought in mind.
DEFINE YOUR MISSION AND STICK TO IT!
Let’s extend this thought today.
Have you given thought to how your mission statement reads? Your mission statement should be a brief, clear representation of your purpose for existing. Some mission statements take a broad view that is all-encompassing of the main tenants of the organization’s overall objectives. Some are clear, precise and to the point.
Here are a few examples:
Walt Disney: “To make people happy”
Wal-Mart: “To give ordinary folks the chance to buy the same thing as rich people”
Mary Kay Cosmetics: “To give unlimited opportunity to women”
I have known for some years that I have the ability to work well with people. I can make friends easily and often earn people’s trust in a short period of time after meeting them. When I link this ability with my “encouraging nature” I live out my mission by using my people skills in a more significant way.
A few years ago, on a Sunday afternoon, I was watching the movie “Patch Adams.” There is a moment near the end of this movie in which Patch is appearing before a board of doctors who are trying to decide whether to allow him to continue his studies or ask him to leave medical school. In an impassioned plea for his case, Patch cries out, “I simply want to help people. Please let me help people!” (Paraphrased interpretation)
When Patch Adams (played by Robin Williams) delivered those lines, something within me cried, “That’s me! That’s what I want to do with my life. I too want to simply help people.”
I connected the dots in that moment as to the course I wanted the rest of my life to take.
As a result of this Sunday afternoon epiphany, I now have a clear vision of what my personal mission statement is: “To offer hope, encouragement, and inspiration one word at a time”.
Every time I meet someone and we are able to engage in any kind of an extended conversation I find myself seeking ways to say a word of encouragement and hope to them. My senses tune in to our conversation so that I know what is important to them, what is concerning them and what issues they may be facing. I have identified my mission and I am sticking to it.
What about you? What is your mission? What is your life all about? What is your business all about? Does your mission statement match your goals and dreams? How strong is your passion factor? Is there a need for your product or service? Is it good for you and is it good for your world?
DEFINE YOUR MISSION AND STICK TO IT!
Coming next week, “Focus”, Part Three.
“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."
-Dr. Benjamin Spock
__________________
Michael Biggs is a motivational speaker, writer, personal speech coach and top rated vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, Offering Hope, Encouragement and Inspiration One Word at a Time. Michael’s business experiences include Director of Sales and Director of Marketing for three major music publishing companies, Regional Director for Sylvan Learning Centers, and as a successful multi-line insurance agent. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at pm.biggs@comcast.net
We ended our discussion last week with this thought in mind.
DEFINE YOUR MISSION AND STICK TO IT!
Let’s extend this thought today.
Have you given thought to how your mission statement reads? Your mission statement should be a brief, clear representation of your purpose for existing. Some mission statements take a broad view that is all-encompassing of the main tenants of the organization’s overall objectives. Some are clear, precise and to the point.
Here are a few examples:
Walt Disney: “To make people happy”
Wal-Mart: “To give ordinary folks the chance to buy the same thing as rich people”
Mary Kay Cosmetics: “To give unlimited opportunity to women”
I have known for some years that I have the ability to work well with people. I can make friends easily and often earn people’s trust in a short period of time after meeting them. When I link this ability with my “encouraging nature” I live out my mission by using my people skills in a more significant way.
A few years ago, on a Sunday afternoon, I was watching the movie “Patch Adams.” There is a moment near the end of this movie in which Patch is appearing before a board of doctors who are trying to decide whether to allow him to continue his studies or ask him to leave medical school. In an impassioned plea for his case, Patch cries out, “I simply want to help people. Please let me help people!” (Paraphrased interpretation)
When Patch Adams (played by Robin Williams) delivered those lines, something within me cried, “That’s me! That’s what I want to do with my life. I too want to simply help people.”
I connected the dots in that moment as to the course I wanted the rest of my life to take.
As a result of this Sunday afternoon epiphany, I now have a clear vision of what my personal mission statement is: “To offer hope, encouragement, and inspiration one word at a time”.
Every time I meet someone and we are able to engage in any kind of an extended conversation I find myself seeking ways to say a word of encouragement and hope to them. My senses tune in to our conversation so that I know what is important to them, what is concerning them and what issues they may be facing. I have identified my mission and I am sticking to it.
What about you? What is your mission? What is your life all about? What is your business all about? Does your mission statement match your goals and dreams? How strong is your passion factor? Is there a need for your product or service? Is it good for you and is it good for your world?
DEFINE YOUR MISSION AND STICK TO IT!
Coming next week, “Focus”, Part Three.
“Trust yourself. You know more than you think you do."
-Dr. Benjamin Spock
__________________
Michael Biggs is a motivational speaker, writer, personal speech coach and top rated vocal soloist. He lives in Edmonds, WA. with his wife Carolyn. His company is called Up-Words, Offering Hope, Encouragement and Inspiration One Word at a Time. Michael’s business experiences include Director of Sales and Director of Marketing for three major music publishing companies, Regional Director for Sylvan Learning Centers, and as a successful multi-line insurance agent. He is available to speak to your business or organization. Please contact him at 206-349-1888 or email him at pm.biggs@comcast.net
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)