Just some good churning

churnOn logo:

This week, thus far, we have churned about taking initiative and responsibility, the word 'afflatus' and the very engaging DeLoss Dodds. You may have noticed that I recently added a logo on churnOn.com. The inspiration (afflatus) for the design came from my dad, who called to say, "If it's not butter yet, keep on churning." Actually he said, "If it ain't butter yet, keep on churning," but then quickly corrected himself as he knew his mom (the English teacher) would not be accepting of the slang. Lucy, my 11 year old daughter, then went to work and quickly sketched out ways to use the letters 'c' and 'o' in the form of an old fashioned butter churner. (I hope I did not have to spell that out!) Then it was off to the very talented Allison McDougall, my graphic designer and a graduating senior at St. Edward's University here in Austin.
Coming soon on The Churn: The six characteristics of successful selling - ELU times two.

Meeting DeLoss Dodds

UT Disch Falk Field:

Last night, I had the privilege of meeting and spending a few minutes with University of Texas Athletic Director, DeLoss Dodds while attending a baseball game at the recently renovated Disch Falk Field. I was there as the guest of some friends who work in the sports business and enjoyed an evening of college baseball in a beautiful setting. What struck me in my interactions with Mr. Dodds was how engaging he was. He was genuinely interested in me, asking questions and connecting stories. Mr. Dodds is a legend in the world of college sports, and it was easy to see why he has built such an amazing program. Since he became the Athletic Director at Texas in 1981, he has overseen programs that have claimed 13 National Titles and over 100 conference titles. 

How engaging are you in your interactions? Coming soon on The Churn: The six characteristics of successful selling - ELU times two.

Word of the day - afflatus

Afflatus:

The word of the day in my 6:30 a.m. yoga class was 'afflatus'. Afflatus is a Latin word derived from Cicero (The Nature of Gods) that can be translated to mean 'inspiration'. The literal translation ties to last weeks post, "You can't control the wind, but can adjust your sails" as it means to blow upon/towards. Wikipedia says, "It can be taken to mean "to be blown upon" by a divine wind, not unlike its English equivalent "inspiration," which comes from "inspire," meaning "to breath/blow onto"." 

In English, the word is sometimes used to describe an idea that comes from a divine place and often can not be described by the creator. Ever have an idea that is hard to describe, but you know it is good? I thought 'afflatus' was a great word, and very yoga-like!

About initiative and responsibility

Seth Godin:

"Initiative isn't given, you take it". 

"The amazing thing is that unlike taking an apple or a chocolate bar, there's no loss to the rest of us. After you take it, we all benefit. There's one other thing you can take at work, easily and with approval: responsibility. In fact, they sort of have to go together. One without the other is a mess."

How true that last sentence rings. I like Seth, and we have the same haircut. Maybe my head can fill in for his head one day?

You can't control the wind

But you can adjust your sails:

As the Tar Heels prepare to take on Marquette tonight in the NCAA round of 16, a friend shared this article on Will Graves, who was dismissed from the team early in the season and now plays professionally in Japan. Scroll to the bottom to see what Will has apparently learned from Coach Roy Williams about life, reconciliation, and second chances.

Speaking of second chances, the Heels owe Marquette a little something from the 1977 NCAA Final. That was Al McGuire's squad who took care of business in Atlanta, beating Carolina 67-59.

churnOn language from John Morton

What to do with what comes back?:

"One way to look at what is going on is we are continually being exercised in our growth and learning and so we are constantly being strengthened and enabled. The conditions in this world are in each and every way a complete and whole creation for our upliftment and advancement, our progression and fulfillment." - John Morton

From yesterday's post on The Churn, titled Back at You: Of course, like all things in life, it is what you do with the information that comes back at you that matters most. And nothing comes back, if you don't first put some stuff out there!

Back at you

What's coming back:

Okay, I have put it out there. churnOn.com was launched on February 7th and the idea was really fairly simple. In summary, it went like this:

1. Something more than a resume.
2. A way to finish the re-write and self-publish my book, Releasing the Churn.
3. A home base around which to master the ecosystem of social networking tools, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn, so as to be a more effective professional in the next phase of my career.

And here is what has come back at me:

1. The site needs a 'call to action'. It needs to be a little less about me, and more about what I have to offer the world. This is a work-in-progress, but coming along nicely.
2. Write to help others, make information as useful as possible, and be service oriented.

Of course, like all things in life, it is what you do with the information that comes back at you that matters most. And nothing comes back, if you don't first put some stuff out there!

Churn - Oscillation is the key to happiness and success

If it's not butter yet:

This is the sixth and final post in my series The Four C's that launched churnOn.com and this blog; as well as an ecosystem of social networking tools in just four weeks.

• Read part one: The Four C's that launched churnOn.com
• Read part two: Create, Connect, Complete, and Churn
• Read part three: In corner number one - Create!
• Read part four: Connect - It is still a who you know world
• Read part five: Complete - Keep your attention on the essential task

If you have followed this series, you know I am a big Stephen Covey fan and also have drawn inspiration through the years from Jim Loehr and his work at the Human Performance Institute. One of the basic tenets they both teach is that when we are living life from a place of purpose, when we are hitting on all cylinders, we move in and out (in a daily rhythm) of the four capacities that make us human. Here are some of the ways these four capacities can be defined, all listed in this order: mind, heart, body, and soul.

• mind, heart, body, soul;
• mental, social, physical spiritual;
• talents, passions, needs, conscience;
• to learn, to love, to live, to leave a legacy;
• vision, passion, discipline, conscience;
• create, connect, complete, churn;

We have looked at how I 'created' the website by first using a vision board in order to set the project in motion. Then we studied how the site gained momentum by 'connecting' with those who could cheer me onward, such as my buddies at the Apple store. Next we studied the third cornerstone in the model, ‘complete’ by discussing ways you can keep your attention on the essential task. This week we will look at the fourth component: churn.

The timing is perfect, because this is the week I will answer the question family, friends, and professional contacts have asked throughout this process. What is churnOn? What are my goals for the website? What are my goals for the blog? Some have suggested that I need a ‘call to action’ and I know they are right. I have appreciated this feedback and I plan to answer the bell.

In short, ‘churn’ is our conscience, our soul, our spirit. It is our desire to do what is right and what the world needs, and in some cases what the world might even pay us to do. We find our churn (what Covey calls, “our sweet spot, our soul’s code, our voice”) by oscillating in and out of each of the four capacities on a regular and rhythmic basis. We create, we connect, we complete, and we churn; and round and round it goes. Sometimes we get it right, sometimes we mess it all up, but in the end it is about the process, about the journey, about putting yourself out there in a way that says, ‘Hello world, here I am, G. Page Singletary, now a half century smart, twenty years married to wonderful Georgia Peach, three amazing kids, pretty good juggler of the mind, the heart, the body, and the soul – though certainly not catching all the balls all the time.’

Stay tuned as we continue to explore:

• churnOn talents
• churnOn passions
• churnOn disciplines
• churnOn spirituality

And also learn why my father taught me, “If it is not butter yet, keep on churning.”

This blog series (The Four C's) dedicated to Coach Dean Smith and the four corners offense. churnOn Heels - Sweet 16 for NCAA tournament-record 24th time!

It's all in the follow through

Teach to learn:

As we close out this weeks theme on the third 'C' that launched churnOn.com I want to mention the often used sports term, 'follow through'. Follow through is certainly a key ingredient to completing the essential task. Do what you say, whether you say it to others or whether you say it to yourself.

David Rupert discusses 'follow through' in his Red Letter Believers blog post at this link. I thought is was a nice piece on the concept of doers versus talkers. Unfortunately, David's Little League experience was not the same as mine, but it sounds like he still learned the lesson.

The photo at left is a great example of 'teach to learn' as that is little Lucy 'May' Singletary, working with Grandpa May on his follow through! I plan to share this same photo on the My Little Golfers Website, under the topic Teach to Learn.

How the 'Ten Rules of Baseball' relate to completion

If you start to slide, slide!:

When I first met Coach Paul Rogers, I was eight years old in the little town of Wakefield, VA. I played four years of Little League baseball for Coach Rogers and thanks to 'Coach' I left Wakefield better prepared to take on the world. I remember that he brought a mimeographed handout to the very first practice, titled 'The Ten Rules of Baseball'. I believe this to be the list, and number five stands out as one of the keys to understanding the third 'c' in my series The Four C's That Launched churnOn.com - 'complete'. Actually, almost all of these rules can be applied to getting stuff done.

1. Nobody ever becomes a ballplayer by walking after a ball.
2. You will never become a .300 hitter unless you take the bat off your shoulder.
3. If what you did yesterday still looks big to you, you haven't done much today.
4. Keep your head up and you may not have to keep it down.
5. When you start to slide, slide. He who changes his mind may have to change a good leg for a bad one.
6. Do not alibi on bad hops. Anybody can field the good ones.
7. Always run them out. You never can tell.
8. Never quit.
9. Do not find too much fault with the umpires. You cannot expect them to be as perfect as you are.
10. A pitcher who hasn't control hasn't anything.

Play ball!

When you start to slide - slide

Second cheero: Coach Paul Rogers:

On Monday, I wrote about the word 'complete' - the third 'C' that launched churnOn.com and this blog; along with my ecosystem of social networking tools. The focus was on keeping your attention on the essential task. I used a golf analogy:

• Keep your eye on the ball
• Head down until the task is completed
• Perfection is the enemy of completion

One trick I have learned is to keep my daily 'to do' list very focused on the essential tasks. I use the rule of five. Only five items on my list at a time, and those five always include one slot for my daily fitness activity. For example, today's list looks like this:

1. Yoga at 6:30 a.m.
2. Finish mind node showing current top five business opportunities and circulate to key contacts in my network
3. Meet with AMD at 9:30 a.m. to discuss Forefront Austin partnership
4. Meet with Michael Froehls @ 12:30 p.m. to discuss his book, The Gift of Job Loss.
5. Meet with Dale Morgan at Austin Country Club to share about progress helping Jason Black with My Little Golfers. 

Once I pencil out my top five priorities, no more items on the list. I keep a second list (on the right side of my notepad) for phone calls and short email communications that need to be completed. I tackle the phone call list and the email activity once I have completed the five items on the main list, or in between appointments. Once the main list is 'complete', I can make a new list and refocus energies on the next highest priority projects.

I think I first began to learn this concept from my Little League Coach, and one of my cheeroes, Paul Rogers. A cheero is a hero who cheers you onward and upward, and cheeroes are one of three key themes in my book, Releasing the Churn. It is kind of like cheerio, but drop the 'i'. Tomorrow we will look at one of Coach Rogers first teachings: When you start to slide, slide. He who changes his mind may have to exchange a good leg for a bad one.

Complete - Keep your attention on the essential task

Head down, complete the task:

This is the fifth post in my six part series The Four C's that launched churnOn.com and this blog; as well as an ecosystem of social networking tools in just four weeks.

Read part one: The Four C's that launched churnOn.com
Read part two: Create, Connect, Complete, and Churn
Read part three: In corner number one - Create!
Read part four: Connect - It is still a who you know world 

If you have followed this series, you know I am a big Stephen Covey fan and also have drawn inspiration through the years from Jim Loehr and his work at the Human Performance Institute. One of the basic tenets they both teach is that when we are living life from a place of purpose, when we are hitting on all cylinders, we move in and out (in a daily rhythm) of the four capacities that make us human. Here are some of the ways these four capacities can be defined, all listed in this order: mind, heart, body, and soul.

• mind, heart, body, soul;
• mental, social, physical spiritual;
• talents, passions, needs, conscience;
• to learn, to love, to live, to leave a legacy;
• vision, passion, discipline, conscience;
• create, connect, complete, churn; 

Vision Board

We have looked at how I 'created' the website by first using a vision board in order to set the project in motion. Then we studied how the site gained momentum by 'connecting' with those who could cheer me onward, such as my buddies at the Apple store. Now let's look at the third cornerstone in the model, 'complete' (i.e. discipline, needs, physical, body, to live.)

I was recently at the golf course with my daughter Emily. Emily is a junior in high school and a member of the highest ranked 5A girls golf team in Texas. She plays to about an 11 handicap. We are proud of how she has embraced the game and how golf has taught her many life lessons at such a young age. I am also blessed to be able to 'hang out' with my daughter on Saturday and Sunday afternoons at the golf course.

Golf is a game that teaches the importance of completion. One of my favorite 'how to play' the game books is called Conscious Golf: The Three Secrets of Success in Business, Life and Golf by Gay Hendricks. The first secret, and what Hendricks spends over half of the book discussing is: "Keep your attention on the essential process until it's complete."

Here are three keys to completion, using golf as the teacher:

• Keep your eye on the ball
• Head down until the task is completed
• Perfection is the enemy of completion 

Emily has developed an exceptional putting stroke, as well as outstanding chipping, pitching and wedge play skills. When putting, chipping and pitching she understands the importance of finishing the stroke, holding the finish, and slowly turning her head to see the results of the shot. She is always coaching her dad on this very subject.

Yesterday, we were hitting some wedge shots into a flag approximately 40 yards away and directly into a setting sun that was quite bright. Emily hit the first shot and when she turned her head to see the result she was literally blinded by the light. She said: "Dad, don't look up, it will blind you." So I stepped up to the next ball and hit one of the best wedge shots I have ever hit. A beautiful pitch with purpose that landed six feet from the hole, took one bounce and stopped dead cold inside of a foot. I hit a second and third shot with nearly the same result. The blinding sun had literally forced me to stay on task. The blinding sun had taught me the lesson: eye on the ball, head down, don't worry about the result.

This was the same lesson I used when developing churnOn.com. I went underground for four weeks and broke the site up into sections. I would spend a couple of days on each section, head down, only responding to email and phone calls if absolutely necessary. After completing a section, I would review it with family and friends for feedback and then go back to work on a new section, head down and never worrying about perfection. To me, this is one of the key attributes of successful entrepreneurs. Someone who creates, connects, and completes and then puts their product or their ideas out into the world, without fear of rejection and without being paralyzed by perfection.

Can you create? Can you connect? Can you complete?

The series is dedicated to Coach Dean Smith and pays tribute to the four corners offense.

Feel the Steel

Feel the Steel in Chapel Hill:

When Carolina claimed the ACC regular season championship last weekend, with their 81-67 win over Duke, one of the many 'highlights' for UNC fans was the first few minutes of the game. The tradition in Chapel Hill, is the seniors always start on 'Senior Night' and typically play until the first dead ball. In this case, those seniors included several members of the now famous 'Blue Steel'.

"What began as nickname for the six walk-ons in practice has morphed into a cult following, as the players are called Blue Steel by the Smith Center announcer, hear Blue Steel chanted by the student section, have over 4,500 followers on Twitter and are now selling Blue Steel t-shirts for charity." (The Herald Sun)

Check out Blue Steel on Twitter to get the full scoop. A great example of  unintended consequences in marketing and illustrates how strong of a brand that is 'Carolina Basketball' when the end of the bench guys can create an identity that sells t-shirts to help a charity.

They also took it to the Dukies. Final score: Blue Steel 3 - Blue Devils 0! And it could have easily been 7-zip. churnOn Heels!

What's in a word: churn?

I have never entered a poetry contest before, so first time for everything . . .

churn

churning, burning, learning
fumbling, bumbling, stumbling
further up . . . further in
churnOn my wayward friend

Inspired by Marcus Goodyear and his post Random Acts of Poetry: What's In A Word? Inspired by Keith Jackson, ABC Sports, 'Whoa Nellie!' Inspired by C.S. Lewis, Chapter 15, The Last Battle titled 'Further Up and Further In'.

Stand by you

AFPYC.com:

" . . . no matter who you are, no matter where you go in your life, at some point you are going to need somebody to stand by you!" 

Click this link, listen to the song (AFPYC Intro Video,) and read this post. And then watch my dear friend, Margot Ritchie on Fox news this past week, talking about childhood obesity and learn how Margot's non-profit is helping make the world a better place. You rock, Margot!

This week I continue my theme on 'connecting', the art of finding people in your life who can help you accomplish a goal or launch an idea. Last Tuesday, I celebrated John Fees and the inspiration I gained from his blog post, Look for Work, Not a Job. This week I celebrate Margot Ritchie, founder and director of The Arts and Fitness Program for Young Children.

Margot is what I call a 'cheero' - a hero who cheers you onward and upward. She has been among a tight group of family and friends, who have constantly said 'yes you can' to me when I needed to hear those words. A cheero is different than a hero. Dean Smith is my hero. I never personally knew Coach Smith during my time in Chapel Hill, other than a few meetings in his office when I worked in the UNC Ticket Office. (You never forget those meetings.) But Margot is a 'cheero' - because I know her very well and she inspires me towards my dreams. These are the people with whom you should choose to spend your time.

Who are your heroes? Who are your cheeroes? Do you choose to spend time with people who inspire you towards your dreams? Be sure to request a free copy of my eBook, Releasing the Churn to learn more about how your 'cheeroes' can help you accomplish your dreams.

Connect - It is still a who you know world

Kendall Marshall #5!:

This is the fourth post in a six part series about how I created my website, churnOn.com and this blog; as well as launched an ecosystem of social networking tools in just four weeks. The series is dedicated to Coach Dean Smith and pays tribute to the four corners offense. As my social media activation continues to take me towards unique and interesting business opportunities, let me note that my Tar Heels are 'connecting' on all cylinders and captured the ACC regular season championship with a special win over Duke on Saturday!

Read part one: The Four C's that launched churnOn.com 
Read part two: Create, Connect, Complete, and Churn

Read part three: In corner number one: Create!

Last week I wrote about the creation phase of the website and especially the importance of the word 'start'. The emphases was on moving the ball forward by finding steps that would launch the project from 'idea' to 'reality'. One of those steps was the use of a vision board.

Vision Board

After making the vision board, I oscillated out of 'creation' mode and into 'connect' mode. I put the board in the car and I drove around asking my friends, "What do you think of this idea?" There are other ways to describe the transition from create to connect. I got out of my head and went into my heart. I switched from mental capacity to social capacity.

The process of moving away from creating (mental, mind) to connect (social, heart, emotional) moved me closer to my goal. I attracted what I needed in the way of positive feedback and also I found people who could help me move the project from vision board to the computer. Friends said, "Yes, Page great idea, you can do it!" Others said, "I love your writing and your unique style. Go for it." I needed to hear that and it propelled me further into the project.

My next crucial connection was with the geniuses at the Apple store. For therein laid the magic to unleash the publishing tool, the MacBook.The Apple store became my home away from home, signing up for two hour 'personal project' sessions and working on the Website at the genius bar. Those young men and women are really good at what they do.

I will share more this week about how to 'connect' with people who can help, when you are working on a project. How are your connection skills? Are you 'connecting' on all cylinders (like #5 Kendall Marhsall) when you have a good idea that needs to be shared or launched?

Go, do that

Bailey and Ball by Cindy Fuller

Anybody who knows a dog like our Jack Russell (Bailey) has got to appreciate that image. Bailey is the only creature I know who loves to play ball more than I do. For Bailey, passion equals ball. You throw the ball and off she goes. She gets it!

On Monday, I wrote about the word 'create' in my six part series, The Four C's that launched churnOn.com. I focused on the word, 'start'! Several friends this week have shared this from Seth Godin.

Who will say go?

From page two of Seth's new book, Poke the Box:

"Imagine that the world had no middlemen, no publishers, no bosses, no HR folks, no one telling you what you couldn't do. If you lived in that world, what would you do? Go, do that."

Check out how my cousin and artist Cindy Fuller is living out her passion at The North Shore Art League in Chicago. Cindy said, 'Go'!

My take on Bradley J. Moore's post: Alternative Universe

The final plate on the resume:

For a guy with ten license plates on his resume, this post about life's twists and turns, from Bradley J. Moore really hit home. Very funny and  thought provoking.

Your Career: Is There A Better Version of You Out There Somewhere? 

Here are my thoughts. Just this week, I had a two hour lunch with a talented executive in the tech sector, also fumbling and bumbling with these same 'alternatives'. My lunch buddy said it this way, "Do I throw the screen pass in the flat, or go for the first down marker, or is it time to throw the long ball?" He described himself as a perpetual screen passer.

I've always been a long ball thrower, which is most likely why I have a collection of license plates. There have been plenty of ups and downs, but we subscribe to the 'bloom where you are planted' theory. If you drill down to the specifics I've lived in some special places and worked with remarkable people: Pelham (GA), Chapel Hill, Columbus, Southern California, Lexington, Aspen, Williamsburg, Nashville, Chadds Ford, and Austin. I'll put my list of cities lived and experiences gained up against anybody. But let's face it, ten is a lot of churning and one might ask, 'Why are you always moving?' 'Is the grass always greener somewhere else?' That's why we decided to stay put in Texas, one of the revelations in my eBook, Releasing the Churn. 

Jim Rohn, considered by many to be the first motivational speaker, says: "Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity." In other words, how old you are should not just be measured chronologically, but  should also be measured by the frequency and the intensity of your experiences. Well, I've got some years on me if we do it that way!

My pastor hit me with a baseball analogy a while back when discussing this very subject. He said, "Page, you don't always have to hit the grand slam home run, sometimes it is okay to just bunt the guy over to second base." I'm not sure I heard him? Do you always play it safe? Or do you swing for the fences? How old are you in Jim Rohn years?

Quotes by Jim Rohn, America's Foremost Business Philosopher, reprinted with permission from Jim Rohn International �2010. As a world-renowned author and success expert, Jim Rohn touched millions of lives during his 46-year career as a motivational speaker and messenger of positive life change. For more information on Jim and his popular personal achievement resources or to subscribe to the weekly Jim Rohn Newsletter, visit www.JimRohn.com.

Look for work, not a job

Inspired by John Fees:

A paradigm shift that works, when looking for work!

That is my friend John Fees, a talented entrepreneur and strategic marketing executive in the fields of affinity, collegiate and partnership marketing. If you have a business in the education market, or any early stage media company, and you need wise council, you should seek out John Fees.

John wrote a blog post a few months ago that stuck with me when I reentered the 'opportunity' market in early January. The title was, Look for Work, Not a Job. In the post John outlines four suggestions  he believes one should consider when entering the job market, especially in this economy. (I refuse to call it the 'job' market, and prefer to say 'opportunity' market.)

1. Name your work, buy a URL and use it for your email. I was surprised at how easy this was to do through GoDaddy.com.
2. Create a website that describes your skills, interests, and ability to contribute to an organization.
3. Order business cards from VistaPrint that will give you an identity when attending meetings or trade shows. John points out that this simple (and free) step may be more valuable than a resume, and I tend to agree.
4. Update your LinkedIn profile and use it actively by joining groups and building your network. I would add the importance of having 10-15 relevant recommendations. I am working towards that goal now.

I took John's advice to heart. In fact, some might say I drank all the Kool-Aid and I mean that in the positive. I have been extremely pleased with the results of this strategy, as my website and blog are helping me open doors throughout the Austin business community and beyond at the highest levels. Additionally, my desire to better understand and utilize social media tools is helping better prepare me for the next phase of my career. Thanks John Fees for the inspiration!

I want to add a couple of additional thoughts to the points that John makes. One, don't wait until you are out of work to begin this process. And two, purchase a book on 'self-branding' and start planning your strategy for both a personal website (where you can 'name' your work) and social media activation. I recommend Katherine Kaputa's book YOU are a Brand! 

Any thoughts from my fellow churners?