Celebrating Memorial Day and General O.C. Malcom

 General O.C. Malcom:

 

As we celebrate Memorial Day and the men and women who have served our country, I think of one of my favorites, my Father-in-Law, Retired General O.C. Malcom. I call 'Pop' and a select group of other special friends, my 'cheeroes' - a hero who cheers you onward.

Proverbs 27:17 says: "As iron sharpens iron, so one man (or woman) sharpens another." The footnote in my Bible (NIV Life Application Bible) sums this up this way:

"There is a mental sharpness that comes from being around good people. And a meeting of the minds can help people see their ideas with new clarity, refine them, and shape them into brilliant insights. This requires discussion partners who can challenge each other and stimulate thought -- people who focus on the idea without involving their ego in the discussion; people who know how to attack the thought and not the thinker. Two friends who bring their ideas together can help each other become sharper."

These words remind me of 'Pop' and I know they ring true to many others who have served our country. God bless America!

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.

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.