Learning Life Lessons In Unexpected Places
By Cheval John
Photo courtesy of www.craigmotor.wordpress.com
Sometimes life lessons can come in unexpected places.
Like if you missed your bus to go to a sporting event or you have a flat tire.
The only thing you have control over is how you react to circumstances that is out of your control.
You can choose whether to have a pity party and rain on the parade of people who are having great days or see it as a life lesson.
I had decided to go to downtown Houston to put up a blog post and participate on Twitter chats.
When I missed the bus at a “particular time,” at first, I was mad at myself.
It was freezing cold outside and had to wait about an hour before the next bus arrived.
I could have continued to wallow in self pity.
However, I decided to just enjoyed the scenery and wait patiently.
After the next bus arrived and arrived at a local coffee shop where I normally do some blogging and participate in Twitter chats, a person was at the table where they was only one place where you can plug your computer.
With the batteries running out, I decide to make the most of it and in the process, I ended up chatting with college students and later, some business people who were on their breaks.
If I had arrived earlier, I would have missed out on the opportunity to have a conversation with the people about meaningful topics.
So the next time something does not go your way, take a deep breath and relax.
That could turn out to be a lesson in disguise.
Have you ever experienced a time when things did not go your way and it ended up being a blessing in disguise? You can leave your comments below.
Growing Your Podcast To Greatness
By Cheval John
Photo courtesy of www.groupanizer.com
Disclaimer: I am an Amazon Affiliate and I make a commission on recommendations. I only recommend books or products that I believe will benefit you, the reader.
If you want to launch a very successful podcast, I highly recommend reading this book, “Podcasting Good To Great: How To Grow Your Audience Through Collaboration” by Jared Easley.
The book is only 62 pages, but it is filled with great insight on how anyone can grow their audience and build a vibrant community.
And just to let you know, I finished the book in about 3 hours.
Jared shares from his experience on how he grew his podcast, “Starving The Doubts” and how his willingness to contribute to other people’s success allowed him to interview some of the biggest names like Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Pat Flynn, Gary Vaynerchuk, Michael Hyatt, John Lee Dumas, Jenny Blake and Jessica Northey.
What is also amazing is the fact that Jared does not allow lack of experience to stop him from accomplishing a goal.
Case in point, Mr. Easley was the co-founder of the first ever “Podcast Movement”, a national conference for podcasters, held last year in Dallas, Texas.
They raised the necessary funds through a KickStarter Campaign and the conference drew about 600 people.
So if you are looking for a book that is a “quick” read and deliver’s valuable information on podcasting, I strongly, strongly suggest reading Mr. Easley’s book.
You will be very happy you did.
Which book made an impact on your life? You can leave your comments below.
Biggio Earned The Right To Be In The Baseball Hall of Fame
By Cheval John
The city of Houston has a lot to be proud of today.
Craig Biggio, who spent his entire 20-year career with the Houston Astros, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today on his third try.
“I got a phone call at noon time that will forever change my life and my family’s life,” Biggio said to the Houston Chronicle. “This is a very overwhelming and humbling experience.”
Biggio will join this year’s class with former pitchers Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez and John Smoltz on July 26th in Cooperstown, New York.
Biggio was a seven time All-Star and had 3,060 career hits, joining 27 other players in Major League Baseball (MLB) history with 3,000 or more career hits.
He was part of “The Killer Bs” during the majority of the 90s and early 2000s that featured Jeff Bagwell, Derek Bell and Sean Berry.
“Craig deserves it,” said Bagwell to the Houston Chronicle. “It’s about time. I’m ready for July. I’m ready to be sitting there in Cooperstown sweating my butt off and listening to him. It’ll be really, really cool because Randy will be there too.”
Biggio also made his only World Series appearance with the Astros in 2005 which they lost to the Chicago White Sox.
One thing is for certain, Biggio deserved this honor because he played the game of baseball the right way amidst the steroid scandal that plagued the sport for about two decades.
Do you believe that Biggio deserved to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame? You can leave your comments below.
Video courtesy of MLB
How Will You React When Things Goes Wrong?
By Cheval John
When something goes wrong, how will you respond?
Many will think about getting upset with the world and complain about how things are not going their way.
It is very easy to be very cheerful when things are going great.
But your true character will be revealed when the going get tough.
Case in point, the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati had a 14 year playoff drought prior to the arrival of Marvin Lewis in 2003.
Under his tenure, the Bengals made 6 trips to the post season and lost in every appearance in the first round.
It seemed like when the bright lights shine on the Bengals especially on quarterback Andy Dalton, they shrink under pressure.
Stephen A. Smith has said that Lewis should not continue to be the head coach of the Bengals because of his playoff results.
He really has a point on that assessment because if anyone is going to be regarded as one of the greatest teams, player, or head coach, you must be able to win championships when the spotlight is on you.
Though the Bengals did not have the right players for Mr. Lewis to work with, they still should have found a way to win that elusive playoff game.
If you wilt away under the pressure and have excuses for why you could not deliver a championship or in the case of Mr. Lewis, a playoff victory, then you really can’t handle the expectations that come with the job.
That goes for anyone who is an employee, an entrepreneur, etc.
So if something goes wrong that is not in your control, how are you going to react? You can leave your comments below.
Video courtesy of ESPN First Take
Building A Strong Community Takes Time
By Cheval John
Photo courtesy of www.blog.getsatifaction.com.
Amy Robinette started her company, “The Gold Buying Girl” with only $500 dollars in 2008 and has made it into a $21 million dollar business.
Sensing a need to also help women entrepreneurs, Mrs. Robinette created the Women Helping Women To Network group last year in August and has grown the community to 3,000 people.
She shared her expertise at the Houston Social Media Breakfast earlier on Friday that was really great for anyone who are looking to build their own community online.
Here are some takeaways from the event:
Members want to know that the administrator is there. If you are not responding to questions that they posted, then you have already lost your community.
It is always important to meet each other in person because it deepens the relationship that you built with your community online.
Establish some guidelines when you start your community because it can get chaotic if you don’t have rules in place.
Always be professional. If you say that you are going to be at an event, make sure that you honor your word because if you do not show up, then you have tarnished your reputation.
AVOID DRAMA AT ALL COST
Allow others in your community to help you run your group because it is really a lot of work for one person to make it successful.
Build an e-mail list because social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. is only “rented space” and they can change the rules anytime that can affect your community. An e-mail list is your “real estate.”
Buiding a community online is not for the faint of heart.
It takes time and you must have lots of patience to make it work.
Even if you do succeed, you have to be willing to learn from others who doing well with their communities.
Have you ever thought about starting your online community? You can leave your comments below.
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