Next exit? THE FUTURE

This holiday week has been a great opportunity to reminisce with family and friends. It is has been one of those weeks that brings to the forefront all of the things that we have to be grateful for and think about current issues that are developing inside and outside our circle of people and of course "current" events.

One conversation focused on how tough the times are right now for everyone and one of the "elder" people in the group said "you know there have always been tough times to go through and we will get through this one too". Now, that triggered a couple of things for me, first, hope for the future and secondly, it reminded me of a segment that I read a few years back by Seth Godin regarding opportunity.

The thing is, we still live in a world that's filled with opportunity. In fact, we have more than an opportunity -- we have an obligation. An obligation to spend our time doing great things. To find ideas that matter and to share them. To push ourselves and the people around us to demonstrate gratitude, insight, and inspiration. To take risks and to make the world better by being amazing.

Are these crazy times? You bet they are. But so were the days when we were doing duck-and-cover air-raid drills in school, or going through the scares of Three Mile Island and Love Canal. (I will wait for a moment while you name 10 more..........)

The point? There will always be crazy times.

So stop thinking about how crazy the times are, and start thinking about what the crazy times demand. There has never been a worse time for business as usual. Business as usual is sure to fail, sure to disappoint, sure to numb our dreams. That's why there has never been a better time for the new. Your competitors are too afraid to spend money on new productivity tools. Your bankers have no idea where they can safely invest. Your potential employees are desperately looking for something exciting, something they feel passionate about, something they can genuinely engage in and engage with.

You get to make a choice. You can remake that choice every day, in fact. It's never too late to choose optimism, to choose action, to choose excellence. The best thing is that it only takes a moment -- just one second -- to decide.

Before you finish this paragraph, you have the power to change everything that's to come. And you can do that by asking yourself the one question that every organization and every individual needs to ask today:

Why not be great?

Why not indeed!!

By the way, God is for you and has not been taken by surprise with our "current" tough times! God's word on the subject? Jeremiah 29:11 from The Message:

I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

NO dummies were harmed in this post.....

I have been in Orlando for the past couple of days for some business & family fun.

One of our favorite things to do as a family is to go to EPCOT at Disney World. Walt Disney's EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) has evolved over the years and has some of the most interesting exhibits/rides on the Disney property. The Soarin' ride takes you on a bird's eye view of California, the MARS ride is a thrilling journey into space, and the GM Test Track gives you an inside look at how cars are tested to improve auto safety and set standards for the auto industry.

One of the things the Disney Imagineers always create in addition to a "ride" is the experience of incredible knowledge and fun to the process of waiting in line. Once you enter the GM Test Track building the waiting line is a maze through all sorts of vehicle and Crash Dummy tests. There are lots of loud bangs and crashes as well as other noises. TV screens give visitors a look into the real world of the crash test dummies. And then you get to experience what it is like in certain tests to be a crash test dummy! Powered by three onboard computers which together have more processing power than the Space Shuttle, each test vehicle steers passengers through more than five minutes of tire-squealing road tests. The rigorous testing schedule includes an engine-roaring, three-story ascent; a wildly out-of-control skid; and a 50 degree banked curve at 65 mph.

While in the line, here are some things I learned about crash test dummies!

The first crash test dummy was the Sierra Sam created in 1949. This adult male crash test dummy was developed by Sierra Engineering Co. under a contract with the United States Air Force, to be used for evaluation of aircraft ejection seats on rocket sled tests."

In 1997, GM's Hybrid III crash test dummies officially became the industry standard for testing to comply with government frontal impact regulations and air bag safety. GM developed this test device nearly 20 years ago, in 1977, to provide a measurement tool -- crash test dummies that behave very similarly to human beings. (I am not making this up....it said behave similar to human beings)

So, here is the thought of the day.....something caught my eye.....artwork similar to a "post-it" type note printed on one of the instruction signs:


One of the creative people at Disney may have put this note on the sign for fun but I think there is a life lesson.

Here is an interesting fact:

Crash test dummy manufacturers are very conservative about changing or enhancing standard devices. Generally, an auto manufacturer must first show the need for a specific design evaluation to improve safety. Then, with industry agreement, the new measuring capability can be added. The SAE (Society of Auto Engineers) acts as a technical clearinghouse to manage and minimize these alterations.

I believe some days it is easy to feel like a crash test dummy. We are told what our limitations and boundaries are instead of being encouraged that we have been given the potential and the ability to create, improve, and find solutions.

We feel like we have to go through an act of Congress to get our lives on "track"!

Here is the good news, YOU CAN CHANGE NOW! You do not have to wait on an evaluation, a "crash" test (or real crash), a research study to be conducted, or government regulations to make changes!

You can make improvements every day....you have the ability to choose, set goals, and achieve them!

And most importantly, YOU have this ability because you were created in the image of GOD!

God made humans in his image reflecting God's very nature. Genesis 9:6 (The Message)

Remember, you are created for more.....you're no test dummy!

Are YOU a....THEY?

They have changed us.
They have inspired us to do better, be braver.
They have made us think.
They have given us hope.
They have pushed us to go beyond what we thought we could do.

Who are THEY?

People....real people, trustworthy people, honest people... people who take their time, look us in the eye, and keep their promises and tell us, "YOU can be all you were created to be"!

It may be a parent, a teacher, a pastor,
a friend, an author....the list goes on....
but THEY did it!
They took a moment and invested in our life and our life has been changed forever!

Now is your chance......who will you be the THEY for today?

Who will you look in the eye, give a hug, or call, or email, or text, or twitter, and say:

"YOU can do it".
"YOU can make it".
"YOU are not alone".
"God is with YOU and I am here too"!

Because of God's immense generosity and grace, we don't have to dissect and scrutinize every action to see if it will pass muster." But the point is not to just get by. We want to live well, but our foremost efforts should be to help others live well.
1 Corinthians 10:23 (The Message)

BEING (UN)REASONABLE

A quote from George Bernard Shaw,

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable man adapts the world to himself. All progress depends upon the unreasonable man.”

Did I just read that correctly? If I want progress I should be unreasonable? I think you would agree that Shaw is not talking here about attitude and relationships. He is talking about a way of thinking....out of the box thinking....not settling for the the status quo!

James Baldwin author and playwright said it this way;

"Those who say “It cannot be done” are usually interrupted by someone doing it".

There is a book I highly recommend by Paul Lemberg titled Be Unreasonable.

This is a book about going beyond what we have done before. Our need to go further.....not just reaching some incremental next level....but what we all desire....achieving a breakthrough. A blockbuster. A quantum leap.

Here are five lessons......I am learning:

1. Expect the best from those around you!

As unreasonable as it seems, expect the best from those around you. Expect
them to be successful! Count on it. Plan for it. Budget for it. Expecting the best
give you the highest liklihood of getting it. Begin with the optimal scenario and truly grasp how to ensure it happens. Expecting the worst has a similar, but opposite effect.

2. The great thing about being backed into the corner is the only place to go is forward.

Don't be afraid of the corner! Don't let the corner defeat you!

3. A conservative model produces conservative results!

That doesn't mean not to use wisdom, but wisdom isn't always reasonable!

4. Be afraid. If you're not a little scared, you're not doing anything worthwhile.

All great ventures contain within them an element of risk and the promise of failure as well as success. If your not at least a little afraid, you're probably not doing anything that will ever be called great! (Ouch!)

5. It is only when things cease to go well that we are forced to switch gears and look for solutions in unreasonable places.

If only we could get ahead of the curve instead.

The problem is that our reasonable approaches are not likely to get us where we want to go. They've already brought us to exactly where we are. To reach our goals we're going to have to go beyond everything we've previously considered acceptable.

Hmmmm, seems like there could be a God principle here. It is so easy to be fixed on what we can see in front of us and not believe that God has more....abundantly more and it actually resides outside our box of..... "reason".

God actually is not the God of incremental change
He is all about RADICAL CHANGE!!

The last part of Romans 2:3 (The Message) says this:

Better think this one through from the beginning. God is kind, but he's not soft. In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.

In short, to step into our radical change
our only reasonable choice?
to be unreasonable.

It all begins with.....AN IDEA!

A few years ago I was in a stuck in a moment (U2 reference), in the routine, and I had a bit of a creative block and I needed a shot of creative innovation...AN IDEA.......something that would totally get my head out of my current culture and thought process. A friend recommended that I look into some interesting courses / seminars that Disney packaged at their campus in Orlando at the Disney Institute. Highlighting the vision and ideals of Walt Disney, The Disney Institute is a recognized leader in experiential training, leadership development, and cultural change for business professionals.

I truly went to the Disney Institute not knowing what to expect and came away with inspiration and a renewed passion for creativity and innovation and a passion for new ideas.

The Disney company has had its problems and definitely has had its internal culture challenges with leadership in the past few years but overall the principles and the company that Walt Disney started are truly remarkable.

One of my favorite Disney quotes is this:

"My only hope is that we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse."

You see Walt got it......
innovation starts with an idea....
in this case it happened to be a mouse that became an icon!

Below are 5 "take-aways" from all things Disney and some principles that still influence me and the way we approach creativity and innovation in our company.


1. Pay fantastic attention to detail

* Problems and ideas have an amazing amount of detail associated with them. Sometimes, it can be easy to miss some of the details that help to further define the problem or help follow ideas in new directions

"Whenever I go on a ride, I'm always thinking of what's wrong with the thing and how it can be improved." -Walt Disney

2. Challenge the status quo

* The status quo is your ultimate enemy. By definition, innovation is something new that provides a benefit to someone. The mere exploration of something new challenges the status quo...and it is simply amazing how many organizations are afraid to do just that.

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible." - Walt Disney

3. Don't forget about the quality

* Walt Disney once said, "I want people to walk into a $5 million dollar restaurant to buy a $0.05 cent hamburger." Walt always believed in "plussing" or giving his guest extra value. Ideas can be viewed the same way. Make sure the idea you are working on brings someone benefit and then drive that benefit as far as you can.

"We are not trying to entertain the critics. I'll take my chances with the public." - Walt Disney

4. People expect you to fail, prove them wrong

* There are a lot of skeptics around the concepts of creative problem solving and innovation. The non-believers think that the only benefits that anyone can achieve are the one's that can be measured.

People who believe in ideas are often expected to fail. Many times...they will be right. But sometimes...they will be wrong!

5. Champion change

"Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there imagination left in the world." - Walt Disney

I have had many fun and memorable times with my family and friends in Disney World and DisneyLand but the inspiration of innovation I gained in that short time has been the best adventure Disney has provided me yet:-)

My thought on this is, if you have read this blog you know that I believe that we are created to be innovators. Our creativity is in our DNA.....I think you will find there is much in you that has yet to be created.

Try it....apply Walt's principles and see how it may renovate and innovate your life!

And remember it all started with a MOUSE!

And praying is always a good idea:-)

"A prayer, it seems to me, implies a promise as well as a request; at the highest level, prayer not only is supplication for strength and guidance, but also becomes an affirmation of life and thus a reverent praise of God." -Walt Disney

Book references:

Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service - Disney Institute
The Disney Way - William Capodagli, Lynn Jackson
Inside the Magic Kingdom: Seven Keys to Disney's Success -Tom Connellan

I want to ASTOUND....MYSELF!!!!

Astound - As*tound"\To astonish; to strike with
amazement; to confound with wonder, surprise

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.”
- Thomas A. Edison

One of the most famous inventors in the history of technology is Thomas Edison.

The phonograph and the motion-picture projector were only a few of Edison's more than 1,000 inventions. "Mary had a little lamb" were the first words that Edison recorded on the phonograph and he was astounded when he heard the machine play them back. In 1878, Edison established the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company to sell the new machine.

Edison suggested other uses for the phonograph, such as: letter writing and dictation, phonographic books for blind people, a family record (recording family members in their own voices), music boxes and toys, clocks that announce the time, and a connection with the telephone so communications could be recorded.

I think he would be astounded again today if he could see how that one invention changed our lives and our world!

This is not a new story to most of you but here is my point;

IF a man who accomplished so much could astound himself
why can't you and I do the same?

It is easy to look at the hard things and the things that haven't worked or aren't working (Edison had some failures too by the way).

But what if today you and I truly reached toward all that we are truly capable of and did not limit ourselves to current circumstances?

What if we used all of the God given resources already built in to this machine we call human?

I think with God's help and the gifts and resources
we have the ability do what Edison said......
literally astound ourselves!

Do you remember what that child like wonder of discovery and accomplishment felt like?

Doing something you had never done but found out you could do it?

I want that! How about you?

Today the goal......ASTOUND MYSELF!


May Jesus himself and God our Father, who reached out in love and surprised you with gifts of unending help and confidence, put a fresh heart in you, invigorate your work, enliven your speech.
2 Thessalonians 2:15 (The Message)

The "What if" of OUTRAGEOUS IMPACT

One thing I like to do occasionally is set myself an outrageous goal, which really has me up against the clock. Now, outrageous in this sense means something that I would never have thought possible before, but that I know would give me a huge sense of satisfaction if I could achieve it.

Now, some of my friends think my entire life is an outrageous goal......maybe, but I just truly believe I CAN'T out create God! :-)

It is the "what if" factor in my life....

What if it actually worked?

What if we achieved something that we previously thought impossible?

What if someone's life was changed for eternity because we tried?

So three thoughts for you today:

1. What if you fail? OR What if you don't?

Either way it will push you harder than you've been pushed before. It will mean that you will have to develop new and better skills than you have previously required and those skills will be useful in all sorts of other areas.

2. Try it for 10 days!!

It will bring you to your overall goals even faster. If you can hit that target in ten days, what might you achieve in the following ten days and the next ten weeks and ten months? Suddenly the pace of everything is accelerating.

3. Making an OUTRAGEOUS IMPACT!

IMPACT....The word comes with a simple definition :: the effect or influence of one person, thing, or action, on another. It can come in the smallest of words or in the largest of actions. We make it as we reach toward >> Impact.

So, what is your "what if" than can cause outrageous impact?

By the way, you have help, God will be with you if you ask Him and this is what I know, we can not out "what if" Him!!

God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Ephesians 3:20 (The Message)

Will your REALITY CHECK bounce?

I subscribe to an email newsletter from an organization which has news and updates on the radio industry, stations, programmers, new music for radio, etc.

Now, it is not news to those reading this that know me, I believe the radio system of getting new music in the marketplace has been broken for a long time. It has been frustrating to say the least for artists and for those of us creating, promoting and marketing music. But, I still believe that radio can still be a viable and positive influence but it like all other "entertainment" mediums needs a massive overhaul.

Ok, back to the subject, the newsletter today, had an "open letter" from veteran broadcaster Bill Figenshu.

Here are some excerpts:

"Is it possible for us to realize that for radio to succeed in attracting future generations of listeners, we must fundamentally change our whole way of thinking....."

"I don't believe radio has a perception problem ... I believe radio has a reality problem in addition to the perception problem"

"The reality is that we have NOT embraced the new technology fast enough to capture the next generation of listeners.

The reality is we are NOT attracting young, creative people to our companies.

The reality is we are NOT embracing new creative ideas in order to attract a new generation of listening.

The reality is we are NOT leading the charge of radio innovation using all of the above."

How does this apply to me your asking? This "crisis" did not happen overnight to the radio industry! And your and my future doesn't either.......
It is time (probably past time) to do a reality check about who we are, what we are doing, and how we are doing it.

How you look at the future and what impact you will make relies on your own reality check!

Are you defending the past? The old way, the things that STILL aren't working?

OR

Are you EMBRACING the future?
(we all end up in the future whether we like it or not by the way)

So, let's do it....today.....now....
examine carefully and cash that reality check!

Don't let it BOUNCE and BANKRUPT your future!!!!

On a good day, enjoy yourself; On a bad day, examine your conscience.
God arranges for both kinds of days
So that we won't take anything for granted. Ecclesiastes 7:14 (The Message)

Past mundane to UNIQUE!

This week on a flight from Charlotte to L.A. I read Seth Godin's new book Tribes. I always look forward to reading Seth's books who has a knack for seeing past the mundane to the unique.....or as he would say "the remarkable".

It has been an interesting week of traveling, being in meetings about future projects, meeting new people, and like you observing and participating with a nation of people wrestling with direction and change.

After reading Tribes, its contents illuminated my interactions with people I know and some new friends I met this week.

This is what I noticed, amid the uncertainties of the economy, national leadership change, energy concerns, and of course personal struggles that no one sees on the surface, there are some things all of us have in common.

We all have a need to;

o Connect - we like meeting others and want to understand and be understood

o Create meaning - we want to be a part of substance and not live in the mundane

o Make a difference - people get passionate when they have the opportunity to be a part of things that do good and impact the world around them

o Be noticed - people respond when you pay attention to them. (thanks for reading my blog)

o Matter - I know it is a bit cliche but LIFE IS SHORT! We want who we are, what we do, and how we do it not to be meaningless.

o Be missed - Come back soon for more of the above...connecting, creating meaning, making a difference, etc.....

Here is my theory, I think if we help others Connect, Create Meaning, Make a Difference, Be Noticed, and Matter we will actually find we have moved our own lives to a most remarkable place.....we will actually have accomplished these goals for ourselves by SERVING OTHERS in their PURSUIT of these needs.

So, here we go....a new day, a new direction, and a new determination to get myself and help others past mundane to unique and make an impact today and for the future.

The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
those who help others are helped.
Proverbs 11:25 (The Message)