Brandon L. Clay's Blog, page 4

Timeless Age!

 Today is November 25, 2014...18 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th. 
 With all this countdown business, you might be surprised that I don't normally celebrate my birthday. No, really, I don't! While I feel great and have no sense of my mortality, I am also no longer feeling immortal...I will leave that for the impetuousness of youth.     "Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age." Victor Hugo   I am truly gathering perspectives on my life (and hopefully helping you gain some on yours!) that will help me the next 50 years - I just told you I have no sense of my mortality! I was conducting an enrollment seminar the other day for about 15 people.  Most of them were on Medicare and generally at least 65 years of age (notice, I didn't say "old").  The average age was about 73 and there was one very sweet, smart women who was 87.  Still sharp, still vibrant...still alive. As part of my presentation, I have to remind them that the last day to make a decision is December 7, which I playfully interject is just a few days away from my 50th birthday.  Invariably, the turning 50 statement gets comments such as;   "You are still just a baby."   "Ahhhh...to be 50 again."  "The best part of your life is not behind you, it is in front of you". The 87 year old woman pulled me aside and told me the secret to a good, long life...is living. These types of interactions, along with my own deep review of my life are showing me the relativity of time and age.  The two are not automatically connected.  There are some people that seem to disconnect their age...from time. There are some young people that have a maturity that belies their youth.  There are some older people that seem to have tapped into the proverbial fountain of youth.     "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." Mark Twain   The common theme between the young and the young at heart?   They are focused, mission driven and living on purpose. Each day brings with it a drive to do something, see something and touch someone.   Want to add 10 years to your life and take 10 years off of your age?  Get focused, mission driven and live on purpose.  That is the key to... Timeless Age.  Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Pride and Prejudice! part 2

Today is November 24, 2014...19 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th. 
Happy Monday!  "You found it?" asked John Kanary snapping me back out of my memory. "Yes, I did."  He didn't ask for a detailed explanation as he knew I had been enlightened.   In that flash of revelation, I realized there two things that impacted my character;  One was a deposit that built a surplus... t he other was a withdrawal that created a deficit.   The Deposit -  When prejudice occurs, always pull the "race" card; No, not that one...the "human race" card.  Thinking back on a repressed memory made me see how so many teachers took an interest in me and looked after me after that day (I am sure it was a topic in the teachers lounge).   One giving me a ride to and from Science Fairs as I reached the state level.  Another teacher encouraging me to write (so that is where this came from?), putting my writings in the State Capital for 1,000's of people to see.  After school projects, taking me on small group field trips and sleepovers at their homes with their kids.  Almost 25 years later, my three kids went to the same school for a while and they were known as "Brandon's kids" since many of the teachers were still there. 
 Random acts of support, kindness, and compassion?   Maybe.  I think it was more their way of fighting injustice.  Every injustice does not need a march or picket signs of disapproval. Most injustice is fought by individual acts of support, kindness and compassion.  The collective acts create their own "movement" and is the way most scales of justice are balanced, as is required by natural law -     "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction".      The things that those sweet people put in me that have endured and helped me become successful, far outweigh the "damage" of the prejudice.  That day planted the seed of my faith in people.  It has grown and developed over the years.   There is something about the "quiet majority" that has ALWAYS undergirded my belief in people.   Sometimes, the ignorant ones just happen to be loudest. As a result, I became a freedom fighter.  Making sure everyone gets a fair shake, that the playing field is level and that once the door of opportunity was opened that everyone will stand on their own merit.  No isms; Favoritism, sexism, racism, classism, nepotism, or schism (look that one up!)...everyone will stand on their own.  That is justice and fairness and I have that in surplus.
The withdrawal -  In my retrospection and introspection of that day I realized that I also lost something.  It was what John was trying to tell me when he said, "you probably fight harder for others than you do yourself".  He was right. I lost the ability self-promote. Make no mistake, I have a strong self-image and know my strengths and talents.  I know I have been given the God-given ability to help people and change their lives for the better.  However, I don't always push like I need to.  How many more people could I help and what kind of legacy can I leave if I impacted more people? That required shameless self-promotion.  My mission statement is, "Helping millions achieve success...one at a time". That day with John showed me that I had the "one at a time" part down pat and that it was time to self-promote and help the millions...don't worry, I am working on it!  I have almost cleared that deficit and can see turning the corner of surplus! Most people have had similar experiences.  The good parts of you were forged in fire.  The fires that put virtue in us may have also taken something out of us.  Self-development is about recognizing the deficit and working toward putting it back in...getting our mojo back.  Restore what was taken in the fire...that is your right...when you fight to get it back, that is justice... Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Pride and Prejudice! part 1

Today is November 21, 2014...22 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.  
Happy Friday!  Ok, I will pick up my story from two days ago (remember, I am going deeper!).  Motivational guru and business leader John Kanary asked me the question, "You have a pinned down excellence... what happened to you?"
 As I raced back in my mind I had a series of recollections and the revelation that it happened in third grade.  It was multi-class Spelling Bee.  One by one, as words were missed, they eliminated kids and sent them down to their seats.  About 30 minutes or so into the contest, there were only 9 or 10 of us left standing...and the words got harder. 
 With each round 1 or 2 kids would slap their heads...and head to their seats.  At the end, there were three of us remaining.  I can't say I remember the word that won, but as the two other people missed it... I confidently spelled it and the teacher gave me a blue ribbon.  I remember the overwhelming feeling of pride and accomplishment.
Later that day, my teacher told me that they wanted me to compete against the 6th graders who were having a real competition to send someone to the county to represent the school and that the words I spelled were on that level.  I was nervous, but also excited to get to show what I had learned playing dictionary word games with my father.
As we got to the door where the contest was about to begin, all I remember is the organizer of the contest came out and closed the door behind him, blocking us from entering.  He and my teacher were talking in whispers.  After they finished, she took my hand and we headed back to class...I never got the chance to spell one word.   I went from the mountain top of pride to the valley of disappointment in less than an hour, and it was about to get worse...
That night, my parents sat me down before dinner.  They were never the type to hide anything so they tried to explain it to me.
"It was because of the color of your skin.  It makes you different. You are gifted but not everyone will appreciate that gift or allow you to show it.  Don't worry about that.  You can't control what people will think.  Just work hard, listen, be respectful and always be humble...even when you are better than others."
 That's a lot for a kid, even a precocious one, to process. I remember we had spaghetti, my favorite, but I didn't eat that night.
 Prejudice.
 "Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts." E. B. White    Face it, we all have suffered at the hands of those who are prejudiced against us...and we all have prejudices (you knew that, right?).  Some are subtle and some are blatant.  That is why those that can "hide" the things that bring prejudice do so.  Others, such as the color of your skin, nationality and gender are impossible to escape.  (For 30 seconds, put partisan political prejudices aside...I know you can do it!),
If I asked you to name a great president many of you would say John F. Kennedy.  Did you know he faced a major uphill climb because he was Catholic?  Some of you would say Ronald W. Reagan.  As a actor he was "prejudged" as not having the right stuff to be a leader of the free world.  Today actors cross over frequently...can you say (or spell) Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jessie Ventura (ok, that was a stretch!)?
Those things seem strange and inconsequential now...we have gotten past that kind of stuff...right?
I offer for your consideration that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has had laparoscopic surgery to help him loose weight.  Many say in preparation for running for president in 2016.  I read an article that said the country proved it was ready for a Black president, poised to elect a female president, but was not ready for a fat one.
Ouch!  The truth stings.
If I have opened wounds, don't worry...I will suture the wounds with the healing powers of optimism, idealism and the indomitable power of the human spirit...on Monday...promise...
Pride and Prejudice. Until then, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

Snowflakes, Fingerprints & Eyeballs! part 2

Today is November 20, 2014...23 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.     "You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled, then something has been lost." Martha Graham    Before I finish the rest of that story, let me introduce you to a couple of people. That's me.  Second row on the left.  I loved school.  The learning, recess...yes, school lunches - even mystery meat Fridays! As I look at this kid and reintroduce myself to him, I can see he is precocious, intelligent, sensitive, outgoing and a natural leader in the classroom and on the playground.  A casual glance may only show a super cute kid, but when I go deeper...I see it. The perspective of time and experience makes me see this kid in a whole new light.  He is the seed of me.  He is the shadow of what I am today.  I can see him, but I can't touch him...but I know he is there.  He is me...and I am he. Memories are the way I get connected to him.  Time has dulled some of that, but with deep introspection...I make the connection. I know that every good and bad decision, every joyful and painful moment, every idea and word, and every success and failure is tied to this kid.  Getting to know him informs why I do what I do.  Staying in touch with him reminds me why I am the way that I am. I like this kid and he likes me, and it feels good. The second person I want to introduce you to?  Look in the mirror.  Better yet, grab that photo album that always makes you cringe and laugh and pull out your first grade picture.   What would you tell me about that kid?  What characteristics, attributes and qualities would best describe that kid? Most importantly, do you love what that kid has become?   Yes, tough question but it has everything to do with self-image.  That kid is your "self" - your true self.  Are you made in his image or d id you veer off the path of the true you to meet some distorted version of you that you felt would get a better life reception?
  One thing that I can tell you without knowing you...you are unique.  People deviate from their true selves when they go for uniformity rather than individuality...and the uniform does not fit!  "The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else,which makes you unique." Walt Disney  You are an individual that has never been here before and the likes of you will never come this way again.  Matters not that 108 Billion people have come and most of them gone.  They were one of a kind...and so are you! Yes, you may be an "identical" twin.  Still separate and distinct.  Think you have a Doppelganger.  Not even close.   Sure, I used to get paid to imitate Michael Jackson.  Cheap imitation. What I can tell you is that no one can imitate me...or you.  A true priceless original and the mold was broken when you were born.  That kid in the picture...he is my mold.  He is my design.  This kid holds the key to me - my past, my present and my future.  So does yours. If you have veered away from the kid in you that brings joy, passion and purpose to life, get reacquainted.  They are still in there and can provide a path back to a positive self-image and wholeness.   Give thanks that the kid in you has never given up on you.  Give thanks for them and that they are as special and as unique as Snowflakes, fingerprints...and Eyeballs! Until tomorrow...

24 to 50: Snowflakes, Fingerprints & Eyeballs! part 1

 Today is November 19, 2014...24 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.      "...There is a single experience, one defining moment, when confidence replaces the self-doubt that most of us wrestle with." Charley Pride   Each one of us has a defining moment.  The one we could point back to and say, "that is where it happened...that is where my life turned...my character forged...my destiny was revealed."  If life were a movie, that moment would be depicted as a major triumph, or a major defeat.  It would be encapsulated in a nice and neat 5 minute vignette that would bring us to our feet clapping, or make us cry the deep tears of empathy at the hero's calamity, defeat or suffrage of injustice. Those movies always pull me in (my top 10 list coming soon!).  I have always been a champion of justice, fairness and giving everyone an equal opportunity for success.  As a business leader, I have fought for meritocracy and beat down cronyism.  You have to be willing to fight, but if you are...I will fight with you for a righteous cause. I always wondered where that came from.  We seldom look backward or inward to see how we came to be the way we are.  I felt like I knew the events, situations and circumstances that built my ideals and my character, but just over 3 years ago, I had an awakening. Warning! I am about to take you deeper into my life...a place where few have gone. Not because I want you to think I am such a great person (still human!) but to let you see from the inside how character is developed and where it comes from. Not so you recognize it in me, but so you recognize it, reveal it in unleash it in you! I have a quote (my own!) that I use in every training class,  "Smart skims the surface, but genius goes deep!"  In this instance, I will say that if I only share the "easy" things that is superficial and only goes flesh deep, but this level of sincerity, vulnerability and authenticity cuts right to the bone. I believe it will help some of you. Over 3 years ago, I had the great fortune of speaking in Canada for an Investors Group branch.  My first book, "Crumbs from the Master's Table" had serendipitously found it's way into the hands of Tony Miele and through a few conversations, he invited me to speak.  Tony is a open, energetic, fantastic person, and a dynamo in his business...passionate and purpose-driven. Me, Tony Miele and John Kanary He invited me to dinner to meet John Canary, who is a pioneer of motivational, success and business training. Because I was just committing my life to a similar path, I deemed it and honor and great opportunity.  We shared backgrounds, ideas, and laughs...but then it turned serious. John said to me "You have a pinned down excellence...what happened to you?" I was not quite sure what he meant, so I gave the standard quizzical look. He was not going to back down.  Like me, he understood that this may be his only chance to directly impact a life and he was not going to squander it with superficiality. "Something in your past is robbing you of the ability and God-given right to self-promote the awesome gift you have been given.  Until you reconcile what that is, you will be limited.  Limited by doubt...which is a manifestation of your self-image".   He looked me in squarely in the eye with a sincerity that brings out the truth and doesn't let you off the hook... "Again...what happened to you?" In the next 10 minutes, we began to systematically roll back the clock of my life.  Like Benjamin Button, I was no longer a 46 year old talking to two men...I had become an 6-7 year old standing in front of my third grade class...  During a Spelling Bee. Until tomorrow...

All I Really Needed to Know!

25 to 50: All I Really Needed to Know! Today is November 18, 2014...25 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.    Tiger Woods On Merv Griffin Show  "All I really need to know... I learned in kindergarten." Robert Fulghum  This 30 second video shows a 2-year old Tiger Woods (yes, that was already his nickname!) on Merv Griffin with Bob Hope in tow.  When you watch it and juxtapose it with the next 30 years, you are left with no doubt... "Success leaves clues." Brad Thor   If only we all had a video tape of our childhood to review.  It would reveal our greatest inherent and natural gifts.  It would reveal our first nature.  Not the second nature gifts we developed to make a living, or fulfill the desires of others...but it would reveal the essence of who we are. In his classic title "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" Robert Fulghum outlines, in a series of essays, enduring lessons that would point us all to a simpler set of credos for life.  For most of us, our childhood was a time when joy was pure, all games were played in earnest with our best effort and we were true to ourselves.  We laughed with reckless abandon at the silliest things and cried with no shame regardless of who was watching.  That freedom of emotional expression birthed passion.  For those of us where passion was nurtured, it turned into purpose.  For others, the practicality of life turns our true purpose on its head.  We adapt to what the system says and somewhere along the line, many of us lose that zeal for life.  We are not pursuing purpose but enduring prison terms...life with first possibility of parole at 65 (retirement). Brandon, you are being an idealist - it is too late to go back and relive a distant past. Yes, I am an optimist and idealist.  At 25 days from 50, I am not ashamed to say so either!  Do you think it too late to change or redirect your life? It's never too late!  Here are three simple steps to getting back to where you belong; #1 - Review Yesterday - From your childhood to yesterday, there are clues to who you are and what you were designed and destined to be.  Your best talents and the things you love (and hate) are working to direct your soul and spirit - if you listen.  Yes to review...no to regret.  You can't change yesterday but it can impact and inform your today and tomorrow. #2 - Assess Today - Do you feel on track or off-track?  Are you pursuing life with a focus and determination that will help you cut through the clutter of ordinary and mediocre or are you just going through the motions?  Look hard at where and who you are today.  Be honest.  Deep down, you know if you have gone astray from the real you. #3 - Project Tomorrow - Dare to dream the dreams of your youth.  Doesn't it feel energizing (if only for a moment) to allow your imagination to show you a possible future?  And it is possible.  Like the seed that remains in the packet for years, your dream still has the potential to blossom.  Get that child-like zeal and energy back!  If you are still able to dream, you are still more than able to do! So find some pictures of yourself as a child.  Look intently and deeply.  Everything you are today is wrapped up in that precious seed of your youth.  Everything you are supposed to be is wrapped up in that seed.  Everything you want to be is in there...look again...trust me, its there!  Look at these pictures.  To those of you that know me personally to those that only know me through my writings... my essence is in these picture s.  The writer, the speaker, the optimist, the idealist, the thinker, the strategist, the father, the husband, the reader, the runner, the golfer... Everything I am is in there.  I can see it clearly and I am determined to be all that my seed was designed and destined to be. Go back to kindergarten because... All I Really Need to Know... 25 to 50! Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!

26 to 50: 1 In A 108 Billion!

 Happy Monday! Today is November 17, 2014...26 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.     "There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein      One of my top 10 music artists, Prince, opens in "Let's Go Crazy" from the classic 80's movie, Purple Rain; "We are gathered here today to get through this thing called... Life. Electric word... Life." Life is electric.  It is dynamic. Let me put our life into some empirical perspectives: The Population Reference Bureau says that since the beginning of time that approximately 107,000,000,000 people have been born.  The World Population Clock says there are 7,274,723,819 people alive on earth right now (it changes every second...literally!).  This is powerful, interesting stuff...feel free to click!  According to the same population clock (at the second I looked at it!), 98,000 worldwide miracles just took their first breath...and 40,000 took their last . You and I are a miracle.   Life is a miracle.  The process is amazing, especially when viewed under the microscope of what goes in under the influence of Johnny Mathis and candlelight...and what comes out 9 months later! One committed and focused sperm (yes, this is still a 'G" rated blog!) swam through poisonous environments, fought past billions of competititors and in a final gasp of life hits it's target...shutting the door to any other possibilities. We are the result of a war...a battle...a fight to the death...and the victory?  Life. Life is a miracle and a blessing.  It is the result of a strong, fast, enduring seed hitting fertile ground.  Ahh, that is a metaphor for so many things as we take our next breath.  A breath that provides the energy to pursue our dreams or push through our current trials.  Realize that your life and that breath are a miracle, a process not to be taken lightly...or for granted.  A process that requires focus, strength, tenacity and single-minded purpose.  In the Law of Sowing and Reaping, only good seed hitting good ground has any real chance to grow and return a harvest.  Let's look at our lives and the "seed" we plant and the "ground" we put them in. Only your real dreams will survive.  All the casual wishes will die in poisonous environments or killed by competitors who are more focused and determined than you.  What are your most precious dream seeds?  Only those have a real chance to survive. Only your most developed qualities will endure.  You can feign character and integrity only for a season.  Test, trials and temptations work to develop your character, but they will also reveal them.  I have a saying, "You never know a person's characteruntil you throw hot grits on them." The singer, Al Green, went from singing R & B to singing Gospel after hot grits were thrown on him when his wife caught him cheating! What character traits are a reflection of the real you?  Only those inherent, developed qualities can be sustained...faking it robs you of precious energy.  Your best chance for success and happiness is to be authentic. You are a miracle that can produce other miracles.  Sometimes our words are seeds that hit the good ground of people who need encouragement, advice or counsel that leads them to pursue their dreams or come through a trial.  Sometimes our deeds are seeds that help people in need.  It might be a gift card of thanks, or a charitable gift that provides a welfare mother with a dress and a haircut for her first interview for a job that could change their life.  Sometimes our seed produces offspring.  A miracle union of two people coming together to do the miraculous....creating another human being.  That's what Alfred and Sara Clay did and on December 12, 1964 a child was born... Meet Brandon L Clay...the miracle.For a moment, think of what it took to get you here.  Think of the process of Sowing and Reaping.  The eternal progression of Seed...Time...Harvest.   Employ this process to everything in your life.  If you want to see the Harvest...Plant the Seed.  Don't hold it...plant it. The odds may be against you, but the odds aren't what's important...plant that seed even if the odds are 1 in 107,000,000,000! 26 to 50! Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!  

29 to 50: When A Man Loves A Woman!

 Happy Friday! Today is November 14, 2014...29 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.  Today, I want to take a look back at my beginnings...my heritage.  I am not Alex Haley and this is not Roots, so I won't be going that far back (my wife is the Ancestry.com expert!). As you reflect on your life while I reflect on mine, let's only go back to where were can have the most vivid memories...  Our parents.  I understand that it can be complicated.  We come from a kaleidoscope of situations, but it doesn't matter if you came from an environment of devotion, divorce or desertion.  What really matters is that We Are Here.  Your parents hold a major piece of the "who you are" puzzle.  Yes, your parents provided the genes that impact your eye color, but they also passed on important information about who you are, which is vital to your purpose. Meet my parents...Alfred and Sara Clay.Sara ClayAlfred ClayKind of puts you in the mind of the movie Carmen Jones, huh?  Dorothy Dandridge (she would have loved to see that in print!) and Harry Belafonte (with a dash of Barney Fife thrown in for that nerdly handsome effect!). He says love at first sight...she would tell you that she judged the book by the cover...but fell in love anyway! My family life was simple - my father loved my mother and my mother loved my father. 
Mind you, they weren't Cliff and Claire Huxtable.  Amen you say?  I am guessing yours may not have been Ward and June Cleaver, or Ozzie and Harriet Nelson (whose are?), but they are our parents, nonetheless.  Yes, my family was simple, and while simple doesn't mean easy, I can tell you one thing...
I was blessed with good parents.
My mother was a dynamic, outgoing person that did spot on impersonations, had lots of friends and always seemed to be joyful regardless of the circumstance...from the simple cooking of a fabulous Sunday meal to when she found out she had cancer.  She was consistent and a voice you could rely on for an encouraging word.  From an early age she taught me how to fight, how to never meet a stranger and how empathy and compassion are not weaknesses but divine strengths.  My father is a college educated, professorial type who has played piano at church since he was 14 (he is a strong 77 today!).  He was not the type to go outside and toss a football, but he would sit with you for hours playing word games. He would ask thought provoking questions and make us write papers for our punishment (my momma was the switch bearing disciplinarian!). My father modeled for me how to provide for the family even when things are tough, how to protect the woman you love and how to persevere and love one woman for a lifetime.  There were good times and tough ones.  Looking back through grown up eyes, I am not sure how we made it.  I now understand that it was fortitude, commitment and sticking in through thick and thin...hell...and high water. They were extraordinary people.  Something only time, and experiences revealed to me.  If you are fortuneate enough to have living parents, call them, hug them, thank them.  I know, I know.  If you have to, put aside the little and big things that divide you.  Tomorrow is not promised. If you look real hard, they are inside of you.  Nature and Nurture notwithstanding, you are here today because two people got together...and that is enough reason to give thanks! 29 to 50! Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!  

30 to 50!

Today is November 13, 2014...30 days from my 50th birthday on December 12th.  No, I am not fishing for birthday presents or fanfare...I get uncomfortable with too much attention (go figure!).  It does make me take time to pause and reflect on the time I have spent here on earth...and the many years I expect to remain! So, if you please, no black balloons or "over the hill" remarks and I promise not to say that "50 is the new 40" or that "age is only a number". I am much more introspective than that.  I want to take the next 30 days of crumbs to review life...my life.  Narcissistic?  No.  Am I that extraordinary and special?  Yes!  So are you.  As I take a look at the last 50 years; the people who shaped me, the events that changed me, and battles that molded me, I want you to see your life through the lens of my life.  Something tells me we have much more in common than sales.  Something that is common to all of us...time, trials, triumphs and tears. Over the next 30 days, I want to take you on a journey of self-discovery.  I want you to reflect on where you have been and what you have done.  I want to help you investigate who you are, what you are here to do and how you will make your impact on the world. I want to help you celebrate the victories behind you and press toward the mark of new breakthroughs that are in front of you.  I want to help you forgive yourself for past mistakes, remove present doubts and fears and move from the comfort zone into the "no limit zone".  Let's play a good ole-fashioned game of "Truth or Dare"...face the truth about yourself and dare to be who you were designed and destined to be. For some of you, this will be a rescue mission to pull you out of captivity of negative and limiting thoughts.  For others, it will be an exploration into uncharted territory as you reach the edge of your comfort zone.  For others, it will be a re-engineering and re-boot of your life.  For others...a wake up call. For me...cathartic. Trying to help you master your life makes me honestly review mine.  No shame and no ego...for this to work, I have to be "raw and real" daring to tell truths only a few people know...  One things seems to be true about 50...you care less about what people think!  A lot can happen in 30 days.  No promises.  It will take both our commitments to retrospection and introspection.  I am ready.  Are you?  Not a countdown, but throw down!  Get ready to throw down everything that holds you down as we have...
  30 to 50!
 I have never asked for you to promote me or this daily blog, but for the next 30 days, forward this link (using the "Forward to a Friend" link below) to send this to anyone who is stuck, searching, or needing a word of encouragement.  I promise not to sell them anything...except the power of themselves.  Thank you!  Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!  

Word Associations - The 3 C's of Knowledge!

The other day I was shopping for an printer in a national retail store and a sales person walked up to me and asked, "How may I assist you?" Yes, my immediate inclination was to tell him that I was just looking.  I also had to put my phone away since I was on Amazon looking at reviews and pricing of the model I was interested in (they hate that!). Since I was truly interested and going to buy in the next day or two, I asked,  "What can you tell me about his printer?"   He stood back a moment and put his finger on his chin as if pondering.  He then reached down to grab the little "cheat sheet" product guide and proceeded to read it off to me...verbatim.  After he finished reading he looked at me and said politely and sincerely, "Do you have any more questions?"
 I resisted the urge to say anything that I might regret and told him, "No...I think I have what I need to make a decision".  I decided to leave as I could get the knowledge I needed to make my decision from my smartphone....in private!
 "Information is not knowledge."
 Albert Einstein   A few days later, I was in the same store (hey, I had a $25 off coupon!) and was standing in front of the same printer.  Another associate came up to me and asked, "How may I assist?" I wasn't falling for that twice.  "I want to buy this printer," I said trying to get it and go with as little interaction as possible. He then said, "Great choice, but have you reviewed this model?"   He walked me down to the end-cap where there was another similar printer from another company.  He proceeded to ask me questions about usage and software that I might use.  He demonstrated specific features that would be useful and how I could expand it later.  He ran down the costs of printing between the one I wanted and the one he was showing me...it was 50% less for consumables.  "We just marked this one down $50 and I can give you an additional $15 off plus your $25 coupon.  Would you still like the other one... or this one?" Duh!  Between his knowledge and the discount, the choice was easy.  I found out at the counter that the first person who helped me was the assistant manager and that the knowledgeable person had just gotten out of training.  I had to think of the people that I was seeing every day and the volume of information that is being thrown at them. Like the new associate, to be effective in sales we have to translate information into knowledge...because 
  Knowledge Captivates, Conveys and Converts!   Until tomorrow, I wish you Money, Power, Success!