Category Archives: Resources

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9 Public Speaking Secrets Of The Worlds Top Minds

Have you hung up on one of THOSE phone calls lately? You know the kind I mean, the ones that ring at exactly the moment you are sitting down for dinner. Regardless of the organization, these calls are all in the same category; SALES. But did you know you are not that far off being one of THOSE callers.

 

Author and trend identifier, Daniel Pink notes in his book To Sell Is Human,

 

“Like it or not we are all in sales now.”

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Your platform may be the boardroom, a pulpit or even sitting around the kitchen table. Communicating with clarity and making a difference are your goals. We all know lives can be transformed by our ability to communicate. But where do you learn this skill? If you don’t learn at home or in school, where do you learn to overcome the fear of public speaking? How do you gain confidence to communicate ideas and faith?

 

The Bible contains an important principle on this topic:

 

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

1 Peter 3:15

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How To Handle Change

Do any of us like change?  For the most part, we are set in our ways. We have our favorite shirts, our usual cereal, familiar routines, and consistent habits.

I never welcomed change. Though, I can still hear my father’s words, “The only constant in life, is change.” It wasn’t easy embracing this truth, but I don’t think I’d be where I am today, unless I did.

God knew we would struggle with this. That is why he gave us his Word.

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.”    When faced with the prospect of change, I remember this verse.

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A great resource that has helped me with this Biblical truth, Who Moved My Cheese? has sold over 26 million copies and is one of the best selling business books of all time. It helped me realize that I should CHANGE. Get out of building the same homes I had been building for 10 years, and get into a niche market with less competition and greater profit.  A worthwhile CHANGE! All too often, it’s easier to keep doing the same thing, heading farther down the same path rather than changing direction.

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How To Make A Big Difference?

Leaders lead by example. Remember the old saying, “more is caught than taught?” Well now is your time to shine and lead by example!

Often I find myself wondering how to respond to pictures of the poor on magazine covers. When I’m at the gym, watching one of five TV screens, I often see videos of the poor and I feel guilty. Why was I blessed to be born in such a wealthy country? What could I do to help? Then I’ll grab a bottle of fresh water, rehydrate myself and forget my good intentions.

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Most of us take clean drinking water for granted, yet over 1 billion people in the world still lack access to clean, safe water. Children are weak and sick. There is a constant struggle to find the most basic of human needs. The lack of safe water worldwide is a crisis. It steals the lives of 5,500 people each day. More than war, natural disasters, AIDS or hunger. Much to our shame, this rarely makes headlines. It is today’s silent killer.

Stop right there! That’s the place where together we can make a big difference. There is a simple guilt-free solution!

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Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success

What if you could make seven decisions that could alter your success in life? What if someone had studied the biographies of over 300 successful people and filtered them into a list of seven key decisions? What if you could read a gripping fictional tale to understand these decisions and, like millions of others, change your thinking? Discover a story that can help you uncover life changing attitudes!

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The Travelers Gift by Andy Andrews is that book. This is exactly what the author did to change his life. At age 19 Andy’s mother died of breast cancer and then 6 months later his father died in a car crash. What would you do? Andy’s life crashed. He spiraled downwards until he finally became homeless. Living under a bridge he worked odd jobs. Eventually he started going to the library and reading about successful people. After Andy had read over 300 biographies of successful people, he boiled it all down and wrote “The Travelers Gift.” At that moment his life was changed. Yours can be changed as well.

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What is Your Balance Sheet?

Your balance sheet tells some of your story. Are you trying to provide for a family? Earn as much as you can? Save as much as you can? Give as much as you can? Be financially “free?”

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Here’s what I consider the most important:  Are your finances ‘balanced?’

Regardless of your goals, where do you get direction for how you make all of your financial decisions? What is the one objective that guides your overall personal finances? Do you have a focus that can steer all your financial decisions?

I meet people all the time who say that money is the source of most of their stress. They lack balance for themselves and their balance sheet shows it.

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What’s your Life Plan?

Whoa… I realize even for the organized and responsible person a life plan can sound intimidating. After all, aren’t there so many unexpected events? But here’s a thought for those of you that have narrowed your focus and turned your car into a rolling university like I mentioned when I asked Who Has Time For That? That focus and balance fits into your life plan.  Here’s how.

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Teachers like Zig Ziglar has something he calls the “wheel of life.”

The seven spokes on the wheel represent different areas in our lives that must be balanced for our lives to turn evenly. He says that unless you have yourself in shape in a variety of ways, then you are in no shape to help and serve others.

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Are You Living in Your Strength Zone?

In my life, many things have come easily… and many things frustrate me to no end. There are things that  I just cannot seem to do!

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In our homebuilding business, I was blessed with the right strengths for managing people’s time, money and expectations for a new place to call home. However, as I transitioned into my second half of life, I didn’t know what my real strengths were. No one ever encouraged me to explore them or told me how to find them. What a frustrating feeling!

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.

Proverbs 22:29 ESV

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Welcome

This is your sneak peak! It’s my privilege to share with you some resources that I am assembling in an upcoming book. These are not just ordinary resources, they are game and life changers! They changed mine and I know they’ll change yours too.

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As the former president of Land Ark Homes in west-end Ottawa, my career was in the home building industry. I worked hard and God blessed the work of my hands. This new venture is my new passion. No more building homes! I want to “build” people by sharing what I have learned in over 22 years of running my own very successful business. It is my goal to help improve and change the way you think on many levels. I’m going to share valuable resources and experiences that have significantly impacted my life and led to my company’s success. I’d like to share with you other things that I wish someone had shared with me earlier in my life. I now write, speak and consult part-time as my wife and three sons cheer me on in this exciting new adventure.

Why a blog??

  1. It is a great way to inform people about resources. Since my number one strength (from StrengthFinder 2.0 – more on that in a later blog) is LEARNER there are many resources I have used to gain specialized information that I hope to share with others.
  2. It provides a mechanism for feedback. At the bottom of this blog you can join the conversation. You can post using your real name or anonymously if you like and everyone can have their say!
  3. It provides an archive of resources. Topics that interest you may have other resources you wish to explore further. You can catch up if you miss an entry and search specific areas of interest as the need arises.
  4. It is free. Unlike buying a book this medium of delivery doesn’t cost you a cent. New posts will come out every Friday. You are free to investigate further the ones that pique your interest.
  5. It’s easy to share. Many times we read something and want to share it with others but don’t always get around to forwarding them the book title or buying them the book. Months go by or even years before we see the person again and we forget why the book or resource might have been useful to them. This blog can be shared at the click of a button.
  6. It’s easy to remember: Resource Freak. Dave Ramsey, EntreLeadership podcast is my inspiration for the name. In it Dave talked about all the young people in the company listening to Leadership Freak. They interviewed Dan Rockwell, the Leadership Freak who blogs about helping leaders in 300 words or less. I aim to do the same… okay maybe 500 words or less.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12:2


Attitude:  Think about where you wish to have a change in your thinking.

Action:  Decide to read this blog and share it with others if you find it useful.