Values – Page 2 – Disney Leadership Keynote Speaker

If we’re lucky, a wakeup call will bring us to our knees

Teddy bear in starting blocks — Finland 2009.

Teddy Bear at Track meet starting line — This Teddy Bear has been traveling for a decade. Ski jumping is big in Finland.

The things my child needs to know, it’s my responsibility to teach it to him. But i get busy with a career and putting out life’s fires.

i was lucky, a wakeup call brought me to my knees.

Sounds cliche, but finally i started listening to my heart.

Disney (30 years worth) taught me the profound power in intentionality. About over managing things others under manage or ignore.

Life taught me the profound power of regret. And that regret breeds prolifically from excuses.

The marriage of those two – excuses and regret – produced my first book. It was written for a little boy (who turned 15 yesterday) in case something bad ever happened to his dad.

If i could give free copies to anyone wanting it, i would.

Not interested (anymore) in making money from this book. In fact, the proceeds are so small, it’s not worth the effort to compete for people’s precious attention.

But for reasons that readers share with me, i want as many people as possible to have a copy.

Next Blog

I Love A Parade, By Lorie Sheffer, Guest Blogger

A few weeks ago I read one of Jeff’s posts about a young man with disabilities who was a member of a marching band. It reminded me of a story I read about in our local paper a number of years ago.

A young man of high school age had cerebral palsy. He wanted to be a member of his school’s marching band. This didn’t seem to be a problem, as he had someone who pushed his wheelchair in parades. Then the band began to include some intricate moves in order for a chance to win in field competition, and now this young man could possibly hold them back from their ultimate goal of collecting a trophy. They wanted him to sit on the sidelines and play from there.

A neighbor and I got into a discussion about this issue as it was being played out in the papers. She asked me, wouldn’t I be upset if my kids had worked really hard and were being held back from a possible trophy because of a person with a disability? I answered that I was pretty certain that my kids wouldn’t want to participate unless this young man could part of the group.

To this day, I don’t know who eventually won that trophy. I know that the band in question was not from the school district in which I live, but I cannot remember which district it was. I’m not even sure if the young man got to participate or not. Still, it leaves me with questions. At what point is winning not the most important thing? Are there greater lessons to be learned than perfect formations and hitting all the right notes? Is it better to be remembered for what we won, or how we treated our friends along the way? Should we reach out to those for whom life may not be so easy, or should we reach out for a chance at that brass ring, no matter whom we have to knock out of the way to get it?

Midlife Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values (welcome post thru Sept 10)

Thanks for visiting. Midlife is a great time to reflect. September 2011 is an experiment (Zen) from jeff noel’s traditional blogging. Ultimately, the vision here is to challenge 3% of male Baby Boomers to Do Something Great! (Female Boomers are also welcome)

Please scroll down to continue…

Simple Is Hard

Happy New Year! Welcome 2010.

We all dream don’t we? When does dreaming big ever get old?

Big goals and big dreams are a daily thought process for me.

Big goals require a ton of work, which is why some big dreams have eluded me all my life.

What are your big dreams this year?

Do you have the indomitable will to do the things you’ve never done before?

Ever think about what it must have been like for our forefathers to tame this land we call America, or any land for that matter?

To tame it.

To make it work for them instead of being an overwhelming obstacle.

My big dream is to help others find their indomitable will. Have been working very hard at this for a long time.

Have you ever worked really hard at something, for a really long time, and started to think that it’s wasn’t worth all the effort?

I thought so. And when I get frustrated, my thoughts automatically turn to the hardships, and indomitable will of our forefathers:

Wait, you didn’t even click on the video. You’re too busy. Good luck with that. Seriously.

January Will Be Simplicity

Happy New Year’s Eve, the biggest drinking day of the year, in the entire world.

What will your New Year’s (or whatever date you use) Resolution be for 2010?

How did you do with the one(s) you made in 2009?

If you are curious enough or smart enough to pay attention, you can learn a lot from what I share. But like anything where excellence is a goal, the focus has to be constant.

Not everyone can keep up. That’s just the law of nature. There’s only a certain type that has that focus and discipline. What type are you?

Looking back to my 2009 resolution to start an Internet-based business, here are some numbers, mostly for posterity (and certainly not to boast):

20 – 2008 Mid Life Celebration blog posts
312 – 2009 Mid Life Celebration blog posts

Humongous difference, eh?

Why? Because of:

Passion
Purpose
Focus
Discipline
Resolve