BLArticle®
The personal touch of a blog; the informative touch of an article.
Some Rules Are NOT Meant To Be Broken
The other day, I was racing through the supermarket to pick up a few items. I jumped into a “12 Items or Less” line, and I came face-to-face with something that really makes me mad. There, in front of me, stood an individual with 48 items! (Yes, I counted them.) The...
Is There A Penalty For Hope?
Let me start by saying this: I think we underestimate hope. Hope gets us through tough times. Although sometimes we may choose to give up on hope, hope will never desert us. Hope doesn’t hold grudges. Hope is only a thought away, and a powerful ally. Hope sounds...
The Saga Of Soft Skills
The other day, I was talking to a client about working with her sales team. She casually mentioned that the company’s budget was tight, and unfortunately, the first thing to be cut would be the training in soft skills. What are soft skills? The term “soft skills”...
Struggling? Now Is The Time To Celebrate!
There’s nothing like a well-deserved celebration after a hard-earned victory. One seems to feed off the other, and like peanut butter and jelly, victory and celebration just seem to be made for each other. Call me a contrarian, but I think a celebration, during a time...
Pens For Sale!
Good news; I have some pens for sale! You’re going to love them: I’m going to let them go for next to nothing, and I’ve got a lot of them. First, let me tell you about why I created them… If you’ve ever delivered a seminar or a keynote, or even attended one, you know...
What’s The Big Idea?
Who doesn’t like popcorn? Maybe it’s the taste, or maybe it’s the thrill of truly stuffing our face with it, or maybe it’s the sheer quantity that we’re allowed to eat: It’s a terrific food. We are practically raised and educated to enjoy popcorn. But what if you had...
It’s The Little Pieces That Count The Most
I guess my fascination with models started when I was very young. My dad used to love to work on model tanks of all things, and he was darn good at it. He would spend hours working on those models, meticulously putting together every piece, then every decal, and then...
To Believe Or Not To Believe; That Is The Question
As far back as I can remember, I’ve always liked buying live music recordings. Live albums, live eight tracks, live cassettes, live CD’s, and live downloads. I love the music, and I love listening to the performer. I like live music because when I hear it live, it...
The King of Comedy, and Then Some
As a little boy, I loved watching comedians - both old and young. In my office, I even have a wall filled with pictures of Red Skelton, Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett, Sid Caesar, Jackie Gleason, Laurel and Hardy, Dick Van Dyke, Phil Silvers, Don Rickles, and George...
When One Door Closes…
One of my friends is going through a hard time, and recently, he asked me this question: “Do you think now is a good time for a change?” The question made me smile because usually, if you’re asking yourself that question, you already know the answer. The answer is...
Four Ways to Change Your Political Opponent’s Mind
In today’s political landscape, many believe that changing the political views of another person is nearly impossible. I must be a hopeless optimist, because I think it’s not nearly as difficult as many seem to believe. A process does exist that can change the...
Honesty Is Not Always The Best Policy
I’ve never been fond of a tattle-tale. I didn’t like them when I was a kid, and I don’t like them now. Can you imagine the nerve of someone telling on you when you’re in an important meeting? Perhaps you’re standing in front of an audience, in the middle of a...
Getting Fired Up
Let me set the scenario for you. You are about to walk into a pressure situation. You may be speaking to one person, or maybe six people, or maybe six hundred. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is this; there is a lot riding on your performance. So what do you...
The Power Of Showing Up
Let’s get one thing out of the way; I’m no quitter. If you ask my family and friends, they will tell you that I’ll do just about anything before I ever quit. Several weeks ago, I came face to face with a situation that made the concept of quitting seem quite enticing....
Ignoring The Negative Voices
We all hear the voices in our minds, and we usually hear them when we’re alone. They wait until they sense a vulnerable opening, and then they become louder and louder. These voices can infect our ability to believe in ourselves. The voices creep from our subconscious...
More Than Just Wanting It
You hear it in sports all the time, particularly after a team has won a big game: “We just wanted it more than they did!” The thought of wanting something more than others seems to answer many questions, but to me, it seems trite and extremely misleading. If only life...
As Others See Us
You can learn a lot from an artist. I should know; I happen to be married to one. For instance, have you ever watched an artist look at his or her own piece of art? Part of the evaluation of that piece of art takes place by just looking hard at it, or walking by it....
Let Them See You Sweat!
Sweat. Just the thought of it bothers some people. At my health club, the place is littered with towels – made available just to capture your sweat. Most of us want to challenge ourselves when we work out, so we try to consistently wipe away our own sweat so we won’t...
A Presenter’s Best Friend
When it comes to standing up in front of a room and speaking, there are certain things that can be extremely useful to any speaker, but one poor aid seems to get very little love. People are so confused by this particular piece of furniture that 99% of them can’t even...
The Real Story Behind Breaks
When you conduct training programs that require you to speak for long stretches of time, you have to sustain interest in your program. It doesn’t matter how strong your information may be. Without sustained interest, it’s of little value. There are many ways to...
“Rob is an expert not only in the art of influence,
but also in human nature.”
~Ken Blanchard,
coauthor of The One Minute Manager® and Trust Works!