How’s your relationships?

If I were to ask you what this is in this picture I’m sure you would answer that it is a knife and you would be correct. If I were to ask you what this knife does or represents you would probably say it represents something sharp and it’s used to cut things and you would also be right....

But what you don’t know is that it represents something so much more. Let me tell you a quick story.

A few years back I was new in the car business and didn’t really have it all together. Sure I was improving but some days were certainly better than others. One day I met this sweet older couple(older than me) that wanted to look at Highlanders. I went through my process and even though it was a tough deal I sent them home in a new ride. They loved the vehicle and it was so nice getting to know this sweet couple. 

Over the next few years they would come into service and we would visit. They were always together and always doing things together. We always talked about our families and we always seemed to pick right up where we left off.

Well, about 2 1/2 years ago or so I noticed that he seemed to have something wrong with him. I knew he was getting older but he wasn’t super old yet so I wasn’t sure exactly what it was. The symptoms looked familiar but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but I did recognize that he didn’t remember me or recognize me and seemed somewhat uncomfortable in the surroundings. She ended up telling me that he was suffering from dementia and it was progressively getting worse.

Every time after that when they came in I would visit with them like nothing was wrong but I could always see the hurt in her eyes. I would always comfort her and try and make her feel good.

One day she came in service by herself and asked for me. As I walked in I knew something was wrong. As she started telling me the story I started balling like a baby. Her sweet husband died and she was broken-hearted. She started telling me a story about his last Christmas and how his face lit up when he heard one of his favorite songs about his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As she told me the story and showed me a video, taken while he sang it, I totally lost it. She left that day and I felt a little sad but also happy knowing where he was spending his eternity and also knowing what true love should look like.

So, what does this picture of this knife have to do with this story?

Funny you should ask!

Today, she, Mrs Peggy, walked in and asked for me as usual. We hugged as usual and I asked how she was and how well was she able to do Thanksgiving this year. She said she did good because she was surrounded by her family. We had a small chat and then she started reaching in her purse. As she pulled out her hand she started saying that her husband had a favorite knife. At this point I was about to lose it. She pulled out the box and said that he had 2 and said that her husband, Jullian, thought a lot of me and would want me to have it. I of coarse said I couldn’t accept it and she then said “yes you can” and handed it to me. I then said thank you and opened it up.

I was speechless to say the least.

After it was over and we said our goodbyes I started thinking that this is what it’s all about. Building good relationships is what life is about. I can’t say that I have great relationships with most of my customers or family for that matter but today helped me see how important and humbling having good relationships are. 

In a time when I’m uncertain about what I want to do and what kind of impact I actually have on people she helped me have hope in people again! Thank you Mrs Peggy for the love and kindness you’ve shown me and others around you. And thank you Mr. Jullian, though I know you can’t hear me, for being the loving man, husband and father that you are and were. 

You may not ever read this Mrs Peggy but I want you to know how much this impacted me and helped me through this difficult day!

A new challenge can be a good thing!

This week begins a new journey for me in the car business. I decided to take a new position as internet sales manager in the current dealership that I’ve been employed by for the past 8 years. It was a tough decision for me so let me explain what made me take it and what I hope to accomplish through this promotion.

If you’re not familiar with my history let me give you some of it now before I get into the reason I took this new position.

I started working for Walmart in 1992 as a cart pusher at the age of 17 while I was a junior in high school. I really had no ambition in life other than playing basketball, partying and girls. Those were the only things that I thought I was good at back then. I wasn’t the ideal role model for employees back then. I called into work sometimes especially on the weekends. After I floundered through high school I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with my life since my hopes of playing in the NBA fell through. By the time I was 20 I decided to try to go back to school and enrolled at the local junior college but right before I started to school I was offered a promotion to Support Manager which would soon lead to an Assistant Manager position. I turned it down in the hopes that I would go to school and get a degree of some sort but there was a problem... I hated school. What was I thinking? I wasted who knows how much money going through that single semester of school. 

So, after that debacle, I decided to take them up on the offer of the promotion. Soon after that I was given some keys and had some minor authority as a Support Manager. I held that position for approximately 3 months before I was promoted into the Assistant Manager’s training program at the ripe old age of 22 in 1997. It was a position that had a lot of responsibility and one in which I had no business being in since at the time I was very immature and lacked discipline though I was a hard worker for the most part. I continued in this position while moving to a few different stores on my way to a Co-Manager spot in a supercenter way up in Delaware and then back down to Foley Alabama. I was there over a year and a half or so before I left the company. I thought I had made it then but quickly found out that, even though I held the name of a manager, that I hadn’t quite learned what a leader was. I had some traits but wasn’t mature and dedicated enough at that point to be an effective leader in the workplace.

Fast forward to 2010 and I am now in the car business as a sales professional. I had no intention of staying in this business very long, most of us probably don’t when we first get in, but I continued in it. I became somewhat successful at first but was still somewhat immature in my dedication and effort even though I was always the first one to work and was always the one that finished his training first. I always knew the product and made friends easily and slowly became a mentor in the dealership to some aspect.

I originally had no desire to be a manager in this business. I often thought that it was way too much responsibility for me. I was very content being a salesman though I started growing in my leadership qualities. In 2013 I was offered the position of Product Specialist Manager which I took and held for a little over a year. I decided to step away from that position because it became tiring trying to find good help and found myself spending more time hiring, firing and disciplining than I did actually training and growing. At this point I decided to step back to the sales floor.

I have been able to provide for my family now for a while as a salesman and have really had no complaints other than the amount of hours that we work. I know often times we get a little frustrated with how long we have to work and maybe when we have trouble staying consistent on the income front. I’m not really sure what has been wrong with me but I needed something else and all of a sudden this position came open.

I decided to take this new position to give myself a new challenge. I decided to take this new position because I wanted to feel like I was making a difference in my dealership that I felt I lost. I took this position because I wanted to be in a position that I felt would utilize my skills a little more. I took this position with the hopes that I can grow even more. I took this position because I am a leader and want to be in a position to use my traits more effectively. I took this position because I have been able to have more confidence in what I do and want to be able to share it with others.

I know this may not mean much to everyone but I wanted to write this to let some know... if you’re struggling with what you are doing then maybe you need a new challenge. Maybe you need someone else to share your skills with to help them grow. Maybe you need an opportunity to try and grow even more yourself. Maybe it’s time that you step into a new role to help your dealership or business grow. Maybe you need a new opportunity to use your skills that you may or may not know you have. Maybe it’s finally time for you to step out of your shell and your comfort zone to do something new that can make a difference in yours or someone else’s life. Stop continuing to do something that is dragging you down and do something different if that’s what it takes to try and change the direction that you’re heading before it’s too late. It’s so easy to continue in what your not exactly happy doing because your comfortable all the while becoming more unhappy and less content when maybe what you need to do is make yourself more uncomfortable to become more comfortable and content.

Not really sure if this makes sense to all who read it but I wanted to try and help those that have been in the same position that I was in turn help them make a tough decision that they may be struggling with. It’s always tough to do something new that you’re not comfortable with but you will never know what you’re good at unless you first give it a try.

Are you a Leader or a manager?

Answering this question is of vital importance if you desire to be successful. I agree that many can be successful to some extent without actually being an effective Leader but simply being a boss or a manager can actually hinder your growth as well as the growth of the people you supervise so let’s get into the discussion.

Many people desire to get titles of respect. Being a boss or a manager is the goal of many people but I’m not sure that most people desire those positions for the right reasons and end up suffering long term. What I mean is that if you’re simply desiring a promotion or a title for the recognition and money alone then chances are you’re not living up to your potential and you’re definitely not helping your employees reach theirs either. 

A manager, in most cases, simply manage. They are comfortable barking orders and pointing fingers. They seem to think they have finally “made it” and have no more desire to grow or improve. They like managing from the rear or from a chair in an office. They seem to be able to place blame instead of taking ownership. They want the title and recognition but many times don’t want the consequences when something goes wrong.

A Leader, however, leads from the front. They have characteristics that are honorable to some extent and often have people that want to imitate them. They won’t ask their people to do things that they won’t do or haven’t done. 

Those are just a few examples of what a Leader should look like so I want to offer a few more in a more comprehensive list.

Let’s look at the few that I’ve come up with that should be of no surprise to you.

1) Leadership begins with a desire to help others succeed. This one is the most basic and most important trait in my opinion. It’s the glue that holds all the rest of them together. If you understand this one then you can probably master the other traits as well.

So, where does one begin to do this and how is this accomplished. You will see the full picture at the very end of this post but the first way to help them be successful is to a)get to know your people. You have to know and understand what your employees goals and desires are. You have to be able to b)get them to understand that they need goals to strive for. In getting to know your people and their goals you need to be able to c)help them figure out how to reach those goals and why it’s important to take steps to get to their goals. If you get them to understand that they need goals and how to reach them then you should d)help them become results driven in order to be able to measure their small steps and successes in order to be able to track their wins. And in order to get the goals accomplished it is important to e)hold them accountable. Accountability is an important part of being and effective Leader to your people as well as for yourself.

2) You have to be able to Listen effectively and actually hear what they are saying. Often times we tend to act like we are listening when people are talking and aren’t actually hearing what’s being said. Maybe we aren’t interested in the topic or problem but to be an effective Leader you must be able to just Listen. Just be an ear for your employees to talk to. An effective Open Door can help this particular trait especially if they know that you’ll actually care to Listen to their ideas and concerns. You never know when your next great idea will come from an up and coming employee. Listening doesn’t cost anything but time so what would it hurt to just sit their and show interest in what they are saying. You can’t solve every problem or have a solution to every one of their concerns but sometimes they just want to feel like you’ll listen at the least.

3) You must know that Respect is earned and not warranted just because you have a “title” of importance. It’s often the case that when someone gets promoted that they let it go to their head. They think they’ve made it so they think that they should automatically get the respect but that simply isn’t the case. If anything, you should feel like you have to measure up to a higher level of respect in order to make sure you don’t have the “now I’ve made it” attitude. It’s about being humble and thankful for your new position and not letting it go to your head because, let’s face it, most people don’t what to be “bossed around”. They want to be Lead! 

Also, in order to be respected you must be a man or woman of your word and knowing how to talk to people effectively. If you say you’re going to do something then make sure you follow through with it. Not following through with what you say you’re going to do is a sure way to lose respect in a hurry. In turn you must learn and know how to talk to people in a way that shows them respect.

If you want respect then know that respect is earned!

4) Understand that you set the example! If you’ve been promoted then chances are that at some point you’ve shown some sort of exceptional service and level of job performance. If you can understand that you are the example that others must follow then you can probably make sure that you need to act and perform in a way that you won’t be ashamed of especially if you see others watching you and mimicking what you do and how you act. Think about how you want your children to be. Most likely they will grow up and act like you do since they are with you the most. Your employees tend to be the same way with the people that supervise them.

If you were paying attention as you read then you already know what all this means and possibly what I’m going to say next!

That’s right.... all this boils down to 2 simple words. If you want to be an effective and successful Leader long term then you must go into the position with a simple mindset. You must be Servant Minded! In other words... you must have the want to and desire to help people reach their potential. If you can do that and be an effective Leader then guess what?... you will be more successful too! If you can get them to the next level then, in turn, they can help you get to the next level! You want to make more money? Then help them make more money! If you can show them that you care about making them more successful then chances are they will care about making you and the company more successful! Everyone has to be on the same page in order to help everyone including the company reach their full potential. 

2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback SE

Today’s blog post is going to be a quick review of what I think of the new 2019 Corolla Hatchback. I haven’t really ever done a written review of our vehicles because I mostly do video reviews but wanted to do something a little different to gauge the response.

Before I begin let me disclose that I do indeed work at a Toyota dealership and have for quite some time. I have done many videos and a few reviews of some of our products and try to be as objective as I can. I’m sure that not everyone will agree with me on all points but these indeed are my opinions only.

I’d have to say that the fact that Toyota decided to basically rebrand a hatchback back to the Corolla was quite brave since the Matrix had a fairly small following back in the day and the iM really didn’t have the following that it probably deserved. So I was quite excited to see that the Corolla Hatchback was being introduced since we really only have the Prius family of hatchbacks.

Design

I think the overall design of the Corolla hatchback is a very good one. It’s very sleek looking with good body lines. The front and the rear of the car are very aggressive and sporty looking. The Hatchback version of the Corolla looks much better than the regular sedan in my opinion. I’d give the overall design a B+.

Drivetrain

The Corolla hatchback features a new 2.0 Direct fuel injection 4 cyl engine and can be paired with either a Dynamic Shift CVT or a 6 speed manual transmission. (At the point of me writing this review I haven’t driven the manual so will only speak of the CVT) The engine pushes out 168 HP and 151 ft lbs of torque making this car very fun to drive. It definitely has quite a bit more pep than the Corolla sedan and the CVT feels much better in the hatchback. The hatchback handles very nicely and accelerates quite impressively from the start or while driving. If you decide on the CVT you won’t be disappointed especially if you like sporty driving since it has 10 shift points in which to use that makes it even more fun to drive. There is also a Sport mode that will kick it into an even more fun drive mode for those times when you want to feel the need for speed. I’d give the overall drivetrain an A-.

Fuel Economy

Though I think the overall car is impressive I am very impressed with the fuel economy. Toyota got the drivetrain right so now the fuel economy is now better than that of the Camry. The CVT will get you an impressive 42 mpgs on the hwy and 36 combined while the manual will get you 37 on the hwy and 31 combined and both are better than the regular Corolla sedan. I’d have to give the fuel economy an A+.

Features/Technology 

The Corolla Hatchback is loaded with standard features that leaves me impressed. It starts with standard LED headlights and taillights. The SE comes standard with 16” alloys and the XSE comes standard with 18” alloys. I’d have to say the XSE’s wheels are nicer than that of the SE but they aren’t bad either. As you step inside the Hatchback you will notice that it has smart key on the front 2 doors and the hatch and also push button start. All 4 of your windows will be auto up/down for those of you that like that. Looking at the dash it looks sporty. The top of the dash is soft touch as is the front 2 doors. The instrument cluster features a sport design and adds you a 4.2 inch multi informational display on the SE and a 7 inch on the XSE. The radio features an 8 inch touch screen that is very easy to see and use and is the new Entune 3.0 with app suite but that’s not all. This year this Entune system adds you Safety Connect(Toyotas satellite tracking and auto crash alert) and wifi and if you get one with the upgraded Entune Audio Plus you would add Service Connect(A service dept assist service) and Remote Connect along with SiriusXM radio. In addition to those already awesome items Toyota has finally added Apple CarPlay that all you have to do is tether your iPhone to your USB port and begin using some of your favorite apps on the radio screen. Also, Toyota has added Amazon Alexa that can be used in conjunction with your Alexa powered home devices and you will be able to use many voice activated instructions in the car. You will get 2 USB ports and a 12 v power plug as well. 

The driver seat is a 6 way manual seat and the passenger is a 4 way. You will also get 60/40 fold flat rear seats for more cargo area. I’d have to give the overall features and technology an A-.

Safety

The 2019 Corolla Hatchback features the new TSS-P 2.0 which is the first of the Toyota lineup to have it. It will still have your favorite features from the 1st generation with some nice upgrades. You will still get the Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection but now it has added a low-light Pedestrian Detection and also Bicycle recognition for the daytime. You will still get the Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist but it has an upgrade of Lane Tracing Assist which is used with the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control and helps keep you centered in your lane when the cruise is set. You will also still be able to enjoy your Automatic High Beams for night time driving but you will also love the Road Sign Assist that will recognize signs such as Stop signs, Yield signs, Speed Limit signs as well as Do Not Enter signs and will show them on your multi informational display screen up to 3 at a time if you missed seeing them while driving. The hatchback also has 7 standard airbags and though the crash ratings aren’t out yet I’d expect it to be a 5 Star overall. I would give the safety an A+.

Roominess 

I am 6’05” and I have plenty of room in the driver’s seat when it comes to head, leg and shoulder room. I have no problem getting in and out without hitting my knees or my head. The passenger side is also quite roomy for me as well. I have no problem with the head or knee room however I will say that with the way the dash is designed that I wouldn’t be able to give anyone anymore room to sit behind me... but not everyone is as tall as me either so it may not effect you as bad. I will say that the backseats aren’t as roomy as the Corolla Sedan but I can sit straight up in the backseat and could probably ride back here as long as the front seat occupants don’t ride with their seats all the way back. You will pick up more cargo space than the Corolla sedan at 17.8 cu ft vs 13 cu ft(though it doesn’t look like more) though it doesn’t have quite as much as the iM did at 21 cu ft. As a matter of fact I’d have to believe that the Corolla Sedan and the iMs overall passenger volume are a little more than the Corolla Hatchback but it is still a very nice car. I’d have to give the overall score of roominess a B. 

When I review our cars I like to give a few things I dislike so I will do that now. The number 1 thing I think could’ve been better is the design of the alloy wheels. I don’t mind them being a 16” but I think they could have been a better rival to the 18” that comes in the XSE. The number 2 thing I think could have been better is the passenger room. I understand that a hatchback sometimes has less room to give it more cargo but if they could’ve done it in the iM then I think the Corolla hatchback shouldn’t have been a problem either. The 3rd thing is, though I am happy with the overall availability of standard features and options, I would have liked to have been able to see a sunroof at least as an option on this car. Oh and a side note... I would’ve loved to have seen dual exhaust standard but that’s just me!

Having said all that I will say that I am impressed with the overall total design of this 2019 Corolla Hatchback and will give it an overall score of an A. It is a very fun car to drive and anyone of any age would probably enjoy the overall ride and features of this new venture from Toyota.

How do you measure your goals?

If you were to go into your kitchen and begin prepping to cook you would probably be inclined to get out your measuring cups or measuring spoons. The reason you might want to do that is to make sure that you get the ingredients as close to perfect as possible in order to make sure whatever dish you are making turns out the way you desire it to.

If you were to put too much of an ingredient or spice into the dish it would be harmful to it and you would very likely either have to throw it out and start over or have to find a way to cover up the strong or bitter taste. Likewise, if you put too little of an ingredient or spice into the dish then most likely it wouldn’t flavor it as much as you think it should be. In that instance too little measuring would be ineffective but at least in this instance you could add more if needed.

Let’s say you have a child and you need to give them some medication. If you were to measure out too much of the medicine it could possibly be very harmful to them. Likewise, if you didn’t  measure out enough then the medicine might be ineffective in the purpose in which you are giving it to them.

Why am I talking about measuring and how it can be harmful or ineffective?

I will explain...

In life we may possibly set goals for ourselves or possibly we have a big dream we might want to accomplish. We set this big goal and we set forth after it. In the process we might feel it’s taking too long or maybe something hinders our pursuit of that goal and we get discouraged. We might feel like we’ve wasted our efforts because of the hinderances and decide that we would give up on the goal. So we have this big goal that either seems unreachable now or it may seem like it will take us too long so we decide to set it aside and often times we never try it again. 

My point is this... sometimes we only set the big goal in our minds and it can seem overwhelming. Just focusing on the big goal can make us feel like we may never get there especially if something comes in between us and it. If the big goal figures to be unreachable in the time frame we allot for it then we may get discouraged and give up.

My suggestion is to measure out smaller goals. Measure out and celebrate smaller wins and progresses. If you set smaller shorter term goals then you can actually see the progress as you go and can stay encouraged. You can set smaller marks to hit and when you hit those then you can move on to the bigger ones. 

For example....

We want to build a house. What must we do in order to build the house? Well, for starters we have to find and buy land which we have. Once we found the land now we have to start clearing it in the place where we want to build which we will be doing this week. So building the house is the big goal and buying the land and clearing it are smaller goals. What else do we have to do? Well, since we are currently paying on a house, we will have to sell it before we can begin construction. Well, getting a house ready to sell is a big goal in itself but still part of the bigger goal of building a house. Now, if we were to focus on how much we must do on our house in order to sell it and try and do it all at one time then that could be very overwhelming so we have to set smaller shorter term goals. We have to take each individual room and break it down to smaller and more realistic goals. Once we do that then it actually seems more manageable than simply just focusing on the building of the house since there are many more smaller goals to hit before that becomes a reality. 

Now, so I make myself clear, it is very much okay to have a big, long term goal to achieve. You can have these goals in your personal life and maybe in your professional life but both are okay. I’m simply saying that you must also measure out smaller short term goals so that you can celebrate the smaller wins. 

Remember that if you don’t add enough seasoning then you can always add more but if you add too much then the meal may end up being a waste and you have to trash it. 

Are you in the right soil?

Do you have problems keeping plants alive? Does every plant or flower that you buy seem to die in just a short time once you get it home? Would you even be able to keep a cactus alive that needs very little care? If not there may be some things to look for that might could help.

1) Look for weeds. Often times if you don’t clean out the weeds often enough then they may choke out your flowers. Weeds will out grow flowers quickly and steal vital food and nutrients in the process.

2) Too much sun? Sometimes the plants and flowers are getting too much or too little sunlight. Many plants can’t handle direct sunlight and some need a little sunlight. It’s often difficult to get the plants and flowers the right amount of sunlight but could be a main reason why they don’t live.

3) Watering often enough? Many times a main reason your plants and flowers die is because of lack of water. Watering the appropriate amount at the right times can make a huge difference in the life of your plants and flowers. Likewise, too much water can drown and kill them as well.

4) The right climate? Sometimes plants have a hard time growing in certain climates. It’s often through the result of study and research that you can make sure that your plants are in the right climate perfect for them to grow.

5) How’s the soil? The soil is one of the most important parts of a healthy growing plant or flower. If they are planted in the incorrect soil then they may not be able to get the proper nutrients necessary for them to grow. Sometimes you must repot or move the plants or flowers to new soil.

The reason your plants die could be all of these or none of them. There are a variety of things that can affect the life of a plant or flower including themselves. Maybe the plant or flower has a disease or bacteria in it that kills it and possibly kills the plants around it. This one is sometimes one of the hardest to recognize and yet keeps killing your plants and flowers right under your nose.

Why am I giving you a class on plants and flowers?

I want to apply it to your professional life!

There are often times that we grow unhappy with our jobs. It could be something that develops over time or could happen very quickly in a small amount of time. Sometimes we grow unhappy or discontent and have no idea why.

I do have 3 reasons that you may grow unhappy with your job. These may not apply to everyone but often time it’s one of these 3.

1) The culture isn’t good. The lack of a good workplace culture is a leading reason why someone might grow unhappy and want to leave a job. Maybe they don’t treat people well or don’t address concerns promptly. Maybe they don’t desire to help those in the community or they don’t have an open door or at least not an effective one. These are just examples that could describe a job with a poor work culture and aren’t all inclusive.

2) The managers are bad! The #1 reason people grow unhappy and leave jobs are because of bad managers. Most of the time these bad managers aren’t leaders. They don’t know how to deal with people and aren’t good at helping employees grow. Maybe they are only interested in their own needs and desires and seem to overlook the ones they supervise.

3) It’s you! Sometimes the reason we grow unhappy with a job is it’s us. Maybe we stop working as hard or consistently and that has caused our incomes to decline. Maybe we don’t like the people we work with or work for. Maybe we have become less than positive and it has affected our mindset so much that we become discontent and unhappy.

Any of these reasons could be the cause to our unhappiness or maybe a combination of the 3 but either way you may need a change. If you’ve grown so unhappy that your work performance has diminished then you may need to change soils. Much like you might have to repot that plant into new soil to try and help it live you may need the same thing and replant yourself in different soil. It could even be a different position if you can’t seem to get out of the funk. I’m not saying the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence but sometimes it is necessary to try new soil to see if it can get you to growing again.

How do you erase mistakes?

When you were younger in school and maybe in college there was a chance that at some point in time you were required to write a paper of some sort.  The schools would usually require papers to be written maybe once or twice a year depending on the grade you were in and the classes you were taking.

When I was in school there was limited, if any, availability of computers. There were typewriters but most, if not all, of the students actually hand wrote their papers. Nowadays kids benefit from tablets and laptops to be able to type their papers more efficiently and actually have the added benefit of spell check. Either way, when you made a mistake on the paper how did you correct it?

Nowadays it's a little easier to write and correct papers simply because you can write and then save them and once you proof read them then you can go back and make the changes on the saved file. If you see a mistake now as you are typing you can also simply use the backspace button and fix as you go.

When I was younger I didn't have those luxuries. Since we had to primarily hand write our papers there were other ways to fix and correct our writings. Most of the ways involved an eraser. Since using a pencil was usually suggested to use there was always the access to use the eraser to correct mistakes. Another way to correct errors was through the use of whiteout. Now, it would be much more beneficial to use that with a pen than a pencil but could be very effective. The main way I liked to fix my error and mistakes was simply to ball up the paper and throw it away then start all over. In either of these cases there would have to be a rough draft and a final draft to make sure that the paper looked clean and presentable.

I'm sure you remember this but I wanted you to get a visual before I start explaining this in an analogy and relating it to our lives.

So, how does this relate to our lives?

Follow me on this....

If you've lived any amount of time on this earth you have made some mistakes. They could've been some through a lack of proper judgment or maybe just out of plain ole stupidity but they were mistakes nonetheless. Taking the subject at hand... how did you try and correct the mistake usually? Because most of the time we didn't want to admit that we did it. Much like we tried to correct our papers we usually would try to cover it up by any means possible. We would also take this opportunity to lie in order to not get in any trouble even if we hurt someone else in the process. We would often try to deflect the mistake and maybe even blame it on others instead of admitting our fault. Or we would try to run from it or pretend it didn't happen in the hopes that no one would find out and we would escape punishment. I'm sure that I have done most if not all of these throughout my life and so did you.

The question comes in to how we should try and handle a mistake or a lack of proper judgment in order to make sure that it gets behind us as quick as possible. Knowing that you can't erase or change your past or what you did... how can you live for today to help get past the mistakes and transgressions against others that you commit or committed?

I've got 5 important things that you can do that may help you in your recovery process.

1) Own up to it! I know personally how hard it is to admit to our mistakes. It's mainly hard because we don't want to hurt people or get in trouble. We don't want to suffer the consequences for the errors in judgment that we’ve committed so we don't want to admit them. I know it can be hard but owning up to it and admitting what you did can help make the recovery easier and begin sooner.

2) Repair the relationship! Often times, when we make a mistake, we hurt someone in the process. It could be because of theft or maybe hurting someone else in a relationship. I know it can be hard to do and the hurt person may not invite or welcome it but it's very important to try and repair whatever relationship you injured.

3) Ask forgiveness! In trying to repair a relationship it would have to involve asking for forgiveness at some point. I'm sure that too would be hard for both parties involved but will help begin the healing process and be a step in the right direction.

4) Learn from your mistakes! A vital step in the process is learning from your mistakes. This too can be hard since many times it takes us multiple times to commit a mistake before we actually learn from it. If you don't learn from it then it is very hard to grow. Learning from past mistakes is a path in life that I wish more people would follow.

5) Move forward! It's so easy to dwell on past mistakes especially if the ones we harmed won't forgive us. It's so easy to want to look back at a poor decision and let it rule and control our lives. I will tell you, though, that a past mistake can effect your present day since you can't go back in time and change what you did. All you can do is look at yourself in the mirror and figure out what you can do today to try and rectify or repair your past error. You will never grow in life if you can't let go of past mistakes.

These 5 things won't necessarily get you through every mistake that you ever made, depending on how serious they were, but they can help you move forward in the healing process. Can a mistake follow you for a long time? Sure it can but if you never take any steps to fix it then it will follow you forever either physically or mentally.

How do you use your words?

There are 2 animals in the animal kingdom with very unique skills for driving away predators. These 2 animals aren’t ones you may see on a daily basis or maybe even in a lifetime unless you go to the zoo. I’m not sure they are necessarily rare or anything but they just stay out of the limelight in order to stay free from those predators.

The 2 animals that I’m referring to are the porcupine and the skunk. 

The porcupine is part of the rodent family and can be found in South and North America. There is also some that live in Europe and Africa from my understanding. They typically live in wooded areas and can even climb trees. The porcupine can grow to between 12 and 35 pounds and has a unique defense mechanism. They have up to 30,000 quills on the rear of their bodies that are very sharp and can puncture what ever predator may be after them. They can stick into the animal and actually stay. The quills will grow back as they lose them. Though they don’t have poison on the quills they can have bacteria that can cause infection to the wounds of the predator. These quills would be very painful if ever stuck with them.

The skunk is a carnivor and it’s habitat is also primarily in North America and northern South America. They can be black and white in color and maybe even brown or cream colored. They have a very unique defense tactic that literally stinks! They are able to secrete a sulfur containing spray from around the anal area that really stinks. The skunk has the ability to spray it up to 10 feet and can do it up to 6 times in succession in which it may take up to 10 days to replenish. The spray is so strong that it can ward off bears and even be smelled by humans up to 3.5 miles away. Their spray can also cause eye irritation and possibly even temporary blindness.

Both of these animals have very unique and yet very effective defense mechanisms. They both primarily use their tools as a defensive weapon. They will mainly use these if they feel threatened by any predator. You typically wouldn’t see either one of these animals using their tactics as offensive weapons and attacking first but that is not to say it would never happen. 

Why am I giving you a lesson about animals like this is Animal Kingdom? How does this effect you? 

Simple! 

This is an analogy of how we use our strongest tool as a weapon to hurt others. The weapon that I’m talking about is our mouths. The reason it is so powerful is because it can be used to help others or hurt them. We are known to do both though hurting people with what we say seem to have a more lasting effect.

We can be like and unlike both of these a animals when we relate our mouths to the unique weapons they have. 

We are unlike them in that they aren’t primarily an attacker of other animals. In other words their weapons are primarily for defensive necessity and not offensive. That’s sometimes how we are with our mouths. We tend to want to talk about people and tear them down. We may have some jealousy or envy that causes us to lash out against them verbally. We may not always do it directly but it happens nonetheless. We may say things we don’t mean but it sometimes still hurts them.

The way we can be like them with our mouths is since they primarily use their weapons on the defensive to hurt people we do same thing when we are attacked. If someone comes at us with some type of verbal aggression we usually become defensive and attack back with our words which really only adds fuel to the fire. It never really helps the situation when you respond with loud comebacks or profane language. All it does is fan the flame coming from the other person which only makes the situation worse.

If you really want to be able to address these situations the right way and make sure that an altercation ends in the best way possible there is 2 things that you can do.

1) Smile! Smiling is one of the best ways to overcome a situation where someone maybe trying to verbally attack you. It will help keep you from responding in an angry and negative way. It could also help affect the other person. Maybe they are going through something and they are just lashing out. Maybe seeing your smile will change their attitude.

2) Walk Away! Regardless of what anyone says it’s okay to walk away from a situation where there may end up being a verbal altercation. If you walk away then there will only be one standing there and it would be hard for them to attack themself. There is nothing wrong with walking away from a bad situation that could potentially get worse. Be the bigger person.

In the end it is very difficult to not ever have an altercation of some sort. You will eventually come across someone in life that will test all your patience and it will be tough but if you smile and let them know you’re not going down that road and then walk away it would be very hard for them to continue to test you. 

I want the toy!

As a young kid cereal was a big deal! I almost looked forward to getting up and pouring that big bowl of cereal! I liked to eat 1 or 2 bowls and then drink the milk out of the bowl. Most of the cereal was full of sugar and was very sweet and tasty! Heck, I still like to have a bowl from time to time now!

Nowadays kids primarily pick cereal based on their favorite characters or how sweet the cereal is. That may have been true to some extent when I was a kid too but I usually picked my cereal based on the toy that could have been in the box. That was one of the main ways the cereal companies were able to attract kids to buy their cereals. It was very clever.... promise kids a toy in every box and they got the sugar as a bonus. Sure, not every box had the exact toy you wanted but trying to find the one you wanted kept you coming back to buy more until you found it! By the time you got all the toys it was time for the toys to change and you could start all over. A very well thought out plan and design by the cereal manufacturers I must say.

When we got new boxes of cereal I wanted to be the first to open it! Why? Because I wanted the toy out of the box. It seems a little weird now but back then I wanted the toy so I made sure I was the one to open the boxes. I would get up early and open the box and dig my hands down inside and feel around. After a few seconds I would pull out the small toy and unwrap it. I would then usually eat cereal while playing with the small toy.

What does this have to do with anything?

Well, after I thought about what I use to do it got me to thinking. How inconsiderate was that for me to do? Why? Because I would open the box and dig my dirty hands down in the cereal until I found the toy. I wasn’t taking other peoples feelings and what they thought into consideration before I did it. You think they would really want me digging my dirty hands down in that box? That is disgusting if you think about it! I also didn’t take anyone else into consideration because maybe they wanted an opportunity to get the toy for themselves. Maybe I got the last one last time but I wanted them all!

How does this apply to you?

Well, have you ever done something that was very inconsiderate and you did it anyway? I think we often make split decisions based on what we want and how we feel and it’s often inconsiderate to others. I often hear people say that they don’t care what people think about them and I don’t believe that to be totally true. When you think like that all the time then there is a good chance that you will reach your dirty hand into the cereal and dirty the whole box of oats for everyone else that’s planning on eating it too. It’s so much easier and more considerste to think about others first before making a decision. 

I’m not saying to try and please everyone because that isn’t possible. Only trying to be more servant minded instead of self serving. If people were more servant minded and would think of others first then I think it would be a much better place to live for everyone.

What are you missing?

As a kid it wasn’t uncommon to look forward to Christmas and birthdays. The main reason we did this as a kid was primarily for the presents. You wanted to see what you would get. You may have had some specific request but most of the time you didn’t know what you were getting until those days actually arrived.

On Christmas you might get up and plop yourself down in front of the tree and stare at all the gifts and wonder which ones were yours. You would be anxiously waiting for everyone to get out of the bed so you could open your gifts. Then as your first gift was handed to you you tore into it like nobody’s business! You finally get the paper off and see that it’s a...... Not what you wanted and you set it to the side and prepared yourself for the next one! It’s finally your turn again and you are handed your next gift and you also tear into it to find..... a pack of socks so you toss it into the unwanted pile! You go a few more times until all the packages have been opened and at the end you may or may not have gotten what you really wanted. You sit there staring at the pile of gifts not really knowing who gave you what so you aren’t sure who to thank if you really even cared to begin with. You try to decide what is the first toy that you’re going to play with only to set it aside 10 minutes later and never really play with it again.

Were you this kid? Are your kids like this now? I’m sure most kids are like this to some extent. They are so focused on the big gift at the back of the tree or the next one in line they really don’t pay attention to the smaller gifts that they’ve just ripped the paper off of and tossed into the pile. They really don’t care about the insignificant smaller toys because they just want to get to their next unopened gift. Kids will be kids and I totally understand that they do this.

Why do we do this same thing though?

“Where is he going with this?” you might be asking because you don’t open gifts like this anymore.

I want to compare this to life and how often times we are so focused and consumed with a goal or a vision that we often overlook the smaller more important things in life. Sure, goals are good to have but sometimes we miss the smaller more significant things in life that we should be thankful for. We often get in such a big hurry that we take everyday life for granted. We are looking for tomorrow so much that we don’t live today and forget the fact that tomorrow may not come for us. 

I know fairly often that I take certain things for granted.  I often get in a hurry and overlook someone’s need or stuggle. I might get so engulfed into something that I can’t see anything else around me and miss something even more important. I often forget how short life can be and that it could all end in the blink of an eye.

How can we improve this?

For starters... sometimes we just need to slow down and actually see and acknowledge what’s going on around us. Is there a friend or family member that’s struggling that we can help? Is there a kid’s event that you should be attending or a game you should be cheering at? Is there a night that you could take off work early to go to dinner with the wife or a Saturday that you could miss to go to the beach? All of these simingly small things can help us in our effort to slow down and stop trying to live life so fast.

Secondly, be thankful for the small things. Be thankful to be able to wake up and breathe and have food to eat. Be thankful that you have a roof over your head and a great family. Just simply be thankful that you’re here and you have these things because there are many that may not have the same luxuries as you and yet they may be thankful for what they do have.

It’s often tough to slow down and be thankful when things may not be going your way....trust me I know. It will take focus and discipline to be able to do it consistently. I still struggle with it myself but I work on it daily. I often have days where things don’t go my way and I fail to be thankful for what has gone right.

Take this lesson from me so that you can be the best you that you can be and the best you that you can be to those around you!

What I witnessed!

Sometimes in life we run across certain people or maybe even witness certain events that we may be astonished by. It may not happen very often but it might from time to time. When that time comes it is hard to forget. Sometimes they are good things and sometimes maybe not so good but unforgettable nonetheless.

I can say that there are only probably a handful of events that I’ve witnessed that left me astonished to the point that I never forgot. Some of those are good and some are bad but are unforgettable to me.

I can say that I just witnessed one of those events this past Sunday that I’m sure I will never forget. I witnessed men and women across the auto industry come together for a common purpose(Not everyone one was from a car lot but may have been friends of some that were). We came together for the one purpose of helping someone in need. 

Often times car salesmen aren’t looked at in a positive light. We are often referred to as vultures that prey on people. We rank right up there with attorneys and politicians as some of the most crooked industries. Are there some bad ones? Yes there are but there also many more good ones.

Having said that....

The purpose of all of us coming together and uniting on a 24 hour Facebook Live-A-Thon was to help one of our friends in need. We came together to give assistance to and raise money for a friend that is beginning a battle of a very serious and life threatening disease. It’s a disease that I don’t even like to mention and yet has affected so many around this world. It is the disease of cancer.

Michelle was diagnosed just about a week ago with stage 3 breast cancer and it basically devistated this family. They are a very strong family that’s very genuine and kind and this disease has infected them. Though only one actually has the disease all are affected. 

With disease comes expenses! The problem they are having is the fact that they are self employed which causes a problem from the insurance aspect since many private insurances are very expensive and at the very least have very high deductibles which may sometimes cause the care to be overwhelmingly expensive to be able to pay for. I’m not sure how much treatments and surgeries would be for something like this but I imagine it’s very high.

So, from the leadership of a few people from the business we started a 24 hour Live-A-Thon that somewhat mimicked the old telethons that you remember as a kid. We took over Facebook for a solid 24 hours holding this event. Around 48 individuals gave up around 30 minutes of their time to go Live from their personal Facebook pages in order to try and help raise awareness, ask for prayers and donations in order to help this family. We started at 12 a.m. on Sunday July 29th and ran 24 hours until 12 a.m. on the 30th. It was a time for each of us to go Live and share our thoughts about the family, that some of us have become friends with and others didn’t even know. It was a time to listen to stories about people that may have possibly gone through something similar. There were many stories of overcoming trials and addictions and many tears shed. There were scripture readings and many prayers said! There were some that sang songs and others danced. It was a time of smiles and laughter and also heartache and pain. There were many that were going Live for the first time and some that do it all the time. 

Why did we do this???

Because we care! Because we saw a need and addressed it! We did it not just because they are our friends and connected to our industry.... we did it because we love them. People that don’t even really know them stepped up and gave what they had in order to help a family in need. It’s hard to give your time and money to people and causes you don’t know but they did it and I’m proud to have been able to witness it and also be a part of it!

Thanks to all who went Live, gave donations and offered prayers! I’m happy to know you guys and girls and I pray that God would bless you for your efforts!

If you would like to read more about Michelle you can go to her Facebook page by going to https://www.facebook.com/michellesri and if you would like to donate please go to https://www.fightwithmichelle.com/ . Thanks for your support!

Help for a friend!

Many people have bad tastes in their mouths when it comes to car salesmen these days! We are ranked right up there with attorneys and politicians. Some of these feelings have come from experiences of loved ones and friends in the past and some have come from recent situations. Some of them are warranted and some may not be.

There have been a quite a few of us that have been trying to change people’s perceptions of the car business but it has proven to be a daunting and difficult task but we press on! It’s often hard to break down the walls that have been created by past bad experiences but we are trying!

One way to see this is in an effort that is happening as I wrote this. You see, social media has become a very powerful tool. I have met many awesome people around the country and around the world via social media! I have made many friends that I otherwise would have never met and many if not most of them are in the car business or attached to it in someway. 

Two of those people are Chad Morgan and Michelle Sri who are the owners and operators of Quickpage... a video emailing/texting app that is used to send compressed video to clients in order for them to be able to watch and see them easier and better. I have met them online and in person on a number of occasions and both are very caring and genuine people. I have become friends with them and so have many others along this journey over the past year.

I am giving you this short story to tell you that recently they found out that Michelle had stage 3 breast cancer and it is very aggressive. It’s certainly something that nobody wants to have to endure or even at the least even mutter the words “cancer”. They are trying to be strong for their kids and each other but I’m sure it is weighing on their hearts and minds. To go along with this they are self employed which means they have little to no insurance and anyone that knows anything about these medical expenses will know that it’ll be very expensive to treat. 

The cool part is that the automotive industry is coming together to support these wonderful people! We are doing a Facebook Live Telethon starting at midnight eastern tonight and running for 24 hours. There are many of us throughout the industry that will be doing 30 minute segments on our personal pages primarily to pray and to raise money to assist them in their fight to come. It’s a way for us to help a family in need and that’s part of our automotive community.

I will begin my 30 minute segment beginning at 9:30 a.m. eastern tomorrow which is 8:30 a.m. central. I would like for all of my friends to join me on this Live event in order to pray and raise money. If you can’t make it Live here is the link to donate http://fightwithmichelle.com/

Any and all amounts will be appreciated and no donation is too small so please consider this most important donation if you join me or if you’re not able.

We are an industry of individuals that care about others and try and take care of those we love! Help us in this effort to help some great friends and people I have come to love and respect!

Thank you and God Bless

Where have I been?

To those of your that care and that have missed me you might notice that I have been somewhat absent over the last few days from social media. I have been posting some sold customer pics but no videos for a few days.

I wanted to let you know why...

I had an episode last Saturday after my video in where my heart went into AFib. I have had it for quite some time but really don’t have many serious episodes. That day was one of them. Thankfully my wife is a nurse and knew what to do! Not sure what caused it or might have triggered it but they seem to come when they want. I have been trying to treat it with a CPAP machine when I sleep since the Drs seem to believe that lack of oxygen when sleeping can have a serious effect on the heart and I believe that too. I snore terribly and often stop breathing in my sleep and am hoping this will eventually help as I go through this process.

Why has this caused me to stop doing videos recently and being myself?

I’m not sure really! I have never felt like this for so long of a time. I have been extremely short of breath and tight in the chest since that day. I have went and done test and all signs point to anxiety.. and I hope that’s all it is. I have been worried about my heart but I guess that the episode has sprung me, along with a couple of other things, into a severe anxiety issue. I am now taking meds for it, which I do not like taking, in order to see if that’s indeed what it is and to offer some relief but it takes about 2 weeks for them to fully take effect. 

Anyone that knows me surely knows that I don’t like to complain when something is wrong and that I surely don’t like to take meds for these kind of things but I am trying to find answers. 

My hope in letting you know what is going on is I don’t want people to worry too much, if you’re one of those, and to let you know that it’s okay to not feel well and to let people know what’s going on. If you know something is wrong or doesn’t feel right you need to tell someone. Don’t rely on webmd! It could end up being nothing but in the chance it is something serious maybe it can be caught in time to do something about it.

I’m not certain my issue is anxiety and I never want to rule out more heart issues but I wanted to let everyone know where I have been and what’s been going on. I decided to take a few days away from doing videos to try and get this under control. I’m hoping I can start back next week because I actually like doing my Lives daily. I truly appreciate all the thoughts and prayers! 

I love all of you!... even if you don’t love me!lol

Am I going HOME or am I going home?

As I’m sitting in this chair, awaiting the results of the ekg and blood work, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve got something seriously wrong inside me. I also instantly think about my family and what kind of position I would be leaving them in if I never made it out. I hate to think like that but right now they are going through my mind constantly!

I haven’t exactly lived the most healthy lifestyle. I spent many years partying and staying out late while doing drugs and drinking and that could possibly have attributed to this now I think. It’s easy to look back now and see all the stress I’ve put on my body and yet back then my mentality was...”I’m going to die of something someday so I might as well go while doing something I love to do”. I’ve heard many people say things like that and at this very moment that doesn’t help nor apply to me.

I’m currently thinking that I’m certainly not ready to go yet. Yea I know, life isn’t on my timetable and I wholeheartedly agree but it still doesn’t get any easier when you’re going through something with your health that you’re not use to or you don’t know the extent. Were I to leave today I firmly believe that I would be with my Savior but leaving my family isn’t something I’m prepared to deal with right at this moment and I’m sure they aren’t ready either. I know they would also understand that I would be with Him as well but I’m sure it would devastate them. 

I have gone through the past few years somewhat ignoring issues with my body simply because I don’t want to sound like I’m a big baby. I have had numerous back and neck issues as well as dealing with periodic ankle and knee issues but for the most part you can live with those even though there may be some pain and discomfort. The heart, however, you can’t live without. If something stops working with the heart then you stop working. It’s a scary thought when you really think about it. The heart is relatively small compared to your whole body and yet it, and the brain, have the most responsiblility in your body and can determine your life if either one of them shut down or stop working. So, sitting here waiting for results doesn't make me feel any better.

The funny thing is that anxiety can cause some of the same results or experiences that a heart issue can and you could be worrying for no reason. The body is so fascinating and it is a Godly designed wonder that never stops amazing me. 

However these things end up for me are certainly up to the One that created everything. All I can do is live this life in a way that would honor and glorify Him though I fail at that miserably. 

Have you done all you can today to effect someone else’s tomorrow? Have you been able to show the people that you love how much you indeed love them and not just with words? Have you passed on chances to impact someone that you’ve been around because you don’t feel like you have time? Well, you may not have tomorrow so take the time today to make a difference in someone’s life! What better legacy could you possibly leave than being known as one that took their time that you were given in order to help someone else and possibly change their life for their future?!

Which boxer are you?

I use to like to watch boxing. I was always amazed at the abuse they took and the dedication it took to be able to handle all that abuse to their bodies. I was also amazed at the amount of training they went through and how that just the training itself would put their bodies to the test.

When you think of boxing you could probably think of a few names of boxers that you may know or have heard of even if you didn’t like boxing. I automatically think of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Joe Lewis, George Foreman, maybe Rocky Marciano, Roy Jones JR, Floyd Mayweather and of coarse Mike Tyson and many more. I’m sure you could think of a few as well. 

When I was a younger man I liked to watch Mike Tyson fight. He was a very strong and aggressive fighter that was known for his ferocious knockout power that could end a fight quickly. A few of us would pitch in money just to get the pay per views and we would have a watch party with as many people as we could get over. It was a fun time when Mike was in his early years. The only problems came when the main event finally came and you might walk into the kitchen for some food and drinks and come back and the fight would already be over. We almost felt like we wasted our money just to have many of his fights to end in the 1st or 2nd round but that’s sometimes what happens in that particular sport. 

When I think about boxers I think about 2 types of fighters. Both would be great athletes for the most part but there are basically 2 categories in my mind.

1) The knockout artist. This is the one that has a lot of punching power usually. He may be the one that has a huge uppercut that might take your head off. He will basically come out and try and end the fight quickly by hitting you with one big haymaker. He may be one that is very aggressive in the beginning rounds in order to bully one into dropping his guard and then laying him out. He may not always have the best agility and footwork and may not even have the best stamina because he has the hopes of ending it quickly. Not all may have limited abilities or skills but often times these fighters might be somewhat one dimensional. 

2) The all around fighter. This is the fighter that has a huge arsenal of ammunition. He may be one that has a fantastic jab and hook. He may be fast with heavy hands and throws a bunch of great combos and counter punches. He may have a strong chin and never intimidated. He might have impeccable stamina and agility. He might even have the ability to switch from traditional to southpaw without even trying. This could be one that could change his fight plan or style during the fight just to throw his opponent off his plan. This fighter might have an uncanny desire to win that allows him to take all his opponents the distance just to win a decision. 

 Both fighters are great athletes and very talented otherwise they wouldn’t be in the ring. One depends on one ability that he may be extremely good at in order to win his fight whereas the other has a full tool box of tools that he can use at any time. He may not be great at one particular ability but he may have many that he is really good at that he can use at his disposal to wear down his opponent. 

Which one are you?

What do I mean?

Well, look at your life and look at your profession. Do you resemble fighter #1 and are possibly one dimensional? Do you only have one skill or ability that you are somewhat good at that you usually rely on heavily? Do you only depend on that one ability so heavily that when a problem or an unforeseen situation arises you can’t handle it? Are you so dependent on that one skill that when you can’t use it then you are very uncomfortable? Do you have problems making it out of the 2nd or 3rd round and never able to go the distance?

Or

Are you like fighter #2? Are you pretty good at a few or many different skills? Do you have an overflowing tool box or an ammo box that is full of useful ammunition? Do you have enough ammunition that you can adjust to any situation on the fly and take it the distance? Are you able to outlast your competition simply by making them go further in the fight than they are able because your stamina and endurance is top notch?

Having a few abilities that your good at is better than only having on that you may be great at. The reason I say that is because if you only have one then chances are you are only able to use that one skill in every situation when every situation may not call for your one skill. When something changes or a problem arises then you may not be able to overcome it because you are one dimensional. However, having a few things that you’re really good at and being well rounded can help you whenever things change unexpectedly. When your unforeseen circumstances come up then you’re able to adapt and adjust without even thinking about it. You would have the uncanny ability to switch from traditional to southpaw without even knowing you did so just because the situation called for it. 

Take a look at what you’re good at and see how you can add to your toolbox. Become good at a few things instead of just great at one just in case your situation changes unexpectedly and you have no other tools to fall back on. It’s one thing to have a pair of pliers in your toolbox and never having to use them and it’s another not having pliers in there at all and actually needing them right at that moment.  

What’s your key words?

Today, during our morning training, I decided to do something a little different with the salesmen. Instead of training on product or process I wanted to train on some possible personal and life principles that may help them inside and outside of work.

My thought process was to try to give them something that may help them in life and that might even get them to thinking about their future. Most of our salesmen are in their 20s and every once in a while I try to train on something that gets their mind away from work and possibly on something that may be more important and even more beneficial.

So, I handed each one of them a sheet of paper and asked them to fold it in half. At the top of the paper I asked them to write down some key words about themselves. In other words, if someone were to search for you online, what key words would you hope they would use to search for you? Key words are primarily what you would use to make sure that your product or service may show up in an online search. I gave them that example and asked them to write down a few. Some of the results were honest, trustworthy, good father, straightforward and loving and there were many others. These were all key words they came up with that they felt they would want to be searched by and these are ones I would say as well.

Once they were finished I asked them to write at the bottom of the page a description of how they want to be remembered in life or what they want people to be able to say about them if they were gone. It didn’t have to be long at all and might even coincide with the key words that they had already written. Sure enough it turns out that many of their key words they wanted to be searched by were also how they want to be remembered. 

We talked about their responses, if they wanted to share, and then I posed a question to them. I asked them to look at what they wrote and honestly ask themselves if they lived these words out daily. Basically asking them to evaluate themselves to see if their key words actually represented their life. Were their key words a good description of how they are living their life now? Only they know those answers.

The primary reason I asked them to do this is because we often think more about ourselves than we should or someone else might think. Many people can look at the way we are living our lives and pretty much tell what we are all about. We often try to put on a facade just to make people think we are something or someone we are not just to impress. The same goes for us. We often want to look at ourselves in a positive light and in no way are we living like we want to believe we are. It’s sometimes very hard to give ourselves an honest evaluation of our character and therefore end up living a life that is opposite of what we want to be portraying to others. I really wanted to see what they thought about themselves and if they would be honest when they evaluated themselves. I totally agree that no one is going to be perfect and living that standard of life all the time but it’s all about the direction and not necessarily perfection. If you can take an honest evaluation of your own life and character then there is a great chance that you are willing to work at trying to be a better person and actually desire to live up to your key words. 

I know that they possibly weren’t really wanting to be honest at that moment when evaluating themselves because what 20 something year old does right? But what I was hoping might happen is it would get them to thinking about where they are currently in life and maybe even where they might be heading or wanting to go. Sometimes just dropping something for them to ponder and think on a little could maybe just maybe get them started on a better path than they are currently on. 

Who are your blinkers for?

Have you ever been driving down the road and someone cuts over in front of you really quickly or maybe makes a quick turn right in front of you without using their blinkers? How did it make you feel? Did it scare you or make you angry? Have you ever done it to someone else? I’m betting that if you’re a driver then you’ve done it at some point or another.

Who are your blinkers for? 

Have you ever thought about that? We drive our cars almost everyday and we probably haven’t really even thought about this question. If you really think about it then it is pretty obvious that the blinkers, in your car, aren’t for you. They aren’t for you! Then who are they for? They are for other people that’s outside your vehicle. They are for the people driving other cars. They are for pedestrians possibly riding a bike or walking down the sidewalk to let them know that you may indeed be changing lanes or maybe even turning. 

Though every car has blinkers it’s true that not everyone uses theirs. I mean they probably don’t use them all the time or at least I don’t. I probably use them 90% of the time but I’m definitely not 100%! If the blinkers are on every car and meant to alert other people then why don’t we use them all the time? Wouldn’t it possibly be safer if we used them like we should? Isn’t it probably more considerate of other people if we used them more often? So why wouldn’t we use them all the time? I’ve come up with 2 reasons why someone might not use their blinkers like they should.

1)  We aren’t always considerate of other people. Many times we don’t think about other people even though we may claim to. We often want to make ourselves believe that we are always thinking of others and always considerate but you probably don’t use your blinkers all the time either! I know that not using your blinkers is not the end of the world and doesn’t always mean we are inconsiderate all the time but just stay with me because I am going somewhere with this.

2) We are always in a hurry. We have busy lives and we always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere or do something. We often are always running late to work, school or an engagement so we don’t have time to slow down much less use our blinkers. I know that we still use our blinkers sometimes when we get in a hurry but it’s probably very likely that we forget to use them as much as we usually do when we aren’t in a hurry.

Regardless if your aren’t considerate of other people or you are always in a hurry using your blinkers are important. We need to be able to let people know where we are going and what we are doing while we are driving. We sometimes probably take the fact that other drivers will know what we are going to do and maybe not use them but any of these could cause an accident and maybe even hurt someone.

Where am I going with this common sense stuff?

How does this fit into our lives and become a life lesson? 

Well, I’m glad you asked!

We walk through life sometimes and take things for granted. We walk by people without acknowledging them or speaking. Sometimes we don’t acknowledge people that may be having a bad day or don’t say “hi” or “how are you doing?”. We sometimes seem to look past people just so we won’t have to say something to them. Have you ever purposely ignored someone or acted like you didn’t see them just so you wouldn’t have to talk to them? I’m sure you have at some point!  

So why do we do this? What makes us act like this towards other people? And how does not using your blinkers become an example of how we treat people?

Simple! 

1) Just like we are inconsiderate for not using our blinkers sometimes we are also inconsiderate of other people we are around everyday. We come into contact with many people every day. We have people we work with, converse with or even see at the gas station or the grocery store and yet, with all those people we see, we go out of our way to ignore and dodge them. I’m not always the most cordial guy either so this applys to me as well. I also understand that not everyone will nod or speak back if you acknowledge them so I get the fact that it can get tiresome trying to be nice to people especially since some, if not most, will reject your friendliness. 

2) We are in such a big hurry in life that we seemingly don’t have time to acknowledge others. We are walking fast past people or maybe just have our head down so that we won’t have to acknowledge others. We always seem to be running too late to speak or say hi to someone. It’s almost like we are in a race and the only participant is us and we are the only one we are concerned about. 

Whether you are inconsiderate to others or even in a big hurry all the time it is important to understand one thing! You never know when something you say or an action you do to someone can effect their day or maybe even their life. You never know how awful of a day someone is having or what has happened in their life recently. So when you are ignoring, being inconsiderate or in too big of a hurry to notice people you may miss the chance to change their day or make a difference. I’m not saying that every time you speak to someone that they will all of a sudden change their outlook on life but it couldn’t hurt. Maybe you are the icing on the cake. Maybe they had been having a terrible time in their life and you just happen to be the final piece to the puzzle. 

My point to all this is to take time in your life and try and make a difference in someone’s life. It could be a simple “good morning” or maybe just asking how their day is going or if you can help them with something that can change their outlook. Maybe it’s just noticing the fact that they are struggling with something and listening. Somtimes just the mere offering of an ear can make a world of difference to someone’s life. Be courteous, be considerate, stop being in so big of a hurry and acknowledge others because we all live here together so why not at least try to make a difference. 

Though we aren’t going to be perfect at this it only takes 1 to make a difference in someone else’s life!