Dayna Steele and her stepson who recently graduated from college with two major internships under his belt, debt free with savings and has started a career in Oil & Gas Land Management.

Four weeks with your friends and family were fun but now it is time to get back to the work at hand – securing your future so that one day (in the very near future), you can live the life you want to live.

Here are five things you can do right NOW to help secure your desired future:

• Request a meeting with each of your instructors NOW, even those for basic subjects that have nothing to do with what you want to do for a living. Ask about their success – where they went to school, what they studied, what mistakes they learned from, what did they learn and what’s the one piece of advice they would give you. Not only will you find out something interesting you may have never known about this person, you will also have made a positive impact on this person with your initiative – which can only help at grade time.

• The first of the year is famous for lists in the media. Search something like “top jobs this decade” or “top professions for college graduates.” You get the idea. Take the time to see what the Internet crystal ball says about your future. You may discover there is a field you never considered. Or you may find out the field you have chosen is predicted to no longer exist or be the lowest paying on the charts. Don’t be surprised when you graduate, do the research NOW.

• Start looking for a summer internship NOW. Did I make that clear? Now. As in NOW. Find one, paid or not, in the field you think you want to work in. There is nothing like real experience with real people in a real job setting to discover your passion. It also looks great on a resume, the more experience you have, the higher up you go in the consideration. It is also a good way to discover you can’t stand your chosen profession. Do it now, don’t wait until it is the thing you end up doing the rest of your life and hating.

• Start the habit of giving back to your community. Find something to volunteer for NOW and find something that feels good to you and you genuinely support. Just doing it to make you look good on a resume will always back fire. Karma baby!

• Look in the mirror. Are you overweight? Are you unhealthy? Is your hygiene a mess? Are your finances already a disaster? Fix it all NOW. Start eating right, exercising, taking care of yourself and stop spending money you don’t have. If you do these things now, you’ll be 95% ahead of everyone else when you graduate.

Do you want money in the bank? Do you want to make a living at something you love? Do you want to have the time and finances to play and travel as well? Do you want to live in the style you desire?

If you answered yes to any or all of those questions, remember, it is simple: it is all in your hands. And, there is no time like NOW to get started.

If you graduated or will graduate without any debt, then congratulations because you are one of few who will not have to deal with the struggle of paying off student loans and credit cards. The thought of finding a way to make payments on these debts can be frightening, but if you start with the right knowledge and use your money wisely, you can maintain a fair credit score and go off into the real world with confidence.

Choose the right college

According to an article on CNNMoney.com, the average 2009 graduate had about $24,000 in student loans when they accepted their degree, while the unemployment rate for recent graduates rose from 5.8% in 2008 to 8.7% in 2009. These numbers will most likely continue to rise in the next few years.

Before you have the chance to decide on the right school for you, do some research. Know how much money you want to spend and what will be manageable once you graduate. Then start by looking at the schools in your state. Some schools have an in state price and an out of state price to try to convince people to continue living in the same state where they currently live. If you don’t want to stay in the same state, look for states that have reciprocity with your state. Sometimes, schools in other states will make agreements to allow students from a certain state to take advantage of their in state tuition price.

Find a good job

Once you have found a school, and you know how much free time you are going to have over the semester, look for a job. A fun, part-time job that you love could fill some of that dead time between classes and homework, and it will help you pay for other living expenses. It may even be able to pay for a class or two. Work hard here and you may get a good reference when you go to find your next job after college.

Find those scholarships

There are so many scholarships out there to apply for, and yet many students don’t take advantage of them. Start in high school if possible, and apply for any scholarship that might be relevant to you. The essays and applications may take some time, but if you apply for more, you will be more likely to win. If you win enough scholarships, you won’t have to pay off student loans after you graduate because your education will already be paid in full.

Use credit cards wisely

I’ve always thought that the smartest strategy for a credit card is to not use it unless you are able to go home and pay it off immediately. I know this may be a hard rule to follow at times, but if you can go month to month and not carry a balance on your credit card, your credit score won’t be damaged by the time you graduate.

If you aren’t able to pay off the card completely, make sure you are still making your monthly payments, and pay off more than the minimum if you can. Showing this kind of responsibility and keeping your balance far away from your credit limit will keep you from completely ruining your credit score.

As always, it is best that you stay informed when it comes to your money. Continue to search for ways to save, scholarships to apply for, and credit card advice online and at your university. With a little effort, you can graduate with fair credit and minimal debt.

Amy Young writes on consumer finance topics including how to intelligently use credit. More student credit card tips can be found at Credit Cards for No Credit.

Plan ahead or pay later

Aaron Bishop ★
University of Houston Academic Advisor

University of Houston Academic Advisor Aaron Bishop talks about looking ahead when you are attending a community or two-year college. Visit the college you intend to finish at ahead of time to find out what classes/credits you need. Or you may be in for a big, expensive surprise.
(University of Houston website)

Aaron Bishop, University of Houston Academic Advisor

Dayna’s FIND YOUR INNER ROCK STAR podcast - To succeed in this ever-increasing competitive business world, you need competitive business skills to take you to the next level. You need to become better for long-term business growth. You need to stand out like a ROCK STAR. Using memorable key points that stick with the audience, Dayna Steele guides individuals and companies through her proven success methods, giving you what it takes to grow your business and move from backstage to center stage!

Find Your Inner Rock Star Podcast!

★ - Available on iTunes
★ – Available on PodBean
★ – Available on Stitcher Radio
★ – Available on Stitcher Radio  in the Android Marketplace

Student? Adviser? Faculty? Staff?
Tell us which Rock Star you’d like Dayna to interview on your campus in the COMMENTS section below.

Do the Right Thing

Eric Lambert ★ APCA Executive Director

Continuing with a series of college themed podcasts to help students, parents and schools; Dayna speaks with Eric Lambert, Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities Executive Director. Eric talks about doing the right thing and spreading the love….  (APCA website)

Eric Lambert, APCA Executive Director

Dayna Steele’s FIND YOUR INNER ROCK STAR podcast - To succeed in this ever-increasing competitive business world, you need competitive business skills to take you to the next level. You need to become better for long-term business growth. You need to stand out like a ROCK STAR. Using memorable key points that stick with the audience, Dayna Steele guides individuals and companies through her proven success methods, giving you what it takes to grow your business and move from backstage to center stage!

Find Your Inner Rock Star Podcast!

★ - Available on iTunes
★ – Available on PodBean
★ – Available on Stitcher Radio
★ – Available on Stitcher Radio  in the Android Marketplace

 Student? Adviser? Faculty? Staff?
Tell us which Rock Star you’d like Dayna to interview on your campus in the COMMENTS section below.

College: Packing, Organizing, Trying New Things

Jennifer Furner ★
Keuka College Student Activities Director

Keuka College Student Activities Director Jennifer Furner talks about what to bring and what not to bring to college; getting organized without your parents there to help; and, jumping into the spirit of things. Oh yeah, and Bingo!   (Keuka College, NY website)

Jennifer Furner, Keuka College, Student Activities Director

Dayna Steele’s FIND YOUR INNER ROCK STAR podcast - To succeed in this ever-increasing competitive business world, you need competitive business skills to take you to the next level. You need to become better for long-term business growth. You need to stand out like a ROCK STAR. Using memorable key points that stick with the audience, Dayna Steele guides individuals and companies through her proven success methods, giving you what it takes to grow your business and move from backstage to center stage!

Find Your Inner Rock Star Podcast!

★ - Available on iTunes
★ – Available on PodBean
★ – Available on Stitcher Radio
★ – Available on Stitcher Radio  in the Android Marketplace

Student? Adviser? Faculty? Staff?
Tell us which Rock Star you’d like Dayna to interview on your campus in the COMMENTS section below.

In order to be able to achieve all these highlights of life basically all at once, it takes a lot of time and commitment to what you are doing. It also takes someone who’s very time-oriented (and having a calendar or two doesn’t hurt either!).

To me, in life, I usually live by the credo, “Most people sleep 8 hours and work 8 hours. It’s a matter of what you do in the remaining 8 hours that makes you great.” Well, in order to be the kind of student that is a high achieving honor student WITH a career, you need to make a couple changes to that. So here goes… “Work 10 hours, work out / run for 4 hours, eat for 2 hours, sleep for 6 hours, and relax for 2 hours….if you didn’t just work 12 hours.” That is almost precisely how I live my life every day.

It’s not something that’s too hard or difficult to do, it just usually takes some time to get used to. Now I’m not saying that I do this every day of the week, however I AM saying that 6 days of the week typically looks like the way I described it. Everyone needs to have that one day where you recharge yourself. Ironically enough, that’s today! And I spent it on the golf course…

Another way of doing so well at being that type of student is to have an outlet. You know, something that you can do that completely takes you away from everything work, school, and house related. Something like golf, writing, going to the gym, swimming, tennis, soccer, or even playing video games. Find something that takes you from a place of stress, to a palace of clarity in your mind.

So let’s recap… sleep for how many hours? Work how long? You need an outlet to release stress as well, don’t you? As well as one more thing I learned that’s huge — always be able to laugh at yourself. It makes the day go by much smoother and helps with all the stress that may come with being a “high achieving honor student with a career.”

Jason Sweigart is a student of Jones International University studying Communications and PR. He’s the president of the JIU chapter of The National Society of Collegiate Scholars as well as a regular contributor to the blog TalkNerdy2Me. When he’s not studying or doing homework, you can find him hitting the pavement and training for marathons. Jason enjoys roller coasters, spending time with friends and family, eating, and going to see his beloved Phillies and Eagles. He loves meeting as many new people as he can and connecting with all of them. You can find him on Twitter at @jsweigartNSCS.

They Call It Orientation For A Reason

Mike Weida ★
Dutchess Community College Student Activities Director

In this ‘Find Your Inner Rock Star’ Podcast, College Motivational Speaker and Texas Radio Hall-of-Famer Dayna Steele, interviews Dutchess Community College Director of Student Activities Mike Weida as he talks about taking advantage of orientation activities when you go off to college. (Dutchess Community College Website)

Mike Weida, Dutchess Community College

Dayna’s FIND YOUR INNER ROCK STAR podcast - To succeed in this ever-increasing competitive business world, you need competitive business skills to take you to the next level. You need to become better for long-term business growth. You need to stand out like a ROCK STAR. Using memorable key points that stick with the audience, Dayna Steele guides individuals and companies through her proven success methods, giving you what it takes to grow your business and move from backstage to center stage!

Find Your Inner Rock Star Podcast!

★ - Available on iTunes
★ – Available on PodBean
★ – Available on Stitcher Radio
★ – Available on Stitcher Radio  in the Android Marketplace

What does your email address and signature say about you? In short, everything.

Often, your email is the first impression anyone will have of you, from the actual email name and address to the signature in the body of the email. Your email carries a lot of weight when someone is deciding what his or her first impression is of you.

Start with your email name. It is probably best to use your full name or first initial and last name. Using just your first name may be a little too informal for some companies. Nicknames? Pet names? Are you insane? My stepson has used ‘CrazyCris’ for years. However, when he started getting serious and began to look for that first internship in the oil and gas industry, he knew that name would never get him taken seriously. CrazyCris, HappyRita, Party Hearty or anything remotely close to those is not going to get you an interview, it won’t get your foot in the door and it definitely won’t be read.

Now take a look at the end of your email address. It is always best to have your ‘company name.com’ if you want to be taken seriously. Comcast.net or sbcglobal.com says “You are working from home in your pajamas, aren’t you?” And, I’m sorry to say that @hotmail.com and @yahoo.com make you look cheap. Some even say @aol.com needs to go, it makes you appear old and out of touch.

On to your email signature, specifically your job title. Take a look at your job title. Does it really tell people what you do? Does it grab their attention? Does it make them want to know more? Does it bore them? Does it chase them away?

I recently had an appointment with a major firm in New York City. Located on Park Avenue, I was surprised to walk into the reserved and well-appointed reception area and immediately see a sign in front of the receptionist that read “Director of First Impressions.” Half kidding, I asked her if it was on her business card. “Yes,” she replied and added, “It’s on my email as well.” Brilliant. I immediately had my first impression of this company, which was, “They get it.”

Then, there are the boring and pompous titles. Shouldn’t “professional” be a given? “Consultant?” Yeah, you and a million others. “Expert?” Says who? “I don’t use ‘expert’ in my title the same reason I don’t introduce myself as a ‘God of Sex.’ It’s much better when other people introduce me as such,” advises social media “expert” and speaker Peter Shankman.

What about the different, unique titles such as the afore mentioned “Director of First Impressions?” If it’s going to be different or even amusing, you had better be able to back it up with something good like these folks do:

• Paige Craig, Good Angel: Craig is a prolific investor and supporter of doing the right thing. His newest venture is BetterWorks, a company perks platform that rewards and motivates employees with top brand services employees want, need and love.
• Sarah Worthy, Go Get ‘Em!: Her fearlessness when it comes to approaching strangers and her affinity towards research and the internet in particular provides her with an ability to find things pretty quickly, making her a valuable asset to Schipul.com.
• Christopher Hoyt, Talent Engagement: Chris makes sure those wanting to work with PepsiCo have everything they need to attract the best to the company including a dedicated job site at pepsicojobs.com
• P. Graham O’Neil, Recovering Rocket Scientist: An aerospace specialist with a NASA contractor, he finds himself in the position of looking for work with the end of the NASA Shuttle Program. Though not an industry known for its sense of humor, I think this is good for O’Neil to stand out in the crowd and give a little levity to the situation.

Tip: You should have the same title on your business card as you do in your email signature. The same rules apply.

Going back to the “Director of First Impressions,” I asked Richard A. Rosenbaum, CEO of the prestigious law firm Greenberg Traurig, for the story behind that title.

“Reputations are not determined solely by fancy marketing strategies dreamed up in an ivory tower or by your ‘star’ lawyers, but by the performance of every single member of the team doing his or her job at a very high level and always centered on the client. A few years back, in an effort to make the whole firm better, we asked our staff to tell us what they did to provide the highest quality experience for our clients. One of our very best receptionists told us about how hard she worked in creating that critical first impression on the phone and when a client, guest or employee walks in the door. I said, ‘You are now a Director of First Impressions,’ which also made her feel great and try even harder, and the rest is history.”

Rosenbaum also added, “Seeing that plaque on the front desk reminds everyone every day how important we each are, how respected everyone is, and what our goal is–impressing our clients beyond their expectations!” The company that “gets it,” Greenberg Traurig, implemented the title “Director of First Impressions” nearly 10 years ago, beginning in its New York office.

So, again I ask, what does your email address and title say about you?

Everything.

(Originally posted on FastCompany.com but applies to college students as well. It’s one of many things on the road to – “Find Your Inner Rock Star!”)

Dave's Penguins, Distinguished District Award Medallions and Distinguished Administrator Awards

“They” are always trying to tell us something “they” think we need to hear. “They” have our best interests at heart, and “they” don’t want to see us fail, get hurt, or be disappointed. “They” will make sure to tell you that you really can’t do what you want to, are probably not good enough to succeed, and are not possibly smart enough to figure out something that no one else ever has. “They” know everything.

“They” are your enemies.

Oh, “they” might look like family, friends, or co-workers, but make no mistake, “they” will discourage you and try to let you down easy. “They” love you and want you to wait to pursue your dreams until all of the circumstances are perfect. But, secretly, “they” know there are no perfect moments, so if “they” can get you to put things off, “they” know eventually you will give up.

In truth, “they” don’t know a thing.

You control your destiny. You must listen to the yearnings of your heart. You were put on this earth with distinctive abilities and gifts and you must put them to use to be completely fulfilled. You choose what, when, where, why, and how. Only listen to those individuals who truly know and support you no matter what you do. Push past the limitations and obstacles “they” try to place upon you.

You are the best in the world at being you. You are special, outstanding, and unique. Be all that you were meant to be. Be you!

——————————————————————————–

I wrote the above piece in order to help people see the falseness of the the “They’s” in their lives. They laughed when I said, at the age of 7, I wanted to be the first person in my family to receive a college degree. I graduated with honors. They scoffed when I tried to be a high school athlete, skinny, with limited natural talent. Through hard work and determination, I earned the most athletic letters in my class. They were incredulous when I said I wanted to serve as Circle K International President, running from what had typically been one of the smallest districts in the organization. I won, presided over the largest membership in the organization’s history, and visited 7 different countries. And they all said it was impossible for me to start and succeed in my own business. They were right—I did it twice! I owned a multi-state mortgage company for 10 years and have had a successful speaking and training business since 2005.

Who are the “They’s” in your life? It doesn’t matter. Whether they be family, friends, pundits, or experts. Don’t listen to them, rather, listen to the desires of your heart!

Share in the space below how you have overcome the words, taunts, and advice of “Theys”.

“We can change the world…
By serving…
One life at a time.”

Dave Kelly
America’s student leadership Trainer℠
Creator and Facilitator of Building Leaders Through Service®

In Star Wars, Luke’s ship just sank into the swamp . Yoda tells him he could raise it out using the Force. Luke looks very doubtful and says, “I’ll try.” Yoda says, “Do or do not, there is no try.” And, of course, Luke is unsuccessful. Luke didn’t get how powerful that work can be.

Occasionally, when I’m facilitating a collegiate leadership retreat, a student will be on the verge of a major personal breakthrough and they might say…“I’ll TRY to take action when I’m afraid… I’ll TRY to stand up for what I believe in… I’ll TRY to have more confidence in myself.”

I’ll coach them on the word “try” and tell them to replace it and speak again. “I WILL take action when I’m afraid.. I AM going to stand up for what I believe in… I HAVE more confidence in myself.”

Can you feel the difference? The language we use has a powerful impact. It’s exciting to see the shift in the person when they take out “try.” Their whole body shifts and confidence exudes.

To coach the participants I’ll take a marker and ask them to “try and take this from me.” They’ll reach over and take the marker from my hand. I’ll shake my head, take the marker back, and say, “No, you took it from me. Now TRY and take it from me.” They’ll take it from me again and I’ll shake my head again and take it back and say, “No, you took it from me. Try and take it from me.”

This will go on and on until they finally get it and just grab the marker without actually taking if from me. Try implies that you put forth effort but will be unsuccessful. Your words help create your reality. Choose wisely.

Are you up for the challenge of eliminating, “try” from your language? And don’t tell me you’ll try!!!

The other day, my 5 year old was having a hard time tying his shoe. He said, “I can’t do this, Dad!” With a smile I reminded him we don’t say, “I can’t.” Instead we say, “Help please.”

“Can’t” is a word that takes all your power away. It leaves you with no options and feeling defeated. If you must say “can’t” then add the word, “I can’t, yet” There’s hope in that; things can change and you can and will do it eventually.

Here’s a phrase I don’t allow myself to say; “I can’t afford it.” Again, it takes my power away and leaves me feeling hopeless. I feel defeated and my life revolves around scarcity and lack. I simply change that thought into, “I choose not to spend my money on that right now.” This still lets me feel a sense of abundance. As if I could buy that (or anything I want) if I really wanted to but I have different priorities at this moment. Whether it’s true or not, I feel more empowered.

Are you up for the challenge of eliminating, “I can’t” from your language? And don’t tell me you can’t!

Gene Simmons of KISS and Dayna Steele

Wow. You’ve done it. You’ve finally graduated from high school and you’re off to college. You’ll be on your own with a car, an apartment, a college ID, freedom, and the ability to plan your own schedule and make your own decisions.

Party!

Not so quick. It is never too early to start branding yourself, monitoring your reputation, creating your “personal brand” being the key phrase this week. Whatever you call it, you are in charge of it and now is the time to begin.

Print this list and post it somewhere you’ll see it everyday, like the bathroom mirror, the inside of the front door or as wallpaper for your phone.

• Be on time.
• Deliver a quality product.
• Honor commitments.
• Watch what you post online.
• Do for others.
• Show appreciation.

Party? Yes, have a great time as you get that much closer to the “real” world, but keep in mind that others are watching at all times and already forming an opinion of you that will last a lifetime.

You can be the drunk, idiot fan.

Or.

You can be the rock star.

It’s all in your hands now……

In the September 2010 issue of Southwest Airlines Spirit magazine, there is a great tidbit of information about cows. I know because I read it about six times that month. Seems that cows with names produce 68 more gallons of milk every 10 months than cows without names. Farmers who referred to their cows by name saw a spike in production. That made me think of Martha, who is not a cow by the way.

I walk into the same post office in the same small town at the same time and say hello to the same cleaning woman almost every weekday morning. It wasn’t long after I started this routine that I introduced myself and asked the woman her name. Martha. Her name is Martha.

This morning ritual had been going on for almost two years when I decided one holiday season that I needed to get Martha a Christmas present. Excited to be playing Santa Claus, I arrived, as I had done for hundreds of mornings, unable to find Martha. This went on for a couple of days and I got worried. So I rang the package doorbell which is there to be rung for packages but inevitably always makes whoever has to answer it disagreeable. But I digress.

A postal employee, who has been at this particular post office longer than I have been checking my P O Box, ‘cheerfully’ opened the window and said “what do you want?” I inquired as to where Martha had been the last couple of days to which Ms. Happy replied, “who’s Martha?” I explained that Martha had been sweeping around her feet for the past few years as the post office cleaning lady. “Oh, well I don’t know her name. And I think her car is broken. She should be back tomorrow.”

Martha returned, I was able to play Santa Claus and I have since told people in my neighborhood this story, many of whom pick up their mail at the same post office and now give a cheery hello to Martha, by name, each time they go.

The moral of the story? Is there a Martha in your dorm, in the hallway of a regular class you attend or somewhere in your life? Do you know his or her name? Well, what are you waiting for?

By the way, I’ve always wondered if Martha ever questions how all these people know her by name now.

Rock on Martha!

A class, a meeting with a mentor or a job interview? Are you prepared?

If you are like me, this past year’s Spring Break was great but it came and went along with a few dollars out of my wallet. The highlight? A trip to the offices of Roblox, a favorite online game for my teenage son. He had actually made the pilgrimage to the Roblox offices a year ago and was looking forward to talking again to fellow gamers at this fast-growing Silicon Valley start-up.

We were ushered into a sparsely furnished conference room (again, keyword here ‘start-up”) to spend a few minutes with their Community Manager (the person who gets stuck with the job of entertaining teenagers and their moms who actually locate the offices online) and were shortly after that joined by a lead programmer for the game. Both were familiar faces having been the employees who spent time with my teenager the first time around.

We were all a little surprised when, after a few pleasantries, said teenager whipped out his cell phone and proceeded to open up a list of questions, suggestions and comments about the game. The Roblox employees both started taking notes and shortly thereafter, were joined by the CEO of the company. (Would be the equilvaent of Mick Jagger for me….) Even he commented on how prepared my son was, saying “we (Roblox) interview graduates from some of the top universities for programmer positions and I am always surprised when one of them hasn’t bothered to play the game or learn anything about the game or the company prior to the interview.” He then told my teenage son, “ you are light years ahead of these guys.”

On the way home, I asked why he had known to be so prepared for this meeting. He replied, “I wanted to make sure I got my questions answered and be professional. I also wanted to avoid the awkward silences like the last time and get the most out of the time I had with anyone at Roblox.”

As his Mom, I am extremely proud of his maturity and planning. As a businesswoman, I’d hire that kid!

Rock on Dack!

As many students are taking a summer and a break from brain work, it is a good time to look back over what you have accomplished since the school year began last August or September. How are your grades? How is your state of mind? How do you feel about the future?

Taking all of that into account, think ahead, past the summer fun and picture yourself next August or September. Can you do better? What can you do to think more positively? What is your plan for the future?

Plan. There is a simple yet key word from all of the above. What is your plan? Not your future plan but rather your plan for today. Yep, just today.

The most successful people have a calendar, most on their phones now that syncs with their computer, to keep up with everything that needs to be done – from work due to calls that need to be made to appointments and meetings. Start to make it a habit to use the calendar function on your phone and/or computer and set out a schedule each and every day. As soon as you get an assignment, add it to the calendar. When you think of something that needs to be done, add it to your to-do list, when you think of someone you need to call or see, add it to the plan.

Each and every morning I print out a sheet of the things I need to do in order of priority. It helps me not only remember to do things, especially the most important things first, it also helps me keep focused. In fact, “Check Facebook” is at the bottom of the page because I know once I get started on that, I could be there for over an hour! Apparently even the late, great Benjamin Franklin had a schedule. He even reviewed himself at the end of each day.

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

When you take it one day at a time, with a plan that you stick to, the future becomes more clear and that summer much more enjoyable!

Rock on Steeleworkers!

The drive to succeed in college can come from a variety of sources. It could have been taught by your parents, it could have been brought on by an event in your past or maybe it was something someone once said that inspired you. For many of us, we were actually born this way! It doesn’t matter what your definition of success is, the formula for achieving it is usually the same.

Taking a look at the most successful pop star currently on the planet, here is what we can all learn from the patron saint of “Born This Way”:

1. Learn your craft well. Lady GaGa is classically trained and an accomplished musician who constantly practices. Go to class, take notes, pay attention, learn.

2. Nothing but quality goes out the front door. Ever. Never turn something in because “it’s good enough.” Always make it the best you can do. Or better.

3. Don’t be afraid to be different, you’ll stand out from the crowd. It takes more than talent to be a rock star. Raise your hand, ask, challenge.

4. Use social media every way you can to connect with fans (mentors and instructors). Don’t just communicate–respond and interact with them. Facebook is not just for last night’s party.

5. Be gracious, kind and appreciative. Appreciation is never an option. Never. Ever. Always remember to say thank you to anyone who helps you in ANY way.

6. Give back to the community that gave you your fame. GaGa donates thousands of dollars in each city she plays as well as getting involved in the causes her fans support. You may not have thousands of dollars to donate just yet but you do have time and expertise in something. When you give back to your college community, it makes the community that much better.

7. Keep your family and true friends. These are the people who truly want to see you succeed, don’t discount what they can do to help you. (PS: Call your mother.)

8. Remember that a rock star is never done. At the end of the day, you rest and recharge because when you wake up, you have to do it all again. Everyday. And on the days you don’t feel like it, do what Gaga told Rolling Stone Magazine she does. She tells herself, “Bitch, you’re Lady GaGa, you get up and walk the walk today.”

Whether you have fans, professors, clients, fellow students, employees or little monsters, it all works the same…even if you weren’t lucky enough to be born this way.

Rock on my Steeleworkers!

We rock. You rock. They rock. I am a rock star. He is a student rock star. She is a professor rock star. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah. I spent years around real rock stars and I can tell you they are few and far between.

What sets a rock star apart from everyone else is not talent. There are a lot of talented people in every industry, from the music industry to campuses everywhere to the real world. The true rock stars in any industry; the ones truly at the top of their game however, are not always the most talented.

Don’t get me wrong, they do have talent, but they have more than talent. They are the ones who work the rock star principles of passion, knowledge, networking and appreciation into everything they do every day, day in and day out. That’s called discipline, hard work and consistency. That’s what it takes to move from back stage to center stage. And, stay there…like a rock star!

So there I was; on the rings at a Division 1 NCAA gymnastics meet, in the middle of a great routine…and it happened. While doing a press to handstand, I farted! In front of what felt like millions of people- even though there was just a couple hundred. How embarrassing! So what do you do in that moment? Do I run into the locker room and never come out in public again? Do I quit gymnastics so I won’t be in that situation again? Or do I acknowledge what happened and continue on?

We’ve all been in embarrassing situations and it’s definitely not a fun place to be – that’s why it’s embarrassing. When I was up in the handstand and I farted and everyone was laughing at me, I had to make a choice – how am I going to react? In our everyday lives, things happen to us all the time. More often than not, we don’t have any control over what happens to us. But, the one thing that we can control, for the rest of our life, is how we react to things that happen to us. We have the power to choose our reaction, to choose how we respond. In other words, we have respond-ability.

I have a trick question for you – can somebody make you upset? Now think about this before you answer. Can others really make you upset? I would say that no one can make you upset…and no one can make you happy. Do we have friends that can push our buttons? I’m sure we all do. But, we don’t have to let their button-pushing upset us. They keep doing what they do because they know how we will react to them.

Check this out: you’re driving in your car, and you stop at a stoplight. Suddenly, from out of nowhere, someone smashes into the rear of your car. Might you be upset by that? You bet! There are many people who would be upset by that. But, are there people out there who might be happy about this? Sure! Maybe they are excited about cashing in on their insurance policy. Or, maybe their car was a piece of junk anyway, and they’re happy to be rid of it. Or, the person who hit them is very attractive, and they just might get a date out of it.

The point is that the same situation can happen to two different people and they can have two different reactions. Is it safe to say then that we don’t have to react the same way as everyone else? This being true, what we learn here is that the situation does not control us, but rather we control our reaction to any given situation.

This isn’t an easy thing to do, but it is simple. When you remember, in the moment, that you can control your reaction, you gain more control of your life. And that is a powerful place to live from.

Oh, you might be wondering what happened after I farted on the rings. I actually starting laughing so hard I almost fell off. That definitely didn’t help the score but I laughed with the audience instead of feeling ridiculed. In the end I managed to pull myself together, finish strong, and salute the judges with confidence…and a huge smile on everyone’s faces.

“Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.”- Johnann Wolfgang von Goethe:

What Goethe is telling us is that whatever it may be that we desire, wish for, or dream to have real in our lives, we should go for it! There is so much in life that we all want to make happen and so few people seem to really reach for their dreams.

Why is this? I think it is because the accomplishment of the dream seems to be a far off thing, and many times it is. That can be discouraging when we want it now. Perhaps we do not see the steps that we need to take to get from here to there. That’s OK. There is only one step you really need to be concerned with… the first one!

Once you take that step, it is amazing how quickly the next one becomes apparent. And then the next, and so forth, until we find ourselves not just taking steps, but sprinting towards our dream.

“But Dave, the moment is not perfect right now, maybe I should wait.”

Lots of people wait a lifetime to take that first step, and then they never do. There are no perfect moments, just get started. Try something. Be bold! What is the worst thing that could happen to you? A little embarrassment? A slight set-back on the way to your dream? Hey, I’ll take all of the setbacks that come along. Because it means that I am doing something! That’s the power of boldness.

My career as a speaker happened because I was willing to begin. My monthly newsletter happened 50 editions ago because I began. I had put a spot on my website where someone could sign up for the newsletter. It was on my website for a year and a half and nothing happened, so I didn’t write the newsletter. Then, one day, it happened. Someone subscribed!

What was I going to do? I didn’t want to do a newsletter for just one person, but now I was committed. So, I sent the first edition to everyone in my email address book, along with my actual subscriber, 700 in all. I apologized in advance for the spam and promised to unsubscribe anyone who did not want to be on the list. Then, I waited.

The next day, I had about 50 emails regarding my newsletter. “Well”, I thought, “50 unsubscribes out of 700 isn’t bad.” Then I started opening the emails. Most of them weren’t unsubscribes at all, but emails congratulating me on the newsletter and messages telling me how much they loved receiving it! How cool! There were 47 “attaboys” and only three unsubscribes!

And it has been a real joy to write ever since. My newsletter list is now over 2,200 people strong, it has gotten me speaking engagements, helped me reconnect with friends and colleagues, and given me material for a new book. All because I took a chance and was willing to begin.

How does this apply for college students? In every possible way. You are in that beginning point during your collegiate years. This may be the foundational time for you to go after the dreams that you have. Just start. Facebook inventor Mark Zuckerberg was a college sophomore when he created the biggest social media site ever. And it was only intended to be a vehicle for Harvard students! Then it expanded, but was still only available if you had an “edu” email address. And now? Wow! Little steps can lead to big things. The scale is only limited by the size of your dream.

What are you waiting for? It’s time to begin!

“We can change the world…
By serving…
One life at a time.”

Dave Kelly
America’s student leadership Trainer (sm)
Creator and Facilitator of Building Leaders Through Service®

One dark evening in a train depot, a hobo was looking for a place to sleep. As he was searching, he noticed in the distance a boxcar with its door slightly open. He went over to it and squeezed himself inside the door. The moment that he got inside, the door slammed shut behind him. He turned to open it but it was stuck; it wouldn’t budge no matter how hard he pulled. He looked around the rest of the car and could find no other way out, just cold solid walls. All at once, he realized something terrible; he was trapped in a freezer car.

Immediately, he felt the intense cold penetrating into his bones, and his body began to shiver. The hobo started to panic. He raced back to the door, trying to rip the handle off. He pounded on the door with his fists, screaming for help as loudly as he could. The hobo went on like this for hours. Finally, his voice and energy spent, he gave up.

The poor hobo quickly resigned himself to his fate; he knew that there was no way out of the car. No one had heard his frantic pounding, and no one was going to help him to escape this freezer. He pulled his meager little jacket close around him, curled himself into a tight little ball, and began to weep softly, knowing in his heart that he would not survive the night.

Sure enough, that night the hobo died.

Two days later, the police found his body in the freezer car, and sent it to the morgue to be autopsied. What they discovered is that the hobo did indeed freeze to death; he died of hypothermia. But the police were baffled: that freezer car had been abandoned and out of commission for over two years. The night the hobo died, it was 70 degrees Fahrenheit inside the car. He believed so strongly that he was freezing that his mind convinced his body to drop its core temperature below 86 degrees, turning himself into a “metabolic icebox.”

Now, I can just imagine what some of you are thinking. Believe me, I thought it myself the first time I heard that story. That’s crazy, you may be saying. No one freezes to death at 70 degrees. It’s impossible! No more impossible than some of the other crazy and amazing things that your brain can make your body do.

In a fascinating book called, “Your Body Believes Every Word You Say”, author Barbara Hoberman Levine tells about “seedthoughts” which affect you physically. “Seedthoughts” come from your core beliefs, your basic assumptions about life. She says that a seedthought is “an idea planted through the mind that grows into manifestation in the body.”

In the hobo’s case, his seedthought was the belief that if you are trapped in a freezer car, you are going to freeze to death.

Your mind is very powerful. Your thoughts and beliefs create your reality. If you are conscious of your thoughts you will be able to consciously, purposely create and guide your reality.

Think about it…

Troy

See larger image Your Body Believes Every Word You Say: The Language of the Bodymind Connection, Revised and Expanded Edition (Paperback) By (author) Barbara Hoberman Levine List Price: $17.95 USD New From: $5.98 In Stock Used from: $5.63 In Stock

Sadly I’m further in debt than I was before and I’m too embarrassed to tell you how much. No, I didn’t get credit card happy or live beyond my means. The facts are simple: I am now a divorced, single mother of four and during my marriage I allowed extremely bad financial decisions (everything was in my name) that spiraled out of control. I won’t get into the details of it all, but that old saying is true: “When you know right, you should do right,” and I’m confident enough to add this: “and don’t let anyone talk you out of doing right.”

If you don’t know right and have no idea where to get started with getting out of debt then you need the guidance and expertise of Jordan E. Goodman, the bestselling author of “Everyone’s Money Book” and the recently released “Master Your Debt: Slash Your Monthly Payments and Become Debt-Free.”

Goodman wrote “Master Your Debt” to help consumers maximize opportunities and avoid the pitfalls this new era of debt has caused. He believes that you can combine the knowledge and resources you gain from him to get the best credit rating, best deals on loans and pay off debts long before you ever thought possible. And he should know. Goodman’s not new to the scene; he has spent his professional life – more than 30 years – in the financial marketplace including 18 years at Money magazine. He’s a financial journalist and educator who has been around the proverbial block in the media including his own site, MoneyAnswers.

So, it’s no wonder “Master Your Debt,” which begins with an explanation of how the debt landscape has changed, is engaging, well-written and chocked full of valuable information from the introduction to the last chapter. Goodman suggests reading the book from front to back and taking time to accomplish some of the necessary tasks to get a clear picture of your financial situation. For instance, compiling net worth and cash flow statements, taking a risk test and analyzing your debt should be first on the list. “You need a starting point, and you need to be absolutely honest with yourself about where you stand,” Goodman writes. “By the time you’ve done the work…, you’ll have a very firm foundation for improving your finances, making the most of your credit and managing your debt.”

Once you have a clear picture of where you stand it’ll be easier to move forward. However, if there’s something pressing on your financial table then it will serve you to jump forward in the book. For instance, Chapter 9 gives you an education about college costs and Chapter 11 tells you how to survive bankruptcy. By working “Master Your Debt,” which is an engaging and easy-to-read book, you’ll be guided to becoming debt free. And, if after documenting your financial situation you’re not sure whether you’re in trouble or not Goodman provides 13 warning signs that signal you have debt problems.

Speaking of problems: Are you curious about whether I’ll follow Goodman’s advice to (re)master my debt? The short answer is yes. While I’m taking back control of my financial life, I’ll be handling the little matter of increasing my income.  What about you? Are you ready to get serious about mastering your debt?

That means when all of the ingredients come together – in life and in baking – you’ll have a one-of-a-kind experience that has the right proportions of everything, it will be heated to the right temperature then cooled down resulting in a “life to remember.” It’s okay if you don’t get it right away because Davis takes her time in explaining how to gather the right ingredients to mix up the kind of life you want. When she made her first pie, Davis realized that life is like pie or any baked good for that matter; to be good it has to be exposed to extreme temperatures.

What this author has to say reminds me a lot of “The Secret,” which everyone was talking about years ago. In fact, she also authored “The Law of Attraction in Action.” Davis knows the power of reframing thoughts to make conscious decisions and learn from our experiences. It’s while reading this that I was sure “Laugh, Cry, Eat Some Pie” is a book that is ideal for whatever stage of life you’re in. Davis relays stories and personal anecdotes to get across her point and often uses humor to solidify it. (She believes humor serves to enhance and preserve life.)

Let’s reframe our thoughts as it pertains to college students. Instead of my daughter, who’s a sophomore at Georgia College, saying, “I don’t know how to complete my chemistry assignment and I don’t have help.” She should say (reframe the phrase in her mind), “I [do] need help to complete my chemistry assignment.” That changes it from focusing on what she can’t do to what she can do. Get it?

I find this book to be well-written, engaging and chuckle worthy, but it’s not a book that can be skimmed through in one night; although it is a quick read. “Laugh, Cry, Eat Some Pie” includes food for thought within each chapter and questions to enhance your awareness of important principles that apply to your own life. By bringing awareness you can take action that will assist you in living the life you’ve always dreamed about.

Don’t take my word for it; grab a copy of the book at Amazon.com or your local bookstore.

Petula
First-time college mom
PetulaW.com

See larger image Laugh, Cry, Eat Some Pie: A Down-to-Earth Recipe for Living Mindfully (Even When the World FeelsHalf-Baked) (Paperback) By (author) Deanna Davis List Price: $13.95 USD New From: $0.01 In Stock Used from: $0.01 In Stock Release date August 3, 2010.

“I’m sorry, Dave, who?”

Brian Davis is a golfer on the PGA Tour. On Sunday, April 18, 2010, he was playing at the Verizon Heritage event in South Carolina and gave up a possible win—his first on the tour— when he called a penalty on himself, in a playoff, for disturbing a stray weed on his back swing. [Hitting any material during your back swing constitutes a two-swing penalty].

Davis called the penalty on himself, conceding the victory to Jim Furyk who walked away with $1.03 million for the win. Davis did take second and got a $615,000 check, but more importantly he can hold his head up high knowing he did the honorable thing, the expected thing and the right thing.

Would you have done the same in that situation?

Have you ever been faced with a circumstance in which you could get away with something because no one would know, and you took it? I know someone who regularly takes advantage of items misplaced on retail shelves and then forces the clerks to give the lower price. I am even aware of this individual actually switching price labels on products and they’re proud of this!

When I was a mortgage broker there were many temptations to cut corners in order to close loans. I always felt that no loan was worth jeopardizing my career for so I wouldn’t do it. But, the temptations were there. I had people offer me money to do whatever it took to get their loan complete. I had customers submit false tax returns, W-2s and pay stubs. I even saw appraisals covered with correction fluid!

Do you have an integrity moment of truth? A “Brian Davis” moment? Please send them to me and I will use them in future blog entries. It can be those moments when you pointed out to a server that they missed charging you for something, when you returned that extra $10 given to you with your change by a cashier, or a time when you told an employer or a client that you would not accede to their request to do something unethical.

There are always going to be people who will try to cut corners in order to get a leg up. Don’t be one of them! If you work from a position of integrity, you will always make the right decision.

And, like Brian Davis, you will be a richer person as a result!

I want to write about YOU in a future blog post! Tell me how you have overcome obstacles, achieved goals or surpassed the expectations of others—especially those who may have underestimated you. If you want to tell me your story, but don’t want me to publish your name, I can do that too!

Dave ‘Gonzo’ Kelly
America’s student leadership Trainer™
Building Leaders Through Service™

When Mary Tootikan began this book project it was because of her frustration with changes in the mortgage lending industry. That frustration resulted in “Stunned in America, Sub-Crime Mortgage Crisis,” which includes a workbook to help you determine how much mortgage you qualify for, what price home you should be buying and more.

Before you can broach those calculations, you have to get a bit of an insider’s lesson. The author has a knack for presenting “difficult to digest” information in interesting layman’s terms. To that end, if you’re still unclear, there’s a mortgage terminology section in the back of the book.

One of the chapters that stood out to me was Chapter 12, Overdrawn at the House of ATM: Solutions for the Defaulted Home Loans. In that chapter Tootikan reveals the cost of foreclosure to banks and the market; why loan modifications to 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages should be stopped; why defaulted borrowers should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and several other options that are meant to “save” the mortgage industry. The information presented in this chapter is mostly plausible, with one suggestion that some might find unconventional (making the homeowner a leaser to the bank) and overall appears to be well-thought information to assist taxpayers and bankers recover from the current crisis.

Including in all of this information is a summary of 26 “common sense solutions” that Tootikan says will fix the mortgage lending industry. Tootikan should know because she has a 30-year tenure in the mortgage lending industry. Those solutions include:

• Implementing a variety of loan products to offer multiple landing options.
• Restore common sense to the underwriting function without fear of regulator wrath.
• Get rid of hard and fast rules of lending, in favor of responsible guidelines that don’t’ exclude credit-worthy individuals from the mortgage market.

This book is a wealth of information that in no way can be covered in this post so we encourage you to take a look at Stunned in America: Sub-Crime Mortgage Crisis* for yourself. It’s only through educating ourselves that we can make a difference in our lives and the lives of others.

Petula
First-time college mom
PetulaW.com

See larger image Stunned in America: Sub-Crime Mortgage Crisis (Paperback) By (author) Mary Tootikian List Price: $22.95 USD New From: $8.50 In Stock Used from: $1.99 In Stock

During my keynotes and retreats on college campuses, I talk a lot about commitment. I even have an audience member break an arrow with their neck [without using their hands] as a demonstration of being truly committed.

I recently took on a big commitment. I started P90X. It’s an extreme home fitness video series that’s a 90-day commitment. My commitment to the program is tested daily because the workouts are so extreme and I push myself to the limit every time. When you add to the mix raising two boys, being a husband, running a business with traveling and speaking… that’s when it gets really challenging.

The other week I was on the road facilitating a leadership conference at Sonoma State University in northern California. I spoke all day, went to dinner, took a hike in the beautiful red woods of John Muir forest and then drove to my hotel in San Francisco. By this time it was 10:00 p.m. and I still hadn’t done my P90X workout video. I could have called it a night, but I had made a commitment. So I moved some tables and chairs around, fired it up and got extreme. Half way through the program I received a call from the hotel manager who asked, “Is everything alright up there?” The occupants in the room below me were complaining and I couldn’t blame them since they were hearing someone jumping up and down while grunting for 35 minutes. And, truthfully, it was a little late.

So I had a choice to make. The easy way out was to shut it down and go to bed, but I asked myself, “How committed are you, Troy?”

My answer was “100 percent,” of course. So I took my computer outside to the parking lot [good thing for batteries] and finished my workout in a parking spot. Afterward I felt great! No regrets.

Your commitments will be tested. If you’re 100 percent committed your choice will be easy. Well, maybe not easy… but the choice will be obvious.

Troy

I like reaching goals.

I am an achievement junkie.

I am really into setting an objective, quantifying it, putting together a plan, and then going after it with everything that I have.

That is cool to me. It gives me energy and excitement. Provides purpose.

When I was in elementary school, I set a goal of being 6’3” tall. I am 6’2”. Not bad. Almost got there. Betcha didn’t know height is controlled by goal setting! Are you short? Raise the bar, set a higher goal!

Sometimes, though, it makes me do goofy things. Take for example, “Gonzo’s Great Gold Quest”. This was my attempt to achieve my goal of qualifying as a Gold Medallion member of Delta Airlines Sky Miles program.

Why was that important?

Because I had missed it by only a few thousand miles each of the past three years. So, earlier in the fall, I started plotting to see if I could make it to Gold without having to take any extraneous/unnecessary flights. [Delta requires you to actually fly the miles for MQM status except in cases of certain credit card holders] I was well positioned coming into the fall, as I was more than half-way to my goal. My first gig of the fall was in southern Texas. That’s a long way from Atlanta! Alas, Delta could not get me to my airport destination: Midland/Odessa. Welcome back, Continental, my old friend. Seeing Kirk Cameron (“Growing Pains”) on my flight from Houston to Midland/Odessa was a small consolation for not adding to my Delta total.

I added miles on subsequent trips, but then hit a few speed bumps. Georgia Southern University? Great school, had an awesome time. Three hour drive from my house and no commercial airport in Statesboro. Blackhawk Technical College in southern Wisconsin on Friday and Waubonsee Community College about an hour and half south of there on Saturday? Great! Flew up on Delta! Problem. Two gigs, one flight. And the only return that worked was on the Friendly Skies of United.

This type of subversion of my goal continued throughout the fall. Until finally, I calculated that I was going to come up 8,850 miles short of my goal, missing Gold for a third straight year. What to do?

I started plotting flights to Seattle, Anchorage, Los Angeles, anywhere that I could rack up miles. But, the costs were too prohibitive. What to do?

Then, I lucked out. On the day after Thanksgiving I found my answer. I was messing around with a couple of different travel sites as well as the Delta site, when I came across a $270 round trip airfare from Atlanta to LAX. What? How could that be? But, there it was. If I flew from Atlanta to LAX on Tuesday, December 15, I could fly there and then right back for that low price and pick up 3,892 miles. Boy, was this great!

But, it would still leave me over 5,000 miles short of my goal. Hmmmm, is it possible to do this roundtrip scenario and then… Could I do it again?

A few clicks on my keyboard and yes, I could do it again, and for the same price. I would fly from Atlanta to LAX at 7:30 in the morning, landing at 9:29 am local time and then return on the same plane at 10:40 am, arriving into Atlanta at 5:30 pm. I would have to change concourses, but I could then get on a flight back to LAX at 6:40 pm, which would arrive there at 8:50 pm. I would have a two-hour layover, until 10:55 pm before I would board the return trip to Atlanta. This would get me within 1100 miles of my Gold status!

It meant, however, that I had to find somewhere else to fly inexpensively. Chicago was not enough miles, New York was too expensive. Memphis and Savannah were close, but the pricing and timing would not work. Wait! I grew up in Wisconsin and go back there to speak. Milwaukee is 669 miles away according to Delta. So, if I fly roundtrip…

I would have it! Genius! Except for one thing…

How do I sell this to Honey Sweetie Darling, otherwise known as my wife?

“Duh dunt duuuuuuuhhhh!” (he said in a dramatic voice)…

She had been running some errands on this day. I waited to see what kind of mood she was in when she came home. Bought some new clothes for our daughter, got all of her errands done, seemed happy enough. This seemed like as good a time as any to bring up this subject.

I was wrong.

“You want to do what?” she asked incredulously. I stayed calm and like Ralphie going for a Red Ryder BB gun, I maintained my focus. I showed her the travel sites and all of the flights that I had saved. I discussed the cost with her, but pointed out that by making it to Gold status, I could earn a free flight four times faster, which would cover some of the cost, and my Sky Club membership would be less. I also promised to write about the trip (here I am!) in order to hopefully reap some business benefit as a result. After all of my cajoling, she agreed but wanted to know, “When do I get to go on a silly trip?”

Some questions just can’t be answered in the moment.

I quickly set about booking the flights, so she could not change her mind. Within about 45 minutes, all flights were booked and I was committed to this project. I got really excited and started to tell other people about it. A good friend of mine just smiled and his eyes glossed over. “I want to go” was all he could say. Sorry, this would be my adventure. Over 9,000 miles in 30 hours. How fun was this going to be!

Or so I thought. The closer the trip got, the more I had second thoughts…

“What if the weather is bad?”

“What am I going to do all of that time?”

“What if I run into a travel delay somewhere along the line?”

“What if Delta finds some way not to award me Gold status?”

“What am I doing?”

I was a little nervous, but that kept the adrenaline flowing. Then I got an idea. Why not submit this trip to the Guinness Book of World Records for consideration as a world record. I went to their web site and found I could submit my request on line. I submitted it for consideration as “Most Miles Flown on Commercial Airlines within the Continental United States in a 24-Hour Period”. I was just submitting the ATL to LAX portions, 7784 miles. I was hoping to hear from them before I took the trip, but the web site told me that it takes 3-4 weeks to certify a record attempt. I could have paid to “fast track” it, but since I was going to fly anyway, I didn’t see any point in that. Now my trip was taking on some exciting dimensions. I recorded a video in my basement talking about the trip to let my friends and social media followers know what was going on.

I wanted to do more, though, so I hit upon an idea. What if I were to make a video of me getting ready for my big day, “practicing” some of the stuff that I would experience? I got very excited and enlisted my friend Marc and we went to the local mall and shot me doing things like running through the airport—in slow motion, riding escalators, grabbing food on the run, and more. We called it “Gonzo’s Gold Quest Preview”  and we did the video on the Saturday prior to Tuesday, the day my travel would begin.

I had a hard time going to sleep the night before this trip. I had my alarm set for 4 am and I think I got about 2 ½ hours of sleep. I was scared to go to sleep, lest I oversleep and miss the whole thing! That did not happen and I put on some comfortable clothes and got ready to go to the airport. I asked my wife to send out a note to my e-newsletter list about the trip and to encourage people to watch Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for updates. She shot a picture of me that was clearly posed, but with a 5:30 am backdrop.

I drove to the airport, parked, and headed into the terminal. I had no bags to check, since I intended to wear the same clothes the whole trip. Hey, if I can live with myself, so can the people around me. It also meant that once I went through security in Atlanta, I could complete all six of my flights without having to go back through again.

My first flight, from Atlanta to LAX was from Gate T-4, which is right past security. This was a good break, since I would not have to ride the train to get to my concourse. I hit the Delta Sky Club to use some free internet to update Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Then, I headed to the gate and boarded the plane. I am seated in the back section of the plane, in the first row past the bulkhead. Nobody is seated on either side of me.

I sat in the middle seat, feeling like Captain Kirk, with the huge monitor in front of me. I would be able to follow my flight all across the country. When I was awake. Since I did not get a lot of sleep, I thought that I would spend most of this first flight sleeping. I was just about to doze off when the pilot came on to tell us about the flight ahead of us.

I am not making this up.

Our pilot was “American Top 40’s” Casey Kasem. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Our flight today should be smooth and last about 4 hours. Just enough time to count down the hits. Let’s start with a long distance dedication from Delta to Gonzo. Written by John Denver in 1966, it is “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. As I am listening to the song and drifting off to sleep, I heard the pilot come over the intercom and say, “And now, on with the countdown.”

I might have been a little sleep-deprived and that could be affecting my memory.

I woke up when the food cart came by and I got an Egg Salad Wrap. A delicious blend of cream cheese, spicy Pepper Jack cheese, and Boars Head Mesquite Smoked Turkey. It was topped with egg salad, roasted red peppers, black beans, and then rolled inside sun-dried tomato pitas, making two perfect snack sized wraps. Served with a side of salsa. $7.00

The guy across the aisle got a bag of peanuts. Free.

I might have gotten ripped off.

My plan was to run to the Sky Club as soon as I landed to update Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The flight goes well. I wake up with a little turbulence over Memphis, but go back to sleep a little while later. When I wake up again, I see hills and mountains out the right hand side of the plane. There is snow on top of some of the peaks. It is a beautiful sight. We are near LA. How cool!

I still have over 7,000 miles to go before I am done.

Got off the plane, took a picture with my cell phone of an “I Love LA” store to prove I was there and went to the Sky Club. I got my boarding pass for the return to Atlanta since I could not get it on-line.

Here is my update post from Facebook, no time to record a video:

AT LAX, 1st leg done! 1941 miles covered, 7062 to go. Slept most of flight. Back to ATL at 1:30 EST, writing my Sermon on the Mount book. Btw, showing how to buckle a seat belt?? Really, FAA, really? If you can’t buckle on the ground, when you fly, you get bounced around! Food so far? Mmmm, peanuts. Tasty, tasty peanuts. They started boarding my flight back to Atlanta at 9:50 am, I get to the gate at 10:00 am. There is a long line, however, as a Silver Medallion member I have breezeway privileges. It is a wonderful thing! I cruise past the line and get on the plane. I have an exit row, bulk head seat. Sweet! I do not have the aisle, but that is OK. There is actually space between my seat and the wall of the plane. The guy in the window seat in the row behind me is able to stretch his legs out next to my seat. I sleep some more and, apparently, I snore. I wake up at one point, over Memphis when things were a little shaky, and I am looking towards the interior of the plane. The guy in the aisle seat next to me is staring right at me.

Clearly, he hates me. I don’t care. I doze off again, only to be awakened by a presence. I look up and there is “Stretch” from the row behind me, sliding past me, between my seat and the wall on his way to the restroom. He is wearing an inflatable pillow on the back of his neck, kind of like the HANS device that race car drivers wear. The only thing I can think of is, “Are we swapping paint with another plane” (Yes, I have watched some NASCAR in my time.)

We land in Atlanta at gate T-1. My flight back to LAX leaves from gate E-10. You almost can not be further apart between two gates. I grab a Nathan’s 15-piece hot dog nugget pack and head for the train. Quick stop in the Sky Club for an update:

½ way to my 24 hour goal! Flight back to LAX in a few mins from ATL. Already flown 3,882 miles today to end up right back where I started! I have an upgrade for the morning flight to Milwaukee. That means a big, comfy seat to sleep in!

I run out. I make it, again with seconds to spare. This plane is huge. They have the sleeper seats in 1st and Business Class. They look so cool. I am in seat 49G, aisle. Pretty far back in the plane. The couple next to me are nice, quiet, small. I nod hello to them and wonder, “Would they fit in the overhead compartment”. I’m just saying. Then I could pull up the arm rests and sleep. Fortunately for them, the overhead is full. Oh well, they don’t take up much space.

I wait until I watch the safety video to put on my seat belt. Don’t want to do it wrong. “What? I can’t smoke on the flight? Really? Now , what do I do? Oh, yeah. I don’t smoke, so no problem. I also prefer not to drown, so let’s avoid that whole water landing thing, too, OK?”

Getting late and the day is long, so I just sorta watch TV and doze. I have a great flight attendant in my area named Judy. She has been with Delta for 42 years. So you know she can write her own ticket and fly when she wants. We chat and she gives me extra peanuts. I am in the exit row, aisle seat, bulkhead by the restrooms. The guy next to me apparently considers his airfare to be a cover charge and the plane a giant cocktail lounge in the air. He keeps running Judy back and forth for Jack and Cokes. Eventually he falls asleep. Thank goodness! I fall asleep, too.

Until…

Apparently the movie ended and a lot of people got up to use the restroom at the same time. I hear noises back and forth across both sides of the plane from the restrooms kind of like an airborne “Battleship” game. Judy gets so disgusted she starts spraying Channel #5 in the air. I have never enjoyed smelling like a Delta flight attendant so much in my life. Near the end of the flight I swear I saw Napoleon Dynamite’s brother come out of the bathroom.

So, now I am in LAX for two hours. I get my first full meal of the day and start thinking about my next move. Then it hits me. Hamsters! My daughter, Little One, and I play a game where we pretend to be hamsters. She is a big Hannah Montana fan and so one day I altered some of the lyrics to “Party in the USA” to be “Party in the Hamster Cage”. She took it the rest of the way and finished the parody for us. The real song starts out, “I hopped off the plane in LAX…” and our parody is, “I hopped out the cage in LAX…” And here I was in LAX! Time to pull out the digital recorder!

I found an area that did not have a lot of people in it, right across from the “I Love LA” store. I set my backpack up on a vacant counter at the gate and prop up the camera. There was a weird guy next to me doing something on his computer, but this was the best spot to do my video. I did not have all of the lyrics memorized, but I went for it anyway. The result is at this link on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icW8tO936Ik.

My wife thought Little One and I should shoot a rendition of the song together, so in late January 2010, we recorded a duet. We call the “character” Hamster Montamster. Here is that video:

Back to the trip.

I edit my video in the Sky Club, freshen up a little and hit the plane at 10:30 pm. Once again, the breezeway is my friend. Back in the exit row, with the bulkhead. I love that row. I talk with my seat mate who is a college student at a Baptist college outside of Los Angeles. She is from South Carolina and headed home for Christmas break. We talk for a while, then she falls asleep. I want to sleep, but can’t. In my delirium of flight, I get an inspiration…

What if David Letterman gets wind of this trip. I mean, come on, this is the ultimate stupid human trick. 9,000 miles in 30 hours. I decide he would love the idea and invite me to come on the “Late Show” to do a Top Ten List, “Top 10 Things About Flying 9,000 Miles on Commercial Airlines in 30 Hours”:

#10: Wearing the same clothes for two days in a row

#9: All of the non-stressed, pleasant people who work for the airlines

#8: TSA never got suspicious of the same guy coming through security five times in 24 hours, but my grandma flies once in her life and gets strip-searched

#7: Guinness World Records certifies longest fingernails of all time, but ignores me

#6: Flying 9,000 miles while going commando

#5: Being lulled to sleep by the oceanic sounds of the restrooms

#4: Crashing a White House dinner (Oh yeah, that was the other idiots)

#3: No number 3, writer recording Miley Cyrus video parody as a swamp rat

#2: Tried riding a pogo stick all of the way on one flight; Guinness still yawns

#1: Peanuts, baby, peanuts!

I fall asleep, until…

Memphis. Are you kidding me? I fly over this city four times in one day and have turbulence every time. I can only guess it is caused by the residual effect of millions of hip gyrations from Elvis Presley causing seismic fluctuations over the area.

I make it back to Atlanta and I have almost three hours before my flight to Milwaukee. I am looking forward to my first class upgrade. “Yay! Gonna sleep. Yay!” I head to the Sky Club to update my Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter and record a mid-trip update. You can watch it at the link below. I reference the making of the hamster video, but if you made it this far, then you have already seen it. Here’s the video anyway

My on-line update is:

2/3 thru Gonzo’s Great Gold Quest! Awesome to set a goal & have experience of achieving.

Obviously my verbosity is waning.

After grabbing breakfast, off to the gate for my Milwaukee flight. I settle into my big comfy, first class seat and all I can think is that we do not fly over Memphis! I am about to drift off to sleep, when I hear something strange. This is one of the older Delta planes. They do not have video screens throughout the plane, so they have to actually speak the safety script over the intercom and physically demonstrate it. The head flight attendant says, “Fasten the seat belt while seated…” How else would you do it? I doze off and dream that I am a crash test dummy.

Technology is great for travelers, but sometimes it does not cooperate. For some reason, I have not been able to print my boarding pass for the return from Milwaukee to Atlanta. So, I know that as soon as I get off the plane I know I have to immediately get my boarding pass at the ticket counter in Milwaukee for the return trip. We land after cruising in over Lake Michigan and I am psyched to get myself squared away for the last leg of my journey. I walk up the jet way and…

Head straight to the nearest seller of hot dogs.

So good. Yum! I log on to check email. Check the bank accounts. Credit card statement. Hmmm, what am I forgetting? Oh yeah, I have to head home! I run to the gate, the flight is nearly all boarded and they have given away my sweet exit row seat. So, I get seat 37A, right next to the restrooms. Soon, I am drifting away to the sounds of the ocean emanating from the restrooms.

I awake upon our arrival in Atlanta and I am really hungry. I want steak. The best I can do in the airport is steak fajitas. I savor them. Next step is to leave the secured area of the airport. I walk towards it with trepidation. Is my journey really done? Do I have all of the miles I need? I cross the line that you cannot come back from crossing and a bright light shines upon me…

I am Gold! What a great feeling! A few weeks later I find out that Guinness doesn’t think my effort is worthy of recognition (after all, it is not the “Most hand claps in 24 hours” record). But, I have a new mission in life. To be the best I can be—in all aspects of my life. If I simply put forth the same effort I did on this trip, then I can achieve all of the goals that I have for my life.

What is your “Gold Quest”? Share it below, or comment on how others can make their quests become real.

Glass Beach used to be a public dump. Refuge was thrown off the cliff and into the ocean including old cars, household garbage, and a lot of glass. In 1967, the dump, located in Ft. Bragg, California, a little coastal town in the northern part of the state, was closed. At first, the beach was a natural disaster but after years of pounding surf, tons and tons of polished glass looking like priceless gems were deposited on the shore.

In the 1990s, Glass Beach was reopened to the public. In the summer of 2006, I found myself sitting on its shoreline and I realized that my life was like this polished glass! No one had given me hope for college. My high school counselor even told me, “You will never get accepted by a college, but if by fluke you do, you will never make it. You just don’t have what it takes.”

Well, I did get accepted and it was by my first-choice college! However, I left after my freshman year. I felt ruined, worthless, and tossed away. Storms, rough waves, and circumstances made me feel like the pieces of glass that had been dumped into the ocean: broken.

Two years later, a single mom with a minimum-wage job, I returned to college. What happened to me those next few years was nothing short of a miracle. As I weathered the storms and was tossed by the waves, my life was being polished. Back then, I didn’t recognize what was happening to me as instructors, mentors, and peers washed me to shore as a shining gem. I was no longer broken trash.

The jar of polished glass on my desk reminds me of where I came from. Without the storms, waves, and pounding, that glass would be just glass. But want a difference adversity can make in a broken life!

Do you toss others aside as trash and broken refuse? Or, do you push them forward, gently brushing off and reshaping sharp, jagged edges, allowing their scratched lives to shine? I choose to be a glass polisher.

I would love to hear your story, too. Please take a moment to comment here with your story. And then, why not drop a note to one of your mentors to thank them for being a glass polisher for you?

I wasn’t kidding! I really do want to write about YOU in a future blog post! Tell me how you have overcome obstacles, achieved goals, or surpassed the expectations of others—especially those who may have underestimated you. If you want to tell me your story, but don’t want me to publish your name, I can do that too!

Are you in a rut, bunky? Feeling like every day is like the day before? And you are certain that you are not caught up in a “Star Trek” or “Groundhog Day” like time loop?

I have an idea for you!

Change things up! Do something impulsive, unusual, or out of your world. Go for a bike ride, take a dance class, or apply to be an astronaut. An astronaut? Sure! You might not make it, but would it not be cool to go through the interview process?

Or take a trip. As a professional speaker, I travel a lot. My primary airline is Delta Airlines, since I travel from Atlanta, and I annually qualify as a “Silver Medallion” frequent flyer (25,000 miles flown in a calendar year). Each of the past three years I have fallen 5-6,000 miles short of “Gold Medallion” status (50,000 miles). That is very frustrating, because as a “Silver” I get one bonus mile for every four that I fly. As a “Gold”, I would get a one to one, plus a higher priority for upgrades, and some other perks.

I am currently 9,500 miles short of making it to “Gold” status. I have a flight to Milwaukee at the end of the month that will get me 669 miles. So, how do I get to my coveted status? My goal?

I am doing something different!

I am going to get on a plane in Atlanta on December 15 and fly to LAX airport (1941 miles). Then, I am going to return to Atlanta an hour later (1941 miles). And after I get to Atlanta? I am going to do it again! 3882 miles! That is 7,664 miles in a 24 hour period.

That will leave me around 1,160 miles short of what I need to qualify as a “Gold”. So, upon my return to Atlanta, I will hop a flight to Milwaukee, and fly right back an hour after landing.

Crazy? Yes. Stupid, In some people’s eyes, sure. But, am I excited and looking forward to it? Absolutely! For over 20 years, I did the 9-7, on call all the time, many times working until midnight and hating it. Life is too short not to have some fun and do something goofy.

And I have submitted it to the “Guinness Book of World Records” for consideration as “Most Miles Flown in a 24 Hour period on a Commercial Airline within the Continental United States”. I’ll let you know if they accept it!

This plan of mine might not work for you. I got some incredible airfare deals, or else I would not be doing it. However, what can you do to break your routine? To give yourself something to look forward to? My wife and Little One became members of the Georgia state parks’ Canyon Club. They have already visited two of the four canyons in Georgia and are looking forward to the others.

Break your routine. Be crazy. Do something fun.

By the way, you can follow my adventure, which I am calling “Gonzo’s Great Gold Quest: Delta Airlines and Me” on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The first of my video updates can be seen at  above.

Feel free to live vicariously through me those days. Happy skies!

Why do I love it so? Well, it is about high school, and I went to high school. It is about athletes, and I was an athlete as a prep (8 letters in 3 sports-most in my class, thank you!). And it is about show choir, which I was a member of. In fact, the Horace Mann High Schoolswing choir went to state two of the three years that I was involved. The one year we did not make it was because of a prima donna guy who messed up everything for everyone. The first year, when I was a sophomore, we won at state with a combo of “Cry Me a River” and “All For The Best” from the Broadway show “Godspell”. That was our school musical that year and I was bitten by the acting bug and the joy of being in front of audiences.

What are your favorite “Glee!” moments?

My favorite moments so far: “Don’t Stop Believing” from the pilot episode; the football team scoring a touchdown while dancing to “Put a Ring On It;” the Glee Club version during an all school assembly of “Push It” and then Sue’s reaction… “That was the most disturbing thing I have ever seen and I am including an elementary school production of ‘Hair’;” the Slurpee episode, Kristin Chenoweth, and the “mash-up” competition.

What are your favorite “Glee!” moments? Share them below! I will write more in the future, including the dish on that prima donna from my school days!

I recorded this as I was walking down The Tunnel of Lights in Chicago.

I thought I knew all about this stuff but after just a few minutes with Chris I became aware of a whole new world of distinctions that describe how great we can be. I’m looking forward to learning more about my strengths so I can move forward in a more intentional and powerful way.