What I now believe:  we are all angels unaware.  We have no idea the impact our words and actions have on others.  We can heal a broken heart with kind words.  We can turn around a bad day with a good deed.  We are all miracle workers, doing our magic.  My hope:  that my impact matches the intention in my heart.

May you enjoy your holidays being the spirit that uplifts everyone who crosses your path.

There’s a lot to learn in this powerful goodbye.  The biggest lesson is about what she didn’t do.  Oprah didn’t do a victory lap and make the hour all about her favorite memories.  Instead, she made it about us.  She took her vision (a big classroom) and tied her stories to big lessons with thoughtful insights.  Her goodbye was one of service and gratitude.  Her stories were not center stage; they were springboards to a greater point.  She left giving us a lot to think about.

So think about this:  how many times have we got so caught up in our story or our metaphor or our favorite word play that we didn’t focus on the insight?  This happens too often in our space.  It’s too easy to focus on the clever, at the expense of clarity.  We cheat the market out of our brilliance; we cheat ourselves out of the helper’s high.

Next time, my stories will be the spice instead of the main dish.  And I’ll watch this episode every week to remind me.

The words “thank you for your service” sound very inadequate right now.  But that’s all I know to say to every service member I meet (most of the time in airports).  Along with a silent prayer for their safe return home.  Let’s carry this spirit of appreciation all year long.  If anyone deserves it, it’s our service men and women.  Happy Memorial Day; our thoughts (and prayers) are with you.

Dan doesn’t have an answer; neither do I.  And that’s not the point.  What we need to remember is that what folks say they want and what they buy is very different.  And it’s that difference that creates those “180 situations” where we think the prospect is interested and then all of a sudden…poof!  They’re gone.

My antidote:  ignore the details and focus on the real issue.  The one that has the most urgency.

How do you move around this situation?

Pop was a big main with a big personality.  Confined to a wheelchair but independent to a fault.  Hanging with him after Mom died taught me things I thought I knew but really didn’t.  Too little space to list them all here, but here’s the biggest one:  Focus on what you can do.  Ignore what you can’t do.  Help is always on the way.

My time with Pop ended on February 26th, when he left to join his “precious wife”.  He’s free now to enjoy the love of his life.  His legacy — and lessons — will live on down here with me and everyone he touched.  May we all remember that we teach more by example than by PowerPoint.

Ordinarily, I would ignore these shenanigans but want to give you a heads up.  Why do you care?  Two reasons:  first, will the volume of 99 cent books drive down the price?  And, if so, how low can legitimate experts go?  And, second…buyers tend to paint with a very wide brush.  If spam books take over a particular segment — business growth, for example — will legitimate content be seen as the same thing at first glance?  It will be interesting to see how Amazon deals with these content farmers.

Bottom line:  spammers tend to bring the channel down with them (Exhibit A:  email marketing).  So we will have to work even harder on branding and promotion.

Here’s what I did see:  monkeys.  A ton of them.  A day-old baby monkey with mom.  Monkeys on the road not ten feet away from us, acting like we were the curiosity.  Why didn’t they run away when they saw our jeeps?  Because they knew we were coming.  They had friends — other monkeys — in the trees watching for predators.  If we were a threat, the distress call (a noise that puts fire alarms to shame) would go out and they would’ve been long gone.  The monkeys were never alone; they took turns watching out for one another.

Wouldn’t it be nice if humans had each other’s back more?

Folks, the time for treading water is over. If you haven’t made your bold move yet, get going. If you don’t get momentum now, the next recession can be fatal. Check out Mary’s report here, especially her strategy-guiding principles for 2011. They apply to all businesses, regardless of size.

• Speaker recommendations are based by the last person they saw.  So if they loved you six months ago, you’re dead to them now.  Typical discussion goes something like “hey, I just heard Billy Bob; I think he’ll be good.”  Doesn’t matter about the content or if the message fits the theme.  No thought on what the audience needs or who else is already on the agenda.
• Got a relationship with staff?  Not gonna help you.  Staff won’t facilitate; “they just let the volunteers run wild”.  When staff does speak up as the voice of reason, committee members listen and agree.
• The buddy system is alive and well.  Direct quote:  “The information is obsolete and the guy barely has a pulse.  The only reason why this dinosaur got in is because the chair supports him…I can’t believe it!”
• That said, the loudest “buddy” will win.  If you don’t have an advocate who is assertive, you won’t get on the radar.  Comment:  “The guys will talk the loudest, but the assertive women get a word in edgewise.”  Moral of the story:  ask your advocate “are you willing to push hard for this?”  In general, advocates are well-meaning, but lazy.
• What about RFPs (requests for proposals)?  Yep, the committee looks at them.  And takes everything you say about yourself as gospel.  No one checks out the details.  His comment:  “They want to think as little as possible.”

Now, you know one person’s experience doesn’t make a trend.  But as someone who has sat on national committees before as well, I’ve seen most of these dynamics in action, too.  Bottom line:  if someone says you’re great and gets rowdy about it, and no one objects with equal force, then you’re basically in.

Navigate the mine field with this one-two punch:  first, get out there and speak.  Showing up is now a premium.  Second, fire up those advocates.  Fans with the biggest mouths are worth five who only cheer you on from the sidelines.

• Out of 50 states, 48 have budget shortfalls;
• In hard-hit Nevada, food-stamp recipients grew by 63%;
• For all the preaching about saving money, it took unemployment and foreclosure to double the saving rate.

What I noticed:  look how fast we can change when we have to.  Why am I showing you this?  Because I’m talking to too many people who waited too long to change.  Case in point:  one internationally-known speaker waited over a year before asking for help.  Result:  after spending his savings on personal expenses, he no longer had the resources needed to jumpstart his business.  And because so much time had passed, he was now desperate to get revenue in.  He had little money and therefore little time to make the turnaround.

The longer you tread water, the more energy it takes to stay afloat.  Sooner or later, you’ll get tired.  By then, you won’t have the energy to save yourself from drowning.  Too many of us change only when we don’t have a choice.