The value of a sense of humor

Our friend Bill West sent this along.
It says a lot about our falling expectations.
It says more about our ability to laugh.

The economy, Bill writes, is so bad that:
• He got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.
• CEOs are now playing miniature golf.

• The First Couple are staying in Washington.
• Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.
• Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.
• Motel Six won’t leave the light on anymore.
• A picture is now only worth only 200 words.
• They renamed Wall Street “Wal-Mart Street”

Bill called the Suicide Hotline the other night.
He reached a call center in Pakistan.
When he told them he was suicidal, they got excited.
They asked if he could drive a truck.

Americans can laugh in the face of disaster.
It increases our determination to succeed.
And it reminds us that things could be worse.
Most of us learn to laugh early in life.
Don’t lose your child-like ability to laugh.
Particularly at yourself and your foibles.

Keep laughing, my friends. It helps.

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Music from a rare violin

Bill West has seen people miss a great experience.
His son Billy is a little awkward.
His speech requires attention to understand.
But Billy is full of love, simplicity and compassion.
He never speaks in anger. He never hurts anyone.
He senses other people's hurts and will listen to anyone.
The other day a bank teller called him by name.
Billy was astonished.
"She thought I was a real person," he told his father.
People rarely make eye contact much less greet him.
What a shame. They miss meeting a pure creation.
Bill emailed the president of the bank about the teller.
He congratulated him on his influence on his employees.
As a result, she was named Teller of the Month.
She received a paid day off.
"That's good management," Bill said.
Now every teller speaks to Billy when he comes in.
They make him feel like a "real person".
"Maybe we should slow down and listen," Bill said.
"The music on this rare violin is played by a master."
God has given Bill and Anne a true blessing.
Please comment on Post a Comment below.

Relish competition

Blog reader James Jordan sent me a refreshing note this week.
It contained a story about Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford’s injury.
Heisman Trophy winner Bradford is out for up to four weeks.
He was injured in Oklahoma’s loss to BYU last week.
Florida’s Heisman winner Tim Tebow wished him a quick recovery.
So did Texas’ Colt McCoy who came in second in Heisman voting.
Even N.Y. Giants QB Eli Manning talked with Bradford.
All three of these quarterback rivals showed real class.
Bradford was considered a shoe-in for the NFL.
Instead, he elected to return to Oklahoma for his junior year.
That shows class, values and common sense.
I’ve been competitive all my life.
It’s a big reason I love journalism.
Journalism has given me every chance to compete.
Bill West and I competed on rival newspapers years ago.
We continued as friends as well as fierce competitors.
Now Bill works with us and is our unofficial morale officer.
Competition is healthy. Enjoy it. Let it make you better.
Respect your competitor. But out-work him. Out-smart him.
Out-everything you can to serve your clients and community.
To leave a comment, please click on comment below.
For free counsel on playing to win, please click here.

Do you answer your own phone?

How many times have you been treated rudely on the phone?
This isn’t by pimply-faced teenagers who don’t care.
This is by business people who should know better.
They’re the ones who demand: "Who’s calling please?"
The "please" part never sounds sincere.
We have had to let two receptionists go because of this.
They just weren’t friendly answering our phones.
Fellow editor Bill West passed this along the other day.
It’s from Jesus CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership.
The book’s author is Laurie Beth Jones.
She tells of the success of an executive recruiting firm.
The owner said her secret was simple:
"Whenever the phone rings, I say to myself, ‘That’s God on the line.’
"Then I think about all the ways I can serve that person."
Here are three simple questions you might ask yourself:
1. Who answers your phone and how well do they do it?
2. Can you imagine that God’s sending you business?
3. Are you too important to answer your own phone?
I answer my own phone. People are surprised.
They expect a receptionist to screen my calls.
Or they wait, thinking they’ve reached a voicemail recording.
I’ll ask again: Are you too busy to answer your own phone?
For my video Business Tip of the Week, click here.