Recipe for greatness

Don Roy and I drove to Atlanta, Ga., last week.
We went to hear Hal Becker and other great speakers.
They were speaking at the Atlanta Business Expo.
Don is in the Guinness Book of Records for sales.
I'm still working on such an achievement.
We heard Hal Becker talk about achieving greatness.
Hal sold more Xeroxs than any of his 11,000 colleagues.
Hal said you must find what you love and do it every day.
You must practice what you do every day.
Like Tiger Woods, do it over and over and over.
Make the following your mantra and your goals:
1. If you're married, be a great and loving spouse.
2. If you're a parent, be a great and loving parent.
3. If you want friends, be a great and loving friend.
4. Be curious about others. Ask questions and listen.
5. Put the customer's interests, not yours, first.
6. Work hard, not just smart. Don't outsmart yourself.
7. Be real, be genuine, be natural.
Practice Hal's seven rules every day over and over.
Got a rule you believe in and live by every day?
Got a comment? Please click on comment below.
My thanks to those who shared their ghost stories.

Halloween ghost stories

Have you ever encountered a ghost?
This seems a timely topic as Halloween approaches.
We had a ghost in an old home we rented as an office.
We would hear footsteps upstairs or on the stairs.
On investigation, we could see no one.
We could see a phone upstairs light up on our console.
But no one was upstairs to be making calls.
Shadows have passed in slivers of light under closed doors.
A face materialized in a glass pane, then was gone.
What explains these strange occurrences? Who knows?
We didn’t call Ghost Busters. We liked having our own ghost.
We once lived in a tiny Cape Cod beside a little park.
David Cohen had died in that house and he never left it.
He would walk upstairs at night to check on our children.
He warned us when he felt danger might be near.
One night he comforted my wife while I was at work.
A group of roughnecks started fighting in the park.
My wife turned out the lights and watched through a window.
She started to call the police when she felt a strange presence.
It was as if David was standing by her with his arm around her.
It was as if David willed the roughnecks to leave and they did.
Do you have a ghost story to share?
Please click on comment below.
Or email me at JerryBellune@yahoo.com
I’d love to read about your own experiences.

Critics welcome

Did I say that? Critics welcome. Yes. That’s what I said.
Szu Shelden is working with me to create a new web site.
Why should you care? Because the site will:
1. Give you fresh ideas every week.
2. Be highly interactive and open to your ideas.
3. Give you a new way of thinking about web sites.
4. Inspire you to innovate more on your own site.
Why would you want a more innovative site?
Well, duh. Who wouldn’t want to create excitement?
Who wouldn’t want to challenge others to think?
Who wouldn’t want to interact with other creative thinkers?
Who wouldn’t want to make a difference to others?
Who wouldn’t want to change the world for the better?
Don’t have a site? Don’t think you need a site?
Maybe you don’t need one. But I’ll bet you do.
Szu joins me in inviting you to see what we’re doing.
It’s a work in progress. Analyze it. Criticize it.
Tell us what you like. What you hate. What’s boring.
Join our creative team. Think like the genius you are.
It will spur your own creativity and innovative thinking.
To look at what we’re doing, please email me.
It's Jerry@JerryBellune.com
I’ll send you a link and welcome your comments.

Never let go

A recurring theme haunts my dreams.
I’m in a foreign country. I don’t speak the language.
I can’t read the signs. I can’t communicate.
I look and look but I can’t find my family.
Am I lost from my family? Is my family lost from me?
This alienation dream makes me feel guilty.
I feel I’m not the husband and father I should be.
Others have felt this guilt about themselves.
Here’s an example from the movie "Dr. Zhivago".
Near the end, Tonya meets her father’s half brother.
Comrade Gen. Yevgraf asks Tonya what happened to her.
She says she was lost from her family. How? he asks.
I was just lost, she says. How? he asks her again.
She says she ran with her father Komarovsky.
The city was burning. They ran for their lives.
In their haste, Komarovsky lets go of her hand.
That’s how I became lost, she says.
Yevgraf reveals a secret Tonya had not expected.
Komarovsky was not your father, he says.
"Zhivago was your father.
"Zhivago would never let go of your hand."
His message: Those who love you will never let go.
If you love them, don't let go either.
Don't neglect them. Care for and love them.
Do you ever have dreams like mine?
What do you think these dreams tell you?
If not, what dreams do you experience?
What is your subsconscious mind telling you?
Dreams are our inner minds talking to us.
It tells us about ourselves. Listen and learn.
I would appreciate your thoughts at comment below.

A great role model

Do you sometime feel that you’re treated like a dog?
I don’t mean kindly but abused, ignored, unappreciated.
My wife’s mother passed this little gem of wisdom along.
If a dog was your teacher you would learn things like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Feel the fresh air and wind in your face. It’s pure ecstasy.
Take naps. Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily. Let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, lie on your back in the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a tree.
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, nuzzle them gently.
Enjoy every moment of every day.
Aren’t we lucky to have such great role models in our lives?
To leave a comment, please click on ‘comment’ below.
For more on great role models, please click here.