Sunday, October 31, 2010

Writers Block

Anyone have a cure for writers block?

Friday, October 22, 2010

The Who, What, When, Why, & How of Blogging

I never thought I would be a blogger.  In fact, thought it was pointless and secretly made fun of blogging.  The next thing I know, I have been blogging for 6 months and this is my 70th blog post!  Here is the Who, What, Where, When, & Why of blogging.

WHY blog?  There are countless reasons to blog.  Here is why I do it.  There are lessons that I have learned that have changed me for the better.  By blogging, I can share these lessons with others so that they may be changed for the better as well.  Share the things that make your life better.

WHAT to write about?  Blog about what you know.  Everybody has something they know a lot about and enjoy talking about.  Whatever that is for you, why not take the conversation online?  You don't have to be an expert, just write what you know.  A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer.  It sings because it has a song.  Start singing! 

WHO reads blogs?  Blogs are the new magazines.  Eventually you are going to attract some followers.  Maybe it's friends and family but maybe it spreads to people you've never met.  These people are reading because they not only like what you have to say but enjoy the topic.  I have learned this the hard way by blogging about some random stuff and losing people's interest.  Just stick to what you know.

WHEN to blog?  Often.  If you want people to read your blog then it is helpful to blog regularly.  When I first started, I blogged about every other day.  Due to some writers block and a busy schedule I have been blogging about once a week.  Because of this, my blog traffic has been cut in half.  Learn from my mistakes and blog consistently. 
Tip - Just Write.  There are times when I feel like writing and sometimes I don't.  Sometimes I feel good about a post and sometimes I don't.  The interesting thing is this:  Some of the posts that I feel good about get zero response while the ones I feel bad about get a lot of comments.  The point of this is that you never know who might need to hear what you have to say.  So stop trying to make it perfect and just write!
HOW to advertise?  Share it on Facebook and Twitter.  Over 80% of the people that read my blog do so via Facebook and 10% via Twitter.  Without sharing my blog on Facebook and Twitter I would lose 90% of my readers. Enough said.  However, even if nobody reads your blog, you will be surprised at the benefits you will personally receive by going through the process.


Do you blog?  Why or why not?

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Life Lessons from a Golf Tournament

I had the privilege of playing in a golf tournament recently.  It was my first time to play on a private course (Quail Creek in OKC)  and it was legit.  They "checked" our bags as we walked in and they were waiting for us when we picked up our cart.  Unlimited, pearl white practice balls at the driving range.  The greens were pristine, fairways were like carpet, and the rough...well...it wasn't.

Here are a few things I learned from playing in this golf tournament.  

1.  Don't play it safe.  I was nervous.  I was the least experienced member of our team and I didn't want to blow it.  Because of this I tried to play it safe and not embarrass myself by messing up.  Oddly enough, this caused me to mess up even more because I wasn't comfortable and confident.  Although easier said than done, just be you in new situations. 

2.  Don't be afraid to take a mulligan.  Mulligan is a golf term for "do over".  In a golf tournament you usually have to pay for them and it simply gives you the opportunity to correct a mistake.  Everyone is going to mess up in life and there is nothing wrong with taking a mulligan every once in a while.  Just acknowledge that you can do better and prove it. 

3.  Better competition makes you better.  I was playing with people that were better than me so I was able to get some tips and tricks from better golfers.  Just watching them and hearing them talk made me better.  Surround yourself with people that you can learn from.  Find a mentor, role model, or anyone you can look up to in your profession, as a parent, as a spouse, as a spiritual leader, etc.  Just being with them will make you better. 


4.  Luxury breeds envy.  As I was playing on a private course surrounded beautiful homes with perfectly landscaped backyards and luxury vehicles in the parking lot, I must say I got a little envious.  I started to wish I could live this luxurious lifestyle.  The good thing about this is that it can give you the desire to work harder and put yourself in a position to live this lifestyle of luxury.  Unfortunately, it can also cause you to get your priorities out of whack and put "things" over relationships. 


5.  Everyone contributes.  The tournament was a "scramble" which means that we used the best hit ball on every shot.  Even as the weakest golfer on our team, there were times when I had the best shot.  Just because you are not the best at what you're doing, doesn't mean you can't contribute.  Simply do your best and your time will come.
 

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Characteristic of Great Teachers & Learners

HOW TO BE A GREAT TEACHER:

Great teachers have this scientific, yet artistic ability to make all material and information relevant to students.  Great history teachers scientifically know that students are more likely to remember information when it is built onto or related to something they already know.  So he or she may artistically paint a mental picture of Boston Celtic Kevin Garnet participating in the Boston Tea Party.  In the same way, Great English teachers use the poetry of the Black Eyed Peas to get students interested before introducing them to Shakespeare. The examples are endless.

HOW TO BE A GREAT LEARNER:

Unfortunately, not everyone is a great teacher and even great teachers have their off days.  Not to mention it would be foolish to think that any teacher, preacher, or leader can make everything relevant to every single person, every time.   Therefore it is your responsibility to take the information and relate it to yourself.  This should be easy since you know you better than anyone!

Great learners make new information relevant on their own.  A great learner will take any new information and figure out how it applies to them or at least how they can remember it if necessary.  A parent that is a great learner can take a business model and apply it to his/her life and use it to improve their family model.  A salesman that is a great learner can take a sermon about being fishers of men and apply it to his/her business and improve sales.  Any person that is a great learner can take nearly anything and find a way to learn something from it.

Lucky for everyone, this is not a gift that you either have or don't have.  It is a skill that can be learned with a little extra effort on your part. The key is having this attitude of "what can I learn from this and how can I apply it to my life" while you're listening or reading.

Let's start now.  What did you learn from this post? How can you apply it to your life?