Thursday, January 31, 2008

And Then Some News

This coming Saturday essay, “The Super Bowl And Then Some,” is not designed to offer readers the origins, game history, security, coverage, or anything about the entertainment designed for this football game. There are a number of web sites that offer this information. What the essay does however is advance four major complaints about the event, and, in addition, to take the sting off the objections, there is some humor — three jokes that focus on the game. Realizing that it may be unpatriotic to criticize anything surrounding the Super Bowl, I am interested in your viewpoints regarding the four complaints. Leave a comment under the essay, and state your position. We are certain that if you read the essay, you will find yourself taking a position on the issues presented.

Saturday Essay - February 02, 2008
The Super Bowl And Then Some!
by Richard L. Weaver II

Excerpt:

The hype surrounding the Super Bowl game every year is the most frenzied, adrenalized, amped-up to be found on television. There really are few other events that represent this level of hysteria. It is the most watched U.S. television broadcast of the year — 80 to 90 million Americans will watch. Also, with that many people watching, it isn’t surprising that it is the second largest U.S. food consumption day; Thanksgiving is the first. The following joke represents how the event causes some people to become completely deranged.

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And Then Some Publishing wants to hear your story. An important part of the And Then Some philosophy revolves around you and how you interpret the concepts and ideas. Saturday Essays on our blog and our book of essays are just guidelines to and our impressions of the And Then Some philosophy; they are not hard and fast rules or concepts embedded in cement. Every individual interprets life differently just as everyone interprets And Then Some just a little differently. In the end, everyone has the same goal, however...And Then Some --- Give more, Get more, Want more from life!

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Saturday, January 26, 2008

The fun in FUNdamentals! — How to find the fun in all FUNctions!

by Richard L. Weaver II

When James Brown spoke to students, faculty, and guests at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke for their Distinguished Speaker Series, he talked about the seven basic fundamentals that will help you achieve success. James Brown worked for CBS for 10 years before joining FOX Sports. He has served as commentator for the NBA finals, for the NCAA basketball tournament, at the Super Bowl, and at the Winter Olympics.

Six of Brown’s seven fundamentals included good communication skills, dress and attire, punctuality and promptness, thirst and hunger for knowledge, interpersonal skills, and overcoming adversity. The seventh and last fundamental on his list was “having fun,” which he said was one of the most important. He said that education should be a fun experience because the more fun it is, the easier the learning experience.

More on the importance of Brown’s seventh fundamental in a moment. The reason for mentioning it — and the basic reason for this essay — is a comment that Rae Pica, the author of A Running Start (Marlowe & Company, 2006), left as a post after reading my Saturday essay, “Fundamentals First Before Fun!” Pica said, “...I want to assure parents, that despite the title of your post, fundamentals CAN be fun....”

Pica is absolutely correct: “fundamentals CAN be fun.” Not only that, fundamentals SHOULD BE fun. Without the ingredient of fun, fundamentals are often monotonous, repetitive, frustrating, and boring. It is precisely because of these traits that they should be fun. Fun is what can propel us beyond the monotony, repetition, frustration, and boredom.

Numerous researchers, in a variety of studies, have proven that humor and play enhance the learning experience.

To the serious assignments in my basic speech-communication course, I added a number of “fun” exercises and activities. In a related manner, I added humor to the lectures in the course and even put jokes and witty sayings on the examinations to try to loosen-up a situation that — because of the inherent anxiety that normally accompanies having to give public speeches — can induce greater anxiety, distress, and even dread. Having fun doesn’t mean being a joker or clown. I wanted to set the proper standard for fun within a learning environment — giving students the license to learn and have fun at the same time.

My approach is underlined and supported at a website by, “Team Building,” in an online article, “The FUNdamentals of Work” (http://www.ideachampions.com/life_play.shtml). The unidentified writer says, “Humor and play are intimately linked to peak performance and productivity. High morale and engagement are not just ‘nice-to-have’ in business — they’re essential. That is, if you want a workforce that is personally accountable for participating at the highest levels possible.”

How are humor and play introduced into a work or business environment? According to the “Team Building” website, it is accomplished by using play, non-competitive games, and improvisational humor. It does not mean learning to be childlike or acting immature or mindless; business must still be business.

James Patterson has also noted the importance of fun on his website (http://jamespatterson.ivillage.com/parenting/2007/11/putting_the_fun_back_in_the_fu.php). Patterson has sold more than 12 million books in North America and 130 million worldwide. He wrote Along Came A Spider, novels featuring Alex Cross, and the Women’s Murder Club and Maximum Ride series. Patterson writes, “For the first time in my memory, smart people in the book industry are addressing the fact that it’s not just that young people are reading less, but that they “appear to be reading less for fun....Of course,” he writes, “it’s a wisdom good teachers, good parents, and good habit-changers of all kinds have always known.”

Almost writing as if to make a direct contribution to this essay (if I could be so lucky!), Patterson says, “The pursuit of happiness is a little harder for our children to undertake if they don’t see the happiness they can have in their ‘academic’ pursuits.”

My contention is broader than any of those stated in this essay thus far. My contention is that fun — and a playful attitude — should be an everyday, integral part of our lives. In that way, it would be automatically included in any approach to achieving success. It would be integrated naturally and comfortably into all learning environments. And, it would be a structural and basic aspect of all work and business. In that way, it couldn’t be avoided, and it would be revealed spontaneously, in a relaxed, genuine, and open manner.

There are advantages to supporting my contention and incorporating humor into your life. It can help you manage stress, improve creativity, increase productivity, and balance the seriousness of life and work, writes Ron Culberson, a former hospice social worker, who runs a website focusing on humor (http://www.leadinghomecare.com/teleseminars/fun20040916.html). Culberson, a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), offers a program that helps people understand the role of humor in life and work by helping them achieve balance, create a healthier perspective, connect with others, and make their messages memorable.

In his book, How to be Funny on Purpose (Cybercom, 2005), Edgar E. Willis writes that being funny “can turn you into a person who is fun to be with, one who can enliven a workplace or add zest to a social gathering. It can add sparkle to your teaching and writing, it can make you a more attractive and effective speaker, it can help you cheer up those who are buffeted by life” (p. 13).

Jason Moffatt, on his website, “The Fundamentals of Fun and the Art of Playing,” (http://www.jasonmoffatt.com/the-fundamentals-of-fun-and-the-art-of-playing/) writes, “Being a fun and playful person is beneficial in so many different ways; some are obvious, while many other reasons are quite subtle. I believe people need comic relief in life, and any time you can get someone to laugh, you’ve done a good deed....”

Brown was right when he said humor is an important fundamental for achieving success, but he could have gone further saying it is important for living our lives. “The evangelist Billy Graham,” according to Willis, “summed up what humor can do in these words: ‘Humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected, and outlast the unbearable” (p. 13).

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Jason Moffatt writes an essay, “The Fundamentals of Fun and the Art of Playing,” that effectively presents my overall case, and supports the quotation he offers by Dr. George Sheehan, “Without play — without the child that still lives in all of us — we will always be incomplete. And not only physically, but creatively, intellectually, and spiritually as well.” See his website: http://www.jasonmoffatt.com/the-fundamentals-of-fun-and-the-art-of-playing/


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Thursday, January 24, 2008

And Then Some News

On January 12th (2008) AndThenSomeWorks.com posted a Saturday Essay entitled "Fundamentals First Before Fun!" Responding to that post, there have been two comments to which AndThenSomeWorks responded. The latest response to the essay included the statement, "I feel it is how you interpret the situation... including changing the semantics in your head, if needed, simply to change your mindset so you better understand the big picture. Seeing and knowing the big picture is more than half the battle." This response is right on target, but it can be part of a much broader approach --- an approach to living everyday of our lives. That is exactly the position taken in the Saturday Essay for January 26th. Read the posts, post your own comment if you choose (it's easy to do), then join us for a great, new, provocative Saturday Essay.

Saturday Essay - January 26, 2008
The fun in FUNdamentals! — How to find the fun in all FUNctions!
by Richard L. Weaver II

Excerpt:

"My contention is broader than any of those stated in this essay thus far. My contention is that fun --- a playful attitude --- should be an everyday, integral part of our lives. In that way, it would be automatically included in any approach to achieving success. It would be integrated naturally and comfortably into all learning environments. And, it would be a structural and basic aspect of all work and business. In that way, it couldn't be avoided, and it would be revealed spontaneously, in a relaxed, genuine, and open manner."

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Saturday, January 19, 2008

Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech — The greatest and most notable speech in history

by Richard L. Weaver II

Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, delivered August 28, 1963, was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. Given from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to over two-hundred thousand civil rights supporters, the speech lasted only sixteen minutes. According to U.S. Congressman, John Lewis, who also spoke that day as the President of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, “"Dr. King had the power, the ability and the capacity to transform those steps on the Lincoln Memorial into a modern day pulpit. By speaking the way he did, he educated, he inspired, he informed not just the people there, but people throughout America and unborn generations.”

There was more taking place when King gave his speech than would at first be apparent. To the untrained eye, his speech was moving, encouraging, even galvanizing. To the trained eye, however, it was truly a model speech and, indeed, one of the greatest and most notable speeches in history. It has been ranked the top American speech of the 20th century by a 1999 poll of scholars of public address.

The obvious question is, “Why is it a model speech?”

For 22 years I delivered a lecture entitled, “Persuasion: The Unity of Logos, Pathos, and Ethos,” to close to 80,000 undergraduates. In this lecture I examined the speech. This essay is a condensation of that lecture, and I have divided it into the three parts: logos, pathos, and ethos.

Logos means logic, and as a persuasive strategy, speakers use a clearly stated main purpose, a well-defined thought pattern, and effective major arguments supported by evidence. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, King used mostly his own personal experience and observations to support his major arguments. His purpose statement is, “Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.”

Perhaps the most important aspect of King’s logic was how he organized his ideas. He followed Monroe’s motivated sequence. It is a pattern that works because it follows the normal process of human reasoning. I told students that if I had to pick out one piece of information that I considered most important — from all of my 15 lectures — it would be this five-step sequence. If you ever have to give a problem-solving persuasive speech, I highly recommend it. It is so effective and powerful, most advertisements you see on television follow it precisely.

The five steps of the Monroe motivated sequence are attention, need, satisfaction, visualization and action.
In the attention step speakers call attention to the situation. King, speaking from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, calls attention to Lincoln’s signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, the situation of the Negro today (“One hundred years later, the Negro still is not free.”), and the fact that the words of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence granting all people the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have not been fulfilled.

For the need step, speakers describe the difficulty, trouble, distress, crisis, emergency, or urgency. King says, “Instead of honoring this sacred obligation [what the Constitution and Declaration of Independence promise], America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check that has come back marked ‘insufficient funds.’” And why have they come to Washington, D.C.? — to “remind America of the fierce urgency of now.”

In the satisfaction step, speakers tell listeners how to satisfy the need they establish. King says, “We must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.” To march ahead, he said, “We can never be satisfied.” Then he tells listeners to go back home knowing their situation can and will be changed.

For visualization, speakers offer listeners a vision of what life can be once their solution (offered in the satisfaction step) is adopted. This is where King offers listeners his dream: “I have a dream” offered along with five different descriptions of what life can and will be like in Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, in communities, and around the world.

The final stage is the action step when speakers offer listeners a specific course of action to follow. King’s action step occurs when he asks his audience to “Let freedom ring,” and he uses the phrase at the end of the speech focusing on eight states symbolizing the whole nation.

Pathos means emotion, and King depends on his use of language to draw emotion from his listeners. Figures of speech predominate. Antithesis, or the setting of one clause or other member of a sentence against another to which it is opposed, is heavily used. “It came as a joyous daybreak to end their long night of captivity,” is the first of many examples of antithesis used in the speech.

King also uses many other figures of speech. Simile is the comparison of two unlike things, connected with the words “like” or “as” such as “justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” Metaphor is a compressed simile (the “like” or “as” is eliminated) and they are abundant: “manacles of segregation,” “symphony of brotherhood.” Allusions, or references to literary, historical, and biblical events, occur often. “Five score years ago” refers to the Gettysburg Address, and there are biblical allusions to Psalm 30:5, Amos 5:24, and Isaiah 40:4. In addition, King uses personification, hyperbole, contrast, colloquialisms, repetition, refrain (anaphora), and parallelism.

Ethos means the character of the speaker in the eyes of the audience. King was born into a well-educated, successful family, graduated from Morehouse College, and, as the outstanding member of his senior class, from Crozer Theological Seminary. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1955, and served as minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church from 1955 to 1968. His Nobel Peace Prize was received one year after this speech was given.

The “I Have a Dream” speech served as a precursor to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. King was Time’s “Man of the Year” for 1963. As a speech, it was the greatest and most notable in history and served as a model for the way it demonstrated the unity of logos, pathos, and ethos.

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For pictures, a YouTube audio and video of the speech, and for a text of the “I Have a Dream” speech, see: www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

For an online biography of Martin Luther King Jr., see: nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html

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Thursday, January 17, 2008

And Then Some News

On the third Monday of January each year (Monday, January 21, 2008), around the time of his birthday (January 15), we celebrate the birthday of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is one of only four U.S. federal holidays to commemorate an individual person. For Saturday, January 19th And Then Some Publishing LLC will celebrate his birthday by honoring Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" message and explain why this speech is not just the greatest and most notable speech in history but is a model speech for all speakers and those who want to aspire to greatness And Then Some.

Saturday Essay - January 19, 2008
Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech — The greatest and most notable speech in history
by Richard L. Weaver II


Excerpt:

"There was more taking place when King gave his speech than would at first be apparent. To the untrained eye, his speech was moving, encouraging, even galvanizing. To the trained eye, however, it was truly a model speech and, indeed, one of the greatest and most notable speeches in history. It has been ranked the top American speech of the 20th century by a 1999 poll of scholars of public address."

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Saturday, January 12, 2008

Fundamentals first before fun!

by Richard L. Weaver II

For all of my professional life I have either taught or written about fundamentals, and I have always believed that the establishment, understanding, and proper use of the fundamentals (of any sport, subject, or area) is essential to effectiveness. Throughout this period of time there have been students who do not learn the fundamentals and attempt to “wing it.” This is not an unusual response when you consider the pressures students are under.

The responses some students had to learning and using the fundamentals were not unlike many people in society. They want to win the lottery! They would rather invest their money (and little time) in shooting for the big, lucky, immediate payoff in giving a speech rather than investing time in learning and effectively using the fundamentals which might guarantee them success in giving a speech. It is, indeed, a fast-food, quick-grab, gut-level approach.

This essay is a justification and rationale for spending the time and energy necessary (no matter the sport, subject, or area) to learn fundamentals first before fun.

In his book, The Art of Learning (Free Press, 2007), Josh Waitzkin, an eight-time National Chess Champion writes in his introduction, “A chess student must initially become immersed in the fundamentals in order to have any potential to reach a high level of skill” (p. xvii). Waitzkin, from his own experience, talks about the importance of learning the principles even “integrate more and more principles into a sense of flow” so that “Eventually the foundation is so deeply internalized that it is no longer consciously considered, but is lived” (p. xvii).

Just as strong chess players rarely speak of the fundamentals, great speakers seldom single out and identify all the building blocks of their mastery. Waitzkin writes that “a great pianist or violinist does not think about individual notes, but hits them all perfectly in a virtuoso performance. In fact,” Waitzkin writes, “thinking about a ‘C’ while playing Beethoven’s 5th Symphony could be a real hitch because the flow might be lost” (p. svii).

Rae Pica, the author of A Running Start (Marlowe & Company, 2006), opens her essay entitled, “Fundamentals First,” by asking three questions, “Would you hand a child calculus problems once she was able to count to ten? A geometry text when he began to recognize shapes? War and Peace as soon as she could recite her ABCs? Of course not!” Pica adds, in the very next paragraph, “Yet all too many children are enrolled in gymnastics, karate, dance classes, and organized sports before they’ve mastered such basic movements as bending and stretching, walking with correct posture, and bouncing and catching a ball.” Fundamentals first before fun!

Although these two authors make a case for learning the fundamentals first — and both their cases make good sense — they offer little additional evidence about the value of learning fundamentals first. When I lectured to students, I made the case for learning the fundamentals. Here are ten reasons for fundamentals first before fun.

First, building a solid foundation is an obvious justification. If the base is strong and solid, whatever follows is likely to be capable, skillful, and impressive. With a foundation in place, speakers now have a clear base of operations, starting point, or place from which to begin work.

Second, learning fundamentals opens alternatives and options. Often, proceeding without the basics leaves people on their own, with only what they know or have experienced. Knowing fundamentals is like, the more you know, the more you find out. Using fundamentals increases choices and makes both success and effectiveness (often, one and the same) more likely.

Third, and closely related to number two, having internalized the fundamentals, the possibility for creativity grows. Creativity is more likely stimulated — prompted, encouraged, activated, triggered, nourished, and inspired — with an increase in the number of stimuli available.

Fourth, learning fundamentals offers strength. If fundamentals are truly what they are said to be, and if they are understood, internalized, and used, the results of depending upon them should not just be what can be expected, but results should be what you cannot anticipate as well. The sum (final result) becomes greater than the sum of the (basic) parts. Sometimes results surprise!

Fifth, learning and depending on the fundamentals fulfills expectations. It is easy to say, “that is precisely what I want to avoid — satisfying expectations.” Speeches, speakers, and speech occasions are centuries old. Because of that, listeners know what they want and expect. Not to fulfill or acknowledge their expectations may be a road to disappointment and defeat.

Sixth, having fundamentals as your base supplies the license, permission, or authority to act. To teach in a public school in many states requires a teaching permit; some jobs require a high-school diploma; driving requires a driver’s license; although there is no entry gate nor authority checking accomplishments, having the fundamentals is like possessing the credentials that grant the freedom to act — the freedom to rise above the ordinary!

Seventh, learning the fundamentals gives speakers confidence and security. Speakers with that base know they are proceeding in a recognized and acceptable manner. It is an effective “can do” approach that both motivates and excites.

Eighth, fundamentals offer a base from which experimentation can proceed. You study form to leave form. It establishes a base for asking questions, encouraging thought, and prompting a deeper and more comprehensive understanding.

The ninth reason for learning fundamentals is that it offers a way to evaluate outcomes and assess results. When you have fundamentals as a base, you have a structured and systematic way to evaluate strengths and weaknesses after the fact.

The tenth and final reason for understanding and using fundamentals, is that it is a way to penetrate and understand “greatness.” “Greatness” occurs as a result of following or deviating from the basics. Only when you understand those basics, do you have standards by which to gain insight into how you can, or how others do, achieve “greatness.”

Fundamentals offer a base for enjoyment. Although following basics can be fun, the freedom that occurs with that foundation in place may be even more pleasurable for the creativity, imagination, and artistry that is released, but don’t skip the basics: fundamentals first before fun!




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Thursday, January 10, 2008

And Then Some News

How do you become successful, no matter what sport, area, or subject you select? Establishing the fundamentals --- the basic skills needed to construct a rock-solid foundation --- is essential for progressing to whatever level you want to achieve.

Why is it so important to learn the fundamentals first before fun? That's this week's essay...


Saturday Essay - January 12, 2008
Fundamentals first before fun!
by Richard L. Weaver II


Excerpt:

First, building a solid foundation is an obvious justification. If the base is strong and solid, whatever follows is likely to be capable, skillful, and impressive. With a foundation in place, speakers now have a clear base of operations, starting point, or place from which to begin work.

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Saturday, January 5, 2008

Eight steps for raising your standards And Then Some!

by Richard L. Weaver II

Are you happy with “good enough,” or have you become complacent with the “ordinary”? It’s a little like living with all the junk you have accumulated over the years and making no move to change the situation. As-a-matter-of-fact, you have become so accustomed to it, you don’t even notice it anymore. Often, it is this same mindset that carries over into every aspect of your life — relationships, jobs, household chores, and projects. To change the mindset requires effort and commitment, and when “good enough” is sufficient, why bother?

One of the reasons people consistently perform at a higher level than others or produce more remarkable results is that they possess a higher mental standard. Because you always move in the direction of your currently dominant thought, when your mindset is “excellence,” you will move toward that and perform at a higher level.

The important point here is a simple one. Trying to change behavior and performance — like improving your life, upgrading your standards, enhancing your relationships, advancing your employment status, and bettering your everyday experiences — requires a change in your mindset, otherwise any change you plan or undertake is likely to fail.

The question clearly becomes, how do you do it? The very first step is to realize you are in control. It is your choice about how you want to live your life. Because standards are a reflection of you and what’s right for you, you must make a choice: Choose to raise your standards. You are in control, and until you raise your standards at a deep, internal level, then nothing is going to change in your life.

The second step is to look at the people you admire. What is it about them that you admire? How do they behave? How do you feel when you’re around them? What would you have to change in your life to become more like the people you admire? These comparisons can offer a useful plan of action or, at the very least, a place to begin.

The third step is to expect more from yourself. To change, you are going to have to adjust, modify, revise, reshape, rework, and, perhaps, transform yourself. Not only is this risky, but also it requires work. Demand more of your performance in everything you do. You may need to become more creative in looking at and selecting from a wide variety of options; you may need to become more efficient by cutting out time-wasting, unnecessary distractions; you may need to put some pressure on yourself to break out from your secure, safe, and contented comfort zone. Although leaving any safe, stable environment for something unknown is unpredictable and potentially fraught with danger, it can be an invigorating, action-packed adventure as well.

The fourth step is to expect more from others. You need to surround yourself with people who will challenge you. This may mean finding new players in your life. New co-workers, new friends, new relationship partners are more likely to test you, make demands on you, stretch, stimulate, inspire, and excite you. This is precisely what you need to push you to your limits.

The fifth step is to become more assertive. You get what you settle for; thus, when you risk rocking the boat, disappointing (or surprising others), or giving yourself more than what you think you deserve, you automatically raise your standards. When you raise your standards, you will automatically start to attract better things into your life — better friends, more varied experiences, superior relationships, and even higher quality material possessions.

There is no reason you need to settle for an inferior meal in a restaurant, a dirty room in a motel, a product that is below the quality you expect and deserve, a bad seat in an airplane or on a bus, or a negative conversation that may damage your ego, adversely affect your mindset, or unfavorably bear on your future goals. Take things back, write letters of complaint, buy higher quality things, do not support low-quality TV programming, refuse to pay for advertising, fix things instead of throwing them out, never buy anything on impulse, and stop settling for less.

The sixth step is to be easy on yourself. Change like that being discussed in this essay is not going to happen overnight. Much of what is being changed required your whole lifetime to learn and practice, thus, it is accepted, comfortable, and pleasant behavior. That is why so many people do not change. Become aware of your new behavior, and when you find yourself slipping back into your old ways, stop trying to change and live your new standard. Be easy on yourself when you slip; it is a necessary, always-present aspect of growing and changing.

Think of “raising your standards” as creating a new habit for yourself. It is a new way of acting. Remember that it takes a minimum of twenty-one repetitions of a behavior before it becomes a new habit. Consider this a journey, and as on any excursion — especially one with as important a destination as this voyage may have — you must enjoy the ride. Be observant and aware as this expedition takes you into new, unchartered territory.

The seventh step, in addition to the fourth step where you may find new players in your life, make a commitment to socialize more. When you raise your standards, the people around you will respond to you differently. There will be those who choose to leave your life while others choose to remain. New people will enter your life because they are attracted to your new standards. By socializing more — especially with raised standards — you will contact more of those likely to see and enjoy your new standards and more of those people who will choose to become part of your life because of those new standards. The quality of your life will improve.

The eighth step is to remove the words “good enough” and “okay” from your vocabulary.

Higher mental standards — desiring distinction, superior quality, and remarkable brilliance — can provide a framework for everything you do. It could be an event you’re planning, a product you’re designing, a meal you’re preparing, a letter you are writing, a project you are completing, a proposal you’re submitting, a speech you are creating, a vacation you are planning, or a room you are rearranging, when your standard is excellence, you will perform at a higher level. We tend to take our standards for granted, however, standards matter, and it is possible to raise them. By following the eight steps outlined in this essay, you will raise your standards And Then Some!




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Thursday, January 3, 2008

And Then Some News


















Saturday Essay - January 5, 2008

Eight steps for raising your standards And Then Some!
by Richard L. Weaver II


Excerpt:

The important point here is a simple one. Trying to change behavior and performance — like improving your life, upgrading your standards, enhancing your relationships, advancing your employment status, and bettering your everyday experiences — requires a change in your mindset, otherwise any change you plan or undertake is likely to fail.

And Then Some - C U Saturday!!


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