Nov 29 2011
Leave a comment
Business, Leadership, Let The Music Play, Marketing, Real Estate

We Need You

“The greatest tragedy in America is not the destruction of our natural resources, though that tragedy is great. The truly great tragedy is the destruction of our human resources by our failure to fully utilize our abilities, which means that most men and women go to their graves with their music still in them.” Oliver Wendell Holmes

Music is my metaphor for successful living. When we get out of bed everyday, pursue our values, engage our passions, and challenge the status quo – the result is a a life of beautiful and unique music.

This comes in many forms: a job well done, a child well loved, a paper well written, a garden well grown, or actually – a song well written.

I don’t want to die with my music still in me, and I don’t want that for you either.

Your family longs to hear your music.

Your clients love to experience your music.

The world is waiting to be moved by your music.

No one else can write the music we need from you like you can.

Tagged , ,
Nov 28 2011
Leave a comment
Business, Leadership

Daily Words off Affirmatio​n

Three things we must to say to ourselves everyday on the drive to the office:

 1) “I get to do this!”

Saying this will produce gratefulness.

2) “I want to do this!”

You have a choice in this life, but claiming this silences the enticing/mediocre dreams the world throws our way.

3) “I have to do this!”

You speak this in your gut…this is conversation with the soul. Imagining doing anything else feels like veering away from divinity.

Grab the steering wheel and say these affirmations with passion.

If you can’t say these words, then give your leader your two weeks notice – it’s not fair to you or them.

Tagged , ,
Nov 25 2011
1 Comment
Business, Leadership, Marketing, Real Estate

Human > Digital

The digital ecosystem is here to stay. But we were human before we were digital – we had soul before we had batteries.

We text and say “we talked.” We email and say “we wrote them a note”. While these digital avenues can accomplish the same exchange of information, the weight of the exchange is much different between the two.

There is a ton of beauty in this new digital ecosystem, but it will never be able to overshadow the spoken word or the physical touch.

If you think there will come a time when you can ask your girlfriend to marry you via text message – think again. If you try, you won’t find a fiance – you’ll find the man in the mirror to be single again.

Rule of thumb: If you can be human in an exchange, be human.

A thank you note given in your handwritten ink will always be remembered more than a text alert in the recipient’s pocket.

We all want to be told we are loved, not tweeted we are loved.

Tagged , , ,
Nov 24 2011
Leave a comment
Business, Leadership, Let The Music Play

Thankfulness

We feel different today because thankfulness is overwhelmingly present. Today it owns our conversations, tweets, and status updates. Feels good doesn’t it? Feels right. Feels as it should be.

Thankfulness gets all the credit today, but it’s really about awareness – stopping, seeing, and dwelling on all the good that surrounds us. Awareness precedes thankfulness.

A simple thank you gives fuel to the servant to go and serve again…AND it deposits a dose of gratefulness into the heart of the one who was served. Thankfulness is not a oneway street, it’s a roundabout.

What if we repeated this day over the next 364 days?

Happy Awareness Day.

-Ashton

Tagged
Nov 23 2011
Leave a comment
Business, Leadership, Let The Music Play, Marketing, Music

Music to my ears.

“…._______ is music to my ears.”

The most important part in the previous sentence is the “blank“________. The goal of every leader, husband, and dad is to determine what that “blank” is and provide a means to fill it. Fill in the blank and music enters the recipient’s ears.

The first commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” God asks for the blank to be filled with us loving with heart, soul, mind, and strength – THAT is music to His ears.

This leads to an interesting take on the second commandment, The Golden Rule. When you love your neighbor as yourself, you leave your shoes, enter your neighbors shoes, and ask “would that, fill in the blank, be music these shoes would dance to?”

A husband that loves his wife like he loves himself, a dad that loves his daughter like he loves himself, and a leader that loves his customer like he loves himself composes music that his wife, daughter, and client have no choice but to moonwalk to.

The scriptures claim “There is no commandment greater than these.” Focus on these two commandments and the music will play.

He who fills in the blank is bestowed the title of maestro – and any business, parenting, and relationship plan that follows this blueprint wins.

Tagged , , ,
← Older posts
Newer posts →