Remember, the real job of leadership is inspiration.
As the saying goes, “On the track and off the track.”
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2017 WPS Track Team Distance runners
Tag: Track
Is Disney’s Enthusiasm Transferable?
Is Disney’s Enthusiasm transferable?
I believe it is 100 percent transferable.
You know what is the second most contagious thing in the world?
Seriously, take a guess.
It’s the lack of enthusiasm.
Then what’s number one?
ENTHUSIASM!
Walt Disney invented many things, was the “first to market” with many things, and Walt Disney did things people around him thought were crazy or even impossible.
But one thing Walt Disney didn’t do was invent enthusiasm. Yet, he had more of it than just about anyone in history.
Enthusiasm is everywhere. Enthusiasm is free. Enthusiasm is our choice. It is the same in any language.
A few people know that, due to health reasons, I became a runner over ten years ago. However, when I came to the fork in the road, I took it (thank you Yogi Berra). I did not become a marathoner.
Quite the opposite actually.
I’m a 400-meter runner. A one-lap sprint. As a Master’s Track & Field athlete, the USATF All-American standard of excellence is 57.5. I have enthusiastically run under 56 seconds multiple times.
For a 50-year old, that is spectacular.
And yet, it pales in comparison to the 400 meter world record, held by USA’s Michael Johnson, at 43.18.
Do yourself a favor and watch this 60-second You Tube clip of Michael Johnson. Listen to the voice of the announcer, who does not speak English, but it doesn’t matter.
You can tell something amazing is in progress as you can hear and feel the announcer’s enthusiasm build.
As you watch it, may I challenge you to ask yourself, “Am I enthusiastic”?
Not only does Michael Johnson win, he completely and utterly dominates the other world-class athletes.
That’s the goal in business – do something spectacular, make a mark on the world, and be recognized as the clear and dominant leader in your field.
Good luck and carpe diem, jungle jeff 🙂
Live, before you die
Here’s a post written the other day. I was 35,000 feet in the air, traveling, and had just finished watching an inspirational movie, lent to me by a friend. It’s long, so I understand if you’re too busy to read it. Yet I wasn’t going to let that stop me from writing it. Here goes:
02.26.09 35K feet
Are you a chicken?
When was the last time you put yourself on the line?
Seriously!
When?
Bet you’ve thought about it. Everybody does. It’s part of our human DNA. We all dream of doing something great, of putting ourselves on the line.
Here’s the deal.
If you’re like me, you’re insanely busy. You’re also incredibly distracted. And (again), if you’re like me, most likely, a “chicken”.
Please don’t get me wrong. Being afraid is a gift given to humans to help them survive.
It can also, unintentionally, be the very thing that suffocates us.
Suffocates us?
Yes. Suffocates us.
Huh?
We go through life, unaware the clock is ticking. We wake up one day, realizing we haven’t yet lived.
This scares the heck out of me.
Today, tomorrow, next week, all month, all year, next year, until I die – I vow to, “Live, before I die.”
May I be so bold as to challenge you? To Live, before you die!
Find a way to be inspired every single day.
I just watched “Saint Ralph”. A story about a 14-year old boy, attending an all-boys Catholic school in the early 1950’s. His Father was killed in a war. His mother on her death bed, although no one will admit it. It appears she’s battling cancer. She goes into a coma and Ralph, her son, hears a story about miracles.
Ralph becomes convinced that if he can perform a miracle, in this case winning the Boston Marathon, then that miracle will lead to the miracle of his Mother coming out of her coma.
Ralph was never really good at anything. He was always getting in trouble.
He digs down deep, loses Boston by one step, and becomes a hero.
All I can tell you (to wrap this up) is that I believe in business and at home, we get an incredible opportunity to make the world a better place.
Today, once again, I’ll work hard for the courage to “put myself on the line” to do just that.
Carpe diem, jungle jeff 
What’s the 1st thing you do?
What’s the first thing you do when you hear your alarm clock go off?
As I write this, it’s almost 5am. I’ve been up for an hour, reading, writing, thinking.
Actually, I didn’t think the alarm clock was ever going to go off. Just lying in bed, wondering, “When is that thing ever going to go off. Come on. Let’s go. Bring it (the day) on!”
Those who know me know I’m completely serious. Those who don’t – “crazy man”!
Part of the challenge is the thing we’re waiting on is called an “ALARM” clock. Yikes.
What if we called it an “OPPORTUNITY” clock. Wow!
Everyday is an opportunity to do something great. Everyday is a gift. To be able to get out of bed. To be alive. To have the privilege to serve and help others.
Have you noticed the tone, the language, of today’s post?
There a few key words and phrases that set the tone. Agree?
The same is true in business. That’s one of the most powerful secrets in business. Use words to nuture and grow a great culture.
I’ll explain more in another jungle jeff post. Right now, it’s off to the Orange County Convention Center for a GREAT day.
Make your day GREAT! Because if you don’t, who will?
Carpe diem, jungle jeff 🙂
What does EPCOT stand for?
What does EPCOT stand for?
Every Person Comes Out Tired!
What?
Just kidding. You can take the boy out of the Jungle Cruise, but you can’t take the Jungle Cruise out of the boy.
EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow.
That’s what Walt Disney called Walt Disney World, before it was officially named Walt Disney World. The entire 43-square mile piece of alligator, snake and mosquito infested swampland he called EPCOT.
He said it would never be completed. He added, “The sketches and plans you see here are simply a starting point. Our first overall thinking.” As he continued, “Our plans may change time and time again.” He gave us permission to take his crazy, “impossible” vision and find the best way to get to our destination – “that EPCOT will always be a showcase for American ingenuity.”
And so it is with me. And with you too. Who wouldn’t want to always be in a state of becoming. Always changing and growing -serving more people in more ways. Then those people go out and do the same. We know this as “the ripple effect”.
Who’s helping you? Who’s holding you accountable?
At last week’s National Speakers Association Winter Conference, prior to the opening Keynote speech from Roxanne Emmerich ( https://www.emmerichgroup.com/ ), author of “Thank God It’s Monday: Kicking Butt and Taking Names to Grow Your Business”, we were asked to find one or two accountability partners. It was great to establish this upfront.
Carpe diem, jungle jeff 🙂