Where have you been?

Posted on December 9, 2012 by David

Leader of the parade or watching it pass by?

I guess I should explain where I’ve been for the last 2 months.

Really . . . I’ve been nowhere. Except here. Being pulled in many directions and losing direction at the same time.

Yes. I lost my inspiration for keeping up the blog. I still tried to provide top notch customer service in my daily walk.

Along the way, friends asked me if everything was okay. It was and yet it wasn’t. Clear as mud right?

I allowed life to get in the way. There were a few distractions that got me off course. But enough of the cliches.

In order to strive to be better you must be consistent. If you lose consistency you lose believability.

Posted in Challenge, Inspiration, Intentions | 3 Comments

Is inspiration dead?

Posted on December 8, 2012 by David

Wow! 40 Years of making magic!

Well, I thought it was.

And then I saw her. She hollered my name across the room. That made me smile.

She came out from behind the counter with her arms spread wide, her smile wider. And that almost made me cry.

She hugged me for a long time. The kind of hug you get from someone you’ve known forever and haven’t seen in years. That made a tear escape and roll down my cheek.

She quoted some of my recent postings. And that made me realize I have a job to do. We all have a job to do.

And that is to make a difference in someone’s day.

No. Inspiration is not dead. It’s waiting for you to see it.

She quoted some of my postings. You can’t help but feel good.

Posted in Best Of, Cast Member, Exceed Expectations, Infectious, Inspiration, Smile, Walt Disney World | 6 Comments

How stoked are you for Monday?

Posted on October 8, 2012 by David

Monday mornings and Disney Institute . . . a great way to start the week.

It’s Monday!!!!! I’ve been looking forward to this day for over two months!

It’s no secret that I’m a Disney fan. And I’ve talked a lot about my experiences with Disney Institute. I’ve traveled to the Walt Disney World to attend 3 classes but today, they are coming here.

And this time, I’m taking co-workers with me. I am confident the lessons learned will be a benefit to all who will take invest the time to learn from a world leader.

So I’ll be leaving home two hours earlier than normal just to make it downtown in time for a 7:30 class.

Worth it? You better believe it!

Posted in Business Growth, Disney Institute, Improvement, Learning | 4 Comments

Asking for advice

Posted on October 7, 2012 by David

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Where do you go for advice?

I was looking for direction for my blog a while back. I turned to a trusted friend and this is what he had to offer.

“David, keep working hard. Truly, the harder you work, the luckier you get.

But we have to make sure the devil doesn’t make us too busy, and we let our blind ambition, erase our intuition….

You may find that as you teach (xxxxxxx), you will learn additional things you didn’t see before. To teach is to learn twice.

Also, play around with your 30-second elevator speech. Write a few versions, sit on them for a while, come back a day, week, month later…do you still like them or want to refresh them…

Do you have an expert to go to for advice? A trusted friend? A wise sage who will teach you more about life than give you step-by-step instructions.

This kind of friend propels you to greatness and asks for nothing in return. If someone asks you for advice, be this kind of friend for them.

PS. I’ve kept the email response for almost two years. I’ll be keeping it a bit longer. 🙂

Posted in Advice, Appreciate, Business Growth, Encouragement, Jeff Noel, Teaching | 5 Comments

Not so fast

Posted on October 4, 2012 by David

A small herd of elk. They don’t have egos.

“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18

Not to sound arrogant, but I totally get this one. There have been days when things have been going so well I felt invincible and I would think about how good I’ve done.

And then shortly after looking around for some platitudes I find out someone else has done better. Humbled? Yes. Disappointed? Not really. Nothing wrong with tooting your own horn.

Just be sure to use it as a teaching tool and not as an ego trip.

Posted in Ego | Comments Off on Not so fast