Speaker, Artist, and Educator
What would your perfect day look like? What would it need to include?
It’s fun to think about a perfect day, but of course, we realize, a perfect day isn’t really possible. Still, how great would it be if your day included most of these qualities you listed? Half? Some? It would still be an incredible day, right?
I wonder how many of us aren’t even hitting one of these per day? Why is that? I’m guessing it’s because we didn’t make time for it and plan it into our day. Continue Reading…
The starting point of anything can be a little intimidating, especially if it’s your first time.
If it’s a race, you might compare yourself to other runners, question the course, or start predicting what could go wrong. If it’s a financial goal, your initial deposit may look so minuscule in comparison to the total amount needed that you begin to second guess even starting.
Goals, resolutions, and habits are what transform us and bring out the best in us, but they really don’t need to be complex and stressful. They need to be fun and engaging.
Run your race, not the guy’s next to you. Plan your financial portfolio, not your coworkers’. Create your plan and personalize your goals with your life.
A new year, a birthday, the start of the month, even the first day of the week can provide us with an opportunity to begin something new, begin something needed, and chart a new course. It’s nice to have those clean-slate moments on the calendar. Embrace them. Use them to your advantage! It’s also important to remember, any time is a good time to start something worthwhile.
I share my art and words with dozens of organizations each year as a professional speaker. I help meeting planners make their events, one everyone will remember. I have had the honor of working alongside some of the top event planners in the nation, as well as some big names in the speaking and entertainment industry. I know first hand how important it is to make a good decision when booking a speaker.
I believe there are some key areas to focus on, and important questions to ask when booking a speaker:
Presentation
I have heard a lot of people tell me that they were born without an artistic gene in their body, and that they don’t have any artistic skill. But I don’t really believe it.
I believe everyone is born with a desire and the natural ability to create and express themselves artistically. It’s what happens once you start making the art that determines whether or not you’ll continue as an artist.
Children take to art naturally. They create architecture with wooden blocks, sculptures with Play-Dough, and wonderful works of expression with paint, crayons, sticks, mud, legos, and any other medium they can get their hands on and use. They even create art with their food at the dinner table! Children are born artists.
As we grow, we create art, and it is either encouraged or deterred.
The encouraged become the artists of the world. They see what others miss. They create expressive works. They add value.
The deterred are still artists, but just need an awakening. They need a little encouragement, an opportunity, a gentle nudge. Some of the deterred rediscover their artistic talents later in life. They paint the picture, write the novel, bake the cake. Sadly, many others never find it. They cling to the fallacy that they just weren’t born with that special gene.
I am fortunate that my parents encouraged me.
Here’s how my parents helped unleash the artist within me.
My parents:
You’re Blowing it!
It’s not procrastination. That sounds too sophisticated.
You’re not stalling. That’s just too nice.
You’re blowing it! You are about to miss a once in a lifetime opportunity because you are more interested in reading your Twitter Feed or updating your current Facebook status.
Life is short and we all have goals and dreams. We work toward them or we don’t. When we don’t achieve our dreams we make excuses and cover up our inaction with niceties. We act like we will eventually get there and that everything is going to be fine.
Well, what if you’re wrong? Live your life without regrets and get your dreams on the production line.
Too often people greet one another with a hearty, “How are you?” without any genuine concern, and when the recipient begins to inform them of exactly how they are doing, the greeter tunes them out. We have a sort of linguistic apathy or sterilization that takes place in our society. Our language undervalues the meaning of certain words and phrases over time.
Leaders make decisions. It’s what they do.
Each and every time a leader makes a decision they are impacting a life.
Apply the ‘Domino’ or ‘Butterfly’ effect and the number of lives impacted by a leader’s single decision is sometimes mesmerizing.
That is why leaders need to: respond rather than react, seek wisdom, listen to counsel, and reflect frequently.
Once a decision is made, however, it is not final. Leaders must be decisive and firm, but when a poor decision is made, and it happens, it is a leader’s duty to make it right.
I firmly believe that leaders must take the motto “We’ll make it right!” to heart; it’s never too late to right a wrong.
In an earlier post, I discussed the three steps Continue Reading…
The world is filled with admirers of Steve Jobs, and rightfully so. The man was an incredible visionary, innovator, speaker, businessman, leader, and communicator. His impact has left little untouched. One overlooked talent though, was his use of simple language to convey his passion for a product or service. How many times did we hear him say, “insanely great, phenomenal, awesome, revolutionary, amazing, and of course magical?”
His word choice was in sync with his passion for minimalism in design and the simple elegance of his presentation. Uncomplicated. Straightforward. Direct. Powerful. The advertisements, stores, packaging, and even his dress embodied this motif.
He chose simple words, but words powerful in their connotations. They were chosen with care. They were delivered with passion. They told a story.
My favorite term Jobs used was when he called someone or their idea a Bozo.
Bozo was a term Steve would use to describe someone that just didn’t get it. A bozo to him was someone that was more interested in the bureaucracy of business rather than innovation. A bozo was someone that was ineffective and someone that wasn’t authentic. A bozo was someone who focused on what wasn’t important. Basically a bozo was anyone Steve didn’t respect.
I recently read an article though about his use of the term bozo at NeXt. According to NeXt employees, you could go from bozo to genius in months if you eventually got it and performed. (Better yet, outperformed.) And I am sure you could probably drop back down again too.
Many think Steve burned bridges, but I don’t think that is the case at all. Sure, he was competitive and occasionally became upset, but I still remember the shock I had, and later conceded to the brilliance of his move, when he partnered Apple with Microsoft. When you consider all of the deals he made with the record industry, artists, television companies, and publishers, you realize he built far more bridges than he ever burned.
Steve Jobs had standards, incredibly high ones, for himself, his staff, and the corporations he created. The results speak for themselves. Bozos either don’t have standards or they break them. Bozos lack vision or don’t follow it. Bozos place business over delivering a quality service or product.
Don’t want Steve Jobs to think you are a bozo? Do the following:
These are just my observations of a man I never met, but a man who impacted my life more than most of those whom I have.
I will work hard not to be a bozo.
Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker.
He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation
including corporations, schools, churches, conferences,
and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired.
Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.
www.kellycroy.com
1-800-831-4825
Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker.
He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation
including corporations, schools, churches, conferences,
and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired.
Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.
www.kellycroy.com
1-800-831-4825
Today is September 11th and our home reflects a dichotomy of emotions.
A woman on the television solemnly reads the names of those who lost their lives ten years ago at the World Trade Center.
…our house is decorated with balloons and streamers.
Airports are on heightened security due to unconfirmed reports of terrorist movement.
…we will eat cake and sing.
Our leaders hold their breath.
…we celebrate my daughter’s birthday.
It’s not easy celebrating anything on such a solemn day, but I cannot allow my daughter to be robbed the joy of celebrating her life. Still, my mind drifts elsewhere. I think about the lives lost, and I briefly question the wisdom of going to a cinema or a shopping mall in fear of some act of revenge on the anniversary of perhaps the darkest day in our history. We proceed. Perhaps our decisions are weighed a little move heavily. Perhaps I am a bit more conscious. I privately and publicly mourn those who died, honor the heroes, and carry on being a father.
That’s what Americans do best; we carry on. March forward. Advance.
We do not forget.
My daughter gets it; the day is no longer hers. An unfortunate lesson. A sad coincidence. A lesson in service, honor, perspective and gratitude. Families were robbed of loved ones, our country defiled of its innocence and safety, and her day is overshadowed by the remembrance of a tragedy. In truth, she would have it no other way. I believe she feels honored to celebrate her life today as a tribute to so many who gave up theirs. At times it seems odd, and at times, perfect.
Yes, today is September 11th. It’s okay to celebrate birthdays, cheer for your football teams, drive your child to soccer, and laugh at a movie. If we didn’t, the act of terror would have succeeded and continued, and the so many who gave their lives so willingly, truly would have died in vain. We must carry on, march forward, advance, yet never forget.
At church this morning we were reminded to forgive, and I know that cannot be easy. I celebrate my daughter’s life while another father marks the anniversary of his daughter’s death, and yet, I know forgiveness indeed takes place. How do you do that? I am amazed. I have much to learn.
September 11, 2001 was an incredibly humbling day for me. It was as if Death itself had given me a glimpse of my own mortality, a reminder of life’s frailty, and an understanding of the horrors man can conceive and act out. Yet within that shadowy bush of thorns, a blossom of hope and courage emerged like a single red rose, as I was also given a glimpse of the courageousness of mankind, witnessing selfless acts of every day people, stepping forward like the heroes in the comic books I read as a child. I saw giving, sacrifice, compassion, and the complete erasure of nearly every dividing characteristic. On that dark hour we were not aligned to political parties, economic classes, or members of a race. We stood together.
From the ashes of destruction fueled by misguided hate rose a nation united, determined, to advance against a common cause, to make an impact.
On our country’s darkest hour, I was reminded what it means for me to be an American, a Christian, a father, and a neighbor.
Today is September 11th and our home reflects a dichotomy of emotions.
Carry on. March forward. Advance. Never forget.
Happy Birthday Allyson.
Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker.
He has entertained and amazed audiences across the nation
including corporations, schools, churches, conferences,
and anywhere people come together to be entertained and inspired.
Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.
1-800-831-4825
