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Christmas Greetings

christmaswindow1Too 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.

One such phrase that we cannot allow to be devalued is Merry Christmas. In truth, the phrase is most sacred in meaning and expression. When offering someone a “Merry Christmas” we should be fully attentive to its precise meaning and present it with a genuine smile. I cannot imagine a better greeting or farewell than a sincere Merry Christmas.
There has been much attention in recent years to the use of Merry Christmas in stores, cards, and promotions, or more accurately its lack of use in our society. I personally disapprove of the use of “X-mas” and I do indeed feel it leaves Christ out, but I mostly keep those thoughts to myself. I have never really felt that people use it to be purposefully disrespectful, and I have even heard arguments that it is Christian in origin, as ‘X’ was the Greek symbol for Christos, or Christ.  Still, it is not for me.  As for the use of “Happy Holidays” I am not so bothered, but I still prefer Merry Christmas.  The word “Holiday” is a compound word formed originally from “Holy” and “Day” which is exactly what Christmas is, the holy day.
For me, the concern is more about the tone and expression of the greeting.  Regardless of whether we share a “Merry Christmas” or a “Happy Holidays”— is our heart and soul into it? Or are we just going through the motions? Christmas is our most sacred holiday. The music, food, decorations, singing, lights, and all the merriment is meant to celebrate the birth of Our Savior. Our attitudes should also reflect this great joy.
Charles Dickens’ creation of Ebenezer Scrooge is a holiday classic. His Christmas Carol succeeds because all of us can identify a “Scrooge” in our lives, and to be honest, within ourselves from time to time. The holidays can create stress, anger, and even depression, but only because our focus is tuned to the distractions and not God.  Let Christ truly be our focus this holiday season in both our greeting and in our hearts.
It is so easy to get caught up in what Christmas isn’t really about. Let’s set aside our worries and pains this Christmas season, and celebrate, with great merriment and joy, the birth of Christ.
I wish you a very Merry Christmas. May your homes be filled with much laughter and happiness.
~ Kelly
Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.
Please visit our website to book Kelly for your next event.  
www.kellycroy.com  info@kellycroy.com 1-800-831-4825
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The Secret to Accomplishing BIG Goals and Dreams!

Toe in water thumb 10

Each and every day I take out a small index card and make my to-do list. The result is simple; I get things done.

Each year I set goals for myself and monitor them regularly in my journal. The result is always positive; I accomplish some great goals each year.

Still, there are some tasks that either evade me, or I am avoiding, and some BIG life goals that I cannot even seem to get started. With them, I seem to be in a rut. I continually write them down as ‘to-do’ but barely make any progress. The worst of it is in the the reality that these are the goals and accomplishments that would mean the most to me if completed. They would make the biggest impact in my life.

I have always read and heard that you need to write goals down and that they need to be specific. Most of the time that works well for me, but recently I have uncovered a secret that has allowed me to make progress in those really tough areas that I have been stagnant for so long.

The solution is: The Secret of ‘Some‘.

A novel can be 50,000 words. You can’t write one of those in a day.

Ten pounds is 35,000 calories. You won’t be losing that in a day.

Too often the knowledge of ‘the amount’ it takes to finish prevents us from starting or staying on track.

We surrender out of fear of failure and convince ourselves with the improbability of success or imagine the exhaustive state we will be at, even with a fraction of the progress.

That is why most people don’t write novels or ever lose that ten pounds.

I recently discovered this amazing adjective called some. It’s not scary nor even measurable, yet with it you can get anywhere and accomplish anything.

Can’t run a marathon? Great, run some.

Can’t reduce your diet down to 1800 calories a day? Super! Just reduce it by some.

Some allows us to reach our goals. Some allows to make progress.

The only thing that must accompany some to make it happen is the noun consistency.

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


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September 11th: A Celebration on a Solemn Day

9 11 Tribute Final

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.

Today is September 11th.

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.

www.kellycroy.com

1-800-831-4825

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Six Things I Believe Children Need to Hear More Often

Children hear a lot of things during the course of a day. Each and every word makes a lasting impact. Parents, teachers, coaches, advisors, and mentors must choose their words carefully. We aren’t always going to have the right words at the right time, but we always need to try. Here are six things I think children need to hear more often:

1) Yes! We want to keep children safe and prevent them from becoming unruly and spoiled. The word “No” is often set as default. I think children need to hear ‘Yes’ more often. You don’t have to give in to every request, just quantify when they can do something. “Dad, can I go to a friend’s house?” Try, “Yes, but not today. When your room is clean ask me again for another day.”

2) I Make Mistakes Too! Children need to know that everyone makes mistakes, and that failing is the pathway to success. We want students to accept and demonstrate responsibility, show leadership, and try new things. When we as adults use the wrong words we need to let children know we made a mistake for that too.

3) You Can Accomplish Anything! I use to think everyone heard this from their parents. By the end of my first year of teaching, now twenty, I knew this isn’t true. This really was a great gift my parents gave me. I placed no limitations on my future. I dreamt big, and went after and achieved goals that really should have been unobtainable. Remind children every day that they too are limitless despite any odds or environment. Remind them they can accomplish anything.

4) How Can I Help You? Children need to understand that they can always ask for help, but also need to know that we aren’t going to give them the answer or do the work for them. In the age of Google, Click to Read More

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The Ultimate Blogging Tool: A Review of RedSweater’s MarsEdit

Screen shot 2011 07 05 at 12 58 38 PMI have recently written about why I wish all educators should blog and I have even given some of my own insight on how they could and should get started. In truth I believe everyone should blog. It’s a great place to store and share your ideas about life, the world, and the niches that you are truly an expert. Leaders should absolutely blog, and corporations should require employees to blog as well. More on both of those later. (And yes, you really are an expert and you have much to share.) I would like to take my advice about blogging even farther with this review of the ultimate blogging tool—MarsEdit.

Give my article, Why Every Educator Should Blog, whether you are an educator or not, because it also applies to you as a person. We all have people we need to influence and we all have much to share. I hope you will find it inspiring enough to start your own blog very soon.

Soon, if it hasn’t happened already, you will find a great blog hosting site like www.wordpress.com and will have started writing some articles to share what you have learned with others. If you haven’t discovered it already, sites like WordPress and ALL of the others limit you by forcing you to only be able to write while online. This can become a hassle very quickly, especially in the busy lives we all lead. That’s where MarsEdit comes in.

MarsEdit is the BEST solution for maintaining your blog. It is super-easy to use, looks great, works perfectly every time, and has fantastic customer support. Wired Educator wants every educator to blog and share their knowledge with other educators and we recommend MarsEdit.

MarsEdit is a great choice because it allows you to create content for your blog offline. MarsEdit works much like a word processor, allowing you to construct and format your post and even schedule when you would like it to post. MarsEdit allows me to work on my blog posts wherever I am, whenever I can. A few minutes of time translates into some serious progress on a blog. The preview screen allows you to see exactly what everyone will see when you post, and including a photo or other media is easy and works with every type of program and online photo sharing site.

I have two primary blogs that I write and create content for www.kellycroy.wordpress.com and www.wirededucator.com one is through wordpress.org and the other through wordpress.com. It was very easy to setup MarsEdit to post to these platforms and if you run into any trouble their Customer Service is fast, dedicated, and efficient. I doubt you will need it, but it always GREAT knowing awesome customer service is available. (I just wrote a post on customer service on my other blog and Red Sweater met and surpassed all of my requirements for quality customer service. I had a few questions and they made me feel important and answered every question and helped me in every way. Send an email and get a solution. I like that and so will you. Amazing!)

After much research, I can assure you that MarsEdit is the best blog editor available. It costs $39.95 and you can purchase it on the following link: You can also test drive it for 30 days for FREE. https://www.red-sweater.com/store/ There is a slight learning curve, but overall very easy to use.

MarsEdit is regularly updated with new features and improvements. At the time of this writing it is on version 3.3.1 and works great.
Screen shot 2011 07 05 at 12 58 28 PM

MarsEdit is the perfect solution for maintaining a blog. Forcing myself to find a few areas for improvement, I have decided we would like to see an Inspector like tool for formatting the page layout rather than using the menu-bar and keystroke shortcuts. I would also like to see the ability to access the iSight camera directly on our MacBook for video blogging, and easier importing/pasting of YouTube videos. It’s easy to see why MarsEdit is so widely used by both professional and amateur bloggers alike, and why it continues to win awards. Do yourself a favor and download MarsEdit and start blogging.

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.

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Great Leaders Respond Timely.

What’s your response time?Stop watch

Communication is essential to leadership. To communicate well is to influence others into making a difference. Most leaders understand the importance of communication, and they spend a great deal of time on what they want to say and how they want to say it. Unfortunately, many emerging leaders do not understand that WHEN they respond is as important as their message, and in some cases even more.

A leader must master responsiveness.

The story of NASA’s Apollo 13 mission is a highlight in history of how leadership emerges during times of trouble, and how great response time identifies leaders within an organization and in life. The story of Apollo 13 mission is full of heroes, but what I love most about it is how the men in mission control, not just the astronauts themselves, are proven to be heroes for responding timely. They emerge as leaders.

In a world dominated with the ability to communicate quickly with smart phones, laptops, and social media sites, it is sad that so few do. Calls are not returned promptly. Thank you cards are never sent. Emails fill inboxes. Text messages hang in limbo. Assignments miss their due date.

What is the consequence of not responding timely?

Much. You may not be leading a mission to safely return wayward astronauts from a mission gone wrong, but you really should respond to every message with a sincere level of diligence and importance.

Remember, you’re not replying to a message, you’re replying to a person.

How do you feel when you wait on hold, an email remains unanswered, a call unreturned? If you’re like me you begin to question whether it was received, question the person on the other end, become frustrated or worse.

When questions go unanswered people fill in the gaps. They often assume the worst. False information is spread, and negative impressions are formed. Am I not important enough to merit a reply? Is my question less important than others?

Some leaders mistakenly believe that to respond quickly (aka promptly) is a sign of weakness: they’re afraid it will show they don’t have more important activities, and that others will judge them inferior for too quick of a response. But what does a quick response mean to the person receiving it? It tells them, “Hey! I matter. I’m important.” We like people that recognize us, spend time with us, and reach out to us. We admire them. We become enchanted. We want to do business with them. We want to help them. A quick response is endearing. It fosters loyalty. It matters.

I’m hoping that the leaders that dig these communication moats around their castles don’t mistakingly believe they are protecting themselves or their business by delaying their response. They’re not. They are, in actuality, creating more problems, creating more work and damaging the positive image they work so hard to make.

The solution: Respond Timely.

But I don’t have time to respond to everyone. Wrong! You can’t afford not to.You will be surprised how little time it actually takes.

What does a leader need to make timely responses? Some courage, some time, a good attitude, and most importantly a plan. In a future post I will address some productivity secrets that I have gleaned from the greats, and some I probably mistakenly credit to myself. These will be helpful, but you have to convince yourself of the need to respond to the people that contact you.

Great leaders in all walks of life master the timely response. They don’t react. They don’t shoot from the hip.  They measure, weigh, and time their response accordingly. Please consider your communication habits and see if timeliness is an area you may wish to give some greater attention.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

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.

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Action: Leadership Series Part Seven of Seven

Take action

If I could sum leadership up in a single word, it would be a difficult task, but it would have to be ACTION.

Leaders speak when others remain silent. They stand up when others remain seated. They right the wrongs of the world, and create something that never existed before, simply because it was needed. Leaders recognize their part in the world, and understand they have a responsibility to others. They seek to serve a greater calling, and fill their life with a genuine purpose.

Leaders are willing to take a chance to make a change. They risk criticism. They understand leadership is no popularity contest. They ‘get’ that people might not appreciate what they’ve done, and dislike their words and actions. But they understand that not trying is worse. Leadership isn’t really about them.

You can possess every element of leadership I have mentioned: attitude, communication, wisdom, vision, tenacity, and authenticity, but if you don’t follow it up with the final ingredient, ACTION, nothing will ever happen. Nothing.

Leaders not only hear the call to lead, they answer it.

I have decided early in this life that I cannot possibly be right 100% of the time, and probably not even most of the time. I cannot control what other people think about me. I will make mistakes, but I will not allow that to deter me from taking action. While this may be the shortest article on Leadership I have ever posted, it is perhaps also the most important. Leaders take action.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

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.

 

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Authenticity: Leadership Series Part Six of Seven

Screen shot 2011 04 11 at 3 54 51 PMDo you act the same way regardless of who is around? Or are you a different person to different people? As a teacher and coach I have observed that student athletes often act differently depending on who is watching them.

If you assembled all of the people you know, together in one room, would they describe the same person? Authenticity isn’t about being perfect, but it has everything to do with trust, integrity, and loyalty. Living an authentic life is paramount to maintaing your credibility as a leader and leaving a lasting impact on others. We trust and admire those who live authentic lives. Leaders are people who live by set of core values.

Authenticity is about who you say you are, who people say you are, and who you really are. Tell me what you value and I’ll tell you what kind of person you will become.

Authenticity is the glue that holds leadership together. Without it a leader falls apart. Nothing will weaken your impact more, or destroy your accomplishments faster than a breach of trust or a lapse in your integrity.

To be a leader you must have integrity, and you must be trustworthy. These are the elements that make up your authenticity, and authenticity is the glue that holds the leader together.

A friend of mine graduated from the Naval Academy, where authenticity is ingrained into each and every graduate. We went out to eat with some friends once and he was given the incorrect change. He was calculating the error as we were leaving the restaurant. He told us he had to go back in and fix the error. A buddy of ours pointed out that the error was in his favor. He was given too much money back! He replied, “I know! I have to get back in there.” The overpayment was for thirty cents, but he explained that someone at some point was going to have to account for that thirty cents and that doing the right thing, every time, is priceless.

A man with integrity doesn’t do the right once in awhile, not most of the time, and not just when others see it. The authentic leader does the right thing every single time. Sure, he will make mistakes, but once he knows he has, he will immediately move to correct it.

During my college football practices the team had to run warm-up laps around the field. While running those laps a few of the guys would round off the corners of the field. They didn’t go all the way around the corner, and shaved off a few feet and some time and energy. They didn’t stay outside the white line like we were told. It was easier to round the corner off.

Well, our line coach would yell. “Hey! You cheat on these laps and you’ll cheat on your wife! You cheat on these laps and you’ll cheat your whole life.” It had a nice rhyme and by midway through camp we’d all repeat it once he started and no one ever rounded a corner again.

I still remember that lesson today. There is a lot of truth to it. To cheat in life you have to start somewhere. I’m pretty certain that the guy with a machine gun robbing a bank probably started smaller, and this isn’t his first time. Did he take a nickel off his brother’s dresser? Did he steal a paperclip from a teacher’s desk? Graduate to taking classmates’ lunch money? It had to start somewhere.
You aren’t born with integrity. Sure we’re innocent enough when we are little. Integrity, trustworthiness, loyalty, these qualities are things you build upon your entire life. They’re like bank accounts. Every time you keep your word, and do the right thing you make a deposit. When you lie and cheat, well you potentially go bankrupt. Work at being authentic.
Authenticity is about not placing anything above your integrity, your word, or doing what is right.

Take Responsibility for your actions. If someone compliments you for your work or gives you praise, accept it, but quickly pass the praise along to those you lead. However, when you make a mistake or things just don’t go the way you thought, be just as quick to accept the hardship.

We expect our athletes to take responsibility on the field. Nothing upsets me more or disappoints me more when an athlete blames someone else for a mistake. Nothing makes me more proud when a person immediately owns up to their mistakes.
Lets face it, mistakes are going to happen. If you’re not making mistakes you aren’t doing enough. Take responsibility.

To lead for any duration a leader must possess authenticity. To be truly authentic we must practice it at every moment of every day.

Kelly is an inspirational speaker, author, and artist.

www.kellycroy.com

Click to email Kelly questions about presenting at your event!

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.