A tribute to Steve Jobs:
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
I picked up my daughter’s basketball sitting
where she practices at home. It was as smooth as an apple. Useless. All the bounce was gone, and it was becoming threadbare in some areas. I was about to toss it in the trashcan and get her a new one when my daughter stopped me. She told me she was taking it to practice with her that day and that her coach would give her a new basketball. In fact, she elaborated, her coach would give her a new basketball for every one she wore out. Wow! What a fabulous idea!
My daughter’s coach did in fact give her a basketball for every one she wore out, but more amazing than that is that her coach instilled in her a desire to practice, gave her a visual goal, and reinforced the successful habits of a committed athlete. Well done.
I incorporated that idea into my own life. I have been wanting a new laptop for some time. Not just any laptop, but the new MacBook Air from Apple. I have saved my money and all I need to do is place the order, but I made a commitment to myself to wait until I have finished the book I have been working on for the past two years. My current laptop used for writing will be replaced with the new one when the book is finished and query letters mailed.
It’s easy to become distracted, but there are techniques we can employ to counter them and become more productive, and I believe creating your own buy-back program is an excellent idea to meet your goals.
Discipline, focus, commitment, and training are the keys to success in any area in life, whether it be writing, sports, art, or anything else. The distractions become less influential when we have a clear measurable goal in front of us.
I hope you can find an area in your life that you can set-up a similar buy-back reward program. Perhaps you can use it with a friend or family member, or perhaps even with yourself.
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
“What’s Next?”
Is there a marathon in your future? Certification? A trip? A new house? A book?
Asking, “What’s next?” can be incredibly powerful, perhaps even a life-changing question. A question that can change the quality of your life. A question that can change your purpose, perhaps even create your legacy. Too often the question is either avoided completely or embraced too quickly.
Some people ask, “What’s next?” with excitement and anticipation. Others avoid it outright.
Avoidance: Why are some people afraid to ask, “What’s Next?” Perhaps they are comfortable and complacent where they are at and they don’t want to disrupt that false sense of security. They live in their past accomplishment, and talk about what they have accomplished. Everyone should celebrate their victories in life, but everyone needs to move on to a new challenge sooner than later. Asking, “What’s Next?” creates progress and forward movement, and it’s fun. Sitting down and planning your next big move, goal, event, project, race, or plan is excitement building time. I love these creative periods of brainstorming and envisioning.
But I’m Content: A friend of mine tells me he is content. He believes what’s next will find him when the time is right. In the meantime he relishes in his stories of past accomplishments. I understand that, because he really has accomplished much, but for me I must ask what’s next and seek it out. Life is short and I want to make the most of it. When opportunity presents itself, I will pounce on it. In the meantime, I will be attempting to make my own luck in this world. I will show gratitude, I will be thankful, but I will not be content. There is too much in this world to do. I am thankful for the innovators before me where not content. Mother Theresa could have stopped her life of service in her sixties.
Are your greatest days in front of you or behind you? It doesn’t matter what your age is or your physical status. You can accomplish great things and you should be asking what’s next.
Premature: Some people ask “What’s next?” prematurely. I suffer from this. I am always anxious to move on to the next BIG thing, sometimes my energy shifts before I have completed an important project. What’s next is powerful and important, but it has it’s place and time. Make sure you finish up your project or dream before moving on too quickly. If this happens to you, I encourage you to read my post, “It’s Not Time for That Yet!” and learn how you can maintain those great ideas, finish what you’ve already started, and prepare to ask yourself, “What’s next?”
Magic Hour: The best time to begin envisioning what you will do next is not after you accomplish your current goal or project, but as you enter the final finishing stages. Hemingway always abandoned his writing for the day mid-sentence to keep himself fresh and eager to dive back in to writing. I know I must sign up for another athletic event before I finish competition on my current race or I will get a touch of the blues and fall out of training. I know my wife always enjoys looking forward to a trip. Apple computers has a pipeline of “what’s next” products they are preparing. You should have a list ready in your journal and actually begin working on it as you finish your latest and greatest life victory.
I hope you decide to connect with me on Facebook or Twitter and let me know what’s next for you.
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.
This week’s news of Brigham Young University’s suspension of basketball phenom, Brandon Davies has surprised and shocked the nation. Many were upset by the decision to suspend the leader of the nation’s number 3 basketball team just days before March Madness begins, but not me. I am proud of BYU’s enforcement of such high standards. I applaud their action. It is an example that will serve us all well.
Bad behavior among athletes at both collegiate and professional levels has become accepted. Hollywood bad boys and girls like Charlie Sheen and Lindsey Lohan dominate television, press, and the internet. No one wants to be anyone’s role model any more. People don’t want consequences, they just want left alone. It’s a private matter. I’m not hurting anyone but myself. I’m special. I’m the exception to the rule. Move along.
I beg to differ. We have an obligation to our families, friends, colleagues, and communities to maintain high standards. We owe it to those who came before us, and to those who will follow after us. We should always give our best, live by a creed, and draw lines in the sand that we will not cross. Ever. But if we do, we need to accept the consequences and atone. It’s not easy when mainstream television reality shows sell the concept to win at any cost.
We begin with high standards but allow them to dissipate over time. With each success and failure we lose sight of the standards we hold ourselves and others to. In Scouting we recited our Oath and Motto aloud. It was a commitment we made in front of each other verbally each week. It was stitched into our uniforms, embossed on the covers of our books, and displayed in posters on the walls of our meeting rooms. It was a regular part of our routine and life. I can still recite the Oath, Points, and Motto. More importantly, I still follow them. I know they make a difference.
Davies’s actions, however, were not criminal and would not be seen by the majority of the country even as wrong. (He had premarital sex with his girlfriend.) Brigham Young enforced its honor code this week that forbids it. They chose not to turn a blind eye to a breach in their policy, which in this case may very well cost them placement in the NCAA Tournament. I cannot even think of another college that would enforce this rule. Still, it is their rule. Their incredibly high standard.
What happens when you set and keep incredibly high standards? You achieve incredible accomplishments.
Do you have an honor code? Does your family have standards? Do you know your company’s policies on misconduct? What rules have slipped into that gray area of indifference?
Renew, refresh, restore, and reinitiate your personal high standards. Surround yourself with people who hold you to a higher standard. The Marines and others known for their incredibly high standards incorporate them into their emblems and logos. They follow them, enforce them, and reward them. Do you?
I hope BYU and the hard working athletes on the team that kept to the rules do well. I hope Davies returns and becomes one of the great, memorable players of the game. I hope BYU’s high standards become the example of class for universities across the nation to follow. And I hope everyone looks at this news story as a personal opportunity to set or renew high standards for themselves.
We need to become better men and women, not lower our standards. Applaud and recognize those who maintain high standards. Call out those who do not, and ask them to renew their commitment or exit.
What an amazing example of leadership!
Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. His presentations have entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and wherever people come together to be entertained and improve their lives. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.
Please visit Kelly’s website to book him for your next event.
1-800-831-4825
A good friend of mine is a successful writer and speaker. His books quite simply change lives. An aspiration for any writer. An aspiration for any speaker. An aspiration for any person.
Every now and then I contact my friend with an idea that I truly believe he must act on immediately. He casually responds nearly every time with, “Great idea, but it’s not time for that yet.”
Brilliance.
I’m blessed with Attention Deficit Disorder, better known to all as ADD. Blessed? Yes, because it is one of the muses that feeds me such creative, out-of-this-world ideas. I love it. One of the drawbacks, however, is of course the fact that I get so many ideas that I want to jump from project to project and then I don’t finish things. I never, ever, refer to my ADD as anything but a blessing. I mean that. It’s as much a part of me as my blue eyes. In fact, I try not to refer to my ADD at all. (I love it so much I feel it’s like bragging about how much you can bench press. After all, I consider ADD one of my super powers.)
When all of these creative ideas start flooding my brain and pushing out the project that I really need to buckle-down on and finish, I just need to remind myself that it’s not time for that, yet. And I do. My brain starts screaming, “Let’s do this!” I just say to myself, “It’s not time for that brain.” I take out my journal and I write down the amazing idea that just popped in there. I date it. Sometimes I even do a very quick sketch or two of what it’s suppose to look like or do. I give the idea a bold heading so when I flip through my journal I see it. Then I skip a line or two and write why I need to return to the project I interrupted and what it will mean to me and my family when I am finished.
It’s very important that you complete that last step. Once that new idea pops into your brain it steals some of the excitement and energy from the project you are working on. You have to invigorate that passion and energy into your project again. You will need to recapture that purpose and energy. Then immediately jump back into that project and make some real progress. Remind yourself of why you want to finish, what it will mean, and the date you want it completed. Being successful is not just knowing what to do, but knowing when to do it.
Here are the steps to take when your project gets interrupted by a new, wonderful idea:
Finish that project. Everyone loves and respects those who do what they say, and follow-through on their dreams and ideas.
Dream big, but finish!
Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. His presentations have entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and wherever people come together to be entertained and improve their lives. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.
Please visit Kelly’s website to book him for your next event.
1-800-831-4825
My recent natural gas bill arrived. While bills are my least favorite piece of correspondence each month, I have to admit the helpfulness of the statement. It included a nice graph of my usage over the last year. It let me know how much I have paid and what I owe. Interestingly enough, it even predicted my usage for the following month. Each statement serves as a reminder and holds us to a certain level of accountability of what we owe. It lets us know where we are.
Wouldn’t it be great if we received a similar billing statement each month for our goals?
Seriously! Most people never know where they are with the goals they wish to accomplish. It would be awesome to receive a statement each month telling us how much time we’ve put into our dream, what we owe, where we are at, and what we need to finally finish it.
Well, we can. My billing statement each month is in my journal. I choose the 28th of each month as the due date for my dream statements because I was born on the 28th of July and that’s easiest day for me to remember. It’s like a private monthly celebration of my life and what I plan to do with it.
You can do the same.
You see, if we don’t review our life goals regularly we get behind, just like we would with a real bill. Unlike the natural gas company, we won’t receive any late notices, but what we owe starts piling up. (Most of the time to a level that makes it appear impossible to accomplish. That’s why people quit.) Can you imagine how hard it would be if you tried to pay two months at a time, or your entire bill all at once? Ouch! The same is true of our goals and dreams.
Just like our billing statements from our utilities we need to make monthly contributions and track our progress.
So, bust out that journal daily or weekly if you can, but especially on the date of your birth each month. Create a reminder or alert on your phone or calendar if needed.
Write down the big three questions that will drive you toward success:
Kelly Croy is a chalk artist and professional speaker. His presentations have entertained and amazed audiences across the nation including corporations, schools, churches, conferences, and wherever people come together to be entertained and improve their lives. Please consider booking Kelly for your next event.
Please visit Kelly’s website to book him for your next event.
1-800-831-4825
I hear parents say it a lot, but I cannot help but to question their sincerity. In my twenty years of teaching and coaching, and my travels as an inspirational speaker and artist, a common theme among parents is the importance of leadership in their child’s lives. Or so they say.
Do you really want your child to be a leader?
My experience says no. I think most parents confuse leadership with being the star. They don’t want a leader. They want their child’s picture in the paper, the trophy on the mantle, or the name on the record board. They want to tell relatives that their daughter is the captain of the team, that their son is the president of the club, and add another title to the college entrance application. They want their child to be well liked and admired. That is what I believe most parents want.
The truth is that while leadership can often be a truly rewarding experience, it is often a lot of hard work. Leaders have responsibilities whether their team wins or loses. They are often ridiculed, criticized, and they work well beyond ‘their fair share’ with little to show for it. Leadership is not a popularity contest and it isn’t about being the star.
Do you really want your child to be a leader?
If you are still answering yes then I must ask you what you are doing to encourage that leadership? Do you criticize public leaders in front of your children? Complain about the decisions a leader has made? Do you volunteer in leadership roles? Do you offer your child opportunities to make decisions and take leadership roles? When they do, do you support them? Click to Read More
