Write it Down.

Hand writing1

We write down the groceries we need, gifts to buy at the mall, doctors’ appointments, to-do lists, recipes, directions, car maintenance appointments,  and other things we deem important.

We compose emails, texts, Twitter posts, blogs, and we update our Facebook status with regularity.

Yet, most people choose not to write down their goals, their resolutions, or what they want to accomplish for the year, yet alone their life. They fail to design a plan, or even make a list of where they’d like to go, what they’d they like to have, who they’d like to help, or the person they’d like to become, and then they’re frequently disappointed when life doesn’t deliver their dreams and wishes.

Writing down our goals and resolutions matters. Follow the recipe to create the dish, arrive at the location, assemble the product, complete the course. It really is that simple.

My goals, resolutions, and plans are always updated in a small portable journal.  I take it nearly everywhere I go. There are no scrap pieces of paper in my life, no post-it notes, no napkin designs; I write everything in my journal. If I want to change direction, need a little motivation, or can’t remember where I was on a project, I know where to find it.

I also begin each day with an index card that serves as my to-do list.  It works in conjunction with my journal. Neither are difficult, nor take up much time. They work well for me, but perhaps not you, and that’s fine. All I wish to accomplish is to emphasize the importance of writing down your goals and resolutions. That’s it.

Just jot them down after some thought and review them periodically as the very minimum to make some awesome accomplishments.  Or, start a journal, and design the life you want to live.

Then of course there is the most cited Harvard Study of all time about writing down your goals. It states that the 3% of the graduates who took the time to write down what they wanted, accomplished more than the other 97% combined.

My personal testimony: Writing down my goals and resolutions has created incredible results in my life. Without question it is the single most important tool in my arsenal.

For those that don’t know where to begin, I encourage you to begin simply. There is no right or wrong method. If you workout every day your body is going to change, regardless if you know what you’re doing or not. The better the plan, the better the results. The same is true for writing down and maintaining your goals in life. Some is better than none.

For those that say they don’t have time to write down their goals, please know that our time here is short and we need to spend it on what matters most. Take a few minutes to design the life you want and aim yourself in that direction.

Write it down.

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

This is the year I resolve to…

Resolve quotes

The new year offers each of us an opportunity to renew and refresh our lives. It can provide us with an opportunity to look forward and plan new adventures, new goals, and imagine new possibilities. It allows us to forgive ourselves for past mistakes and imagine a new life.

Yes, we can do this at any time in the year, it doesn’t have to be the first of January, but when the calendar turns to a new year there is a genuine feeling of renewal; it is like hitting the reset button on a computer game, or buying a new car.

Many people dismiss the idea of making a resolution. They believe resolutions are a waste of time. And for many it is, because they approach it the wrong way. I see it quite differently. To me resolutions are a part of my life plan. They provide me with direction and purpose.

Should you create a list of resolutions? No question about it. Absolutely! Just make it a “resolution” not something less. A resolution by definition means unwavering. It all comes down to word choice.

For most, it’s not a resolution, it’s a wish. Here are the things I’d like to have happen, but I don’t really want to put anything into it.

A resolution is far different. Here is what I resolve to accomplish. I won’t let anything stand in my way. This is the person I am committed to becoming.

What if I fail? Oh, you will fail, and plenty of times. The person who made a wish quits, and the person who made a resolution tries again. On the same date the following year, everyone that made a resolution is in many ways better off, and those that made wishes are at the same place, or sadly more often worse.

The consistency and discipline needed to

improve in one area, say dieting, carries over to others, say spending less. Making improvements in one area benefit many.

So, yes, make a resolution. You will be more productive and feel better about yourself. You might just inspire someone else too.

Resolutions can be as simple as, “This is the year I will…

• lose those extra pounds and get into better shape.

• finish writing my book.

• enter that 5K.

• save more money.

• get a quote on that remodeling project.

• grow closer spiritually through prayer.

• payoff that loan.

• regulate my time online better.

• give more charitably.

• create something that never existed before.

Resolutions aren’t dumb, nor are they a waste of time.

I hope you make one, share it, and if not actually achieve it, come closer than you ever have in your life.

Good luck.

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

Would Steve Jobs Consider You a Bozo?

This is the biography of Steve Jobs that I read.

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. Click to Read More

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

Reward Commitment: Invent a buy-back program

I picked up my daughter’s basketball sitting

Deflated basketball

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.

www.kellycroy.com

1-800-831-4825

Three Commitments For Parenting a Leader

Do you really want your child to be a leader? I posed this question a while back; it received a notable response, and it remains one of my most popular posts. Where do we stand as parents in the responsibility of raising leaders? Weigh the question carefully. Consider the contrasts between raising a leader and a star. Do you really want your child to be a leader?

I hope you answered yes, but I will understand if you didn’t. Leadership and popularity rarely go hand in hand, and leadership requires a lot of hard work. For me the answer is simple; I want to raise leaders. I want my children to be prepared for anything, to make a difference, and live a life of purpose.

If you really want to help parent a leader, you need to make three clear commitments.

1) I will educate my child about leadership. Leadership really needs to be taught. It amazes me how many people don’t understand this simple truth. If you want your child to become a leader, surround her with leadership resources. These can be books, audio, video, and so much more. This includes the comments you make about leaders in front of your children. This includes the leadership examples you take within your community, church, school, and work. If you don’t serve a leadership role, your child probably won’t either.

2) I will provide my child with leadership mentors. A mentor is the greatest gift you can ever provide for your child. Mentors can arrive in the fashion of a relative, a coach, a teacher, an advisor, or many other roles, but don’t take it for chance, and don’t assume these people are mentoring. Set it up. Contact someone you admire, or talk with your child about possibilities, and then meet with them and discuss what you are looking to accomplish. I will include a future post about how to do this, but know this: Mentoring Works. A recent study demonstrated that a teen with a mentor is 46% less likely than their peers to start using illegal drugs. For me, sports, Scouting, and my family surrounded me with lots of authentic mentors that provided me with the one on one discussions I truly needed. Mentoring must be one-on-one, consistent, and have a clear purpose.

3) I will encourage opportunities for my child to lead. If you want your child to lead you must allow them to accept leadership roles and encourage them. It may require some extra driving and scheduling responsibilities on your part, and may even create some unwanted drama, but leaders are made during moments of discontent, not harmony. They will not get it right the first time either. They will need to make several attempts at it. With the proper support, education, and mentoring your child will fail their way to becoming a successful leader. Sadly some students finally receive an opportunity to lead, but have not received any education or mentoring about leadership, and fail so badly they vow to never lead again. I understand I need to listen to my child about the types of leadership roles they are interested in, and at other times I will need to encourage possible leadership roles for them.

Leaders make leaders of others, and parenting is one of the most important leadership roles we may ever serve. I hope will join me in raising a leader and give great thought to how you can provide the education, mentoring, and opportunities of leadership for your child. I look forward to reading your comments.

 

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

What’s Next?

Question mark“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.

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.