Photo Credit: Creative Commons – kitsu

Here’s my final video blog post from the SCORRE Conference, which I attended last week.

The conference helps communicators organize and present virtually any kind of  information in a clear manner.

The need for the conference became apparent when the organizers conducted a study of 2,500 individuals who had attended a series of speaker events and found the following results:

• 75% of attendees could not communicate the purpose of the speech they had just heard;
• 50% of the speakers themselves could not concisely communicate the objective of their speech.

Enter the SCORRE Conference to help. Even though I’ve been a professional communicator for 24 years, this conference helped me as you’ll hear in this video below.

Question: How do you practice communicating?

Photo Credit: Creative Commons – thestranger

Last evening I was trolling around the web when I came across this incredible compilation video that I’ve embedded below.

It is an amalgamation of snippets of people doing some incredible tricks, stunts and skills.

As goofy as it sounds, this montage inspired me to take action on a couple of projects that I had been avoiding – because of fear.

I hope you find this “fearless” collection of clips as inspiring and entertaining as I did.

The little girl slide-parking her bike with training wheels at 3 minutes, 49 seconds into the video was cool enough for me – and there’s so much more than just that!

While I won’t be doing any handsprings off my thumbs or 100 foot double-reverse flips into river rapids – I’m definitely inspired to try other things. How about you?

Question: What’s fear keeping you from doing?

Photo Credit: Creative Commons – Lee J Heywood

One of the things I love about my family is that we take regular walks together around our neighborhood.

It’s been during these walkabouts over the years that I’ve noticed three traits in our kids that my wife and I have tried to correct when they manifest.

Distraction

Anybody who has walked with a toddler knows that they want to stop and look at every stone, sidewalk crack, bug and dried worm that might catch their little eye.

These constant side excursions often turn what should have been a brief 15 minute walk into a protracted hour-long shuffle that only managed to go 500 feet beyond our front yard.

I’m not talking about stopping to smell the flowers – that’s completely fine and encouraged. I’m referring to the times when the kids are distracted by something at every step. As parents, we strive to redirect them back to the main purpose of our walk and to keep moving forward.

Impatience

As the kids have gotten older they have come to enjoy and anticipate our regular constitutionals as a family. However, while my wife and I hold hands – walking at a reasonable pace – our girls tend to sprint to the corner far ahead of us where they wait until we arrive to cross the street.

Once we arrive at the corner and cross together, the sprinting separation scenario repeats.

While that type of exercise and exertion is great, we try to remind the girls that we like to stick together on our walks and enjoy each other’s company.

Additionally, when they do jet ahead of us with the speed of Usain Bolt we encourage them to temper their energy with caution.

Family walks are no fun, when one of the participants has to be carried home or limps back to the house in tears from a skinned knee.

Apathy

This final attribute is perhaps the most troubling to see manifested in youngsters and preteens. We haven’t really seen it yet in our own girls other than an occasional eye roll from our oldest when we announce the departure for our semi-nightly outings.

However, we  really notice this attitudinal phenomena when we see other families walking. The parents might be pushing a baby in a stroller with an elementary-age schooler walking next to it while a preteen trails fair behind the pack.

If you didn’t know the family, you would easily assume the stragler wasn’t part of the group.

To try and forestall this attitude in our kids we reinforce the fact that we’re all on the walk together – we started it as a team and we’ll finish it as a team. In fact, one of our self-dubbed monikers for our clan is Team Constantino.

Not Just Kids

The ironic thing about these three observed attributes is that as I write this, I’m mindful of the fact that I’m not immune to displaying the traits of distraction, impatience and apathy myself.

It’s always easier to correct bad behavior in others than it is in ourselves. But that’s one of the other things I love about having a family.

They serve as a bi-directional feedback loop for me.

When I call our kid’s attention to a particular behavior that needs adjustment – such as cleaning up their respective rooms – I had better be able to receive back the same critique myself if my own conduct dips below our communal expectations.

Our young ones need to see my wife and I practice what we preach so we don’t come across as hypocritical blowhards regarding the little and big things in life.

None of us are perfect, but I’m truly grateful and blessed to have my family on this journey of life to help us keep each other on track.

Question: Have you seen similar traits manifested in your kids? Is there a favorite activity that you do with your family? 

Artwork by Wes Molebash @wesdraws.com

It seems I’ve been recruited into a battle of bloggers.

The masterminds of this battle royale are Rob Shepard and Ricky Anderson respectively – who are actually great friends but highly competitive.

In fact, these two guys are so stoked by the thrill of competition – they’ve pooled resources and commisioned an original cartoon drawing of all us blogging “combatants” by the gifted artist Wes Molebash.

[EdiTOR's Note: In the picture  above, I'm depicted on the right hand side, third from the top in the brown tee-shirt with two fiercely-clenched fists.]

I’ve been doled to Team Ricky – although I seriously question the judgement of anyone who would enlist me on their team.

Regardless, in order for Team Ricky to secure its God-given victory – I need help from my readers to visit the All-Star Blogging Challenge post and cast a vote for Team Ricky.

If you’re not convinced – I’ve gone ahead and created a short video to prove to you that Team Ricky is indeed the team of destiny.

I can assure you that a vote for Team Ricky will not be a wasted vote (unlike the vote you’ll cast for either Romeny or Obama in November).

Here are links to my fellow Team Ricky teammates – they are all topshelf bloggers with rapier wit, insightful insight and disarming charm… and all that other jazz. Check ‘em out and don’t forget to vote!!!

 ===========================

Ricky Anderson 

A gifted, yet diabolically funny writer who spins words into puns and frivolity. While some subscribe to the idea that “Two heads are better than one,” Ricky holds fast to the mantra that “Two sheds are better than one” in true manly-man powertool fashion.

Chad Jones
Chad is an IT guru who lives in Arizona with his wife and two kids. He is a contributor to Not Alone, Alise Wright’s anthology of living with depression.

Jamie Golden
Jamie is the marketing director for a children and family non-profit. She’s also one of the funniest people on the Internet, and slightly obsessed with Nathan Fillian.

Monica Shepherd
Monica is Rob’s wife. She’s the reason he’s functional in life. Monica started blogging a few months ago. If you want to see some of Rob’s funny stories from another perspective, check out her blog.

Amanda Bast
Amanda is Canadian, but we don’t hold it against her. She aspires to be the world’s first sit-down comedian.

Kevin Haggerty
Kevin is an author, husband and soon-to-be father. In fact, he may be a father as you read this. Or this. It’s THAT close. Kevin is a rare breed of writing talent – he’ll make you laugh, think and be challenged.

Renée Shuls-Jacobson
Renée is a teacher, wife and mother. She’s funny and touching. Although not in a creepy way.

THE Joseph Craven
THE Joseph Craven is a man of mystery. He is currently on an international quest for ice cream. He is also the host of the Courtesy Laugh Podcast.

Paul Johnson (The Good Greatsby)
Paul lives in Shanghai with his family. Or maybe it’s somebody else’s family. It’s too far to go fact-check. He produces plays and is a contributor to the Huffington Post. He accepts checks.

Jessica Buttram
Jessica is a trophy wife and mother of two. She will make you laugh, cry and laugh while you’re crying. She’s that good.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons – Scott Woolley

Tor, I know you’ve done this before.

You have two beautiful young girls. You’re a great dad. You’ve raised them well.

But you’re rusty. It’s been a while since you’ve had a brand new young’n.

I thought I’d give you some tips on what’s changed since you’ve been out of practice.

Poop
No change. Still stinky and manages to get places you’d rather it didn’t.

Food
It’s not just Gerber jars of greenish goo anymore. The cool new trend is to make it yourself from purely hippie, er, organic produce. It’s actually cheaper, healthier and much more work.

Sleep
No change. You still won’t get any.

Safety
Car seats are much more intricate. You now need a master’s degree to install one (luckily for you, you’ve got a master’s degree. You knew it would come in handy some day!). Your current stroller? Better throw it out. That model eats babies. You’ll need the new, safer and more expensive model for your little one.

Joy
No change. You’ll still melt when your shiny new baby smiles at you.

Toys
When we were kids, we had simple toys. Cars. Stuffed animals. The dog. Well actually, you’re older than me. I don’t know what you had. Sticks? Anyway, toys have changed tremendously. Now your son will have the toys you only wished you could have when you were a kid. My 9 month old son has an electronic drum that I’m jealous of. They even make toy iPhones.

Kids these days!

Question: Any other newborn parenting tips to share?

EdiTOR’s Note: Our family recently delivered our third child. As such, some blogging buddies of mine have graciously offered to write a series of guest posts to allow my family to spend a little time together – away from this blog. I’m deeply grateful for such friends, and I hope you enjoy their writing!

Photo Credit: Creative Commons - The_Inadvertent_Gardener

If you have a message that you’re trying to share with an audience, it’s tougher AND easier than ever to accomplish that.

It’s tougher than ever because the noise from competing messages via TV, radio, print, mobile apps and the Internet are “louder” and more abundant.

At the same time, it’s also easier than ever because social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and blogging allow you to engage directly with the exact people you want.

That’s the premise of Michael Hyatt’s new book Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World

I read and reviewed the book on Amazon and believe it’s such an important message that all this week I’m giving away five copies of it to readers of my blog.

Yesterday’s winner was Kimber Vanry. If you didn’t win yesterday and want to enter to win today’s copy – here’s what you need to do:

• Share this blog post today on Facebook;
• AND tweet it on Twitter;
• AND leave a comment below stating they’ve done the previous two steps.

Anyone who takes those steps – who hasn’t won already – can win. Each day’s winner will be randomly drawn – with only one book per person. I’ll announce the winners each day and send the books out next Tuesday after the Memorial Day weekend. Good luck!!!

Here’s the :60 second video book trailer for Platform – check it out!

Also, be sure to check out the special BONUS offer that Michael is offering for anyone who purchases the book before this Friday, May 25th.

Below is another installment of Bethke’s that a close friend of mine (Beeg you know who you are) shared with me a few days ago.

It’s only four minutes long and should be viewed by every husband who’s currently in a good, middling or bad marriage.

Author, speaker, writer - Jason Boyett

This post marks another installment of my “7 Questions With an Author…” series, where I ask published authors an unchanging set of questions and share their responses here.

Today’s co-featured author is an online acquaintance of mine named Jason Boyett. He’s a bestselling author with more than 10 books, an events speaker, an embarrassingly prolific writer with published work on Salon, The Daily Beast and The Washington Post as well as a dedicated dad and husband.

Jason is one of my favorite authors. I’ve bought all of his books and I’ve read half of them thus far. He is without a doubt, one of the most talented writers I know.

It’s a privilege to present 7 Questions With an Author: Jason Boyett.

1. Tell us about your book?
My new book is called Pocket Guide to 2012: Your Once-in-a-Lifetime Guide to Not Completely Freaking Out. Like my other Pocket Guide books, it takes an equally snarky and educational look at a big idea in a small, easily digested package. The big idea, in this case, is mankind’s end-of-the-world obsession in general and our doomsday 2012 obsession specifically, which means the book discusses the ancient Mayans, their calendar, alien invasion, asteroid impact, John Cusack, and many more ridiculous topics. While all my books up to this point have been published traditionally (the whole agent and big publisher process), this one is my first self-published e-book.

2. What led you to write it?
I’ve been wanting to write it for several years. In 2005, I wrote a book called Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse. This was at the height of the Left Behind craze and my book focused primarily on the Rapture, Second Coming, and other stuff in the Book of Revelation. Once the 2012 mania started creeping into the cultural consciousness, I began to think it deserved a Pocket Guide treatment as well. Despite some interest from publishers in updating Apocalypse or writing a standalone 2012 book, I eventually decided self-publishing was a great option for a book like this with a shorter “shelf life.” (After all, it won’t be of much interest after SPOILER ALERT the world doesn’t end on December 21, 2012.)

3. Who is a writer that inspires you and why?
This has little to do with my own writing — at least up to this point — but J.R.R. Tolkien has always been a huge inspiration. I read The Hobbit in 6th grade and then went on to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy in 7th grade (the first of several personal trips I made through Middle Earth). I remember being stunned at the amount of cultural, historical and linguistic detail Tolkien layered onto the world he created: made-up languages, family trees, mythologies, all in service of the story he wanted to tell. I was just floored by that level of creativity, and more than anything else, those books are what turned me on to the creative power of writing and the possibilities of storytelling.

4. What was the biggest challenge you faced writing this book?
The research. Not only did I need to explain all the predicted 2012 scenarios, describe where they came from and then debunk them, but I also include two chapters which detail many, many of the times humans have predicted the end of the world throughout recorded history. It’s not a comprehensive list, but it’s pretty long. I’m not content to just accept what Wikipedia tells me about some historical event, so there was a lot of digging involved before the writing could even take place. I enjoy research but making sure I get the facts right can be a painstaking process.

5. What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?
I’m afraid my advice isn’t too different from the advice given by most writers: write a lot and read a lot. While natural talent is a factor, writing really is a skill that can be learned, both by practicing it (writing) and by absorbing it (reading). I read voraciously when I was a kid, and I can’t wait to finish my big writing projects today because it means I can start reading for fun again. But mostly you need to write. You aren’t allowed to call yourself a carpenter when you’ve built one wooden shelf. But if you build a wooden shelf every day for a couple of years, then no one will look at you funny when you tell them you’re a carpenter. If you want to call yourself a writer, then you should be writing stuff on a regular basis — regardless of what it is or whether it gets published.

6. Where do you get your ideas?
When I was 13, browsing a garage sale with my grandmother, I stumbled upon a small, ornate box labeled 1001 Ideas for Books. I’ve been making my way through it, very slowly, ever since. Not really. My ideas for books are always subjects I’m interested in. With my Pocket Guide books, each idea started as a big topic I wanted to learn more about, from Sainthood and the Afterlife to the Apocalypse and the 2012 phenomenon. My memoir, O Me of Little Faith, is about spiritual doubt, a subject that has been on my mind — i.e. I’ve been living it — for years. I figure if I’m interested in something, other people may be as well. That’s pretty much it. There’s no market research or anything along those lines.

7. Anything that you’d like readers to know that I haven’t asked?
This may have been my last nonfiction book…at least for awhile. I’ve had the fiction-writing itch for the last few years and am ready to try something new in my career. The next new Jason Boyett book you read — whether self-published as an e-book or published through traditional channels — will be a novel. I’m not sure what exactly I’m going to write next, but you can be sure it’ll be fiction.

About Jason: Jason Boyett is the author of several books, the most recent of which is the Kindle e-book Pocket Guide to 2012. It joins several other books in his Pocket Guide series of titles (Pocket Guide to the Apocalypse, Pocket Guide to the Afterlife, etc.). Jason is also the author of O Me of Little Faith: True Confessions of a Spiritual Weakling (Zondervan). His writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including Salon, Paste, the Daily Beast, and Relevant. He blogs at jasonboyett.com and tweets at twitter.com/jasonboyett.