by on July 30, 2007

Back to the Basics #4: 7 Steps to Reconnect with an old friend (in 30 minutes or less)

Back to BasicsToday is a two’fer Monday!

My good friend and brother in heart, Phil Gerbyshak over at Make it Great! He’s quite the Relationship Geek that he claims to be; he really lives up to it with 500+ relationships on his LinkedIn profile. He’s a prolific writer and author of 10 Ways to Make It Great! and currently working on a second book. Without further ado from me, read up and read on!

Previously on Back to the Basics:
Back to the Basics #1: The Golden Rule
Back to the Basics #2: Be Grateful for What You Have
Back to the Basics #3: One Step Back to a Better World

Phil Gerbyshak - The Relationship Geek

7 Steps to Reconnect with an old friend (in 30 minutes or less)

Too often in today’s digital age, we go all high tech on our conversations. We’ve got Twitter, and Facebook, and MySpace, and on and on and on. But let’s get back to our basics. How do we have a simple conversation with someone we haven’t seen in a while anymore?

OK, so you’re busy. Me too. So how do you reconnect with an old friend, in 30 minutes or less, over a cup of coffee? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Back to the Basics, Personal, Relationships
by on July 18, 2007

From Pizza Hut to College in One Generous Step

The news today is too negative. Well, except those weird stories that I post on my other blog for just such occasions. This story is sure to warm your heart, even if it is made of stone.

Until recently Jessica Osborne was a waitress at her local Pizza Hut in North Carolina. One of her dear customers is a regular. They always ask for her, and she has gotten to know them. That stuck a chord in my heart, because there was a time where my buddies at work and I did the same thing at our local Spaghetti Warehouse. Jessica had shared bits and pieces about her life with her regulars, and they knew she could not afford to go to college because her financial aid never came through and she doesn’t earn enough waiting tables.

One day, the patron, a kindly older woman, told Jessica about the loss of her husband and daughter in an accident. She went on to say that they set up an education fund in their names and slyly slid a folded check across the table to Jessica and told her to pursue her dreams of getting a college degree.

Change the worldAmazed, Jessica thought there was a mistake with the number of zeros when it turned out to be a check for $10,000.

Bless them.

the Daily Mail

We can all change the world.

Filed Under: College, Relationships
by on July 13, 2007

Back to the Basics #1: The Golden Rule

“This is a football.”
-Vince Lombardi: Hall of Fame coach – Green Bay Packers
Back to the BasicsAfter years of being on the losing end of the scoreboard, the Packers brought in a new coach to turn things around. Vince Lombardi did just that with the simplest of methods: going back to the basics. Every year when training camp began, legend has it that he gave the following talk to ALL of the players:

“Everybody stop and gather around,” he said. Then he knelt down, picked up the pigskin, and said, “Let’s start at the beginning. This is a football. These are the yard markers. I’m the coach. You are the players.”

No matter how you cut it, to get into professional football, you have to be great – world class. Still, Coach Lombardi felt it was necessary to go all the way back to the beginning of their football lives and make sure they were all on the same page.

Every now and then, we all need to go back to the basics. I am starting a series to help you along the way. Most of these things would cause groans and moans of boredom in a business meeting or family conference, but your life will assuredly benefit from knowing the basics. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Back to the Basics, Relationships
by on June 29, 2007

The Enneagram Personality Profile

EnneagramI’m a 5. You are probably wondering what a 5 is, so I’ll just come out and say it: I’m going to change the world… someday. What I see in the descriptions for being a 5 is that I am progressing up the ladder of “personality health” and will eventually be able to manage my strengths and subdue my weaknesses to become who I know I can be.

Liz Strauss pointed the way to this test with guest blogger Mark McGuinness this week. Mark stopped by to read the comments and saw my comment. He was another amazing person who was inspired by my guest post last December, titled “I Want to Make a Difference, Too.” I’m both shocked and humbled by such positive feedback on my writing.

He is something like the tenth person since that post that has commented about my writing style and the thoughts behind it. YOU people are the reason I am finding my way with what I desire to do to make a difference. I will get my BS in English and hone those skills like a finely crafted sword.

One of these days, my idea or knowledge will come to me, and I will be able to communicate it to the world.

Filed Under: Personal, Relationships, Writing
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