Life is like a roller-coaster. Learn to sit back and enjoy the ride!

So far this year I’ve failed miserably as a blogger. Family illness and plenty of busyness. Sometimes it’s just plain been hard to find something worth writing about.

But in the background things have been hopping! Business is growing. Having fun being a husband and father. I’m coaching some amazing people through the Roadmap group at Free Agent Academy. And I’m being coached and finding greater personal clarity and satisfaction than I’ve ever had. I’m also seeking a seat on our town’s new school board and applying for an incredible 10 month leadership program. And there’s even been some incremental progress on one of my books!

Like I said, it’s busy (and there’s more than all of that)!

Still, my blog keeps calling to me. It says, “You want to write and here I am…come play with me!”. Okay, maybe that’s a little creepy. But it’s true.

So taking my own advice, I’m going to be putting a blogging schedule in place and plan to start writing regularly again by June 1st. Ping me if I don’t (part of that accountability thing I preach about).

I’ll see you here soon, but if you need me, just ask. I have to make time for you…you may be my only reader!

One of the things I enjoy most about teaching and coaching is helping create something tangible out of the intangible! Knowledge is great and teaching lets me see those “light bulb” moments of understanding. And as a coach, I get to help my clients take an idea or a goal, turn it into an actionable plan and then get real results.

I enjoy doing one-on-one coaching with my clients, but unless the situation calls for it or the personality fit is just right I prefer groups. Why? Because I feed off of the energy of the group and believe the group interaction brings a deeper, richer experience.

As the Professor of the Roadmap Group in Free Agent Academy, I lead classes and offer advice about planning and execution to our members seeking self-employed success.

And while FAA and the Roadmap group are helping people become the solopreneurs and business owners they dream of becoming, there’s a need for a deeper, more personal, hands-on approach. And with more than 130 group members and growing fast, I just can’t serve them all with that level of attention.

I want to do more for those who are serious about advancing forward and realizing their dreams, goals and ideas. I believe I can do that best in a small group setting where I can really take the time to make a profound investment.

So, are you serious about realizing your dreams, goals and ideas? If you want this sort of coaching, support, and accountability, then I want to help make this happen for you.

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

This month I’ve decided to say thanks to the people who have fed my hunger for knowledge and personal development this year. The order will be random…and likely incomplete!

A few years ago I heard about a little book by John G. Miller called QBQ!: The Question Behind the Question. I had heard Dave Ramsey talk about it and even listened to John on his show, so when I saw the book at a fire sale (literally) I bought two. That means John didn’t actually make any money off of my purchase. (Nor did he last year when I found the audio CD for the book for a dollar!)

Anyway, I didn’t get very far in the book before I was hooked. If you’ve read it, you know the Diet Pepsi story…and probably feel the same (though I’m a Coke Classic guy myself).

QBQ! is a great book on personal accountability and taking responsibility for what happens in our lives, especially in relation with others. John followed that book up with Flipping the Switch, and most recently with Outstanding!: 47 Ways to Make Your Organization Exceptional.

Earlier this year John and I connected on Twitter (he’s @QBQGuy). I already knew he had great books, but he’s also a great guy! He sent me a box full of books for me to review and share. Again, I paid nothing to John! Instead, I repaid his generosity by having them sit on my shelf for a few months…my bad!

I finally got off my rear-end and read Outstanding! in June. I loved it, but I didn’t write about it right away. I had something else in mind…a great idea that was un-executed until last month.

I wanted a visual reminder of the 47 ways he outlined in the book. I needed to see them in front of me all of the time so that hopefully, I could remember the lessons and apply them better. So I made a poster!

After having them printed and sent to John, he blessed me again by finding a typo (I hate typos!)…but now the final product is ready and he’s allowing me to share it with my audience (which is much smaller than his!).

Download the PDF for the Outstanding! Poster and share it with your friends. And go buy the book if you want to get deeper into each topic. It’s worth the investment and John could use a buck or two from all my freeloading!

But not to worry, I’ll be referring and giving away a lot of his books in the years to come, and if our schedules ever work out, I’ll be buying him lunch when I’m in Colorado next year for a Free Agent Academy event…

PS – To my knowledge Dan Miller (of 48days.com) and John G. Miller (of QBQ.com) are not related. I just dig guys named Miller, and even have nephew named Miller. :)

This month I’ve decided to say thanks to the people who have fed my hunger for knowledge and personal development this year. The order will be random…and likely incomplete!

I’m having a bit of Dave Ramsey overload this weekend. On Friday, I hosted and attended his EntreLeadership simulcast event from Orlando, FL. Today, I spent two hours presenting an overview of his material and why it’s important to get control of your money.

Meeting with Dave in Birmingham, 2006

I owe Dave Ramsey a huge debt of gratitude. Better than the financial kind, eh?

But what Dave gave me is more than just solid financial guidance. True, my finances are in much better shape because of his well-packaged common sense advice. That’s not the most important thing he gave me.

I’ve led his Financial Peace University program 13 times in the last four years. I love doing it. FPU helped me tap into my passion for teaching and helping people. FPU gave me an audience to go along with material I believe in.

I’m energized when I teach. I love seeing people get it…those light bulb moments! Beyond that, I love seeing people change their lives. I’ve had people become debt free, pay off their mortgages, and even get their first $1000 in the bank. Don’t scoff at that…Baby Step 1 can be harder than the others!

FPU also introduced me to many other people that have had an impact on my life (and will be featured in more Thank You posts soon).

Our lives are full of pivotal moments. Most of the time we don’t recognize their significance. I know now that when my father mentioned a crazy radio guy to me in 2005, everything changed. Everything!

Thanks, Dave!

If you haven’t checked him out yet, you owe it to yourself to do so. Maybe everything will change for you too!

A few weeks ago some friends of mine attended Don Miller’s Storyline conference in Portland, Oregon. I wanted to go. I wanted to be with them and I wanted figure out all the buzz about Don Miller.

After they attended with rave reviews, I purchased the audio version of his latest book, A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. I love to read, but I knew if I bought the book, it would get started and then overcome by my life of late. So with two hours in the car every day, the audio version would get a fair shake.

I listened to it twice in two weeks. I chewed on it and let it soak in. I wondered if I liked it after the first listen. After the second I knew that I did.

Then came the viral campaign to save Blue Like Jazz, a movie based on his earlier best seller. On Oct 16th, Miller announced that the movie, (which is a central character in A Million Miles), was being shut down. But fans of the book wouldn’t let it die so quickly.

Much like the central character of Christian Spirituality, the movie was resurrected. Sorry if that seems blasphemous…it isn’t intended to be. It’s just that the story of the movie’s creation matches the story of the point of it all.

So I bought Blue Like Jazz. Also in audio (though disappointed it wasn’t read by Miller). And in just a few days, I finished it–just as the deadline approached to donate to the movie.

Blue Like Jazz intrigued me. It offended me at times, but it made me think. It made me question things I’d taken for granted. It made me want to be a better Christian, but more importantly it is making me want to know Christ better.

We are all on a spiritual journey, whether we admit it or not. Miller documented his for us, and I could identify with much of what he wrote.

And now a few minutes ago, just before the deadline hit, I became an Associate Producer of the movie. I helped save Blue Like Jazz.

Why?

I liked it. It’s cool to be a part of something like this. And it’s a story that needs to be heard by more people. I believe the movie can do that.

To Don Miller, Steve Taylor (Director) and everyone else involved in the movie: Thank you and go make it a good one!

The light bulb has represented new ideas for as long as I can remember, and the concept probably started shortly after their invention. Do you struggle to find clarity in your ideas? Or perhaps you have trouble even coming up with ideas? It’s as if the bulb above your head has burnt out and needs replacing.

But sometimes, it’s not the bulb that’s the problem.

I’ve had a brake light out for a couple of weeks. Between late nights at work and a trip out of town, I simply never made the time to change it. Last night found me in Walmart picking up some things for my lovely wife, and I remembered to get a replacement bulb.

About two seconds into the installation process, the problem fixed itself. I didn’t need a new bulb. The one I had was perfectly good. The problem: something in the connection or wiring had come loose.

Inspired by my friends and fellow Free Agent Academy professors, here are some tips on checking your connections and so you can deliver your full energy into your life, work and business:

• Who are You?
  Personality profiles like the DISC and StrengthsFinder are incredible tools to help you understand your wiring. Deb Ingino can get you started at MyWiredStyle.com.
• What is Your Calling?
  Zig Ziglar says that “God don’t make no junk”. If you don’t know why you’re here, figure it out. The desires of your heart are placed there by God. Learn more from my friend Gary Barkalow at TheNobleHeart.com.
• What Do You Do with an Idea?
  Most of our ideas aren’t great. Filtering out the best from the rest is critical to finding success. Jonathan Pool has great exercises to help you begin to tell your story and filter your ideas so that they are not only viable, but fit who you are and who you want to be. Find him online at JonathanPool.net.

Only you can fix your wiring and turn your lights on. Enlisting some help along the way will simply make the journey quicker, easier and more fun.

Note: This article originally appeared in September 2010 issue of the Tri-City Review.

It doesn’t matter how wonderful or brilliant or perfect your idea is. It’s worthless. Absolutely positively worthless…until you take action.

Back in the 70’s my father invented those diapers that can show when they’ve been, uh, “used”. He also invented a portable version of Kool-Aid that could be dropped into a glass of water instead of someone having to make an entire pitcher.

The trouble is, the ideas stayed in his head. He only talked about them AFTER they came to market and someone else made their millions. My dad’s an above average kind of guy. But in this respect, he’s normal like everyone else.

It’s happened to me too. I saw the dawn of internet video before most people could say “dot-com” (my degree is in computer science). Why didn’t I invent YouTube? I could have. But I didn’t. And I didn’t get millions of dollars when they sold to Google because the idea was only in my head.

So what do you do with those fabulous ideas?

1) Write Them Down – It isn’t real at all until you can see it. Put it on paper or in a computer file. Now it’s tangible.

2) Tell Someone About It – This is scary for most people. What if they laugh? Worse, what if they steal my idea? The truth is most people don’t have the energy to follow through on your idea. And if they do, it won’t be the same or as good as what you will do with it. You must find people who can shoot it down before you waste too much time and money, or who can help you refine the idea and make it happen. You’ll need accountability or you’ll give up when things get tough.

3) Get to Work – If the idea is going to survive and become a reality, it’s going to be a lot of hard work. Most people aren’t willing to do what it takes to be successful. Are you?

Don’t be most people and don’t look back years later with regret. Go make something happen!

Note: This article originally appeared in February 2010 issue of the Tri-City Review.

]]> http://www.woosleycoaching.com/2010/03/04/your-idea-is-worthless/feed/ 0 http://www.woosleycoaching.com/2009/07/30/build-it-and-they-will-come-really/ http://www.woosleycoaching.com/2009/07/30/build-it-and-they-will-come-really/#comments Thu, 30 Jul 2009 05:16:46 +0000 James Woosley http://www.woosleycoaching.com/?p=242 Field of Dreams is a inspiring movie with a great line that everyone who has seen it (and many who haven't) know by heart: "Build it and they will come." But is the real world so simple? Sure, we need to act on faith--but there's got to be some wisdom in our approach or we'll march off a cliff! Continue reading →]]> Field of Dreams is a inspiring movie with a great line that everyone who has seen it (and many who haven’t) know by heart: “Build it and they will come.”

But is the real world so simple? Sure, we need to act on faith–but there’s got to be some wisdom in our approach or we’ll march off a cliff!

My friend Kevin Miller from FreeAgentAcademy.com just posted a great blog post about finding an audience for your idea before investing a ton of time and money.

[By the way, I'm planning on attending the next Free Agent Academy Round Table in September. If anyone is interested in going, let me know and I can get you a special invitation price.]

It all boils down to moving forward with a plan. Fail to plan and you’re blindly hoping for the best. How many gamblers and would-be internet millionaires are now paying off hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt because they had the next great idea…and it bombed!

If you’re like me the ideas fly through your head so fast you can hardly write them down before the next one comes along. If I acted on them all, I’d be starting something new everyday, broke, depressed and a full-time failure.

After documenting the idea on any scrap of paper or computer screen I have with me, my first step is to walkaway and breathe. I have to have the discipline to stop and evaluate the ideas, let them form some substance and get some feedback. Most of the time, the ideas are novel, but not profitable (in time or money).

But there are gems in this noggin of mine. I’m polishing a few right now, and WoosleyCoaching.com is just the beginning.

So what about you? Are you full of ideas, or do you struggle to formulate anything? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[Warning, this post came about from a last minute idea. It cost me about 15 minutes I could have spent sleeping. Hope it's worth it!]