I read somewhere that we are “happiest” when things are better. Meaning, the lower our expectations, the more likely we are to be happy in the moment. The party you dreaded turned out to be fun . . . happy. Your old car never starts, but today it did twice . . . happy. Your over-planned, over-spent vacation rains out . . . unhappy. So, the secret to happiness is to lower your expectations? Well maybe, but that seems silly.

When you don’t have much, it’s easy to be happy with the smallest of things. When I was around eight years old, my parents must’ve gotten a bonus check because they took us to the State Fair at the old Fair Park off Nolensville Road. We ate caramel corn and got that blue face from so much cotton candy. Then we almost threw it all up riding rides until we were exhausted.

I remember when we got to the Fair, my Dad told us to ride as much as we wanted, no limits. Since my parents paid for each and every ride, we thought they must have struck gold in our basement. At the end of the night, I was simultaneously hopped up on sugar, exhausted from riding every ride they would let me on over and over, and generally exhilarated from so much fun. I remember looking at my parents and telling them this was the best day of my life. No pink pigs to teach me a British accent. Little did I know that my life would get much better and much worse and much better.

So, this year, I’m planning my Best Year Evaa. And I want you to have your Best Year Evaa. How are we going to do that? Squeeze every drop. Every sunrise, every sunset. And dream of winning again. Get out of debt, invest in your marriage, start back to church, lose some weight, change jobs, get a puppy, but do something on purpose that takes you higher.

We all get beat down, and we all get beat up. That can cause us to forget to dream or to put our big dreams in the underwear drawer where they are forgotten. Then we become just a rat in a wheel. Look up and decide to get off the wheel. Do something different so you get something different. Zig Ziglar used to say a rut is just a grave with both the ends kicked out, so get out of the rut.

I meet folks from every possible background who made a simple decision deep in their gut to change their life. They push and pull and scratch and claw and hustle and grind . . . then the magic happens . . . they change their life! And you can do this, too! You got this!

I don’t know how great last year was or how horrible it was . . . but you and I are going to decide together to do the work, do the praying, do the reading, do the exercise, do the budget, do the pause and enjoy, do the hugs, do the smiles, do whatever wherever whenever it takes to make 2019 the Best Year Evaa!

In the 8th grade, a cute girl was trying out for the school play “The Wizard of Oz,” so little David Ramsey also decided that was a plan. I don’t remember who she was or if she got the part, but even though I couldn’t sing and was short (vertically challenged), I had a big personality even then, and I was awarded the leading role . . . Mayor Munchkin. That’s right, while you might know me for the Radio Hall of Fame, many more know me for my incredible rendition of “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.” The next year I was Charlie in “Annie Get Your Gun” and had a crush on the lead played by Anna Belle Bennett.

Mr. Bernard taught speech class at Apollo Middle School and with very little persuading convinced me to join the Forensics Club. (No that wasn’t our version of CSI. It was a speech club.) We 8th and 9th graders traveled by car pool after school to speech competitions. There was Dramatic, Extemporaneous, Political, and Motivational categories along with many others. I actually made it to the state competition in the Dramatic Category. I still remember parts of that “speech” that was memorized word for word from mimeographed blue copies. (If you are old, you probably just looked at your hands for a smudge and remembered that smell.) The speech was about two little boys who were in trouble and the older brother repeated, “Head up, Chin out, Stout Fella.” A real tear jerker.

In high school I decided I was too cool for Speech Club or plays. Sad what my cool self missed out on. I did take a class called Mass Media, and as part of it, we had to pretend we were doing a radio show . . . still have the picture on my wall (featured above). Mr. Cowan thought we had potential . . . probably not really, but he said so. I took Speech for an easy “A” in college but generally left the life of the stage behind.

Almost a decade later in my twenties, I was married with a child. I was also a new Christian in a church of about 400 people. The pastor called on Wednesday and asked me to read the scripture text on Sunday morning. I don’t know if it was the years away from the stage, the spiritual responsibility of so important a task, or just a chicken heart, but I got so scared I couldn’t breathe. From Wednesday to Sunday I lost four pounds and had regular bathroom breaks. I practiced my important assignment over and over to be ready for my big day at the church. After all, entire spiritual lives hung in the balance between Heaven and Hell.

So, the moment came. I stood up from my pew and walked to the pulpit with shaking knees and sweaty everything. Cotton mouth was a real thing. I cleared my throat and read perfectly for one minute 32 seconds. Whew. I walked back to the pew. No standing ovation, no clapping, and no one rushed forward and met Jesus. I sat down, and my wife patted my knee. “How did I do?” I asked, begging for a compliment. Sarcastically she said, “It changed my life.” Not funny.

I have heard it said that Public Speaking is the number one fear. If not, it’s close. The weird thing is that I rediscovered my gifting for stage communication, and over the last several decades, I have worked very hard at that craft. It has allowed me countless moments of great joy. Speaking in some of America’s largest arenas, churches, and events of all kinds has been really, really fun.

So, I’m wondering, did you abandon something that is your natural gifting just because you thought it wasn’t cool? I did. Or did you abandon it because you were scared enough to fill your shoes with sweat? I did. What is it you need to rediscover? Not discover—rediscover? I know it’s scary, and someone you care about might not be impressed, but so what? Do it anyway. Head up, Chin out, Stout Fella.

If a leader doesn’t convey passion and intensity then there will be no passion and intensity within the organization and they’ll start to fall down and get depressed. Get Your Free Position Now http://lock-in-your-position.com/lp3/?sponsor=homeprofitcoach

To do this, I knew I was going to have to change some habits and sacrifice in ways I never had before. After months of training, I did it. I completed the Country Music Marathon in Nashville, and you know what? All the sacrifices were worth it. All the people I’ve talked with agree. The early-morning runs, the loss of sleep, the physical pain and the mental battles are all are worth it in the end. Yes, I achieved my goal and learned a lot about running, but I didn’t tell you all that just to say I ran 26.2 miles and got a medal for it.

Here are three key points I took away from my marathon experience. I hope you will take these valuable lessons that I’ve learned and apply them to specific areas in your life—your money, getting out of debt, marriage, parenting, spirituality, you name it. These principles go far beyond the world of running.

High-performance achievement vs. “just getting the job done.”

You have to go beyond your normal efforts to achieve high performance. You have to sacrifice intentionally. You have to do something different from what you’ve done before to reach a new level of personal excellence. People who reach a level of high-performance achievement grasp this. That’s why they’re different. If you want to distinguish yourself from people who are normal and just want to “get the job done,” aim high, set clear goals, and give it all you’ve got.

Keep away from negative people.

If you’re trying to reach a positive goal, what benefit are negative people to you? None, so get away from them. Stick to positive influences in your life. It was so great to see people along the course that were cheering and encouraging me to keep going while I was running. There’s nothing like encouragement while you’re trying to achieve a big goal, is there? It may be tempting to have a “pity party” or jump on the cynical bandwagon, but it won’t be worth it in the end. Continuous negativity brings you down, so stay away from it.

Visualize achieving your goal.

While I was training, I studied the course route over and over. I knew where I would be in the city at every mile marker. I knew where the hills were and where the straight stretches would be. The course wasn’t going to surprise me because I visualized myself working toward achieving each small goal along the way. The same goes if you want to get out of debt. If the big goal is to be debt-free in two years, that may seem a little overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to set small goals along the way, like paying off your debts smallest to largest. Quick wins will give you momentum to keep working toward the larger goal and help you visualize achieving it as well.

Be sure to talk with those around you who have achieved great goals they set for themselves. Find out what they did to overcome their intimidating obstacles and what they learned throughout the process. Always aim for your absolute highest and best—”gazelle intensity” is what I call it. Doing anything halfway should not be an option. Extend this kind of intensity and focus into all areas of your life, and you can and will transform your life for the better.

Get more of Dave’s thoughts about high-performance achivement with this audio CD or downloadable mp3.

Dave talks more achieving this with your business at his ultimate business event, EntreLeadership. Come learn directly from this master entrepreneur how to build and grow your business the right way!

If a leader doesn’t convey passion and intensity then there will be no passion and intensity within the organization and they’ll start to fall down and get depressed. Get Your Free Position Now http://lock-in-your-position.com/lp3/?sponsor=homeprofitcoach

I like hats. Since I am bald, they keep me from having a burnt head all summer. Hats are an important part of our culture and are a really important part of some subcultures. At some churches I visit, the ladies have spent an amazing amount time and money to seriously keep the people behind them from seeing the preacher. I like these ladies. They have style. There is The Red Hat Society for women over 50 who like to have fun, and boy do they—sassy bunch. And of course, there are the hats needed by a profession. You can’t be much of a cowboy without a cowboy hat.

Hats make a statement. In Texas, if you spend more than you make, they say, “Big Hat, No Cattle,” meaning that person is all show. If you tilt your cowboy hat back, you are friendly—most of the time. If that same hat is pushed down low over your eyes, you might be looking for trouble. If you turn your ball cap sideways, it can mean you are cool or it can just make you look dumb. If you turn it backwards, you are definitely cool, or you are a baseball catcher, or both.

And we wear metaphorical hats. I wear the CEO of our company hat. I wear an author and media figure hat. I wear Papa Dave feeding my 5-month-old grandson Samuel David his bottle hat.

Hats in my world make a statement. I come from a line of the best kind of hillbillies or rednecks. The kind that loves puppies and babies and will fight you over honor. Hats are a big deal in my subculture. Hats in my world are virtually my only fashion accessory. Every morning I put on a ball cap that has something I love on it to go to work. It might have a T for Tennessee football on it during the fall. The next day my hat might have Predators on it to support our Nashville hockey team. One hat has MasterCraft on it for my ski boat, and another has Wilson Combat on it for my favorite hand gun. You can be arrested in California for that hat. Since we are building a new corporate headquarters, I have a hard hat with my name on it. Every boy in my old neighborhood wanted one of those. And every time I put it on, I feel like the guys from the old neighborhood see me.

When my family visited Belfast, Ireland, a few years ago, we got to spend some time in the Titanic Museum. The Titanic was built in Belfast and the museum is fascinating. Of course, to memorialize the occasion, I bought a Titanic 1912 hat. Since I have a sick sense of humor, I decided that is the hat I wear every summer at our lake house when driving the ski boat. Get it? Captain is wearing a Titanic hat? Most people never notice, but occasionally someone will point and laugh and we share a moment.

 

The 30 mph wind took Daniel’s hat and my precious Titanic hat imported from Ireland and threw them out the back of the boat and into the lake. Well, over the years lots of stuff has left the boat and landed in the lake. Hats generally float for a minute or two—enough time to turn around and find them. So, we first see Daniel’s hat floating, of course, and retrieve it. Then we circle and circle and the fate of the Titanic hat appears to have followed its namesake to the bottom of the lake. This is looking bad. My favorite hat all the way from Ireland is gone. No luck. At this point, no one in the boat is happy, least of all the captain. Oh well, sad, but first-world problems. Darn. I liked that hat.

So, we are idling off and Mimi is apologizing for her request to close the window—well, it was her fault. Then, my granddaughter Amelia, who at three years old has the vocabulary of a college student and is really verbal like her mother Rachel Cruze, recognizes the mood in the boat has changed and says, “Daddy has a hat. Uncle Daniel has a hat. Papa Dave doesn’t have a hat and he is sad, but there is a hat.” What? We all turn and look UP at the wake board tower and apparently the Titanic hat had flown up there and was stuck on one of the lights. Yea!

We had all been looking everywhere but UP to solve our problem. The answer couldn’t possibly be UP. We all cheer and celebrate the lost sheep being returned to my head. Mimi immediately says, “That will preach.” If you aren’t southern, you might not understand that she meant there is a lesson here, folks. Be as a little child and look UP when you are searching for answers. And select your hat carefully.

If a leader doesn’t convey passion and intensity then there will be no passion and intensity within the organization and they’ll start to fall down and get depressed. Get Your Free Position Now http://lock-in-your-position.com/lp3/?sponsor=homeprofitcoach