Happy Thanksgiving from our families to yours!
“The more you are thankful, the more you attract things to be thankful for.”
– Unknown
“A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life.”
-John Wooden, Former UCLA Basketball Coach
Many of the players Coach Richardson impacted were on hand to celebrate the naming of the Nolan Richardson Basketball Court at the University of Arkansas last weekend. Next Level Thinking’s Founder, Eric Poerschke, played under Richardson his junior and senior years at Arkansas.
Congratulations Coach Richardson!
Nolan Richardson Jr. (born December 27, 1941) is a former American basketball head coach best known for his tenure at the University of Arkansas, where he won the 1994 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament. Elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014,[7] Richardson coached teams to winning a Division I Basketball National Championship, an NIT championship, and a Junior College National Championship, making him the only coach to win all three championships. During his 22 seasons of coaching in NCAA Division I, Richardson made a post-season tournament appearance 20 times. Click here to read more about Coach Nolan Richardson, Junior.
Source: Wikipedia
Digital Advertising should be a focus of every strategic marketing plan due to the unprecedented growth in the industry. “This year will mark a major milestone in the world of advertising. For the first time, digital ad spending in the US will exceed traditional ad spending, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast. By 2023, digital will surpass two-thirds of total media spending.”
Click here to read more on the subject via Emarketer.com and to find out who the surprising, “big winner” is in taking ad share from others in the US digital ad market.
“How willing you are to make changes is directly dependent upon how motivated you are to get where you want to go.”
— {Crystal Paine, Motivational Author}
Crystal Paine, of moneysavingmom.com has published several books including: 21 Days to a More Disciplined Life, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode, the Choose Love Journal, Choose Gratitude Journal, and Money-Making Mom. While her target audience might be moms, her “change” quote can apply to each and every person who reads it.
Evan Esar (1899–1995) was an American humorist who wrote Esar’s Comic Dictionary in 1943, Humorous English in 1961, and 20,000 Quips and Quotes in 1968.
“Easter is the only time when it’s perfectly safe to put all your eggs in one basket.”
We hope you have a blessed Easter celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ with your loved ones. While we love Esar’s quote and it brings a bit of humor, we would be remiss if we did not share the most famous quote of The Bible for the Gospel of John:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
– John 3:16
Herb Kelleher, Co-Founder of Southwest Airlines, passed away on January 3, 2019. He was considered a pioneer in the aviation industry and one of the most transformative business leaders of all time. The tributes have poured out from employees, friends and other business leaders over the past month. The NextLevel Team “luvs” everything Kelleher stood for and is paying tribute to the great leader this month.
While there are several Herb Kelleher quotes that motivate and inspire us, we chose to feature the following as this month’s Thoughts the Count.
“It is my practice to try to understand how valuable something is by trying to imagine myself without it.” -Herb Kelleher
Forbes shared a list of “20 Reasons Why Herb Kelleher Was One Of The Most Beloved Leaders Of Our Time” last month and #13 touched on what Herb valued most as a business leader: his employees.
“Thousands of requests for speaking engagements, presidential commissions, legislative issues, and business meetings related to the airline industry all vied for Herb Kelleher’s time. But Herb’s priorities were always the people of Southwest Airlines. Ask Vickie Shuler, Herb’s executive assistant of 30 years, and she will tell you that Herb would not change his schedule if a business meeting came up that interfered with an employee event he promised to attend.”
“If you want to know what someone truly values watch the way they spend their money and their time. It’s easy for executives to say ‘people are our most important asset,’ but reallocating their time to support that statement is yet another story. During the filming of a customer service video, Tom Peters asked Herb what advice he would give other executives. Herb said, ‘Stop spending so much time with other CEOs, spend more time with your people.'”
This month we challenge you to consider where you place value and “luv” in your life. Consider both your personal and business relationships and take a moment to reflect on the legacy of Herb Kelleher.
December 2018 Thoughts that Count:
“I once heard it said of man that the idea is to die young, as late as possible.” — {Former President George W. Bush in the eulogy for his father, President George H. W. Bush}
Former President George W. Bush delivered an emotional eulogy about his father, former president George H.W. Bush, during his funeral at the National Cathedral in Washington on December 5th.
The following is a transcript of his remarks, as distributed by George W. Bush’s office and lightly edited by The New York Times.
FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: Distinguished guests, including our presidents and first ladies, government officials, foreign dignitaries, and friends: Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro, and I, and our families, thank you all for being here.
I once heard it said of man that “the idea is to die young as late as possible.”
At age 85, a favorite pastime of George H.W. Bush was firing up his boat, the Fidelity, and opening up the three-300 horsepower engines to fly — joyfully fly — across the Atlantic, with Secret Service boats straining to keep up.
At 90, George H.W. Bush parachuted out of an aircraft and landed on the grounds of St. Ann’s by the Sea in Kennebunkport, Maine — the church where his mom was married and where he’d worshiped often. Mother liked to say he chose the location just in case the chute didn’t open.
In his 90’s, he took great delight when his closest pal, James A. Baker, smuggled a bottle of Grey Goose vodka into his hospital room. Apparently, it paired well with the steak Baker had delivered from Morton’s.
To his very last days, Dad’s life was instructive. As he aged, he taught us how to grow old with dignity, humor, and kindness — and, when the good Lord finally called, how to meet him with courage and with joy in the promise of what lies ahead.
One reason Dad knew how to die young is that he almost did it — twice. When he was a teenager, a staph infection nearly took his life. A few years later he was alone in the Pacific on a life raft, praying that his rescuers would find him before the enemy did.
God answered those prayers. It turned out he had other plans for George H.W. Bush. For Dad’s part, I think those brushes with death made him cherish the gift of life. And he vowed to live every day to the fullest.
Dad was always busy — a man in constant motion — but never too busy to share his love of life with those around him. He taught us to love the outdoors. He loved watching dogs flush a covey. He loved landing the elusive striper. And once confined to a wheelchair, he seemed happiest sitting in his favorite perch on the back porch at Walker’s Point contemplating the majesty of the Atlantic. The horizons he saw were bright and hopeful. He was a genuinely optimistic man. And that optimism guided his children and made each of us believe that anything was possible.
He continually broadened his horizons with daring decisions. He was a patriot. After high school, he put college on hold and became a Navy fighter pilot as World War II broke out. Like many of his generation, he never talked about his service until his time as a public figure forced his hand. We learned of the attack on Chichi Jima, the mission completed, the shoot-down. We learned of the death of his crewmates, whom he thought about throughout his entire life. And we learned of his rescue.
And then, another audacious decision; he moved his young family from the comforts of the East Coast to Odessa, Texas. He and Mom adjusted to their arid surroundings quickly. He was a tolerant man. After all, he was kind and neighborly to the women with whom he, Mom and I shared a bathroom in our small duplex — even after he learned their profession — ladies of the night.
Dad could relate to people from all walks of life. He was an empathetic man. He valued character over pedigree. And he was no cynic. He looked for the good in each person — and usually found it.
Dad taught us that public service is noble and necessary; that one can serve with integrity and hold true to the important values, like faith and family. He strongly believed that it was important to give back to the community and country in which one lived. He recognized that serving others enriched the giver’s soul. To us, his was the brightest of a thousand points of light.
In victory, he shared credit. When he lost, he shouldered the blame. He accepted that failure is part of living a full life, but taught us never to be defined by failure. He showed us how setbacks can strengthen.
None of his disappointments could compare with one of life’s greatest tragedies, the loss of a young child. Jeb and I were too young to remember the pain and agony he and Mom felt when our 3-year-old sister died. We only learned later that Dad, a man of quiet faith, prayed for her daily. He was sustained by the love of the almighty and the real and enduring love of our mom. Dad always believed that one day he would hug his precious Robin again.
He loved to laugh, especially at himself. He could tease and needle, but never out of malice. He placed great value on a good joke. That’s why he chose Simpson to speak. On email, he had a circle of friends with whom he shared or received the latest jokes. His grading system for the quality of the joke was classic George Bush. The rare 7s and 8s were considered huge winners — most of them off-color.
George Bush knew how to be a true and loyal friend. He honored and nurtured his many friendships with his generous and giving soul. There exist thousands of handwritten notes encouraging, or sympathizing, or thanking his friends and acquaintances.
He had an enormous capacity to give of himself. Many a person would tell you that Dad became a mentor and a father figure in their life. He listened and he consoled. He was their friend. I think of Don Rhodes, Taylor Blanton, Jim Nantz, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and perhaps the unlikeliest of all, the man who defeated him, Bill Clinton. My siblings and I refer to the guys in this group as “brothers from other mothers.”
He taught us that a day was not meant to be wasted. He played golf at a legendary pace. I always wondered why he insisted on speed golf. He was a good golfer.
Well, here’s my conclusion: He played fast so that he could move on to the next event, to enjoy the rest of the day, to expend his enormous energy, to live it all. He was born with just two settings: full throttle, then sleep.
He taught us what it means to be a wonderful father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He was firm in his principles and supportive as we began to seek our own ways. He encouraged and comforted, but never steered. We tested his patience — I know I did — but he always responded with the great gift of unconditional love.
Last Friday, when I was told he had minutes to live, I called him. The guy who answered the phone said, “I think he can hear you, but hasn’t said anything most of the day. I said, “Dad, I love you, and you’ve been a wonderful father.” And the last words he would ever say on earth were, “I love you, too.”
(December 5, 2018, The New York Times)
October 2018 Thoughts that Count:
“If you focus on results, you will never change. If you focus on change, you will get results.” — {Jack Dixon}
Should you focus on results or change? All too often, success is measured by outcomes and results. The same processes can bring us to a familiar rhythm that produces the same steady outcomes. We have discovered that the only way to change our “ends” is to change our “means”.
“People who take huge risks aren’t afraid to fail. In fact, they love to fail. It’s because failing means they found the edge.”
— {Bob Goff, excerpt from Love Does}
More from Love Does:
Continue reading Encouraging You to Find Your Edge by Failing!
{Anonymous} Continue reading So, Always Be That Person That You Want To Meet!
It is certainly okay to disagree. Dudley Field Malone said, “I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me.”
Continue reading Einstein’s Simplify Wisdom: June 2018 Thoughts That Count from NextLevel Thinking