To all the soupornuts.com subscribers, I apologize for my lack of posting for the past week. I hope that after you read this article you will understand why.
The Good Stuff
1. Daddy – Daughter Date Night
My two girls and I attended Daddy – Daughter Date Night sponsored and hosted by a local church this past Sunday night. It was an event that my girls had been looking forward to for weeks.
Yes, this is a picture of me painting the nails of my youngest daughter. I also:
- blow-dry hair
- help brush teeth
- give piggy-back rides
- play dolls, on occasion
- and I also put on corsages, as I am doing for my oldest daughter (on the right)
Because I wanted each of my girls to feel particularly special, I enlisted the help of my father to double-date with us. With his help, each of my girls had someone’s full attention all night.
We all had a wonder time. I’ll never forget it and I hope that my girls don’t either.
Thanks Pop for all your help.
2. The Rotater Continues to Impress
We saw the guys from 1StopForGolf.com in Orlando at the PGA expo. They have been using the Rotater since September and have featured it as their Golf Product of the Month (November 2007). Every time that they came by the booth to see us, we were busy demonstrating the Rotater.
A couple of days ago, I discovered that they had posted “The Rotater Continues to Impress” on their blog.
3. The Birmingham News runs a feature article on the Rotater
About three weeks ago Anna Velasco, a writer from the Birmingham News traveled about 150 miles to meet Scott and myself so that she could interview us about the Rotater. She was especially intrigued as to how an industrial mechanic could have created a shoulder device that is so effective for so many people across so many different markets.
Anna spent a couple of hours asking questions and picking our brains, which resulted in this article: Industrial Mechanic invents tool to improve shoulder mobility, finds niche in athletics.
4. Huge traffic to the Rotater website
Because of the article in the Birmingham News, we received a massive influx of traffic, which translated into huge sales.
The Bad Stuff
1. The Rotater website crashes!
Huge traffic is cool – if you are prepared for it. Apparently, we were not. I am unsure as to who the real blame lies with:
- I could immediately point a finger at our hosting provider
- or perhaps it is because I did not purchase a plan that provides for such a huge traffic inflow
You can be sure that it is a priority for me now that I realize how vulnerable we are.
Fortunately, we were only down about thirty minutes before the system reset itself and traffic was able to resume. However, there is no way to be able to calculate how many people tried and did not get to see our website nor whether they will ever come back.
2. Our blog crashes – down two days!
Our blog, Shoulder Performance & Rehab crashed a short time later. It did not reset itself, so I set out to determine what the problem was.
When I tried to login to my blog, I kept getting the following message:
WordPress database error: [User 'mydomainname' has exceeded the 'max_questions' resource (current value: 50000)]
The wording of this message led me to believe that there had been some kind of problem in my databases. I was wrong. After doing some research, I discovered that our hosting provider sets a limit of 50,000 requests per hour for this particular plan, regardless of your hosting plan’s advertised total bandwidth allowance.
50,000 requests per hour sounds like a lot. In reality, it is not. Every link, image or widget on a page is considered a request. You can easily have one hundred or more requests per page.
The result: 50 people in one hour hit your blog, each viewing ten different pages – your blog goes down. And it does not come back up without contacting technical support – only after you discover it is a hosting issue and not a database issue.
3. Hosting Suggestions?
I have been doing some research in order to find a hosting provider that:
- offers excellent and dependable service
- responsive customer service
- affordable hosting plans
Do any of you guys out there have any suggestions? Please leave a comment and let me know about your experiences.
The Other Stuff
1. No Baby – Yet
My wife is still pregnant. She is due to deliver our baby any day. We can hardly wait.
2. The Rotater goes to Boston
Scott Kay (my business partner) has traveled to Boston to introduce the Rotater to the golfing public for the first time at the National Golf Expo.
3. Special Thanks
I’d like to thank Albert @ Urban Monk for mentioning soupornuts.com in an article he wrote entitled “The beauty of Impermanency and the Illusion of Ego”. Thanks for your endorsement – you carry quite a bit of clout.
Tags: the+Rotater, daughters, hosting+plans, golf
We all love stories about underdogs. This is how you can explain why movies like “Rocky”, “Rudy”, and “Hoosiers” do so well at the box office. There is something very inspiring about watching the “little guy” overcome adversity and go on to make a great showing of himself or herself. It is pure motivation!
I am inspired because the underdog has the one trait that cannot be taught – heart! This quality reveals itself in the following ways:
1. Underdogs and entrepreneurs are willing to do whatever is necessary.
Like the underdog, entrepreneurs understand that their success is a directly related to the amount of time they spend learning, training and developing their skills. Entrepreneurs know that in order for them to succeed, they alone are responsible. They do not wish to and cannot “pass the buck”.
- We (entrepreneurs) like to create. But creation is just a small part of the process of becoming successful. Most people can create, but few ever follow through with their ideas. In my experience, almost everyone has had a great idea. However, the comfort of mediocrity, the stability of the status quo or the fear of the unknown keeps so many people in their rut, that most of these great ideas never see the light of day.
- Entrepreneurs are devoted to learning. We do the research. We know that in order to succeed, we must arm ourselves with as much knowledge about our prospective business or idea as possible. This is a necessity because we are likely to have to explain to investors:
- what our idea is
- what the market outlook for our business or idea is
- whether any competitors exist and what their market share is
- why our idea is better than our competitors
- what our competitive advantage is
- If no business model exists for our new idea, we are willing to develop one. I am faced with this quandary right now. I am involved in the development of a great and unique idea. However, because it is unique, we have to develop a plan to implement it. The answers don’t just fall out of the sky. You have to work long hours, but you understand this and this willingness to do whatever is necessary is what coaches like to call having a “great heart”.
2. Underdogs and entrepreneurs don’t quit.
Like the underdog, entrepreneurs refuse to quit before acquiring their goals. Quitting is not in us. I have always been involved in athletics and as a result, I am a highly competitive person. It is part of who I am. In high school, I played football on a team that was not championship quality. Consequently, we lost more games than we won. I could see heads drop and eyes glaze over late it the games when we were behind. That was my first experience with people who did not have the heart of a champion. It was then and is now, an unfathomable idea to me. How do you just quit?
- Quitting becomes habit forming. My parents explained to me at an early age that quitting was not an option. If I signed up to participate in some event or sport then I was expected to fulfill my obligation. This quality was further instilled in me by my father who was a drill instructor in the Army. After I reached the age of about ten, during the summer months when I was out of school, my father would sometimes let me go to work with him. He would let me participate in physical training right beside grown men. I loved every minute of it. It was also the first time that I ever witnessed someone giving up during training. I did not like it then and I don’t like it now!
- Quitting sets a bad example. My daughters watch me. They want to know about Daddy’s “businesses”. They are almost five and seven. If I quit, what does that show my daughters?
- It’s O.K. to quit if things get hard?
- That I am frivolous and don’t take my obligations / commitments seriously?
Underdogs and entrepreneurs know that quitting never leads to winning. Don’t quit.
3. Underdogs and entrepreneurs believe that they can win.
I have a hard time explaining this concept to some people. There is this feeling that overcomes me and lets me know that I will accomplish any goal that I have set for myself. If you have read the book “The Secret”, then you have some kind of idea of what I am trying to say.
- I know that people and events are conspiring to help me reach my goals.
- I know deep inside that I am and I will be successful in all my endeavors. This self knowledge is an inner confidence that is not based on what I can do, but on what I am and that by believing in myself and others, my success is a foregone conclusion.
- I know that I attract to myself the things necessary for my success. If I need something, it will reveal itself to me.
- I know that I am a small part of a greater plan and I am willing to shoulder my part of the load.
- I know that I am successful and I will continue to be successful as long as I keep my priorities on helping others reach their goals.
Underdogs and entrepreneurs have great hearts. They are willing and able to work hard, they never, ever quit, and they know that their efforts will be rewarded. Be an underdog. Overcome your obstacles and reach your successes.
Tags: great+heart, belief+in+self, commitment
Happy Thanksgiving. As a parent, I think it is important for each of my girls to have their own possessions. Things they can care for and call their own. I think it is equally important for them to learn to share – first with their family and then with other children.
As the role models that have will have the most influence on our children’s lives, we have the responsibility to teach the concept of sharing by being a living example.
1. Share your love
You cannot over-do this. No matter how much you give, you can always give more.
- Teach your children how to express their love.
- Show your children how much you love them. Here’s a hint – you are not demonstrating their importance to you when you can’t find the time to spend with them.
- Constantly tell your children that you love them and that they are important to you.
- Be involved in their lives – who are their friends? what are your children’s dreams? how are they planning on achieving their dreams? what is your role and involvement in their future?
- Be affectionate with your spouse/partner – this shows your children that they are in a loving and therefore safe family environment and goes a long way to establishing their self esteem.
2. Share your time
When you say that you love someone, you are telling them verbally that they are important to you. You spend time enjoying/doing the things that you believe are important. What you do says so much more that what you say.
- Read to your children – if you begin this when they are newborns, your child will have a huge head start in their education. Statistics have shown that children who are read to do better in school than their contemporaries who were not read to.
- Play with your children – they grow way too fast so give them every reason to want to spend time with you as they mature and become adults.
3. Share your experience
You have faced some unique experiences, but the principles that they teach are universal. Mentor someone. Simply making yourself available to a young person can result in a wide range of questions about your life and experiences.
- Explain your successes and failures – What were your good decisions?
- What would you do differently? – Where did you miss an opportunity? Why did you miss an opportunity?
- Do you know someone who would be valuable for this person?
- Share the secrets of your success – What did you do that was unique and played a role in your success?
4. Share your dreams
People like to know what inspires and motivates you.
- Why did you do this or that?
- Were you scared? excited? hesitant?
- What do you visualize?
- Why are you so confident?
5. Share your ideas
This is hard for the majority of people because they refuse to believe that we live in a world of abundance. They think that everything is a “zero sum” game, meaning that in order for them to win then someone else must lose. This is a fallacy. There is plenty for everyone.
- You will have more ideas than you can ever hope to exploit – tell someone what they are, maybe they can start on one of them now. Besides that, you have just endeared yourself to someone and created the need for them to reciprocate. They will do their best to repay you, somehow.
- Be a part of a “master mind”. This is a group of like-minded people who meet for the purpose of growing. The individuals that make up this group can be as varied as you like, but they must share a similar need to succeed. Share your ideas with them and watch how they morph into “great” dreams.
Sharing is not about letting someone use your stuff. It’s about being involved in the lives of others – developing relationships, partnerships and friendships. Share your life.
Tags: share, sharing, love, ideas
Ask any person who is still in the consideration phase of becoming an entrepreneur, why they have yet to launch their business enterprise and you will hear a litany of excuses. When boiled down to the basics, the majority will admit that it is due to a fear of some sort:
- fear of ridicule
- fear of what others may think or say
- fear of success
- fear of the unknown
- fear of failure
The flaw in the fear of failure – it is learned, not inherent
The list of fears can be endless, but the overwhelming majority will say that the number one reason for their inhibition is the fear of failure.
Have you ever stopped to consider where your fears originated? Were you born with them? The answer is no, with the exceptions being; the fear of falling, the fear of loud noises and in some people, the fear of snakes. All of our other fears are learned, ingrained and habitual.
Children are fearless
My daughter fell twelve feet out of our loft and onto a hardwood floor when she was only five. Fortunatley, she was only bruised badly. When things had settled, I asked her what had happened. She replied that she had been watching the “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and had climbed on top of the railing that surrounds our loft/tv area, to sit like the hunchback was doing on tv.
As a child, we had no fears of failure. We tried to walk, we fell, made adjustments and then tried again and again and again. We kept trying and making adjustments until we found we could take one step and then two steps, all the while adapting and honing our technique.
This trial and error process allowed us to become proficient and we used the same techniques when we learned to ride a bike, swim, play sports or accomplish other feats both as a child and as an adult.
Those important to us supported our efforts
Our parents never shook their heads and said, “Poor Johnny, he’ll never walk”. They picked us up, dusted us off, gave us some encouragement and told us to give it another try. Failure is nothing to be ashamed of. We’ve all failed (no one ever learned to walk, swim and so forth, on the first try ).
As children, we never worried about failure until we reached an age when we became concerned that others would think we were inferior if we failed in our current quest. The truth is that everyone must first fail in order to learn how to succeed.
The point is to let you inner child run free. Think like a child. Experiment. Attempt new things. Spend less time occupied with what others think and more time on freeing your spirit and expanding your mind. Try. Fail. Learn. Try again. Succeed.
It’s not like I’m asking you to hold a snake.
Tags: fear, fear+of+failure, fear+of+ridicule, fearless
I have been tagged – twice. Brad Bagget at JuiceofChampions and Tristan Loo of SynergyInstituteOnline have each tagged me to participate in The Think Different Challenge.
The Think Different Challenge was started by Peter at I will change your life . com. Peter’s premise, though simple is very profound. Choose something in your life that you are currently viewing as a negative situation and re-frame your perspective so that this negative situation becomes a positive opportunity.
The Think Different Rules
- Write a new blog post in which you “think different”. Follow my suggestions above, or be a bit different and interpret the challenge the way you want.
- State that the post is a part of the Think Different Challenge and include a link and/ or trackback to this post so that readers know the rules of the challenge. Feel free to use the above banner (inspired, of course, by Seth Godin).
- Include a link and/ or trackback to the blogger who tagged you.
- At the end of your post, go ahead and tag some fellow bloggers. Don’t forget to email them to let them know they have been tagged.
- That’s it! Just sit back and enjoy reading peoples’ responses to the challenge.
My Think Different Situation
I am a morning person. I love the mornings. Most of the time, I’m up by 4:00 a.m. and hit the ground wide open. I’m loud, excited and as my wife says, “obnoxious”. Only in the mornings, of course.
My wife on the other hand is not a morning person. She wakes up in stages – if she must get up. She does not wake up immediately, it’s more like waking up a little at a time.
- Stage 1: Hit the snooze button at least two times, but preferably multiple times.
- Stage 2: Change from a horizontal position of inactivity to a vertical position of inactivity – in other words get out of bed and sit down to rest.
- Stage 3: Frown at anyone who speaks to you and no matter how quietly they speak, complain that it is too loud.
- Stage 4: Go to the bathroom a start the shower. Don’ t get in – just start the water.
- Stage 5: Sit down to rest.
- Stage 6: Get into the shower and stay there for at least ten minutes
- Stage 7: Get out of the shower, functionally awake but looking at the bed longingly every time you pass it.
- Stage 8: Eat some breakfast and begin to interact with others.
Until just recently I have believed that my wife’s actions were a matter of choice. I believed that she just enjoyed being grumpy, ill and slow. Not anymore.
I have two daughters. The youngest wakes up just like me. Okay, mostly like me, but my oldest daughter is exactly like my wife. She is not, in any way shape or form, a morning person and regardless of my attempts to helping her rise in a good mood, she would rather just wake up at her speed.
My revelation? Maybe the way we wake up in the morning is hardwired into our DNA. Sometimes people don’t want to be excited, encouraged or in a good mood. They just want you to be there – sharing life with them.
I’m still “raring to go” in the mornings, but my youngest daughter and I try to keep it between us.
I Tag
I’d like to tag Daylle Deanna Schwartz of Lessons from a Recovering Doormat.
The Pink Rotater
The “Pink Rotater” became a reality this week. Though there are still some updates that need to be made to the logistics of handling orders as well as some cosmetic changes that are being worked out on the Rotater web site, we are excited to have reached this stage.
I visited with several physical therapists yesterday, all of whom expressed praise for their experiences with the Rotater.
The Rotater – “New Golf Product of the Month”
I received an email from Derek Highley late Thursday with a link to a newsletter that he publishes. When I clicked on the link, I was thrilled to discover that the Rotater had been chosen as the “New Golf Product of the Month” in a monthly newsletter put out by 1stopforgolf.com.
Words cannot begin to express the pride and encouragement that I feel right now. Thank you all for your support.
Tags: Think+Different, The+Pink+Rotater, 1+stop+for+golf
I am continuously awed and humbled by the things that my daughters notice, whether it’s something they’ve seen or heard. The fact that they’ve noticed these things is often revealed to me in either a quiet, one on one conversation or while observing the two of them playing together.
Children notice everything!
Here’s a news flash. They see and hear everything I do or say, they adapt it to whatever it is they are doing and then over time, if allowed to go unchecked, they adopt it into their lives. I’m sure that if you have children, at some point, your child repeated a word, phrase, idea or thought that took you a little while to realize where it came from.
The eye-opener is that I understand my influence only because I am constantly exposed to my daughters. I make it a point to talk with them and treat them as intelligent, partially grown human beings. They respond by eagerly developing into two smart and inventive little girls.
I realize the effect of my influence on my daughters only because of my continual exposure to them. This made me begin to wonder, “How many people do we influence that we don’t know about and how do we influence them?” I’ve decided to call the ways that we influence others, “our Powers”.
1. THE POWER TO INSPIRE AND MOTIVATE
When others see us:
…they realize that “it” can be done. They are inspired to “do more” and “go beyond” their previously self-imposed limitations. By our attitudes, character and actions we have the power to move others in the direction of their true potential. We have the power to motivate them to pursue their goals because we have demonstrated that a worthwhile goal can be achieved.
2. THE POWER TO LEAD
Some individuals are natural born leaders while others have the role of leader thrust upon them. Who looks to you for leadership?
-
friends
-
co-workers
-
children
-
spouse
-
others
You may be surprised. We may not see ourselves as leaders, but the odds are the someone looks up to us as their leader. Are we exhibiting good leadership qualities? Do we demonstrate:
Remember, never expect more from others than you are willing to give. It is a sobering thought to know that someone is watching and emulating what we say, what we do, what we think, how we act and the attitudes we portray.
3. THE POWER TO TEACH
You have skills. You know things. Perhaps you:
-
know a shortcut for doing a particular job
-
know a tip or technique for doing a task more efficiently, quicker or more economically
-
know who to contact to get that “certain something” done
-
have devised a system that others are unaware of
-
know where to go for the answers
Tell someone about your unheralded skills. It will make you feel good to share plus you will help someone else become more productive. Rest assured, 99% of the time, they will give you the credit for developing their skills.
4. THE POWER TO LEARN
If you want a new skill, then learn it. It doesn’t matter whether is is becoming proficient with a new software package or learning how to use a hand plane (a woodworking tool), you can learn. Your mind is like a muscle, it never loses it’s ability to increase it’s functions. You can develop new skills and abilities through hearing, observation, imitation and deduction. The only realistic limitations we have are the ones that we place on ourselves.
5. THE POWER TO ENCOURAGE
It is truly amazing when you stop to realize how much affect a few words of encouragement can have. A simple “good job” or “nice try” lets others know that we see and value their efforts and accomplishments.
One of the largest complaints that I hear in my position is, “no one respects or appreciates what I do”. Studies have shown that workers in general are more likely to perform better, quicker and more efficiently if their efforts are noticed. Continual improvement is more reliant on this personal encouragement than the promise of financial gain.
Stop to encourage others with a word of appreciation or a smile. The benefits will be long lasting – even if you don’t see them.
Tags: your+super+powers, teaching, inspiration, motivation
Having two daughters can be quite a bit of fun. With the first child, you want to experience every new thing that occurs.
- the first sounds
- the first time you change the diapers
- the first time she speaks clearly
- her first steps
- her first day at school
When the second one comes along, some of those unique pleasures get pushed aside. Case in point: My oldest daughter is six and I have been asking her from the time she could talk, “What are you going to be when you grow up?” There have been myriad answers. From “a doctor” to a “dog walker” and everything in between.
Recently, I realized that I had never asked my younger daughter who is approaching four, what she wants to be when she grows up. But, I was able to remedy this situation recently. I dropped my older daughter off at school and on the way home asked my younger daughter, “what do you want to be when you grow up”? With only a moments hesitation, she replied, “a vegenarian”.
I said, “Don’t you mean a veterinarian”? She told me “no, a vegenarian”, but gave me no explanation and I left it at that until today. We had a little quiet time – just the two of us and I asked her if she still wanted to be a vegenarian. She quickly told me, “no, I’m going to be a country music girl.”
I’m not quite sure what a “country music girl is”. Maybe a female country music singer? I received no further explanation, but I really didn’t want one. It was just nice to share a daddy -daughter moment. Soon she’ll be to busy to tell me:
- what she’s going to be
- where she’s going
- who she’s hanging out with
And then, all that I’ll have are these little memories.No, it really doesn’t matter what she wants to be – as long as she wants to be with Daddy.
Tags: daughters, family
Children say the funniest things.
My wife and I read to our girls every night at bedtime. We’ve done this since our oldest daughter was born and our girls make sure that we don’ t forget. Sometimes, due to the length of the book, we may only read a chapter, but unless they have stayed up past their bedtimes, we read every night. The girls alternate picking out what they want to hear at bedtime, so the content may vary from Jules Verne’s “Journey to the Center to the Earth” to “The Three Little Pigs”.
A couple of nights ago, my youngest daughter, Peyton, soon to be four, picked out an educational book. You know the sort. It teaches colors, numbers, counting, similarity, and opposites.
My wife was doing an excellent job reading and teaching as I listened. When they got to the subject of opposites, my wife’s teaching skills became even more apparent. The following is a short dialogue of what happened.
Wife: “If something is not up, it is …..”
Peyton: “down”.
Wife: “Good job Peyton. If something is not little, it is …”
Peyton: “big”.
This interaction continued for several minutes, until my wife came to the in/out or on/off concept and this is what was said:
Wife: “If Peyton is not in the bed, she is ….”
Peyton: “In trouble”
Needless to say my wife and I exploded into laughter. Children make our lives a joy. Thank God for them.
Tags: daughters, things+kids+say, child’s+view
(This article/post was originally posted on www.soupornuts.wordpress.com back on March 17, 2007. I have updated it and I will be moving all of my writings to www.soupornuts.com in the following days.)
A couple of weeks ago, at the end of a family outing, my wife told me that she needed to stop by the grocery store. It was decided that since we had two, tired little girls (Madison-age 6 and Peyton-soon to be 4) that I would wait in the car with them, while my wife picked up the needed essentials.
After Melissa had been gone a few minutes, Madison said to me, “Daddy, I see colors in the air.” A little alarmed that my oldest daughter might be experiencing vision problems, yet trying to remain calm, I asked, “what do you mean – you see colors in the air?” Madison responded, “When I close my eyes real tight and look at the sun and then away from the sun, I can see colors.”
While she was telling me this, she was also demonstrating what she meant and naturally I had to try it myself to see what was going on. She was right, I did see colors. I commented to Madison, “baby I think everybody can see colors when they do what you just did.” With a crestfallen look on her face, she said, “Oh, I thought I had special powers.”
Not knowing what to say, I just changed the subject and moved on. In retrospect, I wish that I’d had the wisdom to tell her of all the “powers” that daughters really do have:
- the power to see life through the eyes of a child – to remember the fantasy and fun of our imaginations.
- the power to express ourselves without the fears of ridicule and humiliation.
- the power to demonstrate true and unconditional love.
- the power to trust completely
- the power to believe that whatever daddy says is true
- the power to make me remember what it is like to be a child
Yes, my daughters really do have “special powers” and I love them very much for it.
