I was listening to talk radio yesterday and Mark Belling from WISN in Milwaukee was talking about people that accomplish extraordinary things.

Bob Lang from Delafield built Erin Hills golf course with the intention of having it become the site for the U.S. Open golf championship.

Senator Herb Kohl built Whistling Straits near Kohler and has hosted several PGA tournament events and will host the 92^nd PGA Championship in August.

To build these world class courses was a feat in itself.  The state of Wisconsin is filled with pitfalls and challenges for business owners.  According to Forbes Magazine, Wisconsin ranks 44^th out of 50 for “the best states for business”, barely ahead of Michigan, Louisiana and West Virginia.

The only thing that allowed them to achieve success was their determination, their will, their drive, their passion for a vision and a belief that would not be squelched by government regulation.

Without their true grit, these amazing golf courses would never have been built.  These are men of courage that followed their dream.  They had a vision and they pursued it relentlessly.  It’s people like Bob Lang and Herb Kohl that inspire me and keep my spirit alive.

To succeed in business today, you need more than a great idea and money.  You need determination, incredible will, drive and passion for what you believe in.

Over my 30 year career in sales and sales management John Wooden’s name and principles popped up about once a year in various training discussions.

His recent passing creates an opportunity to pause and reflect on his greatness.  Seldom in our history do we come across great leaders that are completely authentic and live by principles that guarantee success.  John Wooden was one of those great leaders.  His father passed along this 7 Point Creed as John was entering grammar school.

John Wooden’s 7 Point Creed:

• Be true to yourself.
• Make each day your masterpiece.
• Help others.
• Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
• Make friendship a fine art.
• Build a shelter against a rainy day.
• Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

John went on to write his own Pyramid of Success.

John Wooden served our country in the Navy achieving the rank of Lieutenant.  As a player he once made 134 consecutive free throws in 46 games.  As a coach, he won 10 NCAA basketball championships coaching the UCLA Bruins.  Overall his coaching record was 664 wins and 162 losses.

I would say that John Wooden was an extraordinary man that we can all model our lives after.

It’s been just over a month since my last post.  WOW has it been busy.  Too busy to write.  Too busy to think clearly about what to write.

A friend I met at Wizard Academy last July has an incredibly powerful blog and he writes and posts every day 365 days a year.  He gets up at 3am and always has quality ideas, concepts and video’s to share.  I’m not that great.  For me it takes great focus and energy to push out concepts that I believe will be of value.  Even today, I really don’t have time to blog, but I can’t let another day go by.

So today I share the thought of focus and energy.   When does something that needs to be done, get so important that you stop what you’re doing whether you’re on deadline or not and dedicate your focus and energy to that new project?  For me it’s letting a blog go 30 days.
Gair Maxwell has enough focus and energy to write great blogs every 24 hours.  Now maybe he’s not as immersed as I am with client projects.  At any rate, you’ll love his blog and you can find it at www.seamlessbrand.com.

Enjoy the day, enjoy Gair’s blog and enjoy your focus and energy on whatever subject you determine needs to be focused on right now!

From time to time, we’re struck by the loss of someone close to us.  Yesterday a friend of mine passed into eternal life.  Gregg and I got to know each other through business and became friends.  That’s the kind of guy Gregg was.  He had great vision, great dreams and was a true entrepreneur.  He had great energy, an unending smile and great spirit, always.  I never saw him down, even when he faced challenges.

He was a never-ending positive force.  He cared for people, literally in his volunteer work as an EMT.  He loved golf and the freedom that being an entrepreneur provides.

He was a maverick.  Stepping up, making big decisions and forging relationships that required guts.   I’ll miss Gregg.  I’ll also keep his spirit alive.  I’ll take what I learned from him and I’ll internalize his spirit and I’ll share the things I know made Gregg one of the greatest men I’ve known.  This is what I call the Circle of Life.

So today I share with you Gregg’s finest qualities.  Take inventory of his greatness and make these qualities part of your life and share them with others.

Gregg was a great family man.
Gregg was a great husband and father.
Gregg was a vibrant and positive spirit always.
Gregg always had a smile.
Gregg lived his life to help others always.
Gregg was a visionary.
Gregg was fair.
Gregg was trusting.
Gregg appreciated quality and knew quality when he saw it.
Gregg was fun.
Gregg lived life with passion.

I will miss Gregg in person, but I will keep his spirit alive and share his greatness with others.  Celebrate Gregg’s life by helping others capture the quality that Gregg lived every day.  Here’s to you Gregg!