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Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey's |
Does one life make a difference?
 August 15th of this year (2008), I had
the rare privilege of keynoting the Toastmasters
International annual leadership lunch at their Calgary convention.
My keynote laid out
the contention that Personal Leadership tapped into The Power of One
which leads to engaging the passion of many and allows us to walk
In the Company of Leaders. I further challenged
those in attendance to step up and claim their leadership - that the
world needed their willingness to lead and to make a positive
difference.
 Last month (Sept. 8th, 2008) I joined 62 fellow
Edmontonians in support of Alberta Easter Seals and stepped off the
ledge of the 29 story Sutton Place Hotel as part of the 2008
Edmonton Drop Zone adventure. Together, my fellow
Superheroes and those who supported us, raised $98,730 to help
adults and kids with disabilities here in Alberta. Across Canada
other superheroes stepped up to do the same thing in their cities.
Visit: www.dropzonebob.com for more pictures... you can
still donate online.
As I mentioned at the celebration dinner honoring my
fellow Superheroes, "It takes personal leadership to do what we just
did, to confront our fears and step up and step out. When we do that
we become leaders, role models and we inspire others to follow in
our footsteps... although perhaps they don't realize how far they
will step." (Picture is me on the ledge 29 stories above 101st
St...gulp)
Superheroes are
ordinary people who step up when needed and sometimes step
out in support of their respective
causes. Archives of past issues are available on our www.ideaman.net website. I get notes from subscribers and friends with all sorts of interesting leads and ideas. Last month I got one with a link to my birth data. Check it out and see what it tells you about yourself based on when you were born. Here are a few highlights from mine:  As
of 9/11/2008 8:42:56 AM EDT
You are 713 months
old. Your fortune cookie
reads: If you continually give, you will continually
have.
Your birth tree is: Maple, Independence
of Mind Hmmm... Interesting facts
no doubt; but what it reminds me is that I have lived and that I
have invested that amount of time in creating my life and legacy.
And, it inspires me to work more diligently to ensure that
my legacy is a positive, lasting one. What does your
information say about you? What does it inspire you to
do?
PS: Picture is me testing
my Swim Ways 'floaty' while feeding the fish while sailing in
Mexico. Watch for a new fun website: FloatyBob.com
coming soon to an internet near you...smile. Choice: Privilege, Opportunity and Responsibility
What a powerful truth. We can, and do, write our own history. That is, when our life is nearing the end, we can look back and see that the history we leave behind, the legacy that we leave for our children, is the accumulation of the choices we made all along the way. As I think about this, I realize that some may view it from the back end and it may seem hopeless, but we can be proactive about it and decide now that we will begin to make choices that will bring us to our desired end. Before I talk about privilege, opportunity, and responsibility, I want to make something perfectly clear, and it is something that you must embrace if you are going to see your life continually improve and change for the better. I believe that...
The ability for us humans to choose is incredible, but it also brings with it philosophical truths as well. Primarily the power to choose brings with it privilege, opportunity, and responsibility. When we see how all three of these play out in our lives, and when we discipline ourselves to make the choices that will bring us to our desired outcome - watch out - because you will be UNLEASHED! The Ability to choose is a Privilege. Dogs don't have it. Cows don't have it. Trees and flowers don't have it. The only living creatures that have the ability to choose are humans. All of the rest of living creatures live by instinct, or in the case of trees, flowers etc, they live wherever they are planted (I guess they must have to develop a great deal of contentment!). Have you ever viewed your ability to choose as a privilege that you have been given? That is one of the more motivating factors in my life for being disciplined and making choices. Exercise your privilege today. Make choices today that will make you, your family and your community better off! The Ability to choose is an Opportunity. Every one of us has the opportunity to improve ourselves. There are too many stories of people who have lost 200 pounds, left behind fortunes while only earning $20,000 a year and multitudes of other success stories for me to believe otherwise. In fact, I myself have seen it in my own life. What an opportunity! Yet many believe that it is impossible - that they don't even have the opportunity. Not true at all. Take advantage of the opportunity you have every single day of your life to change - because you can!! Make choices today that will make you, your family and your community better off! The Ability to choose is a Responsibility. We do not live our lives in a vacuum. We live them in the context of our families, our communities, our businesses and the organizations we belong to. We have a responsibility to make right choices that will positively impact all of those around us! I have four children. The choices I make each day, maybe even every moment, will affect them for the rest of their lives. Do I have a responsibility to them? You bet! I want to discipline my life in such a way that they become all that they can be and that our family and eventually the families that they will start, will become great! When I think of choices that changed history, I think of Rosa Parks who made a choice that would bring her into the forefront of America's news of the day and eventually the history books. One day, Parks, an African-American, decided that she would not give up her seat on the bus to a white person. She made a choice. It was undoubtedly one she had thought of for sometime. It was her privilege as a human to make this choice, regardless of what others thought and regardless of what the outcome would be. It was an opportunity to make a statement and to stand up for what was right. It was her responsibility to generations of minorities who would come after her to make this choice. She did, and America changed. Like Rosa Parks, and countless others who daily make choices that
produce change, it is those who will dare to dream of a better life,
those who will risk failure, those who will make the right choices
who will change themselves, their families, their businesses and
organizations and yes, even their world! The ability to choose is an
incredible privilege, an outstanding opportunity, and an awesome
responsibility! Use it! My friend, Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success and Extraordinary Leaders, two companies helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Join subscribers in over 100 countries around the world! Get Chris' FREE weekly Made for Success Ezine by sending a blank email to success-on@mail-list.com. Visit his websites at http://www.madeforsuccess.com and http://www.extraordinaryleaders.com.  Last Minute News
September was super! Starting with time well
spent in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico doing some sailing, filming a few
mini-movies, testing my floaty prior to taking it on the high seas
and to Iran and Rome, and generally relaxing and recharging my
creative energies.
Successfully rappelled
down the outside of the Sutton Place Hotel. Catching up with writing projects finished out
the month and preparing for my Iran presentations.
October
will be a productive month as well. With a couple of presentations
planned, launching Secret
Leadership Tips, finishing up a couple of writing projects and
new websites, as well as tweaks on current ones. Also enjoying a
cruise (Sept 28-Oct 5th) from Vancouver to LA and a few days in Las
Vegas to launch the month. (This month's issue will go out as we are
docked in LA and enroute to the airport to fly to Las
Vegas.)
PS: Bob pictured here at
the helm of the Elias Mann off the coast of Puerto
Vallarta.  Late breaking
newsWe had a glitch last month so I am extending my invitation. Purchase your
personal, 'printable' copy of our new e-publication, In the
Company of Leaders - at a special subscribers price only
$20 CDN plus GST (e-book retails at $32.95). Follow this link to gain access this amazing
new leadership publication.
Just got this
designer proof from the client in Iran for a billboard going up in
two downtown locations in Tehran, Iran from Oct. 10th to Nov.
10th.
I am excited
about this adventure and my first trip to the middle east. I am
speaking at a Strategic Management conference on the Monday prior to
speaking at this 2nd conference later in the week.
Feel like a pin
cushion after getting all my shots updated for my trips to Iran (Nov
2008) and India (Jan. 2009).
Just completed
Powerpoint presentations for use in Iran. They will be included in
the DVD for purchase at each session. Irene did a great job of
adding music to them. Here is one that I might use for my intro as a
part of the keynote for the Strategic Management conference.
View my Against The Storm! pps here. Used the story of my
sail to Japan and Typhoon and Shackleton's adventures to share a few
leadership points. Perhaps someone knows how to send to Harper and
Bush...smile.
PS: Picture is an early evening shot in Puerto
Vallarta. You are receiving this E-zine because someone (we hope you) subscribed. At any time, simply follow the To unsubscribe or change subscriber options visit: link at the end of this email. Please pass this issue along to anyone you think will gain some benefit from reading it. If you want to continue getting this on a monthly basis, simply do nothing. If you have gotten this copy as a forward from one of your friends and want a copy of your own, simply follow this link and give us your email address. Our service - aweber - automatically does the rest. You will need to confirm your subscription through a link from aweber to activate your subscription. Follow link for Privacy, Copyright and Policies |
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I went on to mention, "When I travel the globe
talking about effective leadership, I remind audiences about the
ripple effect of their personal leadership. One great
example is my friend Catherine Vu. Catherine (pictured here) heard
about my Drop Zone adventure last year and told me she was going to
do it and recruit a team. Well, she did! She invited a few friends,
who invited a few friends, and they created the Drop Zone Daredevils
(9 people who raised in excess of $20,000). Each of us can inspire
others to individual and team greatness. Each of us can be a leader
and the world desperately needs more leaders and
superheroes."
One of my absolute favorite quotes is from former
President, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Eisenhower said that,"The
history of free men is never written by chance, but by choice -
their choice." 
Thanks for reading
