How I Turned My Failures Into Success

golden teacher growkit Like most school-year children, I became friends with whom I sat next to. We talked before and after class--and sometimes during. I don't exactly remember why, but the girl started to write me notes. I think it was because she was too bored during class.

What was most remarkable though, was that it wasn't my class. I was their substitute teacher. The transformation they experienced took place in a two week period. For the two years I subbed, this ritual of establishing respect and mutual worth had the same results--regardless of were it was applied. So-called troubled, hyper, or violent kids all rose to the expectation that they too, were worthy of being addressed and treated with respect. Was I a super teacher or psychological genius? Not by any stretch. I simply worked a principle. That's the great thing about principles; they work regardless of who uses them. Later in my career, I saw a memorable illustration of the power of positive expectations. It came from the story of a legendary trader with a comic strip name.

growkit golden teacher I am pulled to breakfast not from hunger or appetite but because of the bountiful variety present to choose from. Something I am not use to. I'm a lunch guy not a breakfast guy. After a sumptuous breakfast of fruit and home baked bread I hit the baths. The view down to the baths is amazing.

In the course of requesting a job reference, I'd found out that my former supervisor, one Bill W., had recently died. Though I didn't know him long, I liked Bill. I respected his warm earthiness, his everyman charm. He was a kind, mellow man who handled crisis with an aplomb most can only dream of possessing. He worked hard to stay out of the spotlight, and harder to put others in it.

"Mahana-you-ugly! Get out of that tree!" I was at a leadership development retreat when I heard this line from a campy, dated flick produced by the Mormon Church. The video was titled Johnny Lingo and it was based on a short story of the same name. Despite its unintentional political incorrectness, it was hard to dismiss the invaluable lessons it demonstrated.

golden teacher growkit There is a distinct difference between the two. Bottom line is accents are played higher than taps. Drum teachers usually explain this by saying taps are all the inside notes, the low notes. Accents are taught to be played vertically. The common misconception is that accents and taps is just for marching drumlines, but it can also be played by drum kit drummers too. The benefit to playing drum music with proper stick heights is that it sounds and it looks good. One of the best books that could teach you how to play proper stick heights is Accents and Rebounds by George Lawrence Stone. Stone is well-known for his first book, Stick Control.

golden teacher golden teacher I was raised not to call people "out of their name". My grandmother named me David, after the great Hebrew patriarch. She taught me that my name meant 'beloved' and not to let folks shorten or alter it. "Dave did not slay Goliath", she admonished. "Nor was Dave king of Israel." She explained names often carried the weight of expectation. What you called others was as important as anything else you could say to them was her belief. More vital, though, was what we allowed others to call us. Hence, my edict.

golden teacher Are sacred old growth forests still being destroyed to grow cow burgers? Yes. Then read on because this is my vehicle to rant and rave and weave my thoughts and ideas with this event I attended on Sunday, May 1st, 1994.

The last golden rule is very important. You have to judge your efforts by sales conversion. It doesn't matter how pretty your website is; if you are not making any money, you do not have a viable business.

This experience in nature is a far cry from my usual surroundings in the City of L.A. Sometimes huge wall length reflective mirrors are exposed by withdrawn curtains. The room seems to double in size and the outside lighting adds a unique dimension. A beam of light shines in stirring the room. There is an old finely tuned antique classy black piano in one corner of the immense space and in the opposite corner a wonderful stereo system -- music is playing softly but will change tempo radically several times in the next 45 minutes. Sometimes a rug, soft mats or pillows cover the entire smooth shiny wooden floor.

If we are not hungering for God's word, it's because we have filled ourselves up with other things, with trash. (Proverbs 15:14 NLT - A wise person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash.) Perhaps it's time for us to turn of the TV's and video games for a while and truly study God's word.

golden teacher People come and go as they want (in some sessions) and no one is judging -- except possibly you. The air outside is clean and clear and crisp. The golden teacher sun is rising and the mist moves over the cliffs and mountains casting shadows or playing with the forms and crags -- every moment a new scene--a new view. Life is happening! I have jumped in!