by Motivation Expert, Jim Cathcart

“Resume The Boom!”

The economy is in the doldrums because the people are depressed. Much like The Dark Ages when the prevailing mood was gloom and doom, we see very little optimism and hope today. The news is filled with discouraging information and reports that lead us to be more suspicious of each other and skeptical of everything we hear. Each day brings a new expose’ of some corrupt institution or a new regulation that carries with it a host of reporting requirements and restrictions on normal communication. But there is enormous opportunity behind this gloom.

What we need is a “Rennaissance,” a rebirth of the desire to grow and succeed.

When business is depressed it doesn’t go away, it just gets postponed. People still want a new car and many need one, but they’ve delayed their purchase due to economic fears. Couples still want to buy a new home or renovate the one they have but banking and mortgage regulations have caused them to delay.

But the need and desire to buy still exist. In many cases, the money is also available, but the commitments are inhibited by fears and uncertainty. It’s hard to exert initiative when you are confused. So what do we do?

Re-Start with a Dream

Every great advancement begins in the mind of one individual who decides to take action on his or her dreams. They see the goal in their mind or feel the desire in their heart and then they act upon it. That is what we need MUCH more of today: goals and desires.

Step One is to Define What You Want. Until you have a clear target you will not take bold action.

Here’s an exercise to break the inertia:

1. Start a journal page listing all the things that you care about; your family, friends, health, home, country, company, church, body, mind, relationships, skills, tools, toys, everything you can think of. Add to this list over the next week and make it as complete as you can. Get everything you care about onto that page.
2. Take time to review the listings in a leisurely way. Don’t “study” it, just review it. Let it drift before you…and then Notice What You Notice. In other words, reflect on what you are seeing and make notes about what matters most to you.
3. On a separate page start writing what you want. Don’t worry about sequence or priority just start listing what you want or would like to have or do. It could be as simple as a new lamp for the family room or as ambitious as being elected to the presidency of your industry association. Have no concern over whether you can achieve it, just write it down. Take your time and do this over a week or so. Come back to the list each day for a few minutes and add to it or refine it.
4. Once you have the Wants List you are ready to set some new goals. Review the wants and circle the ones that matter most to you. From this short list you will be able to draw some Next Step goals to truly go to work on. This process can be done for a company as well as an individual.

“Without Reflection there is no true learning.” Kevin Buck

It is time for the dreamer in you to emerge once again. Re-ignite the caring genes in you. Start talking about what’s possible. Get others engaged in conversations about how good it could be if we all started contributing toward the growth of our company, community, family or country. The big questions are:

What do you really want?  

What are you willing to do in order to achieve it?

How can you start working on it today? 

Be one of the initiators of the ReBooming of America! Resume the Boom!

I was born in 1946 and graduated high school in 1964. Those dates define “The Baby Boom”; 78 million people born during the 18 years after World War II. Our boom has driven a mega-market for everything from diapers to depends over the course of years.

Today 10,000 baby boomers are turning 65 every day. Read that again…yes, “every day!”

But unlike Mom & Dad and our own grandparents, we aren’t retiring and fading away. We are still active. Socially, financially, professionally, physically and intellectually…we are vitally still engaged in the world.

This presents an interesting opportunity for the rest of the world. How do we cope with and profit from meeting the needs of this huge group? The answer will vary depending upon your field of involvement.

Here are just a few of the emerging needs and wants.

• Learning to use Social Media to stay actively connected
• Special Interest Groups: every imaginable area from hiking clubs to NASCAR to culinary arts to photography, sailing and salsa dancing
• Fitness for Seniors who still desire to compete or advance
• Musical performances: still eager to Rock & Roll
• Discussion Groups: continuing their intellectual growth
• Political Involvement
• Community Leadership & Public Service
• Financial Security
• Leaving a Legacy
• Leisure Travel & Exploration
• Healthcare Services
• Seniors Communities and Services
• Making a Difference in the World

They are also still looking for opportunities to do more.

You might enjoy this brief video from my appearance before 1,500 professional speakers in Anaheim, CA recently. It adds a musical perspective to the message above.

Yesterday I was interviewed by Phil Taylor for the Goal Achievers Network. Here’s the link,

I hope you enjoy it and get many good ideas as to how to keep yourself and others motivated.

by Motivation Expert, Jim Cathcart

Today I had an interesting discussion with a neighbor who is an attorney. We were talking about how people challenge the existence of God. I mentioned a thought from the new book, Decision Points by President George W. Bush. President Bush said, in reply to those who claim that you cannot prove that God exists, you also cannot prove that He does not exist!

I hadn’t thought of that before (despite having watched Miracle on 34th Street each holiday season). For those who aren’t familiar with the film, it culminates in a courtroom scene where they are trying to prove that Santa Claus does/doesn’t exist. As our discussion progressed my friend, Ron, told me that he once used this questioning in a courtroom:

“How many of you love your parents?” “Can you prove it?”

The answer is “no, we cannot prove it” but we can certainly behave as if it is so and we can show a pattern of behavior that makes it likely that it is so. Be we cannot PROVE it because love doesn’t have tangible qualities, it only causes tangible actions, but then again manipulation or acting would also cause those actions.

As I thought further I came to the following conclusion. Please send me a note via my page on Facebook if you disagree and have another point of view. (I’m getting a constant barrage of spam on this website so I’ve had to disable the Comments on my blogposts and revert to Facebook for the interplay. Sorry.) Here’s my conclusion:

Love cannot be “proven” but it can definitely be expressed through our actions.

Love cannot be preserved but it can definitely be felt.

Love cannot be earned but we can be worthy of it.

In other words, we feel love, we express our love in many ways, and we can be worthy of someone’s love but that doesn’t create love. Love comes from God, it is intangible and eternal, everyone has experienced it and everyone can share it, but nobody can create it on their own. You don’t just decide to love someone and then you love them. But you can choose to be more loving in your actions and less judgmental in your thoughts, and these actions will increase the likelihood that you may feel the love as well. No guarantees but a good approach nonetheless.

This is one of those eternal discussions: Yin vs Yang, Science vs Religion, Philosophy vs Practicality, the good of mankind vs the needs of the individual. You get the point.

The reason I bring it up is that we are entering the time of year when, in the United States, we face daily reminders of the existence of God and the importance of Love. As you enter this sacred season please remain mindful that what matters most is that we continually resist the doubters and controllers in order to preserve our Love of our families, our communities, our countries and our Creator. With Love as our driving force we can overcome anything the world throws our way. We have within our collective abilities the capacity to overcome the ugliest of evils.

Earlier this week I conducted a seminar on Relationship Selling in Warsaw, Poland.

I toured this wonderful city and witnessed first hand the amazing capacity of a people to rebound from the deadliest evil ever expressed. Warsaw was 80% destroyed during World War II. Think of that, 80%!

Despite all of that destruction and the hideous oppression to which they were subjected, the Polish people rose up and conquered their oppressors and rebuilt their city into the vibrant economy that it is today. Take an online tour of Warsaw to see the beautiful parks, the buildings, the new soccer stadium, the roads and bridges. You will find a truly inspiring story of rebirth and clear evidence of Love.

Let their example be a stimulus to your heart and soul this holiday season. Regardless of your religion I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.

by Jim Cathcart

I just got off the phone/computer from one the most enjoyable calls I’ve ever made.

Stephanie Charl Schule, a colleague of mine in Hannover, Germany invited me to address a meeting of the folks who are involved in iLearningGlobal.tv there. It was 5pm for them and 8am for me. So I was able to make the call from my computer by simply plugging in an external microphone and using the built in camera on the screen.

As my regular readers know, I’m one of the founding faculty of iLearningGlobal.tv and many of my training videos are featured on their website worldwide. When Steffi contacted me she said that I had many followers in Germany and she’d like to have me address their meeting via Skype call.

Her husband, Paul-Martin Schule, called me and confirmed our connection and the next thing I knew I was looking at Steffi in front of her computer screen with a large screen in the background showing ME! They had a meeting room with about 60 people in attendance and she had it set up to show me on a large screen while she interviewed me. We also took questions and comments from the audience. The sound quality of the connection was excellent.

Here is what the video looked like to them:

Steffi had sent me an outline of probable questions that she would ask me and I sent her my replies to each, so that she could translate the answers into German in advance of the meeting.

During the meeting as I answered each question and told short stories to illustrate, I would pause occasionally so that she could do a live translation for those who didn’t speak English. It really worked. The audience broke into applause on a number of occasions and seemed to truly connect with my message.

At the end of the event we took a little diversion when she asked me how I kept myself motivated. I showed her my guitar, one of two that I keep in my office. Then she asked me to play it. I played a piece of a song and she said the audience wanted more. So I played and sang my own song, Riding Free, plus a John Denver and a Neil Diamond song. They sang along with me, from the other side of the world! That produced much applause and laughter on both sides of the ocean. Great fun!

I asked her to turn the computer around so that I could see the audience and when she did, they gave me a standing ovation! It truly touched my heart. What a wonderful way to connect with people and a perfect way to start this day. By the way, today is the birth date of Cavett Robert, founder of the National Speakers Association. NSA members nationwide are encouraged to spend this day coaching and training others to become better communicators. Tonight I’ll be speaking as keynoter for the 75th anniversary banquet of the Toastmasters International Ventura California club. Thanks for following my blog and please let me know when I can be of service to you.

by Jim Cathcart

Last July I posted this video of 16:38 minutes from a 4 hour Jam Session at the National Speakers Association convention in Phoenix. Since that time I’ve had many occasions to share music and ideas with a variety of colleagues, friends and clients.

The songs included here (being performed by me) are:
Riding Free by Jim Cathcart
The Sounds of Silence from Simon & Garfunkel
Steppin’ Stone by The Monkees
If I were a Carpenter by Tim Hardin
Well Respected Man by the Kinks
Bye Bye Love by The Everly Brothers
Rocky Mountain High by John Denver

You’ll notice that my audience of about a dozen people tends to grow as the event goes on. That’s particularly noteworthy since this event took place at the end of the 10pm to Midnight Jam Session with a dozen performers. Our little group stayed until 2:10AM!

I’m now incorporating this style of informal, spontaneous music into some of my presentations to blend Stories, Strategies and Skills with the fun of music and interaction, in a sing-along format. Please let me know if you’d like to explore this as a program for your own group.

Earlier this year in Caracas, Venezuela I performed a dozen songs this way in front of 800 business executives during the break in my regular seminar. They gave me a standing ovation for the break! What a treat!!!!

Here are some photos from that event:

Just to validate that I come by this honestly, here are two photos of me and my (then wife-to-be Paula) at the Mountain View Arkansas Music Festival in 1970, plus two photos of Robert Teague and me as “The Harper Brothers”, (our “act” in 1968) in Little Rock. Life is better with music!