Let the Journey Begin

I got a text on Wednesday morning offering me a ticket to the WIllow Creek Global Leadership Summit. (I love this conference. I just failed to get my early bird ticket and to ask off work. I really didn’t think it was in the cards for me to go.)

“SURE!!” I replied. “What do I need to do to “earn it??”

“Just post on your social platforms your experiences.”

“Sold!”

(DUH. I would do that even without asking!) I thought.

So I went out on a limb, asked my boss Casey Valiant at Signarama if I can ditch two important events and basically take two days off.

He didn’t even hesitate. “Sounds good,” he said. Part of me thinks he might be doing the happy dance for two days of quiet, but I really know that he cares. They all do – the Valiants are just those kind of people. They care about our personal growth as much as our professional growth.

The first thing I took note of was the companies who bought tickets and paid to send their leaders to a 2 day Christian-influenced conference. Companies like Springleaf and FC Tucker, who sent over 20 people each. Others like Berry Plastics, Bethel Manor, Bob’s Gym, The Dream Center, Flanders Electric, GAF Roofing, Heritage Petroleum, Jacobsville Join-In, Old National Bank, Victoria National, and Walther’s Golf n Fun all sent leaders to this event.

The second was people like Sally and Dan who took vacation time to make sure that they could be here.

I had PAGES of notes and tweeted EVERYTHING. Had to earn my ticket right? If you want my notes, go back and look at my twitter feed for those two days. If you want condensed notes, check out Trey McClain’s blog. He is the pastor of One Life West and my ticket sponsor.

During the last session. Craig Groeschel, of LifeChurch.tv, killed it. He gave an example of how and why as your organization grows, your mindset has to change. He then offered 5 areas for us to improve.

1) Build your confidence.

2) Expand your connections.

3) Improve your competence.

4) Strengthen your character.

5) Increase your commitment.

He was very clear, we could only expand one area. Not 3, not 4 – ONE. He asked us to write all 5 down and be thinking on which one we would choose. He then went on to explain each.

As I listened, I thought “These are all really good. It’s hard to choose. Let me see. I think I am a good networker and have some strong connections. That’s my tag line after all. “Making connections to build community.” I can knock that one off the list.” I then listened to all the others as he explained.

Now came the time of truth. What to pick? As he called them off, we were supposed to stand. As he called off # 2 “Expand your connections,” I jumped up out of my seat like a kindergartner who had the answers. Wait What? That was at the bottom of the list?? Well, OK.

Expand your connections, it is. So to make it stick, I tweeted:

I choose to expand my Connection. @craiggroeschel @lifechurchtv #GLS15 @onelifewest @treymcclain @DaleBeaver #HoldMeAccountable please

As soon as it was over, I rushed over to Trey. I thanked him for his part in what felt like something BIG brewing. I saw people waiting to talk to him, so I asked him to pray for me and moved back to start packing up. That’s when I realized Dan Sully was waiting to talk to me, not Trey.

He came up and pointed out a young gentleman, and told me we needed to meet. I then asked him if he had seen my last tweet.

“No, was it about international issues?” By then, the young man had made his way over and told me that it was nice to meet me. Dan had told him about me, and felt we had to meet. I shared with him what I just experienced. I told him that it’s not often you can be so sure that God wants you to meet someone.

“It’s VERY nice to meet you.” We continued our conversation as I packed up to leave.

Later that afternoon, I called Dale Beaver, my pastor, at Christian Fellowship Church. I shard the story and asked for prayer.

As I was on the phone with him, I remembered the first time he really counseled and prayed with me about my business. It was on a Monday. He preached on the Sunday before. (He wasn’t Senior Pastor at the time, so he didn’t preach every Sunday.) I still have his sermon notes.

“God made you to walk among those you love

and those you don’t yet know.”

Words he spoke in February of 2010 have been playing on endless loop like a bad 80’s song you can’t get out of your head.

I don’t have a clue where this mission/quest/challenge to expand my connections is going to take me. I don’t know how this story ends. But let the journey begin as I publicly commit to connect to more people on a deeper level, and open my heart to possibilities.

July 14, 2015

Long Long Ago… I got my hands on a Galaxy S6

It’s another sad day with a FedEx box reluctantly leaving my hands. This time I’m mourning the Samsung Galaxy S6 from Verizon Wireless. As a Samsung product, I already knew I was going to love it. They just haven’t made much I didn’t like lately. So much so, I’m almost a complete convert. (I still need a TV and some Galaxy Gear.)

First Impressions: It’s a totally new look.

Remember when iphones were still new? They were the icon of smart phones. You could spot one across the room and you just knew it was an iphone. Androids don’t typically have that recognizability “Oh that’s a….” reaction. But that’s the first thing I noticed: Other people noticing my phone and commenting: “Oh nice, the S6?” or “Oh the S6! Don’t you just love it?” Or “That’s the S6, how do you like it?”

The look and feel is so different than the previous plastic bodies we are used to from Samsung.

Design Features:

.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display
Slim and sophisticated, lightweight design
Metal bezel
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 4 on the front and back of the phone

It’s like THE dress: Is it Blue or Black?

That Gorilla® Glass over the black body creates an interesting optical effect. It looks blue in some light. I always encase my personal phones from the time they come out of the box. This is a necessity as I am just tough on phones. But the Gorilla® Glass makes this phone as tough as it is beautiful. It’d be a shame to cover it up.

Can it keep up?

I’ve read a few places that people were disappointed with the battery life. I ran this phone on a full days use, it got gamed on hard anytime a tester kid was near and I never noticed it being an issue. This ‘how long can I use the battery’ test was repeated several times with the same result. I was able to drain it if I used the hotspot for more than a brief time, but that is expected. It clearly warns that it should be plugged in while using the hotspot feature.

I was however disappointed that this newest in the Galaxy line has eliminated the removable battery. My phones usually outlive the lifetime of the first battery.

: (Photo : AndroidGameE | YouTube)

Lightning speed

Operating on the Android 5.0 Lollipop and having a 64-bit, octa-core Exynos 7420 and 3GB of LPDDR4 RAM This phone is fast. How fast? Faster than your iphone. No, really, TechTimes did a side by side test, you be the judge.

Storage

This phone, like all smart phones these days, comes in varying sizes. 32GB, 64GB, 128GB.

The kicker here is no SD slot to bump it up. I live on my phone. I’m not sure how easy it would be for me to adapt to this setback. It forces the user to utilize more cloud based storage. Even though I do use many cloud based apps like evernote, dropbox, and Google apps, I still store much on my phone.

Camera

With the main camera boasting 16 MP, 2988 x 5312 pixels, optical image stabilization, autofocus and LED flash, it is definitely a powerful image capturing tool. By far my favorite things about this phone are some of the small changes in the camera features like the wide angle selfie. The rear facing camera is not only a higher resolution (Iphone’s main camera is 8 megapixel and the rear facing camera is a whopping 1.2 megapixel.) better overall camera, it took the panoramic feature and put it on the rear facing camera so you can take large group selfies and get everyone in on the fun. It also has a beauty mode, HRD, voice capture and more.

: Sample of photos taken with the Samsung S6

Overall

I’m torn. I really thought this would be my next phone. I have 3 things to consider. Battery – Am I willing to risk my phone dying when the battery life is up? Storage – Can I change my digital behaviors and have a phone with a hard limit on storage? Will I like the S6 Edge better? (That’s coming next month for me to test drive so I will update this blog when I get an answer to that question.)

Disclosure: I don’t get paid to review these phones. I don’t get to keep any other the cool stuff I review for Verizon. They don’t even give me a discount on my bill or my phones. 🙁 I did get some cool swag from Samsung once, but if they ever wanted to share some cool tech, I wouldn’t turn it down! I don’t receive any payments or discounts from Samsung to be such an avid fan. I just love them and their products.

February 7, 2015

The Turbo Experience

It’s no secret – I have become a Samsung convert. I used to be easily enamored with most any new phone. But since becoming a Samasung convert, not many phones have really grabbed my attention. There have been many that have passed the test and would be good for an average user. But for my personal use device, I have never even considered anything but a Samsung – until now.

Meet the Motorola Droid Turbo from Verizon.

Top 5 reasons to buy one:

#1: It’s Sexy and sleek, but tough

The 5.2-inch Super AMOLED screen has a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels and is made from Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3. If this chemically strengthened display becomes damaged during the first two years, Motorola will replace it one time for free.

The body is reinforced with DuPont™ Kevlar® fiber. While its function is to add durability, it also adds an element of sleek beauty. I have received several questions asking about what it’s made of.

I am not easy on phones. My personal phones don’t come out of the store without a case. I’m not any easier on test phones. This one looks as if it’s never been touched, even though I’ve had it for over a month!

#2 Speed

I have to have speed. I multitask, move from app to app, and back again. I leave apps open, have apps continuously running in the background, and not once did this phone waver or pause. With 3GB of RAM and a 2.7 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor, you can work or play to the max and be confident your phone will keep up.

#3 Battery and Turbo Charge

I used and used this phone, and on average charged my other phone twice for each charge on the Turbo. It boasted “48 hours” of mixed use. I was able to drain it in about 18 hours with hard core continuous use and hotspot running, but that’s a long time to go nonstop.

When it did hit the low battery point, charging for a mere 15 minutes gave me another full day. 15 minutes!

Say yes to Turbo Charge!

#4 Say Cheese

Boasting a 21MP camera with 4x digital zoom and the ability to capture video in 4K, the camera is easily a top reason to buy. The camera on my current Samsung 4S is a 13MP. Combine the strong camera with the beautiful screen resolution, and you are sure to wow your friends and family.

#5 Price

This phone is only $199.99 with a two year contract ($599.99 without).

This workhorse phone will not disappoint. If you are constantly saying,“wait a minute…. it’s loading,” it might just be time to kick your phone to the curb and make the jump to the Motorola Turbo.

November 20, 2014

#SMDames14 #Indy #Fail

April 6, 2014

The Verizon Galaxy Note 10.1- It’s a Keeper

Over the past few years, I’ve had a lot of devices in my hands, and most I review and send back without much hesitation. There have been a few though that have really had me dragging my feet getting to the FedEx store. … This Verizon Galaxy Note 10.1 is no different.

Vision

Of the tablets I’ve had in my hands over the last few months, this one has a noticeable screen difference. It has a 10.1″ display with WXGA TFT Technology and a 1280 x 800 display resolution. Going beyond the numbers though, its just a brighter and sharper image.

Durability matters, but it’s attractive too.

I found it interesting that many of the tech reviewers found this machine to feel light and / or cheap, due to Samsung’s choice for the plastic backing. I actually thought it was heavier and a little bulky do the 10 inch screen. However, the sleek look makes it a very attractive tablet, and I found it very easily tucked into many of my purses. Even though it has a plastic casing, it proved to be over all very durable.

Under the hood really matters

To me using a tablet for work and play are equally important. To do both require a tablet to have a sufficient processor. With the new quad-core Exynos 4 at 1.4GHz,processing speed is not an issue. It’s lightning fast, and even with multiple windows going, I was not able to slow it down.

Multiple screens

Multitasking is one of the things I love most about my Verizon Samsung Galaxy s4. Being able to do some of those functions in a tablet form means I’m more productive. Multi screen on the note and the multi screen on the Galaxy s4 are greatly different. With the s4, there are many more options for items that you can have open at the same time. However with the Galaxy Note 10 .1 and the S Pen there are some amazing features that allow you to get creative using the two windows together.

Battery life

I usually don’t have a tough time running the batteries out on any digital device, but I think by far this one has had to be charged less than other tablets I’ve tested recently. It is reportedly an 8 hour battery life (That’s with continuous play.) I don’t normally have the time to battery test to this extent. I did however forget my laptop battery and jumped on the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 .1 and didn’t miss a beat of work.

The work test

I try to give my test runs a fair amount of use, but even so, I tend to do my heavy work on a laptop. I just do. But that day, I did give this tablet a good run. Used Google Drive both in the app and on the browser to work in documents and spreadsheets. I don’t think I could do that daily, but for travel, and light work, I would (and have since that day) leave the laptop at home.

Bottom line – Yes, please.

Overall, this machine is a workhorse. Whether you choose to use it for work or play, you will not be disappointed in the quality of speed, ease of use, productivity tools, or display resolution. My rating- don’t want to give it back.

February 3, 2014

Verizon / Samsung Preview Party

That’s So Cool

People tell me all the time how cool it is that I get to review new tech for Verizon. I tell them it’s cool and fun, but remind them that I have to return it all, and I’m left wanting the newest item. That part isn’t so fun. I recently experienced another perk of being a tech reviewer for Verizon: The Private Preview party.

I was given a date and was allowed to invite a few tech savvy friends for this event. I wasn’t sure what to expect, just that it was going to be a rep from Samsung Mobile USA, the Verizon Wireless store employees and us.

The Event

We arrived and were greeted by the store personnel, who locked the doors behind us, preventing party crashers. There were donuts, water, and orange Juice provided, and after introductions, we were allowed to wander and explore the store. We asked questions – tough questions. Tried on, played with and drooled over the latest products on the market. Andrew Epperson and I, along with the Samsung rep, theorized about new products expected to launch. I made a wish list of all the gadgets I wanted.

More Than Phones

There were more than just phones. We played extensively with the Galaxy Gear (WANT SO BAD) and the Galaxy Note 10.1. We inquired about the staff picks on bluetooth sound systems and headsets. We were given an education on the hotspots, home wireless and the Samsung AllShare Cast.<– If you haven’t seen that, you should go check it out.

Swag

As we left, we were given some cool Samsung mobile swag. The best part is, I get to do it again! Not sure when, but near or just after another big product launch, I will see what I can do to secure another date.

It Could Be You

My party guests this time included: Missy Bentley, Andrew Epperson, Cathy Finch, and David Sobotka. Would you want to be included in the next one? Comment below: Leave your name, current carrier, current phone model and product line you would be interested in previewing (Samsung, Motorola, LG….)

January 15, 2014

It Started With a Pen

This week I Begin a New Journey

This is my first week as an employee of Signarama Evansville. I have accepted a part time Marketing Coordinator position with them. My position is one that will grow and change as time goes on. That’s really how today’s successful businesses work; ever-changing. The few people I have told have all asked: “What will you be doing?” Then after answering with the simple answer, “web, social, digital, marketing and special projects,” I got almost the same response, “Duh.”

It’s What I do

What I do isn’t changing. I will still be teaching at the University of Southern Indiana, Northwest Kentucky Training Consortium, and my not yet really announced teaching partnership with Western Kentucky University. For my existing corporate clients, I will still be here, don’t worry. I will be very selective on any new corporate clients, but I like it that way.

Nothing New/Making Things New

I have been working with Signarama Evansville for years, teaching, training, consulting, reviewing, and strategizing. They have always been a good client. In this regard, not really a new thing. But coming into this position there are some areas of blank canvas. I will be doing some special projects and working on some really exciting things. I can’t wait to start making some of this canvas come to life and share it with you!

It Started With a Pen

I love the people at Signarama. I first met Debbie Valiant at an event I saw advertised on Facebook. I looked at who was attending and saw that she would be there. I didn’t know her, I just knew I was in the market for a pen. (I owned a computer consulting company at the time.) I sought her out and was quickly impressed not only with her, but the whole company. I love the people that work there already and I know a lot about the sign industry. Don’t get me wrong, I know I have a lot to learn going into a new field, but being with such remarkable people will make it an exciting and fun adventure! I consider myself lucky to work for this company, owned by the Valiants. They are a strong, caring company with values. (I’ve blogged about them before: Valiant Defined)

Let the adventure begin….

November 1, 2013

Finding my Voice

So what happened?

I live online, but, lately, not so much. Not unless you count streaming video. Well I’ve had my kidneys cleaned out again. This involves an outpatient procedure and a week or two of recovery. I had planned to have this done at the end of October. My kidneys had other plans. So with less than 24 hours notice, my life was on hold. Classes cancelled. Client meetings forced to reschedule. (I’m not writing this to complain. I don’t want 100 comments about you thinking of me and asking if you can help. If you want to help, Donate Life.) And then repeat two weeks later. (Only this time give it a bit more time to heal, as I’m not quite healed from the first one.)

Not the First Time

Yeah, I have done this before. Lots. I have a Kidney disease called Medullary Sponge Kidney Disease See my older posts explaining what this is here and here. In fact last year I went under 5 different times. Before the 4th one last year, the nurse called to do the pre surgery questions. After not even a full history, the nurse stopped. With sincerity and good intentions she said “Wow, you haven’t had a very good life.” It made me angry. But not angry enough to do anything. But that little voice telling me that I haven’t had a good life has haunted me.

I Wrote 2012 Off

When explaining to people why I was off line or out of the social circles so much, I would say “Well, I had 5 surgeries last year.” I’d pause because people need a min after you say that. I would continue with “Yeah, I kind of wrote 2012 off. Hoping 2013 is better.” And it has been. But I started thinking about that nurse, and about how I was blowing off a whole year.

I Found a Voice

I started following @ValensVoice on twitter. Valen, like me has a kidney disease. Hers is way more serious than mine. She required a new kidney. But the way she uses her social platforms and her life to inspire, encourage and just show how to LIVE, really live the life you are given, has given me a reason to rethink my words.

And I Changed My Tune

So in 2012 Business was good. Really good. I turned 40 and it was Wonderful. Celebrated my 10 year wedding anniversary. I climbed a mountain. I had classes, gave speeches, volunteered with several NFPs, lead a book discussion with leaders in our community, helped organize the first Startup Weekend Evansville, and took many nature hikes, and bike rides with my family.

My point. It didn’t suck. It was a really a good year.

And you know what? There are still 2 full months of 2013 left. I am going to make the most of every single day.

If you want to know more about Valen Cover Keefer you can visit her web site www.pkdwillnotbeatme.com I encourage you to follow her on twitter and on instagram. It was on instagram I learned about the Got Kidney’s shirt!

Have you ever considered donating your organs? My disease does’t usually end in needing a donation, so I’m not soliciting for myself, but for others like Valen who do need them to live.

July 21, 2013

General Business Training Part 2

Diving into the first topic of discussion from the book

General Business Training: Chapter 10 Mail

In the introduction to this series, I was unable to date this book. Based on the postage rate of three cents, I am going to place this book somewhere between 1917 and 1952, the date ranges when US postage was three cents.

The first few sections address the various types of mail classes, insurance, COD, and special delivery / handling. But section 3, Addressing Envelopes and Packages, caught my eye. We live in a digital age. Many of us remember our mothers forcing us to handwrite thank you letters to family and friends for various occasions. I suspect that many parents are not carrying on with this tradition. Personally, I know the number of thank you cards I received has dwindled.

I did however, receive this thank you card in the mail, written and addressed by hand.

Some people still get it.

So, for those of you afraid of snail mail, like your granny is afraid of the computer, here is what the book says:

The Address:

“The name of the person to whom the letter is sent, the street address, the city, and the state should be written or typed on separate lines as in figure 72. The ordinary address on a letter should have at least four lines. If the name of a company or business is given in addition to the name of the individual, the address may have five or more lines. “

The Return Address:

The address of the sender should be placed in the upper left -hand corner so that the post office can return the letter to him if the one to whom it is addresses cannot be located. This addres is usually printed on the stationary used by the business, but if it’s not printed, it should be written. “

Now you try it. Think about a person or business that has made you grateful this week. Pick up a pen and some paper, and write them a thank you note! You don’t need special paper, or expensive stationary. Trust me. They will just be grateful for the time you took to write it.

When did you last get a thank you note? How did it make you feel?

July 19, 2013

General Business Training Part 1

I love old books. When I was given this one it really intrigued me. The date page is gone so it is obviously quite dated. But I wondered as I thumbed through it , how many of those skills are still needed and not taught ? How has business changed since this was written? And what insights can we learn from the past that we could apply to business today?

Summer Book Review

So just for fun this summer, I’d like to do a mini review of this book in the form of a series focusing on how things have changed, how they stay the same, and some things, perhaps, that we may have forgotten, that maybe we shouldn’t have. So let’s get started.

This book was designed to be a textbook and looks as though quite a few students have had their hands on it before me. In the preface it states:

“General Business Training in its first edition pioneered in emphasizing the general non-technical values in junior business education. These values are now commonly recognized as being of greatest importance. The recognition of their worth has been accelerated in recent years through observations of teachers and businessmen, and as a result of several surveys which have been made by those interested in business education.”

Values lost

It seems to me that some of these values have been lost, not that they’re any less important. They are simply not taught, and not understood.

I’ve been involved in several areas of teaching and training. And recently was asked to participate in designing a training program to teach soft skills to new hires. It seems to me there is a gap between expectations of knowledge and what’s being generally taught as important.

Hope you join me over the next few days as we learn together from the past.