Short Video Humor and Attitude and the Quest for Happiness

Hi. I have just posted a short video of a performance I gave at the Sanderson Centre in Brantford Ontario Canada a few years ago. Thought you might like to take a peek. Enjoy.
Click Here

A New Look at Boat Rockers

A friend of mine applied for a more senior position within an organization where he had worked for 20 years. He didn't get the job and when he asked why he was told, " Well you have been a bit of a boat rocker you know." That response inspired this cartoon.

How to Tame The Toxic People in Your Life

In my travels across North America speaking on motivation and human potential I hear the same question asked repeatedly, " How can I become more assertive?" There is no doubt about it, there are people in our lives who are harmful to our health and we don't like it one bit.
I read recently that toxic people make up about ten percent of the population and cause over 50 percent of all relational damage. For our own well-being and the well-being of those we care about we must learn how to cope with these toxic people at home, at work and at play.

I wrote the following report in response to the question, "How can I learn to cope with the difficult people in my life?" From the reaction I have had to this report it is proving helpful. I do want to say emphatically that what you read here won't do a thing to improve your situation unless you have the courage to use the suggestions given. Go for it! You're worth the effort.

TOXIC PEOPLE.........

rob us of our dignity.

destroy our self confidence.

increase our stress levels.

destroy our morale.

erode our self esteem.

foster negativity.

decrease productivity.

make life hellish.

are abusive.

are toxic because they can get away with it and it works for them.

HOW TO DEAL WITH TOXIC PEOPLE

Remember that you can't change toxic people, but you can learn to cope with them. Here are some effective strategies to try.

* Always stand at eye level with the person you are confronting. Never have them standing over you looking down.

* Respect the toxic person and always expect respect in return. Settle for nothing less.

* Remain calm.

* Listen attentively.

* Don't argue or interrupt, just listen.

* Don't accuse or judge, just state how you feel.

* If the toxic person tries to verbally bully you, just say, " I don't allow people to treat me this way." Then slowly and calmly walk away.

* When someone is being toxic to you here is a powerful response and one that is easy to use because you don't have to say a word. In the midst of a toxic attack just PAUSE....LOOK AT THE PERSON, WITHOUT EMOTION......TURN AND WALK AWAY. It works!

* Anger is sometimes a valid response.

* If all else fails you might be left with only one option; to separate yourself from the toxic person in your life.

YOU DON'T EXIST TO BE SOMEONE'S PERSONAL GARBAGE DUMP.

This is an excerpt from Mike's manual The Art of Verbal Self Defence. http://motivationalplus.com/cgi/a/t.cgi?bullying

Free Stress Busting Audio HERE

What Can You Say After That?

I noticed that my gas gauge was pushing empty and decided to
pull into a service station to fill up.

A nice young man about 35 years of age began filling the tank
as I made small talk to pass the time.

He had a rather sad look about him so I said, " How are things
going, Buddy?" He looked at me and replied, " Other than the
fact that I'm living from pay to pay, making minimum wage and find it impossible to get a woman to go out with me....Fantastic.

What do you say after that?

More Stories HERE

God's Waiting Room? Not For Me

After delivering a lively speech on " Going for the Gusto " ( Living, to the Max, the Only Life You Have) I was approached by a young man named Marty who said that he wished his parents had been in the audience. It seems his parents, who had just turned 70 and were in good physical health, had given up on life and were just waiting to die.


" They really needed to hear your positive, uplifting message but I didn't realize the talk would be like this." We chatted for a few minutes and I gave him a Free copy of my book for his parents. I do hope they read it and have their life batteries recharged BIG TIME.


The tragedy is that there are far too many people like Marty's parents in "God's waiting room. " What we need to do is empty God's waiting room and fill up God's Play Room.

Enjoy life at every age

How To Promote Your Business with Public Speaking By Mike Moore

We all know that word of mouth is the best and most effective form of advertising. People experience your service or product, like what they experience and tell others about you. The only problem with this is that it occurs sporadically between two individuals or small groups thus taking a lot longer the get the word out and build your reputation.

There is a way to supercharge the word of mouth process by getting a lot more people experiencing your service or product at one time and it involves public speaking. I know you would rather die than stand up in front of a group and speak. BUT stay with me and you just might change your mind when you consider the benefits of promoting your business with public speaking without cost to you..

Why is Public Speaking So Effective As a Business Promotional Tool?

It gives your audience a chance to experience your expertise and your personality up close and personal as they say. If they like what they hear and see and if they feel a connection with you they will either hire you and/or tell the world about you and your service.

How to Proceed

In every city there are many associations, service clubs, support groups, health care organizations etc. in dire need of speakers for their monthly meetings or annual banquets. Check your telephone directory or regional community directory published by your local newspaper for group names and contact information.

Once you have selected the groups you would like to present to, call them and ask for the name of the person in charge of lining up speakers. They will be happy to hear from you as their job is difficult and they will appreciate your offer to speak free of charge.

1. Outline your talk to the person in charge of getting speakers.

2. Stress how your presentation will benefit their members.

3. Prepare your presentation to solve a problem for your listeners. Suggest concrete solutions.

4. Put your presentation topic in the form of a " How to" title.

Examples : How to Bully Proof Your Children.

Five Ways to Protect Your Computer from Hackers

5. Don't make your talk too self promotional. This will turn off your audience. One or two references to your business during your talk will be fine. Avoid having more than that.

6. Make sure you provide great practical, usable information.

7. Suit your topic to the group. If you have a computer service business and you are talking to a P.T.A. group a great talk would be " Ten Ways to Protect Your Children From Child Predators on the Internet"

8. Be enthusiastic about your topic. Enthusiasm is contagious and memorable.

9. Use humor within your talk. If you can't tell a humorous story then collect and use humorous one liners related to your theme.

* To receive a free copy of my 35Best One-liners mailto:oneliners@sendfree.com

10. Near the end of your presentation invite your audience to pick up a copy of a tip sheet you prepared and brought with you related to your topic. At the end of the tip sheet put your contact information plus a statement inviting them to copy the tip sheet and give it to anyone they think would be interested. All you ask is that they copy the tip sheet as is with your contact information in tact.

11. You can also indicate on the tip sheet and orally that you are available to speak to any group they think would benefit from your message.

12. Have your business card and any relevant promotional material as part of a handout for audience members. Invite them to pick up a package before they leave.

13. At the end of your talk say, " I will be glad to stay around at the conclusion of the evening to answer any questions you may have.

14. If you have an on-line newsletter or a special report related to the topic of the evening offer to send them a copy if they would leave either their business card or their email address. When you get home make sure you send them what you offered. Be sure to keep their email addresses on file for future contact.

15. If you are good, the word will spread and you will start getting calls to speak. When this happens you can start charging a fee for your speaking services.
When I started charging for my speaking services I did 50 in one year for $200 per speech. Now I do 40 or 50 a year for between $1800 and $2500 plus expenses. I get well paid to speak and I still reap the benefits of word of mouth advertising. Get well paid to speak your truth.

Conclusion

If you have a fear of public speaking don't let it stop you from benefitting from the promotional value of giving presentations. Remember you only overcome your fears by confronting them head on. When you conquer your fear of speaking in public you will have at your disposal a powerful and effective publicity tool. And you won't have to pay out one penny.

If you want to promote your business giving free speeches or if you want to promote your business with the thought of eventually getting well paid to do it Visit Here for more information.

Mike Moore is an international speaker on Humor in the Workplace and Humor and Stress Management. He also gives seminars on Public Speaking for Profit and Pleasure. http://www.motivationalplus.com

New Cartoon We Are What We Think???

For More Fun cartoons with a great message

10 Positive Power Attitudes

The ability to achieve our enormous untapped potential is directly related to the attitudes we possess. Positive attitudes empower us to achieve while negative attitudes tend to keep us rooted where we are.



A Harvard study followed a group of graduates over an extended period of time and found that 85% of what they achieved in the areas of wealth and position was the result of attitude while 15% was the result of aptitude.



I think the message is clear. Change your negative attitudes to positive and great things begin to happen.



Here are a few stories of people with power attitudes. I hope that in reading them you will begin to see that your life can be more enjoyable and productive by committing to a change of attitude.



* Walt Disney once said, " Never forget that all this started with a mouse."



* The great thing about being old is that you can sing in the bathroom while brushing your teeth.



* Anyone who says that money can't buy happiness just doesn't know where to shop.



* If a cat could speak it would probably say, " Hey, I don't see a problem here."



* Thomas Edison once remarked, " I haven't failed ten thousand times. I have successfully discovered ten thousand ways that didn't work."



* On older woman looking in the mirror was heard to remark," Isn't it wonderful that wrinkles don't hurt?"



* We can all learn a great deal from the young, beautiful, confident nurse who deducted ten beats per minute from the pulse of every one of her male patients.



* After examining the knee of an 80 year old patient, the doctor concluded that the pain she was experiencing was simply due to age. The patient looked at the doctor and said, " But my other knee is the same age and it doesn't hurt."



* I like the story of the 85 year old woman who, upon looking into the mirror at her wrinkled face, remarked, " They sure don't make mirrors like they used to."



* When Agatha Christie was asked how she like being married to an archeologist she replied, that it was wonderful because the older she got the more interested in her he became.



As I say in my talks on the power of a positive attitude, Change your attitude and you will change your life. Remember that we are the products of the attitudes we possess. Good luck.


Mike Moore is an international speaker on Humor and Stress Management, Humor in the Workplace and Humor and Human Potential. His articles and cartoons have appeared in publications throughout Canada and the U.S.A.

Check out Mike Moore

Seven Effective Ways to Preach to Your Child And Have them Love It

There are three things that all young people strongly dislike.
1. Being preached to
2. Being put down by others, especially parents and teachers
3. Being yelled at

As parents we know how difficult it can be to refrain from doing all three. When we’re angry things just come out and we regret them right after the deed is done. Thank God for the phrase “I’m sorry.”

We all seem to have a strong tendency to preach at our kids. And why shouldn’t we? We were on the receiving end of preaching for a long time when we were kids. Now it’s our turn.

The main reason why we should never preach at our children is this: It doesn’t work. As much as we want them to listen and follow our words of wisdom and advice, they won’t.

Well friends I have found the secret to preaching without them considering it preaching. In fact they will actually enjoy it and it will do a lot to bond you to one another.

“What’s the secret?” I hear you asking excitedly!

It’s quite simple. Storytelling.

Ever since we were children we have had a hunger for stories. “ Tell me a story Mommy.” Tell me a story Daddy.” were words that came out of our mouths at least once a day.

Our love of stories doesn’t stop when we leave childhood. I read recently that adults listen to over 60,000 stories a year. This doesn’t seem unreasonable when you consider that every conversation, every newspaper and newscast involves the telling of and listening to stories. Every time we ask someone what they’ve been up to or how things are going we are requesting a story.

Here are 7 surefire tips on using stories to preach to your children and have them love it.

1. Don’t begin a story with “ Once Upon a time…” unless you’re dealing with very young children.

2. Become aware of stories with a message while you read , listen and view the media.

3. When you find a story you can use jot the story line down in few words.

4. Practice telling the story in your own words. Feel free to embellish the story to suit your situation.

5. When you tell the story let it speak to the listener.

6. You can ask a question related to the story when you’re finished but don’t try to condition their response. Just listen.

7. Keep your stories short and crisp. Don’t get bogged down in detail.

Start by identifying the values and ideals your family cherishes and affirms and  then start looking for stories.

If you want to learn more on how to become a master storyteller why not visit HERE

Mr. Moore, Do You Remember Telling the Story About Josephine?

Why Telling Stories is a Must For Teachers, Speakers and Parents

I once met a former student I hadn't seen since his senior year in High School. After we made the usual comments about how nice it was to see one another he looked at me and said, " Mr. Moore, do you remember telling us the story about Josephine?" I replied, " Yes I do. Don't tell me you remember that story after all these years?" He then proceeded to tell me the entire story in detail. I couldn't believe it.

I'm sure he couldn't tell me anything about the academic content I covered in his senior year, but he recalled every detail of that story. It was amaziing.

Note: The story was used to get my students discussing a relevant issue within society...Racism.

My belief in the power of story to promote attenion and retention was validated then and continues to be in my contact with audiences throughout North America.

If you want to teach a lesson that will be recalled long after you are gone, tell a story.

For more on the Art of Storytelling plus a free copy of my 30 Life Lesson Stories CLICK HERE

Doris Had the Secret to Parenting Teenagers and I Wanted It!

" When I first met Doris she had been recently widowed at the young age of 45.

She was now the single parent of three active teenaged boys and whatever she was doing she was doing right. Her boys obviously loved and respected her and enjoyed every minute in her company.

What was her secret?? I needed to know as I was the father of three sons on the verge of becoming teens and I wanted the relationship with my sons that Doris had with hers.

I thought taking her to lunch would provide the ideal opportunity to tap her parenting wisdom so I extended the invitation and she accepted.

When the moment was right I made my move.
" Doris, you have such a great relationship with your sons. What's your secret? "

She smiled and said, " Mike it's really quite simple.
See everything,
overlook a lot,
change what you can and
know when to shut your mouth and listen."

Doris died much too young but what a legacy she left behind for her family and mine.

I have tried to make her message the core of my family life and my teaching with some difficulty and much success. ( I still have a tendency to want to preach.)

For more info on parenting teens so that you become friends when it's all over CLICK HERE

Five Effective Ways to Beat the Blues By Mike Moore

As Neil Diamond sang in his song "Song Sung Blue" “ Me and you are subject to the blues now and then...” Awe the blues!! Those feelings of joylessness, hopelessness, and blahness.

They usually occur after a happy event, on the occurrence of something sad or simply for no other reason than it’s winter and we’re tired of it. They can also be brought on by a nostalgic trip down memory lane especially at Christmas or New Years. When we remember with fondness the “ good old days” and remain too long with our memories we run the risk of a bout with the blues.

I always say that the past is a wonderful place to visit but a dangerous place to stay. Whenever the blues come they can suck the joy out of life and give new meaning to the word “down”.

Here are five ways to effectively combat the blues and win every time.

1. Put the blues in perspective.

It helps to remember that the blues are merely feelings - feelings that flow from our dominant thoughts and just like any other feelings, they pass. When we feel affectionate it passes. We don’t feel affectionate all the time. When we’re angry, the anger passes. The same applies to the blues. You’ll find that they pass more quickly if you don’t dwell on them. Just relax and wait for them to pass. While waiting here are a few effective strategies you can apply to ensure their quick passage.

2. Thought Replacement

If the blues come from our negative thoughts and we are able to control the thoughts we have then whenever we have a fearful, disturbing, lonely ,or depressing thought visualize it leaving your mind and being replaced by a happier more enjoyable one. Create a bank of happy, pleasant thoughts to use as replacements.

3. Forget yourself in the service of others.

I think it was Tennyson who said “ We must lose ourselves in action lest we whither in despair.” He was suffering the loss of a dear friend and found that serving others helped him forget his grief for awhile and helped him heal. There is nothing more effective than forgetting yourself in the service of others to banish the blues. “ I had the blues because I had no shoes when upon the street I met a man who had no feet.”

4. Learn how to relax.

Frequently the blues make an appearance when we are stressed and over-extended. Physical and mental relaxation help restore calmness and peace to our frantic lives and in the process enhance our resistance to the blues. By the way laughter is an excellent way to cut stress in half and promote healing relaxation. It is impossible to worry when we laugh and worry is one of the major stress inducers.

5. Look for the comedy in your chaos.

Funny things happen to us everyday. When they do most of us give a brief chuckle and move on with life. In my book “ Light Up With Laughter” I teach the art of “Mining the Moment” whereby I encourage my readers to extract every ounce of humor from the funny things that happen to us daily. When you do this and give yourself permission to laugh heartily and enjoy fully you reap the many therapeutic benefits laughter provides. It helps to constantly recall that life is just too serious to be taken seriously.

As the song says,the blues come to us all now and then. They are just part of the human condition. The next time you have the blues try some of these suggestions and experience how you too can combat the blues and win.

Free Stress Busting Audio HERE

Mike Moore is an international speaker on " Humor and Stress Management and " Humor in the Workplace" He travels throughout North America giving speeches and seminars to business groups and organizations. His writing and cartoons have appeared in newspapers and magazines throughout Canada and the U.S.A. He works out of Brantford ON Canada

10 Ways to Improve Your People Skills By Mike Moore

1. Develop an interest in people and become other oriented.
2. Know what people need and then try to meet those needs.
3. Ask about their family and be genuinely interested in their answer.
4. Find people doing something right and praise them generously.
5. Believe in the collective wisdom of the group.
6. Talk in terms of a person’s main interest....THEMSELVES.
7. Always look directly at the person you are speaking to.
8. Laugh at yourself. When you do you give people permission to laugh at themselves.
9. Start believing that people are your most valuable resource.
10. Always give credit, don’t take credit.
PLUS.... MUCH MUCH MORE

For more people skills CLICK HERE