Great Expectations Radio Show September 8, 2007

September 8, 2007

Have you ever found yourself living in the past and blaming yourself or others because of failures or disappointments?   Or maybe you’ve caught yourself saying things like: “This always happens to meâ€?, only to find that it has become your own self-fulfilling prophecy? Have you buried your head in the sand and resigned from this wonderful thing called life? If this sounds like you, you’ve come to the right place. Welcome to the Great Expectations Radio Show, where your BEST is yet to come!

I have had the pleasure of traveling around the world speaking and training. I have met many wonderful people, and viewed some of the most picturesque scenery known to man. But the one thing I noticed, no matter where I traveled was so many people are uninspired. They have lowered their expectations and standards, have even become cynical, and have settled for status quo living. The smiles that were once there have faded. They don’t value themselves, and subsequently others don’t value them either, even though everything they need is already within them. I’m reminded of the classic The Wizard of Oz. The film begins in Kansas with Dorothy, the star of the movie. The movie starts out in black and white, representing her ordinary life. When a tornado comes and sweeps Dorothy’s home away, she ends up in the Land of Oz . As she looks around, Dorothy notices something very different and wonderful. She notices that everything is in color.  The color represents a change in her paradigm. From this point on, her life will be anything but boring. She will now have to look at things from a different perspective and make adjustments. She then meets some very interesting friends. She meets the Scarecrow who needs a brain, the Lion, who needs courage, and The Tin Man who needs a heart. Dorothy and her new friends then all travel to see the Wizard to get all of these qualities and to get back home. All of these qualities were qualities she didn’t see in herself. But when she gets back to Kansas, she finds out they were there all of the time. How many times do we go looking to other people to find things that we already have. We were created for much more than this. We were created for greatness. God didn’t intend for us to live out mundane lives in black and white. He intended for us take an inventory of ourselves  and to walk boldly through our lives in brilliant technicolor.  Not just to survive and stay alive, but to thrive! Some people are of the opinion that we get what we deserve in life. But I think that a truer statement is that we get what we expect in life.  Earl Nightingale said it best when he said: “We get what we expect, and our outlook on life is a kind of paintbrush, and with it we paint our world.  It can be bright and filled with hope and satisfaction, or dark and filled with gloom.â€?  During this broadcast we will inspire you to paint a world that is filled with hope, satisfaction, faith, confidence, and power. Join us as we emphasize the importance of staying positive in a negative world and give you valuable tips for maintaining high self esteem and a great self image.

Who has inspired you?

Who has inspired you? Invariably, there is always someone in our life who inspires us… who causes us to smile and feel good about ourselves… to even perform at levels that we ourselves didn’t think we could perform . For me one of those individuals was my seventh grade teacher Mr. Strudler. I had a terrible stuttering problem and no self confidence. I was an awkward looking kid, skinny with big hands and feet. I didn’t like the way I looked, and as a result, other kids make fun of me. Mr. Strudler would take me out to the basketball court and show me the value being tall and how to use my physique to my benefit in sports. As a result, I excelled both in athletics as well as socially and even became of all things, a public speaker.  Not bad for a former stuttering kid. Mr. Strudler made a difference.  On this broadcast we will showcase  people that are making a difference in the lives of others in a positive way. Our expectations are usually affected by those whom we admire. Therefore, who, what, when or where do our expectations come from?  We are here to help you answer that very question. Great Expectations is a wonderful radio show that you can tune into anytime or any day of the week. What can you expect . . ? Change! In your goals, dreams and aspirations ;  The best of the rest of your life.

Featured Guests

Join us for our broadcast on September 9th.  We have an exciting lineup planned for you as we feature three very special guests. Joining us will be Michael O’Neal, Executive Director and Founder of The Parent University in Savannah, Ga., an organization that connects parents and kids with resources. This organization has received local, statewide, national, and international recognition for it’s success in Savannah, Georgia. Michael received the Outstanding Citizen Award earlier this year from Secretary of State Cathy Cox. He will share some valuable tips for parents and those working in both education and for non-profit organizations. He will also give some helpful tips for parenting and will share how Parent University was founded.  

 Also joining us will be  State Senator Kasim Reed . Mr. Reed is a two term state senator, who was also the campaign manager and advisor for two term Mayor Shirley Franklin, who is the only African American woman mayor in the history of Atlanta politics. Mr. Reed has sponsored very influential bills and legislation, among them being the Hate Crimes Bill. He is a partner at the law firm of Holland and Knight and has been written  up in such major publications as:  The New York Times, Ebony and Jet magazine, Georgia Trend magazine, and The Atlanta Journal Constitution to name a few. As a student and Undergraduate Trustee at Howard University, Kasim created a program called the Independence initiative, which was since become one the largest fundraisers in the history of the university. Mr. Reed will share some valuable insights about his career, his thoughts, and what we can do as responsible citizens in our political system.

And last, but certainly not least we will host Jimmie Lucas, speaker and author of the wonderful book “Custom Built By God�-Originals are better than the copies. Mr. Lucas is also a minister and the CEO of Voices of Light Ministries. Jimmie will share some valuable insight from his book and his life about the uniqueness and value that we have as people of God. He will also share some about his background, and about some of the challenges that he had to overcome as a former athlete, a husband, and father. You won’t want to miss this power packed evening.

 

7 Tips for Staying Positive

1.       Stop the Negative Self-talk-Studies show that when you talk yourself in negative self-talk, you talk twice as fast as positive.

2.       Skip TV and Newspaper Upon Waking-What you put in your mind in the first 30 minutes of the day tends to set the tempo for the day.

3.       Affirmations- Our words have power. Discipline yourself to make positive statements about yourself. You’ll be amazed at how positively it affects your performance.

4.        Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously-Learn to laugh at yourself and in general. You will find that things will tend to bounce off of you!

5.       Take a Walk- It is amazing how a change of scenery broadens your horizons and changes your perspective. You’ll see things you’ve never seen before!

6.       Hang Around Positive People-Find someone with a positive attitude and hang around them. Positivity is contagious, but the converse is also true. Avoid negative people. Remember, eagles don’t flock with chickens or buzzards.

7.       Gratitude-Find at least three things a day that you are grateful for and meditate on those things. Gratitude is a law of multiplication. Whatever you are grateful for tends to multiply.

Join us next Monday for the next Great Expectations Radio Show. We’ve got another power-packed show featuring two great authors and speakers. Joining us will be Tim Steed, Christian comedian, speaker and author of the wonderfully funny book “Three Minutes of Silence “.  Tim will give us some great insight on how humor can help us to stay positive and bounce back.  He also shares some great insight from his life. You are in for a great treat. Also joining us will be none other than Sharmaine Allen, the wonderful motivational speaker, minister, and author of the books Turning Mourning into Dancing and her most recent book “Make Us One.â€? Sharmaine will share her valuable insight on her writing, her life, and about what God has to say about reconciliation.  You won’t want to miss it! That’s all for now, join us again next Monday for the Great Expectations Show where Your best is yet to come. Have a great week and remember, this day is about as great as you expect it will be! God bless!

"8 Characteristics of Leadership"

 1. They acknowledge that God is their source and inspiration.
 2. They Are Proactive-they eliminate excuses and take action and authority.
 3. They are willing to serve-they realize that they must be under authority to be    in authority
 4. They Are Present In the Battle-they are in the trenches with their people.
 5. Willingness to Change their ways-This also means admitting when they are wrong.
 6. Willingness to Be a Role Model they don’t mind having their life examined.
 7. Willingness to work Through Conflict- they see the opportunity in the difficulty.
 8. They Inspire Hope-They inspire others that they can be better.  

Well folks, there you have it; eight great truths from three great leaders.  I hope you are a leader that you will use these tips to bless your life. They certainly have blessed mine!

And remember, this day is about as great as you expect it will be! Make it a great one! www.carltonreedgreatexpectations.org or call 404-346-2539. We are looking forward to hearing from you. You can also contact us at our e-mail address:[e-mail] 
“Your BEST is yet to come"!