Is there such a thing as a chance meeting? I don’t think so. I think people come into our lives when we need them and sometimes we come into the life of someone because they need us. In almost twenty years in the National Speakers association, I have had the pleasure of meeting and being mentored by some great speakers. Most aren’t household names yet they have made me feel like a star because they have helped me when I needed a lift, encouraged me when times were tough or inspired an idea that helped propel my business. The sharing is never done with an expectation of anything in return. It’s one of the many things I love about my professional speaker career and my NSA buddies.

In February, I met a new member of my NSA organization. She is a doctor, a speaker AND a flamenco dancer named Dr. Susan Biali. She is a Canadian who lives in Cabo, Mexico with her husband where she enjoys the RICH life (see her post Would You Like to Be Rich? ) 

When I met Susan, I happily provided her with some counsel that she has followed. Though we have only met once and exchanged emails just a few times, I feel like I have a new friend far away who is  as close as an email. I’ve added her to my blog roll as she is a great writer and the first “official” member of my blog editorial team. She’ll be checking in regularly to make sure my writing makes sense both in context and in grammar, spelling and style. You’ll occasionally be treated to a guest post by Susan and of course you can also check her out by visiting her site to keep you focused on your goals, life balance and health and wellness. Connections are great. They are part of what makes life RICH.  

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

Sometimes the REAL world can hurt - I mean REALLY hurt. This morning early, I took a neighborhood friend to the airport. He was flying to Philly to officiate at a funeral - a funeral for a wife, a mother, a daughter, a beloved child of God who had leukemia and died at age 41 . She had just flown to visit her ailing mother. Two days later she was dead. 

Two days ago, I spoke to a friend whose brother committed suicide last month. He’s owning his brother’s death, and shoulders part of the blame. It was a tenuous relationship and he admittedly tuned his brother out. Now he’s questioning what role he could have had in saving his brother’s life. In our call, he told me life sucks.

Last weekend, we received an urgent call from another friend requesting prayers for her eight-year old-niece, Claire Atkins. Claire had fallen from a tree and broken her arm. In the hospital, an unrelated brain problem was found. She died early Sunday morning. I don’t know how I could react like her father did in the Asheville Citizen article about her. The family has already turned their tragedy into something good (watch the clip dancer honored on ABC 13). When the family returned home after their childs death, friends, neighbors, and church members had a meal prepared, their beds turned down, notes written and left on each of their beds. They had also filled the tree where Claire had been playing with hundreds of notes and cards. This family and their friends are a reminder of the importance of RICH relationships and of the power of a rich life.

None of these things make sense. I’ll never understand tragedy, senseless death, suicide or loss of young lives. Sometimes words are difficult but you can also reach out and touch - a gentle hand, a loving embrace, a heart felt note and a shared tear may be all that is needed.

Today is the day to treasure each and every day, your children, and the people who are most important to you. That’s Real World. That’s RICH.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

I recently received a hot news from my blogsultant. The content of the email was new news to me and I included portions below:

According to Tia, FriendFeed is the rage. It’s on ALL the industry sites. Tia asked the question: What is the difference in FriendFeed and other social sites, especially microblogging sites? I don’t have a clue of course and am hoping SOMEONE will chime in here and tell me how they use FriendFeed. Tia explained it as an RSS feed for YOU.  FriendFeed will track when you last blogged, updated your LinkedIn site, your Facebook page, your Twitter feed, Flikr, etc, which means anyone “following” you can see you anywhere you go online.

Blogsultant says it might be a bit intrusive and too “big brother”ish but she likes the potential it has as a branding tool. It recently launched so if you are curious and want to help securing your brand, FriendFeed might be your friend indeed.

If you find a FriendFeed a friend, just call out my name and I’ll coming running…winter, spring, summer or fall.

When I first met my wife, the above phrase is what she would use to describe a day with beautiful weather or a day in which everything went just right. She said it with such vigor and enthusiasm too. It was one of the things that attracted me to her. Today was that day for both of us. For the second night in a row, we took an evening walk around our Mitford (the adopted name I used for the hamlet where we live). We reflected on our early dating years and how comfortable we were (and still are) with each other. We sat in our new favorite place - a swing overlooking the Great Smoky Mountains. We held hands as we watched the moon rise and stared transfixed by it’s glow. It was indeed a moment to exclaim, “What a GREAT day!”

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Book suggestion Triple Bottom Line: How Today’s Best Run Companies are Achieving Economic, Social and Environment Success and How you Can Too! I’m also reading a New York best seller entitled Marley. It’s the story of a dog and his owner. It’s quite humorous and well worth a read. What are you reading?

Last year, I had the pleasure of interviewing Shane Claibourne for my Richest People in America project. If you have been reading this blog, you know that each year, I release a list of the REAL Richest People in America, people who are rich because they give. Shane has the distinction of growing up in the East Tennesse town in which I now live (I call it Mayberry or Mitford from Jan Karon’s fictional books of the same name). Anyway, Shane is a radical kind of guy. A student of Tony Campolo for whom I recently wrote and a guy who is shaking up the political world. Part Obama supporter part McCain supporter, this guy and the movement he is leading could shake up the political process with his Jesus for President book tour. Check out the author of Jesus for President on CNN.

Why is it we play one upmanship with our busyness? Today coming out of an early morning meeting, I asked someone how they were doing to which they replied, “I’m crazy busy.” Of course, I immediately responded with something like “I’m insanely crazy busy” as if I had to play the game with him. I stopped dead in my tracks as I realized I was caught in what my professional speaker buddy Victoria LaBalme refers to as the “Crazy Busy Nuts” syndrome (take time to watch the video clip - it’s hilarious).

As the father of five young children, an author, full-time, professional speaker, foundation president, avid outdoor lover, daily exerciser, etc., etc, etc., I think I could compete with most people in the busy department. As I think about it, I am not really very proud of that and who cares whether my friend was busier than I or I was busier than he. Does it really matter? What should matter is who has the most free time. The people who should be bragging are the ones who manage their time so well they have lots of discretionary time. I aspire to be like Timothy Ferriss author of the New York Times and Wall Street Journal best seller The Four Hour Work Week. Why don’t we brag about how much free time we have, how much time we spend with our family or on a favorite hobby?  What is it about life that makes us want to be (or portray to be) the busiest person we know?

The next time someone tries to play the crazy busy game with me, I think I will respond with “I’m totally caught up.” Then I’ll look at my watch and say, “Forgive me, I have nothing to do now and nowhere to be and I need to get there before nothing else comes up. Gotta run.” Then I’ll saunter (or maybe I’ll skip) away slowly…very slowly.

Yesterday, while visiting Lake Junaluska Assembly, I heard Dr. Tony Campolo speak. His message centered around a recent study of older Americans. Campolo reported that older Americans had been asked this question: “What would you do over or differently if you could live your life again?”  These were the responses:

- I’d risk risk more

- I’d reflect more

- I’d do more things that make a difference long after I am gone

Of course, he gave lots of humorous and compelling commentary to back up these points. In reality, it matters not what Campolo thinks about these things. What matters is what you and I do as it relates to risking, reflecting, and making a difference.  As I pondered his comments, it seemed like those things added up to a RICH life (and after life) to me.

Action: Ask someone you meet today who might be in their latter years the question above. I’ll award the best question (and your answer to the question with either a copy of my book Jump Starts Wit and Wisdom to Super Charge your Day or if you are a local lurker or looker two tickets to see Grease at the nostalgic Tennessee Theatre). Deadline: Monday July 21st 5:01 pm! 

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

When I was VERY young, I remember watching Lee Majors as the Six Million Dollar Man. Back when that show was popular, six million bucks was BIG money. Apparently, the “value of a statistical life” in 2008 is worth 6.9 million (just under a million dollars more than what it cost to ”rebuild Lee Majors, making him stronger, faster…” in the 1970’s). This according to todays Boston Globe which reported the Environmental Protection Agency numbers.  Okay. SO, I guess we are all multi-millionaires! But wait, the article also reported that we aren’t worth as much as we were five years ago. In fact, we are officially worth a cool mil LESS than we were in 2003. I guess if you are a professional athlete, an aging super model, or a celebrity past their prime that may be true. I may be kidding myself but shouldn’t we at least be smarter than we were five years ago? I mean really - one million dollar drop in five years? How did that happen? I guess we all have consumed a bit of ”reality” TV since 2003 which could almost make us worthless! Pondering this value has left me in a quandry and I am not sure what to do now. So I guess I will be a Survivor and become an Apprentice so I can be Smarter than a Fifth Grader. Together we’ll watch My Big Redneck Wedding.  

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Partyan event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

I read about a cool idea in the July issue of Guidepost magazine. New Yorker Meghann Stepan and her fiance John want people to spend a lot of dough on their wedding gifts for their upcoming marriage. Not for them but for charities like Safe Horizon, Improve Your Life Skills and others. Through an organization called changingthepresent, wedding guests will make donations to charities that Meghann and John support. Cool huh?

So if you are thinking about getting married and don’t want the oft used fondue set, the Ginzu knife set, or the Ronco Bamboo steamer, join John and Meghann and ask for something that keeps on giving - a gift for someone else. I am so inspired I want to get married again (to the same woman of course). 

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.

This story makes me feel greedy for wanting a house with one more bedroom and bathroom for my family of seven. Buried behind all the news of John McCain, Barack Obama, the summer Olympics, and Nicole Kidman’s new baby  is this story posted on www.CNN.com today. Thanks to my friend Charles for emailing me the link (Charles, if you read this in the next 60 seconds and email me the names of ALL seven dwarfs, you’ll win a brand new car!). Anyone else want to play?

Here’s the story:

Hannah’s Lunchbox was created by the Salwen family in Atlanta, Georgia, as a way to make a small difference in world hunger. Our belief is that we have more than we need while others don’t have enough; so we decided to sell our beautiful, large home (that’s a picture of it on the left side) and move into another one half the size and half the price.  We are giving half the sales price of our old house to a life-changing program run by The Hunger Project that is helping hundreds of thousands of people in Africa  move from poverty to self-reliance.

What financial worry do you have today? How could you think “differently” about it? You MIGHT not want to sell you house and give the profits away BUT there’s probably something you could do that would help others. Let me know what you are thinking…

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund and co-founder of the Jeffrey Roth Cycling Foundation. Click here for more information on professional speaker Tim Richardson.