Day 2: 15 Influential Speakers - Pastor Norman Bales

The preacher of my childhood church, Norman Bales, had a huge influence on me beyond just, y'know, teaching me scriptures and what it meant to be a Christian - which, incidentally, doesn't seem to be anything close to what many consider Christianity today - but that's another post.

The long-time preacher at the Cedar Rapids Church of Christ, he was heavy into scripture-based sermons, but also told many a story in his mixed Midwest/Southern drawl to anchor his point. He didn't speak too fast, and my love of the pause when speaking likely started with him.

Another reason I know he was a strong influence is my coach spent years working to get the 'Preacher voice' out of me - though, tho be fair, I was influenced not just by Preacher Bales, but so many in the years after high school, when I moved to Oklahoma.

Mom's reading this thinking 'Oh, c'mon Richard, you were so bored and never paid attention to a word he said.' Yeah, well, maybe. But I definitely listened to HOW he said them.

That One DARE Speaker...

Day 1: 15 Speakers who have influenced me. This will NOT include Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Les Brown, or Brian Tracy - who are essentially on my Mt. Rushmore of speaker influences.

THAT ONE D.A.R.E. Speaker. No idea who it was, but he came in to our Jr. High, I believe, and put the fear of God in us. Even then, my thoughts basically went to "I could say that better than he is". 

Let's Get EXCITED!

Today's WinAnyway Podcast - Let's Get EXCITED! - How an introvert fights for their right to PARTY! 

Are You a Dope?

A Time to Start Again

It's Easier Than You Think. Probably.

Books Read in 2023

 

I wanted to cut down a bit on the number of books I read in 2023 from the prior year - and succeeded a bit. 80 books last year, 46 this year (or 60, when you add in Volumes 1-11 of Sandman, and 3 other large comic book compilations). So that is a big reduction. In 2024, I'll try to cut it even further, and focus more on the books I'm reading, and re-read some old books as well. 

Reading is always valuable - but it can become a bit of a time suck, as well. Making quantity a goal tends to diminish returns. 

Physical Books

Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson - 578
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman - 312

Kindle Books

The 9 1/2 Unbreakable Rules of Marketing - Cathey Armillas & Jeff Berry - 242
Resilience - Rick & Forrest Hanson - 283
World Class Speaking in Action - Valentine, Others - 387
Bundle Your Brilliance - Nancy Giere - 159
No BS Guide to Powerful Presentations - Dan Kennedy - 166
Performing Under Pressure - Hendrie Weisinger & J.P. Pawliw-Fry - 302
Million Dollar Coach - Taki Moore - 172
Get Rich Now - Brain Tracy - 214
The Greatness Mindset - Lewis Howes - 322
Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads - Roy Williams - 240
Wizard of Ads - Roy Williams - 245
The Feiner Things - Erick Feinendegen - 278
Million Dollar Consulting - Alan Weiss - 306
Speak to Reach - Joe Grondin - 95

Total Pages (Physical and Kindle): 4382

Total Books (Physical and Kindle): 16

Audio Books:

Be Obsessed or Be Average - Grant Cardone - 11:04
Radical Confidence - Lisa Bilyeu - 7:07
How To Be Heard - Julian Treasure - 12:29
Becoming a Sales Pro - Tom Hopkins - 5:00
Billion Dollar Club - Lawrence Ingrassia - 8:35
The Power of One More - Ed Mylett - 5:19
Put Your Ass Where Your Heart Wants to Be - Steven Pressfield - 1:55
Unf**k Your Brain - Faith G. Harper - 3:39
Differentiate or Die - Jack Trout, Steve Rifkin - 6:18
Deliberate Discomfort - Jason BA Van Camp - 10:36
The Decision - Kevin Hart - 5:54
Tireless - Kim Lorenz - 10:19
Do One Thing Well - Daniel Roberts - :55
How to Own Your Own Mind - Napoleon Hill - 7:45
Two Weeks Notice - Amy Porterfield - 7:38
10x Mentor - Grant Cardone - 11:37
Mindset - Carol S. Dweck - 10:23
Do It Selling - David Newman - 5:30
The Science of Motivation - Brian Tracy, Dan Strutzel - 7:06
How to Talk to Anybody, Anytime, Anywhere - Chris Widener - :33
Learned Optimism - Marty Seligman - 1:23
The Confidence Gap - Russ Harris, Stephen Hayes - 7:39
Never Finished - David Goggins - 11:06
10x is easier than 2x - Dan Sullivan w/ Dr. Benjamin Hardy - 9:58
The Success Lie - Janele Bruland - 4:28
Hello, Fears - Michelle Poler - 6:08
Making It So - Patrick Stewart - 18:50
Disability Pride - Ben Mattlin - 9:51
High Self-Esteem and Unshakable Confidence - 6:12
The Story of You - Steve Chandler - 5:15

Total Hours: 210:21

Total Books: 30