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INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which was founded by the late
entertainer Danny Thomas, is internationally recognized for its
pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and
other catastrophic diseases. How can people learn more, get involved
and contribute time or resources to make a difference?
We have dedicated part
of our website,
www.stackthelogs.com
to additional information about St. Jude and the work that is being
done there along with some valuable informational links. Also on our
website is a free chapter from the book which provides some good
background information on St. Jude’s history as well as how it
applies to personal development. Our goal is to initially raise a
million dollars through our sales. This represents just one day’s
operating cost for St. Jude.
The hardest thing is for people to react to criticism or feedback.
Sometimes there is no feedback. How does one correct their course or
path?
We don’t always need
feedback to come from a person. Sometimes our results will give us
feedback. One of my goals is to learn to play the piano. I have my
course set for what I want to achieve and as I take action through
practice, I am provided with feedback. My proficiency and skill
begin to develop as I get better at learning feedback from my actual
results. Success leaves clues. When we move forward on our
objectives it is important to just be observant to what our outcomes
are telling us. If we are not making progress, we need to alter our
action until we get a different result. The only time there is no
feedback is when there is no action.
How can fear be used to one’s advantage?
Fear can be both a
gift as well as a curse. Fear is a natural self-preservation
mechanism. When we are afraid, our senses are heightened and our
awareness of a situation grows. Fear can also shut us down and keep
us from moving forward as we project negative possible outcomes in
our minds. The key skill is to learn to differentiate between the
two. Fear should only be an advisor…NOT your master!
How is your son, Frankie, doing today?
Frankie is in complete
remission more than a year after his last treatment. We are very
optimistic and take nothing for granted. We realize that he will not
be considered cured until he is cancer free for more than 10 years.
We appreciate every single day and are motivated beyond belief to be
ambassadors for St. Jude and their very personal mission.
Why do you say the No. 1 obstacle to your own success may actually
be you?
There is only one
person holding you back from your dreams and keeping you from living
the life you desire…YOU! There is a great saying, “The best way to
predict the future is to create it!” For the most part, we hold the
future in our own hands. We can’t always control what happens to us,
but we can control our response to what happens and our actions.
People who are not living the life they want either don’t know what
they want, don’t know how to get what they want, or just quit too
soon. I wrote Stack The Logs! to provide leverage for all three of
these areas. Just like I had to learn and apply in my own life, my
goal is to help people build a success framework to reach their
dreams.
You received the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service while serving
the U.S. Army in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert
Shield/Storm. Did that experience help prepare you for what you went
through with your son?
My experiences as an
officer in the United States Army were very beneficial to not only
what I would later experience with Frankie’s situation, but also
with my business and in many other areas of my life. One of the
greatest lessons I learned was the difference between strategy and
tactics. Strategy is the overall scheme or plan and how everything
must work together in coordinated effort while tactics are the
individual actions. Both gulf wars were tremendous successes because
of the strategy in place. This allowed the tactics to be effective.
My goal with Stack The Logs! is to share the ability to live life
strategically. Once we have a success strategy, it is much easier to
take action to support our goals.
You say we shouldn’t live life by a series of chain reactions, but
to live life by design. How should we do this?
Most people are caught
up in the current of life without any real control. We are where we
are by drift rather than by design. The cycle continues as life gets
more complicated and more hectic with job demands, children, bills,
deadlines, meetings and schedules that all seem to take control of
our life. My goal through Stack The Logs! is to give people
perspective along with a strategy to take back control of their
life. Set goals and use the STACK™ Strategy to achieve them – Set
your course; Take action; Accept results as feedback; Correct course
based on feedback, Keep “Stacking the Logs!” When you do this, then
you are in control and living a life by design!
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