Archive for the ‘Inspirational & Motivational’ Category

« Older Entries

Aftermath of the Nashville Flood, 8/14/10: “Justin Bieber”

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

As those of us who were directly hit have learned, the biggest challenges in recovering from a 500-year flood are not what we thought they’d be. The initial cleanup is the messiest, and it’s where everyone offers to help. But it’s also the easiest and fastest. The tough part is the reconstruction, which lasts for months (or years in the case of Hurricane Katrina).

There’s also the mental/emotional component of feeling somewhat abandoned after all the volunteers have left, and the media all but forgets, but the hardest work continues as the financial consequences build. For that reason, I have to salute Justin Bieber.

Though I know nothing about him other than the fact that every 14-year-old girl in America is in love with him, he presented a local charity a check for $32,000 for flood relief after playing at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena last night. Nice contrast to the Lindsey Lohans and Brittany Spears of the world.

Posted in Inspirational & Motivational, The Nashville Flood | No Comments »

An Attitude of Gratitude

Monday, July 19th, 2010

People sometimes ask why I respond to the rhetorical question “How are you today” with the Dave Ramsey response “Better than I deserve”. It’s because as a Christian, I believe that the only thing I “deserve “ as a sinner is to burn in Hell, and everything I have is a blessing I’ve been given through the Grace of God.

There’s nothing that chaps my hide more than ungrateful people, especially when I see that the entitlement minded folks who take the most are usually the ones who are the least grateful. They don’t realize how self-sabotaging that attitude is, or conversely, how powerful an attitude of gratitude is. They just don’t get it.  As Zig Ziglar says,  “The more you are grateful for what you have, the more you will have to be grateful for”.

Last night after I got up off my knees from thanking God for all that I’ve been blessed with, this song came to mind: 

Posted in Inspirational & Motivational, Personal, Videos | 2 Comments »

“What Do You Know… We Made Our Dreams Come True”

Saturday, July 17th, 2010

Yesterday as we drove to our new home to begin setting up house, I thought about the thousands of miles I traveled down that Lonesome Highway to make this happen. I turned on the radio and kid you not, this Sugar land song came on:  “It’s worth all the dues I pay…what do you know, we made our dreams come true”.  I love what Kristian Bush has written on the napkin at the end of this video.

Posted in Business & Careers, Inspirational & Motivational, Personal, Videos | No Comments »

Aftermath of the Nashville Flood – Thursday 6/17/10 – “People Making a Difference”

Thursday, June 17th, 2010

A very big heartfelt Thank You goes out to Luke Montgomery, president of Montgomery Enterprises, and his staff. Luke is a Gold Inner Circle member who attended my seminar at Mississippi University for Women 13 years ago. He got fired up, and turned a small business based near Tupelo into a burgeoning empire that’s now in four states, with 16 locations.

I spoke at his company’s meeting yesterday and his employees took up donations for the victims of the Nashville flood, which Luke’s company generously matched. This is Luke presenting me with a check made out to Hands On Nashville, which is the local charity that I believe has been most active in hitting the Nashville streets and helping the most flood victims firsthand.

The memo line on the check reads “In honor of Glenn Shepard and staff”, and it is right on target. There is no greater way to honor me at this moment than to help the thousands of my fellow Nashvillians whose lives have been so devastated, but who got so little media coverage.

Posted in Inspirational & Motivational, Personal, The Nashville Flood | 1 Comment »

AFTERMATH OF THE NASHVILLE FLOOD – Monday, 5/17/10: “A Night Like No Other”

Monday, May 17th, 2010

 

Last night’s show was like none I’ve ever experienced. Brad Paisley opened with a $100,000 donation, followed by another $100,000 donation from Jack Daniels, and a $250,000 donation from ACM (the Academy of Country Music).

Dierks Bentley and Brad Paisley

People were applauding half the time, and crying the other half. When Rodney Atkins sang his hit song “These are my people, this is where I come from”, it had meaning like never before.

Rodney Atkins and Cheryl Crow backstage

When Lady Antebellum sang an acoustic version of “I Just Need You Now”, the opening line of “Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor” was haunting, especially knowing that lead singer Charles Kelley’s house was also flooded.

Lady Antebellum

Host Jamie Denton (who plays Terri Hatcher’s husband on Desperate Housewives) is a Nashville native who flew back from L.A. to co-host the event. I thought he was going to have to step in when his co-host, actress Kimberly Williams Paisley, broke down in tears on camera after a story on how many dogs and cats drowned at a veterinarian’s office because they couldn’t get them out.

Jamie Denton and Kimberly Williams Paisley in rehearsal

Chills ran down my spine when Martina McBride sang this opening line from her hit “Do it Anyway” :

You can spend your whole life building
Something from nothing.
One storm can come and blow it all away,
Build it anyway.

God is great, but sometimes life ain’t good.
And when I pray,
It doesn’t always turn out like I think it should,
But I do it anyway,
I do it anyway.

She then blew everyone away when she belted out  “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” as only Martina could do. But it was Keith Urban who brought down the house when he sang these Beatle’s lyrics from “Help”:

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody’s help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I’m not so self-assured,
Now I find I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I’m feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me get my feet back on the ground,
Won’t you please, please help me?

Martina and Keith backstage

Posted in Celebrities, Inspirational & Motivational, Photos, The Nashville Flood | No Comments »

AFTERMATH OF THE NASHVILLE FLOOD – Friday, 5/14/10: “The Most Famous Piece of Wood in Country Music”

Friday, May 14th, 2010

While the financial and personal losses people have suffered here are very real, and I don’t want to minimize them in any way, the sentimental losses for country music fans are beyond belief. The entire waterlogged stage of the Grande Ole Opry will be trashed.

But miraculously, a six-foot circle of oak, cut from the stage of the original Ryman Auditorium – where country music was born – survived.

Everyone who’s ever been anyone in country music has stood in that circle, from Patsy Cline to Garth Brooks. Even those who aren’t in country music have stood in that famous circle, from Richard Nixon to Robin Williams to Zig Ziglar.

But the most personal for me was the late, great Paul Harvey, who spoke at a success rally my next-door neighbor held at the Opry House in 1988. That was the moment when I first knew what I would do with the rest of my life, and it’s why I’ve been blessed with the privilege of being able to touch the lives of people all over the world,  most of whom I’ll never meet.

I’ve stood on that circle myself, and plan to do it again when the Opry House is rebuilt. Funny how big catastrophes make you so grateful for small miracles.

Posted in Inspirational & Motivational, Personal, Photos, The Nashville Flood | No Comments »

AFTERMATH OF THE NASHVILLE FLOOD – Thursday, 5/13/10: “This is the Home of the Titans, Baby!”

Thursday, May 13th, 2010

Titans Quarterback Kerry Collins

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The flood-beaten ticket booth washed away from a resort and was carried miles across town by raging waters until it came to rest upside down in someone’s backyard — until Titans quarterback Vince Young and some of his Tennessee teammates arrived.

They broke it apart and carried the sodden chunks of wood up to the street to be taken away.

The Titans delivered Wednesday the help to flood victims promised by owner Bud Adams last week. The team took a break from their offseason program, and nearly 80 employees, coaches and players hit the streets a short drive from the Titans’ offices. They didn’t look that different from other volunteers throughout town wearing masks and sweating from all the hard work.

The storms May 1-2 that flooded Tennessee killed 22 people with an early damage total for Nashville alone already at $1.5 billion and rising fast, not counting the devastation in 51 other counties. Adams donated $200,000 from his foundation last week with the NFL and the NFL Players Association matching that amount.

The work wasn’t without its dangers.

Receiver Lavelle Hawkins had a nail puncture his left shoe as he ripped at that ticket booth with a hammer. A sign identified the booth as serving ticket holders for the Grand Ole Opry, before being dumped in the yard by the flood.

Seeing the Titans’ LP Field under water was an early sign of just how much the Cumberland River had overflown its banks. The Titans couldn’t get to their offices downstream for days because local officials worried about a leaking levee had evacuated the area.

They had been waiting for the right time to head out to help, and Fisher said they went on a day off between two minicamp sessions. Most of the roster turned out, minus the rookies who can’t join the team until next week.

Posted in Celebrities, Inspirational & Motivational, Personal, Photos, The Nashville Flood | No Comments »

“Run for the Roses”

Saturday, May 1st, 2010

Congratulations to Calvin Borel, the Louisiana Cajun jockey that some people didn’t take seriously, who has just won his third Kentucky Derby in four years. People make fun of Calvin for getting so emotional, but it just shows their ignorance about what it takes to win at anything – passion and 150% focus on the goal. The fact that he rode a different horse to victory each time proves that he has what it takes – The Heart of a Champion.

Posted in Current Events, Inspirational & Motivational | No Comments »

« Older Entries