I am almost finished reading a book called The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. If I am able to implement what I am reading, October will be a much difference month than September. I probably worked 15 days in a row in some form or fashion and for many more hours that either my wife or I would have liked. I must confess I haven’t been working smart and on more than one occasion I have lamented that I should have been doing things like playing with or reading books to my kids, spending quality time with my wife, having devotional and quiet time, or exercising. I set a goal (and a blog) to exercise every day for one year and until last week, my X-plan wasn’t going as well as I had hoped. Though last week, I achieve a goal of doing seven different types of exercise in seven days. But I digress. 

Ferriss synthesized things for me that weren’t new but the context in which he structured it has caused me to re-think some things. I am making a note to post in one month with the results - results that IF I follow through on, will make my work and life more rich. I’d like to do more of what I talk about in my Living Rich speech and give away my time and talents. It will take awhile to get to the 4-Hour Week but I’m planning on working more efficiently and I think my family, my clients and I will all benefit. Plus implementing some new procedures and new thinking will create time for the things that matter most.

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. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

This week was a week my wife and I had kind of dreaded for several months. Here was the schedule: Monday I flew to San Francisco to speak Tuesday am. Then I flew directly to Las Vegas to speak Wednesday morning. Then I flew from Vegas ”toward” Lansing but was derailed in Detroit and had to spend a night in the “Bates Motel” at the airport arriving after midnight and then departing to Lansing before six am. Then home Thursday night for a quick change, repack and get another departure to San Antonio Friday afternoon. Even IF everything ran smoothly, it loomed challenging for both of us. Don’t get me wrong, I love being a professional speaker. However, after being out most of the week before and then traveling every day for six days, travel takes it toll on both the traveler and the “single” parent left home to care for five children. Through all of this, it’s been one of the “richest” weeks of my career. If you have been following the theme of these posts, you know that it’s NOT about the money. While I mostly try to write about people who are living rich lives because they give, I am guilty of taking the occasional diversion to write about others ways in which life is rich. This week was one of the richest I’ve had in awhile:

• It started Monday in San Francisco (one of my favorite places to visit). My hotel was right at the end of the famous San Francisco trolley and while I didn’t get to ride it, I did get to walk down to the water and watch an almost full moon rise over the bay bridge there. My client I worked with, Sue Barret of the National Exchange Carriers Association, gets my vote for Meeting Partner of the Year. She was absolutely fabulous in every way possible. While in San Francisco, I also met David Douglas who is a volunteer with Airline Ambassadors, founded by Nancy Rivard (Nancy is on the REAL Richest People in America list). David had heard about my project from Nancy and he came to hear my presentation. He is an amazing guy with a ton of energy who has an organization called Global Volunteer Network – combing volunteering with unique travel experiences. In a few weeks, he’ll take a group of people to Nepal, Indonesia, and Thailand to both to see some incredible sights and work to help people there (there will be a post dedicated to David soon). David rode in the car with me to the airport and we talked about partnering on some projects that we may be working on together. He’ll also be one of the blogger for the World’s Biggest Blog Party while he is traveling for two months.
• Wednesday, I met with Harry Hoopis who is one of the top agents at Northwestern Mutual life. Harry and I had a short meeting before we both spoke at the Sales Mastery Forum. He’s invited me to Chicago to discuss joint venturing on some projects. He’s quite a success story and I’m excited about our possible projects. I also met a new speaker friend named John O’Leary. At age nine, John was burned over 100% of his body and indeed has “Risen Above”. He’ll likely have a post here with his story too.
• Thursday, I spoke for the Brain Injury Association of Michigan. The people who attended this meeting either cared for those with brain injuries or had injuries themselves. There’s probably a book just in the people who were there who had been dealt a blow worse than most could imagine yet had incredibly positive outlooks. I was the inspirational speaker to kick off there conference and I was the one inspired. One of the people I met there was a gentleman who started a television show for disabled vets. He asked if he could interview me on camera after my speech. After our interview, he told me that his show airs to over 60 million households on PBS. Unfortunately, I missed ABC newscaster Bob Woodruff who closed the conference the next day. His story is incredible.

Today, I’m enroute to San Antonio to close speak at Combined Council of Automotive Credit Unions. “Oddly” on my flight to Knoxville, I was seated behind a speaker friend I met when I worked as a trainer for Career Track seminars many years ago.

While, being the closing speaker on a Saturday can be a tough assignment, I’m preparing for yet another rich experience to cap off an amazing week. While there’s no guarantee that days or weeks that we might dread can produce results like this week ultimately will, think about how much more positive and productive we’d all be if we eliminated the dread and replaced it with expecting rich results. Here’s my take - we’d all be more wealthy.

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. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

I am in Las Vegas today and it’s probably good that much of what happens here stays here. Every time I come here, I am immediately ready to leave. It’s just not one of my favorite places. I am speaking at the Sales Mastery Forum, a conference produced by Harris Hoopis who is one of the top agents in the Northwestern Mutal Life Insurance Company. Harry is rich in many ways and I suspect after I get to know him even better, I’ll find out how he is helping people in Chicago have more rich lives.

Before I come to a city to speak, I always like to find the names of people who are difference makers so I emailed several people who lived there before my trip. One person I contacted was a self-made entreprenuer who is known for flamboyant clothes and a flashy lifestyle. I asked her if she knew any REAL Rich People - people who were rich because they were making a difference, she replied with this:

Not in my crowd!!! If I do they are too subtle for me…also for Vegas.

It that’s true, it’s also sad. But perhaps the people who do make a difference here are so humble that they too believe…what happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas.

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Trivia and more:

Who was the person who made the statement for which this post is titled?  First correct answer will win a cheap and highly superficial prize!

One of my all time favorite Broadway shows Momma Mia is playing at the Mandalay Bay hotel where I am staying. If you ever get they chance, go see it, it’s truly one of the funniest shows I have ever seen. What’s your favorite Broadway play or musical and why?

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. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

During a recent routine annual physical, my doctor noticed some swelling in my stomach. That led to x-rays, a sonogram, and then last Friday a HIDA scan. It looks like a pretty good possiblity that I will be selling my gall blader on ebay.

When doctors start having to look carefully in places inside your body, one can’t help but wonder. I am NOT a worrier but the earlier findings did cause me a moment to pause and ponder my mortality (you can imagine my wife thought about it a little too). It’s reassuring that my doctor isn’t worried, so I’m not. If even it was something serious and I was looking at a shorter life than planned, I really have no regrets. Life has been good. I have experienced lots of love, laughter, and living and thankfully the gall blander just doesn’t seem to really be necessary.

I like to think that IF I were looking a the end of life (and I’m NOT!), I’d handle it with the grace, dignity, and humor of Carnigie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch who has cancer is only expected to live a few months. He gave his last lecture last week. It’s worth more than a quick watch. It’s worth a lifetime semester. His ”last lecture” was delivered without the sad tone one might expect. In fact, Pausch is quite funny and totally gets what this blog is all about…Living Rich. He values what is important and has lived a live with passion, meaning, and purpose.

Both Wall Street Journal and ABC news covered it. There are two versions below:

1) WSJ version - about five minutes 

2) ABC News Version - about 18 minutes

What would you say if you were giving your last lecture?

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. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

Friday, on Forbes.com the annual list of the 400 Richest People in America was released. 82 billionaires didn’t make the list (poor guys and gals). USA Today reporter Del Jones wrote that over a billion people worldwide live on no more than $1 a day. Unbelievable (to think I spent more tonight taking my wife out for dinner than some people have to spend for months. I am rich indeed!).

If you have been reading this blog, you know that I have been writing about “rich” people too. People who are rich not because of what they have but because of what they give. I figured someone like Del would want to write about it or a major TV show would want to tell the world. So I hired a PR firm to let CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC, FOX, Good Morning America, The Today Show and all the stations in my local market know. While the PR firm did a great job writing the press release and they were a joy to work with, the result was no call from Katie, no email from Oprah, no letter from Letterman. Nothing. Nado. Zilch. Zero. The PR firm warned me that sending the release (below) might not result in a call and she was right. But as I told them yesterday, they certainly wouldn’t call if they knew nothing about what I was doing. So I’ll keep at it. In my own small way, I’ll keep spreading the word about the REAL Richest People in America in hopes that some day someone will think the stories are worth telling and the people are worth writing about.

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Forbes Releases “Richest Americans” List Today Tabulation calls into question who holds the real wealth in this country? Knoxville, TN

Forbes.com posted their annual list of the 400 Richest Americans yesterday. When so many have so little, we should all ask, what really makes a person rich? Is it their house? Is it their car? Is it the amount they have in the stock market?Author and inspirational speaker Tim Richardson says, “No!” to all these questions and calls attention to what really makes a person wealthy with the release of his list: The REAL Richest People. Tim is the author of, “Jump Starts: Wit and Wisdom to Super Charge Your Day,” and co-author of, “Transformation Thinking: Tools and Techniques That Open the Door to Powerful New Thinking.” His list is about the joy of giving back; using your time and resources to make a difference in the world. “True richness comes from the love of giving back to society, and that can happen whether you make $10,000 or $10 million a year,” says Tim. Believing that becoming rich has almost nothing to do with money and everything to do with personal and professional fulfillment, he shows your viewers how to:

• Alternatively view what rich really is

• Value not what you have, but what you give

• Get rich by giving

• Build customer and employee loyalty by making a difference

Nominees include a woman who has devoted her life to helping those suffering in war-torn countries, a twenty-something year old who founded an organization to education children all over the world, a coffee company that uses its profits to help educate people in the coffee growing regions of the world, and a former Microsoft VP who is setting up libraries in remote villages around the world.

The REAL Richest People list aims to redefine richness and focus attention on internal rather than external wealth. After all, according to Tim, “It’s not about how good you are, it’s about the good you do.”

For more information, and to arrange an interview with Tim Richardson, please contact him at: 865-984-2700, or tim AT TimRichardson DOT com

Note: If you are still reading and like what I am doing, feel free to do the following:

• copy this post and put in on your blog

• link to this blog site as well as www.TheRichestPeopleinAmerica.com

• join the blog party - 1000 bloggers connecting the glove for good

• call Katie

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. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

This week, I gave a keynote speech for the Health Care Association of Michigan. After my Living Rich inspirational speech, a lady came up to me and introduced herself. She thanked me for my comments and told me that she was the Bologna Queen in her community - (As Dave Berry says, “I am NOT making this up!”). She received this designation as a result of raising the most money (read more here). She’ll be joining the World Biggest Blog Party too. It just goes to show you, there are all kinds of ways to raise money (with or without becoming king or queen of something!)

All of a sudden, I am hungry for a sandwich and I don’t even like bologna…

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. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

At 6:00 pm on September 20th, Forbes magazine will release their annual 400 Richest People in America list. The usual names you’ve seen the past few years. One name you won’t see on Forbes list is Ed Payne who has multiple sclerosis though he has never allowed it to deter him from improving the lives of others. Payne has worked tirelessly to help others who suffer from MS for nearly 40 years. Payne helped put Fairfield County on the map for having the largest MS Walk Team in Ohio, generating more than $400,000 for the National MS Society. He and his wife Cheryl even serve as co-chairs of the Lancaster MS Walk. Payne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1963, but he’s never let his own struggles stop him from doing things for others, according to his wife, Cheryl Payne. Ed said he missed being around people after he retired as a doctor in 1994. He decided to volunteer full-time at the Fairfield Center for Disabilities and Cerebral Palsy. Now he gets to meet people every day. That’s why he’ll never stop volunteering as long as he’s healthy enough. He has no use of his upper leg muscles,” Cheryl said. “It makes it difficult for him to even get around from the bedroom to the kitchen. But he would never tell me that. He would never tell you that. But you know that it is.” Cheryl has not heard Ed complain during the 40 years they’ve been married. It makes her feel a little guilty about complaining when she’s sick. But she’s proud of him for it. Doctors told Ed’s mother he should drop out of Ohio University in Athens when he was a student after he was diagnosed with MS. She refused to tell her son because she wanted him to achieve his goal of becoming a doctor, Ed said. Ed went on to become a radiologist and later a community activist and volunteer after graduating from OU. 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. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

Whenever she sees a need, Rhonda Bentley takes action. Not long after she saw children waiting for the school bus in front of her home without coats or proper shoes, Rhonda organized a clothing bank with the help of her church. Her compassion and concern for the people in Nelsonville does not stop at 5 p.m. when it’s time to go home from her job as director of the Family Information Center. She extends her hand and heart regardless of her own situation, giving extra hours to paint offices, organize activity groups and baseball programs for teens, or clean and iron donated clothing. Rhonda convinced other social service organizations to collaborate to help the needy receive food, clothes and lunches for kids during the summer. Rhonda gives her time and talent to make Nelsonville a better place to live.

If the title caught your eye, please know that I am looking for more people like Rhonda to round out my annual Richest People in America list coming out this month. Who do you know who is Rich like Rhonda? I’ll be featuring people like this each day this week who are rich where it counts. There are some really inspiring stories…so stay tuned.

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. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com

As we remember the events of September 11th, it seems like a good time to think about the many ways you can give back. I found a neat article this am that I thought might have value for my blog readers. It was from an organization called Progressive U. The post recommends the following volunteering considerations: 

1.  Research the cause and issues important to you.  Search for organizations that compliment the issues that motivate you the most to want to make a positive difference.  If you can’t find an organization that suits your interests, try starting one on your own.  You can rally your friends, neighbors, businesses and family in your community to participate in your cause.  It could be anything from cleaning up the grafitti and other vandalism around your community to visiting the local children’s hospital or nursing home to make someone’s day. 

2.  Consider your skills.  Look for volunteer opportunities that compliment your skills and personality.  For example, if you enjoy horseback riding and like to help children, perhaps you can volunteer at a therapeautic riding stable to offer assistance to children with disabilities. 

3.  Consider opportunities to learn & gain new skills.  Perhaps you enjoy writing as a hobby and would like to expand your hobby into improving your writing and editing skills by volunteering at a local animal shelter and assist with the publication of their monthly newsletter.  It can possibly even open the doors for a future career in writing. 

4.  Combine your goals.  Search for volunteer opportunities that will help you achieve other goals in your life.  For example, if you would like to learn more about cooking, volunteer at a food bank that teaches cooking skills.  Or if you would like to be more active and lose a few pounds, volunteer at a city park or local YMCA to help out with the summer youth programs. 

5.  Don’t over-commit your schedule.  Make sure the time you want to give for volunteering does not interfere with other commitments in your life.  You don’t want to exhaust all of your energy where you may neglect other areas in your life.  Manage your time wisely by searching for opportunities that fit your schedule and needs.  If you can only handle something short term with a set maximum number of weekly hours, make sure you stress this to the organization’s volunteer coordinator. 

6.  Prepare to be interviewed, when inquiring for volunteer opportunities.  Nonprofit organizations have to be careful when accepting the services from volunteers.  If you contact an organization with an offer to volunteer, you may be asked to come in for an interview and submit a resume and complete a volunteer application just as you would for a job interview.  It’s in the organization’s best interest and most beneficial to those it serves to make certain you have the skills and commitment for the available volunteer opportunities.

7.  Consider volunteering as a family.  Look for opportunities suitable for everyone in your immediate family to do together as a team.  When families volunteer together, the experience can bring them closer together.  It can also teach young children the value of giving their time and effort.  Such an opportunity, provides everyone in the family to skills and experiences never before enountered, which gives the entire family a shared experience as a wonderful family memory.  Volunteering can even become an annual family tradition.   

8.  Volunteering from your home computer!  Many organizations offer opportunities to do volunteer work over the computer.  For example, you can be a peer mentor contact for a shut in with a computer.  Another example would be to help edit and type a term paper for someone with a disability.  This type of volunteering is excellent for those with limited time or no transportation. 

9.  Many community organizations are in need of volunteers.  Hospitals, libraries, nursing homes, and churches use volunteers for a great deal of their work.  Here are some further volunteer opportunities to  consider:

Day Care Centers

Animal Shelters and other Animal Welfare Organizations

Neighborhood Crime Watch

Public Schools and Colleges

Halfway Houses

Community Theaters

Drug Rehabilitation Centers

Fraternal Organizations and Civic Clubs

Retirement Centers 

Meals On Wheels

Homeless Shelters

Church or Community Sponsored Soup Kitchens or Food Pantries

Museums, Art Galleries and Monuments

Community Choirs, Bands and Orchestras

Prisons

Neighborhood Parks

Youth Organizations, Sports Teams, and After-School Programs

Shelters for Battered Women and Children

Historical Restorations, National and State Parks

10.  Most importantly, give voice to your heart through your giving and volunteering!  Bring your heart & enthusiasm with you to volunteer opportunities.  What one gives to his/her community is immeasurable!  To all those that make a positive difference in our society, Thank You!  Just imagine what more we can do to help our communities! 

I’d love to hear about your most fulfilling volunteer experience.

Several months ago, I bumped into Kathy Roth at a dinner at my church. Kathy’s husband, Jeff, was killed last year as he rode his bike along a four-lane highway near where we live. For months I had wanted to plant a seed with her. I wanted to share with her how I had dealt with the blow of losing my best friend to melanoma in 1998. For months after her husband’s death, I had wanted to tell her about the foundation we started in memory of my friend and about our annual 5 K run. I didn’t know her before the accident so I waited….several months. Eight months later, I approached her and suggested that she consider starting a foundation to keep the memory of her husband alive.  I suggested she might have a bike ride to raise money and awareness of cycling safety. It was a short conversation and I didn’t think much more about it. I saw Kathy a few weeks later and she told me that she couldn’t stop thinking about the idea.

Over the summer, we met and I told her how we had started our foundation. I told her how so much of what we had accomplished (raising over $400,000 to help patients who needed treatment, sponsoring symposiums to bring leading researchers together from all over the world, educating people about the dangers of exposure to the sun, etc.) had been accomplished because we asked people to help. Many things we asked for - a DJ to MC the event, a musician to play after the race, billboards that advertised our events, a race director to make our 5 K run one of the premier runs in central Florida - we got for free. We talked about how people were more than willing to help if asked. We talked about how people really want to help but sometimes they just need to be asked. And we talked about the joy others get when they have the opportunity to help.

This week, we were talking on the phone about the Jeff Roth Cycling Foundation. She told me how that simple conversation we had changed her life lately. She gave me several examples. She told me, “I was denying people joy by not letting them help me in the past. Now simply by letting people know what my needs are, I am getting help I need and others are experiencing the joy of giving.”

 I share this personal story for a few reasons.

1) When someone you know experiences a loss, thoughfully consider how you might help them. If might take some time before your offer is right but offer.

2) Don’t be afraid to risk. By the time I planted the seed with Kathy, I felt comfortable enough with her to make the suggestion but there was always the possibility that she might not have been ready. 

3) If you have needs, don’t be afraid to ask. People everywhere want to help. Sometimes they just don’t know how.

4) Look for opportunities in your life and in the lives of others around you to turn adversity into action. Kathy already had helped influence legislation to make cycling more safe.

5) Remember there is joy in giving. It will truly make your life more 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. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com