B.Middleton's August Update

Whassup Party People (and other people),

LIVING

It's been a long time since I've blogged and there has been so much that's gone on, that I am compelled to let it spill out. First and foremost, Batman: The Dark Knight . . . moment of silence for the best movie of the summer so far. I've lately been watching a lot of movies and finding that I'm falling in love with cleverly written parts for characters. I'm a moderately witty dude and I find that a lot of my laughs come from people who are able to articulate wit in creative ways.

Barack-mania has become a global phenomenon . . . he's gone on his world tour and it is apparent that the rest of the world would appreciate him in the Oval Office a little more than it would Mr. McCain. We'll wait until November to see what happens.

LOVING

Monster Diversity Leadership Programs (www.monsterdlp.com) have been in full effect since late June, and I've had the privilege to be on staff for San Francisco DLP, Chicago DLP, and Philadelphia DLP so far . . . three down and one to go. It is refreshing and rejuvinating for my heart and soul to see young people who are making it and I thank God for this program which has served as a bridge for me and them to connect. The people I work with are also awesome, serving up lots of love and laughs every time we interact. RAVE family, I love you . . . (www.raveseminars.com).

I'm still on my quest to finish Godel, Escher, Bach by Doug Hofstadter (Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid) . . . this is by far one of the most thought-provoking books that I've read in a while (I guess that's why it won a Pullitzer Prize). It is giving me a new respect for the worlds of Mathematics, Art, and Music and the connection between the three disciplines. Check it out if you get a chance.

LEARNING

Another book that I've picked up very recently is called Microtrends by Mark Penn (http://www.microtrending.com). This has also turned out to be an interesting read as it has helped me to realize the very many unique niches that exist here in America. These niches of people have their own culture and way of doing things that contribute to the diversity of this nation, but can also be exploited to produce revenue for oneself (or myself). So I would recommend this one as well for all of you readers out there.

Last but not least there is Kevin Carroll's second book titled, "What's your Red Rubber Ball?" . . . a very imaginative, fun, and read book that helps individuals to identify their passion and to begin to chase that passion for the duration of their lives. Kevin is a friend and awesome speaker who has helped to shift some of my thinking, so when you get a minute check him out too . . . (www.kevincarrollkatalyst.com) . . . you'll be glad you did, I promise.

So that's pretty much all that's going down with me at the moment. I will be getting ready to go into study mode to knock out the next set of Cisco Certification Exams . . . pray that that goes well for me and I'll be praying for y'all too.

Check back w/ you soon,

mr. live love learn

Chasing Red Rubber Balls

Greetings Errbody,


Living:
So this week I am just now getting back from Dallas, TX from one of the most powerful training weekends I have ever been a part of. I got to try my hand at delivering content as a trainer . . . memorizing and delivering scripts is a new challenge that I am currently tackling . . . stay tuned. Back to Dallas Fort-Worth (and its inferno-us-ness) . . . it is the hottest place I've been to this year (to date) and I will not return to that 1000 degree heat without proper incentive. I immensely enjoyed myself and got to meet the good folks at RAVE Seminars (www.raveseminars.com). They were a fun-loving, hard-working, and brilliant bunch of folks let me tell ya and I am looking forward to the seeing them all again very soon.


Loving:
So loving is becoming a multi-dimensional beast. My recent weekend has forced me to revisit my innermost passions and the motivations for those. I continue to find that I love to learn and speak and interact and move. Finding out how my loves and my future will coincide is a very exciting thing to me . . . I am getting my sunglasses ready now . . . I'm believing that my future will be solarecliptical (look it up) in intensity and brightness and I PROMISE that you will need sunglasses to view my future without hurting your eyes (thanks Joel Osteen).


Learning:
I met and spoke with a man named Kevin Carroll the Katalyst (www.katalystatlarge.com) this weekend and all I can say is WoW (Flavor Flav style)!!! A quiet giant in speech and manner, he shared his story and ignited a spark of hope and belief that was just great. Also as a part of this weekend I went to a Rodeo for the first time. My group was the minority (amazingly) at this event but I had a blast . . . up until the part where the clown guy who chases the bull away from the cowboy got his face tackled into the solid iron guard rail . . . this happened about 48 hours ago and I bet you he is still bleeding (that's how hard he got hit y'all). So these new experiences allowed me to learn and embrace diversity so very much that I can't wait until I do it again.


Raise your glasses to, you guessed it

Living

Loving

Learning

;o)