**** We've Moved!****

My blog is now located at www.GlennShepard.com/blog

Living On a Prayer

If you’ve read my books and subscribe to my weekly newsletter, you already know what a big fan I am of Jon Bon Jovi. Last night he was on Larry King Live, and demonstrated yet again why I admire him so much. While most rock and rollers start out at the bottom and then scratch and claw their way to the top, Jon did what might be even more difficult. He started out opening for ZZ Top at Madison Square Garden, and then managed to stay on top for over 20 years now. He and his bandmates were one of the top 10 grossing acts for 2006, and just became the first rock band to top the country charts (with Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles in “Who Says You Can’t Go Home”).

Jon has four kids with his high school sweetheart, who he actually married before they began having kids (hey Tom Cruise, there’s a novel idea), is a doting father whose kids go to scholl with Bruce Springsteen’s kids, has the exact same band members today that he started out with (imagine having ZERO percent turnover with your employees for over 20 years), is extremely philanthropic, and though he is quite active politically, he specifically keeps his political sentiments out of his concerts. Why? Because, he says, people pay to her him sing, not to hear his opinions. Jon understands that his fans are his customers, and bringing politics into business can be very expensive, as evidenced by the Dixie Chicks.

Yet despite his professionalism and intelligence, he says he could never run for political office because he doesn’t believe he’s qualified enough to do that.

Now isn’t that ironic? A man with great integrity, who’s also incredibly successful, well spoken, intelligent, modest, and eternally cool, doesn’t think he’s qualified to be a politician. Guess that explains why we have so many scoundrels in Washington. One thing is for sure, though. The world needs more people like Jon Bon Jovi.

Tired?

Speaking of strange websites, this is officially the strangest I’ve ever seen. I can’t imagine why it exists, but it’s oddly interesting. Go to: www.Tired.com

How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off by Holiday Scammers

If you’re a generous soul who want to give to legitimate charitable causes, but aren’t sure how to tell what’s legit and what’s not, here are two websites that will allow you to check organizations out before you give:

www.give.org

www.charitynavigator.org

Merry Christmas from the Hills of Tennessee!

My first hope is that no one is reading my blog on Christmas Day. If you are, chances are that you had to work but have nothing to do at work, are at home and trying to avoid your crazy uncle who likes to dance with your dog after he gets a few glasses of family Christmas cheer in him, or are at your in-laws and bored out of your mind. If so, here’s a suggestion – go back and read the featured article in the November 21 issue of my newsletter. You’ll feel a lot better about yourself when – and appreciate Christmas – after you do.

Is God A Tennessee Titans Fan?

If you ever doubted that anyone can be tempted to do anything at any time given the right set of circumstances, here’s proof. This morning Lynn and Nancy, who are sisters and are even bigger Tennessee Titans fans than I am, shared a doozy before church. A season ticket holder who couldn’t attend a Titans game earlier this season gave her two tickets to the pastor. The pastor then gave them to Nancy before services. Problem is that even though the church isn’t too far from Titans Stadium (now called LP Field), the game started only an hour after services ended. Wearing church clothes to a football game just doesn’t cut it, and going home to change after church would have likely meant missing the opening kickoff. Yet as Nancy put it, it’s so wrong in so many ways to leave church early in order to attend a game you’re getting to attend only because your very thoughtful pastor gave you tickets (there’s never been a single Titans home game that hasn’t sold out). Imagine the little angel on one shoulder telling you to be a Dr. Laura kind of person and do the right thing, while a little demon with a pitchfork is on the other saying, “Who could blame you for slipping out early?” But they stayed for the entire service, and still had time to make it to their respective homes, and arrived at the stadium just in time for kickoff.

Secret Confessions of Guilty People

I’m sure how legit this website is, but I heard about it on Kim Komando's radio show and looked it up. It’s for anonymous confessions of just about anything. Here’s the one that got my attention:

“I am an employee of yours but I spend any moment I can afford to trying to promote and work on my 2 other side businesses so I can quit this stupid job. I take advantage of your friendship with me and the freedom you give me as an employee. You inherited this company from your daddy and you can't run it. I am sorry I am stealing time from you but I am outta here as soon as humanly possible. Sorry I stole time from you but you have no idea what it means to be an employee for you. It is absurd.”

Yikes! Here’s the website: www.notproud.com
Take it with a grain of salt and proceed at your own caution. If you do go to the website, click on the word “confessions”.

The Big 3 Are No Longer GM, Ford, and Chrysler

As I warned in previous blog posts, the day of reckoning has arrived in Detroit. As of today, GM is no longer the world's biggest car manufacturer. Toyota has now become #1. This is a wake up call for all Americans who love their country. If we don't get over this entitlement mentality and stop asking for more and more and more benefits and pay while trying to work less, this will just be the beginning of more to come.

So here's a private message for the UAW and any other labor unions who have become downright hostile with their employers...

"Ask not what your company can do for you, ask what you can do to keep your company from going into bankruptcy!"

The 2006 Victory Massage!

All speaking engagement, deadlines, articles to write, books to edit, yada, yada, yada are all over for 2006. This is as Foo Foo as I get, but it's a big day. Donna, who worked as a massage therapist at the Opryland Hotel for 11 years and now works at a private day spa, is squeezing all the delayed flights, snow storms, musky hotel rooms, and voice-going-out stress from 2006 out of me like a tube of toothpaste.

V-Day is Here!

While last Friday was my final live in-person seminar for the year, I gave a webinar on Monday and have my last one today. Even though I’m sitting comfortably at my desk for these programs and only speak for an hour, I’m speaking live to a national audience and there are more than a few technical “issues” that come up. Jennifer, the producer, is in Philadelphia, and Jordan, the moderator, is in Salt Lake City (confused already? I told you there are ‘issues’). While I’m speaking, I’m also controlling a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation which is displayed on everyone’s computers. Seems simple, but it makes me just a liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittle nervous turning my note pages in a three ring binder with my left hand, while controlling the computer display on screen for everyone with my right hand, and watching the stopwatch which times me on every page (not good for people who are single task oriented, aka “men”). So after today’s presentation, I’m all done for a month, and heading straight to the annual end-of-year Victory Massage (look for photo in tomorrow’s blog post). V-Day has finally arrived.

Free Unlimited Phone Calls for $30 a Year

Well after bashing technology yesterday, I guess I’m being a bit of a hypocrite by reporting this. But it’s too good not to. If you have broadband Internet access, check out the VOIP service (which means using the Internet to make phone calls) from Skype. Their new service plan offers unlimited calls in the U.S. and Canada for $29.95 a year. They’re even offering a 50% discount to consumers who sign up by Jan 31, making it $14.95 for all of 2007. The one downside is that they don’t offer 911 service, so they say that it shouldn’t be used as a substitute for a regular phone. Go to www.skype.com for details.

The Technology Blues

I really wonder about this whole technology thing sometimes. I arrived in my office at 6:00 am this morning, before any of my employees. This is the beginning of a month and a half off the road, and it is sooooooo reassuring to come into familiar territory and be around familiar people. But when I booted everything up, the Internet was down, as well as one computer. I felt so helpless until my staff came in and made everything work. Isn’t it funny how we can make anything from cell phones to computers, but can’t make them work? Makes me wonder if this is really “progress”. Think about it:

- Cable modems are faster, but they’re down so often. Old fashioned (as in 2001) dial-up Internet access was slow, but more reliable

- Windows is powerful, but it crashes. MS DOS was simple and it never crashed.

- Digital cell phones today are cheap, but their coverage is awful.

- Email is convenient, but half of it gets caught by spam filters. Faxes always went through.

As Tim McGraw sang:

"We got too complicated, It's all way over-rated.
I like the old and out-dated way of life.
Back when a hoe was a hoe,
Coke was a Coke.
And crack's what you were doing when you were cracking jokes.
Back when a screw was a screw,
The wind was all that blew.
And when you said I'm down with that well it meant you had the flu.
I miss back when. "

Yep, I'm right there with you Tim....

The Best Bosses in America

Check out this article and ask what you could do to have your name on this list in 2007:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/09/25/magazines/fsb/
betterbosses.fsb/index.htm?postversion=2006092815

Will Los Angeles Outlaw the Bible Because It's Politically Incorrect?

In another example of political correctness gone mad, Los Angeles County government offices can no longer refer to "slave drives", a technical term used for secondary computer drive that is subordinated to the main master drive. No word on whether they plan of forbidding the Bible or Webster's Dictionary, since they both use the word slave too.

Cowboys Like Us

Today is the day I waited for all year long – the day I do my last seminar for 2006. I'll take the next month and a half off the road to produce new audio and video programs and get to sleep in my own bed, be around friends and loved ones (instead of strangers) every day, and eat home cooked meals.

This was some year. In between keeping up a grueling tour schedule, I stopped to autograph books at 54 Barnes & Noble stores in 19 states (not counting the ones I visited multiple times, or the Borders stores), launched the monthly teleseminar series and created a dozen new programs, began this daily blog, drove my third book to number one, and made some truly incredible new friends.

Yet as much as I crave this day, it feels like stepping off a fast moving escalator and stumbling a bit once the floor beneath my feet stops moving. It's almost one of those post partum like feelings. I crave the calm and serenity, but miss the adrenaline rush. It's something that's hard to explain to the average person. Guess it's one of those "It takes one to know one" things. Perhaps George Strait described it best:

Cowboys like us, sure do have fun

Racin' the wind, chasin' the sun.

Take the long way around, back to square one...

There'll be no regrets, no worries and such

For cowboys like us.

"No regrets." Yeah, I like that. Outback Steakhouse is the perfect place to celebrate the end of the 2006 tour. You're invited to join us. Just don't touch my Bloomin' Onion if you value your fingers :)

Is Hooters Coming to a Golf Course Near You?

I suppose that if you believe men go to Hooters for the Buffalo wings, you might believe this. There’s a new caddy service ( www.CaddyChicks.com) that hires only young, attractive, scantily clad women to be golf caddies. Their mission statement claims that its main goals are to:

1. Give women that could not normally afford the high cost of entry or are too intimidated a glimpse of the game by being a caddy.

2. Provide training programs online and around the country at select golf facilities.

3. Bring back the dying profession of the caddy.

4. To provide a scholarship fund for our caddies wanting to become professional golf caddies.

Yeah, right. Give me a break. I can't even concentrate on my putt when someone's shadow is in my putting line. Having Charlie's Angels watching is the last thing I need. Someone please send these girls back to Hooters or to the Dallas Cowgirls, but please, keep them off the golf course.

The Tiny Margin of Difference between Winning and Losing

Turn on your speakers and check out this video: http://www.walkthetalk.com/the212movie.php?refsource=vmlydia212

President Bush's Tax return

Want to see the IRS From 1040 for George Bush, Dick Cheney, John Kerry, or Bill Clinton? Go to http://www.taxhistory.org/ and click on "Presidential Tax Returns"

I'm Not So Strange After All

I’d like to introduce you to my new friend Sarah Ferman, who is the administrative director of a behavioral medical group in Encino, California. As those of you who have been reading my newsletter for the past few years know, the way I was able to write three books in one year while on the speaking circuit every other week was to get up at 4:00 AM and start writing every morning. Turns out that there was something to this 4:00 am business after all. Sarah informed me that there are some biological reasons (don’t ask me to explain them though – way over my head) that the human brain works best at that exact hour of the day. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Now if we could just find some research to support my theory that my brain works best on a half dozen hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

How to Get $1000 an Hour Advice for $3.95

This is Internet celebrity Armand Morin, who spoke at the seminar Saturday. He’s one of the few people who makes over $10,000,000 a year on the Internet (yes, that’s ten million). In his presentation, he reminded everyone that even though he is a pioneer and legend in Internet marketing, he’s still a human and asked if people would like to know how to get his advice for $3.95 an hour. His answer, “Buy me a beer”. As I was leaving, I captured this causal shot of the only person out of 300 who understood the meaning of carpe diem. True to his word, Armand stayed and answered questions until 1:00 in the morning.

TV Bloopers with Glenn

While at Matt’s Internet seminar in Atlanta, Helene and Dave from New York City asked to interview me for a documentary they’re shooting on making the world a better place. The lobby outside was too noisy and the lighting was poor, so we went looking for a better location. Miraculously, within seconds, we found an empty, quiet room unlocked (this does not happen). The lighting wasn’t quite right, so I suggested that we see if Matt’s AV people in the big auditorium might have some poster board we could use to kick (reflect) some light from below. As soon as I said that, my dear friend Judtih (www.judithandjim.com), who was also going to be in the documentary with her husband Jim, reached behind the only piece of furniture in the room and pulled out two pieces of poster board (we were waiting for the theme to the Twilight Zone to start playing at this point). The next problem was that I was too tall, so I got on my knees while Jim and Judith, who’ve had extensive television experience, adjusted the poster boards. They still couldn’t get light on my eyes, so Jim said look up. Everything was now perfect, except for the fact that I could only look straight up and not at the producer. All of us were laughing so hard at this point that our noses were running, so I asked Dave capture this Kodak moment for my blog. What Helene didn’t tell any of us (smart producer) was that the video camera was running and captured all of it, so she got some outstanding blooper footage.

"Taking Care of Business" in Atlanta

As I wrote in my third book, it is critical to surround yourself with the right people in business – and life. I told the story about attending a seminar in Atlanta in July 2005 and introducing two people who struck a $45,000 deal within minutes. This photo is of Matt Bacak and myself, at his Internet marketing seminar in Atlanta tonight. Within 3 minutes after this photo was taken, he was excitedly telling me about the new airplane he’s buying and we were discussing how to break the news to his wife Stephanie (I promised her in Orlando two months ago that I’d talk Matt out of it – Oops) , when I introduced Matt to Rachel, a copy writer I brought as my guest. Suddenly, as if lightning had struck, for the first time since I’ve known Matt, something was more interesting than airplanes. Matt needs a copywriter for a six month contract, and he’s about to become the biggest copywriting client Rachel ever landed. Does anyone see a theme here???

Please Put Away the Jack Daniels During the Interview

John in New York sends this story:

"I once had a gentlemen come in for an interview and told me he was nervous. I assured him that it was ok, it wasn't going to hurt. He then pulled out a flask of what I assume was liquor of some kind and took a rather large nip, telling me that sometimes he just needs a little help to calm down. Needless to say, it was the shortest interview I've ever done."

Interviewing Horror Stories

Here’s Another from one of our readers. “I interviewed a candidate for a receptionist position in my Human Resources Office. During the interview she had a large lifesaver mint in her mouth that we could see her moving around. When we asked her to tell us about a time she received poor customer service and what made it poor, she told us she ‘hated when someone was eating while they were speaking to you’ either over the phone or in person. She didn't get the job. “

How to Get the Lowest Price on Everything You Buy

Got kids or grandkids asking for the newest, trendiest whatchmacallit, but don’t have a clue where to go to buy it or how much it should cost? Well, my rule of thumb is that if Wal-Mart doesn’t carry it, then you don’t need it. (As my redneck girlfriend Gretchen Wilson says, why pay an arm and a leg at Victoria’s Secret when you can buy the same thing at Wal-Mart for half price?) But just in case you’d like to price shop and compare (anything), here are three websites that will allow you to do that:
www.PriceGrabber.com
www.PriceScan.com
www.Froogle.com

Drop me a line through www.GlennShepard.com and let me know how this works for you.

Could You Please Stop Clipping Your Nails During the Job Interview?

Now here’s the interview to beat all. A woman named Theresa who attended my management seminar at Cleveland State University last month told me that a job applicant pulls out a pair of clippers and clipped her nails during a job interview (I forgot to ask if it was fingers or toes). If you’ve got a horror story about an interviewee who also skipped charm school, please email it to my office through www.GlennShepard.com

Hey Chicken Little, The Sky Is Not Falling After All

The 2006 hurricane season ended quietly day before yesterday, except for leaving egg on the face of several weather forecasters who had predicted that 2005 was the beginning of a 10 year period of major storm events. Turns out that ‘06 was the first year there has been no category 4 or 5 hurricanes since 1997. And the moral of the story is (drum roll please)… Be careful who you listen to, especially those predicting doom and gloom. Junk science sells newspapers and it even put Dow Corning into bankruptcy with apparently inaccurate claims about the danger of silicone breast implants, but doesn’t do much else.

Life Comes at You Fast

There’s a disturbing but effective series of commercials for an insurance company that shows normal people riding in a car and having meaningless conversations when suddenly out of nowhere, they get blindsided by a careless driver. That commercial has been in my head nonstop after I came very close to t-boning a driver who pulled out in front of me last Monday in Lake Charles, LA. I have no doubt I would have killed him had I not been able to swerve with mere inches to spare. Then after getting off the interstate somewhere in Mississippi Friday night to grab dinner at McDonalds, I noticed a Subway next door and drove to it instead. Just minutes later as I walked out of Subway, the small truck I would have parked beside at McDonalds was going up in flames. That made coming back to my home sweet home after a week on the road just a little sweeter.

New Cameras that Make You Look Skinny?

Now here's a Christmas present no one should get – or buy. It's a new digital camera that promises to make you look 10 pounds lighter by stretching the photo from top to bottom, and squeezing in the left and right sides. Oh brother! If you're so fat that you're buying a camera to hide it, here's a suggestion that will save you money, make you feel better, and make you look better. Instead of spending $100 on a "fat camera" at Circuit City, buy a $20 pair of walking shoes from Wal-Mart.

Wedding Rings for the Blind

Here's one of those "Why didn't I think of that" inventions I just found on Paul Harvey's webpage. It's a wedding ring with "I Love You" in braille diamonds. Check it out at: http://www.cornelishollander.com/ch/sweet_hearts.html

Christmas Is Not Your Birthday

As I wrote in my October 20 blog posting, birthdays are the one day of the year – the only day – that should be all about us. As I get older, I have less and less patience for people who turn Christmas into a shopping competition. So when I heard about this website, I thought it was a perfect way to reign in the Christmas season. Click here: www.christmasisnotyourbirthday.com