Rodger is an Author!

Dear Friends,

The need for Courage come in many forms.  For some, it comes in an heroic epic moment but for most it happens in the singleness of a decision moment.  For me, it was the decision to put my thoughts into writing and meet a challenge offered by many of you throughout the years.   So today I'm proud to announce that I have published my first book entitled:

THE COURAGE TO F.A.C.E. YOURSELF.

This chapter size book is the second in the on going series. " B.A.D. as you want to be!" developed by myself and my good friend Frank Kitchen.  Together, Frank and I travel the country as the BAD BAD APPLES.  The purpose of this work is to challenge and encourage you to achieve and grow in creative ways. It is a positive, powerful  quick read for teens and adults alike.  You will read this over and over again and gain new insights.  

To purchase this book , go to www.badbadapples.com to purchase using credit or debit card through PayPal. You can contact me directly via email: Rodger @ badbadapples.com or by phone at 330-313-1898.  Checks are to be mailed and made payable to:  

Sigma C Enterprises, LLC.

4786 Dressler Rd

suite 307

Canton, Ohio 44718

 Materials usually shipped within 72 hours.  A portion of the proceeds from my book are going to charity.  This years Charities are:

The Compass Retreat Centers

www.retreatcenters.org

The Compass Retreat Center is a 501(c)(3) For Impact organization which provides innovative retreat settings for veterans and those who love them to assist in healing, reconnecting and thriving following deployment. It provides a road map to navigate and bridge the gap between military and civilian life.

The Canton Relay of Life

www.RelayForLife.org/Canton

This annual event is designed to Celebrate the lives of those who continue to battle the ravages of cancer, Remember those you have past on and Fight Back through research funding to find a cure.

It is my prayer that as you read this book it will impact your life and be a blessing in untold ways.  Be on the look out for more to come. Thanks for your support.

 

Rodger

Priorities!

We are constantly saying we don't have time for things we "really" want to do. Or we say we can't "find" the time  to do the things we need to do. "Life does happen," but it's up to you to make the time to make things happen.

Life doesn't have an easy button, but things can be less difficult when set your priorities.

Enjoy this great story by Harvey Mackay on managing your time.

Manage Your Time or Others Will Do It for You
by Harvey Mackay

I’ll never forget an important time management lesson I learned in a seminar many years ago… especially how the instructor illustrated the point.
“Okay, time for a quiz,” he said, as he pulled out a one-gallon wide-mouthed mason jar and set it on the desk in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar.

When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, “Is the jar full?”
Everyone in the seminar said, “Yes.”

Then he said, “Really?” He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar. This caused pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks. Then he asked the group again, “Is the jar full?”
By this time the class was on to him. “Probably not,” we answered.

“Good!” he replied as he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?”

“No!” the class shouted. Once again he said, “Good!” Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked up at the class and asked, “What is the point of this illustration?”

One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you really try hard, you can always fit some things into it.”

“No,” the instructor replied. “The point is if you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all.”

So, today, tonight, or in the morning when you are reflecting on this story, ask yourself: What are the ‘big rocks’ in my life or business? Then, be sure to put those in your jar first. And by the way, you get the same size jar as everyone else. No exceptions.

What changes from person to person is the size of each rock. I’ve got a couple boulders in my jar: family first, always. Things like friends, my company, my speaking and writing “hobby,” maintaining my network, my volunteer commitments, my health, and my religion all take up a lot of space. The gravel is all the stuff that takes up more than a few minutes but doesn’t necessarily happen every day, like a committee assignment, a vacation, learning new software… you get the idea.

And now, the sand. You can decide whether to be that 98-pound weakling who gets sand kicked at him, or the creator of a spectacular sand castle. The sand is the yes/no stuff that absolutely has to fit around everything else after it’s in the jar. A little piece of sand in your eye is a big pain, and those are the ones that get the no-thank-you right off the bat. A little sand on an icy street is one of life’s little pleasures when you live in snow country as I do. You choose the sand. It’s your jar.
In other words, it’s your time. Change the rocks, gravel and sand into hours, minutes and seconds. Then decide what your priorities are and how much time you’ll spend on them. If you don’t, someone else will decide for you and you’ll end up with a jar full of heavy, jagged, nasty shards that nobody could touch without getting stabbed by another rock. Do you really want to spend your time working on other people’s priorities?

As Benjamin Franklin said, “If we take care of the minutes, the years will take care of themselves.” Good time management is taking care of the things that matter most to us first and keeping that jar of rocks in sight all the time.

My friend Lou Holtz has a great formula: W.I.N.—What’s Important Now? Use some of your precious time to figure out what’s important in your life and you will win.

New Video

We're getting ready for Fall 2013 and Spring 2014! We have big dreams to grow! Enjoy the video and invite us to your next program or event!

Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody

Everyone loves when Rodger shares this story during our leadership programs. It's the story of Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.

This is a little story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.  There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.  Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.  Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody's job.  Everybody thought that Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.  It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done

Letter to Inspire

We often receive thank you letters from the people we speak with and work with. When we get these letters they inspire us to continue doing what we do. We know our words are helping people build and develop. We know our words and actions are providing people with BELIEF, ACTION and DETERMINATION.

(Name has been changed for privacy reasons)

Hey Frank and Rodger,

I wanted to say thank you for the leadership retreat today. I know it was supposed to remind us of why we are leaders and how we influence others, but it reminded me of so much more.
I am senior and my best friend graduated last semester. It has honestly been pretty miserable here for the past month. Your leadership retreat made me realize, it's miserable because of me.
I forgot how easy it is to smile and to laugh and to be silly. You guys really have a way with words. Your lessons were felt today. They gave me back the little bit of spunk I was missing for awhile there.
I honestly thought going into it, oh boy, another person preaching.
However, you didn't preach. You taught. You reminded. You impacted. You gave me back my value.
So as I sat here and wrote down a grocery list, I remembered the littlest things and the major things, and I just wanted to make sure that a thank you to the both of you was included.

Thank you for helping me find the BAD in me again,

Susan

DEAR APPLES....

We often receive letters from people who participate in our shows. We like to share some of the really inspiring ones from time to time.

Here is one that was recently sent to Frank.

Dear Frank

 

    You may rememer me from the FCCLA Conference that you attended in November. I was in the front row on your right, tall, wore a white shirt. It's been awhile and even with the time I've had, I'm only half way through your book. However the impact that it has had on me this semester in school is astronomical. Before I was a student who was always told that I had potential; but my grades didn't reflect it and now that is not the case. You have been a Great insperation to me and every chance I get, I read as much of your book as I can. saddly that isn't often with the schedule I keep.

    Senior year is rapidly coming to a close and though I still have a few months I am trully uncertain of what it is I want to do after I graduate. Too many things interest me to be able to choose what I want to persue. Currently im writting a novel to see if I like writting. My Beleif is that I can create worlds with my imagination. It plays a big role in my life and never shuts off. My actions have been to search and look into the things that inerest me and help me move forward. And my Determination is helping me get through my Busy Schedule and not go bananas, but I still feel like I am missing something.

 

I was also wandering if you were doing anymore workshops in the Pheonix area.

 

One B.A.D Apple 

 

We'll be keeping in touch with this BAD Apple! Feel free to write us anytime....

 

Frank@badbadapples.com  or Rodger@badbadapples.com

The PIG Test

When we travel around the country, we often do a series of "Attitude Adjustment Exercises." The exercises or games are great visual learning tools for our programs.

One of the favorite exercises we do is called "The Pig Test." It's a great ice breaker and a great way for people to learn about themselves.

Frank first took the test almost 20  years ago. Now it's something we share with people around the world.

We've decided to share the test on our blog. Take the test and when you're done, feel free to share it with others.

Enjoy the PIG TEST


Step #1
Please draw a PIG on the paper provided!


No rules, no limits! You can drawn anything! This test is about you.

 
Step #2
Where did you draw your pig?

- If your pig is at the top of the page, you are positive and optimistic!

- If your pig is in the middle of the page, you are a realist!

- If your pig is at the bottom of the paper, you are suspicious and have a likelihood to behave
   negatively.


Step #3
What direction does you pig face?

- Does your pig face left side of the page?

  You believe in traditions. You are friendly. You are good at remembering dates
  (birthdays, homework, anniversaries,etc)

- Does your pig face right side of the page?

  You are creative and active. You don’t have a strong sense of family. You have a hard time 
   remembering dates.

- Is your pig looking directly at you?

You are direct, enjoy playing devil’s advocate and neither fear nor avoid discussions

Step #4
How much detail did you put into your drawing?

- Do you have a lot of details?

  You are organized, methodical, cautious and  distrustful.

- Few details?

   You tend to be emotional and naive (easy to trick/influence), you care little for details and are a
   risktaker.

Step #5
How many legs did you draw?

- All 4 legs showing


  You tend to be secure, stubborn and stick to your ideals.

- Less than four legs?

 (You like ham!)

  You tend to be emotional and gullible. You also care little for details and are a risk taker

Step #5
Did you draw ears?

- How big are your pigs ears?

   The size of the ears show how good a listener you are. The bigger the better!

Step #6
Did you draw a tail?

- Does your pig have a tail?

  The length of the tail indicates the quality of your relationships. The longer the better.