One of the topics I speak about in my Texas Mantra speech is change. One of the most profound things I ever heard in college came from (one of what I thought at the time was) one my most ineffective professors. The moment he spoke the words, I knew I had just heard something that was going to stick with me for the rest of my life. He said, "Everybody wants improvement but no one wants change." For me that is one of life's absolutes. If you just think about it for a moment, you know that's right. What's more, you can't have one without the other.

  Life is all about change. It's how we learn, it's how we grow. Change is one of life's constants. The changes I've endured since I last made an entry into this blog have been life changing for me. The unexpected success of Texas In Her Own Words has completely changed my business model; I dare say for the good. From the beginning I knew public speaking and selling books in the 'back of the room' (BOR) was going to be a cornerstone of my marketing plan. What has surprised me is how well that has been accepted and how much it has impacted the success curve of the book.  

  It came as a surprise when after a speaking gig at a civic club in town someone came up and asked me how much I would charge to give a "talk" to their organization. After the deer left my headlights, I started asking questions about the group, it's size, the purpose of the talk, etc.  I set a fee and got the gig without so much as a blink from the other party. At that precise moment in time, my business model changed from the author selling books in the back of the room to the speaker selling books in the back of the room. and as Robert Frost said in his poem, "...and for me that has made all the difference."  Lots more to come. Talk to you soon.  T