Would you like to connect with more people? There’s a formula for connecting with people. It takes some elbow grease, but worth the effort. Whenever you want to influence someone, start using examples from the following list: Mystery Referral Appeal to a need Complement Exhibit Startling statement Idea Name Gift

Sam walks into his boss’s office and says: “Sir, I’ll be straight with you, I know the economy isn’t great, but I have three companies after me, and I would like to respectfully ask for a raise.” After a few minutes of haggling the boss finally agrees to a 5 percent raise, and Sam happily gets up to leave. “By the way,” asks the boss as Sam is getting up, “which three companies are after you?” “The electric company, water company, and phone company,” Sam replied.

Making Bombs For Hitler My daughter read this book. Looked like an interesting topic for a kid. My wife read it too. They both kept talking about how good the book is. Couldn’t resist. Had to read it myself. Yelp. It will pull at your heart. Humans can be some cruel creatures. But you’ll love reading Making Bombs for Htiler.

After retiring from the Army, I got invited to speak at a high school Man, you gotta be on your “A” game when speaking to high school students. Thankfully we connected and talked about Habit 3 from 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Of course they also wanted to know about the Army, which Soldiers always enjoy sharing their story. It was cool. If you’re in the Houston area and have a successful story to share, get in touch with Kelly Martens and Light House for Students. You’ll make a difference.

I left a debit card in an ATM in Downtown Houston. Took a 2 hour exam at school. Returned to the ATM Downtown and the card was gone (of course). Asked the security guard, “Did anyone turn in a debit card?” The security guard responds, “Cedric?” He gives me the card. “I knew you would come back.” We both laugh. There are some good people in the world. God is good.