Mark Matteson

From age 12 to 13-1/2, I grew 9” in those painful 18 months.  I was a gangly, clumsy kid.  Who wouldn’t be?  My knees ached constantly and I knocked things over with great regularity.  It became an issue in my family and frankly, a punch line and callback, mostly with raised eyebrows or disgusted looks. […]

One of my favorite old movies of all time is a little known epic entitled “El Cid” starring Charlton Heston. It was one of the last of the great epics of the 1960’s with a cast of thousands. They literally had thousands of extras for the extraordinary battle scenes. Now Hollywood uses Digital Computer Graphics […]

I was enjoying a quiet breakfast in Galveston, TX with a good book. The day before I had presented to a group of 150 mangers and engineers. I was in the zone. The words just flowed. It happens sometimes. Preparation meeting opportunity. When I was done, one person stood up to clap, then another, soon […]

When I was in high school, when a conflict arose, I would take out a coin and say, “Okay, let’s flip a coin to decide. Heads I win, tails you lose.” Believe it or not, it worked about 20% of the time. A teacher admonished me for my bit of clever sleight of hand. As […]

Yesterday, I closed a couple of speaking gigs.  As I thought about what happened, it dawned on me, sales is a process.  A process that involves both an art and a science.  Like following the instructions assembling a child’s toy,  we need to go step by step, one thing at a time.  When we do, […]

Easter Sunday.  Westgate Chapel was packed to the rafters for second service, 11:30 am.   I reckon most people like to sleep in.  The music was inspiring, contemporary and lively.  Not why I came.  I want to see Pastor Alec Rowlands preach.  He is right in my backyard, in his late sixties, seasoned, savvy, fun and inspiring.  […]

I am a recovering pessimist.  I used to be caustic, cynical, negative and pessimistic.  I made fun of you given half a chance.  Hey, I was mean but i thought I was funny.  It pushed people away.  I didn’t have a clue.  Because I am a big guy, no one had the courage to tell me.  One […]

When I was in the 4th grade, I use to stand on the playground and wonder my insides didn’t match everyone else’s outside.  My confidence and self-worth were lacking.  I had a stutter. Girls terrified me.  Despite all that, I was searching.  Searching for answers to some of life’s questions.  The one thing I had […]

In 1982, I read the classic self-help “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. It changed my life. I must have read it 25 times. I listened to the audio cassette at least 10 times. (Cassettes were these these things we had…oh, never mind). Just remember, repetition really is the mother of […]

One of my greatest teachers taught me a simple principle. “When you share your WINS you double your positive emotions. Conversely when you share your fears or challenges, you cut them in half.” Simple. Rare. Why donʼt most people do this? Women are smarter than men. They process all the things that are going on in their life. They […]

Upon reading an article on actor Tom Berenger, I went on YouTube and watched the 3-hour TNT Mini-series “Rough Riders” about our 26th President, Teddy Roosevelt. What a story. I am a huge TR fan, having read at least ten books on his life. My favorite was the Pulitzer Prize winning book “The Rise of […]

Good is the enemy of great. The easier it is to be good, the harder it is to great. If good comes easy to, great will elude you. Deciding to be great is a choice, a lonely one. Rigid thinking is the enemy of innovation. “This is the way we have always done it” will […]

When my children were young (ages 4 and 8), I asked them two big questions before they drifted off to sleep each night. After we read a book and said our prayers, I asked: 1) What was the most fun you had today? 2) What are you looking forward to tomorrow? The first question demands […]

A wise old farmer asked his fourteen year old grandson to help him with a long overdue project, to remove the boards from a six foot high fence that needed repair one saturday morning. He laid out exactly WHAT he wanted done and WHY it was so important, as any good leader would. The HOW […]

Declarations are a simple way to assimilate the positive precepts into your life and make them your own. Below are the 13 Habits that will change your life for good. Read each one two to five times a day for a week and then move to the next one. At the end of the year, […]

I recently spent an fascinating weekend with a teacher. Every person is a teacher; some are warnings, some are examples. Just what do I mean by that? Well, in general there are two kinds of people, Anchors and Speedboats. Anchors drag us down to the bottom where they like to live. Speedboats pull us forward […]

When I was in the first grade, I watched Debbie Poe fly across the monkey bars at recess. It was amazing. Like a monkey, she glided from one bar to the next. I climbed up and made my first attempt. Down I went. Girls are smarter than boys. Dusting myself off, I watched her go […]

English Merchant ships were sinking in the 1800’s leaving London. It turns out they were overloaded with cargo and didn’t know how much was too much. In 1876, Samuel Plimsoll was commissioned to solve the problem. His solution was simple. Samuel employed three simple steps: “Show me a ship empty. Make a mark on the […]

Recently a friend of mine said to me, “The first time I heard you speak I was struck by your confidence; Combined with your humility, it was the reason I reached out to you. It’s a great combination.” Upon reflection, I determined there was one book that influenced that combination, the classic self-help book Think […]

I have always loved a good aphorism. “I don’t sing because I am happy. I am happy because I sing.” An aphorism is a terse saying or quote the embodies a general truth. The requisite construct of a pithy or sticky aphorism has five elements: It must be BRIEF It must be PERSONAL It must […]

So did you answer the questions on paper? No? Go back and reread them. Think about the questions…. Once you know the answers to those questions, chances are THAT is your bliss. When you are doing it, you time distort, losing track of time. It’s naturally fun and easy. When I am speaking, facilitating, writing […]

If you try to teach a pig to sing, two things happen: You make the pig mad You waste your time and your money! Each of us gets paid, whether we own our own company or we work for someone else, for our contribution to the marketplace. Its the quality and quantity of that contribution […]

When someone I trust and believe, say a technician that comes into my home or business says to me, “What I would do is…” or “If it were me, I would…” I really listen. Hey, that’s what I said when I was a Chimney Sweep to my residential customers in my early twenties. It’s what […]

My wife and I were helping our oldest son Colin and his love Stef move into their new place. The couch was never going to fit through the doorway. How did I know? Simple. The doorway was 28 inches wide and the couch was 38 inches wide. I measured it. I am after all 52 […]

I keep a journal to capture the good stuff. Here is some well said ideas from some guy named ANONYMOUS…. I’ve learned….That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it 
gets to the end, the faster it goes. I’ve learned….That we should be glad God doesn’t give us everything we 
ask for. […]

Ever enjoyed a moment when something good happened to you quite by accident? You were looking for one thing and you stumbled onto something or someone even better than you were looking for? It happens to me all the time. It is happening with greater and greater frequency. The word is SERENDIPITY. Have you ever […]

The Door of Influence There once was an ambitious and precocious young boy that loved cookies. He knew from observation that mother kept the cookies locked in the pantry. Every day after school, he had a 45 minute window before his little sister came home from school. Each day for a week, he consistently tried […]

The Most Important Lesson When a new mentor of mine, best-selling author Ken Blanchard, was 13 years old, he would visit his grandmother who lived in another town in upstate New York. She taught him how to play Monopoly and, despite always losing to her, he loved the game. He vowed that one day he […]

Many years ago I came across the concept of “Getting Bigger than Your Job.” It’s a simple concept really. The theory is no one gets promoted per say, they just get bigger than their job. Are you frustrated because no one appreciates all your efforts? Have you been passed over for promotion? Do you feel […]

Do you remember the movie “Field of Dreams?” “Shoeless Joe Jackson” whispers to Kevin Costner, “If you build it, they will come!” This father and son movie was about faith, hope and redemption. Eleven Christmas’s ago, my family and I were staying at the Four Seasons in Seattle for two days during the holidays, a […]

Do you want to make a point that sticks in the mind of the prospect? Tell a story. A sad story, a funny story, a good story. I like stories that make me laugh, cry or think. I like 1st and 3rd stories best. Here is one you might like: An Italian businessman from Milan […]

I am going to be interviewed for a Podcast next week. The questions were sent to me in advance. Here they are: “Before we start, why don’t you share a little about your background. 1. You’ve just finished a new book, called “A Simple Choice.” What’s this book all about? 2. When you write books, […]

In social situations do you dominate the talking or listening? Have you developed the habit of asking questions? This Thanksgiving, I eavesdropped on conversations around the table. I made mental notes about each person at the table. Who was talking, who was listening? Who talked about themselves incessantly and who was OTHER-Centered and focused on […]

Prior to the great Depression, an 800 pound gorilla ruled the cereal jungle….Post. Launched in 1897, Post Grape-Nuts dominated the marketplace leading up to 1929. Then the crash. As the Great Depression tightened its grip, that gorilla dropped its bananas. They were cash hungry. In a move that can only be described as a cautionary […]

Form the Habit of Selling Yourself On What You Are Selling Its really believing in your product or service. Its understanding what it can really do for you clients. By developing this level of empathy, it fosters the respect for the buyer’s good sense. Form the Habit of Continuous Study Learning more can help you […]

In 2006, I had made several presentations at Hamburger University in Oak Brook IL. It’s quite a place. It’s a world class training facility that is rented out to corporations. It’s a four star hotel that Hyatt runs. It’s a museum and a testimony to Ray Kroc’s innovative and extra-ordinary contribution to business. In the […]