Tell Me Something Good

Stevie Wonder wrote it…Rufus recorded it and Chaka Khan sang it like nobody’s business. (I highly recommend you check it out.)

But the real message here is positivity.  How about let’s all try smiling and when someone asks how it’s going only share the good parts. Keep it upbeat.

Remember the saying, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”? In  my opinion it should be amended to, “If you can’t think of anything nice to say, make something up.”

So, the next time you see someone and they smile and say, “Tell me something good!”, tell them something good and enjoy the moment.

Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.

Words for Today

I received this today from my mentor, Mike Dooley…

Think less. Feel more. Ask once. Give thanks. Expect the best. Appreciate everything. Never surrender. Have fun. Lead. Invent. Regroup. Wink, Chill. Smile…and live as if happiness and success were inevitable and so it shall be.

I hope these words impact you as they do me.

Chris Keaton, who resides in Nashville, TN is a music industry executive, a gentleman, bon vivant and lover of music, good wine, fast cars and fashion. http://www.chriskeaton.com
You may also follow him on Twitter @chrisjkeaton or Facebook facebook.com/chriskeatonmusic and Instagram @chrisjkeaton

Instagram @politenessman

 

Busyness

I get busy sometimes…too busy for my own good. In fact, we all do. However, there is a real lesson there.

The things I chose to do were not, in every case, what I SHOULD have been doing.  I got busy.

I left some people out of the loop and did not get back to them in a timely manner. I got busy.

I did not spend the time working on my projects in the best possible way. I got busy.

I did not reconnect with friends, family and colleagues as I should have.  I got busy.

Truth is, I was too immersed in BUSYNESS (chores and demands that ultimately will not get me one step closer to my goals) and not immersed enough in my business…or my life…or my friends and family.

Zig Ziglar said “Remember, you can earn more money, but when time is spent it is gone forever.”

I promise myself, and you, to do a better job going forward.  How about you? If you feel the same and are willing to take steps to do better, hit the like button…or even share this post/column/whatever.

Sending love and gratitude your way.

PM

Politeness Man

Hello, Dear Readers and welcome to my latest column/post/whatever.  I am pleased to share some more quotes from my forthcoming book,  “Politeness Man – A Guide For The Modern Man”, which I wrote with my dear friend, Benny Carreon.

These ideas about being a gentleman and treating others respectfully are fairly simple… civility, chivalry and just a hint of comedy go a long way in this world.  It makes people really take notice of you (which, as I’ve said before, is never a bad thing).

Please know that I am no expert on being a gentleman. I am a work in progress…learning as I go (mainly from my own missteps, faux pas and “OMG, did I REALLY just do that?” moments). However, I maintain that each of us should strive to be better, kinder, gentler and more polite every day.

Put on your seatbelts and let’s begin….

A gentleman never asks, “May I be honest with you?”, because he always is….brutally. (Politeness Man) As we’ve all heard before, honesty truly is the best policy. However, now and then a little white lie is okay, like when she asks, “Do these jeans make me look fat?”
A gentleman knows that wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy. (Politeness Man, thanks, Ben Franklin) As an avid wine enthusiast, I would offer an unapologetic, “Hear, hear!” (And, yes, according to grammarist.com, this spelling is correct and one knows that one can ALWAYS believe what one reads on the internet!)

A gentleman always honors his father. (Politeness Man) I looked to my father for instruction and he never steered me wrong.  Here’s hoping you had a similar relationship.

A gentleman always honors his mother. (Politeness Man) Why? Because she has a swift and effective backhand…(just, kidding, Mom!)

A gentleman knows no strangers. (Politeness Man) Being friendly never goes out of style and a gentleman should always introduce himself to anyone he meets.  It also pays dividends to be nice because one never knows when you may meet again and the stranger could be a judge….
A gentleman awlays checks his spelling. (Polietness Man) This pretty much sums it up.
A gentleman knows that speaking up is important but even more important is knowing when to be quiet. (Politeness Man) Have you ever told the wrong off color joke to the wrong audience…or find yourself complaining to someone in no uncertain terms that you had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the $#4+!! MISTAKE only to find the person wasn’t even speaking to you?  If so, then you understand the reason for this rule.

Until next time, friends….be nice!

Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.

Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing

I visited a small church in North Carolina once and heard a youth minister say this
phrase over and over. It really struck a chord with me.
I have always enjoyed having “a lot on my plate”…lots to do and, boy, am I thankful
for that. But the tendency is to sometimes get distracted by the small things…the insignificant things that fill our day and crowd out the Main Thing.

I have often said “I never met an opportunity I didn’t like” and that is really true…there are so many from which to choose. The challenge remains to keep focused on your goal and move toward it every day…even in a seemingly small way and only accept the opportunities which move us closer to success.
In your case it may be that your day job makes it difficult for you to find time to write
or be creative. That is a challenge, but one you must face daily. The best writers write
everyday…not hit songs every day, but they go through the exercise. It keeps them
focused and makes them better.
If we indeed “Keep the Main Thing the Main Thing” we will get closer to our goals
every day. I hope this will help you as much as it has me.
From Brian Tracy: “An average person with average talent, ambition and education,
can outstrip the most brilliant genius in our society, if that person has clear, focused
goals.”

Be Bold (Part 3)

WARNING!  This article contains material which some may deem offensive.
I have been sharing that one of my favorite summertime activities is to wind down the workday at the pool. Not so very long ago, as I was poolside with my cocktail firmly in hand, I noticed what appeared to be a stream from one of those hand held pump water guns, you know, one of those “super soakers”.  But, as I looked again, to my surprise, I realized it wasn’t that at all.  Rather, it was J.J, a four year old boy peeing in the pool….
And now, I present Part Three….
To be clear, J.J. was not just sneaking one, but standing proudly by the side of the pool in plain sight, swim trunks around his ankles, wearing a big smile, and letting it fly in a perfect arc.
Then I observed him paying no attention to the critics shouting for his attention. His mom and dad continued to try to attract my new hero’s attention, but to absolutely no avail…he seemed to be on his own path and no one or nothing was going to stop him.
He did not even see his mom move from one end of the pool to the other. In fact, he was having (as we say in the South) “a big old time”, smiling, laughing, floating on that noodle in a leisurely trek to the far side of the pool, completely oblivious to the boo birds, the naysayers, the critics…..and, most importantly, absolutely ignorant to the fact his mother was waiting for him at the edge of the pool.  As soon as he got close enough, she reached in and snatched him up out of the water as only mothers can do.
She then held his hand (I’m guessing fairly tightly) and escorted him hurriedly to a secluded terrace adjacent to the pool.  She then sat him in a chair and kneeled down face to face with my young hero. From my vantage point I was unable to hear the conversation, but I can tell you this; his mother never visibly lost her cool.  I feel certain she was stern, but no one around would ever have known. She showed the kind of self control for which we all should strive.
This brings me to the next point of this story: showing restraint.
Now some of you may ask, what does showing restraint have to do with being bold? I believe there is ultimate strength and boldness in being in control.
Restraint is something we could use more of in the quest and daily practice of being a gentleman.  Holding our tongues when we are about to share negativity is one example of gentlemanly restraint.
Restraint is paramount.  We can all remember being taken to task in front of others and how bad that felt.  Why would we, as gentlemen, ever want to inflict that pain and embarrassment on others?
To put it another way, if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Back to J.J. and his mom.  She taught him a valuable life lesson that day without embarrassing or berating him in front of others.  Maybe, he also got the lesson of showing restraint in dealing with others. And maybe, just maybe, he got the lesson of being bold… without peeing in the pool.
Thanks, J.J.

Chris Keaton, who resides in Nashville, TN is a music industry executive, a gentleman, a bon vivant and lover of music, good wine, fast cars and fashion. http://www.chriskeaton.com
You may also follow him on Twitter @chrisjkeaton or Facebook facebook.com/chriskeatonmusic

Be Bold (Part 2)

Turn a Deaf Ear to Your Critics
WARNING!  This article contains material which some may deem offensive.
As you may recall, dear reader, in the last post I shared that one of my favorite summertime activities is to wind down the workday at the pool. Recently, as I was poolside with cocktail firmly in hand, I noticed what appeared to be a stream from one of those hand held pump water guns, you know, one of those “super soakers”.  But, as I looked again, to my surprise, I realized it wasn’t that at all.  Rather, it was J.J, a four year old boy peeing in the pool…
Fast forward to Part Two…
So after our hero J.J. calmly pulled up his trunks and jumped in the pool still smiling ear to ear, he grabbed the closest swim noodle and began swimming toward the center of the pool.  As he did, the head lifeguard approached the edge of the pool and began calling out, imploring J.J.to come back.
J.J. did not hesitate….nor did he turn in the direction of the lifeguard’s voice…he just stayed the course, his own true course, smiling the whole way.
The lifeguard continued to try to get J.J.’s attention for a few minutes and then gave up. At that point, J.J.’s mom and dad appeared at pool’s edge.  (Apparently they were inside the club and had been alerted to the situation.)  They continued to try to attract my new hero’s attention, but to absolutely no avail…he courageously continued on his own path and no one, NO ONE  was going to stop him. He did not even see his mom move from one end of the pool to the other.
Once again, there is more to the story, but, for now let’s focus on my interpretation of it. (Please note that I am neither advocating peeing in the pool nor disregarding lifeguards and parents instructions. Rather, I am using this example as a “teaching moment.”)
J.J., as gentlemen sometimes must do, made a very bold statement which set him apart. He boldly expressed his independence.  He did not follow the crowd. Then, once he had made his mark, so to speak, the critics and naysayers began to howl for him to change direction…stop…come back.
J.J. would not, in fact, he could not stop.  He was bold.  He stuck to his guns (sorry) and kept moving forward with courage.
Gentlemen must also stand their ground and decide to do what is polite and right…even if his peers do otherwise.
So, again I state boldly….hold the door for someone today.  Make eye contact, hold it for a moment and then offer a heartfelt smile. Dress for success.  Shine your shoes. Be helpful to others.  And, most importantly, be a positive influence in all you say and do.
In the course of being a gentleman, you have to be bold, step up and keep going in the face of any and all criticism.  You can’t just sneak your way in….people need to know who you are…they need to know what you can do…they need to know that you believe in what you do….and if you aren’t bold enough to show them… once again, you might as well be peeing in the pool.
(Part Three of the story is coming soon).
Chris Keaton, who resides in Nashville, TN is a music industry executive, a gentleman, a bon vivant and lover of music, good wine, fast cars and fashion. http://www.chriskeaton.com
You may also follow him on Twitter @chrisjkeaton or Facebook facebook.com/chriskeatonmusic

Be Bold

WARNING!  This article contains material which some may deem offensive.
In the heat of the summertime, one of my favorite activities is to wind down the workday at the pool. The other day, as I was sitting poolside with a cocktail, I noticed what appeared to be a stream from one of those hand held pump water guns, you know, one of those “super soakers”.  But, as I looked again, to my surprise, I realized it wasn’t that at all.  Rather, it was J.J, a four year old boy peeing in the pool.
Now, that in itself is not that unique (come on, you KNOW that kids regularly sneak a pee in the pool), but this was different.  He was standing proudly by the side of the pool at the shallow end, in plain sight, swim trunks around his ankles, wearing a big smile, and letting it fly, so to speak.
As I witnessed this, I heard someone shout his name.  He stopped, mid stream (okay, sorry for that), turned his head to see who was calling, then returned to the task at hand (okay, sorry for that, too) and finished the job. J.J. then calmly pulled up his trunks and jumped in the pool still smiling.
Now there is much more to this story (which I intend to share later) , but for now let’s focus on this.
J.J. did not take the easy route.  He could just have easily done his thing in the pool with no one the wiser. But, no. He chose to be bold and make a stand (again, sorry). He chose to stand up and out in the crowd (oops) and be noticed.
Early in our lives we are all taught to speak up if we wish to be heard.  ( I know that I was and I feel certain I a not alone here. ) In other words, be bold. We are taught to be responsible for our actions and not cower in the corner. Be bold.
When I was in high school, my band director, Mr. King used to to tell us if we were going to make a mistake, be sure to make it loud and proud.  ( And, yes, I loudly and proudly made many mistakes!) Be bold.
But, please be assured there IS a definitive line between being bold and being arrogant, but, of course, as gentlemen we would never dream of crossing that proverbial mark.
So, hold the door for someone today.  Offer eye contact and a heartfelt smile. Dress for success.  Shine your shoes. Let’s be helpful to  others. And, most importantly, let us all be a positive influence in all we say and do.
The lesson I am trying to convey is fairly simple and straight forward…In our collective efforts to be gentlemen, we have to choose to be bold and step up.  We must. We can’t just sneak our way in….people need to know who we are and for what we stand…they need to know what we can do (for others as well as ourselves)…we need to live our lives in a gentlemanly manner as an example to others ( because we know that others are indeed watching us)…We must be bold.
And if we aren’t bold enough to be gentlemen and show them… we might was well be peeing in the pool.
Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars (and relaxing poolside.)

Politeness Man

I am no expert on being a gentleman. I am a work in progress…learning as I go (mainly from my own missteps and faux pas). However, I maintain that each of us should strive to be better, kinder, gentler and more polite every day.

All of my ideas about being a gentleman are fairly simple… civility, chivalry and just a hint of comedy go a long way in this world.  It makes people really take notice of you (which, as I’ve said before, is never a bad thing).

Once again, being a gentleman is serious business… it’s no laughing matter. But that should not imply that one can’t smile or laugh once in a while, especially at one’s self.

So, off we go.

A gentleman never has to hear the words, “Hey, up here, please!” (Politeness Man)
Really.  Admiration of a lady’s figure should be handled with discretion (at least in public.)

A gentleman knows that clean hands are happy hands (Politeness Man)
We’ve all heard ‘cleanliness is next to Godliness’ and we also know that a gentleman neither wants to share nor receive germs.

A gentleman knows that people will forget what you say and do, but they never forget how you make them feel. (Politeness Man)
Yes, this is a shared quote from the great Maya Angelou.  Too soon we forget that making others feel good is a much sweeter reward than feeling good ourselves. In my humble opinion, we could all do a little better with this one.

A gentleman knows when he takes control of his own life and something bad happens…there is no one else to blame. (Politeness Man )
Responsibility for oneself is a true trait of a gentleman. Taking control of one’s life is always a plus and, truly, blame does no one any good at all.

A gentleman never “blames” it on the dog. (Politeness Man)
Okay, okay…what would this book be without at least one fart joke. Actually, in the book there are quite a few.  However, I promise you they are all in the best taste possible.
A gentleman never judges others by their spelling misteaks. (Politeness Man)
Okay, this was just too easy to resist.

A gentleman knows that every day is a holiday and every meal is a banquet. (Politeness Man)
If only this were true…but wait!  All gentlemen know that their good attitude is the most important asset they possess and with such positivity as this, how can one possibly have a bad day?!?

Until next time, friends….be nice!

Chris Keaton is a Nashville TN based entertainment industry executive, music consultant, bon vivant and lover of great music, wine, fashion and fast cars.

Press On

The late motivational speaker ,Zig Ziglar, used to tell a marvelous story about fleas in a jar. He said, “If you take a fruit jar, fill it with fleas and put a lid on it, those fleas will go crazy jumping, hitting their head on the lid trying to get out of that jar.  Eventually, their heads get sore, but they continue to jump…..but just high enough so they don’t hit their heads on the lid.  You can take the lid off and they will never jump out. They have been conditioned to believe that they can’t get out of the jar.”

Hopefully, both ladies and gentlemen will find this useful.

Then there is the story about those magnificent beasts, the circus elephants. You have seen them tethered at the circus.  You may have wondered how they just didn’t pull and break free; after all, the strength of an elephant is enormous. In fact, early circus companies used them to move the large tents and tent poles around.  They could easily snap the lines and break free. However, when they are very young, the trainer ties them to a live bamboo plant.  The plant is just strong enough to bend and not break as the young calf tries over and over to break free.  After awhile, the calf surrenders and doesn’t even try to escape.

Now, let’s move on to my favorites, the flies and the ants.  Have you ever watched a fly try to escape through a closed window?  They will continually bang their head against the same pane of glass…somehow expecting a different result each time.  They nearly never change course or make adjustments to their plans.  Ants, on the other hand refuse to be denied.  If you place an obstacle in front of an ant, he will make every possible attempt to go over, under, around or through it…and he will never give up until he succeeds. The flexibility he builds into his plan affords his success.

Gentlemen (and ladies), don’t be a fly or a flea or even a mighty elephant…Press on…strive to Be Persistent like an ant!