Life vs Work Rewards

Well, within the past several weeks, I've been fortunate enough to finally land quality interviews with sensational opportunities.  One interview was via panel and was perhaps the most intense interview I've ever encountered.  The second one was well planned with numerous people in the process, yet it had a hint of fun in it.  I came away asking myself, if offered both positions, which would I want.  The money isn't a huge consideration because the starting salaries are fairly close, so what does one look at when making their decision...I don't know.  Here's my thoughts on weighing this hefty decision I hope is presented to me within the next few weeks.

Let's take a look at the first opportunity first, it is a senior executive position.  This is the type of position one works for throughout their professional career reflecting the years of leadership training, the time dedicated to pursuing the degrees required and recommended.  The hours may be long, but the prestige would be immediate and the impact on my professional life would be vast.  The hours and working environment are not really known yet, but I do know I would be responsible for much immediately.  This is definitely the easy choice for prestige.  Now, let's look at the other side, the personal side.  When I interviewed, I interviewed with the senior leaders in a room I was escorted to and then escorted right back out afterwards, no view of the working environment whatsoever.  There is a huge part of me wanting this position because the work is for the home community, very directly.  Yet, the job itself was a personal graitification with the job title.  Yet, I can also see the intense levels of stress which may come with the position and affect my life, my family, and my health.

Now, let's take a look at the interview I completed earlier today.  The interview and position were not unexpected, yet there was a surprise.  Part of the interview process was a tour of the facility, complete with the on-site health clinic and fitness center.  I also saw the employees in their natural work environment in addition to the interview room.  Yes, I was escorted, yet, I was not hidden from where I would spend my days.  Three words kept coming out during the interview:  professionalism, team, and fun.  Yes, I just said fun.  The leadership knows the work can be stressful for the employees at times, so they work hard to maintain morale and dedication to the work center.  In my research, I also found they were an extemely veteran friendly company, has won awards for its leadership development, and voted consistently high by its own employees.  Almost all employees had been there for over 15 years, that speaks volumes as well.  The job title isn't as prestigious, but the work is meaningful as well.

Having said all this, either position would be an honor to be invited to hold.  The first position is an individual position and the second one is held by several individuals.  So, there are pros and cons to both.  When the time comes and if the offers both come, these will all be factors I utilize within my decision making process, along with the benefits and long-term goals of the organization, my family, and myself.  Positive perspectives produce positive people, and this journey too shall be an adventure.  I'm looking forward to it!

What Season Are You In?

Greetings all!  As the school buses start their engines and the hussle to get that last vacation or cookout in before the winter months arrives, it is evident the weather seasons are about to change.  Summertime will start to recede and fall will surround us with falling colorful leaves, jacket and sweater weather, and football season.  As we prepare to embrace this seasonal shift, one can also reflect onto their own lives and determine which season they are in and if they are about to undergo a personal season shift.

In my book, "Bushels and Barrels - Redefining the American Dream", we discuss what the four seasons are with respect to our lives.  Are we in crisis management or are we entering a shift in relationship status?  Regardless of what is going on in your life, you are either in a particular personal season or shifting into another one.  Just like the weather shifts, our lives will transition many times throughout the years, we must be ready for the ups and downs.

If you happen to be in a dark and cold season in your life, take heart, it will only last a certain amount of time, but the length can be determined by you as well.  If you recognize all the positive around you, regardless of the negative, you can pull yourself into a brighter, warmer place in both your heart and in your head.  When you're in the trees, it is very hard at times to see the edge of the forest and to know you are just about to exit into a field of green grass and sunshine!

In many of the books I've signed thus far, one saying I have adopted is "positive perspective produces positive people."  I believe this to be a true statement and will continue to try to live my life by this mantra, it has served me well the past few years and I believe it will continue to do so into the future.

What season are you in?  Are you ready for a change?  If so, work for the change.  If you are happy where you are, just remember, there will be passing clouds, but try your hardest to prevent them from becoming storms and seasonal shifts.  Pick your favorite season, move your life into it, and then enjoy the weather there!

Overcoming Challenges to Chase a Dream

Well readers, it is that time again...you know, the Olympics!  Where else can we watch with such pride, anticipation, and patriotism?  To watch athletes compete after dedicating years and most of their lives to training is inspiring.  Sometimes they win.  Other times, they fall short of the top of the medal stand.  However, do they really fail if they don't reach the podium?  I would argue they don't, they just fail to meet the ultimate goal, but they are already winners!

To see such inspiring stories and nicknames such as the Blade Runner and Flying Squirrel shows an adoration and relation to these athletes.  Gabby Douglas, the Flying Squirrel, left all she knew and her family to train for these Olympics and has made history.  The Blade Runner, Oscar Pistorius, had to fight not only physical obstacles to train, but political and society acceptance as well.  He was a winner the second he walked into the stadium in his uniform and was announced as an Olympic athlete!  Sometimes chasing a dream comes at a cost, but the journey is well rewarded...medals or not.  Have you chosen your dream?  Are you still chasing it?

There will be setbacks, of course.  All one has to do is watch Jordyn Weiber's face when she failed to make the Women's All Around Gymnastic competition.  She was crushed beyond belief.  Her dream was in tathers.  Yet, two nights later, she had pulled herself together, readjusted her dream, and went after it for the chance to win the gold medal alongside her teammates.  She achieved it and they won!  Sometimes, we have to adjust the dream, or the path to the dream, to achieve it.  Yet, as Jordyn did, we must continue to strive for the dream.  If we give up when the obstacles reach us, then we are giving up on ourselves and our dreams.  We are better than that!

There is no greater illustration of what "Bushels and Barrels" tries to illustrate to my readers than the Olympics.  It is about facing the barrels, challenges, and reaping the blessings, bushels.  The Olympic Games and my book, "Bushels and Barrels - Redefining the American Dream", both are strong reminders that we can only achieve our dreams if we are willing to go for them and adjust our sights when needed.  Have you achieved your dream yet?  I'm still chasing mine!

Book Writing or Book Selling...My View on the Difference

Greetings blog followers!  After posting reviews of "Bushels and Barrels" lately, I thought it time to write a more personal post.  However, since the blog is a reflection of my personal life and thoughts, this post will tend to remain on the topic of books.  For those following me because they love this topic, you're welcome!

As a new author whose book is now released via multiple mediums, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, iPad, Kindle, Nook, and personal sales, the time to market is now and the time to write has passed.  Oh how I miss those days!  The purpose of writing the book was to create a product to reach out and help those who needed it in a particular realm...those hurting in life and wanting to find a better way to approach the day and life itself!  The writing of the book was the meaningful part and the piece of the puzzle which kept me driven and focused.

Now is the marketing part.  Video trailers, book reviews, author spotlights, Facebook, blogging, and Twitter are now part of my day.  Heck, until now, I didn't Tweet and doubt I am doing it correctly now.  However, all of this is part of the mission to get the book into the hands of those in need of reading the message.  Yes, sales are important to help fund the cause, but readership and fulfilling the desire to aid others is much more important.

One particular cause I am focused on is K-Love Radio.  I began listening to this Christian station years ago when my world was upside down and the music and message coming out my speakers helped me not only survive the events, but to come out much stronger, happier, and content in my life.  Part of my efforts to pay them back is to dedicate 10% of all sales proceeds after recovering the initial cost of the book.  I'm hoping this endeavor takes off quickly!

So, from the days of sitting at the computer framing words, phrases, and sentences into a coherent message and story to creating 140 character tweets, I have evolved.  Where has your journey taken you?

If you want to join my journey, you can follow my public Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/authorleeray or find me on Twitter, @LeeRayAuthor.  If you're interested in my book, feel free to see more on http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/inspirational/1757.  Have a tremendous day!

Third Professional Review of Bushels and Barrels

In his book, Bushels and Barrels, author Lee Ray suggests that on occasion, people need to “adjust the roadmap” that they’re on.  By “revisiting and revising” goals, dreams and hopes, it becomes possible to recognize the blessings in life that may have been obscured by the struggle through hardships.

Addressing difficulties most people face, such as divorce, self-doubt, rocky childhoods, loss of loved ones, and career and financial hardships, Bushels and Barrels combats these troubles by highlighting the positive aspects that may come out of them.  In doing so, Lee Ray helps readers see the light at the end of the tunnel and recognize the wonderful things around them that they may be having trouble recognizing.

Lee also shares his own struggles and how he found his way through them, explaining to readers that sometimes, a different point of view is all they need to keep going.  Each examination of life’s challenges is followed by a chapter that highlights the brighter side of things people face, which serves to help readers alter their perceptions of the life they live.

Eloquently stating “We’re all living the dream, right?  Sometimes we just need to change exactly what that term actually means”, Lee Ray sets the tone for his thought-provoking and inspiring look at both the barrels and the bushels, and does an amazing job of helping readers do exactly that.  Gently handling each of the difficult and sensitive subjects in his book, Lee’s positive and cheerful outlook provides comfort and hope for anyone suffering through a struggle in their lives.

By writing the book the way he has, barrels followed by bushels, Lee encourages a change of viewpoint and the reassurance that somewhere, in all of the troubles people face, there is still something to be thankful for, if they only search it out.

Recommended for anyone who is having difficulty in their lives, no matter what it may be, Bushels and Barrels is a well-written guide to redefining and living your own “American Dream”.

The book is available via Nook, Kindle, BarnesandNoble.com, and Amazon.com.

Professional Review of "Bushels and Barrels"

In Bushels and Barrels, author Lee Ray takes a refreshingly positive approach to dealing with the struggles and adversities faced by Middle America today.  Of course we all grew up with an interpretation of the “American Dream” and we all thought we’d have exactly that by now, right?  But if we don’t, what do we do then?

It’s so easy to get bogged down and depressed under the weight of the world around us.  What people often forget is that it’s the struggles that make us stronger and the adversity that makes us better and more able to deal with things as they come our way.  It can be hard to see sometimes, but it is true.

The author writes “We’re all living the dream, right?  Sometimes we just need to change exactly what that term actually means.”  This is the tone and message of the book: to redefine our dreams and realize that maybe, just maybe, we’re already living them, and we just need to open our eyes and change the way we think to realize it.

All readers will be able to identify with the struggles presented in Bushels and Barrels.  The commonality of individual difficulties is widespread, even if the exact problems aren’t the same.  Lee Ray’s history and stories of his own life are easily relatable, and his choice to overcome them and move forward in his life and in his faith is inspiring.

Each chapter addressing struggle is immediately followed by another that highlights the blessings we each have, encouraging readers to alter the way they perceive the world they live in and the way they look at hardship.  From each complication we face in life, a blessing is sure to be there, too, we just have to look for it.

Bushels and Barrels is a thought-provoking read that helps to remind us that life is what we make of it, just as it always has been and always will be.

To read more about and to purchase Bushels and Barrels, please click here http://www.leeray.shorturl.com.

"Bushels and Barrels" Faith-based review

Most people who have a strong sense of faith have found that faith tested at times.  The world that we live in can bring us down, which can make us question our own beliefs and abandon our idea of the “American Dream”.  Sometimes, it can even seem that life was designed to be difficult, but Bushels and Barrels author Lee Ray sees things a little differently. 

Sharing and discussing his own difficult upbringing and hardships that he’s faced, Lee brings the reader into his world, and introduces them to the idea that maybe, just maybe, the difficulties we endure in our lives are there to make us stronger, better, and more able.  By terming the obstacles we face as “barrels” and the blessings we receive as “bushels”, Lee makes it clear that you can’t have one without the other.  He tells readers that they have to have the confidence to face the barrels and keep going, stating that “you can’t do this if all you see are barrels…once you start seeing the bushels, you will see the barrels as chapters in your life with lessons to learn to help you achieve your dream”. 

An inspiring and uplifting book for anyone who has ever begun to focus on the “barrels”, Bushels and Barrels encourages his readers to try and embrace the positive aspects of life and to try not to focus on the negative.  He suggests, “Revisit and revise life’s boundaries when necessary”, and make the changes you need to make to be a better, healthier and happier person.

Sometimes, redefining your version of the American Dream is all it takes to remind you that you are living the dream you envisioned when you were young, it just may not be recognizable yet.  Bushels and Barrels inspires readers to take another look at their life, and find the bushels that are just waiting to be noticed.

To read more about the book or purchase your copy today, go to http://www.leeray.shorturl.com.

Rating and Review by Darin Godby

Find below the review of "Bushels and Barrels" by Darin Godby, a Goodreads.com Christian, fiction, and Self-Help reviewer.


With a bushel representing opportunities and a barrel representing the
obstacles we will face, author Lee Ray takes us into
a descriptive view of the American Dream.  When one tries to
understand what the American Dream is all about there must be a soul
searching of self-identification of who one truly is within society.

When we are young we seem to have great expectations and later in life
have changed our view and focus of what those dreams encompass.
Getting out of one's comfort zone and moving toward the barrels that
we face in life is necessary to move forward and achieve our goals.

Here are the Ten Barrels and Bushels that Lee discusses within his book:
#1 is the barrel of abuse and the bushel is to discover God's love in
the midst of the circumstance.
#2 is the barrel of strained relationships and the bushel is family.
#3 is the barrel of divorce and the bushel is falling in love.
#4 is the barrel of overcoming self-doubt and the bushel is gaining
confidence and acceptance.
#5 is the barrel of the loss of loved ones and the bushel is community
involvement.
#6 is the barrel of the price of military deployments and the bushel
is the pride of military service.
#7 is the barrel of transitions in life and the bushel is morals and ethics.
#8 is the barrel of career changes and unemployment and the bushel is
the bond of friendship.
#9 is the barrel of financial landmines and the bushel is educational
opportunities.
#10 is the barrel of facing life's challenges and the bushel is
recognizing life's rewards.

Lee provides the reader with many of his personal stories and
insights.  There are topics such as: marriage, divorce, children,
stepchildren, money, determination, encouragement and so much more.
The reader will find themselves getting caught up within the story
that Lee is sharing and seeing how they can incorporate the positive
things within their lives and work on the areas that need improvement.

There is also a section on the military where Lee discusses his
involvement as well as how families must deal with deployment and the
pressures put upon them.  Many times Americans don't realize how
blessed we really are and how those in the military are standing in
the gap for our freedom.

Lee also shares:  "The bushels and barrels of an identity shift make
us who we are."   He also states:  "Life is not only wonderful at
times and painful at others....life is fragile!"

So one may ask will we be able to fulfill the American Dream?  Well
let's allow Lee to give us his words of wisdom.  He said:  "The
American Dream is a way of life, not something we can achieve with a
single accomplishment."  So each of us has our own duty in fulfilling
our dreams and desires.  Let's all do our part and make America a
better place to live.

I enjoyed reading this book and encourage you to read and grow from it.
This book was provided by author Lee Ray for my honest review and opinion.
You can read more about the book and purchase it from http://www.leeray.shorturl.com.

5 of 5 stars

Anticipation and Anxiety

As a young child, waiting for Christmas morning was always an exciting time.  You talked about it for weeks, months even.  When the morning finally arrived, you were so excited, yet scared the presents under the tree weren't going to be the ones you wanted.  The anticipation grew, the anxiety caused your heart to beat faster and harder.

With sporting events, when you have a particular team you root for and they are playing their rivals, you get the same sensation.  The game is about to end, the score is close, and it's your team's opportunity to score.  Or, if you watch racing, the laps are winding down and your driver is fighting for the lead and the win.  The closer to zero the clock ticks, the tighter the battle, the more engaged and involved you become.  The same heart racing and anticipation exist.  I've even seen it within my daughter as certain movies are about to be released.  The adrenaline rush!

The same anticipation and anxiety are existing within me these past few days as I await the delivery of my first batch of books.  Every time I see a delivery truck go down our street, I keep waiting for him to stop.  This is the day I've waited months for.  Actually, I've waited a lifetime for this.  The book has so much of my life within it, it's like it is alive...at least to me.  The urging of friends to write to a larger audience, the events in my life which are captured within the pages, and the honing of my writing over the years.  It all leads up to this moment in time.  It is a personal achievement, milestone even.  Just as I await the arrival, I also have the same anticipation and anxiety for people to actually be able to open the pages and read my story.

The anticipation, for me, comes from the desire to reach out and help readers rediscover the dreams that they once had and retrain them to pursue those very dreams.  The anxiety is from the not knowing.  Not knowing how the book will be perceived, if it will even be liked.  So much time went into the creation, how will it be accepted and judged?  My heart races, yet the anticipation is just as strong.  I can't wait!

What gets your heart racing?  When was the last time you felt that rush of blood and rapid-fire of your heartbeats?  If it's been a while, it's time you found a way to get the rush back...live again.  Go get it!

Free To Be Me!

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of attending my wife's family reunion and meet more members of my extended family.  Four generations were represented, two of which were also represented by our attendance.  Hearing the stories and seeing the relationships around me took me back to a time in my own youth.  A large portion of the family in attendance were from the area, but there was also those of us who traveled in.  The location was in a small, midwestern USA town with country values and small town appeal.  In my childhood, visiting my grandfather's land was a point of happy memories, so this put me at ease immediately.

There are times in all of our lives where we feel out of our element and uneasy.  We are constrained in how we feel and what we feel we are able to do in these situations.  On this day, in this place, this is absolutely not how I felt.  There was no uneasiness.  There was the comfort of conversation.  There was the ease of acceptance.  There were no excuses to not be myself and let them accept me that way and to for me to accept them in the same manner and fashion.

Even though I knew very few of these people, I felt as if I had been part of this group forever.  In the years to come when we attend, I will learn more about these individuals, their lives, hear their stories, and get a greater sense of closeness with my wife and where she came from.  We have had such an amazing relationship already, this is only going to bring me even closer to her and allow us to carry forward the traditions with the next generation.  What a great weekend!

When you enter a new group and instantly feel free to totally be yourself and are accepted as such, that is where you belong...this is where I belong!  I can't wait until next year to learn more and begin to share me with them as well.  Let's see what this next year holds!