51 Years of "Tremendous" Leadership
Posted on February 15 2016
Tremendous Tracey
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Should I Stay or Should I Go
Posted on December 03 2015
2 Comments
Someone recently told me about a pivotal conversation he had with my father many years ago. This gentleman had been a pastor for six fruitful years but was now threatened with a looming split in his congregation. With a heavy heart he was ready to call it quits. My father literally grabbed him by the shoulders, shook him, and said,...READ MORE
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Thankful in Turmoil?
Posted on November 24 2015
The most difficult thing in life is to be thankful in times of trouble. When I took my problems to my father, the late, great Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, he said, “Things don’t go wrong and break your heart so you can become bitter and give up. They happen to break you down and build you up so you can be...READ MORE
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A Tremendous Time of Transition
Posted on November 03 2015
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Fifty years ago my father founded this company. Now we stand at the threshold of planning for the fifty years ahead. What began as Executive Books became Tremendous Life Books and now transitions to Tremendous Leadership. But have no fear; the name is new, but the mission of changing the world one book at a time is still the same....READ MORE
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Hocus Pocus or Locus Focus
Posted on October 27 2015
Hocus Pocus is meaningless talk or activity, often designed to draw attention away from and disguise what is actually happening. Locus Focus is a term concocted in my own cauldron of creativity to signify the extent to which individuals believe they can control events affecting them. Those with an external locus focus believe that outside forces, like luck, determine what...READ MORE
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when you can't be your brother's keeper
Posted on September 14 2015
25 Comments
My brother Jere was fourteen years older than me, so by the time I was old enough to grasp the concept of siblings he was already out of the house. He graduated from the College of William and Mary and attended Wheaton College and Seminary. He was even in the Army JROTC. Jere was a thinker. He was smart and...READ MORE
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I'm Terminal
Posted on September 02 2015
2 Comments
The point at which one is considered “middle-aged” was recently elevated from 41 to 53. We’re all living longer. While it’s truly exciting that I have more time to reach maturity, it also begs a question: just what am I going to do with the rest of my life? Hitting fifty used to signal the end of activities and the...READ MORE
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blessed are the weird
Posted on July 21 2015
1 Comments
Growing up, my father called me a “weirdo magnet.” He maintained that any weirdo within a fifty-mile radius would lock onto me and enter my world. I often thought this was ironic because my father was so unusual himself, my little sister once pleaded with him at a PTA meeting to “Please, just be normal!” But to his point, don’t...READ MORE
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SOB or ESP: What’s your Communication Style?
Posted on July 01 2015
1 Comments
We are rapidly losing the art of communication. The very trait which separates us from the animals is about to be our downfall. James Robinson said, “Much of our so-called reasoning consists in finding arguments for going on believing as we already do.” But fear not; there are ways we can rally and save humanity. First and foremost, ask yourself:...READ MORE
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are you slacktose intolerant?
Posted on June 30 2015
1 Comments
Offer the lazy an egg, and they’ll want you to peel it for them. – A Proverb Slacktose intolerance, also called loserphobia and hypomalaisa, is the inability to digest poor performance, lack of initiative, and failure to accept responsibility. Slacktose-intolerant individuals have insufficient levels of desire to digest those who display repeated bouts of negativity, an inability to digest any amount of responsibility avoidance,...READ MORE
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snarknado
Posted on June 10 2015
4 Comments
Last week I posted a picture that launched an F-categorySnarknado. I shared the life-altering tale of how my father sequestered all the televisions in our house during my teen years. His reasoning was that if we had time to sit on our butts and veg out, we had time to go out in the yard and work, play sports, do...READ MORE
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x marks the spot
Posted on March 31 2015
Why do so many people try to hold us back from moving forward in our lives? Didn’t we all learn early in life that we should celebrate the successes of others and strive to emulate them? According to Theory Y believers everyone wants to live a life of purpose and reach their greater levels of joy, peace, energy, and prosperity....READ MORE
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Do Unto Somebody What Somebody Did For You
Posted on January 15 2015
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Today is Thank Your Mentor Day! Without mentors, this world would have ceased to exist a long time ago. Indeed, mentoring gives you the chance to live your life over and over again, well into eternity. And to honor those who shaped my world in ways I never could have done alone, I salute you and share three ways you...READ MORE
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What Difference Do I Make?
Posted on December 22 2014
You've got the whole world in your hands. Throughout the many different roles in which I’ve served, there has always come a time when I had to wonder if I was actually making a difference in the world. This type of reflection is a healthy one if you use it to grow yourself into new directions of service. I recently...READ MORE
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all i want for christmas is a purpose in life
Posted on December 12 2014
2 Comments
Mark Twain said the two greatest days in a person’s life are the day they’re born and the day they find out why. Seeing as the first day happens regardless of anything we do, we should focus all our earthly endeavors on the second day. This year, give yourself the ultimate Christmas gift and find out what you were born...READ MORE
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the kids are alright
Posted on November 18 2014
With so much lamentation about the youth of today, it was encouraging to experience a fresh perspective on our future leaders, one that will restore your faith in humanity. I sat on a panel for our Congressional District where we interviewed candidates for the United States Service Academy nominations. I reviewed each of the applicant’s resumes two weeks prior and...READ MORE
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It’s not me; it’s you…or is it me???
Posted on November 05 2014
3 Comments
Self-Awareness is a Paradox. The more of it you have, the more you realize how little you actually possess. It’s like the guy who tried to be tactful by saying, “Somebody’s deodorant doesn’t work.” His friend turned to him and said, “It can’t be me; I don’t use any.” We all love to imagine ourselves as incredibly self-aware, but when...READ MORE
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The Mystery of Self-Motivation
Posted on October 16 2014
1 Comments
Consider how hard it is to change yourself and you’ll understand what little chance you have of trying to change others. My father, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones, told me that you don’t find motivation, motivation finds you. But there are things you can do to ensure the rays of motivation shine down upon you. Motivation is attracted to positivity, kindness, humility,...READ MORE
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that’s gonna leave a mark
Posted on September 26 2014
3 Comments
The natural growth of a leader is from doer to developer. But it is so rarely put in these terms. Those that are good as individual contributors are promoted to positions of leadership, but the skill set required is quite different. In my younger years I made my professional mark as someone who got the job done. I was an...READ MORE
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full of knowledge or just full of it?
Posted on September 11 2014
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As a publisher and personal-development enthusiast, I hear varied opinions about the influence of reading such material. Much to my surprise, I had two highly-successful individuals tell me on two separate occasions that they don’t read it. Their reasoning? They already know it. While I agree there is nothing new under the sun, it’s also true that the facts don’t...READ MORE
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It Doesn't Have to Be Hell to Sell
Posted on September 04 2014
2 Comments
[caption id="attachment_1403" align="alignleft" width="300"] Making the leap from service to sales doesn’t have to be terrifying.[/caption] The management classic Who Moved My Cheese makes it clear: change is going to happen regardless of how you feel about it. In fact, you can bet your bottom dollar that it’s happening right now in your organization in ways you’ve never even imagined....READ MORE
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Acrimoniously Yours
Posted on August 21 2014
4 Comments
There’s nastiness on the tips of everyone’s tongues. Our language is more blatantly bitter, decidedly divisive, and our mouths runneth over with hate. The one thing hailed as separating us from animals, our speech, has devolved to its lowest form because its intent is to hate, not communicate. This allows our behavior to bypass thought and reason and tap directly...READ MORE
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Restoration Hardware: A Book
Posted on August 14 2014
4 Comments
We live in a world that withers us. My father used to say, “My problem isn’t keeping myself motivated, it’s trying to keep other people from demotivating me!” Truer words were never spoken. Today’s headlines are filled with tributes to tribulations. How can we stay fed in a time of famine? I usually tout the power of books for transformation,...READ MORE
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does your business need a little TLC?
Posted on July 17 2014
6 Comments
A little TLC can grow a business big!! Tremendous Life Books is excited to unveil our newest program, the Tremendous Leaders Circle, offering businesses and groups of all sizes an affordable way to gather motivational books, audios, meeting space, training sessions, and even a speaker for one low annual membership fee. This $1,500 value is being rolled out at a...READ MORE
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houston, we have a puppy
Posted on July 10 2014
1 Comments
[caption id="attachment_1411" align="alignleft" width="300"] Roscoe Jones, Chief Barketing Officer at Tremendous Life Books.[/caption] On June 14th, I lost my constant canine companion of thirteen years after a ten-month battle with lymphoma. I have been through a great deal of heartache and loss in my life, but this experience literally took me to my knees. These last four weeks I experienced...READ MORE
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book girl
Posted on July 03 2014
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[caption id="attachment_1413" align="alignleft" width="169"] A tribute to Charlie “Tremendous” Jones from the sales force at Southwestern.[/caption] Ever since I got my first work release at the tender age of 14 I have worked. I worked in fast food, retail, at a summer resort in housekeeping; you name it, I did it. One of the jobs I had in between...READ MORE
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the mystery of self-motivation by charlie "t" jones
Posted on June 26 2014
4 Comments
[caption id="attachment_1415" align="alignleft" width="300"] Charlie “Tremendous” Jones showing how self-motivation is done![/caption] Today we’re surrounded by motivators—people and things strive to motivate people to buy a product, pay for advice or enlist in a cause. Motivation classes are crammed and motivation book are best-sellers. Motivation is big business!! But look closely at these motivators—some reach the point where they can...READ MORE
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Carpe Dogum
Posted on June 19 2014
4 Comments
[caption id="attachment_1417" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mr. Blue gives his last speech June 12, 2014.[/caption] Last week was a week filled with unbelievable highs and lows. I had three very important speeches. One was just me, one with our Chief Excitement Officer (CEO) Ruby Red, and one with our Chief Motivational Hound, Mr. Blue. In the middle of the week Mr. Blue...READ MORE
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Heavenly Hound Goes Home
Posted on June 16 2014
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In memory of a once in a lifetime companionMr. Blue April 1st, 2001 – June 14th, 2014 Mr. Blue triumphantly crossed the Rainbow Bridge after a ten month fight with lymphoma. Mr. Blue was born in a field somewhere in Austin, Texas in April 2001. A dog about the world, Mr. Blue also claimed Saint Louis, MO and Boiling Springs,...READ MORE
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Father Knows Best: Top Ten Tremendous Tips
Posted on June 13 2014
4 Comments
My father was a humorist and a motivator whose outlook on life was exuberant beyond description, yet he was also one of the most pragmatic, contrarian thinkers I have ever encountered. With his wit and wisdom, he had a way of putting my angst and complaining in check in just a few, well-chosen words. This Father’s Day, I pay tribute...READ MORE
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Summer Reading Had Me a Blast!!
Posted on June 04 2014
3 Comments
It’s almost the start of another summer vacation season filled with all kinds of schedule changes and time slots that need to be filled. To paraphrase what my father said, “You’ll be the same person three months from now except for two things; the people you meet and the books you read.” Do you want to be a more tremendous...READ MORE
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The Hunger Games
Posted on May 30 2014
2 Comments
Over the past year I’ve met a handful of people who have shared the transformative power of fasting in their lives. The more I heard the more intrigued I became. It was soon obvious that it was time for me to dust off this ancient spiritual discipline and put it to work in the here and now. The timing couldn’t...READ MORE
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You Can’t Keep A Good Dog Down
Posted on May 23 2014
5 Comments
This past week I faced one of the greatest challenges I have ever had to deal with. My soul dog, Mr. Blue, has battled lymphoma for the past nine months and, for the third time, he is out of remission. The doctor said he wasn’t strong enough to begin his fourth drug protocol and sent him home for three days...READ MORE
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How to live a Fully Mission-Capable Life
Posted on May 15 2014
5 Comments
During my tenure in the Air Force I served as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer. My job was to ensure the fighter jets were in a Fully Mission Capable (FMC) status in order to fulfill the daily flying schedule. When the jets landed if there had encountered any type of problem they would be placed in a Non Mission Capable (NMC)...READ MORE
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there’s nothing I can do for you
Posted on May 09 2014
5 Comments
There really isn’t. Happiness, kindness, sacrifice—all the elements that make us good global citizens are inside jobs. They cannot be mandated or regulated by any government or religion. Human nature is as human nature does. I look at some organizations that have well-meaning strategic tag lines such as Eliminating Racism, End Hunger, and Equality for All. We will never achieve...READ MORE
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We all have a brain, but do we have the mind to use it?
Posted on April 16 2014
1 Comments
We may tout ourselves as the most technologically advanced, sentient beings in the history of mankind, but do we really use our minds when it comes to researching facts, formulating opinions, or even challenging our own previously held convictions? In the modern world, opinions trump facts, disagreeing or debating has been ditched for demonizing, and civil discourse has become very...READ MORE
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Your “A” Game is useless without your “Be” Atitudes
Posted on March 25 2014
4 Comments
Our “A” Game refers to what we bring to the table displayed in our outward performance. Our “Be” Atitudes are derived from the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew 5 and convey a series of blessedness based on our inward characteristics. Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said, “Knowing how let’s you drive it; knowing why drives you.” Our outward accomplishments are...READ MORE
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50 Shades of Blue
Posted on March 21 2014
6 Comments
In celebration of a life well lived, I paws to recognize one the greatest influences in my life, Mr. Blue. Mr. Blue is my soul dog, my once-in-a-lifetime dog, the companion who has stayed faithfully by my side through the tumulus last thirteen years. People often mourn the death of a pet with great intensity, and they feel a bit...READ MORE
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“Victory is Mine!” Sayeth the Leader
Posted on January 29 2014
4 Comments
Success is defined as a triumphant struggle against difficulty. If that doesn’t describe leadership I don’t know what does. People don’t like to change, develop, or do the right thing. They’ll fight it tooth and nail. It’s not part of our inherent nature and it takes great resolve and discipline because the more we settle into organizations and bureaucratic tendencies,...READ MORE
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can i get a *false* witness?
Posted on January 16 2014
1 Comments
Exodus 20:16 states, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor” as one of The Ten Commandments. But it happens all the time and chances are it’s happened to you. Here are a few tips to help you deter and deal with this heinous act. Get rid of the anonymous tip line. This is an open invitation for anyone...READ MORE
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Put Success in Succession Planning
Posted on January 09 2014
3 Comments
Five years ago today, I left my previous life and came home to run the publishing business my father started 49 years ago. I still remember the anxiety as I pulled onto the Carlisle Pike and drove by my high school. It was surreal, as if everything I went through during the 27 years since I left home had been...READ MORE
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Starting Clean in 2014
Posted on December 31 2013
2 Comments
Colonoscopies are tremendous. That’s right, you heard it from me. After achieving a milestone birthday this year, I promptly scheduled a procedure that showed I had finally arrived in the second-half-century club. What a happy coincidence that my procedure was scheduled for the second-to-last day of the year; a fitting metaphor to say the least. Toxins are just as lethal...READ MORE
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Alone at Christmas? You’re Never Alone!
Posted on December 24 2013
4 Comments
My most powerful Christmas happened in 1990, when I was in a faraway land deployed as part of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. It was several weeks before the first Gulf War kicked off, and as a young Air Force Officer I was not sure how long we’d be there and if—or when--we’d return home. But that Christmas in...READ MORE
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All I Want for Christmas is Humility
Posted on December 12 2013
2 Comments
I’ve been a huge advocate of acronyms since my time in the military. I came across one years ago that has been one of my favorites: SLICC—self-licking ice cream cone; n. a process, department, institution, or other thing that offers few benefits and exists primarily to justify or perpetuate its own existence. When I refer to someone as SLICC, it’s not...READ MORE
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Praxically Speaking
Posted on November 21 2013
Praxis is a Medieval Latin word, from Greek, which means the application or use of a knowledge or skill. In short, it’s the moment where the ideal become the real. Let’s face it, hope is not a strategy and theory is for chumps. It reminds me of an old joke: a consultant is someone who knows 365 ways to make...READ MORE
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Curiosity killed more than the cat
Posted on November 13 2013
2 Comments
I just read one of my favorite books, You and Your Network, by Fred Smith. Chapter 7, “Your Friends”, includes a fascinating insight. Mr. Smith clearly outlines the difference between interest and curiosity, and it’s an important distinction we need to factor into all of our relationships, personal and professional. I recently spoke at a networking event and shared with...READ MORE
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Are there atheists in foxholes?
Posted on November 01 2013
25 Comments
In God we trust. It’s the basis of all of our legal systems, our church doctrines, our charitable organizations, even the basis for a family. If you don’t believe in a higher power, than why on earth would you even want to live in a cultural or ordered society? Go ahead and be an anarchist, nihilist, atheist, and deal with...READ MORE
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how's your breath?
Posted on October 28 2013
2 Comments
As a publisher and child of a motivational speaker, I can attest to the intense indoctrination I received throughout my life about the power of the written and the spoken word. The spoken word is a vibration of vocal chords that can uplift, instruct, rebuke, or discourage. What pushes those vibrations out is your breath. 2 Timothy 3:16 that states,...READ MORE
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you'll be the same person five years from now....
Posted on October 16 2013
2 Comments
Five years ago today my father triumphantly entered the gates of Heaven. My mother and sisters and I all were with him when his soul left his body. As C.S. Lewis said, “There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” And although my father lived each day as if it was the greatest adventure in the...READ MORE
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I need a seriously uplifting transfusion
Posted on October 03 2013
2 Comments
I may be tired of being happy, but I am tired nonetheless. I am tired emotionally because I am dealing with a sister and a dog who are both battling cancer. I am tired because of the vitriolic polarization of our own nation. I am tired of no one accepting any kind of responsibility for their own actions or the...READ MORE
