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The Power of Self-Deception

The capacity of the human mind for self-deception is astounding. Until we accept this fact, and consciously choose to look inward at our own personal belief systems (rather than attempting

OVERCOME YOUR NEGATIVE “CORONA PERSONA”

As we’re all reeling from the loss of jobs, restriction of travel and reduction of our income, you may benefit from

Teachers on a Mission

Good teaching does not occur by accident. On the contrary, it is the result of finely honed skills and an intimate knowledge of the dynamics of human learning and

HAPPILY DIS-ILLUSIONED

Happily DisillusionedBy Billy Riggs, the World’s Only Dis-IllusionistYou and I have something in common: we’re both illusionists…

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, THAT’S WHAT I WANT FROM PD!

A recent article in Education Week Magazine (by Sarah Schwartz, May 15, 2019) reports that the most profound emotion that educational in-service speakers evoke in teachers is…

CUSTOMIZED JUST FOR YOU

If your group or organization holds a decent number of seminars over the course of the year, you may find that some other motivational…

HOW TO MAKE YOUR NEXT CONFERENCE 50% BETTER… WITH NO EFFORT AT ALL!

I’ll never forget it. The meeting that day in the summer of 1997 was a disaster. Being generally accustomed to attentive audiences…

“WOW-MANSHIP,” THE ART OF DAZZLING YOUR CUSTOMER

WOW! I was floored. After more than 20 years as a loyal AVIS Rent-a-car patron, I was transformed into a Hertz customer in…

DELIVERING SERVICE THAT MESMERIZES

Positively Magical Service! (Part II) By Billy Riggs An entire industry thrives around delivering customer satisfaction. Yet, satisfaction…

AUTHENTICITY: MERGING YOUR PUBLIC ILLUSION WITH YOUR PRIVATE REALITY

Few things will so sap your joy as consistently behaving in a manner that is inconsistent with whom you really are, because…

HOW TO BE FUNNY (PART II)

Nothing is worse than telling a joke and hearing nothing but crickets chirping in response. (Okay, cancer is worse, but you know…

THE CASE FOR PROACTIVITY

I’ll never forget Villanova University’s victory over Patrick Ewing’s mighty Georgetown Hoyas in the NCAA National Basketball Championship…

THE KEY TO CREATING EMPLOYEE LOYALTY

In 2013, Army Captain William Swenson was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery at the Battle of Ganjgal…

SMILE… YOU’RE BEING HIJACKED!

It was Monday morning, February 3, 1969, and Al was relieved to be leaving behind the frosty weather of New England for…

HAVING A PMA IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY

There is a verse in the Bible that says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter difficulties of all kinds, knowing…

TEACHING TODDLERS ABOUT ATTITUDE

Every parent has struggled with a grouchy child. The whining and crying can drive you crazy, not to mention the frustration…

HOW TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS (A VERY MOVING STORY!)

Sister Helen P. Mrosla wrote this moving story years ago. It so moved me when I first read it that I’ve saved it for nearly a decade…

WHY USE HUMOR?

Often when I am asked to speak at a keynote or seminar, it’s because the groups and organizations believe that I can help …

PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING

Look at the two photos below. The one on your left appears to be snarling and angry, while the one on the right seems serene…

WINNER BY A NOSE AND A PRAYER

Steven Van Rensselaer was a go-getter by anyone’s definition. Elected to the New York legislature at the tender age of 25, he…

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE!

Harlan was a loser. He’d lost his Dad at the age of 5, and for the next 6 decades things only seemed to get worse. He dropped…

FAKE IT ’TIL YOU MAKE IT!

One of the most renowned pianists of the first half of the 20th century was the elegant, mysterious Olga Samaroff. She was…

THE UNWITTING DOCTOR OF DEATH

In the middle of the 19th century the obstetrics ward of Krakenhaus Hospital in Vienna, Austria was supervised by Hungarian…

THE VIEW FROM THE PEANUT GALLERY

The year was 1935, and an eighth-grade boy whose uncle had nicknamed him “Sparky” was doing even worse than usual. As…

THE FALSE BEAUTY OF AN ILLUSION

il·lu·sionnoun. 1. An erroneous perception of reality. 2. An erroneous concept or belief. 3. The condition of being deceived by…

THE POWER OF IMAGINATION

Just a few months before I was born in 1958, the first International Tchaikovsky Competition was hosted, as it has been every…

WHY WE BELIEVE WACKY THINGS (PART I)

They say that seeing is believing, but new research suggests that isn’t so. To the contrary, believing is seeing. We do not…

WHY WE BELIEVE WACKY THINGS (PART II)

This is a continuation of Billy’s previous blog…Really smart and quite sane people can believe not-so-smart and way-too-crazy things…

WHY WE BELIEVE WACKY THINGS, (PART III)

This is Part III of Billy’s previous blog…As I write this morning two monsters, brothers named Said and Cherif Kouachi, are…

THE POLITICS OF CRAZY BELIEFS

DISCLAIMER: Billy Riggs does not speak on (or even address) the topic below in any of his public presentations, but his interests are…

STEALING SANTA CLAUS

Years ago I watched myself on videotape performing a very difficult sleight of hand move onstage. It’s a part of a routine in which scores…

THE DAY I MET MOTHER TERESA (REALLY!)

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF IT’S REALLY A MIRACLE?In August of 2014, doctors pronounced dead a Brazilian man named Valdelucio Gonclaves..

WHICH CAME FIRST, THE HAPPY EGG OR THE SUCCESSFUL CHICKEN?

In 2006, New Age self-help guru Rhonda Byrne published her international best-seller, The Secret. The thesis of that landmark book…

THERE’S MAGIC IN A BIG DREAM

On a recent speaking trip to Chicago I finally saw the opportunity to undertake a pilgrimage I had been planning for over a year…

HORRIBLE BOSSES, LOVABLE LEADERS, AND OTHERS

I once had a barbarian for a boss. He hovered

BELIEFS HAVE CONSEQUENCES

DISCLAIMER: Billy Riggs does not speak on (or even address) the topic below in any of his public presentations, …

“WOW-MANSHIP,” THE ART OF DAZZLING YOUR CUSTOMER

WOW! I was floored. After more than 20 years as a loyal AVIS Rent-a-car patron, I was transformed into a Hertz customer in…

THE LAST VESTIGE OF JIM CROW: REPEAL THE DAVIS-BACON ACT

DISCLAIMER: Billy Riggs does not speak on (or even address) this topic in any of his public presentations,..

EYE DON’T THINK I CONTACT IS ALWAYS EYE-DEAL

KNOW WHEN TO BREAK THE RULES OF CUSTOMER SERVICE As a rule, you should always greet your customers with a smile,…

THE 8 STAGES OF AN ORGANIZATION (& HOW TO STOP AT #5!)

Every philanthropic organization (and many companies, too) tends to trace a predictable arc from its birth through its apex to its eventual obsolescence ..

A SECRET ABOUT RHONDA BYRNE’S BOOK, THE SECRET

A LITTLE SECRET ABOUT RHONDA BYRNE’S BOOK, THE SECRET (Shhh! Don’t Tell Anyone, But It’s Utter Nonsense!) …

DELIVERING SERVICE THAT MESMERIZES

Positively Magical Service! (Part II) By Billy Riggs An entire industry thrives around delivering customer satisfaction….

NIAGARA AND THE DANGER OF DRIFT

The Woodward Siblings, 1960 On July 9, 1960, a middle-aged resident of Buffalo, New York named James Honeycutt…

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH CHANGE?

Losers complain when the direction of the wind changes. Winners just set their sails differently to take advantage of it…

TAKE THE RED PILL

The thesis of the cult-classic film series, The Matrix, is that the world we all perceive is actually a computer simulation fed into the brains of people who are…

$50,000 IN CONSULTING… FREE! (SORT OF)

How to Overcome the Price Objection in SellingPrice is, of course, an important factor when customers consider a purchase,..

THE KEY TO GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE: HIRE FRIENDLY PEOPLE!

I recently spoke at the brand new Hotel ZaZa just outside Houston, Texas. It’s a boutique hotel chain that currently operates two hotels in the Houston area and one in Dallas…

CALL ME “CHEESE WHIZ”

WHY HIRE A FUNNY, MAGICAL MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER?One of the most rewarding aspects of being a motivational speaker is the opportunity …

HOW TO BECOME A BORN LEADER BOOK NOW AVAILABLE!

My newest book, How to Become a Born Leader, becomes available today (Thursday, November 1, 2018). You can purchase your copy on my website by clicking on “Store” at the top right of your screen…

THE THREE KEYS TO INFLUENCING PEOPLE

Leadership, at its core, is the ability to influence other people. Three hundred and fifty years before the birth of Christ, the philosopher Aristotle summarized what he believed were the most salient characteristics of a highly influential person. ..

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