Once upon a time we had one kind of gas to choose from at a gas pump, now we have three! Bottled water was pretty much unheard of, now we have more choices then we can imagine and pay more for a 12 pack then our favorite cola. Telephone conversations were private, now we can hear about someone’s doctor’s appointment while waiting in a grocery line. One morning we are in Charlotte and the next we are in Hong Kong. Change happens, it can be in the blink of eye or over time. How we act and react to change, all types of change, is called adapting. The ability to adapt, oftentimes at a moment’s notice, enables us to succeed.
As a humorous, motivational speaker and wine training coordinator I can attest to the need to adapt. On very short notice I was asked to present a wine seminar to a group of folks visiting in the Asheville area. Once I arrived it did not take me long to notice that most of the people spoke Japanese! By using a series of hand motions and facial expressions we were able to communicate and “talk” about wines. Just another adaptation adventure!

Riding the bus, detention, gym class, summer school, changing classes, car washes and bake sales, assemblies, yearbook day, pep rallys, recess, exams, substitute teachers, passing notes, trying not to laugh in class, report cards, night games, prom time, Mrs.—glare, Mr.—voice, hearing your name over the intercom, field trips, vacations, an unexpected storm day, the cafeteria, drivers’ ed, math class, hall passes, hangin’ out, spring break. School experiences and the stories created from them all helped to make us who we are.

Okay, okay, we all know positive attitudes are crucial for success, but, if the dingy is flooding and the sharks are circling…reality is truth!
Deal with the negatives and move ahead!

Being the Retail Wine Training Coordinator for the Biltmore Estate Winery in Asheville North Carolina affords me the opportunity to meet and speak with hundreds of fine people from all over the world. We are the most visited winery in the country and that is because the winery sits on the grounds of the magnificent Biltmore Estate. What started out as a private family residence for George Vanderbilt in 1895 has grown into a dynamic international tourist destination for millions! It has grown into this very successful business due to the dedication of its’ employees. Without these valued people, the Biltmore would be 8,000 acres of stone, mortar and a heck of a lot of trees! Loyalty in the workplace is essential. I am not speaking about blind loyalty; rather, a loyalty that is cared for, crafted and recognized.
I was invited to be the presenter for a retail retreat for the Biltmore Company. That experience and others like it, enables me to continue connecting and consulting with folks about their work and their passions. It comes down to caring about what we do and how we do it. As a motivational sales speaker who happens to play with adults and wine a few days a week at the most beautiful place in Western North Carolina, I see up close the impact of loyalty, caring and dedication to work. Success will not happen without it.

1. Look in a mirror
2. Step on a scale
3. Run from one telephone pole to another
Learning to laugh at all that we are, including our limitations is adapting to life!