Frank Johnson

Frank Johnson

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Posts by Frank Johnson

Self Interest in Business and Life

Have you noticed that everyone does things for their own self-interest?

Think about this for a few minutes.

Even when we do a kind and generous act –
maybe we do it to feel good about ourselves,
or to get love or acknowledgement,
or to avoid a bad feeling,
or with the expectation that the favor will be returned,
or to look good in the eyes of others,
or to get a tax break
… the list is endless.

I am hopefully bringing awareness into your life,
because this becomes a problem in all kinds of relationships

Let’s take a business relationship, for example.
If you meet someone and instantly think
“What a dream – we are meant to work together!”

Realize that after the “honeymoon” phase is over,
there will be a lot of hard work and financial demands.

You and your “partner” may both have completely
different memories of the initial verbal agreement,
including who has rights to a new product and profits.

Here are some tips:

1) Take a step back and make sure you have a written agreement
in place with your business partner / fiancé / tenant / etc,
before investing your time, money, and ideas.

2) Have realistic expectations of yourself, and whomever you are interacting with.

3) Don’t expect things to always go the way that you want them to.

4) Don’t convince yourself that something is OK when you feel it is not.

5) If you feel you’ve been wronged, take a day or two to reflect on the issue before retaliating harshly
– you may decide to forgive the person,
and forget past difficulties or mistakes or even errors in your own judgments.

6) Have clear direction of who is running the show.
Is it you and are you flexible enough to adapt or grow?
Can you roll with the punches or jabs that might come your way?

7) Have you delegated critical work to that other person,
so that if they left you would not be as effective
as you had been when you were working together?
I know that I am guilty of doing this
and every time that situation arises I am lost as how to now proceed!

8) And if all these steps don’t work or no longer work
then its time to realize that the relationship has burned itself out
and you may have to seek legal council to extricate yourself from this quagmire that you find yourself in.

Think about this in your own life and whether you agree or disagree, I would love to hear from you!

Enter this contest and get on TV!

Do you remember me telling you about Clint Arthur’s Celebrity Launchpad got me on local TV all across the country?
How would you like the same opportunity, by winning a Scholarship with VIP trimmings – round trip air fare, limousine, 4 nights stay at the W Hotel in Hollywood – all paid by Clint Arthur?

All you have to do is enter the contest with “Fantastic Frank sent me” at the end of your comment.
Here’s the link: www.voteclintarthur.com  Note: This link will be active for a limited time only.

That’s it!

I want you to have the same opportunity I had:

With the segment proposal that Clint crafted for me,11 Celebrity Launchpad TV producers said “Yes” to me!
Within a very short time, the number 2&3 markets in the country, Los Angeles and Chicago, both did special segments on me!

You deserve the same chance!

Enter, and put “Fantastic Frank in your comment.  Go here: www.voteclintarthur.com

by Fantastic Frank Johnson
Author of “From Flawed to Fantastic”

PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/

 

Branding for Superheroes and You

Just as the Nike “Swoosh” trademark is recognized worldwide, so is the Superman Shield. In marketing this is called “brand recognition.”

Now globally known giants, these symbols had humble beginnings. The Nike “Swoosh” was created in 1971 for $35 by a graphic design college student, Carolyn Davidson. The Superman Shield started out as an “S” on a yellow police badge, and has gone through changes in how it looks and what it means.

Every superhero has an identity or brand. A powerful way for you to reinforce your own heroic nature and your unique talents, is to create your own superhero shield. No one else has to know what it means – it will be just as potent for you to have in your pocket, as long as you know it is there.

Find your own expression – you don’t have to wear a costume like me!

Just make it Fast, Visual, and Powerful.

Words are also part of branding. Nike’s slogan “Just Do It” is just as recognizable as their symbol. Our minds and bodies are affected by words. You may not realize it, but you are already branding yourself with words that you use to describe yourself. Understanding this is a key element in embracing being a hero.

If I live my life as “Disabled Frank”, that means I am disabled; it becomes my identity. When I live as “Fantastic Frank”, represented by the “FF” on my superhero suit, I am better defined. I encourage you to find your brand and have fun with it!

by Fantastic Frank Johnson
Author of “From Flawed to Fantastic”

PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/

Embrace What You Resist

Sometimes we reject our own talents. Be patient with yourself – some comic super heroes also initially rejected their unique gifts. “The Thing” comes immediately to my mind.

Before “The Thing” became “The Thing”, he was part of a team on a scientific mission to outer space. During that voyage, they were all bombarded with cosmic radiation, which resulted in the super powers that made them the “Fantastic Four.”

Some heroes have two identities – the one in which they look totally normal and blend in with society, and the one in which they are wearing their super hero suit.

“The Thing” transformed into a grotesque, huge, stoney looking character that looked that way all the time.

Over about 50 years of comic books, this character struggled with seeing the positive aspect of his abilities, because he felt ashamed by his appearance and struggled with his new identity for many comic book issues.

In the movie “The Fantastic Four”, The Thing also struggles, but relatively quickly gets to the epiphany where he embraces and even chooses his appearance as “The Thing” to help his team defeat Dr. Doom.

As is the way with superheroes, The Thing’s embrace of what he resisted sprung from compassion. He was in a unique position of being the only one who could help, and he put the lives of others above his own self interests.

Remember the Thing, and take a look at your own motives. Something you are rejecting may be exactly what will save someone else’s life.

by Fantastic Frank Johnson
Author of “From Flawed to Fantastic”

PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/

From a Liability to a Talent to a Superhero Power

Something you consider to be your liability may actually be a unique talent to be developed into a super power!

How about you? What’s holding you back? What do consider to be your liabilities? Now is the time to flip the hero switch, and turn them into assets.

These hidden talents get discovered through adversities, which are tests; and life is full of them! Even positive events, such as falling in love, buying a house, getting promoted, or taking on a leadership role, can be an ordeal.

In the midst of an ordeal, hidden talents rise to the occasion by necessity. You do things you’ve never done before; that you didn’t even think that you could do. It may not look like a big deal to someone else looking on, but inside, you know you’ve been through a life-altering change.

If you’ve heard me speak, you’d know why I thought my voice was a liability. When I was rescued from the fire, the emergency tracheotomy which saved my life also destroyed my voice. Even after years of speech therapy, just speaking clearly is a challenge. For years I avoided conversation by living a rather isolated life. I was afraid that people would think I am stupid when they listen to my voice. I felt it was a liability, and not an asset.

Today, it is hard to shut me up! My voice inspires others when I speak on stage, as a radio host, or on TV. I discovered that there is much more to a “voice” than what it sounds like. “Voice” is a message, a connection, and heart.

According to Statistic Brain,  74% of people have a fear of public speaking, and this certainly included me!

When people with this fear see and hear do public speaking, they are inspired. They think “If Fantastic Frank can get up there with a traumatic brain injury and damaged voice – so can I !”

Time, dedication, inner strength, and passion can develop your talent to a level of proficient skill and expertise. For it to be a superhero power, it must be used selflessly to help others.

by Fantastic Frank Johnson
Author of “From Flawed to Fantastic”

PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/

Have your Hero seeds already been planted?

If you are doubting that you will ever have something hero-related in your life – consider the possibility that the seeds have already been planted.  A foreshadowing of what is to come may have already happened, but you didn’t see it that way. Sometimes past events need time to germinate, to grow, and to blossom.

For me, a foreshadowing of becoming “Fantastic Frank” happened when I was working for Eastman Kodak Co. This was about 6 or 7 years before I was trapped in a fire, when I wrote the lyrics to a song, for a project to raise funds for the United Way in Rochester, NY.

The song I wrote is called “Today’s Not Gonna Be Like Yesterday.” To get ideas for the lyrics, I visited a facility for people with disabilities. At that point in my life, I hadn’t had any contact with people with disabilities

Now that I have a traumatic brain injury, I am moved to tears when I recall some of the words that I had written many years ago, because I feel they were a foreshadowing of the event that was going to happen to me.

The song begins with these words:

Today’s not gonna to be like yesterday
When I was upset with the world’s own selfish way.
I was too blind to see
The selfish one was me.

And I met the girl with the sunshine eyes,
Who smiled so peacefully.
When she turned to speak, I realized that she couldn’t speak clearly.

Little was I to know that about 6 years later, I would be the one who could no longer speak clearly.

The other words that really get me are:

“Today’s not going to be like yesterday,
When I was indifferent to the way people treat nature’s harsh realities.
And one of those people was me.”

Remember, when you point your finger at someone, three fingers point back at yourself.

I suggest that you revise your life, while on the look-out for moments that really struck a chord with you. Then compare that event to what you are doing now, and what you’ve become passionate about. How do they relate? What is the foreshadowing in your own life?

by Fantastic Frank Johnson
Author of “From Flawed to Fantastic”

PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/

Hero Foreshadowing in Your Childhood Inspiration!

You have probably not “planned” to be a superhero.

In my logo, I am wearing my signature “Fantastic Frank” suit. The costume was “planned”, but being “Fantastic Frank” certainly was not! By the same token, being Fantastic Frank was foreshadowed in my youth.

When you look back, your superhero nature may already have been foreshadowed in what captivated and inspired you as a child.

As I share with you my own Hero’s journey, connect the dots to your own life, and uncover the hero within you.

I became fascinated with super heroes when I was a little boy, and my father bought me my first comic book. It was a Super Man comic. The golden age of comics unfolded before I was born, and I slowly became aware that there were hundreds, maybe thousands of different characters that had been created over the past 20-25 years or so prior to me getting my first comic book. Because of when I was born, I fall more into the silver age of comic books, which is when the Fantastic Four, Spider man, and the other Marvel superheroes, which we are all familiar with, were created.

Even as a child, what impressed me the most was that ordinary people were transformed into super heroes, through seemingly random, unexpected events. I didn’t classify the events as “traumatic” until I had my own traumatic event much later.

I faithfully got every new hero comic that came out each month. They captivated me. They inspired me. They gave me hope that one day I could become a super hero and help other people. This was the first “foreshadowing” of my becoming Fantastic Frank.

How about you? What captivated and inspired you as a child? Is there something about your life now that parallels that love? Do you still live based on inspiration, or has that been stomped out? What makes your heart soar the highest? These questions are a good start to unravel your superhero identity. Start here, and inquire further.

by Fantastic Frank Johnson
Author of “From Flawed to Fantastic”

PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/

Turn a Traumatic Event into a Super Power

The Classic Hero Storyline.

In the classic storyline, heroes are created during traumatic events. My life matches this storyline, but your personal hero creation may take a different route.

Super Heroes such as Superman, the Flash, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and Captain America were all endowed with Super Powers when something traumatic happened to them.

Superman was ripped from his home planet of Krypton and sent to earth in a spaceship.
The Flash was struck by lightning in his laboratory and got dowsed with chemicals.
Spider-Man was bitten by a radioactive spider.
The Fantastic Four were in outer space when they were bombarded by cosmic radiation.
Captain America was injected with a super serum.

The Fantastic Frank storyline

My traumatic event was being trapped in a fire and carried out in a body bag over 30 years ago. As a result, I got a traumatic brain injury, which I overcome every day. There were times that having a traumatic brain injury felt like a “problem” – even a curse.

In “AH HA Moment”, I realized that, the life-changing trauma, of getting a TBI and losing the “life” I had known, gave me the “power” to deeply touch and inspire others as a motivational speaker. My “curse” has become my “blessing.”

Although not as flashy as the heroes of my youth, with this “power” of inspiring others, I have been granted my childhood wish of growing up and becoming a super hero.

Your Personal Hero Storyline

The fact that you are here right now, reading this message, means that your mission or your purpose on Earth has not yet been fulfilled, because you are still here.Whatever your story is, whatever challenges you have to overcome, there is something unique to you; something wonderful and powerful. I know this because this is true of everyone. It just needs to be recognized and tapped into.

Celebrate life by acknowledging the super and heroic things you have been empowered to do. Give thanks for your “powers”, and use them for good. Share your Super Hero story with someone; your spouse, kids, friends… If you say you have no one, share it with me!

by Fantastic Frank Johnson
Author of “From Flawed to Fantastic”

PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/

Opportunity is a Choice

Trapped in a Box of “Real” Problems?

Feeling trapped under the weight of just trying to keep up can make you feel trapped in a box of “real” problems. There could be slashed budgets, sparse resources, and a whole host of factors undermining your success. Sometimes it seems that everywhere you turn, there is another obstacle.

Getting out of the box is heroic work.

When problems are all you see, things can get pretty dark and depressing.  Being a hero may seem out of reach, when in fact this is a great time to embrace the hero in you. It is in the face of adversity that your real strengths are showcased.

It is heroic indeed to completely alter your perception, and break out of your “problem” box into an exciting stream of opportunities, full of possibility, growth, and light.

Opportunity is a Choice.

When you have a “problem” you only have one choice, which is the problem. Do not accept this. You deserve more. Face that problem head on, with all its warts, and shout “opportunity” at it. Make it a mantra, if you like – as you visualize the challenge, keep calling it an opportunity.

Hint: Suspend your limiting belief that there is no solution, and get psyched that you will triumph in the challenge!

by Fantastic Frank Johnson
Author of “From Flawed to Fantastic”

PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/

Flip on the Hero Switch!

Your Heroes
Find the hero in you, and you find the heroes in your life. Who are the heroes from your youth? Now that you’ve “grown up,” who are your heroes? How do you feel while remembering them? Inspired? Motivated? Uplifted?

How long did it take you to start feeling that way? – It was just in an instant, wasn’t it? The moment we remember our heroes, it is like flipping on a light switch, and we are inspired.

If you are part of a team, family, or group the lacks inspiration: Flip on the hero switch!

The hero in you

People are inspired by heroes, and everyone has a hero within them. When you embrace your own superhero qualities, you will start to see hero traits in those around you. The more you focus on this, the more you will see. Peoplw will be inspired by you, and you by them.

If you are not yet sure what your super power is, start by demonstrating these superhero “traits.” As you live them, more will be revealed.

Superhero Trait #1 – Showing Up

By reading this, you have already demonstrated one very important characteristic of a superhero – you showed up! Ever notice that superheroes have an uncanny ability to arrive in the nick of time to prevent disaster or save a person’s life? Many of the most magical moments in life are possible simply because you are present.

Superhero Trait #2 – Be Fully Engaged

Now that you’ve shown up, the next superhero trait to demonstrate is to be fully engaged in life, in every moment. After all, Super Man wouldn’t show up, and then fail to catch Lois Lane as she is plummeting from a tall building!

By fully participating in life, in everything you do, you magnify the possibilities to help other.

Stay alert and open to newly emerging super powers, so that you can notice what resonates with you as you embark on your hero’s journey. It is different for each person.

Superhero Trait #3 – Harness Your Unique Power

As you get in touch with your unique power, you are obliged to harness that power to help others. You impact people’s quality of life and work every single day.

Service to mankind is a superhero trait of the highest order.

Pay it forward, and help the people in your life find the heroes within themselves. When this happens – you will have a totally different work experience than you are having right now.

by Fantastic Frank Johnson
Author of “From Flawed to Fantastic”

PS – Do you need an Inspirational Speaker? Check out my site and get in touch to see if I have your dates available http://www.fantasticfrankjohnson.com/speaker/

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