Kevin
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Homepage: http://kevinpaulscott.com
Posts by Kevin
ADDO: Latin for Inspire
Aug 26th
We did it. The first ever ADDO Gathering reached over 700 students from more than 50 schools! Over the next few weeks, I will be relaying some of the lessons learned from that day.
For now, check out the welcome letter to the individuals who attended the event:
ADDO Gathering Attendees,
It happens in a moment.
It always does.
In ancient times it was referred to as “ADDO”. Today we simply call it, inspiration.
Where does inspiration come from? A friend – a photo – a scene from a movie? Words from a song – an unexpected act – a courageous moment? It happens all around us, every day. We may be too busy to notice, too jaded to care, or too overwhelmed to observe. It can come from anywhere and it happens in an instant. It’s a moment that stirs the soul.
When inspiration happens it can set the human soul on fire. The question is – how?
The ADDO Institute (Latin for “inspire”) is a leadership organization for the 21st century – inspiring today to impact tomorrow. Latin may be dead, but we’re not. We believe in the power of inspiration as a force for good – and not just a good feeling. We train leaders. From the power of a moment to the execution of an idea, we use an empowerment pyramid that will engage, expose, and equip next-generation leaders.
Today is the beginning of that journey.
For the rest of the day throw aside your perception of what is possible. Perhaps one moment, one message, one speaker or one activity today will stir that still small voice inside of you to act. When it does, you owe it yourself and everyone else to act in no uncertain terms. The world is waiting for you.
Welcome to the ADDO Gathering.
Kevin & Garrett
Founders of ADDO Institute
Entrepreneurship: 3 Lessons from the School of Hard Knocks
Nov 8th
“If entrepreneurship was easy, everyone would do it”
That’s what Garrett Gravesen told our team the night after our first fundraiser when we missed our goal by more than $70,000. Disappointed doesn’t even begin to cover it. Depressed and devastated would be more accurate descriptors of the emotions we felt.
As a seasoned entrepreneur, however, Garrett had been down this road before. He had helped to build the first organization he started to over $1 million in annual revenues and he was not about to let this team quit on this venture. Garrett was willing to beg, borrow or steal to make sure this dream became a reality. (Borrowing is, in fact, what we ended up doing thanks to a gracious donor and friend of Garrett’s, Jesse Peel)
The point is, we kept going when most people would have given up. Actually, most people wouldn’t have even tried to start something in the first place. Most people are not cut out for entrepreneurship.
However, if you dare to do something different, if you are bold enough, brave enough, and brash enough to start something from scratch…keep these things in mind-
1) You Gotta Believe. If you don’t, you will never make it!
“Create a cause, not a business.” – Gary Hamel
2) You Gotta Stand Out. If you aren’t going to be different, don’t waste your time.
“I don’t think there’s anything worse than being ordinary” – American Beauty
3) You Gotta Keep Going..and Going…and Going. The most successful people aren’t necessarily smarter, they simply stay with it longer.
“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot from a winning touchdown.” –Ross Perot
If you are an entrepreneur looking for more resources, be sure to check out these sites for more information. And finally, what piece of advice would you share with start up entrepreneurs?
New York Entrepreneur Week- www.NYEW.org
Gary Whitehill- www.GaryWhitehill.com
Pushing Beyond- www.PushingBeyond.com
Meeting of the Big Minds- www.MeetingoftheBigMinds.com
Guy Kawasaki- http://www.guykawasaki.com/downloads/index.shtml
What I Took Away From A Dollar A Day…
Aug 24th
Some of my best friends in the entire world live off a dollar a day in South Africa.
In 2009 I met the Stallenberg family. Nicholas and Hannie, along with their children, graciously opened their home and I had the opportunity to spend a night with them. My friend Garrett Gravesen challenged us to step outside of our comfort zones and live for 24 hours the way that more than 1 billion people around the world do– off of one dollar a day. And so I did.
This summer I had the opportunity to return to Cape Town just before the World Cup and reunite with the Stallenbergs. While I was catching up with Nicholas, a pastor in the community, he shared with me how his life and ministry were progressing. He told me his car was broken down and how every Sunday it is necessary for him to hitchhike 20 miles each way to church. All of this effort, every single week, just to be able to do the work he believes in.
Listening to his story, I realized that everyone has a story if you are only willing to listen. I walked away that day wondering about all of the stories you and I miss out on every single day of our lives because we don’t pause and pay attention to other people.
WHY?
Very simply, we don’t take the time to listen.
Why is it so easy for me, halfway across the world in Africa, to enter the home of a stranger and listen to their story, while I am often unwilling and uninterested to stop, even briefly, in my hometown of Atlanta to hear what people have to say?
My mentor, Ike Reighard, shares that the greatest communication lesson he ever learned was while he was still in elementary school. Ike, as a school safety patrol person, had the job of helping fellow students safely cross the street. Ike’s responsibilities were summed up with a simple slogan: STOP, LOOK, LISTEN.
STOP: Learning to stop our agendas in order to discover what is taking place in the lives of others. In our multi-tasking, emailing, Tweeting, texting and calling world, we rarely stop to focus on someone else. Stopping is all about giving someone your minds attention.
LOOK: Buried in our BlackBerry’s and infatuated with our iPads, we often forget to look at people. Look up and actually see them!
LISTEN: Listening is an art, and a learned one at that. A good listener gives their undivided attention. They know that listening takes more than ears. It requires your head and your heart, as well as your eyes. Most importantly, they understand that they have two ears and one mouth and choose to use them accordingly.
One of the things I always remind myself is, “You can’t help but love someone once you know their story.”
I challenge you today to STOP, LOOK, & LISTEN to the people you encounter. I promise you won’t regret it!