Our Deepest Fear Is Not That We Are Inadequate. Our Deepest Fear Is That We Are Powerful Beyond Measure. It Is Our Light, Not Our Darkness That Most Frightens Us. Your Playing Small Does Not Serve The World, There Is Nothing Enlightened About Shrinking, So That Other People Won’t Feel Insecure Around You. We Were All Meant To Shine As Children Do, Its Not Just In Some Of Us Its In Everyone. And As We Let Our Own Light Shine, We Unconsiously Give Other People Permission To Do The Same. As We Our Liberated From Our Own Fear, Our Presence Automatically Liberates Others.

Timo Cruz (from Coach Carter)

I had the distinct pleasure of telling at the Isaac Bear Early College High School Senior Lunchon May 22nd. Kids, parents and teachers gathered to celebrate one another. Heard some very impressive speeches from 17 and 18 year olds. My thanks to Suzanne Mecallef and Tilley Gurley for including me in this program. I told a couple of my favorites and introduced a new program aimed at high schoolers. Lifes Instruction Manual is humrously geared to remind kids that we all have faults to overcome, we never really finish learning lessons, there are no problems only challenges and opportunity and that the answers to most of lifes questions are inside of us. I thought it well received. I will continue to expand and tweak this one. Later that night I presented for the 2nd year in a row to the Ashe County 8th Grade end of year Trip to the Sea. Shared the stage with Joyce Grear and Maxwell Page. Always a good time. Today is my birthday. I’m 39, again…

I had the distinct pleasure to tell a tale and speak for a few minutes to over 300 people tonight at the New Hanover County PTA Awards Banquet. There was my name in the program listed as the Keynote Speaker. That was a first. My thanks to Stephanie Kraybill for inviting me and to all those in attendance for greeting me so warmly. I had a great time and the dinner was good. Especially the chocolate pecan pie. Hope to hear from some of you schools soon. Thanks again.

Hello all. I have been traversing around the state tellin tales and talking to kids a lot. What is with our high schoolers. I was reading recently that ” A total of 23,550 students dropped out in 2006-07, representing 5.24 percent of the state’s high school population.”via newsobserver.com. What are we doing? More importantly, what’s going on in their life that dropping out is a good decision.Last year almost 30 percent of highscoolers statewide didn’t graduate. Halting their education before graduating is a promise of a $$12.00 to 15.00 an hour ceiling in any career that can be accomplished with an 11th grade education.. And what are we doing? I’m just saying…