I had a recent talk in Chicago; I was the keynote speaker for the Illinois Credit Union League. Being a Chicago keynote speaker is something I really enjoy because Chicago is actually my home town. I am not much of a city boy anymore, having left over 25 years ago, but I still have fun going back.

The Wolf Personality

Being a keynote speaker in Chicago doesn’t necessarily make my life easier, because I want to visit and explore while I am there, as things change so much over the years. I guess I try to do it all on my trips. Having the wolf personality, I am kind of partial to having a good time (if you don’t know what I mean about the wolf personality, go take the Animal Leadership personality test at www.AnimalLeadership.com). I like to explore and turn everything into a playful experience. This time,  there was a lot to pack in my experience of being a leadership speaker in Chicago. This time I was able to attend ReptileFest!

ReptileFest

ReptileFest was a pretty cool experience and something I had actually scheduled into the trip. One of the wolf person’s traps are that they sometimes don’t do what they say they are going to do because they run around nipping at too many heels. One of the ways to counteract that is to use a calendar and schedule what is really important.

ReptileFest was important because I got to see, learn about, and hold all these amazing creatures. I also got to hook up with an old friend whom I met when I was giving wolf talks for the Timber Wolf Alliance during the time he was giving talks on reptiles. We were able to reconnect and even found time to talk about scheduling future gigs. Secondarily, I was also assessing the reptiles and seeing what insights we can get from them, and I shot you a quick video on one insight I think fit pretty well with the weekend.

In the video above, I am holding a python, which is a constrictor. Constrictors wrap around their prey and as it breaths out they contract, after several panicked breaths, the prey has no room left to inhale and the snake literally squeezes the life out of the prey, either by suffocating it or sometimes even bursting the heart. I figure, just like this big snake, sometimes we need to really push ourselves to squeeze the life out of our day. Don’t sit back and click on the TV, but rather see what you can fit in your day. See what you can explore, learn, and discover!

For me, this opportunity to keynote as a leadership speaker in Chicago was an opportunity to squeeze the life out of another day; to have fun, learn, network, and live life to its fullest! What are you going to do today to squeeze all the life out? Let me know because I can’t wait to hear about your adventures!

Squeeze the day,
Rad