Professional & Motivational Speaker Articles to boost self motivation and esteem of students to prisoners to housewives, to corporate executives.

Philosophy on Education

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 14:05:19 -0800

Philosophies, educational or otherwise, vary from person to person, and I, too, have mine. Statistically speaking, I should not be an educator, let alone have lived past the age of 22. I was a high school dropout who made drastic life changes to put myself in a position to live the life I desire.

Speaker offers motivation for life. Glenn Burke talks with inmates about choices, education.

Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:02:34 -0700

Inmates at the Larimer County Detention Center got a reminder Thursday that they have control over their lives and their future, a message some of them said served as a good reminder.

Another Lesson from the HS Dropout

Tue, 15 May 2007 13:15:57 -0700

Someone asked me today what I do when I have "one of those days." The day when nothing goes right. Nothing goes according to plan. One of those days that turns into the next day. When you feel like nothing will ever go your way again. Well, I thought about it for a moment, because, like many of you, I, too, have had those days. And the story I related is from over 20-years-ago, and I shared it because it ALWAYS keeps me in check.

From High School Dropout to...

Thu, 3 May 2007 06:49:07 -0700

I'm often asked "Glenn, you're a Motivational Speaker with two college degrees, and a multi-million dollar sales company, but you were once a high school dropout. What made you go back to school and do all you've done?"

Sales People are Not Bill Collectors Subject: Selling, Account Payables, Collecting Bills, Sales Training

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 13:51:20 -0700

The other day Im in a meeting with my staff where we were going over next years sales projections and profit margins on our product sales. As the CEO of a company, my job is to insure that sales are coming in from one side and that are costs for manufacturing are down from the other side. In the middle of selling and cost control lies this specter called, Accounts Receivables. For those not familiar with the term, it simply means bills (money owed) that have not been paid to the company.

Get a Map: Success on the North-side of Life Subject: Success, motivation, independence, roadmap, fatherhood

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 11:51:40 -0700

I was talking to my friend Mark who lives in Las Vegas. I've known Mark from our college days at the "Institute". Like me, Mark was born and raised in Chicago. We were on the topic of empowerment and taking control of one's life and going out there and making things happen. We both agree that too often we become dependent on others either because of laziness (i.e., lack of initiative on our part) or just the plain, old fear of failure.

Blink - Trusting Yourself to Make Decisions Subject: Blink, Selling, Decision Making

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 11:51:03 -0700

Malcolm Gladwell, author of the Tipping Point wrote a book called Blink, The Power of Thinking Without Thinking.
The premise of Gladwells book is that sometimes we know more than we think we know and that our snap judgments are more than just lucky guesses. In his book he introduces a term called, Thin-Slicing. Thin-Slicing is the ability to grasp a situation or problem in the blink of an eye without having to analyze it in detail.

Success a Matter of degree Subject: Success, Motivation, College Degree

Sun, 28 Aug 2005 11:46:04 -0700

I scolded a good friend of mine the other day; I was tired of his whining. He doesn't have a college degree. For years he's been talking about how much he wished he had gotten a college degree. Now, when I say years, I'm talking about more than ten.

Every time I want a cigarette I read or think about this story.

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 12:22:48 -0700

On Monday (8/1/5) I received an e-mail from a close family friend who said his Mother (with whom I was even closer) was dying of cancer and said "Mom told me you promised to visit her before she died." I thought that would be 20 or 30 years from now.

Success Your Way: Frank Sinatra Was Right Subject: Success, Motivation, Self-Esteem, Confidence

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 12:22:06 -0700

A week ago I did a keynote speech in Los Angeles, California for the telephone company Verizon. The keynote went extremely well. I stayed afterwards to sign books for the group which lasted over two hours. During that time I received many compliments and kind words on my keynote.

Why Things Don't Change Subject: Success, Motivation, Change, Initiative

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 12:21:26 -0700

A friend of mine the other day began talking to me about much he wanted something to change in his life. He didnt know what. He just wanted something to change. So I asked him if had at a minimum an inkling of what he wanted to change in his life. No, not really. Im just bored with what Im doing. he said.

Success: My First Trophy Subject: Success, Winning, Sports, Motivation

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 12:20:44 -0700

Growing up I played a lot of sports: football, basketball, baseball, hockey. Now granted, these were always street sports and never as part of any organized event. As I moved into my late teens I started playing organized basketball. I think I must've traveled to every musty gym on the northwest side of Chicago. The teams I joined were usually with friends I played with on the playground on California and Fullerton avenue.

What Killed Jack Rabbit? Subject: Success, Sales, Leadership, motivation

Wed, 17 Aug 2005 12:19:33 -0700

On the way home the other day, I was scanning the radio stations trying to find something to take my mind off the long drive and the annoying traffic. I live in Atlanta, so when I say annoying traffic, I really mean it. On one station I came across a gentleman with a persuading voice who told a wonderful story I thought I'd share with you.

Why Should You Go To College?

Mon, 8 Aug 2005 08:35:22 -0700

Who said you have to go to college? Cmon, lets face facts. If everyone went to college, who would run the fast food restaurants? Who would drive the taxis? Who would collect the trash? Dont get me wrong, I do not have anything against the three fields mentioned above. As a matter of fact, I utilize all three of those services. The point Im making is that unless you educate yourself, you will be limiting your career options and earning potential, and we spend 2/3 of our lives working. So, you better enjoy what it is you do.

Challenges will always present themselves

Sun, 7 Aug 2005 10:03:02 -0700

The moment of my release, I was filled with overwhelming happiness. I had learned valuable lessons and I had succeeded. I was drug free and educated, I had my family back, and I had my whole life ahead of me. But, I soon found out that freedom itself was a challenge.

Hope is a Powerful Thing

Sun, 7 Aug 2005 10:02:25 -0700

Hope is a powerful thing. It has near euphoric qualities, but hope alone cannot get you to your goal.

Following my arrest, I had spent the following eight months waiting for sentencing in a federal detention facility while going through the trial process. Federal Detention Facility sounds a lot like prison, but there are a few integral differences.

Awakening...

Sun, 7 Aug 2005 10:01:49 -0700

As I mentioned in previous articles, my son drove the first phase of my awakening. When I discovered that I had this power to influence Eric in a positive direction it gave me a renewed sense of hope, a sense of purpose, a belief that the next several years would be something other than just wasted time, a sense that some good could come out of my being imprisoned. For me it would be education. Education was going to be my saving grace.

The Power of a Child...

Sun, 7 Aug 2005 10:01:12 -0700

Sometimes the power that you need comes in small packages. For me, it was the hope of a child. Great things can be learned from children.

Remember when you were a child? Did you believe that you could be anything you wanted when you grew up? When did you stop believing that?

Looking back...

Sun, 7 Aug 2005 10:00:18 -0700

We all made choices to get where we are today. If we stand at the gate of change and look back, some of us can pinpoint an exact moment when things started to go wrong. For others, that moment may be blurred, and all we know is that we have spun out of control since. For me it was a little of both.

What goes around...

Sun, 7 Aug 2005 09:59:43 -0700

What goes around comes around, Divine Intervention, Karma, Fate people have been naming forces behind the paths that we take for millennia. Like I have said many times before, I do not argue religious dogma, but I do want to share some truths that I have gleaned from my lifes experiences. They are based in faith. The faith that every person has a purpose and a potential that is waiting to be fulfilled and we are rewarded or schooled based on the choices that we make along that path.

The Thief of Productivity and Quality in our Workforce

Sun, 7 Aug 2005 09:59:04 -0700

It is my belief that prison does not necessarily mean steel bars and razor wire. That we all have prisons within ourselves, prisons that are just as confining as the one that held me for 7.5 years. Prisoners to fears, addictions, depression, overeating, overworking, being involved in bad relationships- the list could go on and on. What does this have to do with management and our workforce? Only when we ourselves, as well as those we bring into our companies are whole personally can we all become better professionally.

Bank Robbery Prevention Starts on the Front Lines

Sun, 7 Aug 2005 09:58:30 -0700

Following a six-month crime spree in 1992, I was convicted of five armed bank robberies and served almost 8 years in Federal Prison. Now a Professional Speaker and Author, I share my past experiences with bankers to provide a look into the mind of the enemy. I would like to share that insight in connection with the escalating bank robbery problem in New York.

The First Time I Saw My Son Following My Release-

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 18:37:33 -0700

For those of you who have heard me deliver a keynote, you know that part of my program consists of me sharing that I was released five years earlier than my projected release date. I will not go into the long and boring (although it was certainly not boring to me at the time!) details of why this happened, but I do want to share with you the experience I had with my son following this early release. When my family and I discovered that I would be released five years early we kept this bit of news from my son Eric. My release date happened to be thirteen days before Christmas of that year and my folks quickly made arrangements for Eric to come spend Christmas vacation with them.

Why we must see changes in our criminal justice system...

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 18:35:50 -0700

Let me first start by saying that I believe that our criminal justice system is the finest in the world, not perfect but it has no rivals worldwide. I broke the laws of our society and deserved to be incarcerated. Where the problem lies is in the fact that our prisons have become completely about incarceration and almost nothing about rehabilitation.

It is not important How we come to the events in our lives, but how we Deal with those events.

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 18:34:11 -0700

Once I landed in prison it did not matter how I got there. I was where I was and there was nothing I could do about that. We can look at our past, we can reflect on it and we can learn from it but we never ever want to dwell on it and just as importantly we cannot let our past be a hindurance to our future. If we failed at something in the past does not mean that we cannot accomplish it in the future. When I bring up this point to audience members when speaking I tell them that I did not share the story of my earning two college degrees while incarcerated (both with a 4.0 GPA and placement on the Deans and President's List) as a venue to brag or to boast, but that I share that with them to help them realize that if such a thing could be accomplished within the harsh and violent confines of a Federal Prison then absolutely anything they want to accomplish out here in the free world with all the resources that we have at our disposal can be accomplished.

Financial Aid for the Non-Traditional Student

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 18:33:42 -0700

Troy Evans spent seven and one half years within the confines of a Federal Prison. Despite the obstacles that only prison can produce, Troy was determined that his time behind bars would not be wasted time. Education would be his saving grace. Unfortunately, his aspirations coincided with Federal Pell Grants be eliminated for the incarcerated. Undeterred, Troy set out to secure funding on his own through scholarships, grants and foundation assistance. After six months of filling out applications, writing essays, begging, pleading and selling, Troy landed his first scholarship for one class. That was a beginning, and when Troy walked out the doors of prison he carried with him two degrees, both obtained with a 4.0 GPA and designation on both the Dean's and Presidents list. Troy now wants to share with you some highlights in securing financial aid for the incarcerated

Faith

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 18:32:43 -0700

And I am not necessarily talking religion here- if you are a religious person that is fine. I am talking about faith in something other than yourself, faith that you are not alone, faith that things happen for a reason. There was a reason I went to prison- otherwise I would be dead. I am one of the few people who can make the statement that the absolute worst thing that ever happened to me- going to federal prison was at the same time the very best thing that ever happened to me, it literally saved my life. For those of you who have heard me speak you know that there was a reason those jingle of keys came down the corridor when they did- there were bigger things in store for me. There was a reason I got those scholarships- I was busting my behind.

Family and Friends, Nothing is more important

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 18:31:42 -0700

Nothing is more important than the loved ones in our lives, and I am in particular talking about the people in our everyday lives that we often take for granted- the ones we assume are always going to be there (the ones who get a peck on the cheek as we come home from a long day and then plop our bottoms on the couch- the ones who get that same peck on our way out the door in the morning). The people that we assume are always going to be there. Well, I am here to tell you that they are not always going to be there and I did not realize how important these people were until they were taken away from me.

Time is Our Most Valuable Commodity

Fri, 29 Jul 2005 18:29:28 -0700

Time is our most valuable commodity, bar none. Time is the most valuable thing we own, but it is the thing we are most often wasteful with. We cannot regenerate it, rejuvenate it or re-invent it- once its gone its gone, and I became amazed what could be accomplished in short spans of time and over longer spans of time both now and during my incarceration when I had set goals and agendas before me.

How to Become A Professional Speaker

Fri, 22 Jul 2005 09:26:09 -0700

Welcome to the exciting and lucrative world of professional speaking! There are many fields where you may earn a great living as a professional speaker. Corporations and associations throughout the world hire speakers. However, before you run out and start selling yourself to those who hire speakers, you must have your speaking business professionally ready. Otherwise, you will never get hired.

When I first decided to enter the professional speaking world, I learned the hard way that there were very specific things I must do in order to get hired, paid, and re-hired. Ive listed below what must be done to become a professional speaker.