Donald Shampine

  Stop Swearing at Work. There, I said it! I know this will not be a popular opinion. I imagine there will be many of you who will argue against this thought. I understand that some will argue that colorful language is a sign of creativity and intelligence. I know that people will tell me that those who swear seem more honest. I have heard every argument, over many years, multiple different times. But it does not change my opinion.   Yes, I have read the studies that seem to advocate for a looser mindset when it comes to profane and vulgar language. In fact, I have read many studies because it has been an issue that I have been at odds with for many years. What I found is often we look for arguments that support the belief system that we want to embrace.   Just because it is written, just because it is studied, just because it is published, does not make it true. The same can be said for my opinion here. but I’m not trying to justify my position based on a study. I’...

  22 Years Twenty-two years ago, I started on a path to build several businesses. The process began for one simple reason, I was not a great employee. I feel my intentions were good, but often misguided, and I felt that I knew how to do things better, my way. Sometimes I was right, often I was wrong, but it made me a challenging person to manage. So, I was forced to start something on my own.   I have made countless mistakes along the way, mostly guided by ego and pride, I often refused to listen to anyone and followed the wrong path. I still don’t pretend to have it all figured out, but I do have some insight that I have gained by starting my businesses as well as helping hundreds of others start theirs: 1.       Fail And Learn: Face it, you are going to fail. Mistakes are inevitable and losses are part of building success. Just remember that if you fail, learn from it. Take a critical look at what you could have done differently, and then here...

  I Pray for My Team   I pray for my employees and their families. I pray for their relationships with their spouses. I pray for their children and any struggles they may be facing. I pray they find the success they are seeking both personally and professionally. I pray for my team.   I recognize that there are complications to bringing religion into the workplace, and this has created obstacles that I have not properly faced over the years. But I no longer want to feel like I must apologize for my belief. If I deny my faith it allows for poor decisions both personally and professionally. I will not force my religion on other people. I will not ask my team to pray. I will not use scripture to train them in their work, but I will pray for my team.   Christianity continues to take criticism in this modern day where a fickle and ever-changing society tries to dictate what is acceptable to talk about and what is not. Religion is often part of the latter, and peop...

  365 Days – A Rundown Today I hit my goal! Last year I decided to try and accomplish a running streak that would last a full year. In order to meet that goal I had to run at least one mile every day. I set the mileage at one mile to allow me to run even if I was sick or injured, but I wanted to run longer than that on average. I was able to average just under 2.8 miles per day for the year. I covered a lot of miles and I learned a few things along the way. I Made Time. There were many days that it was not convenient for me to run. I ran anyway. I ran at 3:00 am. I ran at 11:00 pm. I ran when it was cold, when it was raining, when the wind was against me, both ways. To be honest, my motivation was gone just after the midway point. It was only my discipline that allowed me to continue to make time to run every day. The excuses were abundant, but I still made time. I Don’t Like to Run. Running has never been my passion. My wife loves to run, and she loves to run long distances....

Michigan Retailers Contributed Article  

I am not a runner. Well let me clarify, I run and run often, and sometimes even long distances. Yet, it’s not a passion for me as much as it is for many of the people I run with. I run for health. I run because my spouse is a runner. I also run because I really like to eat, whatever I want, whenever I want, so I must burn off calories. So, this non-runner decided to attempt a marathon and embark on a journey that taught me a lot about the sport, the activity, the participants and most importantly about myself. They are very welcoming I don’t know if it is because runners are nicer than most or if it is simply a misery loves company mentality and they are willing to bring in anyone ready to suffer with them. Regardless, they will greet you when you are new, reassure you when you struggle with the speed or miles, keep you company when you might feel slower than the rest, support you and encourage you, and introduce you to other runners that will fit your running style and training ...