Episode 45: Trip to East Asia 2018 (Part 2--Reflections on Taiwan & visiting Guilin, China) From May 21-June 15, 2018, Scott and Deborah Dreyer took a business trip for DreyerCoaching.com across 8,000 miles and 12 time zones from the US state of Virginia to East Asia. They visited Taiwan and five cities in Mainland China; they took 13 flights, went through 15 different airports, and stayed in 10 different places on their 26-day journey. Their primary purpose was to visit with their current online ESL students and their families, plus reach out to find new students to help. Along with the work, they had numerous adventures as well...listen along and join the adventure!Listen to this episode to hear a few overall reflections Scott makes about visiting Taiwan this time, in light of his having lived there from 1989-1999. Most of this episode lets you in on their visit to Guilin, the iconic and magical place in Southwest China with the almost-mythical karst peaks that jut out of the earth like huge dragon teeth. Word of the Day: iconic (adj.) That which refers to an icon; that which is famous, symbolic, or representative; widely-recognized as famousEx. The karst topography and peaks around Guilin and the Li River make some of China’s most iconic scenery. Check out the images below:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_RiverQuestion of the Day: Is there some place you’ve dreamed about visiting for years? Or decades? Instead of telling yourself, “I could never go there,” instead ask yourself: “What could I do, or stop doing, to make it possible to visit that place?” Be creative and think big!Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.Stay connected!https://www.facebook.com/DreyerCoaching/http://dreyercoaching.com/en/wechathttp://dreyercoaching.com/en/linehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdreyer/

Episode 44: Trip to East Asia 2018 (Part 1--Taiwan) From May 21-June 15, 2018, Scott and Deborah Dreyer took a business trip for DreyerCoaching.com across 8,000 miles and 12 time zones from the US state of Virginia to East Asia. They visited Taiwan and five cities in Mainland China; they took 13 flights, went through 15 different airports, and stayed in 10 different places on their 26-day journey. Their primary purpose was to visit with their current online ESL students and their families, plus reach out to find new students to help. Along with the work, they had numerous adventures as well...listen along and join the adventure!Listen to this episode to find out more about why and when they went, plus more details about their time in Taiwan, Deborah’s native home.Word of the Day: jet lag (noun) the odd feeling of disorientation one often feels by flying east or west across several time zones, where one’s “body clock” is out of sync with the surrounding time.Ex. During the ten years I lived in Taiwan, I always had jet lag when I flew to or from my home in Virginia USA, because Taiwan is 12 time zones ahead of Virginia.Question of the Day: Have you ever experienced jet lag before? If so, how did you cope with it?Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.Stay connected!https://www.facebook.com/DreyerCoaching/http://dreyercoaching.com/en/wechathttp://dreyercoaching.com/en/linehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdreyer/

Episode 43: The 4 Quadrants of Time Usage (II) As a follow-up to Episode 41, we review the 4 Quadrants of Time Usage:1. Important and Urgent (Crisis); 2. Important but not Urgent (Focus here); 3. Urgent but not important (Time Wasters); and4. Not Urgent and not Important (Time Wasters)To help make these principles clear, useful, and applicable to your daily life, Scott reviews the 4 Quadrants and gives you about 18 real-life scenarios. You can decide for yourself which of the 4 Quadrants each scenario belongs to. (There may be more than one answer for several.) Then Scott reviews each scenario, explaining which Quadrant it belongs to, and why. The goal: help YOU get in the habit of using the “mental grid” each time you make decisions and schedule your time. As our producer Todd Holloway summed it up: If people can get in the habit of thinking this way and focusing on Quadrant 2, they will have fewer Quadrant 1 crises which always keep them busy and stressed-out.Word of the Day: focus (noun, verb) the act of directing visual or mental attention on one item or issue.Question of the Day: Have you begun using this “mental filter” to help you use your time, energy and focus more effectively? Can you focus more on Quadrant 2 issues and reduce more Quadrant Crises and Quadrant 3 and 4 Time Wasters in your life?Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.

Episode 42: The U.S Supreme CourtIn our first episode related directly to politics and government, you’ll find an easily-digestible introduction to the U.S. Supreme Court. Using “plain-talk” English, Scott gives you a Happy July 4th greeting, and introduces Virginian Thomas Jefferson as author of the Declaration of Independence, the phrase “separation of Church and State,” and founder of the University of Virginia (UVA). However, most of the episode examines the U.S. Supreme Court: why we have it, who founded it, a brief overview of its history, and how it’s had a roughly 4-4 Conservative/Liberal split, with one “swing” justice, for several decades now. Just as the U.S. has been politically divided for decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has been equally divided, with MANY 5-4 decisions over the past years. You will learn who these nine powerful judges are and which presidents appointed them. We wrap up with a “plain-talk” explanation of some key court decisions from June 2018, and discuss how Justice Anthony Kennedy’s bombshell June 27, 2018 announcement to retire this summer has set off a firestorm of controversy, and how its effects could be felt for decades, even generations. To show you how relevant and important this issue is, this headline was published on the day we recorded this Episode. “Trump says Court pick to come July 9.”Be an informed citizen! Give it a listen! Word of the Day: supreme (adj.) highest, bestQuestion of the Day: Whom do you think President Trump might name to replace retiring Justice Kennedy? Will the GOP-controlled Senate agree?Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.

Episode 41: The 4 Quadrants of Time Usage“Time waits for no man,” is an old English saying. And frankly, we probably keep saying old sayings because they are true! As Zig Ziglar said, “We all get the same amount of time as the average billionaire.” But the difference is, some of use our time better than others. This episode builds on Episode 39, where we discussed the difference between “urgent” and “important.” Once we grasp this crucial distinction, we can take the next step to understand the Four Quadrants of Time Usage: 1. Important and Urgent, 2. Important but not Urgent, 3. Urgent but not Important, and 4. Not Urgent and not Important. Understanding this can help you plan and use your time more effectively, avoid wasting time, and take your effectiveness to the next level. Plus, learn which SINGLE WORD can help you most boost your effectiveness!Word of the Day: Quadrant: (n.) each of 4 parts of a circle or space (Note: the stem “quad” means 4, as in squad, quadricep, and quadruplets.Question of the Day: After you have heard this episode, which quadrant do you think occupies most of your time? Moving forward, which quadrant do you want to focus on?Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.

Episode 40: Money Talk II: Guest--Mrs. Denise MannIt’s another 10th episode! So we enjoy a conversation with a guest speaker, Mrs. Denise Mann, who also joined us for Episode 20. In this chat we build on our earlier conversation about money and discuss more about debt, budgeting, and just being wise with our finances. We are not giving professional accounting or financial advice; for that, see your personal adviser. However, we are giving some time-tested principles that will help you get a better grip on your money, and when you get a better grip on your finances, you can get a better grip on your life and future!Question of the Day: Why do you think it is hard for most people to save for the future, but so easy to spend money on trivial things now? What can we do to change that habit?Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.

Ep. 39: Urgent v. Important?This episode starts with an Addendum to Episode 38, abou Decluttering. (“Addendum” is a Latin word, which is a fancy way to say “this is some stuff I forgot to tell you last time but I want to tell you now.”) In addition to PHYSICAL clutter (papers, piles, stuff), ELECTRONIC clutter (old emails, too many apps, etc.), and MENTAL clutter (bad attitudes, envy, anger, etc.) there is also SCHEDULE clutter. This comes from taking on too much and thus having too much to do. It is an easy trap to fall into. We will discuss some ways to declutter your schedule clutter, using what speaker Chuck Swindoll calls “pencil surgery.” This issue also relates to Episode 8, “Create Margin.”Many people think that “urgent” and “important” are the same: big items that require your attention right now. But that is now true. There is a HUGE difference between the two, which we will discuss. Plus, by being able to tell the difference, you may see your effectiveness go WAY up. Stay tuned for Episode 41, where we will discuss the difference between “urgent” and “important” further, and put it into the useful “4 Quadrants of Time.”Word of the Day: urgent: (adj) a situation requiring immediate attention or actionQuestion of the Day: Why do people often delay dealing with situations when they have plenty of time to do so, and instead wait till the last minute when it is urgent?Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.

Episodes 10 and 11 were an interview with Mr. Terry Racher, who traveled around the world with another friend and me in 1991, and in this episode, I interview Eden Pan, who also traveled around the globe. Like Terry’s trip, Eden’s voyage began and ended in Taiwan; however, unlike Terry’s trip, Eden did most of the traveling solo, and she spent over one year on the road! This episode is based on an interview I conducted with her in Chinese on Sept. 22, 2017, when she was living with our family in Roanoke, Virginia USA, and as she prepared to leave for Europe. The episode begins with my giving a summary in English about her trip. Why she left Taiwan, what her original plan was, and why she decided half-way through her trip, to make it a round-the-world voyage! You can hear the actual Chinese interview at the end of the episode, for our Chinese-speaking friends.Word of the Day: circumnavigate (verb) to travel around the worldQuestion of the Day: Would you like to go on a round-the-world trip? If so, what are 6-8 places you would like to visit along the way? Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.

When I sat down to write an outline that later became my book, Write Like a Champion, one step was “Cut the Clutter.” That is, cut needless words to say the most with the fewest words possible. But writing is not the only place we can “cut the clutter.” We can cut physical clutter: messy desks, cluttered tables, crowded closets. We can cut electronic clutter: delete old emails and apps or store our photos to safe back-ups. We can cut mental clutter: cut the envy, regret, and resentment, so our brains have open space for positive thoughts. ANY time is a good time to declutter, but in this season of “spring cleaning,” a great time is NOW.Word of the Day: clutter (n, v.) needless trash or things we allow to build up and take precious space; the act of letting needless trash take up valuable space, time, or attentionQuestion of the Day: If you could spend just 15 minutes TODAY decluttering one area of your life--physical, electron, or mental--what would it be? How could it help you?Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.

When people think of Civil War generals, names like Grant, Lee, Jackson, Meade and others often spring to mind. However, not many think of “Jubal Early,” but we should, because he actually fought in more Civil War battles than any other Confederate general, including Lee! What’s more, his homeplace in Franklin County, Virginia is a mere thirty-minutes’ drive from our home office of DreyerCoaching.com. Take a listen to learn more about “Old Jube” and how this irascible general, with a tiny army, came breathtakingly close to seizing Washington D.C. and winning the war for the South. And as we wrap-up this ten-episode Civil War mini-series, learn how Union General Sherman probably saved Lincoln’s presidency--and thus the USA--by taking Atlanta in the fall of 1864, and how an unknown Senator from Kansas later saved the presidency of Andrew Johnson...by a single vote!Have a question or feedback? Maybe a topic you’d like to hear in a future episode? Please email Scott at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you! If you enjoy our podcasts, please subscribe, write a review, and share them on social media and by word of mouth! Those are GREAT ways to help more people find our podcasts. Please also visit us at www.DreyerCoaching.com; check out the blog posts at the bottom of the page for more information about life in the USA and the crazy English language.