In 1972, Jim Cathcart was working at the Little Rock, Arkansas Housing Authority, making $525 a month, with a new wife and baby at home, no college degree, no past successes, and not much hope for the foreseeable future.

One morning, he was sitting in his office listening to the radio, to a program called “Our Changing World” by Earl Nightingale, who was known as “the Dean of Personal Motivation.” That day, Nightingale, in his booming voice, said something that would change Jim’s life forever: “If you will spend an extra hour each day in study of your chosen field, you will be a national expert in that field in five years or less.”

Jim was stunned, but the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Although he had never given a speech, he had always wanted to help people grow in areas of personal development and motivation. He began his quest to put Nightingale’s theory to the test by reading books and listening to tapes whenever he could. He also started exercising, became better organized, and joined a self-improvement study group. He persisted through weeks of temptations to quit, just by doing a little more each day to further his goal. Within six months he had learned more than he had in his few years of college, and he began to believe he could turn his goal of becoming a motivational speaker into reality. All the hard work, the discipline, and study paid off. Jim now has delivered more than 2,500 speeches worldwide and has won every major award in the speaking industry.

Just like companies have market value, so do people. In the simplest terms, your market value increases by knowing and doing more. Knowledge is power, not only for your career, but also to improve your family and spiritual life. I once heard a quote that sums it up well, “Knowledge is like climbing a mountain; the higher you reach the more you can see and appreciate.”

I love stories because for me, they can bring an idea to life.

What is the TEE MADNESS Contest?

Quite simply Tee Madness takes 64 of the best up and coming t-shirt brands and has them square off in a March Madness style tournament. Once competition opens up each round will consist of two “teams” squaring off to get the most votes. The team with the most votes at the end of each round will move on till we crown the Second Annual Tee Madness Champion!

What is the schedule?

* Round 1: Monday March 14th (NOON EST) through Wednesday March 16th (Midnight EST) - PASS
* Round 2: Thursday March 17th (NOON EST) through Friday March 18th (Midnight EST)
* WEEKEND BREAK!
* Sweet 16: Monday March 21st (NOON EST) through Tuesday March 22nd (Midnight EST)
* Elite 8: Wednesday March 23rd (NOON EST) through Thursday March 24th (Midnight EST)
* Final 4: Friday March 25th (NOON EST) through Friday March 25th (Midnight EST)
* WEEKEND BREAK!
* Championship Game: Monday March 28th (NOON EST) through Tuesday March 29th (8pm EST)

Follow on Facebook & Twitter for up dates. Thanks guys, you rock!

Book SKILLA today: http://www.skillafashion.com/blog/bookings/

2. Build SKILLA in Jamaica (where I was born)

3. Dance & exercise more

4. Create a SKILLA toy

5. Participate in more “offline” social networking (connect more with fans)

6. Give back to the community (locally)

7. Visit Europe

8. Drink More Water

What’s yours?