Johnny Stone “Be The Gladiator”
BE THE GLADIATOR
The Ancient Roman gladiators were some lean, mean killing machines. Fighting was their way of life, the very essence of their being. If a gladiator wanted to be the champion, he could not let his focus waver..
Gladiators needed to be driven, not only to become the best they could be, but also to always be better than their opponent. For them, being second best could often mean only one thing: death.
For those of us in Contemporary Christian Music Radio, we most assuredly will not suffer death if we fail! But we will not fulfill The Great Commission. Jesus urges us to tell people about Him.
Matthew 28:19-20(NIV)
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Failure for us results in lower ratings, meaning that we are not reaching our full potential in telling people about the most wonderful thing anybody can experience: a relationship with Christ.
To that end, we must be at peak performance; and always strive to be better physically, mentally and spiritually.
Here are some tips:
- Know your weapons and armor
A. Pop culture. What are people talking about? Maybe it’s the Walmart yodeling kid, Fingerlings; or perhaps something like the movie The Avengers Infinity War. - B. Market happenings. Things happening in your market. Weather, road conditions, is one of your sports teams in the playoffs.
C. Be aware of what we are playing. Do your best to know the artists and what is going on in their lives.
D. What she is going through today (female 38 year old). Getting ready for back to school, what to do with the kids in the summer, what’s for dinner, who will get the oil changed in the car.
E. Read everything. ‘nuff said.Share your life on the air. Keeping track of your everyday life experiences and sharing them on the air. Best show prep ever. Take notes.
F. Don’t depend on memory. I can’t tell you how many show prep ideas I forgot because I didn’t write it down.
G. Daily time with your Bible. This is your armor to prevent self-doubt, fight anxiety and provide encouragement.
- Know your body
A.Get plenty of sleep. Sometimes hard to do, but sleep is a powerful ally for your health and well-being.
B. Eat healthy. You are what you eat. When you eat healthy, you just plain feel better and that makes a difference in your on air delivery.
C. Plan your day the day before. If you have an outline of how your day will be tomorrow, it relieves stress. Also, whatever activities you have today can have an effect on your performance tomorrow. Keep that in mind.
D. This reduces stress and is a time when ideas just seem to pop in your head. Almost every time I am at the gym, or going for a run or walk, it frees my mind and show topics just seem to materialize out of nowhere.
E. Purell! Use it when necessary. All of us have had the experience of shaking lots of hands. We don’t know what kinds of germs are lurking on those hands, so travel with a hand sanitizer! Be discreet using it.
- Know your mind
A. What you believe about yourself comes out over the air so reading what God has to say about you is always wise.
B. How much is too much? There has to be a point where you realize that there is a limit to your brain production and rest is called for.
C. Are you currently doing anything without thinking that could hurt your career? At some point in each of our lives we act without thinking so you have to take inventory and see if you have fully thought out the results of your actions. Think social media posting as an example.
D. Stress! If your breathing slows down and your heart rate lowers, it might be stress. What if you took a moment or two to gear down and relax? Learn to identify your stressors, to better deal with them.
Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.
Johnny Stone is a veteran air personality in markets like New York City Metro, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Atlanta, San Diego among others. Johnny is host of the Christian Music show Looking Up To #1 and the country based Looking Up Country. After serving for almost 9 years at WAWZ/New York (STAR 99.1) as morning show host and Program Director, then on the air at Family Life Radio co-hosting afternoons with his wife Stacey, and afternoon personality ay WGTS/Wash DC… Contact Johnny at johnny@stonestudiosllc.com.