Exuberant, ecstatic, and excited, are just a few of the words I would use to describe Phil Gerbyshak, author of 10 Ways to Make It Great! and the voice behind the Make It Great! blog.

Phil hails from a little north of Milwaukee with a built-in furnace. Phil writes for Joyful Jubilant Learning, and the very unique Help Desk Notes. He finds the time to respond to every comment via email, and if you respond, he keeps the conversation going.

Last week I had the opportunity to interview Phil and his radiance just burst through the phone lines.

Nneka: So how did you come up with the concept of “Make It Great!”?
Phil: I came up with Make it Great! by thinking about some of the excellent books and slogans I’d read and heard about. Jim Collins had just come out with Good to Great, and I also had watched Forrest Gump and in the movie, he coined the “Have a Nice Day” slogan. Have is passive, make is active, good and nice are okay, but great is better, so I combined it all and came up with Make It Great! because I don’t settle for having a NICE day, or settle for good enough. I’m always aiming for more, for excellence, for GREATness.

Nneka: What do you do in your everyday life that makes it great?
Phil: I get up every morning, grateful for another day. Whether the weather is hot or cold, I’m glad to be alive and able to make a difference in the world.

Nneka: What about if I want to make it great, what one thing could I do?
Phil: Only one thing? Have a servant’s heart. Always look to serve others’ needs first, and don’t worry about getting it back, because it eventually will come back.

Nneka: The first action step in your book is writing an obituary. You just jumped right into the deep end. Truthfully, it was kinda scary. What does your obituary say?
Phil: If I were to die today, and I were to write my obituary, it would read “Phil Gerbyshak, 33, of Glendale WI was survived by his wife Kim, his mother, his 2 brothers and sisters-in-law, 2 nieces, and many other family and friends who Phil loved dearly. Phil’s biggest impact was in his ability to connect people to each other. Many remarked that Phil’s natural tendency to serve others first helped him impact many people lives. Phil loved the Lord with all his heart, and though often he failed, he did what he could with the time, talent and treasures he was given.”

Nneka: Connection and service are two words you use a lot. They’re your theme really - your message. How do you do that in a virtual medium like blogging?
Phil: Wow, this is a tough question. I started building community by writing a lot of articles, and built up some content. I then would go out and read others’ blogs that are in a similar space to mine, and leave comments on their blogs. Most bloggers are curious who it is that left a comment, so the courteous ones would come to my blog, leave a comment, and then we’d e-mail each other, talking about blogging, talking about writing, talking about anything. We got deep quick, and we continued sharing link love and such on each others’ blogs. I have reached out to many via telephone, and am always available to help. If anyone has a question, or leaves a comment, I always respond. I try to return the favor 10 fold if I can.

Nneka: What do you enjoy most about blogging?
Phil: I love the community and relationship aspect of blogging. Since I started blogging in March of 2005, I’ve been able to call many bloggers, yourself included, my friends. Not readers, like you would call people who read a newspaper or magazine column, but friends. People that if they were coming to town, you would change your plans so you could spend time with them. And the old saying of birds of a feather flocking together is true. If you want great people to come into your life, start a blog and share of yourself in an authentic way. Soon, you’ll have more friends and more community than you ever dreamed possible.

Nneka: As you might know Balanced Life Center is about applying spiritual principles to your life. You infuse the spiritual principles of service and connection into the fabric of your life. You’re even a help desk manager, so you’re in service all day long. Do you have any spiritual practices you would like to share with the friends of Balanced Life Center?
Phil: I am grateful for all I have, and I regularly take time to say thanks. Living in Wisconsin, this can be tough sometimes as we get plenty of cold and snowy days. Still, I focus on that which I have instead of that which I don’t.

I have a servant’s heart. I focus on what I can do to help others as much as I can, and know that eventually it will come around to me, and if it doesn’t in this lifetime, that’s okay.

I read to feed my soul. I read about 400 blogs, about 30 books a year, and several magazines. This helps me keep my mind engaged in all that is good in the world, and keeps me learning.

Nneka: Phil, you are a refreshing shot of optimism, and vibrance. I just love your enthusiasm. I could talk to you all night, but I’ve got to wrap up. What’s on the horizon for the Phil-tastic! Mr. Gerbyshak?
Phil: I’m working on my next book, Relationship Geek. It’s about making connections in the business world. In the meantime, I’m spreading the message of service and community online at Joyful Jubilant Learning, Help Desk Notes, 100 Bloggers, and Wired Home. In the real world, I have several speaking engagements coming up in New England, Vegas, Madison, and around Milwaukee.

That was Phil Gerbyshak. Melting the snow in Wisconsin and shining his light so bright that I can see it all the way over here in North Carolina.

I had a blast Phil

In Spirit,
Nneka