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Our Random...and sometimes, not so Random Thoughts

We hope you find some of the following articles to be of some assistance to you in your personal or business life.

Our Reliance on the Internet

9/25/2013

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Last Thursday morning, my work was suddenly interrupted by one of the loudest claps of thunder I think I have ever heard. The flash of lightning lit up the overcast day simultaneously with the noise. I jumped, knocking papers off my desk as I flailed about. Miraculously, our electricity didn't even flicker. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for our internet connection. From about 10am on Thursday until mid afternoon the following Monday, our internet worked for a few minutes at a time then stalled for several. It was next to impossible to get anything done for work, for personal or recreational purposes.

During that time, I was reminded just how dependent I have become on the internet. I pay my bills online. I do most all of the research I perform in my business online. I write and post to sites online. I service customer's websites online. I even keep up with what is happening with my friends and family online. This weekend, I was trying to make final plans for vacation online. But for four days, it was nearly impossible to accomplish anything in a timely manner due to the issues we were experiencing with our internet.

This dependence is alarming. I realized just how much of my life is tied up with the computer and my ability to access the internet. Fortunately, my computer still worked and I could access the files saved to it. But the experience of losing the internet for those four days caused me to evaluate how difficult it would be for me to access essential information if I were to lose not only the internet, but my computers as well. If the files stored on my computers were to suddenly become inaccessible, I'm afraid I would be at a loss as to how to function. I wouldn't know essential account numbers, phone numbers of friends and family or emergency contacts, where my business accounts stand or a myriad of other important factors which I need at my fingertips daily.

 I want to be ecologically friendly and I'm trying to cut down on my use of paper. So I save things on my computers. But now I realize I must find ways to store my essential information in ways I can access it even if the power were to go out.

Actually, I'm grateful for that close lightning strike that took place last week. It was a wake up call to prepare for the very real possibility of life without all of our electronic gadgets. I'm looking for ways to balance my dependence on computers and the internet with some kind or kinds of ways to keep my essential information accessible even in the absence of electricity. This may be an exercise many of us should embrace.
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Quotes for the week of September 9, 2013

9/16/2013

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Quote for the Day (Sept. 13): "You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of." Jim Rohn

Quote for the Day (Sept. 12): 
"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude." Thomas Jefferson

Quote for the Day (Sept. 11
 - Remembering those who died as innocent victims and those who gave their lives as heroes on 9/11) "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty." John F Kennedy

Quote for the Day (Sept. 10): "People who enjoy meetings should not be in charge of anything." Thomas Sowell

Quote for the Day (Sept. 9):
 "Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!" Dr Seuss
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The Sometimes Deadly "Foot in Mouth" Disease

9/11/2013

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            I am convinced every boy ought to be taught an important truth sometime during his years in Jr. High school. It is a lesson that will save him many hours of heartache and distress later in his life. The lesson?

There is no right answer if your girlfriend/wife ever asks, “Do I look fat in these pants?”

            Rather than attempt to answer in any way, those of the male gender ought to be taught to do nothing more than turn tail and run. No matter what they say, invariably it will be subject to interpretation by the woman who will interpret it in the most unflattering way, thereby immersing the man in the proverbial pot of hot water.

            To often, men speak first – think later. My dad used to warn me, “Put your brain in gear before you run off at the mouth.” Unfortunately, I have not always followed his advice.

            Take for instance the night my wife, Lisa, was flipping through the TV channels while I browsed through the evening newspaper. She landed on one of those talk shows hosted by five women. I glanced over the top of the newspaper and looked at those five ladies then asked, “Did they have auditions for this show and pick the five ugliest women they could find to host it?”

            Lisa, ever the protector of her gender, responded, “Those women aren’t any uglier than I am.”

            Now, here’s where the trouble started. I had already gone back to reading the newspaper so my brain was only partially engaged in the conversation with my wife. I heard her comment. Then I heard my own voice, though I don’t remember actually speaking the words. In fact, as soon as I heard my words, I prayed to God they only existed in my mind. Unfortunately, it was too late to pray.

            “Oh honey,” I heard myself say. “Those women are a whole lot uglier than you!”

            If I recall correctly, though I must admit I was too busy watching my life flash before my eyes to be conscious of much else, I physically attempted to catch my words with my hands in mid air before they reached Lisa’s ears. My brain, now at full attention, asked me, “You surely didn’t say that, did you?” But it was too late. I had contracted the sometimes deadly “foot in mouth” disease.

            That happened a couple of years ago and Lisa has since forgiven me. But it came up again the other night and Lisa reflected on the many “foot in mouth” moments that most couples experience. She challenged me to write an article on this phenomenon. That is what this letter is all about.

            I’m wondering if you have ever had one of those experiences, and if you have, would you be willing to write it out and send it to me along with your permission to use it. I’m hoping to get enough responses to compile them in an article or booklet. If I use your anecdote, I’ll send you a free copy of the booklet. I’d also love it if you would pass this note on to your friends/relatives on your mailing list and ask them to send me their stories. Who knows, if I get enough responses, perhaps I’ll even be able to create a book. A book that will become required reading for every Jr. High boy.

Thanks in advance for your help.

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Quotes from the week of September 2

9/9/2013

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Quote for the Day (Sept. 6): "A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work." Colin Powell

Quote for the Day (Sept. 4)
: "Take advantage of every opportunity to practice your communication skills so that when important occasions arise, you will have the gift, the style, the sharpness, the clarity, and the emotions to affect other people." Jim Rohn

I'm sharing two quotes today, since I didn't put one up on Monday. Read today's blog, Our Response to Failure to gain a better insight as to why I have chosen to highlight these quotes.

Quote for the Day (Sept. 3): "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." Bill Cosby

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill
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Our Response to Failure

9/3/2013

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This week-end I watched a series on the History channel that provided an overview of the lives of some of the most successful men who had a hand in shaping our country. During the segment on Dale Carnegie, I was amazed at the number of times he was on the brink of financial disaster yet managed to not only survive, but thrive. One contemporary CEO remarked "Failure can either paralyze you or motivate you. How you respond to failure determines the level of your success."

Bill Cosby once stated, "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure." Today, we often hear the same sentiment expressed in these words - "no risk - no reward." It is true that men and women who are most successful at what they do are individuals who are willing to take risks. Not "shots in the dark," but calculated risks. Ones they have investigated and thought through. Finally, they get to a point where they must make a decision. The outcome is not certain, but based on their research and intuition, they believe the risk is worth it. Despite the potential for failure, their desire for success is such that they are willing to take the leap and move ahead.

Sometimes, their decisions pay off in a great way. Sometimes they do not. Sometimes they experience the exhilaration of a magnificent success. Other times they must swallow the bitter pill of failure. The mark of a successful individual is they do not allow failures to impede their forward progress in life. Nor do they allow their successes to lull them into a false sense of security. As Winston Churchill once noted, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." 

It is that "courage to continue" that appears to be a trait shared by the vast majority of successful individuals. While it is much easier to continue when you are racking up success after success, it is more necessary to continue when you experience failure. How do you respond to failure in your personal and business lives? Does failure paralyze you? Worse - does the fear of failure paralyze you? Or, have you used past failures as motivation for future success?

Frankly - failure is a given. How you respond to failure is a choice.
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Quote of the Day - From Week of August 26, 2013

9/3/2013

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Here are the quotes I shared from the week of August 26th: 

Aug 29 "People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads and the boss drives." Theodore Roosevelt

Aug 28 "Procrastination is like a credit card: It's lots of fun until you get the bill." Christopher Parker

Aug 27 "A good leader takes a little more than his share of the blame, a little less than his share of the credit." Arnold H. Glasgow

Aug 26 "If all you do is respond to complaints, THAT'S ALL PEOPLE WILL SEND YOU." From The 36 Rules of Social Media Fast Company Magazine Sept 2012


And one I really enjoy from the previous week:

Aug. 22)(Mildly paraphrased) "Bosses and employees are both looking for freedom in the workplace from management, mediocrity and morons." From The Gifted Boss - How to Find, Create and Keep Great Employees by Dale Dauten
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    Chris has an opinion on just about everything - Just ask Lisa. And he's usually right - just ask him! (LOL)

    Lisa isn't the one who always has something to say, but when she does, it is usually worth taking a moment to listen.

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