Saturday Night Classic Music Video

Kicking off two weeks of "E" artists with Earl Scruggs and LOT's of others from Dave Letterman's Show:

Fort Wayne Site-of-the-Day

Yep, it's playing in town right now. Click on Pic for details.

Celebrate

A few years ago, the company I worked for set little goals and we achieved them more regularly than now.

One of the reasons why might be the fact that we received framed certificates each month, something to hang on our walls that we saw everyday.

Check this out from the DLM blog:

Do you Track Your Achievements?

Posted: 01 Mar 2010 06:42 AM PST

What did you achieve last year? What progress did you make towards your goals?

Those are questions that, a few years ago, I’d have had trouble answering. Perhaps I could point to some money saved up, or to the next step of a qualification earned, but it was hard to see whether I’d really made much progress. Often, I’d feel bad that I hadn’t achieved more – even when I’d actually done quite a lot.

If you don’t already have some way of tracking your achievements, I’d urge you to adopt this as a habit. I’ll take you through the way I do it, and explain why it’s important.

• Step 1: Get a Notebook
  Buy yourself a really nice notebook; don’t feel bad about spending a bit more money than you normally would. If you have something beautiful to record your achievements in, it’ll mean more to you than a scrappy $1.00 pad. Plus, you’ll want to keep this for years to come!


• Step 2: Write Your Goals (optional)
  It’s up to you whether you want to combine your record of achievements with your goals. I find that this is useful, so long as I don’t get hung up on making sure that what I achieve is an exact match to what I hoped for!
  
  On the first page of your notebook, write down “2010: Goals” and list no more than three or four key goals for the year. Make them specific (e.g. “Lose 50lbs”, “Get three articles published”, etc.).


• Step 3: Write Your Achievements, Monthly
  A month is a good length of time to look at what you’ve achieved: it’s long enough to have accomplished something meaningful, but not so long that you’ve forgotten everything you’ve done!
  
  Sit down somewhere quiet, at the end of each month, for just five or ten minutes. Write down in bullet points anything that you feel qualifies as an achievement. You might like to record:
  
  
  
  • Anything you’ve tried for the first time (skiing was on my list last year!)
  
  
  • Any large projects you’ve completed
  
  
  • Progress in a particular area – eg. steps taken towards your business
    
  It’s useful to think about your work life, your personal life, and your family life. Hopefully, you’ll find that writing down your achievements puts you in a positive frame of mind – you’ll be able to see what you’ve accomplished, and even in slow months, you’ll be surprised what you can find to celebrate.


• Step 4: Celebrate Your Achievements
  When you’ve accomplished something big – perhaps a milestone on your way towards a goal – take time to celebrate! That might mean going for a meal out, opening a nice bottle of wine, buying a new book or DVD that you wanted, or simply giving yourself some guilt-free time to relax.
  
  The act of recording and celebrating what you’ve achieved will encourage you towards further growth. Rather than dwelling on things which went wrong or didn’t work out the way you hoped, keep your focus on the areas where you’re developing and learning.


• Step 5: Review the Year
  When you come to the end of a year, look back over your achievements. It’s almost certain that you’ll see some great patterns across those twelve months. Perhaps your first try at public speaking in January led to your first competition speech in June and your first win in September. Or maybe your first piano lesson in February saw you pass an exam in October.

In the day to day of life, it’s so easy to get discouraged and lose sight of the big picture. Taking some time to look over what you’ve achieved is a great reminder of how everything starts with a small step.

What have you achieved over the past 12 months? What are you hoping to achieve over the next 12?

Written on 3/1/2010 by Ali Hale. Ali is a professional writer and blogger, and a part-time postgraduate student of creative writing. If you need a hand with any sort of written project, drop her a line (ali@aliventures.com) or check out her website at Aliventures.

Photo Credit: lululemon athletica

Fort Wayne Site-of-the-Day

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H2O

from the DLM blog:

9 Great Reasons to Drink Water, and How to Form the Water Habit

Posted: 28 Feb 2010 05:51 PM PST

We all know that water is good for us, but often the reasons are a little fuzzy. And even if we know why we should drink water, it's not a habit that many people form.

But there are some very powerful reasons to drink lots of water every day, and forming the habit isn't hard, with a little focus.

The thing about it is, we don't often focus on this habit. We end up drinking coffee, and lots of soda, and alcohol, not to mention fruit juices and teas and milk and a bunch of other possibilities. Or just as often, we don't drink enough fluids, and we become dehydrated -- and that isn't good for our health.

I've made drinking water a daily habit, although I will admit that a couple of years ago I was more likely to drink anything but water. Now I don't drink anything but water, except for a cup of coffee in the morning and once in awhile a beer with dinner. I love it.

Here are 9 powerful reasons to drink water (with tips on how to form the water habit afterwards):

1. Weight loss
   Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda and juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn't have any calories. But it's also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen.


2. Heart healthy
   Drinking a good amount of water could lower your risks of a heart attack. A six-year study published in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that those who drink more than 5 glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses.


3. Energy
   Being dehydrated can sap your energy and make you feel tired -- even mild dehydration of as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated -- and this can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness and other symptoms.


4. Headache cure
   Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. In fact, often when we have headaches it's simply a matter of not drinking enough water. There are lots of other causes of headaches of course, but dehydration is a common one.


5. Healthy skin
   Drinking water can clear up your skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. It won't happen overnight, of course, but just a week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin.


6. Digestive problems
   Our digestive systems need a good amount of water to digest food properly. Often water can help cure stomach acid problems, and water along with fiber can cure constipation (often a result of dehydration).


7. Cleansing
   Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body.


8. Cancer risk
   Related to the digestive system item above, drinking a healthy amount of water has also been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%. Drinking lots of water can also reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50% and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer.


9. Better exercise
   Being dehydrated can severely hamper your athletic activities, slowing you down and making it harder to lift weights. Exercise requires additional water, so be sure to hydrate before, during and after exercise.

How to form the water habit
So you're convinced that water is healthier, but you'd like to know more about how to make drinking water a daily habit.

Here are some tips that have helped me:

• How much water?
  This is a debatable question. What's clear is that the old recommendation of "eight 8-ounce glasses a day" isn't right, for several reasons: that amount includes all dietary water intake, including food and non-water beverages; it also ignores a person's body weight, which is an important factor in figuring the amount; it also varies if you are sick or exercise. It's also not good to just drink when you're thirsty -- you're already dehydrated by then. Best is to form a routine: drink a glass when you wake up, a glass with each meal, a glass in between meals, and be sure to drink before, during and after exercise. Try to generally keep yourself from getting thirsty.


• Carry a bottle
  A lot of people find it useful to get a big plastic drinking bottle, fill it with water, and carry it around with them all day. I like to keep a glass of water at my desk, and I drink from it all day long. When it's empty, I fill it up again, and keep drinking.


• Set a reminder
  Set your watch to beep at the top of each hour, or set a periodic computer reminder, so that you don't forget to drink water.


• Substitute water
  If you would normally get a soda, or an alcoholic beverage, get a glass of water instead. Try sparkling water instead of alcohol at social functions.


• Filter
  Instead of spending a fortune on bottled water, invest in a filter for your home faucet. It'll make tap water taste like bottled, at a fraction of the price.


• Exercise
  Exercising can help make you want to drink water more. It's not necessary to drink sports drinks like Gatorade when you exercise, unless you are doing it for more than an hour. Just drink water. If you're going to exercise, be sure to drink water a couple hours ahead of time, so that it will get through your system in time, and again, drink during and after exercise as well.


• Track it
  It often helps, when forming a new habit, to keep track of it -- it increases awareness and helps you ensure that you're staying on track. Keep a little log (it can be done on an index card or a notebook), which can be as simple as a tick mark for each glass of water you drink.

Written on 07/03/2008 by Leo Babauta and republished on 2/28/10. Leo offers advice on living life productively simple at his famous Zen Habits blog.

Photo Credit: size8jeans

Fort Wayne Site-of-the-Day

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Video Time: Ok Go

Just watch. Then watch again:

Fort Wayne Site-of-the-Day

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Lessons from The Donald

from the DLM Blog:

7 Must Read Success Lessons from Donald Trump

Posted: 26 Feb 2010 05:35 AM PST

To many, Donald Trump is considered to be one of the most successful individuals of our generation. Trump is an American business entrepreneur, author, socialite and television personality. He is the Chairman and CEO of the Trump Organization, as well as a famous real-estate developer.

Donald is also the founder of Trump Entertainment Resorts, a company which operates a multiplicity of casinos and hotels all around the world. Trump's lavish lifestyle and witty personality has made him a celebrity, and his hit reality television show, The Apprentice, has solidified this status.

Today I want to talk about seven things we can learn from the billionaire Donald Trump. Any person who could amass such success is bound to be an inspiration.

7 Success Lessons from Donald Trump

1. Focus on the Present
   
   

   “I try to learn from the past, but I plan for the future by focusing exclusively on the present. That's were the fun is.”

   
   Yesterday is buried, and tomorrow is not yet born; the only progress that can be made toward success has to be done in the present moment, so I recommend that you focus all of your energies into making the present moment as productive as possible. If you don’t, your past will duplicate itself into your future.


2. Fail Forward
   
   

   “Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war.”

   
   Never fear failure, failure is the path to success. If at first you don’t succeed, then … that makes sense. Success takes time and it requires failure, through the process of failing you will discover how to succeed. Don’t fear failing, fear not giving your all.


3. Think Big
   
   

   “As long as you’re going to be thinking anyway, think big.”

   
   It takes no more time to think big as it does to think small. Plan for big things in your life, there’s always room at the top for the person who’s willing to think bigger. Leave "little thinking" for people who want to accomplish little things, but not you. Success begins with thinking big.


4. Do What You Love
   
   

   “If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable.”

   
   I saw a billboard the other day that said, “Life is too short to eat oatmeal,” I don’t know about that, but I do know that life is too short to do work that you despise. Trump said, “I don't make deals for the money. I've got enough, much more than I'll ever need. I do it, to do it.” Whatever you do, you must do it, to do it, because you will only have success doing what you love!


5. Stay Positive
   
   

   “What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate.”

   
   Nothing is more constant then “change.” What worked for someone else will not necessarily work for you on your path to success. Challenges that others did not have, you may have. What separates the winners from the losers is that winners react positively to unforeseen challenges. Winners go over the hurdles that stop others.


6. Passion is Power
   
   

   “Without passion you don’t have energy; without energy you have nothing.”

   
   The main ingredient for success is energy. Nothing great can ever be accomplished with out “amazing” levels of energy, and energy comes from passion, so what’s the lesson? Always follow your passion, and you will always have the energy to accomplish your dreams.


7. Experience is Priceless
   
   

   “Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you're generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make.”

   
   You need experience; there are things that experience will teach you that you can’t learn in any other way. Never underestimate the value of getting your hands dirty. With experience come priceless lessons that will position you for success.

Hopefully you’ve been able to gain some insights from Donald’s wisdom.

To recap: Always remember to: Focus on the present, fail forward, think big, do what you love, stay positive, and know that passion is power and experience is priceless.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this along!

Written on 2/26/2010 by Mr. Self Development who is a motivational author that offers a practical guide to success and wealth; support him by visiting his blog at mrselfdevelopment.com. .

Photo Credit: WalkingGeek

Fort Wayne Site-of-the-Day

A New Business in town. Click on Pic.

Hope

It was part of a campaign.

It was what we had.

Do you still have it?

This is from Harvey:

Harvey Mackay's Column This Week

Never lose hope

In Greek mythology, Pandora opened her fabled box and let out all evils except for hope, which Greeks considered to be as dangerous as the world's other evils. Soon they discovered that without hope to offset their troubles, humanity was filled with despair. So Pandora let out hope as well. In the myth, hope was more potent than any of the other major evils.

In modern times, we consider hope to be anything but evil. It's what gets many of us through our worst days. Lingering unemployment, foreclosure, dwindling retirement funds, businesses folding — any of these could make a person lose hope.

Fortunately, Pandora recognized the relevance of hope — an element that is critical to our very existence. In the current business climate, hope is what keeps us from throwing in the towel. I'm a realist, but I'm also an optimist. And while hope and optimism are not exactly the same, they are intrinsically linked.

For example, I am optimistic that the economy will eventually improve, and I am hopeful that we can learn lasting lessons from events that led to our business challenges. But I can't just wait and hope. I have to help things happen.

Hope looks at what is possible and builds on that. As former television executive and author SQuire Rushnell (yes, that's the way he spells his name) puts it, "take the 'imp' out of impossible!" Instead, he says, read it as "I'm possible."

In one of my favorite inspirational books, "Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do," my friend Robert Schuller offers up this observation: "Understand the power of this word: impossibility. When uttered aloud, this word is devastating in its effect. Thinking stops. Progress is halted. Doors slam shut. Research comes to a screeching halt. Further experimentation is torpedoed. Projects are abandoned. Dreams are discarded. The brightest and the best of creative brain cells turn off. In this defensive maneuver, the brain shelters itself against the painful sting of insulting disappointments, brutal rejections, and dashed hopes.

"But let someone utter the magic words, it's possible. Buried dreams are resurrected. Sparks of fresh enthusiasm flicker. Tabled motions are brought back to the floor. Dusty files are reopened. Lights go on again in the darkened laboratories. Telephones start ringing. Typewriters make clattering music. Budgets are revised and adopted. 'Help wanted' signs are hung out. Factories are retooled and reopened. New products appear. New markets open. The recession has ended. A great new era of adventure, experimentation, expansion and prosperity is born."

This advice, penned more than 25 years ago, is just as pertinent today. In fact, when you consider the advances of the past quarter century, look at how we have changed the face of businesses: did anyone have a website in 1985? What was your cell phone number? Were you video-conferencing with your South American office with the touch of a button?

What will the next 25 years hold? I suspect that the coming generations will use their technologies in ways we are just beginning to imagine are possible. I am certain that products will be developed that will make life easier, safer and better. I have every hope that we have the brainpower and the will to do just that.

But we cannot accomplish much at all if we don't have hope. Hope is believing that every cloud has a silver lining, and when that cloud rains, it makes things grow. And then the sun comes out again.

British anthropologist Jane Goodall has spent more than 50 years conducting landmark research on wild chimpanzees and great apes and observing the tremendous power of nature to restore itself. She shares these thoughts: "I carry a few symbols with me. . . to remind me of the hope that there is in the world: the human brain, with the technology that we are now working to try and live in greater harmony with the environment; the resilience of nature — give nature a chance and it's amazing how places that we've destroyed can bloom again; the tremendous energy, commitment, excitement and dedication of young people once they know what the problems are and we empower them to act to do something about it. And finally, the indomitable human spirit, those people who tackle impossible tasks and won't give in... that are shining inspiration to those around them."

Mackay's Moral: Hope for the best and then find a way to make it happen.

Miss a column? The last three weeks of Harvey's columns are always archived online.

More information and learning tools can be found online at harveymackay.com.

Fort Wayne Site-of-the-Day

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And for even more details, you can click here.

The Wonder of Children & Parents

My wife and I usually attend church on Saturday evening. It fits in our schedule and I like the contemporary worship style. There are lots of kids there. One of the largest sources for new members is the school that is part of our church. Kathy and I have been members for nearly 8 years.

Recently I've been thinking about how amazed I am at kids and their parents. I have 3 and am the step-dad to 2 more. 4 out of 5 have been under my care.

Our oldest is Ian who moved out before Kathy and I were married. Next is my oldest Rachael who is getting married in 2011. Her younger brother Josh is getting married later this year. Their little sister Tiff married almost 4 years ago. And Abby has another year of college and then wedding plans will be coming.

We already have the next generation around as Ian has two sons and we spend time with them regularly.

But what is the "Wonder" of all this?

When we are in the midst of all of the growing up years, first as a child, then as a parent, we are too close to capture all the special moments. At 50, I only have vague memories of learning how to ride a bike or swim.

Then as a parent, one moment we are taking our kids to the zoo, then moments later we are attending their graduations it seems.

I used to get annoyed at all the picture taking that members of my family would take. I thought it was excessive. Heck I have a picture of my wife and I looking at pictures while my mom was snapping another one!

My advice: Cherish the moments as parents. Enjoy all stages of life. Dream with your kids & grandkids. And dream with your parents and grandparents too!

Fort Wayne Site-of-the-Day

I was here for the first time yesterday. Click on Pic.