Saturday Night Classic Music Video

Yep, I used to play Sly on the radio:

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Why Keep Score

Sunday morning, I'm sitting at the Firefly Coffee Shop (in Fort Wayne), as I do most Sundays, talking with friends, reading email and writing blog posts.

Like this one.

My work world involves keeping score.

Yet I wish it didn't sometimes.

As a salesperson of advertising, I have monthly goals and this year has been pretty good for me.

But I'm always aware of the numbers and those sales figures are how we keep score. And my income is tied to that score, in real numbers.

The work I enjoy the most however is when I'm helping others with their marketing and advertising. I guess you would call it helping them increase their score.

It's not that I don't care about money, because I do know what it's like not to have enough to meet your obligations.

And it's not that I'm not competitive, because I have an excellent poker face that I use when racing go-karts, playing miniature golf, Frisbee golf, and euchre.

I just enjoy the process of life as much and sometimes more than the outcome.

Which helps me to create work that transcends what most salespeople do.

What inspired this post was the following words from Seth Godin's Blog:

Why jazz is more interesting than bowling

Bowling is all about one number: the final score. And great bowlers come whisker-close to hitting the perfect score regularly. Not enough dimensions for me to be fascinated by, and few people pay money to attend bowling matches.

Jazz is practiced over a thousand or perhaps a million dimensions. It's non-linear and non-predictable, and most of all, it's never perfect.

And yet...

when we get to work, most of us choose to bowl.

Fort Wayne Site of the Day

36th year, this weekend. Click on Pic.

Video Time: Gas

Caution: Tom Cruise uses the F word one time...

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All thumbs?

I used to hate it when my kids would send me a text message.

My phone didn't have a qwerty keyboard and it was a pain in the 277. (Figure it out)

Then this summer I got my first smart phone and I have multiple keyboard options including slide out, and a couple of on-screen gizmos.

I still don't text like my kids but now I at least am using more of my allotted monthly text messages. And I use my index finger, not thumbs.

Pew Report: Grown-Ups Text, Too

Adults aren't as avid text messagers as teens are, but a growing number are letting their fingers do the talking via cell phone. The proportion of U.S. adults who send and receive text messages has grown from 65% to 72% from September 2009 to May 2010, according to a new Pew Research Center study on mobile use.

But they still have a long way to go to catch up with their teen counterparts, who typically exchange 50 text messages a day compared to 10 by adults. The study found that heavy adult texters tend to be heavy users of voice calling, while light texters -- those who exchange 1 to 10 messages a day -- don't make up for less texting with more calling.

Voice service remains the primary cell phone function for most adults, who exchange five calls a day. Looking at how use varies by gender, the Pew report found that women make slightly fewer calls per day. More than a quarter (26%) of men send and receive 6 to 10 calls a day, while 20% of women exchange that many calls.

A recent Nielsen study found that women on average spend 22% more time talking on cell phones (856.3 minutes a month compared to men's 666.7). The Pew study, however, didn't compare cell phone use by men and women by minute.

In terms of behavior, women are slightly more likely to place frequent calls to just say hello and chat and report on where they are or find out where someone else is. Men are more likely to make calls about coordinating where to meet others, and to exchange calls about work. Both men and women were likely to have long conversations to discuss important personal matters on the cell phone. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of cell phone owners overall use their devices to have long personal conversations with someone, although these conversations generally take place less frequently than coordinating a meeting, checking in or just friendly chatting.

The use of cell phones for more than brief exchanges underscores recent research by Pew indicating 23% of Americans have only a cell phone for calls and another 17% have a landline but receive most of their calls on their handset. African-American and Hispanic mobile users are more likely than whites to make and receive large numbers of calls each day and are more likely to text. One in eight (12%) African-American phone owners and 14% of Hispanic cell users exchange more than 30 calls on a typical day, while just 4% of their white counterparts make and receive the same number of calls.

African-Americans and Hispanics typically exchange a median of 10 texts a day compared to 5 for whites. So nearly everyone has a cell phone and is talking or texting away. But how do people really feel about their devices? As you might guess, attitudes are mixed. Nine out of 10 adult cell users say their phone makes them feel safer and helps them connect to family and friends.

But that appreciation is tempered by the annoyance factor. Some 86% of cell phone users agree it's rude when someone repeatedly interrupts a conversation or meeting to check their cell phone, and two in five cell phone owners say they're irritated when a call or text interrupts them.

That doesn't mean people won't lie down with their cell phones at the end of the day. More than two-thirds (65%) of mobile users say they have slept with their cell phone on or kept it right next to the bed. Furthermore, adults who have slept with or near their phones are also more likely to feel positively about their phone, according to the Pew study -- and even respect it in the morning.

The findings in the Pew report were based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between April 29 and May 30, 2010, among a sample of 2,252 adults ages 18 and older. Teen data was drawn from interviews conducted between June 26 and September 24, 2009, with a sample of 800 teens ages 12 to 17, and a parent or guardian.

(Source: Online Media Daily, 09/03/10)

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Tech Tuesday Tip

This week my tech tip for non-techies is from Kim Komando. If you are on Facebook and/or Twitter, check this out:

Freebies make updating Facebook and Twitter easier

Social networks can be handy for many things. But the sites often leave something to be desired. It would be nice to access your network from your desktop. And accessing multiple social networks would be even better. That's what these programs are all about.

Seesmic (free)—Seesmic Desktop lets you manage Twitter and Facebook on your desktop. You'll see all the activity from your accounts in neat columns. It's easy to see everything at once. And you can post to both at the same time.

On top of that, you can manage multiple accounts. The whole family can access their accounts in one program. You can also manage Facebook Pages in Seesmic. It's an all-in-one solution for managing your social-networking accounts!

TweetDeck (free)—You could be using Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Foursquare and Google Buzz. That's a lot to keep up with! This program can pull in updates from all of those services and more.

Each site gets its own neat little column. You can read them all in one window. You can even post your own updates to multiple services simultaneously. What a great way to share your thoughts with everyone at once!

Photo Uploader for Facebook. (free)—If you want a really easy way to share photos on Facebook, download this program from Adobe. You can drag and drop images or folders directly to the program. From there, they will be uploaded to Facebook.

But Photo Uploader for Facebook isn't just about photos. The program will also display news feeds and notifications. And you can update your status directly from your desktop. You can even access Facebook's chat feature.

The desktop isn't the only place you can use social-networking sites. You also access Twitter and Facebook on your phone. Click here to find the best phone apps for social networking.

Cost: Free
Systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Mac OSX

Click Here to Download Now >>

I use Tweetdeck from my laptop, at Twicca from my Droid, while I wait for Tweetdeck to get their Droid App up to speed.

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Short Term or Long Term

Words from Harvey Mackay:

Succeed in the marathon of life

By Harvey Mackay

I ran my first marathon after my fiftieth birthday. I've run nine more since then, including the New York and Boston marathons. I'm proud of that fact for a number of reasons, not because I ever came anywhere close to finishing first, but that I finished them all.

A marathon is 26.2 miles. It is as much of a mind game as a physical challenge. You train your body to keep going when you think you can't take another step. You visualize the finish line and the celebration as you cross. The key ingredient is motivation.

There are more than 500 marathons held every year around the world. Most of the participants are amateur athletes, whose reasons for competing span the spectrum.

Training for a marathon is much like preparing for the challenges in business. The pace may be different, but endurance is every bit as important.

My good friend and marathon coach, Bill Wenmark, knows plenty about both running and business. Bill says: "If success in business, like a marathon, were easy everyone would do it. Whether you think you can, or whether you think you cannot, in either respect you are always going to be right. When you master this internal strength you will become a respected leader of others.

"People who start a marathon are not the same, and never will be the same, once they cross the finish line. I just finished my 100th marathon. It was just like my first: proud, strong and willing to take on any challenge. Confidence, character, integrity, grit, focus and determination go a long way in the marathon of life and define many successful people."

Any business or career that wants to be around for the long haul can benefit from these marathon training tips that I received many years ago.

• Set your goals and share them with others. When you announce your intentions, you are more likely to follow through. Write down your goals and hang copies by your desk, on your bathroom mirror, in your car, on your smart phone, and anywhere else you will see them regularly.
• Keep a record of your training and progress. When you run, it helps to keep a log of the dates, distance, conditions, times and whatever else affects your performance. When you work, your record-keeping will remind you about project progress, expectations, agreements and factors that could determine outcomes.
• Remember that you are only human. As important as training and preparation are, there will be days when not even your best efforts are enough. Every now and then you need to recharge your batteries and give yourself a rest.
• Use the buddy system. Work out with a few friends to stay motivated and on track. Ask other friends to act as coaches and your support system. Do the same with your career. Use trusted friends as a sounding board, and develop your network with contacts whom you can also help.
• Take it a step at a time. Don't think about the whole course -- break it into doable segments. You've heard the saying, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Well, you can't get to the end of anything if you don't start at the beginning and work your way through each phase.
• Have some fun. Exercise or work that is all drudgery saps your energy as well as your spirit. Running a marathon is hard work, but hard work can be fun. Building a business or career is like a marathon that doesn't stop at 26.2 miles. If you're going to go the distance, you should enjoy the scenery along the way.

Running may not be your thing, but most all of us have to earn a living one way or another. The majority will work anywhere from 25 to 45 years. The average person will have three career changes and perhaps ten jobs before their fortieth birthday.

Statistics like these make a foot race pale in comparison to the treadmill so many workers must master just to bring home a paycheck. Good training and the right mental preparation will help you find a job you love, that challenges you and satisfies you, and makes you want to get back in the race every day.

Mackay's Moral: Start off on the right foot -- preparation is the difference between dropping out of the race and finishing it.

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Tardy?

Why are some people always late?

Can people fool themselves into being on time?

Are you going to be on time when you go to school or work Monday?

Check out the following from the DLM Blog:

9 Ways to Never Be Late Again

Posted: 25 Aug 2010 09:14 AM PDT

There are three things that remind me of my father’s car: the Beach Boys, ChapStick, and a clock that is intentionally ten minutes fast. My father is one of those people who lives in his own time zone: Jeff Standard Time, sandwiched somewhere between Greenwich Mean and Mountain.

I used to tease my father for setting his clocks fast to try (and rarely succeed) at fooling himself into punctuality. Now I find myself doing the same thing. I know my alarm clock is set ten minutes fast, but there’s some glimmer of hope that in the fog between sleep and wakefulness, I’ll read the blaring red numbers, forget that I’m playing games with myself, jump out of bed, and get the proverbial early-bird worm.

Excuses, Excuses
Why are some of us chronically late while others are predictably punctual? A lot of reasons. We learn it from our parents. (Thanks, Dad.) We learn it from our culture. (In some countries, like Ecuador and Peru, tardiness is so culturally ingrained that the governments have initiated public punctuality campaigns.) We are better or worse at quantifying measurements like time. (I’m also hopeless when it comes to estimating distance or how many people were at a party. Jelly beans in a jar? Forget it.) We value and perceive time differently. (I like to think of it as a jumping-off point for negotiations.) We want or don’t want attention. We’re focused or easily distracted. We try to do too much. We are thrilled or repelled by the anxiety of running late.

There are myriad reasons. There are also myriad excuses.

Do Something About It
When I lived in New York, I could blame my tardiness on the city. There seemed to be a thousand and one obstacles to getting anywhere on time in Manhattan: subway maintenance, visiting dignitaries, spilled coffee, construction, street musicians, bagels, man on the tracks. I readily offered these excuses as I plopped down ten, fifteen, even thirty minutes late to work or a drink with a friend. “You would never believe the traffic on Broadway,” I’d sigh. The city was conspiring against me, and like Alice’s White Rabbit, I was perpetually late for a very important date.

Recently, I moved from New York to a smaller city, where I have a car and more control over my schedule—which means fewer available excuses. I also have a friend who has redefined the word “late” (she has a personal record of three hours) and has put me on the other side of the fence. I’ve made some progress. And as they say on TV, now so can you! Before you give up and move to Peru, try some of these strategies for making yourself more punctual:

1. The first step is acceptance. Admit you have a problem and enlist help.
2. Surround yourself with clocks (not just the one on your cell phone).
3. Bring something to read or occupy you, so if you arrive early, you don’t feel like you’re “wasting time.”
4. Give yourself a handicap. If you’re a bad estimator, double the time you think it will take to get there.
5. If you’ve never been where you’re going, look up directions beforehand (not at the time you’re supposed to be walking out the door).
6. Before you accept invitations for engagements, ask yourself if you really can, or want to, attend. If you’re hesitant, perhaps it’s better to politely decline than rudely arrive late.
7. Don’t try to do too much. Keep a detailed schedule and don’t be distracted by tasks not on it.
8. Fine yourself a dollar (to your piggy bank) for every minute you’re late.
9. Hypnosis. Hey, it can’t hurt, right?

And for those of you who always arrive on the dot (well done), but are frustrated by your unfashionably late friends and colleagues, try these tips:

• Calmly let the person know you’re irritated.
• Impose some kind of consequence, playfully at first. For example, if your friend is late for a coffee date, she buys.
• Give her a taste of her own medicine. On your next meeting, show up as late as she was the last time.

Time is not money for everyone, but it is a resource. If you waste someone’s, they can’t get it back. Punctuality is about consideration, and it’s something I’m working on. I’ll keep you posted, but now I’ve gotta run. I’m late.

Written on 8/25/2010 by DivineCaroline. DivineCaroline a place where people come together to learn from experts in the fields of health, spending, and parenting. Come discover, read, learn, laugh, and connect at DivineCaroline.com.

Photo Credit: jakuza

Fort Wayne Site-of-the-Day

I've known the author of this blog since 9 months before she was born 27 years ago today!
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