At the time, I focused more how the case looked rather than the functionality of the phone.  I had no apps at that time and even now most of the ones I have are games my children have downloaded. 

It’s not that I’m not interested, it’s just that most apps I download I never use.  They are usually too difficult to set up or keep up.  

Right now, besides phone calls, I use my phone for Facebooking, Pandora, and Email. 

I also use MyFitnessPal, Netflix, Sigalert, and AllRecipes.  Nothing exciting here, I know.  There must useful apps out there, so I am trying really hard to find them.  

The kind of apps I want to discover are the ones that can  help me improve or organize my life.    

As I’m sure you do too, I spend a lot of time on my phone and would love to do more with it.

I recently downloaded these:   Lose it!, Evernote, Grocery IQ, DB Tracker, and Run Tracker.  I just found them by doing internet searches on “top motivational/organizational apps”.  These consistently popped up.  I don’t know anything about them, but I thought I’d try them. 

But, please if you can give me more suggestions, that would be awesome  (I have an iPhone 4S).

There are only two basic requirements that I want to see from these apps, Purpose and Easeability.  There must be a real need for them and they must be easy to understand and maintain.  Sounds simple, huh?  Well, we’ll see.  

I bought this book only because it was 75% off, but I’m glad I did.  It is filled with so much great advice that you feel like you really have the power to change your financial state.

She gives good insight from how being too happy makes us complacent to who the wealthy really are.  Interestingly, she also shows through real life examples the baseline attitudes that people tend to have in each economic strata.

Jean Chatzky motivates the reader to look at his/her financial state with a little more optimism, while giving practical strategies as to how to move up.  I really like this book and highly recommend you read it for yourself!

I recommend you:

                    Buy It              Borrow It                Bench It

I don’t know everyone’s experience with her here, but I can speak to what she meant to me.  And I’d like to share that with you.  

My Grandma and I were lifelong friends. For all my life, we have always been close.  We kept in touch no matter where I was.  I took every opportunity to visit her no matter where I had been in the world.  She loved hearing about my crazy adventures.  She gave practical advice and always had a funny way of looking at things.

When she was around 75 we went on our own adventure to the Grand Canyon.  This was her first airplane ride and she had such a great time. 

Grandma and I were never without words. I will miss our myriad of conversations including some stories of the people she loved in this room and about those that have already passed.   In fact, I was so use to talking to her that when my travels plans were confirmed, I reached for the phone to tell her that I was coming to her funeral.

My Grandma was a nurturing person that saw and embraced the good in others.  She was an independent person, with strong values and perspectives.  And a spiritual person, that always tried to live by the golden rule.  As a result, she was not afraid to face a challenge and death was no different.   I am grateful that she was part of my life. 

Today I smile when I think how often she made me laugh, even when she wasn’t  trying.   How she was the only person in the world that called me Mary Catherine.  And how we would call each other and say, “I was just thinking about you”.  She was my personal cheerleader.  I am grateful she loved me so much.

In our last conversation I asked her if she was dying.  She said she didn’t know, but that I needed to prepare for it.   I told her when it happened she should send me a message telling me what heaven was like.  She laughed and said she would try. 

For all of you that knew her well, today is not the end. As difficult as it is to do, she would want us to be happy for her, not sad.  She will always be with us; always be that caring person who thought more of others than herself.  And when the time comes to see her again, I will look forward to her sharing with me all of her new special adventures in heaven.  We love you Grandma, see you later.

For me, I use Black Friday to buy toys, stocking stuffers, and electronics. 

My goal is to save some money and have fun!  This guide is filled with reminders of common sense strategies.

Plan ahead.  It’s utterly important that you plan ahead.  Gather mail advertisements and print online advertisements.  Also, use Brads deals’ website ttp://www.blackfriday2011.com/ads that lists the participating Black Friday stores.  Make sure to pay attention to the sale times and plan accordingly.  Bring your fliers in case you have to dispute a price.  Bring an ipod, phone, book, small chair etc., to use when you have to wait in line. 

Leave the kiddos at home.  Not alone of course, but Black Friday is no fun for kids, in fact it’s torture.  And, unless they are babies, they will know what they are getting for Christmas. Let Grandpa watch them.

Never, ever go alone.  Your crew should ideally be two to three people.  The driver drops off the shopper (s).  Then after she parks, she saves a spot in line.  After you complete your shopping, she is relieved then gets the car. 

Don’t bring too many people though, they will slow you down and you need space in the car for all your treasures.  The process quickens when everyone is shopping for the same people.  This way everyone can look out for different gifts for the same people.  And a nice perk is to go with someone with a handicap car pass, but you didn’t hear that from me.

Choose your stores wisely.  Go to the store that has most of the stuff you want or the biggest savings first.  Then take into account how far you have to drive in between stores for the other ones.  While Walmart, Kmart, and the Las Vegas Outlet Mall have been consistently the best choices for me, Toys R Us and Target have been the worse. 

I cannot handle Fry’s or Best Buy, their lines are too brutal but, I heard they are opening at 10pm now.  I wonder if that will help. I usually go the Mall last, they usually open later and take too long to walk through.

Stake out the store beforehand.  Make sure you are very familiar with the stores before you show up.  Have a game plan as to who will get what and where.  Unless the item is within arm’s reach, do not waste your time buying non sale items.

Keep snacks handy.  For once food is not the main event, do not stop to eat until after your shopping venture.  Last year we went to SAM’s club for the first time and ended up spending most the time waiting in line for donuts and hot chocolate just because they were free.  We’ll never do that again.

Be ready for anything.  Dress warmly and wear comfortable shoes.  Waiting in line outside in the cold is tough.  Be careful of pushers when walking through the door once it’s open.  Last year Walmart stayed open all day and night, which was awesome.

The downside was that we had to hang out longer, because although you are inside you had to wait for the sale time, usually around 5am.  But, if you waited too late everything would be gone by 5am because people took things out of the shrink wrap.

Don’t waste time.  Make sure you are caffeinated, but don’t overdo it or you’ll end up spending all your time in the bathroom.  It’s one thing to wait in line to buy stuff, but waiting in a bathroom line is a total waste of time.  I joked with my Mom one year that we should start wearing Depends during Black Friday. 

And I don’t push a shopping cart, my Mom does. We separate, this way I can move around the store faster, then I find her later when I can’t carry the items anymore.  

To save time too you can mark off items off your list while waiting in line or in the car.  And do not forget your phone.  Use it to call your shopping partner (s) in the store.  Ask other people to call only during emergencies.

Do not fight over stuff.  Black Friday does not always bring out the best in people.  Nothing you want is worth fighting over.  Not only is it stupid, it’s a total waste of time.  Although it is kind of funny to watch people fight over pajamas.

When in doubt throw it in your cart.  Throw all potential gifts in the cart, do not spend time ruminating.  Spend the time waiting in line to decide whether you really want it.  Remember it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement and buy crap you don’t want.  The good thing is though, you can return any or all of it later if you have buyer’s remorse or find a better deal somewhere else.

Make it fun.  The truth is, my Mom and I can’t keep doing Black Friday like this every year.  But, we will always have the memories of how much fun we had.   Not everyone has the personality for this.  So, if it’s not fun –  just stop.

Other Things to Remember.  Best Buy, Kohl’s, and Target are opening around 10pm this year for the first time.  Make sure you check the day before and after Black Friday deals. You can get sometimes better deals.  Cyber Monday has usually been an afterthought for me, but I think this year they are going to try to be competitive.  Only buy if they offer free shipping. 

Black Friday Apps.  There are a couple of phone apps I thought looked interesting, but haven’t tried.  With TheFind, you scan the bar code on the item. Then it displays where it’s available, both online and in nearby stores, and for how much.

The Coupon Sherpa app gives users access to in-store mobile coupons and printable coupons found on the Internet. 

 HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND HAPPY SHOPPING!!

Jessie Belle Rittenhouse (1869–1948).

 I worked for a menial’s hire,
only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life,
Life would have willingly paid.

Being so close to this popular activity allows me to observe our interesting relationship with candy.  I find it fascinating how people deal with their love/hate relationship with the candy dish. 

Candy Lover Personalities

First of all, the guilt is abound.  People’s first reaction is usually relief and excitement, but the guilt is only seconds away.  I’m told by the candy eater different reasons why he or she should not eat the candy.  Their stories of varying health problems, are never severe enough to stop them.

My favorite candy lover tactic is when people try to make me feel guilty about me eating the candy.    They go as far as give me reasons why I should not to eat it, then will come back later in the day to get candy for themselves. 

On the flip side, there are the types who try to get me eat the candy with them as if doing it together will somehow make it more acceptable.

There are also the complainers who complain about why I have the candy out in the first place.  They spend time telling me reasons why I should not have the dish out.  But, will eat the candy as if some force beyond them made them eat it anyway.

And, no kidding there are those candy lovers who tell me the type of candy I have is not very good or not their favorite, but always end their argument by dipping their hands in the candy dish regardless.

Lastly, there are the complainer types that analyze and complain about the nutritional content, as if the knowledge would somehow change their candy eating decision.

The Problem

Candy provides momentary relief from daily stress.  And where I work there is plenty of stress going around.  The problem is that the guilt can make the relief not worth it.  And when the candy does not give more than a quick fix it leaves the worrier to want to eat more to get more relief.

I often ask myself, as bad as candy is why is it okay for me to have it readily available?  We all know that it derives momentary pleasure with long lasting negative effects.  Are the quick momentary pleasures worth all the guilt?  

Would providing fruit give the same reward?  For several reasons, besides price, it probably would not.  It’s “mommy” telling us what’s healthy (that’s not fun), it’s not exciting to eat, and eating fruit is more of a commitment rather than a quick fix.

The Solution

So, should the candy dish be there in the first place?  Either way, it probably doesn’t matter.  But, taking away this candy bowl doesn’t stop other candy bowls from popping up.  We must deal with the issue head on.  

Ideally, every piece of candy we eat should be savored like it’s the most wonderful candy ever eaten.  What I would like to see is people taking the candy because they made a conscious choice, not a subconscious, mindless choice. 

Like with any kind of food, pausing and asking ourselves why am I eating this, could cause us to decide not to eat it.  You know what it tastes like and can always come back later. 

But, it could also make us make the choice to eat it, considering what else we have eaten during the day.  Eating that piece of candy could become the one move that pushes that brilliant idea begging to surface.  A little dramatic - I know, but  it’s possible.

The key, like most things in life, is moderation (surprise, surprise).  In the big scheme of life the candy won’t kill you directly.   It’s more like a slow kill compiled with all the other junk you eat.  All blame does not go to the candy.

So, whatever you decide, choose to be confident that you made the right choice, this puts the control back in your court and allows the experience to become a positive one.

Key Learning Points: 

Some people feel guilty or complain about workplace candy.   The problem is eating the candy may provide temporary relief, but isn’t always worth the guilt.  Take back the control by being confident that you made the right choice and eat in moderation.

Action Steps:

If you have a candy dish at your workplace come up with a pre-action plan.  Know what choice you will make before you confront it.   You can do things like give yourself a limit, save your pieces for later, or put your hand in the dish without taking anything out.

I love these “Ten Steps to Pinpoint your Passions” written by Jean Chatzy from her book The Difference.  They are uncomplicated and powerful.  I recommend you print out the list and spend a day just focusing on one question.  Throughout your day think of the answers, then at night write them into a passions journal. 

Once you’ve answered the questions, spend a good amount of time trying to find correlations and patterns.  Then come up with an action plan that lists out step by step ways how to accomplish the small goals this exercise will produce.   All of the below is an excerpt from page 122.

1.  If money was not an issue, what would you be doing with your life?

2.  When you go to the magazine racks or the library, what do you most like to read about?  (Alternately, what do you find yourself searching for on the Internet?)

3.  Think about the last few times you said to yourself:  “I’d like to do that sometime.”  What was “that”?

4.  What do other people say you do particulary well?

5.  Think back to when you were ten or twelve and try to remember how it felt to be really excited about the possibility of doing something.  What could you do today that might make you feel the same way?

6.  What do you secretly dream about doing?

7.  What are the things you like about what you’re doing now? (They can be small, but you have to name several of them.)

8.  What do you think you do particularly well?  (These things do not have to be work related.)

9.  How do you feel you contribute or could contribute to society?

10.  What do you want your children or friends to say about you when you’re gone?

    As you answer the questions, you’ll see patterns emerge.  They may reflect hidden desires:  things that you’ve perhaps buried or that you wanted in the past but haven’t thought about for a while.  Or they may reflect desires you know full well you have, but have not – for financial to emotional reasons – pursued.

    If you’re going to move toward these desires, they have to come out.  In this way, passions are like other goals.  If you haven’t articulated them and broken down the steps that need to be taken to reach them they’re very difficult to attain.  Once you’ve got a grip on what they are, you need to understand how you can make them happen.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down – that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960′s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

The basic premise of this book is that our thoughts alone can make change.  Whether there is some unearthly connection is probably the debate. 

I do believe that positive thinking will bring about change through actions stemming from our positive thoughts.  The hard part of this book is the idea that just ”truly believing” is enough.  For the Secret to work you must truly believe and if you don’t truly believe it won’t happen. 

Athough it is very meditative and full of hope.  I find myself wanting to hear more proof.  The experts chiming in their opinions never proved the science behind it.  And the examples that were given were pretty lame.  I do recommend you read it though.  It’s one of those books you have to say you’ve read.  It won’t hurt to try it. I am experimenting with it and will let you know the outcome.

 I recommend you:

                    Buy It              Borrow It                Bench It

Wow, this is a self help book on steriods.  It does cover a lot of ground, just with not too many details.  I think it’s a great book for teenagers or young adults.  A lot of what is discussed will be elementary.  It’s also a bit on the cheesy side.  And there’s a chapter on how to sell which I didn’t quite get why it belonged in this book. 

There are some good nuggets, you just have to dig for them.  And if there’s a topic you are interested in you will need to find other books to get a more detailed scope.

I would read this book as a refresher.  Just to fill in some gaps you might of missed on the way to adulthood, but it’s a spastic read so be patient.

I recommend you:

                    Buy It              Borrow It                Bench It

Anonymous donors.  Doing something and expecting nothing in return. This goes for good samaritans as well.

A good workout.  Working out makes me feel refreshed.  I can visualize fat dripping off and toxins escaping my body. 

A clean, organized house.  Just thinking of a clean, organized home instantly relaxes me.  With three kids abound this relaxing thought usually just resides in my head.

A stocked fridge and pantry.  When I come home from Costco, I’m not just grocery shopping, I’m ready for a natural disaster.  The thought that I have many options to cook and feed myself and family, makes me feel accomplished. 

Clean clothes.  Not to be confused with doing laundry, I love the smell and softness of clean clothes.  And when they fit perfectly it’s an added bonus.

Clean toilets. You don’t truly appreciate a clean toilet until you’ve traveled some.  I found as bad as public toilets may be in the US they are nothing compared to some toilets I’ve seen overseas.

Down comforters.  So soft and cozy.  I was first exposed to down comforters in an Austrian hotel.  Since, then I  find it difficult to sleep with anything else. 

Going through a 4 way stop smoothly.  I love when people go when they are supposed to, not too soon or not too late.     Order – it’s a wonderful thing.

Hot showers.  I am grateful that I have the capacity to take hot showers at anytime.  The simple act of taking a shower, not only cleanses my body, but my mind as well.

Lemon Bars.  Sticky, oohhyy gooey, lemon bars; my favorite next to black berry pie.

Love.  I love, love.  Whether it’s falling in love, being in love, loving, or being loved – it’s all good stuff.

Motivating Conversations.  I love talking to anyone, but I’d love it even more when it’s with people who put thoughts into action.  Passion, intuition, empathy, consistency, and open-mindedness make these people exciting to have mind melds with. 

Public libraries.  Libraries offer everyone opportunities to enrich their lives.  With it’s rich resources, price, and convenience, you’re missing out if coming here is not a regular routine in your life.

Short lines.  Whether it’s at a store, on the freeway, or on the internet short lines get me faster to wherever I want to go, instead of wasting my time.

Smell of babies. Babies are intoxicating.  Their smell (and not to mention their chunky thighs) make me want to squeeze them like a fluffy biscuit.

Smiles.  Smiles, especially the ones that come my way when I’m not smiling, are wonderful.  It’s nice to know that people can take the time to care.  I also love the smiles I get from my kids when I come home from a long day at work.

Technology.  I love the creativity, the smart technologists, and the excitement of the changes.  I’m amazed at how far we have gone in such a short time. Who knows what will be invented years from now. 

Tomorrow.  Another chance to try again.

Water.  We need it live, to bathe, to wash, to grow, and to play.  Random, yet purposeful.

Taken aback I thought they were taking it too seriously.  I was sure not all stores were closing, it was unthinkable. I even asked the clerk if this store going out of business meant all stores were closing.  He assured me that only a “few” stores who weren’t making money were closing.  Satisfied, I left the store clueless. 

I have to admit I am not happy about Borders closing.  Not just for Borders, but for the possibility this may become the fate of all bookstores eventually.  I enjoyed the endless hours of eating and drinking at the cafe.  I loved the books, reading and skimming them quickly.  Then mostly adding them to stacks of books others left behind.  Although my bookstore memories entailed a lot of browsing, I thought other people were buying the books – I guess they weren’t.  

In hopes of making me feel better, friends tell me that the Kindle, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble are viable options.  Well, Barnes and Noble may not be far behind.   Amazon does not provide the same experience.  And although I love technology as much as anyone, if not more, buying a Kindle would be like cheating on my books -  my lovely paper, page turning, non-battery needing books. 

Last week, I went to Trader Joe’s and crinched when I saw a Borders next door to it.  I froze, I couldn’t go inside it.  I was too sad.  I felt like the bookstore had cancer and had only one week to live.  It was a horrible feeling.  I wanted to rush in and buy every book in sight, just to try save it.  But, I was too sad (and broke) to make a move.

Then it struck me.  I am now at the age where changes will start to bother me.  When my parents used to complained about their, “back in my day”, I would roll my eyes.  Now my “back in the day” is here.  Back in my day, we had bookstores, where I would walk in and spend hours reading and relaxing.   

However, eventually I will probably be forced to buy a Kindle and I swear (as I’m downloading tons of books) I will not like it.  I will pretend it was made from a tree, not from really amazing technology.  Then hopefully sometime in the future someone will open up a retro store where Kindle users download books, while enjoying endless hours of eating and drinking at the cafe.

 Do you think the closing of Borders is the start of a culture change or just the result of a bad economy?

This is one book that you must add to your library, especially if you have children.  Most of the book are countless stories and examples of success and why some people are more successful.  At first he makes you believe that success is out of your control, due to when you were born and what your cultural background is. 

But, thankfully he stresses that success is not merely about IQ, it’s also about hard work and what opportunities you are given along the way.

I have read many self help books, yet this one makes perfect sense to me and has made me change my thinking, specifically towards the importance of education, opportunities, and social savvy of my children. 

If you read nothing else this summer, read this book.   I highly recommend it! 

I recommend you:

                    Buy It              Borrow It                Bench It

David Corbin’s book, “Illuminate:  Harnessing the Positive Power of Negative Thinking” uses a story-like format to inform us that there is value in illuminating negative thinking.  He believes that the PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) movement focuses too much on the positive, while ignoring the negative. 

According to the book, there are three steps to Illuminate:  Face It, Follow It, and Fix It. 

To Face It means to, “Be willing to put your face forward, open your eyes and ears and especially your mind…and consider the validity of observations even if you don’t immediately agree.  Be open, courageous, and allow for a beginners mind.” 

The next step is to Follow It which means to, “Ask yourself the probing questions, such as:  Where does the challenge reside?  Who is affected?  What is keeping this challenge alive?  Who or what is feeding it?”

Then to Fix It means to, ”Do what it takes to eliminate or at least minimize the cause(s) and contributing factor(s) that keep that challenge alive.” 

In my opinion, looking at the positive was never about ignoring the negative, but about making a choice to not ignore the positive. Positive thinkers know that there are a lot of negative issues, but by focusing on the positive a lot of those negative thoughts go away. 

While I agree that it’s also important to be aware of the negativity around, I thought that was the basis of traditional process improvement, not a new methodology.  I don’t know, maybe I just didn’t get the book.  If anyone else read it and could “Illuminate” me, I’m listening.  

Pros:  Super short book  ♦  Enjoyed the stories  ♦  It’s positive

Cons:  Forgettable  ♦  Nothing new  ♦  Repeated ”Illuminate” too much

I recommend you:

                    Buy It              Borrow It                Bench It

The bad news is something horrible happened today. While you drove to Starbucks to get a latte, wars were started, someone molested a child, and someone killed someone for absolutely no good reason.

The reality is, this has been going on for many generations before us. But, now we hear about it in so much detail, every single day. It’s frustrating that we can’t even be sure that the news stories are completely true, part true, or flat out lies. And the truth is we can’t do anything about any of it anyway.

Here are some steps you can take today to deal with media negativity overload.

Change your perceptions
Before you realize it, this constant negative bombardment tends to skew our world view about the realities of life. It puts us in a one dimensional bubble and fakes our minds into believing that what is on tv or on the internet is the complete reality.

I understand that bad things are happening in the world. But good things happen every day too! People are saving strangers lives, people are dying for others, and people are doing positive things that are changing the world.

Figure out your trigger points
Politics and cruelties against children are my trigger points. They both add stress and negativity to my day more than other topics. Notice that there are probably certain types of stories that bother you the most. It’s probably best to decrease the amount of time you focus on reading or watching about these trigger points. All they do is make you feel worse.

Maintain a balanced view
I’m not suggesting that you cut the news altogether, just downplay its importance. If you are in the habit of watching the news before you go to work or start your day, then you might consider stopping. What you do during this time sets the tone for the day. Instead, organize your daily schedule, read your affirmations, or watch something funny. Anything positive is better.

Personally I don’t watch the news. I subscribe to various RSS feeds and read my news from different sources. And I also subscribe to fun, educational, motivational feeds that balance the often negative top stories.

Additionally, I make sure my homepages are never the news. This way I am not distracted by the headlines. My problem was that I spent more time reading people’s comments about a story, which most of the time people were cruel or misinformed that I got sucked into the negativity. Only reading the news through feeds gives me the control I want on my time.

Beautify and control your space
An important action you can do is control your personal space. Deplug all that negative noise and do something positive and productive instead.

You can volunteer in those organizations that you are passionate about, those that are your trigger points. Be in the now and focus on making your family happy. Help your friends by being helpful and concerned. And spend personal time appreciating what you have.

Taking care of yourself and those around you is all you have control over anyway. In the end, things will work itself out. The world will change, adapt, and overcome – just like you.

2009 Rock-n-Roll Las Vegas Marathon. Victah Sailer@Photo Run

The difference is, I am no longer worried about not completing. I am confident that I will finish. Just acknowledging this is a big deal for me!

Rock n Roll Vegas!
I am excited about running in Vegas! It’s where my husband and I started dating and where we got married. And running up and down the strip will be exciting because there will be many distractions and thousands of people. I have always been a spectator and I am thrilled to now actually be a runner!

Hoping for a warm start
Honestly my biggest fear about the run is being cold. I know it sounds trivial, but Vegas was so cold last week and the low for Saturday is forcasted to be 44 degrees. I’m a big whimp. I am fully aware that once I start running I will no longer be cold, but that waiting start time might turn me into a popsicle first. Hey, maybe the cold will make me run faster!

Moving On
During this time, my main focus has been to meet my goal of running to completion. Like I’ve mentioned before, I’ve learned that my main goal was just my drive that compelled me to keep moving, but the real benefit was everything learned and gained in between and afterwards. Now I’m a little ashamed to say I’m only running the half marathon, because the full is much more of a challenge for me!

Now I’m ready for my next adventure in 2011! What goals do you want to reach in the new year? Start thinking now and let me know.