Solutions Talk

Favorite Things...What's on Your List?

Today's Notable Quote: "When the dog bites-When the bee stings...When I'm feeling sad...I simply remember my favorite things--And then I don't feel so bad" - chorus of My Favorite Things, (1959) Music by Richard Rodgers Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II

I try to begin each day with an attitude of thankfulness and wonder. Sometimes, a seemingly simple thing...for instance, hot water in the shower...or the aroma of fresh-brewed coffee in the morning will set the day on a great course. The warm embrace of a loving family member--or even the enthusiastic "wag" of the dog's tail serve to help it along.  These, and many other "simple pleasures" are numbered among my "Favorite Things".

Julie Andrews recited the following list in lyrical fashion as she spoke and sung the role of Fraulein Maria in Director Robert Wise's 1965 film version of The Sound of Music:

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

What's on Your list?

Get the "straight dope"...check with Snopes...

Today's Notable Quote: "If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything." - Mark Twain

So many "forwarded" email messages are little more than misguided disinformation. For instance, the one about the late Fred (of "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood") Rogers being a sniper in Viet Nam, or the one about Andy Rooney's scathing, self-righteous "Conservative" rant on "60 Minutes"...I could...and I'm sure you could add many others to the list.

I've intended for some time to address the remedy for what amounts to today's attempts at "Water Cooler" gossip--but haven't--until being reminded by Seth Godin's weblog post on the subject of Snopes.com as a "rumor verification resource". It is effective, easy and accurate. Try it for yourself, and help stop the rampant spread of "cyber-disinformation". 

Today: A Great Day...

Today's Notable Quote: "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder." - G.K. Chesterton (1874 - 1936).

2008.  A new year. Rich with opportunity. Full of promise. A time to resume thoughtful, diligent, well-prepared steps toward _________.  Yes, toward __________.

Whenever, and where ever in the history of mankind (at least in the West and many developing countries) have there been more open-ended options for self-determined success or something less?

I am astounded at the manifold opportunities that come my way on a daily basis.  All I have to do is "show up" and run as fast as possible to play "catch-up".

"First Class" Home Delivery...

What a great Experience shared by Andy Nulman and detailed in the following blogpost...

Notable Quote: "Here’s what I mean—while vacationing in Vail, out of a slew of glossy promo mags and pamphlets left in our condo, my two  sons honed in on a company called “A La Car Restaurant Delivery Service," which stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb." - Andy Nulman, from his blogpost entitled A-Plus D-Livery.

Great story about the value of a surprising Experience offering that Mr. Nulman and Sons uncovered by reading their "in-room" brochures while vacationing in Vail, CO. For more, read on...While a multi-menued, one-stop delivery service is commonplace in most major markets, the Pow! of the opulent Vail twist is that these guys deliver their restaurant or grocery orders in a Porsche…

Cloning: Son of a son of a steer...Would you eat a "cloned" steak or chop?...

Today's Notable Quote:  "In the face of ever-increasing food safety concerns, it is troubling to see the FDA approval of products from cloned animals to be sold to the public, when questions surrounding the health risks, legal implications and ethical concerns remain unanswered. Furthermore, there is no data to suggest any consumer demand for such products." - Tom Buis, president of the National Farmers Union.

Tuesday's big news was the release of the results from a nearly 7 year study by the FDA on the safety and advisability of using cloning practices on animals designated for use in the food supply. From Tuesday's USA Today:

Q: What did the FDA actually do Tuesday?
A. The agency released a report it has been working on since 2001 on the safety of meat and milk from cloned cattle, pigs and goats. The report concluded that meat and milk from clones are identical to that from naturally bred animals. It also found that such foods are safe for human consumption.

Your thoughts? Read on for more on this hotly debated topic...Foes decry clone ruling

Cloned meat...would you...could you...should you...?

Authenticity Revealed, Discussed, Defined!?!

Today's Notable Quote:  "Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but usually manages to pick himself up, walk over or around it, and carry on." -  Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

As 2008 begins to unfold, take a few minutes to treat yourselves to one of the most relevant and interesting websites to be found...http://authenticitybook.com/ .

The site chronicles the search for the real...often found swimming against the pervasive tide of phonieness. In an age rife with "Reality-this-and-that" posing as everything from Entertainment to Community...the thinking of Jim Gilmore and Joe Pine offers a refreshing look at the subject of Authenticity, particularly within the context of the Experience Economy.

You are also in for a treat when viewing the masterful work of the folks at Substance, who have created a fun and easy-to-navigate site. For more about them visit: findsubstance.com

Read it and Reap...

"Good" may not be "Good enough"...

Today's Notable Quote: "What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals." - Zig Ziglar

Are my standards consistently high enough? As I prepared for a recent management workshop, I read through the following definition gleaned from the OED and other sources. It caused me to pause and consider the vital importance of holding my work to an ever higher standard of excellence.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

            great   (grāt)

1. Remarkable or outstanding in magnitude, degree, or extent
2. Of outstanding significance or importance
3. Chief or principal
4. Powerful; influential
5. Eminent; distinguished
6. Grand; aristocratic

Reading in the New Year...

Today's Notable Quote: "Those of us who have been true readers all our life seldom fully realise the enormous extension of our being which we owe to authors. We realise it best when we talk with an unliterary friend. He may be full of goodness and good sense but he inhabits a tiny world. In it, we should be suffocated. The man who is contented to be only himself, and therefore less a self, is in prison. My own eyes are not enough for me, I will see through those of others. Reality, even seen through the eyes of many, is not enough. I will see what others have invented..." - C.S. Lewis (1898 - 1963).

2008 is underway...I've finished a novel (Vince Flynn's latest "Mitch Rapp" thriller - a Christmas present)and have seven other books in my "next-up" queue. They include:

Perelandra - the second of C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy

Without Fail - Lee Child

This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession - Daniel J. Levitin

Ten Thousand Horses - John Stahl-Wert and Ken Jennings

The Serving Leader - John Stahl-Wert and Ken Jennings

Brandscapes: Architecture in the Experience Economy - Anna Klingmann

Bobos in Paradise - David Brooks

Am also thinking about picking up Seth Godin's latest book "Meatball Sundae",  A meatball sundae is the unfortunate result of mixing two good ideas.

I'm always looking for a new title (guilty pleasure, business, inspirational, biographies, etc.) so, help me out and tell me what you are reading...

A Brand New Year...Hello 2008!

I Resolve to live "TODAY" each day...

TIME

"If you want any part of your life changed, forget about what you're going to do "this year" and begin with this moment." - Unknown, from the Albert W. Daw Collection.

OPPORTUNITY

"When we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us every opportunity of carrying them out." - Saint John Chrysostom (C.345-407) Greek Father of the Church.

DIPLOMACY:

"It takes in reality only one to make a quarrel. It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion." - Dr. William Ralph Inge, (1860-1954) English Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral.

ACTION:

“There is no moment like the present. The man who will not execute his resolutions when they are fresh upon him can have no hope from them afterwards; they will be dissipated, lost, and perish in the hurry and scurry of the world, or sunk in the slough of indolence.”

- Maria Edgeworth, (1767–1849) Irish novelist, daughter of educational theorist Richard Lovell Edgeworth

YOU are the key:

“Can you walk on water?  You have done no better than a straw.  Can you soar in the air?  You have done no better than a fly.  Conquer your heart; then you may become somebody.” 

- This quotation hung above business and motivational author/speaker Og Mandino’s office door at his corporate headquarters.

After considering “TODAY”, I resolve to pay attention to the three “P’s” of business success: PLAN, PREPARE, and PERSEVERE (A fourth “P”, Praying, is essential, in all things.)

PLAN:

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”

- KJV Bible.  Proverbs 6:6-8

PREPARE:

“Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.”

- John Wooden (1910–) All-American player at Purdue, coached most ever NCAA basketball champions at UCLA

“If you want to be truly successful invest in yourself to get the knowledge you need to find your unique factor. When you find it and focus on it and persevere your success will blossom.”

- Sidney Madwed American Speaker, Consultant, Author, Poet

We must become "as children"...in order to learn the most important life lessons.

PERSEVERE:

TIME

"If you want any part of your life changed, forget about what you're going to do "this year" and begin with this moment." - Unknown, from the Albert W. Daw Collection.

OPPORTUNITY

"When we once begin to form good resolutions, God gives us every opportunity of carrying them out." - Saint John Chrysostom (C.345-407) Greek Father of the Church.

DIPLOMACY:

"It takes in reality only one to make a quarrel. It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion." - Dr. William Ralph Inge, (1860-1954) English Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral.

ACTION:

“There is no moment like the present. The man who will not execute his resolutions when they are fresh upon him can have no hope from them afterwards; they will be dissipated, lost, and perish in the hurry and scurry of the world, or sunk in the slough of indolence.”

- Maria Edgeworth, (1767–1849) Irish novelist, daughter of educational theorist Richard Lovell Edgeworth

YOU are the key:

“Can you walk on water?  You have done no better than a straw.  Can you soar in the air?  You have done no better than a fly.  Conquer your heart; then you may become somebody.” 

- This quotation hung above business and motivational author/speaker Og Mandino’s office door at his corporate headquarters.

After considering “TODAY”, I resolve to pay attention to the three “P’s” of business success: PLAN, PREPARE, and PERSEVERE (A fourth “P”, Praying, is essential, in all things.)

PLAN:

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”

- KJV Bible.  Proverbs 6:6-8

PREPARE:

“Failure to prepare is preparing to fail.”

- John Wooden (1910–) All-American player at Purdue, coached most ever NCAA basketball champions at UCLA

“If you want to be truly successful invest in yourself to get the knowledge you need to find your unique factor. When you find it and focus on it and persevere your success will blossom.”

- Sidney Madwed American Speaker, Consultant, Author, Poet

We must become "as children"...in order to learn the most important life lessons.

PERSEVERE: