Roadturn

Featuring The DEEP and How to LIVE

Alarming

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Some things you think are simple (in this increasingly complex world), but a close inspection shows them hard to find. Kind of like real friends or true love–you know, things like that. My current search isn’t that big of a deal, though. All I want is an alarm clock.

Not just any clock, though. I want one that will work on my PC and notify me hourly (with a nice gong–but, I already have the gong sound.) Not yearly, monthly or even daily–I want every hour on the hour to announce its arrival.

Why? So that I can stop, thank God for the moment, stretch a bit, walk a bit and get back to work. I want to stay in touch with my actions–to ask myself regularly whether I am doing the thing that most needs done. I want to be aware of life. And I want to be consistently thankful.

That’s all. An hourly chime. I’ve tried a bunch of them, but none have panned out thus far. Real friends, true love, an hourly wake up call? Gotta be out there, right?

Hope in Reverse

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Do you ever feel like your own mind is your worst enemy? Do you ever listen to yourself and wonder where those self defeating, negative, downright mean remarks come from? Take a look at this short presentation to witness a little psychological ju-jitsu. Turn it Around!

New Year’s Resolution Time

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It’s that time of the year again. Like watching the odometer roll over to another milestone, we are about to see the end of 2009 and the ringing in of 2010 (God willing.) I wish you and yours the best new year ever. May your dreams be realized, your faith be strengthened and love embrace you inside and out.

My family has been talking about resolutions. This year, we are thinking to add some family goals to the mix, in addition to our individual resolves. All the talk, of course, prompted me to do some research, and I’ve got to tell you that the findings varied widely. For a look at the most recent Marist Poll, just Click Here. All told, it seems that many of us will set resolutions and some of us will keep them. No surprises there. The interesting point for me concerns the content of our resolutions. The big three are all about health: Lose weight, Stop smoking and Exercise. I’m no exception to that rule. My personal goals for the coming year will certainly include taking better care of my body. “Use it or lose it.” That’s my motto, concerning exercise.

Our family resolutions, though, include health (better diet and family exercise), but our big idea is to begin chunking our time together. By that, we mean to include time daily for the most important things–Bible study, Prayer, Music practice and Family Meetings. This coming year, we will try a new approach. Rather than set specific times to gather, we are going to try just making sure that those “big rocks” go in there first–in whatever order and at whatever time it works out.

Will it help? I don’t know. We’ll see. One thing I do know, though, is that those who don’t try don’t do. Our main problem is not shooting too high and failing. It is aiming too low and hitting. You get what you settle for. We’re going to stretch ourselves in 2010. We’re going to grow for it!

Way to go, Zoho…

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If you haven’t done so, yet, here’s your chance to claim your spot on Zoho. To date, it is the best cloud-based (or Earth-based) online work site that I’ve yet found. I’m not getting paid to say that, by the way. It just is.

I stumbled onto the Zoho website while searching for a project management template. The entry level array of services is more than ample, and the cost is just right: Free. I’d tell you more about it, but I need to head back over there and get better acquainted with how to utilize the tools available. Tomorrow, I’m scheduled to show two of my co-workers how to get going with Zoho, so that we can begin using it for distance collaboration. Yes!

Here’s that link, in case you missed it: http://www.zoho.com

Adios, Jim Rohn

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Turn-Around legend, Jim Rohn, passed on today. He is and will be missed by many. He was a master of the basics and an inspiration to all.

Jim’s story is a classic RoadTurn. He came from a rural town and modest means, dropped out of college to marry his sweetheart, then discovered that it’s tough to support a family on wages. Providence brought him to work under a mentor–John Earl Shoaff–and it was there that Jim learned the first secret of success: There are just a few things that can make a big difference in your life. Find those and concentrate on doing them.

Mr. Rohn went on to become one of the most celebrated professional speakers of all time and a millionaire by age 31. Following are a few quotes from Jim and from the memorial tribute on the Jim Rohn International website. May the Creator continue to bless and keep Jim Rohn and take special care of his family.

Harold Dyke, long time close friend of Jim’s for over 55 years said it best, “As Jim is ending one life he is simultaneously being birthed into a new life. One that he has talked about over the years and anticipated with great joy in his last remaining days.”

Someone once said “when you are born you enter the world crying while everyone else is rejoicing and when you die hopefully you have lived such a life that everyone will be crying while you are rejoicing”. Jim Rohn lived such a life.

Don’t just read the easy stuff. You may be entertained by it, but you will never grow from it.

Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.

Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of your attention.

Mystery Solved: Paul Potts is a Marjon Graduate.

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This was first posted in early 2008, but was lost in the transition to a new hosting site. Folks keep asking for it, so I’m recreating it here:

Every news account I’ve read, concerning Paul Potts’ educational background, says that he graduated from Plymouth University with a degree in “Philosophy, Theology, and Film and TV studies.” I have spoken of this in earlier posts, like this one, and I am fully aware that probably no one but me (and maybe Paul) really cares what he studied in college. The man can sing. That’s all we are really concerned about. Right?

Well, I have this idea that Paul Potts has a mission beyond singing popera and that it is primarily of a philosophical/theological bent. So: I care. It has taken awhile, but I now have official news to report from the schools in question. Those who want to know exactly what Paul studied and from where he was graduated, read on.

Press accounts, to this point, have indicated that Paul received his diploma from “The University” in Plymouth, England. That would be the University of Plymouth, then…right? Wrong. According to Paola Simoneschi, PR manager at that fine school, Paul did not graduate there. Paola was, however, able to point me in the correct direction: Marjon.

After a bit of delay, owing to a critical staffer being on holiday, the confirmation has arrived from my heroine, Kate Lister. Here is what she says:

AS promised – here are the details:

Paul Robert Potts was awarded a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Humanities Second Class Honours Division Two on 29th June 1993.

And, as I promised Kate, who is Marketing and PR Advisor at Marjon–and why, oh why is she not on the Paul Potts team? The lady is a gem–here is a link to the University College Plymouth St. Mark & St. John. Yes, Saint Mark’s and Saint John’s, packing “over 150 Years of heritage, tradition and experience” is now a University College! And a good one…

As for Paul Potts…a Humanities major. Nothing wrong with that, but maybe all my enthusiasm about this philosopher/king business has been in vain. Oh, well. Then again, maybe not. We’ll see.